Lasandra

As promised...I will now introduce you to Lasandra:

This is me and my good friend, Lasandra.
When Rachael and Stephanie and I were getting ready to move in together four years ago, we needed some furniture because we were renting an unfurnished apartment. We had the majority of our stuff except for a couch. Then, Steph remembered her brother Jay had an old couch at their old office that he wasn't using. She said, "It isn't the prettiest thing you ever saw, but it is comfortable." So, she and Rach went and checked it out and decided it would work for a college apartment. We had no idea the love affair that was about to begin.

You see, Lasandra was old when we got her. One of her back legs was missing. After a long debate on our move in day, we decided to take her other back leg off and leave the front two on. So, now we have an overstuffed, well-worn, green couch with a hole or two that is now reclined. We had no idea what we had done. She quickly became the most comfortable couch we had ever sat on! We told everyone about how awesome she was!

Most people were excited for us, but didn't really care to hear about our couch. Then, one weekend, Michael Wilson and Stephen came up for a visit. When Michael first sat on her, I believe his exact words were, "Oh. My. Gosh. This couch is Ahhhhmazzzing!" After he obsessed over our amazing couch for a while, he decided she needed a name. After some thought, because not just any name would do, he decided she needed a very voluptuous name. His first suggestion was Lasandra and it has stuck ever since. That was one of our very first weekends in our new apartment together. So, she has lovingly been known as Lasandra ever since.

Most of our friends have either met or heard of Lasandra. Word travels fast about a comfortable, named couch. Now when people come to our apartment to meet her, most have to pulled away because she sucks them in with her magic. However, there are the rare people who have not had the joy of meeting Lasandra, yet. You can imagine the confusion when we start talking about sitting on or taking a nap on Lasandra. It gets some good reactions from people as they try to figure out who Lasandra is and why we are laying on her.

The majority of the time spent on Lasandra involves sleeping and cuddling. Her magic relies all in the reclining. She is so large and overstuffed that when you sit on her, she sucks you in and quickly puts you to sleep. She is a good snuggler and will allow you to sleep for hours on her!

This year Lasandra, and Stephanie, and I made a move to a new apartment. We decided we had had enough of the green and wanted to dress her up a bit. So, we bought a cover for her. Now, slip covers are expensive and I don't even know that they make ones large enough to fit someone as big as Lasandra. So, we bought a king size sheet for her dress and used the pillow cases to cover her arms. She looks like a completely different couch.
However, since her dress is not fitted, (no one likes to be in a tight dress all the time) it sometimes comes off. Now, the pictures here are not of her completely de-clothed because I would not want to expose her that way on the internet. But, from time to time, she gets pretty rough looking. However, we try to take good care of her and help her get dressed and do her laundry from on a regular basis, especially when guests are coming over.
There is some sad news though, Lasandra is old and getting saggy. She has a hard time staying fluffed up. Her back pillows fall down and get sat on a lot. Her bottom pillows get flat and lumpy. So, we had to admit her to ICU earlier this year and amputate her back two legs. The reclining just made it too hard for her to stay fluffed up. Although, she is not as good as new, she is doing much better. The good news is, she is still very comfy to sit and sleep on. She was losing her comfortableness before she had to go into the hospital and we were afraid the amputation would take that quality away forever. However, she made a full recovery and is still open for long naps and snuggle fests!

Please feel free to come meet, visit, and/or snuggle with Lasandra anytime. She loves meeting new people!

Not Me Monday

I did not have candy for breakfast almost everyday last week. No, not me. I always get up on time to start my day with a healthy breakfast that will energize me for the rest of the day.

I do not shove my tupperwear in the cabinet and slam it shut before it all falls back out. I am an organization freak! I make sure everything has a place and stays in its place.

I did not bake a dessert for Stephen this weekend and then eat part of it before he even got to Boone on Friday. I would never mess up a perfectly baked creation just because it smelled so good that I couldn't resist having a taste. I can always control my sweet tooth cravings.

I Realized This Week That...

...I am a little bit of a dork...okay maybe a lot a bit.

I completed two more hours of grad school this week with a math class. I took a MELT course, which stands for Math Education Leadership Training. And, the one I was in this week was all about how to teach algebra.

I did math everyday, all day from 8:30-4:30 and loved it! It was a long, intense week, but I got a lot of great ideas for the math classroom if/when I teach math. I have always been a fan of a good, challenging math problem. Later in the week, we got into some concepts that wouldn't really be taught at the middle school level. So, they were concepts that I had not thought about or done since high school. It was fun to get my brain thinking about these problems and figuring them out again. My note card quizzes from high school came in handy this week when I had to quickly recall the distance formula, slope formula, and quadratic equation. Ms. Mabe, Mrs. Walton, Mrs. Snyder, and Mrs. Browning would have been proud!

Although I am exhausted from sitting in one class all day for five days, I was blessed each morning as my alarm went off around 6am with the sun rise shinning through my windows. Each morning my room was lit with a warm, refreshing glow of orange from the sun. It was like the Lord was saying, "Good morning!" I loved it. And now, I am ending the week sitting on my back porch watching the sun set. The sunset last night was B-E-A-utiful and I am hoping for the same again today.

It is strange to think that just a few months ago there were several feet of snow on the ground and I was avoiding being outside as much as possible. Now, it's sunny all the time and hot! Amazing how that works.

Remember how I said I had 3 major projects due today because I am also enrolled in 2 other classes right now while I am taking these week long courses? Well, my group and I realized Wednesday afternoon that one of those projects was due Wednesday. This is where the fun of working in groups with friends comes in. We cranked that project out like we had been working on it for months and I was in bed by 11pm that night. Impressive if you ask me. However, Steph and I were delirious by the end of that night and sent an email to Ricky, our other group member, quoting, in APA format, This We Believe. Yes, we were cool enough to look quotes up and site them in an email. It was only funny because it was 11pm and we were exhausted from the intense week of class. But, it was a nice end to a crazy day.

I'm surprised that there have not been more wrecks on 421 with all the construction going on. I have found myself getting distracted by the work they are doing on several occasions. It is so cool to watch them move a pile of dirt or dig through the pavement and put a median in. How do they know how to do that? I wouldn't know where to begin!

My kitchen is clean! Steph and Morgan spent some time on it Thursday night and I finished it this afternoon. It feels so good to have a clean kitchen. The fridge even smells better! And, Lasandra has her clothes on again. The apartment looks like normal again...until next week, when another crazy week starts.

22 Years Old

Happy Birthday, Stephen Edward!

I love you!

* note * I was going to put 22 pictures up, but decided to go with a few of my favorites from this year!

22 Ways That You Make Me Smile:
1) You have silly nicknames for me
2) You take random pictures of yourself, me, anything that catches your attention
3) You're passionate about soccer now
4) You haven't overslept one time for your internship this summer
5) You wear ugly shoes...and don't care what others think
6) You don't like to share your food
7) I am better at sock wrestling than you
8) You have cool friends
9) You get cranky sometimes
10) You learned how to be cranky from me
11) You play with my hair
12) You wear cool t-shirts
13) You like watching Friends now
14) You like the Notebook (ha! Your secret is out!)
15) You play silly games with me
16) I can tell when you're distracted on the phone
17) You're coming to see me this weekend
18) You have cool roommates
19) You think I'm cute
20) You're my favorite
21) You're worth staying up late for to list a few of the reasons I love you
22) You love Jesus more than anything.

This Week (and next for what's it worth)

Class Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30
On top of two other classes...who's idea was that??

My fridge smells REALLY bad! I can smell it in my room whenever one of my roommates opens the door.
None of us have time to clean it right now.
You know what that means? The kitchen is also a mess.
I wish I had the energy and time to clean it, but I'm taking my few "free" moments aka moments of procrastination to blog instead.

Three major projects due on Friday (and next Friday).
So thankful I did that paper due July 2nd last week.

I didn't take a shower Monday morning because I was too tired.
My alarm clock is set for 6am. Not. Okay. With. Me.
My alarm clock went off at 5:30 am this morning.
How am I ever going to be a teacher?
Will I ever be a "morning person?"

It's hot in Boone.
The morning walks to class are refreshing...before it's hot and there are very few people on campus.
I thought summers in Boone were not supposed to be hot and humid.
I bought a tanning bed package...at a place that doesn't have AC.
Who's idea was that??
Remember how I said it's hot in Boone? Well, that makes a tanning bed place that has no AC even hotter. But, I'm still getting a tan, which I'm excited about!

I miss day camp.
I'm trying to clean out my pantry shelf before I go grocery shopping, but I really do need to go grocery shopping.
We're having roommate dinner tomorrow night! Yay for all three of us being here!
I had a nail in my tire today...Glad I have friends and random neighbors I can call on for help!

Stephen's coming to Boone on Friday!
And, he's bringing my mom's vacuum cleaner because ours is broken...yay for clean floors! :)

Lasandra (our couch...explanation to come in a later blog post) doesn't have her clothes on.
I've only watched 2 Friends episodes so far this week.
Steph and I haven't played Friends Scene It yet this week. We're pretty good...you should be proud of our skills.
I haven't even seen Savva this week and it's almost Wednesday. I could use a rampage, monkey imitation, or temper tantrum. :)

It's past my bed time.
2.5 more days this week...

Dear busy weeks, I'll be glad when you're over!

At the end of the day, I am thankful that I am blessed enough to live through these crazy days and am trying to cherish every moment and be thankful through it all! We serve a great and mighty God! He is faithful to provide even through the crazy times!

Father's Day

I love my daddy!

True Friendship

I was reminded this week of how great having awesome friends is! I always try to catch up with everyone when I am from school for a weekend, week, or even the summer. So, it often becomes me running here and there to spend a little time with one person, catch dinner with another, run some errand with someone else. Because of all the running, I don't stop to enjoy the conversation and time with my friends.

However, this week I was able to catch up with a few friends who I haven't been able to spend much time with in a while. And, let me tell you, it was so refreshing!

One of my conversations started out with a theology discussion. Before we talked about me or her, we talked about the Lord, His love for His people, and the implications of His love. How cool is that? Forget the fake small talk; let's talk about Christ! I love my friends and how how the Lord provides us with a relationship that increases our walks with the Him.

We also had the opportunity to talk about struggles, frustrations, and worries we are going through right now. Life is tough sometimes and it's nice to know that through our friendships we have a support system that is always available!

"A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's so nice to meet up with my friends and pick up right where we left off no matter the amount of time it's been since we last saw each other! I love making new friends and the encouragement that they are to me! However, I will forever cherish the friends I have had since middle and high school and the memories we share together.

"We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over." ~Samuel Johnson

Just a few of these friends that I am so thankful for...

"Friends are the sunshine of life"
~John Hay (1871)

Wisdom

Last Sunday, Pastor Clay preached on wisdom. He defined wisdom as seeing life from God's point of view and making decisions in the way God would make decisions. The Bible clearly states (James 1:5) that the way we get wisdom is simply by asking for it.

Pastor Clay spent the last part of his sermon asking us to test ourselves and our wisdom. I may elaborate on this portion of the sermon later as it was convicting and shed light on some other areas I need to be working on in my walk with the Lord.

As a result of seeing wisdom as making decisions the way God makes decisions and the conviction that I have a lot of room to grow in my wisdom, I have been spending time in prayer asking the Lord for wisdom. I have big life changes coming my way at the end of July and I want to make sure that the decisions I will be making are wise.

Last week I attended a POMLE (Professors of Middle Level Education) symposium/conference in Boone. One of the principals that I had contacted expressing interest in a position he had open was in attendance. This was good for two reasons: I got to have an interview there, in Boone, with him and didn't have to drive an hour to his school and all of my professors were there. They were all kind enough to take time out of their day and speak to him about me. It doesn't get much better than 7 face-to-face references speaking up for you!

This principal had a couple positions open that I am qualified for and one that I was very interested in. I expressed my interest to him in the interview and talked to several of my professors about it. They were excited that I might have that opportunity my first year. The position was for a teacher in a Exceptional Children classroom with 10-12 students. In this classroom, there would also be an EC teacher, and a teacher assistant. Three adults for 10-12 students--two experienced adults--a great learning opportunity for a first year teacher! It sounded like a great possibility. He told me that he would call me the first of the next week (this week) and we would talk more about it. Although I was very excited about this potential opportunity, even at the beginning of the week, I was not 100% percent ready to accept a job. I had several questions to ask and wanted to visit the school.

Tuesday rolls around; I'm working at the church, which has no cell phone signal so my phone goes straight to voice mail. So frustrating! I emailed the principal Tuesday night so we could coordinate a time to talk on Wednesday since I would be working at the church again with no cell phone signal. He gave me a time to call, but was unavailable when I called. Then, my phone died and I didn't get home to charge it until 9pm that night. I didn't have a voice mail from him, so I am guessing he didn't try to call me back. I emailed him again on Thursday (still working at the church with no cell signal) and we arranged a time to talk.

I call him Thursday afternoon and we finally get to talk. He begins the conversation by telling me he wants me on his staff for the next school year. (That was encouraging and exciting to hear) Then, he goes into explaining the position he wants to offer me. And, begins describing a position that he had mentioned at the conference, but I had immediately dismissed in my head in our original conversation. This position would be for a new program they are starting for students with mental health issues (e.g., depression, anger issues). I would be the teacher and would have two other counselors with me. So, it sounds like three adults, but the counselors are only there to counsel, not help with instruction. I would have the students with me all day (aka no planning). I would have 7th and 8th graders and would be responsible for teaching all four content areas (aka 8 different curricula to be familiar with). The logistics for the program are still being worked out and not every detail has been decided on or worked out. However, he knows he has this position for next year and offered it to me. (see where the wisdom issue is coming in?) I told him I needed to think about it and would get back to him.

*Side note* You may be wondering about the other position as was I. After interviewing for these positions, he had two people in mind: me and another girl. He felt the other girl was more timid and might not have strong classroom management skills. So, he wanted her in the other classroom where she would have two other experienced adults with her to help out. It was flattering and nice of him to have such confidence in me, a first year teacher with no experience, to offer me the other position. Maybe all of my professors ranting and raving to him about me at the conference wasn't such a good idea...just kidding!

Hang up the phone. Start praying. Decide I need to talk it out with several people: Stephen, Stephanie, my friend who will also be a first year teacher next year, and one of my professors. Ricky, my friend who is starting his first year next year, texted me while I was on the phone with the principal. So, I talked to him first. His first response was, "Don't be picky! Just do it!" Then, I explained it and he said, "Not so sure about that one..." Then, Steph called [I wanted to talk to Stephen about it in person and was on the way to meet him...he wasn't third in line on purpose] she encouraged me to do what I thought was best, but didn't think it was such a good idea either. I didn't even get through explaining the position before Stephen said, "No. Don't do it." Then, I talked to my professor who also strongly discouraged it. I knew that these three people would see things the same way I did. This professor and I are a lot alike and think the same way. However, she is great at shedding light on situations and helping me see things I might miss. So, although she confirmed all of my reservations about the situation, I knew that if I was missing a great opportunity or some small detail that I was absent mindedly dismissing, she would bring it to my attention.

By this point, it is 9:30 pm. Five-ish hours have passed. I get home hang out for a bit with the family. I had mentioned it to dad before I left the house to go meet Stephen, but mom wasn't home yet. So, I told her about it and let them know I would not be taking the job. They were both supportive of my decision. Then, as I laid down to go to sleep, I was praying and realized I had not prayed about it since I first got off the phone with the principal 6-7 hours earlier, when I asked for wisdom. I felt I had missed a major piece of communication. As I began to apologize to the Lord and seek His wisdom in prayer, He calmed my heart and softly spoke to me, "I have showed you wisdom through the conversations you have had tonight." At that point, an overwhelming peace came over me and I knew I had made the right decision, but only because He had given me the wisdom to do so! I love when the Holy Spirit speaks to me like that!

I have been praying about this job search for a while. We all know that the economy sucks and to quote an assistant superintendent, "Unfortunately, you are seeking a teaching position in the midst of the worst educational crisis in history." Things aren't good and a lot of people are jumping at jobs the second they come to them. However, I know my God has a plan for me. The economy doesn't scare me. The lack of teaching jobs doesn't scare me. The lack of money doesn't scare me. My God is bigger than all of that and He knows what is best for me and what His will is for me. I may not be in a classroom in the fall and I'm okay with that as long as I am in His will. I don't know what the future holds. The unknown does freak me out from time to time, but I trust my Heavenly Father and the plans He has for me. I will wait for his timing and guidance!

Thank you, Lord, for offering and giving wisdom.