God Found Us

Yesterday, I was frustrated. I didn't care about the start of Spring Break knowing my plans had become vastly different. I was annoyed with the people in mass hysteria of the unknown, or to be more accurate, the people who had lost all common sense. Let me correct that again... The adults who had lost all common sense.

This is one of the many reasons why I teach. I find it much easier to give kids grace. They are kids. I expect them to do crazy things without reason. However, a lot of times they end up restoring my faith in humanity. Yesterday was no exception.

This week lived up to its hype with Daylight Savings, Full Moon, Friday the 13th, and the week leading into Spring Break. To top it all off we'll have a before school meeting about the coronavirus outbreak just for kicks and giggles. And to be sure we end Friday with the right dose of crazy, go ahead and throw in an intruder drill, followed by a fire drill, followed by an internet safety assembly.

Did I mention I was already frustrated going into school on Friday?

Around 10, when we finally got settled back into class from drills and the assembly, the office buzzed down for a girl in my homeroom. Next thing I know I'm being handed a note and a large reusable bag is being placed on the desk by my door. I finished my lesson and finally took time to read the note my student had handed me. 

God knew what I needed yesterday. Although I wrote yesterday about perspective, He knew I would still need His whispers throughout the day to remind me to trust Him. I know I have had students who were adopted, but I have never had a "Gotcha Day" celebration in my class. I thought it was cool, and very special, that my student wanted to celebrate such a big day with her class. Plus, to be so open about something so personal at 12 years old impressed me.

We celebrated, ate Pringles, drank Kool-Aid Jammers, and I read the book, God Found Us You, her mom sent. More like, I choked my way through reading the book her mom sent in. Our class had a really good discussion on adoption and my student happily shared a little snippet of her life with us. I emailed her mom after school thanking her for letting us celebrate such an important day. Her reply back was the perfect way for me to go into a Spring Break I had no longer been looking forward to.

What started out as a day of me being annoyed by the world, ended with me being grateful. I'm glad God doesn't cast us aside when we get angry, but it's in those moments that He chooses to find us. Do I always let myself see him in those moments? Absolutely not. But yesterday, I'm glad I did.

Thundercats Are Go!

Perspective.

One of the many lessons learned during my trip to the Congo was how one event can cause many different perspectives.

Before we ever left the States, we had a major bump in the road. While we had sent off for our Visas in plenty of time, there is no such thing as plenty of time on "Africa time." The embassy, or whoever is in charge of the Visa approval letter in the Congo, was taking its sweet time with our letters. We knew when we were finally able to send our passports to Washington, D.C. the money order had to be filled out perfectly and we had all paid extra, so once our passports had Visas in them, they would be overnighted back to us. Deep breath. We had a week before leaving. We would be fine. (To put this into perspective, this usually happens 4-6 weeks before going on a trip, not ONE!)

I believe 4 out of 7 of us got our passports, with Visas, back without hiccups. However, my dad and 2 others had signed their money order. To be fair, banks like this to be done, the Congolese embassy did not want this done. Needless to say, 3 of our team members had to pay even more to overnight a money order to D.C. We were now within days from leaving and 3 of our team members didn't have their passports.

Lucky for us, we live in a small town. A couple days before leaving, the Post Office called my parent's house to let my dad know a package had arrived just before they closed. The Post Master was going to deliver it out to the house. She by no means had to use her personal time to deliver it and could have easily waited until the next day. She also had no idea the amount of relief her simple phone call had caused. We were all grateful.

Our team had been texting nervously for several days. Joyous texts went out each time another team member received their passport back in the mail. Thundercats were now a go! We would all be going to the Congo!

We had joked the whole way about how nerve-wracking it was waiting on our passports. But it wasn't until one morning when doing a devotion with Tresor we talked about the different perspectives we all had from the experience. Okay, I learned the different perspective the rest of the team had in contrast to mine.

The rest of the team saw it as whatever will be, will be. If we were meant to go on the trip, everything would work out. Or it could be God's way of saying there is some reason not to go. We don't always understand why God says no, but we trust Him to lead us where He wants us.

I, on the other hand, saw it as God, with a confident head nod, saying, "I got this." As though He was flailing His arms in front of us whispering, "Trust me." He was diminishing any anxiety going into the trip by showing He had everything in His control the entire time. All we had to do was trust Him.

Yesterday, sometime between washing my hands and checking the status of Disneyland for the billionth time, God reminded me of last summer. 

Right now, I am sad, mad, frustrated, heartbroken, annoyed... any feels of that nature, I am currently feeling. Not because I don't get to go to Disneyland or California for Spring Break; I'd like to think I'm not that petty. Those feelings come from not getting to see my best friend. It's become a tradition, what was going to be 6 years next week, for us to meet up during Spring Break. I haven't seen her since last Easter. Since then, she's had a son, who at this rate could be over a year old before I meet him. Furthermore, as of 2017, Spring Break perfectly falls on the birth(day) of her daughter. This could mark the first year I don't get to celebrate Ainsley's birthday with her. All the feels. However, in a still, small voice, God reminded me last night, "Just trust Me. I got this."

Even while I type this, I don't know what Spring Break is going to look like. I know I'm not going to California Monday night. I know I'm not going to Boise next week. I do know, whatever Spring Break holds, God has a reason for changing my plans even if in the present moment I'm a little angry at those plans.

Perspective.

Prayin' for Daylight

The end.

Rascal Flatts are coming to an end and currently on their farewell tour. They will forever be my favorite country band. I hadn't listened to country music for a handful of years and their album Feels Like Today brought me back to it in 8th grade. During my junior and senior year of high school, I met my mom at her school at the end of the day to make a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks to get their new CD at Target on release day. I'm not sure if she knew it, but it became a tradition to get their new CD's with her.

Finally, in college, I had the opportunity to go to their concert in Springfield. My sister and I have both always loved Rascal Flatts and their Nothing Like This Tour is a memory we were able to share together. My brother-in-law, Adam, also came which was huge considering he is absolutely not a fan of country music. Actually, I think he bought us the tickets. Chris Young and Luke Bryan were the opening acts. I knew more of their songs than I realized going in that night.

In honor of the Flatts and the special place they will always hold in my heart, here is a list of my favorite song off each album. A few albums get two songs, because they deserve it and they are songs I always play first when I listen to that CD. If one of the songs gets stuck in your head, you're welcome.

• Rascal Flatts (Tied for my favorite album, I could choose most of these songs)
• Prayin' for Daylight 
• Some Say
• Melt
• Mayberry 
• Feels Like Today (co-favorite album, once again, I could choose almost every song)
• Fast Cars and Freedom (The song that brought me back to my roots)
• Here's To You
• Me and My Gang
• What Hurts the Most (I cried watching this music video)
• Still Feels Good (Started the Target tradition)
• Take Me There
• Unstoppable (I couldn't leave either off this list)
• Close
• Summer Nights
• Nothing Like This
• All Night to Get There
• Changed
• Hot in Here
• Rewind
• I Like the Sound of That
• Back to Us
• Kiss You While I Can

Rascal Flatts, you will always hold a special place in my heart. I will be listening to your old music on repeat for years to come while praying for daylight that one day you have a reunion. Until then, here's to you!

Life on Mars

My running posts are over. You're welcome. Although, I ran 5 miles this evening. My fastest pace of 2020. Now I'm done.

Monday we had an early out. Our principal had us clean out our pod closets. (Hallelujah! We've wanted to for so long, but ain't nobody got time for that!) Our pod was unused for a few years, which meant our closet became the storage for any unwanted items in the school. We carried out 3 custodial size trash cans of junk.

We also discovered we have a plethora of disinfectant supplies. While the rest of the world sells out, have no fear, students at WCMS will be perfectly sanitized. Unless my pod teacher and I decide to sell them to make money for our London trip this summer...

Tuesday I had my students listen to a 6 minute audio about how to avoid Coronavirus. Afterwards a student came up to me and asked, "So if the coronavirus is still around in 10 years, will we all have to move to Mars?"

Yes, yes we will...

My kids... Either I have been paying more attention the last 2 weeks, or they have been saying the darndest things the last 2 weeks! Maybe a combination of both. I should have had the girl look in our pod closet at all of our disinfectants. That would have reassured her we wouldn't have to discover life on Mars.

I'm 100% That...

A few things I never plan to do in life:

1. Eat at Waffle House
2. Eat cottage cheese
3. Watch The Office or Parks and Rec all the way through
4. Run a 5K, or any type of race

I've made it my life's goal to never eat at Waffle House. I won't stop others from enjoying it; I just don't want to eat there.

I once accidentally drank expired chocolate milk. It was soured and lumpy. I don't need to relive that nightmare by eating cottage cheese.

If you like those shows, I don't judge you at all. Good for you. They aren't my cup of tea, please don't judge me either.

Never say never.

Sometimes things you once thought impossible, become possible. I am accustomed to hard work. I've worked hard to accomplish a lot of things in life. Sometimes the little things, like making it to church on time, are great successes. Sometimes, it's the culmination of 4 years of hard work resulting in being the Salutatorian of your high school class. Or it's 3 years in the making, plus 10 months of studying and competing, to place 3rd in Parliamentary Procedure at FFA Nationals.

For people who know me, it might seem silly for me to say, but I think completing a half marathon has given me the greatest sense of accomplishment in my life. Not that I discount any of my other achievements. They all required a lot of my time and effort, but those all came easier, more natural, to me.

To put it into some perspective, Beth ran 190 miles while training for our half marathon. I ran 545 miles. No, that is not a typo. Even with all of my extra miles, I still only beat her by 2 minutes. Did I say I'm not a natural born runner??

Beth still convincing me I'm a runner.

 I learned if I set my mind to do something, even if it's hard, I can do it. I gained perspective for my students who struggle in school. How many times have they tried, put in extra work, and failed, but keep trying? Meanwhile, other students don't even have to try to get good grades. (Guilty!) I also learned why people put stickers on their vehicles with their race lengths, and quit judging them for it. 

RUNNING. IS. FREAKING. HARD. AND. THEY. EARNED. IT.

Sorry, not sorry!

Beth bought me a 13.1 sticker for my car as a thank you for being crazy enough to motivate her to run a half marathon. (Why these aren't awarded at the finish of a race, I will never know.) Needless to say, I proudly display my 13.1 sticker on the back of my car. I must admit, while putting it on the back windshield, a small part of me felt like I should be playing the opening line to Lizzo's song, Truth Hurts. If people see my sticker and think that, I understand. That was me once, too. I now know the amount of work that went into earning my 13.1 badge of honor.  

I also might, possibly, kind of, sort of, be ready to admit that I'm a runner. Maybe. 

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

13.1 miles
ran the ENTIRE time

6 months of training
5 years, if you wanna count when I started running

A little blood
only from the Tsunami run

A TON of sweat
halfway self-induced, doesn't help I run during the hottest time of day

And a few tears
NOT from the Tsunami run, that made me laugh
I cried my first 7 mile run when my app gave up on life and quit tracking

Britt made a "runner's number" that
said CHEERLEADER.

There's not a lot to actually write about from the race. I mean I could come up with something, but I ran 13.1 miles in a little over 2 hours. People cheered, Brittany came and watched, and Beth and I both finished without stopping to walk. My main goal was to not let a marathoner beat me. The winner of the marathon beat me by about 5 seconds. I call it a success. Past that it wouldn't be an entertaining story to tell.

I'm thankful for the people who drove around me while I ran instead of hitting me, especially in Eldon where there's no shoulder on the HWY for me to move over. Lastly, I'm thankful for the people who waved at me. I always take it as though they are cheering me on. I'm also thankful for friends and family who listened to me talk about running for months. Last, but certainly not least, I'm thankful for a friend who challenged me to do something I never dreamed in a million years of doing, nor did I think it was possible. The blood, sweat, and tears were so worth it.

A House of Cards

Sometimes my stubbornness results in stupidity. On the other hand, it also forces me to not give up when things get hard. Once school started, Beth and I did a lot of our long runs together on the weekends. When it came time for our first 10 miler, she beat me to it. I had a busy school week ahead, but I was determined to make time for a 10 mile run.

Thursday was the only day that week when I had time for a long run. I had mentally been preparing myself all week, and I was ready. The weather was not.

I probably opened my weather app 100 times that day. Each time, hoping the forecast would change. After school came and it appeared as though I was getting my wish. It had rained off and on all day, but there was a break just as school ended. My weather app made it seem like more rain would hold off until later in the evening. I didn't want to ruin my mental preparedness for 10 miles, so I decided to go for it. Besides, I figured if it rained on race day, I would be ready for a run in the rain.

About two miles in the heavens parted and the rains came down. Not a light, misty, feels refreshing rain. A torrential down-pour, soaked in 10 seconds kind of rain. But I'm stubborn. I was already soaked. What was the point in quitting now? Unlike Taylor Swift in Sparks Fly, I was not going to be a house of cards in this full on rainstorm. Behind me, to the west, I could see the sun still peaking out from behind the gray, rain clouds. I took it as my sign from God to keep going. (A sign, or justifying my stubbornness... potato, poh-tah-toh).

Yeah, I know, cute.
My celebratory picture
I sent to Beth after
finishing a rainy 10 miles!

While I may choose to do stupid things, I'm also a cautious person. My mom drilled into my head from a young age to ALWAYS be aware of my surroundings. Therefore, when I'm running I take extra precautions in being aware of traffic. I was on extra, high alert while running in the rain.

However, I would be curious what passersby were thinking when they encountered me on the road. I know I was a sight for sore eyes! The rain was sticking in my eyelashes causing me to blink a bajillion times per second all while my mascara smeared down my cheeks. My shorts and tank top were clinging to my skin as I occasionally tried wringing water out. To make it all worse, my socks were wet and my shoes were squishy. And in case you were wondering, using a soaked tank to dry off raindrop filled eyelashes does not equate success. I was a running circus.

Somewhere between miles 6 and 7 the rain finally let up. The heavens parted and angels were singing hallelujah! Well, I was at least. Although I think the rain had distracted me from the overwhelming idea of running
10 miles.

The rest of the run was uneventful and forgettable. My stubbornness paid off though. I made it to my goal and was another step closer to 13.1.