You know you're a teacher when...

You see a kid running down the aisle at Walmart and you say, "whoa, no running in the hallways."

Yes, it did happen and I'm embarrassed about it. I think maybe it's been a long day.

If you bring it up, I'll deny it ever happened

Once Baylor was bounced from the Men's NCAA Tournament the other day I decided to help the Aggies. I had the opportunity to watch the game with the Rothenberger and Errington families. They are Aggies through and through.

Well, everyone in the room (including baby Jackson) had their maroon on, except me. I was still sportin' the green and gold. The Ags were down and everyone felt like I needed to "maroon out" to push them over the edge. It was a weak moment for me, really weak. I buckled under the pressure and I'm not proud, but it made for a fun picture or two:

Let's play a game

In order to be the best teacher I can be, I like to be prepared for all kinds of situations. So, I thought it might be fun for some people to help me do just that. Here's a completely hypothetical situation:

It's the first day back to school after a semi-long break. All the kids have an opportunity to talk about all the oh-so-very-exciting things they did. The last kid tells all about a family vacation to another state, he (or she) had a great time. Then as if it was the best part of the trip, the kid very proudly says, "When we were coming back into Texas my step-dad even showed us the prison he used to be in."

So, what would your response be?

We've come a long way

Well, another Easter has come and gone. As much fun as it was for my brother, sister, and I to have Easter Egg Hunts well into our teen years (we're a family of traditions) it is a lot more fun to celebrate these holidays with little kids in the family. And, of course, Will and Allie did not disappoint. I actually missed the Egg hunt because I had to pick Ashleigh up at the airport, but here's a couple cute pictures:



It just wouldn't be Easter without "the picture." So, here's a picture of the three of us (plus Will):


I also enjoy the fact that I still get to sit at the "kid" table:

For me?

Easter is different this year for a lot of reasons. It's early. It's at the tail end of Spring Break. It's the first year that we will be celebrating Easter lunch somewhere other than my parent's house since we moved to Texas. But, the reason for all the celebrating is the same. I pray that it never gets old and that the truth of Easter will show through every part of my life.

This past Summer (or maybe Fall) I was doing a Bible Study and I was drawn to a particular part of the story of Jesus' death that it seems I had never really paid much attention to before. We all know the basics-but this little piece brought a whole new depth for me. Once the soldiers had put Jesus on the cross and he was no doubt experiencing great pain, they mocked him. They said things like, "If you're really God, get yourself out of this mess." How easy it would have been for him to show how powerful he is and literally get himself off that cross. God was completely capable and powerful enough to end the agony for Jesus. End the mocking. End the pain. But he didn't. He didn't because if the story had stopped there, then someone else would have to die. Me.

The mocking soldiers kind of reminds me of myself at times. "God, you're big enough to get me out of this mess. Or, You can make this happen if you really want to." And just like watching His own son die, He doesn't intervene. He knows what's coming, He knows that whatever is happening is for my good and His glory.

So, this Easter, I'm seeing things from a little bit of a different perspective. But the truth is the same, He died for me. He took MY place. And the good news, He didn't stay dead! He is alive and active in my life. And that, my friends, is something to celebrate!

We don't even need to discuss it

Quick, remind me how proud I was a couple days ago, because my Bears, they didn't look so good today. The way I see it, we're a few years away from a Final Four appearance. Baby steps, baby steps.

In other sad news, the rest of my bracket isn't looking too good either. I think I better take the day off from basketball tomorrow.

I have never been more proud

I can honestly say that I have never been more proud to be a Baylor Bear than I have been this week!

For the first time in 20 years, the Baylor Men's Basketball team will play in the NCAA Tournament. They have overcome a lot of junk to be in the position they are in and people are noticing. Check out these articles, this one is from a newspaper in Indiana, and this one is from the Chicago Sun-Times. I know it's not likely they'll go very far, but watch out, every year there's a cinderella!

Three years ago the Baylor Women's Basketball team won the NCAA Tournament! It was surprising for most of the country and many Baylor Fans too. That team beat three #1 seeds on their way to the National Championship, a very big deal. This year we are going into the tournament a #3 seed and I think we are going to surprise a lot of people, back to the Final Four!!

Lastly, I had the opportunity to head to Waco today to watch a little softball action. Well, with all the rain, the game was cancelled. In an effort to save the day, we stopped by the softball stadium just to see it and noticed the team was practicing at the "covered" practice field. We watched in amazement as they practiced their pitching and batting. After a few minutes the Head Coach, Glenn Moore, walked up and introduced himself to us. He apologized for the game cancellation but welcomed us to come inside and watch practice and then offered a tour of the locker room and autographs. I was blown away. I mean, I know how great Baylor is and how great people at Baylor are, but he was so nice and so giving to us. He went way out of his way to make the day memorable!

Baylor has always been a special place to me, but this week, I am down-right PROUD to be a Baylor Bear! Sic'em!

Two words

SPRING BREAK!!

Casa del iPhone

I believe it is well documented that I am a fan of the iPhone. I have absolutely no regrets and it makes it so easy for me to avoid one of my biggest (or silly) fears, calling people on the phone!

Well, my Mom got a new car that has that bluetooth thing in it so she can use her cell phone through the car's stereo system and her old phone just wasn't cutting it. So, last weekend my Mom, Dad, and sister all jumped on the iPhone bandwagon! I'm not going to lie, there are have been moments this week where we have all sat in the same room with our phones out learning all the tricks. My Mom calls herself "computer stupid" (but she really isn't-she plays a mean game of Spider Solitaire) so the jump to the iPhone was a pretty big one. In fact, I just showed my Mom the other day how to send an email and my sister taught her the art of the text message.

Fast forward to today...I sneakily check my email on my phone during recess and see that I have mail from my Mom. I'm thinking, "Cool, she emailed me!" Here's her message:

I went to see dr and he put me in the hospital.
iPhone battery is almost dead.
I need cord. :)
Love you,
Mom

Sent from my iPhone

I immediately let her know that I was proud of her for sending it, but EMAIL is NOT an appropriate way to tell someone (at least your own children) that you are in the hospital! And guess how she told my sister, a text message. She is doing fine though.

By the way, it automatically puts "sent from my iPhone" at the end of messages, she didn't type that in. :)

Mom- you are funny, and I love you! :)

My cheeks hurt

You know at the very end of Toy Story when they have the outtakes? Well, my favorite part of the whole movie is the Barbie saying "Buh-Bye now, buh-bye...my cheeks hurt." She says that because her face is "stuck" in smile position. Cracks me up everytime!

Anyway, MY cheeks hurt because my face was "stuck" in the smile position for the better part of the evening. A bunch of friends went out to celebrate Leigh's Birthday and I think I did nothing but laugh. In fact, I don't think I really said a word, I just laughed at what everyone else was saying! :)

Oh wait, I did say something, and I'm afraid I will forever be remembered for it. Uh-oh!

Happy Birthday, Leigh!

Thinking out-loud

It has been an interesting week. There have been some amazing moments and some not-so-amazing moments. Thinking on one of those not-so-amazing moments this afternoon really made me realize how something completely insignificant can totally consume my thoughts, attitudes, and feelings.

I'm being intentionally vague, but yesterday afternoon left me in a place of deep disappointment. I tried to let it go and tell myself that it isn't important, but I couldn't seem to shake it. Through some other events in the last 24 hours God has really shown me how easily I get and stay focused on things that have little or no meaning in the big picture of life. I hate to admit how much time I spend thinking about those types of things. And I wonder how different my life would be if I would spend that time doing something productive. The change would be absolutely dramatic.

I definitely feel like life is a journey and you are constantly learning new things to make the trip a little easier and more enjoyable. I just want to be responsible with what I learn and not have to spend too much time retracing my steps. I'm so thankful that there is a God who loves me and gently puts me back on the right path. I'm thankful that even though there are hard days, long days, and even amazing days it is all orchestrated by a God that is working for good.

I spent some time listening to the ol' iPod this afternoon and this Phillips, Craig, and Dean song has really stuck with me:

You Are God Alone

You are not a god
Created by human hands
You are not a god
Dependant on any mortal man
You are not a god
In need of anything we can give
By Your plan, thats just the way it is

You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
Your are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on Your throne

You're the only God
Whose power none can contend
You're the only God
Whose name and praise will never end
You're the only God
Whos worthy of everything we can give
You are God
And thats just the way it is

Crazy Day!

For the second time this week it has snowed! There was much more of it today though. As soon as the kids saw it at lunch time, they were done. There was no use trying to teach them anything new, so I just tried to keep them busy. By the time school was over we were all eagerly anticipating a canceled school day tomorrow.

Knowing that I might be stuck inside all day tomorrow I wanted to have a good book to read. So, I called my sister to see if she wanted to go to the bookstore with me. She reluctantly agreed, saying something about it being too dangerous. We decided to take her car because my back windshield was iced over, but I had to drive. We drive very cautiously all the way across town when my Mom calls to make sure we've made it home safely from school. Ashleigh proceeds to tell her that I "made" her go to the bookstore. As we are driving down the road, Ashleigh is telling me how we should turn around and go home, and I refuse. Well, we're almost there and this car in the lane next to us starts to slide over into our lane. I calmly maneuver around the car with absolutely no harm done. Well, you would have thought that death was narrowly escaped, because Ashleigh was about to lose it, immediately I heard lots of "I told you so's" and "I'm telling Mom!" It made me laugh. We made it safely, I got my book, and we headed home.

With all the snow on the ground I was dying to have a snowball fight. Unfortunately, Amy (the dog) was the only one willing to play with me. It doesn't look like it from the picture, but she was having a great time. I would throw snow at her and she would try to bite it with her mouth. She's a funny dog!


Fortunately, some of the kids from school were playing outside in front of my parent's house so I got to throw some snow at them. Then my sister decided to play along! We didn't last long, but she felt like she needed to get me back for almost killing her. Whatever!

I voted

Apparently, you have to get up pretty early in the morning to receive the "I Voted" sticker. I didn't get to vote until after school so I didn't get a sticker. Bummer! I did vote though, and it was an interesting experience:

I made my way to the local fire station where I was overwhelmed the second I walked in the door. The guy asked, "Republican or Democrat?" and I was speechless. I always thought that was kind of a private thing so I was a bit taken aback. Not to mention I walked in with several people that I know, and they all went a different direction. Oops!

Then, I thought it might be fun to try to take a picture of myself voting (for the blog) with my phone, but the "voting official" just kept watching me like he knew I was up to something. It ended up taking me a long time because I didn't know anybody on the ballot (I am an informed voter) except for President so I pretty much chose the person with the nicest sounding name!

And, I can't believe I just admitted that!!

Snow??

Let's do a little weather recap, shall we:

Saturday's Weather: Sunny with temperatures in the 80s
Sunday's Weather: Cloudy with temperatures in the 70s
Monday's Weather: SNOWING with temperatures in the 30s.

That's right! Snowing. Not just a little bit either, it looked like a blizzard! Ok, I exaggerate a little. I did get the chance to make a snowman though!