Lazy Days

So school on Thursday and Friday was quite typical.  My students took two tests on Thursday.  What a mean teacher of me, I know.  We worked on how to act during test time and they don't really grasp why they have to stay quite during a test.  They think it's silly that they cannot talk to their neighbors and ask questions.  When I or Mrs. Lopez explains, they just sit there and laugh.  I can't help but wonder if that's what I was like when my teachers told me the same or if I listened and understood.  On Friday, we had Mass which I enjoyed as always and then went on with our crazy day.  I couldn't even tell you what we did though.  They had their typical reading and spelling tests.  Julissa talked to them about something for an hour and then it was time for lunch! Afternoons on Fridays are full of specials so the afternoon went by quickly as well.  I was ready for the evening went St. Louis was going to play for the World Series! I had stayed up late the night before because the game went into extra innings and it was such a good game that I could not turn it off!
I took a nap before the game came on so I could be ready to stay up late again.  Amanda went to Tampa for the weekend to see her dad and boyfriend and Patricia was out with her friend celebrating Halloween so I had the apartment to myself pretty much the whole weekend.  The Cardinals won the game and the Series on Friday so I was jumping alone in all my excitement.  My family and I had been Skyping during the game so I suppose I wasn't totally alone.  Once all the post-game celebrations were over, I went to bed on the couch.  I woke up around 1:30 though and thought I had missed the ending of the game.  I was really upset with myself until I realized the game was over and I did watch the end because we won.  Saturday morning, I slept in a little and then worked out inside because it rained all day! I did not do much though on Saturday and it was kind of nice.  I rearranged a few things in my room and made it look more organized, mailed a letter, and started grading and lesson planning.
Last night I had a dream that the new church I was going to today was in a barn.  It also had my friend's parents in it which was strange but anyway, focus on the barn part.  I woke up today and planned a little bit before I got ready for Mass.   With that dream in mind, I was mentally preparing for Mass before I went.  I got there and as I walked in, thought to myself that maybe my dream was a foreshadowing for me because the church did kind of look like a barn! How crazy is that! They are even having a country fair in two weeks. The church was small and quaint.  Mass was nice.  The priest was very alive and welcoming.  Everyone was very welcoming and kind around me actually.  It seemed that everyone was older though.  I did not see anyone that looked remotely close to my age.  I go back and forth on how important that is to me now.  I just can't decide if that should be a factor in deciding where I want to consistently go to Mass.
After Mass, I picked up a few groceries so the girls and I could have breakfast for dinner! The rest of the day, I knocked out the rest of my lessons and grading.  It's been a very relaxing and laid back weekend.  Sometimes I feel bad about not being as outgoing as I was at ESU but then I think that maybe this is exactly what I need.  I do not regret any of it but I seemed to be doing so much in college that I never really had much downtime so maybe that's what God wants me to do this year.  Who knows. Not me.
For dinner though, we did have breakfast--well, just pancakes and waffles actually.  The first round I made the girls blueberry pancakes and waffles but I had my own creation in my head.  I made a cinnamon blueberry banana pancake and boy was it good! The girls saw this and were a bit jealous, mostly because I didn't share my idea with them but needless to say, I made 3 more of them so we could all share in this delicious food.  I must say, they were very delicious.  And that is where I am currently at!
I hope you all had a relaxing weekend in some form whether that included sitting on the couch, spending time with friends or family, or doing something outside! I feel ready to take on the week with lots of good lessons, Mass on Tuesday for All Saints Day, and early release on Friday! Also, I get to see my parents and little sister in person in just 23 short days! Have a fantastic Monday (or as good of a Monday as possible)!

Stereotypes

So today when I get into the classroom, one of my third grade girls who calls me her best friend says, "Ms. Halstead, is that shirt from Kansas? Because it definitely looks like a Kansas shirt."  All I could do is laugh because it was a navy, short-sleeved, plaid button-up shirt that my mom had bought for me in Texas a few years ago.  It definitely could be a "Kansas" shirt if you think of farms and the type of clothing that people associate with it.  I'm glad to know that my students now have a sense of what Kansas is and looks like.  She said it with the sweetest intentions because she has an understanding of how much I like Kansas but that is not the first time I have been stereotyped as a Kansas girl from them.  They are so aware!
School went as normal today.  I reviewed with both classes and read out loud to them again.  This time I read a book from the Sir Cumference series about place value which we did last chapter.  I wish I had seen it when we were in that chapter but many of them were making connections to what we did so that was good.  One of my students almost/did stab me in the back with a pen today.  That's the first time I have had that occur.  She was literally right behind me with her pen open when I moved backward slightly and it jammed into my back.  It caused a little bit of pain but the fact that she was so close to me was what shocked me more!
It was Wednesday so the school had early dismissal.  Our staff meeting today was all about how we can adapt our teaching to meet our students' knowledge of technology.  The more we talk about Common Core Standards and different aspects of technology that can be used in the classroom, the more I am grateful to my ESU professors and mentor teachers for helping introduce it to me while still in school.  I guess it did not click in my head when they were teaching it but I am definitely applying and using everything they taught us.  All those class days of reading and learning about the Common Core Standards are now coming in handy so thanks professors! As we watched the videos online and talked about technology, I realized that the teachers I am surrounded by are having a hard time adjusting to the changes in the world around them.  Incorporating technology into their lessons is hard for them because many of them do not know how to use it.  The school has 6 cheap versions of a SMART board and I will be interested to see which teachers ask to have them in their classrooms because some them have no idea how to operate them.  I miss the access to technology but Sr. Stephanie said if we want any piece of technology for the students, we could ask her and possibly get it.  I started brainstorming a few pieces that the whole school could use for the future, after I'm gone.
Once we stopped talking about technology, the topic of their big Christmas show came up.  This Christmas program is a big deal apparently.  One of the preschool teachers is already counting down to how many days they have to practice! Each grade does their own song and/or dance.  The show is on the 15th, the day before I fly home.  Therefore, I cannot procrastinate on my packing! Patricia and I were also informed, and we cannot decide if this is a joke yet or not, that we must perform a duet of some sort at the program.  The two of us are a little apprehensive about this but we will play it by ear and see if they are really serious.  If so, we welcome any ideas!
After school, it was such a beautiful day here that I went on a run.  I am definitely not in shape but it's a step in the right direction again! Consistency is what I need to work on.  I hope the weather continues like this except I believe we have the aftermath of a hurricane headed our way which means rain.  I cannot complain because I have a friend in Colorado who is freezing his bottom off because it snowed so much!
On a few technical notes about my page:
1. I found out during my retreat that I had the wrong Gospel cited at the top! The verse is definitely from Mark and not Matthew.  Ooops.
2. I changed the design of the page to a more Fall-like theme.  I figured since it does not feel like Fall here, that I needed some reminder that it's Fall.
3. I discovered while playing with the design that I can see how many people look at my blog each day.  I was looking at the different trends because I can see which posts were looked at the most.
4. Finally and maybe most important for some, I changed the setting so that EVERYONE can comment! I know a few of you had asked about this so I finally fixed it! Yay!! Comment away now!

October is quickly coming to a close! No baseball game tonight due to a rainout but I expect minimal sleeping tomorrow night.  Have a great Fall day!

Reading

Today at school, I did actually teach and get back into regular school mode.  Both classes flew by with math and will be ready for a test before I know it.  I stayed up too late last night watching the baseball game though so after I was done teaching math, I was definitely dragging.  I probably could have taken a nap during school if I had the chance.  Julissa and I talked about some upcoming events like their field trip and dance that are in the beginning of November.  We were both in disbelief that November was just around the corner!
I was able to get some grading done this afternoon which was nice because I was behind from being gone.  I decided that I really miss reading to my students so I read them a book about punctuation.  The second graders were glued to my punctuation poems and so were the third graders, for the most part.  I read to them yesterday in library as well and it never ceases to amaze me how much children enjoy being read to.  I still enjoy being read to or listening to stories.  I finished my poems and then the second graders started writing to their pen pals.  They are really enjoying this idea and filled their pages with questions and facts about themselves! The third graders are enjoying it but not as enthusiastic.  I hope that I can find a way to spark their excitement for it.  After we finished our lessons for the day, the students had AR time where they were able to sit and read their library books.  One of my third grade boys had checked out Amber Brown is Not a Crayon but said he didn't like it already.  Mind you, he had only read one page so really, he had no idea whether he liked it or not.  I told him how much I enjoyed that book and asked if I he would like me to read it to him.  Before I knew it, he and I along with 5 or more other third graders were on the ground listening to me read.  I was able to finish one chapter before they had to pack up to go home.  My student's mind had totally changed about the book and I think many of their minds changed about chapter books.  I also decided that I am going to try and read to each class or to the whole class twice a week.  I remember my elementary teachers reading chapter books to our class and being hooked on the book.  Amber Brown also sparked a few teaching ideas for me.  Funny how that happens!
My evening has been pretty typical.  I fell asleep on the couch for awhile and then talked on the phone to a few family members from home.  The more I hear from home, the more excited I get for Thanksgiving and then Christmas!
Moral of today: Read out loud to your students and children!  Or even pick up a book yourself! Happy reading!

Refreshing

I have been such a slacker!! I am so sorry everyone! My two days of school were not that exciting last week and then Thursday came before I knew it and we had headed up to Fruitland Park for our retreat with all the other volunteers.  Okay so here goes my summary of almost the past week but starting with Thursday because school was not all that exciting:

Thursday Oct. 20
The girls and I had packed the night before for our adventure to Fruitland which is north of Orlando.  We were going to pick up our new volunteer, Flora, in Immokalee which is west of us on our way up there.  The 5 hour drive was looking a bit long at 9:30 in the morning but I had my book with me and excitement inside me so I was ready to go.  Patricia drove us the whole way up while the rest of us got to ride along.  The car was packed with everything we thought we'd need for the next four days.  The drive up there was nice, especially being able to get to know Flora since she joined after we had already started our year.  I was also able to finish the book they had asked us to read about living in a community that we would eventually have a discussion over.  We finally arrived at the camp we were staying at a little before 4 PM.  The Tampa girls, Candace and Cristina, were already there so we found each other and gave hugs.  Our Orlando crew arrived casually late and we were able to get going with our weekend! After a short overview of our retreat, we started dinner and a few of us went out to the lake that is just beside the camp to take pictures.  We had dinner together and a brief talk but then were able to have some fun for the night which included karaoke! No worries that I did participate several times.  We all finally wore ourselves out for the night and went to bed.

Friday Oct. 21
After an attempted good night's sleep in the dorm-like beds, all 11 of us were ready to start our day with some nice weather.  Our morning started with a talk given by one of the sisters that is a support for us in the program, Sr. Kathleen.  She led us through the idea of journaling, which I already do and really enjoy.  We went through several different exercises using the Beatitudes as our guide.  I was able to take a lot away from this part because I enjoy writing and just being able to put all my thoughts down on paper.  It also reminded me that I need to journal more about my prayer life and not just use my blog as my outlet. Our next speaker was alumni who helped us look at different stories in the Bible using a new perspective.  We broke up into small groups and had to break down a story using our "who, what, when, where" and then reading into the meaning instead of immediately looking at the "why".  I struggled with this but definitely found it interesting.  That afternoon, we listened to a speaker who helped remind us that we need to make sure and take care of ourselves over this year of service.  I definitely forget about this so it was a good reminder for me.  As an effect of this talk and our executive director, Elaine, I have started counting my calories each day and it is making me much more aware of what I eat and how much I eat.  My hope is to start better portioning my food.  That afternoon, we all had to meet with one of the staff (Elaine, executive director, Valarie, program director, or Sr. Florence, spiritual advisor/site coordinator) to discuss the goals that we had made at our orientation.  Once we finished this, a few of us went and shot the basketball for a bit to relax.  Cristina, Amanda, and I went for a walk around the grounds and discovered an orange grove that was actually off the property but it was still neat to finally be close to an orange tree! We had tacos for dinner that evening and karaoke came out once again for a little bit.  We also were surprised with t-shirts from our directors that night.  After, Amanda and I stayed up playing a Scrabble card game and talking til about 11 before we went to bed. The next morning we had a ropes course so I wanted to be well-rested.

Sat. Oct. 22
The ropes course was calling our names this morning.  We had the low ropes first to get our minds going and then high ropes in the afternoon.  Before we got there though, I was able to wake up just early enough to catch the sunrise and it was beyond worth it.

This cross is just sitting in the lake, not too far off the dock and it was a favorite focal point of mine in many other pictures from the weekend.  After everyone else was awake and ready to go, we met our instructors and headed out to the low ropes course.  Our first activity as a group was to pick an animal and then we could only make the sound of that animal.  We were all standing on 3 different logs and had to put ourselves in alphabetical order according to our animal.  I was lucky and barely had to move but it was interesting to see how everyone else reacted and moved while making their appropriate sound.  We had pandas, platypuses, giraffes, and then a few normal animals that helped provide some humor for all this.  After that exercise, we did a jump rope challenge where we all had to get past this moving jump rope in the fewest amount of swings.  I used my jump roping expertise as best I could.  Our instructors provided some humor during this and helped lighten up the stressful moments for some.  All 10 of us eventually made it in one swing.  Once we made it past that, we headed to what they referred to as the "Cheerios and Teddy Grahams" adventure where we had to get from the "baby island" to the "fantasy island of ice cream" balancing on "Cheerios" and we were the Teddy Grahams.  We had "graham crackers" or wooden planks to help us connect to the different Cheerios or raised square platforms that were about 2 ft wide. This took us the longest because there were so many different opinions on how to get everyone from the main platform, across the 5 small platforms, to the other large platform using the 3 boards.  We had to start over a few times and there were many moments of frustration but we eventually made it! This was a big moment for our community, I think, because we did not all realize one another's strengths and weaknesses for situations like that until then.  By the time that hour of trial and error and then eventually success was over, we were all ready for lunch.  We managed to squeeze in one more challenge of swinging to different platforms like Indiana Jones on the way back as well.  After lunch came a whole new test for many.  We were doing high ropes which meant climbing and testing fears of heights.  We had many whole overcame their fear and made it to the top and a few who still struggled.  Our first high rope was climbing to the top of a telephone pole, standing if you chose, and then jumping to the trapeze bar if you wanted.  My friends all did very well and went to the top at least.  I went to the top and was ready to take on that bar.  I wanted to try and sit on top of the trapeze bar but was not quite in shape enough I suppose.  I enjoyed that jump very much though!

I'm just hanging out enjoying my time up there! I have come to realize that I really don't mind heights anymore.  Before this year, it was a huge fear of mine but I just climbed up there like it wasn't a big deal and was taking in the view.  I did the same with the zip-line which was after the "Leap of Faith" above.  Candace and I went down the zip-line together and I was able to see her through her moment of struggle before we zipped down together.  She did great! We also had another girl who was very nervous once she climbed up (she did not do the "Leap of Faith" above) but after a large amount of confidence, she finally overcame her fear and zipped down! We were so proud of her!  It was time to finish ropes for the day so we helped the guys pack it up and headed back to shower before Mass that evening.  After a chat with Cristina, we headed to Mass and were able to spend some more time with God as community.  We had dinner following and then a game of "Werewolf" that night.  Elaine's fiancee always brings his game and introduces us to new characters every time.  After a few rounds, we were all pretty tired from the day and headed back to our cabin.  Several of them stayed up talking but Cristina and I had a small chat and some Facebook time before deciding we wanted a good night's sleep before heading back tomorrow.

Sun. Oct. 23

It was the last day together and I was feeling a little sad.  We had breakfast and discussion over our book of the quarter which led to some really neat conversations.  I was able to learn a lot about everyone else's backgrounds about where they were in their relationship with God which is something that I don't think we are always willing to talk about.  I was grateful for those who shared though.  Not many had read the book the entire way through though (it was definitely a struggle for me at times because of the content) but for those of us that did, we got a prize.  It was positive reinforcement at its best! After receiving our new books for the quarter (The Shack), we started cleaning up the building that we had made our home in for the past 4 days.  Separating food, putting chairs away, and organizing belongings.  None of this is our favorite part because it means we have to separate again and go back to our cities.  2 of the volunteers, Nich and Candace, happen to have the same birthday, 11-11-11, and decided to take me up on the offer of celebrating their birthday down here in Miami! This means lots of visitors here in a few weeks but Amanda, Patricia, and I could not be more excited! We took a group picture by the lake once everything was cleaned up and then it was time to head out.  

Here is our group picture at the end of our time together. It is such a wonderful community to be part of. It is sad to not be in the same city as all of them but I am so appreciative of the time when we are together.  After we hugged and said "see you soon", we went our separate ways.  Our car stuck with the Tampa crew and stopped to eat at the Taco Bus in Tampa on the way back.  It was definitely delicious and filling.  I also enjoyed seeing Amanda excited to share something that is part of her home with us.  While enjoyable, we knew that we had to keep driving.  Flora still had to be dropped off in Immokalee and I had lesson plans to write.  We hugged the girls and went on our way.  I sat in the front seat and started working on my lessons, or at least what I could work on while the girls drove.  We finally arrived back at our apartment around 8:30 that night and I was so tired.  The Cards game was also on so I wanted to catch part of that.  I was nervous about being able to finish all my lessons though so I caved and called the principal to ask for a little extra time.  She was very kind and said it was no problem and totally understood.  I could not stay up much past 11 so I went to sleep.  

Today

School came way too fast this morning and I was exhausted from the moment I woke up to the moment it was over.  A few of the students came up and gave me big hugs and others acted like I was never gone.  The day went as normal, however.  My teacher had actually taught farther than the lessons I wrote for last week so I have to rewrite a few lessons I have already made for this week.  We also kept writing our letters to our pen pals back in Kansas and I cannot help but laugh at how concerned and confused some of my students are about this.  They don't want to give away "personal information" like their age. I laughed.  Some of them are really getting into the idea and others, not so much.  My class has 22 girls and 8 boys but Mrs. Stewart's class has 9 girls and 14 boys.  This will prove interesting for who in my class can be mature enough to write to a boy.  My boys, of course, volunteered to write to the girls but I informed them that was not necessary.  Their faces sunk in disappointment.  After school was out, I worked on catching up on all the grading that was waiting for me.  I went to a meeting for Volunteer Broward tonight and it was hardly exciting.  I went though and now I can participate more.  I have been watching the game, looking at lessons, and writing this blog ever since I came back.  

I am going to leave you with a few favorite pictures from my retreat.  I hope you enjoy! I sure did!

Above: Cristina and I just hanging out in the door frame.

Above: Group picture with our new shirts before the ropes course.

Above: Roommate picture!

Above: One last picture of the sunrise! 

Just Another Day

School these past two days has been pretty normal.  My students just are not Monday people at all I'm discovering and solidifying in my head.  Trying to get through lessons on Mondays seems worse than Fridays.  Maybe what I'm doing just isn't working for them or maybe they just do not like how I teach.  I'm not really sure yet.  We practiced how to act when I have manipulatives out for math like number cubes (dice for all you non-teacher people), Base 10 blocks, or counters.  They found it very silly but they end up throwing them or getting out of hand when I let them use them in class.  I don't really think they care though.  I guess I should say the third graders don't really seem to care whether I bring them out or not.  The second graders really enjoy using the manipulatives and behaved pretty well when we practiced.  Several of the third graders have been giving me lots of attitudes and I just have a feeling that their allegiance is to Mrs. Lopez which is fine.  They can like her more than me and it doesn't really hurt my feelings but they do need to respect me. 
Today I woke up with a bit of a scratchy and hoarse throat and think I might have acquired a small cold.  It has been very rainy down here so that mixed with working with children all day definitely can get to you.  Speaking of your body, I almost pulled one of my student's teeth today!  She told me that her tooth was hurting and it was loose.  I told her the only thing to make it stop hurting was to pull it and that either she could do it or I would.  She went to the bathroom and came back with tooth in hand and bloody gap in her mouth! Part of me wishes I would have pulled it myself but I'm sure that will not be the last loose tooth for the year. 
After school, my body was not feeling its greatest so we left school and I took a nap in hopes that it would help.  My evening has consisted of talking with my dad and Julia as well as some grading.  Amanda baked some delicious pumpkin muffins for our retreat this weekend which I'm very excited for.  I need some God time and time with everyone else.

I better get some sleep though so I can be well for my last day of school for the week! Cheer on the Cardinals tomorrow as they play their first game of the World Series!

Long Time No Blog

I can't believe that I have been too busy to blog this past week! I will try and summarize the past 5 days as best I can:

Wednesday Oct. 12
It was Patricia's (my roommate) birthday!! Julia slept in after a late night of listening to karaoke so Patricia and I went to school as normal.   School seemed to go by pretty fast from what I remember.  Once school was over, we headed back to the apartment so we could get ready to go out to eat for her birthday.  Julia had gone shopping during the day and bought herself a pretty dress (although she might not admit it) to wear that night! The four of us went to a sushi restaurant in downtown Hollywood.  I had not had completely raw fish before but I was hungry and feeling adventurous.  Amanda and I split a dinner that had raw salmon, tuna, and snapper and it really was pretty good.  It did not taste slimy or fishy at all.  Julia and Patricia got some really good rolls and we all split.  Oh, Amanda also insisted that we try sake and I will just tell you that it is not my cup of tea.  After we finished eating, Amanda snuck back to the bathroom to pull Patricia's cupcake out and light the candle.  She came back with it lit and we all sang her "Happy Birthday".  The ladies that worked at the restaurant even gave us free dessert since it was her birthday.  They also gave her some cookies to take back with us! After we left there, we walked down to an art circle that was the center of a roundabout not too far.  It had some neat art in it as well as a drum circle that we listened to.  We took some pictures together down there and then decided to walk to a Spanish place that Amanda had mentioned before.  We walked all the way to the other end of the street and realized it was not open that night.  Another time. The four of us walked around a little more but eventually decided that we wanted some sleep that night so we headed back to go to bed.

Thurs. Oct. 13
Julia decided to stay back from school again and finish up some souvenir shopping that she had forgotten about the night before.  At school, my students had an assembly to start selling chocolate as a fundraiser for the school.  I did not realize it was such a big deal until that assembly.  The students were all sorts of excited.  School went by fairly quickly that day and I wished it hadn't because I had to drive Julia to the airport after school.  Patricia and I got back from school and I hopped into my car so Julia could get to the airport on time.  I drove her there with plenty of time to spare.  We gave each other big hugs and then  she headed to go check in.  I was very sad to see her go home and part of me wished I could have gone with her but Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  When I got back to the apartment, I caught up on all the things I had put off during the week.  I also had to pack because I was going to Orlando for the weekend.

Fri. Oct. 14
School started off with Mass which was what I needed.  I had a student asking me why I went up for Communion and told me he wanted to do that as well.  As briefly and quietly as I could during Mass, I explained to him what I was receiving and that he could do that when he was in third grade.  After Mass, the day just went by.  The students had their normal tests and all the specials that they do on Friday.  My class is going to pen pals with a second grade class at St. Elizabeth (where I went to school) and I am very excited for it! I am actually working with my old 1st grade teacher to make this work and I'm so grateful she said 'yes' to this idea.  My class started writing a few sentences of their letter that day.  They cannot quite wrap their head around the concept yet which makes me laugh but eventually they will understand why we write letters.  With yet another quick afternoon, school was over.  I had not finished packing the night before so I had to do some quick packing for the weekend.  Finally, I hit the road to pick Amanda up from service in Ft. Lauderdale and we headed to Orlando.  We got into the city around 8:30 and once I dropped Amanda off at her friend's, I headed to the volunteer's apartment that I was staying at.  We were both pretty exhausted and fell asleep pretty shortly after I arrived.

Sat. Oct. 15
I think I slept almost 11 hours that night because I was so worn out from the week.  I did a little bit of grading before I finally got around.  Nicole, the volunteer I was staying with, and her sister had wanted to go shopping so I finished getting ready and then we headed out for a little bit.  Myself and three other volunteers were helping at a benefit dinner for an assisted living residence for the mentally handicap so I had to finish getting ready once we got back.  I even straightened my hair! Candace, a volunteer that lives in Tampa, and I finished getting ready and before we knew it, it was time to head to the dinner.  We met the other two there at the hotel where the event was being held.  For the rest of the night, we were in charge of the silent auction, live auction, and making sure the high schoolers that were helping stayed on task.  It was a lot of fun to interact with all the different people that had come out for the event.  Some were on the board for Bishop Grady, others lived at Bishop Grady, and some were parents of the residents.  After the silent auction was over, they let us join everyone else for the dinner so we got to eat well that night! After a delicious dinner and little wine, we had to help out with the live auction.  They had five different items up for bid, one of them including a dinner cooked by the bishop and three other priests in the diocese.  This dinner ended up being the highest sold item at over $6,000 and they sold two of them because two people kept bidding! $12,000 for dinner with the bishop!! Bishop Grady will greatly benefit from that money though.  They had a dance after the auction was over so naturally, we all went to dance and have some more fun.  After all the dancing, we were exhausted but not ready to be done for the night.  It was only 10 PM so we walked to a sports bar not too far away and hung out there for a little while with a few people we had met that night.  Nich, the volunteer that serves at Bishop Grady, lives with two CVIF alumni, one of which now works at Bishop Grady, so we stayed with them the rest of the night.  We went back to Nich's, Kieran's, and Michael's apartment after awhile and discovered that those boys have some great rapping skills.  So great that they were playing a rapping game on the X-Box til 4 in the morning!! Needless to say I was definitely sleepy and ready to get some shuteye.  We finally headed back to Nicole's apartment and got to sleep very fast.

Sun. Oct. 16
Finally I'm all caught up! Today I woke up and realized that I had a lot to do, including drive back to Hollywood so I packed my things, drove Candace to her car, and went to pick Amanda up to head back.  We got back here a little after 4.  I sat and relaxed for a little bit and then got ready for Mass.   It had been pouring since we got to Ft. Lauderdale and was starting to flood the streets.  Lots of water everywhere! I was able to arrive at Mass early and just sit for awhile and think about everything that has happened in my life lately which was nice.  I like being able to reflect and just have not given myself the time to do that.  I went to a church that I have been to before but am not particularly fond of.  The homily didn't really speak to me but I wanted to be in Mass and just spending time with God so that's all I really cared about.  After Mass, I haven't really done much else.  I still have lessons to write and unpacking to do but the baseball game is on so....I have to make sure St. Louis makes it to the World Series!  This Thursday we have a retreat up in Fruitland Park which is north of Orlando with all the volunteers so I have to get lots done before that sneaks up on me.

I will try to live a less exciting life so I'm not slacking on writing on here anymore but I wish everyone a great start to their week!

Comfort in Friends

I know I haven't written about having Julia here much.  I guess I've just been so caught up in having her here.

Sunday Oct. 9
Sunday we woke up and went to Mass at a new church about 15 minutes away.  I thought I knew how to get there but sadly, turned on the wrong street and made us late.  I don't like being late so I was frustrated with myself already.  Then, when we got to the church, we were about to walk in but the usher would not let us in because the priest was talking.  It hurt me because I really wanted to be in church and listening to what he had to say.  I focused really hard on trying to hear what he was saying until we were let in.  The rest of Mass was fine but I guess I was just thrown off by not being allowed into the church.  After Mass, Julia and I ate some lunch and then decided to hit the beach for the day.  It was a little cloudy at first so we walked along the beach and stopped for some ice cream.  The sun started peeking out so we stopped at some chairs and set our things down.  Julia couldn't wait much longer after we sat down so we got right into the water.  The waves were intense from all the storms we'd been having so it definitely knocked us over plenty of times.  I think I got my sodium intake that day from all the water.  I was also covered with sand because of all the waves but we had a blast! We laid out for a little while longer and then headed back to the apartment for the evening.  The Cards game was on so we watched the game and ordered some pizza for dinner.  I had to finish putting grades in because progress reports come out this week.

Monday Oct. 10
We slept in a little bit on Monday.  I woke up a little before everyone so I could get a jump start on lessons.  Julia had mentioned that she wants to go to the Kim and Khloe Kardashian store in Miami called "Dash" so we decided to hit that area for the day.  Patricia's cousins were over at our apartment before we left and they go to St. James as well so we talked a little bit before Julia and I headed down to Miami.  The store was in South Beach so we parked and walked around the area for the afternoon.  Julia was able to take lots of pictures.  After we went into Dash (a shirt was only $280 by the way), we walked around and headed down to the beach.  We regretted not bringing our swimsuits with us because it was gorgeous out! The water was beautiful and the weather was just hot enough for it to feel good.  We continued to walk along the beach for awhile and just soak it all in though. I can't believe I'm still writing about the beach and it's October! The two of us developed a pretty appetite and were very thirsty so we stopped at a restaurant just off the beach.  We sat down and decided to get a delicious drink so we had to show our IDs to our waiter.  He looked at it and and naturally noticed that they were both from Kansas.  Then he saw that I was from Wichita and said it with a tone that made it sound like he knew where it was.  He then told me he was from Madison which is close to Emporia.  Me being me got mildly excited to meet someone else from Kansas.  He was very nice to Julia and I and Julia, being the kind friend she is, asked him to be my friend.  I could not help but laugh and feel embarrassed.   We finished our meal and drinks though and headed on our way.  No new friend for Lauren but almost.  We walked back to the parking garage and headed back to Hollywood.  Julia still wanted to swim so we went out to the pool when we got back for a bit with Patricia's cousins.  I worked on lesson plans for the evening, cooked dinner for the two of us, and we watched the Cards dominate over the Brewers.  It was a good win!

I will update on school later but we have to go get our karaoke on apparently.  School made me very tired today though.  It made Julia tired even.  I will update more later!

Day 1 with Julia!

Last night, I waited around for Julia's plane and it ended up coming in about 45 minutes late.  I was so excited to finally see her though once she came down the escalator! We picked up her luggage and headed back to the apartment.  I discovered that our apartment is only 10 minutes away from the Ft. Lauderdale airport in case any of you ever want to visit!  When we got back, I gave her a tour of the apartment and little did I know, we had another visitor waiting for us.  I opened up the drawer in our bathroom to put something away and we had this red roach thing in there! It was stuck to my lint roller, staring at me.  Naturally, Julia and I freaked out.  Me more so than her but I pondered for a minute about what to do with it.  I was afraid to touch it so I went to get a bag to put it in but by the time I came back to the drawer, decided to just pick up the lint roller and take it outside.  I pulled the paper off and shook it off to set it free. Once I took care of that, we were able to get on with our night.  We went to bed fairly quickly after that.
We slept in this morning since we went to bed later last night.  I woke up and read my book for a little bit until Julia was awake.  Once we finally got going, we mapped out our plan for the day and got ready.  Amanda, Julia, and I ventured down to Miami to go to the art museum.  They had several exhibits to look at but the one I thought was interesting was this ribbon wall where each ribbon had a wish written on it.  You were supposed to take a ribbon out of the hole it was stuck in and replace it with a wish of your own written on a piece of paper.  The ribbon is then supposed to be tied onto your wrist and whenever the ribbon falls off, the wish is supposed to come true.  I stood for awhile scouring the walls trying to figure out which wish I wanted to take.  I eventually took one that said, "I wish to be able to spend more time with the ones I love." There were some interesting wishes though such as wanting a turtle or sad ones hoping for a job or for a cure for cancer.  Many of them wished for an end to something such as the recession, war, or loneliness.  It definitely made me a little sad and wonder what these people are going through in their lives.  Julia got, "I wish to believe," and "I wish to love and be loved in return."  We tried to get more positive wishes that would come true.
After we finished at the art museum, we wandered around in attempt to find some food because we had not eaten lunch yet.  The three of us went to eat at a Cuban restaurant that Amanda had been to before.  We went in, looked at the menu, and it was all in Spanish.  Julia and I minorly (or majorly) panicked because by no means do either of us speak or read Spanish.  I remembered a few words here and then and tried to base my decision off what I remembered but for the most part, we both just guessed on what we were ordering.  It was definitely an interesting experience to say the least because we had no idea what we were about to eat! The food arrived though and it wasn't as bad as I thought! I had ordered a pasta dish with ham and chorizo in it and Julia ordered a Spanish version of chicken parmesan.  Amanda ordered a sandwich that she has had and likes.  She insisted we order Cuban coffee because it is very strong and she was indeed correct.  It was sweeter than normal coffee but definitely had more of a kick to it.  We stopped by the bakery on our way out and picked up some pastries for breakfast tomorrow morning.  It all looked delicious though.
We headed back to Hollywood after that so we could catch a movie.  We went to check out movie times and in the midst of it, a lady asked if any of us wanted to give blood for a free movie ticket and Amanda decided she would.  It was actually pretty convenient because it helped us pass the time before our movie time.  Julia and I waited and had some very meaningful conversations in the meantime.  The three of us then went and got our tickets for 50/50, the movie about a young man who has cancer.  Not a terrible movie overall but definitely not one of my favorites.  Once the movie was out, we headed back to the apartment and have been hanging out and talking ever since.
It's been so nice to have Julia here.  It makes me feel like I'm at home to have someone from home in Florida with me.  I almost forget I'm in Florida and Julia has said she forgets she's here as well, until she sees palm trees that is! She's loving the palm trees but we are both hoping for sun tomorrow because it rained all day today! Hoping for sunny weather tomorrow but regardless, I'm grateful to have her here and spend time with her!

Lunch Time and Upcoming Events

Today was early dismissal so I knew the day would fly by.  We also have progress reports coming out next week so today was the day to get all of their missing work in.  I tried to catch my students up as much as I could.  We had lunch earlier today and it was a little bit chaotic at first.  I finally got inside the lunch room and ended up sitting on a new side today with a different set of students than normal.  The students I sat with today are my third graders and they gave me the most entertaining lunch yet.  We had conversations about their social life the whole time.  One of them informed me that they are adults because they have cell phones, Facebook profiles, and even girlfriends! They are in third grade! Are you kidding me?! I was in shock.  One of my boys said his girlfriend was in Haiti so I joked with him about handling a long distance relationship.  He said they Facebook.  ha ha. His friend sitting next to him asked if his girlfriend was "hot". I looked at him and said, "You do not ask if a girl is hot! You ask if she's pretty!" Part of me laughed that he said that but also was a bit sad that he was talking about girls like that already.  I would rather be called pretty or beautiful than hot.  Then he asked, "Is sexy the right word then?" That put me even more in shock because I could not believe that word was even in his vocabulary.  The lunch time conversation was pretty funny after that.  Telling me about their "relationships" and social lives.  Also, apparently one of them pays for his house.  I wish he'd pay for my apartment then! They eventually asked if I was married and I told them, "no".  The boys were shocked for some reason and asked why.  I said I don't need to be married yet and in reply they told me I need to find a "hot boy"...oh boy.  Such characters they are! After lunch I was hoping to be able to play the math games I had planned for today but it just did not happen.  I think I'm going to start doing small groups and math games every Friday so we can work on their basic skills and keep their minds fresh on them.
After school I worked on grades and then we headed back to the apartment.  I fell asleep for a bit on the couch and then woke up to do some Jillian Michaels.  Once again, it kicked my butt but it's making me feel more in shape.  I started cleaning up the apartment and vacuuming a little to get ready for Julia to come tonight! Her plane lands at about 11:10!! The girls and I were all together and I have been talking to them about some cheap country concerts in the area.  Today on the radio I heard about a benefit concert for the local children's hospital here with Martina McBride, Gary Allan, David Nail, and a few other smaller acts.  The tickets were only $23 and it had been on my mind for a bit.  We talked for a bit and after not that much convincing, we decided to go!! I'm so excited! The concert isn't til November but I'm glad I get to see some favorite artists for a cheap price and it's for a good cause.
Well the Cards are still on and I have to get ready to leave to go pick Julia up from the airport!!! Sadly, it's supposed to rain for most of the weekend but hopefully we can squeeze in some beach time.  I can't wait to spend some time with her!  More updates to come tomorrow! Have a great night and go STL!  

Eat, Pray, Love

School today went fine for the most part.  I had to send one of my students to the principal because he made a comment about killing someone. He said it out of frustration but regardless, still not appropriate in school or ever.  One of my second grade girls walked up to me right before lunch and was looking rather sad.  She had a piece of paper in her hands and handed it to me.  As I started to read it, I realized it was an apology letter for how she had been acting.  She is very easily distracted in class and tends to shut down and cry when she gets in trouble.  She also struggles with turning her homework in but in second grade, she's not the only one.  When I finished reading her note and saw how heartfelt it was, I gave her a hug and asked her what we could do to make sure she has better behavior in class from now on.  On the note, we made a list of things she will do and I told her if she behaves, I will give her a sticker.  I signed it at the bottom as Ms. Halstead and then she started to sign her name.  She paused at the first letter though and erased it.  I was confused and thought she wanted to write it neater.  Instead, she wrote "Miss" and then her last name.  I found this pretty funny but she had a big grin on her face when she was finished.  Hopefully this works! 

After school, I decided to join Patricia for art with the elementary students.  We did our own crayon interpretations of Van Gogh's "Starry Night".  One of the kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Morra, teaches art to whoever signs up and she is really great at it.  It was very relaxing and soothing to just focus on my art.  

Once we got back from school, I had my normal date with Jillian Michaels and her wonderful workout.   We have community nights on Wednesday nights so Amanda, Patricia, and I cooked dinner (tacos!) and then sat around to talk about recent events.  We had another volunteer leave the program this week.  I'm very sad but it was her decision.  After dinner, we all sat down and watched "Eat, Pray, Love".  Now I realize I have not told my story of how I came to Florida yet but I had many signs that really made my thoughts of doing volunteer work concrete.  This movie was one of those signs.  I first saw it last year with three girls that were Elementary and Middle School Math.  We had all taken our licensure test over the summer and successfully passed it so that was our reward.  I was still pondering the idea of doing volunteer work after college but hadn't told anyone yet and when I saw this, I knew it was a sign.  As I began to watch it again tonight, it took me back to all the emotion I felt when I was making my decision for this year. 

Julia Roberts/Liz felt so lost and empty inside even though she had been married for many years.  She struggled with what to do and had emotional breakdowns until she realized that it would be impossible to leave but more impossible to stay.  I faced many emotional nights before I went to bed last year because I was so torn about what to do.  Just like Liz in the movie, I knew I needed a change for myself because I felt like I wasn't moving forward.  I could have stayed at home and I love Wichita and Kansas, we all know this, but as a person, I knew that God wanted me to experience a change within myself that could not happen while at home.  Many a night I fought with myself about the idea because often times I felt selfish about leaving but then realized that as a person, I would not be able to grow as much if I stayed put.  Then when I was finally okay with God's plan for me, I wasn't sure where to go.  Once again, like Liz, I've spent my whole life talking to God and not listening to Him enough.  

God and I have had a lot of talks lately about why I'm not more involved down her like I was in college. I thought I was going to be doing so much more down here and I'm working slowly but surely to do that but maybe this year, God doesn't want that for me.  Maybe for once I need to slow down my life and stop rushing and hurrying.  Part of the program is living simply so maybe that's what God wants for me.  To slow down my life and really focus on what He wants for me.  Liz figured out what was important to her by the end of the movie and was able to find a balance between life and love.  She also traveled to three countries and by no means is that my plan after this year is over, but maybe I'll have a better idea of how to balance my life once this year is over.  Finding balance in my spiritual life, social life, and now school/work life.  It's never easy and it's going to be really hard.  I'm not sure the changes that will ensue throughout the next several months and who knows, maybe I've already started changing, but if it's what God wants, then I have to do it.  He knows what's best. Not me.  

To finish my night on a less serious note, the Cardinals won tonight and the series is tied 2-2 with the Phillies.  I hope they can pull out their next win on Friday.  And Julia will be here in two short days! I'm getting very excited! 

My bedtime seems to be coming earlier and earlier.  Before I know it, I'll be going to bed at 8 but I really hope not.  Have a great day and to leave you with a quote from the movie, "Ruin leads to transformation." 

Compromise

Yesterday was a pretty normal school day.  My third graders had one more day to review for their re-take Math test that they took today.  Both grades started on their Social Studies posters: third grade about their culture and second grade about the United States and community.  After school was over, I had a fairly calm evening with working out, reading, and catching up with a few people on the phone! I actually really enjoyed my evening yesterday and went to bed pretty relaxed.  

Today, I was ready to go when I woke up.  I was prepared to have a wonderful day at school and hoped to accomplish lots in the classroom.  I was able to accomplish a decent amount which is good but it was not the most pleasant day.  My teacher's teaching style and mine do not quite mesh and that has been causing some build up between her and I.  I really enjoy her as a person but there are matters that we disagree on.  I am learning how to compromise but also, how to not stray from what I know and stand for in the classroom.  My mentor teachers at Lowther South (the 5th grade building I student taught at) told me to never let anyone tell me how to teach and stick to what I know.  I struggle because I want to do what is best for the students.  I hope that this situation gets cleared up and that we do what is in the best interest of the students.  

After school, I ran some errands with the girls.  We have been trying to recycle and finally found a place to put all of it! Maybe by Thanksgiving, it will look like we really live here! I also ran to the Post Office to mail out some more cards and letters.  I must say, I really enjoy writing people.  I should say, I enjoy writing in general.  The roommates and myself had a pretty solid conversation about everything that's happened up to today since we've been down here.  We all felt like we were on the same page which is a relief.  I spent the remainder of my evening writing letters to friends, talking to Jenae, and watching Pride and Prejudice with my roommates.  Tomorrow is a new and and will be a good day.  I'm determined to make sure it is one.  A few pluses for today: one of my students wrote me a sweet card and my name is now apparently "Ms. Hosten".  I just think it's funny.  Also, Julia comes on Friday so she's almost here! 

For all of you that had a rough day today, tomorrow is a new day and will be a great day as long as you allow it to be! 

Change

So I realize that I have not formally written on here for a week now.  Last week at school, I experienced a lot of different struggles.  Both grades had a math test and when we reviewed, both grades were confused as to what we were going over.  This really hit hard for me because I kept wondering what I had done wrong while I was teaching for the past month.  I decided to push the 3rd grade test back a day and the 2nd graders still took their test on time.  The 2nd graders did much better on their test than I expected but when the 3rd graders took their test a day later, their scores were still not very good.  They will be re-taking their test this week sometime.  While dealing with this situation, I also have been struggling more and more with the teaching set up.  It is becoming more and more challenging to teach two grades at once in my style of teaching.  I like to be with my students, monitoring and checking to make sure they are understanding but that is very difficult to do when I have to go give my attention to the other grade.  It's also hard for them to work in groups, do stations, or work with manipulatives because they have a hard time controlling their noise.  They need those things in order to learn best, I think, but it's not really working out very well.  I can't stand letting them working on their own and staying quiet constantly.  I'm just not sure what to do some days.  I also have not been getting to all my subjects but my teacher wants grades for those subjects so she gives them homework without having talked about it in class.  Another difference of opinion. 

I know that these are all learning points for me and that is the point of this year.  This is not to say I haven't had positives this week because I have had little positives each day that make it better.  My students definitely do little things to brighten my day and the grades my 2nd graders got on their tests definitely made me smile.  Mrs. Lopez told me a little more about her life on Friday and it made me feel especially grateful.  She told me that her and her husband had once owned an advertising company, eventually had to close it down, and lost around $125,000.  Her husband is gone constantly talking at retreats around the country so she only gets to see him on the weekends when she flies to where he is.  Sometimes she speaks at the retreats as well.  They live off her teacher salary and the money people donate to their family while he is at the retreats.  They have 2 children, one in high school and one in college now.  There was lots more to her story but I admire her for the different struggles she had endured and how much trust and faith she puts in God. 

This weekend, I have finally made it to the beach, put together my bed frame, purchased a frame for the matte with all sorts of notes from my friends, and started fulfilling my pen pal duties! (By the way, if anyone else wants to be pen pals, I would love to write you a letter or 5!) I feel like I had a refreshing weekend and I have a visit from Julia Morgan on Friday to look forward to! As I think about the months ahead, I am realizing that my friendships might change and that I myself will change.  We should always be looking to change.  Change for the better, hopefully.  This week I have been much more vigilant in my desire to start working out again.  It is hard work but this is a change I want for myself so I have to put forth the effort and do it.  Sometimes we talk about all these changes we want to see but we don't take action to make them happen.  God cannot do it all for us.  He gives us the means and ability to make these changes happen but we must carry out the actions.  Ghandi tells us, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." If I didn't want to make a change in myself, I would not be down here.  As we all go through new changes this year, remember who helped you throughout those changes and also, who you might need during those hard changes.  So thank you to everyone who has helped me through all these different changes I have and will continue to be enduring.  While I know that God puts everyone in our lives for a reason, I also have to remember that He can also take them out of our lives.  Sorry that was slightly morbid but I am having to constantly bring myself back to the fact that not everyone will be in our lives forever. 

So that was my week summed up in a shorter post.  And on a slightly positive note, we went to the same church two weeks in a row.  That has to mean something good right?  The second reading was also very helpful in that.  Philippians 4:8, "Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  Think about the good in your lives because we have lots to be thankful for.  


"If you would become what you were meant to be, you would set the world on fire." ~St. Catherine of Sienna


Oh and, Go Cards!