Hobbies

The past two days at school have been filled with lots of learning and preparing for assessments.  I have been praying for my students that they use the brains God has give them so let's hope it works!

Last week I was asked what I like to do in my free time or what are my hobbies. I sat there for a moment and really had to rack my brain for what I like to do outside of school work.  I realized that the majority of my time is spent doing school work which is fine but outside of that, I don't think I have any real hobbies anymore.  With giving up Facebook for Lent, I have spent more time on school work, mostly because of assessments, but I think also because I'm not really sure what else to do with my time.  I really enjoy reading and we have a book that all of the volunteers are reading so I pick that up when I am in the right mentality.  In high school and college, I really enjoyed baking and cooking.  I could still bake and cook down here but I don't have as much money to spend so I can't experiment as much with the two. I work out almost every evening but I just don't have any good hobbies anymore! There's so much that I'd like to do but I let school control my evening sometimes. Although lately I've been using my spare time to call people and talk on the phone instead of settling for a text message.  I need to pick a hobby that will be beneficial and stick with it. 

Jenae comes in just 2 short days and I'm so excited to see her! I don't have a set plan for what we are going to do yet but I think that's the beauty of just letting God take control.  He knows exactly what we need. This reminds me of the Gospel reading for today:


"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" Matthew 6:8

How great is that? God knows what we need before even going to prayer and asking Him! He knows our hearts so well.  The rest of the Gospel continues by Jesus praying the Our Father.  It was such a beautiful reminder of how we should forgive others, even when it is a struggle. 

Preparation

Our ITBS assessments are quickly approaching, March 12-26, and I have never been more nervous about what I'm teaching.  Having just found out these dates last week, I am now trying to cover so many concepts that we have not even touched yet.  I didn't really understand NCLB when President Bush first passed this but as I am actually teaching, it has become so much more clear.  I do not like that I am teaching to a test.  It makes me cringe really.  My goal for these next to weeks to come up with creative ways to teach the content so they are not stressed or worried about their 2 weeks of testing.  Until March 12th is here, I am going to do my best to prepare them for these assessments.  After that, there is nothing else I can do.

My weekend has been spent planning activities for these next few weeks as well as watching some solid girl movies with my roommates.  Friday night, Amanda rented "Bridesmaids" which is hilarious! Today the girls and I went to the theater and used some movie coupons to go see "The Vow". Such a chick flick but so sweet at the same time!  Also, this morning at Mass I got to lector for the first time down here as well as get trained to be a Eucharistic Minister.  Being involved in the Mass helps me feel more connected so I'm excited to be able to participate in those ways.

I have had some strange and slightly morbid dreams.  I had a dream Friday night that one of my students was eaten by an alligator! Then Saturday I took a nap and dreamed my grandma was going to die soon!  Last night I had a dream that I missed my lectoring time today at Mass.  Thank goodness they are just dreams though. 

Finally, to round out this post, I cannot wait for Jenae to come this week! She will be here for a few days just to hang out and visit.  I've really been looking forward to it and I can't wait to spend some time with her.  Even though I feel like I talk to a lot of people from home during the week, I still feel a little disconnected and out of touch with everyone.  I am, however, so grateful that I have people in my life to miss.  It could all be so much worse.  I cannot believe February is pretty much over because March is going to seem pretty much non-existent.  I have Jenae here this coming weekend, then I have to get report cards ready.  On the 18th, I am going to see a STL Spring Training game with my dad's best friend and finally, a week long retreat at the end of the month with my CVIF family! I have so much to be excited for!

I hope the first 5 days of your Lenten season are a good sign of the rest of it. I know mine has definitely proved a bit challenging but also beneficial.  Have a beautiful Monday!

Ash Wednesday

Waking up this morning, I was ready to see what the first day of Lent had to bring.  We started our day with Mass and the entire school, Early Learning Center through 8th grade, attended plus regular parishioners so the church was packed.  My class enjoys singing so we became the choir for Mass.  We started out well despite not really knowing the songs but by the end of Mass, their behavior in Mass was less than desirable by Julissa or myself so we had a chat after Mass about why we are quiet and respectful in a church, no matter what church we are in.  It's almost the end of February so it was time to have that reminder talk anyway about how we act in church and the classroom.  The day went quickly. By the time lunch rolled around and having music in the afternoon, it was time to go home.  Tomorrow we are going to work on what we will be sacrificing for Lent so I'm anxious as to what their ideas and thoughts will be.

My day one of no Facebook has gone pretty well.  It's sad to say but it became such a habit to come home from school and get on it at the same time as I checked my email or check it whenever I am bored.   I was already able to get more done without spending any time on it.  I have a feeling God and I are going to get some good quality time in over these next 40 days and I can't wait.

I've had the church song, "Ashes", in my head all day even though we didn't sing it down here.  I used to not like singing it because we sang it every year for Ash Wednesday in school but this year, I missed hearing it because I have actually been paying attention to the words.  Funny how God works when we actually pay attention to His messages.  I'll leave you with the first verse and hope you had a great day!

We rise again from ashes,

from the good we've failed to do.

We rise again from ashes,

to create ourselves anew.

If all our world is ashes,

then must our lives be true.

An offering of ashes, 

an offering to You.

Fun Filled Weekend

I just want to start out in saying that I have been overly blessed with good things this year! This past week, school went very well.  Both grades have been working hard in Math and I feel like I am actually doing something right.  That might sound silly but I finally feel like they are retaining what I am teaching them.  Thursday through Sunday, the school hosted a big carnival to help raise money and my students were so excited.  The rides were on the other side of the interstate in the church parking lot so by Thursday, school was the least of my students' worries. After a half-day at school, the carnival started that night.  I worked on lesson plans that evening to get them all finished before my exciting weekend.  We had school off Friday to work and prepare for the carnival.  Patricia and I volunteered Friday and Saturday evening.  I was brought back to the fairs back home with all the rides and smells of fried goodness.  We held off on eating the first night but the second night, we definitely indulged in a little bit of everything.  Patricia was helping in the chicken wing booth so we got some delicious chicken wings, ate some Filipino beef skewers, and ate a little bit of someone's funnel cake.  And, of course, we went on several rides!  This carnival was definitely a hit for the school though.  There were so many people that I have no doubt it was a success.  I really enjoyed helping at it as well as seeing all my students having so much fun!

After two full evenings of helping at the carnival, I woke up early on Sunday so I could go see my friend Shantel who just got done working on the Disney cruise lines and started her vacation on Saturday.  As a perk of working for Disney, she just so happens to get people in free to Disney World! After my apparently terrible sense of direction and driving into Magic Kingdom and Epcot unintentionally, I was finally able to meet up with Shantel! We met some of her ship friends (2 of which are from England!) for pizza and then they said their goodbyes for the next 9 weeks. We headed back to her resort to drop my bag off then headed for the parks! We tried to get into Magic Kingdom but couldn't since it was Presidents' Day weekend so we rode the monorail to Epcot! I was so excited for the monorail because it's in a sing-along I watched all the time as a child.  We walked around Epcot, rode Mission: Space, a Finding Nemo ride, and took pictures with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto! How lucky am I? After eating, it was a little after 8 so we hurried over to MGM Hollywood Studios in hopes of watching the show but missed it so we rode the Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster instead.  I hadn't done either of those and before September, probably wouldn't have but it was really neat! I'm so glad we did! It was a little after 10 when we left the park and we were both wiped out so once we got back to the resort, we fell asleep quickly.

Monday, we woke up early so we could get to Magic Kingdom right when it opened.  I finally got to see Cinderella's castle again! It was just as great as seeing it for the first time (even if it was only the second).  We made our list of rides we wanted to go on right away before we headed to Animal Kingdom for the afternoon. We went on Space Mountain twice, got some good laughs in at Monsters Inc. where I became famous, rode on a boat through the Jungle Safari ride, and went through the Haunted Mansion! It was not quite warm enough for us to go down Splash Mountain so I just took a picture instead.  A little after 1, we headed over to Animal Kingdom via boat and bus completing all modes of transportation at Disney! While there, we went inside the Tree of Life for a Bug's Life show and went on the African Safari ride where we saw some beautiful animals! They were feet from us in our jeep.  By the time we waited in line and went on the ride, it was time for us to leave the park so we could get a few other things done while she was with someone that had a car.  We packed and went shopping at the outlet mall nearby for a new bookbag for her and then before I knew it, it was time for me to hit the road.  I gave her a big hug and am so glad I was able to spend those 2 days with her! It is so nice to be able to share memories with someone from back home in a new place that we are both still exploring.  It was a long drive back last night but I made it back a little before midnight.

Waking up for school was not the easiest today but thank goodness I wasn't the only one that was a bit sleepy this morning.  My students wanted to take naps but I reminded them that we have so much to do in these next few months! We are learning about geometry in Math right now and I'm actually really enjoying teaching it even though I did not like learning it at all.

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday already.  Where has this month gone? I am giving up Facebook for Lent which will be a challenge for me.  I have really relied on it this year to keep in touch with friends since I've been gone but I think I need to simplify my life even more and focus on the friends that I talk to outside of Facebook.  Picking up the phone and calling is much more meaningful than the Facebook messages and posts I could easily send.  Plus, I need to spend more time with God and less time with my laptop.

Well that's been my life for the past 5 days! I am so blessed with all the wonderful opportunities God has presented me with lately. I could have never imagined that this would be my life a year ago.  I guess dreams really can come true if you work and put your trust in God.

Speaking of dreams, here's a few pictures from my weekend:

Patricia and I on the Ferris Wheel at the carnival.

Mickey Mouse and I dancing! 

Shantel and I starting off our morning at Magic Kingdom.

 

Check-In

I realize I have written in several weeks so this is my attempt to summarize everything that has happened since I last wrote:

We had another CVIF volunteer leave the program which was very saddening.  A few days later, we had another retreat in Ft. Myers Beach where I learned lots about different social justice issues, especially about the farm workers in Immokalee.  I was disheartened when I listened to the workers talk about how horribly they are treated in the fields.  The rest of the retreat went fairly quick and it was great, once again, to spend time with my CVIF family.

Besides that retreat, I've just been really enjoying school.  We had Catholic Schools Week at the end of January and this weekend is the school carnival which is a big deal for everyone! It started this evening and lasts til Sunday evening.  My students have been very excited, naturally, so keeping them calm this  week has required a little extra patience but nothing I can't handle.

The last few weeks, I've just come to grow much fonder of my class.  This is not to say that I haven't always loved them, but I should say my love for them has grown more.  One of my boys has taken to saying prayers over me the past few days and it just brings me a lot of joy inside.  The way he does it makes me laugh a little because he slaps his hand on my head but his intentions and prayers are so pure and kind.

I've really been praying for God's will for me these past few weeks and trying to quiet myself so I can listen.  It's a hard balance some days to think about the future but remain in the present.  I have been pushing myself more in terms of school so that I stay grounded in what God has planned for me here and letting God take care of the future.

I will be better at writing more frequently again.  Happy Friday!

Time

These past 4 days have been busy and yet relaxing, or at least this weekend has.  Thursday was Julissa's birthday so I brought her the cupcakes and cookies to share with the class.  She was very appreciative of it all and the class overly celebrated her birthday.  They acted as if it was some huge holiday and that doing any lesson that day was unnecessary.  They sang all sorts of songs and were a little bit crazy that day.  Julissa was appreciative of how much they loved her but by the end of the day, I could tell she was worn out from it all.  I know I was.  Friday was a much calmer day, since the birthday celebration was over.  We went about our daily Friday routine and also had to prepare our classroom for the assistant superintendent who is coming tomorrow! There was lots of cleaning and organizing to be done even though it seems like we do that every week.

I stayed later on Friday to finish up some last minute work in the classroom and then went back to relax and start my weekend.  I must say this weekend has been quite refreshing.  I have not felt stressed out over lessons plans at all.  I was able to clean, work on job applications, and read a book for most of the day.  I did spend most of my Saturday morning working on job applications for back home as well as updating my resume and writing cover letters.  That part of my Saturday was not so stressful as it was overwhelming.  I had so many different emotions running through me while I was doing it that it became hard to focus and concentrate at times.  I want to get them all sent out by the end of the month so hopefully I can stay focused and make more progress on them this week.  The perfectionist and writer definitely came out in me this weekend as I was writing the essays for some of the applications.  I have too much to say sometimes and they do not want to hear all of it.  I need to work on condensing most of my thoughts, that's certain.  I do feel very refreshed and at peace with knowing that I am going to head back to Kansas.  Parts of me get a bit stir crazy because there is still so much of the world to explore and save but I still have plenty of time for that.

Today was lesson planning day and relaxation.  I woke up intending to go to Mass at 11 but felt like God wanted me to go to the evening Mass so I slept a bit longer and then went on with my day.  I even straightened my hair!  I feel like I've made a lot of progress this weekend, even though it's not visible in the apartment.  I went to Mass this evening and definitely felt like I was at home in the church.  There were not many at Mass tonight which was sad but maybe with having the new director, things will start to change.  I know Tony has good intentions and I pray that God helps him during his new position to help those dreams and thoughts come true.  He was there after Mass so I stayed and talked with him as well as a few others he introduced me to.  Even if I am not able to get very involved at the campus ministry, it is still nice to have connections there and people that are willing to help in my faith life.

Tomorrow brings another school week and almost the end of January! Where has the month gone? Have a great Monday or as good as Mondays can normally go!

Whirlwind

Saturday seems so long ago already! My trip to Orlando/Tampa went by so fast it seems.  I left early Saturday morning for Orlando to do a service project at one of the service sites there, an assisted living place for disabled adults.  After a few hours there and catching up with some of the other volunteers, I hit the road for Tampa.  After hanging out with Cristina for a bit and having dinner, I met up with my friend Cub's family.  (His real name is Lucas but his camp name is Cub so it doesn't feel natural to call him by his real name.)  His all-star football game was at Buccaneer Stadium which was pretty neat.  Surprisingly, the game was pretty chilly and not what his family was expecting.  Cub was able to play alongside another friend from high school so we had a nice little Garden Plain/Kansas section going on in the stands.  Cub and his friend had a great play together in the second half where Cub blocked as his friend went in for the touchdown so that was really exciting for us to see.  Their team won 31-7 which was fantastic! We all piled in the van and headed to go eat some dinner even though it was past 11 by that time.  I spent the rest of the night with his family talking and getting to know them.  His mom teaches in GP and one of his brothers used to work at camp so it was neat to swap stories.  I just really enjoyed being with a family from home, of course.  They flew out the next day so I headed back to Cristina's apartment to get some sleep.

Sunday and Monday were pretty laid back days.  Cristina and I went to Mass together and later went for a run on Sunday but other than that, we just hung out at her apartment and lounged around.  It was nice to hang out with her and spend some time with her instead of our normal phone chats.  I do wish she was closer because I know I'd be able to see her more often but I'm grateful for when I can see her.  We have developed a really great faith-based bond and I know that has helped me grow these past 5 months.  Monday morning we slept in and after a late breakfast, I hit the road for Miami.  I got back a little after 5 but was able to catch with a lot of friends on the 4 hour drive back.  I normally do not get bored on long drives but for some reason, I just could not be with myself on that drive.  My hand had a cramp by the time I got back that evening from holding the phone so much.  I spent that evening unpacking, getting settled, and attempting to finish lessons until I realized our internet was not going to permit that.

These past two days of school seem so long but they have gone so fast.  I went to school early on Tuesday to use the internet only to discover that the internet was down there as well.  I really enjoyed being at school much earlier and just being able to mentally prepare myself for the day.  I might end up being an early-bird teacher next year as long as I can drag myself out of bed.  The rest of the past two days have been spent in the normal routine.

Today my girls brought up the hillbilly questions again and this time they gave me a list of questions for homework to answer.  I have also been getting "tipped" by one of my girls and am pretty sure I'm up to at least $.30 so far! I want to see how much I collect from her by the end of the year.  I should probably do something nice with it like give it to charity. ha ha.

I almost forgot to tell you that I was able to meet with the Director of Campus Ministry at the Catholic campus center I've been going to Mass at.  I met with him yesterday and left feeling more than relieved.  Even though he's only been at Barry (the college) for about two weeks, he has high aspirations for what he wants to accomplish.  I could just feel God working through him and he was so genuine on wanting to help me in my own faith journey.  He offered to do whatever he could as long as I am here and invited me to come to any event they are hosting.  He gave me a few spiritual readings that I think I will really benefit from.  One of them is a reflection that I will start doing each day--focusing on the positives and how God has worked through me that day and then looking at what was not so great and how I would change it for the next day.  He also gave me a book by St. Ignatius that I am excited to read.  It was such a huge relief and really strong moment for me knowing that God was completely working in that moment because Tony (the director) did not have to come up to me after Mass or continue reaching out to me.  God really wanted me to work on my own individual faith these past 5-6 months because He knows how blessed I was to have a community right there all my life.  Even if I do not get extremely involved, I know that this will be a good influence on my life down here and that God will be there each step of the way.

I have been making treats most of the evening for Julissa's birthday tomorrow.  I forgot how time consuming baking can be sometimes.  We also finally were able to get our internet fixed, not that it affected any of you a whole lot but I can finally do school work at the apartment again.  I have to go finish the cupcakes but have a great second half of your week.  I can't believe January is already halfway over! Where has this month gone?

Good night and have a peaceful day!