I was TAGGED!!

So, Katy tagged me. You are supposed to get the 4th picture in the 4th folder of your computer. Oh how sweet this picture is to me! It brings back so many memories from Brazil! This was our living room and these were some of the guys hanging out and acting tough. Jon Elam (red shirt) and Brian Harper (2nd from right in navy) are Americans. Jon is on staff in Brazil with campus outreach. The other guys are such sweet guys! This culture has such a sweet love for people! They hug and kiss you as soon as you walk into a room. I absolutely LOVE Brazilians and I miss my sweet friends dearly. Three of these Brazilians have come to know the Lord through Campus Outreach. I am so encouraged by their love for God that flows down through their relationships.

I am tagging Morgan, Helen, Nikki, and Amanda

15K in Crawford

Chris is such a HUGE runner. This man is dedicated! Every morning at 4:45 he wakes up, gets ready and is at the gym by 5...EVERY DAY!! NOW THATS DEDICATION!! As you all may know...I'm not so dedicated. I like to exercise, but I like my sleep a whole lot more! So, I exercise when I have time after school.

Anyway, Chris has been running for a while now and has started running in races. He has done about 4 5k's, 2 15Ks, and one half-marathon! This weekend was the big 15K (9.3 miles) in Crawford. He got his brother, ben, to run it with him.
It was FREEZING! They were standing by the truck so they could stay warm from the exhaust!

Chris getting ready to start.

So here's what happened. Chris was trying to beat his time from last year, 1 hour and 2 mins. He wanted to get it in under 1 hour. Well, 1:02 came and nobody had finished, and there are some SERIOUS runners in this thing! Finally, here they come! Chris finished in 1:04 and some seconds.

You may not be able to tell in this pic, but he was TICKED! Why? Because some joker stole the sign that tells them the way to the finish line! He was in 4th place and about 8 of them went a mile and a half out of the way! The police caught up with them and turned them around and tried to cut off some of the time they lost but there is no way they got all of it back. So, he didn't beat his time. However, he did win 8th overall and 1st place in his age group!

YAY HUBBY!!! So, I have seen his dedication and how much fun he has in these little races and I have signed up for my first 5K (3.1 miles) on December 6th and Half-marathon on April 25th! I'm gonna give it a whirl...who knows what might happen, I might turn out to be as dedicated as the hubs!....Nah, thats a little over the top! :-)

So...I wrote for 3 hrs and 45 minutes for a 4 hour test. It ended up being about 11-12 pages. Hopefully thats enough! I mean, if I were grading one of those tests I wouldn't want to read 11-12 pages from about 20 people. Maybe they will just scan over it and see key points and tell me I passed!

This weekend I also got to see my family and friends! It was such a good weekend to get away from Thomson and school and relax with good home cooked meals! After the test we just chilled on the couch watching football and then mom and I went to the store. We cooked together and had other family over saturday night. Late that night Nikki and Woody came with their little sweet baby! It was so good to see them and spend time with them! It makes me miss being around so many people that I know and love! I can't wait for Thanksgiving so that I can spend more time with them all!

Comps test

This weekend I have to take possibly the biggest test of my life! Comps...to graduate with my masters. Its a llloooonnnnggg writing test! I HATE writing tests. Hopefully I can remember enough to pass...or at least BS enough to pass! Wish me luck!

Ok....so I've had a rough few days. It all goes back to Friday. This kid in my class that never dresses out and wears the same clothes almost every day asked to go outside and kick the soccer ball with a few other kids. I let him. I stayed inside to watch the other 23 kids in my class and I would peek my head out the door and check on them every so often. Not even 5 minutes after I checked last, this boy comes into my office really upset. There was a girl with him and I asked what was wrong. When they were out there kicking the ball he had picked up this metal pole that goes down into the fence. The ball was kicked at his head and as he stuck his hand up (same hand the pole is in) to knock it down the pole hits him in his mouth and breaks his tooth. So I told him to calm down and go to the nurse. No big deal...thought it was over....NOPE!

Yesterday, his dad calls the school and is coming back on us for insurance money to cover getting his tooth fixed. Come to find out, this kid doesn't have much money and his parents couldnt pay for this. I was so upset! I just felt sorry for him....but it's all my fault! I was not supervising properly. At first I thought my principal was mad at me, but come to find out she understood. You see...we have 3 PE classes going on at the same time in the same gym-- 6-12 grade. Chaos to say the least!!! So, we always allow our kids to go out and we normally keep an eye on them. But with that many kids it is impossible for everyone to play in the gym much less for me to try and teach. This has been going on for YEARS and I am the one that it finally affects...me, a second year teacher trying to keep my job and now b/c of me the school is out $3,000!! Just yesterday the weightlifing teacher had an issue during his 2nd block class and he was up in the office during 3rd block. His class was in the gym, down in the parking lot, and in the weight room. He doesnt have a clue where some are half the time and he has been here and doing that for YEARS!! Nothing has ever happened and now it happens to me....SUCKS!

Anyway, sorry this was such a long blog...just upset and needed to vent! BAH!!

Refreshed!

I had such a fun weekend! I got to see people that I haven't seen in a long time! People who are near and dear to my heart for so many different reasons! Being at Amanda's wedding was so sweet to see where the Lord has brought her and how He has moved in her heart in so many ways. Eventhough I don't know Daniel, the pastor did a GREAT job of talking about what a great man he is. I was so encouraged to hear about their heart for the Lord and how He moved their hearts to love each other! Marriage is such a sweet gift from our Savior!

I went to see Red Mountain play at Erskine College last night in South Carolina. I have been listening to thier music for about 2 years now but I have never heard them play live. They have taken old hymns and put a new twist to the music and it is wonderful! The hymns are so real. One of the band members spoke a little bit about their music and said that he never was a big fan of some of the Christian music out there. He said that as a Christian, we deal with different issues that are hard and not fun, so when he went to church and they were singing "Here I am to worship"...that was not how he was feeling. I love it when people are real about how they feel. Christianity is not about feeling good all the time and everything going just the way that you had planned. It's hard. Hard to trust God, hard to seek Him, and even hard to love him at times. I noticed that one of the songs they played was written by John Newton, the same guy that wrote Amazing Grace. The name of the song is "Help My Unbelief". I think it is awesome that people so long ago were so real in expressing how they felt. It IS hard to believe at times!
Here are the lyrics:

I know the Lord is nigh,
And would but cannot pray,

For Satan meets me when I try,
And frights my soul away.
And frights my soul away.

I would but can’t repent,

Though I endeavor oft;

This stony heart can ne’er relent
Till Jesus makes it soft.
Till Jesus make it soft.

Help my unbelief. Help my unbelief.
Help my unbelief.
My help must come from Thee.

I would but cannot love,
Though wooed by love divine;
No arguments have power to move
A soul as base as mine.
A soul so base as mine.

I would but cannot rest,
In God’s most holy will;
I know what He appoints is best,
And murmur at it still.
I murmur at it still.