Happily married

I'm finally happily married to my best friend, my love muffin, my pookie! :)

Life's pretty sweet!

Falling Into Place

Well, I think it's about time for another update on the craziness that is often my life. It is crazy, but beautiful. Ironically, that is the title of an old late 90's movie with Kirsten Dunst!

Last-minute wedding details are finally coming together. Friday we printed wedding invitations--they look great! On Saturday, I went with two of my favorite people to pick out my bridal jewelry that I get to wear for free on the day of my wedding! :) Today I have finalized our guest list and I know EXACTLY how many stamps I need to purchase to mail the necessary invitations.

Decorations have been discussed, my wedding dress is waiting for me to pick it up in Atlanta, and photography shots have been discussed. . .from Chinese take-out to pictures in trunks, it's all coming to a close.

75 days.

I really have enjoyed the planning, but I am ready to execute. That's just who I am. I like to plan out each detail of something and then execute. Now I feel like I am just hanging around. However, there are still things that jump out at me, reminding me that I have plenty left to do. From addressing envelopes to placing a monogrammed stamp directly in the middle of a wedding program, I will manage to keep myself very busy with wedding planning right up until Nov. 21. Hopefully, more like the 20th. There is no need to do stuff the day of except enjoy getting my hair done with my favorite people. Ahh, hair salon photography. Great stuff.

I am so thankful for the wonderful people who have helped me through all of the planning. . .the people who met with me to work on things, the people who helped me choose just the right font, and the people who selflessly volunteered to help with flowers, decorations, photography, food, etc. I have been blessed with so many wonderful things throughout this whole process, and even though I stress out at times (mainly over money), it has all been a great deal of fun.

My fiance is the most wonderful person in the world and I am anxious to start our life together as a covenent family. I pray that together, we will share the love of Christ with even more fervence. And I pray that our marriage shows Christ's love for the church as it should! :)

Provisional God

Just wanted to type up a quick post to say how provisional our God is. We had our first wedding shower yesterday and it was so much fun!! :) We were able to spend time with some very special people, eat some very tasty (READ: SPICY!!) snacks, and really just have a great Saturday. . .even with some friends who had traveled a long way to come see us!

We sniffed spices and quickly learned that if curry is in a bag of spices, alllllll the other spices will smell like curry! It was hilarious! I managed to get cinnamon and oregano (I think) out of 8 spices. This was a really cool idea that L. got from her parents!

As for God being provisional, M. and I were excited to see that almost all of the things we REALLY needed. . .even for safety purposes (KLUTZ=ME!!) were given to us yesterday! Among those things were knives (I have been using M's really scary and dangerously sharp hunting knife!) and potholders (let's just say I've already burned myself on the oven once). AMAZING!

Later on, several of us just hung out at the house for awhile. . .and the awesome GRILL was put together right in the kitchen! M. is excited and we're already planning on some Labor Day grilling activities. :)

Now I'm off to write in my very special wedding book and write some thank you cards! <><

Psalm 32

1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered (Praise You).

2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count (it's not a behavior chart, thank you Lord Jesus!) against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long (because of my stubborn tendancies).

4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin (comfort in control) to you and did not cover up my iniquity (control). I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "—and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found (You are waiting always!); surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.

7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble (why do I want to control my life when I know this to be true?) and surround me with songs of deliverance (this is all I need!). Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you (Praise You, Lord Jesus).

9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you (please help me follow you without being like a mule!).

10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him (What can mortal man do to me?).

11 Rejoice (WOO HOO!!) in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Another list

1. One day until our first premarital counseling session with PD. I am so excited to get started! I don't really know what to expect, but we filled out these really long informational sheets about our relationships with God, goals for our marriage, etc. I am just glad we're finally able to get started now that M is on a semi-normal schedule. :)

2. Six days until my first day of work in my second year of teaching! R told me that I was way less stressed this year going into a new school year. She was right! I am feeling much better, especially without graduate school hanging over my head. So far, our school system is NOT going to make us take the suggested furlough days, but I have a feeling that this will wind up happening later in the year. I don't know what needs to happen for the economy to better itself, but it is definitely in a bad place if teachers (i.e. government employees) are being affected.

3. Ten days until my first day with my students. :) I have 4ish (one is in general edu. all day, but I still write his IEP and complete his GAA) new students this year. Four of my old students are returning as 7th graders, and I have four new 6th graders. Nice. Since I have no 8th graders, GAA just lessened by 24 activities!! YEAH! Praise Jesus!

4. Eleven days until our "His and Hers" shower! I am excited. I love seeing my faraway BFF's. . .H's, L, S, . . .AWESOME!

5. Fifteen days until I am 24. That is creepy.

6. 31 days until M turns 26. Even creepier. ;)

7. 116 days until we get married. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

A new year begins. . .

Well, I started going to VMS to set up my classroom this week. It wasn't as tortorous as expected! I feel like the summer has passed by SO quickly and I wasn't sure if I was ready to begin another stressful year.

However, I know that if the year never starts, then I don't get to get married, and I can't handle that one either! :) I am so excited for November! I know I'll get through the year. I just found out that my only 8th grader is changing schools, so I won't have to do 8th grade GAA activities!! That takes out 26 multiple-day (usually) activities that I will not have to do. The Lord answered my prayers and relieved that stress from me, so now I'm way more pumped about heading back. God can do anything, and He has definitely taken away so much stress from me for this upcoming year! PRAISE HIM! Two great people I know are also giving me a rowboat. . .and I am super excited!! Think of what a COOLIO reading center this will be!! So excited! It's also appropriate because we will begin the year by reading Treasure Island. :) Pirates and ahoy, matey!

B and I caught some great deals at Hobby Lobby on ribbon and flower petals for my girls. Woot! Only a few more purchases and we will be totally ready to go. Still waiting on the monogram. . ..

In other news, the new house rocks, B is moving in right next door, and aside from the freaky doorbell ringer of midnight, it's great being out in the country where you can ride your bike around!

I am expecting the Lord to see me through this year and do many great things in the lives of my students. I can't wait to watch them change all over again--that's the best part!! <><

1 Year Down

Whew. It's been a long road. A long road full of potholes that I just felt like I couldn't get out of!  Fortunately, God saw to it that I didn't stay and wallow in the mud pit--I finished the race....exhausted, but still finished.

The past month has been a true test of my faith. A multitude of new (often hurtful) challenges occurred one after the other. I kept waiting for a break in the storm, but the waves kept coming and knocking me further off course. 

Do you want to know what kept me from sinking into a permanent pit of despair? 

Psalm 94: 18, 19:

^"18 When I said, "My foot is slipping," 
       your love, O LORD, supported me.

 ¹⁹ When anxiety was great within me, 
       your consolation brought joy to my soul."

In the end, it was only God that was able to console me. When others couldn't understand, God had to pick me up. And He did. I am so thankful. I know that the storm will come again and that I will once again flounder in a sea of lies, but I know that in the end, my God reigns. My God stands up for His children. My God is a Lion and a Lamb. And He's what I need to depend on. 

Friends

S. is here, YES! :)

Today is the engagement party event--it's going to be lots and lots of people, but I think I can do it. 

I am excited to get to see everyone and have all but one of my bridesmaids in tow. :) It's hard to get 8 girls in one place at one time, especially with the busy lives we have. 

My final Capstone paper is due TOMORROW. Wow, it's really almost over, for real. Graduation is two weeks from YESTERDAY. That day is going to be the best day ever.

I just wish I could've graduated in December--it's going to be excruciatingly HOT! Hehe. 

Well, gotta get ready to head out for el church-o! 

Frustration and Pain

The week is not going great thus far--in fact, I have missed three days of work! It all started with the world's longest migraine, which then morphed into a 6-day (and counting) long bursitis and arthritis flare. I miss my students, I miss being able to sit up straight, and I miss being able to walk quickly up the stairs. 

It's funny the things you can miss--never thought I'd miss being able to haul taters up my twisted, curly, scary staircase. I do.

I feel pretty frustrated with my body right now because there is so much going on. Between work, school, other obligations, and wedding planning, I feel overwhelmed. 

I graduate on May 9th. I have never been so excited about anything in my whole life. If I can keep it together until then, I think I can make it through the rest of the year. 

It's the end of the year and people are trying to pile on more and more to my plate. Transition meetings with the parents of my new group of 6th graders, transition plans for current students moving to the high school, and trying to find administrators to attend these meetings is making life quite a challenge. 

Tomorrow is the opening (and closing!) of the play my girls are in. I have missed a whole week of practices and I feel terrible about it. . .but what can you do when your earthly tent throws in the towel on a still working brain and heart? Not a thing but stay at home, that's what. 

Stay at home, resting on the faith that I have that God can heal me and bring relief. . .resting on the peace of knowing that I have friends praying for me during this challenging time. . .that is what will get me though this. 

I am so proud of my students--they have changed SO much in a single year. They are older, wiser, and well prepared for a summer of learning at home (I hope!). I know of 2 more students who are moving into my room. . .that would certainly keep my numbers low! 

My current challenge is finding a photographer for the wedding who is not going to charge us over our estimated budget. Thus far, no luck. We will see what happens. 

Back to the resting of the joints--all this typing can't be a good thing! <><

Updates on a crazy woman's life!

It's been so long! 

Here's my list:

1. Just got engaged a little over 2 weeks ago; YEHAW! Really excited about it! I am getting married on Nov. 21, 2009! I AM PAST EXCITED!!!

2. 3.5 weeks until I graduate w/ my Master's! I am going crazy, but I am trusting God to get me through it! The actual date of graduation is May 9th!

3. 4.5 weeks until SMU gets married!

4. 6 weeks left with my students (May 22!)

5. 7 weeks TOTAL of work left to go until SUMMER BREAK! (May 28!! I got the last day off, mwahahahaa!)

6. 7 weeks until Austin gets married!

7. 8 weeks until I go and find my wedding dress!

8. 9 weeks until I go on an Assistive Technology Conference for my job to St. Simons!

9. 10 weeks until I take my girls on a shopping trip for flower girl dresses!

10. 12 weeks until I move into a house!

11. 17 weeks until my first week as a second-year teacher! :)

12. 222 days until I get married!

Encouragement, love God

Sorry, it's been a quick minute since I've blogged. Lots of things going on, trying to help friends with weddings (racking my brain about flowers and such, :), hehe), taking care of kids, lots of sitting in front of a computer, finally reading Wicked (very weird book, I must say--not what I was expecting), etc.

At the beginning of this week, I felt so discouraged. No time to rest, no time to be alone, all of my times with God involved me crying out to Him for encouragement and strength from above. . .it was hard to get up and ride off to the schoolhouse knowing I'd be there for such a long time.

I know some other very special people were praying for me in addition to my crying out, and I thank those wonderful people for doing that. Your prayers brought some wonderful encouragement this week.

We had a great week in my classroom. Lots of drama, but definite reassurance that I will never be able to leave my kids. Even though it's hard to press on, it's emotionally and physically draining, I know that for some students, I may be a part of the "safe haven" that they need.

This week, I had one of the most emotionally draining weeks of the job yet. I had to report things to DFACS, worry about one of my sweet treasures, and pray to God that she would not be harmed by the evil around her. This usually ecstatic child started coming to school weepy and not on the ball, which was very unusual. The case is active, the Lord is working. I trust that when I cannot protect her, He will. 

I think about one of my favorite songs, "Faithful," when I look back on the week that has passed me by. 

"Faithful, You are faithful

I have found nothing but good in Your heart.

Loving, You are loving,

I am in love with the way that You are.

Thankful, I am thankful,

I had been running away on my own,

And then You found me,

Oh, how You loved me,

I know You'll never, 

Leave me alone."

When I was discouraged this week, God really brought me encouragement. He spurred me on when I had grown weary of doing good. I wrote on my mirror "You are my JOY" to remind myself that when my joy feels sapped by work, it is not really gone. Not gone at all. 

God gave me encouragement through co-workers, through my students, through friends praying for me, and for my special friend (hehe) bringing me coffee to help me get through the day (more than once). 

I had a sub one day this week and it was all the encouragement I needed to hear her say how mch the kids had grown and matured over the past three months. Almost my entire class was able to label all the southeastern states AND the six parts of Georgia on the first try with no help. . .and to think that at the beginning of the year they could not name our state. I am so proud of them. They are learning so much and really growing up. I am praying daily to put my trust in God that He will provide for them when they leave my school and move on. Watching those kids do great things gave me back my joy. 

My sweet treasure brought me the first apple I've ever actually received as a teacher on Friday. It was so cute. Those are the things that God brought me to show me that I can't give up, that I must press onward, that I have to stay under His wing and stay strong. God will care for the apple of His eye.

Lord, thank You for this wonderful thing that you've given me. Thank You. 

James 1:22-27:

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."