Emotional Day

Today was my last day with my sweet darlings. 5th grade has been a much better experience that I ever anticipated. I have become so attach to these children and am going to miss them dearly. It was an emotional day. Most of us laughed and cried off and on all day. The children made me gifts and cards to take with me as I went. My cooperating teacher has been such a blessing through this entire journey and I have made a life-long friend and fellow teacher. She is such an inspiration and I plan to stay in touch with her as often as possible. My children are a blessing as well. They have made me really understand why I chose this as my profession of choice. Teaching is just a hard job at times, but the trails and more than worth it for the rewards. Each and every one my of 110 students have found a special place in my heart that will never be forgotten. It's a bitter sweet day for me. I'm half through the semester and graduation is quickly approaching; yet, at the same time, I'm having to leave my team of teachers and class of students. Several of them told me today that I have made and impact on them in one way or another. That means for me than they will ever know. I love each and every one of them for their own personal reasons. I just know these children will grow up to be extraordinary adults if given the chance to excel to their potential. 

 

Feel the Rush

Sometimes, there just aren't enough hours in the day. I have felt like this everyday since I started internship. I don't have enough hours to work on lesson plans; there isn't enough time in one class to get everything taught I want to teach them; there isn't enough time during planning period; I can't find the time to get a good workout in daily; I don't have enough time to cook a yummy super AND wash dishes; we can just forget about cleaning most days, and I most definitely don't have enough hours to devote to the amount of sleep I need!!

On the plus side, it's so worth it. I love seeing my students each and every day. I love working with them and helping them to learn and succeed, even the difficult ones. These students are amazing and I can't believe that I am over halfway done with this placement! It's bitter sweet. On one hand, I'm getting closer and closer to graduation, and on the other hand, I'm going to miss these children and my cooperating teachers so much! 

I know I haven't done a lot of posting about this placement like I promised(add this to my list of things I don't have enough hours for), but it's going great!! 

I also bought me a new book today. It's been a long week, and I have a lot of lesson plans to work on, but sometimes I just need to "get away"for a while. I love to read (yet again, not enough hours for), but I'm making a point to take a few minutes before bed each night to read. Here is what I'm starting tonight.

I'm dying to see this movie. I just love Julia Roberts; she's an wonderful actress. 

However, I sometimes like to read a book before I see the movie 

if I think it's going to be really good. 

I have heard good things about this book and can't wait to get started! 

I hope you all have a very blessed week.

Getting in the Swing of Things

Wow. I was looking over my last few posts, and it's been a while since I have even done a post. So, let me try and catch you up on a few things from the past couple of days. 

I recently started back for my FINAL semester of college. I am doing my internship this semester at two different placements and will graduate in December! yay! 

**Due to this being my internship, all names have been removed or altered 

and no locations will be disclosed. All personal information is confidential, 

but I plan to blog about the experience as a whole. 

On Tuesday, I went to visit my second placement, which I will be in from October 18-December 14. I got to meet my cooperating teacher and students. I will be in a Kindergarten classroom for this placement., Everyone was super nice and I think that I am going to have a great time there when I go back!!

Today, I started my first placement at a local middle school, and am working in 5th grade. For those of you that know me well, this is really a bit of out of my element because I usually prefer younger children, but I think it's going to be a good experience. The remainder of the week will be filled with observations and just becoming oriented with my team of teachers and getting to know the students/schedule/etc. Starting next week, I will be picking up one subject to teach. Each additional week will be a different subject area because my team is departmentalized. I'm a little nervous about working with the older children, but at the same time, I'm very excited about it. The team I am working with is made up of great teachers and so I know that they will assist me in any way needed. 

Please, keep me in your prayers over the next 8 weeks while I am at this school. It's going to be a challenging and rewarding experience and I plan to keep you posted.

Five Question Friday!

Every now and then, I try to participate in Five Question Friday! It really makes me think about something of the answers to these questions and see how well I know myself. This week's 5 questions required some major thinking, so I'm glad I got to see the sneak peek last night and really think about how I was going to answer them. So here it goes!

1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did it come about?

 I thought VERY hard about this one..and only a couple of things come to mind. 

       My grandmother has always called me "Flossy" for as long as I can remember. 

Not really sure why, but it's just kinda stuck. She still calls me this. 

Also, my aunt has called me "Helen."

I guess I kinda earned this name; she said that I listen about as well as Helen Keller. 

Which, was probably true when I was younger.

Not sure whether this really counts as a nickname or not, 

but my husband's father always refers to me as "Fancy", but when I'm not around.

I think it's kinda cute!

2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings?

It's just me and my brother, and I'm almost 3 years older than him. I am 22 and he is 19. 

3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other?

Now, this was an easy one. My husband could even answer this question. 

Mr. Gerard Butler!!

Not only is he extremely ruggedly handsome,

he also favors my husband: muscles, dark features, and pretty blue eyes.

4. What is currently your favorite song?

I would have to say that my current favorite song is...

God Gave Me You by Dave Barnes

Go Listen to it now! It speaks for itself. 

5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase?

Right now we are saving for this little beauty...

My parents are sending us on a cruise this spring for my college graduation. 

Although they are paying for the cruise, we are saving so that we have some money put 

back so we can take off work and really just enjoy ourselves!

Alright, now go link up at Five Question Friday and post your answers in your blog! 

Can't wait to read more about you as well. 

Much Needed Encouragement

Do you ever just have those days like BLAH?!

I do, and I think we all do. 

For me, there are just days when 

I want to sit and do nothing. 

I need some encouragement to get going. 

Where do I turn? Scripture. 

You all know I'm on a journey of getting in shape, 

but I'm also on an everlasting journey to 

strengthen my relationship with Christ, 

a journey we should all be on. 

There are times however, when I find a scripture that 

gives me encouragement for both journeys. 

Here is what I found. 

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." ---1 Corinthians 9:24

I know what the eternal prize here is. I think we all do. 

We should always press on to reach that eternal prize. 

And even though it's not talking about actually putting one foot in front of the other in the act of actual running, it did hit home with me. I blogged in the last post that 

one of my goals is to Walk Daily.

 So this was my motivation to get going, 

in both the spiritual and physical!

I hope it gives you as much encouragement 

and motivation as it has me.

4 Simple Goals

Brianna, a fellow blogger, 

did this post a few days ago, 

and idea which she found HERE, 

and you can read about it and the way to do it.

I thought this was a really super cute idea. 

It's a great way to verbalize things 

we want to get accomplished and 

keep each other encouraged and motivated.

Here are my 4 Simple Goals

---------------------------------------------------------------

ONE: Take more Pictures! 

I love, love, love pictures.

Everyone says that 

a picture is worth a thousand words. 

TWO: Walk Daily!

Exercise is good for the soul. 

Although, I am trying to lose some weight, 

I love to walk and want to take 

more time for myself to do it daily.

THREE: Write More Handwritten Notes!

With everyone so wrapped up in the 

blog world, emails, and Facebook, 

we often loose the intimate touch 

of a handwritten note. 

I love sending cards in the mail.

I love leaving little notes around 

for my husband to find. 

This is an act that I plan to make a habit.

FOUR: Eat More Fruit!

Apples, Bananas, Oranges, Grapefruit, Kiwi, 

Peaches, Watermelon, Grapes, Plums, Peaches

and so many, many more!

I just love fruit and want to take the time to 

enjoy more of it on a regular basis.

--------------------------------------------------------------- 

There you have it.

My Four Simple Goals

All in a Nutshell.

What are your simple goals?

I challenge you to join me in verbalizing your goals.

Leave me a comment and link to your post. 

Can't wait to see what your goals are!

Have a very blessed day, Bloggers!

Sippin' Saints

For some people, this is a very difficult topic. Now, some of you know I used to party and drink a little. Nothing major, but I did some. Since I got back in church and got things right, I gave it up. I haven't had a drink in over 3 years, since right before I met my husband. Recently, we have talked about drinking and if it's "right or wrong" from a biblical standpoint. 

People I know that drink claim that Jesus turned water into wine. That God's people drank in the Bible. I have heard many other people justifying this from the Bible.

Ephesians 5:18 states it plainly for us. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

[Find more examples of results of being drunk HERE.]

Now, I know some very good Christian people that don't go out and get drunk. However, they do feel that it's okay to go out and have just one or two drinks occasionally because they are not getting drunk, hence the term Sippin' Saints. 

Overall, here is where we stand. We feel that drinking is a personal conviction in itself. I don't know that I can completely say whether one drink is going to send someone to hell, but I feel that it will kill your witness. We used to be youth pastors before we changed churches, and especially for those in leadership positions, how can you tell someone that drinking is wrong and do it yourself. It's a lead-by-example thing. 

As for killing your witness, I know that when I was living in the world, I wouldn't take anyone seriously talking to me about God and living right if they were sharing a drink with me, or in the bar with me. I know that if I was in a restaurant with someone that was not a true believer and I was talking to them about God, how could I tell him that they should live like me (a Christian) is I'm doing what they are doing. I truly believe that it's not okay to be a Sippin' Saint for the simple fact that I don't need anything to kill my witness. Can I prove that it's wrong to have an occasional drink without a doubt? No, I can only listen to my convictions and lead by the example that Christ would have me lead.

Please, share your thoughts and verses that you find with me. I'm honestly interested in how you believe as well. 

Faithfully His, 

Overhaul!

I did a complete makeover on my blog today.

Please check it out ASAP.

Give me some feedback.

What do you think?

Like or Dislike?

Also, read more on our Rockin' Anniversary Trip HERE!! 

Faithfully His, 

This made my day!

My husband checks the mail every day. 

Last night he checked it after 

I had already left for a jewelry show.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting mail.

So you can understand my excitement when I found this lovely surprise waiting for me!

I won this notebook, cards, and sticky notes 

from Jamie over at Pure Joy.

She is super sweet.

If you don't follow her blog, please do! 

You won't regret it.

Hope you all have a very blessed day.

Rocking out 2 & Kickin Off 3

Sorry for the delay in posts lately. My husband and I went out of town for the weekend! We went to the great city of Nashville, TN and had a blast! This is a short post, and I will write more about our weekend later, but here are some pictures of our trip! Hope you enjoy them! :)

We are on our way! YAY!!

 

We finally arrived at the hotel..then had to go find some food!

Then back to the room for some much needed rest. 

 

We kicked off our Anniversary on Saturday with a trip around town.

Here is us and some of the pictures from town that we took.

          

  

It was So hot..So we decided to get some ice cream! 

It was OH, SO, Yummy!!!

That night we went out to eat at Rafferty's!

And what better way to end our day than with Starbucks!!

During the whole weekend, we did lots of shopping 

and went to the movies and did some other fun things! 

Overall, the weekend was a HUGE success for us :)

I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us.

We are now working on our THIRD YEAR in the making!!!!!!

I'm such a blessed woman to have his man of God in my life! :)

woohoo! Got my first two blog awards!!!

That's right. I got my first blog award, and apparently they come in pairs because I got two! 

A Special Thanks to Crystal over at Bye Bye Fat Pants for nominating me for this award. 

Here are the Rules: 

• Thank the person who gave you the award.
• Share seven things about yourself.
• Nominate fifteen newly discovered blogs!
• Let your nominees know about the award. \

Seven Things About Me:

1.  Since I got married, I have recently become a preacher's kid. YAY for my dad! He is a great man of God!
2. I have 2 four-legged children. Dixie is a Jack-Russel, and she is so smart it's kinda scary! Buster is the newest addition to our family and he is 6 years old and a Boston Terrier and nothing but a big ole' baby!
3. I'm a student at the local university and am starting my last semester for my degree in just a couple of weeks! You are reading the blog of a soon-to-be college graduate with a degree in Elementary Education! EEK!! I'm so stinkin' excited.
4. I love the Biggest Loser. Within the past year or so, it's almost become an obsession. I try not to schedule anything on Tuesday evenings when the show is in season. I have (I think) every Biggest Loser book for health and fitness, and also the workout DVD's. Yeah, I know. Pathetic. And one would think with just an obsession, I would be much thinner by now and you think I would have learned something!
5. I have a crush on Gerard Butler, you know, the really sexy actor. It really drives my husband crazy. He knows I'm not a big action movie buff, but if it's got Gerard Butler in it, you bet I got us tickets to see it. Recently, I'm kinda interested in seeing the Expendables. My husband tells me, " Honey, you know Gerard Butler isn't in it right?" See. He knows that Mr. Lovely is usually the reason for my wanting to see these types of movies...yeah. It's that bad. 
6. I'm on a journey to a new and improved, healthier me! I'm getting my husband on board a little more each day. I want to lose a minimum of 20 pounds (but hopefully more) and I have lots of motivation. I graduate in December, and my parents are sending us on a cruise in the spring. I want to be bathing-suit comfortable for sure! Then, I have two weddings to be in. One in May, and one in June. So see, hopefully this will give me plenty of motivation to see it through. 
7. Last but not least, I'm married to the man of my dreams. We met in September of 2007 and knew we were getting married by Thanksgiving. We were officially engaged in February of 2008 and married August 14, 2008. Now, I wouldn't say I'm a believe in love at first sight, but we have been together since the day we met, and I do know that when you know he's the one, you just know.

There you have it. Nothing overly spectacular about me, but just some fun(ish) facts. 

Here are my nominee's for this award. 

• Brianna at ItsyBitsyBrianna
• Hannah at My New Kentucky Home
• Jessica at The Improbable Housewife
• Lauren at That 22 Yr Old Housewife
• Abby at Babbling Abby
• Lady Hill at From Lazy to Lady
• Amber at Striving for 31
• The Good Wife at The Good Wife
• Brittany at Sweet Classy and Oh So Sassy
• Jen at Suck It Up Buttercup!
• Jamie at Running Diva Mom
• Eloise at Mommy2TwoGirls
• Kayla at Love Never Fails
• Lauren at My 365 to A Size 5
• Deb at Jeremiah 29:11 

Thank you to Brianna for this award!

I'm passing this award over to:

• Deb at Jeremiah 29:11  is an amazing blogger and always got the cutest stuff on her page. She is so full of inspiration and I lover reading her blog! Go check it out!!!!
• Laura at along for the ride is a great blogger as well. Check out her kindness challenge!
• Nicole at One Little Mister is a mom with an adorable child. She hosts a cute blog hop and does reviews for all you other moms out there. Go visit her!

Try It Tuesday :)

Here is an early start for Try It Tuesday! :)

This week's recipe is a something we are going to try this weekend for our upcoming anniversary.

This Saturday, August 14th, we will be married for 2 years! 

It's gone by so fast, yet it seems like we have been together forever.

Skinny Strawberries Romanoff

 A simple, yet elegant dessert. 

Points: 1 ww point

Servings: 5 

Serving Size: about 5 strawberries + 2 Tbsp cream

Calories: 77.2    Fat: 2.4g    Protein: 2.1g

Carbs: 12.8g    Fiber: 2.1g

Ingredients

• 16 oz strawberries, washed and cut
  (about 25 strawberries)
• 4 oz low fat sour cream
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions

• Combine sour cream and brown sugar.
• Place about 5 strawberries (cut) into each glass.
• Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of cream sauce.
• Serve and Enjoy!

A combination of sour cream with the sweetness of brown sugar.

Add to the elegance by serving this sweet dish up in a champagne or martini glass! 

Now, join me in sharing your 

healthy recipes for others to try. 

Leave a comment with the link to 

your Try It Tuesday post! 

Hope you enjoy this one. 


Also, visit here to find more blogs!!

Also, please don't forget to sponsor me in helping the children of St. Jude. 

Click Here to view the website and make any donations. 

All donations go straight to St. Jude and are greatly appreciated! 

Friendly Friday!

Yay!

I'm so excited to be participating in this blog hop today. Just looking at the original linky, 

there are TONS of blogs to look at. 

Can't wait to start visiting and following others! 

Thank you for coming to visit my blog as well!

I hope you like what you find here. 

Current Followers, New Followers, and Visitors: Please help the children of St. Jude at the link below. I am participating in the Give Thanks. Walk. for St. Jude Children's Hospital and would love to have you sponsor me. It's a mission close to my heart and these children need our help. 

 I know that if my child was there, I would want as many people helping out as possible! Wouldn't you? 

Donate HERE to sponsor me and help the children of St. Jude!!!

Weekly Weigh-in

Yep. It's that time again. 

Well, all was going great until yesterday actually. I cheated and weighed myself yesterday morning just to see if I was on track and guess what..I was. I had lost an entire pound. Not a lot, but it's a start. However, yesterday we buried Joshua's grandfather, so it was a day of eating lots of things not so good for you. But, I still managed a weight loss of .7 pounds. Which means yesterday didn't do as much damage for me as I had thought it would. 

But now it's time to get back on track where I was and lose some more weight. I'm putting on my tennis shoes as we speak and heading for a little run. Yeah, more like a walk/run, but hey it's a start to running completely.

If you have a heart for helping those in need and a love for children, please visit this site to sponsor me in the Give Thanks. Walk. for St. Jude. It's a great cause and I don't see any of the money, it goes straight to them. So please have an open heart and help a child!