Saturday, May 28, 2011

My last full day at SWHS :'(

Oh so many things happened on this bittersweet day at Spring Woods High School. Let me share a few of them with you:


1. Two boys in my second period almost got into a fight. Quick thinking Ms. H got them separated just in time...


2. The seniors got to wear their cap and gown, which was so fun to see.


3. A senior boy only wore shorts under his gown and flashed people. HAHA


4. My kids wrote on my board during 7th period.



The gift 7th period left me :)


5. I administered my first final exam. It's really no different than a normal test.


6. My awesome mentor made sloppy joes for lunch....YUM


7. Some very special teachers that I work with decided to play a prank on me. They stole my keyboard and mouse and placed them in my mail box while I was at my morning duty on Thursday. I was stressed and frustrated with many things and did not handle it as well as I might have on another day. (unfortunately, this is common for me...) Anyway, I apologized to one of the teachers and received the nicest email back, making my last full day much better. This is one of the things he told me: "I know that there have been teachers that teach for years and have become great, but for someone to find and pick up shattered pieces where others have left behind and finding them so broken that they do not fit together had decided to use herself in recreating and molding those pieces into a masterpiece- has to be a talent given from God." Totally made me tear up :)


8. I took some fantastic pictures of my children :D
2nd period

4th period

5th period

7th period
 I am going to miss these wonderful students! 5 months have FLOWN by.

SO SO SO SO SO thankful my life belongs to HIM!


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Weird Wednesdays

Everything happens on Wednesday...

About 7.5 months ago on a Wednesday I went to the hospital because I was in diabetic ketoacidosis
About 5 months ago on a Wednesday I accepted a job at Spring Woods High School
About 2 months ago on a Wednesday I was laid off due to budget cuts
Today...is Wednesday...and I accepted a job at Northbrook High School 1.3 miles away from SWHS

Why Wednesday? Who knows.

But there is one thing I do know. HE has been with me every step and HE will continue to guide my every step through another crazy change.

I am so thankful my life belongs to HIM and that I don't have to worry anymore...about ANYTHING! I wish I could remember in the midst of stress :)

I give up.

The past few days I have been thinking about something really huge! (I'll write later about details) But it has been weighing heavy on my heart, and last night this song came on the radio...thank you KSBJ. As I began to listen to the words for the first time, I knew my Saviour was speaking straight to me. He was telling me I needed to give it up and let Him carry the burden. AND what happened next is the best...my thoughts came together and I had NOTHING to worry about at all! Isn't He just the BEST LORD, FATHER, SAVIOUR, BEST FRIEND, LOVER, HEALER, GUIDER, ETC ETC ETC ETC that a girl could ask for?!

MY WORDS CANNOT DO HIM JUSTICE!

I AM SOOOOOO THANKFUL that my LIFE belongs to HIM!!!


Strong Enough by Matthew West

You must
You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through

Well, forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own

I know I'm not strong enough to be
everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not stong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us

Well, maybe
Maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up

Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well, that's when I start looking up
And reaching out

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not stong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough

Strong enough

Cause I'm broken
Down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God
and you are strong
When I am weak

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

Oh, yeah

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not stong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
Strong enough

Friday, May 20, 2011

The Royal Wedding

So I know most people have seen this, but it is so stinkin hilarious!



I love Cinderella...I still would love to be Cinderella at Disney World someday! (A girl can dream!) And this picture just makes me love Cinderella even more haha

So thankful the my life belongs to Him (and that I am not an ugly step sister) :)

David's Song of Praise

Fridays are such good days to blog.


This week has been a little stressful...all the way around. I'm exhausted and don't really feel like doing anything. And when I get lazy and complacent that's when the Lord decides it's time for a wake up call.

That was yesterday.

I broke down because of all the sin, negativity, and shame in my life, and praise the Lord HE took it away. I told my sweet savior that I can't do it, and it's so true I CAN'T! But I CAN do it with Him in the driver's seat. I am still stressed and busy, but now I am not trying to do it alone.

A few weeks ago I came across 2 Samuel 22: David's Song of Praise, and I am so encouraged by it!

2 Samuel 22

David’s Song of Praise
 1 David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:
   “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
   from violent people you save me.
 4 “I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
   and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swirled about me;
   the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
   the snares of death confronted me.
 7 “In my distress I called to the LORD;
   I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
   my cry came to his ears.
8 The earth trembled and quaked,
   the foundations of the heavens shook;
   they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
   consuming fire came from his mouth,
   burning coals blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
   dark clouds were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
   he soared on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his canopy around him—
   the dark rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
   bolts of lightning blazed forth.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven;
   the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
   with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
   and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the LORD,
   at the blast of breath from his nostrils.
 17 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
   he drew me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
   from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
   but the LORD was my support.
20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
   he rescued me because he delighted in me.
 21 “The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
   according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
   I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;
   I have not turned away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless before him
   and have kept myself from sin.
25 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
   according to my cleanness in his sight.
 26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
   to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure you show yourself pure,
   but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.
28 You save the humble,
   but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.
29 You, LORD, are my lamp;
   the LORD turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop;
   with my God I can scale a wall.
 31 “As for God, his way is perfect:
   The LORD’s word is flawless;
   he shields all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the LORD?
   And who is the Rock except our God?
33 It is God who arms me with strength
   and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
   he causes me to stand on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for battle;
   my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield;
   your help has made me great.
37 You provide a broad path for my feet,
   so that my ankles do not give way.
 38 “I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
   I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39 I crushed them completely, and they could not rise;
   they fell beneath my feet.
40 You armed me with strength for battle;
   you humbled my adversaries before me.
41 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
   and I destroyed my foes.
42 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
   to the LORD, but he did not answer.
43 I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;
   I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.
 44 “You have delivered me from the attacks of the peoples;
   you have preserved me as the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
 45 foreigners cower before me;
   as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
46 They all lose heart;
   they come trembling from their strongholds.
 47 “The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
   Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!
48 He is the God who avenges me,
   who puts the nations under me,
 49 who sets me free from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
   from a violent man you rescued me.
50 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
   I will sing the praises of your name.
 51 “He gives his king great victories;
   he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
   to David and his descendants forever.”

even though i can forget sometimes...I am very thankful my life belongs to HIM!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

my children

Q: How many people can say they have 106 children at 21 years old?
A: Not very many. In fact it might sound a bit strange.

I am a teacher...at least for the next few weeks. I have been complaining about these "creatures" (my principal used this term...haha) I have walking into my classroom everyday. It has been a very negative couple of weeks because they are driving me crazy.

BUT TODAY WAS DIFFERENT!!!

I have been working my butt off to come up with something fun for my Math Models kids to do. Then I discovered a fun activity on the district server. I didn't have to create anything; I just had to make some minor adjustments. (POINT: Miss H)

Anyway, I had the kids work on a budget for a fictional situation. Some had a spouse and/or children and some didn't. Some were electrical engineers and some worked at McDonalds. They had to mess with the numbers, consider what things they needed, what things were just wants, and how much they could save a month based on their income.

I WAS AMAZED!

They loved it!! They started off buying everything, and most figured out that they couldn't just spend all their money. I had kids yelling across the room that they were going to buy their wife all the junky stuff so they could buy the luxury apartments, phones, and cars, which I informed him would be a bad idea. :) One girl was trying to decide on clothes or food because she didn't have enough money. (oh the things high school girls deem important) Some decided they were going to walk everywhere instead of having to pay for a car or to ride the bus. One girl decided she would spend her money on nice clothes instead of a car because she didn't want to look like she couldn't afford nice things.

Basically I laughed all afternoon....much needed laughter, i might add. :)

Even though my children drive me crazy, they are MY children. What other 21 year old can say that?! I love them, and I am totally going to miss them on June 2nd when I have to say goodbye to them.

so thankful my life belongs to Him AND that he blessed me with a much needed wonderful Wednesday

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Mandy

Mandy Pitts is a very special person in my life :)
I have known her since my sophomore year in high school when she joined the flute section at Taylor High School. She was super quiet and adorable. And that year I had no idea that we would still be friends today.

The following year when I was a junior and she was a sophomore is when I knew that we had a special bond. We were sitting in Spanish 3 reading Don Quixote and we found out that I am dumb. Senora Bickley was going over vocabulary for the book, she was talking about dawn (like in the morning). I thought she was talking about don (like a man i.e. DON quixote). SO like any other successful person I asked the person in front of me what was going on. Well that person happened to be Mandy. She laughed and explained to me that it was the dawn in the morning. HAHA This earned me one of my many nicknames...Don Connie.

Thus began our special bond.

We went on to go to the same university (the best one ever!!), Texas Tech University. We were in the same section in Goin Band, the piccolos. We were in the same sorority, Tau Beta Sigma. So we shared a lot of things the last few years. In our sorority, she became my little sis, and as sisters we have skied (fallen) down mountains, been super pretty, counted yellow cars, went on band trips, and SO much more!

On a more serious note...She was the person who took me to the doctor when I was diagnosed with diabetes, and she put up with me when I was completely out of it. Mandy's beautiful face was what I woke up to the next day in the hospital. She bought princess bandaids for me and decorated my hospital room with streamers.



Flute Christmas Party in high school

TBS fun times :)

The whole family!

We are pretty!

We were practicing Thriller.

Skiing FUN!

I love this girl so much!!
SO thankful Mandy is my little and that my life belongs to HIM :)