Odyssey of the Mind

Odyssey of the mind was this past weekend in Ames, and I was blessed to have the chance to party with a bunch of young kids dancing the night away in really hot rec center.  It got me thinking about how closed minded I have become, how I've stopped challenging myself, stopped dreaming about what is to come in the future.  The Odyssey (adventure) of my mind has been stuck in one spot.  I looked at all these kids from all over the world here in Iowa for one purpose to use their minds in creative ways. 

As a teacher I'm stuck like others and continue to do what works and am willing to try new things, but don't always want to prep for those new things.  I don't want to say it is the laziness in me....but lets get real it is partly that.  Part of it I think is knowing that I won't ever get regonition from administration if I do something great in class.  I'm stuck in a little hole without a ladder to get out on some days.  This year has been a challenge in teaching and a true joy.  I watched students go from hating to read to not wanting to put a book down.  I saw students learn how to problem solve and have conversations with others.  Other students write with spaces and with periods at the end of a sentence.

My odyssey, adventure, journey this summer is focus on my walk with God again.  I want to get refocused on what direction I need to be going in my life.  I worked with youth earlier this week and we talked about choices that we make and having the freedom of choice.  We played a little wii party to make that connection....it worked!  How do the choices we make young effect the choice we make later as an adult?


I reflected today by going through picture after picture....Memorial Day is a time to reflect on those that served our country.  God bless my grandfather, may he rest in peace.  To this day just the start of the Taps, make me cry.




 

Long Time No Write

Wow, it has been a long time since I've been on here.  I thought this summer I would use this to do some reflection,  share or get some advise, and work on my devotions.

Graduated College-check
Teaching at a an elementary school-check
Married -check
Children-in prayer
Masters degree- soon will be work in progress!

Married Life!!

Gangs all hear. Everything went well, God has truely blessed my life with Andy and we are doing great. A year this month we bought our first house, now we are married and have a wonderful home!

Marriage Coming Soon

Can you believe it I'm getting married in one week from tonight!

"Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile." ~Franklin P. Jones

Packing

if you were to walk into my house.....who am I kidding....i don't want anyone in my house. I have been packing since 8am and I give up....for the night. I have a long way to go and a lot of stuff still to trash pack and sell.

I'm moving to Waukee...looking for a house....getting ready to work in a new place!

summer is going fast!

Ready set go......

Well, my new journey is about to begin. Earlier in the week I got a call asking if I could interview for a job the next day....I said yeah sure!!!! It was one of the hardest interviews I've done. It was based on just Special Education (which I haven't worked with in 4 years) I didn't think I was going to get it. Then I got a call yesterday and I got the job, sending in my resignation, I'm looking at houses, thinking about going back south and packing up my house....too many things going through my head. I'm so nervous.

I get to meet Andy's sister tonight so that is also very excited and nervous too. I hope she likes me.

Summer is here!

Well summer break has been here for a while now, but I've been busy.

I have spent the last week up at my sister's and Andy's. I managed to get food poisoning the previous weekend and the past weekend I got just flat out sick. Grrr I just can't just get well. Pastor and his wife are moving in with me for the month of June so I'm headed up to spend my summer with Andy and my sister and her new home.

Any ideas for a good summer break? I'm going to be lazy. ......but I'm up for some ideas too,

Count down to summer...1/2 almost here!

I've started packing, my classroom not my house. It looks like at this point I'll be staying in where I'm at.
Today was my last day with my kindergartners and I hope I did a good enough job that they love school and love to learn.
Tomorrow is kindergartner round up and then I have Thursday and Friday to finish packing up stuff in my classroom, last year it took a month. I'm going to give myself until Friday! Tresa is coming back and then I'm on my way to visit Andy! Summer is here and I have no solid plans and that is kind of nice, kind of boring I know....but I what to breathe and I want to get healthy. My goal for the summer is to workout hard core, finish my illustrations for my book, spend time with my nephew and niece and with Andy and all of my friends!

10 days and counting (weekends excluded)

Plans for summer?

Well-hmmmmmm

June is almost here and my plans are to head to dsm area and spend it with Andy and my sister's family....other than that no detailed plans.

?to move or not to move that is the question?

Psalms 35:7

Depend on the Lord; trust him, and he will take care of you.

Life headed in the right direction

Life is heading in a new direction, I wish I knew what direction I was going.
The direction I'm going I hope is good, I hope I'm happy.

count down is on

22 more school days and counting and I have not job pending......

Life is going well, what can I say?

Weekend Count Down

As much as i tell myself i could use a good drink, i will not be doing that this weekend.

I get to hang with my family and paint with a friend, I'm looking forward to getting out of town!


Life sometimes sucks....we all just need to take a deep breath and remember change is good ....we don't need to be stuck in things that are constant and without change, how boring right?


breathe---breathe---breathe

Joseph: chapter 1 Reflection

I just started reading a book called Cast of Characters, common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God, by Max Lucado. I attempt to do this so I can start putting things first in my life that are import and right now that needs to be devotion, feeling a connection to God that has been missing for some time.

Chapter One: Joseph
Josheph had times when he could have questioned God, but we dont see it in scripture...we see his obediance.

Describe a time when you were caught between what God says and what seemed to make sense.

Right now it seems like everyday or at least every Sunday. I don’t always like going to church even though it is literally right out my front door. …it is my weekend and I would much rather sleep in or do nothing the whole day. (it is rare right now with basketball and wrestling going on) I think that everyday there is a conflict. I know that I shouldn’t listen to certain music on the radio, but I do. I do thing in life that I know aren’t pleasing to God. We all do.

What is the connection between our obedience and divine guidance? Why is it pointless to ask God for direction for your life if you are disobeying some command of Scripture?

I don’t think it is pointless to ask God for direction. I think that He already knows, but it is like anything in life when you ask for it, you realized that you need the help and that is why it is important to ask for it even though you might already be getting it. The first step is to acknowledge you have a problem.

What instances in your past have caused you to question why God did what he did?

Death is the biggest one. When people in the world die, when friends that I know die…I question why he chose to take that life or the lives of certain people.

What generally happens to your attitude when you question God’s handling of you life or circumstances? Is there a pattern you can discern?

My attitude? Hmmm I think when things happen like death I get closer to him, questioning leads to finding out more information, having a better understanding. I question when I’m confused in life, when I’m disconnected and that is how I get closer to God.

Hebrews 3:12
12Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from(A) the living God. 13But(B) exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by(C) the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have come to share in Christ,(D) if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15As it is said,

(E) "Today, if you hear his voice,do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."
16For(F) who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not(G) all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned,(H) whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom did he swear that(I) they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19So we see that(J) they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

What advice is given in verse 13 to help us obey God together?

We should all continue to make a connection with Christ, have confidence in his love. We shouldn’t rebel. Right now I have a person that no matter what I say, just because I’m in leadership over her that she feels she needs to talk back (behind my back…I’m not deaf by any means) or to not follow directions just because I gave them. A senior going on to kindergarten….wow. I see hard times for her in the future. Rebelling leads to times not well spent.

Good O'l Times....John a long time ago!

Go ISU

Look how happy my chunky monkey looks.

Late Christmas Pictures

super baby (super small picture)

We are teaching John to smile with out the "smile cheese" being shouted at the top of his lungs!

Aunt Kristy put a hat on her she doesn't like pink either.

Christmas trip with aunt Kristy to Grandpa's house!

God Baby

Where did January Go?

Well the month of January has passed. One more month of coaching left and I find myself at home this afternoon, trying to sleep with no success. Recap the month!

New Years I spent at my sisters.
Started Back to work. The temperatues got super cold and we still had school!

Basketball games, Wrestling Meets.

Abigail got baptized and I made her a quilt with chunky monkey on it.

Jason got married this past weekend in Ames and moved to St. Louis this weekend.

Now it is Feb. More wrestling and basketball left. State Wrestling is on the way and that means 3 days of lesson plans I need to prepare for my absent.

I'm currently looking for jobs in central Iowa, updating....the my resume, cover letter, and finding openings where ever I can. While trying to find a place to live.

Busy Busy

Opal

My great grandmother passed away the other day. Her funeral is tomorrow. My sister and I are the only ones in my family that are going. My father doesn’t think we should go, he himself isn’t going. You have to understand my grandfather died in 2001. I haven’t seen or heard from her since. I thought she was in MO, but I wasn’t sure where, or what health she was in. She went a little nuts, zany, insane you might say. There is a whole long story behind it, but I’m not going to dig all of that up. I will say I haven’t seen her since I kicked her out of my grandmothers house, she was upsetting her and me by accusations and what not, I asked her to leave and I never saw her again.
For 18 she was in my life, I visited her often and often spent the afternoons at her house when I was a young child. Even then she was never a woman to have emotion, she hardly spoke to make conversation, and when words did come out it was just to be a cynic. To put it in simple terms she was a bitter old woman, who never showed affection or love towards anyone. What is funny for the longest time I was ignorant as a child, I thought It would be amazing if I could have the same red hair color until I was her age too, then one day my dreams were crushed and I found out she dyed her hair. Man I thought I was going to get some good genetics!
My dad asked me why I was going, I told him to pay my respects, what little I have. I’m honestly more curious to be honest how her daughters children are and what they look like, I use to see them at least once a year maybe more while growing up. I haven’t seen them since my grandfather’s funeral and even then I’m not sure how much I remember of them. That was 8 years ago.
You see my great grandmother was 94 years of age and she has out lived her husband by over 25 years at least and she has out lived both her son and her daughter by almost a decade. I believe the death of her last child led her to insanity, but as far as I know she never pled guilty to that. I’m not understanding why she would cut ties all of her sons family who took care of her for so long to go live with her daughters family that never came to visit unless they wanted something in return on their quick visit.
I felt bad for the woman who lived through so much and couldn’t find joy in it. She missed two of her granddaughters weddings, and the birth of to great great grandbabies…..and for what?
So tomorrow I will go, greet people I do not know, shed a tear for memories of pain and resentment.