Trekking with Me

It's New Years eve and my favorite thing to do on this "holiday" is to reflect over the past year and journal what I see. I like new beginnings, I like clear turning points, I like to see the footsteps behind me and even though some of the ground I covered was rough and jagged, I discover that I did grow, God was faithful and Good through it. My heart is always encouraged. So, tonight I thought I would journal some of the highlights of 2008: One of the top most things that I experienced was the best teaching experience I have had in my teaching career. I remembering trembling with fear as I approach the last teaching assignment in a new, rough school and asking people to pray for me. The whole experience was phenomenal. Everything from God providing me a place to stay as the commute was really far and the gas was really expensive, the students I taught, the subject I taught, the friends God put around me, the beautiful mornings driving to school and the new friend...

This is an awesome reminder of what our lives should be all about - what an AWESOME GLORIOUS God we serve...He is SO worthy. May we Celebrate Him forever!

Tonight I enjoyed going shopping with a friend. She and I shared the same disdain for shopping so we made a good pair - IN & OUT, "what's the next item on the list?" okay, list done! I have been called "the purpose driven shopper" - let's make this as fast and painless as possible please! Our last stop was a notable book store and as she found her last item on her list, I meandered around; a bookstore is an pleasant and interesting place to wait for someone. As I made my way through the calendar section, getting a few laughs from a "BAD CAT" calendar - (hilarious!), my eye caught a little coffee table book called: "14,000 things to be Happy about!" It was sweet and simple and gave me an idea of this post! So here are a few things, but not nearly as many as 14,000, I found to be happy about JUST today!! --hanging clothes on the line, a cup of italian coffee, two handsome toddlers to love on, sunshine, flip-flops, the sound of ...

Whew! I am just taking a seat after making some headway on a few of my house projects this morning. The house is quiet, except for Kenny G playing Christmas tunes. I have laundry to hang out before the morning gets too far along but I thought I would jot a line here to say Hello to my friends who check on me now and then =) I finished my first semester! Woo-hoooo!! I have a goal oriented mindset so when a goal is reached I like to cheer! And I also realize that i have about four more semesters to go, I wish it would not be so long - but when you think about it in numbers like "4" - it doesn't seem so long! Thank you all for your prayers. God used this last semester to work in my mind and my heart. It is all good. Right now - the Christmas Holidays are here and it truly is fun! I don't have ONE piece of Christmas decor up! Not yet anyhow, I tried to get Kitty to get some things done but, well, you know, she doesn't always carry out my wishes.... Somehow...

Hey everyone! This is a moment by moment update blog entry! I am sitting in the mall, next to Starbucks, so tempted to buy a $4 coffee but am holding out as i am meeting a friend for lunch and i have good coffee at home. Trying to be wise with my money....besides, i really DO want to buy for others instead of me. I have a problem in that I tend to begin to think of the many things I want on my Christmas wish instead of what others may desire....the kid in me is still alive! So, I confess the voice inside to say "I want this, I need that, I would love to have that..." IT is about GIVING...not receiving! :-) Ah, well, I am still growing! It is festive feeling here in the mall; people meandering by (one sweet soul dropped me a mint on my table as i was engrossed in my computer screen! the smallest things bless so much!), the music, the decorations, the cute kids dressed up for their picture with Santa (he has a REAL beard!), and just everything. I like to just sit and t...

Iy-yi-yi - Not really anything huge on my mind but I am simply procrastinating! I have one final project for the semester to finish and I have been sitting here for more than four hours - successfully avoiding wrapping my brain around the objective of completing it. THOUGH I can say, I did move on a part of it in the last 30 minutes! I can totally relate to kids who have ADD or ADHD; it takes me a bit of unwinding and de-cluttering to focus and do! My roommate use to laugh at me when I would start working on an assignment; I would make several trips out to the livingroom and kitchen to do the oddest of things...get a snack, vacuum, do some exercises, organize my cd's, floss my teeth...LOL; then after an hour or two, I would begin engaging in my work. Once i get there, it is truly a feast of learning. So this is what I have done in the last four hours: lit the candles in the house, played different cd's (of course I spent time rummaging through boxes and storage to find...