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!