Serenity

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

The courage to change the things I can.

And the wisdom to know the difference. 

But help me never to give up on what I believe in

even when I think it is hopeless. 

Rain and Relaxation

Friday Sept. 23
I woke up that morning to remember that I had a dream about snow.  No, it wasn't snowing here in Miami but I guess I'm thinking of the snow already and Christmas possibly? Who knows but it was kind of funny to see snow, even if it was in my dreams.  I hopped in the shower and the song "Indescribable" was in my head.  It's a Christian praise and worship song and one of my favorites.  When Mass started once we got to school, that song was the opening song! I could not help but smile and feel good inside! It was a pretty routine Friday with lots to do but not lots of time.  I wasn't able to teach a whole lot, less than normal actually, but we were able to retrieve some more missing work and I was able to help a few more individual students get caught up.  One of my boys, the same one that drew the "nasty" picture, asked me if he could be my Godson! It melted me inside a little.  I must talk about my own Godson so much that he wants to be my other one!  He later offered to buy me chips at lunch.  I told him that was very nice of him, and in reply, he informed me that I must buy him something later! Such a sneaky little guy isn't he? He did indeed buy me a bag of chips at lunch though. 
After lunch, the students had music which I always enjoy.  The music teacher comes to our room so it's nice to be able to sit and listen to music while I'm working.   And sometimes I sing along.  The students haven't mentioned I'm a terrible singer yet so that's good.   During music, I was looking at an email my mom had sent me with some pictures and one of them had my Godson on it.  My students had been asking to see pictures of him for awhile now so after music was over, I finally showed them a picture of him and I from my graduation picture.  My hair was longer and straight and they were so shocked! Many of them gave compliments about it and the boys, naturally, were confused as to how I got my hair straight.  I told them I would show them more pictures as the year goes on if they behave!
School ended for the day and our plans were still on to go salsa dancing that night.  Once Amanda got back, we finalized the game plan and decided to stay the night at her friend's apartment so we could go to the beach the next day.   Amanda, Patricia, and I got to her place in Miami Lakes and then carefully walked across the street to the salsa club.  Well maybe it was just me walking carefully in my heels.  I'm still working on my balance in those things.  The four of us munched on our appetizer and sipped on our drinks for a little bit before it was time to dance.  I worked hard to remember everything the girls had taught me the previous night.  By the end of the night, my feet were sore but I was proud of utilizing my new dance moves! I'm not a pro by any means but I have faith that my skills will improve throughout this year if we keep going.

Saturday Sept. 24
I woke up around 8 and laid there until the girls were awake and ready.  Our plan was to hit up a mall with a Victoria's Secret for clearance swim suits before we hit the beach.  Once everyone was ready, we drove down to Miami and walked about this neat outdoor mall for the next few hours.  It was a nice area to walk around in.  I think we will definitely go back at some point!  I didn't buy anything but there were definitely lots of things that I would have liked to purchase.  I didn't need any of it though so I wasn't heartbroken about it.  We had a late lunch and then were going to hit the beach.  While we were having lunch however, it started raining heavily and was not looking like it would let up so our beach plans were ruined.  We drove a little bit through South Beach just to get a look at it.  The street we drove down was the stereotypical Miami that I imagined with all the art-deco buildings and lettering.  I am ready to go down there again soon.  There seemed to be a lot to do down there! Once we got back to Hollywood, the girls and I just hung around the apartment the rest of the afternoon.  The rainy weather was just asking for a lazy day.  We watched movies and lounged around for the rest of the afternoon.  I feel asleep on the couch around 8 and woke up about an hour later.  A few friends from Emporia called and I could hardly talk to them because I was still drowsy.  What an old lady I've become! I legitimately went to bed after I got off the phone with them.

Sunday Sept. 25
I woke up this morning around 8:30 and started to get some grading done before Mass.  The three of us went to Mass at 11 at a new parish called the Little Flower.  This one is my favorite so far and yet I can't figure out why.  I really enjoyed the readings today and one of them kind of put me in my place about wanting so much sometimes.  "Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves" (Phil. 2:4)  The homily was about international missions because the priest is from India (I think) and does mission work so he was promoting that idea.  The rest of Mass was good.  Very traditional and normal.  I might got back there again to see what his normal homilies are like.  After Mass, I got right to work with grading and lesson planning.  I spent most of my afternoon doing that until I got stir crazy and started vacuuming.  I have a feeling I'll be the one cleaning the apartment the most.  This was the first time vacuuming the apartment since we've been here so it was pretty dirty but I plan on cleaning once a week.  It bugs me when things get very dirty and they don't have to.  While vacuuming the hallway to the bathroom in my bedroom though, I discovered we have a leak in our ceiling! I walked over a damp spot on the ground and could not figure out why it was wet.  Then I looked up and saw a water mark on the ceiling and noticed that part of the ceiling had already come off.  It was probably from all the rain we had this weekend because it rained all day today as well.  We also live on the top floor by the way.  Such eventful days, I know! I've spent the remainder of my night looking at lessons, relaxing, and watching the Preacher's Wife.

A few random tid bits to finish this up:
~the Cardinals swept the Cubs this weekend (my family was there this weekend!) and they are only a game behind the Braves in order to get the Wildcard for the playoffs!
~Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jason celebrate their birthdays today! 
~Jenae and Greg got married 3 months ago!
~Christmas is in 3 months which means home!

Well my readers, I should probably finish my lessons and get some sleep in time for school tomorrow! The morning always comes fast! Just remember, it's not about you when you are at work or helping others.  It's about them!

Dancing

School was a pretty normal day.  My 3rd graders are still working with money in math and today I finally acquired some fake money so they could have something in their hands to count with.  They really enjoyed it but as with all manipulatives, I had to be mindful of their noise and excitement.  They handled it pretty well to start out but after awhile, mostly when I was with the 2nd graders working on patterns, they started getting really noisy.  Eventually they got too loud for Mrs. Lopez so they got a few yells and firm talking to by her for awhile.  It's a struggle for me to listen to that though because I know that when I was little and even now, I don't respond well or really listen to yelling so I'm sure my students don't either.  It's not my classroom though, technically, so I haven't ever said anything.

I printed off all my students' missing work today and goodness it was so much.  Yet another reason why I do not like worksheets and homework for these younger children.  It doesn't always come back! We spent a large portion of our morning getting them all caught up on missing work, trying to find it, and checking it off on their paper.  Lunch came soon enough and we did some reading in the afternoon and then kept working on their missing work.  I finally was able to do some handwriting with the 2nd graders though!! The 3rd graders had to take their assessment in writing to see where they are at so the 2nd graders and I had the room to ourselves.  Their handwriting is going okay but I really need just one-on-one time with them to work on straightening out their letters, spacing, and size.  So much work to be done! When the 3rd graders came back, I worked with a few students from each grade on math and their missing work.  One of them had at least 8 missing assignments, many from math, so we had lots of catching up to do! Some of them just didn't understand so there was some reteaching involved but like yesterday, it was nice to spend some one-on-one time with them and really break down their learning styles.  Funny moment of the day though: one of my 2nd grade girls came up to me while I working with this small group and said that one of the boys had a colored a "nasty picture" of him and another girl in our class.  My mind was going about what "nasty" means in 2nd grade world.  He willingly gave me his notebook and I opened it to the page.  This picture was of him and the other girl holding hands! I kept my laughter to myself but needless to say, I find this hilarious! It is those moments when I appreciate their innocence the most.  I kept the picture and it on the fridge at our apartment now!

The dreaded picture! He is a good color-er though! That was the highlight of my afternoon I think.  That or the fact that my student with all the missing work was actually understanding what he was doing.  His math levels are very low but he seemed to be doing better.  He is sitting by himself away from the group in class now so that he focuses better.  Fingers crossed that it works.  After school, I helped some of the 4th graders on their math during their homework help time.  I am really working towards being able to put my students in small groups to work.  Hopefully I can implement some tips I received (thanks Spider!) in the next few weeks! 

When we got back to the apartment, Patricia had to pick up a package.  I was slightly jealous because who doesn't enjoy receiving mail but when I checked our mailbox, I discovered that Amanda and I both had mail as well! I received a very uplifting card which made me feel good! I decided instead of sitting in front of the tv like normal, that I should make a phone call to a high school friend and catch up with her. We spent at least an hour on the phone just catching up and talking about our futures.  It's always good to hear from her and we relate very well so I'm glad we got a chance to chat and hopefully next time we talk, I'll have something more exciting to tell her than just school happenings.  After munching on my dinner and laying around for a bit, the girls and I decided we should plan our weekend.  Amanda has a friend that lives not too far from us, closer to Miami, and they wanted to go salsa dancing tomorrow night.  Patricia's friend's mom is coming in town so she was going to hang out with her tomorrow night therefore I was left with a decision.  In fear of looking like a hermit or Debby-Downer, I decided I should go be social and I am going...salsa dancing tomorrow night.  In order for me to attempt to fit in though, Patricia decided to give me a mini-lesson on salsa and meringue.  I'm no pro but I do have the basics down.  I had to put on my heels first and then Patricia told me how to properly walk in them.  I learned how to salsa and even do a turn! Then we all did the meringue which is just moving your feet and hips according to them.  I'll have to loosen up for that.  We did some dancing in our living room for awhile and just laughed about life.  Then I decided to bring my Kansas roots out and teach Patricia how to do the basic 2-step.  I went back and put my boots on and we did a little two-stepping.  We found some videos of the different flips that can be done and she was pretty surprised at it.  

After that, we all relaxed and I went on a hunt for my phone because I had misplaced it.  No worries that it was just underneath my notebook.  Silly me as normal.  Luckily, these roommates don't hide my things...yet.  I haven't really done too much the rest of the evening.  Tomorrow will go by fast, just like any Friday at school and then it's the weekend! We are definitely hitting up the beach this weekend.  I need to get tan again so I can come home for Christmas looking nice and bronze! 

Good night and thanks for all your uplifting comments so far! Have a blessed day tomorrow! 

I'm Already There

Yesterday was a pretty typical school day which nothing really exciting to say so I didn't write on here. I did decide to start journaling again last night though.  I forgot how much better that makes me feel. There's a lot still inside me at the end of the day that you all probably don't want or need to hear.  I tend to think a lot so putting all my thoughts down on paper or in writing is good for me.  I do wish I had a Pensieve like Dumbledore in Harry Potter where I could just take all my memories out of my head using my wand and swirl them into the bowl.  It would make my life a lot easier.

Anyway, today in school, I just could not help but think much easier it would be if I only had one grade. I know that if God brings me to it then He will bring me through it.  It is just very challenging to teach 2 grades at the same time.  I just worry some days that I'm not cut out for this position.  I like teaching, I do but I worry that my other teacher does not think I'm going to be able to pick up on it and do well.  It takes time, I know, I know.  I do enjoy the little lightbulb moments in my students eyes though sometimes.  I was able to work one on one with one of my second grade girls today because she didn't understand last night's math.  It was so nice to just sit and work with her and not talk to anyone else.  Really spend time with her and work with her learning style.  She's a sweet girl and I could see her excitement when she finally picked up on the concept.  That made my day and stress about teaching much better.  

We had a staff meeting today and the majority of it was spent talking about Facebook and technology.  One of the students got expelled this week because of some comments he made and posted on FB about St. James.  Father Pierre was very distraught by this so he sat in on our staff meeting in order to get our opinions on what to do.  They are going to have a meeting to educate all the parents of the school how to make sure their students are being safe on the Internet.  Some of the teachers wanted all the students to shut their Facebook profiles down but these students are smart so they would just make another one.  I guess students as young as first grade have them and I think that's a problem.  I don't really think that middle schoolers need them either but they have them so we just need to make sure these tweens and teens are making good decisions while they are on Facebook.  That was a very long conversation today and I know it needed to be had but none of the teachers can prevent them from having a FB.  The parents really can't either with all the technology out today unless they take away the computer or are extremely strict on them.  

After school, I was able to talk to one of my college friends, Petra, and catch up with her about teaching in the Wichita Diocese again and her little girl and husband.  She was like a big sister to me in Emporia so it was nice to hear her voice and we always related to one another very well so I was able to talk to her about some of my stresses and worries.  Her and her husband have a non-profit started in Wichita so they are also great to talk to about being down here and doing volunteer work.  After that, Patricia and I had planned on going to this meeting for the volunteer organization in our county but as I was looking on the website, I noticed that you had to register to attend the meeting beforehand.  As I finished looking, I also saw that the meeting was full.  They are serious about their volunteering!  We will make it to this orientation meeting eventually! After that realizing that, Patricia and I decided to venture to the apartment office because one of us has a package apparently.  We weren't sure if it was still open but we went on a walk to there anyway.  It was closed but as we were walking along the path of our lake, we went through the pool outside our apartment.  We took a gander at the grill and the wheels in our brains started going.  Patricia and I decided that since we had planned on being gone for an hour anyway tonight, we would grill out and make a delicious dinner for ourselves! Amanda was having dinner with one of her friends so it was just the two of us.  Patricia had been marinating some chicken breasts already so we got those out.  We brought all the supplies for that down to the grill by the pool and then our adventure to start a grill started.

We had turned on the gas, or so we thought,  Patricia kept light matches and throwing them in but it wasn't lighting.  I decided to call my friend Joel because we just could not figure it out.  I read him the directions in hopes he could tell us what we were doing wrong.  As I was reading, I realized we might have missed a step.  Turning on the gas valve that actually lets the gas go to each of the grills.  Minor detail.  Once we got that problem solved, I went back up to the apartment and made a salad for both of us.  Cut up our romaine, green and red peppers, and some avocado.  I put the dressings, some wine, glasses, and silverware in a bag and brought it all down.  I made a second trip to grab the radio and after a little unpacking, we had a nice dinner set up by the pool.  The chicken came off the grill and it was delicious.  I call Patricia the "grill master" now.  We ended up sitting, eating, and talking for the new few hours at least.  She told me she was proud of me for taking time out from my normal school work at night to do this.  I told some silly stories about myself such as clotheslining myself, camp stories, running into a door, falling into the lake as a young child, and the list could go on.  Typical stupid "Lauren" moments or as they call me now, "Amelia Bedilia".  These stories fit right in with my new name.  She got a kick out of them though and shared a few silly moments herself.  We talked about the stars and how they just aren't quite the same here.  I definitely miss the big, bright stars from Kansas.  I told her about the song from Sugarland where it says, "They say in this town, the stars stay up all night  Well I don't know, can't see them from the glow of the neon light." and about 10 minutes later, that song came on the radio.

Another song that came on the radio while we were sitting there talking was "I'm Already There" by Lonestar.  I began to smile because lately I have been feeling a bit down in the dumps about being so far away.  It had been getting to me and while there were little things that made me feel better, like hugs from my students during the day, I still just wasn't feeling myself.  My dad told me yesterday that he is counting the weeks til I come home and that made me almost cry.  A few tears probably did come down.  (It's 44 weeks by the way.)  When I heard this song by Lonestar tonight though, I realized that everyone that I miss is still with me.  They always pop up in my dreams.  I even had a dream about Camp Hyde last night that made me flash back to my last day there in July--singing 'Lean on Me' together, everyone sharing their kind remarks about me, getting thrown in the pool one last time.  It all makes me smile.  I just have to remember that the memories don't go away and neither will those people unless I push them away.  This brings me to another worry that I have sometimes.  I worry that people will forget about me while I'm down there.  It is selfish but it is something that pops into my mind occasionally.  God puts people into our lives for different amounts of time.  Sometimes, that time might be our whole life, like my wonderful family for example, but people might also only be in our lives for a short period of time.  I can't change that.  It's not always my choice how long they stay in my life.  I need to be grateful for the true people that have been given to me.  God has blessed me with lots of amazing, loving people so why do I worry about the people that might not be around when I come home? I'm not sure.

So many thoughts tonight! On a major plus side, 15 days til Julia Morgan comes to visit and about 2 months til I get to see mom, dad, and Madelyn! For those of you reading, thank you for being in my life. You shape who I am and will be.  

This post might not be too long tonight.  My wrist and hand have been bugging me for the past week and it's really intense tonight.  Enough of my complaining though, school was very up and down today.  This morning my site director, Sr. Florence, came to observe and evaluate me.  The students were very nice and asked her lots of questions, as always.  Our morning flowed pretty well but after lunch it just all seemed down hill.  They finished their quiz and then while Mrs. Lopez was teaching, I worked for an hour with one of my students on their quiz and they just were not getting it.  I don't think they wanted to get it though.  It was very frustrating.  He wasn't really trying and I can't do it all for him.  Mrs. Lopez finished with one of the grades so I took back over with them while she was with the other.  Whenever the two of us start teaching at the same time, my schedule always gets off and I can't seem to get everything done.  I started teaching math to third grade and that just became a mess.  I wish there was an easier way to be in the middle of them and have them working with me instead of me just listening.  I really am about to cave soon and buy some page protectors or something so that they can write on them and work with me instead of me staying up at the board.  Plus, I just feel so far away from them when I stand up there and write.  It was just not ideal today.  And we are learning about money so I want to make sure they are really listening and paying attention.  We hardly got through much of that lesson and then they had library and were just a mess in there.  I really thought I was going to have a breakdown by the end of the day.  I don't know what it was today but by the end of the day, I wanted nothing more than to be alone and work so I took my stuff and worked by myself in the teacher's lounge until Patricia was done with art.  I was able to get some grading done which was nice but we got back later so that kind of threw off my evening.

I finally took my car to get the oil changed and got some good reading done in a book by Dorothy Day.  I forget sometimes how much I really do enjoy reading and need to make more time for it.  Here I am in Florida, minutes away from the beach and I could just sit and read there if I wanted.  I really need to start taking advantage of it.  I'm just feeling really discontent down here and I know that it's all my choice.  I guess I just had a rough day so lots of emotion is coming out right now.  I'm going to stop while I'm ahead though and end this for the night.

"Tomorrow's another day and I'm thirsty anyway, so bring on the rain." Tomorrow's a new day; I just have to remember life isn't always going to be sunshine and glitter.  Don't worry about me!

Taste of Home

Before I get into my weekend, the article that was written about my roommates and I has finally been published! Here's the link to it: http://thefloridacatholic.org/iv/its_more_than_a_job?parent_cat_id=1903

Friday Sept. 16
Friday I woke up and finished my packing so we could leave for Orlando once I got back from school.  I had to sleep with one contact in because of the jalapeno incident from the night before.  I decided I should probably just go to school in my glasses so I burned my eye once again when I took the other one out.  I put my glasses on in the classroom and my students were so confused.  I told them to wait til after Mass for the story.  Mass is always my favorite part about Friday.  I wish they were able to have it more often but the priest is in Haiti sometimes so I'm not sure how often they are able to get the other priest to come over.  I read at Mass that morning which I enjoyed and miss doing at church sometimes.  After Mass, school went by pretty fast as normal.  I got through most everything that I wanted to.  My 3rd graders interviewed one another for grammar and they really enjoyed that.  One of my boys wanted to really get into the part so he started talking in an attempted British accent to me so I started talking in my fake accent back.   It definitely made me laugh just to have fun and be silly while they were still doing their activity.  Before school ended, we started making a contract between Mrs. Lopez, them, and myself.  We also talked about bullying and what to tell someone or do if you do not like how they are treating you.  It was an interesting conversation with them but we hadn't had that talk yet so I'm glad we did.  School finished and I went to start to clean the room as soon as I took the students to after-care.  Patricia and I left pretty close to 3:30 and got back to the apartment a little before 4.  The other two girls had to take care of some things and then we hit the road.  I got to Orlando around 8 and met Aunt Michelle at her hotel.  We hurried to put all my things in the room and then got on the bus to head to Universal.  We spent about 3 hours there total.  I got to go back to Harry Potter World again and got to walk through Dr. Suess World and take pictures with Cat in the Hat as well as Thing 1 and Thing 2.  After we rode a few more roller coasters, we caught the bus to head back to the hotel around 11:30.  We were both a little hungry though so we walked to a street that had a few restaurants and stopped to eat.  We finally got to bed around 1:30.

Saturday Sept. 17
Aunt Michelle had a few more sessions she wanted to go to so we had breakfast together and I went back up to the hotel room and laid around for a little bit longer before working on some lesson plans.  She got back a little after noon and we checked out of her room and waited in the lobby until her shuttle came to take her to the airport.  I gave her a big hug before she left.  It was so nice to see her and see someone from home.  It made me feel a little homesick when she left though because of all the conversations we had throughout the weekend.  Laura picked me up shortly after that and we went to watch her daughter Mackenzie cheer at a middle school football game.  It was neat to watch her squad cheer and I enjoyed watching a football game again even if it was middle school.  After sweating our way through that game, Laura, Mackenzie, and I went and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.  It was delicious, as always.  They always take dessert home so I got to order a piece of cheesecake and decided to get some tiramisu cheesecake for later.  We got back to their house and relaxed.  They put in the movie Rango and we ate our cheesecake.  It was so rich and creamy but completely delicious.  I am pretty sure I gained a few pounds off that one piece.  I fell asleep watching Rango though.  I don't think that I can stay awake during a movie anymore because I'm always falling asleep to movies at the apartment.  Laura woke me up and told me I could go to bed instead of staying on the couch.

Sunday Sept. 18
I had asked Laura on Saturday if she would take me to Mass or something to where I could go to Mass and she offered to go with me so her and Mackenize came to Mass with me this morning.  This was no easy task right away though.  We went to the first place I had written down for 8:30 Mass and discovered the address led us to a house.  Turns out that church has Mass at an elementary school so we went to the next closest church that had Mass at 9:15.  Well, that church has Polish Mass at that time.  I wasn't feeling all that confident about my faith or about Laura and Mackenzie going to a Polish Mass so we sat once again and tried to figure out where to try next.  Laura remembered that there was a very pretty shrine of Mary and church by Disney that her husband had mentioned before so we went to Mary, Queen of the Universe for Mass.  It was very pretty and I very much enjoyed Mass today.  It was the first time I really enjoyed Mass since moving here.  The priest's homily was great.  Reminding us that we lucky to have people that love us.  He also reminded me that it's not about us.  That even when we work harder than we are paid for, we shouldn't expect more in return or that someone else should get less.  We should work hard because we want to, not because we want to make more money.  It just made me think a lot about what I do at school and just teaching in general.  At the end of the day and sometimes back at the apartment when I'm still working on school things and my roommates are relaxing, I get selfish and think, I'm working outside school and we all receive the same amount.  I could have just been an assistant and told them I didn't want to teach and be doing the same things as them in the evening.  It put a lot into perspective for me.
We stopped in the gift shop at the shrine for a bit to look at crucifixes and then headed back to the house.  I started working on lesson plans and waited for Amanda to come pick me up because we were having company over tonight.  She didn't end up coming til around 3 so I was able to watch the Steelers pick up a win today.  It was a good game to watch.  I miss football oddly enough, even though ESU never won much.  Amanda and I booked it back to Miami because we were supposed to have alumni over at 5:00ish and it takes 3 hours to get back.  I did lesson plans the whole way back and knocked at least half of them out.  We got back and were able to relax finally.  We talked and had dinner with three of the alumni that live in the area and Sr. Florence, our site director.  It was nice to just relax and talk with others that have done this before.  It's very comforting to hear that all the stress will go away and that it will be rewarding at the end.  We had a nice dinner and some dessert and after much talking, they headed back to their own places.  We cleaned up and Amanda and I finished unpacking the car.  It seems like the days, or evenings at least, go faster and faster.  I'm not sure where the time is going.  I'm not really doing anything all that exciting to take up all the time.  Maybe this week I will leave the apartment for something that isn't school or grocery shopping.  Fingers crossed I also make time to work out a few times.  Goodness, my life is so exciting down here.

Well, those lesson plans won't finish themselves so I must get back to them! Time to tackle another week at school! Have a wonderful start to your week everyone!

Amelia Bedelia and the Eventful School Day

Yesterday was a pretty normal school day.  My students were mildly chaotic.  We got through as many lessons as we could.  We made our own definition for listening and agreed to work on our listening with our eyes and ears.  One of my students accidentally colored his teeth blue. Normal second and third happenings.

Today though, today was more exciting then I had planned.  We got to school and had put my handout for math on my flashdrive.  When I plugged it in though, it would not open my document because I hadn't saved it on the compatibility mode on my Macbook Pro.  Silly me.  Luckily, Amanda doesn't have service til 9 so she emailed it to me.  I tried to open it at school and it still wasn't working.  I decided to let it go for a little bit and get on with the morning.  We had a small break at French so I decided to slip into the computer lab and see if the newer computers would work.  Thank goodness Ms. Wheatly, our assistant principal and technology teacher, was in there because she has had the same situation and was able to open it for me and I got it all printed off! She also complimented me on my idea and offered to get me manipulatives if I need any! That made me feel good! I got back to the classroom and we did our grammar lessons over questions for third grade and exclamations for second.  The third graders are going to act like reporters tomorrow and interview one another.  I'm mildly excited for this! Hopefully they can handle it.

After lunch, we finished grammar up and Mrs. Lopez decided we needed to have a dance party so we listened and danced to the Cha-Cha Slide.  I must say, I have not laughed that hard at school yet and there have been some pretty funny moments.  We all just had a lot of fun with it and it got a little bit of their energy out! After all that fun, it was time to settle down for math.  The second graders were supposed to be doing their math review stations and it started out fine but we have been having to work on their voice level and sadly, their voices got too loud so we had to stop.  They were in stations and grouped in different spots around "2nd grade world" as we call which they really enjoyed.  We might try again tomorrow.  Third grade was working on money in math today.  It started out fine.  They actually pulled all their chairs around me and I just put a white board on my lap so they all could see what I was writing but then it got a little out of control.  I realize as an elementary teacher, you have no personal boundaries and I'm normally content with that.  They like to hold my hand, grab my Nalgene for me, but mostly, they really enjoy touching my hair.  This is not just the girls.  They all touch it, play with it, pull the curls, pet it, whatever they think of.  Well during math, I had way too many hands in my hair and it became very distracting so I asked them to stop.  Then they started having this conversation about my hair and how they all liked it and it's so pretty but my favorite comment was from one of my boys.  He looks me straight in the face and says, "But Ms. Halstead, it's like golden waves. It's just so pretty!" I could not help but laugh because his compliment was so sincere and I'm sure there was more detail to it but I can't remember anymore.  I just had to laugh and let go of my frustration at that moment.

We finished math up and I went back to second grade to start social studies when I hear a thud in the back of the "U".  I look back and see one of my boys crying.  Something to the effect of him getting told to jump off a chair and then one of the girls next to him pulling the chair out from under him so he hit his head on the bookshelf behind him happened.  My first real accident in the classroom so I was a bit nervous.  I was supposed to be teaching so thank goodness Mrs. Lopez took them both downstairs so that I could continue teaching.  Naturally my students were distracted for the rest of the time but I eventually reeled them back in.

I thought I could get through the last hour of school without anymore problems but I was wrong sadly.  One of my other students had said a cuss word, and my least favorite one at that, to another student in the room.  It was right before they were supposed to go home so Mrs. Lopez and I will have to take care of that in the morning.  We finally made it to the end of the day though! Nothing terrible today but there were definitely some new situations that I knew would happen eventually.  After school, Julissa and I reflected on our day and week.  She said she really liked my math stations but also respected me when I told them they were too loud and paused the activity for another day.

Patricia and I got back to the apartment and I had to get my oil changed so we ventured to Walmart.  We arrived to the correct Walmart and I was told they could not change it because they do not have the right oil.  I was a little worried when they said that because Walmart has changed my oil since I started at Emporia! So sorry Dad, that will have to get done next week.  I won't be driving at all this weekend though.  Patricia wanted to get a few things while we were there so we wandered around.  It brought me back to Emporia and the many times my friends and I would just roam the aisles because we were bored.  To spice up this trip though, we saw the Coca Cola polar bear! No, I did not take a picture with him although I did have a small desire too.  I just laughed to myself about it.  We got back to the apartment and the evening was pretty calm until I had an "Amelia Bedelia" moment as my roommates are starting to call them and me.  We are having company on Sunday night, Sr. Florence, our site director from CVIF, and a few alumni, for dinner so Amanda and I were prepping food ahead of time since we will be gone this weekend.  I chopped up the peppers, garlic, and jalapenos.  I washed my hands and thought I was fine.  I called home because I needed their advice when I made the worst decision of my whole day! I touched my hands to my eyes.  Next thing I know, my eyes have this deep burning sensation.  Random words of pain (all appropriate I promise!) are coming out of my mouth and my mom and Madelyn become confused on the other end.  I am explaining to them and my roommates what I did.  Patricia fills a bowl with water and tells me to put my eyes in it and start blinking.  Keep in mind I am still on the phone.  My mom says to call back when I have things under control.  I continuously dip my face in the water and keep blinking.  Amanda and Patricia are laughing at me so I start laughing.  The water starts overflowing and my hair starts getting wet.  After several minutes of this ordeal, the burning finally starts to subside.  I wipe my face off and breathe a little.  The girls will probably never let me chop jalapenos again.  Lesson learned.  I call my family back and we finish our conversation.

This day was much more exciting than what I had anticipated when I dragged (dragged or drug?) myself out of bed this morning.  Also, I ate a whole cantaloupe today.  I used to not even like cantaloupe but Florida has now changed my mind about it! Tomorrow will probably go fast like any Friday at school with Mass, music, computers, pizza for lunch, and a few quizzes.  After school I am headed to go see Aunt Michelle in Orlando! I cannot wait to see her and then I will stay with Laura (Uncle John Kriegisch's sister) and her family on Saturday.  Sunday will be here before I know it.  While I am thinking about life going by fast, I believe my plane flight is booked for Christmas! I'm singing the song already! "I'll be home for Christmas.  You can count on me.  I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams." But the fabulous part is, I really will be back in Kansas!

Well, I guess I was mildly talkative tonight.  I will update as much as I can this weekend! Good night and peaceful dreams.  I love you.

Homework

Today was picture day so I put a little eyeliner and mascara on to look somewhat decent for this picture and of course, some of my students are so confused.  One of my boys refused to look at me for a solid 5 minutes until we had to do the Pledge of Allegiance.  Another boy said I looked like I had stayed up all night watching movies because I had black stuff around my eyes.  I love how honest they are sometimes! It made me laugh so much!

Overall, they were not as chatty as yesterday which is good.  I got through Math and Grammar thank goodness! No handwriting lesson but that's okay.  Mrs. Lopez made a schedule with our minutes from the Archdiocese and didn't put handwriting everyday so I guess it's okay to not teach it everyday although I'd like to.  I still need to make more time for Social Studies.  I always feel so bad for that subject because it's the first to go in terms of time but it's really a fun subject to teach! We made it through the day and no one died or hurt themselves so that's another successful day in my books!

After school, I went by Target and picked up the Lady Antebellum CD.  For all you country fans, go get it! It was only $8 at Target! If you don't like country, get it anyway.  After that, Patricia and I had what we thought was going to be a 3 hour long Virtus training.  Virtus is a program required to make sure we act properly around children and vulnerable adults.  We got there and about 30 minutes in, we heard the priest say he was calling 911.  Naturally we all turned around to see what was going on.  His mom was there and I guess she started not responding and then the left side of her face started sagging and saliva was coming out of her mouth.  He also mentioned that her arms went in the air.  When the EMTs arrived, they mentioned that she might have had a stroke.  We all left and rescheduled the training.  I was very sad to be leaving the training due to this circumstance so please same some prayers for this 83 year old lady and her son!

I have spent the rest of my evening grading papers and have been in a mental battle about homework since I started school.  We were told that they need to have no more than 45 minutes of homework each night.  The parents expect lots of homework and want more for their students to do if we don't give enough.  At ESU and after student teaching, I have realized that giving students too much homework can be overkill.  If you can accomplish and achieve the skill in class, I don't see a need to drill it in even more that night with a bookbag load of homework.  Especially with my 2nd and 3rd graders.  Sometimes their bookbags are too heavy for my liking and I know that part of the time it's my fault.  I am working really hard to get as much done in class as possible so they don't have to take much home.  And then there is the selfish part of me that does not like taking home the large amounts of paper constantly and then having to sit and grade it each night.  I used to like grading because it was easy but now I am just a little bit tired of it! It's time to change up my teaching and make sure that these students are hurting their backs already.  They are only 7-9 years old and need to enjoy being a child while they still can! In 5th grade, they did tons of in-class work for a grade; we always got our lesson done and I am pretty sure they all made it to 6th grade so it can be done! Now I'm just trying to talk myself into it. 

Well, the week is almost halfway over.  I get paid on Thursday. I get to see my Aunt Michelle on Friday and stay in the hotel with her for a night! I would like to deep clean the apartment sometime this week but we will see if that happens.  There's a lot of things I would like to do and maybe once I get a good handle on teaching then they will happen.  One of these days.

I better not stay up too late again.  Sister Kathleen told me I look tired today and I was pretty awake at the end of the day.  Good night and think good thoughts for the lady at my training earlier please!

Case of the Mondays

After a semi-late night and early morning, I started another week at school.  I got to school and checked my mailbox when I signed in.  To my pleasant surprise, there were a bunch of ads in there! We had joked with the sisters about taking their ads from their Sunday paper for the coupons and they remembered and put them in my box! I shouted, "best mailbox present ever!" and Patricia and Sr. Stephanie laughed.  My students extremely chatty today.  More so than last week.  We had to practice walking in the hallway again as well as lining up.  It was not a pleasant morning for them.  We made it to lunch though and here comes my funny story of the day! I went to go throw some trash away and walked past the preschoolers.  A few of them put their arms out to get a hug so I bent down and hugged them at their chairs.  One of them was the sister of one of my students and the other was a little boy that our assistant principal watches after school.  As I was giving him a hug though, he turned his head and gave me a kiss on the cheek! He was just so stinking cute! It made my day much better or at least my morning.  After lunch, my students were pretty much the same as the morning.  Constant talking and just not listening.  I only taught math to the 3rd graders.  I didn't even get to teach 2nd grade.  I feel so awful having to give them homework when I haven't gone over it but the school wants them to have a certain amount every night so I can't affect it.  We went to the library and they talked pretty much the whole time.  They had to practice walking in the hallway again afterwards.  I tried cutting them a deal and offering an incentive if they stay quiet and in line but that went out the window pretty fast.  I was embarrassed for them because I don't know what is going on if this behavior keeps happening.  Is it just a bad case of the Mondays today? Will tomorrow be better? My site director, Sr. Florence, is coming next Monday so I really hope this behavior is gone by then.  By the end of the day, I was wiped out.  It was the first day I had walked away with a headache from school.  I was dozing off as Patricia drove back and had planned on lying down for about 30 minutes but ended up sleeping for at least 2 hours.   I woke up and ate some dinner around 7 and then went to Target to get a few things.

I have my fingers crossed that tomorrow is much better.  It's a new day and it is also picture day! I just realized that means more chaos...darn it.  Well, I guess I am slowly but surely getting used to the life of a teacher.  One of these days I will get the hang of it.  Until then, I will just truck along and remember that God has me down here for a reason.  I still enjoy teaching but not everyday is going to be perfect or super exciting so I have to keep that in mind.

Almost bed time but as Patricia said earlier tonight, "It's almost Christmas!" I don't really think it's almost Christmas but I have a feeling these next few months until then will fly by.

Sept. 11 Weekend

Friday Sept. 9


On Friday, the school had a prayer service to remember 9/11 to start our day.  I had planned on teaching my students a little about the day at the end of the day.  In the morning though, they were very chatty and not listening their best which was disappointing.  The music teacher had to end early because they were talking so much.  Once the afternoon came, I started to teach them about what happened 10 years ago.  My students were born at least 2 years after it had happened so they really had no idea what happened.  I tried my best to talk very gently about what happened that day.  I told them lots of people died and the people who did it did not like some of the things we did here in America.  My students asked lots of questions.  Their faces, when I showed them a few pictures, were in such shock.  Many wanted to know but I told them they could not know everything right now.  That it was still too scary for them.  I showed them pictures of the smoke in the sky and they could not believe it.  We had planned to write letters to soldiers but time slipped away so we are going to do that on Monday.  I told them they are very safe here and there are people working everyday to make sure they are safe.  It brought me chills while I was doing that.  Looking at the pictures for myself, the timeline of events, going back to where I was on that day, lots of emotion came back to me.  The day ended though and Patricia and I went over to the sisters' house to meet Sr. Florence, our site director from CVIF.  She is also in Sisters of St. Joseph and was staying with them for the weekend.  She was taking the extra furniture so we were checking on that.  The five of us ended up going out for dinner at a very delicious Italian restaurant.  I had some stromboli and it was savory! My mind went back to school lunch at SEAS.  When Patricia and I went back to the apartment,  the 3 of us watched movies and crashed for the night.

Saturday Sept. 10


I woke up a little before 8 and worked out to start my morning. I graded and started watching the various 9/11 coverage on tv.  I finally moved from the couch, showered, and decided to straighten my hair for the first time in a month.  Once I finished, I realized how long my bangs were and how long it takes to do that sometimes. I did feel good about it but I didn't leave the apartment that day so the humidity didn't have a chance to ruin it! I graded the rest of the day and did some laundry.  I looked up a few volunteer projects in the area for 9/11 so we weren't just sitting at the apartment all day.  Patricia went to a friend's birthday and Amanda went to meet a friend down in Miami for a little bit.  She came back and we watched a movie and ate some ice cream.  I talked to my Aunt Michelle though and ironed out plans for seeing her this coming weekend! I'm so excited!

Sunday Sept. 11


I woke up this morning a little before 8 and started watching the 9/11 Memorial Service on CNN from New York.  It was very sad and I had to take breaks from it but it was also very soothing to see so many people gathered together.  The memorial built looked very nice and I hope the families find comfort in it. Amanda and I went to the volunteer project about 15 minutes away with about 200 other people there.  They had outside projects for the various companies that donated money to the weekend and then the regular community did projects inside the elementary school.  We made sandwiches for the local food kitchen, wrote letters to soldiers, and lots of other little things in the classrooms.  There wasn't as much planned as we had thought because it was going til 4 and we had visited all the rooms by 2 so we left and came back to the apartment.  I have been working on lessons and updating this, of course.  We are going to Mass at 6 at St. Bernadette's and I'm really hoping that this parish is a little more faith-filled than the last one.  Hopefully I will update after Mass.  I really need some time with Jesus though.  I have a lot going through my head today so hopefully sitting in Mass will help clear my head.

After Mass

Okay so the girls and I went to Mass and it was better than the first church Amanda and I went to in Hollywood.  They had a nice memorial presentation for 9/11 with some of their students.  It still felt a little dead but terrible.  I don't think it is "the one" in terms of churches that I would want to call home.  I still might call about their young adult program because we didn't see anything about it in their church bulletin. I found out the adoration chapel is attached to the rectory which is why I couldn't get into the church earlier in the week.  I won't cross it off the list yet but I still plan on looking at a few more.  

I hope you did something to remember everything that happened 10 years ago.  I can't help but wonder where everyone was and what they were doing.  I was only in 7th grade, sitting in class (religion I think) listening to Mr. Lyall when one of the teachers came in and told him what happened.  After school, mom had to go get gas and the lines were extremely long! Mom legitimately needed gas though but that's when I learned about how the gas and oil industry worked.  I was very scared for the next several weeks.  I couldn't really grasp it.  I slept on my parents floor I'm pretty sure because I kept having nightmares.  Mom, Jenae, and I made flag pins with safety pins and beads for a lot of people.

Anyway, that's what I remember but I know that I typed it on my parents' computer right after it happened so I'm sure there's a more accurate memory at home somewhere.  Regardless, I hope you say thank you in some way today and everyday for still being on this Earth with the people you love.

"Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us and the greatest is love." ~Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning by Alan Jackson

Daily Thoughts

Funny story to start school off right away today: one of my 2nd grade girls came up to me before Mass this morning, gave me the video Marmaduke, and said, "Here Ms. Halstead. You can watch this tomorrow!" I looked at her, chuckled a little, and replied, "I don't know what you are doing tomorrow but I'm coming to school silly girl!" She just insisted I watch it tomorrow so I took it and told her to get ready for Mass.  My kids are so funny!

We had All-School Mass again today and I struggle with a few things that go on during church like none of the students genuflecting going into the pews or doing the sign of the cross the correct way but one part that is extremely different for me is the priest asks all the students to come up to the altar with him.  Oh my it makes me nervous.  I'm not even sure if they are paying attention when they are up there.  Then my thoughts went back to the middle schoolers and what they were thinking about while they were up there.  Notice that I was not even focusing on the fact that I was about receive Jesus.  So many thoughts during Mass today.  I also started thinking about my prayer life and how it hasn't been as strong lately.  I need to get back into a schedule of adoration and/or daily Mass.

The school day was a little hectic since Mass was today and not on Friday like normal but it is/was Mary's birthday so we celebrated today.  One of my students, she is actually my magnet, celebrated her birthday today and at that moment, I started to develop a love/hate relationship for birthdays at school. Love because it's a birthday and who doesn't love birthdays but dislike (hate is a really strong word that I actually try not to use ever) because boy were our kiddos wired after that cake she brought.  They also became very ungrateful.  I made them wait until she had her cake, was sang to, and had the first bite.  The rest of the class was not too pleased but they did it.  We had the cake at the end of the day thank goodness otherwise the day would have been finished.  There is no recovering after small children eat cake.

After school, I had been wanting to go to one of the churches I looked up so I went to go find the church as well as go to the library close to try and find some 9/11 books for my students.  I went to the library and they were able to hold the books for me but I had to go get proof of residency in order to get my library card.  I left the library and decided to go try and find St. Bernadette's and sit in adoration for a bit. I found the church and school but the church was locked and I could not find the adoration chapel.  I was very distraught because I had been looking forward to some Jesus-Lauren time but I guess that has to wait for another day.  I got back to the apartment, made myself a salad and then realized I should probably go back to the library to finish getting my library card.  I got there and the lady wasn't the kindest to me but I got my card and books regardless.  I stopped by this cart of children's books on my way out though and was talking to this lady who was looking at books for her grandkids.  She teaches English at one of the local colleges here and I told her I was teaching 2nd and 3rd grade.  We were talking and then a group of women about this lady's age walk out of a room next to me.  One of the ladies verifies that the lady I was talking to teaches English and informed us that she teaches ESL (english as a secondary language).  The women and eventually a man start talking and turns out they are all from the same area in New Jersey! One of the women that came from the room dated the cousin of the lady I had been talking to originally.  I just thought it was all so neat and beautiful how small the world can be sometimes.

After the library, I got on Skype and am currently talking with Julia.  We are both kind of lonely sometimes, she in Olathe doing rotations for her sono program in Hays, and me here in FL so we just sit on Skype some nights so it feels like we have company.  And I forgot to mention yesterday that I am getting a visitor in October! My other friend from Carroll, Julia Morgan, is coming down for about 5 days to visit me! I am so excited!!! She also went to ESU for a little bit and we became very close while she was there.

Early Effects

I think I am starting to get a sense of what the norm will be at school.  That would always hoping to get through four lessons with each grade but not quite succeeding, especially when I have something a little more exciting like using rulers planned.  The 2nd graders were going to make their own number lines today so they needed the rulers to complete those and the 3rd graders were using them to make a place value chart for math.  Both grades acted as if they had never been allowed to use the rulers before.  They went crazy! It took quite some time to get through math today due to this excitement.   I am going to have to work very hard with both classes on how you act when we pull out manipulatives or anything besides a pencil really.  I know that these are all new things for them to use and I hope to continue doing hands-on lessons so I know I will have to train them early on how to act so later, lessons will go smoother.

On the topic of training people early, we had a staff meeting this afternoon and Sister Kathy told us how she had this very sad realization with the middle schoolers.  She had asked how many of them went to Mass on Sunday and out of the 18 that were Catholic in the room, only 4 had gone to Mass on Sunday.  She then assigned them a page to read and asked their parents to sign something saying they had talked about going to church, whatever church they go to.  She only received 4 papers back.  One of the parents told their they didn't want to talk about it and dropped the subject.  This whole story made my heart so sad.  My mind started going about why these middle schoolers and their parents don't come to church.  I realize that many people do not go to church and this post is not meant to make those people feel guilty but I do not want these middle schoolers to lose their faith so early.  As a teacher, young adult, former middle schooler, etc. I just think of where I was at in middle school and where I am today.  In 8th grade, my class was a mess.  We almost got our promotion taken away, caused lots of problems, and acted like middle schoolers.  I don't really think I was super into God but I liked going to Mass.  I liked being in a Catholic school, or at least enough to want to go to a Catholic high school.  But from how Sister described the talk she had with the middle schoolers, they do not care.  They do not care that their parents pay thousands to send them to St. James.  They do not see how God is affecting their lives at this moment.  I am sure that some of them have experienced far worse in their lives than I have or might ever will.  Maybe they don't care about God because of a bad experience or maybe they just don't know God.    I think that everyone has a point like that some time in their life.  A moment or period of time where they felt far from God or anything positive.  I just wonder if these students' parents felt far from God and even though they want them at a Catholic school, they do not want them to really have concern for their relationship with God.  What children learn at home is such a strong foundation for when they come to school as well as later in life.

The wheels in my mind started rolling as Sister was talking about what those kids think about during Mass and all sorts of things.  To make a long rant short, I am kind of wanting to talk to those middle schoolers and just see where they are coming from if the sisters were to let me.  Maybe we could do a lock-in with them or something that is not too overwhelming for them but incorporates their faith as well as fun.  It's just been on my mind all day.  I don't want this middle schoolers to be crazy God people but I want them to realize that they are only here because someone died for them.  If they don't care now, then when will they care? So many questions, I know but I feel like if I don't care, then who will? If not me then who?

Well this post is getting deep and my mind is not quite as sharp as it was when I started it.  This might continue tomorrow but it's really tugging at me.  If you could think some good thoughts or prayers, whatever it is you do tonight for these middle schoolers and anyone that is lost that they find their way.  If that is you, I hope that things become clearer for you. Good night, peaceful thoughts, and sweet dreams.

~Lauren

Making Friends

School today kept me on my toes.  The morning was fine because I do not teach at all but after lunch it was go-time for both classes.  We got through 3 of the 4 subjects I teach today which is an accomplishment most days.  I told them about my adventure this weekend and how I decided to go on the roller coasters for grammar.  We were learning the meaning of different punctuation marks so I talked to them about all the different emotions and questions I had going through my head.  They seemed to enjoy it.  I even drew them a picture which they thought was crazy.  These students are so easily entertained; I will be using that to my advantage this year!
After school I went and did some grocery shopping.  I went to a different grocery store and picked up lots more produce for a much cheaper cost! Thank goodness! This evening I have been grading papers so my roommates can finally have the living room back! This week I am hoping to get out of the apartment a few days at least so I can possibly meet some new people.  I want to go look at a church not too far from here that has a Young Adult ministry in hopes of meeting some people.  I forget how hard it is to make new friends sometimes.  I know I just have to get involved in things that interest me but it seems different this time.  Making friends here seems like more of a challenge than college because I really don't know how to meet people my age I guess.  I feel like I'm at an awkward age right now because I'm newly-graduated but still fairly young and to put icing on the cake, in a city I know nothing about.  I'm trying to figure out and brainstorm ways of how to meet people in case St. Bernadette's, the church, does not pan out.

Thank goodness for friends back home because otherwise I don't think life would be the same down here.  I know I am always wanting to talk to someone from home, especially when I'm bored! Thanks for listening to me constantly, even when I have nothing important to say. Love you all!

Harry Potter and Universal Studios

Friday

After school was over on Friday, I left as fast as I could so I could get over to Naples to pick up the guys: Andy, Brian, and Doug.  I didn't speed though so don't let that sentence fool you.  There were so many cops on I-75 I didn't even think about it.  We packed up my car with their food and bags and were on our way.  Andy was the navigator and the 3 of them provided the comedy for pretty much the entire trip.  Brian is Andy's roommate and Doug is a friend from law school.  They kept the drive fun and comical.  My funny/awkward moment of that drive though was our stop at the gas station so I could go to the bathroom.  I went inside the gas station and noticed that someone was in the bathroom so I was waiting patiently for my turn.  When the door opened to the girls bathroom, a guy came out.  He looked at me so confused but my face was probably worse.  I went in and of course, the seat was up and just kind of laughed to myself.  After I got back to the car, him and his friends were a little bit in front of me and they were laughing and looking at me awkwardly.  Needless to say, I told the boys once they were all back in the car.  We got to the guys' hotel that they only had to pay $9 a night for and then decided to go on what ended up being a long excursion.  We wanted to go to this big music store because all 3 of them play guitar but ended up missing that turn so then Andy decided we should go the City Walk that is inside the Universal Studios park.  Their hotel was only 10 minutes away so it was a quick drive.  We were having a hard time trying to figure out how to get into the parking garage.  We ended up missing the turn and after a few other wrong turns, ended back up on I-4 in the complete opposite direction!  There wasn't an exit for a good 10 miles so by the time we got off, we were pretty much at Downtown Disney. I got off and turned around though.  Eventually, the four of us made it back to Universal and found the correct way to get into the parking garage. We only paid $3 for parking and then were able to walk around and look at all the different shops and restaurants in the area.  The four of us stopped in to an Irish restaurant/bar and hung out for a little bit, had a drink, and then decided to go back and get some sleep.  I stayed at another volunteer's house, Marissa, who was coming with us to the park the next two days.

Saturday


We woke up bright and early so we could get to Island of Adventures right when it opened.  Marissa and I picked up the boys from the hotel and were on our way.  We learned our lesson from the night before and got into the parking garage on the first time.  Once everyone had their tickets, we made our way into Island of Adventures.  The guys were all about riding all the roller coasters, Marissa doesn't ride them, and I hadn't made up my mind quite yet.  We approached the Hulk roller coaster and I was starting to feel a little uneasy.  The guys had told me I had to ride them but I was not a big fan of heights or putting my faith into lots of steel.  After much peer pressure, they talked me into it.  I was feeling very nervous and shaky to say the least.  The wait was only 5 minutes though so I didn't have time to think about it.  Before I knew it, it was our turn to hop on.  My goal was to open my eyes for at least part of it.  We shot off, did some loops, and all that other roller coaster stuff where you go at lightening speed and then it was over!  I was so proud of myself when I was done! I screamed, naturally, but I was alive and in one piece so I didn't care.  The four of us looked at each other and then due to peer pressure once again, we went a second time and I kept my eyes open the whole time for it!  I became a roller coaster-riding fiend for the rest of the trip! I went on every coaster with them after that! Marissa waited for us every time we went on one that day which I was very appreciative of.  Once we finished the Hulk, it was time for the moment I'd been waiting for--Harry Potter World! We walked through Jurassic Park and I could see Hogwarts in the distance.  We came up to the Hogsmeade sign (a little town that the characters visit frequently in the book) and I knew my dream was about to come true! I stood in awe of Hogwarts and the small town of snow-covered buildings.  After a few pictures, we entered in and decided to hit up the rides immediately.  The authentic Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride was great.  Although it was an hour wait,  I didn't expect anything less.  Once the line went inside the castle, I became even more excited.  They decorated the castle very well; from moving pictures, to the Pensieve, Triwizard Cup, and House decorations as well as holograms of the characters, everything was very true to the books.  I was extremely impressed.  The ride was very realistic as well.  You were simulated to be riding on a broom through this wild adventure where we escaped a dragon and dementors, went through the Forbidden Forest, and even played a little Quidditch.  Needless to say, the creators of the ride did their homework.  We hung out in Hogsmeade for the rest of the morning and had a little Butterbeer as well.  Butterbeer is a drink in Harry Potter that tastes like butterscotch and definitely gives you your sugar intake for the day.  It was delicious though.  We went and watched a want demonstration and then the boys and I rode two more rollercoasters.  We left HP World and went to Jurassic Park to go on a water ride.  The 5 of us got drenched with water but it was a blast.  It was lunch time after that so we walked back to the car, ate some sandwiches, and waited for our 2nd wind to kick in.  We continued on with our afternoon.  We went on another water ride, a Spiderman simulator, and the boys and I did the big tower drop! There was a water ride that was shut down while we were waiting in line but that's okay.  Better safe than sorry we decided.  After finishing up our rides and shows for the day, we decided to go eat at Margaritaville for dinner at the City Walk.  There was live music and the food was delicious.  The 5 of us were tuckered out so it was nice to relax and just enjoy the atmosphere outside.  We left the park around 8:30 or 9 I believe and mapped out our plan for Sunday.  Marissa and I got back to her place and stayed up for little bit to talk with Nicole, one of the other volunteers but then I went to bed.

Sunday
We woke up and went to Mass at 7 so we could get to the park when it opened again.  After Mass though, we stopped and ate breakfast at the world's biggest McDonald's! It had a fancy menu with pastas, nice sandwiches, and desserts.  There was a large upstairs arcade and big room reserved for birthdays I'm sure.  After taking a look around there, we went back to the hotel, changed to head to the park, and packed the car.  Just like Saturday, the guys wanted to hit up the roller coasters immediately.  I was not convinced about the roller coaster they were trying to convince me to go on this time though.  The Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster had music for each passenger to listen to but it also took you up at a 90 degree angle.  I kept looking at it and once again, caved in to peer pressure.  My stomach was knotting up even though I had gone on them all day yesterday.  We got on, I picked my song (Livin' in Fast Forward by Kenny Chesney) and shut my eyes once we started going up.  I opened my eyes right when we got to the top and shot down.  Screaming commenced and we were rocketing through.  By the end, I was proud of myself for doing it.  We went a second time and I kept my eyes open the whole time while jamming out to "I Will Survive".  I found it fitting.  The 5 of us went and watched Shrek 4-D and then staked out to take a picture with Alex and the penguins from Madagascar.  The Blues Brothers graced us with a performance in the street and then we rode an indoor roller coaster to escape the Mummy!  I demolished some aliens at the Men in Black ride and went on a simulated roller coaster ride with the Simpsons.  To complete the day, Andy decided we had to ride the Rockit one last time so off we went.  I jammed out to "Stronger" by Kanye West this time and even put my hands in the air a few times! We left the park a little after 3 so the guys and I could get back to Naples at a decent hour.  I gave Marissa a hug and we headed out.  We got back to Naples a little before 8.  I hung around, said my "thank you"s for letting me come and hit the road to get back to Hollywood.  I crashed pretty fast once I got back last night.

Today/Monday
I slept in til 11 today! That is not like me at all but I guess I was more exhausted than I had thought.  I stayed in my pajamas for a little while and then decided it was time to get down to business with lesson planning.  That has been the bulk of my day.  I also looked up a church that I am going to try to go by this week.  They have a young adult program so that really interests me.  I've just been feeling this gap due to not having a permanent church to go to.  I can just tell that my faith life hasn't been where it should be so I really need to start focusing on that.

Below: Doug, myself, the conductor, Marissa, Andy, and Brian in front of the Hogwarts Express!

Me with my first Butterbeer!!  So tasty!

Our last group shot with the Madagascar characters!

I feel so grateful to have had the chance to go on this trip and am realizing more and more that God has great things planned for this year.  I love you all!

School is starting to become a lot smoother.  I was so exhausted last night that I didn't really work on any lessons but I knew what I wanted to do with both classes today.  The morning went by fine.  Julissa did reading and other little things with them.  I honestly couldn't even tell you what happened this morning come to think of it.  That's a problem.  The AR program is finally up and running so students started taking their tests.  That was a flashback to grade school at SEAS. I started math with the 2nd grade before lunch and we were working on strategies/game plans for adding with 4 addends.  They think they are smart cookies for being able to add four numbers together--it's great! We got to lunch and I just want you all to know that I really enjoy school lunch some days.  Today was definitely a day where I felt like a child because we had chicken nuggets, mac n' cheese, broccoli, and mandarin oranges plus milk, of course! I thought about chicken ring things at SEAS and my favorite lunches from there and today's might have been my favorite at St. James so far.  I was so excited when I walked in the lunch room and saw our lunch for the day! After lunch we made a surprise mini-field trip to the sisters' house.  Sister Kathy decided she would take our class to their chapel and they were so well-behaved and respectful while they were in there! We talked about the tabernacle, having Jesus inside of us, and then sang some praise and worship songs.  It makes my heart so warm that they know so many songs and sing along.  They don't always know the songs perfect and that sometimes makes me laugh a little but the fact that they are participating and want to is so wonderful to me.  Sr. Kathy did a great job with them.

After our little excursion through their house, we had to get back to the classroom.  After I finished math with the 2nd grade, we did a whole group lesson for grammar.  The students each had a partner and they were to write a short story using complete sentences.  We have been working on what we need to write a complete sentence all week so this was a little more exciting way to practice.  After the partners wrote their story, they switched with another set and had to color code each sentence to make sure they was a subject, verb, and punctuation.  It took a little while for them to get the hang of it but I really think they enjoyed being able to move around in the classroom and not have to work out of a textbook.  I am slowly but surely breaking them of the habit to not pull out their book whenever I start to teach.  After I finished that lesson, I did math with the 3rd graders and we worked with Base 10 blocks and are working towards expanded form.  They have been struggling a little with it which surprises me but hopefully after today's lesson, it made more sense.  They had paper Base 10 blocks they could take home so I hope that helps them.  The end of school is always mass chaos.  Hopefully it gets better soon!

I stayed after to hunt down our technology teacher/assistant principal to figure out how to upload my lessons onto their online system they use and also got to hang out with the little preschool boy she watches after school.  He was such a cute kid and shared his cheese with us even! I stopped by Target on the way back to the apartment and then picked up the box my parents had sent me.  I'm sure you are thinking, "just what she needed, more stuff!" but some of it was things I had left at home so I was really wanting that box! The rest of the night has been spent packing for Orlando!!!  I am leaving after school tomorrow to go to Naples to pick up the 4 guys and then we will head up to Orlando together.  I am soo very excited! I was looking it up online and think I might actually go on some roller coasters this weekend.  I'm normally not a roller coaster rider but I figure I should probably try at least once.  That bag is pretty much packed so I can go straight there after school.  I also did a little unpacking...guilty I know. I still have laundry baskets full of things so I started attempting to organize some of it! I also finally put the fitted sheet on my bed. I had just been sleeping on the mattress with a sheet that I didn't really use.  Oh well.

Well it is past my bedtime! I am not sure if I will have time to write on here this weekend just so you are aware.  I hope my Godson had a happy 4th birthday! I will update you when I can with Harry Potter and Universal info! Harry Potter...this Kansas girl is headed you way!!

Good night and I love you all!