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.

Content Watch: The Thorn in my Flesh

It's Friday and school is out! I was only at school 3 days this week, seeing that the flu was trying to wake me up and urge me to the bathroom Tuesday morning around 5:15am. I argued with the flu for about 20 mins. I WILL not throw up. I WILL not throw up. I lost that argument and was sick for the next 16 hours. Wednesday was spent recovering, trying to convince my stomach that food was NOT evil and that it was okay to keep things there. I returned to school Thursday, feeling as if I did sit-ups for 2 days straight while missing school. I hurt that bad.

I come back to school to see that the level of filtering on websites has been increased on our computers, which prevented me from using ANYTHING worthwhile for my class. It's SOO frustrating. It has really become the thorn in my flesh. I don't have internet at home, so school is the only place that I can check my email. It won't even let me in to Google or Yahoo. I can't change my settings on this blog because it says there is "Adult/Mature" content on that page and it wants to protect me. WHAT?!??!?!! How in the WORLD is there Adult content on the SETTINGS tab???

Every picture I wanted for my reading chapters, any news websites, any videos for making my classroom "come alive" are blocked! There was even a blocking on the United Streaming Website which the school subscribes to for us to use! It just really makes me frustrated. I know, protecting the kids. I know, I know. We have computer gerus at this school and we haven't figured out that we need to make the kids log in when working on the computer???


Grrrr......

And your name will be written in the Book of Life...

Today, as I look through blurry eyes and as tears roll down my cheeks, I praise the Lord. I praise Him from the highest mountain. HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the Lord GOD Almighty!!!!!! I praise Him for He has given us grace and mercy and love that we don't deserve. I praise Him for the unfairness He lays before us. It is not fair that we get to have salvation. It is unfair that He chose ME to be one of His children. He chose me.

He also chose Alivia, Shardae and Hannah, three girls in my 5th Grade class. I was just bombarded with the news. I came back from my PE class, and Alivia yells to me, "MS. PEFFER, I GOT SAVED!!!!!!" Shock filled my face and I couldn't believe it. I gave her a hug and told her how excited I was. Behind her, Shardae said, SO DID I!! Another hug, another look of amazement. Shardae's a reserved girl, not one to fill me in on news. This was big. Then I hear from somebody else that Hannah got saved too! Everyone was talking about it, telling me the news of what had happened. 3 new children of God. 3 precious young babes in Christ, wanting to proclaim the news.

It wasn't just an invitation at the end of Bible class. They were talking about fears and about Jehosopaht. After Bible was over, the 3 asked Ann if they could talk about it. They voluntarily missed RECESS to talk to Ann about salvation. You know it's real if a 5th grader wants to miss recess to assure their salvation. She kept giving them choices, letting it be their decision, not her pushing. Children love to please and will do what you ask. Even say a prayer for salvation. I feel that these girls are genuine. I can't wait to see the changes He is going to do in their lives over the next 5 months.

Please praise God for their salvation. Please pray that they will flee Satan's temptation. Pray that their homes will be a place they can grow. I don't think any of them have believers as parents. Pray that we will be great guides and help as much as we can. Pray that they will tell people and that they will choose to be baptized next Wednesday in front of the whole elementary school.

Oh Lord, you are so good. Thank you for calling them to You. Thank you. Thank you.

HOORAY!!!!!!!!

SALLY'S HOME! Praise the Lord! It has been a hard road...(haha...road, car... get it?) but I'm on the other side of it now. They only had to fix the first thing and if it doesn't act up again, then I'm home free! Everything's not perfect on it, there is still hesitation when I step on the gas and Jay says I should take it in, but the last thing I want to do is put my car in the garage AGAIN.
I told my kids about the good news and they all clapped and praised God with me. It was priceless. A mom even wrote me an email, telling me that her daughter told her I had a rough day and that she was thinking about me. I found out a couple other parents heard of my distress too.....oh kids...

Life stinks right now. I hate that cars brake down. I hate that dealers think they can charge you a TON of money for their labor. I hate that I don't have money to fix my car. I hate that I haven't been home in a long time because I don't have a car to drive me home. I hate barging in on Erin and being a mooch by staying at her house and eating meals because I don't have a car that can drive me home. I hate that my students saw tears in my eyes.


I love how my students showed so much worry for me. I love how they asked me what was wrong and if I'd been crying (the only way a 5th grader knows how...."why are you crying?") I love how, as a class, they decided they everyone needs to bring money in tomorrow so I can fix my car. I love how Danny told me, "oohhh...I hate to see people cry...".

This stinks. It really really really stinks. Pray that I will fall into a dumpster and find a million dollars. (a suggestion from one of my kids) Oh yuck.

NNNNNNNNoooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What IS it with me and cars??? I hate all the trouble I "get" to have with them. All of the "lessons" and "growth" that I get to experience with my cars. Last night Sally wouldn't start. Yep, just 24 hours before that I picked her up from the garage. Ann drove me home, I had a good cry, called my dad to complain and expected him to be on my side. Nope. God blessed him with the voice of logic. He didn't make me feel better or say that I was right to be upset and to go and tell them off tomorrow. Nope. He said that cars have a lot of things, layers, that one needs to get through to see the real problem. Aghh!! I didn't feel warm and fuzzy after our convo. I guess I need to call someone else when I want pity.
She did start this morning and I drove her over to the garage. Let's pray that THEY have pity on me and find out the problem, fix it, and not charge me too much. Come on warranty, help me again!


On a more positive note....today was the first day of the 3rd quarter. Woohoo! Half way done! Middle School Health is over and we get to have PE for the rest of the year. Today the girls and I had SOOO much fun! It was such a breath of fresh air. Last quarter we had 26 girls in a small room learning about drugs, alcohol and hygiene. Who WOULDN'T rather be playing? I know I would!

I guess I didn't realize how much I enjoyed PE (don't tell the administration!). It was so great to be able to play around with the girls and watch them be kids. I know the teachers aren't supposed to play, but I did. I loved every minute of it. We played Dodgeball, the ever famous PE game. It was fun for the girls because the guys weren't there. They were able to be themselves and show themselves strong, able and confident. We giggled through the whole game. I had them play like I did in elementary school. Once someone catches it, the WHOLE team is back in. The game went back and forth. 2 or 3 were left on one team and the end seemed inevitable. THEN, someone would catch it, the team would RUSH back in, screaming, and it was like we were starting all over again. We played one LONG game of Dodgeball, that ended 45 minutes later with my team finishing off the last girl. The guys joined us at the end, playing girls against guys. It was so much fun. One girl got bashed in the chest by a guy and was so embarrassed (and a little sore) that she was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down her face. Ahh.... what a morning!

Sally's Verdict

The verdict on Sally, my little blue Cavi, is this.....
I WAS right....it WAS the fuel pump! (okay, okay, so the tow truck guy was right :-) I told them awhile ago about trying to accelerating and the car not responding. I really hope that this will solve the last problem with my "new" car. AND, praise God that we, sorry, DAD bought the warranty. The fuel pump is covered under the warranty so instead of paying over $800 for the parts and labor, it's going to be around $200. It won't be ready until tomorrow, so Ann (the other 5th grade teacher) is giving me a ride into school in the morning. I've been camping out at Erin's all weekend and haven't been home since Saturday morning.

Just thought I'd give you an update. I'm not stressing out. I've known that something wasn't right and now it's getting fixed. I don't have to keep driving, wondering when it's going to go bad. It already went bad.

God is good. $200 isn't fun, but it's a lot better than $800.

On another positive note, I'm going to the Georgetown vs Syracuse bball game tonight at the Verizon center in DC. It's on ESPN tonight so check it out! I'll be in orange and blue! (along with the other 1/2 of the stadium)

The Weekend Funk

I love weekends. Teachers LIVE for weekends. EVERYONE lives for weekends. I've noticed today that I get myself into a funk during the weekend. It's the only time I'm able to actually stop and think. Think about life, think about family, think about God, think about me and God and think about all of the things that I wish to be doing. I become so discontent on the weekends. I know that there is such a short amount to do those things and then I spend half the weekend sleeping or reading. The things I want to do just aren't Saturday yearnings, but summer yearnings and life yearnings.

I want to paint my livingroom. I want my house to feel like a home. I want to travel the world---right now. I want to be with all of my friends all at the same time. I want to love the church I'm at. I want to be at home with my family yet at the same time I wish I was at college with Cori and everything there. I want to be in Peru at La Molina, I want to be in China with Cori. I want to be dating, I want to stay single, I want to get married, I want to have kids, I never want to see a kid again because I've been with them all week. All of these things and longings are hitting me at the same exact time.

I want to understand why my aunt and uncle are having such a hard time. How can it be perfect on the day of the wedding and then turn into this? I want to yell at them, hug them, pray for them until I can't pray any longer. I want to fix things. I want to understand. I want to cry.

Imagine having all of these things hit you at the same time. Now I think I see why all I do on the weekends is schoolwork, sleep and lose myself in a book. If I'm reading, I'm not thinking, not getting attacked by all of these longings.

I'm off to go curl up on Erin's trundle bed, get lost in that book and fall asleep praying.

Adventures

My poor little Cavalier is in the shop....poor Sally. She decided she wanted to rest awhile in the parking lot of a shopping plaza last night around 8:30pm. Normally, I would have gotten all frantic, upset and all "doom and gloom." These last 2 years have really changed me in the way I've handled things. Erin was with me and we calmingly called Jessica and asked her to come give us a jump. While waiting for Jess, Erin looks at me, shakes her head and says......what adventures we find ourselves in. It's the story of our lives together.....
When jumping it didn't work, I called AAA and was told that a tow truck would be here in the next 75 minutes. Jess and Erin went to get "comfort food" from Chipotle while I waited for the tow truck. I only had to wait about 10 minutes before I saw the flashing lights of the tow truck, searching for me amongst the hundreds of cars in this lot. He towed it to my mechanic, about 1.4 miles away (PTL because I can get free towing from AAA for the first 3 miles....SO DUMB!). This could have been such a horrible experience, but God was so good.
1. It was only 1.4 miles from my mechanic
2. Erin was with me
3. It was a well-lite safe area with people all around, bathrooms and heated buildings
4. Jess was home and not on a date with her boyfriend, allowing her to come help us
5. This could have happened 2 weeks ago when I was on the way to New Jersey for my friend's wedding, on the side of the road, making me miss the wedding
6. The tow truck was close by
7. It could possibly be my fuel pump, which is covered on my warranty!
8. We have a three day weekend, which allows me to have Monday off, but they don't have off, so I'll be able to get my car.
9. I have amazing friends that are letting me stay at their house so I'll have a ride to church and to go get my car on Monday.

Yeah, it stinks. Who wants their car to not work? But, it could be much worse. Jess said I was being super positive about all of this. Only by the grace of God am I positive, and only by the grace of God that all over the 1-9 from above happened. I have nothing to do with it.

Snow, beautiful snow!

It's so funny, being here in Virginia during the winter months.....

"WOW!!!! It's snowing!!!"

"It's coming down REALLY hard!!!"

"Maybe we'll go home early! Can we go play in it?"

......(10 mins later)

"Look at it now!!!!"

"We better take our Spanish stuff home today because we might not have school tomorrow because of the snow!"


You would think that we were getting about 3 inches an hour by the way the kids were acting. When it was "coming down REALLY hard" it was such fine flakes, hardly visible. The ground is covered and parents are coming to pick up their kids from school. One by one my students will be "dropping like snowflakes". I'll be surprised at the number I'll have left at the end of the day.

In all reality, it has probably snowed about an inch in the last 3 hours. This is hardly snow compared to Western PA and Cleveland. No way would it be grounds for early dismissal there. Heck, we had to almost wreck on the way to school different times because it wasn't snowing in New Wilmington.

It's so beautiful, sticking to the branches, causing us to have a winter wonderland out our window. The sad part is is that it's going to change to rain by the end of the day, taking away all of the "beautifullness." The kids are all hoping for no school tomorrow.

And no matter how ridiculous they sound, how much they are overreacting, or how much I know it won't happen..........deeeeeep down inside, I have this hope that we'll go home early or not have school tomorrow. Hey, once a kid, always a kid!

Creative Writing

Last night for homework my 5th graders (affectionately known as my "kids" from this point on) had to write a very descriptive, almost taste-able paragraph about their favorite meal. Some wrote about mom's macaroni and cheese, food at McDonald's or baked Alaska for dessert. I had a variation of quality of work. This one, that you're about to read, made my jaw drop. His mom worked on it with him, but I believe that these words are his. (I will include the spelling errors, just to let you enjoy my job a little more :-)

My Favorite Food-Pizza by Danny B.
When you first smell the warm, comforting, mouthwatering aroma, it then puts you in a trance and escorts you to ancient italy. Then, I first sink my teeth in the lushes, soft, gooy cheese my mouth goes on a adventure. the dough is partly burnt on the crush, causing a doughy rush of flavor. And, the pepperoni it has a punch in the face of a spicy, tangy, jumpy flavor. Topping it all off is the tomatoe sauce which you don't notice at first because of the soft, white blanket of cheese. Then it rushes upon you like a huge raging waterfall of sauce.


Isn't that amazing?!?!?!? I gave him a standing ovation (a vocabulary word in my classroom-bonus points!) because I was so impressed.

Now, go enjoy your pizza, because I know your mouth is watering.........

Enjoying the Journey

Well...we'll see how this thing goes. I've kind of stopped using Xanga....about 2 years ago....and thought it time that I put some thoughts into words. It will probably be a lot about things that are happening in the classroom, great stories, funny words and just disasters that take place in my day. School is my life, whether I like it or not. And I do like it. If you don't like hearing about school stuff and children, you might want to find something else better to do with your time.

I was in Cleveland, Ohio at a school which doesn't seem to have much hope left. Then, God moved me to VA in August, here to take on 5th graders. THEN, I was "asked" (rather, TOLD) that I was going to be teaching 6-8 grade girls Health and PE. I know. Laugh it up.
Each day brings so many "things". Problems, questions, laughs, warnings, things that we just need to write down.

I hope you'll enjoy the journey with me!