sweet dreams are made of this

I love my dreams! They are usually so crazy yet so vivid that I remember them clearly the next day, so vivid that sometimes I have to ask myself if it actually happened!. My most recent dream is no exception.

I go to a loading dock, the kind you would see when docking a cruise ship. There are a lot of people gathered with trunks and suitcases. I find the leader to let her know that I am there and she checks my name off. I look around and see a guy standing alone with his things. I decide to go and talk to him. I introduce myself and he says, "I'm Orlando." Yes, folks, it is none other than Orlando Bloom, except that his hair is chopped very short and he is wearing glasses. I ask if he had been to Spain before and he says no. I guess I was going to Spain for another semester abroad...

Jump to next scene: I am a character from 90210 except it is real life. I think I may have been Andrea but I'm not sure because I looked like myself. I am an undercover CIA agent trying to nab some big time mobster. Another agent and I are faking that we are in a relationship and about to get married. I had to break up with my real boyfriend, who is having a really hard time accepting it, so that the agent and I can pretend we're together. At one point I'm talking to Kelly and she can't believe that I broke up with my real boyfriend but I can't tell anyone the real reason. I even try consoling my boyfriend but he's upset and can't understand why I would just up and leave him for some guy I don't even know. We fake the whole wedding, even the reception where I'm wearing this beautiful strapless white dress with a black polka dot sash around the waist. After the wedding, we leave for our "honeymoon" which is really some sort of stakeout I think and it's then that I realize that I really do love the other agent and do want to be with him. The next day I'm in the grocery store with my sister buying fruit and I see a student from Venezuela that I used to work with. He looks so different, a lot older but still the same. We say hello and I tell him I just got married and he's shocked. Later, I am walking on the sidewalk and I see my best friend (who is not from the show, some random girl...) and I run up to her to tell her that the agent and I are really getting married because we are in love. I guess she knew about the whole sham.

Wow, what a crazy dream! I wonder what Dr. Freud would have to say about it...

photograph

I have not seen many of you recently so here's a shot in case you've forgotten what I look like! Actually, this was taken several months ago, maybe in January. My hair is still long but looks way better than this and I have long bangs. I will upload more recent pics soon so you can see how I look now.

joy, joy, joy!

I created a "Joy Jar" about a year ago. It's just a clear mason jar with little strips of paper that I've written things down upon to remember events or things that have brought me joy. I started it when I really needed a reminder of God's goodness and all that He provides and gives out of His abundant grace and mercy. Today, I decided that I'm going to pull out 5, at random, and write about them here. So, here goes:

1) "Receiving fun, encouraging, thoughtful and sweet text msgs"--I think I wrote this one on New Year's Day after getting some great text messages from friends who said they were thankful that they got to know me better over the year. I, too, am so thankful for them!

2) "Learning about quinceaneras"--During Hispanice Awareness Month (October), I went to hear the author Julia Alvarez speak about her latest book which talks about the quinceanera tradition in this country. For those of you that may not know what this is, it's kind of like the sweet 16 birthday but in Latin America they celebrate it on the 15th birthday. It's a HUGE deal in Latino culture and the families spend pretty much the same amount on this party as they would for a wedding. It was so cool to hear this Latina author speak and learn more about the tradition.

3) "Going to the Kimball Art Museum"--This was a fabulous day! There was an exhibit of portraits by various artists and I got to see the works of people like Picasso and Frida Khalo. Also, it was a gorgeous day and I went outside to this park beside the museum and sat and prayed and reflected for a while.

4) "Going to the library to check out books and dvds"--Okay, so I'm a huge nerd! But I love the library! It is only a mile away from my apartment and I go there about once a week. They have a pretty good dvd collection and I can usually find something I haven't seen before. And since I don't have cable, it helps keep me entertained.

5) And lastly..."Hearing Ann Patchett"--Again, another author. I took a creative writing class last fall and for one of the class meetings, we went to hear her speak about her latest book. She was so well spoken and witty, I loved it!

I picked these out at random but they bring back good memories. I think I will do this about once a week to remind myself of how rich and full my life really is:)

school's out for summer!

School ended a week and a half ago. What have I been doing? Here are some highlights:

*On the day after school got out, a friend and I went to this amazing restaurant called Cafe Izmir. It is now my favorite! The wait staff was amazing and the food was divine! It's a Middle Eastern tapas place. We had a tasty pitcher of sangria which we weren't sure we would be able to finish and I was treated to delicious cake and a bottle of wine, compliments of the house for my b-day!

*I celebrated my birthday with some friends. We went to a yummy Venezuelan restaurant and then to a Cuban music concert in a sculpture garden in downtown Dallas. The food was delicious, the music was very good, and I had a wonderful evening in spite of sweating profusely (I felt like I was back in Maracaibo...).

*I'm trying to get back into my gym routine. I'm still going but haven't been doing much strength training. Plus, my eating habits have been deplorable over the last several weeks so I need to start making wiser choices in that department.

*My cat Ginger is sick. She has lot about 5 pounds of the last couple of months and has been throwing up a lot more frequently (she has hairballs about once a month but she started throwing up about once a day, gross!). I took her to the vet on Monday worried that it was diabetes. They ran several tests and found that she has hyperthyroidism. Out of all the common illnesses older cats can have, this is the most managable. She will just need a pill every day for the rest of her life but no shots which is good. She hid under my bed for about a day and a half after coming back from the vet, pouting. She also does NOT like getting her medicine; I have to wrap her up in a towel like a kitty burrito so she doesn't claw me to death. Once I hold her mouth open, shove the meds in, close her mouth and hold it shut until she swalls, I let her go and she promptly runs and hids under some furniture. But I redeem myself by giving her a couple of treats each time so I think she's learning to accept it.

*I've been reading, one of my favorite pastimes. My current books are Little Women, The Book Thief, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and someone let me borrow Twilight. I've never read Little Women before and I'm loving it! Such a sweet story. The Book Thief is very good, set in Germany during World War II.

*I'm trying to get more prepared for seminary. I'm supposed to read about 20 different books before I start taking classes but I doubt that will happen. Plus, some of the books are for classes I'm not taking until spring semester or next year. I'm going to focus on one book, Living By the Book by Howard and William Hendricks. I'm trying to figure out financial aid stuff and looking for a roommate. Lots of unknowns right now but I know it will all come together.

I start work in another week so I'm trying to enjoy these last moments of true freedom. I'm going to be a companion for a 10, 12, 14 and 16 year old; basically, I'm carting them around to various activities, making sure they don't burn down the house, stuff like that. The kids are great and I'm looking forward to working with them.

Some things I'm looking forward to for the summer:

*I'm dog and house sitting for a family this coming week and they have a pool in their backyard. Score!

*Hopefully, I'm going to Mexico in August for a wedding. The wedding is in Playa del Carmen, just south of Cancun. Haven't been to Mexico yet, can't wait!

*Reading! I want to do as much of it as I can before classes start because I won't have time to do any fun reading after that. I hope to finish the Harry Potter series and maybe the Twilight one if the first one is any good.

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!

La vida es un carnival

I know, I know, it's been FOREVER since I last blogged. Most of you, if not all, have probably stopped clicking on the link to my blog to see if I've updated. This will be an interesting experiment to see who comments first:)


Life is a roller coaster ride with ups and downs. Here are some high lights:


*I'm quitting my job. That's right, I've had enough. This school year has been doubly heinous with disrespectful students and not enough support from administration. Education should be a privilege, not a right, in this country. But I won't get on my soap box here. I've decided that life on this planet is much too short to waste it in a job that I don't love. So, you may be wondering what the heck am I going to do now???


*I'm finally applying for seminary! Yes, after living in Dallas for 2.5 years, I'm finally doing it. The journey to get to this point has been a long one but I honestly believe that it is all God's timing. I wasn't ready before now for seminary; I had a lot of issues I needed to hash out with God and I'm much healthier emotionally and ready for the demands of seminary. I should know by the end of April if I got in. I'll keep you posted...


*I've finally gotten into the Harry Potter craze. Yes, I'm a few years behind but I have never been known to be fashionable. I'm in book #5 and it's taking a long time to get through mainly because I am so busy now and don't have a lot of free time for reading.


*And why don't I have a lot of free time? Well, school keeps me super busy and I'm co-sponsoring a club so we have meetings after school. Also, I started helping with the college ministry at my church which has been amazing. I'm mentoring a young woman who is absolutely precious and such a blessing to my life. And I've been working out a lot lately which brings me to my next high light...


*I've lost 12 pounds since the beginning of January! I'm working out 6 times per week and loving it! I'm doing lots of variety to keep it interesting: eliptical, biking, running, stairs, spinning class, kickboxing, weight training and I just started doing bikram yoga (whoa, do I sweat a lot in that! it's that type of yoga where the room is 100 degrees; literally sweat flows down my body and my clothes are drenched when I leave the 90 minute class but it burns TONS of calories!). I want to add swimming back into my routine now that it's getting warmer. I have so much more energy now and it's such a stress reliever.


*I love the Gilmore Girls! Again, didn't get into the show while it was on tv but I've been getting the dvds from the library. I'm in Season 6 which started out kind of rocky but has gotten way better by disc 4. I honestly believe that Lorelai and Rory are my friends and I want to settle down in Stars Hollow one day...does Luke have a younger brother???


*Speaking of Lukes, my nephew is the cutest thing ever! My sister-in-law sent me the cutest photo of him from his 2nd birthday that I wish I could upload but I'll leave you with this one from his bday party. How can you not love that face?! I hope to be able to see him soon; hoping that I can make it home over the summer although with gas prices the way they are, I'm going to have to sell some serious plasma to make it!




*I gave up coffee for Lent. Wow, was that a long 40 days! My students kept asking me,"When can you have coffee again?" blaming my grumpiness on lack of caffeine. Little do they know that they are usually the cause of my bad mood! When I found out that Lent actually ends at midnight on the Thursday before Easter, I was so happy! I enjoyed a Frap from Starbucks, light, of course. Yummy!



Okay, that is it for now. I have to get ready for dinner with friends. I'll post more later. I have a whole new my fave things list so be holding your breaths for that one! Besos!

my happy place, texas edition

stressball

I am never going to get caught up! Ever since school started I have been so stressed out. School is busier this year than the previous 2 years (or maybe I've just blocked it all out...). I have countless meetings, I can't get anything done during my planning period because of meetings and duty, and the administration expects more of us in regards to lesson plans and grading. Ugh! It also doesn't help that I'm this stressed out over a job that I don't even want to do. My apartment stays a mess because when the weekend comes all I want to do is hang out with adults and have fun instead of cleaning. And working out? Ha! That has also unfortunately been tossed to the side. Maybe that would help my stress level though. I just hate feeling like I don't have enough time...espeically for the things I find most important.

This is my year to figure out what to do next. There are many options and I'm just trying to narrow things down. One that is in the forefront is going to grad school, finally! I'm also pursuing other options; we shall see where it all leads. One thing I do know is that I do not want to teach next year. I've just got to make it to June 4th...it seems so far away!!!

where are you?

"Wherever you are, be all there."

--Jim Elliot

brokenness

"If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces

will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad."

--Ruth Stull

obsession

I know I have already posted about swimming, but I am in love with it! Nevermind the fact that my back is wondering where all these new muscles came from, I heart swimming!

I found a cool website called Swimplan.com. Some New Zealanders developed it (I love how favorite is spelled "favourite" and learned is "learnt"). Once signing up (for free, 2 of my fave words in the English language), it will put together personalized swimming workouts based on your level. The workouts are kicking my butt so far and some of the drills leave me feeling awkward, but I know it's improving my form. I'm not racking in any Olympic medals or anything but I like having something to follow instead of just going and swimming a bunch of laps.

One day, when I'm rich and famous, or at least just rich, I'm going to buy a house and install an enclosed lap pool next to the guest house.

"And I never learned how to read!"

I am addicted to the library. I know that of all the things to be addicted to, this is probably one of the safest. This and drinking water, or eating spinach.

One of the reasons I've been going so much is that summer is winding down and I'm feeling the pressure to read as much leisure material as possible before school starts back up. Once school is on, everything, including fun reading (oh, and my social life) go out the window.

Another reason is that the Dallas public library system has an amazing selection of dvds. It's like Blockbuster, except free! I'm almost finished with season 1 of the Gilmore Girls. I am disappointed that the first season of Growing Pains is missing from the shelves, though. And speaking of great shows from my youth, when the heck are the Wonder Years dvds going to come out??? Check out my Facebook page for reviews of movies I've recently watched.

Confession: when I was little, I used to love summer because that meant I could sign up for the summer reading program at the library. If I read the required amount of books, that meant some fabulous prizes like a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza, a card stock book mark, and a sticker with a weird cartoon leopard saying, "Get spotted reading a good book!"

just keep swiming, just keep swiming

I love to swim.

I transferred my gym membership to the one closer to my new place and this one has a pool. I was very excited about this because swimming is probably my favorite form of exercise. I love the way the water feels as I glide through it, the way my hands slice through it as I do the freestyle and the way I feel kind of like a frog when I do the breast stroke. I love how the only things I hear when my head is under water are the bubbles that leave my mouth as I exhale and the gurgle my arms and legs make as I move through the water. I even like the way my skin still smells of chlorine long after I have taken a shower.

When I was younger, around 4 or 5 and living in NC, I took swimming lessons at the Y. I ended up getting pneumonia from swallowing too much water, some of it getting into my lungs. I took lessons again when I was a little older, I think 8 or 9 living in CO. I remember walking the few blocks back to my house, alone, feeling like such a grown up. One time it started to pour down rain and I started to run although it didn't really matter if I got wet. When I was in high school in VA, I would hear about other school's swim teams and long to be on one; yet, my town, let alone my school, did not have a pool. It wasn't until long after I graduated that a Y was built and a swim team formed.

I'm not the most accomplished swimmer. I will never win any awards or medals for speed or endurance. I could use some pointers for improving my strokes. I'd like to learn the butterfly. But I am at peace when I swim, my only thoughts focusing on breathing and form. I wish I could find that peace in life.

thank u

How about me not blaming you for everything
How about me enjoying the moment for once
How about how good it feels to finally forgive you
How about grieving it all one at a time

Thank you india
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

The moment I let go of it was
The moment I got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it was
The moment I touched down

How about no longer being masochistic
How about remembering your divinity
How about unabashedly bawling your eyes out
How about not equating death with stopping

Thank you india
Thank you providence
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you nothingness
Thank you clarity
Thank you thank you silence

movin' on up!

In case some of you think I have gone into exile again, I am still here. I have been busy moving. Moving from one apartment to another is quite the task; I can't imagine moving from a house!

I love my new place! It's in a younger, hipper part of Dallas (Addison) and there are young business professionals everywhere. I'm excited to go exploring and find fun places to shop and eat. The apartment itself suits me very well. My last place was okay but it wasn't anything special. The new one is so much nicer and I feel like such a grown-up! I'll see about posting some pics when I get all settled (and you know that will take me a while...) but you can click here to see the complex.

People have been so kind, offering to help in packing and unpacking. It's such a motivator to me to have someone here, even if they are just sitting there and talking to me as I do the work. I am alone a lot of the time (the nature of being an introverted single) so I appreciate the company.

rain rain on my face

Signs on the roadways here in North Texas:

"If water on the road

turn around,

don't drown!"

I think it has rained everyday since April. I feel like I'm living back in Florida. Maybe it's a sign...

working for a living

I found the results to the Birkman I took back in 2003. The Birkman is a personality and occupation assessment tool to help you determine how you work most effectively and what fields you should pursue.

Near the top of the list: teacher. Yet, it also says that I have a high need for respect in my job. Hmmm. I don't know any teachers that feel highly respected...

At the very top of the list? It says I should pursue a career where I am a "knowledge specialist." This means "utilizing personal expertise and knowledge for problem solving; lead by example." Jobs in this family include: public school counselors, career counselors, college professors, HR professionals, ministers, physicians and lawyers. I think it would be fun to be a college professor but I don't think my Spanish is good enough to pursue a Masters and eventually a PhD.

Interesting that career counselor is one of the professions, especially since I should probably see one myself!

penny stretching

Making a budget is one thing. Sticking to it is something else entirely! Now that I have a car payment to worry about, not to mention the fact that my car insurance went up and the rent on my new place is higher than what I pay now, I am having to be very careful with the ol' paycheck. I've decided to think of it as a game, something that I have to beat. My goal is to have some left over at the end of the month; I will put half toward debt and the other half in savings. Exciting, I know.

I have an idea for making a little extra cash. I'm going to hang up some flyers at church for tutoring. Even if I just have one student per week, that will come out to almost $150/month. It would be cool to be able to tutor full time instead of teaching. The only problem would be lots of evening hours. Plus I would definitely miss the interactions I have with my students.

Moms, any ideas for making those pennies go further???

catching some zzzz's

While watching an ad for a prescription sleep aid, the narrator lists possible side effects. One includes drowsiness. Um, isn't that kind of the point?

virginia

This is my happy place.

i'm back

Wow, Blogger is so much easier to update and change around! Makes me feel super techno-savvy. But let's face it, a techno-geek I am not. Although I do seem to waste a lot of time on the computer...

p.c.

On Facebook, if you type in "Christian" under "Religious Views," a list of choices appears. The top choice? "Christian--Amish." Um, how many Amish people do you know have internet access? Or computers? Or electricity for that matter???

blah

I know I haven't blogged in a while and the truth is that I just haven't felt like it. There's a lot going on in my head right now that I just can't write about here. Don't worry, nothing tragic or anything. I'm just a very internal person and sometimes it just all gets clogged in my brain. It's kind of like constipation, I guess...no matter how badly I want it to come out, it won't.

Sorry for the graphic description...

vote for pedro

Hey guys! So, I was playing around with my camera today and took a couple of shots. Which one do you like better for my profile pic? Numero 1 or 2? Or icks-nay on both of them? Please vote; your voice matters!:)

students who make me smile

There are definitely days when I wonder why in the world I ever decided to teach. Thankfully those days are becoming more and more rare.

Then there are the days when my heart sings as I realize that I am truly where I am meant to be. Today was one of those days:) The school day itself was okay; it was an A day and those are always a little nutty. After school I was in my classroom grading some quizzes when a former student came in. She was looking for her teacher who uses my room A3 during my planning period to teach her class. This student ended up staying in my room for a few minutes to catch up; I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to her this year. She is an absolute sweetheart, a joy to work with. She is a junior and I asked what she was thinking about after high school. I told her if she needed help when it came time to fill out applications to let me know and I'd be more than happy to assist. She then said that she's applying for a summer program and that she needs a reference and has been wanting to ask me if I would fill one out for her! This is a student from last year and she wants me to be a reference for her! She also said she thinks I'm a good teacher:) It's always nice when someone says that you are good at what you do...

a few of my fave things...

As you know, I like to blog about my favorite things from time to time. It's been a while so it's time for another installment! Some of my favorite things lately include:

*Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe on the Discovery Channel--have you guys seen this show?! It is hilarious! They send this guy Mike to do the dirtiest, nastiest jobs out there (they usually involve poo of some sort); he has a sarcastic wit that can't be beat. I highly recommend watching it. New episodes air Tuesday nights at 9pm EST.

*Orbit Mint Mojito gum--oh my gosh! This is my new favorite flavor of gum! It's tangy and sweet, the perfect mixture of mint and a little bit of citrus. You have got to try it!

*coffee--I know this isn't a new fave, but I just love coffee! I'm actually drinking some right now. It just makes me happy:)

This is a really short list for today. Maybe I'll add more as the week goes on. What are some of your current favorite things?

you don't own me!

The other night I came home and Simba was very agitated. His fur was all bushy and he kept jumping around. I sat on the couch to watch tv and he jumped on my lap, something he rarely does. I tried petting his fur to make it stay down but it didn't work. After a few minutes of him sitting on me, I got tired of it and pushed him off. Another few minutes went by and I looked down at my pants and noticed something brown on them. I had gone to dinner that evening so I thought maybe I had gotten some food on them or something. I tried to get the stuff off and then I smelled it...Simba totally poohed on me! Nasty! I was horrified.

A friend told me, "Maybe he was marking his territory." With pooh?!

bridesmaid dresses

I am in a wedding this summer. My friend is getting married in Florida but is originally from Michigan and that is where she is ordering the dresses. She sent me the info for a shop here in DFW that would have the exact dress so I could try it on and figure out what size I needed. This is always a horrifying experience in my opinion. And this was no exception. I walked into the shop and found an associate. I asked her if I can try on the dress and she said, "We probably don't have it!" I said the website said they did and she pointed to the back corner and said, "The bridesmaid dresses are back there," and walked away. I walked to the back of this massive dress shop and found the bridesmaid dresses; it was complete chaos. There was no order, I had no idea where to start and there was no one back there to help me. After looking through the mass of dresses for a few minutes, I finally just left. They are on my black list now...

I called the bridal shop in Michigan and spoke to a sweet woman who was very helpful. I gave her my measurements (this is never fun to do!) and she looked at the size chart for this dress. According to the chart, my bust and hips are one size and my waist is 2 sizes bigger! What the heck!? So, I ended up having to order for my waist size knowing that the bust is going to be out of control! Why do they make dresses like this!? Thank goodness for alterations.

the female psyche

"It’s like a volcano.....it can be pretty to look at from a distance, even intriguing. But if you climb to the top and look down into the cone, there is a good chance you could either die from the sulfur, or it could explode and kill you."

--quote from a male friend

for my fans...

All 3 of you!

Kelli requested that I add more so that the cat pee title does not appear on the screen when she logs onto my page. Plus, Karebear is an emotional pregnant woman and it's best not to upset her anymore. At least that's the line she's feeding me.

It's been a busy few weeks! Here's the rundown:

*Got the IKEA bookshelf put together (with some help!). I'll take a pic and post it soon. I haven't finished arranging everything yet.
*Have gone to the movies twice recently. Night at the Museum is super cute and funny, highly recommend. Rocky Balboa was surprisingly good, better than I expected. If you are a Rocky fan (Karen), you'll like the latest (and let's hope the last because Sly is looking a little rough) installment.
*School started back up this week. Monday was a teacher work day, lots of silly meetings. Tuesday the kiddos were back and I wish I had a dollar for each time I heard the phrase, "But Miss K, we just got back from vacation!" It's been hard to get back into the groove again. I'm hoping it will be better this coming week.
*Currently North Texas is going through an ice storm that started this morning and will continue until Monday morning. Thank goodness I have Monday off so I won't have to make that day up! I was supposed to go to San Antonio to see a friend but decided against it for fear of getting stuck there.
*Life is going well right now:)
*Caught the last few minutes of the UNC-VT game today. GO HOKIES!!! We beat #5Duke earlier this week and now we've beaten #1UNC. We are #1 in the ACC. It's about time our basketball team showed up!

Karebear, is this enough for now?

update

Because Kelli doesn't like the words cat pee anymore!

It has been a while and I know I should fill you in on my life.

But you'll just have to wait!!!:)

cat pee...

is the worst thing ever invented! Well, I guess it wasn't really invented, but what the heck!? It is the worst smelling thing in the world and once it is absorbed into an object it is nearly impossible to get rid of the odor.

I was cleaning out my office area today. I only have one bookshelf and as most of you know, I'm a super nerd and one bookshelf isn't nearly enough for all the books I have. I had some piles of books in front of the bookshelf, sitting there waiting for a place to call home. I picked up one of the piles and noticed that the books on the bottom where sticky. I put my nose closer to the books and realized that one of my stupid cats had peed on them! What made it even worse is that one of the books vandalized was my Spanish/English Bible that I used in Venezuela that has tremendous sentimental value. I was ticked! I was ready to ship some kitties off (I don't know which one of them did it so I choose to be mad at both of them).

I was in such a state of devastation that I grabbed the first cleaner I could find, which was Resolve carpet cleaner. I figure if it can clean up cat puke out of the carpet, it can surely clean cat pee off my leather bound Bible. It didn't work, and thankfully didn't ruin the Bible cover. Next, following the advice from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I pulled out the Windex. It got the stickiness but did not get rid of the smell. I then used dish detergent but still to no avail. I called a friend in a panic and she suggested Febreeze. Would this really work?! I tried it and no more smell! I am now a true believer in the miraculous working power of this product! I should go on an infomercial with the guy who screams about the orange cleaner...

I was fortunate in that the pee did not get on any of the pages, just on the cover. Not sure how that happened but I am thankful. I think satan led my cat to pee on the Word of God, but the Holy Spirit prevented the actual pages from being ruined. Can't say the same for the Bible study book that was underneath...

plans for the week

Happy New Year!

I'm so happy I have this whole week off, it's so nice! I have a few things I'd like to get accomplished and I really hope it all happens. Here's my list so far:

*clean out my office area--it's a disaster and has been since I moved in
*give my apartment a good cleaning
*go clothes shopping
*venture up to IKEA--yes, even after the last experience; I have a giftcard and I need to use it on something fun:)
*plan for the next several weeks--yes, even though I'm on vacation, I have a lot to do before going back next week; I want to be prepared!

I'll let you know how things come along...

road trippin'

I am now in the beautiful Commonwealth of Virginia! I love it here; even in the winter it's breathtaking.

Yesterday I woke up at 5:20 (I had my alarm set for 6am but for some reason my body will not allow me to sleep past 5:30 anymore!), loaded up my car, made a Starbucks run (grande triple shot nonfat latte, yum!) and hit the road for 17.5 straight hours. I stopped every couple of hours for a quick break and 30 minutes for lunch, but pretty much drove the whole time. It was horrible! I never, ever want to make that drive by myself in one day again! I will say it is nice to wake up this morning in my mom's house instead of a hotel somewhere, but I am so exhausted. I pulled in at 2:30 Eastern time.

Why am I awake now? Who knows!? I'm completely exhausted but I can not sleep. I woke up even before my mom! So, as I wait for the orange rolls to bake I thought I'd give a quick update.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas! I love you guys!!!

Christmas time is here again!

What a week! School finished yesterday and I literally wanted to do cartwheels down the hall, similar to the scene from Bring It On when Missy is trying out. Too bad I never learned how to do that...Anyways, I have been sick since last weekend which totally stinks. I have to admit, it's been nice not getting sick until now. Last year I was sick so many times I lost count.

I was going to leave today for my uber-long drive to Virginia, but after thinking about it, I decided that it might be wiser to let myself have a full day of rest before heading out. Why was I in such a rush anyways? So, today I slept in, now I need to pick up a few items for the road trip and clean up my apartment a little, drop off the keys to a friend who will be taking care of my kitties while I'm away, and pack. I may throw in a nap somewhere as well:)

I'm excited to be going home! I love Virginia! Here are some things I'm looking forward to:

*seeing my nephew!

*laughing with my sister

*opening fun presents and watching people open theirs

*seeing Kelli:)

*seeing the mountains again; even though they won't be as pretty this time of year, it still beats the flatness of Texas!

*visiting my Grandma

Have a very Merry Christmas, everyone!!!

happy

God is so good to me! ;-D

TAG!

A - Available or taken: available, very available...any takers?:)

B - Best Friends: Dawn, Kelli, Karen, Summer

C - Cake or Pie: that's a hard choice, both are so tasty! i do really like pie, especially the crust

D - Drink of choice: Woodchuck

E - Essential Item you use everyday: lotion; it is so dry here!

F - Favorite color: blue

G - Gummy Bears or worms: worms

H - Hometown: Rocky Mount, VA

I- Indulgence: chocolate, and lots of it!

J - January or February: neither

K - Kids & Names: 2, Simba and Ginger

L - Life is Incomplete Without? God.

M - Marriage Date: ???

N - Number of Siblings: 3; one bro, one sis, and one half-bro

O - Oranges or Apples: apples, especially pink lady, yum!

P - Phobias or Fears: the dark (i know, lame)

Q - Fave Quote: i can't think of one...

R - Reason to Smile: it's the weekend!

S - Season: depends on where i live; in Texas, fall or winter

T - Tag 3 or 4 people: um....

U - Unknown Fact about Me: i'm not sure...i don't have an appendix anymore

V- Vegetable You Don't Like: califlower, yuck!

W - Worst Habit: self criticism

X – Xrays: yes, but never had a broken bone

Y - Your Fave Food: chocolate, and berries

Z - Zodiac Sign: gemini

service

One thing I have learned about myself is I love to do community service projects. My church has partnered with a church in South Dallas which is committed to seeing its community changed for eternity. I have done things on various Saturdays, from scraping paint off houses to raking up poison ivy, and I have loved it. Before it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn here and allowing you to believe that I'm this wonderful, altruistic person, I really don't do enough. This is such a small contribution and I have been convicted to do more.

Today some members of the single's ministry I'm involved in went around to the homes of some lovely elderly women to decorate for the holidays. It was such a joy to be able to provide lights and wreathes and goodie baskets! At one house in particular, the sweet lady almost started crying she was so touched.

I want to do more! I want to do as Jesus did and reach out to those in need. There are so many hurting people in this world who desperately need God's love and I just pray that I can be His instrument to give that love to others. I'm excited to see how God will use me for His glory!

amendment

As you can tell, I deleted my previous rant session. It's funny how God works. He has answered my prayers in some interesting ways. Over the last few days and weeks, I have come into contact with some cool Christian guys. I'm not saying there is any potential in anything beyond friendship, but I am thankful that God is allowing me to meet these men and restore my faith that they do, in fact, exist. As far as if they will become a permanent fixture in my life, that remains to be told...

Holy Frostbitten Toes, Batman!

BRRRRRR!!!! It's 28 degrees right now. In Texas! We are experiencing an "Artic Blast" and boy, is it chilly!

My students were disappointed that school was not cancelled. They kept waiting in anticipation for the announcement that school would be closed early. No such luck.

I'm not sure what will happen tomorrow. I want to have school because if we miss, we will have to make it up in the spring when we will desperately need a day off. But I do hope we go in late; that would be nice...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope your day is filled with lots of yummy food, great memories, and tremendous amounts of love.

What am I thankful for this year?

*God, and His amazing grace! I can not express how much I love God and how thankful I am that He is always with me, allowing me to be called His child. I just hope that I glorify Him through my life.

*My beautiful friendships! I love all you wonderful ladies--Dawn, Kelli, Karen, Summer, Megan, Christy, Alice, Jaye, Lau, Angela, Amanda, Germana--you are all so beautiful and amazing:)

*My family, especially my adorable nephew! He is so dang cute!

*My job--I am so thankful to work in the school I do, with all the diversity and cultures represented. My students are awesome and I love working with them. I never thought I'd love high schoolers, but God has shown me that they are full of hopes and dreams and I want to see them reach their goals.

*My amazing church! I love IBC! God has blessed me with an amazing church family. I love the pastor and the Holy Spirit always touches my heart through his sermons. The singles' ministry I am involved in is fabulous and I am thankful for so many new friends who are on this same journey through life, seeking God's glory and desiring to live full out for Him.

*Hard lessons learned--I know, you are thinking, "what?!" but God has been faithful through some hard situations this year and I am thankful that if I had to go through them, God was with me, leading me, guiding me, and reassuring me of His presence. I have learned so much about God's character as well as what I am made of, and I feel stronger as a result.

*The upcoming roadtrip home! I am so excited to be able to drive 1100+ miles home for Christmas. It will be a good time of reflection, not thinking about work, and seeing the country.

I am thankful for so many things, but I will end my list here. God has been so faithful and good to me this year. I hope you are able to rejoice in all that He has provided for you. And even if you don't believe in God, I hope that you are able to reflect on life and be thankful for the many blessings that you have:)

What are you most thankful for?

oh, no, she didn't...

Ah, the joys of teaching. Last week, we reviewed the differences between the verbs ser and estar; they both mean "to be" in Spanish but are used at different times to express different ideas. For their warm-up at the beginning of class I had simple questions on the board for my students to answer in complete sentences. One of them was "Como eres?" which means "What are you like?" I was looking for answers like "I am tall" or "I am funny", simple things like that. One overly confident kid answered with "Soy caliente." The Spanish speakers around him started to chuckle and I kind of hid my face. I told him, "You never want to say that in Spanish." He asked why and I decided to humor the class. "Because it means you are horny." The class burst out into laughter. He was embarrassed, but I knew he could take it because he is one of the class clowns.

This would have been a good story, but wait, it gets better! In the midst of all the laughter, a girl says to me, "Miss, that's not what it means." She's Hispanic, kind of a rough girl, in a gang, etc. I looked at her and asked, "Excuse me?" She said, "That's not what it means. It just means he's hot, like good looking." I replied, "In Spain and Venezuela both it means the other." I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and added, "It could be different where you learned Spanish." She said, "How do you even know? You're not from those places." I told her that I lived in Venezuela for 2 years and studied in Spain. She gave some sort of sarcastic reply and I told her to go outside. She said, "Why? Because you are wrong?" and I said, "No, because you are being argumentative and I will not have it in my class." As she got up to walk outside, she said, "Stupid b****!" I looked at her and asked, "Would you mind repeating that so I can make sure to get it right on your office referral?" So she repeated it in a much higher volume. I asked, "Anything else you'd like me to add?" to which she responded, "I don't give a f*** what you write." Nice to know.

I wrote up the referral half expecting her to not be there when I opened the door. She was waiting. I handed the referral to her and said, "I'm not even going to discuss this with you; you know what you did was wrong." Later on, I confirmed that she actually went to the office. Her punishment? 1 day out of school suspension, 1 day in school suspension.

As I was writing the referral, the other students said, "I can't believe she would say that to a teacher, especially you!" Everyone else in the class likes me, she's the only one I have trouble with. Hopefully one day she will turn her life around...

Texas State Fair (finally!)

At Jason's Deli, before the fair. Yummy!

Meg and I enjoying Fried Coke.

cutest nephew ever!

I know I'm biased, but just look at that face!!!

road trip!

I'm thinking about driving half way across the country to visit my family at Christmas. 1100 miles. That's a long way! Flights are ridiculously expensive and I thought it might be fun (or at least interesting) to drive the 17+ hours. Lots of time for books on cd and good car tunes. I'm kind of getting excited about it!

What do you think?

random post

For some reason I can't get my Texas State Fair pics to upload, sorry. I can email them to you if you'd like. Just let me know.

It's been such a crazy couple of weeks. I know I haven't blogged in a while and it's impossible to try to catch up. Homecoming was fun but stressful. Last week I was asked to step down from my student council co-sponsor position. I was actually ready to resign (I had letter in hand when asked to step down). There is a whole big long story involved with this, but since I don't know who reads my blog I'll skip the details. If you want to know, I can email you the gruesome story...And just to be clear, I am still teaching, just not doing student council. A guy at church thought I had been asked to resign my teaching position! Can you imagine!? I'd be a mess!!!

My phone finally bit the dust. And I ordered a new one just in time! The old one broke in half last night (went to reach for the alarm to make sure it was set and knocked the already broken phone on the floor; that was all it took). The new one arrived this afternoon, yay! Actually, I take the yay! back because I'm not super excited about it. It's bigger than my other phone (although it does have a camera so that's kind of spiffy) but it's not as cool as I hoped. But what do I need all those gadgets and bells and whistles for, anyways?! I think I've been hanging around high schoolers too long...

I desperately need to go grocery shopping. I have nothing to eat. I feel like such a college student! After work I am so tired that I don't want to go and then on the weekends it's such a madhouse that I make excuses not to go then.

So, that's life in a nutshell. I'm going to keep seeing about adding those pictures because they are super fun.

another student comment

I promise to blog more soon; it has been so crazy lately! Being the Student Council co-sponsor is a huge job and whew! am I tired.

Anyways, this was just too funny to not blog right away. Last night we had an officers meeting. The girls and I were chit chatting about the Homecoming dance (which is tomorrow night!) and I asked them how I should fix my hair. One girl said, "Oh, Miss K, can we make you pretty?!" and then when she realized what she said, she quickly added, "--er than normal?" I laughed until I was crying! She is so sweet and I never would have thought she was saying I wasn't normally pretty, but she wanted to make sure she fixed it. Too much!

I'll post my fun Texas State Fair pics soon!

addiction

My name is Annette and I am a Lostiholic.

I am addicted to this show! And the funny thing is that I have no clue what the heck is going on!!! Each week I have more and more questions and as I watch a new episode, those questions are not answered, just more and more get added. For example, where are Michael and Walter? What happened to Locke and Eco and Desmond in the hatch? Are they still alive? Who are the "Others" and why are they torturing Sawyer and Kate? Can Sawyer look any hotter?! How did Ben get a copy of the 2004 World Series to show Jack that the Red Sox won? What do the heirogliphics in the hatch mean? Will I ever get all the answers? Ugh!!!

I also found some cool merchandise that I would love to have! Check these out:

A new requirement for my classroom journals.

Anyone want to try to beat me?

My kind of dollhouse!

But don't forget all the dolls to go with it...

And lastly, I really, REALLY want this!!!

suffering continued...

It's good I had all those verses handy last night because I went through one of the harshest periods of suffering this season! All I can say is...nothing; words completey escape me. I can't even muster up a "go H-word"...it's too painful...

Someone pass the bottle...

ouch!

The process of being beautiful is oftentimes painful. That's all I have to say about that.

suffering

I have been learning a lot from God's Word recently about suffering and enduring through it. I wanted to share some verses that have been encouraging to me that I have come across or others have pointed out. I hope they encourage you in the same way.

1Peter 1:6-7 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Acts 16:25 "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." (this is after they are arrested, stripped and flogged, then thrown in prison, feet put in stocks so that the only position they could put their bodies was to lay flat on their backs that were just ripped open)

Psalm 40:17 "Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay."

Psalm 43:2-4 "You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holdy mountain, to place where you dwell. Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God."

Ecclesiastes 1:18 "For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." (you may wonder why I find this one encouraging; in a weird way, it's nice to know that as I grow in knowledge I will experience more sorrow as I realize more and more that this earth is not my home)

My prayer is that when I do go through times of suffering that I remember and cling to God's truth and rely completely on Him.

movie review

I watched Syriana tonight. Do not watch this movie unless you are fully awake and at full mental capacity! It was good and fast paced, but very confusing in parts. Or maybe it's just that I'm not that intelligent and it was too hard for my feeble mind to follow. Either way, it was good and I felt somewhat informative, although I have to wonder at how accurate it really is. But I can't complain too much; Matt Damon was in it for crying out loud!

comment from a student as he left my class...

"Miss, if you get a hangover this weekend, make sure to drink lots of water. Not that I know from personal experience or anything..."

rise and shine!

Oh, my gosh, I am exhausted! It's Friday, 5:55am, and I am still needing to get ready for school. I'm sitting here, unable to move. The caffeine has not kicked in yet.

Every Friday I feel like this, like I am a zombie and will never get out of the fog. After work, I usually come home, lay down for what I think will just be a few minutes, then wake up 3 hours laster. Why can't my body get used to this nightmarish schedule?!

I hope everyone is doing well. Yay, it's almost the weekend! I have some fun plans that I will expand on later:)

gross!!!

Simba just ate a cricket! He's always finding bugs, plays with them for a while, then eats them! Nasty:-P His all time faves are the huge cucarachas because they are hardy and live a while so he can play with them longer. Bleck!

already?!

The 3rd week of school just finished, and already I have my first cold. Last year I was sick numerous times, at least once a month, with some sort of respiratory crud. I even went to the doctor last fall because I needed to get another inhaler (I used to only use it for exercise every once in a while but last fall I needed it almost once per day). Several students were sniffling in class last week but I didn't think I would catch it.

I woke up this morning with a sore throat and already it has moved to the sneezing stage. Hopefully that means it will be over sooner. I'm really tired and achy, blech! Enough complaining...

Time to start the tissue box collection campaign in my classes...

beautiful day in the neighborhood!

It's such an amazing day today! It's currently 70 degrees and raining! I have a window open and the A/C is turned off. I can actually breathe! I know most people would think this would be depressing weather, but when it hasn't rained in months, you begin to long for days like this.

blah

So, I'm feeling kind of blah today. I guess I can't have all super great days. I kind of know why I'm feeling this way, but I'm not sure I want to get into it here. I'm tired. Let's just leave it at that. Life is exhausting!

Is it the weekend yet?

i'm a survivor!

I survived the first week of school, YAY!!! Only 35 more to go...

Highlights from the first week:

*I love my classes! I have a great bunch of kids this year and even though I can tell I'll have a couple of challenging ones, on the whole they are awesome!

*I thought my 4th period on A days would be a problem (big class, lots of talkers) but I acted totally goofy with them yesterday and they loved it! I think we will have a lot of fun in that class, although it will still be a challenge to get them to stop talking.

*Only having one prep this year (Spanish II only) is going to be fantastic.

*My student council kids rock! They are super motivated and fun and it's easy to lead them because they basically lead themselves.

*My students are actually calling me by my name. They will start to say "miss, miss!" but then remember and quickly add on my last name. It's great!

*I have a couple of students who have already admitted that they love Spanish (non-native speakers). I'm looking forward to feeding into that for them.

*Even though it's been somewhat of a nightmare with the A/C problem, a guy from the district's maintenance team came out yesterday and he's going to make sure the problem is fixed. They are going to get rid of the silly window unit and put in a central system! Not sure when this will happen, but I'm encouraged that things are moving forward.

*I've had some fun surprises this week that I'm still smiling about:)

I feel so blessed right now! We'll see how I feel in another month or so...

no child left behind...

My co-worker was discussing the importance of learning a foreign language with her class. She asked, “if you are going into the military right now, what language would it be beneficial to learn?”

One kid raised his hand and replied, “British?”

school days...

I survived the first day back! Actually, my classes were pretty good. I'm really going to enjoy teaching all Spanish II this year. My classes are huge, but they seem well behaved, so far. We'll see how it goes as the year progresses.

The worst thing about today is that the A/C in my portable is not working. It was over 100 degrees today. This morning during 1st period, my A/C got the room down to 85 (still pretty toasty with 32 students in the room) but by 4th period, it was 91 degrees! My students were sweating and complaining, and I can't blame them. It was awful! We are trying to get the issue resolved with maintainance, but who knows when it will get fixed. I don't know what I'll do tomorrow...

The one good thing about it is that after 8 hours in a sauna, I won't need to go exercise! I'll lose all the weight I want to through sweating! Nice, I'm sure I am super appealing to be around right now...

Lau's painting

I thought you might like to see the painting Laurice made for me. Isn't it amazing!? It has so many aspects of Maracaibo that I love to look at and remember.

"I cannot live without books."--Thomas Jefferson

Patricia tagged me with this list, and it's actually one that I was excited about doing:) I'm such a book worm...the librarians at the public library in my home town know my whole family by name...by the way, it's kind of scary how similar Patricia, Karin and I are in our reading choices!

1. A book that changed your life:
The Bible, still changing my life!
Abba's Child by Brennan Manning
Changes That Heal by Henry Cloud, this is totally cheesy but I read it at a very important time in my life and it really did change the way I view my life.

2. Books you’ve read more than once:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, this is my favorite fiction book of all time. I don't even know how many times I have read it!

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
The Bible, can not live without it!!!

4. A book that made you laugh:
Anything by Donald Miller, he cracks me up!
The Princess Bride edited by William Goldman

5. A book that made you cry:
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherin Paterson and Donna Diamond, I was in the 7th grade when I read this book and it was the first time one affected me so emotionally.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, this is one of my all time favorite books.

6. One book you wish had been written:
Yesh, I have no idea!

7. One book you wish had never been written:
Some of the boring text books I had to read for classes in college...
I also agree with the Josh Harris comment by Karin; his book just ticked me off!

8. Books you’re currently reading:
When Life and Beliefs Collide by Carolyn James (re-reading it)
Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
These are all part of my "I'm going to read as much as I can because it's summer and I actually have time" list. I'm trying to finish these books up but with school starting tomorrow, I'm not sure that I will...

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Just one!? So many books, so little time...Here's a short list.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Desiring God by John Piper
Stonewall Jackson by James Robertson, I can't find it anywhere here! I guess I'll have to order it online...
The Essential 55 by Ron Clark, did you guys see the movie on TNT? Really good! Almost makes me want to teach in inner city New York...almost. Then I remember that I kind of teach in an inner city school now and I come back to reality very quickly!
Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien

I know that several of my readers are also book lovers like me. So, what's your list look like?:)

beautiful day

Here is my beautiful friend Laurice. She is here in Texas for a 2 week training and I had the awesome privledge to spend the entire day with her today. I have known her for 7 years! We met in Maracaibo, Venezuela the first year I was there and have been friends ever since. She is just an amazing woman with a huge heart. We had a great day of shopping, eating at the Cheesecake Factory (yum!), and just talking. It is fabulous to hear Venezuelan Spanish again! The usual Spanish spoken here is of the Mexican variety and it just doesn't sing in my ears like Venezuelan Spanish.

Here are some of my fave things about Lau:
*Her smile! She can light up the room and make anyone feel welcome!
*She tries to see the good in everything.
*She has a desire to love those who others may deem as unloveable.
*Her artistic side! I have a fabulous painting that she made for me of Maracaibo hanging in my living room. When she saw it today, she said, "wow, I had forgotten about that!" It's one of my favorite gifts I've ever received.
*She is super intelligent!
*Her laugh.
*She was always willing to wake up super early to walk the 2+ miles to our fave bakery in Maracaibo for our discipleship times. Good times!

There are a million more, but those are the ones that instantly come to mind. !!!Te quiero muchisimo, Lolo!!!

Virginia is for lovers...

How can you not fall in love with these mountains?!

pics

Here are a couple of pictures for you. The first one is my SIL and me. The second is my grandma, mom, and adorable nephew.

hello

Wow, I have been quite the absent blogger lately. I don't even have the excuse of nothing going on because I just came back from 9 days in the beautiful state of Virginia. It was so great being home again! I missed the mountains and green just as much as I thought I did. I took a drive one day, just going down some back roads to take it all in. I got to see my beautiful nephew, too! He is so cute! I tried to upload some pics but Blogger isn't letting me right now, so I will try later.

Life is crazy right now. School starts officially next week so this week is filled with teacher in-services and other various meetings. Plus, I have to get my classroom ready which is always a lot of work. I have huge classes this year, too, because we only have 4 teachers for level 2, as opposed to 6 last year. I am looking forward to the year starting, though.

A few fun things that have happened recently:
*My beautiful friend Dawn came to visit her brother and sister-in-law who happen to live in Dallas so I got to see her too! It was much too short, but so sweet to spend the little bit of time we did together.
*Another beautiful friend, Lau, is in town from Venezuela for training for her job! I have not seen her in 3 years so I am so excited to be able to spend time with her this coming weekend!
*I was officially made head teacher of Spanish II. I know, this isn't too exciting for most of you, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.
*My school district just voted for a nice pay raise for teachers! Yay!

That's all for now, but I will try to get those photos posted ASAP:)

an amazing life

Please read this article on the life of Billy Graham, possibly the greatest evangelist in history. His life inspires me to live more full out for God's glory.

i feel jipped!

Warning: If you have not seen Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest yet, you may want to skip this post. I'll try not to give too much away, though.

A few weekends back I went to see The Lake House with a friend. It's a nice, quiet, romantic movie that was in a theater right next to a horror flick with super high bass. My friend and I enjoyed the movie but were frustrated with the booming next door so we complained to the manager. She gave us rainchecks, yay!

I knew exactly what I wanted to use my raincheck for...to see my future husband Orlando Bloom in his new movie, of course! I was so excited to see it and was as giddy as a kid when it finally started after what felt like an hour of previews.

The movie is very similar to the first; action sequence after action sequence with barely any time to catch your breath (or your thoughts to figure out what the heck is going on). Johnny Depp is great as Captain Jack Sparrow; gotta love his facial expressions and the way he runs. There are twists and turns and lots of gross creatures (how do these people come up with these ideas?!) It makes me want to go back to the Caribbean and the beautiful white beaches and crystal blue water. It was definitely a great way to spend 2 and 1/2 hours on a Sunday afternoon.

So, why do I feel jipped? Based on the first installment, I figured it would be a great story with some kind of resolution. After watching the first one, they could have stopped and we would have been none the wiser. It can stand on its own without a sequel. Not so with numero 2. I won't ruin anything, but the last scene I'm sitting on the edge of my seat thinking, "oh my gosh, we have at least another half hour of adventure to go!" Then, the words "directed by" flash on the screen and it's over!!! I sat and stared at the credits for several seconds before I figured out what was going on. It was like a cliff hanger at the end of a tv season and you have to wait until September for the new season to start, except because this is a huge big budget movie, I'll have to wait much longer. Totally stinks!

Okay, let's be honest...it's not like I wasn't going to see the 3rd one when it comes out anyways. I'll see just about any movie with Orlando Bloom:-) I think I may be a little obsessed...looking into group therapy...

Happy Independence Day!

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to be free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" --Emma Lazarus, inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty

"America--a great social and economic experiement, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose." --Herbert Hoover

"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom." --Malcolm X

"There's the country of America, which you have to defend, but there's also the idea of America. America is more than just a country, it's an idea. An idea that's supposed to be contagious." --Bono

"America is not merely a nation but a nation of nations." --Lyndon B. Johnson

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

Guess what, peeps! I'm coming to Orlando! I can not wait to get there and see everyone. I never thought I'd miss Orlando so much:) I will be in town July 11-19th. I want to see as many people as possible! I'll call people to make sure you are around; please pencil me in somewhere in those busy schedules!

Things I'm looking forward to on my trip to Orlando:

*cathcing up with lots of friends

*going to Karen's wedding

*the beach!!!

*seeing Cheri's wedding dress

*eating at Season's 52 with my bff Tiger

*meeting Christy's bird Franz

*driving by the last place I worked and thanking God that I don't work there anymore (not CCC)

*Backyard Burger, yum!

*getting out of Dallas!

Wow, I never realized how much I have to be thankful for as far as Orlando goes. This makes me even more excited!

food for thought

"Each of us is running the race God has marked out for her. This race is not determined by the good or evil actions of others, no matter who they are or how much power they hold over us. Neither do we run wherever we please. God has planned our race, and he is carrying out his plan--a plan that guarantees our good and his glory. Nothing--not principalities or powers, not the devil himself, not even we--can throw God off his plan or prevent him from accomplishing his good purposes for us. We run a planned race...

...[If] God is sovereign, then plan B is a myth. No matter how dark things look to us, or how big the mess we're in, we're in plan A. God's plan for us is intact, proceeding exactly as he intended, neither behind nor ahead but right on schedule. Nothing--not our sins, failures, disappointments, bad decisions, nor the sins of others against us--can deter a sovereign God from accomplishing his purposes."

from When Life and Beliefs Collide by Carolyn Custis James

realization

After viewing the preview for a new movie coming out, The Holiday, a friend and I decided it would be smarter to move to England than LA...

trick mirrors

Whenever I go to try on clothes at stores like Ann Taylor, the mirrors are set at an angle so that you look thinner than you are. Good trick, since it will make you more likely to buy the clothes.

I've been working out like crazy recently, going to the gym almost everyday. I've also been eating right and trying to be healthier with my choices. I have lost some weight, definitely, and that makes me feel good because it's working.

When I'm at the gym, I use free weights for part of my routine. I like to stand in front of the mirror to make sure my form is correct. One thing I've noticed is that I look so slim in those mirrors. I think, "hey, good lookin'!" Okay, not really, but I'm impressed with what I see. But when I get home and look in my bathroom mirror, it's a different story. I'm not quite so impressed.

Okay, who messed with the bathroom mirror?! Because the gym mirror obviously has to be the truest one, right?

my 15 minutes

You know the old saying "everyone gets a shot at 15 minutes of fame"? I had mine this past Saturday. I volunteered to do some community service. Check out the article about the event.

Notice the photo with the article. Yeah, that's me with the black shorts and gray shirt. Figures that my 15 minutes would be of my backside!

happy father's day?

I was in church this morning and the pastor started out by saying, "It's a very special day today." I thought, "huh?" and racked my brain trying to figure out what the date was.

He continues: "The US Open is being played today."

Oh, I get it, he's making a joke.

"And the Mavs play tonight."

Again, adding to the sports banter he likes to add to some of his sermons.

Then, the shocker: "And it's Father's Day!"

Oops! Did he just say Father's Day?! I'm thinking to myself. Please realize, it's easy for me to forget holidays that involve fathers but I felt like such a dope for some reason. So, in light of it being a holiday dedicated to those Dads in our lives...

Happy Father's Day, God!!!:-)

Props to Abba for sending Jesus to save me:) I love you!!!

lost

I used to have a friend named Karen. She was a regular on Blogger. Has anyone seen her?! If so, please tell her to UPDATE HER BLOG!

Love you, Karebear!:-)

more kitty pics!

Simba on top of the couch, waiting to pounce

how could you not love that face?!

Ginger, doing what she does best...lounging around! I love her belly!!!

checking things out outside

so, what do you think?

of the new 'do, that is:) I just got it cut and styled today so I thought I'd take a picture to show everyone because it will never look like this again (too bad my stylist doesn't live with me...). I kind of have bangs (you can't see them that well); it's the swept bang look. I think I like it!

PS--Does anyone know how to get rid of the white spaces when cropping a pic?

ruined

I hate the fact that I don't have a light over my washing machine. The closet where the washer and dryer are located is very dark.

I am doing laundry today and washed a load of darks. After I cleared out the washer, I started running hot water and poured in some bleach; time to do the whites. As the washer starts to fill up and I'm sorting through the clothes I want to throw in, I notice that there is something dark rising in the water. I grabbed it and burned myself because the water is so hot. But the burn was nothing compared to the pit in my stomach when I realized which article of clothing it was...a t-shirt that I bought from the Universidad de Sevilla when I was there on a summer mission trip in college. Sure, it's an old shirt, but it is my favorite t-shirt ever! This is an amazing piece of clothing. It has barely faded in the 9 years I've owned it, and there are no holes. It has retained it's shape and is super soft and comfy. I don't wear it out really, just to lounge around the house. But it holds so many memories! I rinsed it out in the tub hoping to undo some of the damage. Now I have a navy t-shirt with orangish spots all over it. Ugh!

Any suggestions? Do you think if I dye it navy it will work?

recap

I've been MIA again lately, sorry! Here's a recap of my life the last few weeks:

School ended! It was super stressful at the end but I am enjoying my vacation:)

I took 4 students to a leadership camp last week. We had a blast! These kids are super motivated and want to change the world, such a refreshing change from what I usually see in my classroom. We laughed a lot! And they can not handle Dublin Dr. Pepper without getting super hyper...Has anyone ever heard of Dublin D.P.? Dublin is where the largest D.P. bottling plant is located. They have a special formula that using cane sugar instead of corn syrup and it's a speciality found only in Dublin and speciality stores elsewhere. It has a different taste which I actually like.

I turned 30 a week ago. The actual day was fun. I was still at camp and my kids made me wear a ribbon that said, "birthday girl". They also embarrassed me by singing "happy birthday" several times. I recieved numerous phone calls which was so fun. Upon my return home, I had lots of cards to read. I felt very celebrated. To top it all off, co-workers took me out for dinner at one of my fave spots, Red Lobster, yum!

I hate to admit it, but I love driving big, gas hogging SUV's! I drove a Suburban to the camp and it was awesome! I loved being so high up in the air and it drove really comfortably. Don't worry, I'm not going to rush out and buy one. The gas alone would put me in debt! It was fun while it lasted though, and then when I got back into my own car I felt like I was on the ground.

That's all the updates I have for now. This week I'm just enjoying the free time and doing lots of reading. Next week I really want to get into doing some lesson planning so I can be prepared next year! (we'll see if this really happens...)

lounging

Now, that's what I call relaxing!

*disclaimer*

The following posts were written in a delusional, "it's almost the end of school and I'm quite cuckoo" state of mind. Please forgive the fluff. I don't think I could have an intelligent adult conversation if I tried; it might just push me over the edge, and let me tell you, there's not much keeping me on.

Orlando anyone?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest opens July 7th. I just watched the trailor and oh my gosh!!! It looks awesome!!! I ask you, who two better looking men to put in one movie!? Oh, well, there are Eric Bana (who was in Troy with Orlando Bloom) and Hugh Jackman (can't find a movie connection but there should be!). I think I have a thing for foreign men. I know Johnny Depp isn't foreign, but he's been living in France for so long that he thinks he is:)

So, based on these 4 men, I have come to some conclusions about the types of men I am attracted to:
*dark hair and eyes
*cultured sounding (Orlando is British and Eric and Hugh are Australian and Johnny has that cool French accent going on)
*deep voices
*versitle
*good guys, nice all around
*tall (although I'm not sure how tall Johnny is)

Now, what do I need to do about this? I think I need to move overseas. It seems like the odds go with Australia.

Unfortunately, for me, instead of marrying someone who looks like Hugh Jackman, I'll end up with someone who looks like Jack Black. Maybe he'll make me laugh, though...

AI

This season of American Idol has been da' bomb! (I am such a white girl) I have loved Taylor Hicks from his first audition. I love the fact that Simon has to eat his words (if you'll recall, he stated that Taylor would never make it to the finals). Don't get me wrong, Katharine McPhee has an amazing voice, but she seems kind of plastic when she's up there on stage. Taylor is so fun and energetic, he gets the crowd going and is truly a performer.

On another AI note, Carrie Underwood just scored AMC Single of the Year! Way to go! I also loved her from the beginning and knew she would win last season:) I think I'm becoming a prophet...I wonder if I can see anything about my own future...Maybe I can score a big smoke and fire machine and a huge velvet curtain and become the All Powerful Wizard of Oz...

ohhh, i...i will survive!

2...more...days!!!!

My students are so nutso and I have lost all will to do anything about it. One girl was very disrespectful to me today (has been all year) and I just calmly said, "please go stand outside." I continued with the review game we were playing and when the groups were trying to answer a question, I wrote up an office referral and walked outside. I looked at her and very calmly said, "I have nothing to say to you. You have been disrespectful to me all year. Here you go." I then walked back inside. I have no idea if she made it to the office, and honestly I don't really care. As long as she's not in my class I think we're both happier:)

life

I turn 30 in 3 weeks from today.

Since I don't have any friends here, I'll probably be spending the day alone.

I thought about taking a short roadtrip somewhere, but then I'd still be alone.

Sigh...

sick, AGAIN!!!

Yes, you read correctly, I am sick once again. I can't even count how many times this makes. I thought it was a case of really bad allergies, but after two nights of little sleep, I'm pretty sure it's a cold. I just hope I'm better by tomorrow. We got an email from our head principal basically saying that unless we're bleeding out the eyes we need to be at school. It's a good thing we're just doing exam review this week and I don't really have to come up with lesson plans.

yet another update

Grrrrrr!!! I'm so frustrated with this past week. I don't feel like I did that badly with my eating and I worked out a total of 4 times (didn't quite make the 5 mark). And the end result? I didn't lose any weight, again! If another person tells me that I'm just gaining muscle, I'm going to scream! How can I continue to gain muscle mass this quickly? If I keep this up, I'm going to be gaining weight!

So, no change to report in weight. But I did buy a new pair of running shoes and I've been breaking those in. I'm enjoying getting back into running. The treadmill can be a bit boring at times, but there aren't any good asphalt trails near my apartment, only concrete which I hate running on. I'll have to do some more exploring. It will soon be too hot to think about running outside, though.

Okay, some goals for this coming week. I've been doing better with water ever since the purchase of this huge water bottle that holds 64 ounces. It's gynormous! My students make fun of me and other teachers ask how I can drink so much water and not move my class to the faculty bathroom:) It is hard at times, but I think my body will eventually get used to it. I want to keep that up. Another goal is to keep up the running. I'd like to be able to run 30 minutes without stopping by the end of May. I don't think that's unreasonable, I may even be able to do it by mid-May. One more goal for this week: try to add some yoga to my routines. I feel myself getting stronger but I also want to become more flexible. I have a video and maybe I'll see if some co-workers have any they'd be willing to let me borrow.