What is Your Reply?

I'm addicted to Angry Birds. But that's not the point of my story.

However, I was playing Angry Birds while out shopping with Josh. Well, Josh was doing the shopping. I was standing in an aisle playing Angry Birds. I just couldn't beat this one level, and I was getting frustrated. I paused to regroup and put on my game face for another round when I heard this conversation between store owner and homeless man:

Homeless: Man, I sometimes wish there wasn't such a thing as the devil.

Owner: I agree. Why do you say that?

Homeless: Because right now the devil is sitting on my shoulder telling me to go drink. And I want more than anything to go drink, but I just can't do it. Every time I drink, I love it so much while I'm drinking. It's fun. I love the taste. But the next day, I am so sick I can't even move. I get shaky. I'm dehydrated. And all I want to do is keep on drinking.

Owner: Have you been to AA recently?

Homeless: Well, I go every once in a while, but I just don't enjoy the meetings.

Owner: Perhaps you should go out and do something nice for a stranger to get your mind of drinking. Mow a lawn. Pull some weeds.

Homeless: (Full of anger)-Look, man. I'm not looking for a handout. I don't want your money. I don't want money from strangers. I'm not going to mow a lawn and then take their money because all I'll do is spend it on booze.

Owner: Calm down. I wasn't meaning you're asking for money. What I meant was, if you went and filled your time with something good for someone else, maybe you wouldn't be so tempted to drink.

Homeless: Sorry, man. I get what you're saying. I hear you. I just want to drink, that's all.

My heart was filled with compassion for this man. He hadn't had a drink in a few days, but he was itching to get his hands on the stuff.

The following day, Josh and I tried out a new Baptist church in Greeley. The sermon was about what consumes our minds. It was about being mindful of the things we fill our minds with. Sin or Christ?

I thought of the homeless man, whose mind is consumed with alcohol. And then I thought of myself. I realized that we all have something that eats at us, consumes us, is that little devil sitting on our shoulder. Our devil varies, from alcohol to TV to bad thoughts to gossip to jealousy to Angry Birds. The list goes on and on.

What consumes your mind?

What is the devil shouting in your ear?

And what is your reply? Do you listen? Do you comply? Do you give in?

Or do you consume your mind with Christ? Do you pray? Do you mow a lawn to get your mind off it? Do you shut the devil up?

What is your reply?

Bickering and Trust

It only took us nine months, but we finally did it.

Josh and I finally went on a bike ride without getting into a fight.

Well, fight isn't exactly the right word. We never "fought." It was more like bicker. Or strong annoyance. Or me shouting, "I'm never riding with you again."

With his reply being, "Well you should be faster than me, baby. You're on a road bike. I'm on a mountain bike. Why can't you keep up?"

"Because I'm not as strong as you, that's why! You need to slow down and wait for me!"

And then we wouldn't talk to each other for 20 minutes. Eventually my annoyance would calm down. We were always OK (eventually) at the end of our ride, and the next weekend we would try again. Replay scene above again.

This ongoing bickering has been happening for a solid five months, or at least since Josh started training with me. Now don't get me wrong. I adore Josh for training with me this summer. He was my motivation when I had none. He was my riding partner through the hot days, through the storm clouds, and through the long miles. He got me on my bike when I didn't want to go. He pushed me more than anyone ever has. He pushed me to ride harder. To ride longer. To ride faster. He has been there for me this summer when I needed him most, and he was at the finish line of the MS150 among my family and friends when I most needed to see him.

But on every ride we took together, he was always far ahead of me. I tried my hardest to keep up with him. But eventually, as he drew further and further ahead of me, I always gave up. I stopped trying to catch him. I stopped trying. I would slow down. He would maintain his speed. I would grow angry at him for leaving me behind. He would get annoyed that I couldn't keep up. I would tell him I gave up trying to keep up. He got annoyed that I gave up. And our bickering would ensue.

We're both middle children. That explains a lot.

Then he had this perfect idea. I should draft behind him (duh, why didn't we think of this five months ago???). With this plan, I could actually keep up with him. Even going 20 m.p.h. (this is an amazing speed for me), I could keep behind him and ride. Until.....we would round a corner, or slow down for a dog, or stop for a crosswalk. My leg strength, not matching his own, just couldn't get back to a top speed as quickly as he could, and that's where he would lose me. That's where I gave up. That's where our shouts would ring through the air.

Until this weekend. For some reason, we were in perfect step this weekend. He waited when he needed to wait. I rode hard when I needed to catch him. I rode first when he needed to rest. He watched for cars while we crossed crosswalks so I wouldn't have to unsnap my shoes. We rode 30 miles together, and for the first time, we didn't fight. We rode faster than we've ever ridden before, and we worked as a real team. At the end of our ride, rather than throwing accusations, we went to Red Robin to reward ourselves for a job well done. We laughed through lunch rather than the silent treatment for 20 minutes.

I realized as we rode that I have learned my greatest trust for Josh while bike riding. After riding nearly 800 miles together this summer, I have learned to trust him (literally) with my life. While drafting behind him, my front tire is less than an inch away from his back tire. Since I'm so close to him, I cannot see in front of him. He literally becomes my eyes while riding. I must concentrate on not hitting his tire while he navigates for me. I (have to) trust him wholeheartedly. I have learned his signals. I have learned what he means when he shouts "careful" (it means slow down fast...something is ahead).

We have slowly become a perfect team, and I also see this resonating within our relationship as well. Not just on the bikes, but in our real life, we are learning to work together. I know when to leave him alone. He knows when to leave me alone. When I make a request, he complies. When he asks me to do something, I do it quickly without complaint. When we have a decision to make, we work together on the outcome.

Believe me, we have a long way to go. But also believe me when I say we've come a long way. Our bike riding shows that, and I am proud to say that my trust for Josh grows every time we ride together.

Now if only he would leave me alone about my driving....

Teachers

The bell just rang, signaling the end of the first full day of school. I can hear teenagers talking, laughing, and gossiping in the hallways as they leave for the day. It was a good day, and I can hear the excitement all around. They are catching up with one another, talking about their summer, comparing schedules, talking about the good and bad teachers, and dreaming of their senior year, which for many feels so very far away.

For these kiddos, they come to school because they HAVE to be here. For me, I come because I choose to be here. This is my job, but to me, it's more than just work. I pour my heart and soul into these kids, and they have no idea how much time and energy we teachers put into them, both inside and outside this school building. I am so very proud to know many, many teachers. I am proud to have a sister who is a teacher. I am proud to have a brother working on his teaching degree. A lot of my close friends are teachers. Thank you for the hard work you do every day.

I have to remind myself sometimes why I teach. Not all days are good, and my first day did not go without a hitch.

Period 1 was perfect. They are juniors, and I already know at least half of them, which makes my life so much easier.

Period 2....well, let's just say a kid already got sent to the office. And it was for something so dumb, but he refused to listen to authority. Austin walked into class (tardy) wearing sunglasses. Per Chatfield conduct code, sunglasses are not allowed in the building.

I kindly asked him to remove his sunglasses.
With his little smirk, he says they are prescription and he needs them to see.
I asked him again to remove them.
He said they were prescription.
I said, Austin, per Chatfield rules, you must remove your sunglasses. I am giving you the choice to remove them or go to the office.
He stormed out saying he was going to the office.

I called the office and told them he was coming up.

Of course, he never showed up.

Period 3-already don't like four boys. I'll leave it at that.

Period 4-Perfect!

Period 6-Perfect!

So out of five classes, only one class has given me problems. Not too shabby.

I've already had a student come ask me if I could be a teacher-sponsor for a club she wants to start up. She wants to raise money for Africa by making bracelets and selling them, so I said, "Sure, why not."

Overall, it was a good first day, and I am looking forward to getting to know my students.

Thanks to all you teacher for everything you do!!!

Friends in Town

April was in town this past weekend, which proved to be a lot of fun. She stayed with my other dear friend, Katie, who lives in Thornton, so I wasn't able to spend a ton of time with the two of them, but I made it up twice to hang with my girls.

April arrived on Friday, so I drove to Katie's house and spent a couple of hours with them at the pool.

On Saturday evening, Katie has a few of us over for a BBQ. Alongside Katie and April, Steve was also there (Katie's boyfriend), Josh (my boyfriend), and our friend Luke, who used to work at Skeeter Barnes in Kearney with us. April also had her little boy Aydan, and Katie and Steve had Paige and Gavin.

We ate, we laughed, we played ladder ball, and then it was time to hit up Rock Band. I was helping Josh with the pedal. Two of my very best friends! Katie and April.

And don't forget Luke, who lives in Lakewood.

Josh fell in love with their little dog, Charlie, and now all he can talk about is getting a dog. Oh boy!

We stayed with the gang until about 1 a.m. and then headed back to Littleton. It was so great to see April and Katie!

Birthday Cake

Shannon's birthday is today, and thanks to our dear friend Holly, I've had her cake planned out for months. Holly found this recipe/picture in a magazine and sent it to me to be the creative genius behind the making (since Holly couldn't be here to do it herself). I've been holding on to the idea since April, and I was finally able to make it.

I started by making 75 mini cupcakes. Actually, it made more like 150 cupcakes, so Josh was happy to eat the "bad" ones. I made lemon poppyseed and red velvet cupcakes. I had cupcakes scattered over my entire kitchen.

It was then time to arrange them on the plate in the shape of a sunflower.

The worst part was frosting them because it was about 95 degrees in my apartment and the frosting was melting. This took a while to perfect.

Almost done!

And this is the finished product! Now Shan and Jeff have 75 mini cupcakes to eat. Enjoy!!! And Happy Birthday, Shan :)

NEW

Excitement is in the air. Well, at least for some. I'm one of those who can barely wait for next week. It's the start of a new school year, and I am pumped to get back into the classroom. I had lunch with a student this week, and while she doesn't share that same excitement of going back to school, she's eager to see all of her friends again. She's going to be a senior, and she is one among many who will be my first class to graduate (they were sophomores when I began my teaching career). I am so very proud and excited to see them finish out their senior year.

The start of a new school year is like a fresh start for me. My classroom will be clean, thanks to the wonderful janitors at Chatfield. I am well rested, thanks to four weeks of doing nothing. I have a new fish to join me in D115, whom the kids will adore. We have a brand new principal at Chatfield, who everyone is really excited about. We have a new Assistant Principal joining the other five APs. We have a new science teacher. A new English teacher. Two new counselors. Good things are happening at Chatfield.

I also decided it was a good time for a new look on my blog. Check out my new blog design, along with new pictures of the family and Josh. We have some new happenings in our family, as well.

As mentioned, Collin and Katie have officially moved to Kearney. Carson starts 2nd grade and Kye starts kindergarten next week, and while they are nervous to start at a new school, I think they are really going to love it there. Corinne will be home alone with her daddy (or possibly going to daycare if Collin can find a job). Katie loves her job, and Collin plans on looking for a job while he finishes his teaching degree. Collin and Katie will both be 29 in a few months (they are one day apart), and they are excited to find a house in Kearney to meet their needs.

Shannon's 35th birthday is this weekend, and while everyone else is going back to school, she is excited to stay home this year with Case and Siahna. Case will start school next year, but for now, he will learn from Shannon. Siahna is doing great, and Shannon is confident that staying home with her this year will benefit her development. Jeff continues to thrive and excel at his job.

Mom and dad are enjoying having Collin, Kate and family so close. Close as in living in the basement close. It will be an adjustment for all until Collin and Kate can find a house, but for now, they are bursting at the seams. Mom is taking the opportunity to purge her house, which includes throwing away my old prom dresses and stuffed animals from when I was a kid. I guess my own children will not be able to enjoy those things of mine because there just isn't room for it.

As for me, well, I decided I needed a new look for the new school year. It's short. It's dark (again). And I love it. It's just what I needed to start the new school year. Josh and I are doing great. We're headed toward our 9 month anniversary, and things couldn't be better. He starts school next week, too, and he's just as excited as I am to get back into the swing of classes. He has three tough classes ahead of him, all with labs on top of his regular classes. Chemistry and lab. Physics and lab. Astronomy and lab. He'll be a busy boy. He's decided to be a teacher (high school science), so I'm excited to teach him everything I know! I turn 31 next month. Crazy, I know, but I feel great and know that big and exciting things are ahead of me.

What's new with you? Please share!!!

Siahna Turns One

I know I'm a little behind on this blog, but the youngest member of our family, Siahna, turned one on June 3. Shannon, the ever fabulous mommy, threw Siahna a monkey birthday party. It was perfect for SiSi Lou, and we all had a blast. The kids enjoyed monkey sandwiches.
Case was excited to celebrate his sister's birthday.

Corinne was excited, too!

Siahna was pretty low key about the event.

And then the monkeys arrived.

Complete with a monkey bib!

And then it was cupcake time! Dig in little girl.

Happy birthday, sweet girl!