Ben..

Where are Ben's feet?? too cute..

Does Ben want to go to bed?? He would shake his head no..

So Ben is my 1 year old cousin, or rather 2nd cousin, since his mom is my first cousin. And I am posting a couple of adorable pictures from our night together tonight. Mommy and Grammie went to a concert in St. Louis, so I got to chill with the Ben. :D We had a blast!!! So here are some awesome pictures from tonight!! * If you are my friend on facebook, yes you have probably seen these already.. :)

Busy.. what's new..

Yeah.. so it has been a really really long time since I have posted. Like a few weeks. School has been finishing up, thank goodness, and I may actually have some free time next week. :D Life has been going pretty good, nothing new to much report. I just thought I would hop on here and let all 3 of you who read this know that I haven't fallen off of the earth. :) Hopefully I will get a better post coming in the next few days. I have work tomorrow, then Champaign and a fish fry Saturday and church pretty much all day Sunday. So who actually knows? Hope you are all having a wonderful spring!!!

Fickle..

I learned that word in 9th grade Honors English when we were reading Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". For those who don't know what it means, it kind of means change. In the play, Romeo was the fickle one. He wanted one girl, then he would change his mind and go after another one. He basically couldn't make up his mind. I have found that life is like that sometimes. It seems like you are headed in one direction, possibly one that is not in God's plan for you, and all of a sudden you seem to be going backwards. My moods have been fickle lately, as well. I am happy and laughing one minute and the next minute I have taken something way too personally. It is something I am praying about. If you have been in the pathway of my attitude lately, I sincerely apologize. I know it hasn't been the prettiest thing ever. I am working on it, with God's help.

It has been a busy month, hence the lack of blog posts. Two weekends ago, April 10th, we had the youth's 12 hour blitz. That was a night of fun for the youth from 7pm on Friday to 7am on Saturday. Aaron and I were there at 11 to start setting up. Jen and Alyssa showed up around 3, and then some others started showing up to help. It was a blast. Last weekend, April 16th- April 19th, I was in Washington DC. Awesome trip. If you want to see pics, they are posted on Facebook and Myspace. Well, some of them are. There were way too many pictures to put them all on there. This past Friday night, one of our youth, Bridget, organized a benefit concert to donate money to Blood:Water Missions. It is a mission that the Christian group Jars of Clay started to help give African people clean water. Bridget's concert raised over $3000! It was an awesome night of music and fellowship.

Well, hopefully I will update sooner than a month from now. I hope April was good for everyone, and hope everyone is enjoying this FICKLE spring. I don't think it can make up it's mind whether it wants to be nice or cold outside. Well, summer is on it's way. And that will be HOT. Hope you all have a wonderful week!!!

Positive..

I was completely uplifted tonight by someone in my bible study group. I didn't need the validation that what I am doing is making a difference, yet I did. I needed to know that what I am doing is not in vain from an outsider. I don't feel like I am making a difference in the youth's lives, but I strongly feel that this is where God wants me. I haven't had this much peace at church in about a year. I am confident that this is where God has led me, but at the same time, I feel like I am doing no good. But tonight, someone gave me a hug and said to keep feeding myself (with God's word) and to just stay positive. I believe I have been pretty positive in this whole thing. I know we have a great group of students and leaders who want to see change. I appreciate people who believe in the leaders and the youth. We do not always feel as if we are getting approval from anyone but God and the youth. But I just wanted to let you know, and you know who you are, thank you. I appreciate what you are doing and I thank you for the encouraging words.

Thoughtful..

We had Bible study tonight, and yes I know it is Saturday. We meet every other Saturday night in a home and then the other Sunday we meet at church. We have awesome fellowship and can deeply delve into the study. No one is afraid to speak up, and everyone seems comfortable around each other. We are currently doing a Beth Moore bible study based on the Patriarchs, encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is a truly awesome bible study. We were discussing Genesis 16 and we came to verse 13 and there was a question in our study that asked "what name did Hagar give God?" The answer to the question is "the God who sees me." Now, that struck a chord inside of me and I really liked that answer. But what got me even more was the paragraph that followed it. "In Hebrew, (it is) El Roi. He sees when no one else cares to look. He sees through the smile we wear when we're dying inside. He sees our hurt when we're mistreated. He sees us when we cry into our pillow because we feel unloved. He sees beyond our sin into the depth of our need. He sees when we're hiding. Running." This just amazes me. Of course, we all know that God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. But this small paragraph made all of that real to me. We know that he cares for us. But do we understand how deeply he cares for us? This paragraph opened my eyes. He cares for us. He knows what we are feeling and thinking, which is scary sometimes. He will always be there when we need him, no matter what. So why do so many people turn away from Him? Why do so many people not believe in God? I know that no one but God has these answers, but this paragraph really made me think. I hope it did and does the same for you.

Accountability..

Some things have recently been brought to my attention. I am mainly talking about my sarcasm and my lack of reading my Bible- also being an example to those who look up to me. I am posting this on this blog, and therefore Facebook also, so that you may all be my accountability partners. I have a couple of accountability friends in the "real" world, but I would like you all to be my web accountability partners. If I say something sarcastic that is hurtful, I need you to speak up. I may get upset, but I need to do this, and I cannot do it alone. God will help me, and I need you to help me too. If you know me at all, you know I do not normally ask for help. This is something that is important to me. I also want to apologize for hurting anyone's feelings with my sarcasm. I know it is sharp, and I am sure it has cut through somebody at some point, and for that I am truly sorry. I never meant to do that, I hope you believe me.

Another thing I need to work on is getting AND staying in God's Word. I bought a new Bible tonight, one that is compact enough I can take it with me wherever I go- which lately has been happening all of the time. But besides carrying it, I want you guys to make me accountable for making sure I have spent some time in His Word each day. I know this burden falls on me, but if you think about it, ASK if I have been in the Word. I pray and earnestly believe that God will help me with this one, as it is going to be even tougher than the sarcasm request. But God can do ANYTHING, and that is what I love about Him.

A third thing I need to work on is being a positive role model for the youth and other's who may look up to me. I have a temper, and it easily shows. I know I cannot control it on my own. That is a given. But God is good, and He will help me control my temper, even if it means sealing my mouth so nothing comes out of it. I also want to be a good witness to the teens. A couple of my friends and I talked tonight, for quite a while, about people who look up to us. It is very important that we are positive role models for them.

Of course, there are many other things that need worked on. These are the top 3 that I felt convicted about tonight. They may not have been directed towards me, and I was told they were not, but it sure felt like I was the one under the microscope tonight. So, this is what I ask of you. Ask me questions. Inquire into my life. I cannot do this on my own, and God helps, but I need an earthly set of accountability partners. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

PS- Thanks for the hugs guys-- you don't know how much they mean to me.. :) and the fact that I can call you not only friends, but brothers and sisters in Christ is much more than I could ever imagine.. You know who you are.. and I love all of you..

Family..

So obviously this is not my whole family. That probably wouldn't fit in a post very well. This is the next generation of my family however. My neices, my nephews, and my baby cousin- who also calls me aunt lissa because everyone else does. I love these kids. They may talk back, disobey, disrespect, or be otherwise crazy, but what kids DON'T do that? They are learning, and the older ones are helping the younger ones learn this valuable lesson. Families are supposed to be like that. The older generation should be teaching the younger generation how to act and how to become better people. These children will grow up to be wonderful members of society. They may act out, but we have fun together. And I wouldn't trade any of my memories of time with them for anything in the entire world.

Exciting..

So this week has been/will be a doozy for me. Monday wasn't too bad. I had work and then went and hung out at my mom and dad's house. Today, Tuesday, I had work, class, then came home and played on the computer, which I am finishing up now so I can go to sleep. :) Tomorrow, Wednesday, I have work, church, and dinner at the Olive Garden with some friends. It should be a fun time. Thursday, I have work and class again. Friday, I have work and then I am baking with the youth at church for a benefit on Saturday for a child from Decatur who has had a cancer relapse. Info on that benefit is at helpcarson.org. Saturday is my oh-my-gosh-I-am-losing-my-head day. From 8:30am until 10:30 or 11:00am I am helping with Angel Food- a fun activity I do once a month where we take food orders and pass out the food people ordered from the month before. From 12-2 I am helping the youth deliver the baked goods from Friday night to Our Lady of Lourdes Church, where the benefit for Carson is being held. After that, I will return home for a short 2 hour nap or so, if I don't find something better to do with those 2 hours. Around 5 or 6pm, I am supposed to go babysit my kiddies. We have a blast- and will until the wee hours of the morning, as I am supposed to babysit them for quite a while. It will be fun. Of course, Sunday will be AM church and Sunday School and PM youth group, with a maybe nap thrown in there depending on any meetings I may have to attend. So, if you comment me or email me or in any other way try to contact me this week, do not feel ignored. I am simply busy. If you contact me on Facebook you have the best option for catching me since I check that like 20 times a day. (Yes it is an addiction. No I do not want help for it, thanks. lol) Have a great first full week of spring and last full week of March. (I can't believe it's almost April either!!!)

Attitudes..

Mine stunk today. I decided last week to ask God for his help with my attitude at work, and I was actually calm and patient at work last week. This week, I was in my mood yesterday, and did not ask God for anything but to help my mood go away. Praise God, the mood went away, for the most part. However, work was close to miserable today. There was so much drama and crap going on, that I could have pulled my hair out. Then we had a new kid start, and she is a really good little girl, but she got scared when Max started crying really hard. And then they all started crying. It was horrible, and I know it wasn't them being horrible, but my attitude being horrible. So, if you could pray for me this week that I will keep praying for help in this area. It really helps when I pray for God's help with my attitude. As many people know, I can get mad very quickly. Our business manager at work once told me that she had never seen daggers fly out of someone's eyes so quickly, and that is not something I am proud of. I have a hard time hiding my anger if it comes on quickly. That is something I am working on. I found a verse that I have kept handy because I really like it and it helps keep me in check when it comes to my attitudes. It is found in Ephesians 4:31-32. It reads, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just ass in Christ God forgave you." (NIV) That verse has helped remind me that I need to watch myself. It is just a verse that I have come to cherish in my life. :)

BTW- My mood from yesterday is mostly gone. I am still a little down, but thank God it passed. Thanks to everyone who gave me encouragement. I love you guys too. :)

Blah..

It has been an excellent weekend. We had an awesome time with the youth at Living Sacrifice, I got to spend time with my two oldest neices, which doesn't happen very often, and church today was awesome, between Pastor Wes' sermon and youth group tonight. So if everything went so well this weekend, why do I feel so blah? It's like I am almost sad, but I am not sad. I am just ehh. I don't get ehh very often. I guess maybe everything that is going on, plus some personal stuff, is starting to get to me. I put on a good front, or at least try. But lately, it feels like if anyone says the wrong thing at the wrong moment, I am going to start crying- and if you know me, I HATE crying. Passionately hate it. Especially in front of people. I think part of my problem lately is feeling like I don't belong. I feel like I am on the outside looking in, and trying to get in, but not quite making it. I also feel like everything is slipping away, and I don't know what is slipping away. Friendships, work things, church things. It feels like everything is slipping out of my hands. Maybe I just needed to write it down, and now I will feel better. Well, enough depressing thoughts for one night. Maybe I am just tired and need sleep. Hopefully that cures this mood.

Together..

This is one of my favorite pictures of my nephews. We were walking in the park and they decided to walk off of the path and check out what was over in that area. As much as they may fight or argue, now and in the future, they will forever be brothers and the memories they make together now will last them a lifetime.

A Song..

So, I have stuff to say, but not right now. I have had a song stuck in my head for a while. It is an excellent song and I highly recommend it. I love it's message, plus it has an awesome melody. :) This will commence this particular post, as the rest will be the lyrics of the song.

Savior, Please
by Josh Wilson

Savior, please take my hand
I work so hard, I live so fast
This life begins, and then it ends
And I do the best that I can, but I don't know how long I'll last

I try to be so tough But I'm just not strong enough
I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me
I try to be good enough But I'm nothing without Your love
Savior, please keep saving me

Savior, please help me stand I fall so hard, I fade so fast
Will You begin right where I end
And be the God of all I am because You're all that I have

I try to be so tough But I'm just not strong enough
I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me
I try to be good enough But I'm nothing without Your love
Savior, please keep saving me

Hallelujah Everything You are to me
Is everything I'll ever need And I am learning to believe
That I don't have to prove a thing
'Cause You're the one who's saving me

I try to be so tough But I'm just not strong enough
I can't do this alone, God I need You to hold on to me
I try to be good enough But I'm nothing without Your love
Savior, please keep saving me

Young Love..

This is one of my all time favorite pictures that I have taken in my classroom at work. B and T were attached to each other from the time she started again in August. They would hold hands, hug, and even, as this picture shows, kiss from time to time. This picture was taken on her last day in my class. She was moving up to the next class, and he, being the younger man, was left behind. He got to see her from time to time in the hallway, but overall he didn't see her much after this day. When he left the daycare and came back for a few days, she was all about him. She followed him around and they picked back up where they left off. Hopefully, they will both be back this fall so that they can play together again.

Busy..

As everyone knows, life can be crazy sometimes. This week was that for me, obviously since the last time I updated was last Sunday. Sorry about that. Every time I sat down to make a posting, I either couldn't think of anything, or told myself I would do it the next day because I was so tired. Not only did the time change occur last weekend, but we had a full moon two nights this week, which made my kids at work CrAzY. So, I am thankful that this week is over. Plus my assistant is on leave this week, and next, so I had to be to work earlier than usual. It is hard to believe, but 15 minutes makes a huge difference. A good thing for this week is that the latter part of the week was Spring Break from school. So I did not have to go to class last night. Hopefully we will get a few more days off come Easter. Other than that, this week has been too busy for anything too awful crazy to happen, at least so far. Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog on sarcasm- a subject I know all too much about. Lol. :D

Close-up..

Baby feet are so cute. Whether they are covered by socks or barefooted, babies have the cutest feet in the world. Adults- not so much. However, I like how the feet are in focus, yet you can still see the activity in the bacground, but out of focus. I basically posted this picture because I like it. It has to do with my kids, which makes it top notch to begin with. So here is to my baby feet. Hope you enjoy them!!

Unexpected..

I found out in church this morning that a pastor in a Baptist church south of us was shot and, later found out that he was killed. This is something that is never expected. It shocked us. It made us sad. We talked about it with the youth tonight and one of them brought up a very good point. Even though we are sad about his death, we should be rejoicing because he is with Jesus. We are sad because of his absence from his family and from his friends, but we can rejoice because he is with our Savior and Lord, having a good time. As Grant said, even though his body is no longer alive, he is alive and well and having a feast tonight with Jesus. This just made me think of people that I have lost, grandparents mostly. How many of them will I see again?

Other things in our lives can be unexpected also. My assistant at work is taking an extended leave to help with her mother. Her mother is elderly and frail and on top of having a bad heart, she just found out that she has aggressive breast cancer. I understand that she needs to go help with her mother, but I hope she takes some time for her. It is so easy to get run down because you are helping others and not taking care of yourself. So that is my prayer for her.

Unexpected things can also be good. When someone is trying to have a baby, an unexpected pregnancy can be a blessing. Unexpected tax returns are also a blessing, since it is tax season, that is something to think about. Unexpected days off of work or school can be wonderful. They have provided me with some great memories and opportunities to get things done or do things that I would not have otherwise been able to do if I was at work.

Unexpected things are a part of life- both good and bad. When a tragedy happens, as Christians, we can look to God for help. We can help our non-Christian friends look and seek for God in tragedies. When good things happen, we can also turn to Christ. Of course, more people tend to rely on themselves when good things happen, but we need to praise God in everything. Just something to think about.

Laughter..

This is my brother Michael. We play RockBand every few Saturday nights. Laughter is a big part of playing rockband- laughing at yourself, laughing at others, laughing at the game. This particular night, my brother, my sister-in-law, my sister, and I were playing rockband- 4 people, 4 instruments (guitar, bass, vocals, drums). My sister decided that she needed to go finish her homework, which was fine. However, we wanted to continue with the 4 instruments. Michael had commented on how his friend recently bought the rockband microphone so that he could play guitar and sing at the same time. Michael wanted to try this, so he laid on the couch and held the microphone with the hand he was pushing buttons on the guitar with. This lasted for one song. It didn't work very well. I, sarcastically, suggested to use a wire hanger because you could bend it to the position you wanted it. Well, we tried and it worked. And this photo is where we had gotten it fitted just right. We were cracking up. Laughing is great, and this photograph is a wonderful memory that I will treasure for a lifetime, because we were having a great time.

A Small Town..

My assistant and I had a conversation today about a small town versus a city when it comes to schooling. She went to school in Decatur, which, even though SOME people don't consider it a city because they come from a city the size of a small state, is a city and I went to school in Argenta. She graduated from Eisenhower which had classes the size of my entire school. I graduated in a class of 65- hers was around 300. My entire school had 350 kids. We were raised in very different ways. She hated school, while I tolerated school because I loved extracurricular activities and the life they brought me. I thrived on that stuff. I loved Homecoming. Almost everyone was involved, in the school and the town. The discussion we ended up having was whether a child would do better in a Decatur school or one of the surrounding districts. My thoughts are surrounding districts, but only certain ones. I would not put my child in Maroa-Forsyth because they were rivals of my school and even though I have been out going on 6 years, I still hold to that rivalry, as petty as that is. I would not put my child in Mt. Zion. While I know some people from Mt. Zion who are pretty nice, even the ones who were put through the district will admit their peers are somewhat snobbish, and I would not subject my kids to that. I would put my child in Warrensburg. While we still had that rivalry, that one was more of a friendly rivalry, being that they were not next door. I would put my child in Niantic-Harristown schools. I know a few of the faculty out there and would entrust my child to their care. I would, of course, put my child in Argenta. I am very familiar with it, obviously, and would love for my child to be a Bomber. Pam's thoughts were more along the Decatur line. She and her children were all products of Eisenhower. If I put my child in a Decatur high school, it would be Macarthur. I have heard too many horror stories about Eisenhower. If they went to a school in Decatur, I would also consider LSA or DCS, although money would have to factor into those schools since they are private. Overall, I appreciate that I went to school with the same group of people, give or take a few, from Kindergarten until I graduated. That was very nice and I want my child to have the same opportunity. Pam's take was that she appreciated meeting new people and being able to fade into the crowd, which was not an option in my school. Everyone knew pretty much who everyone else was. What are your opinions on this subject?

Nature..

This is a park that I visited in August of 2007. It is near Chicago, in or near the suburb of Worth. I went up to visit my aunt, who lives in Worth, and we went to her favorite park on the way into the city to take me to my train at Union Station. I took some pictures of the waterfall that ran into Lake Catherine. It was a Sunday and not too many people were mulling around. It was peaceful and the pictures I took turned out excellent. Enjoy.

Music..

Music is an important part of my life. I love music and always have. Nothing too exciting happened today in my life, with the exception that I turned in my resignation for Wednesday and Sunday nights in the preschool department at church. I feel like God is leading me to help with the youth, so I am following. But back to the subject at hand- music. I have always loved music. If I am having a bad day, the first thing I want to do when I get alone is to find a song that "understands" me. There are plenty of songs for any mood that anyone could possibly be feeling. There are love songs, I hate you songs, someone died songs, extremely happy songs, and everything in between. So I thought I would make a list of my favorite songs, and if they mean something to me, I will include that in parenthesis next to the song title.

The current songs that I listen to are:

• Mad by Ne-Yo (a friend of mine made me listen to this song a few times and now I listen to it.. often)
• Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy (same friend, same circumstance.. awesome vocals)
• I Told You So by Carrie Underwood (a cover of the Randy Travis song.. it is just as good as the original.. which I loved)
• Lose My Soul by TobyMac (never really listened to them until after WinterJam and now there are a few songs that I can't get enough of)
• A Better Way by DownHere (again hadn't really heard of them until the SYATP rally at the Lincoln and then really liked their vocals)
• Love is Not a Fight by Warren Barfield (off of the soundtrack of the movie Fireproof.. great movie and great song)
• Slow Fade by Casting Crowns (again off of Fireproof.. great lyrics)
• One Life to Love by 33 Miles (love almost everything by this group)
• Light On by David Cook (past American Idol.. again the vocals are great)
• Nine in the Afternoon by Panic at the Disco (rockband song.. we play it often and I listened to it for forever to learn the lyrics so I could sing it on rockband and actually know it)
• Way Back Into Love by Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore (off of Music and Lyrics soundtrack.. awesome movie and these two actually sing really well)
• Stand in the Rain by Superchick (awesome)
• More Like Her by Miranda Lambert (i don't like much by her, but her ballads are good)

That is it for now. If I think of more I will add them underneath this. If you don't listen to music, I encourage you to listen to any of these songs and then look into whatever you like. There is no rap on this list, or classical. It is mainly pop, Christian, and country. That is what I like. So I guess that is my challenge to you. Find a few new songs that you like this week that speak to you. Good luck. :)

Dancing..

I love kids. This is obvious, as I have posted about it before. This little girl used to go to the daycare where I work. I watch her and her little brother, who also used to go to the daycare and they were both in my class at one time, once in a while on the weekends. We were playing around and the movie we were watching ended and the credits started rolling. Well she decided that she liked the music and hopped up on the chair and started dancing in her own little world. Well, I snapped this picture and I love this picture. So I thought I would share it all with you as yesterday's picture of the day. However, my blog post area was doing something funky and would lock up any time I tried to upload a picture, so this is today's first picture post. I will do another one later, probably after I get home from work and my meeting tonight- oh, and dinner after the meeting. :)

Contentment..

Contentment is something that I strive for. It is not a naturally occuring emotion that happens in my body. I am happy somedays, but honest contentment is hard to come by. I think it is more of a state of mind than an actual feeling. You have to know that you are okay with what is happening in your life right now and it be enough. I have a hard time being content, although with God's help, I can be. While there are many areas of my life that are up in the air and all over the map, to use a couple of cliche sayings, I want contentment to be my overall feeling. Too many things get to me too easily. So I am going to work hard and ask for God's help in being content with the life he has given me. I babysat last night. It was a blast. The children I watched used to be in my class at work. The older child I had in my 2 year old class when I first started at the daycare. The younger child I had in my current class from about July until December, when the children were pulled from the daycare. These kids had me cracking up. We truly had fun and the night ended well. Today was church. (Technically it still is because I have to go back tonight.) I was in the nursery for part of the morning and got to see my babies. They have gotten so big. I went to service for the second service and it was awesome as usual. Today was All on the Altar Sunday, which is where people make commitments to participate in a program we have called FAITH. In FAITH, groups of people basically go visit people who have visited the church and witness to them and let them know about Christ and our church. It is a wonderful program. Other than the usual stuff, life has been pretty good this week. I have almost been writing in this blog for a week, and while it hasn't been every night because of some random things that have happened this week, it's been fun. I don't know if I will keep up with the trying to do it every day thing because I honestly don't think I have that much to say every day- but I would like to try. So here is to being content with your life- whatever may happen.

Real..

This is one of my all time favorite pictures that I have ever taken. This is also a New York City picture, but it is much more than that. I love reading, and most people who know me know that to a degree. One of my favorite authors is Karen Kingsbury. She has a few series that I like, including the Redemption series, the Firstborn series, and the Sunrise series. All of those series have to do with the same basic family and there are 14 books in total! They were awesome to read. Another of my favorites of her series is the 9/11 series. This is a touchy subject for authors. Do they go there and, if they do, how deep do they go? This series was awesome. It basically, without giving too many details, gives the stories of a few families involved in 9/11. It follows one family in particular for a few weeks before, a little during, and the majority is in the aftermath. A whole host of things happens in the first book and in the second book, healing begins. That is where this church comes in play. I read these books before I went to New York City. The second book talks of a little chapel across from the site of the World Trade Centers. THIS is that chapel. I have many more pictures of what is inside it, from the badges found at the scene to a large candle memorial that burns inside. I love this picture because it made this tragedy real to me. I watched what was happening on television when the attacks happened. It felt real then. It even felt real when I would walk my dog outside at night and NO planes would be flying overhead (that was actually kind of creepy). But I visited New York City 6 years after the tragedy. The rubble is mostly cleaned up. They have started rebuilding the area. This church made me feel I was there. Like I was not just on some class field trip with junior high kids. Inside of this church, people are constantly going through. There is constant music playing- inspirational classical music (which I am not usually fond of). It just seemed to be a place of reverence. So this is my picture for today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Non-Stop...

So I missed a day in my blog. I was not thrilled with this, but I figured I would hop right back on the old horse and keep going. I had a good reason to miss yesterday, however. It was my friend's birthday and we went out to celebrate. We went to dinner and then ran around some. It was fun and I got back home entirely too late (read 2:30 in the morning!!) and had to be to work by 8, which means that I had to be up by 7. I ended up getting about 4 hours of sleep and am still going! I had to give a speech before our evening activities resumed last night. That was NOT fun. I do not like to get in front of people at all, let alone be the center of attention. If I am going to talk, it is usually in a small group of people that I am very familiar with and that know me. Oh, and we are SITTING down, not standing. Or else everyone is standing. Anyways, like usual, I had procrastinated and was writing this speech down to the last minute. I got a few uh-oh moments when she asked about something written in the article, but I believe that I did well. We then went downstairs to the daycare center in the college and presented some of our science projects that we have been doing lately in class. The kids were sooo cute and sooo interested in what was happening. I was helping my friend, the one whose birthday it was, present her project of coloring on white paper with a white crayon and then water coloring over it to make the crayon marks appear (otherwise known as crayon magic or something like that..). It was a blast and started off our evening well.

Today was crazier than yesterday, probably because I had so little sleep the night before. The kids seemed crankier and louder than any other day this week. It could be because I was soo tired, but my assistant had the same thoughts, so I am not sure. I think that they knew it was Friday and are tired of seeing us all day by Friday and are just ready to go home with mom and dad and chill out for the weekend, just like we are. Everything went well today, it just seemed really rushed, and nobody likes to be rushed through their full day. By the time nap time rolled around this afternoon and I got my break, instead of doing homework like I should, I decided to check out the blogs that I read and check my FaceBook page. This relaxed me somewhat, at least enough to finish my day without completely ripping out my hair. Let me say something before you all think that I am this horrible person and why am I working with children. I love my kids. They are a HUGE part of my life. By Friday afternoon, especially when I am tired, their whining and screaming starts to get to me. I would not trade my job for any other in the world. I LOVE what I do. However, weekends are nice also. So tonight I had supper at my mom's house and then did my homework. (Yes, it got done BEFORE it was due.) And now I am updating you lovely folks with my last two days of antics. Nothing too exciting, and I may post more about some subject that I am completely forgetting about right now tomorrow or Sunday. For now, I am going to enjoy listening to my music and looking around at some different sites (and waiting for my friend to finish her homework) and then I am going home and going to BED. (It sounds so nice...) :)

BTW If you are interested in helping with an organization called Angel Food (*which happens to take place tomorrow morning at 8:30) let me know and I can get you in contact with the right people. Have a great night!!!!

Educational..

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took while I was in New York City with my neices school. We were on top of the Empire State Building, you know where on Sleepless in Seattle they meet, and everything just looked so peaceful and serene. The cars look like MatchBox cars and everything looks so organized. The buildings even look small from up there. I felt awed by that scene and I hope that you all enjoy it also.

Happy..

Three days in a row. My reading crowd of.. um... none.. should be proud of me. Haha. Today was a good day. This was the first day in quite a while that I woke up and was actually awake. I was not exhausted from the moment I got up until sometime in the afternoon where I would feel like I was finally awake. As a result, I am sapped this evening, but it was good to be fully awake all day long. We had a small scare at work today, thought one of my kids had the chicken pox. Ended up that he had an allergic reaction to amoxicillan. Who knew that that particular reaction looks almost identical to chicken pox? Not us. No one had seen an allergic reaction quite like it. But his mom picked him up and then called us after the doctor appointment with the news. We were quite thrilled actually. Being that it is Wednesday, I also had church tonight. (A side note: Angie got me this AWESOME camera from one of the websites she surveys on or whatever she does on there. I LOVE the camera and think it is one of the best gifts I have ever received from someone who is not family!!! Thanks, Ang!!!) I love church days/nights, especially when I get to hang out with the awesome youth group. The kids are so full of love for each other and God that it is just awesome and inspiring to watch them (most of the time). Our session tonight was the end of February's topic of Love, Sex, and Dating. (Yes, this is how Grant said it, with a whisper on the sex part). The actual lesson was about dating and how we can be okay with being single. God intends for people to be single- sometimes for a few months or years and sometimes for a lifetime. While I hope and pray that I am not one of the ones who is handpicked to be single for my lifetime, if I am I will be okay. This opened my eyes tonight. We are taught as a society that being by yourself is somehow "wrong" or odd. God has a purpose in everything that he does, including who he has for you and when you will meet them. It all has to be in HIS timing, not ours. And while I would personally like to meet someone sooner rather than later, I do not know what God has for me and do not want to rush into anything that could turn out badly. So here before you all, my non-readers (lol), I want to commit to being happy with being single. There may be days I am so frustrated about it that I could scream and there will be days that I will see other people's relationships going down the tube and be grateful that I do not feel that pain. However, I want to do this relationship thing right and the way to do that is to wait on God. When God decides that the time is right for me to be in a relationship, I pray that it will be with a godly man who cherishes me for who I am, not who he wants me to be. God wants me to have the best that I can have, just like he wants each of us to have the best that we can have. So for today (and I may have to say this every day), I will wait on Him.

My Kids..

So besides posting an actual wordy blog each day, I figured it would be kind of cool to also do a picture post each day. Some days it may be more than one picture, but it will always have to do with something that is super important to me. Today's picture is my kids. These are my work kids. If I ever write about what my kids did today, it will be these precious children that you are seeing right here that I am talking about. All 8 of them are very special in their own way. I love having a completely mixed class, half boys and half girls. Some of my kids have been sick lately, but hopefully they will all be back to their healthy and destructive ways soon. :)

Crazy..

So I blog again. Maybe this is a good thing. Write down my activities of every day. I had to be to work early today, Tuesdays and Thursdays are early days for me because I have to leave at 4:30 to be to class by 5. I was soo tired when I got up. I could have fallen back into bed easily. But I kept at it and I got there, and only a couple of minutes late. :) My assistant was off yesterday because of a health issue having to deal with her mother, one that did not turn out very well. So we were a little down today because of what she may have to watch her mom go through. We were also down in children today though, since we had only 5 children instead of our full class of 8. So many of my kiddos are sick this week, but that may be a blessing in disguise. We are busy enough to keep our minds off of non-work subjects, while not being crazily overwhelmed with stinky diapers. I had homework due tonight and a test, so I also got to do that stuff randomly through the day as I had time. I got my homework done right before the first kid woke up from their afternoon nap- we got lucky with that one too!! They slept from about 12:30 until 3 today! (I hope their parents don't hate us too much tonight..) I also got to study for my test, but not until we were on our way to school. This morning I got to go to the doctor again and found out that I am FINALLY getting better from this lung crap that I keep having rear up- I have finally been downgraded to bronchitis instead of having every possible lung ailment that is not cancer or tuberculosis thrown at me. They did a chest x-ray and it was all clear and they drew blood. I will get the results of the blood work tomorrow sometime. She says I will have a cough for around 6-8 weeks, but I can totally handle that, especially since she gave me some cough medicine to take at night. The test tonight was not horrible, I think I may have missed one, but we shall see. I also turned in my lesson plans so we will see if I did those right or if I completely missed the boat. We ended our night doing the experiment of Mentos in Diet Coke. That was messy, but fun. Today was a day of trials, as is every day. But we have made it to yet the end of another successful day. Tomorrow will bring it's own problems, so there is no need to worry about that tonight. Tonight I am going to curl up with my lovely computer, check ALL of the blogs I read, contact people that have tried to get me all day long, and just veg. After all, we all deserve a little downtime. :)

Pictures..

One thing I forgot to mention in my book of an opening paragraph is that I LOVE photography. I am in no way a professional photographer, but I love to take pictures of scenery and the kids that I love dearest. I just thought that I would attempt to put one of my most recent favorite pictures I took in this post. We had a snow storm, a few inches, and I caught this photograph just as the sun was coming up over the other houses.

Me..

I never expected to start a blog. I was looking around at different blogs tonight and thought, well I have absolutely nothing to say, and my life is rather boring, but maybe I should try one. I believe I have had a blog before, but obviously since I am not sure, I don't keep up with it. I want to keep up with this blog. I am not good at journaling, and do not promise to do this daily or even weekly. That would be a good start for me though. I will start by giving a little background on myself. I am 24 years old and live in the grand state of Illinois, made "famous" lately by our lovely EX-governor Rod Blagojevich (and that is the only time his name will EVER appear on this page). I have lived here all but 2 years of my life, when I lived in Kingsport, Tennessee with my brother and his family. I like being around my family, most of the time, which is why I moved back. I work at a daycare and my kids are my life. I want kids of my own in the future, but for right now my 8 kiddos are plenty to keep me busy during the day, while still being able to have freedom after work. They will probably be responsible for a large part of this blog because, between work and church, I really do not have much of a life. :) That is another thing. I am a Southern Baptist. I believe that abortion is wrong, especially in a country where murdering a pregnant woman is grounds to be charged with 2 murders. How can you kill a baby in one instance and it be alright but kill a baby in a different instance, while still killing a BABY, and it be legal?? I think homosexuality is a sin. The Bible clearly states that sleeping with another person of the same gender is not kosher and I fully agree with that. I don't care for "change", as some politicians have worded it. I am also in the very minor group who likes George W. Bush and thinks he did a good job with what and who he had to work with. Some things could have been different, but overall I think he did a great job. This will not be a political blog, these are just some thoughts that I have when I think of who I am. I am single. I like that sometimes and other times it truly sucks. Like when something great happens and I want to call that special someone. I do want to get married and I do want children, probably 3 or 4. This has become a totally random post, but most of them probably will be because that is how I think. I can be on one subject and totally go in reverse if I think of something else. If I don't get it out when I think about it, half the time I forget about it. Sad when that happens and I am as young as I am. I graduated in 2003 from a small (read class of 65 people) high school. I loved high school and I was lost for a couple years after I got out because I did not know what to do with myself. I was super involved in many aspects of school, including yearbook and helping out with the boys sports teams. I am currently in college to get my associate's degree in early childhood education. If I choose to continue my education in the form of a bachelor's, I would eventually be able to teach up to 3rd grade. I am not sure if this is an avenue I would like to pursue or not. The parents and siblings are all for it, but I am kind of getting tired of this homework business, so after I finish my current degree, I plan on taking a little time off. I have already mentioned that family is of super importance to me. I have a great set of parents that will have been married 26 years this coming June. I have 3 siblings, 2 are technically half, but we love each other the same. I have one brother and 2 sisters. My oldest sister turned 40 in November and has 4 girls, ages 14, 12, 9, and 6. My brother turned 32 in January and is married to my sister-in-law (obviously) and they are the parents to 2 boys, ages 6 and 4. My younger sister is 19 and is dating a guy that the family doesn't know. My neices and nephews are my pride and joy. I love them and would do anything for them. My cousin is also important in my life, and yes I only have 1 first cousin out of my parents combined 5 siblings. (My dad is one of 5 and my mom is one of 2.) She will be 33 in March and has a precious, but stubborn almost 18 month old who cracks me up with his looks and his overall attitude about life. He may not say much, or anything really, but he thinks he knows it all and sounds like a little Taz when he is telling you all about it. I work with 9-15 month olds and they have to be the greatest group of kids I have ever had, with the exception of my first class of 2 year olds. They are 4 now and I miss them being so small. I love my "assistant" and hate that title but co-teacher takes so much longer to type. :p My coworkers are trying at best, the majority of them, but the small group I have as my rock are awesome. I love helping out with the teens at church and have recently become closer to some of them. I do not have many friends, but the ones I have are worth keeping. I guess I will cut this short now, seeing as it is after 10 and I have to be at work by 7:30. Thanks for sticking through the whole post, if you did congratulations. I did not expect it to be this long, or random, but eh.. it IS my blog after all. :)