If you live in Tennessee, then you are experiencing exactly the same thing as me. If you don't, then you may not have had the pleasure of the wonderful 4-6 inches of snow, plus the thick layer of "wintry mix," (code for ICE) that we received yesterday and this morning. It's pretty amazing...or not amazing, depending on how you look at it. Most people I know think it's pretty amazing! Of course school got cancelled yesterday, and rightly so, so yesterday was a nice and restful day off for those of us educators. Actually, most people I know ended up getting home early from work, no matter where they work. I got a couple of errands run in the morning before the snow started, and the rest of the day was spent totally relaxing! I wasn't feeling well yesterday- came down with a silly head-cold, so I blew my nose a lot, made taco soup and guacamole, and we watched "Hoosiers."

Today, I feel much more "clear," and am thoroughly enjoying day #2 of being "snowed in." I am taking advantage of not being able to leave my house by doing all of the housework things that typically have to be CRAMMED in: things like cooking, clothes washing, cleaning, organizing, etc. I decided to go ahead and plan this week's meals and cook as much ahead of time as possible. So, here's what I planned for our week:

Sat. night: BBQ chicken pizza

Sun. lunch: Thai chicken and veggies w/peanut sauce/edamame

Mon: Ham & potato soup/Arugula salad

Tues: Baked cajun tilapia/rice and veggies/homemade bread

Wed: Baked chicken/ haricot verts/spicy black eyed peas

Thurs: Low-fat ckn alfredo/haricot verts/homemade bread

So, here's what I have made for the week

- 4 rounds of whole wheat pizza dough, 2 that have become pizzas: 1 to eat tonight and 1 to freeze (yes, you can make your own healthy frozen pizzas! The other 2 doughs will be frozen for later pizzas- we LOVE homemade pizza) :-)

- Tomorrow's lunch: peanut sauce, brown rice, chicken and veggies (will combine all tomorrow)

- Ham & potato soup

- Rice & veggies

- Haricot verts (cooked and flash frozen, ready to be reheated)

- Spicy black eyed peas w/red bell pepper and jalepeno-mmmm!

- Alfredo sauce and chicken (frozen and ready to be heated)

- Homemade loaf of 4 seed whole wheat bread (this is actually still baking-it's smelling great!)

It's basically my own version of what you do at the places like "Super Suppers." The idea is to prep everything so that during the week you can simply thaw, or heat up things you have already made. I LOVE it because I love to cook, and I make pretty much everything we eat from scratch, so having the time during the week is challenging, and this is much better option.

Next on the agenda: grading Direct objects and predicate nominatives quizzes!! Yay!

Have an awesome day, whatever you are doing!!!

One of the funny things about being a teacher has been to learn how teachers think and act about certain things that you never realize as students. (Or maybe you do) Some of those are snow days. Around Page Middle School, everyone's been freaking out because the forecast has been calling for 1-3 inches today or tonight, and in Williamson County, that means no school for a minimum of 1 day! I grew up here, so I know how quickly they call it off. Even though we just started back Monday from Christmas Break, the students were SO excited. But that's just the students...I personally think I saw more begging and pleading from the teachers than I did the students. It was funny.

Yesterday at school, me and the math teacher on our team decided we were just going to act like we were definitely having school, so all day we were telling the students we couldn't wait to see them tomorrow, and "don't be made if you're here tomorrow;" basically stuff like that :-) One of the teachers who was holding out for snow big time, and not shy to say it, ran around outside the building during the last class of the day putting snow flakes on our windows that read "believe." Pretty funny stuff!

So last night around 6:30pm I got a call on my phone that school had been cancelled for today. Pretty funny stuff, considering not one flake had fallen, or has fallen to this point. Yesterday the radars had been showing that we would get snowfall in the middle of the school day, and I'm sure the superintendent felt he would rather take his chances in cancelling then deal with the circus of an early dismissal at all the schools. It's pretty hilarious now though because it looks like we're not going to get much of anything. :-) I personally will enjoy the day off, but am a little more concerned about getting the work done that we need to. So all in all, I am sure the kids will enjoy their day off, but I think they'd like it more if they had snow to play with. Oh well! I certainly enjoyed the sleeping in. I mean, I am sitting here typing this in my pajamas when I would have been teaching paraphrasing and summarizing right now. :-) Have a great day!

Hello, world! Are you still with me? I'm here, I'm here, I promise! :-) "I'm not dead yet." (cue British accent in Monty Python movie) Sorry, I'm kind of out of it here. It's 7:00 on Friday night and I am deep in the throes of a precis on "A Good Man is Hard to Find," my third paper of the semester on this particular short story. But I love it, which is why I chose it for my 3rd and 4th papers in this class. On the agenda for tomorrow is a paper on John Keats' "The Eve of St. Agnes." Ahhh.....I love literature! But my purpose in composing this post is not to bore you with details of my end of semester finals and papers, but to announce that I am now a FULL TIME ENGLISH TEACHER!

After some time of deliberating before the Lord and praying and dialoguing with my husband, we made the determination to accept the job offered me by Page Middle School as a 7th grade English teacher for the 2nd semester, which goes from January through May. Most of you know, if not directly, at least from reading this blog, that I have been working Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the school already, but a couple of weeks ago, we found out that the permanent teacher would be unable to return for the duration of the year, and I was subsequently offered the job. I apologize if you are finding out about this directly from my blog, but I know most of you knew that this was an option and that I was considering it. Anyway, it is just a ridiculously crazy thing that the Lord has opened up and orchestrated and I'm super excited and scared to death all at the same time!

Anyway, I'm sure I will have more to post in the future, but I wanted to let everyone know what was going on. AND....in more AMAZING news, I will probably get to start my IVF meds again within the next week. YAYAYAYA! I am super pumped for that!

Oh my gosh- I love teaching!!! I love it! These students already have such a special place in my heart, and I have such a burden for them...to see them learn, to see them connected- I spent my whole planning and focus (study hall) blocks today having "mini conferences" with kids who are behind...going over things with them, helping them, catching them up, etc, and I am really looking forward to the improvement I know I am going to see in them by the end of December. I can't believe it's already been 2 weeks and I only have 5 and 1/2 left! Seems so short. Time flies during the day. I was there for over 10 hours today and it felt like 2! Unreal how quickly it goes by. But, there comes a point where you have to realize, "I will not get it finished today" and be able to move on....

.....on to William Blake, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Jonathan Swift that is. I am currently taking a "brain break" from studying for my British Lit midterm tomorrow. I am SO excited to get past tomorrow in the world of MY studies. Recently, I've had 3 midterms, not counting the one tomorrow, a paper on Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find" (which is kick butt awesome, by the way! The story, not the paper) a paper on the political & social satire contained in Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" and still to be turned in, a paper on American dialects, particularly Creole and Cajun, which I chose to do. And all within 2 weeks. It has been CRAZY lately, and I have been forced to do things last minute that I NEVER do. I am totally one of those work- ahead, prepare for the future type students. I do NOT procrastinate, but lately, especially adding the teaching, I have found that there simply IS NOT TIME. And I don't mean that I am putting it off....I mean- IT'S NOT THERE!!!! So, I have to pray, ask the Holy Spirit to guide me, and prioritize according to how He's leading me. We shall see how it turns out for grades, but I certainly feel like I'm learning things: abundantly!

So, there's your update. Okay, back to Wordsworth and his ever changing self. (He went through four major stages in his life and writings, if you didn't know....)

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!

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!

Substitute Teaching

This week has been incredible! Monday, I began what will be my "job" this year, although it feels nothing like that. I am now a substitute teacher for Williamson County Schools. Jordan and I have felt since last December that the Lord was calling me to be a teacher, and the next 6-7 months were spent really praying, checking things out and determining exactly what that looked like. I determined that high school English is the route I need to go, and will be starting classes at MTSU in less than two weeks to get my licensing to do just that. Class will be two days per week, and I was able to get hired by WCS to substitute; this was the first week I was available to do so. As the year progresses, I would love to be able to work solely in middle and high schools, but I am enjoying the days I am in elementary as well. Gives me a good idea of what to expect if in a few years Jordan and I send our kids that route.

So this week, I have subbed as a Special Education teacher in an elementary, a P.E. teacher in an elementary and a P.E. teacher in a middle school. I have 7th and 8th grade on the horizon, as well as high school choir, but most of the time I will know the day of or maybe the day before. It's very exciting and I am loving every moment of it. It took me all of about an hour of being in the school on Monday to know that this is EXACTLY what I am supposed to be doing. It was an incredible feeling. It makes me so anxious to get out there and teach right NOW, but I know that, too, is a process the Lord is taking me on.

And then in other news, for those of you that I may not have emailed directly, Jordan had surgery on Wednesday this week, which jumpstarted our In Vitro Fertilization process. I will technically be getting into my cycle probably next week. HERE is a sample calendar of what a "cycle" means, although mine will include 12-21 days of birth control pills prior to starting what this calendar shows. I will be posting a little bit on here about it, but may not share everything so feel free to ask me if you have specific questions.

Jordan and I are elated. In fact, as I glance down at the date on my computer, today is the 1 year anniversary exactly of when we had been told we could not have children. It was one of the worst things we have experienced and yet, at the same time, it was a glorious day because God held us and carried us and gave us strength in a way that I had not yet experienced in my life. This past year, since that phone call, has been a journey, and there's no way we would have made it through but for the grace of God. So, we're ready for whatever this year brings, provided it is by His hand!!