School's Out for the Summer!!!

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted anything. I'm surprised that I am still sane after last week. Finishing up school, getting my room cleaned out and straightened up, completing book inventories, ARI inservice, etc. It was crazy busy but I'm finally seeing some rest in sight (although it won't be coming until around July).

Next week, I have Camp Invention at school. It's a week-long hands-on science camp that I am directing for the second year. It's a wonderful, wonderful program. That will last until the 9th, then I leave for Impact on the 14th. I'll be there until the 24th, then I'll be home for my summer vacation! June is all about work. However, it's work that I enjoy. I hope to work Impact for the rest of my life! It's such a rewarding experience. I'm excited!

In the midst of preparing for the work that needs to be done in June, I have finally started looking for another car. Many of you remember Peggy- my best friend. I met her in June of 1996 and she's been loyal and faithful to me since then. Unfortunately, she's seen her finer days and is starting to fail me now. Ha! Peggy, my altima, has pretty much run her race and is ready to quit! I said I would drive her until the wheels fall off and well, I have. The air conditioner isn't working quite right, she has almost 173,000 miles, needs four new tires, etc etc etc.

My dream car is an Infiniti QX4 - pictured below. I have wanted one of these for about 6 years now but have waited and made sure I was getting my money's worth out of Peggy before purhcasing something else. The picture below is of one that I am in the process of talking about with a salesman in Tennessee. It's hard to shop for these cars. For one, there isn't an Infiniti dealer here. Two, QX4s are hard to find. There may be one here and two there, but I can't just go to a dealership and have several to choose from. So, I'm having to find them online and then contact the salesman to inquire about them. I would be totally shocked if it were to work out for me to buy this one, but I have to start somewhere. I'll keep you posted!

He Makes Me Proud!!!!!!!

SOUL PATROL FOREVER!!!!!

How can you deny that??? VOTE TONIGHT!

Come on, it's just a little phone call. Please vote tonight for Taylor!!!! JUST CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

More random thoughts...

1. Today was my last day of school with the kids! It hasn't hit me yet. I feel like I still need to be planning what I'm teaching tomorrow. I do have inservice for two days, but that'll be cake compared to having 17 kids in the classroom. I'm relieved. I got some good gifts too! :)

2. With all due respect, I don't even care if some of you are getting tired of seeing Taylor appear on my blog. You know what, American Idol is a very important part of my life at this point so I can post as many pictures of Taylor as I want! Ha Ha! Tomorrow night is the last performance. We need your votes!!!!



3. For those of you that knew about my plans to go to California this summer, I think the trip is off. I can barely talk about it I'm so upset! There were just too many hurdles to overcome and at this point I'm questioning if God is just saying "don't go right now." Regardless, I think I'm going to let it go and just try to plan another trip later. Never fear, Amy will be making her appearance on Rodeo Drive eventually. I am now trying to plan a shorter, much cheaper trip. I have the number to the Oprah show in front of me so I will spend time the next few days calling in trying to get tickets to her show. If so, I will definitely go to Chicago instead. Any other ideas for a fun weekend away? I want to go somewhere I've never been. That's the only stipulation. If any of you have visited a neat place that is reasonably priced, please share!

So there they are, my thoughts for today. I started not to post but when I saw that picture of Taylor online I couldn't resist!!! Happy Monday!

Just some random thoughts....

I went to graduation today. Sitting in the audience brought back so many memories for me. I can't believe it's been 12 years (tomorrow actually) since it was me sitting there in a blue gown with the funny hat and tassel. I envied the graduates today for that feeling of a new beginning, a fresh start, another chapter of life. There are things in my past I wish I had done differently and things I wouldn't have changed at all. There are things I wish I had learned earlier and things that I still shouldn't understand. But, the good news is I don't have to graduate to be given a fresh start. Luckily our God gives us lots of chances to get it right because I still don't have life figured out. I try daily to let go of my worries and live the simple life God planned for me. I say simple because I really believe that's what God meant for us. When He tells us not to worry and to lay our burdens down He means it. Why is that hard for me? Why do I sometimes feel like I am in control of my life (when I DON'T want to be) and I have to make sure to make all the right decisions and worry about the right things, etc. I've been reminded this weekend that thankfully, I'm not in control.

I ask all of you that read my blog to please pray that I will give God my life. I confess my struggle with worry. I am fearful of so many things and want desperately to leave it at the foot of the cross but for some reason I know nothing else but to carry it on my own. That robs me of joy and peace and I know that's not the life God wants me to lead. Thank you all in advance for your prayers. God is so awesome and I know He will deliver me from this burden and allow me to give Him all the glory. I hope you all have a great week. As for me, tomorrow is my last day of school so it should be just grand for me!!! :)

P.S. PLEASE vote for Taylor Tuesday night!!!!

OH MY WORD.....

OH MY WORD! Taylor took my breath away last night. Did you hear him singing to me? Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful??" Wow - he did so great. Have I mentioned I'm in love? :)

I just bought tickets to the American Idol concert today. It's in August and I am already counting down the days. I'm disappointed though, because I bought tickets during a presale, less than two hours after they went on sale, and still didn't get great seats. We're in section 13L. .....
My main concern is being in a spot where I can take some good pictures. Last year our seats weren't good but Bridgett and I talked a security guy into letting us sit in his section RIGHT BESIDE THE STAGE! It was awesome! I guess we'll have to do that again. Don't worry - I'll find my way to Taylor somehow!!!

P.S. For those of you who are beginning to get really worried about my "obsession" with Taylor, please don't. I am very much under control. Ha Ha Ha Ha

P.S.S. "Soul Patrol, Soul Patrol, Soul Patrol....."

More family stories.....

For those of you that know (and those of you that don't) Ben's wife Anna, please keep her in your prayers. In the last week or so she's been put on bed rest and is having some contractions. She has to pretty much stay flat on her back unless she is eating or getting up to go to the bathroom. When she moves around too much she has contractions. She's 25 weeks today and the doctor wants her to at least make it until 28 weeks. He says that'll be high cotton. Every day after that is icing on the cake. Just pray that these three precious babies and Anna will be safe and healthy.

We had a scare last night. Paige is in town with the kids and everyone was just planning to have a nice, relaxing night. Ben called and said they were on the way to the hospital because Anna was having contractions -things suddenly changed. Mom and I went over to get Joshua and Marah so Paige could go be with Ben and Anna. Paige frantically tried to get things together so the kids could come over and spend the night with us. By the time she got them all packed up and got herself on the way, Ben called and said the doctor was sending her back home. Thankfully, nothing had changed with Anna-she wasn't dilated anymore. Paige decided to go ahead and go on to visit with them a little while anyway, so mom and I still got to keep the kids. We had a blast! They were absolutely wonderful and we had the best time. I know I write about my family a lot but they truly are my rock and what I live for. Of course, I took some pictures last night. Just look at how cute.....

I love my family!

This weekend was busy but well worth it! It was our annual family reunion at my grandmother's house (Hellon to my friends who are blessed to know her:). We had over 60 family members present, some of which I hadn't seen in years. My grandfather's side of the family is HUGE! He had nine brothers and sisters, only two of which are still alive. There are a ton of cousins! We are all pretty close in age and always enjoy getting updates on what's been going on in everyone's lives. Some have gotten engaged, some married, some expecting children, some had children, and some had not one thing new to report (guess who that was....). It's sad that we only see each other once a year, but it's always such a blessing to be reunited with such special people. I was obsessed with documenting the entire day so here are some pictures of my precious family!!!








On a side note, most of my family is from the Birmingham area so my mission for the weekend was to find someone who could lead me to Taylor. I just knew that there had to be someone that knew him, a family member of his, a friend, SOMETHING! I thought I found one (thanks to Johnny) but to my dismay he was only pulling my leg. You have no idea how excited I was at the thought of possibly being able to meet him. Oh well, I was shot down. I'm still working on it though.... :)

So long Chris.....

So I was right! That website I mentioned yesterday was accurate. Chris went home last night. I'm sad. I really did like him. However, there was one moment when I questioned if he was the Chris I thought he was. When Ryan asked him if he was surprised, with no qualms about it, he said "Yes, I am." Now, doesn't that sound a little cocky? To admit in front of his fellow contestants that he was shocked that he was going home as opposed to one of them? Wow - I don't want to think Chris is like that.

Now on to a much brighter subject. I've decided that I may like to marry Taylor. Would we not be perfect for each other? Oh my word......SOOOO, if anyone has any contacts and could put in a good word for me, I'd be delighted. HA HA HA!!!

P.S. Did anyone see Randy Jackson dancing with Paula last night during one of the performances? HILARIOUS!!!!

Let's join the SOUL PATROL!!!

If you haven't already guessed, the picture in yesterday's post was of my very favorite American Idol contestant - TAYLOR HICKS! I love him! Today is the dreaded day. Wednesdays are bittersweet. It's the day someone goes home but also the day which leads us closer to the end. I really believe Taylor will win it!

Okay, I'm going to let everyone in on a little secret. Rumor has it that you can go to dialidol.com and see the voting results. I went there just a little while ago and it says that Chris and Katherine are in the bottom two and Chris will go home tonight. Awwwwww- that makes me really sad. I think Taylor should win, Katherine get second, Chris third, and Elliot should be sent packing tonight. Elliot's voice is very good...I do agree with that. However, I just don't think he has the "it factor" that Simon refers to all the time. His voice is suited to be on an easy listening CD that you would find at Target or Cracker Barrel on one of those machines where you push the button to listen. Ha!!!! Regardless, it's not totally up to me. I did vote for Katherine about 15 times last night. I never could get in to vote for Taylor. It was always busy so I figured he was fine last night without my help!

So, we'll see if my predictions are indeed correct. I'd be happier if Elliot went home and the internet was wrong!!!

Guess Who......

You get one guess as to who this picture is. I'll let you in on the answer and some comments tomorrow. I would love to write more but there's a storm coming - literally. Any guesses????

Josh Willingham - Vote Today!!!

Isn't that precious??? For those of you that don't know, I went to school with Josh and Ginger. They have become some of my best friends in the world and I am thrilled that Josh has excelled in his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. He and Ginger try daily to use every opportunity they're allowed to show God to the people they come in contact with on the field and off. They're incredibly humbled by this experience and have managed to stay grounded when somedays even we can't! Josh deserves this success so please, please copy and paste the link below and vote for him to be on the National League All-Star team. You're allowed 25 votes so use them all! How exciting that would be!!!

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2006/ballot_pop.html?affiliateID=eMLBASG050106&partnerId=eMLBASG05010#

On a much more serious note, a teammate of Josh's named Matt Herges and his wife just had a new baby boy, Bryce. He was born with many, many life-threatening medical issues and is in critical condition. The doctors aren't giving them much hope and all they can do is sit and wait. Please take a minute to pray for this precious baby and for their family. Pray that Bryce will be healed and they will give God all the glory.

A lesson on patience-

So they say you have to build three houses before you know enough to finally build one that you're satisfied with. Well, even though I'm not technically building one of my own I feel like I am learning more about brick, doors and transums, windows, and cabinets than I ever knew possible.

Most of you know that my mom is living with me while she builds a house. We spent most of our spring break picking out things she'll need and checking off items on her to-do list. Did you know that you not only have to choose the kind/color brick you like but you also have to choose the color of mortar? Ridiculous - I had no idea. Here's a picture of what we're working towards. It's called the Savannah. I've been docummenting the entire building process. The pictures below are what we have so far. We're a long way from the picture above!




So it's all fun and games until you wait for three or four weeks and see no progress. The pictures you see above were taken Easter weekend. The only thing that has been done since is the plumbing (which is good) and the gravel has been poured to get ready for the concrete. That was done a couple days after Easter weekend. It looks exactly the same now. Supposedly, they got behind because of "all the rain." Call me crazy, but I can't think of too terribly many days lately when we've had rain. So, we're still waiting for the concrete slab to be poured. Once that's done, hopefully it'll go semi-fast. I'll keep you posted with pictures as the bulding progresses. Maybe soon I'll have others to post. Until then, we're just going to hurry up and wait. What a unique way for God to teach us patience!

Today I was the Student.

Scene I - Room 4; 12:35 pm
"Okay, if you had to choose only 10 coins to equal 90 cents, what coins would you choose?"

Student 1: 8 dimes and 2 nickels -"Very good. Can anyone think of another one?"

Student 2: 2 quarters and 8 nickels - "Great. Okay, there's two more combinations. If you know one raise your hand. Make SURE that you have counted the coins and are using only 10 AND that you do not say the same
combination that we've already used. The ones we've already used are 8 dimes and 2 nickels and 2 quarters and 8 nickels."

Student 3: 8 dimes and 2 nickels - "Did you hear what I just got out of my mouth? You weren't listening. I just got finished saying that we've
already used that combination."

Student 4: 18 nickels - "We can only use 10 coins. Did you hear me say that? Boys and girls, LISTEN!"

Student 5: 2 quarters and 8 nickels.........................

So was my day at that point.

Scene II - Room 4, 2:30 pm

"What can we learn from the story we heard in Bible today?"

Student 1 - That sometimes we can get frustrated if we talk to people about God and they don't listen.

Student 2 - That we need to be strong and not care if they like what we say.

Student 3 - God is what really matters.

What did I learn? I have found lately that I am slightly moody and can get irritated easily. Could it be that it's the end of the school year and there are a million things going on at work? Possibly. Could it be that I don't know how to control my emotions? Probably. Could it be that I lose track of what my focus should be and concentrate on things that really and truly DO NOT MATTER? Most definitely. Just as easily as I get frustrated during the day at school I can be turned around and uplifted by these precious children of God's. They know Him. They love Him. Just as I stand in front of them as the teacher, I find at times that the roles are reversed.

S.O.S.

The total and complete purpose of today's post is to beg and plead for help! I began this blog about a week ago and am now ready to add some things to it. I still can't figure out how to add a side panel with links, friends' blogs, books I'm reading, etc. I also can't figure out how to post pictures from the web. I've searched and searched using the "help" tab and can't find anything that really "helps" me! :) So, if anyone is out there and knows how to solve my problems, please comment! I would GREATLY appreciate it.

P.S. Meredith, you mean you haven't figured this out yet? :)