Just when I begin to think I have it all figured out, things change on me. Yet I realize that even that type of thinking is wrong. Is it really changing, or could it be that it's how it was supposed to be all along? I tend to think of things according to how it all works in MY plan, rather than how it plays out according to God's! From that perspective, things are perfect. Always. From mine, they're all messed up. Every season of my life, I seem to learn more and more what it looks like to not only trust God's perfect timing, but to see it as the only way, and to keep from setting in motion my own idea for the timing of things.

Is it any coincidence that these lessons come primarily through my waiting for children? I think not. It seems to me that if, when we have kids, I begin to craft "plans" in my mind for our children, those will be crushed and altered time and time again. I believe God is strengthening us as parents now, though we do not yet have physical children in our home.

Therefore, this can't even be called a "waiting" time. I want to challenge that mindset. Because in my life, I am truly NOT WAITING! That gives the impression that when that time comes, it will be more important that the one I'm in. Yes, we will physically have the joy, honor, responsibility, and weight of a life in our hands, but if I am now simply waiting, I'm not active- and our lives in Christ are all about activity! My life is anything but waiting. Actually, I have 120 7th graders and a slew of faculty that God is calling me to pour my life into and build relationship with. I have a neighborhood with whom I need to be shining light and make myself available to, and I have a church family to lead and link up with to see the city reached for the King.

If you sense some aggression in my tone, that's exactly what I have. I think part of the enemy's tactic can be to get us focused on a "waiting" time, and we begin to fall back on our heels instead of being forward on the balls of our feet. We get comfortable and inward focused, instead of being poised for a sprint, and I want to be ready to jump at whatever the Lord lays before me. And I am determined that will be, and is my stance!

Geez Louise, what a week it's been...here's the quick rundown:

-School: going great, but CRAZY right now. This week I had three midterm tests and a big paper due. Then for the next couple of weeks, I have two more papers and two projects/presentations...so it's been full. But it's amazing how much I am learning. Going back to school has been an incredible experience. I am soaking it in, it's just SO applicable and I know the information is much needed for my abilities as a teacher.

-Job: this has been amazing! I had been subbing at various schools since August. Well, as of Monday, I am teaching 7th grade Language Arts three days a week. They asked me to do all 5 days, but agreed to work with me since I am in school. The situation was one in which their permanent teacher has been out this entire semester, and the interim wasn't going to be able to stay. It's been amazing to see God place me right smack dab in the middle of the situation. It's a lot of weight and responsibility, but my organizational radars are going off like crazy as I get that classroom back in order: both the room itself and the students, plan with the other teachers and LEARN A TON!!!! God's grace is all over it, the students have been incredibly receptive to me and it's just awesome!

-In Vitro: As everyone knows, we have had a slight delay, because I had surgery about three weeks ago (it seems like much longer than that) to take care of some polyps. That kind of delayed things...in order for my body to heal. We are still set to go, and anxiously awaiting, but at this point, it's basically up to when my body gets ready! (I'm sparing you the major details!) The downside is that we could run into the issue of the office being closed for Christmas. The whole thing is very exact and very timed, so there is a chance I am going to have to wait until January now. The circumstances are completely out of our control, but I know entirely under God's, so I am fully at peace with this and awaiting whatever He reveals as the perfect timing.

-Church/Friends: Jordan and I are just LOVING living in Spring Hill. I mean, we've been here almost three full years now, and working in the city even longer than that. There are connections and relationships popping up ALL OVER THE PLACE! We are having a chili cook off on Sunday evening for the neighborhood, and we've had a great response so far. It is just so on our hearts to connect people, not just with us, but with each other, and watch God work as people learn to live in community.

Okay, I'm signing off...need to study for my advanced grammar midterm before I head off to class this morning. Blessings!

I am up WAY too late. I can't figure out if it's because I'm more relaxed since I'm on "break" right now, or if it's because since I am on break, I try to fit way more things into a day than are humanly possible. And even though it's well past the time I should be awake, I am determined to see at least 80% of them accomplished.

You always have to take into consideration the things that come up out of the blue, too!

Jordan and I relaxed this morning, ran some errands, ate lunch at Costco...don't hate- appreciate! It was great! *smile*

We came home to do some housework-you know, the kind that you put off and off and off because it's tedious, time consuming, and you really don't see the results! Jordan mowed the yard while I worked on small paint touch ups. I also did things like meticulous cleaning of the blinds, and wiping baseboards. Don't you wish you were me today?!

I got some grocery shopping done. I really made use of some great coupons. Walgreens had extra virgin olive oil on sale for $3.50 for 17 oz, and I had two .50 off coupons, so I got two good sized bottles of olive oil for $3 a piece, among other things. At Kroger, I found two pumpkins for $3.49 (AWESOME!) and 2 bags of Starbuck's Espresso, already 30% off, plus my $1 off coupon, AND each bag is good for a free cup of coffee at Starbucks. Not a bad deal, if I do say so myself. I also snagged some "manager's special" steak for our dinner, and it was tasty! I grilled it, made some salad and sweet potato oven-fries for a yummy meal.

For the first time since we've been married, I carved a pumpkin! I did a VERY basic design; actually, I don't know if you can really call it that. I will hopefully add more soon, but for now, the pumpkin boldly welcomes all to our home:



And then certainly last but never least, poor Jordan had to spend his evening after mowing, working diligently on the putrid-smelling dishwasher. A couple of days ago it shut off mid-cycle, and was obviously stopped up. I got as much water out as I could, and washed all of the dishes in there, then left it for my wonderful husband to deal with.

He worked VERY hard and thanks to him, we currently have a working dishwasher. I am very thankful, because it was neither a pleasant nor a fun job.



Okay, there ya have it! I am going to ignore every fiber of my being telling me to clean each last inch of that kitchen before I go to bed; I will use my better judgement and get some sleep before it gets early rather than late. Hopefully, you are all sleeping soundly and will read this tomorrow.

Sweet dreams!

My blog has been incredibly boring lately, hasn't it?! So sorry! So little of my time is spent on computers now, unless it's typing a paper for one of my classes, that I just don't find that I can make the time to do much updating. It's funny checking my email once per day instead of several times throughout the day. Things change when you're not at a desk job.

I am just LOVING this season of life! It sure is different, but it's amazing! Teaching, even if it is just substituting, is absolutely incredible! I get to be with everyone from 1st graders (like yesterday) to high school seniors, (like tomorrow.) I am learning so much, too, from all of the amazing teachers in Williamson County, and believe me, there are some great ones! There is no doubt in my mind that this is what God is calling me to do in this time in my life. I'm excited and interested to see how He plays it out over the next few years.

School is going well, too. It's certainly full, but I find that I am able to manage my classes and the workload well. It sure doesn't hurt that English, things like grammar and literature analysis, come easy to me, and of course that I enjoy such subjects immensely! I'm very glad God directed me into this subject field. It's perfect! I'm basically a the mid-term mark of my semester. Wild! But, soon I will be registering for classes next semester. I am praying for (1) the financial provision for my next term and (2) my schedule to be right. Because I try to schedule all on Tuesday/Thursday and these are upper division classes, there aren't many of them...so it's crucial I get into the ones I am trying to.

And of course, on the "baby" front, I'm back in the waiting stage. Sometimes it feels like I will never escape this stage of the journey, although I know that's not true. To tell you the truth, some days are better than others- I think we can all feel that way sometimes. And there are certainly so many more who have had to wait, without hope, for much longer than I. God continues to encourage me and Jordan, and we are so thankful that He has revealed what He has to get us this far. I will, of course, update more when I know more, but for now, I am just trusting in His timing.

And I know most of you know, but some may not, that a few weeks ago, Jordan was instated as the congregational pastor at our church: New Song Spring Hill. He is doing an incredible job and we are both learning how to be more and more led by the Holy Spirit, and cover the people in our congregation well! It's a big job, but the grace of the Lord is everywhere, and for that, I am so thankful!!

Fall has fully set in here in Tennessee and it's just beautiful. I was walking to my car from my last class today, wearing my Uggs and a scarf and watching a few golden colored leaves lightly flutter down in the breeze. I just took a deep breath and smiled, enjoying the crisp, cool air! I love the fall! I love the feeling where you want to be outside for a bit, and get that slight sting of cool on your nose, then curl up inside with a bowl of chili or a blanket. Seasons are such a beautiful gift from God.

Well, I must finish up, I am off to a meeting in a minute, and then early to bed, because high school starts early, early, early! Have a blessed evening and weekend!

Well I am doing well! Surgery went fine, I recovered...pushed it a little too much but then caught up on my rest later on. So, now we're just waiting....back at square 1 with IVF....I guess not completely square 1....that happened a while ago, but square 1 for the treatments. Which is fine, since we're still on track to do it! For that, I am thankful.

Other than that, we had a full week. I had classes, work, meetings, and fun times with family and friends. Last night we celebrated Independence High School's homecoming, and Meagan Fernandez who was part of the Homecoming Court. Jeannie Wherley and a couple of the U-turn girls made shirts, and they were nice enough to make me one! How fun is that?!?



How fun is that? Independence won, 31-28 and it was a good game. Afterwards, Jordan and I came home and watched "While You were Sleeping." That really is an incredible movie! Great morals, great story, funny and so sweet. It's a few years old, but totally worth it!

Today we enjoyed celebrating with our friends Paul and Alison Hillenbrand at their baby shower. They are expecting their first, a little boy in December and we are all SO excited! Next week they're moving into a brand new house in Spring Hill, just right down the road from us! We had a great time, and I wish I had taken pictures, but I was busy taking them with Rachel's camera, so I didn't get any. Oh well!

Well, I must be gone...LOTS of homework to do, and this day, as relaxing and great as it has been, has FLOWN by!!! Must be working!

Quick update...I was scheduled to start my new medication yesterday, but in my IVF appointment on Thursday, during the ultrasound, they found a small spot on my uterus that needs to be removed. It's not a big deal...except that it could prevent an embryo from implanting, which is obviously very important in IVF. So, I am going in for a minor surgery tomorrow morning. I haven't been able to eat anything but clear liquids today, so I've had like 6 cups of tea, 2 cups of chicken broth, lots of water, and 3 jello cups! :-) I'll post later in the week to let everyone know how the surgery went, but please be praying that it's just a minor blood clot, and that we can continue on the timing of this IVF cycle. God is so faithful, and I know that more than anything else!! His timing is perfect!