A Month of Thanksgiving: Day 5

Today I am thankful that we can praise God.

It hit me in chapel today as we were singing and praising God, how wonderful it is to do that with fellow students. As we broke into small groups to pray about missions we began to talk about the ways God has provided in our lives. Hearing testimonies of how God is working in someone's life is a tremendous encouragement. Hearing the ways God uses His body of believers to provide and encourage others is incredible! Today I am thankful for my friends that God has blessed me with and that we can sit and chat about all that God is doing in our lives. He truly is amazing, and I am so thankful that we can praise Him!

A Month of Thanksgiving: Day 4

Today I am thankful for daylights saving time. Sleeping in an extra hour was so very needed and so very appreciated.

I am also thankful for church. I love our church. Every Sunday, Pastor Cal delivers such a powerful message from the Word and I always leave feeling encouraged, convicted, and so in awe of who God is! Today was also communion and it was wonderful. We also had a fellowship dinner after church. I love meeting new people and the church has made us feel right at home.

I am thankful for Skype and the technology that let's us talk to the family in Zambia! It was great Skyping with them and catching up on their lives.

Lastly, today I buried my tomato plants. They were beyond dead (and very sad looking). So I put them to rest, but not before collecting at least a dozen beautiful tomatoes that are currently ripening. I am SO thankful for this plant! I'm thankful for Micah for getting it for me! And for his Grandma's knowledge on how to take care of it. It has definitely been my favourite plant that I've had. And God used it to teach me quite a bit about His power over creation. I'm thankful for it and for the tomatoes it produced! 

A Month of Thanksgiving: Day 3

Today I am thankful for rest. This past week was tiring and getting to sleep in on Saturday was a blessing. I am also thankful for home cooked meals. I woke up to Damarise making french toast for us. (yum!) And I had fun making homemade chicken noodle soup and dinner rolls for supper.

Today I am also thankful for Megan. She came by our house to do homework and nap. I love when friends pop in! We ate dinner together, played scrabble, and found out the best news ever. 

This news is probably what I am most thankful for today. My old RA, Virginia is finally engaged to her... now fiancé, Kevin! Ah! When we heard the news we freaked out! I am SO thankful! They are two of the kindest people and knowing that they are engaged is the greatest thing. We of course had to celebrate, so we called up Davey and Zach (since Kevin was their RA) and we all celebrated together by eating ice cream and watching a movie. 

All in all, it was a wondrous Saturday with so many blessings to thank God for. He is wonderful!

A Month of Thanksgiving: Day 2

Today I am thankful for today.

Morning class was great. I love my classmates. We hung out by the coffeemaker today talking about Christmas, our schools, and Broadway. Dr. Pennington brought us chocolate from her leftover halloween candy stash. Chapel was phenomenal on the book of Ruth. Lunch with Sonya and Faith was wonderful as always. Science in the afternoon was good. Lots of laughter as we were giddy over it being our last day of science class. The weather was warm. I ran and it felt amazing. Ate dinner with Damarise (and got food in the fridge!). And... today is Friday!

Today, I am thankful for all that God has blessed me with. 

A Month of Thanksgiving: Day 1

It is November! November is probably one of my favourite months. It is full of festivities as school is wrapping up and Thanksgiving and Christmas loom close ahead. I also like November because it is a month of Thanksgiving. Every day should be a day of thanksgiving, but having Thanksgiving in the month of November is a good month to spend each day reflecting on something I am thankful for.

And so, this month I will post every day about something I am thankful for.

Today, I am thankful for the school where I am doing my teaching practicum. I love my cooperating teacher and my fifth graders. Every time I wake up at 5:43am to go to the school I am so excited to get there. I love it and am so thankful that God has me there surrounded by wonderful teachers and students. 

Overwhelming Hope

I've been thinking about writing on here for the past week. Yet, every time I sit down to write, the words just stop. There is one word that continued to creep up and no matter how hard I tried to smother it, it wouldn't keep quiet. Overwhelmed. That is the word. That is the word that would best describe everything in my life and the only word I had to say. This week was rough.

If I wanted to, I could complain. Oh, could I complain! I could complain about the rainy weather we had on Monday, the tiredness I felt all day Tuesday, the long classes I had on Wednesday, the class canceled on Thursday without any warning, and the weariness I felt tumbling on me on Friday. And yet, when I think about the things there are to complain about, I'm reminded of the hope and blessings there were in each of those situations.

Blessings? In rain? It was a rainy Monday. Now granted, I love Mondays and I really enjoy a good rain shower. But it was cold, and I was tired and not really excited about getting wet. It was time for science class in the afternoon and Dr. Young began by reading us a devotional by John Piper about, you guessed it, rain. Never in my life have I been so enthralled with who God is because of rain. But this article painted an amazing picture of how awesome God is in His creation of rain. I couldn't help but thank God for the blessing of rain. 

And then came Tuesday. I spent all day Tuesday in school with my fifth graders. I love them! It was a good day academic wise, but a hard day hearing some of them tell me about things going on in their lives. Sometimes, I wish I could take on all of their pain because watching them deal with it is agonizing. I came home and cried after school. I cried because I felt so unhelpful to these kids. I cried because the pain was too much. I cried because I didn't know what else to do. I spent a long time in prayer that afternoon and I needed it! 

The rest of the week was spent with papers being written, projects being presented, and sleep evading me. When Friday was over I could not have been happier. Rest was what I wanted.

The first few days of this week are fall break. Fall break could not have come at a more perfect time. I needed this time of rest. I have worked on projects that needed to be worked on, caught up on sleep, and spent some time praying and reading God's Word. It is amazing just how encouraging and refreshing time spent in the Word can be.

Yes, overwhelming would be a good word to describe the past week, but also hopeful. Even though I felt broken down and overwhelmed, there was still hope. Hope that God is in control. Hope that this isn't the end. Hope that God has me here for a reason. Hope that God is my heavenly father and loves me.

Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed. But always, always God is faithful. Always He is loving. Always He is God! And always that brings hope – overwhelming hope. 

Old

I sat with two of my fifth graders at lunch on Thursday. They were telling me all about a TV show in full detail. It was interesting, but after 30 minutes I had to inform them that I really knew nothing about what they were discussing.

"Oh", said the one student, "Well, you probably don't know it because it's pretty old. Like really old... it's from like the 1990s."

I felt old.

But, I laughed. I love being around fifth graders now. They are honest, yet aren't as open with their emotions as first graders are. It's been neat slowly getting to know them. I am excited for my time in this new school. My cooperating teacher is phenomenal and the students are gems. I love being in a classroom. I love the students. And I am blessed to be around them... even when they do say I'm old. It is great!

In Pictures

School has become busy. And by busy, I mean I am currently taking a break from writing about an English Language Learner (ELL) who I interviewed, analyzing a unit plan for 3rd grade Language Arts, writing a math lesson that incorporates technology, and researching for my Senior Integration Paper (SIP). I am thankful for the weekend. A chance to sleep more, catch up on everything I have to do, and relax a little in between. This – blogging – is my relaxation. 

I'm sniffling up a storm right now. Someone told me that student teachers and first year teachers always get sick more throughout the year because they are exposed to so many more germs. I should have been more aware of all the coughing and sniffling first graders I was around, but I wasn't. Whoops. I have been coughing and sniffling all week and today I just feel plugged up. Vitamin D and I have become friends again, as well as lemon tea and tissues. But a cold has not been all that has been going on in my life. I decided the easiest way to share a little update on life would simply be to post some pictures. And so, without further adieu, a little update on my life. 

Pancakes. Damarise and I have begun traditions for our house and Saturday morning pancakes is one of the traditions (actually, it may be our only tradition at the moment...). Some Saturdays we'll have groups of people over, and other Saturdays it'll be just the two of us, but pancakes are always a must and we've had fun spicing them up in different ways. This morning's pancakes were pumpkin spice with chocolate chips. Yum! 

Guitar playing. I am so thankful for the guitar that Dad left behind in storage. When I feel stressed or just unable to think, I play music. Piano was the only instrument I knew and finding a piano to play on campus was always a bit of a struggle. I knew that living off campus this year it would be even harder to find a piano to play, so I began to learn guitar. I love it. I'm not that great at it, but I love picking it up after a long day and listening to the strings sing while being plucked. 

Kilter! I wasn't sure if I'd go to Kilter this year, but I figured that since it was my senior year, I should probably go. And seeing as I never see Kent around campus because both of our schedules clash so badly, I decided to ask him so that we could at least catch up on each other's lives. It was great! We went as Shaggy and Velma from Scooby Doo, and had a great time hanging out together.

 I love this girl! Faith has been a blessing and I am so thankful to have met her over the summer!

Pomegranate. I had a pomegranate once. It was in the backyard of Ouma and Oupa's house in South Africa. It was the first time I'd ever eaten one and I couldn't believe it was just a big ball of seeds covered in juice. It looked funny, but as soon as it hit my tastebuds I was a pomegranate fan! Since that day I have looked everywhere for pomegranates because I wanted to eat another. I even resorted to looking on Amazon, thinking that maybe they sold them. They did, but for $40 a fruit I decided it was not worth it. Then we went to Aldi. And in a little corner by the rest of the produce was a box with three pomegranates left. I couldn't believe it! I was elated! (Not only were they amazing looking, they were so cheap!) I picked up those pomegranates and have been slowly enjoying them. Yum! If you have never eaten a pomegranate, I highly recommend them. 

Tissues. Buying tissues has never been something we've done. We've always used toilet paper to blow our noses. But the other day, Damarise and I decided it would be cheaper for us to buy a box of tissues rather than use our toilet paper. Ah. They have been a soft blessing to my tender nose. 

World map. We got our world map in the mail a few weeks ago. We hung it up and marked everywhere we've visited and lived. I love it. 

And there we have it. A little bit of a peek into all that's been happening in my life. Relaxation time is over, and I should get back to all my assignments... until next time. 

Twenty Little Ones

Today I said goodbye to twenty little children who have helped me understand first grade so much better. I told them it was time for me to leave and that I wouldn't be back the next week to see them. "You're moving to New York?!", one boy asked me. "No," I told him, "Not New York, but I am going to a different school, so I won't see you again." "Can't you just stay and teach here?!", a girl asked me. I wish... I wish.

I'd only been with them for four weeks, but they grew on me. I felt so welcome into that first grade classroom. I was amazed at my cooperating teacher who taught with such passion and love, but also had control of her classroom. I felt comfortable helping out students and loved listening to their stories. Today, the last thing I wanted to do was say goodbye to them.

I'm going to miss them. I'm going to miss the funny things they had to say. Like the boy who asked me my very first day there, "What is your name?" I told him, "Ms. Turnbull." "Turrrrrrrrrrrr", he said. "Turnbull.", I corrected. "Ohhhhhhh," he replied, "I always get that mixed up with 'The Terminator'." Or the student who asked if I was Mrs. Turnbull was my husband named Mr. Turnbull. I had to correct her and let her know that I am not married and that my name would change.

They all had unique thoughts– some funny, some thought provoking, and all worth taking note of. I'll miss the constant, "Ms. Turnbull! Did you know...." followed by a comment about a brother, cousin, or a completely unrelated story that I would never have known about in a million years. I'll miss seeing their smiling faces every Tuesday and Thursday and never knowing what the day would hold. They were a wonderful first class to begin Senior Year with.

Today I teared up at recess when I knew I would be leaving within the hour. And today when I was about to leave and got bombarded with twenty hugs, I knew without a doubt that I would miss them.

Next week I begin practicum again. This time it will be in a new school, with a new teacher, and new students. I cannot wait to see what this next adventure will hold, but I will miss my twenty little first graders and I am thankful for the love and hospitality they showed me while I sat in their classroom the past four weeks. It has been a wonderful experience!

A Traveling Banana

I received this in a letter last week and just thought it was the sweetest thing! Thank you to Mrs. Hoffman for sending me a banana pin so that I can have a traveling banana with me. I keep it on my backpack and love it!

Banana Yum

My after school/ after run snack is one of my favourite snacks. I discovered it earlier this summer when I was craving something cold and banana-y. I looked around for something to make and found some frozen bananas, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Those four things made something wonderful – a banana smoothie! Yum! As I was drinking one the other day, I decided I needed to share this deliciousness with whoever reads this blog. And so, without further ado, the recipe for a banana smoothie. 

1. Take bananas, peel them, and stick them in the freezer.

2. After bananas are frozen take one out and put it in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds (just to get it a little soft). 

3. Chop up the banana into pieces that a blender can chop up. 

4. Throw the banana into a blender with a little less than half a cup of milk, about three sprinkles of cinnamon, and a cap full of vanilla. 

5. Blend it up and put it in a cup. 

And there you have it! A yummy, healthy, and cold treat! Perfect for after a run, or just a long day. 

Beginnings

I was nervous. Although, the word nervous doesn't even get to the depth of the anxiety and complete sense of overwhelmingness that I felt.

It was Thursday. I was sitting in our "Orientation to Fall Block" – the part of the year where all senior education majors are introduced to what the rest of their lives at Covenant College will look like. As I listened I didn't know whether to sit there with my mouth agape, or burst into tears and burrow down in a corner. It was too much.

This semester consists of eighteen credit hours. I have done that before, so I know it is possible. However, the eighteen hours are nine different classes. One of those is a field placement. And that is where the fear seeped in.

I am in school studying how to be an elementary teacher. Yet, the idea of being in a school scares me. We were told we would begin Tuesday. We would be in a school on Tuesday! I was not ready. The more they described the school – the size, the population, the hugeness of it all – the more I wanted to not go.

Leaving class that Thursday I was overwhelmed. I prayed for peace. I also asked several people to pray for me and pray that my first day at the school where I was assigned would go well.

On Saturday, I realized I owned not one pair of anything other than jeans. This is a dilemma because teachers have a dress code and jeans are in the "not allowed" section of that dress code. So, off shopping I went (in rather a rush, seeing as I noticed this lack of appropriate teacher wear last minute! Ah!). It was a great trip and I came away with several non-jean pants! I was thrilled!

But, just because I now looked the part, it did not mean I was any more ready.

Monday night came – the night before my first arrival at the school – and I was nervous, so nervous. I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know how many students would be in the class. I didn't know if my cooperating teacher would be friendly. I didn't know where I would be eating lunch. It was a world of unknowns and that was terrifying. I continued to pray for peace. One friend recommended I read the end of Job so that I would remember how small I am and how big God is. What an encouragement! If God can do all that is described in Job, how much more able is He to take care of me on my first day in elementary school?

I woke bright and early on Tuesday morning. I dressed into my teacher's clothes, read more of Job, and waited for my ride to pick me up.

We got to the school with plenty of time. Since we were so early, a woman began to tell us about the different teachers who worked in their school. She began to describe a few of the teachers, who all sounded wonderful. Then she mentioned one who had graduated from Covenant. Wow! I thought, The person who has her as a cooperating teacher will immediately feel a connection because they have so much in common! And then she said the teacher's name.

I asked her to repeat it. It couldn't be. I thought for sure I was hearing it wrong. But I wasn't hearing wrong. The name really was her! It was the teacher whose name I had been memorizing on the trip to the school. The teacher who would be my cooperating teacher! I immediately felt ten times more comfortable. God is in control! Why do I so often forget that? Why do I give in to fear and worry so quickly?

I was warmly welcomed into the classroom by the students and my cooperating teacher. She graciously explained to me the set up of the classroom and the different teaching techniques and materials they use.  Anything I did not understand she would say, "Well, your professor So-and-So will be teaching you all about that in about two weeks!" It was wonderful that she knew my professors and what I knew and how nervous I felt.

As for the students, they have been a blessing! I have learned so much from helping them and watching them. They have made me laugh on multiple occasions. They have made me feel at home and so loved. And they have taught me so many things that only a child would notice.

I have been at the school for two days now and both were a blessing that I thank God for. He not only gave me a peace about being there, but He has provided above and beyond anything I could have imagined. Thank you to those of you who were praying for me my first day, God most certainly answered those prayers!

This is me, early in the morning, on my first day of teaching! Sorry for the fuzzy quality (it was taken quickly on the computer...)! I was wanting to show Mom and Dad my "teacher" look :) 

Home Sweet Home

Two Saturdays ago, Damarise and I moved into our first home! After figuring out that money would be saved by us moving off campus, and after not wanting to be in the dorm for another year, God blessed us with a cozy little one room house behind a wonderful Covenant staff family. We couldn't be happier!

Here are a few views of the house:

This is the kitchen. I love the long counter and the two windows. They are wonderful for my plants. (Also, Davey and I were making a Calzone... which is also something I am SO thankful for – finally being able to cook again!)

This is a rug that Mrs. Hoffman made for us. We love how it fits snuggly under our bathroom sink.

We bought a coffee table from Ikea. Damarise put both a coffee table and a nightstand together in the time it took me to put together a lamp. Damarise is a pro! 

This is our dining room/kitchen area. We could not be more thankful with how open it is. It is perfect for having guests over and we have enjoyed opening our home to several fellow classmates throughout the past week, whether it be for meals or just letting them relax on our couch and get away from campus for a bit.

This is the living room view from the kitchen. The door leads to our bedroom. The couch came with the apartment and it is one of the most comfortable things I have ever sat on!

This is the other side of the living room.

And last, but certainly not least– the bedroom. This is my bed and I love it! 

There you have it. A glimpse into our home. We love it and are so thankful for it! It has been fun to start a lot of firsts – like buying toilet paper for the first time in our lives! It is exciting and I can't wait to see all that is in store for us. 

Lesson from a Tomato Plant

I love plants.

I am not a green thumb.

Those two sentences should not go together. I love plants, but not having a green thumb means that inevitably the plants will die on me no matter how hard I try. It's a sad reality.

For proof of this fact, I'll bring up Twig One and Twig Two. I had gotten these Twigs as little babies, ready to blossom into eight feet tall Frasier Fir Trees. Over the summer I faithfully watered them and set them in the correct amount of sunlight. But one fateful day, Twig One turned brown and stopped growing. I buried Twig One, and kept nurturing Twig Two. A few weeks later Twig Two turned to a lifeless brown heap and I buried him as my dreams of ever growing something grew dimmer and dimmer.

There are green thumbs in my family. Sarah could help anything grow. She is the person who inspired me to start growing plants. She would faithfully care for all of the leafy vegetation she had in her room and I watched on in amazement at the skill it took to keep each one alive. I wanted to try it, and I also loved the wide variety of plants to choose from. God is an amazing Creator.

At the end of last summer I ended up with an Aloe Vera plant. It is still alive and I figured maybe I could only nurture desert plants.

And then the tomato plants came along.

I was given all the supplies to help them grow – soil, a large pot, and a ladder for them to climb on as they grew. It was incredible. I was so excited.

After placing them in the large pot to grow, they grew at an incredibly slow pace. I thought for sure I had done it. Someone had told me that of all the vegetable plants to grow, tomatoes are the easiest. And here I was carefully leaving it out in the sun and sheltering it during terrible storms, and it was dying.

I took a quick trip to Walmart to buy some MiracleGro. If you have never been to the outdoor section of a Walmart, please do. It was the most fun I've ever had in Walmart. I went to the outdoor section to find some MiracleGro for tomatoes. After having someone help me find it, I waited in line to check out.  Waiting in line was great. I talked to so many farmers who gave me helpful tips or told horror stories of all that could go wrong with tomatoes. We stood in line for several minutes discussing all sorts of plants. I loved it.

I came back home and declared MiracleGro Fridays. Every Friday I faithfully poured the right amount of MiracleGro on my tomato plants. They flourished! Within weeks they were thick, over three feet tall, and blooming flowers like crazy.

The tomatoes would come any moment. I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Micah's grandma is an incredible gardner, so I began to ask her for tips on what I could possibly do to make my tomato plant grow tomatoes. She gave me several helpful tips. But after hearing what it looked like and that it was still in a pot she told me that the chances of it growing any tomatoes were slim.

Slim. No big deal. There is always next year. 

And then I got the terrible news that tomato plants only live a year. I was crushed. You may be thinking, "Wow. Really, Hannah? It's a plant!" But somehow, when you nurture something for so long it tends to grow on you. I had grown attached to the tomato plant and knowing that it wouldn't be producing tomatoes or live next year, it was like hearing a pet of mine was dying.

My tomato plants looked like they took a turn for the worse a few days later, but I couldn't just dump and leave them. Finally this past week, after realizing that they were becoming an eye sore to my neighbors, I decided to bury them on Monday.

Sunday morning I went outside to see how my tomato plants were doing.

My mouth dropped open and the smile on my face could not have been wider. I couldn't believe it. I had joked that if I ever tried growing tomatoes again I would hire someone to place tomatoes on my plant so that I would think tomatoes were actually growing. I thought someone had taken this to heart. Because there it was.

Small, green, round, and definitely stuck to the plant. A little tomato was growing.

I was elated!

I told everyone I knew that a tomato was growing on my plant. It was too exciting!

It also came at the most impeccable timing. Of course, God has a way of doing that.

Friday afternoon after work I went for a run. After running I wandered over to an overlook and sat down. It was peaceful, empty, and still. I sat there and began to think about the future. I had just finished my last day of work which meant that summer was now coming to an end. Summer coming to an end meant that Senior year would begin soon whether I was ready or not. I was not ready.

I sat there and tearfully poured out my fears to God. I am not ready for senior year. I don't feel ready to student teach or study again. I'm not ready for the pressures of academics. I'm not ready for the intimidation of getting up in front of a class and presenting projects. I'm not ready for senior year to end because I have no idea what I'll be doing with my life. The future is scary. I prayed that God would grant me peace and that I would truly know that He is in control and all-powerful.

And then He put a tomato on my tomato plant. Only God could take a dead plant and let fruit come from it. When I saw the tomato plant I was elated at the thought that my plant wasn't dead. But more so, I was in awe of the power of God. If He cares for something as small as a tomato plant and if He could make a fruit come from it, how much more is He in control of my life. He truly is powerful and I couldn't help but praise Him.

The God who made a tomato come from my dying plant is in control of my future and He is the One who has given me a peace about senior year. ... Who knew that God would use a tomato plant to teach me to trust Him. He is incredible!

Appreciation

Yesterday I decked the flattering blue and khaki for the last time. At 4:30pm, I clocked out of work and bid farewell to my summer job. It was a little bittersweet saying goodbye to the family of facility workers I have grown to love, but I am ready for a rest.

Knowing that this was my last week of work, I scrounged up as much overtime as I could handle. Part of the overtime I got to participate in was catering. I traded my blue and khaki for white and black while serving dinner to the faculty and staff of Covenant College. It was busy and a new experience. I realized how talented waitresses are in balancing many plates and other various dishes without dropping anything. I was not exactly a pro at this. I only dropped one butter knife. It barely missed cutting off a gentleman's toe, but he was very gracious in giving me back the knife and not making a big deal about it.

I also learned that waitresses are not in control of what is put on the plate they are serving. I found this out when a plate was slightly messed up and I was caught in the middle. The man was polite about it, but I was told by him that I needed to listen better. I felt awful, but there was nothing I could have done to avoid the situation.

After coming home from that eleven and a half hour day I was exhausted. I collapsed onto my bed and fell fast asleep. Waitressing is hard work.

Which brings me to the title of this post: appreciation.

This summer I worked on facility services. Put in everyday terms, I was a janitor. I cleaned toilets, emptied trash, scrubbed walls, washed carpet, and wiped handprint off of countless glass doors. (Just to name of few of my jobs). Some parts of the job were gross. Like going on a campus trash run and having "trashjuice" drip down my arms and all over my shirt. Or cleaning up a camper's vomit that had spread all over the floor. Yet, the gross aspects of the job were made fun by the people I worked with. The two times I did campus trash run, there were two hilarious people who not once complained about the disgusting trash, but instead laughed at the smell and the juice dripping on their face. When I cleaned up the vomit I was with a group of four. We poured on the "VoBan" and let it do its "magic" while we all stood in a circle around it in awe and much laughter.

I cannot complain. The job was nasty and hard at times, but the people I worked with made it all the better.

There was one thing, however, that made my day: when strangers came up to me and thanked me for my work.

We had one camper's dad walk through a hall one day while several of us were on the hall cleaning the bathrooms. He poked his head into the bathroom and told us how thankful he was. He said he had done a job like this once and no one ever thanked him. He said we had no idea how appreciative he was of us cleaning their bathroom for them and encouraged us in our work. I was blown away. A simple thirty second conversation and I felt encouraged to go clean for several more years! The simple act of noticing our work, and not only our work, but also the workers doing the work was beyond encouraging.

The same thing happened the one night I was a waitress. I had at least three kind professors and staff thank me for my work and talk to me about life instead of just treating me as a nobody. I couldn't have been more encouraged.

Working as a janitor and as a waitress I learned many things, but one thing I'd like to share now. It is so easy not to notice the person who cleans the bathroom or empties the trash. It is easy to talk to a waitress only to get food. But these are human beings just like us. The person who cleans the bathroom at the local gas station has a name, a history, and a person stopping to ask them about their day or even just to sincerely thank them for their hard labour, will probably make their day.

This is my challenge that I learned from the summer: thank the workers around you.

Thank the people who pick up trash. Thank the people who clean the bathrooms. Thank the people who dust mop. Thank the people who serve you food. Let them know that their job matters and that having a full roll of toilet paper in your stall or a soap dispenser that was full just made your day easier. Let them know they are appreciated and that they matter! Don't ignore them, please don't ignore them. It hurts. Ask them how they are and show your appreciation for all the hard work they do. Some days aren't easy and you never know how much a simple kind word will lift someone's spirit and empower them to clean all the better.

Licensed!

It's been a long time coming.

I was thirteen when Mom first took me driving. We were on a straight gravel road at my grandparent's farm. I drove a total of fifteen feet. Within those fifteen feet I gave everyone in the car whiplash and had no idea that people didn't use both feet to press the gas and brake. (Naturally, I had my left foot on the brake and my right on the gas... it worked well... I thought). After Damarise and Sarah jumped out of the car to relish being alive and on land (they enthusiastically kissed the ground and frolicked in the grass), Mom kindly told me that waiting a while wouldn't hurt and that there was no need to rush me.

Then came Africa. Most people get their driver's license by sixteen, depending on what state they live in, but I was in Mozambique – a place of massive pot holes, driving on the left side of the road, and no rules of the road. Learning how to drive there would have been like trying to learn to play piano while sitting in a canoe, it's possible but very difficult. So, I waited.

We arrived back in the US when I was seventeen. Getting Damarise to be a licensed driver was first priority. But Dad and Mom took me out driving a few times trying to move me along. I was a slow learner. Both Mom and Dad can testify to this. We spent many hours in parking lots just getting me to feel comfortable behind the wheel. Dad took both Sarah and me driving through Grandma's neighborhood. I never wanted to drive around other cars and drove twenty miles below any speed limit.  How Dad patiently put up with that, I will never know, but he was encouraging. As was Mom.

Freshman year at college came and went. Summer of '10 was spent in Missouri, again practicing driving. Dad took me out many times to drive through various parking lots, but learning was slow.

Sophomore year came and went and still driving did not progress. Mom and Dad went back to Africa and I was left to learn on my own.

But, I was left with a wonderful sister and two wonderful friends who took precious time out of their lives to help me become a more comfortable and confident driver.

Damarise graciously put up with my slow and jerky driving every Sunday afternoon after church. She also took me to many parking lots to practice. She was a big help, but at the same time it was hard for us to work together at my driving. We both learned a lot of patience!

Davey and Micah offered their help and helped tremendously!

Davey took me driving downtown one night. It was the first time I had gone on the "real" road around other cars. I was terrified. But Davey was confident. He calmly told me what to do and sat quietly while I scarily turned around curves. He also nicely told me when to speed up and not be afraid to go the speed limit. He was a great teacher! In a week he had me on the highway. I was shaking like a leaf when I was done but so happy that I had actually driven on the highway. His confidence that I could do it helped me so much!

Micah taught me how to parallel park, do a three point turn, drive through many cones backwards, and he also let me drive through many busy parts of Chattanooga on a Saturday in his car! He encouraged me on when I did not feel sure of myself at all. He drove me to the DMV the second time to get my driver's permit when I finally brought all the right paper work. And was just a very persuasive and encouraging friend telling me that I could actually get my driver's license and that it would be a wonderful thing.

Damarise, Micah, and Davey have all played a vital role in getting me to where I was on July 31st.

Tuesday, July 31st, I was sitting in the driver's seat of our van having just finished my driving test. We were a little late getting back because I accidentally passed the turn. After turning around in a parking lot and laughing with my test giver at my mistake we made it back to the DMV where I put the van in park. I sat there wondering if I had passed. My stomach was definitely feeling the nerves and my hands were starting to shake. I had knocked over a cone during the parallel parking and I was sure I had made other mistakes. I looked over at my test giver with the question burning within me. Had I passed? She looked back at me and nonchalantly said, "Well, you passed." I PASSED! I let out a little woot of joy and excitedly yelled, "YES!" I could not stop grinning as I walked back into the DMV to tell Damarise.

It has been seven years since that first try behind the wheel. And now, now I have an official driver's license in my hand! I have been blessed beyond measure to have helpful parents start me off at driving. But even more to have an amazing sister who patiently put up with my begging to drive. And two amazing friends who took me way outside of my comfort zone because they knew that I could drive if I was just given the chance and a little bit of encouragement. The thankfulness I have for their generosity in giving up their precious study time and even risking their lives is overwhelming. I feel so blessed and so encouraged.

I am a licensed driver!

A huge thank you to Dad, Mom, Damarise, Micah, and Davey! I really could not have done it without any one of you!

Winding Up

I'm still sporting the blue and khaki. Waking up at 7:04am every morning. And working on Facilities Services during "Not Quite Heaven" week.

We have finished the first of three "Not Quite Heaven" weeks. These are the final weeks of summer. The weeks where the summer workers put the Covenant College campus back to normal before students arrive. It is a mad, but organized, mob of blue and khaki. Cleaning, arranging, moving, storing. You name it, it is probably happening.

Things are beginning to wind up and that is a little bittersweet. Friendships form quickly over the summer. Forty Covenant College students working together for 8 hours a day and then living in a little cul-de-sac helps friendships to blossom in wonderful ways. It will be sad to leave this summer behind, but at the same time I am ready for senior year to begin.

Ah, senior year. Today as we were driving back from church I was reminded of the first time we drove up to Covenant College on our first day. I was nervous, scared, and certainly not feeling ready to be on my own. Now, Damarise and I are about to embark on our last year of college and I cannot wait. I cannot wait to see all that God has in store for this final school year. And am excited about the adventures to come.

In the meantime, I will enjoy these last few weeks of work. Yes, they are rough and I am beat tired after every day. But it is a time to deepen friendships and enjoy the job that I have. That being said – bring it on "Not Quite Heaven" Week, bring it on!

Tidbits

It's been over a month since I last took the time to sit down at my laptop and type up my thoughts. I wish I had a good excuse for why I haven't written on here, but alas I simply did not have the time to sit down and write.

Today is my day off and I figured it was as good of a day as ever. So here I am, writing out little stories and interesting happenings of the past month – or as I like to call them: tidbits.

1. I am learning guitar. This has been on my bucket list since before I knew what a bucket list was. Learning guitar has been something I have always wanted to do, but have never found a guitar to practice on. This summer I decided to go ahead and learn. I went onto Cragislist to find a cheap guitar and I found out one thing – guitars aren't cheap. With my dream looking less and less hopeful I began to wonder if I would ever get to learn guitar. And then I remembered: my family is in Zambia! You might be asking yourself, "Yes... but what does this have to do with learning guitar?" This! Dad plays guitar. Dad has had a 12 string guitar since I can remember and that is the guitar he has in Africa. However, while here in the US he got a guitar for his birthday and this guitar he left in storage when they moved across the ocean. But, I am on this side of the ocean and we were in Missouri last week where he left his guitar. That being said, I rescued his guitar from storage and began to learn.

I have been practicing now for four days and currently cannot feel the tips of the middle three fingers on my left hand. I'm doing finger stretches all the time to try and get my hand to be more flexible. I've learned the D, A, G, and Em chords and am slowly plugging away at my speed. It has been a blast and I love getting to finally learn something I've been wanting to for a while. We'll see if I ever get good at it ;)

2. Victoria. Victoria has been my longest known friend. We met in nursery when we were two and bonded immediately (or so we tell ourselves). I haven't seen her in two years and she is one of the friends who, no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, we can pick right back up from where we left off and talk for days on end.

While we were in Missouri, Victoria came up for a day to visit. To say our time together was good would be an understatement. It was wonderful! So wonderful! Victoria and I went out to dinner, while Damarise and Micah were on a date, and caught up on life. It was great to share what God is doing in our lives and realize the similarities in what He has been teaching us. I felt so encouraged after spending the evening talking with her and I was reminded of how blessed I am to have her as a friend.

3. I cut hair. Those of you who have read my blog for a while may remember the last time I cut hair. The time I cut Janessa's hair in perfect layers. And by perfect layers, I of course mean layers that looked like a staircase from miles away. After that experience I figured my days of haircutting, or of attempted haircutting, were over. And then Micah asked me if I wanted to cut his hair. Of course I wanted to! I think it'd be a blast to be good at hair cutting and having a willing participant, well I couldn't wait. I googled many articles on how to cut hair and watched several YouTube videos. Thursday afternoon, with Micah willingly letting me practice on his hair, I set to work. It took about 45 minutes and Micah seemed pleased with it when I was through. Sure there were a few accidentally choppy spots, but his curly hair covered those up. And he said he'd let me try it again when he needed another hair cut! I'm excited!

4. Driving. It's been several months since I got my driver's permit. Since that time I have had a few helpful people who have risked their lives to take me driving. Okay, okay. It hasn't been that bad. But there have been people who have given up their free time to take me on the road. Damarise, Micah, and Davey have all had a hand in taking me driving and I couldn't be more thankful for them!

Tuesday is the day I go in to take my driver's test. (It was supposed to be today, but I forgot one piece of paperwork...). It's taken me a while to get to this point, but the time is finally here to become a licensed driver (hopefully!). I'd appreciate your prayers next Tuesday as I go in to take my test! It's exciting, but nerve racking too.

5. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I read Alice in Wonderland over Christmas break and loved it! I reread it and am now reading Through the Looking Glass. Lewis Carroll is a hilarious and engaging author. If you haven't read his books, I highly recommend them. They have made me laugh out loud several times. It's a fun summer read.

Those are all the tidbits in life that I can think of right now. I'll try to keep this blog a little more updated and again, sorry for the long delay since the last post. Until next time...

Summer Days

Summer days- adventures, time spent with friends, road trips, trying new things, laughing, bonding, wonderful. 

Last weekend we went on a summer adventure with Micah to celebrate his birthday (about a month after his birthday...). We went to Atlanta and saw some fun sights, but mostly had a great time hanging out together! 

We went to Ikea and sat on a couch in one of the sample rooms while reading a book out loud to each other. 

We walked everywhere and when we didn't walk we took the Marta (subway). We only got lost a few times, but getting lost is always one of the best parts of an adventure!

We laid down on the grass and watched the sun set over the Atlanta skyline. ... And we made goofy faces at the camera. 

This weekend we hung out downtown with Faith. We went to an antique store to see what we could find. We found some crazy things. 

Damarise was too excited about this!

Probably the best wreath ever. 

I got to try new things – like a bacon yogurt sample from Greenlife and a bacon donut at a donut shop. Yum!

Then we met up with some of our house mates over the summer and hung out with them while walking around Chattanooga. They are wonderful. 

Summer is off to a great start. I'm reminded of how blessed I am to have a job, have amazing friends, live in a beautiful place, and be loved by God. Summer 2012 will be great! 

In the ER

I had this at the end of this post, but figured it might be best to put it at the beginning just so there is an explanation as to why I was in the ER. To clarify, I was actually in the ER waiting room. A friend who I am working with over this summer was cleaning and, long story short, ended up passing out and hitting her head on the floor. She had to go to the ER because we thought she had a concussion (which I think the doctors said she did). She is resting at home for a week, but is doing okay with no long lasting damage! ... And that is why I was in the ER waiting room. 

I plopped down next to Leslie. The vinyl chair felt sticky and who knew how many germs were coating the metal arm rests. But I was worn out from an afternoon's work and could've cared less what germs I was sitting on – at least I was sitting. Leslie and I talked for a bit and she informed me that emergency rooms are great for people watching. I laughed. But seeing as I had nothing else to keep me occupied while I waited, I let my eyes wander around the waiting room to see the people around me.

If you need a reminder that we live in a broken and fallen world, visit an emergency room. As I looked around I saw people waiting to be admitted. One man with what looked to be a sprained knee. A woman with a terrible migraine who cried when her little son wasn't looking, but put on a cheerful facade when he spoke to her. A woman who looked to be in pain everywhere. And numerous others.

Then there were the people, like us, the ones waiting to hear news on how their friend or family member was doing. They were easy to spot out from the crowd of sick people. They were the ones without the blue and white band around their wrist, but they were also the ones with the anxious and worried looks.

There was one family– a mom, teenage girl, and baby– who were sitting across from me. The worry etched on their faces was painful. They kept looking to the emergency room door marked for chest pain. They talked with each other a little, but they mostly just looked at that door. About an hour after we got there, the man they were waiting on burst out of the doors. The daughter looked up and relief spread across her face. She said, "Look! There he is!" But his response lacked the relief and joy of the daughter's. "Let's get the **** out of here! Now!" And with those words he stormed out of the hospital with his wife and daughter scrambling to get everything together and follow him.

It hurt. These people who had patiently waited hours for him were not thanked in the least. We live in a fallen world I told myself. And sometimes seeing the effects of the fall so vividly is painful. Where was grace and love in this hospital I wondered. I could look around and see pain, but was there any love in the room?

As I sat there thinking about that a woman with a little blonde haired girl came into the emergency room. "We have free food by the ICU if any one is hungry and wants some. Please! Come! We have lots and we can't leave until it's gone." Damarise and I hadn't eaten anything since we left straight from work to head to the ER. We were hungry and passing up on free food is like saying no to a birthday present. (It really shouldn't happen).

So, ten minutes later we wandered down the hallway in search of the free food. As we were searching for the food we ran into the same lady with her daughter. She told us we should could grab some food and eat with them. We told her we would love to. As we followed her down to the ICU I asked her if she did this every night. She said that she wishes she could but she did not have enough time or money for it so she only did it on Wednesdays. She said that she spent a lot of time in the ER waiting room the past few years waiting on several different family members. And sometimes, she said, a home cooked meal is one of the most comforting things, it is also incredibly cheaper than eating in the cafeteria (of course what could beat free food!).

We followed her through winding corridors until we came to a hallway. As we followed her into the hall we were greeted by several smiling faces serving food. There were casserole dishes full of home cooked food covering two long tables. And there they were, a little group from a church serving food and comforting people in that little, but extremely huge way.

I was blown away. In a place so sad and hurting there were a few people sharing food and caring for the people waiting on their loved ones. They were not only sharing food, but sharing Christ's love. They were being a light to everyone around them by humbling themselves and serving. They gave hope to the ones who were hopeless. They cared about what people were going through. They listened to the stories of hurt and mourned with those who mourned.

It was a good reminder for me. Yes, the world is fallen and broken. But we have an amazing Saviour, Jesus Christ, who came and lived on this fallen earth yet without sin. He died and took the sins of the world on Himself, but rose in order to redeem His chosen ones and save them from the bondage of sin and that that is hope! That is the hope that these people were sharing. By sharing the love of simply serving food they were showing people that they care. They were showing that they care because they have been redeemed by a living Saviour who cares. By a Saviour who saves us from more than physical ailments, but from our sin and eternal death. He is the one who gives life and that is what that little group of people were sharing. It was so encouraging to see. It was a humbling reminder.

As I left the ER that night I couldn't help but give thanks. I gave thanks that there are people who are being a light in a place that is so broken. I gave thanks that God's love penetrates the darkest places. And I gave thanks that this is not the end, that one day Christ will return and, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4). I cannot wait for that day!

Time for a Photo Update

I don't have time to write a lot, although if I could pick the perfect day to just sit down and write it would have to be a day like today. It has been raining non-stop since yesterday and it is the perfect weather to snuggle under some blankets with a warm cup of tea and write to my heart's content. However, time won't allow me to do that, so I'll leave most of the stories to the pictures, since pictures are worth a thousand words. 

1. Tomato plants. To the average person, getting tomato plants would be interesting and maybe a little cool. For me, they made my month! They were about the most wonderful thing anybody could ever give me. .... And here's the tale behind how I got them. 

Once upon a year ago there was Earth Day. Now for those of you who may remember I got two free Fraiser Fir trees from Lowe's for Earth Day last year. It was so exciting! I'd always wanted to grow and nurture something and trees that would live for over 80 years seemed perfect, not to mention they were free. Well, grow those trees did... until the day they died. It was sad. I ended up getting an aloe plant because those were easier to take care of (and I'm happy to report that it is still alive)! 

Well, this year Earth Day rolled around again. I googled what Lowe's was doing for Earth Day 2012 and found out they were giving away free trees again. I was elated! If at first you don't succeed try, try again, right? I had to go down to that part of town to get fingerprinted for Student Teaching, so I planned to head down on the free tree day. I was about to leave when the fingerprinting place called to tell me they had to cancel. I was bummed. I wasn't going to drive all the way down to that part of town just for free trees. I thought all hope was lost until I called Micah, since he lives closer to that part of town, I asked him if he would be going anywhere close to there and could maybe pick me up a free tree. He said probably not and I decided that that was that. I'd try nurturing a tree some other year. 

Then came the next day. I was sitting at work when Micah called and said to meet him outside cause he had trees for me. I was thrilled! (I know... it's strange...) I came outside and told Micah how excited I was. He told me that he had something to tell me though. Apparently it wasn't free tree day at Lowe's, but he felt bad coming back empty handed, so he bought me tomato plants! I was more than excited and thrilled! Tomato plants would not only be easier to keep alive, they would also produce something edible! I was SO excited! It was the best gift and I couldn't be more thankful! 

The plants are currently in a BIG pot basking in the sun and rain and growing fast. It's wonderful!

2. Virginia. She graduated last Saturday. She has been a wonderful RA to me the past two years and I am so thankful for her.

3. Hannah Brammer. She is amazing! She lived on our hall this past year and is from Germany. She can make anyone laugh and is so sweet and kind. Saturday at graduation we had to say goodbye to her and she went back to Germany. Who knows when I'll get to see her again, but I'm so thankful that God let her come to Covenant and let our paths cross. She has been a huge blessing to me.

4. Ohh Davey! Saturday after graduation Davey, Damarise, Janessa, and I went all around town just to hang out with each other before we all went out separate ways for the summer. It was fun.

5. All together until the fall. I miss them both already!

6. Damarise and I went to our first wedding in twelve years! We got to see one of our close friends here at Covenant get married to a wonderful man. It was beautiful.

7. Alicia and Karly – two of our amazing friends who we got to know from working B.E.S.T last summer.

8. The groom and bride – Paul and Kristin. They are an awesome couple!

9. Our first dinner of the summer. Chicken breast and salad. Yum!

10. Global Trends. I am currently in this class for three hours every morning and working in the afternoon for four hours. It is a lot, but it is good. I have learned SO much in this class and am thankful for the ways it has been opening my eyes to the world around me and to God's ever abounding grace!

11. Blue feet! We played footballish monkey in the middle the other night on a soccer field in the dark. Apparently it had weed killer on it. It made our feet blue. It was hilarious. 

There's a little update in pictures until I can sit down and write more. Maybe after May when I'm done with my class and have time to think about something other than homework. We shall see. 

Graduation

Today was Covenant College's 57th annual commencement. I've gone to every graduation ceremony since freshman year, but somehow this one hit a little closer to home for me. As I sat there watching my senior friends walk across the stage, shake President Nielson's hand, and receive their diploma, I couldn't help thinking that next year that would be me (Lord willing!) and my friends walking across the stage, receiving our diplomas and then... and then... what?

Covenant College has been home to me for the past three years and I'm not quite sure if I'll be ready to leave it by next year. The future is a scary thing sometimes. Today I am thankful that God has it all planned out and I can rest assured that He knows my future and there is nothing I need to worry about now.

Today's goodbyes were sad, but there is a joy knowing that one day we'll all be together again, if not here on earth than in heaven.

To the class of 2012, congratulations! Thanks for being wonderful upperclassmen. You will be missed!

It's that time of year...

Packing, moving, cleaning... it's been routine for a lot of my life, and it's that time again. We are cleaning up and packing our dorm room for the last time. Next year we will be living in a house. It's a little bittersweet. 

Yawn on the Run

I wrote a book. 

I'm currently in the class Children's Literature and I love it. Every morning before class Dr. Pennington reads a chapter from a Newbery award winner while we all nestle down with our coffee and tea to listen. We then jump into the lesson for the day whether that be on picture books, fantasy books, or historical fiction. I've learned quite a bit about children's literature from that class and it has inspired me to make a dense reading list to tack over the summer. It has also inspired me to begin collecting books for my own classroom one day. 

But as much as I love learning about the various types of children's literature, there was one assignment that I couldn't wait to do. That assignment: write a children's book. 

When I was four I went on a crazy book writing spree. I remember the day it happened because, to me, it was the best thing since sliced bread. Mom was pregnant at the time with Ian and I was having nap time. I'd been having nap time since I was little and it was supposed to be for the purpose of, well, napping. But I got bored with sleeping after a while and did everything else I could think of while sitting in bed. I said the alphabet backwards as fast as I could, I tried to curl all my toes but one, and I made up stories in my mind. Finally, one day Mom let me read books to myself during nap time. I loved it! I would curl up in bed with my little Fisher Price® tape recorder and read the stories with as much enthusiasm as I could muster. I read them as if I was reading to an audience. 

For some reason my nap time got moved to the living room where I would sit quietly on a couch and read the books silently to myself. While I would read Mom would try to sleep on the couch next to mine. She relished the quiet nap time and unfortunately my page turning was too loud for her. One day Mom told me that the page turning was not helping her sleep so she set me up at the table with crayons and a stack of white paper. I couldn't have been happier. This change was the best. 

Instead of drawing pictures on the paper, I wrote out all the stories in my mind and drew pictures to accompany them. I loved it. I wrote a lot of little books during that time, but life went on and the books ended up in a bucket in a shed somewhere in Missouri. As for my writing, I wrote papers for school and sporadic blog posts, but that was it. 

Until I got the assignment to write a children's book. It came at just the right time too. All summer I'd been thinking of the story I would write if I had to write a children's book. It would be about a yawn that covered the world (because, after all, yawns are contagious). And it would rhyme. I am a huge Dr. Seuss fan because I love the sound and flow of his books. I love that after I read any of his books I start thinking in rhyme and rhythm. I wanted to incorporate that into my story. 

So a few weeks ago I set out to write my book. It took me an afternoon to get the story line penned out. After reading it to several friends (and getting an immense amount of encouragement about it!) I looked for someone to illustrate it for me. I tried, ohhh did I try, but my artistic abilities are a bit on the low side. Then came Jillian Chupp. I emailed her my story and she said she would love to illustrate it. I got her illustrations last week and put the book together. I could not have been happier! They were perfect! I wanted to show off her drawings to everyone. I love them!

This past week in my children's literature class I got to present my book to the class. Damarise and Micah sat in on my class to listen to me read my book. I felt so loved! Nobody else had friends and family come in to listen to them read. I felt so special and cared for. They are such a blessing!

 I have felt very blessed and encouraged by my friends through writing this book. It was definitely helped along by many people. Megan helped me with one of the lines and listened to me stumble along through the first few lines (I read it out loud over and over again to her while she tried to study in my room). Micah was enthusiastic about my book, told everyone about it, and helped me change some of the words.  Damarise encouraged me in saying she wanted it to be published. Kevin, Virginia, and Davey all listened to my book and gave me some of the sweetest compliments. Janessa told me it was great and told me to ask Jillian to illustrate it. Dad and Mom told me they liked it. Jillian made it come alive. And my classmates encouraged me after I read it. I feel so blessed by all the encouragement I've gotten from my friends and family. I told Damarise after I read my book in class that I just wanted to cry (a happy cry!) because I was so thankful for everyone's encouragement and support. It was just too sweet and kind! 

Yawn on the Run was a fun project and I'm so thankful I got to do it. Maybe one day I'll get around to publishing this book. But in the meantime, if you want to read it you'll have to find me and I can read it to you.