From a Brother’s Perspective…

 

I wanted to post about this before I forget  …and, Andy, if you are reading this…hahahahahahaha!  When Elizabeth and Cherie, my two friends from New York, were at my house, Elizabeth and I decided to redecorate my chalkboard outside my room. We were having fun and being goofy so we made it look like this:

 

 

And see…we even admitted that we were strange girls and we were kindly warning the rest of my family and anyone else who happened to pass by to BEWARE of us.

 

*Side note – Beelzebub is one of the many spiders I tortured and killed in my room as I was cleaning in anticipation for my friends’ arrival. I was trying to feel the slighest bit of shame so I told him to R.I.P…guess that makes up for the way I treated him before he died *

 

Anywho….I go past this board countless times each day and you know how it is…once you get used to seeing something, you don’t really notice it anymore as you walk by. Soooo it took me awhile before I noticed that something had been added to the board:

 

 

 

 Yes, that would be my loving brother’s handwriting saying, not once, not twice, but 5 times how very strange we were! How rude!

 

 

 

And in case you didn’t see it in the previous picture…notice he even added 999999 into infinity (or however you say it!) I mean, we weren’t THAT bad  But I guess there are worse things a brother could do to you…like blowing you with a leaf blower for example…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But just so you know….he never did actually turn it on  I was prepared though!! 

 

 

There is another *small* point to this blog besides the fact that I wanted to point out how loving my brother is!  It was really weird starting off a new school year today without him! He now goes off to college separate from us  How sad! However, I don’t think he was too mournful this morning!!  Me thinks he enjoys the college life!!

 

 

First Day of School!!!

 

I can’t believe the first day of school is over already! It feels like only yesterday I was starting my first year teaching…now I am an "old pro" starting my second year teaching (hahahahaha ) Today went really well. I was definitely more relaxed than I was last year. I guess because now I know that even though they may not "get it" today, tomorrow or the next, they WILL get it eventually! Even so, the children were soooooo excited to be starting Kindergarten today! Everything we did or anything I said was met with such enthusiasm.  After we went through the classroom rules and the jobs for the week, I played a fun game with them called a photo scavenger hunt. I had taken about 30 pictures of things and parts of things around the room previously and printed them out. I showed them a picture and they would go around the room trying to find where the picture matched in the room. That game could have probably gone on forever! I then read them a book called The Kissing Hand and we did a fun art project where they got to get into their "painting clothes". I painted their hands with the colors of their choice and they put their handprints all over the paper. After the paint dried, they glued this poem onto the paper.

 

  

My First Day of Kindergarten

 

It’s my first day of Kindergarten

and I’m thinking of you.

I made these precious handprints

So you will think of me, too.

 

It’s my first day of school

and The Kissing Hand is what we read.

It’s about a raccoon

Who did just as his parents said.

 

Like the raccoon’s first day at school

I was scared and a little shy.

But because of what you said

I was brave and I got by.

 

All through the year

I’ll make things for you.

So as I change and as I learn

you can witness my growth, too!

 

So altogether I think the children enjoyed their first day of Kindergarten. I definitely have a very energetic threesome who will definitely keep me on my toes, but I am looking forward to a great year together!!!

Philadelphia Fiasco

 

Many of you may have seen the pictures from Philadelphia that I had taken back in March when my family went for the day. Well, this past Saturday we went again because my two friends from New York were here and they had never been to Philly. I was excited to show them the sites and it was definitely a beautiful day. We headed off on the train around 9:50 am.

 

 

See the somewhat tired and excited faces?  We were still recovering from the Majesty Music conference that we had been at for the past two days. Well, we got there and things were going good. We got to see the Liberty Bell and other museums. We started heading to Rotten Ralph’s for lunch (yes, it is called Rotten Ralph’s but the food is really good ) When we got there, we all ordered our Philly cheese steaks, and my friend, Cherie, commented, "I am going to do a Becky thing now and take a picture of my meal" Well, Elizabeth had just taken a picture of the group so I was like…hey!! I’ll take a picture too! I reached into my purse and discovered…..MY CAMERA WAS NOT THERE!! At first I didn’t panic because I thought it might be on the floor next to my purse because I couldn’t remember if I had been holding it separately. When I couldn’t find it, then I started panicking. Everyone started to help me look under the table, and everyone double checked to make sure they didn’t have it on them for some reason. After we had an unsuccesful search, my Dad headed out and backtracked to the museums we had been at to see if he could find it. I was really upset, but I was like, Dad is going to find it…Dad is going to find it. I wasn’t about to give up hope yet! Well, when he got back with empty hands I about lost it. Now, to some of you this may not seem like a huge big deal, but if you have looked at my blog AT ALL during these past few years, you will know that my camera and I are very good friends. We have done LOTS together. Not only was I missing my faithful friend, but I also had tons of pictures on there from the week I had spent with my friends and pictures of the Majesty Music Conference (ie: Patch the Pirate…it was my FIRST time seeing him) Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy my lunch whatsover…it felt like lead in my stomach…though it does look good at the moment…

 

 A yummy meal…hard to swallow though with a lump in your throat

 Minutes before I discovered my camera was missing….notice the smile on my face? *sigh*

Well, anyway, after we finished our meal, we decided to all backtrack to the places we had been and see if we could find it. I had taken a picture at the one museum and I remember saying that I didn’t like that there was a flash on the picture, but that is the last time I remember anything about the camera. The next place we had gone to, I had sat down on the bench, but I don’t remember having my camera out at that place. We searched all over, we asked those in charge, and then we decided to move on because there really wasn’t much more we could do about it. Eventually, when we headed back to the visitor’s center, I asked two separate times if anyone had turned in a camera, but…nada. Let’s just put it this way..after I talked to the people in charge at the visitor’s center, and they told me they didn’t have it, I had a rather emotional moment.  I was pretty upset, let me tell you. It was rough, because I felt like I was ruining everyone’s day, but I just didn’t feel like smiling! For the rest of the day, my mind was just swirling, thinking about all the pictures I had taken, and all the pictures lost, and wondering how I could be soooo irresponsible to lose a camera??!! I mean, I have absolutely NO IDEA how this camera could have disappeared. I would have noticed if I had dropped it, and even if I didn’t, my Dad was walking behind me and would have noticed. THIS IS JUST REALLY IRRITATING, PEOPLE!! *calming down now* We have tried calling the Ranger station and my mom finally got through to a person today, so I am hoping *crossing fingers* that somehow, somewhere, somebody has turned it in. But I am just glad that my friends had also taken pictures! (Thanks Elizabeth for sharing your pictures with me ) Its not the same as having your own pictures, but at least the memories are still there  So I have had to say goodbye to another faithful friend…I know I could always get another one, but this camera took pictures of my dog, of my family, of my daycare and Kindergarten kids, vacations, birthdays, holidays….*sigh*…we have been through a lot together!

Little did I realize that this was one of my last times with my camera *sniff*

 

Unfolding the Rose

 

I found this story and thought I would share!

A young, new preacher was walking with an older, more seasoned preacher in the garden one day and feeling a bit insecure about what God had for him to do, he was inquiring of the older preacher. The older preacher walked up to a rosebush and handed the young preacher a rosebud and told him to open it without tearing off any petals. The young preacher looked in disbelief at the older preacher and was trying to figure out what a rosebud could possibly have to do with his wanting to know the WILL OF GOD for his life and for his ministry. Because of his high respect for the older preacher, he proceeded to TRY to unfold the rose, while keeping every petal intact…It wasn’t long before he realized how impossible it was to do so. Noticing the younger preacher’s inability to unfold the rosebud while keeping it intact, the older preacher began to recite the following poem…

 

It is only a tiny rosebud,

A flower of God’s design;

But I cannot unfold the petals

With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers

Is not known to such as I.

GOD opens this flower so sweetly,

When in my hands they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud,

This flower of God’s design,

Then how can I have the wisdom

To unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust in Him for leading

Each moment of my day.

I will look to him for His guidance

Each step of the pilgrim way.

The pathway that lies before me,

Only my Heavenly Father knows.

I’ll trust Him to unfold the moments,

Just as He unfolds the rose.