falling back into busyness

How is it November already? Somehow time slips away as the leaves fall to the ground each autumn. The school year seems to put my life on fast forward! Before we know it, the holidays will be upon us again!

I generally live in one of two states -- busy or extremely busy -- and the past several weeks and months have been one of those extremely busy times! I'm certainly not complaining because I realize my busyness is by my own choice, and most of what makes me so busy are things that I absolutely love doing! Every so often I panic and wonder why I say "yes" to so many things, but yet I can't think of an answer when asked what I could cut out of my schedule! Here's what's been keeping my hands full lately:

While I love so many of these things, I am also so thankful for today... a break from routine. A day without a plan. A day for me. Tonight will bring another wave of parent/teacher conferences but for now I'm relishing in today. 

ups & downs of the first 2 weeks

So, I know you're wondering... how's school going?

I've answered this question so many times already and the answer has been different depending on when it is asked. If you asked me before this past Wednesday, this was my answer:

"School is going GREAT! I am already so in love with my students and my schedule. I love that it is a small class and I can give them the small group or one-on-one attention they need. My students are such good listeners and generally eager to follow directions. They are kind-hearted and genuinely care about each other. I haven't even needed to use my classroom management system for discipline yet! I can honestly say that I enjoy going to school everyday and spending my days with these children and the wonderful 2nd grade team that I have the privilege of working with. This may just be my best school year yet!"

Unfortunately, my blissful situation at school was turned upside-down a few days ago. Maybe that's a bit dramatic, but that's how I felt when I heard the news. Our staff was called in for a meeting after school this past Wednesday. We knew that we may have some staff and scheduling changes to address since there were some last-minute decisions made before school began. But, I certainly did not anticipate how they would affect me personally.

So now when people ask me how school's going, my reply is different:

"My class is wonderful and I love spending time with them. But class sizes are small, and I'm worried for my school. Our enrollment is lower than anticipated for this school year. As a result, some tough budget decisions had to be made. One of these decisions involves our elementary school instructional aides. While we are fortunate to keep them on staff, their hours will be reduced as of tomorrow. Also, the aide positions have been switched around so that one works strictly in 1st/2nd grades, while the other works in 3rd/4th grades. This means that the aide I have worked with for 3 years and grown to love as a friend and colleague will now be working in 4th grade. While I am happy she still has a job, I am so disappointed that her job no longer involves working closely with me. I'm confident my new aide is a hard worker, but I am grieving the loss of an amazing aide and friend. My time at school will simply not be the same without her help."

Tomorrow begins a new journey at school - one with new schedules and new aides to train. I can only hope that our new journey will also bring new students to solve our enrollment issue. We have another staff meeting this week to learn of other changes that will be taking place across all of our campuses. I am praying for how this will impact our students, our staff, and our school. Please pray for EC!

on the eve of a new school year

Tomorrow begins a new school year. My 5th year of teaching! It's hard to believe I am 5 years into my career already. When I tell people that I'm entering my 5th year, they assume I know what to expect and can just whip out my old lesson plans and do it all over again. There is some truth to that, but even after being a second grade teacher for several years, I still have many emotions going into the first day of school.

I'm sad to say good-bye to the sweetness of summer.

I'm excited to get to know 15 new students and help them grow this year.

I'm eager to see how this group of 9 girls and 6 boys will interact together.

I'm anxious about all of the small details I need to remember on the first day.

I'm hopeful that the first day will go smoothly, even without the extra set of hands of a student teacher (what a blessing last year!).

I'm grateful for a small class size, an always positive co-teacher, and an amazing aide.

I'm nervous about our low enrollment for this school year, and what that could mean for the future of our school.

I'm not sure how I feel about getting back into routine. I typically enjoy and thrive in a routine, but I'm fearful that I will have a hard time sticking to it. I'm afraid of overcommitting my time and energy.

But aside from all of my mixed emotions, the one pressing most on my heart for this new school year is feeling chosen by God to be the teacher for this particular set of 15 children. Of course, I feel this way every year to some extent, but this year is different. Perhaps it is because I have a few children in my new class that come from heartbreaking family situations. I know these children are loved by their families, but they have been through so much grief in just 7 short years. I'm feeling the responsibility of making sure that all of my students, but especially those that have experienced brokenness, know that I love them and will be there to support them, no matter what life brings. I want to be a model of Christ's love for them.

The problem is that I'm not exactly sure how to do that. There are no curriculum manuals with step by step directions for growing in love. I can't do it on my own. Will you pray with me that God will give me the grace and patience I need to make a difference in the lives of my students this year? Pray that my words and actions are not my own, but God's. Pray that my relationship with God will be my first priority, and that evidence of this will overflow into my daily interactions with students. Pray that they will see Christ in me and want their lives to reflect His as well. 

Even if these children forget how to add 3 digit numbers, count coins, tell time, spell high frequency words, or write a paragraph, if my students grow in their love for God and others, I will be one happy teacher.

It all begins... TOMORROW!

summer is slipping away

I recently heard a quote that rang true for me: "For teachers, the month of August is just one long Sunday night." While of course I have been enjoying every bit of summer to its fullest potential, it's true that with the turn of the calendar from July to August comes the pressure to start thinking about school again. I have spent several days in my classroom now and happy to say it is just about ready for the kids to arrive! I've also begun to think about those first week lesson plans, along with copies I need to make and projects I need to prep so that I'm all set for what looms beyond Labor Day.

But don't think for a minute that I don't love my job. I do! There is definitely a part of me that is excited to get to know my new class and have fun learning with them. Summer is just oh-so-sweet that it is hard to let it go.

I had high hopes and dreams for the summer. I always do! With nowhere to be everyday, the summer always appears to have so much potential for my own hobbies and projects. Earlier this summer, I made a list of goals (am I type A or what?!) to accomplish. Let's check in and see how well I did:

1. Earn the 11 professional growth credits I need to become a "Senior Teacher"
Check! Spent 9 full days in trainings, learning more about an established phonics program and how to incorporate it into my teaching and tutoring. Also, did some mapping and reflecting to see how well our curriculum connects to the new Common Core State Standards. Lastly, I read a book about reciprocal teaching to investigate better ways of teaching comprehension. I certainly worked hard, but it should (literally) pay off!

2. Tutor at least once a week
Six out of ten weeks isn't bad! Was able to use some of the strategies I gained from my phonics trainings.

3. Learn more about photography
Check! This summer, I learned to edit photos in Photoshop. Though it seemed overwhelming to me when watching others edit, I now know that I am capable. It is a time consuming project, but makes all the difference in photography! This will certainly prove helpful to me on a personal and professional level.

4. Enjoy the lake with a friend at least once a week
Check! How could I not?! :) My parents' lake house is my favorite place to be, especially with a friend to enjoy it with!

5. Spend daily time in God's word & prayer
I have no excuse for not following through on this goal. I wish it wasn't so hard for me to make this a priority! I have been good about sticking to my schedule for reading through the Bible in a year. It is amazing how God provides the right passages at the right times! But, I wish I had spent more time in prayer. I was off to a great start early on in the summer, but somehow even summer gets busy. Hopefully as I transition back into routine, my prayer life will become a key part of it.

6. Catch up on my scrapbook
Ha! I cut some photos, and it stopped there. I still have weddings from 2010 and 2011 to work on! I'm not sure when, but s-o-m-e-d-a-y I will catch up. Though I did plenty of crafting for others through a.j.e.less designs and for my best friend's upcoming wedding events! 

7. Exercise 3 times a week
Almost! I'd say I was consistent with exercising twice a week. I enjoyed attending more morning classes through Mandy's Underground Fitness, many of which were outside at the park! I love working out with friends, especially when we can be outdoors on a beautiful day.

8. Try a new recipe once a week
Not sure if I managed to do this every week, but I loved cooking/baking when I was able to! Most recipes were a big hit, including zucchini parmesan, monster cookies, quinoa stir fry, bumbleberry crisp, one pan pasta, quinoa burrito bowls, and garden vegetable pasta.

9. Read, read, read!
Check! I rarely have time to read for pleasure during the school year. If so, it's about 10 pages before bed at night so it takes me months to read 1 book! So summer is my chance to read books that others have recommended. My goal was to get through the Harry Potter series (I have never read them all the way through!). I'm hooked! I am just starting book 7 so I doubt I will finish before school starts, but I made great progress! I also read some other great books in between Harry Potter novels. Here were my two favorites- I would highly recommend both of them! I read both so quickly - couldn't put them down!

10. Relax

Glad I can say - check! I thoroughly enjoyed my summer. In between all of these goals, I spent many relaxing weekends at the lake, a week in the Adirondacks, a day down the shore, and a weekend in Syracuse with great friends. I will soak in every last minute of relaxation on this upcoming Labor Day weekend. Though school will certainly make my life busier again, I am going to work hard to keep Sundays free for rest & relaxation.

All in all, it was a GREAT summer! 

weekend away

Just got home from a weekend in Syracuse, NY with great friends and their adorable 9-month old baby boy! Most of our weekends together are fairly unplanned and low key, but if the weather is nice, we love to get outside and check out a new location together. This past Saturday was the perfect day for exploring Chittenango Falls State Park and of course getting lots of great pictures! You'd hardly even know this little guy wasn't feeling 100% -- he was such a trooper! Like the rest of us, he loves the great outdoors and the fresh air seemed to help him feel better! 

So excited that the next time we see each other will be in sunny Florida!!

Counting down the days til our vacation with friends...

my day

Saw this idea on a friend's blog -- thought I would try it out!

Outside my window: rain pouring down, thunder cracking in the distance

I am thinking: about what time my husband will get home, when to start making dinner

I am thankful: for quality time with a great friend today, after not seeing each other for weeks

In the kitchen: unwashed dishes from this morning's breakfast and yesterday's movie & ice cream night

I am wearing: the summer usual -- flip flops, shorts & t-shirt

I am creating: wooden signs for my best friend's wedding

I am going: to worship practice at church tonight (looks like we will be driving instead of walking this time!)

I am wondering: what plans tomorrow will bring -- in the summer, I can take it "one day a at a time"

I am reading: the Harry Potter series, and loving them!

I am hoping: for better weather this weekend

I am looking forward to: seeing family from out of state on Saturday, possibly berry picking with my love on Sunday

I am learning: to edit photos professionally, and to be slow to speak

A favorite quote for today: "Love never fails." -- 1 Corinthians 13:8

One of my favorite things: ending the day by curling up on the couch next to my husband and watching a funny show

A few plans for next week: phonics training Monday-Thursday, then off to Syracuse to visit our soul friends!

A peek into my day: this morning's workout at the park with friends

block party!

My husband and I, along with my brother and sister-in-law who live downstairs, are trying to be more intentional about reaching out to our community. We believe God placed us in our neighborhood for a reason, and we are doing our best to seek out His mission for us in our town. Of course, the first step in embracing our community is to get to know our immediate neighbors. Having lived here about 3 years now, we are already friendly with some of our next door neighbors. Yet there were still several homes on our street that we didn't know much about -- who lives there? What are their names? What do they do? Do we have anything in common aside from our address? We wanted a friendly way to meet more of our neighbors and get to know them better.

We decided to host a block party! A few weeks ago, we went door to door handing out invitations:

YOU'RE INVITED TO A 

BACKYARD BARBECUE BLOCK PARTY!

Sunday, July 28 from 5:30-8:00 P.M.

Come to meet & hang out with your neighbors!

Can't come the whole time? That's totally fine!

Feel free to stop in! Bring a lawn chair if you can.

Hope to see you there!

Just by knocking on a few doors, we were able to meet some of the neighbors we didn't know. Though not everyone answered the door, we were glad to see that the people we spoke to seemed receptive to the idea of a block party. We left invitations in mail boxes for those who weren't home. 

Then it was time to prepare for the party! It was hard to judge how many people would come. I'll admit that there were moments when we wondered if it would just be the 4 of us eating a burger in the backyard! But we went to BJ's and stocked up on food in hopes that would not be the case! 

On the day of the party, we had no idea what to expect. Even the weather was up in the air! Hourly forecasts changed by the minute. We debated all day long whether or not to postpone to a rain date. But as we stood in the driveway debating what to do, our neighbors remained hopeful and expressed excitement for the party -- how could we not go for it despite gray skies? The sun peeked out at 3 PM so we began the preparations. So many people (neighbors, family, & friends) wanted to pitch in to make the barbecue a success:

• Mom baked chocolate chip cookie bars
• Grandma made fudge brownies
• Leslie lent us a party tent
• Pete carved a watermelon fruit basket
• Arlene provided a table, cooler, and pound cakes
• John & Diane made pasta salad
• Lauren & Evan brought cookies
• Dave & Marco came with wine
• While we were at church that morning, Edgar even scraped and repainted our side of his fence to make sure our backyard looked its best for the party.

We got everything set up and looking great by 5 PM and told our neighbors to head on over to beat the weather! 

But of course, as soon as all of our guests arrived (20 of us all together!), the clouds gave way. It rained ... hard. We huddled under the tent and opened the garage for protection, hoping it would be a passing shower. After about 10 minutes, the rain was coming down even harder, so we told everyone to grab something and we headed inside. Though it was a bummer to spend the rest of our party indoors, it still seemed that everyone had a great time enjoying food and getting to know one another. Our neighbors even suggested making the block party an annual event!

I went to bed so happy that night. Despite the rain and change of plans, our first block party exceeded my expectations. It was a lot of fun to bring our neighbors together and made me excited to think about other ways to reach out to and spend time with our new friends.

family vacation at the lake

If a picture's worth a thousand words, then I'm just going to let all of these pictures tell the story of our fun and relaxing family vacation at the lake last week! We are already booked to go again next summer!

a.j.e. weekend

What better way to spend a weekend than with two great friends? Our time together over the last few years has been limited ... so many times when we were together, we were crafting for a.j.e.less designs (which we love!) ... but it's also nice to have "down time" together too. Especially when the money we've worked hard for by crafting can fund our vacation time together!

We spent 2 nights on Long Island -- shopping at the outlets, wine tasting, enjoying delicious food and great views! Of course, there was plenty of girl talk and laughs too. Can't believe we've been friends for 12 years already! At times, we lived just minutes apart. But for the past 8 years, at least one of us has been in a different state. Though we kept in touch despite the long distance between us, you can just imagine how glad I am to have them both in NJ again. Hoping this is just the beginning of more and more time together! 

one step at a time

Now that it's summer, I finally have some spare time to tell you about a house project we took on a couple months ago. :)

As my husband often says, there's always something you could be working on when you are a home owner. Since that is most certainly true, especially for our very old home (our list is endless), we have to prioritize what we want to accomplish.

As soon as we moved in 3 years  ago, we knew the huge bush out front had to go. It was no where near attractive, and it made backing out of the driveway quite difficult because we couldn't easily see if someone was walking by on the sidewalk. So, this spring, with help from our downstairs neighbors, we decided to remove the bush and replace it with some shrubbery that was more appealing (and low to the ground).

The boys figured ripping out this giant bush would be a tough job, but nothing a truck with a chain couldn't handle. Boy, were they wrong. They spent most of a Saturday just trying to get the bush (and its massive root system) out of our front yard. We had hoped to be on our way to Home Depot picking out new plants after lunch, but this bush wouldn't have it. My brother and husband tried tool after tool, and strategy after strategy, but nothing would tackle this disaster. They eventually resorted to hacking at the underground stem with an ax in hopes that its mutilation would prevent it from growing back. (Hopefully it will at least take many, many years before we see it peek above the ground again!) After filling in the hole with dirt, we were finally off to buy something new around 3:30 in the afternoon.

This is where us girls came into the picture. It was fun to choose which plants we liked best, and imagine what they may look like years from now in front of our house. A couple hours later, the plants were in the ground, mulch was laid, and this was the finished product!

So much better, right?! This picture was taken just a few days after planting back in May, and it is amazing to see how the plants have already grown since then. I love taking steps like this one that make our house more of a home.

30 years of love

On June 3rd, my parents celebrated their 3oth wedding anniversary. It was a joy to celebrate their love by going out as a family for a special dinner at The Manor last week. Their Christ-centered marriage is an example for all of their children. I hope and pray that my husband and I can continue my parents' legacy of loving God and loving each other more and more with each passing year. What a blessing to have parents (on both sides of the family) who love each other deeply, even after many years of marriage!

just another reason why I love him

He wouldn't want me to write this, but I can't help it.

My husband had a super-busy work day,

rushed home so he could run errands for his Memorial Day weekend camping trip with a friend,

has dinner plans with myself and another couple,

but still found time to dig out an old window unit from our attic and lug it next door for our neighbors, who told us over the fence on this 90 degree day that their home feels like an oven because their air conditioners died at the end of the season last year and they can't currently afford to buy new ones.

What a guy.

He is my inspiration to reach out to our neighborhood!

team teaching

Every year, teachers at my school are professionally evaluated in one of three ways -- formal evaluation by our principal, self-evaluation, or parent-evaluation. This year, I was up for evaluating myself. Overall, this was a difficult task, though it was easy to answer question #1, which was "What do you love most about your job?"

There are many things I love about being a teacher -- seeing how students grow throughout the school year, the ability to be creative, having fun while learning, etc. -- but I also love teaching at my school because of WHO I work with.

I have been SO blessed to have K as my grade-level partner. Second grade would definitely NOT be the same without her, and I have learned so much from her. Though our gifts and teaching styles may be different, we make such a great team! K is one to see the "big picture." While I can be creative, her ideas are "out of the box." She is a visionary, eager to try new things and take risks. She is a positive thinker, always assuming the best. 

I, on the other hand, can be fearful of change, and worry how change will affect the routines and procedures I've worked hard to establish in my classroom. I thrive on structure, am very organized, and good at thinking through the details of how to accomplish something in an orderly way.

You might think our two personalities would clash, but just the opposite is true! When K comes up with an ingenius idea, she tells me (before she forgets!). Then the two of us brainstorm together about how to turn the idea into a plan. She pushes me toward new and exciting challenges, and I help her to accomplish these goals step-by-step.

One of K's more recent "out-of-the-box" ideas was team teaching, meaning that each of us should teach the subject areas that we are most gifted in and passionate about to ALL second grade students. K is definitely a math-mind, while I've always preferred the language arts (can you tell? I write novels on this blog!). Team-teaching would mean that we could each focus on teaching fewer subject areas, and teach them really well. It would also mean that our classes would switch rooms for 90 minutes each day so that I could teach reading and writing to her students, and she could teach math and Bible to mine. K proposed that we try it out for a few weeks from now to the end of the school year. We sat down with our principal to talk through all the details and get her permission, wrote a letter home to parents to explain this new adventure, and now ... we've been team teaching for 2 days and everyone involved seems to be enjoying it! It is exciting to change things up at this point in the school year and keep school "fresh" and fun. Though the concept of team-teaching may simply be a 6 week trial, we will enjoy it while it lasts!

I must admit that the first time K mentioned team-teaching to me, it caught me by surprise. It seemed overwhelming to completely change our schedules and "mix things up." But now I am so glad that we did! I'm so thankful to work with K, who challenges me on a daily basis to be spontaneous and try new things. I have become more laid-back and flexible as a teacher, I think in large part due to working with K. Though we probably won't teach second grade side-by-side forever, it's been a great way to start my career. I can't imagine teaching with anyone else!

grateful for answered prayer

After a week like the one our nation just faced, it is hard not to be depressed by the effects of sin in our world. I watched, read, and listened to the news more often than usual last week, just trying to keep up with it all: the Boston bombing, the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas, the flooding affecting so many in the midwest. Of course there were also things heavy on my heart that were not prominent in the headlines - a friend of mine who lost a dear friend and neighbor to cancer, and passing a deadly multi-car accident while driving on the parkway. I didn't know where to begin praying! While talking with a friend, I told her I hoped Jesus would return soon to bring an end to all of the sin and suffering in our world. This was not what God intended when He created this world, and I felt helpless about how to help bring about His kingdom here and now.

Then yesterday, my husband and I were able to sit down together for two meals (a rarity in one day!) and spend time reading God's word and praying after eating. A few months ago, we began writing our prayer requests on popsicle sticks, and since then we have been choosing a few to pray for each time we eat together. Our coffee mug of popsicle sticks has become more full since we began as it seems that there are always so many needs to bring before God. But, recently I found myself looking through the handful of sticks and realizing that many of our prayers have been answered since January. Here are just a few examples:

- Our neighbor, who was unemployed for a year and a half, recently found a new job and his first days have been going well! Also, two close friends who were seeking employment in new locations have received and accepted job offers.

- My brother, who had knee surgery in November, is now walking normally again and will be able to start running next month! The doctors are thrilled with his progress, and we are eager to see him enjoy sports again soon.

- A loved one has been more faithful in coming to church and attending classes about Christianity.

- We've started a discipling community group with others who live in our area who also want to be intentional about reaching out to our neighborhood. Our neighbors accepted an invitation to join us for dinner and we had a great night of conversation together.

- A good friend who is in the process of adopting from the Congo raised thousands of dollars through an online auction to help bring her daughter home!

- Though not without its difficulties, God is providing opportunities for change and growth in my husband's work place.

- Friends who were anxious about finding a new home have not only bought a house, but moved in, and feel settled and happy in their new space.

What a great reminder that, even in the midst of tragedy and despair, God is always working! He can bring good out of any situation. In spite of the sin that permeates our society, we must keep giving thanks for the blessings He provides. These blessings may not be on the front page of the newspaper, but are evident to those looking for them. I am so glad I can live in the hope that one day, Jesus will restore this world, but until then, I'll do my best to keep praying and watch for how God answers!

ironic

... because I don't have one!

I find it ironic that just a few days ago I was feeling overwhelmed by my busy schedule, thinking I would have to somehow squeeze some extra hours into the days so I would be prepared for parent/teacher conferences tomorrow and Friday.

But by Tuesday afternoon, after teaching 2 full days with a scratchy throat, my voice was lost. Seeing as it's pretty difficult to do my job without a voice, I decided the best decision for my class and my health was to take time off this morning to rest my voice. Yet even after a day of very little teaching and talking, my voice has yet to return. It seems no amount of throat lozenges or cups of tea will bring it back.

Is this God's way of telling me to slow down and make time for myself? If so, it's working.

With conferences coming up tomorrow, I'm beginning to get nervous that I won't be able to communicate what I need to. In order to save my voice for these meetings, my colleagues convinced me to take another half sick day tomorrow.

Between two mornings at home, and cancelled plans tonight so I can rest my voice, I've had the time I needed to get things in order for parent/teacher conferences. I can confidently say that I am feeling completely prepared for my conferences. If only I had a voice to share with the parents what I've been working on! Praying God will restore my voice and help me through my conferences tomorrow.

yearning for Myrtle Beach

Two weeks ago was my spring break. I enjoyed it in Myrtle Beach, SC with my husband, my parents, and my brother and sister-in-law. Most of us had never been to Myrtle Beach, and we were looking forward to a week of warmer weather in the south!

To our surprise, the weather was unpredictably cold in the southern states for the entire week. Good thing I had packed a fleece jacket and warm socks, "just in case!" I wore them every morning and night. Waking up to temperatures in the low 30's, we felt like we never left NJ! 

Throughout spring break, my family yearned for the 75 degree sunshine that we experienced here in NJ today. Yet ironically, now that I am home and back into the routine of my seems-to-never-slow-down busy life, oh how I wish to go back to the peace and calm of Myrtle Beach (even if it was chilly!).

Despite the cooler air, it was a week of relaxing, with all of the following:

long walks,

good books,

tasty restaurants,

rounds of golf for the boys,

outlet shopping for the girls,

several stops at ColdStone,

restful nights,

leisurely mornings,

summer drinks by the pool,

soaking up the few hours of warm from 12-2,

dips in the hot tub,

homemade breakfasts,

a night at the movies,

plenty of laughs,

and even a few tears in

family conversations and prayer

Though it may not have been what we hoped for or expected, our week in Myrtle Beach was definitely a treat - to be away from "normal" and enjoy time with people we love - what more could we ask for?

honoring Dr. Seuss

I can't keep track of how many people tell me they could never do my job. Just this past week, it happend twice. Of course, there are definitely days when I wonder myself how I get through each day. Being a teacher definitely has its daily challenges! But then there are days like this past Friday when I am reminded why I love my job. Just imagine little children peeking through the school windows before the first bell to get a glimpse at their teachers, dressed up silly. Then imagine the giggles of students and parents alike when we went outside to bring our class lines inside for a day of celebrations! I couldn't begin to count the number of smiles on students' and teachers' faces -- mine included!

Here are some photos from school on Friday, when we had an all school celebration to honor Dr. Seuss' birthday. Such a blast! For more details about the day, check out this article from a local newspaper telling all about it.

Thanks to my amazing friend at Emily Photography for helping me
with these Cat in the Hat cupcakes, and taking these first 3 photos!

Can't wait to do it all again next year! While we strive to have fun every day at school, these are the kinds of memories that last beyond childhood. Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

much better than a pity party

Often blogs (and Facebook) are places where people put their best foot forward ... sharing their joys and accomplishments, good ideas, or happy family photos. But let's face it, if my blog is supposed to give a glimpse into my life, then I need to be vulnerable and share even those moments when I mess up. Moments that are not perfect or happy. Moments when I'm not the person I want to be.

So, I need to be honest and say that I've been selfish lately. Several times over the past few days, I've wallowed in a personal pity party. Those of you who know me might be thinking - but it's your birthday, why would you be wallowing?

That's just it. It's my birthday. I had many exciting plans to celebrate with friends and family this weekend. But then, this came along and stifled my positive attitude:

Due to this massive snow storm, many of my birthday plans had to change:

1. One of my best friends was planning to visit NJ this weekend so we could celebrate our February birthdays together (it's a tradition!). But her drive from Boston to NJ would have been horrendous, not to mention dangerous, so she opted not to come. (I don't blame her, but this decision left both of us sorely disappointed.)

2. Several weeks ago, Mom bought tickets for 3 of us to celebrate my birthday by going into the city on Friday night to see Cinderella on Broadway. Since blizzard conditions were expected at that time, we decided to exchange our tickets for another date. While I was relieved we didn't have to risk traveling in and out of the city during a snow storm, I was also bummed to postpone something I was looking forward to for a while.

3. When snow comes, my husband often leaves to help my uncle with his snow plowing/shoveling business. Though it's helpful to have the extra income, it meant waking up alone today since he was called out to work in the early morning hours. It also meant having to shovel out the car without his help today (at least if I didn't want to spend another day snowed in). Thank goodness for my gracious sister-in-law who pitched in to help me!

This post is not meant to make you feel bad for me. Quite the opposite: I knew that writing it out would remind me how silly and ridiculous I must sound. Sure, my plans were changed, but it's not as if my birthday was completely without celebration. 

My day made a turn for the better when I met a friend for a lunch date at Starbucks. She always brings a smile to my face! I appreciated that she put the extra effort in to finding a way to see me on my birthday. And while my hubby was busy this morning, he's all mine tonight! We have plans to go out for dinner together and shop for my birthday present. He knew I would appreciate picking it out (a shelving/storage unit for our home). Tomorrow, we have plans to see both of our families to celebrate with them. Also, the calls, texts, and messages I've received today have made me feel special!

So, while my birthday did not necessarily go as planned, and I spent too much time feeling sorry for myself, the bottom line is that I still had a great birthday. I am blessed with great family and friends who make me feel loved not just on my birthday, but every day. 

a creative way to pray

My husband and I do our best to arrange our schedules so that we can eat dinner together most nights ... and when we do, we end our meal by reading a brief Scripture passage and praying together. We found though that we were often saying the same prayer night after night, and forgetting to pray for the people and places that we said we would pray for. So, the teacher in me came up with a way to make sure we remembered to pray for the various praises and requests that were brought to our attention.

I grabbed a handful of popsicle sticks from my overflowing stash at school and wrote down a prayer request or praise on the end of each one with a thin black permanent marker. I then put the popsicle sticks into a coffee mug, and placed the mug within reach of our dinner table. I placed another empty coffee mug in a similar location. 

Each night now, each of us picks at random one popsicle stick out of the first mug, prays for that request or praise, and then puts the stick into the other mug when finished. This way, we will be sure to pray for all of the requests and praises. When we run out of popsicle sticks, we will start over with them again. When a request is answered, we will take it out of the mug or leave it in as a reminder to thank God for answered prayer. We have extra popsicle sticks on hand to add more requests or praises as time goes by. So far, this has been a great way to develop our prayer life together and with our Heavenly Father. It was so easy to set up -- I highly recommend trying it for yourself!

our perfect couch saga

What a blessing it was for my parents to generously offer us their used couches when we first got married and moved into our own place. They fit nicely in our space and served their purpose for 2 and a half years (not to mention the 10-15 years that we sat on them at my parents' place!). But after stuffing the cushions a few too many times, and never wanting to sit in the middle of the couch because the padding had worn down so much, we decided it was time to invest in something new. We'd been saving for a while, and we figured New Years sales was a good time to look!

So on January 1, we stopped into furniture store after furniture store on Route 17, searching for the perfect couch(es). We had a budget in mind and were not about to let any suave sales man talk us into spending more (ha!).  Though we looked around a lot, our hearts were set on one of the first sectionals we laid eyes on that day. It was chocolate brown, microfiber, and perfectly within our budget with delivery and tax included! By the end of our shopping experience, we had paid our fees and set a delivery date for the following Saturday.

In preparation for our new purchase to arrive, we took down the Christmas tree and brought our old couches to the garage (with some help from my brother -- thanks!). I anxiously came home from my errands that Saturday morning, actually looking forward to doing schoolwork since it would be from the comfort of my new couch! 

Unfortunately though, I came home to find 2 delivery men explaining to my husband that there was no way this couch was going to fit up the stair well and make it into our apartment. Of course, he asked them to at least try, but it became obvious very quickly that they were absolutely right. While the couch would've fit in our space once in the living room, it was not going to make it up. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was crushed. I was embarrassed that we hadn't even thought to measure the stair well, and simply upset because I had already become attached to this couch that was oh-so-comfortable in the store and fit so nicely into our budget.

That night, we were back at the store for a full refund. (Thank goodness we didn't lose any money on our first attempt.) I was overwhelmed by the idea of starting all over to shop for the perfect couch, but we tried anyway. We now knew more detailed specifications. We needed a sectional that would break down into at least 3 pieces, none of them measuring longer than 82" long. Yikes, this wasn't going to be easy. Not to mention that when you buy sectionals in pieces, you have to spend more money because more fabric is needed to make it. Needless to say, our budget had to expand. I was still upset and unable to commit to anything quickly after the last couch fiasco, so we went home to sit on this instead:

Yes, that is our Aerobed. At least we had one or we would've been sitting on dining room chairs or the floor to watch TV! We could've brought our old couches up from the garage, but it was such a hassle getting them out that we didn't want to ask for help in bringing them back in, only to move them back out again soon when we did finally find the perfect couch. So, we sat on the air mattress for a few weeks in the meantime.

Our busy schedules and frustration kept us out of the furniture stores for a while, but last weekend we decided to give it another go. (The air mattress was getting old!) We went back to the same stores, but this time with even more specifications and (sigh) a higher budget. I figured if we had to spend more money, we should at least get exactly what we want and pray it lasts us a LONG time! 

I am SO glad we were patient in this quest because that night our hard work finally paid off.  We found another sectional to fall in love with -- this time a chocolate brown, leather sectional that could be broken into 4 pieces. AND... it was on sale! (Not quite to the price of our original budget -- that would've been too good to be true -- but at least we didn't pay full price!) Though the measurements made us a little nervous (I can't even tell you how many times my husband took out the tape measure), we decided to go for it. The worst that could happen was that they didn't fit (again) and we get a full refund, right? We knew that from experience, haha! Though I would've been mortified had that happened again.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case! Take a look:

The delivery men were able to get this sectional up the stair well with no problems and it fits PERFECTLY in our space. It was totally worth the wait for this one! We love coming home to sit on our couch, and we are so excited to host others at our place now that we have more seating.

PS: I am feeling a bit guilty even now as I post this because my husband and I have made some very large purchases lately -- the new car, and now this! It is not like us to spend large sums of money! I have to keep reminding myself that we saved carefully for both of these items for a long time now and just happened to buy them around the same time. However, don't expect to see any new, large expenses popping up on this blog again any time soon. (God, please don't throw us for any unexpected loops in the near future!) We need to start SAVING again, instead of spending. :)