First Day of School Symptoms

I woke up this morning and got out of bed, and nearly fell - my legs and thighs ached. I have blisters on my toes and feet from standing, running, and going non-stop all day the day before. I slept like a rock - an earthquake couldn't have woken me. I keep hearing my (new) name over and over in my head. I keep referring to myself in third person to everyone around me. Yes, it's official - school has started, and I'm totally consumed!



More funny five year old stories to follow, I'm sure!



Hope all you teachers out there are loving it!!



-Jennifer :0)

What is your true color?

This week is back to school for the teachers. I usually dread the in-service part, but today was actually really fun and interactive. Our new Assistant Principal and amazing Instructional Specialist planned the whole day and based it off a really neat concept. They started off the morning by having us take the True Colors Quiz. I took it and found out I am a TRUE BLUE with a touch of Orange. I was blown away by the characteristics that described blue - totally me!! I also found I am teaching on a team of mostly Gold people (which is pretty much the opposite of blue!:0). The rest of the day was left to us to make a power point, skit, or book about our team and the different colors and traits that represent us. It was a wonderful idea and we were able to take time to talk about our different personalities and how even though we all were different, what was it that made us click (which we do!). Anyway, if you get a free minute or two...take it! You'll be amazed at the results.

Have a good one,

Jennifer :0)

It's that time of year...

This is the time of year that I start getting that surge of excitement in my stomach and fresh, new ideas pop into my head and I can't wait to start school, again! There isn't much that can tear me away from my beautiful new home except for the love of teaching. My classroom is my sanctuary and I could spend hours upon hours there. In fact, I did spend hours upon hours there last night, and my poor husband had dinner waiting for me for quite a while before I decided to come home! Luckily, I have a wonderful hubby who understands my love and, sometimes, obsession for my job. My first year of teaching I saw the movie " The Freedom Writers" (everyone, not just teachers, but everyone should see it!). The week we moved into our house it was on every night on one of the movie channels. It has been my inspiration for every school year. Even though I don't teach high school and I'm not faced with the same issues that she was in the movie it still makes me feel like I can make a difference, and if I can do that for at least one student, I've done my job. It totally gets me pumped for school and inspires me to give it my all. Anyway, it's just an exciting time of year!

On another note, I still can't find my camera chord and I am unable to post pics of my new house and the fun day that we signed our life away. It's been such an exciting month, and as soon as I can share that, I sure will.

- Jennifer :0)

Blessings

Phew! We finally moved into our new house! Last Friday morning we got up bright and early to sign our life away and we moved in the next day. It's just crazy to me that this wonderful four bedroom home belongs to me!! I am so thankful for all that God has provided and Austin and I truly feel blessed to be in such a wonderful place. Of course, have to give all the credit to God for He is the reason for everything. However, I do have to give props to my wonderful Hubby. If he wasn't such a great provider and manager of money (that, of which I am NOT!) then we wouldn't be in such a great place in our life. I am constantly in awe of his wisdom and choices. Yes, I am notorious for always having a case of the "gimmes" and Austin has to bring me back down to earth, BUT he always provides and has given me a new motto for my life: "Sweetie, you can have it all...just not all at one time." Then he usually goes out and buys me something to tie me over! So, yes, "Blessings" is a great title for this entry and I'm thankful for the many blessings in my life. I'll be posting pictures of the new house soon...just as soon as I can find the box that I packed my camera chord in! :0)


-Jennifer

The Little Things

So, today when I went to let the dogs out I noticed this in the driveway:

You're thinking, "Well, Jennifer that would be your car!", and yes, you're right, but there's a little more to it. This week we got a notice from Dallas that we would have to move our cars off the street due to maintenance on our street (one of the many reasons I'm looking more and more forward to be back in Wylie). Austin and I always park our cars on the street since we share a driveway with our neighbor. So today, we couldn't leave the cars on the street. All I remember when Austin left for work (early) this morning was he was running late. I asked him (in a half-asleep state), what we should do about the cars. I could tell he was stressed because he was running late, but he said, "I'll take care of it". He came back in and told me he had moved the car in the driveway and then he kissed me goodbye. I went back to sleep...like a bum. Ok, ok, here's the sweet part. Austin knows I am the queen of disaster when it comes to backing in or out in a vehicle. Even though he was running late this morning, he still managed to take the *extra* time to back the car all the way into the looooooooong driveway, because he knew it would scare me to back it out. Just for an example:

See!! It's forever long!! I know to guys this probably seems like a piece of cake, but to me it seems like conquering Mt. Everest and terrifies me! So, the bottom line is, Austin knew how "backing out" scared me and he took time out of his morning, even though he was running late, to back it in so I could drive it straight out. I can't tell you how something so small like that can make the biggest difference to me. That is why he is the best husband ever (I know, I'm a little biased!)

-Jennifer :0)

Humbled

As Austin and I are busy packing boxes, tossing our things into the "garage sale" or "garbage" pile, I find myself doing A LOT of complaining. Our house, which is quite tiny is becoming overwhelmed with the sight of cardboard boxes and I feel that I could scream due to the lack of space. However, today I have engaged in my normal routine of checking my email, facebook, and blog (yes, in that order... I'm a dork). I remembered my friend, Jess, created a blog, so amazingly titled Finding Courage in Grace. She is doing what many people, I know, would love to do - embarking on a journey to Africa. She, and a few others from her church, are on a mission trip to Uganda, Africa. As I read her blog I can't help but feel silly for feeling so "unfortunate" to be in this beautiful, air-conditioned, newly remodled duplex because I am surrounded by boxes full of my wonderful things??? Doesn't make any sense, right? Sigh, I need a reality check, and I think I got one. Anyway, I leave you today with just a snipit of one of her entries. Read it, take heart, and feel free to visit her blog about her self-less journey to Africa to share the glory of Christ our Savior. You're doing an amazing job, Jess! I can't wait until you get back and we can hear MORE about it! Love you, girl!

-Jennifer

"Today, we went out with a medical missions team to a camp. Oh, man it was good. I was completely humbled and privledge to get to pray for 3 hours over and for all of the sick sick people...elderly people...young ladies...little tiny sick babies. Igot to hold little hands and shake strong ones,..I was able to see many come to trust in Jesus as their savior as we shared all He has done for us..I cried...laughed..and cried some more. I was so dirty and hot and sweaty and LOVED every single minute...and GUESS WHAT?! (don't freak out mom and dad) I may be able to stay in the camp in a hut with the people tomorrow night if the locals tell us it's safe. They are here for our saftey first and they will definityly let us know if it's not safe. HOW COOL IS THAT? No one else wants to...Lord willing, I will get to KNOW the people and love them with the Love of Christ. It's a live changing thing being here. I will never be the same and it's not even half way over."

Waiting on Love...

Not that kind of love...I already found that 8 and a half years ago! :0) The Love that I am waiting on is a Monarch butterfly. ??????? Let me explain. Every spring I go out and find baby Monarch eggs on milkweed plants in a field and my class and I raise Monarch caterpillars and watch them turn into butterflies. It is by far the coolest and most amazing thing I've ever seen. We watch them hatch from an egg about the size of the tip of a ball point pen, so you can imagine how tiny the caterpillar is. The caterpillar then eats and eats AND EATS it's way into a really big caterpillar. Then we watch it make it's chrysalis and then emerge as a butterfly. Well, those series of events did take place this year...but it was delayed due to not being able to find eggs like I do every year. So, I had to order them off the Internet. Unfortunately, since it took us so long to get the eggs, my kids got to see everything except for them becoming butterflies - THE BEST PART!! So, I had to bring the Monarch chrysalis' home with me and I've been watching and waiting myself. Our first Monarch, which my kids so graciously named, Mr. Austin (hmm...I wonder why!), emerged from his chrysalis on Friday. I wasn't there when he came out of his chrysalis, so Austin filmed me releasing him and I posted it online for my kids to see. So, our last Monarch, Love, is almost ready to come out of her chrysalis and I just can't go to bed until she does. I'm bound and determined to get her emerging from her chrysalis on film. When Monarchs are ready to emerge, their chrysalis turns completely clear and you can see their beautiful color and markings. I just know the second I go to bed she'll come out...so this is why it is 4:30 am and I am awake!! Mr. Austin really was a Mr. You can tell the sex of a caterpillar by two black dots on the lower part of the outside of their wings. If there are two black dots, then it's a male. It was pretty neat how we got the correct sex of this caterpillar, so for all the girls in my class I'm really hoping Love really is female. Here are some pictures of the Monarchs as caterpillars and Mr. Austin when he came out of his chrysalis.

This is Mr. Austin about a week after he hatched! They grow really fast in a week. He's almost 2 inches long!

Look carefully, this picture is a little blurry. This is Love about 4 or 5 days after she hatched. She isn't quite an inch here.

Here is Love a couple of days before she made her chrysalis! She's A LOT bigger.

Here is Love in her chrysalis!

Here is Mr. Austin the day he emerged from his chrysalis.



So, yes, this is by far the most exciting thing that happens in my classroom all year. Too bad the butterfly part didn't happen in my classroom, but at least technology comes in handy here! STILL waiting on Love. It's almost 5 am and I really need to go to bed...but I just know the second I do, she'll come out of that thing! If I can stay up long enough and get it on video, I'll be sure and post it...it's really a cool thing! Oh, well. Night!

-Jennifer :0)