hangin' tough

Let's go back to 1989. I was ten years old and madly in love with a special group of guys. Each was very talented and a few of them were good looking. Many were in love with Jordan and Joe, but I had eyes only for Jon. Maybe it was because no one else fancied him so I thought I had a chance. Ha!
But I digress...
I remember sneaking the NKOTB tapes into my boombox and secretly playing them in my room (only Christian music was allowed in our home). When my family moved in March of 1990, my friend Kerry Moore gave me a black T-shirt and a button with Jon's picture on it. Oh, how I loved that button.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I read this headline:

New Kids On The Block Stage Comeback

This is so exciting! Now, I don't really think that NKOTB will ever be able to match their popularity from almost 20 years ago (am I really that old?!??!?!). But, it will be fun to relive those carefree moments of my youth and maybe even dance around again to "The Right Stuff", "Step by Step", or "Hangin' Tough". Ah, those were the days... (:

Just call me Marian

All the signs were there.
-I have been reading since I was three or four years old.
-I was in the highest reading group in 1st grade with only one person, my best friend Susan. We called ourselves the "Strawberries".
-I would get giddy during book fair week.
-I would count down the days until the newest edition of "Babysitters Club" was released and then devour the book in a hour. Then, I would read it again.
-My favorite part of 8th grade was doing my first big research paper, complete with notecards.
-I loved going to the public library to do research and looking up archived articles on microfiche (I probably just lost half of my readers who have no idea what that is)
-I recently bought a new pair of glasses.

So, I have decided that I want to become a librarian. I have toyed with this idea for the past 4 years but am finally ready to do something about it. I am just not happy in the classroom anymore and want to work my way out of there. As a librarian, I can come in each day, make a list, check things off of it, and go home. No lesson planning. No grading. No discipline issues. NO PARENTS BREATHING DOWN MY NECK!!!!

I am starting to study for the GRE and am working on applying for the Masters of Library Science program at either the University of North Texas or TWU. That means that I hopefully only have two more years of teaching. Yea! I am not 100% positive that spending everyday with the Dewey Decimal System is my ultimate career, but I am a firm believer in moving. I realized back in college that the Lord does not always give us details, but rather he wants us to pursue something and do it for his glory.

get smarter and feed some peeps

I have decided to go to grad school, which deserves a post of its own. But before I can pursue that new goal, I must take the GRE. A teacher I work with just took the test a couple of months ago and passed on this website to me as a study tool: http://freerice.com/
This site gives you a vocabulary word with 4 choices. If you answer correctly, the site donates rice to a country in need. You can do as many words as you want and you might even learn some new words.

Meet Henry

This is my new bff, Henry.



Henry's friendship has been life changing. We have been spending a lot of time together lately and he has made me a guarantee about the next six months of my life. I will report back in a few months to let you know if Henry does, in fact, deliver on his promises. If you would like to meet Henry, just let me know and I will gladly make the introduction (:

Faithful

I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”
Mark Twain


Christmas break is supposed to be a time of refreshment and rest. While my body got a break from the day-to-day routine of work, my spirit was not at rest. I was eaten up with worry over a situation at school that I would have to deal with upon my return. I played the possible scenarios over and over in my head. I had visions of the worst-possible outcome wrecking my life and career.
Today as I drove to work, I was peaceful. Knowing that I had done everything to the best of my ability was all I had left to lean on.
The funny thing about all the worrying is that I didn't even have to go to this dreaded meeting. It was a scheduling error and another teacher was slotted to take my place. I emailed my mom to update her on the new development and she said, "Never underestimate the power of prayer". How often I pray without little belief that God will really move in a situation. But in this situation, I was reminded that He is faithful to listen to our pleas.

Here is another song that I am loving by Brooke Fraser. Her album is really incredible and I can't get enough.

"Faithful"
There's distance in the air and I cannot make it leave
i wave my arms' round about me and blow with all my might
I cannot sense you close, though I know you're always here
But the comfort of you near is what i long for

When I can't feel you, I have learned to reach out just the same
When I can't hear you, I know you still hear everyword I pray
And i want you more than i want to live another day
And as I wait for you maybe I'm made more faithful

All the folly of the past, though I know it is undone
i still feel the guilty one, still trying to make it right
So i whisper soft your name, let it roll around my tounge,
knowing you're the only one who knows me
You know me

Show me how I should live this
Show me where I should walk
I count this world as loss to me
You are all I want
You are all I want

What do birds and I have in common?

Nests.
That's right...I'm nesting. Maybe I'm finally settling into my quasi-adult life after being in my house for almost a year. Maybe I'm finally realizing that it's okay to stay in on a Friday night. Maybe it's because of what I got for Christmas: a food processor, knives, colander, mandoline, fireplace tools, stoneware, and more.

All I know is that I love being at home, cleaning, organizing my kitchen and closets, curling up with a book, trying out new recipes, and indulging my new passion--internet scrabble.

Life is good (: