2010 has been a crazy year.  Between falling in what I thought was love, having my heart broken, thinking school was going to do me in to being in my final semester of class I have had some crazy times, broken down a few times and am actually glad that the year is coming to a close.

For 3 years now, I have done a blog post of "What I have learned".  I thought that since I have determined I am not getting off this couch until 7:00pm, I would go ahead and let all of you out in blog world read what exactly I have learned.

So here goes:
1.  No matter what I may think, I am stronger than I ever imagined and God is there for me.  I have been through a lot this year.  Many of the things you can read in my past posts.  I have had love and lost love.  I thought my world was ending, the dramatic side taking hold of my for a little bit... and then week by week and day by day, I realized that he was not the guy I wanted to be with forever.  He wasn't even the guy that I wanted to be with for a little while.  He actually did me a favor, and saved me from being the jerk in the situation.

2.  More people have my back than I thought.  As I went through all my trials, I was continuously amazed by the encouragement and prayers on my behalf.  I know that my life isn't hard compared to a million others out there, but I am glad to have people in my life that support me.

3.  There is nothing more important than family.  I have known this for a while but it was repeatedly shown as a truth to me over and over again.  Whether it was a kind word from a cousin or prayers sent up for a very sick little girl, family is what keeps me going.  Their encouragement never fails me and I love them for it.

4.  Sometimes, you just need to have fun.  Life is really too short to not have a little fun without thinking sometimes.  Be safe and don't compromise your morals or values but have fun!!  After a weekend of fun, I have learned that lesson.  ( Can I use "fun" enough?)

I am sure that there are other lessons that I have learned, but these are the big ones.

Now, for some New Years Resolutions
1. Get down to a size 10 jeans
2. Graduate!!!
3. Get a job teaching resource or in a regular classroom
4. Participate in Siesta's Scripture Memory event in December 2011
5. HAVE FUN this year!!

As this year comes to an end, I know that I will have trials in the 2011, I will laugh, cry, hate, love, and not think I can make it at all.  But I know that the Lord, my family, and my friends have my back!  And for that, I could not be more thankful.

Sometimes the difference between attention and attraction can be hard to decipher. I think there has to be some sort of attraction there for the attention to be there.

A few weekends ago, I got some attention. Was it attraction? It was there... but I honestly don't know if I even want to figure it out, or if I will get a chance....

But what I do I know, is that I had one of the best weekends I have ever had! :)

Weddings are a time of joy, love, family, friends, laughter, pretty dresses, makeup, photography, flowers, handsome men, and pretty girls.  Unless you are the bride and her two best friends.  Then it is filled with laughter, laughter, a little stress, phone calls, roadside assistance, lots of driving and then all the other fun wedding stuff.  Oh wait.... maybe that is if you are JoAnna, Sarah and I :)

I can honestly say that I consider myself to have always been blessed. I have a great family and amazing friends. I have a church family that extends across the country and support and encouragement from all aspects of my life. I have been able to create a "business" with a long list of families that trust me with their most treasured items. I have been blessed with the financial needs of attending an amazing, Christian school in order to obtain my education.

I can also honestly say that I haven't had everything handed to me on a silver platter. I haven't had the childhood that most dream about. Both my parents worked, and worked hard. We didn't have the best of things but we had the best of love.

This past week, in the midst of tears, screams, feeling alone, and the wads of cash slipping through my fingers, I had forgotten all of this. I had forgotten how my dad simply looked at me and said," you are healthy, alive and safe. That is all that matters.". Or how My sister in law let me know that I wasn't alone. I had forgotten how many friends I had that had been down this road, eating ramen for days only because it was 10 cents.

Tonight, I was reminded. I was given an unexpected blessing that came from nowhere. It is something that will help me get to the end of the "school" tunnel and is absolutely something I am in no way worthy of. I am truly, truly blessed.

Life is full of ups and downs, and I have and will continue to have my fair share of them. But I have people, many, many people, who walk in the shadows behind me, every step of the way to see me fulfill my goal, and for those, I am eternally grateful. I have people holding me up when I can't seem to do it and walking with me to the finish line, holding my hand and taking the last final steps with me.

I only hope that one day, I can meet a young person that is struggling through life and help them in the ways that I have been helped. It will be great to give back 100 times more what I have been given over the years. I am truly loved, and truly, truly thankful.


-make each day count!!

Whew!  I have had a week that I would like to forget.  It has been one of those weeks that had it not been for faith of better things yet to come, I would have been buried under my covers with some water and food and about 48 sad movies to aid my self pity party.

Please excuse me for a second while I throw that party:  I have dealt with 3 rounds of antibiotics trying to fight an infection in my tooth, my iPhone falling in the toilet (it still works, thank goodness!), the shock of how much dental work is when you don't have insurance, delayed dental work (due to the infection), the uncertainty of a potential failing grade in a class, traveling to work only to find it closed while trying to not cause a wreck because the brakes were going bad, getting the brakes fixed and  then having a flat tire on the side of 288.  All of this while I was finishing finals, trying to work, having no idea where the money was going to come from and trying to get ready for a wedding and 10 days out of town.  Needless to say, I am having trouble finding any break in the dark cloud that I so recently felt was finally breaking up.

I know that I will be okay.  I know that I have the most amazing and giving parents that I do not deserve.  I know that I have a blessed group of friends and a support system that helps me get through times like these.  And I know that it seems that all I have done recently is throw little "pity me" parties throughout this semester.

While on the side of the road tonight, waiting for my hero of a dad to come rescue me, I found myself crying.  Crying because I was tired.  Crying because I felt like I was drowning.  Crying because the last few times I have called my dad it is to tell him that something has broken and I don't have the means to fix it.  Crying because I know that my parents don't exactly have loads of money to give out to someone.  Crying because I feel like I am being a burden and I hate it.  Crying because I am emotionally, financially and physically tired.  And crying because I knew, deep down, that no matter what I was going through, there was a little baby girl that has it 400 times worse than me at the moment.

I, however, do not intend to dismiss or apologize for my feelings, or my emotional break down.  I think that everyone goes through these times and that each has their "breaking point".  I have learned that each trial God has brought me through, I am only stronger for the next. God never said our lives are going to be easy. Jesus' life wasn't easy.  Mary and Joseph definitely did not have an easy life after Mary was found to be pregnant.  Yet, they still were faithful and true to God and HIS will.

An extremely nice (and handsome) cop fixed my badly mutilated tire and I got home safely.  When I kept telling my dad sorry that I was being so expensive, he told me, "It is your time to be pooped on.  We all have a time when everything falls apart at once. It will get better." I couldn't help but smile as I was strangely comforted.  

I  know that there is going to be 1,000 more "seasons" in my life where everything is going to go wrong.  I think, that instead of feeling sorry for myself, I will take President Kennedy's advice: "Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.", the wise words of my father, and GOD' s never failing love and power

 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Yesterday I went to the Michael W. Smith concert, which was great!  I love Christmas music and MWS was the first christian artist that I remember listening to, so it was a great combination! Although he played "Friends" which is probably one of my least favorite songs of his, the arrangements and combinations of instrumental and vocal music was great!  Voice Avenue was there.  They are a group from Lee University that does 8 part accapella.  They were actually on the show "Sing off" last season.

So the concert was great, but that wasn't the best part!  Tanya and I volunteered to usher and we got to see the concert free...still is not the best part (although it was a nice perk)

The BEST part was this little old couple that sat in my section.  The lady used a walker and the man, a cane.  They reminded me of my own grandparents.  The section I was in had stairs going all the way down, so of course the lady couldn't use her walker.  We left the walker at the top and I took her arm to help guide her down the stairs to sit down.  Then I went back to get the man.  I helped him down too.  He was so sweet in making sure that her walker was going to be safe.  I told him that it was up at the top of the stairs and that I would be around the section all night.  I also told him that my grandfather used a walker and I knew how important it was for her to have that walker.

As I started to leave, he grabbed my hand and kissed it, looking up at me and saying, "Thank you for being so cheery and helpful!"  OH MY GOODNESS... talk about making a girl smile :) It was the most heartfelt and selfless compliment I have gotten in a while.  He was truly thankful for my help and it was awesome to be able to give that to him.

As the evening progressed, I would occasionally stop by their seats to see if they were okay.  Every time he would just touch my arm and smile :) At the end of the evening I saw that the woman had gotten her walker and they were on their way with their family that had come later.

I occasionally complain about having to help my grandparents.  I won't go into details because it really makes me sound ungrateful and I truly love and adore my grandparents.

But last night, helping that couple to the seats, made me realize that helping my grandparents and knowing how to support a person who cannot walk easily down the stairs had a bigger purpose.  This may seem small to a person looking in from the outside, but to me, it is just one more piece of evidence that God has a greater plan and puts things in our path for a reason.

Will you pray for this sweet little girl?  Her name is Brooklyn and she is my cousins little girl.  She was born a week ago and is in the NICU. She is waiting to have surgery but isn't strong enough yet.  She is a great baby girl and needs lots of prayers for health and strength.  Thanks!

Miranda

This weekend I went up to my Granny's house for the annual Christmas Party.  I got to see family that I usually only see once or twice a year, went to visit my grandfather's grave and ate A LOT of food!  It was a great time for me to be able to spend some time away from the books and relieve some stress.  I also was able to walk around and take some fun shots of the scenery at my granny's house. I was also able to persuade my mom to brave the cold and take a few pics of me for future use.

 This place means so much to me and holds so many dear memories of my grandfather, family and peace.  It is my heaven on earth.  Enjoy the photos. I am not the best at editing, but I think they turned out well!









 This is my Bappaw's barn.  Many times I would come into town and find him down here working on something.  It smelled of feed and grease.
 Walking through the back pasture.

 God is everywhere
 Looking at a little bridge that goes over the dried up creek. I didn't realize this was here until today.  I always used the bigger bridge that was down a little bit.



 This is the bridge that we used to throw sticks off of and watch them race down the small creek.  I loved sitting on the bridge with my cousins talking and trying to figure out life at 12.





 Taking some much updated pictures of me.

I had such a good time this weekend!

Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I love all the lights and decorations. I love the cold weather and all the warm clothing we get to snuggle into. I love the holiday movies that are filled with joy and love. The ones that the orphans get to spend Christmas in a real home or Santa Claus saves Christmas just in the nick of time. I love hearing about all the stories of those less fortunate receiving a Christmas blessing. I especially love coming home to a tree full of angels and lights with stockings hung and red and green everywhere!



Christmas is a season in which we take extra time to be with family and enjoy each others company. The little ones run around, too anxious to go to bed, in hopes to catch a glimpse of the man in red. Many remember Christmases past, the traditions that never seemed to be carried on and the loved ones that are only here in spirit.



Churches put on grand production to retell the story of Christ's birth. There are carols, readings, candles, live nativities and children's plays.

Christmas songs play in the stores, at restaurants, on the radio, and through the heads of children. Kitchens are filled with the smells of gingerbread and spice cake. Families are busy making tins of cookies for friends and family.

There are parties to attend and family to see. Before you know it, it is time to put away everything for the next year. But for a time, there is a feeling of happiness and joy that can't be described. For a time, people forget their worries and pain. For a time, the world is all lollipops and gumdrops. For a time, the only thing you need is your family, Christmas carols playing in the background and some cookies on your plate!

Christmas is all of this to me.

I made these for thanksgiving this year. It took two tries but they turned out delicious! Do not fill them too full or they will turn into a sticky mess.


Tools:
Standard Muffin Pans (2 needed)
Halloween Baking Cups OR
Glowing Pumpkin Baking Cups
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 (15 oz.) can solid pack pumpkin
1 cup buttermilk
2 1/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Cream Cheese Filling
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Filling
In food processor fitted with steel blade or mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients; beat until smooth and creamy.

Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place baking cups in muffin pan. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine pumpkin and buttermilk. Mix flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Fill each cavity half full. Place a tablespoon of cream cheese filling on top of batter. Top with remaining batter.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 24 cupcakes

I decorated them with turkeys on top. I am not big on a lot of icing on the cupcake, so I didn't cover all of the cupcake.








Getting ready to fill the cups!








The cupcake batter is amazing!!








The pre-decorated baked goods!






The finished product-- I am not a decorator but they taste amazing!!

I have recently been on a mission to update my wardrobe, dress nicely more often than not and lose some pounds that have managed to creep up on me. I have managed to do the last, losing about 15 lbs in 3 months or so.
As far as dressing nicely, I have managed to add a few prices of clothes and fit into some old clothes that has allowed me to dress a little nicer than my standard jeans and t-shirt. I did venture out the other day and bought some skinny legged jeans. I had to build up some courage to wear them, but they turned out great and they are quickly becoming one of my favorite pairs of jeans.
Due to my current "poor" status, adding new pieces to my wardrobe can be difficult. With my recent weight loss, i have managed to ressurect some old pieces, but have lost some, too. Sales and holiday events are my friends. Before work today, I swung by target to get some things I needed. I found these too:





As you can tell, I bought them! They were priced at $20, and then were marked at 50% off for some reason. I really think they were in the wrong area but they gave them to me at $10 anyways. I thought they would make a cute addition to my winter repertoire!

Miranda
-make each day count!!

I had dinner with the parental unit tonight. They brought over chicken and sides, which I knew about. What I didn't know about was the lovely bag of groceries that they had with them! There was bread, apples, oranges, yogurt, and deli meat. I was so grateful since I have been really been just scraping by the last few months. With 2 practicums this semester, I was using a tank of gas a week. I thought I should just give my checks straight to Shell and Exxon.

All this to say... I am so blessed to have two parents that will do just about anything to see their kids succeed. I have been loved and encouraged my whole life by a God-fearing couple. I have learned what means to stick it through the hard times and to relish in the good times by watching them. I have seen examples of hard work and know that you don't take the things you have for granted because one day, that could be all gone. I have learned that you pick up and start over when life knocks you down. Most importantly, I have learned that when you think you have nothing else, you always have God and your family.

There are not any words or actions that could ever describe the love and respect I have for my mom and dad. I can't wait for them to show my brother's and my kids the same love and devotion that they gave to us while we were growing up.

Love you, Mom and Dad!!

Yesterday, in the LIFE Skills class that I am observing for, I did a cooking lesson.  They had been talking about the circus so I decided to have them make clown faces out of vegetables and cottage cheese.  They loved it!! They tried all the different vegetables and some even tried the cottage cheese.

Here are all of the different faces they made!  We had so much fun!

Here's how to do it!
take a scoop of cottage cheese and have the child spread it into a circle on the plate.
Use shredded carrots for the hair, a cherry tomato for the nose, 2 slices of cucumbers for eyes, and a strip of red bell pepper for the smile!  you can substitute any raw veggie for anything that your child may not like.  I thought that you could use veggie dip instead of cottage cheese and olives instead of the cucumbers or whatever else you find!

Enjoy a healthy snack!

29 years ago, my brother said a prayer that changed his life.  He had put his quarter in the little church house bank and made a simple request.  I guess he figured that it was kind of like a toll booth-- may a toll and get a prayer answered.  When he got out of Sunday School, he told my mom that he had prayed for a little sister.  Russell says that he smacked Keith on the back of the head :)  What they didn't know, is that in 9 months (give or take) Keith's prayer would be answered.  Although my parents decided to not know what sex the baby was, Keith knew he was going to have that little sister. 

  

Tomorrow will be a day of remembrance for many that knew a great guy named David.  He was my best friend's fiance and unexpectedly passed away last year, two weeks before they were to be married.  Through this last year, I have seen her handle this tragedy with grace, maturity and understanding like none other.  Please keep the Rosbrough and Lindsey family in your prayers as they remember a son, son-in-law, fiance, brother, cousin, and friend.  There are many that loved him and have not forgotten him.

I am graduating in May! After 10 years of going to school, working any job I could get my hands on, living at home so I could pay for school and studying like you would not believe, I am finally in the final stretch of my collegiate career. I am excited, relieved, scared, and grateful!! I quit school for a few years but got back on track and have an Assoc in Psychology from ACC but now will have a BS from HBU and will be able to teach or whatever else God has in store for me!
I cannot wait to see what the future holds. I can't help but smile to think that this part of my journey is almost over. The next step will not be easy, but I will LOVE to have every Friday and Saturday night open!!
However, that statement is bittersweet because no matter who thinks babysitting is a "teenagers" job, I have gotten to be a part of hundreds of children's lives and have lolved every minute of it. I have gained numerous friends as mothers and fathers have left their greatest treasure in my care. What a high honor!! Think about your treasure- who would you let take care of it? Our most valuable jewels are locked up in a case where noone can see them, much less play with them!

These families not only trust me with their children but also let me in their house and enjoy memorable times with them. Many families have become family, with me being the only one besides grandparents to take care of the kids. It is and will forever be sweet, sweet memories!

For my hard work, my mom has told me that she would get me a ring the semester before I graduate. So......
Here it is!!



-make each day count!!

There is an old saying. You may know it. It goes something like this: "those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.". I wonder if those people who believe this quote is true have ever spent one week in a classroom with 26 7-year olds, trying to teach them how to read while having the administration breathing down their back to "teach the test" & "get the scores", all the while having parents either scrutinize their every move or not caring in the slightest that their child is failing- what do they need school for anyway--- Not to mention the parents who just know that little Susie is the smartest child to have ever walked the earth...

Those who believe this statement must have forgotten the 12 years of school, plus the 4-6 years of college, where people taught them things and know how to do it better.
So I think the statement should be changed- "those who can, teach. Those who can't, do"-- for knowing something well enough to teach it gives you the ability to DO and TEACH....

This video has been going around on Facebook and it brought tears to my eyes.

If a teacher isn't in it for the right reason, they are not going to last long. Teachers may not get paid much, but to have a child come back in 10 years and say, "thank you for believing in me" or seeing a child's eyes light up because they can read a sentence will forever outweigh all the critics and negative comments about teachers.

Here is the video 

 As I was looking on twitter I came across a tweet from Susan O' Donnel, a morning DJ on my local christian radion station, KSBJ.  She talked about something called Operation Beautiful.  It caught my eye and so I looked it up.

I took a family of three to feed the fish and turtles in their neighborhood.



There were huge catfish and turtles just waiting for food. It was so hot that we only stayed around for 15 min, enough time to get rid of our bread then back in we went!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7


I have had alot of time to think the past few days.  Whether swimming with 4 little boys or laying in my bed in the middle of the night, I have had a zillion thoughts swirling in my head. In everything I have read and all that I have thought about, this verse sticks in my head.   I have to say that until now, I have never looked at this verse and thought about what it really means in my life.  
 Love is patient:
 It starts off hitting me right between the eyes.  Patience in my personal life is not my strong suit.  I have a fear of the unknown.  i want to know what is going on and what will happen.  Ironically, I can sit with a child for 30 minutes and work on one skill that they need to succeed.  Patience is sitting in a room with a sick child, constantly wetting their head with towel to break the fever.  Patience is taking the time to explain to my grandfather for the 1,000 time how to work the remote.  Patience is praying and waiting for the right child to be chosen for my brother and sister to love as their own. 

Love is kind:
Being kind is something I have always done...to those that I like.  As humans, it is easier to be kind to those that are kind back.  I have to take a moment to think about what this means when I roll my window up at the homeless guy on the street, or to that one child that gets on my nerves the instant he opens his mouth.  Am I showing kindness to them?  Someone once told me: "Love those who hurt you, for they need it the most"  These deserve the same kindness that I give to my friends and family.


Love does not envy, does not boast, and is not proud:
Envy, the big green eyed monster!  Being boastful or proud goes along the same lines.  I have to admit, I have been envious of others.  I dealt with this huge monster when my best friend got engaged.  Although I was ecstatic for her, I couldn't help but be slightly envious of her, getting to go through the excitement of a wedding.  I had a slight case of the "Why not me, God?" and "When is it my turn?".  When we take on these characteristics, I think that it takes the "me" out of our personality and lets us easily slip down the slope to ungratefulness.  I am trying to look at the good things in my life, and take the time to be grateful for the MANY blessings that God has given me. 


It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 
Oh my!  The words keep cutting deeper and deeper.  Rude, self-seeking, anger, holding grudges... I can relate with all of these.  If I am not careful, I can fall prey to the grudge monster.  A little boy that is dear to my heart has a true black and white sense of justice.  This means that when I accidentally hurt his feelings or he feels that he has been wronged, he will retaliate.  As a person that has been wronged before (like all of us) I tend to look at the way to "get back" or retaliate myself.  This weekend, I, admittedly, heavily insinuated that I wanted a certain gift back that I had bought for a birthday after I felt I had been wronged.  I thought that the gift would give me some gratification or retaliation for my hurt feelings.  In truth though, all I felt was sadness.  The gift was to be shared with a certain person.  It was not the gift that held  the meaning, but the time the gift would have allowed us to share.  


Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
No matter what the outcome will be, the truth will always win out.  This part of  the verse reminds me of the way a child will tell a little lie to get out of being in trouble for writing on the walls or dumping all their toys out of the shelf.  This little white lie turns into something huge and the child is now in more trouble due to lying then if they had told the truth.  It is hard sometimes to tell the truth when you know that the other person will be so disappointed.  But the truth will always prevail and is the straighter path to take.  Gossiping is something that I still, to this day, need to work on.  Hearing tidbits of information and then telling someone else this "half-truth" can be detrimental to many lives.  


It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres:
Love is your mother and father, lifting you up through your child, telling you that you can accomplish anything.  Love is the man that can hug you and make you feel safe.  Love is the best friend that sticks around when everyone else has left. Love is the community that rallies around you when you are heartbroken.  Love is the hope for better, but the understanding of what is. Love is your heart forgiving when you have been wronged. 

Bulletin boards are my favorite part of decorating a classroom. For the past 4-5 years, I have done the bulletin board for my mother's classroom. I have done an ocean theme, bees, and other various "scenes". This year, I did a space themed board for her! It was so much fun to make a rocket and add the perfect touches to make it look like space!


The picture below is the final board!


Mir

This weekend has been a very hard one for me.   The guy I had been talking to and dating for the last 8 months broke up with me.  I do not tell you this for sympathy but it is simply a part of a story that I found awesome.

Last night around 11:30, I finally took time to be by myself and laid in bed, letting emotions wash over me until I fell asleep.  It was something that I needed to get out.  Then today, I was on Facebook and started to talk with my friend Tabitha.  She asked how I was and we talked for about 10 minutes.  In the course of the conversation she told me that she prayed for me last night.  She said that she envisioned me around 11:30, laying in my bed crying my little heart out. It made her sad and so she started to pray for me.  I couldn't believe it!  God had placed me in her heart, knowing that I was hurting.  She stood in the gap for me.  I love moments like these!  I love my faith and I love my supportive friends and families.  Oh, and I LOVE GOD!

How do you write about something when you don't understand it yourself?  

Today was the 4th day of VBS.  I have had so much fun while teaching second grade boys.  I cant explain the feelings that I go through.  From anxiety at the beginning of the day to anticipation, frustration, pride, exhaustion, back to pride, joy, and mostly love.  Well, maybe I can explain it!  VBS at Second Baptist is not your old school  VBS.  There is a play for the biblical lesson and a full fledged 30 minute musical-type dealing with superheroes and posers.  There are lights, music, dancing, and lots of corny jokes!  It is a great time and engages the students in the lessons of the day.  This year, we studied to look at what we think, what we say, what we choose, what we do, and where we are going.

I was very nervous to do VBS at Second just because I had not really taught a class like this, I usually do the music.  I took it on, and looked at it as an opportunity to not only teach kids about GOD, but to get just one more week of "practice" in for teaching.  After a rough start with not knowing who my help would be, I got my mom to come up and be my "co-teacher".  It was nice to work with her again.

The week went smoothly with nothing too big happening.  All in all it was a great week!

some costumes that Andrea  made

A Traditional Danish Tree

So, this summer has been super busy for me.   First, it is the last summer that I have to be in school (woohoo!) I had to take a summer class on how to teach social studies to elementary children.  It turned out to be a pretty interesting class and I had fun.  It has been a while since I have had fun with the content of a class.  My friend Andrea and I had to make a museum exhibit.  We did it on Denmark and used many of my family photos and articles to help fill the exhibit out.  It was fun to go through my grandma's hope chest and find "lost treasures" from my grandma's childhood.

POWER UP! Second Baptist VBS '10

I have also had the privilege to help out with 2 vacation bible schools this summer.I helped do music for VBS at FUMC Pearland.  The theme was Galactic Blast and I had a lot of fun teaching the kids the songs and dances!  I definitely got a good workout!  This week I have been at Second Baptist teaching a class of 20-24 2nd graders.  I have about 20 boys and 2 girls.  It is so much fun to see the kids come in and learn their bible verse and have smiles on their faces!
 Lets see, what else has been going on..... We split the singles class that I was director of into two classes, 18-34 and 35+.  It was a good time to do it, but was hard because I loved seeing the other half of the class.  Things have been going great with both classes.  The younger class is called Kaleo, which means to be called out in Greek.  We meet in the youth building, which can be hard because we are not in the main building, but it is working out!



My brother got married last weekend!  My mom, dad, brother and sister-in-law, granny and I took a train to Chicago on July 18.  We left Texarkana around 9pm and spent the night on the train.  We got to St. Louis on Monday morning and were able to see the arch and pass over the Mississippi.

Keith was our "guide"

We ended up getting into Chicago in the afternoon.  It was very neat to ride in the train.  I felt like I was transported back to the 1950's.  It gave a slower pace to the beginning of the vacation. Keith met us at the train station and the vacation really got started.  It was fun to ride the "L" and have 2 iPhones and maps to plan our route for the day.  After we got settled into our beautiful hotel, we went and got something to eat.  We found a place called Al's Italian Beef.  It was delicious! Then, we dropped my mom and granny off at the hotel and dad and us kids went to  see Sear's Tower.
The tower now has glass outlets where you can stand and be "in the city".  It was scary to go out at first, as your brain is screaming, " You are going to fall" but then you get used to it and it gives you an amazing view of the city.

On Tuesday we got up and ate at this adorable little market/bus depot a few blocks from our hotel.  They had vendors that sold various items and each of us was able to get what we wanted for breakfast.  We actually liked it so much that we ended up eating there every morning while in Chicago.
Tuesday was Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Navy Pier day.  After an hour detour due to a mis calculation in google maps, we found our way to the Museum and Aquarium.  I was not all that impressed with the museum.  It had Sue, the most complete T-rex skeleton in the nation ( I believe) and a very neat Egypt exhibit.  We stopped for lunch at the park before the family split.

Lunch at the Park

 My mom and granny went to Navy Pier to see the stained glass museum while the rest of us headed to the aquarium.  The Aquarium was awesome!  I have not been to an aquarium that was not attached to a zoo in a while so it was neat.
There was a crazy amount of sea life and we saw penguins, beluga whales, dolphins, fish from around the world, were able to touch sea anemones and starfish.  We saw a huge Caribbean Reef  tank that took up the middle of the whole building.  It was awesome!   We then took a water taxi onto Lake Michigan for a 15 minute ride to the Navy Pier.  It gave us a wonderful view of the city.  While at Navy Pier, we walked around, ate and Keith, Russell, Mom and I rode the ferris wheel!  It allowed us to see how big Lake Michigan is!

Mom and I on the Ferris Wheel

The famous red sign!

On Wednesday we went to see the Astros play the Cubs at Wrigley Field.  This was probably my favorite day of the vacation!  We met Sarah (Keith's wife) and her family at the game and had a healthy dose of competition going throughout the whole game! They are Cubs fans... yuck! It was awesome to be in the same place where baseball had been played since the '20s.  There was such a sense of history and pride at Wrigley.  The fans were so dedicated and supported their team!  Wrigley is located in a neighborhood, so the atmosphere is like a block party.  It was a great game and we had good seats!  I loved rooting for the "other team".  Everytime the 'stros would score you could hear the faint claps and yells of about 10-15 people and hear the home teams fans turn their heads to see who was an outsider.  All in all, the cubs fans were great, much nicer than the ones I have experienced at a Astros/Cubs game played in Houston.
After the game, which lasted 12 innings, the whole group went to a pizza place to grab some Chicago style pizza.  I am not sure if it was good because I was hungry, or if it was just that good, but the pizza was amazing!  I need to find a place that sells pizza like this in Houston!  After stuffing ourselves with pizza, we went our separate ways.  Sarah's family was going back home (abt 3 hours outside of Chicago) to get ready for the wedding.  The Martin clan went back to the hotel.

Russell found out that Transformers 3 was filming about 8 blocks from our hotel.  After some begging and pleading, I got the siblings to walk down to the area to see what we could see.  They had already stopped filming by the time we got there but we were able to see huge piles of foam concrete and 3 cars that were being taken away by forklifts.



On Thursday, we loaded a train and then drove a van to the wedding location.  Sarah's family had asked two families to host us so that we would not have to pay for a hotel.  We were grateful as Russ, Meagan and I stayed with a very sweet couple.

The next few days flew by including a corn dog, Jones soda and ice cream dinner on Thursday, helping with last minute preparations Friday,  rehearsal dinner at a cute Italian place, and then the backyard wedding on Saturday.  In between helping, Russell, Paul (Sarah's brother) and I found time to practice our song that Keith and Sarah wanted us to sing.  Everything turned out beautiful.  It rained on Saturday up until the wedding started and stopped long enough for the ceremony.  Sarah's parents had rented a tent for the reception so rain or shine, things were going to happen!  The reception included a buffet dinner with pork, rice, beans and salads, along with rolls and 2 beautiful cakes.  There was sangria flowing and people dancing.  The whole night was fantastic!

Keith and Sarah left for the honeymoon to Peru on Sunday morning as we drove back to the train station.  We got back on the train in the afternoon and arrived in Texarkana Monday morning at 6.  I had a great time with my family and would love to visit Chicago again!





Once I got back to town, I havent stopped since.  My last lecture semester starts in 2 weeks and I am happy and scared!  It means that this time next year, I will be getting a classroom ready for little ones!

This summer has been a whirlwind of events but has probably been one of the best summers I have had!

*Sorry this is so long but thanks for reading all the way to the end!  I have more photos of my trip on my facebook page.  To look at Wrigley field photos click here