lent 2012

Well I've officially started lent 2012. Woot woot! I love doing lent, I wish less people saw it as a diet and I wish even less Christians saw it as just something Catholics do to pay their penance, so it's bad for us to do it. Well I enjoy lent, because I enjoy practicing acts of spiritual discipline. Mainly because they're super hard for me and provide a lot of growth, well at least I like to think so.

Down to the meat. What did I give up? Well I gave up facebook and google reader (my precious blogs) this lent. I feel like these are my two big distractors in life.  I was going to do my old "True lent sacrifices aren't done on Sunday, because if you do it on Sunday then you get exactly 40 days...." This is my usually argument, but lately I've felt really convicted about it... I don't feel like it's wrong, I feel the act of me looking for a way to still give in is pretty pathetic...really pathetic actually.

Along with my usual this year I'm going to be doing the 40 days of lent with world vision challenge. It seems like it will really help me take lent serious and make some changes in my life :) Basically every week has a theme and every day has a devotional.

So I guess I'll write a little about week one, ya know cos y'all are dieing to hear it. Well week 1 is about sacrificing what surrounds you.  I've really been thinking about how Jesus showed us this by living as a homeless person, he wasn't attached to all this crap I am attached too and feel like I so desperately need to be "me." Some of the suggestions how to live this out this week are really good and super challenging. These two were my favorites:

take down your wall decorations or cover them with quotes on sacrifice, and Bible verses

                    Well this is actually done, since we're moving. But it has made me mindful that once we      move I do need to have more scripture quotes and positive things surrounding me.

Do not use electricity at night

                 Oh my word! I saw that and just felt like, crap. I like any normal American is so so so dependent on electricity it is nuts! I think I need to convince Sarah of this one cos I like it!


So these are my two for this lent week. I'm also going to start trying to wake up 10-15 minutes early each morning to spend that time in prayer. I think it's just something that will really help me connect with God at this time in my life. We all need a little more prayer right?


On a much lighter note.....since this seems to be a post of reflection. I shall update on my new year's goals thus far. 
1. Read the whole Bible- Well I'm doing pretty good with this. Done with Genesis, Exodus, and Matthew. Sarah and I are following a guide so we're not just starting on page one and doing it in order. 
2. Lose 50 pounds- Well I haven't gained any weight, this is a work in progress
3. Organizer Scrapbook supplies- Well moving had helped move this along, but it won't really be completed until we're completely moved
4. Make 5 scrapbooks- So far I have made 1 and have plans to make the other 4 for my students leaving me next year
5. File/Organize/Shred papers & bills- again with moving, this won't be done until I'm all moved, but I have gone through a lot of papers
6. Read 30 books- I'm at number 8 so far I've read: Explosive Eighteen, The Hangman's Daughter, The Total Money Makeover, Love Wins, The Happiness Project, Love in a Nutshell, Wench, and The Unlikely Disciple. I'm currently reading Atlas Shurgged not sure if I'll make it through the 1,000 pages + book
7. Donate 212 things- This one is COMPLETED/FINISHED! I actually did this plus, which was nice and easily done thanks to moving :) 

Stayed tuned till next month when I impress you with how much more I've accomplished!! 

selfish

sometimes I can be really selfish. Like today when I read how the postal service is talking about ways to be responsible and save money, which would be to deliver mail 5 days a week, not 6. And I was like oh no, I usually get my 2nd Netflix movie on Saturday. I'm selfish.

My meeting went really well today. I was shamefully embarrassed by how much my student's dad praised me for his daughter's great success this year. It made me really happy though, cos as teacher's sometimes you never hear anything from the parents, so it's nice to have one tell other people you're an awesome teacher! I don't even think they suspected I was a 1st year teacher. ha, take the LEA reps! jk.

I had a sub today who like came in the classroom crying. SO Awkward! But the last teacher she was with complained that she wasn't good enough and didn't step in enough. Man that makes me so mad. I have no clue how or why teacher's expect so much from new subs. If I was a sub and didn't know the kids I'd step back more, because with these kids if you don't know them well you could cause a big old mess. I guess overall I hate how teachers treat their teaching assistants like "their staff" or "the help." It makes me so mad, because they are just as important as me in the classroom. If it was just me there my classroom would be chaos! I know that which is why I love my aides so much and I tell them everyday and I show them that I appreciate them. It just bugs me when other teachers don't and then they wonder why their teaching assistants take off work so much and asked to moved next year, craziness I tell you. ok, that was a long tangent, but it bugs me and I see it so much! Breaks my heart a little, but I've always had a thing for the underdogs...

You know what makes my heart soar at school, besides my kids and classroom. The way the regular kids and teachers treat my kids. They really treat them like they're part of the school. My little chunky guy who waves to everyone, I love it so much when the middle school kids wave back. It just amazes me how many of the regular kids know my kid's names! This girl came up to my chunky kid at like and was like hey, how are you doing buddy, you being good? and my student can't talk but this middle school kid was carrying on a conversation with him and it made me what to cry cos it was so beautiful to see.


enough of that sloppiness. Some days I love my cat and then other times not. I love him when I hear him near the door purring when I first put my keys in my door. I also love that he'll follow me around my apartment until I pick him up and say hello. I hate the litterbox!! times ten and don't know how anyone in the world could ever get used to that mess! ha. yeah not my thing at all!! Ok, well I'm going to go call someone and then read. I got a new book, "Are you there Vodka? It's me Chelsea." It's supposed to be funny, but I'll be the judge of that. Oh, I watched My Best Friend's Girl tonight. had some funny moments and some I could do with out...

Tonight Ashley and I went to Friendly's and today while we were checking out they got a call and she put the phone down and went to get someone. I was like Ashely I'll give you one dollar if you press a bunch of buttons while that person's waiting on the line and she totally did! It was SOO funny cos this family was watching us the whole time!! That was my funny story of the night. They totally deserved it because we had horrible service. we had to ask the waitress for soda (after 20 minutes of not having it when we got there), for our sauces (which were supposed to come with the food) and for silverware! Plus she brought our appetizer out with our regular food, which took forever. My friend's chicken was hard on the outside and pink in the middle. AND it took 28 minutes to get our ice cream, all they had to do was scoop it out. BUT we got 1 free meal and 10% off of everything else, so that was good. I just won't be going back to the Friendly's every again though...


Big meeting tomorrow. still sick. I think I may need to spend another weekend at home trying to be less sick!! gosh oh gosh that rots!!

ok. For the record if I had a boyfriend I would NOT write silly things on his facebook wall (unless I was joking!!) like, "I am bursting with love for you." or "My heart was skipping beats when I thought of our love today at school." Gosh, I don't even know why it annoys me. Maybe cos I think relationships should be a little more private then that and those people do it more as a show. and I think telling someone you love love them is totally a private and serious thing! I mean I Love my friends and family BUT like a guy I would totally love in a different way. And when I was ready to say it I'd want each time I said it to be special NOT to be someone's live-feed on facebook. Gosh people are freaks! well, at least I hope it's people and not me.

Ok. One last thing. Why are there facebook groups saying how much Bush will be missed and what a great President he was? Seriously?? What do these people think? and why am I friends with any of them?? Sometimes I try to think that it doesn't really matter, but when you're that blind to how much harm someone has brought into a nation I just can't help but feel sad for you and not really want to speak to you or read annoying things you write. Just saying I try and only deleted 3 facebook friends because their annoying views...only 3, but there could be so many more....

full of life and love!!

wozzers! So I have an IEP due in 2 weeks. And I'm not as stressed as I thought I would be! hip hip hooray! ha, I still have A LOT to due for it! Oh well.

This has just been such a good positive week. I know it may seem shallow, but I've gotten a lot of encouragement and positive comments from people this week and it has really given me a boast! It feels SO good to have everyone who comes in my classroom tell I'm a good teacher! It just has really fueled my passion for teaching and energizes me during the day. Also, I've been getting some personal compliments from staff and friends and it's just so nice. Because throughout life you don't always hear that you're appreciated and people are proud of you and love being around and with you and sometimes it is just nice to hear. I just have amazing friends... I know it!

Well I'm off to Bible Study, hopefully to make more friends or at least talk to more people this time! Wish me luck.