The Classroom and School Office!

I could not sleep last night and ended up getting up at 5:30 am.  Why???  Well, I was absolutely psyched to begin decorating my classroom.  I have an office and a classroom at school and had spent some time in the office but neglected to change anything in the classroom.  That all changed today!  I feel like a teacher now with a classroom "relatively" set up and my office organized.  Check out the photos of my rooms and detailed descriptions of the set up here!  Thanks to my hubby, Kyle for helping me move some furniture and my sister who helped me cut out letters.  The classroom made a huge transformation today and I cannot wait to get some students in there!  I wanted a fun and exciting room for them to come to as they work on all their reading strategies and I feel I have created that.  We shall see once the school year begins!  :)

This is definitely requiring a lot of focus on my part as I have begun research and reading books to ensure I am using proper techniques once I begin teaching.  My mind is getting stretched but heart is about to jump out of my body with excitement.  I hope to share my passion for knowledge with my students and see great success this coming school year!  Go Knights!

As my students take a journey through reading books I hope to grow as an educator and reach out to my them to reach all their needs!  

Preparing for a new Chapter

I feel like I haven't had a moment to take in everything that has been happening!  I got a job, my husband graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with his Masters degree and I am now trying to get my classroom ready.  I cannot express how blessed I feel to have all the family and friends who have helped me through the past year.  I am trying to figure out how to balance keeping my house together once school starts for both Kyle and I and getting everything together and running at school!  Very excited and feel like I have so much to do.  I will have pictures of my room and office later this week!  Can't wait for the finished product!

Patience and Surrender

I graduated from Miami University last May in Middle Childhood Education with all the excitement and energy to begin teaching and reaching out to kids... only, I did not get a job.  A little frustrated, I began substitute teaching in several local districts.  I really felt like a failure and struggled to stay positive throughout the past school year as I filled in various classrooms from pre-k through high school.  I wanted my own classroom and kids and was very bitter because of it.  I felt like God was not allowing me to minister where I felt called.  Another struggle was not having a steady schedule since I am a person of consistency.

I began praying and seeking the word for answers and felt God was working patience in me.  After the school year was over, I was excited to get a job right away and spend the whole summer preparing for the school year. That wasn't the case.  I interviewed several times without an offer and once again felt like a failure.  I began talking to a friend about how I am not meant to be a house wife and that was what I was stuck doing.  I was caught in a hole I could not dig out of and doing housework which I really despise.  In our discussion, we set up a schedule for cleaning throughout the week to hold each other accountable. I had recently surrendered my situation to Christ and vowed to be the best housewife I could be and serve my husband at home as he was working 50-60 hour weeks.

Well today, I interviewed for a position at the school I student taught in and got the job.  Talk about a major blessing.  I was ready to give up education if this didn't work out.  Overwhelmed by nerves and nearly shaking as I got to the school early, I could do nothing but sit there.  Thank God for all my friends and family who were lifting me up because I sat in my car for 5 minutes and felt the peace of God overcome me.  On top of that, I was able to engage in a personal conversation with one of the secretaries I knew and really relaxed in the process.  This was her first day back from her break... divine intervention... I think yes. Everything from the smoothness of my answers to the calming conversation with the secretary, I knew God was their with me because I could not have done it all on my own.

Through patience and surrender I gained a deeper more intimate relationship with Christ and in the process allowed Him to use me in His time.  I can't wait to make a difference in my future students' lives and work with all the godly staff at the school.  So ready for the school year!  First day is in two weeks!  Here we go!  :)

Boat Load of Blessings

Over the weekend, my husband Kyle and I went up to Indian Lake with our dog Pvnrt, to spend some quality time with my parents and sister Abby before she goes back to school.  Saying we had a blast is an understatement.  Thank you so much to my Aunt and Uncle for letting us use their lake house.  We were able to utilize their house as well as their pontoon and two jet skis.

Not many people know, but I am a huge fan of water... I would go to a lake every day if I could or even the ocean.  For me, water is an image of God's beauty that He made here on earth.  After riding the jet skis all day, I enjoyed sitting on the pontoon and basking in His creation.  I loved the wind in my hair, the splashes of water and the serene sound of the water.

Kyle, Abby and I were really ripping it up on the jet skis while Mom and Dad had their dog Zoe and our dog Pvnrt on the pontoon.  We have a beagle who has a set of lungs on her.  Every time we drove by the boat to see her, she went nuts barking and I am sure the whole lake knew she was there.  But she enjoyed the boat as well, catching all the wind in her face.  Here are some pictures of our great weekend getaway:

 Pvnrt cuddling with me once I got back on the boat.

                                Headed out the first day!

Getting Abby out on the Jet Ski for the first time!

Kyle hydrating after doing a million 360*s all over the lake.

Abby hamming it up on a break.  :)

 Acclimating Pvnrt to the water.

Her response after swimming to Kyle... to stand on his head.

I never would have thought jet skiing would have required so much upper body strength.  I haven't ridden one since I was like 13.  I took off right away out of the no wake zone and went to turn, forgetting how touchy they were and wiped out on my first turn... haha.  It was awesome.  Through the wipe outs and pulling myself back up onto the jet ski, I really got a workout.  I am still sore three days later.  If I ever get bored with the workout I am doing, I will have to remember the jet skiing as a change of pace.  

Outside of all the boating festivities, we spent a lot of time hanging out as a family as well, playing games, watching movies and getting into some deep discussions.  I also got to read a bit... Pride and Prejudice (I am a huge fan of Jane Austen as of late).  The support of our family is one I truly hold close to my heart.  They know what to say and when to say it.  We were only two hours away from home but got such a break from the business of home and really got to unwind a bit before Kyle begins the next school year in a couple weeks.  

Before we parted Saturday night, we prayed as a family for an interview I have coming up.  It was such a blessing to have the support and godly family lifting me up in a time of frustration for me.  After graduating last May and not getting a job still, I have been struggling with life... what is my purpose and what should I be doing with myself during this time?  It is reassuring to know so many people are lifting me up and praying for God's will in my life when I feel lost.  Thanks for a great weekend to all my family.  It was such a relief for my mind, body and soul.  

Rekindling an Old Passion

This week my husband, Kyle and I have been helping Redeemer Church in preparations for their vacation bible school next week.  Kyle did the tie dye shirts and I worked on some of the set decorations.  Over 300 shirts were tie dyed this year and I was able to rekindled an old passion through painting.  The church had recently had their roof redone and had these insulation boards left over.  Pastor Tim retrieved them and I had a new project... to paint up the boards to resemble a city scene.

I love art.  I am not very good at it but enjoy it thoroughly.  It is a passion I shared with my great grandmother and haven't had a chance to indulge in since high school.  I enjoyed putting some simple techniques into the painting.  Here is the finished product:

I have to tell you, as much as I enjoyed painting these blank canvasses, I really enjoyed contributing to the scenery for VBS.  I feel like these buildings will really help transform the sanctuary into this downtown scene for the kids to come together and worship in.  VBS starts Sunday and I am so excited.  Kyle will be one of the theme characters and I will be working with the mission projects.

Missions are a huge passion and calling for me and being able to contribute in this way is a true blessing.  Sharing the excitement with the kiddos in doing something special for someone else is so humbling.  Don't take this the wrong way but I love seeing the kids learn through their struggles.  Some of the kids come in to do the projects expecting to take them home but get frustrated when they cannot.  I love to pull them aside and pray an extra special blessing with them for the person who will eventually receive the item.  I love the turn around in their heart as they learn what it means to give.   They are showing God's love to the world and love that even at their age, they can make a difference.

Finding My Place at Home

So, as many of you know as of late, I still do not have a teaching job for the upcoming school year.  This has been overly frustrating for me as not having an outlet to put all my energies into.  Talking to my friend Liz, I told her repeatedly that I am just not meant to be a house wife.  I love a clean house but really don't want to spend every waking minute of my day with these duties.

I have set up a schedule to clean so I have some structure in my schedule right now.  One of my biggest issues though is definitely dishes... I despise them.  I was so aggravated one day with the mass pile of dirty dishes (as we do not have a dishwasher).  I posted on Facebook my frustrations and got some great wisdom from a great friend, Jennie.  She said she use to feel the same way about laundry until she started praying for her family while she did it.  Jennie reminded me about my duty as a wife to lift up my husband even when I am frustrated with things at home.  Thanks so much for the reminder!  I hope to always remember this and if I ever feel this way again, a reminder is always welcome.

This is my first big journey... praying for Kyle as I work in the house and put my efforts into serving my family first.  Recently at Red Door Church, we have been going through the book of Matthew and last weeks message really hit me deep.  The message was over Matthew 6:1-18... Talking about what your motivations are.  For instance, the rich people would go into the temple to give money for the poor.  Instead of quietly placing the money into the offering plate, they would drop the coins in one by one, drawing attention to themselves.  Telling everyone, "Hey, I have money and am a good enough person to give some to the poor.  Look at me!". We are not to serve Christ in this way.  God wants humble hearts serving Him.

I was hit deep by these words as I wondered what motivated me in my home.  So many times I would list off what I had cleaned, organized or fixed when Kyle got home just to get a bunch of attention for all the hard work I had done.  I noticed my motivations were all about myself instead of sharing God's love.  A big saying at Red Door is Love Wins!  And it truly does.  God loved us so much that He gave His son for us.  He has mercy on us when we make mistakes and compassion on our hearts.  I want all His love for me to show through me as I clean my home.  I want to be seeking His heart as I work.  We are blessed to even have a home right now in these times and I want to be able to share His love through a welcoming home and comfortable atmosphere for guests as well as for Kyle after he works all day.

My motivation is Christ, to share his love and make an image of Him... not me.  I am nothing compared to His righteousness!

Blogging for the First Time

Trying something new... let's go on a journey together through mind, body and soul!