thankful

Thankful.

Life. Love.

People. Places.

Family. Friends.

Texas. Tennessee.

Men. Women.

Children. Grown-Ups.

Relationships. Communication.

Old. New.

Creativity. Variety.

Winter. Summer.

Spring. Fall.

Predictability. Routine.

Church. School.

1^st grade. 6^th grade.

Computer. Phone.

Camera. Crafts.

TV. Music.

Fancy. Simple.

Sun. Snow.

Leaves. Flowers.

Food. Beverage.

Work. Relaxation.

Movement. Stillness.

Forgiveness. Memories.

Curiosity. Confidence.

Learning. Understanding.

Talking. Listening.

Smelling. Tasting.

Seeing. Hearing.

Touching. Hugging.

God. Jesus.

Thankful.

october

I always have such a hard time choosing my favorite season, because I really do love the special things that each of them offers, but I am LOVING my first fall in Tennessee!! In addition to my usual favorites: scarecrows, pumpkins, candy corn, boots, sweaters, and yummy-smelling candles, the weather has been cool and crisp, and everything is absolutely beautiful! The many shades of red, yellow, and orange almost seem pretend they're so pretty!! In addition to the amazing weather and gorgeous foliage, October brought my mom, dad, and sister to Hohenwald for such a FUN visit, Oktoberfest festivities in Hohenwald, a quick trip to Texas for Ashley's wedding, fall fun with our church family, and trick-or-treaters galore!!!! It has been a fabulous fall so far!!!

This picture does not do them justice, but here's an example of our BEAUTIFUL trees!

They are so pretty, I made wreathes for the people at the nursing home with the kids at church. They did a great job and the wreathes turned out beautifully! Tonight, we went and gave them to the sweet people at the nursing home and my third-graders were PRECIOUS! It was an honor to watch them imitate Jesus!

I was out of school for a few days in early October for fall break!!! I know, I know, soooo FUN! They used to not have a fall break here, but Oktoberfest has become such a HUGE event that all the teachers were asking off and the buses couldn't get through because of all of the traffic!!! Lewis County quadruples in size during that weekend every year!! It is CRAZY! People are EVERYWHERE! There are massive traffic jams in our little town! Needless to say, it was FUN and a little Stars Hollowish;) Because I was going to be out of school, my parents and sister decided to take a vacation and come see us!! We had such a great time together. We played, shopped, talked, relaxed, and thoroughly enjoyed our time together!!

Misty and I at the Grand Ole Opry on her birthday! Sooo FUN!

I drove back to Texas with Mama, Daddy, and Misty to be there for my sweet friend, Ashley's wedding. We had lots of fun visiting in the car and playing childhood car games. I was honored to be part of Ashley and Argimiro's special day as her matron of honor!! It was so much fun! Ashley and I became best friends right after I moved to Roby in eighth grade when she was thoughtful enough to invite the new girl to her slumber party! Thanks Ash:) We've been BFF ever since!! Her friendship is so special to me, and we have so many wonderful memories together. We used to talk and dream about our future lives...and though we're not next door neighbors in Buffalo Gap like we once dreamed;), we have both been blessed with precious husbands who love and honor us, and we got to stand beside with each other when we said "I Do."

What a precious friendship!

After the wedding, I flew back to Tennessee and it was COLD!! Several of us from church went to a haunted hay ride and corn maze! Once again, it felt a bit like Stars Hollow! Corn mazes are all the rage around here in the fall, and I was so excited to participate! Those of you who know me well and are familiar with my direction disability, don't worry, I did not go in alone! In fact, Kaye and I had Anna, our fearless second-grade leader!!

While my sweet mama was here, she helped me decide on a FUN costume idea for Trunk-or-Treat at church! Then, she and Misty helped me make our costumes! I thought they turned out really well! Everyone was surprised that Keith was going to dress up as a crayon, but I didn't even have to twist his arm, he was a great sport! Then, with the help of my cricut, I made our trunk decor:) We had fun passing out crayons and candy! Thankfully, some friends warned us that our neighborhood was the happening place on Halloween, so that we could stock up on candy, because they were not kidding!! We had about 250 trick-or-treaters....sooo fun!!

Hope you are all having a happy fall!

sixth grade happenings

I am LOVING sixth grade English!! I never thought middle school was my thing, but I knew if I never tried it, I'd never know. Teaching little first graders was just who I was, but I've got to tell you, I am having so much fun! I knew it would be a big adjustment, so I spent a lot of time thinking it through and processing aloud with sweet listeners like my precious mama and husband:) I'm so thankful I've had lots of people praying for me!! I felt surprisingly peaceful throughout inservice week and the first three days! I am so thankful for God's granting me peace!

The other sixth grade teachers have made me feel so welcome and a part of their team! When I first accepted the job, I was nervous about interacting with middle school teachers, because they always seemed so different than us elementary people, but they are WONDERFUL! They love the kids and support one another. They have all been friendly, warm, and hospitable.

The kids have been sweet too! They're great listeners and are so good at following directions:) I had them write stories on Friday and had the best time reading them this weekend. I wasn't sure what to expect from their writing, but I was pleasantly surprised with their use of paragraphs and adjectives!!

My sweet family is always so supportive and helps me get my classroom ready for a new school year, and since they were far away and couldn't be here to help, they sent me these beautiful flowers just in time for open house!!!! Isn't that so thoughtful?!!! They're the BEST:) These pretty flowers have been the perfect welcome to my classroom and have made it smell good too!Keith's sweet mom knew how much I was missing my mom as I set up my classroom, so she made me this super cute curtain to hide the kids' cubbies!!! Once again, SO sweet!!
Then, as if that wasn't enough, Lourene and Laura (Keith's mom and sister) surprised me with this SUPER cute wreath!!! Aren't they talented and crafty?!! They worked all day the day before school started just to make me feel special! All of the pencils remind the kids of how much writing we're going to do this year:)
I am so thankful that Keith and I both have such sweet families to encourage us!!! Thanks guys!! It's looking like a fantastic school year so far!! I hope all of you Texas teachers enjoy your last week of summer!

summer

Our summer activities are winding down and I'm beginning to prepare for school. So, before summer is completely over, here's a little "summer"ary:) of what we've been up to.

Shortly after I returned home from Texas, we took middle-schoolers to Impact at Lipscomb. It had been a while since we'd used community showers and participated in all that is crazy/silly/fun about middle-school camp:) We enjoyed spending time with the kids and building relationships with them!

We had sweet friends, Andy and Carol, from Maryneal come visit. They came to Tennessee for a family reunion and made time to find us while they were somewhat close! It was a treat to visit with them and show them our home, town, and church.

Then, I got to go to Albuquerque for a couple of days of girl FUN with my mom, sister, aunt, and cousins. It was sooo fun!! We enjoyed time together visiting, eating, and walking around Santa Fe. We even took a tram ride over the mountains...so pretty and fun!

When I got home we had company. Jarrod and Lewis stayed with us and went with Keith to the Christian Scholars Conference, which they LOVED! I went and heard the last speaker and got to see several of Keith's ACU professors and their wives. They are always sweet and encouraging. Then we got to have lunch and good visiting with Dana Hood, my sweet professor/mentor/friend.

The next week was Summer Celebration at Lipscomb. It was beginning to feel like Lipscomb was our new home, but no worries we are still bleeding wildcat purple, not bison purple:) However, if we have to be far from ACU, there's no other college campus we'd rather spend time at. Anyway, summer celebration is their lectureship. We enjoyed worship and classes. Our favorite class was Earl Lavender's "Transformissional Friendship." It was the BEST class I've ever been in. ever. Maybe I'll blog more about it later. We enjoyed meals in the city and fireworks on Friday night too. But, the very best part of summer celebration was spending the night in Nashville with Ronnie and Angela (one of our elders and his wife). We always have the best late night conversations with them.

Then, one night we went with a big group from church to Faith Night at the Nashville Sounds baseball game with Jars of Clay! We got a concert, baseball game, hot dog and coke, all for $10!! Isn't that such a good deal?! We had a blast!

Last week, Keith and I went back to Nashville for a couple of days, but this time, there were no events, conferences, camps, or meetings, just FUN and RELAXING! It was a little vacation for just the two of us:) We slept in, read, snuggled, soaked up some poolside sun, and went out to eat.

Between and amongst all of that, I've done a little scrapbooking, read, slept in, worked on Sunday school lesson plans, and enjoyed meals and conversations with friends.

And, guess what?!!

My sweet husband has finally joined the world wide web of blogging!

You may have noticed that I went a little nuts with the links on this post:) There were probably more links on this post than the whole rest of the blog put together, but if you only click on one link, make it this one. I think you'll enjoy exploring apprenticeship!

Check it out:)

teaching school is the job for me, i just can't help it:)

Hey friends. Long time, no blog, I know. We're still enjoying life in Tennessee. The summer has been eventful and fun! About a month ago, I got to fly to Texas to visit some family and friends. Best of all, I got to SURPRISE my mom at her retirement party...sooo fun! My mom was a fabulous teacher for many years, and it was an honor to be there to celebrate with her! Here is a copy of the letter that I wrote for her retirement. But, first a couple pictures of us! The first one was right after she first saw me...SURPRISE!

Dearest Mama,

In reflecting upon your upcoming retirement, I want you to know that because of you…

I work to create a classroom environment that’s loving, welcoming, and warm.

I want to make every child feel loved.

I try to give a little extra love to those who are harder to love.

I look for strengths in every student.

I survive off of hugs.

I sit in the floor.

I touch children that are not clean.

I wipe noses and bottoms when I need to.

I listen to each child’s story.

I work to develop a sense of community within my classroom.

I try to look at learning through the eyes of a child.

I try to make learning fun and engaging.

I watch children play.

I play with children.

I realize the value of relationship with other teachers.

I try to encourage other teachers.

Thank you for making me want to be a teacher. When you were worn out or frustrated with the job, those things did not consume you, because teaching and engaging with little children is who you are. Teaching has never just been a job for you, it has been your identity for many years. I know you are going to miss spending your days with three and four year olds, but I am thankful that you are moving on while you still love it. You are not waiting until you burn out just to draw a paycheck, afraid of what the future holds; you are closing a very full chapter, anxiously waiting to open the next one. You will spend your days with family, with friends, and with lonely people who need a friend. You will do chores and run errands for people who need help. You will make things grow in your garden and cook delicious food in your kitchen. You will share both of those with other people. Whether these things fill your days or you decide to take up quilting, open a restaurant, or run for school board, I know that whatever you do, you will be a blessing to those around you. Thank you for all that you have done to make me who I am today.

I love you!

Mindy

My teaching career is about to shift gears...A LOT! In just a few weeks, I'll begin teaching 6th grade English. I LOVED teaching first grade, enjoyed my short stint in 4th grade last spring, and am looking forward to a new challenge in 6th grade! During my mom's 25 years of teaching, she taught everything from Pre-K three-year-olds to high school seniors. I am thankful for her loving wisdom as I embark on this new adventure! Middle school here I come:)

Pepperdine

Last week we got to go to Southern California to the Bible lectures at Pepperdine. 

Some of the highlights from our week in no particular order:

enjoying the beauty of God's creation

late night conversations with Keith, Bob, Lourene, and Laura

visiting with ACU ministry friends

visiting with ACU mentors and professors

lots of good food

playing in the ocean with Laura

thought provoking lectures and classes

time with aunt, uncle, and cousins

praising God through song

learning some awesome new songs from Zoe

and now for some pictures....

a day at the beach with my sweet SIL, Laura....soooo fun! it doesn't get any better than the ocean! WOW! I loved every bit of it...waves are one of my favorite parts of creation! All of the metaphors in scripture that compare God's love to the depths of the ocean came to life for me more than ever! 

a day in LA...fun and relaxing

and here's a glimpse at what we ate....yikes that's a lot of food! but it was all soooo yummy:)

pandora

Hi Bloggy Buddies, 

I just have to share with y'all my new favorite thing...it's really not all that new, but I've recently become really into it:) Pandora is free internet radio and it. is. so. cool. 

You create your very own radio station that only plays stuff you like. You tell it which bands and artists you enjoy and it plays them as well as other similar stuff. For example, if I put in The Fray, it might also play Snow Patrol, or if I put in Eric Clapton, it might also play BB King. So, it introduces me to new music and a lot of times it also plays stuff that I've heard and I like, but I don't know who it is. 

You can skip songs that you don't like, and they won't play them anymore, but that rarely happens, because pandora is smart:) Also, when you hear a song that you really like, you can tag it to remember what it is, or click right on over to amazon and buy the mp3. 

It is fun! If you don't already have a pandora station, you should make one:)

Since we're talkin' music...here are a few of my current faves: 

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Coldplay

Robert Randolph and the Family Band

The Fray

Natalie Grant

Danny Gokey

Kris Allen

Who are your current faves? Maybe I'll add them to my pandora station:) 

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent."

--Victor Hugo