Procrastination is better than packing

I've been meaning to write this blog for awhile now... (That was a joke. You can giggle, roll your eyes, or continue reading now. I won't know which you choose)

Tomorrow I'm going to CC to be at my friend's wedding! I'm so excited!  I will be spending time with my grandparents. What they lack in Internet and phone service is made up by the unbelievable amount of love and hilariousness. It's one of my favorite places in the world. I'll also be seeing my parents and two of my sisters and at least two of my nephews on Sunday. Now all I have to do is talk them into Chipotle! After time with friends and family I'm heading back home with a definite stop at Hobby Lobby.

Unfortunately, before my wonderful weekend begins, I have to pack. I hate packing. I'm terrible at it. If I don't start a week in advance, I will inevitably forget major items...like pajamas. (Yep, that happened. Yep, it was embarrassing) So now I lay here on my bed, knowing full well that I will be leaving in 16 hours, and I've barely started doing laundry.

So now the teacher in me is thinking about cause and effect.

Cause                                       Effect
Friend's wedding                     Pack dressy outfit
Sister's music program            Pack nice casual outfit
6-hour drives to & from          Pack comfy casual outfit
Delay packing                          NO CLOTHES!!!!!

I see problems, as I'm sure you do as well, but it doesn't make me want to get up at all.

I'll let you know what happened, but I'm guessing I'll choose packing instead of Pinterest.


 Eventually.

What will you bring?

First things first, I would like to dedicate tonight's blogging to my lovely best friend for unknowingly inspiring this post.

I would also like to preface this post by saying, I'm NOT a "resolution" person. I can join the millions who made them in the past, only to fail (sometimes within hours) so this is NOT a new year resolution post. There are millions out there if that's what you're looking for, just not here.

One of my favorite quotes of the last day of 2012 came from (the above mentioned) Christy.
"2013-No expectations."

Sounds terrible right? No expectations. Zip. Nada. Zilch. My teacher mode kicks in and I immediately see my third graders running around the classroom, sword fighting with their pencils while trying to avoid the paper planes that are zooming around, encouraged by screams and shrieks of laughter. It scares the poo out of me.

Instead I suggested "Twenty-thirteen, What will you bring?" Much less of a downer.

We all have expectations, some high, others low. We hope for the best and prepare for the worst. We make plans, break plans, replan our plans... We have pictures in our minds about how we will spend our next New Year's Eve. And we're always hoping it will be better than this year- optimism at its finest.

I, like everyone else, have an idea of the "perfect" New Year's Eve (not telling, don't want to jinx it) I also have some expectations and some plain old fashioned (fairy tale, wishing well, shooting star, Disney sing-along) wishes. Here they are!

EXPECTATIONS:
Grow in my faith
K-State Fiesta Bowl Winners
Indianapolis Colts Superbowl Champs
Watch a friend get married- that's you, Noni!
Get a tax refund from the Feds, paying Kansas more
Pass my ESL endorsement classes with "A's"
Help Willoughby beat the world record score in "Cat fishing" on my iPad
Paying off a student loan- Goodbye & Good riddance Citibank!
Become a better coach
Discover my inspiring word, and applying it to my life
Hugging my friends next Christmas and NOT letting them move back across the world
Shampoo the carpets
More friends' for dinner and game nights
Mail at least 12 letters to Danu

WISHES:
A boyfriend who will put up with a crazy mess like me
Maid Marrian Hair!
Shooting the moon, and winning!
A mysterious financial donor who will spring for my trip down under
The cedar house renting for $450 a month
No more paperwork at school

There they are folks. I wrote them down for all the world to see. Maybe next year ill remember that I wrote this and I'll give an update. Until then enjoy 2013 and everything it brings!

Christmas Vacation

I've already had a very enjoyable Christmas break, and it's only day two! I spent yesterday cleaning and running a few errands. Now, that may not seem like a relaxing day to most people, but I really had an enjoyable and productive day. It's amazing how much work you can get done with business when they're open because its a week day. A savings account was opened, bills were paid, some items were cancelled all because I had a Friday off.  Beautiful!

Things did take a turn for the stressful at 7:30 last night. A group of Ulysses High School alums get together with a world famous magician to put on a fund raiser performance of "The Woman in Black." I was terrified. Bonnie and I slept together in the living room with the Christmas Lights still on.  Now Bonnie's at work, and I'm still nervous to be home alone. There is a reason I don't watch scary anything...

Today I'm still chilling on the living room floor, but I'm planning Christmas Dinner tomorrow. My sister and I celebrate at our house on the eve of Christmas Eve.  Yep. On Christmas Eve eve. I'll be making ham, yams, salad, rolls, green bean casserole, and a (hopefully) delicious cranberry orange sparkling juice. It's the whole sha-bang. Then we'll open our presents from each other.  Unless I can convince her that we should open presents tonight!

Today Bonnie and I are spending the second Saturday crafting with our friend Victoria. With a little Christmas spirit, some hot glue, lots of glitter, and after a long shopping trip at Hobby Lobby I have created a couple things I would like to share. 

These are the wall ornaments I made. I bought some fun Christmas fabric and wooden fabric rings at Hobby Lobby. With just a bit of trimming and hot gluing they are complete! I can't wait to see how cute these will be hanging on the wall in our laundry area. 

If you don't know already, I'm a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and my classroom is decorated in white and blue. This crayon wreath will fit in perfectly with my blue football tree and who doesn't love a few Jingle Bells?

I cannot claim these as my own work. Bonnie made thes for my classroom tree as well. Isn't she awesome?

These are not all the crafts tha have kept me busy, but the melted crayon tree looks like it stabbed somebody and my ornaments with the paint inside are definitely leaving a lot to be desired. 

I hope you have a merry Christmas and a Wonderfully Happy New Year!!!

I just started sponsoring a little fellow in Indonesia through Compassion International. I wrote my first letter last night and was able to include our Christmas card for a picture, but I'm looking for ideas of flat paper items to send him in the next letter. Of course stickers, bookmarks, and photos are the listed options but I want to send him some fun items. I tried my hand at origami tonight, so I think that will be fun shipping that to him, but I'm looking for more ideas.

Can you offer any other suggestion for flat paper items I can send to Danu?

I'm back!

Just like the Terminator, the Backstreet Boys, and other horror film characters I know nothing about, I'm back.
The last post on this beauty of a blog was in June... of 2011. Oops.
I seriously contemplated just starting a new blog to see if anyone noticed, but that involves a new name and template and creativity that I don't have lots of now. Instead I'll just pick up where I left off and go from there.

A long time ago I moved to Ulysses. I had a crazy school year-lots of issues, lots of learning opportunities, lots of learning about the issues... Long story short, I survived!

Over a year later, we've created life-long friendships, moved up in our careers, found a church we love and that helps us grow, eaten more Mexican food than I'd ever thought possible, and actually gotten tired of Sonic. I never thought that last thing would happen.

Basically, we're happy! As I read my posts from during the moving process I see how much I was freakng out over nothing. But that's how it goes, right? We're worried about the next step, what's over the next hill or waiting for us around the corner.  This is my inspiration verse for the week:

“Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen!  Do you not recognize  it? Yes, I will make a road in the desert and paths  in the wilderness. (Isaiah 43:19 NET)

Now, I'm pretty much living in a desert, and its dry and flat out her. We have more cows than people, and without irrigation, we wouldn't even be able to feed them!
But, I'm not going to be worried about the valleys of life, or where this path leads. If He is creating it for me, then I'm taking it. Do we know what awaits us? Nope. Who knows what will happen at the end of the school year, or if Bonnie & I decide to "divorce?" He's got the path laid out and if there's anything Kansas can teach you, it's to follow the (yellow brick) road no matter what.

P.S.  Thanks to my neighbor for allowing the use of her wi-fi and to my school district for the use of the iPad. Without both, this blog would still be waiting for me.

The Light At The End Of A Very Long Tunnel

It's probably a good thing only one person saw me last night. Bonnie is used to my break-downs and my constant tears don't really bother her too much anymore. And for that I love you Poopy-Head McGee!

I've had some stresses these past few months mostly involving my new job in Ulysses but it all came tumbling down (like Jack and Jill on that stinkin hill) last night.  Fortunately I have loving family and friends who helped me see the positives. So instead of focusing on the bad, I'm looking for the bright sides of life and I'm going to share them with you.

1. I have a job. It's a good paying position doing something I enjoy. Teaching in a larger community with many teachers is going to help me grow and learn so much. As I'm typing this, the news station just said 15% of the US are unemployed. There are so many people out there who don't have any means to support themselves and their families. I'm blessed to be employed.

2. I have a home. Actually I'll have two different homes for the next month while I'm moving and Bonnie is working. There are millions of people living in dangerous low-income project housing, in their cars or on the streets. I'm blessed to have a roof over my head.

3. I have a family. There is love and care in my family. I know my parents have my back and my extended family are beyond supportive. Even though we don't always get along, I love them all more than I can say or show. And my sister is moving with me. It's nice to have a familiar face when stepping out of one's comfort zone. Thousands of orphans are lonely and unloved. They don't know what family means, much less looks like. I'm blessed to have a loving family.

4. I have friends.  One of the the brightest rays of happiness that shown down on me last night was the fact I get to see my friends, even though it didn't look like it would be possible. I get to enjoy their company in Kansas City and have one last great weekend before going back west. Many people are struggling to survive without any support. I'm blessed to have such wonderful friends.


Thank you to everyone who showed me the light at the end of the tunnel, and helped me to see that I'm blessed because I'm not traveling through the tunnel alone.

Moving On Up...

But not to the east side.

You may or may not have heard by now that I am moving. I applied, interviewed, and accepted a 3^rd grade teaching position in Ulysses, KS. Deciding to move was not very difficult for me. I’m tired of small towns and their cons. For example, last Friday, Bonnie and I began to tell people in Ransom that we are planning to move. We told mostly coworkers and employees. On Saturday every person I saw asked about my move-some people I didn’t even know. It took all weekend but I did get my first Facebook message today. This isn’t the first time rumors of my leaving have spread like butter on toast, (“wildfire” seemed too cliché) but it’s the first time they’ve been true. Not everything is bad though, I will miss many people I’ve met here, and there are a few whom I hope will remain good friends.

This move is a good change, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy to leave everything behind. Unfortunately, the bigger and better is further and further away. I love my family, and being over 6 hours away from my grandparents is going to hurt so much.

Timing is everything, and this seems to be my time to step out of my comfort zone and find out more about the world. I’m going from a town of 200 to a town of 6,000 and I’m nervous but ready.

On a positive note, if nothing else works out there… I’m going to live close to a Sonic and I’ll get happy hour everyday if I want. It’s easy to look at a glass half-full if it’s a large styrofoam cup of Dr. Pepper with extra extra vanilla and easy ice.

***VOTE*** For which direction you would like to move for your dream location.

PCH!

I have a guilty pleasure. It’s the Publisher’s Clearing House. I like getting their thick envelopes in the mail. It’s like a puzzle where you not only have to find the right spots for the pieces to go to, but you also have to search through cheesy advertisements to FIND the pieces. Of course the ads for unnecessary, ridiculous, over-priced items make the searching even more fun. Who wouldn’t want an American Flag Wind Chime for only four payments of $3.99? It’s “A lovely way to show your patriotic spirit!” and you can get a second one for only anther $4.00! (This makes me think that if they’re making money off of just $4, the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th payments for the first set of chimes are adding $11.97 towards MY next big win!)

After laughing at the terrible ads for “Orange and Cherry Slices,” “Mississippi Harmonica Co. & Harmonica Playing Made Easy Books,” and “Battery-operated toilet cleaning brushes,” I turn to my personalized notices from several people. Each person seems genuinely interested in what is best for me, and strongly encourages me to complete the entry forms and buy three items to get seven more items (I don’t want) for free! And of course I must do it all NOW. Not a second to lose. After all, I wouldn’t want my number to be called but not receive my $1,000,000 because I merely missed the deadline.

Like I said I enjoy PCH. They give me a reason to smile at least once a week, and it’s worth the 40-something cent stamp (is it 44 cents? I can’t remember right now) because I’ll be guaranteed to have more entertainment soon. Please don’t think that I EXPECT to win. And even though they have printed off directions from the flower shop to my house (with the wrong directions) I have no intention of actually being presented with a whole bunch of flowers, balloons, and a giant check. But if that even does happen, please pray that I will be wearing pants when they surprise me.

My favorite prize was the $1,000,000 a day, everyday, for the rest of my life. Sometimes I discuss my options with my sister. Of course I can think of many churches, shelters, and non-profit organizations to receive my $100,000 a day donation. Maybe I’ll create a rotating list. Then I’ll be paying off all of my debts. Good-bye student loans and car payments! By the end of the week I’d be $7,000,000 richer, and I’d even pay my full taxes on it – you’re welcome United States Treasury. I’d pay for my friend’s wedding, my sister’s daycare, a couple of cars for the other two sisters, completely re-do my parent’s house, and have the absolute BEST classroom parties EVER! But don’t expect to be a “long-lost” relative coming to bug me for my newly acquired money. I’ll be generous, but not a push over, and if you’re not on my Christmas Card list now, you probably won’t be on my give-away list then.

This was a long sarcastic blog that I hope made you laugh a bit. Now have a great day, and enjoy life!

With Everything On My Plate, Why Am I Not Hungry?

I have a LOT going on in the next few weeks: Easter egg dying, student birthday party, Easter egg hunt, Easter traveling (which means Easter packing), hair appointment, nephews birthday, grandma's birthday, personal day in Kansas City (which means planning for personal day, and personal day packing) Mother's Day weekend plans (which means MORE packing) Elementary School Field Day Fiascos, district fiascos in general, music concert practice, music concert, class play, class awards and assembly, field trip, last day of school, packing my classroom for the move...

With all that going on - and more will be added I'm sure- I feel restless and almost bored. Yes, there's tons of stress going on in my life right now. I have many things I'm worried about, most of which I can't share with you quite yet. No, I'm not completely caught up on my work and organized for what's going to happen. I feel more and more behind everyday.

With everything going on, why am I feeling so gosh darn blah?

I try not to use my blog as a venting tool, and I usually focus on the positives in life, and I'm sorry that this post is teetering on the negative side of things. Please don't disregard my blog, I'm sure I'll be much more Resplendent :) mood next time.

On a happier-more fun-note, I have a new poll at the top of my page so please vote for your favorite part of Easter.

Results from the last poll: 5 people chose Thunderstorms as their favorite part of Spring and 1 person chose blooming flowers.

New Design, New Poll

It's Spring, and along with the cleaning comes the rearranging. I rearranged my blog and tried to make it feel cleaner and more Spring-like. I added a weekly poll at the top of the page. So be sure to vote for your favorite thing about Spring!

Here to Receive The World's Best Aunt Award... ME!

To be honest, I wasn't exactly looking forward to babysitting my nephew this weekend.  It's my sister and her husband's 5th anniversary and they're celebrating with a weekend away and they asked me to watch their 4 year old son Quinlin.

I left right after school and made it to Kinsley a little after 5 just in time to get some instructions and let the parents head out the door for a massage. It was a good trial run and we had fun playing soccer outside and when mom and dad got home we ate pizza and watched some TV together.

This morning, mom and dad left and now it's Q and I until tomorrow afternoon. Today I spent the day walking up and down the alley while he rode his four-wheeler making about every single dog in Kinsley bark for about 30 minutes. We then rode our bikes around the block (because we didn't wan't to get lost) before heading to the park. We found the park pretty much by luck and Q had a great time playing with preschool classmate Casen (rhymes with Jason and a very cool name) before we had to make a quick trip home to bandage a bleeding wound. We patched it up and then went back to the park and played with a cute little fellow by the name of Sam.

My favorite part of the evening was getting ready for dinner. I had plans to make chicken & rice casserole, but Q wasn't too sure about it. Chicken looks and tastes like snakes and rice looks like baby worms. Appetizing, right? Fortunately he changed his mind and decided that it "actually tastes good!" In fact his direct quote was, "The next time you come here you have to make this."Basically I scored the Best Aunt of the Year Award.

Bed time was smooth sailing. After an ice cream cone and an obscene amount toothpaste he went to bed by 8:30 and he's completely conked out right now. I'm glad he's worn out, I'm hoping it means I won't have to wake up at 7 tomorrow morning.

Letter To March

Dear March,

You are a crazy month. Of course I never mind the snow, even during Spring Break, and the strange hail/rain storm the other day, even the chilly fog and the light covering of ice on my windshield this morning was fine. In fact, I don't have any complaints about you weather-wise. Keep up the good work and don't let global warming get you down.

I do however wonder if you could somehow make it possible to keep my work load simple. Not that I don't want to work, just the craziness of spring makes my life so busy. So many things seem to pile on the last 9 weeks of school, and we still have 8 more to go. Between assessments and field trips and meetings and field days and requisition forms and cleaning and babysitting and teaching and everything else that just hasn't appeared on my calendar yet, I'm exhausted.

March, please don't take this letter personally, as a month I like you and I'm sure we can continue our friendly relationship. You may pass this message on to April and May if you please. I'll contact June and July if I need to.

Yours truly,
Rebecca

Abandon Kansas Take 2

For the second (school) night in a row I rocked my socks off to the amazing sounds of Swimming With Dolphins and Abandon Kansas. This time in Hays, KS. It was the same show as Tuesdays in Wichita, but the energy was even more amazing. Both groups seemed to be more comfortable with their sets and more in the "tour-mode" than before. I only wish I could be traveling to Boulder, Colorado with them again tonight. It made me wish I was on Spring Break this week.

Some pictures from last night.

Swimming With Dolphins

Abandon Kansas

This is possibly my favorite picture of the night, I just wish it wasn't so blurry.

Abandon Kansas Take 1

Yesterday I drove to Wichita, KS to see Abandon Kansas kick off their new Ad Astra Per Aspera at Gracepoint Church.

My day started a little shakily because we got about 6 inches of snow during the night, and I wasn't sure if I was going to able to make the drive. After I learned that we were about the only county in Kansas to have a large amount of snow that actually stuck to the ground and the roads were clear, I started getting ready to go.

I left quite a bit earlier that originally planned, and therefore made it to the church quite a bit early. As I was waiting for my friends to come & for the doors to open I browsed through the band's merch. I almost broke down and bought a mustache... I still haven't given up on that thought completely. :)

When the doors opened we joined the rush and stood up close to the stage. The first band to start the show was Swimming With Dolphins. I've never heard them before but I definitely enjoyed their music. They were hilarious and definitely entertaining. I didn't get a chance to check our their merch last night, but I'll be doing so tonight, and I'm waiting for their new album coming out in May.

The reason I drove for seven hours in one day, on a school night: Abandon Kansas.

Basically, the show started off AMAZING. I'm not going to give anything away in case you're going to check the show out, but I was so not prepared to the huge amount of intensity and it carried on through the whole show. The set was great and the music inspiring. The guys played a great mixture of new and old songs and shared some convicting thoughts on Compassion International. I couldn't believe, after talking with lead-singer Jeremy after the show, they played 13 songs. I could have stayed to dance and sing to 13 more.

My night ended early because I had to drive home, and I'm currently at school, teaching kiddos how to write paragraphs and sipping on a Red Bull (of course it's poured into a Solo cup - I can't encourage energy drinks for breakfast) and sneaking Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. I'm going to try to sneak in a nap after school this afternoon and get ready to party with all the guys (and girls) tonight in Hays. Hope to see you there!

 

Sieze The Day

I was challenged to take a picture of every hour of my day on February 28th. I can't say that I succeeded in taking one every hour, but I did get some throughout the day. I hope you enjoy them.

7:30 a.m.

I start every morning at school by logging on to bloglovin'. It is always fun to see what's going on in everyone's lives.

9:05 a.m.

This is my desk at school. I've been grading, but obviously things are still a mess.

12:00 p.m.

After lunch the kiddos played some file folders games. There are two students playing "Monkey Multiplication."

11:00 p.m.

Bonnie and I stayed up all evening making posters for Alyssa's Sub-State game. We had matching T-Shirts too.

It paid off- Alyssa was completely embarrassed and her team won a tough game beating Lacrosse by 7 points. And she got a black eye.

2:00 a.m.

I finally made it to bed and Willoughby curled up under my blanket to sleep with me.

2(AK) + F = A

I'm definitely in assessment mode, but this is a celebration-not an equation. 

Next week I'll be seeing the boys of Abandon Kansas for the first Two nights of their new tour to promote their new album "Ad Astra Per Aspera." I'll be at Gracepoint at 9035 W. Central in Wichita, Kansas on March 8th to help kick off the new tour, and I'll be following them to Hays, Kansas for the FREE show at Celebration Community Church at 5790 230th Avenue on the 9th.

I'm so excited to see my wonderful Friends in Wichita, and I so much wish they could join me on Wednesday, but I'll be singing and dancing along with Jeremy, Brad, and Brian no matter what. 

I can't think of a more Amazing way to celebrate the end of an extremely long and stressful 9 weeks of school.

If you don't know Abandon Kansas check out their website, and go here to download a FREE EP.

By the way, in case you didn't pick it up:

2 (nights of Abandon Kansas) plus Friends equals AMAZING!

Sophie Kinsella Has Done It Again...

She's made me lose hours of sleep because I'm reading her fabulously hilarious book. 


Sophie (we're on a first-name basis... Well, at least I am) is my most favorite living author. Her books pretty much crack me up, and I'm always reading them.

The newest addition to my collection, Can You Keep A Secret didn't let me down. I bought it at Hastings in Hays, America (ha ha) and even had Bonnie read it to me because I was driving. At one point in time, I was turning purple and I almost had to pull over on the interstate because I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.  I stayed up all night on Saturday night/Sunday morning until I finished it.


I like Sophie's characters because they seem so real. I can relate so well to them, and it's almost embarrassing to read Emma's secrets and realize that I have some of the same. (But I'm not telling which ones...) 


I like how each of her girls have some serious situations to deal with, brought on by their own mistakes, and they manage to get out of them on their own. Of course I probably wouldn't like the books as much if that meant they girls were "cured." Oh No. They still continue making the same mistakes over-and-over-and-over again. Which is great, because she can keep writing about them.


Ladies, (and gentlemen, if you're not embarrassed) you should check our Sophie's books. I think you'll love them. 

My Kindle Gets A Makeover

As promised in my last post, I will show you some lovely pictures of my newly decorated Kindle. I ordered a Kindle decoration called a skin from Amazon. They have them in all sorts of themes from Disney to sports to fantasy to Twilight. (Team Edward/Jacob anyone?)

The Front

                        

The Back

There were lots of squeals, oooos, and ahhhhs, when the Amazon box arrived on Saturday, and even more when I put it on.

Two Great Biographies, One Great Author

My interest in biographies has grown immensely over the past year or so, and I've read more this year than I have in all my years before. I found myself reading about characters across the board.

I've read about Mrs. Julia Child, 

Mr. Benjamin Franklin, 

and a horse named Seabiscuit.

These plus a few others have occupied my time and interrupted hours of my sleep because I just couldn't put them down.  My most current sleep-depriving book was Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.

This was the second book and biography by Laura Hillenbrand that I've read. When I chose it, I was looking for an Amazon 2010 Editor's Pick. It was number two after The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. (Read more of my Resplendent Moments from earlier this year to learn more about this great book) I had noticed that the author's name seemed familiar, but because I didn't so much as glance at the cover when I downloaded it to my Kindle, I didn't know she is also the author of Seabiscuit. A book I currently own in paperback form and read multiple times a year.

Her writing was amazing.  While lying in bed, I physically kicked my legs trying to help Louie Zamperini run faster at the Olympics, I felt my lips swelling from the heat just like the men in the rescue boat, and the pain and humiliation made me cry tears the POWs in the Japanese camps could not release.  The ups and downs in the lives of Zamp and Phil had me reading until 3 this morning. When I could barely keep my eyes open I forced myself to turn off the lamp. When I woke up at 8, I instantly reached for my newly decorated Kindle (pictures to come in a later blog) and switched it on.  

I love learning the details of lives so great and unfathomable, yet so unknown. Mrs. Hillenbrand is a fabulous writer, and I would like to read her own biography someday. Until then I wait for her next literary work, and encourage you to read about her, and her two books.