Let it Rain! Let it Rain!

I have been wearing my new raincoat for the last 3 days hoping it would rain. Today it did. Unfortunately I was inside. The one time I was outside and it started sprinkling, I didn't have my coat on. Seriously, any time I was out of the house I wore my jacket with high hopes that it would rain on it. Hasn't happened yet. Hopefully one day it will.

Greater note.... I just ordered SEASON TICKETS! to the Mississippi State Bulldogs Football games. You can only order 3 games though. They make you order tickets for the Alcorn, Georgia, and you get to choose the third. I chose Arkansas on November 20th. Hopefully it's not too cold. I could order individual tickets for the other 3 games, but we will see. They are playing Memphis for the opener. I am excited about that!

School wise... I have been having problems with a certain supervisor. We have clashed in all ways possible, and I have begun to give up. I don't say anything in the meetings and she tells me every time I am going to fail (not that I even know what I am failing). This week she came in my room and loved loved loved my lesson. I swear I did nothing different (other than let her give input during my class), and she said, "this is the best lesson I have seen so far. I just knew you were going to fall on your face and fail when you got to the classroom next year. I thought I had done you a great disservice. But you have grown so much in the last 2 weeks... You are going to be an excellent teacher!"

PEOPLE!! Only the Lord could have changed her mind like that. Seriously. My lesson was not that awesome and I did nothing different. There was no reason for her to change her mind like that. I have been praying about this for the entire year. Finally the Lord delivered and it was just in time. He is so good. (I'm not going to fail... ha.)

Heartbreaking

Quote from the commercial appeal...

"In spite of our best efforts to curb aggressive panhandling, Downtown is losing its customers because the foul-mouthed petty street hustlers, most of whom are not homeless, are still scaring off the trade," said CCC president Jeff Sanford.

It made me want to throw up just because of how harsh of language he was using. They are still people, even if they panhandle.

However, here are a few facts I know:

1. There is a problem with panhandling downtown
2. They usually show up during the weekend. You won't see them during the week (which means they aren't the homeless guys)
3. I don't have a solution.

So based on those facts I have mixed feelings. So tell me what you think. I really am interested.

"This is worse than Chuckie Cheese"

This weekend I went to Starkville. Here are a few highlights:

1. Arts Festival! It's always fun to walk around the arts festival in the spring time. It is one of my favorite Starkville events.

2. Sno Cones: New awesome flavor Spiderman (Blue Raspberry and Cherry)

3. June: The puppy is cute. real cute.

4. Seeing the Robertson family: I got to go to Meridian to watch Will and Mason play soccer. It was cute. I enjoyed it a lot

5. Eating at Outback: It was my second time to eat at Outback. I like it a lot. All these little kids flooded the restaurant from the soccer tournament so it was insanely loud. Only a slight headache.

6. Getting to hang out with Kaci is always fantastic.

7. Fire at Campus Trails. This was not such a highlight. Maybe more like a low light. Two more apartment buildings at Campus Trails was burned down on Sunday morning. Two of my friends are now homeless. It's okay though, because they are definitely being provided for.

8. Hanging out with Sarah. I only got to see her for a little bit, but it was still good.

This was my weekend in a nutshell. It was overall really great.

Transitions

Saturday I got to move into my new apartment. It should be set up with the stuff I have now before this weekend. I will take some pictures and post them on here. The best part of my apartment is the view. I wake up and look out my bedroom window to see the sun rising over the Memphis skyline. When I fix my breakfast, I get to watch barges go down the river. In the evening when I come home I get to watch the sunset over the river. Again, the best part of my apt... the view.

In other news, things at school are wrapping up. These three days we are doing mock end of the course testing. This means students are taking a 2 hour test while the rest of us chill out. I am sitting in the classroom with Erika watching a movie. It's super chillax. It's a good break. Next week is senior trip (mentor teacher out). The following week I have MTR professional development. The following week is end of the course testing.

Oh and this morning I registered for summer classes! Super exciting!

Summer is coming!!

Tonight we had the first spring thunderstorm. It was so great. It makes me excited for the next few months. The air was still warm. Rain was pelting me as I ran through it. Thunder was cracking loudly. Lightening was lighting up the entire sky. I love thunderstorms.

VOTE!

http://www.refresheverything.com/skatelifememphis

You can vote every day. It's for a worthy cause. Get Memphis kids moving!

OH so much to say

Few things:

--- School has consisted of END OF THE COURSE PREPARATION! This means every day the students are working in a workbook. They read and write and read some more. I will stop them every now and then to explain a concept or let them hear it instead of write it. We are covering the entire course in just a few weeks. This is a time of intense pressure.

--- I cleaned out some of my parent's storage closet. It was jammed full of things. I did however find where I get my obsession with books. No exaggeration.... 15 boxes of books. I wanted to give them all away. Mom said no. Also like any good southern family we had probably 20 different Bibles. If you need one their in my trunk.

--- Spring Break was great! I got to hang out with my friends at Mississippi State. I got advised for the summer, and I got to play with a cute puppy. It was a good time of relaxation. I worked on my Teacher Work Sample briefly and read a book on Stalin.

--- I am moving. My roommate and I found an apartment in Downtown Memphis. It's super nice. I have a loft, huge kitchen, 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. It's going to be so great. We went to sign the lease and the manager handed us the keys. We can move any time we want. We have an excellent view of the river and the bridge. I love it.

--- "One eyed Cat" has become one of my favorite new songs. It's by a couple named Jenny and Tyler. Now I'm not in a relationship (in case all you boys were wondering. ha) but God has been showing me a lot about marriage and that type of relationship lately. Listening to this song, while it is very romantic and fun, makes me cringe at moments. Marriage is all about sacrificing those things that you love. It's giving of yourself so that you can better serve another person. It's one of the most sacrificial pictures we have on Earth (when it's done right). The more I think about marriage and the devotion I want to some day show my husband, the more I think about the devotion and commitment that I want to give to the Lord. For example... the song says "I gave up chocolate ice cream for you..." What have I been giving up for the Lord? What sacrifices, even as small as chocolate ice cream, have I made for Him lately? How am I showing the Lord I love him? What ways am I being devoted to Him? I hope that when the Lord asks me to give something up, I won't be hesitant. I pray that I am so committed to him that I would lay down my pride and follow his example. I am excited for the day that I get to experience the struggle and humility of sharing my life with another here on earth.