My Pleasant Surprise
Seems like blogging has become an "every now and then" occurence for me. I really can't blame NOT having internet anymore thanks to my trusty Starbucks wi-fi connections nor can I say that I've done nothing exciting...'cause I have. Let me explain...
Ever feel "pleasantly surprised?"
Those words are not meant to make the experience less amazing than it was, but more to say that wow, I never thought it would turn out the way it did and I am surprised at how surprised I am to feel the way I do about the whole thing. Does that make any sense at all?
So I had this date...
My friend at work always cracks up when I start my conversations this way. Yes, I've been on many first dates, but not too many that have progressed any further. In some cases, I've been treated out to Starbucks, the occasional meal, and decent convo; other times, I've had to pay the whole damn thing and be stuck with a dud! Live and learn is what I say! (and yah, now I've got a few 'stories' up my sleeves...lol!)
When I think about the first date, I still can't get over the awesome time I had. I agreed to meet the Music Maestro in the middle of the work week and to be quite honest, I was very skeptical. From the moment we met, things just "sparked." I guess in my mind, my expectations weren't high and I went just for the hell of it. But the evening turned out to be perfect...and yes, that included a clear night with stars shining brightly over us. Unlike past dates, I knew that I wanted to see him again...not only is he great company, but he really is probably one of the few good men left out there...
There's so much to say about him...all good things, I assure you...but I'm a tad apprehensive of sharing just yet. Things are going so well that I don't want to "jinx" this good thing that we have. All I know is that I have this giddy feeling when I'm with him...and my family and friends know for a fact that I've had this stupid grin plastered on my face for a while! Not quite sure what it all means, but definitely happy to have met him and definitely excited to see where it all goes.
Music Maestro wrote this on his myspace and I've been given the ok to share it here with ya'll...he really is the sweetest thing!
"We had a magical first date, a fantastic second, an amazing third, a thrilling fourth, and an outrageous fifth...will there be a sixth date? I'm willing to place a bet on another romantic and exciting date in our near future."
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Sunday, May 04, 2008
The Best Week Ever
I've said this time and time again, but I believe that God has a bigger plan for all of us and that everything happens in His time. We may have to go through the lowest of the lows, but when we least expect it, things seem to turn around for the better. With all of that said (and in the spirit of VH1), I have to share about my best week ever...
*Transferred
My "special kid" has been transferred to another 3rd grade class. In case you didn't catch my sarcasm in my last post ("opposite day"), April was an especially busy month that concluded with an explosive confrontation with my student's already totally pissed off dad. It was recommended that this student be taken out of my class for the sake of my personal safety, but hands down, I was against it. It didn't make sense to me to take this kid out of my class with approximately 7 weeks left to go and put another class in unnecessary transition. The decision was made for him to remain, but ultimately, this father demanded the transfer. I was a bit sad simply because my class family was breaking up, but if truth be told, a sudden change happened within my class....a GOOD change.
The vibe among my kids is one of RELIEF. Now that this one student is gone (down the hall), my class looks and feels more relaxed...as if they don't have to put their guards and defenses up anymore. I had them write a journal about how they felt and what I read saddened me. Many of them felt bullied since the beginning of the year and were happy that "the troublemaker" was out of the class. Those are my kids' words, not mine. But the one thing that I love about these kids is that one minute, they could be arguing with someone and the next, the incident is completely forgotten. For me, there has been less disruptions and I can actually get to everything I want to accomplish for the day. I don't hear as much complaining or tattling about this or that, and there is definitely less crying over hurt feelings from unnecessary rude comments.
If anything, this kid's transfer has been a blessing in disguise. I hate to admit that I haven't enjoyed this year's class...I've never felt that way before. Yes, there would be kids that would get on my nerves and/or I wouldn't quite like (but still love!), but it's been difficult when the majority of my time was spent dealing out consequences or whatnot. I no longer had the tolerance to deal with minor things and I'd leave school as soon as I can just to get away. But everything has turned around...and if God has decided that He wants me to enjoy the last six weeks of school after having the crappiest eight months, then let it be!
*Women's Retreat
I attended my first women's church retreat down in Mt. Hermon. I went knowing no one, but came back feeling connected. It was impossible to get to personally know the other 165 women, but just being in the presence of this diverse group of women and hearing their life experiences encouraged me in so many aspects of my life. The fact that the transfer of that one student came at the same time as this retreat is evidence that God works in mysterious ways. He definitely had a hand in all of this. After an awesome weekend of soul-searching and meeting new friends, I came back home rejuvenated and renewed. There's something about being out in the middle of nowhere and being surrounded by nothing but redwoods...His presence is definitely felt.
There really is so much to share about what went down during this retreat that can't be articulated well in a paragraph or two. Plus when I think about what changes I personally felt, I'd overcome with emotion and wouldn't be able to type. In a few words, the retreat was powerful, lifechanging, and exactly what I needed.
*Music Maestro
The music that has recently come into my life has been a "pleasant surprise." One can't help or control what type of genre your heart will be captured by, but when there IS that connection, it's a feeling that you want to hold on to for as long as you can. It's amazing how a song could affect you...I've had this particular song stuck on repeat in my head and without realizing it, I find myself humming this song everywhere I go. It definitely puts a smile on my face and I'm always looking forward to hearing it.
"Well what song is it, MnM?," you may be wondering....lol...let's just say I don't want to share it just yet! In due time, people...in due time. ;-p
*Butterflies
The 3rd Grade classes order caterpillar larvae every year. It's a great lesson to coincide with Easter because the life of a caterpillar is much like that of Christ in the sense of life, death, and new life. These painted lady butterflies are really beautiful when they emerge, but never in my years of teaching have I ever witnessed one coming out of its coccoon! On Monday morning, the first butterfly hatched. You can imagine the excitement in my classroom...kids were flocking to the butterfly house when they could and really, how could I get upset at their curiosity? Mondays are usually chapel days and I remember checking the house before leaving the classroom. Nothing...just one butterfly. When we came back 30 minutes later, there were a total of three! Wow!
The kids were being very vigilant about keeping their eyes on the other two cocoons for the rest of the week, but Friday morning was it. During morning announcements, one of my students noticed a fourth butterfly and when I checked it, it had just came out. Wings were still scrunched and everything. Man, I told the class, wouldn't it be such a blessing if we actually witnessed the last one coming out? Well, not even 20 minutes later, I noticed that the last cocoon was shaking. I had just begun to give them their spelling test when I realized that the butterfly was beginning to emerge. I've never stopped in the middle of a test before, but this was something that couldn't be missed! I told them to turn over their papers and to gather around the butterfly house. The timing was perfect! Our class got to see this wonderful creature emerge from its cocoon! The oohs and ahhhs and just the reactions of amazement really made for a kodak moment that I wished I caught on camera. The butterfly came out from the bottom of the cocoon and before you knew it, it began to move and stretch out its scrunched and wrinkled wings. When you compare the wingspan of the butterfly next to its cocoon, you wonder how it fit inside at all.
I shared with the class that we were so lucky to have seen the rebirth of this caterpillar after its transformation. I mean, how often does any of us get to see something like that? We took some time to thank God for this miracle and really, the awesomeness carried on throughout the day- it was the major highlight.
I noticed one of my girls clasp her hands in prayer, close her eyes, and thank God for the butterflies. Yet another one commented to me, "Miss MnM, I think God let us see the butterfly come out because He knew that we have been bad this year, but that He forgives us." As a class, we discussed new life and new beginnings...and even though we only have five more weeks left of school left (WERD!), it really is like our class is starting all over again. No more being bullied, no more getting in trouble (hopefully...), and really, it's a brand new start for my class. How great and mighty is our God!
Shout-Out
I have to put a shout-out here to my sis...after much nagging, I've finally got her to join the world of blogging! She's been really hesitant to put herself out there, but she's such a wonderful writer and has so much to share...plus with kids, there's ALWAYS something to blog about! But check her out here AND....check out the pic that she posted of us! All I gotta say is yes, MnM was a fat baby! lol!
Welcome Sister! 'Tis about time, that's all I gotta say!
I've said this time and time again, but I believe that God has a bigger plan for all of us and that everything happens in His time. We may have to go through the lowest of the lows, but when we least expect it, things seem to turn around for the better. With all of that said (and in the spirit of VH1), I have to share about my best week ever...
*Transferred
My "special kid" has been transferred to another 3rd grade class. In case you didn't catch my sarcasm in my last post ("opposite day"), April was an especially busy month that concluded with an explosive confrontation with my student's already totally pissed off dad. It was recommended that this student be taken out of my class for the sake of my personal safety, but hands down, I was against it. It didn't make sense to me to take this kid out of my class with approximately 7 weeks left to go and put another class in unnecessary transition. The decision was made for him to remain, but ultimately, this father demanded the transfer. I was a bit sad simply because my class family was breaking up, but if truth be told, a sudden change happened within my class....a GOOD change.
The vibe among my kids is one of RELIEF. Now that this one student is gone (down the hall), my class looks and feels more relaxed...as if they don't have to put their guards and defenses up anymore. I had them write a journal about how they felt and what I read saddened me. Many of them felt bullied since the beginning of the year and were happy that "the troublemaker" was out of the class. Those are my kids' words, not mine. But the one thing that I love about these kids is that one minute, they could be arguing with someone and the next, the incident is completely forgotten. For me, there has been less disruptions and I can actually get to everything I want to accomplish for the day. I don't hear as much complaining or tattling about this or that, and there is definitely less crying over hurt feelings from unnecessary rude comments.
If anything, this kid's transfer has been a blessing in disguise. I hate to admit that I haven't enjoyed this year's class...I've never felt that way before. Yes, there would be kids that would get on my nerves and/or I wouldn't quite like (but still love!), but it's been difficult when the majority of my time was spent dealing out consequences or whatnot. I no longer had the tolerance to deal with minor things and I'd leave school as soon as I can just to get away. But everything has turned around...and if God has decided that He wants me to enjoy the last six weeks of school after having the crappiest eight months, then let it be!
*Women's Retreat
I attended my first women's church retreat down in Mt. Hermon. I went knowing no one, but came back feeling connected. It was impossible to get to personally know the other 165 women, but just being in the presence of this diverse group of women and hearing their life experiences encouraged me in so many aspects of my life. The fact that the transfer of that one student came at the same time as this retreat is evidence that God works in mysterious ways. He definitely had a hand in all of this. After an awesome weekend of soul-searching and meeting new friends, I came back home rejuvenated and renewed. There's something about being out in the middle of nowhere and being surrounded by nothing but redwoods...His presence is definitely felt.
There really is so much to share about what went down during this retreat that can't be articulated well in a paragraph or two. Plus when I think about what changes I personally felt, I'd overcome with emotion and wouldn't be able to type. In a few words, the retreat was powerful, lifechanging, and exactly what I needed.
*Music Maestro
The music that has recently come into my life has been a "pleasant surprise." One can't help or control what type of genre your heart will be captured by, but when there IS that connection, it's a feeling that you want to hold on to for as long as you can. It's amazing how a song could affect you...I've had this particular song stuck on repeat in my head and without realizing it, I find myself humming this song everywhere I go. It definitely puts a smile on my face and I'm always looking forward to hearing it.
"Well what song is it, MnM?," you may be wondering....lol...let's just say I don't want to share it just yet! In due time, people...in due time. ;-p
*Butterflies
The 3rd Grade classes order caterpillar larvae every year. It's a great lesson to coincide with Easter because the life of a caterpillar is much like that of Christ in the sense of life, death, and new life. These painted lady butterflies are really beautiful when they emerge, but never in my years of teaching have I ever witnessed one coming out of its coccoon! On Monday morning, the first butterfly hatched. You can imagine the excitement in my classroom...kids were flocking to the butterfly house when they could and really, how could I get upset at their curiosity? Mondays are usually chapel days and I remember checking the house before leaving the classroom. Nothing...just one butterfly. When we came back 30 minutes later, there were a total of three! Wow!
The kids were being very vigilant about keeping their eyes on the other two cocoons for the rest of the week, but Friday morning was it. During morning announcements, one of my students noticed a fourth butterfly and when I checked it, it had just came out. Wings were still scrunched and everything. Man, I told the class, wouldn't it be such a blessing if we actually witnessed the last one coming out? Well, not even 20 minutes later, I noticed that the last cocoon was shaking. I had just begun to give them their spelling test when I realized that the butterfly was beginning to emerge. I've never stopped in the middle of a test before, but this was something that couldn't be missed! I told them to turn over their papers and to gather around the butterfly house. The timing was perfect! Our class got to see this wonderful creature emerge from its cocoon! The oohs and ahhhs and just the reactions of amazement really made for a kodak moment that I wished I caught on camera. The butterfly came out from the bottom of the cocoon and before you knew it, it began to move and stretch out its scrunched and wrinkled wings. When you compare the wingspan of the butterfly next to its cocoon, you wonder how it fit inside at all.
I shared with the class that we were so lucky to have seen the rebirth of this caterpillar after its transformation. I mean, how often does any of us get to see something like that? We took some time to thank God for this miracle and really, the awesomeness carried on throughout the day- it was the major highlight.
I noticed one of my girls clasp her hands in prayer, close her eyes, and thank God for the butterflies. Yet another one commented to me, "Miss MnM, I think God let us see the butterfly come out because He knew that we have been bad this year, but that He forgives us." As a class, we discussed new life and new beginnings...and even though we only have five more weeks left of school left (WERD!), it really is like our class is starting all over again. No more being bullied, no more getting in trouble (hopefully...), and really, it's a brand new start for my class. How great and mighty is our God!
Shout-Out
I have to put a shout-out here to my sis...after much nagging, I've finally got her to join the world of blogging! She's been really hesitant to put herself out there, but she's such a wonderful writer and has so much to share...plus with kids, there's ALWAYS something to blog about! But check her out here AND....check out the pic that she posted of us! All I gotta say is yes, MnM was a fat baby! lol!
Welcome Sister! 'Tis about time, that's all I gotta say!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)