Butterflies

I'm starting my 4th year as a Kindergarten teacher and it's so hard to put this time of year into words!  We have been back for a week preparing the classroom, team building with our staff and learning new techniques that will make things easier this year. I prayed over my room and each individual little chair knowing someone's pride and joy will sit there scared or excited or nervous in a few short days.  I have eaten less this week just for the sheer fact that there just doesn't seem to be time and sleep decreases as my mind is unable to stop thinking of all the things that need to be done and all the possibilities this year holds.  The closest thing I can compare it to is the beginning of a new relationship. I get those same butterflies in my stomach just thinking about this upcoming school year! You should have seen us when we got our class lists! You would have thought it was Christmas morning based on how giddy we all were! I think all of that shows that teaching truly is a passion and starts in our hearts! 

But that is the romantic side of teaching!  Every relationship eventually hits the disillusionment stage and for kindergarten teachers, that is the first day of school!  I'm sure you've seen the memes comparing kindergarten to starting a blender with the lid off or the little boy trying to get all the kittens on the blanket or, my personal favorite, watching Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergaten Cop attempt to wrangle all those kids! Sadly, every single one of these is spot on!  

Kindergarten brings about challenges in those first two weeks no one can prepare you for!! Will I have any criers? Will the same tricks work this year? Will I have any parents that just won't say good-bye? How many of them will have an accident on the carpet? Do I have what it takes again this year? Best case scenario, they all come in sit quietly and are ready to start their adventure in school. Worst case scenario, they are all up out of their seats, not listening, tearing up my room, crying in the corner with a few parents still hanging around crying as well! Either scenario is completely probable and that uncertainty brings about the butterflies in my stomach!!  

Kindergarten has such a different start than the other grades, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! The babies that walk in next week will walk out completely different and it's a privilege to be a apart of it! So, extend a Kindergarten teacher a little grace, or Starbucks, the next several weeks! I guarantee she is a little frazzled!!

  

Welcome to our home!

Richard and I have the honor of hosting a youth group from Dodge, Tx in our home this week.  We have been on many mission trips where we have stayed in host churches and host homes, but never have been a host home, so we have been so excited for this week. 

As we sat together last night visiting and praying for their upcoming weekly activities God flooded my heart with humility and grace. In both of our previous lives neither of us had big families so a big house wasn't a necessity and therefore the space to host a multitude of people just wasn't available. When we joined together and realized a 3 bedroom 2 bath house was no where near big enough we started praying BIG! I know I've given our house testimony before, but I love it so let me share it again!

For over a year we prayed. There are not too many places that could fit all of us so we asked for something big and spacious and somewhere youth would enjoy.  I remember a lady at church coming up to me and praying with me and telling us she kept hearing the words "more than enough".  We clung to that promise so many times when we began to doubt! We found our dream house and looked at it several times. I knew it was built just for us, so much so that I prayer walked it every time we went to look at it!  But the house we were in just would not sell. 14 months later our house got an offer and we were excited only to find out that our dream home was off the market.  We live in a small community so we started asking around about it and found out it had not sold but just taken off the market. So, in my mind, there was still hope!

Our daughter ended up running track with the owner's niece so Richard found  them at a track meet to see if they were still interested in selling and they were!!  And 3 months later it was ours! Only God!

Our first month in the house we had our Lifegroup over and they prayer walked our home and gave us such sweet words. We know that we were given this home to bring joy to others. As I sat there last night hosting the first of hopefully many youth groups I was reminded of that and how He is so good and so faithful!  

Isaiah 62:4 is one verse that was given to us that I think fits perfectly:

"It will no longer be said to you, "forsaken," nor to your land will it any longer be said "desolate"; But you will be called "My delight is in her," and your land "married"; For the Lord delights in you, and to Him your land will be married."

Anniversary Trip

Richard and I were lucky enough to be able to get away for a few days to celebrate our anniversary! This summer has been filled with mission trips and youth trips and lock-ins, which all have been wonderful, but we needed some time to recharge!  Most relationships have those foundational years to connect, just husband and wife, before kids enter the picture, but we were not given that luxury. We hit the ground running with 5 kids, jobs, ministries, etc... Our alone time is paramount to keeping our marriage strong as we continue to lay a strong foundation, even 3 years in. We are blessed to have these opportunities  and don't take them lightly! 

Big D was our destination.  We checked into our hotel and our room number was 719...which is our anniversary! I love God's holy surprises! 

We went to dinner and a comedy show the first night.

Day two was a Ranger's Game and time at the pool. 

Day 3 was a lot of sleep!! This hotel had the fluffiest pillows and softest terricloth robes. It was so relaxing!

Then we went to dinner and to the top of Reunion Tower!  Neither one of us had been up there so that was fun to experience together!

With only a few weeks remaining of summer break this trip was such a treat! Happy Anniversay, Richard!