Disneyland

I just got back from a week down in southern Cali. I was visiting my relatives and spending some time at Disneyland. I love that place, I don't think you can ever be too old to enjoy Disneyland. We also ate breakfast at Knott's Berry Farm which was always a tradition for my family when I was younger, so it was fun to be able to revisit that memory!

Now I am back in WA and enjoying the summer time. I am looking forward to some down time to relax and reflect. I also am looking forward to spending time with Heather and Micah (and Steve when he isn't working!) this summer!

Fun pictures of the students I have grown to love

You know it is the last day of school when...

1. Cell phones ring off the hook in the classroom and students find joy in getting them confiscated.
2. A student starts of the pledge of allegiance with "I pledge allegience to the American Flag..."
3. A student asks where he can find "what are those things called that you use to wipe down the tables?" wipes would be the correct answer! :)
4. Teachers need more than one coffee drink before noon.
5. The hallway smells of many different odors after the lockers are cleaned up. The joy of having a classroom right next to the hallway of lockers! :)

It is summer now! Hooray!!!

The last week of school

This week is just weird, there are so many mixed emotions. It is sad to think that I will most likely never see these kids ever again. There are so many students who have touched my life in such a powerful way and those are the ones that will be missed the most. So many students have been telling me this week how thankful theyh are for me and how much of a difference I have made in their lives. Some of these students statements are a surprise as some of them don't make their appreciation for me very evident sometimes. Then there are other students who love to make it known that I am not their favorite teacher.

I think what I have learned the most as a middle school teacher is the meaning of tough love. There are students who are stinkers and it is very evident that they could care less about me as a teacher and they are plain rude. But I still have to love them and that has been a challenge, I am not going to lie! I have learned a lot about grace and unconditional love these last two years. Middle schoolers need tough love and sometimes that has been so hard to give. Their is one student in particular that makes it known every day how much he hates me and it is so tempting to go off on him but I can't let my pride get in the way. He is entitled to his own opinion and my job is to respond in love, no matter how hard that might be.

God is good and I am thankful for these last two years at this school, no matter how hard and rough they have been. Through it all, I have learned a lot and I am thankful to have grown so much in so many ways.

3 more days to go until summer (not that I am counting or anything! :) )

Some people should not be parents

So, we have new neighbors downstairs and they have two very small children. Most of the time, a lot of screaming and running around can be heard and it gets pretty annoying. So, I am laying in bed tonight at 10:30, trying to fall asleep and these kids (I think they are like 2 and 4) are screaming, running around and banging a lot of stuff around. Whose idea was it to have these kids awake at this time in the evening? I am not sure these parents are the brightest bulbs on the tree.

So, my roommate Kirsti decides to yell "shut up" loud enough that they can hear and it is silent for a few minutes. Then it starts back up to which we respond with pounding on the floor, trying to get our point across. So, with that said they are finally quiet but now I am wide awake.

Oh to be able to afford a house....

Exhaustion

No matter how much sleep I get and how much I try and take care of myself lately, I am just exhausted. I am not sure if it is just because it is the end of the year or what but at the end of the day, I want to just crash.

I think part of this is emotional exhaustion as I am preparing to leave a place I am familiar with and have to say goodbye to my students that I dearly love and the teachers I care about. Don't get me wrong, I am definately looking forward to my new job but saying goodbye has never been easy.

I am just tired of being tired! I want energy, I find myself praying over and over again for God to give me strength and energy to make it through the day. Because of my exhaustion, I have become super edgey a lot too which is not fun for the people I come in contact with!

Soon and very soon it will be summer and I will be able to rest and relax, I am ready!

Welcome!

Hello friends. I thought I would step into "blog world" and try this out. I am going to try and post as much as possible. What I want this blog to be is a place for discussion and insight. If you know me well enough, you know that I love to think about a lot of things and discussing these thoughts is the best way for me to process this. So, if you want to comment on anything please feel free to jump in at anytime.

I am also looking forward to reconnecting with old friends through this site and getting to know where they are at and what they are up to!

Thanks for checking my blog out!