travel and world views

time at my parents was relaxing, as usual. we had a good time just being together-we always do. puzzles, t.v. and projects. while i was home, mom asked if i would eat the cranberries...i suggested making a cranberry salad and what i would add to it. she looked at me and said, "who did you come from?" my parents aren't super adventurous when it comes to food...you may or may not recall the time i got them to go to get sushi with me...that won't ever happen again. but back to the point, it was good to be with them.

favorite parents ever!

the day before i left, i was able to make it into nixa to get my chacos (the actual flip flops, not my dog, thank you kristi!) and visit with robin, chris's wife, their daughters, and martha, the rees matriarch (smile). it was good to catch up, as i feel like every time i'm in town, time just flies by and we never get to touch base. the weather was a bit treacherous that evening, and there were all sorts of warnings, as the rain was ridiculous. in case you need background, we were on the mission field together with the rees family, and carmen was probably one of my first and dearest friends when we arrived to tegucigalpa. and chris and david, my brother were besties too. can you say that about guys? too late...i guess i can.

the next morning, i made my way home in a full 8 hours of rain. yea. the dogs were troopers, because we couldn't get out to walk at any point-the rain was stupid. i had to get home for a dental appt. that was scheduled for today, and it's good to be home.

travel. it is the best time to think (at least when i'm not mentally-or verbally making harsh comments about rude drivers around me...hopefully the boys don't pick up on my bad habits). anyhoo...i've been reading a book: generation me, which mentions bobos in paradise, which i own and have been meaning to read-now i am even more inclined to read it...but it really is interesting, in that it explains a lot about behavior that i notice, but had never really thought too deeply about.

one of the things mentioned is that the culture has changed to being a very self-centered culture, deciding what's good for 'me,' and the basis of decisions comes from a self-determined set of principles. while this is evident everywhere i look, it seems like such an ill-founded concept.

it made me think about my world views, and i have come to the conclusion that pretty much all of my world views are founded within scripture.

wisdom: from the time i read/heard the story of king solomon being asked what one thing he wanted and it would be granted to him, he chose WISDOM...i knew that was important. also james 3:13-18
keeping promises: let your yes be yes, and your no be no- james 5:12
work ethic: whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men...col.3:23
service: though i am free and belong to no man, i make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible I cor. 9:19
humility: do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. phil. 2:3-4
peace (personal): through following God's laws- great peace have they who love your law and NOTHING can make them stumble psalm 119:165
peace-making: let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. rom. 14:19
friendship: actually, all of these things fall into the idea of friendships and relationships, but the stories that stuck in my mind from sunday school were the friendships of david and jonathan, ruth and naomi, Jesus, john, peter...
edification: therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. I thes. 5:11
generosity: the macedonian churches who gave generously even in their difficulties II cor. 8, the widow who gave what she had
sexual immorality: I cor. 6:12-20

i could go on and on, but the point is, my world views come from a higher standard. not having a higher authority on your basic principles seems problematic. am i where i need to be by these standards? by no means!  i have work to do in every area, and i'm okay with that...the bigger point is that i have these principles embedded in my heart, and i know that it is by the grace of God and nothing that i can do to reach further and continue to grow!

ok, so i need to finish this book so that i can move on to bobos, recommended by my dear friend nika, years ago!

project going strong...just a few days, and lots to do!

this morning was a bit chilly out, but i decided i was going to try to run anyway. i do not enjoy the cold...i was breathing into my sleeve half the way around the park-must invest in a scarf or something like..i don't know, maybe a miniature heater for my face! (needless to say, it was rough going-ready for dallas weather again).

i heated up a tamale and took it with me so that i could eat on the way to my next stop...

courtesy of ms. samarripa's lady who does tamales--they were not bad, not bad at all!

i was going to stop at an antique store to look for some drawer pulls, but unfortunately, they were closed, so i drove down i-44 because i knew that i'd seen a billboard for one the other day. unfortunately it was further than i thought. and they didn't really have what i was looking for. so on the return, i stopped at lowes for some additional materials that i needed ... i asked this one employee if he could help me with some hinges..i should've known better than to ask anyone for help, because the guy came over, looked at all of the hinges, and pulled out a regular old hinge and said, "this should work, you just put it on the inside like this..." i smiled, nodded and thought, 'please leave so i can look this up on google and get it right.' should.have.known. anyhoo-got my things, came home, and mom and dad had already left to go drop of Christmas things for some of the families at the trailer park-church ministry. 

so i jumped right in and got to work on my project. i finished sanding and started painting...i kinda' changed up my original plan and it morphed into something artistic--sorry dad. he put up with these changes, and i certainly do appreciate that he is working on this with me, because i would've gone strictly by: OH, THAT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD...whereas, he, being the perfectionist that he is, and math person, measured everything-fractionated (new word for whatever he was doing with the fractions...don't judge). and then did the major cuts...he was having a hard time envisioning what i had in mind, so i had to do a mock layout for him, now we're on the same page...and i'm a mess.

oddly enough, the colors are not that indicative of what i am working on...i know..weird, right?

had to share a pic of the boys for jo anne, because i couldn't leave them with her (my parents would have been disappointed!)

they are thrilled to be at mom and dad's they cozied right up to the new house.

so after working all afternoon, i ran out of something, so i had to sneak back into town, and when i came out, there was a beautiful sunset, and i'm so glad i didn't miss it! i am a sucker for beauty, and sunrises and sunsets take my breath away!

even at the lowe's parking lot!

i'd be lying if i said i wasn't missing my people in dallas a little...but there are still things to be done here, and time to be well spent! i am going to make my best effort to get down to nixa on saturday afternoon to see the rest of the rees family--it's been a long time trying to connect, so i am going to do whatever i can to make it happen this time! (carmen's family)...i was reminded by chris that they have been storing my flip flops since the last time i was there! i'd clearly forgotten about them, but i am now somewhat excited to be reacquainted with this stellar footwear. i'm pretty sure they kept them hidden away in the back of the closet as a way to tempt me and lure me back...it worked! saturday, it's a date!

and tonight i had the sweetest voice message from my 'lil sis' sheryl...we have been trying get a call together via skype, but timing just hasn't worked out, so she sent the most endearing message. to the moon and back, dear friend, to the moon and back! 

happy Christmas Eve! get to bed, or santa can't leave toys...go! now!

julie

bucket lists and friends for life in the most random of places

today was great--i was able to get up at a decent hour, even though i didn't really want to. but it was worth it. i was able to contact carmen, who lives here in lebanon. we've know each other since i was in 6th grade and she was in 7th and have been friends through that time. i am grateful for that, because it's a comfort to be able to have that much history with someone. it's been years since we've been able to catch up in person, so our time together was precious. we will certainly be doing this again. her family is family to me-that's the way missionary families work. and i love it that hers all live so close-next time hopefully we can arrange it so that we can all get together, because i think the world of her parents, and i absolutely adore chris' wife, robin-we've only met in person once, but i'd choose her for a friend any day of the week; she's one of those people who just has a certain charisma that attracts people to her! and carrie-i miss that one too-sassy with an adorable family!

carmen is one of the sweetest, kindest friends that i know. she has a tender heart and is a positive influence on so many of her friends and students she works with. i am honored to call her friend!

we had a lot of catching up to do, and i brought up something that i'd actually been thinking about on the trip here, and she kinda' had the same inclination toward it as i did-and for good reason-

bucket lists. i love the idea, but i have never made one...at least not physically. maybe it's because if i actually put it out there on paper, it becomes a commitment and a personal expectation and i don't want to disappoint myself by not getting around to it......well, i really don't know why. there are tons of things that i'd love to do and see, but i suppose, i just don't put a ton of stock in major events. don't hear me wrong, i LOVE events and doing things, but in my experience, life is more about the small moments that happen than the big event in-and-of-itself. i think it's because i am highly relational. for me it's the car ride, the plane ride, the jokes, the serious moments, the laughter, the random facts, the waiting in line, the accidents, the frustrations, the sincerity, the music, the art, the food, the relaxation, the exhaustion...it's the authentic moments that make up the best parts of my life, not so much the big events.

as i was thinking about this tonight, my recent trips came to mind. when i visited HONDURAS, it wasn't the trip in and of itself, and seeing home and feeling home, it was the moments with yani, juan pablo, sheryl, carolina,  erika and their loved ones that made the trip...visiting carrie in va...there are tons of things to do in va and dc, but truly just sitting at their table, drinking coffee was heaven, and sitting around the fire pit watching the fire and the embers die-that's where the memories were. miami with karla, jacy and hellen-dinner time..then just running errands with hellen and enjoying her presence doing the daily routine-full heart. orlando-brandy...putting pictures on the wall, eating, driving around...lots to do in orlando, but you know what? i was more content just to share time, memories and conversation...now shea on the other hand..she loves to do! so we did a ton! but even with that, it was the laughter and personal time that made all the difference.

that said, i think i may actually create this bucket list, but the most important part of this endeavor will be getting the right people to be part of the adventures, because that's where the magic happens. relationships are bigger than events. events are more fun with the right people. and i have a lot of 'right people', they're just a little spread out.

what else did i do today? well, i got to shoot.

got new ears- now i'm seriously wanting a rifle...i know...i know, let's not get crazy.

need to tighten up my shots (did fine with the 9mm, but when i went down to the .22, i was a little hasty and the gun is lighter, so my adjustment was not ideal..)

my dad always tries to set me up to shoot when i come home. this time he figured the wood pile behind several wooden boards, and a tin door from an old freezer....and a piece of plywood on the back side...and well... it still wasn't enough....

so...some of the shots must've sneaked through the holes in the wood pile, because i'm pretty sure these bullet-sized indentations were not there prior to my practice...oops. good thing it was just the back of the garage...and better thing that dad is such a good sport and really laid back about stuff like that! we have a little researching to do! 

fun fact: carmen and her husband enjoy going to the range to shoot as well!! maybe we'll make a fun day of it next trip to town!

and back at the ranch (that's not a ranch..just an old house in the country with no cell service for me), we also got some father-daughter bonding time in today, as we began to work on some shelves-my dad is pretty much jack of all trades-he especially loves woodwork, and has the tools to play. so he enjoys helping me make things! this is a great thing! we measured it all out and got started, then the electricity went out in the workshop area, so we delayed for a bit...tomorrow i continue with the sanding and possibly staining the wood--thinking dark...or light...or natural...(does that narrow it down?)

love the power tools

nothing beats a good power sander!!

so we're getting it all prepared, pre-drilling holes, finding the right hardware, and basically it will be ready to piece together when i return home to dallas. i just had an idea for it that makes it even more exciting--not sharing...until it's done!

may your days be merry and bright!

julie

Christmas break 2015--just keepin' it real

ok, i have been 'home' since sunday, only it isn't really home, it is mom and dad's new place. i try to get over to see my parents as often as possible, because they are special to me (is there really any other reason?). anyhoo. for some reason this time has been more difficult than usual. i love being with them, i love relaxing and having 0 responsibilities...so why so difficult?

i think unwinding is hard. i'd gotten used to the pace, and going, going, going and now not having anywhere to go or anyone to go with is a hard change of pace. but i know it's good to reboot.

i have enjoyed finding a spot to run, regardless of how slow my pace is, at least i'm doing it..i also did a lap around the little neighborhood on the other side of the road with ranger-the dog i named. i'm really growing quite fond of him! he accompanied me from mom and dad's and just kinda took off, staying about 25-50 ft from me. then a huge mastiff came running up behind us and got a little too close to ranger so i ran up to him because ranger is not an alpha, he's a sweetie...and i yelled at the other dog to go home and pointed him home until he obeyed...then the same thing happened a little further up with a boxer, who was a little less friendly, but he ended up listening and leaving as well. so we believe that ranger is a herding dog, and i was going to share a video of him, as proof, but alas, i think there were file-size problems...and now everything is slow, so i can't even upload the pics that i wanted to of just the dog. boo, rural missouri. boo.

so, this is the one i'd take home! smart one, he is!

and this is the park i've been frequenting while here in lebanon. it's cute. it's quaint. it works!

what else has been difficult? well, seeing friends doing things with family and friends and the close bonds and affection. i love it that so many of my friends have such tight-knit families- if i were being 100% honest, i long for that. my family has never been super affectionate; i am more than anyone in my immediate family, and i find that i desire and miss that-that's my HONDURAN side showing through. this is why it's at times like this that i really wish i had a sister. now this is nothing new. i've always wished i had a sister; thankfully i have sheryl and erika, who are like sisters-only sadly they are both thousands of miles away. boo. i miss them greatly and often (and i don't tell them nearly enough). seeing so many friends-classmates and schoolmates back in sps getting together and getting the opportunity to reunite-that's always difficult! (note to self, must set up a skype or hangout with sheryl tomorrow and erika and hellen soon for a coffee date! next best thing!)

i re-read a blog post  from last year that added to the feeling of unsettled-ness...sorry, hopefully this isn't a bummer, there is good to come, hang tight. but the blog post was speaking to the love/hate relationship with Christmas. parts of it resonated with me, and i think the important thing that i need to keep bringing myself back to is that this season is not about me! nothing about Christmas is about me...i need to keep my focus and remember that! i love the last advent service that i went to-it was about joy--not only the joy of the remembrance that our Savior was born, but even a bigger JOY in looking to the future and the fact that he is coming again! that is where i need to focus.

i truly did enjoy the candle-light service and was very proud of my mom, who sang O Holy Night 

and then mom makes bearclaws (a favorite)

and cranberry bread-hard to pass up...

another difficulty is the food. but it's a yummy problem to have...mom loves to cook and bake more than i do, and it's all so delicious, that i have to really monitor myself to ensure that it's all in moderation! yikes.
that 'real struggle' that everyone's been talkin' about...yep...it's real.

so i've been trying to do well, but this isn't quite as good...

and i may be at my wits end with my phone-it has been a little on the lame side the past few days...it may just need a new battery, i may just need a new phone. she's been good to me, but we may have to put her down gently.

so....one of the best things about this break to date was getting a text from one of my good friends this morning-it lifted my spirit, just to hear from a friend--i thrive on these things! it was a simple text, but that's all i needed, because it was thoughtful. she is starting a book that we spoke about over our orlando trip, and i am so excited for her to finish it! my hope is that it will be as good of a tool for her in understanding and meeting others' needs as it has been for me! i first read this book when trish, my mentor and friend, introduced it to me years ago- i remember seeing it on her shelf at the old house--good read! and because she sent that text this morning, it inspired me to want to sit and read over break...only i didn't bring some of the reads i wanted to get to-i may need to take another trip into springfield tomorrow to barnes and noble!

alrighty then...this is where i call it a night! blessings!
julie

not getting everything done as planned is not always a bad thing

the truth of the matter is that i should be packing. actually i should have been packed...ok, i should have been packed and left early this morning. aaaaannnnnnddd it's noon. the best part about being an adult is that you can change your plans--which is something i love about being me. spontaneity doesn't scare me. changes to plans happen...flexibility is a necessity. 

that said, i am okay with leaving a little later than originally planned, because the things that kept me from being ready were completely worth it.spending time with friends running errands, Christmas shows, running errands, late-night grocery shopping...writing cards (still behind-some of those things may turn into new years cards! *please see paragraph one and work with me-flexibility ya'all). seriously though, one of my major love languages is quality time-and to be quite honest, quality time for me is so easy because it ranges from just driving around taking in the sights or just sitting around chatting over coffee to rock-climbing, caving, splashing in the ocean...i'm pretty easy, i just like being around friends; in my mind, i'm pretty low maintenance, as little drama as possible. (i don't think i'm delusional...i'm pretty sure that's accurate, if not, someone please correct me!) 

so Christmas enjoyment was pretty much packed into one week-as far as the shows go. a friend and i went to the nutcracker for the first time (originally three of us were going, but friend #3 ended up not being able to go, which made me so sad, as i KNOW she would've loved it! no worries, there will be other fun events). so we made our way to bass hall in fort worth, looking for places to eat-nothing really anywhere was open, and it was close to showtime, so we just went straight to the parking garage (and by straight, i mean i pretty much didn't follow the signs diligently, nor listen to my co-pilot very well, so straight is just a figure of speech...but after several turns, through the one way maze that is ft. worth, we made it to the parking garage).

thankfully they had sippy cups, so we were able to take our drinks into the show. once we found our seats-which were not too bad, there was a slight annoyance behind us called: coughing, sneezing child... is there an etiquette thing about that? anyhoo...being the first experience of this particular ballet, i wasn't sure exactly what to expect (apart from knowing all of the music-one of my favorite Christmas listens)...so the first scene was so difficult to take in because there was so much going on, and i didn't know where to focus my attention. there were some particularly funny parts, and let's not lie about it, when they got to the different countries, those china-men-dancers were amazing! i was impressed-

beautiful theater

thankful for sippy cups at artistic events!

so, yes, there were some funny moments in the program, (i.e. the girl cradling the nutcracker like a baby doll and treating the ugly thing with the utmost of care...slightly amusing)...but one of the funniest moments of the night was when we were going back and trying to remember which floor we'd parked on...so we got of on one floor, looked around, then decided it would be quickest to use the key fob to see if we could hear the car a floor above or below...please note that everyone else was doing the same thing, and there were horns going off all over the place, so with a well timed try, it worked! but that's not the funny part. the comedy was when we were waiting for the elevator to go up to the next floor, and someone-i won't mention names..cough cough nicolette cough was admiring her new coat in the window and saying something about how much she loved it, as the elevator door was open, waiting for us-but her back was turned, so she didn't realize there was an elevator full of people watching her admire her coat...i couldn't contain my laughter, even as we got into the elevator..i tried, but when you try to stifle laughter, it's even worse! now, to her credit, I LOVE HER COAT TOO- it is fabulous...i just didn't realize that she was still working through her feelings for it...after out stifled giggles died down and we found the car, then we grabbed something to eat afterward, as by this point i think we were both a little hungry.

another necessary task- i found a day to give the boys a trim-they were getting to look like ewoks, and that is usually the indicator that something should be done. as you know, i am all about doing it myself-why pay someone else, when you can do a butcher job yourself? they love/hate it, the only part that they love is that i don't put crazy accessories on after the fact (we save those for special occasions-and it's been awhile).

bruno actually thanked me-shows his maturity...chaco tried to convince me that the girls are into long and shaggy....i explained that girls who like long and shaggy probably aren't right for him.

midweek was elf, the musical. i was a little skeptical at first, as loving the movie so much could be a negative. and i wasn't certain where all of the music was going to come from. it had its moments..artistic liberties. some funny ad lib...but what it comes down to is that it wasn't will ferrel (e sounds like a long a, because of the double r...in case you were wondering...emphasis on the first syllable). but i would say it is a great family show!

worth it just to experience it!

the past two weeks were long, and arduous at school because we had a ridiculous amount of testing for our students-my sympathies to students and teachers alike. it was rough.

and i just looked at my last post to see what i had included, and since it was posted on the 3rd, i realized that i haven't mentioned UIL. i inadvertently got involved with this effort-but now i am glad i was conned into it, because i really like the students who are participating-they are rock stars! and i will get a chance to work with them through our next competition-which is the real deal in april. they participated off the cuff, as we had no time to really prep, so they kinda went in blind, but they got their feet wet and i believe they enjoyed just being able to hang out and enjoy each other. it was a full saturday for sure. and we got their results-we really weren't expecting anything, but two of our 4th graders placed in the top to out of 99 and 100!! that was incredibly exciting! proud of them!!

fun kids-they were so excited to get outside to play (december 5th with short sleeve shirts-thx tx!)

 we made a list of must-haves for next time-we were a little unprepared-thanks to having to go through a middle man! but it's all good-it was a good first experience!

this girl put a lot of work into registering and getting everything ready for the kids to be able to participate-barely meeting deadlines- no one told her to close her eyes, but it's indicative of the exhaustion of the week!

and like i said, the last couple of weeks were crazy with all of the testing, then there was the winter carnival-which was very successful! kudos to the pta, mrs. estrada, and admin. for doing a great job in promoting this effort! they raised a significant amount for our campus! and a huge shout-out to our staff who manned the games, as it never would've functioned without them!! and lastly, the clean-up crew a couple of dedicated teachers-you know who you are, and some amazing parents!!

after that, i needed to unwind, so i took a little drive, and that's when i saw this off to the side-this pic doesn't do it justice, it was so pretty, it caught my eye, and i had to go back to get a pic. i need to do this more often!

magical 

oh! and i was so excited that my order came in with some of my favorite things-thanks to lindsey wheeler, and her amazing ministry bottle of tears... very simple ornament with personal message inside-i loved them when i saw them! they were perfect.

thanks linds, for being such an inspiration!!

on that note, i leave you-
julie

still walking: i fie on thee, cold weather!

alrighty then...december has arrived...and i am behind on my Christmas cards...only because i insist on writing an actual letter in every single one of them! i need to stop procrastinating, because i really like these cards!!

so. things continue to be busy and i am not surprised. i will say that i have had a great time being in classrooms to teach/co-teach/model! i have really enjoyed the kids this year. i'd forgotten how much fun it is to interact with them and just enjoy them and let them know that they are special...when did that happen? shame on me. (not even joking). like they say at momentous, chase the WHY. always try to find something positive (even if it's just that they spelled the cuss word correctly...baby, you seem to have a grip on your spelling-, now let's talk about that).

i find it hard to believe that last week was Thanksgiving-it seems like that was so long ago. i would like to take this opportunity to say that i have continued on my morning walks-and to be quite clear, i probably wouldn't be so faithful were it not for having an accountability partner, because 4:00 comes early when walking begins at 5! but i wouldn't have it any other way. i think she nailed it on the head this morning-it really does make my day 100X better to start out exercising (and i add: with a friend and just touching base in the morning to jump-start the day). so yes, consistency has been good-even in the chill of the morning. (now, if i were in iowa, this could never happen b/c we'd be ice statues as our blood would coagulate before we made our route!)

that said, i did go to get new shoes- i told the guy, "walking/light jogging" and so he pointed out two pair, and so i asked him which one he suggested, which led me to the pair that was on sale. awesome. [a side-note- i saw a student while i was there, and it was fine, because it was a student who could actually carry on a conversation, not just sit there staring awkwardly]. so i proceeded to wear these and sure enough-it never fails: blisters-good thing i had blister bandaids from orlando still! i may have to invest in more, so i am switching shoes back and forth until they get broken in. but here's something crazy, i went out this evening to walk/jog the intervals, and surprisingly the rub was more while i was walking-it felt much better on my feet when i was actually moving. (unintended motivation? perhaps.)

did a little running around to get there, but we got
there, and it wasn't a surprise ending...i didn't read the
books, but i'm pretty good with those predictions..

unfortunately, friday it rained all day and into the night, so that was kind of a bummer. i did run that morning-in the rain, but the lighting ceremony was off, so instead, we opted to catch mockingjay II. the theater that we were hoping to watch it at was not playing, so we found another close to school, and must've caught the kiddie show, because the teen-young adult boys behind us were 3 year old girls. jerks.

every once in awhile after church, there is a detour to
cane's for fries..ok, pretty consistent...good thing for walking!

saturday-full day of errands, culminating with church-which was the beginning of advent. excited about that, but it was strange, because it seems like the study that they were doing just kinda' abruptly stopped-perhaps it will pick back up.

sunday we were going to go walking, but it was raining all morning, so we postponed and ended up going later in the afternoon. only we didn't do the usual route. "julie, wanna' walk to school just to see how long it takes?" me:SURE! i was actually surprised that it really didn't take that long, and it wasn't as far as i'd anticipated. so on the return we decided to take the long way around and while it was a great walk, it would've been better if there'd been sidewalks the entire way, because at one point, while traversing a huge puddle, i worried that i was about to lose my walking partner-she's a trooper! wet socks, shoes and all!! at least it didn't begin to rain until we pretty much reached home base! perfect timing...which calls for a reward--i think reward that day was soup! something to warm up-and this was the point where my tooth was killing me! (i didn't mention it had been sensitive since thursday, but sunday it was as if every nerve ending was under attack!).

i scheduled a dental appt for tuesday, then i had to go in wednesday. that is a post all on it's own, so i will close for today and we'll have that conversation seperately!

from tonight's walk/jog- it was great weather!

night!
julie

dj beatsmith, because pie, cheesecake and cookies don't come without a price

today i was thinking about several things. it is THANKSGIVING, and i am grateful for so many things.

as i went back and read my post from the other day, i realized that it was remiss of me to fail to mention a few things.
#1. WALKING IN THE MORNING
while i said tongue-in-cheek about walking early in the morning, that "i don't hate it," what i should have said was that it's probably one of my favorite parts of the day! what better way to begin the day, than with a friend, exercising and enjoying conversation? hint: there really is no better way to start the day-unless you add in coffee afterwards...
#2. LUNCH-SHARING
one of the best things about this concept is that in the same way that i love to cook and share with others, these ladies do as well, and it's fun to be able to serve in such a way; on the other hand, it is humbling to receive the same gift from others-a good practice.
#3. GOOD THINGS
there truly are so many good things going on at our school. sometimes it is easy to get out of focus and hone in on the things that are not going smoothly or that are frustrating, and that draws my attention away from all of the good things that are happening and the potential for better things. perhaps that needs to be my prayer every morning- i need accountability in this area...fortunately, i have some people who are pretty good at this.

ok, so moving forward. today i was a little worried that i was going to be rather sore from starting podrunner with dj beatsmith (no lie-i couldn't even make something like this up)--thanks to maria for sharing this with me a few years back...the first time i began to have back problems. so, let's try it again and see if i can get back into that habit! it may be accompanied with aleve and ice-packs, but i have plenty of both! anyhoo, i woke up a little stiff today, but not too sore, and today was supposed to be a recovery day, so i just went for the usual walk. it's not nearly as much fun alone.

when i got back to my apt, i got a txt from shea to let me know that T-giving lunch would begin around 1, so that gave me time to take a shower, give the boys a bath (they need a trim-perhaps tomorrow i will groom them), got some cleaning done around the place, and pulled out some Christmas decorations; i failed to decorate last year, and it wasn't ok! so this year i am pulling out the decorations and making it real!
(okay, going to bed, finish this tomorrow...it's 11:30, and if i'm getting up early tomorrow, i need to get some sleep!)

so..it's not super early, but early enough, and this morning doesn't inspire much confidence...but, i'm doing it anyway. i may have to steal a line from ally k: there's no quitting! and just apply it to everything in life-

getting ready to brave the weather-although at least it isn't cold, and of course there isn't any lightening, because safety first, safety last and safety in between!! (i didn't work at kamp for nothing!)

 and why go the extra mile? so that i can actually enjoy doing this every once in awhile without the guilt!

so i was fortunate yesterday to be able to spend some quality time with some dear kamp friends-there's just something about the kamp-connection. i think it's ultimately the memories from lampe, but mostly the sharing of love for God...which is the foundation for most of my closest friendships (whether it's God's love for people that draw me to them, or a mutual love for God and his kingdom and the simple fellowship that lies therein). but i digress...i am so thankful that ally was able to fly shea in and that i got to spend time with them both at a friend's house in allen-the two families took me in like one of their own...and they didn't even make me play catch phrase (for which i am abundantly thankful, although...i may have been able to swing it with this crew) i wrote briefly about my last catch phrase experience here perhaps it isn't all about the game, but the people-maybe i need to play this game with people who aren't super intense...or with three year olds... these two families are dog families, so it was a happy place for all-the boys were wondering what heaven i went to when i returned smelling like lab, bernese, and pit-mix...

i absolutely love these two!! #sillycounts

we did take a walk after lunch to get out of the house and get some fresh air. in particular, we were looking for a very specific bridge that shea had seen on the drive in, to take senior pics. so we walked...then we walked the other way...then it started to drizzle. i actually quite enjoyed it, although in the recesses of my mind, i wondered what my hair was going to do. we got to the edge of the neighborhood and didn't find this bridge, but that was alright, it was a nice walk. so we turned around as the dark was approaching, and made our way back. no sooner did we arrive at the culdesac entrance, when upon looking down, we located the bridge..less than a minute from our starting point. HA! so regardless of the fact that it was dark, it was our mission to get that senior pic... shea, you have to forgive me, i'm your friend...

senior pic from SCREAM. the worst part is that at this point it was too dark to see the bridge, but it was quite the quaint little bridge with brick and columns...trust me..trust shea (although, if i met her in the woods, i might not).

it was good times-i just wish that there were more time. i love and cherish these friends!

now, for real, off to the park and hopefully it will clear up for the lighting of everything good at vitruvian park this evening! hope your food has settled and everyone has made it out of the food overdose! today may life be good because you choose to see the good that is around you!

julie

100LoveNotes, lunch-fun and social emotional learning

tuesday night. deep breath as i prepare to simply enjoy the thanksgiving break!

so many things. today was the fourth day of getting up early to go walking with an accountability partner-and i don't hate it! early on the weekends, but even earlier on weekdays (meaning i am up by 4:40-reminiscent of working for the comair and having to get up in the wee hours to prep the planes!) so yes, good start-i need to force myself to get up for the remainder of the break (hard to create a habit if it gets interrupted mid-stream).

i inadvertently became a part of a lunch-share...only because i kept nicolette from getting veggie burgers one evening, so i offered to take sauteed veggies because i had an abundance. what beats food and fellowship-although truthfully it's mostly just food because we all have lunch at different times. it makes my heart long for the times we had meals together in 4th grade with gigi...and going to her house to cook fun meals. miss my friend!! i truly do enjoy cooking and sharing-as well as not cooking, and just enjoying! (and i think the world of these two, they have become the friends i've been missing over the past couple of years).

i'm very excited about a new resource that we will be using on our campus. i am helping roll it out with our 4th grade reading classes first, and once we figure it out and get going with it, we can share it with 3rd and 5th grades. (i really think olivia and susan will benefit from them, but there is so much going on right now, that i think we will have to push it for january, regardless of how good it is).  i love it because it lends itself to close reading and text sets/units. i really am beside myself, and i am thrilled that nafia is equally excited about the possibilities that it presents! to see a teacher excited about a resource that i believe in is reassuring, because the truth is that if a teacher doesn't see the value in something, it is very unlikely that they will appreciate or use it. i think i built up the case! i am looking forward to see what all can be done with it!

i am super excited about the beanbag that i have acquired, as well-thanks to olivia and solange for picking them up (i didn't leave school until very late); note to self-bring cash monday!! they are oversized and very comfy! apart from the never-ending group text that went from beanbags to starbucks to jeans back to beanbags and smiley emoticons...i am a terrible group-texter and i wish that i had the app to make me appear to be involved in the text, but actually be in stealth mode.

so, yesterday i spoke of letters and such, and today i was basically ushered out of the classroom when i went in to offer assistance in preparation for the computer diagnostic assessment...they were in the midst of something super secret! so it really tugged at the heartstrings when i was presented with a sweet note from a student and a super sweet note from the teacher, one of my friends. it meant a lot. the idea was spawned from the reading of an article about 100 love notes-(this isn't the exact one that i read, but it is the same story) how cool is that?! i love that she got the students involved, because at that age, it often takes some prompting to think beyond oneself...this was a great practice for them-social emotional competency. #100LoveNotes

i felt pretty special-as an instructional coach, we don't get many of these.

 and it just got better to hear about one of the morning meetings that blossomed from an authentic moment of gratitude..the students were saying what they were grateful for, but then they went a step further at the request of a companion, to say why they were grateful for the person next to them-difficult to receive if you aren't prepared! we love hearing these things, but could it be because of doubt and lack of exposure to hearing such things that it is difficult to accept? we should do these things more often. we certainly should express ourselves more freely, without fear of how it will be received...because who really cares?! and like one of the girls said (and i paraphrase from a paraphrase....) : we should say things like this more often because you never know when someone isn't going to be there, and you won't have another chance...wise words! i find myself living vicariously through my teachers, and i love it!

that's how i will be spending part of my day tomorrow-letter-writing because i have time and nothing to make me feel guilty! no distractions-i need to get back on track with the letter-writing! i would've started tonight, but i had to get my hair did...by myself- i didn't want to pay alejandro huge money if it was something i could do on my own...so we will see if the quality is close. i was happy with how long his brazilian blowout lasted, so we shall make a comparison...it was half his cost..now i can tip myself and spend that $ on something more fun! and i do have several things in mind.

thanksgiving is just around the day-corner, and i am excited because one of my friends will be in town, so i will get to hang out with her and another dear friend, who lives in the metroplex, but as far away as possible. and this weekend the lighting at vitruvian begins and i think it starts off with some live entertainment-i love what they do down here in the addison area.

alright, it's time to sign off so that i can get up at a decent hour to walk/jog? tomorrow (if i actually jog, i deserve a cookie!!)
night!
julie

grateful...that's all.

sometimes God brings people into your life to make himself more evident and more known. interestingly enough, he has his perfect way of doing this, and sometimes it's through the most unlikely unexpected people in the most normal of situations. for this i am thankful.

shortly before going to inacol, i went out with some girls from work and we had the craziest of conversations. within the conversation, we discussed church, which was what led to this post. so when i said i texted a friend, i actually texted an acquaintance, who has since become a friend-which i am going to attribute 100% to God and his great wisdom and grace. every once in awhile i meet people outside of kamp, whom i truly wish could have experienced it because they would fit in, hands down...prime example. these are the times i wish my worlds could collide because i hate that friends from both realms don't get the opportunity to appreciate each other, as i know it'd be a freakin' awesome get-together!!

but i digress...living in dallas over the past three years has not been easy, and certainly not much fun. when alisha and bmayes moved away...and the oklahoma crew dispersed, life became much more solitary. while i do need alone time to recharge, when there is absolutely no one apart from the boys, it was getting old, monotonous and borderline melancholy. so the idea of having people around to play with-who actually enjoy several of the same things-makes all the difference.

like i said before, God has a better understanding of what i need than even i do...and he has used it to draw me closer to him. how, you ask? well...i'm a little ashamed of the fact that ever since i moved over to this side of town, and further away from lakepoint, i haven't found a church. i'd visit a few here and there with nika and bmayes from time to time when b was in town, but nothing that ever stuck. and once she was gone, and nika was super involved in a megachurch (which really didn't appeal to me at the time--remember that outgoing introvert thing?)...i really had no desire to go looking on my own. so, finding someone who really does desire to go, who loves music and worship, and who really desires to know God more is a godsend. here's to exciting new adventures-both church and non-church related! 

not only that, but an added bonus: exercise accountability, and trying new things!

yes, please, on a bed of spaghetti squash!

thank GOD my grandma didn't look like this! but also, thank God i've been introduced to this hot chocolate, because it is so like the chai tea i used to sit in the garage drinking while watching the storms roll in! nostalgic.

that said, it was an added bonus to be able to get to spend some time with nicolette and nafia during our time at inacol. i expect that we will be having some authentic conversations and fun adventures in the future!

by the pool-trying to get work done...

so...about a month ago, i agreed to take on a project to help work with curriculum, standards and alignment for a group that is working against the clock to try to pull together some college courses for education. i agreed because of the allure of doing something challenging, and making some money at the same time. the problem is that i didn't realize how involved it would be, and i had little context and zero direction-i came to a point at which it was really consuming me. every time i was with friends and wanting to be fully present, this burden was weighing on my mind. it was so difficult for me to swallow my pride, in part because i didn't want to let them down, after offering to take it on.

the truth is, i felt under-qualified and without having someone close to bounce ideas off of and get immediate in-the-moment feedback to point me in the right direction, i was beyond overwhelmed-especially because i hadn't taken into account how busy things would become over the next few weeks. i bowed out of the project, and in almost the same moment that i hit the send button, my heart and head were just a bit lighter. i knew it was the right decision.

i need to begin making choices from the lens of: life is short-moments count, friendships don't just happen-they are built by intentional acts and people are important-which i want to be so apparent after interacting with others, but sometimes i fall way short (opportunities for growth!).

with only one more day of school before the thanksgiving break, i look forward to spending time with friends-if it all works out as planned. i am thankful for much. i have much more than i need or deserve. one of the gifts that i am most thankful for is the gift of written communication. i speak not of blogging, mind you, i speak more to the art of the handwritten letter. i have said it before, and i say it again because my thoughts have not changed on this: there is nothing more endearing than a handwritten letter, as it holds so much authenticity! i do not write to receive letters, i write to reveal myself, so when i do receive such treasures, my heart melts a little, because it's the sharing of self-i absolutely loved being on the receiving end today-again, God in his wisdom-

one from a kamp friend, one from a classmate. #happyheart

may gratitude overwhelm you as you realize how blessed you are-
jrob

orlando...yes, as a matter of fact, it is a bit magical.

i don't know that this is the appropriate time to be writing a blog post, as i do have other things i should be doing...i mean it when i say today has been a day of procrastination-for real though, i even cleaned the bathroom; that is some sort of major stall. that's when it hit me. i really had to take a step back and re-evaluate. i have been feeling guilty over spending time with people and not getting work done. but the work that i agreed to do isn't a part of my job, it is in addition to, mostly as an opportunity for extra cash. but is it worth it, when it is hanging over my head and i can't truly just enjoy community? hmm...i submit it is not worth it. for that very reason, i made a call today to scale back a little of what was being asked of me. don't get me wrong, i did not drop it altogether, i am still involved in the work, but in a different capacity. relief.

so, since the last time i actually posted, much has happened!

for starters, olivia has had perfect attendance up to this point-so proud of her because she is so proud of herself...her students might even say boastful-she insisted on a perfect attendance award, so there it is.

and she posted it in front of her door...flaunting it? perhaps...still, it's a great accomplishment to be proud of!

 and then there was the trip to orlando for inacol (eye-NAY-cole) yes, i still pronounce it incorrectly-oh well. sue me. (just kidding, please don't)

friday i was up way too late packing. i'd taken the boys to joanne's, got them set up and they were happy to be there! they knew exactly where they were. as soon as i opened the car door, they were trotting to the front door. smile. i love it that they feel so comfortable staying somewhere away from home!

when i woke up the next morning, i called nicolette to make sure she was awake, because we were taking lyft to the airport. pretty sure she'd woken up and fallen back to sleep-thank God for wake-up calls! i then proceeded to the lyft app, and i had a momentary panic, because the notice said: NO DRIVERS AVAILABLE. uh oh. break out in a sweat, trying as quickly as possible to download the uber app, and then realizing i had to set up all the payment, etc...thoughts went through my head about the cost to park at the airport...so i tried lyft one more time with a quick prayer...and lo and behold, there was indeed a driver available...his name? fabian. so he called to inform me that he was coming from downtown-ish. i got my necessities together and headed out the door, because at that time, i was unfamiliar with how our gate-code worked (it was recently replaced with new instructions). i didn't want to take the remote opener, because it is somewhat bulky and i didn't want to be responsible for it, therefore i had to go out the side, pedestrian gate. so i checked my mail first, then made my way up front. i found a great spot that was out of the drizzle and easy for him to see me, when i realized that i had forgotten something. so all of this leisureliness was for naught.

i rushed back through the side gate, (flip flops making a mess in the puddles), and i raced upstairs to grab my pillow and blanket for the plane. at that point fabian was calling me to let me know he was at the front gate. game-over, i had to get the stupid remote and deal with it. then we drove around the corner to the complex down the road to pick up nicolette.

she did a double take when i said to the driver, "so, fabian, how long have you been doing this?" she mouthed the words: shut up! our principal's name happens to be fabian, as well. it doesn't seem like such a common name. it just so happens that he'd only been doing this about a month, and truth is, he was slightly unfamiliar with this area, and ended up not getting on 635, but instead taking the super-toll around toward i-35, in my heart of hearts (not really sure what that means, so i may or may not have just looked up that phrase so that i could continue to use it) i was hoping that perhaps he knew something that we didn't. but alas, 'twasn't so. we ended up doing a little u-turn and getting back on track. fortunately we'd built in time, so we were fine. and while i wasn't thrilled about the line a dfw (spoiled by love field's security), in hindsight, after the fiasco that is orlando, i would gladly go through the dfw line twice..wait a minute..

we saw olivia as we were going through security, so we all stopped to get coffee and breakfast to take to the gate, where solange and susy were waiting.

cue uneventful flight...oh, wait, nicolette was originally sitting by me, in the exit row, but changed seats to be closer to the front, so i got stuck by a very tall, muscular, young man who seemed very serious. so i read my book and listened to music. it was all good until i asked him (ever-so-kindly, i might add) if i could retrieve the drink tray from the arm rest-which he was hogging (jerk) he also acted a little annoyed when this really nice girl (me) had to go to the restroom. when i got back and settled in, he fell asleep and imagine my surprise, as i leaned forward and with an impulse reaction, he hit me (jerk-literally it was a jerk reaction). surely it was inadvertent...or WAS it? perhaps it was a suppressed desire to express his annoyance...ok, no.

great way to start a flight!

finally we got into our rooms!

when we actually got to the hotel, it was a hot mess trying to figure out what all was going on with splitting bills to get everything right for the receipts for reimbursement. we filled out our tax exempt forms and found out that everything pretty much had to be paid up-front. one person from our group, who was splitting the room with nicolette wasn't coming in until the next day, so we were figuring out exactly what to do with that, and they ended up messing up her account. why wasn't i surprised by this, you might ask...well, if anything could go wrong monetarily, it would go wrong for her...this year's theme: i need a dollar.i say this in jest, but seriously...it might not be nearly as funny if the number 666 wasn't involved (umm...could it be....saaatan?-church lady). anyhoo, the lady at the counter immediately got on the phone with the bank to make things right.

waiting for the shuttle

after checking in, we took off for the magic kingdom. i'm so glad we went-i wasn't originally planning to, but hey, it's not every day that you get to play, and it really was a good time. although i would've been wise to have worn a short sleeve shirt and perhaps capris, because hello, we were indeed in orlando. it turned out fine because pirates of the caribbean was cool, splash mountain was wet, and by the evening, it had cooled down substantially, and the long sleeves were welcome!

so glad we took the ferry! but please look at my sunglasses. it looks like i have stars in my eyes-cartoon-esque

but let us back up a minute. we started out all together. i have a problem. i'm not big on shopping-traps and just looking, add to that, i am a fast walker...sorry, nope, not sorry. we visited tinkerbell and got pics, then we made our way to pirates together...i'm not sure exactly at what point we lost each other, but we were texting pretty much all day our whereabouts until phones began to lose juice. time was limited because it was a partial day pass, so we wanted to get in everything we could. the most annoying line of all time was thunder mountain. ooooohhhmyyyyyygooooooodness. the tribe in front of us with 7,258 children and an exhausted single mom, who had no inclination toward maintaining any semblance of urgency. okay..i may have exaggerated about the # of children, but it was somewhat like the old woman in the shoe, only she didn't realize that there were 2 more lines to the poem. so, yes, we were stuck behind this brood...each of whom was intent on touching, pulling, spinning and yanking any lever, wheel, siren, alarm, switch etc. that stuck out. EVERY. FREAKING. ONE. i wish i could've done what that man on the airplane did and pretend i fell asleep in line and be a jerk...and 'accidentally' give them a reason to want to move faster and stop piddling around (that word...) we did try to sneak around them once or twice, but somehow they were able to figure out what we were doing and after we'd get about 5 steps past them, and it seemed semi-hopeful, they'd race past us to the next set of levers, wheels, and switches...it was rough.

from there, the haunted mansion, and it was creepier and a little more nausea-inducing than i remembered. but let's face it, i was in elementary school back in the 80s, and the only part i really recalled was the funny ghosts that showed up in the mirror.

straight from there, we were off to space mountain-fortunately nicolette has great directional memory, even after 6 years; it was the longest line yet! but it was completely worth it. the ride was single file cars, so i was in front and kept trying to get a picture behind me, but no dice. it was the most exciting ride, but the best part about the ride was hearing this crazy girl behind me giggling and laughing throughout the entire ride out of sheer enjoyment-even now it makes me giggle a little at the recall. ha!

by now it was getting dark, and we got a text as soon as we got off and met up with the rest of the group for dinner. afterward, susy and solange went souvenir searching, and olivia joined us and insisted on the mad hatter teacups. oh my. i died a little inside when she suggested it-the centrifugal force messes with my equilibrium in a bad way, so i tried to keep my eyes shut pretty much the entire ride!

let's not lie, it was beautiful!

attracts kids and gets energy from them

then we made our way back to the castle to get a spot for the parade of lights. we found the best spot after some maneuvering. the people behind us were like an invasive species of kudzu...nuisance. so what made that less annoying? emma! emma, from canada kept nicolette entertained for the remainder of the evening and through the parade. solange and susy found us and we were all taking pics and enjoying the parade without the viewpoint of a child-we missed out! at the very end, it began to drizzle, so we made our way back toward the shuttle. the only thing was that we were all exhausted and a little lost-we were going to take the tram, but ended up getting herded onto the ferry-which was fine (apart from the bridge/dock, which was swaying in a rather uneven motion, making it seem that the whole crowd was drunk), it was probably better to be on the ferry to be able to spread out and sit.

it was a long day-it was a good day. i haven't taken the time or spent money on anything fun like that in a long time-i need more purposeful experiences.

 julie