I've lost my mind

Is it already the end of the day on Wednesday? This week is really flying. I'm not complaining, but it has left me a little bit confused about what day it actually is. In fact, I've been a bit confused and forgetful about a lot of things this week...

We are supposed to test our kids' reading fluency once a six weeks. Fortunately, it takes little work from me, all I have to do is get the copies of the passage made. Well, our P.E. teacher (who does the testing) came to my room on Monday ready to start testing. I had no idea why she was there and when she asked for the fluency stuff I had to admit that I had totally forgotten to copy them. She agreed to come back the next day to begin. So, she shows up again and surprise, I have forgotten to make the copies again. Then today, she walks in to tell me that she can't start the testing because she is needed somewhere else. I was relieved because, you guessed it, I had completely forgotten for the third time!! I finally wrote it on my hand so I wouldn't forget, and I made the copies this afternoon.

I've shared before the struggle that is posting grades at the end of a grading period. Well, I did a good job of entering grades in a timely manner this six weeks, but I completely forgot to post my grades yesterday. They were due by midnight! I sat down to put on my shoes this morning and it came to me! I couldn't believe it and was totally embarrassed that I had let the deadline slip by. I reluctantly admitted to our secretary that I was a loser and had failed to do my job! Luckily, she just laughed and showed me the list of at least 6 other people who forgot to post their grades too.

Then, today I ran to Walmart to get some baseball cards for my lesson at church. I walk in, decide to go look at something really quick, pay for my items and leave. I'm half way to church before I realize that I didn't buy any baseball cards! I decided Albertson's would be a bit faster so I run in there. Apparently, they don't sell baseball cards. In the five minutes that I was in the store I completely forgot where my car was (something that never happens to me)! After spending a few minutes looking totally dumb, I made my way to Walmart, again, to buy the baseball cards.

I'm not sure what's going on with my head. Some people have suggested that I may be experiencing signs of aging. I just don't think I'm ready to accept that. Either way, I'm glad it's almost the weekend!

Workin' at the Car Wash

Yesterday evening after a quick dinner at McDonald's with the Four Great Boys plus Meagan, my car was attacked by birds who may have been having some stomach issues. The windshield was looking especially gross so we headed to the local QT to do some cleaning. We didn't have much time so I was just going to jump out wash off the windshield and we would be on our way. The kids, however, were so eager to help. So, we rounded up three window washing thingies and they got to work. By the time we had finished, Parker had washed 2 windows, Meagan had washed 2 windows, Luke had washed 2 windows, and I got to re-wash 6 windows! :) It was pretty funny to watch them work. I managed to snap a quick picture of the adventure:

I loved how they turned something so mundane into something fun!!

I never realized

I seem to have some kind of thumb injury. I don't know what I did or when it happened, but it hurts. At first it was just annoying, but now I am having trouble writing and picking up things!! One of my students broke her arm on Tuesday and yesterday was her first day back at school. I went through the lunch line with her and then went to pick up her tray for her and my thumb totally gave out! I was about six inches away from having a very embarrassing moment! Luckily, my reflexes are pretty good and I caught it with my left hand. I just never really considered what life would be like without one of my thumbs!

Writing this post has also made me realize how little I have to blog about!! :)

Meme

I thought it was hard to come up with 26 random things about myself a couple weeks ago. And now, thanks to my good friend, Kristy, I've been given the opportunity to come up with 6 more. I'm sure you're all quite tired of reading about ME! Oh well, here goes:

So, here are the rules:

(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
(5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Here are my non-important things/habits/quirks -

1. I absolutely HATE to call people on the phone. The thought of making a phone call has terrified me ever since I was kid. You can call me and I'd be happy to talk with you, but making the phone call myself is a whole different story. I think maybe it has something to do with the fear of rejection. :) This became a bit of a problem when I got my first job out of college, I had to call people all over the country and it caused a great deal of stress! And, I will do absolutely anything to avoid having to make a phone call to a parent of one of my students! Praise Jesus for email!

2. I am TERRIBLE with money. I can spend it, but I sure can't save it! It is quite ironic because I have a Finance degree and I know a lot about all the things I should be doing with my money (IRAs, 401ks, annuities, stocks, bonds, etc) but I just can't do it. It really frustrates my Dad because he is a Financial Advisor and every time I see him, he asks me when I'm going to become a client. :) The fact that this has been a problem ever since childhood makes me feel a little better about it.

3. I came very close to running for Mayor of Waco in 2004. Seriously! I felt like the city had so much potential that was being ignored. At that time I thought I would live in Waco for several more years, even though I was graduating, and I wanted to see it become great! I even had the opportunity to meet and have lunch with the out-going mayor.

4. The very first thing I do when I get out of bed is brush my teeth. Every morning that has to be the first thing. If I don't brush my teeth first I never quite feel completely clean. I can take a shower and then brush them, but I still don't quite feel right.

5. No matter how hard I try, I can't keep my bedroom clean! The rest of the house, no problem. But my bedroom looks like a clothing store blew up in there. There are clothes everywhere. I almost took a picture, but it would have been too embarrassing. It's really bad.

6. I was having trouble thinking of anything to write about that I hadn't written about already so I asked my class for help. I just asked them what was one weird thing they've noticed about me this year, and the number one answer was...that when I bring my lunch from home I put my chips on my sandwich. It's strange but I think it's nice to add a little crunch to my sandwich. :) Another top answer was that when I eat, I eat one item at a time. These kids, they notice things!

Sadly, I can't think of six people to tag who haven't been tagged already! So, I'm going to go with three:

Haley, Kelley, and Jennifer

Made me laugh

I saw this sign last night and it made me laugh really hard.


The Q is backwards, but, do you get it...In Queso Emergency. :)

This is not a guilt trip

My sister has a heart for Africa. I'm not exactly sure where it came from or where God will take her because of it, but I know she was ecstatic this week to receive a letter from a child in Africa that she sponsors. It was so cool to look at the drawings that a little kid on the other side of the world drew just for her. The small amount of money that she puts aside every month will absolutely change that child's life. Seeing her excitement this weekend stirred something in my own heart.

Then, in what is far too coincidental to be a coincidence, Compassion put together a team of bloggers (four of whom I read regularly) to visit Uganda and then blog about all the kids who need to be sponsored. They are gone this week and already they have posted some pretty powerful stuff. Powerful stuff that has reminded me how much I have and how much more I have to give.

I've walked past the table many times. You know the table, the one where people bring all the pictures of the kids who live in terrible conditions, in third-world countries - most of which are ravished by AIDS and other serious diseases. The kids who so desperately need someone to care about them and help them break the cycles of poverty. Every time I've walked past that table, I've done it with guilt, knowing full well that I could totally afford to make a difference for at least one kid but I always choose not to.

This week it's different. Between Ashleigh's letter and all the blogs, I've felt myself wrestling with the idea that maybe I should sponsor a child myself.

This is the conversation God and I had today:

God: (practically shouting) You should do this, imagine the difference that could be made in a child's life.

Me: I know, it could mean saving a child's life, but it would be a bit of a sacrifice.

God: Remember MY sacrifice, the one that saved YOUR life.

Me: Enough said!

So, today I sponsored a kid from Uganda. His name is Muhindo Baraka and he is 9 years old.


My $32 a month will allow Baraka to get an education, to stay healthy, and to have a future. It might mean giving up some of my comforts, but I'm thinking that's such a small price to pay. If one of those kids were to come to the United States and see my house, my car, my stuff - they would think that I was absolutely rich. And, really the only thing I can't afford to do, is NOT help.

I spent $2000 today

Ok, so I didn't really spend two-thousand real dollars. But, I did blow two-thousand dollars in "KinzCash."

You see, one of my students gave me a Webkinz for my Birthday. It is a little black bear named Baylor. We decided that Baylor would make the perfect class pet, all the fun and none of the mess! We got him all setup online this afternoon and I blew all the money on the fence for the backyard. The kids watched in horror as I drained the bank account all the way to $9.

I reassured them that having no money just meant that they would need to play more games to earn some. This announcement brought many cheers and peace was restored! I really wish I had thought of this whole Webkinz thing, it's pretty cool!

Here's Baylor, the official mascot of Camp Learnalot:

What's the word?

Well, the big birthday has officially come and gone and I lived to tell about it. Not completely gone I guess, I still get to party with the family tonight!

I just had to take a moment though and reflect on the last 24 hours or so. It really has been kind of an out-of-body experience. I honestly don't know how to respond to the kindness and generosity that my friends have shown me.

Last night, after a very full and fun day of basketball, seven (and a half) of the most amazing people I could ever know took me to Pappasito's for dinner. As I was sitting at the table with Kristy, Deneise, Shellee, Sherry, Jenny, Leigh, Kelly (who needs to start a blog), and baby Jackson, I couldn't help but be amazed at how in just about a year's time this group has become some of my closest friends.

After dinner Kristy, Sherry, and I went to see Fool's Gold. It was a fun movie and the best part for me was sitting between two people who have the funniest reactions to scary/surprising situations. And, watching Matthew McConaughey is always a nice bonus.

Then, after church this morning, Alex, Meagan, Jordan, and Reagan (plus their great Moms) took me out to lunch at On the Border. I had a great time hanging with them and once again they were way too good to me. Except for the part where I had to wave a napkin over my head while people starred at me!! :)

It was a great birthday, made possible by many special people. All of them are unique and special in their own way and do nothing but make my life better. God has truly used them to show His love to me, over and over, and over, and over again. I try to tell them thanks for all they do for me, but, it really isn't the right word. It doesn't quite say enough.

So, until I think of a better word, thankswowyouarethebestyoumakemylifefunfullhappyexcitinganddownrightwonderful, will have to do!

Twenty-Six

I'm not usually one to say; "Hey, look at me, it's my birthday." But, that's exactly what today is. Today I am 26 years old. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that number, but it definitely says, you're not a kid anymore. It sounds like you should be responsible, established, and rolling right along in life. I don't really feel like I'm any of those things. I do know that if God blesses me even half as much as He did in the last year, it's going to be a great year!

In honor of the big two-six, I thought it might be fun to list 26 things that you may or may not know about me:

1. My initials are EEE
2. I still have a baby tooth in my mouth
3. My second toes are crooked-like my Dad's
4. I have the same name as the girl from Clifford-Emily Elizabeth
5. I am a die-hard Baylor Bears fan
6. I have been driving for 10 years
7. I have only received one ticket in my 10 years of driving
8. I have visited 19 different states
9. I have visited 6 different countries
10. I have lived in two states - California and Texas
11. I have never broken any bones
12. I love Diet Coke
13. My favorite kind of food is Mexican
14. I love to watch movies
15. I love to read even more
16. I am a sucker for new technology gadgets
17. My first job was at Old Navy
18. I got a tattoo when I was 19
19. I have a scar approximately 11 inches long down my stomach
20. Scar mentioned above cuts my belly button in half
21. I may have pushed my brother through a wall once
22. I dyed my hair purple one time, by mistake
23. I played the Alto Saxophone in middle school and high school
24. I love to play basketball
25. My favorite movie is "October Sky"
26. Honestly, I can't think of anything else :)

Happy Saturday!

Apparently, I'm hard to love

This month we are talking about LOVE on Wednesday nights at church. So, tonight we talked about how God loves us so we should love other people. We talked about all the ways we can show love to people, even the people that are sometimes hard to love.

Well, our little activity included the kids spending some time thinking about someone in their life that is hard for them to love. They wrote that person's name on a heart to remind them to pray this week about loving those people, even though it is sometimes hard. Then they had to write that person a nice little note, as a sort of beginning to all the loving they're going to do this week.

A lot of the kids wrote down a sibling, or a kid at school, stuff like that. Well, imagine how great I felt when I received an "anonymous" note (handed to me) from one of the kids! I'm really hoping this particular kid misunderstood the directions! :)

I learned much

I spent the entire day having parent conferences today, and I'm exhausted. I learned much from my day in the "conference" room, but mostly I was reminded that I would much rather be in the classroom with kids than spending my day with adults. I was also reminded that kids can be incredibly resilient, resourceful, and hard on themselves. I could go on and on about another thing I was reminded of, but I won't, because it has to do with the "wink-wink" and I don't want to get in trouble for talking badly about it! :)

In much more exciting news, Deneise is blogging! Go check it out!

The legacy continues

I realized the other night that it has been awhile since I've spent some quality time with my nephew, Will. So, right after school today I went and picked him up. We headed over to Mardel's where he loves to play with the trains on their train table. He has the very same toys at home but for some reason, he likes to play there.

When I picked him up he asked me where we were going and I told him that we were going to play with the trains. He said, "we're going to the train station?" I wasn't sure what that meant because I'm pretty sure he's never been to a train station. All he could talk about on the way was how excited he was about going to the train station. We pull into the parking lot and he says, "this isn't the train station. The train station is a special place!" I laughed because it sounded so cute coming from him but I was seriously worried that my plans would be a bust. Luckily, they were not. He played with the trains, laughed at the trains, and talked to the trains for about an hour. And, after all that he still wasn't quite ready to leave when I was. Here he is playing away:


We then went to Chick-Fil-A (his choice) for a little dinner. After he ate all his food I bought him an ice cream cone. This proved to be the highlight of his night. He just thought it was the funniest thing ever to eat out of the cone. It reminded me of my Dado (our name for my Dad's Dad :)) and Grandma because looking back, it seems like everytime we saw them their visit included an ice cream cone from McDonald's. I can remember countless times that they showed up at our house with three cones in a brown-paper-bag-contraption that allowed them to transport them to us. Or going to their house and finding them in their freezer waiting for us. Or them picking us up from school and taking us to get one. I kind of wish I had kept count, because it would have been a lot of ice cream.

Since Will lives here and Grandma lives in Oregon (not to mention she's 92) I'll try to continue the legacy for her.