Today was special. Buirlen and I got up, got ready and went on a field trip. Every spring since I started teaching at Heartland, I have taken my class on a field trip to the Williams family farm. Baby goats and 40 acres have proved to be a hit time and again. Though I am done teaching now, I still wanted to do one last trip with my class. Looking back, this is what I wrote about that first field trip.
I love being an elementary school teacher and the other day, I had the opportunity to take my class on a field trip to the Williams' farm. As I drove up the lane I thought about the first time I ever made that drive. It was before I knew that I would move to this wonderful town, before I was a teacher, it was the day I met my husband. It's crazy to think about, because that day, almost 4 years ago, I would never have guessed that I would be making this trip now, With a new name and a classroom of kids in tow. As I make this trip I wonder what I will think in 4 more years or 10 or 20. What changes await in the future? What adventures?
And today, as I drove up that lane, life is different once again. Since that first field trip, Luke and I have become home owners and parents. I've had that new name for almost 6 years now and have learned a lot. So now the question remains, what will be new in 4 more years or 10 or 20? What changes await in the future? What adventures?
Happy Friday!
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” ~Heraclitus
Today was the end of something beautiful. I turned in my key and walked out of school for the last official time. I've been feeling the bittersweetness of this day as it drew near, but I didn't realize it would hit me quite as hard as it did. This was my fourth year at Heartland Christian Academy and they were amazing years. I learned so much working there and have been truly blessed to be Mrs. Williams the 3rd and 4th grade teacher. I've grown and learned, been taught lessons and laughed. I've been frustrated and overjoyed and I am so thankful for all of it.
I got hired for the job a week before school started back in 2013. I was thrown into it and started learning right away. I've never enjoyed a job quite as much as I did working there. I was beyond blessed by the women I worked with and created some very strong friendships. God is so very good!
And now comes my next job, being a mom. A job that I have dreamed about and waited for. It is going to be so good. Adventures Ahead!
The week before I started at Heartland, getting my room in order.(Photo credits to the Lovely Keren Ruth)
It's a good place and I look forward to stopping in throughout the rest of the year for things like science fair!
Saying goodbye to my classroom today.
This morning at assembly, they had me come up so they could pray for me and give me this lovely painting. It's the fingerprints of everyone at school. Pretty sweet!
And now Baby Williams, please feel free to make your appearance(My due date is Friday). I can't wait to meet you!
"Every story has an end, but in life, every end is a new beginning." ~Unknown
Sunday evening is here and we are at the beginning of a new week. Life is good and beauty abounds. We have been having some of the most ridiculous February weather. It has been in the 40's and 50's. It is so warm and when that is coupled with sunshine, it just doesn't get much better. On Friday, I took the kids out and we enjoyed the sunshine. They had to wear snow pants and boots due to the mounds of melting snow, but other than that we were in shirt sleeves and sweatshirts.
It's also getting lighter in the mornings, to the point that the sun is pretty much up by the time I get to school in the morning and I'm starting to hear birds singing. There is something about those first sounds of bird song in the late winter that always fill me with joy and peace. I am the first person to get to school in the mornings, and I will often get out of my car, stop, and just listen to the sweet sound. It makes me smile.
Speaking of school, things are starting to get real around here. My sub starts this week, I will be working with her for about a week before I am done(unless Baby Williams decides to come earlier than his due date, which is less than 2 weeks away!!!!) It is a little bittersweet. I am so excited about becoming a mom and all that but I also know that I am going to miss to Heartland Christian Academy and teaching. It has been a truly amazing blessing to work there. I think God pretty much tailor made that job for me. I was just out of college and starting to think that I wouldn't find a job that year when I got called for a interview a week before school started. I have had such a wonderful time gathering stories, creating memories, laughing over the things students say and do, and building friendships.
But like I said, Baby Williams is due in less than 2 weeks and the excitement is mounting. I have been thinking about how waiting for a baby is unlike waiting for anything else because the date you are counting down to is really just a rough estimate. Who knows when he will decide to show his face. I can hardly wait. I've decided that elephants must be his thing because he already has three of them as well as a couple blankets with elephants on them. I'm good with that.
I have discovered that making double thick receiving blankets is a rather quick and easy project, plus they are fun to personalize with some embroidery. I started this one yesterday.
And then there is music. I don't know about you, but music has a way of imprinting in my brain in a very strong way. I associate times in my life with the different songs that I was listening to at the time. Also, when I find a song I like, I tend to listen to it on repeat(sometimes to the chagrin of the people around me). One artist that I particularly like is Owl City. I was first introduced to it by My Love before we even started dating. In some ways, I would say that we fell in love to a sound track of Owl City, and it continues to be music that is able to take me to my happy place. I bring this up, because today the Lovely Keren Ruth sent me a text to let me know about a new Owl City song she had discovered, it has been on repeat around here this evening. Go ahead and enjoy!
As for things I've been learning lately. In my journey of changing my perspective and finding Jesus in a new way, I'm coming to the realization that I simply cannot listen to the voice of worry that so often pops up in my head. It seems like this should be common sense, and believe me, my husband has told me this on many occasions, but I am silly and sometimes I need to come to realizations on my own in order for them to stick. I just can't give that voice the time of day, no matter how persistent it is. Also, I need to be extra vigilant to guard my thoughts when I am tired. Because when I am tired, I am completely irrational and loose my line of defense against fear.
Another thing I realized the other day(Though My Love has tried to get me to see this before) is that I simply have got to stop looking backwards. I get so caught up in the past, in whether I should or should not have done something that I trip myself up in my forward motion. It's like I try to move forward by walking backwards. Sure I may make it a few steps, but inevitably, I run into something or fall over. If I am going to move forward, then that is where my eyes have to be.
Well, that about sums it up for now. May the week ahead of you be as lovely as the weather around here as been. Keep your eyes forward and remember that The One who created music is writing the soundtrack of your life and it's a beautiful thing! Happy Sunday.
"Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life." ~Omar Khayyam
It was Beach Week at school this past week. This week tends to be one of my favorite out of the school year. It allows my inner Miss Frizzle to shine. Some of the days included:
Wacky Wednesday. I was struggling to think of what to wear and so Luke googled ideas for me and this is what the results were. I just so happened to have a shirt that was the perfect color for Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. I think this was my favorite outfit of the week.
Hawaii Day. I will say, I don't like to be cold so I went for the layered tropical look.
Crazy Hair Day. I brought back the 80's
Class Color Day. My room had yellow. Wearing a tie with your apron is the classy way to go.
Friday was the end of quarter reward so we took the kids skiing at Buena Vista. This was the first year that I didn't get to ski with them, but it was enjoyable day regardless.
Then Yesterday, the Lovely Keren Ruth and Benjamin were taking pictures for a wedding, so Mr. Ephraim and I got to hang out together. He helped me with my house cleaning. He is one happy camper and laid back little dude.
We started by cleaning the bathrooms, he did the sweeping.
Then we vacuumed.
And he decided to organize my cupboards even though that wasn't on the list for the day.
All that work makes a body hungry.
On to other things, the Lovely Keren Ruth and I have taken pictures together in the same spot at Church ever since Luke and I got married. Some how that just became the place where we would take a picture when we had a color contest, showed up matching, or just needed a photo. We hadn't taken one recently, so today we made it happen. Keren pointed out the other day, the fact that we are truly spectacular posers. What can I say!
Mara used our spot today as well.
And then there is this crazy story, and it makes me smile. This is my friend Katy. A couple years ago, her husband Andrew got a job up here. He showed up at Church one Wednesday night that Luke and I had stayed home. I got a text from Bonnie telling me that a family member of mine had visited Church. I asked her the name and it didn't ring a bell. But she said that he was somehow related to my Grandpa and Grandma Shearer, so I texted my Dad. It turns out he was my second cousin, meaning we share great grandparents. His wife Katy grew up in my grandparents Church and I remember her from VBS when I was quite little. Our parents all know each other and our grandparents are all friends, It's a small world out there. In these past two years they have become really good friends and we feel blessed to have them around. It just so happens that Katy is expecting their third baby and is due 1 day after me. So, these babies are 3rd cousins.
May the rest of your Sunday be delightful and your week ahead a grand one!
"Look at the beautiful world around you." ~Unknown
I spent today in my classroom cutting out locker tags, laminating things, and getting bulletin boards ready for the new school year. Tomorrow is the 1st day of my 4th year and that is just crazy. I'm looking forward to it.
This weekend was lovely. Friday evening, we hit the road, heading south to visit my grandparents. My Grandpa and Grandma Shearer gave us their piano and so we made the drive in Roscoe, our trusty truck, to pick it up. I am excited about having a real piano, not just a key board in the house. Thankfully, my Uncle Rod showed up and was able to help get the piano moved. It went a lot smoother than I had anticipated.
Strapping the piano in. We then proceeded to drive around the rest of the weekend with this as well as a bunch of other stuff strapped in the back. We were cool looking!
While we were there we also had a picnic at the Oasis with my Aunt Ramona and Uncle Dan, it was fun seeing them.
On Sunday we headed to Rochester for a quick visit with my family and then my lovely friend Polly got married on Monday. It was the most unique wedding due to the fact that during the outdoor ceremony we could hear the thunder rumbling and the clouds rolling in. And then the skies opened up and a torrential downpour ensued with monsoon winds and it didn't let up. The party carried on in groups in the barn and garage and front porch. All together it was an unforgettable wedding. I am so happy for Polly and Isaac.
We caravanned home with the Lovely Keren Ruth, Benjamin, and Mr. Ephraim. That was rather fun and we stopped in Saint Cloud for pizza. So, a good weekend was had, and now 15 students are ready and waiting for school to start tomorrow. That is almost double the class size I had last year. Adventures!
Oh and last week, Baby Williams decided to make an appearance in the form of a baby bump. If you didn't know before it's pretty obvious now!
Happy Tuesday.
"Enjoy the little things in life because one day you will look back and realize they were the big things." ~Unknown
This week in school, we read about how God stopped the waters of the Jordan River so that the people of Israel could walk across into the Promised Land. As they were crossing, God asked them to gather 12 stones from the river bed and set them up as a memorial. A reminder of what He had done for them (Joshua 4). This is not the only story in the Bible where we see people setting up a rock or rocks as some sort of reminder. Another example can be seen in 1 Samuel 7:12 "Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the LORD has helped us.'"
I have been different places in the past where they have you write something important on a stone as a reminder, and I decided that it would be fun if we set up a classroom, memorial, stone, pile of our own. So, this morning we headed outside in search of rocks. I wanted them to write something important they had learned over the year, something they wanted to remember. We went over ideas of what that would look like and then they had some time to think.
They came up with some good things to remember! Here are some of them.
Don't be afraid.
Don't worry.
Think good thoughts.
Trust myself.
Don't give up.
Memorize Scripture.
These are all things that I need to be reminded of constantly in my own life as well. In fact, I find that a lot of time, the lessons that I most often go over with my students are ones I am working on learning myself.
So, our windowsill museum has grown once again. I do like our collection!
"You can't be too careful what you tell a child because you never know what he will take hold of and spend the rest of his life remembering you by." ~Frederick Buechner
Today during science class, we were reviewing what we had learned so far about the moon. We were going over the first moon landing and how it happened 20 years before I was born, when one of my students raised his hand and with a cheeky grin said, "So, when the dinosaurs were here." Funny boy. We had a good laugh.
It was snowing earlier. Oh April, I thought you brought us showers! Any way, what else is there to do but bake a cake with fluffy frosting.
So may your snowy April eve be delightful. Dinosaurs, cake, snow and whatever else it may hold.
"April is a promise that May is bound to keep." ~Hal Borland
Sunday night is winding to a close and what a good weekend it has been! The weather was simply delicious. Sunshine and warm breezes plus mud and grey skies...March.
This windowsill in my classroom has become a display area for cool things. It started with a fungi that one of my students brought in my first year. This year it has grown. I think it's fun.
At Thanksgiving, Luke helped me make The Mayflower. We made enough pieces so that each of my students could build their own. And the Mayflower wouldn't be complete without Plymouth Rock.
A couple of my students got the Statue of Liberty for me. The rock and shark tooth are on loan to the display by one of my third graders.
Luke had this turtle shell and alligator head in his bedroom at his parents house. I decided they would be fun at school. One of the boys cleverly decided to create a new creature. The alliturtle.
On Thursday I stopped at the library and picked up the first book in the Hunger Games series. Multiple people had told me what a good read they are. They were right. We ordered pizza for supper and I read almost half the book before bed. I finished it up on Friday night. I read the second one yesterday and this afternoon and am just starting the third. Nothing quite like a weekend of being absorbed in a book(or books)!
Yesterday Luke's home improvement project was to remove one of the old chimneys. So for awhile there was a gaping hold in the roof. Thank goodness for sunshine.
This afternoon we headed out to the Williams' Farm for a relaxing afternoon. Luke decided to head up to the house through the pasture. A perfect day for a little off roading.
An then there is this cutie pie. A pianist in the making(photo credits to Katy Murray)
"The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also." ~Harriet Anne Jacobs
Yesterday at school, I made a disgusting albeit hilarious discovery. One day I had notice that one of my students seemed to have horrendous taco breath. When I sat next to her desk I could hardly stand it. It would be one thing if this happened just once, but I noticed it again a day or so later. It was nasty. Then, yesterday the kids were at recess and I was picking up around my classroom when I noticed the taco aura next to her desk. This made me think so I opened her desk and took a whiff. Something horrible was brewing in there. I called her in and told her she had something stinky in her desk and asked her to please check and get whatever it was out. She promptly pulled out a ziplock bag with a chunk of food in it. It was a half eaten piece of Falafel that I had take to school almost 2 weeks earlier for the kids to taste while we were learning about the Middle East. For some reason she had decided to save it and it had gotten forgotten in her desk. I'm really not sure how she stood the smell, because it was totally grossing me out.
So there you have it. A lesson on the fact that you should never assume. What you might think is taco breath may indeed be some left over surprise hidden in a desk. Happy Saturday.
"There are a lot of funny things that happen in ones life." ~Pierce Brosnan
Yesterday at work we were getting some maintenance done. Unfortunately there was a mishap and our water was cut for awhile. The secretary came up and informed me that there was no water which meant there was no bathrooms...In a school....With lots of kids. Adventures. They did eventually tell us we could use them just with no flushing capabilities. They managed to get it fixed by recess which was good, but I thought it rather funny when I overheard one of my students getting very resourceful. They were getting their snacks and must have been talking about being thirsty because one of my third graders piped up that they could just drink their spit. So there you go, in a "crisis' situation when you find yourselves without proper hydration, you can just drink your spit.
Today we had a field trip to the skiing hills. It was fun and beautiful. I like driving a mini van full of students around. I love ridding the lifts and looking out over the glistening white slopes and the blue sky. I like coming home to relax and share a pizza with my love.
Happy Friday!
"Adventure is worthwhile in itself." ~Amelia Earhart
So, this past week at school was Beach Week. And really, that puts me in my element. I mean come on, a weird and wonderful theme every day. I wore my wacky Wednesday outfit to church Wednesday night and a friend mentioned that I didn't look all that different from my norm. Success!
Crazy Hair Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday, and Stripe Friday. (Thursday was sports day. A theme that I actually don't have much to go on. I wore a shirt with a football on it.)
May your Saturday be filled with beautiful moments, peace in your souls, and joy in your hearts. And perhaps a touch of Wacky.
"Sometimes I pretend to be normal. But it gets boring, so I go back to being me." ~Unknown
