Thankful

With Thanksgiving coming up I thought I would make a post about the things I am thankful for. The first thing I am thankful for is my faith. It has always been something I have been able to lean on. I love that faith is something personal and something that is not done for other people. I get to take the time to study the Bible and think about the things that are done. I am also thankful for my family. I love them and they have always been there for me. I am thankful for the crazy friends that I have. They sometimes drive me nuts, but they also make me laugh. There are endless memories and happy moments with them. I love the professors I have had the opportunity to work with. I have learned a lot from them and have had endless opportunities to better myself as a teacher. I am thankful that my last semester of actual classes is about to finish and that next semester I will be in a classroom working with students every day.

I challenge you to take the time to sit down and think about the things you are thankful for. I would love to hear the things you are thankful for.  

Wishlist

Merry Christmas! I am sure some of you are thinking this lady is crazy it is not even Thanksgiving. I know that Christmas is still over a month away, but I have been getting into the Christmas spirit. I also know that I have had people asking me what I want for Christmas and I have not really had many ideas to tell them. I thought I would create this list and it could give you ideas that you can tell people or give you ideas for someone you know around my age.

Here it goes, these are a few of the things I can think of:

1) Kitchen Stuff- In the next year I will probably be moving into an apartment on my own so it would be nice to have some of the kitchen basics. Earlier this year I got myself a dish set so it would be nice to receive some utensils or pots and pans. Maybe, even a cookbook.

2) Bible- I also want a small Bible that is easy to take with me. I have a Bible that is big and has study notes and I love it! But, I would also like a Bible that is easy to travel with and take to Bible Studies.

3) Bible Highlighters- I also found a set of pens and highlighters that are made for your Bible. I think this would be awesome because I am always worried about things bleeding through my Bible pages. If you click on the title I have linked where you can get the set I like on Amazon. 

4) Jewelry- I also am always in need of simple earrings I can wear. So if the person you know liked Jewelry this is always good. 

My last pieces of advice are to try to listen to the person when you are out together, they may point something out and say they really like it. This is your opportunity to remember that and go back and get it for them. Finally, the older I have gotten I like things that are practical and I can use. So you can always think of life events that are coming up for them and what they might need for that. 

Please leave comments below of what you want for Christmas because I need more ideas to give people and really do not have anymore. So I would love to know what you want for Christmas. 

Life Update

Last weekend, I had Fall Break which was fantastic, but it also feels like it was a super long time ago. This past week has been crazy busy and exciting. A lot of progress was made about the Student Teaching that I will be doing next semester. My school was finally able to hire the person who is going to place us. I met with her and she is very nice. She also told me that my advisor had already told her where my placements should be which is extremely exciting. I trust my advisor completely, so I am looking forward to finding out where I will be teaching next semester.

I also met with my advisor. She was meeting with the six of us in my program who are student teaching next semester. She told us about Portfolio III, which is a project I have to complete before the end of the semester. I am not worried about it because it is mainly just putting together projects that I have already completed in my college career. She also talked to us about EdTPA. That is a huge project I have to complete during my first student teaching placement. I am nervous for that! It is a huge project and it is the last major thing I have to pass to get my teaching license. She also gave us our start date for student teaching. I start student teaching on January 9th. That is absolutely crazy, nerve-wracking, but mainly exciting. I cannot believe that in a little over two months I will be in a classroom every day as a teacher. I know that next semester is going to be crazy and I am going to learn more than I could ever think possible. I am crazy excited and would also welcome any prayers you are willing to send my way. If you have any questions for me to answer about anything, please leave them below.

Gone, But Never Forgotten

Today, I woke up early and looked out my window at a beautiful view. One of the first thoughts that came to my mind was how many people did this 15 years ago today. Woke up, began their morning routine, and thought today is going to be a amazing, almost perfect day. 15 years ago this day was Earth shattering for many people and America as a nation. I pray for the families who lost love ones and personally knew people affected by this day. I also pray that as a nation we stop having to find ways to deal and rebuild from disasters like this and the many that have followed in the past fifteen years. Today I took time to reflect and pray for the people who were going to a normal day at work and the people who responded to the Twin Towers to save lives. I pray for comfort and thought as we come upon the 15 year anniversary of this tragedy.

Last night as I was thinking about the fact that this morning is the 15 year anniversary of 9/11 I had some interesting realizations. Freshman in high school this year are most likely 14 years old. That means that for this freshman class (and probably quite a few in the sophomore class who may be young) 9/11 is truly history for them. They were not alive when it happened, although since they were born so close to the day many of them could probably tell you the events of 9/11. I also realize that many of the students in high school would not be old enough to actually remember, but the words and feelings of people around them have probably given them a very real account.

I am a senior in college. I am 21. This means that I was 6 on September 11, 2001. I was in the first grade. If you ask me to recount the details of things I remember from being 6 or being in the first grade it would be a short story. I can tell you that I remember where I was as a 6 year old on 9/11. I was sitting in school (I went to a very small Lutheran School). I remember the principal coming into the classroom and telling our teacher she needed to come with him. I remember her coming back and telling us that something happened that would change the world forever. I remember the feeling in the room changed and I immediately knew it was not something good. I went home after school and my dad was already at home and my grandparents were there. The news was on and I remember watching the Twin Towers falling over and over. As the news person talked about things I really did not understand. It is weird to think that as a 6 year old from the emotions of the people around me I knew something bad happened and can remember the details of this day better than probably any other day that happened before I turned 12.

So as this day continues I keep the people affect by 9/11 and those that lost loved ones associated by this tragedy in my thoughts and prayers.

First Week of Classes

I have survived my first week of classes. This semester is already a lot less overwhelming than last semester. I have fewer classes and less stuff going on. It makes me excited to have a little bit of a more enjoyable semester. I am liking all of my classes so far. I have had semesters where I have already disliked one of my classes after the first week. Up to this point though all of my classes are fine. This semester I also only have two three hour classes where last semester all of my classes were three hours. I also have more times to spend at work which is nice because I can actually make money. I am working more in one week this semester than I did in two weeks last semester.

I also have begun the process of filling out my student teaching application. Before I can proceed I need to meet with my adviser and get my degree evaluation which both should be happening in the next week. I am going to try to keep you updated, but I also want to make sure that I spend time this last semester with my friends.

Two Week Countdown!

I have two weeks of summer left before I to start classes for my last year of college. That is still so crazy for me to think about that I am almost done with college. Over the next two weeks I have to get some stuff done that has to get done. I have to pack and clean my room because right now it is a disaster. I also have to get my hair cut and get a few new clothes for back to school. These are all the things that I have to do, but I am also trying to make sure to soak in the things I love about the city where I live before I head back.

Especially since my family is going to be gone for five days taking my brother to school. You need to let me know what your favorite things to do by yourself are. I want to spend some alone time relaxing. I know that I will do an at home spa day to relax a bit. I am excited to have these two calm weeks and then I am excited to get back to school and be with my friends again.

Time Stands Still

This summer I am having some of the weirdest feelings that I have had. I am enjoying my summer. I am loving my job, being home with my family, and relaxing. It feels like the summer is flying by! It is already a week into July and I have 25 days left for the main job that I do in the summer. I know the month of July will continue to fly by because it is when we have the biggest event of the summer at my work so it always goes fast.

You are probably wondering why I names this post Time Stands Still and just told you that my summer seems to be flying by. This is because when I think about it I cannot believe it is already July, but I also feel like the summer may never end. I miss school and having a different schedule than I do in the summer, I really miss my friends from school because at home I feel like their is a disconnect. I think that most of the people I would consider my close friends I miss a lot and wish they did not live so far away. I also miss just being on my own, which if you know me you probably cannot believe that I am saying that. It is hard to go from only having to worry about yourself and doing things the way you like them to be done and transition back into living at home. I would never say I am not happy to be at home because I am grateful and love my family.

This summer is also weird because next summer I will be preparing for my first teaching job. So I feel in this weird place of not wanting to wish away my summer, but also being ready to go back to college. I know that next summer will look very different from this one (I could be moving somewhere for a job). I will post about that more as I figure it out because it is still a year away.

Let me know if you feel in a weird middle place in any part of your life. It is weird to try to explain but I am sure other people feel this way too.