So I blinked and realized that almost 6 months had gone by!

So...I haven't blogged in a really long time, but I do want to try and do so much more this year! I have to say that in the past few months, nothing major has really happened, which is good and bad. I have so enjoyed my mornings at home and the luxury that it is! I also wish that I could be out teaching and making a difference in students' lives, but as I have said before...God is teaching me patience. Other than that, Sam and I have been doing well. My wonderful husband who works so hard for our family got a new job and is really enjoying it. He is still not doing what he is called to do, but it is something that he can do now and still love. In light of the fact that Sam and I are both not in our careers right now, I have been reminded of the verses that we pledged and promised would be at the center of our marriage:

Romans 12:9-13
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

There is so much truth packed into just a few lines and this year I want to commit to remembering these verses a lot more!

Some exciting family news is that my Sister-in-Law and Brother-in Law are expecting their second child really soon! I am so happy for them and I cannot believe that is a few short weeks they are going to be a family of four! I hope that in the near future we can give some cousins for my niece and future nephew to play with!

The First Cheat

So I cheated yesterday, I went to the mall without eating lunch and bought a wrap because I was so hungry! I am mad at myself, but it hasn't weakened my resolve to continue for the next seven weeks.

Nothing much has happened in the past week other than having four large spiders in our house...which I am deathly afraid of! I literally have a meltdown if I see a spider, and this morning I woke up and I had to kill a spider that was sitting in the middle of my bathroom floor! I hate when Sam is not here to kill them, because as much as I would like to leave it, I can't be in the house when I know a spider is here. Anyways, I am thinking that we (and by we I mean Sam) need to go around the house and make sure there are not anymore hanging around that can freak me out!

I have had a few weeks off now and I beginning to need more things to do during the day. I am going to haul out my scrapbooking today and use that to occupy my time, and I am going to take up knitting again, which I stopped after I did a marathon at Christmas. Either than those two things, I need to find a few other hobbies because it looks like I will not be employed for another couple months...blah!! I really want to get out into the school world and start MAKING MONEY! I know it will happen, but I am getting increasingly impatient!

Cry-fest!

Last night I went to see the Time Traveller's Wife, and it was a beautiful love story! I basically cried for the last 40 minutes of the movie, but it was so touching. It joins the ranks of other really romantic and sad movies like PS I Love You and the Notebook!

Sam and I are embarking on Day 5 of our challenge. Unfortuanately for me, Sam has been taken out 3 times this week!!!! We agreed that if other people take us out it is fine to eat out, now I am hating that we made that exception. At the movies last night I got creative and brought my own popped popcorn, can of pop and homemade peanut butter cookies. It was a great little snack and I even turned down frozen yogurt, my favourite!! So far I haven't found it too difficult but today I woke up craving a big Starbucks coffee and one of their amazing breakfast sandwiches!

I am a Teacher!

It is official, as of about 2 weeks ago, I am a teacher. I am still praying and waiting for a job, but I know God has something wonderful on the horizon for me! I am so excited that my schooling is finally done! Sam and I were able to get away to the trailer for a week and it was so relaxing! We are also challenging ourselves with a "No Eating Out" Plan for two months. We have found that we tend to go out at least once a week for lunch or dinner, and it is money and calories that we don't need. So this plan will hopefully allow for healthier eating and more money in our savings! I am still allowed to get a Starbucks occassionally...thank goodness. So it is Day 2 of the challenge and we going strong...but then again it has only been 2 days!!

Here are some of the pictures from the trailer. We made delicious food, played 80 games of Sequence, went for a walk to the Nooksack River and had lots of fun!

5 Weeks Left

It is official, I have 5 weeks until I am a teacher! I am going through the crazy process of applying everywhere I can, and it is definately stressful! I just want a job so much...I will be really frustrated if I can't find one soon, I think God is teaching me patience. We are also trying to trust God about our finances. The past three years have been hard with paying for my schooling, and this past year was more expensive than we anticipated. I cannot wait until I am actually earning money through teaching so that we can begin to save for the future! We just need to trust that God will provide for us, does anyone else find that hard to do sometimes? My human nature jumps in and needs to know now...it's a battle for life I think. The end is definately in sight though, and that is really exciting!

Recent Ponderings...

I have 5 days left until I am done my practicum and on my way to getting my teaching certification! I also have 5 weeks of commuting to UBC and pretending to care about the assignments they give and THEN I can be a teacher! Obviously I am not enthused about these last few weeks, but I hope that they will speed by! It is hard to believe that I have been in school since I was 5 years old, 20 years of my life! When I actually put that into writing, it looks so sad. My 20 year journey is coming to an end though, and I am so excited to get my life started without the constant of school! Now, here's hoping I actually get a job!

Heat Wave...

Well, just as I suspected, practicum has flown by at an alarming speed and my life is as busy as ever. It is a different kind of busy though, on most days I love marking, doing prep for my lessons and interacting with the students. I do confess that the recent heat wave has caused my patience to dwindle. I am finding that I am closer and closer to a breaking point when I have six 9 year olds commanding my immediate attention! (I could not imagine having sextuplets!) Thankfully today I decided that instead of enduring the 33 degree heat inside my classroom, we would go out and sit in the shade! Even with this change, my students are acting out like crazy!!! Despite this not-so-great week, I do love my students and will be sad when I leave them. It is only 12 school days until I return to UBC and I guess it is a necessary evil, only one month until I finished forever!

Besides school, which does take up most of my time, I have been tutoring lots and hanging out with my wonderful friends and family! Sam and I went to Jericho beach a couple Saturdays ago, the tide was out and it was a wonderful walk to the middle of the ocean! We have made the committment to go as much as possible this summer because it was so relaxing the first time! Here are some pictures from the Beach and the last couple things I did with my class:

Jericho Beach, Sam and Fish and Chips - A Great Day!




Decorating Easter Cookies, Charcoal Easter Eggs and Printmaking