Mental break...

I spent much of my day feeling lethargic, but it's amazing how 3:00 can change things... It may also help that I went to the cafeteria and got the perfect after school snack (Pepsi and Doritos) for the equivalent of $1!

Today will be a late day in the classroom, but that's okay... I need to catch up on all this crazy paperwork. Then hopefully I can stay on track for the rest of this week. Friday is the last day of the quarter, and that means grades are due for report cards as soon as we get back from Spring Break.

Just one more quarter to go! On top of that, I think I'll go back to my 2nd quarter ways of planning in a way that makes my workload easier so that I can go home earlier... I tried to be a super-teacher for the third quarter, and I don't see a lot of benefits for me or my students. In fact, I feel less appreciated by the administration now than I did back when I did just enough to get by.

Oh well.

I don't do this for the approval of men, right?

Wow... Streaming country music always picks me up too!

"So it's me and her and a can of beans sitting there on the front porch swing. Western sky all turning red. Head on my shoulder she sighed and said..."

Did I mention that I started a countdown to the end of school??? 52 school days. And that means we have completed about 130. I love this part when you look back and start to realize just how much is behind you.

I think contracts are a down-side to the teaching field, but it's nice to have a job with a clear-cut start and finish. I'm guessing most jobs feel endless, so I'm appreciating the ability to count down to a specific goal.

Of course, these thoughts are ironic seeing as how the idea of settling down in one place for at least five years (or twenty+) is really sounding appealing... I guess you never appreciate what you have until it's gone. I would love to return to Vincent, but I know that there are not supposed to be any openings there next year. I even emailed my resume to the principal at the high school just in case something comes available for sixth grade... I feel like my crazy gallavanting has helped me to see the value of community - where you know and are known... Where you run to the gas station or Dollar General and end up talking to someone in the parking lot... Where you spend time building relationships (and being careful to avoid gossip) at the ball park. After all, isn't faith meant to be lived out in the setting of everyday life?

I would also teach in Blount County - although unfortunately, this is really not the best time to try to find a teaching job.

All I know is that the Lord is definitely changing my heart and molding my dreams.

And He will work it all out. He always does...

On the bright side, God has really answered prayers about the relationships that I have with my students. I no longer feel like they hate me. I like the way that we can joke and laugh and be sarcastic. (That's part of the reason I think I should always teach 4th, 5th, or 6th grades...) I love goofing off with them in small ways like when they say, "Miss - what's up?" accompanied by a head-nod, and all I have to do is return the head-nod to make them smile. I love that some of them have even shown a little bit of compassion or understanding to me or to each other lately.

I know it's small, but one of my girls came to me today with two books in her hand and asked me to choose which one she should read first. I appreciated that she valued my opinion, especially in comparison to our tense interactions in January.

Okay. That's enough of a mental break. It's time to be productive...

I hope y'all have a wonderful Tuesday afternoon/night!

Conflicting Emotions...

Mom is gone. In fact, if I'm doing all of my time conversions correctly in my head (math is hard... hahaha), then she should probably be boarding her plane in Atlanta right about now. In fact, delta.com says their flight to Birmingham is on time.

That would be a Festivus miracle!!!

There have definitely been moments of sadness this afternoon. I have not yet given in to real crying, and maybe I won't. Goodbyes are always hard. But the time that we spent together was more than worth it.

And God's timing is perfect. I have spent the evening preparing a playlist and lyrics for our small group worship time tonight... That's been comforting and peacefully distracting.

God has really reminded me that I am incredibly blessed to have a WONDERFUL relationship with my mom. It's hard for me to imagine people who do not love or like their mom.

We're a perfect match.

And I'll be back within driving distance of her in two months and 28 days. :)

I LOVE YOU MOM!

Feliz dia de los padres!

Happy Father's Day! This morning, multiple students asked, "Miss - Did you call your dad and tell him happy Father's Day today?"

I said no.

In my country, today is not Father's Day.

But today was a very special day in my class. We started with an hour-long program in the gym. Then we had a breakfast party for the dads in the classroom. With balloons.

BAD.idea.

But, whatever... My mom spent almost the entire day in my classroom today. She saw the kids and put faces with names. She graded papers. She filed. She stapled.

She made me feel like I could do anything until 3:00.

After all, the greatest challenge of our day would start at 3:30 when we picked up the rental car and I drove in Honduras.

Let's just say that I did fine (so far) and we made it safely to the mall and back, but I'm really good at finding all the potholes - so the car may not have any shocks (aren't those the things that help absorb bumps? No? Okay. Just pretend I know what I'm talking about...) by Monday morning.

I think Mom and Nancy are having fun. They're still tired and struggling with the travel/activity/time change/altitude. Whatever... It's no big deal. They've been troopers - willing to follow me and go anywhere and do anything.

I told them tonight I'm tired of being the mom. I'm making all the decisions about where we go, what we do, and where we eat. I'm paying for it (in Honduran currency and they will pay me back), ordering things for them in Spanish, and now driving them around. They are eating this up, and I'm going to be exhausted from my weekend!!!

But it's worth it.

Because my mom is here with me in Honduras. :)

They're here!!!

Do I really have to go to work tomorrow?

I'm in vacation mode.

This could be interesting.

Where I am...

Where I'm not:

- I'm not at home in Birmingham.

- But I'm also not at morning devotions, about to begin another day of 5th grade!

Where I am:

- In my bed...

- I woke up early enough for work (good to know my body is adjusted into my routine) and due to the excitement of realizing my Mom was already in Atlanta, I couldn't go back to sleep.

- So I've been catching up on the blogs that I read and debating whether or not I want to eat some cereal.

Where I will be:

- Cleaning my room. Getting it ready for the best 4-night sleepover a girl could have!

- Making a welcome sign. Not for my mom and Nancy, but for Emily's friend Dan. After all - he's an Auburn fan and a Brook Hills member coming to visit Honduras. He's practically my brother, and that warrants some kind of obnoxious airport sign that says "War eagle!"

- Must. shower.

- Meeting the driver at 10. Awkwardly riding with him in my lack-of-Spanish silence to the airport.

- Meeting Dan.

- Hugging my mom and not wanting to let her go.

- Probably crying (because I'm already tearing up.) (Makes me think of Love Actually... Note to self: waterproof mascara.)

- Apparently having 4 suitcases worth of Christmas in March (FOOD!!!). :)

- And showing my mom the beauty of the dirty and the poor.

Teaching...

I often compare myself to a roller coaster.

I'm so up and down.

Teaching drives me absolutely nuts sometimes. But lately, my motivation and dedication has been climbing. These changing perspectives make me feel a little unstable, but I choose to believe that it's God answering the prayers of many - helping to lead, guide, and sustain me - both in the here and now and for the future.

And as for tonight? I've got my game face on.

You know it's work-time when I turn off the tv that I often keep on in the background and actually sit at my DESK to get some work done.

Large stack of papers and crazy gradebook - bring it on! I've got WZZK in my earphones, and I'm staying on top of things this week!

Sidenote: I'm excited that the third quarter only has a week and a half to go... I'm ready to start over on a clean page in my gradebook.

Teachers are nerds.

Currently

My mom will be here in less than 48 hours.

I can't believe it. It's almost too good to be true. And yet, I hope it's not. I hope it's perfectly wonderful and completely real.

I've become a bit anxious about this visit, and I was really relieved during devotions this morning when another girl shared the same feelings about her sister and cousin visiting this weekend. I think that my insecurities about Honduras are a little magnified now that I feel the need to play hostess. It's like I all of a sudden need to know where I am and what I'm doing at all times - and yet that simply isn't the case for us most of the time. I guess this new pressure is partly related to the fact that we're renting a car and I am going to drive here.

I can't believe it.

I have said multiple times that I never wanted to drive here.

However, it wasn't that expensive, and it will provide some much-appreciated independence.

So please be praying that all of the details will fall smoothly into place and that the Lord will continue to provide and protect us so that we can fully enjoy our time together. :)


P.S. - This link is so worth reading.