Bald Eagle Sighting

The other day I was leaving Cafe Moka after having had coffee with my friend Laura. As I was waiting to pull out onto the main road, I saw a big bird flying around, and I noticed that it had a white tail. I couldn't see his head, but I wondered if it was a bald eagle. Then he (or she) landed on a telephone pole, and I saw that it WAS a Bald Eagle! It was a really neat experience. I took some pictures from the car; they did not come out very well, but here are some if you would like to see.

Leap!

Happy Leap Day! Today I spent the day in a 4th grade classroom for my first day of my practicum. I enjoyed the time, and it seems like the teacher is good which is always nice. Immediately afterwords I had to go to ODU for class which made for a long, tiring day. On top of all this, I have a icky cold/cough, but overall I am doing pretty well. I am excited that spring break is next week! I will still have practicum and work, but at least I will not have classes; it will be nice to have that time to relax a bit more, and maybe even work ahead on some homework (not sure if that will happen or not haha). 

Waiting and Perfect Timing

Dave Harvey's book, called "Rescuing Ambition", is a really great book that I would highly recommend. I read it a while ago, and even wrote down some quotes that really stuck out to me. A lot of them have to do with waiting. That is, waiting for the things that we are hoping and praying for in our lives. These quotes were  really encouraging to me as I often struggle with being impatient about certain things that I want to happen in my life, or even worrying that they will never come to pass. I thought I would share the quotes (even more than I wrote down in my journal) here; maybe they can encourage some of you as well.

"How we live when ambitions are delayed significantly shapes who we become. God uses the wait to teach us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. Wait isn't a popular word. We like it about as much as a toddler does But waiting is a tool God often uses. Scripture is full of waiting -- we're taught to wait for God to act (Ps. 25:3; 27:14; 37:7; 130:5; Isa. 49:23; Hos. 12:6), to wait for our adoption as sons (Rom. 8:23), to wait for the return of the Lord and his righteousness (1 Cor. 1:7; Gal. 5:5; Titus 2:13). We're to wait in faith, knowing that Isaiah's words are true: "From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him" (Isa. 64:4)...Yet waiting is a strange thing. God's purposes are not a bus stop where we just sit, waiting for the right option to come by. No, we keep walking while we wait, and we wait while we walk...Reach your hand into a river and grab a handful of rocks. You can tell the ones that have been recently deposited and those that have been there for a long time, waiting. The new arrivals are rough with edges and sharp points. The other rocks are smooth; time and water have worn away their rough exterior, revealing a polished, beautiful stone. For us waiting has the same effect.God purifies our ambitions by delaying their fulfillment. An ambition with a waiting sign is an ambition being smoothed in a riverbed of God's activity. The rough edges--the selfishness in our ambitions--become smooth. The ambition is purified. The dull exterior starts to shine" (p. 71-72).

"Perhaps in reading this you’re becoming aware of impatience toward God and his timing in your life. But is God’s timing not perfect? Are his ways not perfect? Is his will not perfect? Is his character not perfect? And hasn’t all this perfection been displayed for us in the cross? Who are we to question God in impatience when he has so perfectly displayed his love for us in the shedding of his Son’s blood on the cross?" (p. 73)

To Next...but how?

I am hoping to attend Next this year (after all it is the very last one!); however, I am running into problems when it comes to transportation....neither me nor any of the girls I have talked about traveling with has a vehicle that can withstand such a long trip (to Orlando), and flying is expensive. If any of you have any ideas on options (or even a mini-van or something that we could possibly borrow), or have space in your group please let me know! :) I am looking to be part of a group of responsible drivers who will obey speed limit laws! :)

Grad School and Decisions

Grad school is going pretty well. However, it can be pretty stressful (especially when you struggle with procrastination like I do haha). Thankfully all of my teachers are pretty good, and nothing is too difficult it's simply a matter of getting it all done. My practicum hasn't started yet; in fact, I haven't even been placed yet for the public school portion. Half of my hours will be done at the Child Study Center at ODU, and that starts several weeks from now.  I am stressed about adding all that extra work to what I already have, but God will give me the strength I need, when I need it!

Originally the plan was to finish up my classes this summer, and do student teaching  in the fall. Then I would be finished with my Master's degree in December! However, I have been reconsidering this. I am concerned that it might be a bit too much to take 4 classes (one of which is only 1 credit but still) in the summer, take 3 certification tests by the end of summer, and start student teaching. In addition I have a comprehensive exam I am required to take during student teaching. Because of all this, I am considering taking only the 1 credit class and the tests this summer, finish the other classes in the fall, and student teach in the spring. If I do it this way, I will graduate in May 2013. I still have not decided for sure and for certain yet, so prayers (and advice if you have any) for wisdom would be appreciated!

This year is the very last year that SGM will be having the Next conference. I am planning to go, but sad that it will be the last one. I was extremely blessed to win a contest for which the prize was free registration! I am looking forward to this conference; I have been to four so far (this will be my fifth), and have been so blessed and encouraged at each one. This year the theme/main topic is the Church. Here is a quote from their website:

"The image of a foot split from the body is alarming, and it should be. But do you have the same response to seeing a believer split from the body of Christ? Scripture wants us to see danger and wasted potential in that image. Every Christian needs and has a vital part to play in the local church. Because without the church, we’re essentially, well, you get it. So what’s your part? Join us for three days in Orlando as we focus on God’s plan for the body of Christ, and what it means to play your part."

Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day, my dad surprised each of my sisters and I by blessing us with our own bouquets of flowers. I had some fun taking artsy looking photos of mine (though I am by no means a photographer). I decided to share some of them here just for fun. Enjoy

When the Going Get's Tough; Despair vs Trust

How amazing is it that when reading the Bible, some passage that you've read time and time again can stick out to you in a new and different way upon reading it again? God's Word is truly "living and active" (Hebrews 4:12). The other day I was reading in Exodus about Moses and Aaron going and appealing to Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Not only did Pharaoh not let them go, but he made their work harder;

"The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, 'You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, 'Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God,' Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words'" Exodus 5:6-9

This made their work much harder, and they were not able to complete the quotas, and thus, "...the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them were beaten and were asked, 'Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday ,as in the past?'"(5:14). They appealed to Pharaoh, but to no avail (5:15-18).

Then I came across these verses: "The foreman of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, 'You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.' They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, 'The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us'" Exodus 5:20-21

It is quite easy to be critical of these Israelites; however, as I was reading this I was struck by a thought. How many times do we hope and pray to God for something, only to find the situation seems to stay the same or even grow worse? How often in those situations are we tempted to despair and think that God is not helping us or not working in the situation? Maybe we even wonder if He cares. However, even though the Isrealites despaired at what appeared to be a worsening situation, God was at work! He was in the process of delivering them from slavery! We know this because we have the whole story set before us in the Bible, but they did not know what was to come. We can learn from them to take hope, no matter our situation; even if it seems to be unchanging or even growing worse we can have faith that God IS working. It may or may not work out the way we think we want it to, but God is in control, He IS doing a work whether we notice it or not, and He made a promise to us:

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Therefore we should not despair in our bad situations, but rather trust God, and continue to pray and to wait.

And so it begins...

Tomorrow is my first day of graduate school! My class tomorrow is "The Child and the Family." In addition to that I am also taking; Advanced Classroom Management (Practicum), Advanced Child Development Theory, and Reading to Learn Across Curriculum (this one is online). I am looking forward to the classes, but nervous about getting all my practicum hours in! I will be doing half of those at the ODU Child Study Center working with young children, and half in an elementary school (don't know which one yet) in a 4th, 5th , or 6th grade classroom. Should be fun at least. On top of this I am still working part time at my job. Here's to a crazy semester! It will probably be my last "real" semester; if all goes as planned, I will take four classes this summer and be student teaching in the fall, graduating next December (2012).

The New Year and the Old

I had a great time bringing in the New Year with friends at the Hulme's house. Then today, on New Year's Day got to celebrate by worshiping the one who gave this new year and gives us each new day! This past year has been a good year for the most part, though at times stressful especially in the area of school. I wanted to share a few of the highlights from 2011.

Martin Wedding: This was probably my favorite event of the entire year; seeing one of my best friends go from Kaitlin Richards to Kaitlin Martin as she married Drew, the love of her life. Even better, I got to take part in her special day as a bridesmaid!

Mexico: I also got to travel with a team to Rancho 3M in Mexico. It was a hard week; though it was cooler than other years since we went earlier in the year instead of mid-summer it was still very dry and there was lots of work to be done. It was still a very good time, and I so much enjoyed the children as well as getting to know the people on the team a little bit better. God was gracious and protected us all despite the risk of danger in that part of the world.

Next: Later in that same month (May) I was able to go to the Next conference in Orlando. I carpooled with several other people from my care group and it was a long, but fun drive. The conference was amazing and I also enjoyed the fellowship with friends, and making new friends!

Graduation and Christmas; I graduated from undergrad this December, and this Christmas was our first year to get a Christmas tree! You can read more about those in the post below this one.

White wedding; As one of the last events of 2011, I was able to attend Brittany's wedding whom we have known for many, many years. It was a sweet wedding, and I am very happy for her and her new husband as they begin their life together.

So what is to come in 2012? I do not know for sure, but I am looking forward to finding out!

Graduation and Christmas!

I am now an ODU alumnus (well I will "officially" be one when all the processing goes through in the next few weeks). Graduation was a fun (although cold) day, and it was really neat to be participating in a college graduation! In January I will begin the Masters program for Elementary Education, and, if all goes as planned, I will graduate with my Masters degree about a year from now!

This Christmas was an especially exciting one for us because we got our very first Christmas tree! It is a Fraser Fir and smelled so nice when we brought it in and opened it up in the living room

Christmas came and went much to fast for me. It is hard to believe that it came and is gone already! It was a nice time, however, spent with family and a beautiful Christmas Eve service at Sovereign Grace Church. This is also the last week of 2011! I wonder about all the plans God has in store for me in 2012.

Two Weeks

There is just a little over two weeks until graduation! While I am excited, there is SO much that I have to get done before then; 3 exams, a classroom management philosophy paper, a presentation (I already wrote it, just have to present it now), a geometry project, and several little two page papers. And this is just the school stuff!

I am excited to graduate, but it hasn't really hit me yet. Maybe it has at least partially to do with the fact that I won't be "done."  I plan on starting the graduate program for a Masters in Elementary Education in January. I should finish that in about a year after a semester and a summer of full-time classes (4 each) and a semester for student teaching.

Practicum

After a long wait, I was finally placed in my practicum! I have to spend a total of 70 hours in an elementary classroom before the end of the semester (35 in a Pk-3, and 35 in a 4-6). Right now I am in a 3rd grade classroom. I am really enjoying it, and I definitely have some funny and cute quotes from the kids. The hours have added a lot to my schedule though, and I have been pretty exhausted. Thankfully I do not have a whole lot of homework otherwise though, but projects will be coming up soon with the end of the semester approaching so I need to make sure I stay on top of things.

I am looking forward to the end of the semester, and having a break as well as Christmas! I plan on starting the graduate program in January, and I am a bit nervous about that.

The Gate

“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

John 10:1-10

I'm back!

I decided to start writing here again (not sure how many see it, but oh well lol). Anyway, things are going well for me. I'm finishing up my last semester of undergrad, and it's so hard to believe that I will be graduating in December! I have been accepted into the graduate program and plan to start that in January.

Pictures from Kait and Drew's Wedding

For more wedding pics click here

Photos taken by Melanie Wasko Photography & Amy Bare Photography
They are both really awesome photographers and you should use them next time you need a photographer! Click on their names to go to their website or find them on facebook!

Richards/Martin Wedding

Kaitlin and Drew's wedding was gorgeous and SO much fun! All of the bridesmaids and Kaitlin showed up early and Jacqueline, Rachael, and Chelsea were there to assist us with hair and makeup (Charity did Kait and Kara's makeup and their hair was done at the salon). Kaitlin was an absolutely GORGEOUS bride!

The ceremony itself was fun. It was so neat to get that perspective; it's the first time I've been in a wedding. There were pictures both before and after the ceremony. The reception was also really fun and then we sent the Martins off in a limo to their honeymoon! 

Shortly after the got back, I was able to meet them for dinner along with Alexandra and Aaron. It was so fun to see the newly married couple. They both seem so happy.

Congratulations Kaitlin and Drew Martin!

:D

Twenty-Two

Last Wednesday was my 22nd birthday! :D I had a great birthday which even stretched out to cover several days. Because Wednesday contained basketball practice for Philip, care group for Alexandra and I, and ladies meeting for my mom, we weren't able to celebrate as a family that night. However I received MANY birthday wishes from family and friends, and someone brought a cake to care group and they all sang to me :). Thursday evening I celebrated with my family with cake and gifts; Friday I celebrated by going out to dinner (Olive Garden) with a bunch of friends from care group as well as Laura.

Today at church they announced that they are doing an E-team to Rancho 3M this May! I really want to go, and I seriously thinking and praying about it. I've been wanting to go back there. In addition, I had been thinking it would be great to do a missions trip this summer, but up till now had not really found anything. I'm excited and hope it works out for me to go!

Kaitlin's wedding is THIS Saturday! I am SO excited for her and Drew, and so excited to get to be in there wedding. It still barely seems real to me that she will be married :D

Playing Catch Up

Well, I meant to update before now, but I guess I have to catch up now :). We had a great Christmas and New Years; Christmas was spent with my family and for New Years Alexandra and I went to the Richards' house. We were blessed with a HUGE snowfall starting Christmas evening that went throughout the whole next day ending up with over a FOOT of snow! They said this is the most snow we have had in a long time; it was a lot of fun to look at it, go for walks, and even play in it :).

School started about three weeks ago for me. I am taking two history classes (Va History and U.S. History from 1945-1991), Art Education, and an intro to Special Ed class that is talking about various aspects such as law and the various disabilities, etc. I am really enjoying my history classes; since they are more focused (one in location and the other in time period) we can spend more time learning some details about the various events that occurred rather than breezing by them to get to the next thing.

I'm DONE!

I survived the Fall 2010 semester! Christmas break officially arrived last Thursday, and it feels wonderful to not be working on homework, tests, etc. Everything has still been really busy, however. The Thursday that I got on break I went with some friends to see Narnia and went to Ihop afterwords. That weekend also included the Access Christmas party and Chara's graduation party both of which were very fun. Now Christmas is almost here; time is really flying. I hope I am ready to start school by the time it arrives; I feel like break just started! Next semester I am only taking four classes, but two of them are history classes so we will see how that goes.

CrAzInEsS!

I'm sitting here waiting for a class to start, and I thought I would update this poor, neglected blog. School has been keeping me extremely busy this semester; seems like a never-ending stream of papers, projects, tests, and reading. This is probably the most stressful semester so far. But, the good news is, it's almost over; in a few weeks, I will be done with the semester! I am so looking forward to Christmas break. It will still be busy (what with holiday plans and helping with things for Kaitlin's wedding), but at least it will be fun activities and not homework. In the next couple of semesters I only have to take four classes each semester so that will be a welcome relief.

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:28-31

Campus Crusade for Christ: Fall Retreat

Last weekend I went on a retreat with Campus Crusade for Christ; we went to Camp Piankatank. Many of the local colleges have Cru groups and there were people there from ODU, TCC, CNU, and W & M. I had a wonderful time! There was good teaching by Roy Baker and Brian Barnett as well as worship, women's group (the guys also had their own group meeting), hilarious games, and lots and lots of fellowship! The fellowship was probably one of the several highlights for me (the others including women's time, skit-in-a-bag, extended worship time, and my morning quite time by the river Sunday morning). The friendships that were built and the new friends that were made were amazing. I hope to keep in touch with many of my new friends! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

We had "Sm'ores Indoors" with this huge fireplace due to their being a ban on outdoor fires because of the dryness



Some favorite quotes from the weekend:

"What were you doing on the night of tonight?"

"Well it happened on a night!"

"Are you wounding?"

And of course Brian's rap! :)