FINALLY!!!!

Rosie and Phillip are back! YEAH!!!! 'Nuff said. ;)

Another Crazy One

Last night I had another crazy dream. I'd love anyone's interpretation!

I was at a teacher conference. (No surprise that this was the setting, since it was my LIFE last week.) Lot of people were there with me - friends from high school and college. The only ones who happened to be teachers in real life were Amanda G. and my roommate from college, Audra. Lindy was also there, as well as some lady I met in my workshops last week (I don't even know her name!) and a guy from high school who I never even THOUGHT about dating. (This will make sense in a minute.)

So, we were all there in this conference. There were hundreds of other people there. I don't know why, but I agreed to babysit for Gracie on this day, so she was there with me. We sat through a morning of workshops and then proceeded to lunch at the Subway across the street. (I ate supper at Subway last night! Isn't it funny how little nothing-details creep into your dreams like that?) We sat down to eat (I ordered a 6-in. tuna sub on wheat), and this guy from high school starts rubbing my knee under the table! WEIRD! I was thinking, "Okay, this guys KNOWS I'm married, WHAT is he DOING?" So I left Subway with Grace to get in line for the next workshop. Which, by the way, we had to get tickets for. I got in front of the building where the conference was, and I saw this mob of women running for the ticket booth! I wanted to beat the crowd, so I LEFT GRACE WAITING IN THE PARKING LOT while I ran for the tickets. (I woke up thinking, WHAT?!?! But in my dream it seemed like not a big deal.) I barely beat the stampeding women and got my tickets. I made my way back to Grace, and there she was, napping. I picked her up and we went inside.

Isn't that crazy? The things that go on in my mind...

Josh is workin' on the railroad...

Just a warning. This WHOLE post is going to be about Josh. I am going to shamelessly gush about how much I love him, how cute he is, and how he's basically the best baby on the planet. If none of this interests you, just mosey on along. ;)

I kept the Josh-man today. I felt like I was the one working on the railroad! Whew! I love that little man, but he can suck the energy right out of me! We had a great time today! He had just received his 1 yr. shots yesterday (4 of them! Poor Josh!) and the first things I noticed this morning were the brightly-colored bandaids on his legs. None of them lasted to the end of the day...they all were pried off one-by-one by little fingers. Josh's personality has really started coming out, and it is so amazing to see!

Some observations about Josh from today:

1) Josh is basically a happy kid. He doesn't fuss unless he's sleepy, hungry, or dirty. Or wanting some toy or something that he can't reach.

2) He's getting really sweet! Josh has only previously hugged me once in his 13 months of existance, and today he hugged me 4 times! Just out of the blue! Man, let me tell you, my heart melted. It's melting now, just thinking about it! He'll also hug other things like his toys (especially the giant pooh bear in his room!) and Mattie, the dog. (That situation about to get a little dicey, I'm afraid.)

3) He's an independent little sucker! Honestly, I think he'd be content playing in his room alone. Of course, I didn't let him do that, but I think he would! Most the time, he can just entertain himself!

4) He can do some serious chowing down. He ate so much today! I just love the way his belly pooches out after a meal. So funny!

5) He loves books. Being read to, flipping the pages, etc. It's wonderful to see, especially for me - an avid reader! My Josh is a genius! (haha!) That's one of my favorite things to do with hiim - read to him. He loves it, and I love it! And it is SOOO good for kids to hear fluent readers read to them. Just hearing it makes such a difference! (had to say that...the teacher in me.)

6) He loves looking at pictures of his family. Suzi has three albums full of pictures that Josh looks through all the time. He'll sit in my lap for 15 minutes...or more!... looking at those pictures. I'll say, "Josh, where's Aunt Lee?" Or, "Where's Mommy?" and he points to whoever I'm talking about. He LOVES it. And he loves flipping the pages back and forth. Sometimes he'll get to doing it really fast and furious - it's so funny!

7) Josh loves music! If a song he likes comes on or I sing to him, he'll dance. (One of his favorites is "Josh is workin' on the railroad, all the live-long day..." We sing lot of songs to him, and we put his name in all of them. (One of my friends says we're raising an ego-maniac, but I don't think so!) He has a variation of dances that he likes doing: the bounce, the sway, the sway-with-headbang, and the butt-in-the-air bounce + sway. I think he may have a promising future in choreography. He's also begun to echo me singing. I'll sing some tune to him, "la la la," and he'll sing it back! Maybe not EXACTLY the same, but pretty dang close!

8) He HATES having his diaper changed. He really freaks out. He gets so mad - with the red face and the I'm-so-mad-at-you cry. I hate to do it, too, Josh, but it's gotta be done!

9) He loves to be outside. It sprinkled all day today, but we still went out and stood under the awning for a little while. He was amazed with the bricks on the house. I love how little things amaze him!

I guess I'll stop for now. I could go on forever! Hope I haven't sickened too many people with my sugary-sweet post. Deal with it! :)

Name Games

Stole this from Brittany's blog. Just thought it'd be fun!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet and current street name)
Smokey Shelton
(Now, I really like this one. I am definitely a "Smokey.")

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy:
Joyce Butterfinger
(What kind of movie star would have a name like that? I'll tell you what kind. The kind that changes their name once they get famous.)

3. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME: (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your middle name)
L. Ann
(Umm...I'd say my "fly" name is a flop.)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Red Cat
(Yes! I feel like a detective already. "Ready to commence secret operation, Red Cat. It's a go.")

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Ann Warren
(Pretty believable...I can imagine an Ann Warren on a soap opera.)

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom's maiden name and first 3 letters of the town you grew up in.)
Jamlesiwar
(That's just strange. I don't think I'd be a good Star Wars character, anyway.)

7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, favorite drink)
The Red Diet Dr. Pepper
(It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's "The Red Diet Dr. Pepper!" HUH?????? That's just ridiculous.)

I encourage others to do this name thing. I'm interested to see if everyone's names turn out as silly as mine.

(Oh, side note. Betsy's shower was great tonight! She got so much good stuff, and I really think that she had a good time! Yeah!)

BOOORRRING!

MAN. Sometimes teacher stuff can be so BORING! I've been in workshops today and yesterday (and will be tomorrow). I went to the first part of this workshop last year and loved it! This year however, is all about assessing reading levels and such. I know it's necessary, but it's so boring hearing someone talk about tests for 6 HOURS A DAY. I've got the idea, already! We've looked at 4 different types of assessments over the past two days, and they're all pretty much the same with a few differences. I'm not really looking forward to tomorrow, but I'll pull through!

Let's see if I can pull some positive things out of this! First, it's been fun to see my teacher pals once again. Also, I've been able to eat out for lunch these past two days, so that's fun. And I guess I've learned something, too.

Tonight is Betsy's baby shower! I'm so excited! I'm ready to see what everybody got her. Yesterday Suzanne and I wrapped the gifts we picked up from everyone's donations. We got her some good stuff! Also, yesterday, I made "the punch." It's not really punch, though. I just made some lemonade and stuck strawberries in it. I hope it's good! I've made it one time before (for Rosie and Phillip's shower), and it was really good! Let me know if you guys at the shower like it. (I SAY let me know, but really just tell me that you liked it. Humor me!)

I'm going to rest now for a little bit before I go help Suzi P. set up for the shower. Adios!

For Jerry (again...and everyone else, too)

Why, yes, Jerry. I would love to list the lists that I love! Glad that you mentioned it!

Here is a list of the lists that I have made in the past week.

1. shopping list (on the last one was paint and several food items)

2. a list of baby items that Betsy needs

3. a list of baby items bought for Betsy

4. a list of things that take away my joy (joy-busters)

5. a list of things that give me joy!

6. a list of things the women in our Bible study can do to combat joy-busters

7. a list of scriptures that I read and liked

8. a list of things I need to do before school starts again

9. a list of workshops that I have registered for in the coming year

10. This list!

Okay. Quick confession time. Most of the lists I make on a daily basis are in my head. Everybody does that, right? I just like to get my thoughts organized. When I have lots of lists in my head, then I transfer them to paper. All of the lists on this lists are actual paper lists, though. To be honest, I may be tiring of the list thing for now. I think the list thing, like the crazy dream thing, may make occassional surprise appearances on the blog, but won't be a constant feature. Sorry to any who were excited about my new list theme! (Yeah, right. Like anyone was excited about THAT.)

(Just a little bit of trivia...
# of times I used the word "list" in this blog: 23!)

Randomnocity becomes me

Here are some random things about me (or random things that I happen to be thinking now...)

- I like words. I especially like making up words, like "randomnocity."

- I've played Scrabble twice in the past week and have not won either time! (But I haven't lost either!!!)

- My mom, dad, sister (Suzi), and nephew are comeing to my house today...SUPPOSEDLY. We ate lunch with them and they said they were coming. It's been a whole hour since we left! I think they're pulling my leg.

- I've heard a rumor that Rosie and Phillip will once again be posting on July 30! (Actually, it's not much of a rumor since it came straight from the horse's mouth. Phillip said so (on a comment on his blog)!

- I hate banana-flavored things, but I love bananas and banana bread. Go figure.

- I told you I was a list person! Maybe I'll turn my blog into a list blog. Every post will be a list about something. Doubtful.

- I'm in a silly mood. I'm bored and tired and waiting. Thus, silly.

- Things I want to do this week:
- finish touching up my paint job in the previously bright orange bathroom
that went amuk (the paint job went amuk, not the bathroom)
- go shopping for school supplies at Staples in PB
- Go back to my room and unpack boxes of books, etc
- finish reading a book

(Wow! A list within a list!)

- I'm done now. I'm going to call mom and see where they be!

100 Things About Me

1. I am 23 years old.
2. My birthday is 2 days after Christmas...what a rip off! I always get fewer presents and a joint Christmas/Birthday party.
3. I have been married 1 year and almost 1 month.
4. I am the middle child.
5. I have 2 sisters.
6. Both of my sisters are married; one has a son. (Josh!)
7. I am a teacher, about to start my second year teaching 6th grade.
8. I graduated 4th in my class from Warren High School.
9. I made a 30 on my ACT.
10. I went to college at UCA for one semester, then transferred to OBU.
11. I graduated in 4 years (BARELY!!!)
12. My first roommate at OBU and I were best friends in kindergarden.
13. I love reading.
14. This summer I have read at least 15 books.
15. I love watching movies.
16. The last movie I saw in the theater was Superman Returns.
17. I love babies, but I don't want to have one yet!
18. In my close circle of friends, Taylor and I are the only couple without children. (Besides Rosie and Phillip, but they don't live here anymore...)
19. My words of wisdom for today...NEVER paint a room bright orange. Just trust me.
20. I have a kitty named Banjo.
21. I love glazed donuts, not ANY other kind.
22. I didn't like coffee until I started going out with Taylor.
23. Like Brittany, I have never seen any of the Star Wars movies.
24. Unlike Brittany, I would love to see them all!
25. One of my goals for this summer was to have a Star Wars marathon...I'd better get on it!
26. I am a list person.
27. I made a list of my goals for this summer (I know...I'm a nerd), and I have accomplished all except for #25 and one other one (make another quilt...or at least sew SOMETHING)!
28. My husband is an AMAZING cook.
29. I am not. I can cook, but nowhere near as well as Taylor can.
30. I have had diabetes for almost 12 years.
31. Taylor and I dated almost 3 years before we got married.
32. I only had 1 boyfriend before Taylor, and we dated 2 years.
33. I had a crush on another guy when I met Taylor.
34. Taylor and I had never lived in the same town when we got married.
35. One of my pet peaves is when people try to sing the words to songs they don't know. Learn the song FIRST, THEN sing.
36. I don't know how to sew, but I made a quilt last summer.
37. I painted my bathroom today, and it ended up a disaster.
38. I do not like tea...sweet, unsweet, hot, iced...none of it!
39. I love tomatoes! I can eat one like an apple. With salt.
40. I lose my keys or lock them in my car very frequently.
41. I was born in Warren and lived there until I moved to Conway for college.
42. I've never been out of the country, but I would LOVE to go!
43. Taylor and I went to Maine on our honeymoon.
44. I have been to New York City 3 times. It's okay, but I have no desire to live there.
45. Places I would love to visit: Montana (Taylor says it's gorgeous!), San Antonio, St. Louis, Yellowstone, The Mempis Zoo, The Pacific Ocean, Seattle (again, Taylor's recommendation), Niagara Falls.
46. I HATE crunchy bugs! Water bugs and cicadas are the WORST!!!
47. I have driven 5 cars in my life: A Buick LaSabre, a Pontiac Grand Am (and OLD one), a Pontiac Bonneville, a Toyota Corolla, and now a Toyota Camry.
48. I do NOT have a good driving record.
49. I got my first ticket the first month I had my driver's license.
50. I have gotten 12 tickets in my 7 years of driving.
52. I have had two wrecks where I totalled my car...the Buick in high school, and my Corolla in college.
53. I have had MANY "fender bender" accidents...none with other vehicles, though. I've run over a bicycle in my front yard, hit my mailbox, hit a sign on our road, hydroplaned on the interstate in Bryant...it's amazing that I'm still alive.
54. My bad driving started when I was about 10. The first time I drove the riding lawn-mower, I ran over Mom's rose bush and hit the house.
55. Since my last wreck (a year and a half ago) I have not gotten a ticket or had a wreck!!! I've turned over a new leaf!
56. My favorite childhood book is The Pokey Little Puppy.
57. I used to play school with Rose Anne when we were little...I liked being the teacher, but it didn't always work out that way.
58. The first C I ever got was in college...I thought I was going to die. But then I came to my senses and got over it!
59. My first semester at college I overslept for a final. This was the professor who said, "If you're even 5 minutes late for my class, don't bother coming in." I woke up at 8:05, and the final started at 8. I lived off campus, so I had to wake up my roommate and have her drive me in the rain to school, then I had to run across the expansive lawn IN THE RAIN. I was crying and begged my professor, as quietly as I could with the WHOLE class watching, to let me take the final. He did. It was one of the worst moments in my life.
60. I love flying. I've flown about 5 times in my lifetime.
61. The only thing I DON'T like about flying...turbulence. It freaks me out!
62. My favorite place in the world - my bed, under the covers, with something to read.
63. In our first year of marriage, Taylor and I bought a house, a refrigerator, a stove, a washer, a dryer, and a car. Whew!
64. I had a dream one time that I ran my car off a cliff into water. I was down in the water for a long time, but then I saw a lion who told me it was going to be okay. I was pulled out of the water nine days later, alive. What a dream!
65. I DO NOT like confrontation.
66. Like Mandy, I am a night owl. This is not good when I have to get up for school at 6 a.m.!
67. I don't like being cold.
68. I always bring a jacket to the movies.
69. I always (if I can remember) bring a blanket in the car if Taylor (or any member of his family) is with me.
70. I am very picky about my pillow. It can't be too soft or too poofy.
71. My favorite kind of food is seafood (I love Red Lobster!) closely followed by Chinese.
72. My drink - Sonic Diet Cherry Coke.
73. My husband is SO not the person I pictured myself marrying, but he's better!
74. When my older sister first saw Taylor, she thought he was a weirdo. (It was the hair...) She thought I'd gone out of my mind!
75. Pretty much my whole family thought that, UNTIL they spent about 5 minutes with Taylor. Then they LOVED him!
76. I am very close to my extended family on both sides...aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc.
77. I took one summer class at UAM and HATED it.
78. I wasn't very popular in high school. The popular people liked me, but they never invited me to anything. (Probably because they knew I wouldn't come!)
79. I am not a party person. I'd rather be at home with a book or watching TV than out.
80. I won the spelling bee in the 5th grade.
81. When I was a junior in high school, I was in a beauty pageant...and won. I was Southeast AR Jr. Miss.(BIG surprise to me!)
82. I went to the next level (AR Jr. Miss) and lost miserably.
83. In high school I was in a singing group - we competed at the state fair and lost. (I was so glad!)
84. I was also in a band - Free Food. I was the lead singer...SO not like me! I still can't believe I did that. It was fun though.
85. I knew my sister's (Rosie's) husband before she did.
86. When Rosie started going to school at UAM, Phillip (jokingly) told me he was going to date her. I was like, "OKAY!!!"
87. I secretly knew they would get married all along.
88. I am in love with another man besides my husband...Josh, my nephew! He's adorable!
89. I've never played organized sports.
90. The only "team" I've been on is choir and quiz bowl.
91. The only time I had a really bad relationship with my parents was in high school...I'd made a habit of coming home real late (past curfew) from dates and they DID NOT like that.
92. I have worked as a babysitter, a tomato packer, a receptionist, and a deputy circuit clerk in the court house. Oh, and a teacher.
93. I love figure skating and rhythmic gymnastics.
94. When I was in elementary school, a snake stuck it's head out of hole at the end of our driveway and smiled at me. Really!!! (My dad didn't believe me either.) It FREAKED me out!
95. I am not typing this at my own house.
96. I used to take piano lessons, but I haven't played in years.
97. I have worn glasses/contacts since the 5th grade.
98. I like fried green tomatoes.
99. I almost had a nervous breakdown planning my wedding. I am NEVER having another one!
100. I am SOOOO glad I'm done typing this list!

I tag Taylor and Rosie!!!

Myrtle Mania

This is the first of two posts I'm going to make today. So, did everyone see that Myrtle commented about my story? That's one talented turtle. She got on the plane and is now safe and happy in NJ!

The Incredible Adventures of Myrtle (the Turtle)

There once lived a turtle. Her name was Myrtle, and she lived in a pet store on Longleaf Street. She lived a pretty good life for a turtle...she was given a nice big tub of water to swim in, rocks to climb upon and sun herself on warm days, and plenty of friends that lived close by. "This is a pretty good life for a turtle," Myrtle thought. However, Myrtle always wondered if there were something more to life beyond the tub of water that she called home. One fateful day, she got her answer.

This day began like any other. She woke up early, ate a wonderful breakfast, and then spent the rest of the day relaxing, alternating between eating and sunning herself on the rocks in her tub. She saw several people come in and out of the pet store. Some of them glanced over at her, but none did more than glance.

The day was over...the owners of the store were closing up shop, when a young couple entered the store. Myrtle eyed these two curiously. One, a woman, with brown hair and a pretty smile. The other, a man, with curly hair and kind eyes. They walked over to her tub, ("Probably just to look at me and pass by," thought Myrtle). All of a sudden, a hand came out of the air, picked her up, and placed her in a cardboard box! What was happening? Was this the end? Was she being taken to her doom? She heard the owner of the store talking to this couple, telling them what she ate and that she liked to swim and occasionally sun herself on rocks. She heard the couple talk of a little girl from New Jersey and an airplane. Then she was placed on the floor of some moving thing, and all was still for a while.

She woke as someone picked up her box. "This is it," she thought. She prepared herself for her demise. The box opened, and Myrtle glanced up and out from her shell. She looked up into the face of a beautiful little girl with dark hair. The little girl smiled. She called Myrtle's name. "How did she know my name?" Myrtle asked herself. Suddenly, she wasn't scared anymore. She somehow knew that this little girl was going to take care of her, love her, feed her, let her rest on the warm rocks. She realized that there IS more to life than her big tub of water at the pet store. She decided then and there that she was ready for whatever might happen next.

(Based on a true story! Taylor and I went yesterday to pick up a turtle for Ella, one of the little girls Taylor's mom nannies for in New Jersey. Ella wanted a turtle, but it's illegal to buy or sell then in NJ. Taylor's mom looked other places close by, and she found turtles. But they were $80! She then decided to look for one when she came to AR with Ella. We did look for one, on the roads, at the park...but to no avail. Finally, on our way to Little Rock yesterday to see Taylor's mom and Ella one last time before their flight this morning, we got a call. There was a pet store in Pine Bluff with a turtle for $7! Thus began the Great Turtle Adventure. We raced there, and fortunately, the proprietor of this shop stayed open 45 minutes late for us. We bought the turtle and transported her to Little Rock to Ella. Ella was ecstatic! It was a great night. I just wanted to be silly and write a story from Myrtle's perspective!)

Time for a new trick!

Everyone who knows me and Taylor know that we love our cat. His name is Banjo, and he's the best cat in the world. Before I get to the actual point of this post (yes, there is one) let me fill you in on how Banjo came to be our kitty. Taylor and I had just gotten married, and we were living in duplex downtown. Taylor walked to work then. (as he still does...we're one car-ing it, and Taylor is sweet enough to let me use the car during the day. Good thing we live less than a mile from JQP!) One day walking home on his lunch break, Taylor heard the pitiful, heart-wrenching cry of a kitten! Under a car! He came home and told me about it, and I was concerned, of course! I didn't really want a pet, but a tale of an abandoned kitten in the hot summer with no food or drink is too much to ignore! We immediately got a bowl of milk and drove to where Taylor had heard the kitten. We saw him under a bush in front of a building (on a busy street...everyone and their brother saw us, I think.) We got out and crouched down next to the bushes he was hiding in. He drank the milk, but wouldn't let us get close to him. He got scared and ran away, so we had to give up. Anyway, later that evening, Taylor and I decided to go for a walk. We walked past where we had seen the kitty earlier, and we saw him! Skin and bones, no bigger than one of Taylor's tennis shoes. He was so sweet!!! We raced back home for a bowl of milk and back to Banjo. He lapped it up, and again we tried to get close enough to pick him up, but he was so scared he ran away every time we got close. After about an hour, we gave up. We were walking back home and I turned around to say something to Taylor, and I saw the kitten! He was following us, meowing like crazy! He followed us all the way home! It took us about another hour to actually get him in the house, but we succeeded. And Banjo has been part of the family ever since.

Banjo is all grown up now (actually, he's still kinda small, but we don't talk about it. He's a little sensitive), and he can do all kinds of tricks! Like climb on top of the door for a treat and fetch. Yep. He's pretty talented. However, I think it's time to teach our wonderful kitty a new trick. When I saw this video on youtube, my mind was made up. Banjo, you'd better get ready for some training, boy! I'm going to have you talking in no time!

"Banjo's Future Trick"

I am ready!

I'm baaaack! Yes, my peeps, I have been absent from the blogging world for quite some time now. But now I'm back, and I have a lot to write about. I've been gone for a long time, not just from blogging, but from home also. Here are the things I've been away doing.

Last Wednesday-Friday: I was in Conway keeping Josh! Rose Anne helped me, and we had a blast. It was much easier watching him with Rosie than by myself! We had a really great time. Josh was so fun! Walking...almost running now, all over the house! I had a great time with Josh, as well as with Rosie and Suzi (and I guess Tommy, too...) ;) Rose and I went to see a movie (The Devil Wears Prada...really good!) and shopping. I had a great time seeing her. It's been a long time since we just got to hang out together.

Saturday: I was in Russellville with the whole fam for Josh's 1st birthday party. It was SO much fun! We had it at my aunt's house, and we ate, swam, played beach volleyball...all kinds of fun stuff! I wish Josh had more than one birthday a year...that was a great bash! Congrats to Suzi for planning the party of the year!

Sunday: Back home for a brief time. Sunday morning I kept the babies at church - Gracie (for a short time...darn Suzanne for loving her girl so much and taking her from me!!!) and Tyler (that kid is so cute! So happy!) Right after church, Tay and I ate Fortune Cookie food at the Journey Center with Lindy, Amanda, Jeff & Caroline and their kids, and T.J. That was fun. (and the food was really good!) After that, I was on my way to the Smart Conference in Little Rock!

That's where I've been since Sunday night. I really enjoyed it! I got to know some of the high school teachers that I haven't gotten to meet much before, and I got to talk to my principal and colleagues. We also got to eat out at great places...Shoguns and Cajun's Wharf. I've never eaten at either of those places before, but now I'm hooked!

The conference was REALLY good. I got some great ideas to use in the next school year (which starts soon, by the way), and I really got encouraged and prepped for this year. My favorite part was listening to the speaker we had for the closing today. I can't remember her name...something Monroe. She's been a teacher and a principal in Harlem and all over, and she's famous for her work and success with low-achieving and at-risk students. She really inspired me and I am so ready to get back to school now! The amazing thing to me about this woman was her obvious relationship with Christ. I suspect that has a lot to do with her success as a teacher, administrator, and now international consultant for schools. She kept saying, "Don't forget...This is HOLY work!" Amen! I felt like I was in church with this lady! She talked a lot about how teaching is a calling for us. God places us in the lives of our students; he picks the students for us. EVERY kid we have in our class is there because God wants us to impact that child. I can't remember half of the amazing things she said, and I've probably butchered the quotes I've already used, but it was just a great reminder that she's right! I have been called by GOD to do this work, it's no accident that I had Tre'na or Ashley Jo or Nick in my class last year. The kids who will be in my class this year are no accident! God has a purpose for them and me, and I am doing his work by loving and hopefully inspiring these children. One thing that Dr. Monroe said that really stuck with me was that our goal as a teacher is not only to assess and evaluate and guide, but to SERVE. Not ONLY to serve, but to make sure that we inspire the kids we encounter to SERVE OTHERS! I've never thought about that as being one of my goals as a teacher, but it is! Man! It's great to get these little boosts and encouraging moments every once in while. I feel ready for school now!

Later!

Just for Jerry

I flitted!


(taken frim dictionary.com)...

flit ( P ) Pronunciation Key (flt)
intr.v. flit·ted, flit·ting, flits
1. To move about rapidly and nimbly.
2. To move quickly from one condition or location to another.

What a weekend!

Taylor and I saw Superman Returns last night. It was pretty good. Not the BEST movie I've ever seen, but definitely not the worst. And I must say, this new Superman is pretty dang cute! Not the best actor, but his looks made up for it. Another movie I saw this weekend...Eight Below. Same with that one. It was good, but not the best. Probably better than Superman, though, because of the dogs! I love movies like that, because I can make up my own dialogue between the dogs...sounds stupid, but it's really fun. I watched it with my aunt and mom, and we were rolling with laughter!

So let me update you on the goings on of my weekend. Saturday I went to Conway with Taylor. He and Nathan videoed a wedding, while I flitted off to my sister's house and played with Josh! He walked almost the WHOLE time I was there. I still can't believe it. Then, after driving back home, I went to my mom's house (to hang with my parents and aunt) while Taylor took reunion photos until MIDNIGHT!!! Talk about a dedicated employee. Sunday, we didn't have church cause a lot of families were at Journey's first annual Family Camp. (I think it's annual...is it?) Anyway, we, along with all 5 of the Parkers, helped Amanda G. get packed up and out of Monticello. We started at 8, and by the time we finished at 11, we were exhausted! Taylor and I came home and took the LONGEST NAP EVER! It was great. Taylor usually won't take naps with me (he's one of those weird people who prefer being awake), so it was a rare treat for me! We slept...ready for this...5 hours! Wow. Then we went and ate supper with the Parkers and it was off to Superman!

This morning, I kept Abby and Lilly. Those girls are too cute! We had a blast. We watched tv and painted and played with Jonah, Noah, and Grace and ate grapes. It was really fun, but once again, exhausting! How do you mothers do it?!?! I'm telling you, I really need to prepare myself when I get ready to have a kid. Like, I need to go into training or something! Every time I keep kids, even though I have a great time, I'm exhausted afterward! It's really weird. I've said this before, but I do admire mothers. It's a tough job!

Speaking of tough jobs, Taylor and I are going to clean out our attic tonight. That should be fun. (NOT!)

Positive things. Rosie Slaughter is in a car on her way here! I'm so ready to spend the week with her! Be looking for her blog soon. I think I'm going to help her set one up this week!