{A Good Feeling}

I didn’t think I would ever finish…and I have!! I took my last final exam. {sigh}. What a great feeling!! Now all I lack is my internship and I will graduate with a master’s degree in elementary education. I’m looking forward to December 17, 2011. Now instead of writing reflection papers, tutoring papers and endless lesson plans I can catch up on reading!! Under “currently reading” I have two books that I have been trying to get through for literally 3 months!! Ridiculous! What’s on my reading list, you ask? Here it is…

• Radical by David Platt
• So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore
• Leaving by Karen Kingsbury
• Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Any more suggestions??

I also plan to start crafting again! Yay! I extended my use of felt rosettes from wreaths to gift-wrapping decoration AND learned how to make fabric flowers too (see pics below). It’s so easy and offers more possibilities since there are endless fabric options.

Felt Flowers hot-glued to packages

Fabric Flower…not sure what for yet

I also got lots of random sweaters and tops from my mom when she cleaned out her closet and plan to make something cute! Stay tuned…

{Storms in Alabama}

Yesterday morning I awoke around 5:15 to the sound of tornado sirens. I lay in bed for a while trying to figure out what the sound was. When the second siren sounded (that’s a tongue twister!) I finally got out of bed and checked my computer for a weather alert. I had about 30 minutes till the storm was supposed to reach me so I decided to hop in the shower. When I got out I checked the weather again…still nothing seemed alarming. Birmingham had been experiencing this kind of weather weekly for a month now. A few minutes later the wind was howling and rain was coming down. The lights flickered a bit then went completely out. I stayed in my bathroom (being the most interior room in my apartment) and used the light from my phone to put some makeup on and get ready for work. Several minutes later, when it seemed everything had passed, I left for work with wet hair, wrinkled clothes, and no caffeine. For the sake of my co-workers and students I tried to find out a Starbucks. Tried the one in Cahaba Heights…road was blocked. I drove towards the school and stopped at the Starbucks in Crestwood before going to school. Everything seemed fine! Little did I know a “straight line wind gust” swept through Cahaba Heights and my neighborhood earlier that morning.

School let out early and not wanting to go home I went to my friend’s house who lives in Cahaba Heights. After a few failed attempts I finally figured out a route that would get me into the neighborhood. The damage and debris was incredible…like nothing I’d ever witnessed. My words can’t do justice to the destruction in the area and unfortunately I didn’t take pictures of it. My friend’s house had no damage to the structure but there were several trees down in the yard, one of which fell only feet from her window.

Despite the awful weather my friends and I actually had a fun day. Since the power was out we hung out on the front porch, swinging, talking, laughing…enjoying no time constraints or schedules. We got hungry so decided to venture out and see what was opened. We first went to Publix (that was operating on back-up power) and picked up some Blue Moon, chips, salsa and m&m’s. We finally found Baha Burger at the Colonnade to be open so picked up some burgers and went back to get ready for the next storm coming. We made a pallet of blankets, used a large bucket for a drink table, a Coleman lantern for light, and played Catch Phrase (my fave!) in the basement. It was a blast!! Then we topped of the night with a little puzzle-smithing…a word we created to describe the art of working a puzzle.

Camping out in the basement

Rachel, Taylor, Wesley, Heather, Eric

Puzzle-smithing

Me, Heather, Rachel

Then today I saw all the devastation the storm caused all across the south. It’s depressing! It’s eerie. It makes me feel guilty for having electricity and all the amenities it provides. It made me think though…I feel guilty today for people down the street, but what about every day for people everywhere!?! This is nothing compared to the hardships people face everyday, all over the world and even right here in Birmingham. I don’t have any answers or enlightening ideas, but it humbled me a bit.

{Little Things That Make Me Happy in a Big Way}

{::} The smell of jasmine, honeysuckle, and fresh-cut grass

{::} Climbing in a bed with fresh, clean sheets

{::} My students telling me they love me

{::} Seeing an elderly couple walking and holding hands

{::} Getting good old-fashioned snail mail

{::} A clean and neat house

{::} When people wave a “thank you” for letting them merge

{::} Dancing

{::} Finding a new favorite song

{::} Wild flowers growing along the road

{::} Long talks with good friends

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." -Robert Brault

I would love to hear some of the little things that make you happy...

{Monday Must-Haves}

Today’s Must-Have is something I both love and hate. My workout routine was always walk 30 minutes and run intermittently throughout. Then I started running more. THEN…I started doing 30-Day Shred by Jillian Michaels (I actually have another name for her, but it’s not too nice so I won’t share that). I’m addicted! Not to the workout necessarily, but to the results I’ve seen. It’s only a twenty-minute workout, but it incorporates weights, cardio and abs. I never realized how beneficial it could be to include weights in my workout routine. I always thought it would make me bulk up…but nope! It has slimmed me and I haven’t even changed what I eat, although I have tried to incorporate a little more protein in my diet since I don’t eat much meat. The video only cost about $10 at target and you will need some hand weights (which you can also get at target). Some people do 8 pounds, but I’m a weakling so I stick with 5’s. Also, if you decide to get it, don’t feel like you have to stick firmly to each video in its entirety. Try each one and see which moves you like. I like to do Level 2 but switch up the last round of weights since one of the moves isn’t comfortable for me. Okay, enough of that. I sound like I should be on an infomercial. Just get it. Try it. You’ll love it.

{10 Things You May Not Know About Me}

1) I wanted to go to the University of Texas but knew out-of-state tuition wouldn’t be an option.

2) I love the NBA and look forward to the playoffs every year because I know there will ALWAYS be a game on.

3) I love to craft.

4) I’ve never had chicken pox.

5) I turn the light switch on and off 10 times before entering a room (okay, just kidding about this one).

6) I backpacked Europe for one month in college with only four outfits and two pairs of shoes.

7) I want to own chickens one day so I can have fresh eggs every morning (with peanut butter, of course).

8) I procrastinate…bad. I should be writing a paper right now.

9) I want a tattoo but am too scared I will regret it.

10) My favorite “dessert” is rice crispy treats, and I actually prefer the store bought kind over homemade.

{Random Thoughts}

{*} God you are good! “And though it’s pouring down,
 I see You through the clouds,
 Shining on my face.”

{*} One more week, one more week, one more week….

{*} I look like a cat…really?? Thanks Destiny.

{*} Jefferson County Department of Transportation: You will be getting a bill from me, which will include tire alignment and a new transmission since mine fell out when I hit a pothole on 1^st Ave N.

{*} I love hearing “teacher, teacher” in Walmart and turning around to see a Cornerstone student.

{*} I love my job and the people I work with.

{*} One.day.at.a.time.

{*} Night classes: I loathe you.

Okay, enough of my random thoughts from a busy day. I should be typing a paper!

{Monday Must-Haves}

As I was visiting family in Charlotte a couple of years ago, my life was forever changed (I’m being a bit facetious). My aunt, Regina, and cousin, Rebecca, introduced me to a little shop called L’Occitane. My skin, hair, and olfaction haven’t been the same since. They make the most incredible skin and hair care products that make everything softer, prettier, healthier, and smell sooooo good. Well, I began buying several of their products and I really could tell a difference between these and the “cheap stuff” I was previously using. I was hooked. Then…I went from part-time work to full-time teaching and took a pay cut (yes, you read that right!). Paying $20 for face wash seemed frivolous and I thought I could make due without. I spent two weeks washing my face with whatever I could find, bar soap, shampoo, etc. I paid for it. When my face began breaking out so did my pocketbook. I bought my beloved face wash and I don’t feel bad about it one bit. It’s awesome and that’s why it’s today’s “Must-Have.”