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.