One Day

One week left. You can do anything for a week!!!



One day left. You can do anything for a day!!!


This was the encouragement given by our middle school administrator. Tomorrow is the one day. The last day before Christmas break. And it's going to be a glorious one day. I have one class tomorrow morning-a very rough kindergarten class- and then its off to the bowling alley with the middle schoolers! I've been taunting them all week, claiming victory. I've also been taunting Eric who is sure that he will conquer. Erin let the cat out of the bowling bag when she told Eric I own my own ball. I had to defend myself, telling him that I wasn't obsessed, but just taking advantage of a yard sale find of a left handed bowling ball. That's it.

But, I will beat him.

I hope. :-)

After bowling and lunch at the food court, it's Christmas Chapel. Always fun! The 1st graders are doing " All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth" which fits perfectly. There are at least 9 or 10 kids who have that wish. They are so cute. It'll be interesting to see all 35 6 year olds doing a song together. Erin, Eric, Amanda and I were going to do the Chipmunk Christmas song. We were going to turn upside down, put shorts on our heads, nostril dots on our chins and sunglasses on our necks to look like singing potato heads. BUT....we were canceled. We didn't plan ahead enough so it was too complicated for the media team. Oh well. Next year.

2 more sleeps until I'm home. This time I'll get to sleep in my own bed :-)

Decorating for the Holidays

I know, I know... I'm the girl who would YELL at girls in the dorm for playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving....I'm the girl who would grumble when seeing lights in the streets weeks before we even ate a bite of turkey...I'm the girl who made sure she didn't shop for Christmas gifts before Turkey day to prevent taking away the holiday special-ness of it.

But now, I think I've changed. Erin has a great point. We are never home to enjoy our Christmas stuff, so why not put it up early??? Tonight, Erin, Wendy, Becky, Rachel, Jessie and I decorated Becky, Wendy's and my house for Christmas. I have my own tree! It's 6 feet tall! Yes-it's fake. I hate that. But, it's all a girl can do when living without a strong man to go out and cut her a tree and without a little brother to water it. I don't have beautiful ornaments from my children, so my tree looks classy and matchy-matchy. Maybe a little like Home and Garden, but I like it. A lot.

Wendy and I even put icicles on it. Hmmmm....fun day! We watched Elf while decorating and then put in The Holiday to enjoy a nice girls' night.

I don't know WHY we do that to ourselves. WHY do we insist on watching sappy love movies??? Do we think that we'll actually be HAPPY and CONTENT with our situation after watching the picture perfect ending to the beautiful girl and the handsome guy's life? Why do we like to torture ourselves? Then, we are upset when the movie leaves us in a funk.


(music note) All I want for Christmas is some contentment... (music note)

Day o' Fun!

Wendy and I had an amazing day. Around 1pm, I saw Wendy stumble out of her room, and I, only a few minutes early, had awoken. We then did lazy things, like watch episodes of House and Office online (because we were too busy during the week to watch them) and then headed off to our last birthday hoorah. Wendy got me a dinner and a movie roommate date and I got her a lamp for her room. So, off to IKEA we went, and chose some amazing decorations and lamps for the house. I think I found a solution for getting rid of that boob light in our dining room. I know the guys in my life will be happy with the exchange. We then searched for Olive Garden. 40 min wait. Nope! On to our second choice, 10 mins later-On the Border. 25 min wait. Nope. Off to search for a Subway. Pablo-Pablo told us about non-existent Subways, leaving us in the middle of the highway- "You have reached your destination." So, we circled around past IKEA about 10 times, found a McDs and ate a burger and fries. Ironic, how Wendy didn't want to go to Red Robin because she wasn't in the mood for burgers. We passed Red Robin 10 times as well. (Mind you, we have only been awake for 6 hours and all this drama had taken place.)

We get to the movie theater and have to park 2 miles away from the doors. I set the car alarm off while trying to lock the door. We do the touch screen shortcut, only to find out that Eagle Eye is sold out. BUMMER! So, Wendy, in her fluster and hurry chose for us to see High school Musical 3-SING ALONG. Praise the Lord I caught it before she committed us to doing that for 3 hours with crazy tweenagers. We switched our tickets to Max Payne. I thought it was the new Bond movie, so I was stoked. Come to find out it involved deamons, murder, violence and other craziness. PG 13--BA LO NEY! We left after 30 mins, got a free pass for next time, went to Shoppers and rented Made of Honor from Red Box and headed home.

Fun, good movie. Cute guy. :-) Becky watched most of it with us. I got to tell her the above drama, so it gave me something to talk to her about. Finally, at 11:30, our birthday fun ended on a good note. I was left in a "aww, I wanna get married" funk, but soon, sleep will over come me and I won't worry about it anymore.

Although, I wouldn't mind a dream about Patrick Dempsey....

She's Baaaaackk......

I got a call yesterday to inform me that my roommate would be coming home today. She was being discharged. I called her sister, and found out that she's medically defined as "safe"- able to carry out every day functions without harming herself or others. Right now her sister has used up all her tears and now she's ready to throw reality at my roommate. She's frustrated because RM (roommate) won't take all of her medicine and is refusing treatment. She's in total denial.

Wait....I have a 3rd roommate?? She has been gone for so long that I've put it out of my mind. I've prayed for her, but the reality of her coming back to the Susquehanna house wasn't there. When I got the call, it took my breath away. I was instantly thrown back into the reality of my life that I have a sick roommate who has been gone for 2 months and is coming back. Every time I think about it, it takes my breath away.

Tonight, we got home around 10:30, and we see her car. We panic. We freak. We are still in shock. What do we say? How do we handle this? Do we get more involved in her life? Do we maker her talk to us? Do we push her to find a job and search for one for her? Do we go on living like we did, not trying to interact?

I don't know what God is trying to teach me through this. I haven't been a good roommate. I haven't purposefully involved her in my life or included her in my activities. Is He wanting me to become more involved in her life? What lines do I cross? Where do I push myself? What is my role? Where do I belong?

Could you please pray for Wendy and I about this? Ask God to give us wisdom as to what our next steps are. I need to pray fervently about what to do next. Tomorrow morning (maybe early afternoon, depending on consciousness) will be spent asking Him for wisdom. She needs a job. We need to meet with her friends and possibly a pastor from church to see what to do next.

She's back. Now, what are we to do?

More Pictures

Coach Peffer and the most amazing Assistant Coach Craft


Calvary Road Christian School 2008-2009 Girls Volleyball Team

WOOHOOOOO!!!!!!! WE LOVE VOLLEYBALL!!!!

Volleyball. My Favorite Sport. Ever.

We did it! We finished the season!!! The 19 girls of Calvary Road Christian School placed 3rd in the Tournament and 2nd in the season!

Unbelievable. Half of these girls haven't even played vball before. I've never coached before. I'm still in shock. I'm sooo happy and so proud of them. Soooo so proud.

But BEST of all we were also honored and surprised to find out that the coaches voted us to win the Best Godly Character award. We could have come in 6th place and won SO MUCH just with that honor. That says so much for our school and what we believe to be important. The trophy below is the Godly Character award. We didn't get a trophy for 3rd place (so I'm going to go buy us one. :-). This trophy is worth so much. This is what matters. Any team can win 1st place. It's possible for anyone to attain that. This---this award, not possible for anyone. Not possible without His help.

Chic-Fil-A Our FAVORITE place to eat!

The faithful fans!!!

It's over. The 2008 Volleyball season is over. No more practices, no more drills, no more driving that 15 passenger van an hour away for a game. No more getting lost, no more Chic-fil-a, no more begging of allowing drinks or milkshakes in the van. No more making the girls put their seatbelts on. No more horrible refs. No more yelling at the girls to CALL THE BALL and communicate. No more ice packs. No more stress about planning how in the WORLD I was going to get 19 girls on the court in 2 (or 3) games.

No more wins. No more losses. :-) No more close games. No more heart attacks or 2 minute volleys. No more watching the girls improve each practice and each game. No more AMAZING moves on the court. No more fast thinking with a quick slip over the net into a hole. No more great pass, set, spike combos. No more great net work. No more circle jumping to get ourselves pumped up for the game. No more game face. No more break checks. No more stories in the van and no more creating Miss Peffer's perfect man. No more eating out with my family of 19 girls, an amazing assistant coach and the faithful 5 moms.

Until next year.

The Incredible Hulk

Hi. This has been a week of all weeks, let me tell you!

First, Monday morning, I was in the teacher's meeting and started coughing. I left to get cooled down and get a drink. I went into my classroom to open the window for a breeze. The window has no crank on it, and previously I've been able to pound on it gently, and it pops open. Pound, pound, SMASH! My fist went through the window. I broke the window with my fist. Apparently I'm the Hulk.

After the initial shock wore off, I said, oh no, oh no, oh my goodness, Oh my GOODNESS, and hurried to the office. I brought everyone out of their offices to my side, looking for glass, applying pressure, and trying to problem solve for me. The cut was about 1/4 of an inch from tendons, 1/2 inch from veins. The cut was more of a slice sideways, like peeling an apple. Not straight down in, but not a scrape either. After gauze and tape, I called Kaiser, (my dr's office), and told them the problem. They had me on the phone for about 10 minutes, trying to set an appointment up for me! I was pushed out the door by the secretary who took care of the rest of the phone call, and out I went, driving myself to the hospital, 10 mins away. Yep. I drove myself with my hand on my head. Good idea, I thought, until blood came through the gauze I had on. Then I thought it was probably a stupid thing to do. Dad concurred.

I get to Kaiser, and it feels like I'm in an E.R. episode, staggering in, asking for a doctor, showing my wound. I ask the pharmacy where I could go to find a doctor. He told me I needed to drive to the emergency room because they don't do that here. What??? I said, well, I know there are doctors here, and i need one, so I'm going to find a doctor.

2 hours, 2 antibiotics, 4 shots of anesthesia (I can't think of the medical term right now, but I know I've heard it on TV) , 5 stitches and an arm splint later, I head back to school to teach for the rest of the day. Nope. I didn't go home. I wasn't even asked if I wanted to go home.

But, I did stay home from school on Wed. I needed a break to get over this cold and to heal my arm. It was a great day.

So now I'm babying it as much as I can, always wearing the wrist brace to prevent too much movement at that skin.

Now, pictures for your viewing pleasure. (I didn't include the grossest ones.)





I took my camera into school to show the kids. They LOVED it! My friend, Eric said that it looks like a shark bit me.

Who does this? How many people put their hand through a window? Dad says a lot of people. I think of how dumb I was and laugh at the fact that I broke a window with my fist! This will go in the books as one of the stupid things I did while teaching. What memories AND great scar story!

And you know what? My repaired window now has a handle on it. Hmmmm.... :-)

A milestone

25. I'm now officially 25 years old. 25 years ago, the world didn't know about Abby.

It sounds like such a small number. In reality, it is. If I had 25 cents, I'd be bummed. If I had 25 minutes before a test, I'd be cramming. BUT, because I have 25 years (tengo veinte y cinco años), I'm freaking out.

After our loss on Tuesday, we were sitting at Chick-fil-a and I was talking to my amazing assistant coach and a player's mother and her 2nd grade son (also one of my students.)
Coach: Is it a milestone birthday?
Me: yes, as a matter of fact, it is. I'm a quarter of a century old.
Coach:....hmm...I can't even remember 25 (she's about 40)....let's see....where were we? We were in Kentucky just starting a youth group...
Me: We! See! You had a we! At 25, you had a we! I want a we!

2nd Grader: I have a Wii.

All of us burst into laughter, just amazed and dumbfounded.
Me: Well, I guess my problem's solved. Just go to Walmart and I can get a we!
Coach's husband: Well, if you stay in the electronic section long enough...you might be able to get yourself a we. That would be the place to go to find one.
Me: Yah, but I'd really want to find cingular in the section so it could turn into a we...


My day was great. I felt so treasured. I was sung the happy birthday song at least 8 times today. Sometimes they sang in English THEN in Spanish. The lady in an office beside my room was about fit to be tied after all day of singing. I also received "giftcards" from the 2nd graders-paper folded in half with things like, $23,948,604,928,274,574,930@#¢. I also got a flipbook of birthday pictures, 2 3 cornered birthday hats and a ring.

More to come tomorrow....I'm so beat!

I want to go home!

I don't want to be here. I want to go home.

The Answer

By God's amazing power, I was able to find my roommate's friend at a church where there are over 2,000 people my age. I asked her if she could tell us anything about what was going on. She told me that my roommate admitted herself to a hospital and she's getting the treatment she needs. We don't know how long she'll be there, but she's safe and taken care of. I am to contact my roommate's sister for the situation about rent, etc.

So, now my anger has dissipated and prayer has filled me. Please continue to pray for the situation and for my roommate. I don't know what we are going to do in the future. I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but what I've told you is plenty enough for praying. :-)

Thanks to all who have been praying. I am so appreciative!

The Crazy Day

I had a crazy day yesterday. It was sooo long and full of so many things I just don't know where to start.

I need you to be praying for my roommate situation. Without going into too much detail, my roommate has left me and my other roommate to fend for ourselves when paying this month's rent. She is unreachable. I've tried to call her MULTIPLE times, now her phone is off and her voice mailbox is full. Not do solely to me, but also to everyone else who is trying to find her/contact her. She hasn't been home since Tuesday morning. I haven't seen her since last Thursday. Her friend stopped by on Wed to pick up some things for her and told me she would be staying with her for a couple of days. She wouldn't tell me anything else-just that she would have her call me. No phone call yet. She's not in danger at all, but I don't know what's going on. What I do know is that we have to pay her rent because there is no individual accountability with our lease. It's a one check, on time deal. So dumb. SOOO dumb. So, I'm sick to my stomach about all of this, wondering if she'll ever come back and how I' m going to handle it when she does. I need wisdom, calmness and whatever else one needs in this situation. This is real life stuff and I don't like it.

With that on my mind, and having to teach that day, plus a crazy picture day with getting the girls in and out of their volleyball uniforms (during my 8th grade history class), I had to gear up for our first away volleyball game. Get the balls, the medical kit, the water bottles and snacks, clipboard, scorebook, and all 18 girls. I had to drive a 15 passenger van full of girls in the rain for over 35 minutes. I took it for a practice drive in the parking lot just to get a feel for it. Praise God I learned how to drive in a minivan and had to maneuver Dad's truck around. I had to run back into school to get my phone, and I slipped and fell down the stairs. It hurt SOOOO badly. Knocked the wind out of me and I screamed. It was not good. I'm sore and feel like I played 3 volleyball games.

We got there in time and had a great couple games. It was SOOOOO close! We won!! The first game was 23-25 them, then 20-25 us, and then we got the last one 9-15. It was intense. My captain and best (and only) overhand server could only get one serve over then she messed up. NOT like her at all! She usually gets 10 points in a row. Then she fell and was out for the rest of the 2nd game and 3rd game. Stepping into her place was our secret weapon (even a secret for me!) she scored at least 14/25 points. Unbelievable. I also took another girl out before she served because she just can't get it over. The next round I let her serve and she got 6 points! I made her prove it to me that she could do it. That's my new method. Make them prove it to me. I jumped about 7 feet in the air when we won. The girls were laughing at me but it was a GREAT moment. We also got a team picture taken that was beatiful!I'll post it when I get it. I told the girls that we have to win it in 2 next time. My heart can't take that stress!

OUR FIRST VICTORY!

It's sooo late, so I won't go into the details right now (though it's killing me) but WE WON!!!! 2-0! GO CRUSADERS!!!!!

The Game

Yesterday was a crazy day of emotions. While I was teaching Spanish, I was internally freaking out about the game. I had no clue how the things at the beginning works. It was not a fun day. Then, when it came to game time, I was soooooo nervous and excited and I couldn't wait to see how the girls were going to do. I didn't do ANYTHING right with having line ups ready for each game, or having a plan with who is going in. I just thought--um...I'll sub when I need to. ERRR!!! Wrong! I'll know better for next time.






The girls looked AMAZING in their socks! I had them wear them all day at school which was super cool for them and made me smile each time I saw them. (Hey, I know too much pride is a bad thing, but this was earned pride. :-) They looked impressive on the court too.

I had to have a score keeper and no one knew how to keep score. So, my assistant had to keep score which meant that she couldn't coach at all. She's the one who knows all this volleyball stuff and she just had to sit there! She did whisper to me different time about taking timeouts. I totally forgot about time outs. Good thing she was there... :-)

So, our first game was AMAZING. We did a great job working together and getting it over. One girl got 6 points in a row from her serving. We just need to get everyone else's serves over too. We won the first one. We lost the 2nd one. And then, the last one....... we lost too. It was sooo close. So many times it was tied. The girls played really well for their first game. We definately have things to work on, but I was pleased with my girls. I almost told someone we won!

My friends and I went out to celebrate my first game (or they just needed a reason to go out to eat) at Unos. On the way there, Eric, Mr. PE teacher, told me: Abby, I made an observation of your coaching. (oh no....what did I do....) You smile way too much. You need to have a game face on. Show that other coach and the refs that you mean business.

So...between now and Thursday, I'll be working on my "mean coach face". I hope I remember to pack a pair of my angry eyes....

Sept 16, 4:00

This date has been stuck in my mind for more than a month. I've based other dates on it because I knew that today, Tuesday, was Sept 16. And I'm nervous.

Our first Middle School volleyball game is today. AGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I don't know what I'm doing! Score card? Roster? Lineup? Triangles and circles on the scorecard? Looks like Greek to me....or a Kindergarten worksheet. How many subs can I put in? Should I let ALL 19 girls play? What do I do with my captain who chipped 2 teeth at practice yesterday? Can she play today? And the other 8th grader who ran into her and has a sore back and front hip? Do I put her in? Is it really just about having a good time or is it okay to want to win? I want to win!!!


(deep breath) The good thing is is that the girls LOVED the socks. We found out that if turned inside out, they are a bright blue! Who knew?! The girls were so grateful and kept talking about them. I was a little happy. Ok, A TON happy. Hmmmmm.....the work was worth it. The PE teacher (a friend) laughed at the socks when I showed them to him. I told the vball girls that he did that and then I encouraged a mass "booing" chorus. It was music to my ears and a lot of fun. :-)

So, here I go...off to teach computers and spanish and 8th grade history. THEN---game time!

The Result

494 rubber bands, 38 socks, at least 60 gallons of water, the removal of those 494 rubber bands and at least 16 hours of my time resulted in this.

Good Idea, Bad Idea

Good Idea: buy white socks to tie-dye for the vball girls instead of ordering them. It would have been $160 for 19 pairs of socks. This endeavor cost me only $35.


Bad Idea: putting on all of the rubber bands BY MYSELF! 13 rubber bands/1 sock * 38 socks= 494 rubber bands. You should see my fingers. I think my hands will permanently taste like rubber bands. I started the task at 4pm. I finished at midnight. Yep, 8 hours of rubber band wrapping. AND they still aren't dyed. That's tomorrow's project. But I did find out that you can put them in the washing machine and do them ALL at the same time. Yes, yes. I know. I need to bleach out my washing machine when I'm finished. I don't plan on looking like a smurf.

Lesson Learned: The girls should pay me the $125 difference for all of the time I put into those socks. Now I know why the socks cost that much.

I hope they turn out right. I didn't try one to see if the pattern I created will give me the result I want. Let's pray!!!!!

Another bad idea: doing this when I haven't done any school work AND when I have to get up @ 6 for church tomorrow (oh....today.....)

On that note... Goodnight!

Laughs at school

Over the past 24 hours, I've been privileged to experience some pretty silly things. Laughable. Memorable. Reminds me why I like to teach. Enjoy!

• 1st grader, on the way into my Spanish room- "Mamasita!!! That means hot mama in Spanish." He didn't even think-oh, maybe I shouldn't say this to my teacher. He just said it like he was saying, HOLA!
  

• Kindergartner leaves the Spanish room to use the bathroom and returns rather quickly. Erin, fellow teacher, in the room across from mine asks, "Did you wash your hands?" He looks shocked, replies: "Oh! I forgot!" (run run run....water running...run run run back)

• Playing Alphabeto Bingo-1st grader asks, "Can you say the letters in English?? I don't know them this way".

• Yesterday in the computer lab, I was watching the Kindergartners use KidPix, a program that is like paint but a TON more fun. Yes, I admit that I sit there and do things on it while they are working. :-) So, anyhow, yesterday, I thought that I'd have fun with them. At the teacher's computer, I can control each computer individually. So, I double-clicked on Maysa's computer and picked up the paint brush and wrote HI MAYSA! on her screen. Her reaction during the mysterious message writing was priceless. The hand that was on the mouse is now at her side, her jaw is almost on the keyboard and she isn't moving. She's just in AWE. Then she studders in astonishment: "Sen.... Senor...Senorita Peffer.... the computer wrote my name!!!!" I act just as astonished and move on to the next victim. The kid reacts the exact same way and then Maysa pipes in, "YAH! Me too!!!" "I got a smiley face!" Over and over again, I act like Ghost Writer (the greatest show on PBS) and just giggle myself into hysterics, enjoying their reactions. I then saw kids trying to duplicate what I did, so it ended up being a great teaching tool. My intent-no. My intent was to mess with their little minds. But, in the end, it was also educational. One of the kids kept saying in this woahhh voice: "The computer... it knows my name...... the computer...it knows my name....."

Oh the joys of teaching!

The First Week

Right now I should be at my aunt and uncle's, relaxing in their pool with my cousins, having great talks with my cousin Emmy, then playing a game (or 5) of croquet, eating amazing food, talking about boys with Katie, avoiding Tyson's loud bark and Lacy's toe-licking, playing Taboo, listening to Papa's stories and then a game of football and hide and seek. It's the 2nd year it hasn't happened. Last year was due to my cousin's memorial service and this year.......I don't even know. It's a mystery. No one will really say. It's really frustrating because I want to be there with everyone. It HAS to happen next year. HAS TO! Em and I will make it happen.


The first week of school is over and we've been blessed with Labor Day so we can recuperate! I always thought it annoying that we just get school started and then we have a day off-it really throws off the planning and the routines of the classroom. BUT---after the week of in-service and then the week of school, I'm super pumped about our day off!

Erwin and I are going to the pool for the LAST TIME of the summer. It's going to be packed because it's at a campground and it's a holiday, but we are going to take on the challenge. I've decided that my $65 pool pass was the best purchase of the summer. We just have to find something to do during the winter that will give us the same results as the pool-complete and utter relaxation---if you have any ideas, let me know! I think this dragging on of summer might cause a slight depression stage when we can't go to the pool.... :-(

The week was a lot of repetition for me-telling my 10 spanish classes (2 times) and my 6 computer classes the rules of my classroom and how my HUGE globe is NOT a soccer ball. We marched around my room singing the alphabeto song. It's to the tune of the military chant that they say when they are running. The had a BALL doing it! I'll be doing the same thing for the younger kids, the older kids I'm going to work on identifying the letters IN SPANISH-like spelling things in spanish letters, etc. It'll be fun.

The first day of History (after bawling my eyes out Sunday night at 10:30) went "God-Jammin" well! He totally told me what I needed to say and do. I told them they had 5 mins to write their history. They were puzzled (my goal was reached!) but wrote anyhow. We made the connections to what they wrote to what we read in history and why Biblical history is so important. Then we read outloud, talked, took notes. So, day one was great, and the other days just kinda "went". If you're a teacher, a day that just "went" does not make you feel accomplished or proud of your work. So, the next chapter WILL be different. I think I'll be working on that most of today. After the pool it's a trip to school to make this week better than last.

I think each week should only be 4 days long.........

Enjoy your Labor Day!

7 minutes

7 minutes.

I just heard Erin say "7 minutes until our first special".

It's showtime! Bring on the Kindergarten!!!

The compliment of my life

I might have forgotten to tell some of you this. I am also coaching 5-8th grade Volleyball. I am SOOO excited about this, yet I don't really know what I'm doing. Aunt Diane has been great at sending me things and telling me what books I need to read to get ready for this adventure. I've had all of the girls in PE or in class, so it'll be nice to go into a group of girls I'm familiar with. I can't wait to get to know them better and to have fun with them and to coach them. I'm sure I'll be on the phone a lot with her, running things past her to see if I'm doing it right. The season is REALLY short-Sept and October- so it'll be here and over before I know it. (At least that's what I'm told...I'll tell you later if it was true!)

We just had a week of inservice which included early mornings, sessions and LONG nights of preparing the classroom. On Thursday my friends and I were there from 8:30am to 11:45pm. Yep. This is why teachers get all summer off. Last night was Back to School Night, which is where all the kids and parents come and meet their teachers. They don't really care to meet the Elementary Spanish teacher, so I was in the middle school orientation for 8th grade history. After it was over, the elementary coordinator tells me that the principal was looking for me. She tells me, "Mr. Jones said that the Spanish room has never looked better than it does now with the and 3 or 4 spanish teachers we've had and the 20+ years that he's been at the school." This is coming from a man who notices NOTHING and if he does notice something, he doesn't really tell you. He is a man of VERY FEW compliments. Maybe one every five years. My jaw would have hit the FLOOR if it was possible. I got the compliment of my life. I was so elated I didn't know what to say back.









Today Erin and I decided we needed on last "Hoorah for Summer" so we went to the pool and read a "fun book". We needed one last relaxing day before our year begins. School starts on Monday. I have no clue what I'm going to say or what I'm going to teach, or what I'm going to wear (ALWAYS important :-). I'm heading in to school now to write lesson plans for the week of History and probably the next month of computer and Spanish.

Prayer requests
Flexibility for teaching the lower grades
Ability to teach 7 different grades
Excitement for American History class
Volleyball
Desiring and keeping a constant walk with Christ

Hyperventilating.....

It hit me.

Today, it hit me hard.

School is starting soon and I'm doing 4 BRAND new things...it's my 3rd first year....there is this sudden urge to go hide under a rock and breathe really really fast.

I feel a panic attack coming on....literally....

Today was full of whirlwind things. I had to move things to my other classroom, where I realized (and was told) that I need to figure out what I'm going to do with all of my "normal" classroom things so I will make room for the Spanish stuff. I have no clue what I'm going to be using during the school year. I might need my left over lion's mane and my Hawaiian hat. At the same time. Who knows! Then I asked when Volleyball started and she told me. The second day of school. I got this panicky look on my face and then was told, don't worry, the season will be over so fast that you won't have time to realize you're overwhelmed.

What a comfort.

It's too late! I'm overwhelmed already. 10 classes of Spanish (2 times a week), 6 classes of computer, and 8th grade History. Where do I even begin??

Tomorrow Erin and I have decided to put the idea of school off ANOTHER day and go for our last fling at the pool. Then a trip to IKEA with the new roommate Wendy and her parents, for some needed furniture and some therapy for Erin and I.

It's so easy to say, Oh yah, I trust that God will give me the strength to do this, sure! It's NOT so easy to actually TRUST and remember that you have chosen to TRUST.

Please Lord. Calm my anxious heart. Help me to breathe.

Another Joy of Living Here

Remember how I told you one of the perks of living in DC were the men in uniform??? Well, I found another one! Last night Nate, Laura, Erin and I headed into the district for "Screen on the Green." During the summer they show movies on the lawn of the Capitol. All I could think of while I was there was the scene in The Wedding Planner, with Jennifer Lopez sitting on the reserved tree branch with Matthew McConaughey, talking about brown M&Ms and how they are best for you because they don't have any food coloring-because chocolate's already brown. The only thing that was missing was the reserved tree, Matthew McConaughey and the brown M&Ms. :-) (By the middle of the movie, Erin and I were really wishing we had that reserved tree....laying on the ground is rough!) Even with those things missing, it was still an amazing time.









So, with the Capitol building shining brightly and standing majestically behind the movie screen, the Washington Monument standing even taller behind us, a Merry Melody cartoon began playing, with that slobbery Sylvester interrupting someone's sleep. After that was over, the most bizarre thing happened....the HBO symbol showed up on the screen, a little song began to play, and people sparatically stood up and started jumping up and down while waving their arms and heads side to side. It was SOOOOO odd!! We didn't know what to do! We looked around at people, making eye contact, and they kept going as if this was a normal thing to do! I still don't understand, but all the regulars seemed to have great ol' time doing the movie dance.






Rachael is in VA!!!!!!!!! I'm going to enjoy some time at her Dad's house, ski-dooing, hanging out etc and then she's coming up here Monday-Wed and then we are going to Baltimore to enjoy that city and take Rach to the airport. I'm going to take Rach to the Screen on the Green so she can enjoy the whole experience.


I might even join in on the movie dance..........

Desire and Discipline

I feel like I'm all mixed up. I feel like the world is spinning, yet I'm standing still...and I'm getting quite dizzy. Nauseous. Confused. Anxious. Unsettled. Restless. Empty. Lonely.

Every summer since I can remember, I've always started to long for structure around the beginning of August. I would talk to myself, saying---Abby, are you dumb? It's summer! Who wants to go to school, come home, do homework, eat, study more, shower and go to bed everyday, in that order! Be free! Enjoy the laziness of summer! Don't worry!

Well, I'm a creature of habit. I'm longing for it. As I'm typing this, I'm yelling at myself. I've had one AMAZING summer and I shouldn't want it to end. I feel so mixed up. I was home in PA for a month and then I was back in VA for 5 days and then I left for church camp where I was a counselor for the Older girls (rising 6th and 7th graders). I got home on Saturday and didn't know what to do with myself. Today was church and spending time with friends. Again, I felt so out of the loop about things that I didn't want to hear one more thing that I missed. I'm leaving for Richmond on Thursday morning to visit Rach at her dad's, where we'll veg, spend time with her family, ride sea doos, and have great conversations--ones that have been on the back burner because we haven't seen each other for a long time. I'm so excited to see her! But it's another addition to my craziness feeling.

Desire without Discipline always results in Disappointment.

Tonight at Frontline, this hit my soul. I feel so mixed up because I have all of these desires, yet no discipline.

Desires
Teach overseas
Spend time in God's word and reawaken and deepen my stagnant relationship with Him
Learn Spanish
Teach overseas
Destroy my debt
Casual, confident conversation and mingling with guys, leading to dating
Prepare for school
Teach overseas
Make my house a home
Destroy my debt

All these things I want, yet I'm doing NOTHING to make it happen. Nothing. How can God even take me serious about teaching overseas when I'm not trying? I need to make my relationship real with Him, I need to grow the desire for evangelism and I need to destroy my debt. I'm not even making one ounce of effort to save. I'm not spending like crazy, but I'm not budgeted.


Disappointment. I think that sums up all those feelings.

Count down to family vacation: 22 hours!!!

Just wanted to let you know that things have gotten better since my last blog. I've enjoyed being LAZY, trying to get back my time that I gave to work all school year. I think I worked 60 hour weeks. Literally. I think I'm entitled to some R & R., don't you??

I traveled with Laurie (AND Tomtom, the most amazing present ever, and to prevent the last entry from happening again----THANKS DAD AND JAY!!!!!) to Naomi and Louis's wedding. It was so amazing. I loved it. Pictures will be coming soon.

So, tomorrow we are leaving (Mom, Dad, Jay, Abby (the sister-in-law, to clear up the confusion), Me, Craig and Ty) to go camping at Ohiopyle State park. We hope to go to Falling Water, white water rafting, canoeing, biking, paintballing, natural water sliding, play some tennis, volleyball, hillbilly golf, boardgames, and MAYBE get some sleep and some fire watching in. Dad is exhausted just listening to the list of things we want to do. We just want to play together. It's been so long since us siblings and parents played. AND we get to smell like campfire. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!

Until July 7....Adios!

Abby and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

On Saturday, I had one of the worst days possible. The image above (created by Ty and me) really sums up my day.
I left Rachel Delp's house at 10:20, which is plenty of time to get to the wedding at 1:00 in Williamsport, 2 hours away. I was doing fine until I missed my exit and had to turn around. No problem. As I was going back south, I saw a sign for a road that I was going to need. So, instead of going back to the exit I was supposed to get off of, I decided that it would be better to get off here, saving time. I kept driving, trying to find 22W. I found S. Carlton street which was supposed to take me to 22W. But, it turned into 320E. I thought that maybe it was a different name for it, until I realized that they are opposite directions and couldn't POSSIBLY be the same thing. That's when I started to panic. Harrisburg is so confusing! I called dad, starting to tear up, asking him for help. I had to call mom because dad wasn't near a computer. I got back on the highway and took the wrong road. Called dad again and Jay and him were on speaker phone, trying to find me on googlemaps. Then I heard Jay say...uh...too far up... it was going to take me 1 hour and 45 mins to get to the wedding. Time: 12:15. AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started bawling. How in the world could this happen??? I was having second thoughts about going to this wedding but decided I needed to go, and now this! Jay and Dad were doing their best to make me feel better, but all I wanted to do was cry and drive home. After hanging up with them, I cried my heart out to God, pleading for direction and speed. I was so mad.

I was coming up to the church and saw the bridal party standing outside on the deck. Yep..... I missed the wedding. The ceremony just ended and I walked into the basement and up the back stairs. No one would know that I missed it! People didn't see me at the ceremony and were asking if I was there. I had to tell them the drama, so my secret was out.

I got to see Nomes, which was GREAT. She's so excited for her wedding in two weeks. I also saw a lot of other people from BBC, but it wasn't as great as I anticipated. I was expecting to be attacked with hugs and compliments on my dress, necklace, etc., but I wasn't. It was a "hey" from most of them. I know that after college, things change and everyone gets into different stages of life, but I hoped that friendships could have endured through that. Yeah, so most of my friends are married. It doesn't mean we can't talk on the phone or have a great time when we are together. It was just a big let down. The newlyweds were BEAUTIFUL, the reception was great and yummy, and their dance was amazing, but the reuniting with old friends wasn't so great. Even though I wished it to be different, I almost half expected it.

I left for home around 5:30, found Rt 80 just fine, and thought I was golden. I could drive Rt 80 home with my eyes closed! BUT, there were 2 torrential downpours while I was driving, causing me to hydroplane a couple of times and fear for my life. THEN, I get a message on the AM station that a section of 80 was closed and I needed to follow a detour. A DETOUR!!! At this point, I thought, what next? A speeding ticket? An accident? A flat tire? Come on, I'm ready for it! It couldn't get worse!

Getting on 79 was priceless, and then seeing the outlets was amazing. I stopped off at MCDs for a McFlurry, something to make me feel better. I got home at 10 and was greeted with big hugs, 6 roses, new carpet and bed in my room and cable on my TV!

So, that's the saga of Saturday. I'm so glad it's over.

Can you hear it?

Listen......can you hear that?? Can you hear it???

It's the sound of summer vacation.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........................

The home stretch!

All the papers are checked. The grades are in. The room looks bare. SCHOOL IS ALMOST OUT!

Today was the last Monday of the school year, and the first day of the last week of school. I didn't really have a last week of school last year. We went on our class trip and then we had musical practice all week, then graduation and done! Today I had my kids turn in their science books. We are studying smoking and the affects it has on a person. It's been pretty cool to see their responses. A lot of kids have relatives that smoke and they are now really worried about them. I'm doing my best to gross them out to keep them away from it.

You know, the good ol' healthy lung/smoker lung comparison and the x ray of someone smoking and how it shows up on the picture. I also showed them pictures of mouth cancer and lung cancer and heart disease...all the things that you are at risk for. It was really interesting to listen to the questions of some of the kids. They were asking questions without saying, "I'm afraid my dad's going to die. What do I do". They were getting good at asking questions in third person.

Do any of you remember the 30 min after school special with all of the cartoon characters (Daffy, Bugs, Alf, Kermit and Miss Piggy, Teenage mutant ninja turtles, the chipmunks, etc) together, telling us not to do drugs? Well.....I found it on google video!!!! Its called Cartoon All stars http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-940551580328756105&hl=en. I warned them that it might be a little funny (seeing that the cartoon people were wearing 80s cartoon clothes) but that the subject was very serious and they needed to be mature and learn. I showed half of it to my kids today and they really want to see the rest. They are so curious about drugs and what things are that their attention is focused. I need to use that to teach them things they need to know. I think that Christian schools and churches in general do a bad job of informing kids with a biblical view of issues. They just hide from them. Kids brought up in strict Christian households grow up believing that sex is a BAD thing and that it is a sin to talk about it. Drugs are not to be talked about, but completely avoided. Forbiddence breeds curiosity and experimentation! (climbing down off of my soap box)


All that to say....just 3 and 1/2 more days of school with my favorite 5th graders. I keep looking forward to a break and a change, but I forget this is my last time with them as my class. It's my last time as a 5th grade teacher (for now!). Wow.

The answer is no. I don't get to show the movie to the class. They say that they want to keep the rule about G movies only a firm rule and since there is a G-rated movie for the book available, then there isn't really a problem.

Yep, my bubble has been busted. The kids complained but I told them that a rule is a rule, and we need to follow it, without complaining. (I better go and change my heart and make sure my mouth stays closed so I follow my own instructions!)

A New Adventure

About 3 weeks ago, I told the principal that if Paul, the Math teacher, didn't leave, then I wanted Ann to teach 5th grade and I would teach Elementary Spanish(k-5) and Middle School Girls' PE. I offered to do Spanish because I love it and I want to get better at it for my future life. About a week later, I was told that, as of right now, I was going to teach 5th grade (without the math class) and 3,4, and 5th grade Spanish. It sounded good when he explained the time needed for teaching and prep. It would be less time to do the Spanish then the math. I said I would have to talk to the Spanish teacher first, but it sounded like it could work. After all, it would be less time. So, I was mentally preparing myself to do a BUTTLOAD of work.

I thank God for the friends he has given me. Erin brought me to my senses when we talked about it. She said, "Abby, don't do it. No way. You'll have 2 Learning Explosions (a themed-week) and Reading Week, and grading and learning 3 new 5th grade subjects, and then 3 new grades of Spanish to teach. You'll burn out. You'll hate it. Tell him no. You're not going to do it. I won't let you."

So, after that verbal beating (just kidding! It was the voice of reason-a voice I'm so grateful for!) I decided I'd write down the reasons why it'd be bad and talk to the principal.

A week later.....


On Friday, I was called to the Principal's office. Yes, it's still scary, even as an adult. The principal tells me that the math teacher is staying. Ann is teaching 5th grade. I am teaching.......elementary PE, (K-5) 6th grade PE (co-ed) and 7-8 grade PE (co-ed). AND 3-5 grade Spanish. I AM A SPECIALS TEACHER!!!

Let me tell you, so many emotions have been running rampant in my heart and so many thoughts have been taking my mind captive these past 4 days. Each day I wake up thinking, man, I'm the PE teacher. I was excited because this means SOOO much less work to take home. Thinking about that at the end of the school year always brings joy. I can wear workout clothes everyday! I won't have to do Learning Explosions or Reading Week or Standardized testing. But, I won't get to have fun with my OWN class of 12-16. I've grown so close to my kids this year. We have inside jokes and they feel so at home in my room. I WILL have a learning explosion-it's called Field Day. The MOTHER of all Learning Explosions. I won't get to teach reading-my passion. I have so many things, so many books in my room that I won't get to use next year. Where am I going to PUT all of my things???? I have the Spanish classroom, but I don't think that will work like I want it to. I got really down about not having my own classroom yesterday. Slight internal funk. Everyone I called to tell about the situation said, awww.....are you okay with this?

This morning, as I was journaling to God, He let me see how good this will be. This will be SOOO good. I view this time here in the states as training for me to get ready for teaching overseas. This is just one more area that I get to be trained in that I will be able to use on the mission field. Who knows what I'll be doing!! Spanish will make me study and get better at the language, which is what I've been longing to do for a long time. I will have created so many games for all ages of kids that I could teach anyone PE in any school. I can use sports as a ministry to get the kids of other countries interested in hearing the gospel. I need to also use this time to get into shape and practice what I preach to my students. I also get to have my 5th graders again!!!

I am enjoying this journey. Each step seems awkward and hard and different and unattainable with my strength, yet God is bigger than me. God is bigger than the Kindergarten PE class that won't listen. Bigger than the Middle school giving me attitude.

God is big and I'm along for the ride. New adventure, here I come!!!!

This blog article has been removed as the writer has reread it and could see some possible things that could upset people and hurt me in the long run. It was a good rant, but it needs to be deleted. :-)

Fears

Possible Root Canal at 3:30.


AGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

17 days of school left....just 17 more days of school....I can do it! I can do it!! (looks at the clock, 11:45pm, Sunday night) I CAN'T DO IT!!!!!

The NEW YMCA

Each year, during Reading week, the teachers make up some crazy thing about reading and do it in front of the kids. They love it, we get paid to dress up like goofballs and dance around! What other job would allow you to do that?? Ann, the other 5th grade teacher, and I wrote the words to the song and the girls and I collaborated ideas about the motions and props, and we created a masterpiece. Erin, Jessica, Amanda and I (the first year "suckers", minus Jessica) did the production called R-E-A-D, to the tune of YMCA. It was amazing. There are no words to describe it. You'll have to see it yourself.

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!

Today...... I got handed my contract. He told me that he can't promise anything, and things might change, but as of now, I will be the 5th grade teacher next year. WOOHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
I have such mixed emotions because I don't want Ann to move. I don't want her to go through that changing and adding of work. She would be moved into middle school to teach math and something else (that's the dangerous part----the unknown. We all sign unassigned or job determined contracts.) I want things to stay like it is now, without the P.E. part. I could do without that. :-) But, they can't. There will be about 13-16 15th graders next year, so there's only one 5th grade. This means I "get" to teach Language and Math and History next year too. yeah. wohoo. I need to work on my heart attitude about that.

I have a ton to do, but I'd thought I'd let you know the great news! Praise the Lord!

Laying it down at His feet.....AGAIN

I don't know when my future will be predictable. I don't know when I'll be able to say, yes I know EXACTLY what I'm doing next school year. I know, many of you out there who have been at their same job for the past 20 years are jealous of my annual job changing. Well, you can have it!

There will only be 1 fifth grade next year. That means that Ann or I will be changing our job. I wasn't okay with that about two months ago, but after laying it down at His feet, I was able to move on and accept the idea of maybe teaching 4th grade. Then I heard that our principal doesn't like to move 1st year teachers. So, that means I might be teaching ALL of 5th grade next year. I've enjoyed the subjects I teach and also have enjoyed the subjects I DON'T have to teach (I enjoy the fact that I don't have to teach them!). Again, after worrying and stressing out and tearing up about the possibility of that, I laid it down again and I was okay.

Over the past week, people have been getting their contracts. People. Not me. I don't know what's going on. Erin reassured me with the thought that he wouldn't just NOT give me a contract without having problems that we've discussed previously. But, anyhow, I don't have my contract. I think he doesn't know what to do with me next year. He doesn't have an answer to the question of, "so, what am I teaching next year?"

I JUST WANT TO KNOW!!! I have picked it back up from before His feet. I have taken it back into my own hands to have me worry about it for a little bit. As if I can figure things out and worrying will help. I know the facts. I know the truth-God knows ALL and sees ALL and knows EXACTLY what will happen. Yet, I pick it back up.

Lord, help me to lay it back down.

Filling in Bubbles

Good morning! This past weekend was SOOOOO beautiful here! On Saturday it was 85 degrees here! I sat in my back "yard" (which is really a fenced in weed pit) and graded papers for 3 hours. It's April 21 and I have my first sunburn!!!! I'm so proud. :-) Saturday night Robin and I went to a game night at McLean Bible Church. It was for the 20s, 30s and 40s of the area to come and play Taboo, Catchphrase, Apples to Apples, etc. Erin wasn't here this weekend, so she sent me forth to scout out the area and make some connections so she could just slip in and not go through the painful and difficult part of meeting new people. Thanks Erin! We met some nice women, a guy nicknamed Thor, God of thunder, and one brave man who dared to join a table full of estrogen to play Catchphrase. I think I was the youngest one there. I didn't really succeed in scouting out the area (aka I didn't really talk to any guys) but there weren't many my age there. This was my first step of "putting myself out there" and it wasn't as successful as I'd wished. Oh well, there's always next time!
This is the week of school that we all dreaded each school year. Filling in bubble after bubble after bubble after bubble after bubble. Taking a small break, a sip of water, a much needed trip to the bathroom, and then it's back to the bubbles. We, as the teachers, have a script that we need to read to make sure that we are making it as standard as possible. It's quite funny. I don't have to really teach this week, so that's nice! NO PE!!!! My days will be filled with going to each hand-raised child saying, sorry, I can't help you with that. Sorry, I can't answer that. You're doing fine, keep going! I'm sorry, I can't tell you what that word means. They know I can't answer questions, yet they will STILL raise their hands. I better wear good shoes!

I just got to talk to Cori on the internet with webcam and skype.....even though it was midnight here, it was worth it.........what a perfect ending to a perfectly beautiful day. Now, I can sleep.

What a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood....

Ahhhh.......flowers are out, the sun is shining and it's supposed to get to 82 degrees here today in sunny Nothern Virginia....

What a beautiful, beautiful day!

Appreciated

Last week was full of little treats for the teachers. Well, some of them were little, others were huge, but all of them were very welcomed (and deserved :-) Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Monday we were blessed with a HUGE breakfast in the teacher's lounge, all donated by the parents. I brought back a plate of food to the classroom, and all of the kids were complaining that I was eating in front of them. One told me that they should have Student Appreciation Day and all of the teachers should bring in food for the kids. I responded with the fact that they are appreciated EVERYDAY and should just be quiet. 2 of my kids had to go to the office to deliver the lunch count, and they came back with, "Ms. Peffer, did you know that there's a BUFFET in the teacher's lounge! There is soooo much food!"

(More on this later...the bell just rang----off to a fieldtrip to the WW2 Memorial and Holacaust Museum, then to lighten the mood, we're bowling! Some of them think they are going to beat me, but they haven't seen the skills of this 4-H trained professional bowler.....)

Spider Man

I just got shot by Spider Man's web. It was a sneak attack this time, but lucky for me, I've had a web dispenser inserted into my wrist and was able to spray him back. Spider Man goes to my school, did you know that? Yep, he attends the 3 year old preschool classroom and enjoys eating snack and reading books with my 5th graders. He has decided to take up fighting off the bad guys in preschool. There is no cutting, pushing or fighting over toys when HE's around. He'll get ya.

Beware.

This is the remains of the Oesterlings house. Please continue to pray for them as they are going back to school today. It'll be a hard day for them, filled with hugs and tears and not a lot of concentration. I love you girls!!

How much we each REALLY have and how much we REALLY don't NEED

Please pray for my friends, the Oesterlings. They were awakened by their smoke alarm at 3am this morning, finding out that their house was on fire. They grabbed what they could and what was important to them (a stuffed animal for Christin :-) and stood outside, watching their house and all of their belongings disappear. They are staying at a fully furnished cabin across the street for the time being.
Dad and I headed out to Giant Eagle this morning @ 8 to get all the things we take for granted-toilet paper, fruit, napkins, lunch meat, soup, paper towels, kleenex, sugar, flour, dinosaur shaped macaroni and cheese, bread, milk etc. I added my own little touch and added goldfish crackers, chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes with a TON of frosting on them, and a bouquet of flowers. They needed a little cheering up and I thought that would do it. Christin, the youngest girl was so excited that I brought PB and J.
They are in good spirits but are teary when loved ones come and visit and when they get hugs (my specialty). No one was hurt and they are surrounded by amazing family and our church family is showering them with love. It just reminded me as to how much I have and how much I don't NEED. We saw God today. The mom usually keeps her purse in the kitchen. Last night, for some reason, she took her purse into the family room. The family room was either very close to the door and they got to it before the fire or there was no fire in that room. They had 2 keys for their car---one key had a melted chip and is useless, and the other key----was in her purse. Their other car was saved too, only losing the dad's truck. I'm sure they'll be filled with more God sightings as they go through this process of rebuilding.

Please pray for them and please, the next time you think you NEED something, just stop and think about people, all over the world, who have nothing. They might not have any earthly possessions left, but with God, faith and their salvation, they will never be without hope or the things that are most important.

Ex-Marching Band Kids

This is for all of my band friends who know this would be them and who find themselves getting in step with those walking beside you. It's okay. We all do it.

Location, Location, Location!

I just got personally introduced to a very very good looking man who was the guest speaker in 2nd Grade for their weather unit. He happens to be a soldier, who was here in a suit, and works with a staff member's husband. I might just have to put in a weather unit in our science curriculum...... :-)

It pays to be where soldiers are..... :-)

Oh the Times are a Changin...

This week our spelling list was of occupations. We had words like manager, pharmacist, physician,etc. Then, we had words like salesclerk and druggist. The kids had no clue what a druggist was and didn't know what the Rx symbol meant. They also thought that they shouldn't be learning the word druggist, being a Christian school and all and drugs being a bad thing. THEN, we come to the word homemaker. No one really knew what that was. I explained, "a homemaker is someone, usually a woman, whose job it is to stay at home and take care of the kids and clean the house and make meals, taking care of the family." These are some of the sentences I got.
"A homemaker stays at home and cooks."
"A homemaker is someone who stays at home and does chores."
"My homemaker is kind and helps me with my homework."
"Back in the old days there were homemakers."

I chose not to include in the definition "your mom!" because A LOT of moms here in DC aren't homemakers. They would have been confused. Obviously, me NOT including mom has also caused confusion. The one sentences makes it sounds like a homemaker is a maid!

I hope to bring you more thoughts of 5th Graders. Stay tuned!

Comments welcomed!

Hey friends! I changed a setting on the computer so that anyone and everyone can comment on postings. FYI.

Spelling Bee

The infamous Spelling Bee. Made famous after Aklia and the Bee made its debut. I really like the movie, by the way. Anyhow, at our school, we do multiple rounds in your classroom and then pick the best two to represent you at the Spelling Bee. Some children are nervous and really want to do well, others could care less and spell words wrong so they don't have to go. Yesterday, we had our schoolwide one. I was puzzled as to how it was run, seeing that we have only 2 5th graders and I didn't think they'd have a spell off in front of everyone for those 2 kids. I could do that in my room. It happened to be that it was K and 1st, then 2nd and 3rd, then 4th and 5th. So, my students were asked 4th grade words yesterday. They had studied the 5th grade words because they are in 5th grade. (duh.) So, they both got out really fast yesterday.
AND TODAY IT JUST GETS WORSE. My Spelling Bee participants come in at the end of the day and announce to the whole class, "you gave us the wrong list to study from. It was last year's words." Whaaatttt..... I got really REALLY frustrated and almost rushed out of my room to reem out the secretary who gave me that wrong list. When she gave me the list I noticed and was told that it was last year's list. I didn't think anything of it because who in their right mind would give the REAL list to students to study from? Apparently the other kids at other schools had the right list. Even some of our middle schoolers had the right list (or so I heard.) I AM SO MAD!!!!!!!!!!! I let them down. I made them study day and night for that spelling bee and it didn't even matter. I led them astray. I want a rematch! Now the blame is pushed to me as to why the kids didn't do well. I know the parents are upset. I'd be upset if I were a parent. Gosh darn it, I'm their teacher! I'm a little more than upset, I'm livid!!!!!!!!


Praise the Lord it's the weekend and I'll have time to cool off.....and enjoy Virginia Beach. :-)

Ahhhh....Middle Schoolers.....

I've been working with the Middle School girls as their P.E. teacher this year. I can't believe I'm doing this. I thought Mrs. Wise and Doc Brown were crazy when making us take Teaching PE, telling us that we may have to use it one day. Us? Elementary Teachers? Use PE? Well, here in Christian school land, they sometimes hire people who aren't necessarily qualified to teach the subject they are teaching. We have a PE teacher also teaching 6th Grade English and we have me, a 5th grade teacher also teaching PE. The REAL PE teacher can't teach my PE class, he's a guy and they are girls.
All that to say, I don't really know all of what I'm doing. Praise the Lord for giving me brothers and for giving me the desire to play recreational sports and to pay attention in gym class throughout my years. It's amazing at how many things I can remember from Gym, the rules to games, and my experiences with those games. I wouldn't EVER consider myself an athlete, but more often than not, I have this longing, deep inside me, to play basketball or to be the first one to volunteer to play volleyball.
What I DON'T know how to do is deal with middle school girls' attitudes. The eye rolling, the talking back, the talking while I'm talking. It's very hard to get a gym quiet with 26 girls in a big open space. I'm really trying to demand respect, but it's hard. It's hard because I care what they think of me. I care that they like me. I know, I know. In the world of teaching, I SHOULDN'T care, but I do. I want them to come to me for advice and to ask questions. I tend to see the wrong actions of one particular person, and call her out on it all the time. She tells me that everyone else was doing the same exact thing. I KNOW she knows better. I know both of her parents fairly well. I know she can do better. AND, when I go about correcting her, I KNOW she knows how to respond. But...she doesn't. How do I go about correcting in love when the attitude I receive in speech is less than honorable? I know the things I say to her now she'll remember. I remember what my teachers said to me. My words are chisels, working to construct a beautiful child of God. It all depends on where I put that chisel and how hard I throw the hammer and if I am going to add to the beauty or destroy God's work of art.

The Weekend in Chesapeake

This past weekend was spent hanging out with "my friend Emily" in Chesapeake, VA. We've lived in the same state for 6 months, so I figured I'd make the 3 hour journey to see her. It was time WELL spent.

The drive was beautiful! I was getting sleepy and searched aimlessly for a Starbucks, but couldn't find one! I thought Starbucks were everywhere! Well, Mr. Starbucks, how about planting some down 95 past Fredricksburg?

I was greeted with big kisses from her two dogs, which by the way, are very cute. They became my pals over the weekend and were very sad to see me go. Seriously, droopy eyes, hanging tail, the works.

On Saturday night we went to church for a gathering, which happened to be a fondue and board game gathering. I was dipping all different things into chocolate. Who knew that pineapple tasted great in chocolate??? We then played a 3 hour game of Phase 10 and gave up because we were getting silly and really bored. Sunday night we went shopping at Kohls. We were there for 3 HOURS! Our buggy was so full we couldn't get through the aisles. I totaled the ticketed prices. $490. I spent $81. Savings=$310. WOOHOOOOOO!

Our morning started very early on Monday, as Emily, her friend Katrina, and I ventured off to a taping of the 700 Club. Yep....you read right. The 700 Club. BUT the reason we were there was because MercyMe was going to be on the show and it was a live taping! So, we got to enjoy good old Pat Robertson and MercyMe!! They only did one song, which was a bummer, but we got to enjoy pictures and autographs afterwards. Em was bummed that she didn't dress as a "groupie" in her MercyMe shirt and get it signed. Maybe next time, Em! Keep looking for those ads in the paper!

I think my favorite time of the WHOLE weekend was when Em and I jammed, like old times. I brought my guitar with me and we spent about 1/2 hour just praising God and singing together. Em was the one who made me fall in love with playing the guitar and we've been singing together for awhile now. Every time we were home from college together, Em and I did special music at church. We would sit in our rooms in Carter's Bottom and just strum and sing our hearts out. We have our favorites--ones we've sang together every time we are together. Ones we've mastered the harmonies on. Your Love is Life to Me by Avalon is our utmost favorite. Best friends shouldn't have to live so far apart or spend so much time away from each other. But, best friends also have the ability to find where they belong in each others' lives, no matter how much things change. Em, Salad Shooter, Aaron---I love you. I love you with all of my heart. Thank you so much.