These past few days have been so long! I'm definitely into teacher-mode now. Late nights of planning and long days on my feet. Slowly but surely I am figuring out this co-teaching configuration. Yesterday I got to school early because I didn't have a few of the 3rd grade teacher's manuals so I went to go look at them and look at Julissa's old lesson plans. The class and I are starting to reach an understanding of how I teach and how they should act while I am up there. I told them I know that there will be times when they need to talk while I'm with the other grade but it must be controlled and in a whisper. I also told Julissa that I don't mind if they whisper while I'm with the other class because I know that many of my lessons will require them to be communicating with others. She is the opposite and wants the other grade to be silent while she is teaching so I have to remember that. I was exhausted after school yesterday and ended up falling asleep early and then kept randomly waking up on the couch. I slept on the couch on Tuesday night and Amanda asked if everything is okay. I told her that I sometimes prefer to sleep on the couch, especially when I'm stressed or upset. I also didn't want to disturb her when I was waking up earlier than normal to work on lessons.
Today was a pretty speedy day. I prepared myself for a long day because we had parent night tonight. I wasn't sure I was going to leave school in between so I grabbed a snack for the afternoon and left. I got through enough lessons for the day and the students are adjusting fairly well to the situation. They are slowly learning not to pull their textbooks out right away when I start teaching. I would love to get to a point where we rarely rely on them but that will come in time I believe. The second graders didn't love me today because we had to focus on the basics of their handwriting today. Their handwriting has been getting so sloppy and slanted so we worked on writing stems straight up and down and "o's". Not their favorite thing to do but necessary. I told them I didn't want their signature to end up like my dad's. ha ha. Feel good moment of the day: the old P.E. teacher who does discipline, lunch, and other jobs at school came up to me today, gave me a hug, and told me I was doing a great job. When I first started, I was very intimidated by her but she is really kind to me now and we have short but good conversations in the cafeteria everyday. We had parent night so I stayed at school all afternoon after the students got out early and helped prep the room. By the time parents actually made it up to the room, they were only in there for about 10-15 minutes. There was a little girl in there with one of my students and I bent down to pick her up when she saw my necklace. I wear a simple, silver cross necklace probably everyday and when she saw it she said, "Jesus!" and my heart just melted. She was only 3 and knew that! Anyway, the parents were all really receptive and welcoming of me. Sister Stephanie and Sister Kathy kicked the parents out attemptedly around 8:15 but we did not leave til about 8:30. Nothing like a 13 hour day at school! Luckily I got to come back to the apartment and have some pizza to relax. Such is the life of a teacher. Our job is never done.
Tomorrow is my little Godson Matthew's 4th birthday! I'm so sad to not be there for it for once. I miss him lots but I don't really think he's aware that I'm gone so it makes me feel a little better. He was a definitely a factor when I was deciding about my future after college.
Tomorrow is going to come fast and I hope it ends fast because Harry Potter World is just days away!!!!!!! I can't believe I'm going! I know I probably sound spoiled but this was on my bucket list and has been for awhile! I just feel very grateful to be experiencing so many new things. Thanks for all your support once again! Love you all!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Smoothed Out
This morning, we got to school and I had 4 lessons ready. I was feeling semi-confident in what I had written for today but knew that we were meeting with Sr. Stephanie so I wasn't sure if those lessons would even be worth the effort I had put into them. After a busy start to our morning, Julissa, Sister, and I met for a few minutes and decided that I would teach certain subjects to both grades and Julissa would teach other subjects. We went on with our school day; I only got to my reading and math lessons which was okay. I am definitely going to have to start training them in how I teach. Whenever I switch to a new subject, they immediately get their workbooks out and look for their assignment to start working on. I told them today that their workbook or textbook will probably be the last thing that I ask them to pull out. Right now I am having to rely on the textbook because I don't quite have my footing if you will for what I'm teaching but I am hoping that I will not be using it as much and neither will they for certain subjects. We are also going to have to work on our listening and focus skills a lot more. I think once we start this new teaching schedule, I will be able to work with each grade on how I teach. They are definitely used to working straight from workbooks and textbooks. I took them to library in the afternoon and that was a little bit messy. I blame it on the rain and weather because they just went crazy by the end! My poor roommate, Patricia, was probably really overwhelmed by them!
Once school was over, Julissa and I sat down and divided up the subjects that we will be teaching. I will be teaching Math, Grammar, Handwriting, and Social Studies to both grades. She will be teaching Reading, Vocab, Writing, and Spelling. We will alternate weeks on teaching religion. This is my off-week thank goodness. I'm glad I know what I am teaching now but I feel behind once again because I have no idea where the 3rd grade is on anything. Tomorrow will definitely be a "tell Ms. Halstead what you have been doing" day and reviewing. It was pouring and storming once it was time to leave school but Patricia and I braved the downpour although we were drenched. I was so lucky to be wearing white shoes today--not really. They are currently drying next to the door and might have to go through the washer later. Tonight I have been doing lessons and writing a parent letter to send home because parent night is on Wednesday! I did do a little cooking though for Amanda and I. I was wanting something warm for once since being here so I made some mac n' cheese and then added some canned chicken breast, black beans, and canned tomatoes. It really wasn't too bad. By no means was it something very fancy but considering we have an abundance of beans, tomatoes, and mac n' cheese, it's good to know that combo worked out.
I have to get back to my lesson plan writing now but....5 days till Harry Potter World! And I found out I get out of school on Friday! Woo hoo!
Peace and love to all of you!
Once school was over, Julissa and I sat down and divided up the subjects that we will be teaching. I will be teaching Math, Grammar, Handwriting, and Social Studies to both grades. She will be teaching Reading, Vocab, Writing, and Spelling. We will alternate weeks on teaching religion. This is my off-week thank goodness. I'm glad I know what I am teaching now but I feel behind once again because I have no idea where the 3rd grade is on anything. Tomorrow will definitely be a "tell Ms. Halstead what you have been doing" day and reviewing. It was pouring and storming once it was time to leave school but Patricia and I braved the downpour although we were drenched. I was so lucky to be wearing white shoes today--not really. They are currently drying next to the door and might have to go through the washer later. Tonight I have been doing lessons and writing a parent letter to send home because parent night is on Wednesday! I did do a little cooking though for Amanda and I. I was wanting something warm for once since being here so I made some mac n' cheese and then added some canned chicken breast, black beans, and canned tomatoes. It really wasn't too bad. By no means was it something very fancy but considering we have an abundance of beans, tomatoes, and mac n' cheese, it's good to know that combo worked out.
I have to get back to my lesson plan writing now but....5 days till Harry Potter World! And I found out I get out of school on Friday! Woo hoo!
Peace and love to all of you!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Week 1 of School Complete and Exciting News
Friday Aug. 26
We started off the school day with Mass for 1st through 8th grade. I got the honor of holding onto the clicker for the projector for our music teacher. It came as no surprise to me that I would mess up a few times and my students laughed at me a little. The music teacher kept the students awake with very lively music and even a little clapping towards the end. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist (that is after the homily and offertory for those of you that might not know), our priest asked all of the children at the school to come up and join him on the altar. The sisters had told me he does this from time to time and then when it actually happened, I was a bit horrified because then I realized how many children, especially little ones, would be up there. The students behaved well but I'm not sure how many of them were really paying attention. After Mass, we went on with our normal school day. Both grades took a reading assessment before lunch and then I actually got to teach a Math lesson that I think the students might have retained. Tomorrow will tell when I get their homework. They had music and computers before it so I had a little time to prepare and use a few manipulatives like I had been hoping. The day was over before I knew it. I didn't do much that evening. I was pretty wiped out and ended up going to bed a little after 9.
Saturday
I woke up that morning and went on a run at the park. I was sad when I arrived to discover I would have to pay a dollar. Needless to say I won't be driving there on the weekends again. Hoping to be able to walk there with the roommates or find a new place to run on the weekends. After a good run, I showered and ate because Patricia and I had to go hunt for uniform shirts for school. Sister Kathy had given us money to go buy them so we went to a few Salvation Armies, Target, and Ross. I ended up with 5 shirts and a pair of dress pants with the money they gave us which was good. The shirts are getting embroidered so we had to be careful with how they looked. After a long afternoon of shopping, Amanda and I decided to lay low for the evening so we found a movie and hung out for the night. We got our washer and dryer on Friday so I also started doing laundry and we came to discover our dryer is not the greatest and talks a few rounds to actually dry our clothes. I talked to a few people on the phone and found out some previous possible plans are happening....I AM GOING TO HARRY POTTER WORLD!!! In case you could not tell, I am extremely excited about this. My friend Andy had mentioned several months ago when I told him I was moving to Florida that he might be going over Labor Day weekend with guys at his law school. I wasn't sure if that was an invite at the time but had kept it in mind. He mentioned it to me again last weekend when I saw him and said I was more than welcome to join if they got plans finalized. When he called yesterday to say that Universal was "a go", I immediately said I was there! If you did not know, I really like Harry Potter. I have to give the credit of my liking of Harry Potter to my Aunt Melody since it was her that bought me the first 2 books for Christmas in 5th grade. The cost will definitely be all my "play money" for the next few months but it's totally worth it! I will be counting down everyday this week. I also found out I will get to see my Aunt Michelle in mid-September as well! Very excited to see a face from home!
Sunday
I wanted to wake up and run this morning but decided to sleep a little longer until it was time to get ready for Mass. Amanda and I went to a church about 5 minutes away. There was very pretty stained glass and the music was very lively and upbeat but everyone seemed dead. There was no participation and it seemed people wanted to get in and get out. The readings and Gospel were read fast, everyone flooded up for Communion as fast as they could with no order, and then as soon as the priest left after the last song, everyone was out. I want to find a church that I can feel at home at and sadly, this parish was not it. It made my heart so sad that everyone there seemed so spiritually dead. I will definitely be saying prayers for everyone that attends there that they feel awakened. After we got back, I spent the afternoon and evening grading and writing lesson plans. I definitely felt a little overwhelmed again because I have no schedule to go off of yet so fingers crossed I wrote long enough lessons for tomorrow. We were always told to overplan anyway. I took a break for a little bit and napped and now I'm up and running again, ready to finish the rest of my lessons.
I finished my first week of school and have been here in Florida for almost a month now. I can't believe it. This week I hope to get the teaching situation cleared up, go running at least 3 times, and maybe go to adoration or daily Mass at another parish. Then Friday, I head to Orlando!! Hopefully my weekday life becomes more exciting soon so I can have more to write about.
I am going to end on one of the readings from today that I really enjoyed. It was a good reminder that I need to do what God wants me to do and not what I want to do. Romans 12:1-2 says, "I urge you brothers and sisters, by the mercy of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect."
We started off the school day with Mass for 1st through 8th grade. I got the honor of holding onto the clicker for the projector for our music teacher. It came as no surprise to me that I would mess up a few times and my students laughed at me a little. The music teacher kept the students awake with very lively music and even a little clapping towards the end. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist (that is after the homily and offertory for those of you that might not know), our priest asked all of the children at the school to come up and join him on the altar. The sisters had told me he does this from time to time and then when it actually happened, I was a bit horrified because then I realized how many children, especially little ones, would be up there. The students behaved well but I'm not sure how many of them were really paying attention. After Mass, we went on with our normal school day. Both grades took a reading assessment before lunch and then I actually got to teach a Math lesson that I think the students might have retained. Tomorrow will tell when I get their homework. They had music and computers before it so I had a little time to prepare and use a few manipulatives like I had been hoping. The day was over before I knew it. I didn't do much that evening. I was pretty wiped out and ended up going to bed a little after 9.
Saturday
I woke up that morning and went on a run at the park. I was sad when I arrived to discover I would have to pay a dollar. Needless to say I won't be driving there on the weekends again. Hoping to be able to walk there with the roommates or find a new place to run on the weekends. After a good run, I showered and ate because Patricia and I had to go hunt for uniform shirts for school. Sister Kathy had given us money to go buy them so we went to a few Salvation Armies, Target, and Ross. I ended up with 5 shirts and a pair of dress pants with the money they gave us which was good. The shirts are getting embroidered so we had to be careful with how they looked. After a long afternoon of shopping, Amanda and I decided to lay low for the evening so we found a movie and hung out for the night. We got our washer and dryer on Friday so I also started doing laundry and we came to discover our dryer is not the greatest and talks a few rounds to actually dry our clothes. I talked to a few people on the phone and found out some previous possible plans are happening....I AM GOING TO HARRY POTTER WORLD!!! In case you could not tell, I am extremely excited about this. My friend Andy had mentioned several months ago when I told him I was moving to Florida that he might be going over Labor Day weekend with guys at his law school. I wasn't sure if that was an invite at the time but had kept it in mind. He mentioned it to me again last weekend when I saw him and said I was more than welcome to join if they got plans finalized. When he called yesterday to say that Universal was "a go", I immediately said I was there! If you did not know, I really like Harry Potter. I have to give the credit of my liking of Harry Potter to my Aunt Melody since it was her that bought me the first 2 books for Christmas in 5th grade. The cost will definitely be all my "play money" for the next few months but it's totally worth it! I will be counting down everyday this week. I also found out I will get to see my Aunt Michelle in mid-September as well! Very excited to see a face from home!
Sunday
I wanted to wake up and run this morning but decided to sleep a little longer until it was time to get ready for Mass. Amanda and I went to a church about 5 minutes away. There was very pretty stained glass and the music was very lively and upbeat but everyone seemed dead. There was no participation and it seemed people wanted to get in and get out. The readings and Gospel were read fast, everyone flooded up for Communion as fast as they could with no order, and then as soon as the priest left after the last song, everyone was out. I want to find a church that I can feel at home at and sadly, this parish was not it. It made my heart so sad that everyone there seemed so spiritually dead. I will definitely be saying prayers for everyone that attends there that they feel awakened. After we got back, I spent the afternoon and evening grading and writing lesson plans. I definitely felt a little overwhelmed again because I have no schedule to go off of yet so fingers crossed I wrote long enough lessons for tomorrow. We were always told to overplan anyway. I took a break for a little bit and napped and now I'm up and running again, ready to finish the rest of my lessons.
I finished my first week of school and have been here in Florida for almost a month now. I can't believe it. This week I hope to get the teaching situation cleared up, go running at least 3 times, and maybe go to adoration or daily Mass at another parish. Then Friday, I head to Orlando!! Hopefully my weekday life becomes more exciting soon so I can have more to write about.
I am going to end on one of the readings from today that I really enjoyed. It was a good reminder that I need to do what God wants me to do and not what I want to do. Romans 12:1-2 says, "I urge you brothers and sisters, by the mercy of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect."
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Learning
School these past few days has been a lot of new experiences. I am having to remind myself that not everything will work on the first time. I don't know that I would call these past few days a struggle but definitely a challenge. Having two separate grades and two teachers attempting to teach at the same time in one room is definitely a situation I never imagined myself being in. I have been having to work on my voice level so that it's loud enough for the 2nd graders to hear me but not too loud that the 3rd graders a few feet away can hear me. It's been a test for me. Teaching-wise, I definitely do not feel like I have been doing my best. I have felt very unprepared everyday because I have been going off what Mrs. Lopez asks me to teach every morning. Hopefully that changes Monday when I come in with my own lesson plans. The 2nd graders have been very flexible with all of it though. We have been working together on our listening and voice levels. They are also easily distracted, as any child is, so we are working extra hard on ways to keep them focused when the 3rd graders and Mrs. Lopez are talking. We started doing more nonverbal ways of communication today and I think I am going to start teaching them sign language so I can get their attention better.
I had mentioned that Patricia and I were going to be interviewed for the Florida Catholic and that interview happened today. The lady asked lots of questions, as she should have. For all of you Harry Potter fans, she reminded me of Rita Skeeter because of what she was asking and the way she was repeating herself. It just made me laugh but she interviewed Patricia and I for a little bit and then we went and took a few pictures. My students did not know that this was going to be happening because I didn't know when it would be happening so naturally, they were a little crazy but we got through it and on with our day.
In the evenings, I have been laying pretty low. Today was our first full day of school and I thought I was ready and would be fine but ended up being wiped out by the end of the day. I was more exhausted than I thought. We got all of our living room furniture yesterday so I plopped myself down on the couch and didn't move from it much at all this evening. For those of you wondering, we actually have nice furniture. It's only a few years old and used to belong to the Sisters of St. Joseph. Someone had bought them brand new furniture this past summer so they had been keeping the couch, love seat, and chair in storage and instead of sending it to Haiti, they decided to give it to us for the year. It all fits but just barely and our futon is now fitting tightly on our balcony and the pad for it is in the closet. We all agreed it's nice to have furniture though. I am going to hang up frames in my room this weekend and try to make it look like I will actually be living here for the next year.
Well, those have been the past 2 days. I realize they haven't been too exciting but a lot of my thoughts have been geared towards the classroom situation which haven't really changed much. Say prayers tonight for all those that are going to be affected by Irene. I'm very grateful we won't be but it is not looking promising for those north of us.
It's Friday tomorrow so I hope you have a great last day of your week! I love you!
I had mentioned that Patricia and I were going to be interviewed for the Florida Catholic and that interview happened today. The lady asked lots of questions, as she should have. For all of you Harry Potter fans, she reminded me of Rita Skeeter because of what she was asking and the way she was repeating herself. It just made me laugh but she interviewed Patricia and I for a little bit and then we went and took a few pictures. My students did not know that this was going to be happening because I didn't know when it would be happening so naturally, they were a little crazy but we got through it and on with our day.
In the evenings, I have been laying pretty low. Today was our first full day of school and I thought I was ready and would be fine but ended up being wiped out by the end of the day. I was more exhausted than I thought. We got all of our living room furniture yesterday so I plopped myself down on the couch and didn't move from it much at all this evening. For those of you wondering, we actually have nice furniture. It's only a few years old and used to belong to the Sisters of St. Joseph. Someone had bought them brand new furniture this past summer so they had been keeping the couch, love seat, and chair in storage and instead of sending it to Haiti, they decided to give it to us for the year. It all fits but just barely and our futon is now fitting tightly on our balcony and the pad for it is in the closet. We all agreed it's nice to have furniture though. I am going to hang up frames in my room this weekend and try to make it look like I will actually be living here for the next year.
Well, those have been the past 2 days. I realize they haven't been too exciting but a lot of my thoughts have been geared towards the classroom situation which haven't really changed much. Say prayers tonight for all those that are going to be affected by Irene. I'm very grateful we won't be but it is not looking promising for those north of us.
It's Friday tomorrow so I hope you have a great last day of your week! I love you!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Communication
Patricia and I made it to day 2 of school at St. James. I had a little better grasp of the procedures today but still don't have it quite all together. I am definitely that new teacher who is constantly asking questions. My relationship with my second graders is definitely looking good. They are listening pretty well to me considering we are in the same room as a basically separate class with its own teacher. My students and I are going to have to work on developing non-verbal gestures and ways of communication so that we can still work hard without having to compete against the noise of the other students and Mrs. Lopez. While Mrs. Lopez was out of the room for a bit today, I decided to just relax with the class and tell them a few things about me. I showed them on the map where I moved from and their faces were priceless. I told them there was a lot of land there and they instantly asked, "Well what did you do out there Ms. Halstead? There's only land and no water!" I couldn't help but laugh. They were definitely shocked at how far way Kansas was and I told them they are responsible for teaching me all about Miami. We will see how that goes. They had lots of questions for me and I'm sure they will continue all year! The 2nd graders and I did a small math lesson over adding just to see where they were at. Most were still counting on their fingers still. It makes me nervous but I have no doubt they will be pros after we are done with the year! After school was done for the day, I realized that teaching might be slightly different this year. I just noticed a lot of differences that I will have to adjust to and work with. I was feeling slightly behind because I have no lessons or pre-tests made to see where my students are at. I definitely have a lot of work to do this week. We had a staff meeting after the students got out and then the principal, Mrs. Lopez, and I had a little meeting about what my responsibilities are now since I am officially teaching. I left feeling a little overwhelmed and nervous because of not having anything prepared for the week and also not knowing what she had prepared for the week. Luckily my students have been really flexible and have been going along with whatever I have been pulling out.
After school, Patricia decided that tonight I had to paint my nails because I've been biting them so much so I got back and took time to paint my nails. I thought Glee was starting its new season tonight but I was wrong. Regardless, my roommate and I still watched an episode of Glee about bullying and loving who you are. Good episode I thought. The three of us just sat back, talked, and laughed at some random things. I was grading a few papers/assessing to see where my students are starting at and possibly give myself a little bit of an idea of who I am working with. Tonight was pretty laid back and I've been trying to look at the Common Core Standards for Math and Reading in order to start making lesson plans. As I start to make my lessons though, I am realizing that I will have to be constantly talking to my teacher though to make sure she is okay with what I'm teaching. I have mixed emotions about this but I can't change it. Part of me wishes I could do my own thing but I knew going in that I would be under another teacher so I also understand this. I am hoping that I come to peace with the whole situation soon so I am not in a constant inner struggle all year.
Anyway, no hurricane for us here! It took a curve away but I'm sure we will still get storms. As I am down here longer, I am reminded of how important communication is. Whether at school, back at the apartment, or with friends or family from home, I am realizing it is better to be honest about what's in my heart than keep things in. It is definitely helped at school as well as helping me keep in touch with all of you wonderful people at home! I am going to work on printing pictures this weekend so I can show my students about my life in Kansas and just to have on hand so I can see all your faces! :) Well, tomorrow is our last half day and we get all of our furniture tomorrow so I have to get some sleep! Good night and I love you all!
After school, Patricia decided that tonight I had to paint my nails because I've been biting them so much so I got back and took time to paint my nails. I thought Glee was starting its new season tonight but I was wrong. Regardless, my roommate and I still watched an episode of Glee about bullying and loving who you are. Good episode I thought. The three of us just sat back, talked, and laughed at some random things. I was grading a few papers/assessing to see where my students are starting at and possibly give myself a little bit of an idea of who I am working with. Tonight was pretty laid back and I've been trying to look at the Common Core Standards for Math and Reading in order to start making lesson plans. As I start to make my lessons though, I am realizing that I will have to be constantly talking to my teacher though to make sure she is okay with what I'm teaching. I have mixed emotions about this but I can't change it. Part of me wishes I could do my own thing but I knew going in that I would be under another teacher so I also understand this. I am hoping that I come to peace with the whole situation soon so I am not in a constant inner struggle all year.
Anyway, no hurricane for us here! It took a curve away but I'm sure we will still get storms. As I am down here longer, I am reminded of how important communication is. Whether at school, back at the apartment, or with friends or family from home, I am realizing it is better to be honest about what's in my heart than keep things in. It is definitely helped at school as well as helping me keep in touch with all of you wonderful people at home! I am going to work on printing pictures this weekend so I can show my students about my life in Kansas and just to have on hand so I can see all your faces! :) Well, tomorrow is our last half day and we get all of our furniture tomorrow so I have to get some sleep! Good night and I love you all!
Monday, August 22, 2011
First Day of School
I woke up a few times before it was actually time to get up this morning. It was probably my excitement/nervousness for the big first day with my new students! I woke up and picked my outfit carefully, showered, and before I knew it, it was time to leave! We only had school til noon but I was still anxious. Patricia and I got to school and students were already there in their uniforms with their parents. I got this huge rush of excitement and could not wait to meet my class! I put my things upstairs and went back down to monitor and facilitate all the students! I definitely stuck out in more ways than one. The students could all tell I was the new teacher around. I asked lots of questions and was trying to pick up the procedures and routines they have as fast as I could. Once we had prayer all together as a school, Mrs. Lopez separated our class to make sure we had the right students and we walked on up the stairs. Many of the parents came up with us and Mrs. Lopez talked with them once we got into the classroom. My students were so welcoming and one of them even said I was pretty! Nothing makes you feel better than a child giving you a compliment because they are so blatantly honest! My students are all really cute by the way. Some of them are very talkative but they are 7-9 so I'm not surprised by any of it. I worked with the 2nd graders a lot today and feel like I already have a good connection with them so I think that is a good foreshadowing of the year. We all sang different praise and worship songs together and they were telling me what they know about Mary. It was just so neat to listen to them talk about God and Mary and what they know about them. I know some of them don't have much but I have a feeling their faith is really going to inspire me this year. On a different note, I am worried about not having the lessons yet and also, the fact that there will be two teachers trying to teach at the same time feet away from each other. Time will tell that's for sure. The students did very well overall today and I am ready for the rest of the week. After school was over at noon, we worked in the room to fix up a few things and I talked to the sisters for a little bit. I met their Mother Superior down here and talked with all of them for a little while. Patricia and I left school around 3 to go have our fingerprinting done for the Archdiocese. We talked with the young lady who was doing it for us and as is normal lately, our program came up. Before we knew it though, the communication director of the Archdiocese was in the same office telling us that we are the perfect angle for their "Welcome Back to School" section for the Florida Catholic, their Catholic newspaper down here. She was so energetic and enthusiastic about the whole idea, asking Patricia and I questions about being down here and what school has been like. We gave our names and information to their editor so by the end of the week, someone will be coming to see us at St. James to talk with us about an article. How cool is that?! We also met the priest in charge of vocations down here and he gave us his take on the possible hurricane headed our way. Everyone in their office was very kind and welcoming. I am thinking I would like to have some connections there for the next year just so I can be involved and maybe meet other people that are active in their archdiocese. Patricia and I left laughing about how unexpected that whole situation was.
After a little driving through some new areas back to our apartment, we both realized we needed to go grocery shopping so we made our lists and went to Publix. I took a few of my coupons with me in attempt to save a little money. We also had to venture to pick up a trash can and broom. I forget sometimes how much everything costs when you are starting from scratch in a new place again. We unloaded all of our groceries and just kicked back for the evening. I finished getting the cable activated and have been updating this blog ever since! Well, I've also been reading about Irene which could very well be headed our way. The priest this afternoon said they stick it out as long as it's under a Category 3. I'm not sure how brave I will be. Amanda says we will be fine but I don't know how brave I'm feeling yet. I already told Andy I might be headed to Naples since it's only an hour and a half away. Regardless, I will be checking the weather everyday and I'm sure someone will be giving me updates from Kansas to make sure I'm safe.
Well school will come early if I don't get some sleep so I will have to head that way! Luckily we get out at noon again tomorrow and Wednesday! Still not sure why but I'll take it! Love you all! I will post pictures of the beach once I put them on the laptop.
"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit."
E.E. Cummings
After a little driving through some new areas back to our apartment, we both realized we needed to go grocery shopping so we made our lists and went to Publix. I took a few of my coupons with me in attempt to save a little money. We also had to venture to pick up a trash can and broom. I forget sometimes how much everything costs when you are starting from scratch in a new place again. We unloaded all of our groceries and just kicked back for the evening. I finished getting the cable activated and have been updating this blog ever since! Well, I've also been reading about Irene which could very well be headed our way. The priest this afternoon said they stick it out as long as it's under a Category 3. I'm not sure how brave I will be. Amanda says we will be fine but I don't know how brave I'm feeling yet. I already told Andy I might be headed to Naples since it's only an hour and a half away. Regardless, I will be checking the weather everyday and I'm sure someone will be giving me updates from Kansas to make sure I'm safe.
Well school will come early if I don't get some sleep so I will have to head that way! Luckily we get out at noon again tomorrow and Wednesday! Still not sure why but I'll take it! Love you all! I will post pictures of the beach once I put them on the laptop.
"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit."
E.E. Cummings
Weekend Update
Friday August 19
My friend Cristina doesn’t have internet at her place so that’s why these are all getting posted at once! Thanks for bearing with it! So Friday, I woke up and finished my packing for Tampa. Patricia and I drove separate to school so I could leave right away after school. All the staff had Mass together that morning and I got to see our priest at the school and church for the first time. Let me tell you, he is so tall! He walked in for Mass and I was floored. I’d seen pictures of him but had no idea how tall he really was. Fr. Pierre had just gotten back from Haiti either that morning or the night before. All the staff is very charismatic during Mass. They were all very vocal in their responses and their singing as well which can be a good example for our students. Funny story of the day: during Father’s homily, which went for a very long time, he was looking around and talking about all the returning staff and then he was talking about the students. Patricia and I were sitting in a row right next to two middle school girls whose mom’s are teachers so they have been with us all week. Father was looking at them when he was mentioning them and then he looked at us as well. I started laughing and spoke up and said we aren’t students! Everyone laughed because we have been comments all week about how young we are. He said he didn’t intend to look at us in that way but apologized nonetheless. Once Mass was over, Julissa and I worked intensely on finishing the classroom for Monday. We hung up lots of posters and I kept writing the students names on various items around the room. We had lunch as a staff and it was nice to relax for a bit but then right after, we immediately went back to work in the room to complete everything. We stapled up our word wall, the calendars, job boards, etc. and finally got it done! I left around 4 to hit the road for Tampa. I drove I-75/Alligator Alley the whole way but did not see any alligators sadly but also maybe that was a blessing! I also got to make a phone call to a friend that I was at Emporia with for two years and was able to catch up with her. We tend to have really long phone conversations and they normally only happen when I’m on a road trip, which is sad, but true. I stopped in Naples about half way through to put more gas in and grab a snack since I hadn’t had dinner. I finally got to Cristina’s and Candace’s apartment around 8:45. We put all my things inside and Cristina made some delicious pizza aka she discovered Aldi and bought a frozen pizza to put in. She thinks Aldi is amazing and I told her it is the cheapest grocery store I have been able to shop at yet. We don’t have one in Miami though which is a bummer. But the three of us stayed up talking for a bit but we were all getting a little tired so we started to go to bed. I slept on Cristina’s floor in my sleeping bag. We talked a little longer about our weeks and current silly dilemmas in our lives and then eventually fell asleep.
Saturday Aug. 20
The girls and I woke up and ran some errands before hitting the road for the beach! We went to Sand Key beach and it was gorgeous! Cristina, Candace, Amanda, and I staked out our spot and then proceeded to take many pictures, of course. Funny story of that day: We all started laying out or getting in the water when I started to feel some sprinkles. No big deal I thought; Amanda said that the dark clouds above us would probably break up and we'd be fine. Well it did not break up. Instead, it started to downpour over the entire beach. Naturally we had our books, food, phones, and other belongings out so we scrambled to get our things together and ran under the umbrella not too far away. I had our bags wrapped in towels to keep everything dry but the other girls were trying to get the styrofoam cooler packed and as Cristina was carrying it to cover, it broke in half. I started laughing from under the umbrella and as she tried to put everything back together, it broke in pieces again and the ice and beverages were all over the sand. By then, we were all laughing hysterically at the entire situation. To put icing on the cake, the umbrella that we were all huddled under had to be closed by one of the local hotel guys so we had to relocate once again. Once we got under a new tent, we laughed and then I ran out into the rain for a little bit. It eventually stopped raining so we were able to continue on with our afternoon on the beach. We all drove back to Tampa and then went out for dinner and saw a little salsa dancing at this restaurant called the Green Iguana. It was neat but we definitely felt a little out of place because none of us knew how to salsa. We made our own fun instead!
Sunday Aug. 21
Cristina and I woke up a little later and went on an attempt to find the church we had found online through masstimes.org but she didn't know the area well enough and the GPS couldn't find the street so we weren't able to go that morning. Luckily, she was able to go later that evening and I went in Naples that evening as well. I stayed and hung out with her until a little after lunch since it was her birthday. I didn't hit the road til 2 which was later than I had planned but it worked out well because I was planning on stopping through Naples to see my high school friend, Andy Rowe, who was going to law school down there. I ended up going to Mass at 5 there and then we had dinner and got to hang out for a little while before I drove back to Hollywood. It was nice to have a friend from Kansas down here. I might be going with him and his roommates to Orlando over Labor Day weekend. Harry Potter World maybe?! I have to see if it's in my budget though. I did not get back to the apartment til 10 and then I talked to the roommates a bit before we all went to bed. Patricia had to start school the next day!
Read the next post about my first day of school at St. James!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Letting Go and Letting God
Today Patricia and I, along with all the other new teachers, met for a little bit with Sr. Stephanie. The two of us got to leave the meeting a little early because we had already filled out most of the paperwork for CVIF. After our meeting, we had a staff meeting together where we received our calendar for the year. Being selfish, I looked at the dates when we had extended breaks so I could come home. Christmas is a definite and then I found out that they combine their Spring Break with Easter so I have about a week and a half off in April as well. So for those of you that were planning to come, I will be in Florida every other day but those most likely!
After the meeting, we had lunch and then started working hard on the classroom. Like I had anticipated, Julissa put me to work on writing the students names on everything. We had to stop for a bit though to go learn about their online system and then help Sr. Kathy move materials across the grounds. I think Sr. Kathy got tired of moving it all though because an announcement came over the intercom saying that the teachers could take anything they wanted from the old art room. It was like Black Friday or Christmas for teachers. Such a funny moment! Julissa had me carrying stacks of different art supplies, teaching charts, etc. up to our room. I'm still not sure where she plans on fitting all of it because we are definitely running out of space! One thing I do know though, is that teachers can always find space when they need it. I think some teachers are secretly hoarders. ha ha. I continued with writing our students names on their name plates and then writing the classroom discipline plan and rules for the remainder of the afternoon. Once I remember all my students' names, I will have to tell you some of them! There were some neat ones! Before I knew it, Patricia and I had to go so she could meet a friend.
Once I got back to the apartment, I started trying to figure out how to rent our washer and dryer. The internet was causing me stress though and kept kicking me off but luckily Amanda had already decided to get us some better wireless internet while she was at the Comcast store picking up our cable boxes. Once she got back, I spent a solid hour trying to figure out how to set up the new wireless. It did not come with instructions so I "Googled" it to figure it out. I did it, an hour and lots of confused times later. I could not do it again though. It just started working so I went with it. I am now very pleased to say that Skype and Facetime are now at full working capacity! I tested both this evening, one with Jenae and the other with my friend Gwen. The rest of my evening, after finishing talking to them, was spent attempting to pack for Tampa tomorrow! It might come as no surprise though that I'm not done.
Now I realize the title of this post has not made any connection so far to what I have said. Here's the real reason that I wrote that as the title. As things finally start to fall into place here, I have come to realize that I am not letting myself fully enjoy this experience. I am still withholding part of myself, not giving fully of myself so I can have the best experience at St. James and with everything else. For example, I still have my watch set to Kansas time. I know I should change it but part of me doesn't want to because Kansas still feels like home so I want to remind myself of everyone there. There are lots of little things that I just catch myself holding onto when I could be sharing more of myself. It's not fair of me to be selfish when I'm down here to give so my goal for the next month is to let go of all the little things that stress me out that are back home and let God take care of them. There have been several nights this week when I couldn't sleep because I am worried about a situation that is thousands of miles away. This is where my lack of trust in God comes into play. If I had more trust in Him, then I could sleep better and also be able to look forward to all the great times to come down here! Please do not take this as I want to forget about you because that is the last thing I want. I just need to figure out how to hold on to what is back home but embrace what is here and now. I miss home but it's time for me to accept that Kansas will keep going without me. I know I told many people that Kansas won't change much when I'm gone and it's time I took that to heart. I have to let go of everything that I wonder about and let God take care of it. He got me this far and there is so much more He will lead me to. It won't be easy; it will probably be pretty hard but I have to at least try.
Well I posted a little earlier tonight! I might not write tomorrow night because I'll be driving to Tampa and I'm not sure what Cristina and Candace have in mind for when I get there. I love you all!
After the meeting, we had lunch and then started working hard on the classroom. Like I had anticipated, Julissa put me to work on writing the students names on everything. We had to stop for a bit though to go learn about their online system and then help Sr. Kathy move materials across the grounds. I think Sr. Kathy got tired of moving it all though because an announcement came over the intercom saying that the teachers could take anything they wanted from the old art room. It was like Black Friday or Christmas for teachers. Such a funny moment! Julissa had me carrying stacks of different art supplies, teaching charts, etc. up to our room. I'm still not sure where she plans on fitting all of it because we are definitely running out of space! One thing I do know though, is that teachers can always find space when they need it. I think some teachers are secretly hoarders. ha ha. I continued with writing our students names on their name plates and then writing the classroom discipline plan and rules for the remainder of the afternoon. Once I remember all my students' names, I will have to tell you some of them! There were some neat ones! Before I knew it, Patricia and I had to go so she could meet a friend.
Once I got back to the apartment, I started trying to figure out how to rent our washer and dryer. The internet was causing me stress though and kept kicking me off but luckily Amanda had already decided to get us some better wireless internet while she was at the Comcast store picking up our cable boxes. Once she got back, I spent a solid hour trying to figure out how to set up the new wireless. It did not come with instructions so I "Googled" it to figure it out. I did it, an hour and lots of confused times later. I could not do it again though. It just started working so I went with it. I am now very pleased to say that Skype and Facetime are now at full working capacity! I tested both this evening, one with Jenae and the other with my friend Gwen. The rest of my evening, after finishing talking to them, was spent attempting to pack for Tampa tomorrow! It might come as no surprise though that I'm not done.
Now I realize the title of this post has not made any connection so far to what I have said. Here's the real reason that I wrote that as the title. As things finally start to fall into place here, I have come to realize that I am not letting myself fully enjoy this experience. I am still withholding part of myself, not giving fully of myself so I can have the best experience at St. James and with everything else. For example, I still have my watch set to Kansas time. I know I should change it but part of me doesn't want to because Kansas still feels like home so I want to remind myself of everyone there. There are lots of little things that I just catch myself holding onto when I could be sharing more of myself. It's not fair of me to be selfish when I'm down here to give so my goal for the next month is to let go of all the little things that stress me out that are back home and let God take care of them. There have been several nights this week when I couldn't sleep because I am worried about a situation that is thousands of miles away. This is where my lack of trust in God comes into play. If I had more trust in Him, then I could sleep better and also be able to look forward to all the great times to come down here! Please do not take this as I want to forget about you because that is the last thing I want. I just need to figure out how to hold on to what is back home but embrace what is here and now. I miss home but it's time for me to accept that Kansas will keep going without me. I know I told many people that Kansas won't change much when I'm gone and it's time I took that to heart. I have to let go of everything that I wonder about and let God take care of it. He got me this far and there is so much more He will lead me to. It won't be easy; it will probably be pretty hard but I have to at least try.
Well I posted a little earlier tonight! I might not write tomorrow night because I'll be driving to Tampa and I'm not sure what Cristina and Candace have in mind for when I get there. I love you all!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Progress
Today at school, I just helped Julissa continue to prepare our classroom. I numbered all the books and labeled different things. She really likes my handwriting so I have a feeling that I will be writing on lots more tomorrow. We played Christian music while we were working so that was comforting. It felt like a slow day in the classroom but that could have been because there is so much that Julissa has to figure out in her head still. After school, Patricia and I got back to our apartment and finally took those lamps out of my car. Then I started organizing my clothes and was finally able to get them all put away! I color coded everything and my roommates laughed at me. Then Patricia looked into the closet and saw my cowboy boots so I decided to put them on and wore them the rest of the evening! They laughed at me but I really enjoyed having them on again! Guess that's just the Kansas girl in me! I then decided I wanted to finally cut out all the coupons that I had been accumulating so while I was on the phone with Aunt Diana tonight, I cut out tons of coupons! She asked it I was going to become an extreme coupon-er and I am now considering the idea. I've decided, though, that I could not walk out of the store with everything completely free because I like to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and there are never coupons for those. Bummer but oh well. I will be on a hunt for farmer's markets once I settle down here.
Anyway, Aunt Diana and I talked on the phone for awhile about me being down here and then about her vacation to Seattle here in a few weeks to see my cousin, Ryan, and Aunt Denise. I hope that they all have a blast. You deserve it Aunt Di! I then got to talk to Megan Scott who I have just come to be really good friends with even though we are 4 years apart and have never actually been in the same school at the same time. We got to know each other through Angels of the Holy Queen from BC. She is going to be a freshman in college this year and I can't wait to hear all about her year at WSU! Megan is such as sweet girl and her dad works with my mom at SEAS.
That really has been it for my evening. Clipping coupons in my boots. Normal I thought. I am headed to Tampa this coming weekend, however, and I am getting very excited. I am traveling by myself but I enjoy driving. Plus, it will be neat to see southern Florida. I am working on trying to write these posts earlier so that you can read them earlier in the evening.
Thanks for reading! Love you all! Have a fantastic Thursday!
Anyway, Aunt Diana and I talked on the phone for awhile about me being down here and then about her vacation to Seattle here in a few weeks to see my cousin, Ryan, and Aunt Denise. I hope that they all have a blast. You deserve it Aunt Di! I then got to talk to Megan Scott who I have just come to be really good friends with even though we are 4 years apart and have never actually been in the same school at the same time. We got to know each other through Angels of the Holy Queen from BC. She is going to be a freshman in college this year and I can't wait to hear all about her year at WSU! Megan is such as sweet girl and her dad works with my mom at SEAS.
That really has been it for my evening. Clipping coupons in my boots. Normal I thought. I am headed to Tampa this coming weekend, however, and I am getting very excited. I am traveling by myself but I enjoy driving. Plus, it will be neat to see southern Florida. I am working on trying to write these posts earlier so that you can read them earlier in the evening.
Thanks for reading! Love you all! Have a fantastic Thursday!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Address, Learning, and Observing
First of all, here is my address:
3301 Emerald Pointe Dr.
Apt. 301A
Hollywood, FL 33021
You heard it straight from me and I will post it randomly again throughout the year I'm sure when I am really wanting some mail. ha ha. Anyway, today at school I did a lot of observing and listening. Being on a whole new staff once again, I am having to learn dynamics and personalities of everyone. In a new situation, especially being a brand new teacher, I am very passive. I definitely try to contribute and sometimes that works out well and other times it doesn't. It's okay though. The ladies I am working with have all been teaching for a long time and have certain things that work for them. I try to offer new ideas and maybe they will like them. Who knows. ha ha. My funny moment of the day though was with the music teacher. He asked where I was from again and I replied, "Kansas". He then said, "Do all people in Kansas talk funny?" I asked, "Do I talk funny?" and he said yes so in case anyone from home was wondering, we do talk strange even though I thought we were the only part of the country that talked normally.
Anyway, I helped Jalissa set up all the bulletin boards today and started organizing books. There still seems like a lot left to do but she said that we are moving faster than normal which is good to hear. Once we finished with school for the day, Patricia and I made a stop at the storage unit again to go get some lamps for our rooms but as we speak, they are still sitting in my car. Pretty useful there, I am aware. We had been making lists all day of what else we needed for our apartment so we stopped at Dollar Tree, Target, and Publix to get everything. We picked up a rotisserie chicken, some plantains, and wine for dinner tonight and the 3 of us were finally able to sit down and eat together. It was so relaxing.
Amanda, Patricia, and I had spent so much of our time together stressing out over a place to live that we haven't really had time to enjoy each other. We ate our meal at our table and laughed and just got to know each other. We got to act like roommates and friends as well. It finally feels like everything is going as God intended. After dinner, we did some roommate business like figuring out bills, what to share, etc. Then we talked to Cristina, one of the girls in Tampa, on speakerphone which was fun. She got passed around while we did various things. And then I got on good ole Facebook and while some people see FB as a not so good thing (and there very legitimate reasons for that), I have come to appreciate it so much more. Last night, 2 girls from camp had made a post with my name in it; it said something along the lines of how much they enjoy reading my blogs. It filled my heart with so much happiness. Then, this morning the 8th graders I student taught last spring are some of my friends so I wished them good luck on their first day of high school today and one of my girls sent me the kindest post on my wall about how she hopes I am enjoying Florida and would like to see me when I come home if there is time. Just lots of kind things that really made me feel encouraged about all of this. Then, one of my cousins sent me a message about how she is so inspired by what I'm doing down here and we had this really good conversation about our struggles and that God has a reason for everything. I told her that this adventure has definitely had its rocky points and I've had my fair share of breakdowns here and in life, but you really have to listen to God and His desire for you. She just really inspired me. I hope that she knows that. Then to make my night better, a friend/lifeguard from Camp Hyde wrote on my wall about my blog--how much she admired everything I am doing. Everyone's kindness just keeps flowing towards me and it's so great!
Friends and family, my mom has told me that I have made several people cry while they have been reading these. Grandma Brake, by the way, your email was wonderful today and it made me tear up. I hope you know that your responses make me cry but also fill me with such a great feeling. A feeling that reminds me of how many blessings I really do have in my life. I knew that I had a good life back in Kansas. I am very aware of that and also aware that I left it behind for something very different. It truly gives me chills to hear even a few people mention my posts on here. I don't really think much of me being down here sometimes. Just that I'm far away and never know what's coming next. I came down here because that is where God wanted me to go. I'm not perfect and I am terrible at trusting in God but this week, hearing all these inspirational words from all of you, being at St. James, dinner tonight, it is finally starting to all come together. It is finally starting to feel right. Guess God always knows what He is doing.
Well, I have a very messy room to attend to or at least sleep in but know that you are all with me everyday. A little Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana for you: "So I'm moving on, letting go. Holding on to tomorrow. I've always got the memories while I'm finding out who I'm gonna be. We might be apart but I hope you'll always know, you'll be with me wherever I go." Missing and loving each and everyone of you very much.
~Lauren
3301 Emerald Pointe Dr.
Apt. 301A
Hollywood, FL 33021
You heard it straight from me and I will post it randomly again throughout the year I'm sure when I am really wanting some mail. ha ha. Anyway, today at school I did a lot of observing and listening. Being on a whole new staff once again, I am having to learn dynamics and personalities of everyone. In a new situation, especially being a brand new teacher, I am very passive. I definitely try to contribute and sometimes that works out well and other times it doesn't. It's okay though. The ladies I am working with have all been teaching for a long time and have certain things that work for them. I try to offer new ideas and maybe they will like them. Who knows. ha ha. My funny moment of the day though was with the music teacher. He asked where I was from again and I replied, "Kansas". He then said, "Do all people in Kansas talk funny?" I asked, "Do I talk funny?" and he said yes so in case anyone from home was wondering, we do talk strange even though I thought we were the only part of the country that talked normally.
Anyway, I helped Jalissa set up all the bulletin boards today and started organizing books. There still seems like a lot left to do but she said that we are moving faster than normal which is good to hear. Once we finished with school for the day, Patricia and I made a stop at the storage unit again to go get some lamps for our rooms but as we speak, they are still sitting in my car. Pretty useful there, I am aware. We had been making lists all day of what else we needed for our apartment so we stopped at Dollar Tree, Target, and Publix to get everything. We picked up a rotisserie chicken, some plantains, and wine for dinner tonight and the 3 of us were finally able to sit down and eat together. It was so relaxing.
Amanda, Patricia, and I had spent so much of our time together stressing out over a place to live that we haven't really had time to enjoy each other. We ate our meal at our table and laughed and just got to know each other. We got to act like roommates and friends as well. It finally feels like everything is going as God intended. After dinner, we did some roommate business like figuring out bills, what to share, etc. Then we talked to Cristina, one of the girls in Tampa, on speakerphone which was fun. She got passed around while we did various things. And then I got on good ole Facebook and while some people see FB as a not so good thing (and there very legitimate reasons for that), I have come to appreciate it so much more. Last night, 2 girls from camp had made a post with my name in it; it said something along the lines of how much they enjoy reading my blogs. It filled my heart with so much happiness. Then, this morning the 8th graders I student taught last spring are some of my friends so I wished them good luck on their first day of high school today and one of my girls sent me the kindest post on my wall about how she hopes I am enjoying Florida and would like to see me when I come home if there is time. Just lots of kind things that really made me feel encouraged about all of this. Then, one of my cousins sent me a message about how she is so inspired by what I'm doing down here and we had this really good conversation about our struggles and that God has a reason for everything. I told her that this adventure has definitely had its rocky points and I've had my fair share of breakdowns here and in life, but you really have to listen to God and His desire for you. She just really inspired me. I hope that she knows that. Then to make my night better, a friend/lifeguard from Camp Hyde wrote on my wall about my blog--how much she admired everything I am doing. Everyone's kindness just keeps flowing towards me and it's so great!
Friends and family, my mom has told me that I have made several people cry while they have been reading these. Grandma Brake, by the way, your email was wonderful today and it made me tear up. I hope you know that your responses make me cry but also fill me with such a great feeling. A feeling that reminds me of how many blessings I really do have in my life. I knew that I had a good life back in Kansas. I am very aware of that and also aware that I left it behind for something very different. It truly gives me chills to hear even a few people mention my posts on here. I don't really think much of me being down here sometimes. Just that I'm far away and never know what's coming next. I came down here because that is where God wanted me to go. I'm not perfect and I am terrible at trusting in God but this week, hearing all these inspirational words from all of you, being at St. James, dinner tonight, it is finally starting to all come together. It is finally starting to feel right. Guess God always knows what He is doing.
Well, I have a very messy room to attend to or at least sleep in but know that you are all with me everyday. A little Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana for you: "So I'm moving on, letting go. Holding on to tomorrow. I've always got the memories while I'm finding out who I'm gonna be. We might be apart but I hope you'll always know, you'll be with me wherever I go." Missing and loving each and everyone of you very much.
~Lauren
Monday, August 15, 2011
A Whole New World
I could not sleep last night for the life of me. I kept waking up starting at 4 here and just could not get back to sleep. I finally got up for good and after getting ready, Patricia and I walked to the school for our first day of teacher orientation. I have my own mailbox at school so I checked my mailbox and signed in. We went and had breakfast with all the other teachers and started meeting lots of people. I could not tell you half their names but I am sure I will pick them up soon. The most exciting moment for me though was meeting my teacher that I am working with! Her name is Jalissa Lopez and she has been teaching at St. James for 3 years now. This will be her 2nd year teaching the 2nd/3rd grade combined classroom. She has been teaching for over 15 years and is so enthusiastic. She gave me a big hug and it was so comforting to know that she truly wanted me there.
After all the teachers and assistants settled down, we had to introduce ourselves and say a few things about us. I told everyone I had just come from Kansas and I heard several people make "Wizard of Oz" references. I just laughed to myself. By the way, I am a definite minority on staff. There is one other female teacher and then the male music teacher besides myself that are Caucasian. Sister Kathy started off orientation off with a really nice prayer service. We sang two praise and worship songs, "All in All" and "Love the Lord", which put me in an instantly good mood. I really started to feel like I was at the right place. Then we listened to the story of the Good Samaritan and she started to tell us of the homily she heard yesterday where the priest asked everyone, "Does it matter?" Does it matter that you go to comfort a friend when they are having a rough day? Does it matter that I say hi to a certain student everyday? Do things really matter? Yes they do. In terms of you all, you probably wondered whether your thoughts and prayers last week mattered to me and they do. When I start feeling homesick and missing Kansas, it most definitely matters.
Once the prayer service was over, we listened to Sr. Stephanie talk about our goal/expectation this year which is shooting for the starts. There was a really nice quote from Mother Teresa that I would like to share with you all, "Help one person at a time and always begin with the person nearest you." Once she finished her presentation, we went to return the U-Haul and man oh man do I wish I could have kept that thing forever. It is a beast and I enjoyed driving it very much. We got back to school and I went up to the classroom to start helping Jalissa arrange all the desks. We will have 15 3rd graders and 15 2nd graders so a full classroom! Before I knew it, it was lunch time. We were getting ready to eat when one of the other teachers comes up to me and says, "Don't be offended, but you look like a nun." I know she meant it with sincerity because she told me she had a sister that is a nun but I could not help but laugh a little. I told her I appreciated that very much and told her I had discerned that as my vocation once and decided that is not where God is calling me. She told me to keep my options open. Then Sr. Kathy walked up and told her the Sisters of St. Joseph might try and get me. Don't have a heart attack though anyone, I really do not believe that God is calling me to religious life. He and I have had that conversation already.
Lunch time ended and we finished setting up the classroom. I put books on all the desks, cleaned, and did little things around the room. It was about 3:20 when she said I could go because she knew that we had to settle in and actually put things away in our apartment tonight. Before I made it out the door though, she gave me another hug and told me to tell my mother and family not to worry. That she would take carry of me and so will God. I can already tell she is such a faith-filled person and gives everything she has to God. She said during the day that there is no reason to ever be sad because God will always take care of us and He has given us life.
Once we were done at school, Patricia and I put a few things of mine in her car and we went to go pick her friend up about 5 minutes away. While we were waiting in the car, I heard Aladdin's "A Whole New World" on the radio and could not help but think of camp where Squats, Cub, Sassy, Spider, and myself serenaded our little Explorers with that song while Pepper Anne recorded us. We made it back to our apartment and I was secretly hoping some little elves had come in to our place and organized it all for us. That wish did not come true because it was waiting for us when we walked in the door. We started moving and cleaning right away but I started to slow down towards the end of the night. By no means are we completely unpacked and moved in but I think we made sufficient progress. We sorted through lots of things given to us and doing our little touches to our personal spaces. I still have a ways to go but it will get done this week. I got to talk to my family as well as my Uncle John Kriegisch tonight which was nice. We have free internet here but I was sad to find out that it does not support Skype so we might be getting a more high speed internet which stinks. I am grateful to just have internet at this point though even if it isn't the fastest.
Tomorrow brings another day of school and another day closer to meeting my students! I can't wait! Sleeping in our apartment tonight and I might be sleeping in my sleeping bag on my bed. No making the bed tonight. To all my teaching friends, I hope you are having a great start with your new or same staff and new students! And remember, it DOES matter. I love you all! Thanks for reminding me how blessed I truly am!
After all the teachers and assistants settled down, we had to introduce ourselves and say a few things about us. I told everyone I had just come from Kansas and I heard several people make "Wizard of Oz" references. I just laughed to myself. By the way, I am a definite minority on staff. There is one other female teacher and then the male music teacher besides myself that are Caucasian. Sister Kathy started off orientation off with a really nice prayer service. We sang two praise and worship songs, "All in All" and "Love the Lord", which put me in an instantly good mood. I really started to feel like I was at the right place. Then we listened to the story of the Good Samaritan and she started to tell us of the homily she heard yesterday where the priest asked everyone, "Does it matter?" Does it matter that you go to comfort a friend when they are having a rough day? Does it matter that I say hi to a certain student everyday? Do things really matter? Yes they do. In terms of you all, you probably wondered whether your thoughts and prayers last week mattered to me and they do. When I start feeling homesick and missing Kansas, it most definitely matters.
Once the prayer service was over, we listened to Sr. Stephanie talk about our goal/expectation this year which is shooting for the starts. There was a really nice quote from Mother Teresa that I would like to share with you all, "Help one person at a time and always begin with the person nearest you." Once she finished her presentation, we went to return the U-Haul and man oh man do I wish I could have kept that thing forever. It is a beast and I enjoyed driving it very much. We got back to school and I went up to the classroom to start helping Jalissa arrange all the desks. We will have 15 3rd graders and 15 2nd graders so a full classroom! Before I knew it, it was lunch time. We were getting ready to eat when one of the other teachers comes up to me and says, "Don't be offended, but you look like a nun." I know she meant it with sincerity because she told me she had a sister that is a nun but I could not help but laugh a little. I told her I appreciated that very much and told her I had discerned that as my vocation once and decided that is not where God is calling me. She told me to keep my options open. Then Sr. Kathy walked up and told her the Sisters of St. Joseph might try and get me. Don't have a heart attack though anyone, I really do not believe that God is calling me to religious life. He and I have had that conversation already.
Lunch time ended and we finished setting up the classroom. I put books on all the desks, cleaned, and did little things around the room. It was about 3:20 when she said I could go because she knew that we had to settle in and actually put things away in our apartment tonight. Before I made it out the door though, she gave me another hug and told me to tell my mother and family not to worry. That she would take carry of me and so will God. I can already tell she is such a faith-filled person and gives everything she has to God. She said during the day that there is no reason to ever be sad because God will always take care of us and He has given us life.
Once we were done at school, Patricia and I put a few things of mine in her car and we went to go pick her friend up about 5 minutes away. While we were waiting in the car, I heard Aladdin's "A Whole New World" on the radio and could not help but think of camp where Squats, Cub, Sassy, Spider, and myself serenaded our little Explorers with that song while Pepper Anne recorded us. We made it back to our apartment and I was secretly hoping some little elves had come in to our place and organized it all for us. That wish did not come true because it was waiting for us when we walked in the door. We started moving and cleaning right away but I started to slow down towards the end of the night. By no means are we completely unpacked and moved in but I think we made sufficient progress. We sorted through lots of things given to us and doing our little touches to our personal spaces. I still have a ways to go but it will get done this week. I got to talk to my family as well as my Uncle John Kriegisch tonight which was nice. We have free internet here but I was sad to find out that it does not support Skype so we might be getting a more high speed internet which stinks. I am grateful to just have internet at this point though even if it isn't the fastest.
Tomorrow brings another day of school and another day closer to meeting my students! I can't wait! Sleeping in our apartment tonight and I might be sleeping in my sleeping bag on my bed. No making the bed tonight. To all my teaching friends, I hope you are having a great start with your new or same staff and new students! And remember, it DOES matter. I love you all! Thanks for reminding me how blessed I truly am!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Move In Day
I experienced a few firsts today in this long day of moving. After Amanda and I went to Mass, I repacked my car once again and we went to our new apartment complex which, by the way, is called La Vue. Fancy right? Well after we signed some papers, we got 2 of the 3 keys to our new place. I was finally able to unpack my car for good which was nice. After the trips up and down, we went and grabbed some lunch to refuel ourselves.
We went to the U-Haul and I got the privilege of driving my first U-Haul truck today! Imagine me behind the wheel of one of those guys! It was great! We then went to the storage unit and had to unload as much as we could into the truck. While we did this though, it started raining. Moving in the rain is never fun. We moved things to the front of the storage unit for awhile and then the rain cleared off for a bit. The bummer about all of this is that we did not shut the door to the U-Haul so water got inside and got a few of the mattresses and box springs wet. Bust I know. Lesson learned though. We packed the U-Haul and off I went onto the highway with it. I was a little nervous at first but eventually picked up speed and was cruising right along. Once we got back to our apartment, I am proud to say that only 2 boxes fell over. Then, we unpacked all of it again. 3 sets of beds, 3 dressers, numerous drawers, a futon, kitchen table, 3 side tables, and many little things later, it is all moved in! I am pretty proud of myself! Normally dad comes to help me move in and then a few guys come to help here and there but this time, it was me and my 2 roommates. It was a very long day but I feel very accomplished about it. We finished everything around 7 here so it was about an 8 hour day total. Nothing is unpacked but it's in for the most part. We couldn't fit the couch and a few little things so we will have to get that another day.
Now you are probably thinking, how exciting that we are sleeping in our brand new place tonight! Well we aren't sleeping there tonight. Patricia and I start at school tomorrow and Amanda still has work in Ft. Lauderdale. Call me lazy or whatever you may but I did not want to touch anymore of it tonight. Plus, we weren't sure we would have electricity today so we planned on staying with the sisters one more night. We will start to unpack and put things in order tomorrow after school and work. I now understand why people hire moving companies because boy was that exhausting. Well worth it though. After unloading the U-Haul, I had gone down to get my camera out of the truck and on the way back up, I met some of our neighbors! A married couple, Fitz and Marisol. They said they had only been living there for a few months but said if we need anything to let them know! I am so grateful for kind people like them! I took a few pictures of the new place that I will put up and then drove the U-Haul back to the sisters. I felt awesome and powerful on I-95 with that beast. Moment of a lifetime! ha ha.
I relaxed at the convent for the rest of the evening but now I have to get some sleep so I can be ready for my first big day with all the teachers tomorrow! I'm not nervous right now but that could be exhaustion talking.
Well here are a few pictures of my new place:
Above: the living room and balcony!
Above: dining room area
Above: kitchen
Above: my things in my room
Finally: the view from our balcony looking at our U-Haul!
Good night! Also, if any of you have suggestions on how I can share pictures with you over the next year, I'd love to hear them. Email me at lauren.halstead89@gmail.com
We went to the U-Haul and I got the privilege of driving my first U-Haul truck today! Imagine me behind the wheel of one of those guys! It was great! We then went to the storage unit and had to unload as much as we could into the truck. While we did this though, it started raining. Moving in the rain is never fun. We moved things to the front of the storage unit for awhile and then the rain cleared off for a bit. The bummer about all of this is that we did not shut the door to the U-Haul so water got inside and got a few of the mattresses and box springs wet. Bust I know. Lesson learned though. We packed the U-Haul and off I went onto the highway with it. I was a little nervous at first but eventually picked up speed and was cruising right along. Once we got back to our apartment, I am proud to say that only 2 boxes fell over. Then, we unpacked all of it again. 3 sets of beds, 3 dressers, numerous drawers, a futon, kitchen table, 3 side tables, and many little things later, it is all moved in! I am pretty proud of myself! Normally dad comes to help me move in and then a few guys come to help here and there but this time, it was me and my 2 roommates. It was a very long day but I feel very accomplished about it. We finished everything around 7 here so it was about an 8 hour day total. Nothing is unpacked but it's in for the most part. We couldn't fit the couch and a few little things so we will have to get that another day.
Now you are probably thinking, how exciting that we are sleeping in our brand new place tonight! Well we aren't sleeping there tonight. Patricia and I start at school tomorrow and Amanda still has work in Ft. Lauderdale. Call me lazy or whatever you may but I did not want to touch anymore of it tonight. Plus, we weren't sure we would have electricity today so we planned on staying with the sisters one more night. We will start to unpack and put things in order tomorrow after school and work. I now understand why people hire moving companies because boy was that exhausting. Well worth it though. After unloading the U-Haul, I had gone down to get my camera out of the truck and on the way back up, I met some of our neighbors! A married couple, Fitz and Marisol. They said they had only been living there for a few months but said if we need anything to let them know! I am so grateful for kind people like them! I took a few pictures of the new place that I will put up and then drove the U-Haul back to the sisters. I felt awesome and powerful on I-95 with that beast. Moment of a lifetime! ha ha.
I relaxed at the convent for the rest of the evening but now I have to get some sleep so I can be ready for my first big day with all the teachers tomorrow! I'm not nervous right now but that could be exhaustion talking.
Well here are a few pictures of my new place:
Above: the living room and balcony!
Above: dining room area
Above: kitchen
Above: my things in my room
Finally: the view from our balcony looking at our U-Haul!
Good night! Also, if any of you have suggestions on how I can share pictures with you over the next year, I'd love to hear them. Email me at lauren.halstead89@gmail.com
Saturday, August 13, 2011
And.....We Have a Winner
You'll never believe it! All this searching finally paid off! Yesterday, several of us had moved all the furniture from the classroom to a storage unit because the teachers needed into their rooms for decorating. After all the moving, Patricia and I went out on yet another hunt for a place to live and came back empty handed and personally, I was feeling very disheartened about it all. I talked to a few people on the phone that night to try and boost my spirits and then went to bed. This morning I knew it was make it or break it time. We had to find a place today. There was no other choice for us. Time was out for us to look. First I had to take my car to AutoZone because the engine light came on the other day. One broken piece later, I do not think there is anything really wrong with my car. Something about low fuel pressure or a computer glitch. Not sure. I have to get the light cleared and then if it comes back on, I'll get it fixed. Fingers crossed it doesn't though because my cash flow is getting low due to today's events,
Okay so now the moment you have all been waiting for. We met the 3rd realtor lady we have been working with today at 2. She showed us 2 places and they were fine but we had really been hoping to get a washer and dryer in our apartment considering the price we were looking to pay by now. Neither of my roommates were 'wowed' by them but on the drive back to the office, she thought of one more apartment complex on the other side of I-95 that she said was always a nice place to live. We went in and the office manager lady said that there was a 2-bedroom available for move in if we wanted to look. So we rode off on her golf cart through this nice complex. We walk up to the third floor, into the apartment and my roommates are sold. We have a place to live!!!!! Here are the logistics of it for those of you who care: 1015 sq. ft., $1310 per month for rent; it includes: water, trash, emergency maintenance, internet, and cable. We are going to rent a washer and dryer for $30 a month. The complex has 2 pools, indoor raquetball court, fitness center, tennis courts, car wash, and other things I can't remember. Apparently there are several cops from the area that live in the complex so there are cop cars there on a regular basis. Talk about safety. We are 10 minutes away from the beach! (We went there for the first time today as a celebration!!!!) My favorite part of all of this though is that we are moving TOMORROW! If you were paying attention, you will remember that our apartment is on the 3rd floor and here is the kicker, no elevator. So we will be using our huge muscles to walk all the beds and other furniture to get it up there. I'm actually not too concerned about that. I could use the exercise since I haven't run at all since we've been here. After all the excitement and giving them our money to start, Amanda and I went to the beach. A quick and easy drive down there for those of you that plan to come visit. I got onto the boardwalk and started getting really excited. Amanda is from Tampa so the beach is nothing new for her but all of us Kansans and non-coastal residents know how exciting it can be. We she started laughing at me but I took a small run for it. Well first I had to take some pictures but then I put my feet into the warm Atlantic Ocean! It was beautiful and calming. I even brought a sand sifter back with me that was floating in the water.
Once we got back to the sisters' house though, it was time to get down to business and figure out moving tomorrow. We will go to Mass in the morning and then repack our vehicles to meet the lady at 11. Too bad it's not like Emporia and I can just call up Alpha Kappa Lambda to help me out! We will get as much put in tomorrow but teachers start meeting on Monday so I can't be too tired! Sr. Stephanie and I were talking about school tonight and she told me I will probably be teaching the 2nd graders! Oh my! That is for another day though.
Tomorrow I will post my address on here so make sure and come back tomorrow! Hopefully I will have a few pictures on here as well! Thank you so much for all your prayers and thoughts. They truly got me through this week when I wasn't sure what God wanted for me or where He wanted me. Looks like God was just trying to give me the opportunity to work on my patience and I wasn't handling it as best I could. Lesson learned. Trust in God.
Just a little shout out: Hey Mom, how's this for making people smile? I didn't make you or anyone else cry on this one did I? I love you!
Okay so now the moment you have all been waiting for. We met the 3rd realtor lady we have been working with today at 2. She showed us 2 places and they were fine but we had really been hoping to get a washer and dryer in our apartment considering the price we were looking to pay by now. Neither of my roommates were 'wowed' by them but on the drive back to the office, she thought of one more apartment complex on the other side of I-95 that she said was always a nice place to live. We went in and the office manager lady said that there was a 2-bedroom available for move in if we wanted to look. So we rode off on her golf cart through this nice complex. We walk up to the third floor, into the apartment and my roommates are sold. We have a place to live!!!!! Here are the logistics of it for those of you who care: 1015 sq. ft., $1310 per month for rent; it includes: water, trash, emergency maintenance, internet, and cable. We are going to rent a washer and dryer for $30 a month. The complex has 2 pools, indoor raquetball court, fitness center, tennis courts, car wash, and other things I can't remember. Apparently there are several cops from the area that live in the complex so there are cop cars there on a regular basis. Talk about safety. We are 10 minutes away from the beach! (We went there for the first time today as a celebration!!!!) My favorite part of all of this though is that we are moving TOMORROW! If you were paying attention, you will remember that our apartment is on the 3rd floor and here is the kicker, no elevator. So we will be using our huge muscles to walk all the beds and other furniture to get it up there. I'm actually not too concerned about that. I could use the exercise since I haven't run at all since we've been here. After all the excitement and giving them our money to start, Amanda and I went to the beach. A quick and easy drive down there for those of you that plan to come visit. I got onto the boardwalk and started getting really excited. Amanda is from Tampa so the beach is nothing new for her but all of us Kansans and non-coastal residents know how exciting it can be. We she started laughing at me but I took a small run for it. Well first I had to take some pictures but then I put my feet into the warm Atlantic Ocean! It was beautiful and calming. I even brought a sand sifter back with me that was floating in the water.
Once we got back to the sisters' house though, it was time to get down to business and figure out moving tomorrow. We will go to Mass in the morning and then repack our vehicles to meet the lady at 11. Too bad it's not like Emporia and I can just call up Alpha Kappa Lambda to help me out! We will get as much put in tomorrow but teachers start meeting on Monday so I can't be too tired! Sr. Stephanie and I were talking about school tonight and she told me I will probably be teaching the 2nd graders! Oh my! That is for another day though.
Tomorrow I will post my address on here so make sure and come back tomorrow! Hopefully I will have a few pictures on here as well! Thank you so much for all your prayers and thoughts. They truly got me through this week when I wasn't sure what God wanted for me or where He wanted me. Looks like God was just trying to give me the opportunity to work on my patience and I wasn't handling it as best I could. Lesson learned. Trust in God.
Just a little shout out: Hey Mom, how's this for making people smile? I didn't make you or anyone else cry on this one did I? I love you!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Hunting
Today was another day of apartment hunting. More driving around than anything unfortunately but it was nice to be behind the wheel again. I used to go driving around Emporia when I was stressed out. We looked at different areas and even stopped by Amanda's work to drop something off for her. We still had not found out about the offer we made on Monday so we decided to pull our money and offer out because we do not want to keep sitting and waiting so I felt like that was a good move.
After dinner, Patricia, Amanda, and I talked and made of list of what we really want or need in a place at this point to try and eliminate some places faster. Tomorrow we are going to do yet another hunt and hope we land a place. Not much else occurred today. Just a lot of talking and driving. I did drive through some heavy Florida rain though. I was pretty proud of myself. I can't even think of a profound thought for the day!
The above picture is from our adventure to the Natural Springs last week! If you can follow this, here are everyone's names starting from the left and going to the back first: Ken, Yolanda, Nich, Marissa, Nicole, and Ebony. Up front are: Cristina, Patricia, me, and Candace.
That's our group! Have a great night all!
After dinner, Patricia, Amanda, and I talked and made of list of what we really want or need in a place at this point to try and eliminate some places faster. Tomorrow we are going to do yet another hunt and hope we land a place. Not much else occurred today. Just a lot of talking and driving. I did drive through some heavy Florida rain though. I was pretty proud of myself. I can't even think of a profound thought for the day!
That's our group! Have a great night all!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
U-Turns, Flips, and Twists
So today continued our pursuit for a place to live. We did not hear back from our realtor lady until this afternoon where she told us that she still had not heard anything about the place in Davie where we placed an offer. I have a feeling that we did not get it so tomorrow we will keep looking at more places in different areas--possibly closer to the beach!
While we have been on this apartment hunt, one thing that I have noticed down here in Florida is the excessive amount of U-turns that people do!! They make medians so that people can make U-turns and it just baffles me! I will admit that I have caved and done a few of them because their medians are so stinking long so I can't turn left where I want to ergo making the U-turn. I just think it's funny that the medians are designed for u-turns down here. Then, being me, I wondered, have I done any U-turns with my life before? Started going one day, decided that was not the right way and flipped around to go back to where I came from. Just my deep thought for the day.
I did get a chance to spend some time in the sisters' adoration chapel today which was nice. I eventually ended up on the floor as I normally do in adoration chapels. It was peaceful to spend some time with God in that way because I always loved going to adoration in Emporia and made it a point to just sit in our chapel when I could.
One last thing before I go to sleep. As many of you know, I am a big country music fan. A song that I am a huge fan of is "This" by Darius Rucker. It talks about how every little decision we have made up to this point in our lives has shaped what is currently happening in our lives; I definitely believe that is true. God has planned our lives so meticulously that each small decision has affected us. So today or tonight, whenever you finish reading this, think and look back on all the moments in your life when you thought you were making a huge mistake or any decision and then thank God for those moments. There are so many moments in our lives that we think will change so much and they do but God always has a reason for things happening the way they do, even if we do not see it at the time. I am definitely not one to talk because I am really hoping that God leads us to some amazing beach house tomorrow! ha ha. But I do want you to think about that when you have a chance. You would not be at this exact point in your life if there weren't a few U-turns, twists, and flips along the way.
Good night everyone and thank you for whatever impact you have had on my life. I would not be here if not for you.
While we have been on this apartment hunt, one thing that I have noticed down here in Florida is the excessive amount of U-turns that people do!! They make medians so that people can make U-turns and it just baffles me! I will admit that I have caved and done a few of them because their medians are so stinking long so I can't turn left where I want to ergo making the U-turn. I just think it's funny that the medians are designed for u-turns down here. Then, being me, I wondered, have I done any U-turns with my life before? Started going one day, decided that was not the right way and flipped around to go back to where I came from. Just my deep thought for the day.
I did get a chance to spend some time in the sisters' adoration chapel today which was nice. I eventually ended up on the floor as I normally do in adoration chapels. It was peaceful to spend some time with God in that way because I always loved going to adoration in Emporia and made it a point to just sit in our chapel when I could.
One last thing before I go to sleep. As many of you know, I am a big country music fan. A song that I am a huge fan of is "This" by Darius Rucker. It talks about how every little decision we have made up to this point in our lives has shaped what is currently happening in our lives; I definitely believe that is true. God has planned our lives so meticulously that each small decision has affected us. So today or tonight, whenever you finish reading this, think and look back on all the moments in your life when you thought you were making a huge mistake or any decision and then thank God for those moments. There are so many moments in our lives that we think will change so much and they do but God always has a reason for things happening the way they do, even if we do not see it at the time. I am definitely not one to talk because I am really hoping that God leads us to some amazing beach house tomorrow! ha ha. But I do want you to think about that when you have a chance. You would not be at this exact point in your life if there weren't a few U-turns, twists, and flips along the way.
Good night everyone and thank you for whatever impact you have had on my life. I would not be here if not for you.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Title?
Making titles for these blogs is becoming more and more difficult I'm discovering. Anyway, so I woke up this morning from the following dream: I was with friends at a hang out or something of the sort and we were all drawing cards out of a hat. We had to tell everyone about whatever was on the card about us if that makes any sense. Well I drew the card where I had to tell everyone about all the funerals I had gone to and then go visit each grave stone. I was bawling in my dream. It was so morbid and sad no matter who you are. So that was my dream last night but regardless, I woke up in a good mood. Ready for a little relaxation today. Well my morning definitely did not pan out that way sadly. I received a few not so pleasant phone calls and once again, the housing situation became a problem. I became very flustered by the end of it all so I decided to leave my phone at the convent for the afternoon and help the sisters at school. Instead of helping though, we ended up looking at other places for the three of us to live just in case the one from yesterday doesn't go through. We also realized, mostly with the help of the sisters, that the apartment from yesterday is very far away and the commute to school will be at least double the time we had seen on Mapquest so it will really be a 40 minute commute instead of 20 so I am starting to not like the place as much. Sr. Kathy, one of the 3rd grade teachers I will be working with, and myself went to look at the townhouse of the teacher and I think I like it better than the one from yesterday. It seemed safer in general and very home-y which was nice. It is not quite as big but the rent would be cheaper; it has a washer/dryer in it and includes water. The only kink in this is one of my roommates. We had to put a deposit on the other place (frown and be frustrated with me but that's how things work down here I guess) and she doesn't want to lose that money but we are able to get it back. We would be able to move into this new place faster whereas the one from yesterday would take up to 2 weeks. So to sum that whole thing up: the 3 of us, along with Sr. Kathy, are going to look at the townhouse tomorrow and then go to the realtor to discuss the money situation. At this point I really have no idea what to think. I'm kind of at the point where I am just laughing at it all because it just keeps going on and on.
After we got back this afternoon from looking at those places, the sisters decided I should relax and take my mind off things so I hopped on the computer, of course. I ended up on Skype with Madelyn, Jocelyn, and Gabby (the last two are my cousins that Mad babysits). We couldn't get the speakers working so we watched each other and talked on the phone. Same thing right? Regardless, it was nice to be able to see their faces. I miss faces so much. Not that I don't love phone calls because I do and I have been receiving so many but faces are so nice to see. I admit how much I take for granted seeing and talking with someone in person. A friend from Emporia and Carroll would come up and hug me so big every time she saw me at ESU because she said she wouldn't be able to do it once I was gone from ESU and eventually in FL. I will admit when she started this in August, I was a little confused but Laura, I now appreciate those hugs so much more. They and you mean so much to me. You knew how much I would miss those! :) Anyway, I loved seeing Mad, Gabs, and Jocy on the webcam. Such a soothing and comforting feeling to see them.
The rest of the evening Amanda, Sr. Stephanie, Sr. Kathy, and I tried to smooth over the housing situation and then we went to look at the furniture that will be going in to our future place. I will just tell you right now, we will be accepting donations for mattresses. The sisters said we could have their old couch which is very kind of them. The beds, dressers, and anything else in there is not looking too great. Guess that's just part of the sacrifice though. I got to see some of the classrooms as well. They were what I expected so I can't say I was surprised. Minimal technology, chalk boards, and a white board. Very simple and low income. I saw pictures of the students though and they are so stinking cute!! One of them might be my travel buddy for when I come home at Christmas.
Well that was pretty much my day in a nutshell. I guess I talked on the phone to a few friends. Good conversations that were very relaxing. Oh and a special shout-out to all my teacher-friends who are enduring inservices and the stress of setting up their classrooms: you will do amazing things this year and make a huge difference in your students' lives. Don't let anyone tell you any differently. The stress will all be worth it. I can't wait to hear all about your classes, the good, and bad days. Oh and take pictures of your classrooms!
Anyway, good night once again. Maybe I will be able to hit the beach by the end of the week. Love you all!
After we got back this afternoon from looking at those places, the sisters decided I should relax and take my mind off things so I hopped on the computer, of course. I ended up on Skype with Madelyn, Jocelyn, and Gabby (the last two are my cousins that Mad babysits). We couldn't get the speakers working so we watched each other and talked on the phone. Same thing right? Regardless, it was nice to be able to see their faces. I miss faces so much. Not that I don't love phone calls because I do and I have been receiving so many but faces are so nice to see. I admit how much I take for granted seeing and talking with someone in person. A friend from Emporia and Carroll would come up and hug me so big every time she saw me at ESU because she said she wouldn't be able to do it once I was gone from ESU and eventually in FL. I will admit when she started this in August, I was a little confused but Laura, I now appreciate those hugs so much more. They and you mean so much to me. You knew how much I would miss those! :) Anyway, I loved seeing Mad, Gabs, and Jocy on the webcam. Such a soothing and comforting feeling to see them.
The rest of the evening Amanda, Sr. Stephanie, Sr. Kathy, and I tried to smooth over the housing situation and then we went to look at the furniture that will be going in to our future place. I will just tell you right now, we will be accepting donations for mattresses. The sisters said we could have their old couch which is very kind of them. The beds, dressers, and anything else in there is not looking too great. Guess that's just part of the sacrifice though. I got to see some of the classrooms as well. They were what I expected so I can't say I was surprised. Minimal technology, chalk boards, and a white board. Very simple and low income. I saw pictures of the students though and they are so stinking cute!! One of them might be my travel buddy for when I come home at Christmas.
Well that was pretty much my day in a nutshell. I guess I talked on the phone to a few friends. Good conversations that were very relaxing. Oh and a special shout-out to all my teacher-friends who are enduring inservices and the stress of setting up their classrooms: you will do amazing things this year and make a huge difference in your students' lives. Don't let anyone tell you any differently. The stress will all be worth it. I can't wait to hear all about your classes, the good, and bad days. Oh and take pictures of your classrooms!
Anyway, good night once again. Maybe I will be able to hit the beach by the end of the week. Love you all!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Fingers Crossed
Today, Patricia, Amanda, and I went on our hunt to find a place of our own. Amanda and I looked online for a bit this morning before we were supposed to meet the realtor at 11. The lady didn't end up showing up til 2 so we went on our own adventures and looked at a few of the places Amanda had found online. They were not promising and not looking the safest so we went and had some Chinese and sushi for lunch to ease our worries. She finally came and we went to view about 4 places that afternoon. The first place we went to look at with the lady was very spacious and is a 2 bedroom. My favorite part about this place might have to be the entire mirror wall. ha ha. I walked in and could not believe my eyes when all I saw was mirror on this wall. It is hilarious in my opinion but I actually really enjoy it. Gives the place a different feel to it. The three of us felt very safe in that area though which is very key for us in this hunt. The other ones we looked at were nice but much smaller. Amanda and I are going to be sharing a room so the master bedroom has to be a tad bigger than the other bedroom or we also talked about one of us sleeping on the futon in the living room. For those of you from Emporia that knew me as an RA, I slept on my futon almost every single day for two years so I have no objection to this offer.
After we finished looking, we put an offer on the mirror wall apartment and dropped some cash to let them know we mean business. ha ha. Just kidding we actually had to pay a deposit of $400 each and fill out a few things. We find out Wednesday if we get it so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I am a little apprehensive though because there was another offer ahead of ours but apparently the other person making an offer was a bit demanding and rude so I'm hoping the fact that we are volunteering for a year will help us. I just hung out the rest of the evening and didn't really do anything exciting.
Tomorrow my hopes are to: catch some rays at the pool the sisters have, finish my teaching license application (yes ESU friends, I still have not done that. Someone might be getting a phone call about it tomorrow.), do some coloring, but probably help out at St. James for awhile and get to know the school. Oh! And I found out tonight I have to wear a uniform everyday. It's really just a polo they are providing and then nice pants or skirts but uniform nonetheless. Feel free to express your feelings towards this. I personally hope the school is cold so my legs don't get hot.
Okay well it took me way too long to write this tonight. Missing Kansas and all your wonderful faces! By the way, I do have Skype. I am lauren.halstead. Feel free to add me! :) Good night all!
After we finished looking, we put an offer on the mirror wall apartment and dropped some cash to let them know we mean business. ha ha. Just kidding we actually had to pay a deposit of $400 each and fill out a few things. We find out Wednesday if we get it so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I am a little apprehensive though because there was another offer ahead of ours but apparently the other person making an offer was a bit demanding and rude so I'm hoping the fact that we are volunteering for a year will help us. I just hung out the rest of the evening and didn't really do anything exciting.
Tomorrow my hopes are to: catch some rays at the pool the sisters have, finish my teaching license application (yes ESU friends, I still have not done that. Someone might be getting a phone call about it tomorrow.), do some coloring, but probably help out at St. James for awhile and get to know the school. Oh! And I found out tonight I have to wear a uniform everyday. It's really just a polo they are providing and then nice pants or skirts but uniform nonetheless. Feel free to express your feelings towards this. I personally hope the school is cold so my legs don't get hot.
Okay well it took me way too long to write this tonight. Missing Kansas and all your wonderful faces! By the way, I do have Skype. I am lauren.halstead. Feel free to add me! :) Good night all!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Strength
Today started out a bit rough for me. So many have told me I am strong for going out of my comfort zone and leaving everything I know behind in Kansas. It does take strength or at least a lot of guts to do this but I am realizing my weaknesses more each day. Although I consider myself decently independent, I realized how much I truly depend on my family and friends when times are scary and I am facing the unknown. During Mass this morning, the songs kept talking about not being afraid which of course made me emotional. After being a mess for the next several hours, I have come to the realization, once again, that we are not strong on our own. While I do feel very lonely down here some days, I am not alone. The Sisters of St. Joseph have been very hospitable and understanding of my situation. I also have a good support system back in Kansas even though everyone is so far. I am even starting to develop my support system within my program because Cristina texted me today just when I was needing a boost. My strength and my help needs to come from God though. There's a song that I have been listening to that is called "My Help Comes From the Lord" that reminds me that He can do everything I need if I just truly trust in Him. Another song that I listen to when I'm feeling down is, "Come to Jesus" or "Untitled Hymn" by Chris Rice where I am reminded to fall on God and He will listen to anything. He would rather listen to me in all my tears than me not to go Him at all. My trust in God is being stretched farther and farther each day but that is never a bad thing.
I was on the phone with my friend Jonathan today and reminded me that while it is hard right now, I am making myself stronger. That I am so much stronger than others who have stayed in one place but thought about going to do work like this. It's the fear of the unknown that is a struggle and always will be. We are human and far from perfect so not everything in life will be easy for us.
On a happier note, I got to meet my other roommate, Amanda, tonight! She is originally from Tampa and went to college in Philadelphia. She was out of the country with her boyfriend's family in Colombia during training. She seems really nice and being from Florida, she knows lots of people everywhere! Her, Patricia (my other roommate), and myself will be on the great apartment/house hunt tomorrow. I joked with the sisters that I should bury a St. Joseph statue somewhere and they suggested my hair! (For those of you that don't know, St. Joseph is the patron saint of selling houses and I figured someone has to sell the place to us so it could help.)
I ended my night with a few phone calls to keep my spirits up. Maybe we will find a place tomorrow and then I can hit the beach for the rest of the week!! I'm not used to being out of the sun for so long thanks to camp. Say prayers for a good housing hunt tomorrow!
I was on the phone with my friend Jonathan today and reminded me that while it is hard right now, I am making myself stronger. That I am so much stronger than others who have stayed in one place but thought about going to do work like this. It's the fear of the unknown that is a struggle and always will be. We are human and far from perfect so not everything in life will be easy for us.
On a happier note, I got to meet my other roommate, Amanda, tonight! She is originally from Tampa and went to college in Philadelphia. She was out of the country with her boyfriend's family in Colombia during training. She seems really nice and being from Florida, she knows lots of people everywhere! Her, Patricia (my other roommate), and myself will be on the great apartment/house hunt tomorrow. I joked with the sisters that I should bury a St. Joseph statue somewhere and they suggested my hair! (For those of you that don't know, St. Joseph is the patron saint of selling houses and I figured someone has to sell the place to us so it could help.)
I ended my night with a few phone calls to keep my spirits up. Maybe we will find a place tomorrow and then I can hit the beach for the rest of the week!! I'm not used to being out of the sun for so long thanks to camp. Say prayers for a good housing hunt tomorrow!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Reflection So Far
So last night I was very fortunate to be able to spend time with Laura and Victor and the rest of their family at dinner and then we went and walked at Downtown Disney which was neat for me. It does make me realize though, how much I miss being surrounded by a family. I know that I will be back up to visit them. This morning Laura and I ran to Target to get me a few things before I left to drive down to look at a condo with one of my roommates, Patricia. I drove about 3 hours down to a little north of Ft. Lauderdale to look at this condo and just didn't feel right about it so we will keep looking. Until then, I will be staying with the Sisters of St. Joseph right next to my school. I am very grateful to let me stay with them until we find a permanent place. I do hope that we find a place soon because I am ready for some stability down here. God is definitely stretching me because all this moving is wearing on me. I am keeping my hopes up though and hoping that we find a place this week since school does not start yet. I am becoming more and more aware of how different Florida is from Kansas. From the drive where I was constantly surrounded by palm trees and rain to having to basically unpack my car because nothing is safe here, my eyes are becoming more opened to how lucky I truly was back in Kansas and still am.
Reflection
Looking back at this past week from driving down here and leaving so much behind to getting everything down to Miami, I'm realizing how much change I will truly experience this year. I reached many points and moments of frustration this week due to many things. As many of you know, change is something that I do not always handle well. I have been working to put my trust in God but also realizing that saying it isn't enough. I have said I trust God with a lot of things but in the grand scheme, maybe my trust in Him isn't that strong or at least not as strong as it needs to be. During my points of frustration this past week, there were so many times when I looked back at my decision to move to Florida. I could have stayed home in Kansas and started teaching and I'm sure I would have enjoyed it. I have so much comfort back in Kansas and life would have been easy for me, or at least not as stressful as it has been lately. But then the thought that I had when I chose to come to Florida came to me: if God wanted things to be easy, we wouldn't ever challenge ourselves or experience new things. This wasn't meant to be easy for me. God wants me to stretch myself and change me for the better. It's going to be hard and I know that many tears will be shed because that is just who I am but I also know that there will be lots of laughter and smiles to be had. It is so scary and frustrating right now. I cannot hide that from anyone but I am not homeless. I am not without food and I am definitely not alone. Even though the distance is hard right now and I want so much to have a huge hug from someone back home, it is time for me to be a big girl and make some decisions for myself down here. I was talking with Sr. Stephanie who I am staying with right now and she told me that the teacher I am working with is so excited to work with me. I cannot wait to see my students. I got to see some pictures of them and I know that once I get into that school, everything will feel right again. The in-between, as I have mentioned before, is the dark and rough part of anything in life I think. The unknown. We went to Mass twice this past week and it made me feel so at peace. I am ready to have a home parish so I can just sit like I used to in Emporia. Sitting in a church always makes me feel better.
So to sum it all up: what's easy and what's right are never the same thing. I made the right decision in coming down here but I have new challenges to face. I must bend my personality and everything else about myself in order to adapt. There will be rough times up ahead but God always provides and He will take care of me as well as everyone else. He will guide me in the right direction, no matter what I am thinking about. Thank you all for your support and prayers. They get me through these uncertain moments!
Reflection
Looking back at this past week from driving down here and leaving so much behind to getting everything down to Miami, I'm realizing how much change I will truly experience this year. I reached many points and moments of frustration this week due to many things. As many of you know, change is something that I do not always handle well. I have been working to put my trust in God but also realizing that saying it isn't enough. I have said I trust God with a lot of things but in the grand scheme, maybe my trust in Him isn't that strong or at least not as strong as it needs to be. During my points of frustration this past week, there were so many times when I looked back at my decision to move to Florida. I could have stayed home in Kansas and started teaching and I'm sure I would have enjoyed it. I have so much comfort back in Kansas and life would have been easy for me, or at least not as stressful as it has been lately. But then the thought that I had when I chose to come to Florida came to me: if God wanted things to be easy, we wouldn't ever challenge ourselves or experience new things. This wasn't meant to be easy for me. God wants me to stretch myself and change me for the better. It's going to be hard and I know that many tears will be shed because that is just who I am but I also know that there will be lots of laughter and smiles to be had. It is so scary and frustrating right now. I cannot hide that from anyone but I am not homeless. I am not without food and I am definitely not alone. Even though the distance is hard right now and I want so much to have a huge hug from someone back home, it is time for me to be a big girl and make some decisions for myself down here. I was talking with Sr. Stephanie who I am staying with right now and she told me that the teacher I am working with is so excited to work with me. I cannot wait to see my students. I got to see some pictures of them and I know that once I get into that school, everything will feel right again. The in-between, as I have mentioned before, is the dark and rough part of anything in life I think. The unknown. We went to Mass twice this past week and it made me feel so at peace. I am ready to have a home parish so I can just sit like I used to in Emporia. Sitting in a church always makes me feel better.
So to sum it all up: what's easy and what's right are never the same thing. I made the right decision in coming down here but I have new challenges to face. I must bend my personality and everything else about myself in order to adapt. There will be rough times up ahead but God always provides and He will take care of me as well as everyone else. He will guide me in the right direction, no matter what I am thinking about. Thank you all for your support and prayers. They get me through these uncertain moments!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Week 1--Check
The past few days have definitely been a little bit crazy. We have been doing lots of paperwork and nitty gritty things that are not as fun. Here's my update from the past few days though:
Wednesday
When I came back to the retreat center after going out with the other volunteers and one of the alumni, I found out that one of my roommates had decided to drop the program that night. She had driven from Washington state but her boyfriend lived in Tallahassee so that is where she is staying as far as I know. It made my heart very sad when I read her letter. Wednesday was a little somber because of that. Wednesday afternoon we went down to help at the Second Harvest Food Pantry for a few hours and boy was it hot there! We got a lot accomplished for them so that felt good. We were all pretty tired after that so we laid low that night and went to bed early. I got to make a few phone calls that night though and talk with my roommate that had been out of the country for a few weeks so that was neat!
Thursday
Thursday morning we had budgeting in the morning and learning how to best manage our money. It was definitely the session that everyone had been waiting for because we needed some proof that we really can live off our little stipend. I definitely had a lot of questions and got all of them answered thank goodness. It would be a little easier to make my budget though if I had a place to live. But it's all in God's hands and He isn't going to leave the 3 of us without a place to stay. We had Mass with the bishop later that morning and had our picture taken. After lunch we got to go swim and lay out by some of their natural springs!!! The water was chilly but nothing I wasn't used to from camp. One of the girls, Cristina, and I got in for a bit and then laid out and had a really good conversation. She is placed in Tampa but she's from around Baltimore. We started talking about how to go to the decision of coming to this program and kind of just how we got to our relationship with God. It is just so neat to have that conversation with people because everyone is different and has their own beautiful story. She and I are very similar (not in our stories but personalities) and I know that she will be someone that I talk to regularly from our program outside of my roommates. After dinner and everything else last night, I got to talk on the phone with Julia Brugman and update her. It is so nice to hear phone calls from home. (hint hint! ha ha!) I know what I'm doing is right but I miss Kansas and all of you in it just as much still. Anyway, after that, about 8 of us went out with our alumni friend, Kieron, who is roommates with one of our current volunteers, Nick. We went to one of the local college bars and just hung out and had fun. Lucky for us, the drinks were free! No worries everyone, we were safe. Cristina and I had another good talk after we got back about letting God take care of things and just trusting Him no matter what.
Friday
We had Mass this morning and then they had a ceremony to send us on our separate ways! It was definitely bittersweet this morning as we all went different directions. I see our group of 12 being very close this next year and visiting each other a lot. (We found out we get reimbursed on gas for visiting each other as long as we do something that could involve CVIF!) I drove back to Victor's and Laura's and will be here til tomorrow morning when I have to leave to make the drive down to Miami. I will be staying with the Sisters of St. Joseph at their convent next to St. James, my school. It's nice to be at their house right now though and just have some personal space. The boys are a lot of fun; they kind of feel like my little brothers. I got to call Camp Hyde and talk to all my wonderful Explorers and counselors on the phone this afternoon. Hearing all those little screaming voices from the campers made my heart so happy! And talking to the counselors briefly made it so much better. Thanks for letting me call! :)
I will probably post again tonight because I'm a bit tired and in need of a nap. I also have to do some laundry already!! No worries, I am spreading Kansas love to everyone down here! I miss you all so much and appreciate all the kind and supportive thoughts, prayers, texts, etc. through this first week. They have definitely helped me keep my chin up when I've been down this week. Oh and I also have some pictures to post! Can't wait for you all to see who I am serving with!
Wednesday
When I came back to the retreat center after going out with the other volunteers and one of the alumni, I found out that one of my roommates had decided to drop the program that night. She had driven from Washington state but her boyfriend lived in Tallahassee so that is where she is staying as far as I know. It made my heart very sad when I read her letter. Wednesday was a little somber because of that. Wednesday afternoon we went down to help at the Second Harvest Food Pantry for a few hours and boy was it hot there! We got a lot accomplished for them so that felt good. We were all pretty tired after that so we laid low that night and went to bed early. I got to make a few phone calls that night though and talk with my roommate that had been out of the country for a few weeks so that was neat!
Thursday
Thursday morning we had budgeting in the morning and learning how to best manage our money. It was definitely the session that everyone had been waiting for because we needed some proof that we really can live off our little stipend. I definitely had a lot of questions and got all of them answered thank goodness. It would be a little easier to make my budget though if I had a place to live. But it's all in God's hands and He isn't going to leave the 3 of us without a place to stay. We had Mass with the bishop later that morning and had our picture taken. After lunch we got to go swim and lay out by some of their natural springs!!! The water was chilly but nothing I wasn't used to from camp. One of the girls, Cristina, and I got in for a bit and then laid out and had a really good conversation. She is placed in Tampa but she's from around Baltimore. We started talking about how to go to the decision of coming to this program and kind of just how we got to our relationship with God. It is just so neat to have that conversation with people because everyone is different and has their own beautiful story. She and I are very similar (not in our stories but personalities) and I know that she will be someone that I talk to regularly from our program outside of my roommates. After dinner and everything else last night, I got to talk on the phone with Julia Brugman and update her. It is so nice to hear phone calls from home. (hint hint! ha ha!) I know what I'm doing is right but I miss Kansas and all of you in it just as much still. Anyway, after that, about 8 of us went out with our alumni friend, Kieron, who is roommates with one of our current volunteers, Nick. We went to one of the local college bars and just hung out and had fun. Lucky for us, the drinks were free! No worries everyone, we were safe. Cristina and I had another good talk after we got back about letting God take care of things and just trusting Him no matter what.
Friday
We had Mass this morning and then they had a ceremony to send us on our separate ways! It was definitely bittersweet this morning as we all went different directions. I see our group of 12 being very close this next year and visiting each other a lot. (We found out we get reimbursed on gas for visiting each other as long as we do something that could involve CVIF!) I drove back to Victor's and Laura's and will be here til tomorrow morning when I have to leave to make the drive down to Miami. I will be staying with the Sisters of St. Joseph at their convent next to St. James, my school. It's nice to be at their house right now though and just have some personal space. The boys are a lot of fun; they kind of feel like my little brothers. I got to call Camp Hyde and talk to all my wonderful Explorers and counselors on the phone this afternoon. Hearing all those little screaming voices from the campers made my heart so happy! And talking to the counselors briefly made it so much better. Thanks for letting me call! :)
I will probably post again tonight because I'm a bit tired and in need of a nap. I also have to do some laundry already!! No worries, I am spreading Kansas love to everyone down here! I miss you all so much and appreciate all the kind and supportive thoughts, prayers, texts, etc. through this first week. They have definitely helped me keep my chin up when I've been down this week. Oh and I also have some pictures to post! Can't wait for you all to see who I am serving with!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Perseverance
Well friends and family, I have learned over the past few days that what glitters is not always gold. Even though I might be down in beautiful Florida, life is far from simple and perfect right now. My housing situation is a mess. Come the weekend, myself and 3 other girls still have nowhere to live down by Miami. We have been hunting and have a few places to look at on Saturday but most places require a $100 background check before you can live in their apartment or town-home. Expensive!! The 3 of us here in the states have been trying to work together along with our organization to figure something out but it just has not been going well. I have been working on my patience and trust in God throughout this whole situation but it is definitely becoming more and more difficult as my time to start at the school draws closer. I really want to stay down here and go on this big adventure I have been talking up to everyone but I can't stay if I don't have a place to live. So please think good thoughts or say prayers tonight for myself and the 3 other girls I am supposed to live with that we find a place to live fast.
This unease and not knowing where I am living is starting to make me a little homesick but God will take care of me. He always does.
Thank you for all your prayers and support so far! Sorry this was such a downer day!
This unease and not knowing where I am living is starting to make me a little homesick but God will take care of me. He always does.
Thank you for all your prayers and support so far! Sorry this was such a downer day!
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