Minneapolis

This was my third trip up north and the only time I've experienced the land of 10,000 lakes when they weren't all frozen over! I had a fabulous time in Minnesota, complete with a trip to Duluth and Lake Superior.

I got to Minneapolis on Friday evening; Dawn and I headed to IHOP for dinner where her husband joined us (who can refuse pancakes?!).

Saturday, Dawn and I drove about 2 hours north to Duluth for a wedding. Before and after the event we hung out in Duluth, a really cute and touristy town on Lake Superior (which is HUGE, by the way!). It was freezing! The wind was blowing and the temp was around 55, I think. Crazy for the end of May!

Monday was my favorite day of the whole trip as we biked 45 miles around the city on these beautiful trails. Riding through all the blooming trees and flowers, I almost forgot that there's 6 months of winter each year. It was so nice to be somewhere that was still cool and refreshing (Dallas has been in the 90's for a few weeks already). We felt like Rock Stars after we finished! It made me want to get a road bike for Dallas, then I remembered how un-bike friendly it is here. Plus, it's a bazillion degrees in the summer! That evening we went to Culver's for dinner (yum-o!!!) and then went to see Prince Caspian (pretty good).

Tuesday before I hopped back on the plane back to DFW, we went to Maria's Cafe for cachapas and then I helped spackle their apartment. It was a fun packed weekend and much needed break!

I just love my friend, Dawn. She is an amazing, godly woman. It was so great to see her and hear her real voice as opposed to the cell phone version. We laugh a lot when we're together and I love how we complement each other so well; the things I'm stinky at she's really great at and vice versa. Plus, we both love Bon Jovi (that's what really binds our friendship).

accepted

DTS, here I come! That's right, I got accepted to the Masters of Biblical Counseling program at Dallas Theological Seminary. Woot woot! I'm very excited about it and can't wait to start taking classes again!

Last night I logged into the DTS student website to start registering for classes. I forgot how hard it can be to coordinate, especially when you have a little thing called work to worry about. Most of the classes I can take in 3 hour block so that I would only have them once per week but I'm not sure I want to sign up all my classes like that; I'm worried about attention span. Plus, I don't have a job for the fall yet so it's hard to know what kind of schedule would be best. I'll be spending the next several days thinking through my class schedule...

And speaking of jobs, I looked on the DTS website which has a jobs board. There are several temporary nanny position for the summer available. I emailed some families and I'm just waiting to hear back from them to see if they are still looking for someone. I know I will find something, it's just a matter of searching. And hopefully whatever I end up doing this summer could lead to a more permanent job in the fall. It's all in God's hands!

burned out!

I have been sitting here for at least 5 minutes trying to decide what to write. The truth of the matter is that I'm completely exhausted and my brain doesn't want to function anymore. My apartment is a disaster and it's so frustrating that it's such a mess, yet when I start to clean and organize I can't seem to go for long because I'm so drained. Even in my aerobics classes lately I find myself struggling to keep up. I know it will soon be over; I just have to make it 3 1/2 more weeks...

Here are some highlights from the week:
*I got cursed out by a student, good times. I gave him a detention at the beginning of class for not standing during the pledge. Then he pulled out a computer a few minutes later and when I told him to put it away, a slew of cursing came out of his mouth. It's always so encouraging to be called a stupid b**** by your students.

*One of my fave students stopped by during my roughest class just to see what it was like. She stayed for about 2 minutes and as she left, she whispered in my ear, "I'm praying for you!" She's a sweetheart! She, along with her sister and their friend, came to my room yesterday to just hang out after school. I like it when students do that; it helps me get to know them better and shows me that they trust me.

*I had the privelege of writing a recommendation letter for a student who is graduating. He was one of my faves last year and is a great kid; I know he will be successful at whatever he decides to pursue. Helps me remember why I do what I do...

*I acted like a complete goof in one of my classes, even singing Justin Timberlake for them ("If I wrote you a symphony..."). They loved it and laughed until some of them were almost crying. We all just needed to be silly and unload some stress. Besides, most of my students think I'm a complete nutcase to begin with...

getting in touch with my Indian side

Here I am at the United Nations Cultural Showcase. These are some of my students; I love these girls! The ones dressed alike were wearing other more colorful outfits earlier in the evening but changed for a dance they performed. The girl to my right is wearing the most beautiful sari, it was gorgeous! I can not for the life of me remember what the skirt and top I am wearing is called but I got so many compliments. People kept telling me how pretty I looked so I decided I needed to wear something like it more often! The student I borrowed it from told me she would buy me one the next time she want to India. The night was a success and the kids did great with their performances. I was, and still am, so proud!

hurry up and wait

I have started over on my miles to Blacksburg. I decided to add biking to the mix because I've been taking a lot of spinning classes. I'm also taking a few kickboxing classes but I don't really know how to add that in...I wonder how many punches and kicks equals a mile?

I am so exhausted and burned out. Only 4 and 1/2 more weeks of school but it feels like forever! We are currently in TAKS testing (thanks to "No Child Left Behind"). I feel like I'm losing brain cells as I watch the students test; it is so boring! We are not allowed to read or work on anything, even sudoku puzzles while they work because we have to "actively monitor". I have no idea how kids figure out how to cheat on these tests but they always seem to find a way which means we have to watch them like hawks. This was day 3 and I seriously had the head nod dozing thing going on. Just one more day and then I'll never have to do it again!:)

Still no word from seminary. I feel like I am doing a lot of waiting lately. I read somewhere that we spend a third of our lives waiting; after figuring in that we spend another third sleeping, that only leaves one third for actual living! Bummer.

I know this post is sounding pretty negative but I'm so exhausted! I'm to the point where I just want to cry I'm so tired. I laid down for a few minutes earlier to take a cat nap and woke up an hour and a half later!