My Day

Call me crazy, but I enjoy making my birthday special. I normally start off my birthday with sleeping in due to the next part of my day that I love! I go to the dentist for a cleaning. With nitrous. It's great. I listen to my iPod and float off into heavy body, light mind. I enjoy those 20 minutes!

I also receive birthday coupons due to signing up on different websites and using gift cards. I went to Flat Top Grill, had a free lunch, went to Starbucks and picked up my free drink.

I decided to run a few shopping errands and ended up going through Target, Michael's, and Archiver's.

After helping out with a free community meal (where I saw some of my favorite families), I ended the night with some great girlfriends and had amazing fruit pizza and coffee. And what made the fruit pizza even more amazing is that my friend, who doesn't compliment herself at all on her cooking, made it from scratch. So proud of her.

I felt loved yesterday.

Thanks to all who were involved...it made my day, even more than what I could!

It's over

It's been over 24 hours since my skit at church has been over. I'm happy. I'm relieved. I can breathe again.

It was a sketch about Mary and Martha. I am Martha, inside and out. I was cast as Mary. I guess the directors saw something different. Thankfully, so did the audience! While the compliments were great (it's nice to know that it seemed natural to them), the greatest compliments came from people who told me that it impacted them.

I met a man, Perry, and his wife, Gina. He told me that the message and the drama were one of the most impacting he's heard and seen.

I'm very thankful that people saw beyond me and got the message. I guess a bigger question is, did I? It's something I'm working on. This blog has always been about honesty. You won't find anything different today.

And I only forgot one line (well, almost forgot) during second service. I knew I had a line and just kind of paused for a bit while my brain had a mile-a-minute conversation trying to figure it out. Thankfully, the audience didn't know.

And to my readers who saw the sketch, thank you for your prayers and your compliments...It truly meant a lot knowing you were sitting in the audience! :)

Perspective

Tonight, I had the honor and privilege of finishing up a hat for a mom-like woman in my life. She is currently battling cancer and wanted me to knit up a hat that was softer than what she already had.

After my play practice tonight, I headed over to finish it up. One hour later, the hat was on and after she showed me another one that someone else had made for her (think fuzzy blue slippers), I was headed out.

As I drove home, I thought about how she is facing the battle head on. She's not one for self-pity and her attitude is energizing. We discussed spiritual growth, basketball, family, her Christmas trip, all of the vitamins and medicines she is taking, and where she is finding support.

Most of all, I love how she has shared her and her husband's spiritual growth. It's a new side of them and while I have known all along that they are believers, it's at the forefront of their life right now.

I am excited to join the battle with her.

Be Concise

I'm not feeling good. My nose hurts, I'm sneezing, my throat is raw, and I couldn't sleep well last night. I'm staying home tomorrow. I'm sleeping in. I'm making soup. I'm laying on my couch with a blanket or maybe in my bed with my fuzzy blanket.

I stayed after school and wrote plans out. I guess I'm detail oriented. Okay, I'm a control freak. I can admit it. You would know if you read my three pages of typed instructions. However, I think my friend was on to something.

She had to be absent from her class and decided to write her focus lesson on their class blog. Genius! I tried that tonight for our reading and writing workshop tomorrow. By typing out what I wanted to say, my class will hear my voice through my writing and they will be able to have a somewhat normal workshop.

I'm excited to see how it goes for them. Feel free to visit and read through my focus lessons.

It rears its ugly head again...

Some rambling is about to come. I'm using this post to help process, but to also ask for help. And while I don't want to go into great detail, I struggle with being jealous of a friend. I think what the lie is that comes with the jealousy is that I want to be recognized. I want recognition of how great of a teacher I am. I want to be seen as special.

To help combat this, I was reminded today by a dear college small group girl that Jesus needs to clean this. I am going to write down some verses to help combat the lies that I am facing. I was reminded that what I do is not for my glory, but for God's. What I do daily, in all areas of life, are called to be pleasing to him. I am committing to as I feel this jealousy, to pray for the people involved and for God to be glorified in it. I'm asking my friends to pray for me. Do you have any more ideas?

Today in church, the pastor that spoke asked for us to think about where God has us right now. I think sometimes I place way too much emphasis on being a teacher and being single. I forgot that first and foremost, I am a child of the King and He has given me gifts to use for Him. Then the lie that plagues me, is - if I am not a great teacher, than what am I?

It all comes down to small words. I want to be "the" and I need to learn that "a" is also great. I need to remember that all good gifts come from up above. What God has given me goes beyond my teaching. I am single now for a reason. To glorify Him. I am a teacher now for a reason. To glorify Him. I am where I am for a reason. To glorify Him.

So am I?

Not sure if any of this makes sense to you, but I also know that by voicing my fears and struggles, God can use it to change me.

I want to be different. I want to be confident. I want to boast in Him.

Update of 11 for 11

Update...

BE healthy

• get into clothes (and feel good in) that I used to be able to wear and cannot right now - black cords, gray pants, blue trousers, and green pants

These are my black cords. Proof that I wore them to school

• control eating habits and not let the eating habits control me
• be able to run five miles again

BE balanced

• grow professionally by reading three books
• participate in at least three book studies (can be fun, spiritual, or school related)

BE relational

• one dinner party a month with friends

Salad, cream of broccoli soup, bread, and angel food cake (homemade) for dessert

In honor of my dad's 60th, and since I couldn't be there, I cooked for my friend's dad. I'm in the middle. Great night with great people!

• write my Compassion kids four times this year
• find a small group or accountability partner - I have a past small group girl, a co-worker at school, and a fabulous friend who moved away that I chat with about my eating habits. They are helping keep me accountable in the area. Still looking for a spiritual small group or accountability partner.

BE creative

• create at least 12 recipes from the cooking blogs I read
• knit at least 3 projects this year that are not the simple scarves and hats that I currently do
• create at least 1 hand-made card a month - Made some thank you cards and a happy birthday card for my dad for January