First Day of School

Well, it has arrived...the first day of a new school year. My day went very well, and I think I'm going to have a great group of kids. I did, however, have something happen that I thought never would... a 7th grader crying!! She was so scared, but I assured her mother that she would be just fine, and invited her to come in my class and stay with her daughter for awhile. She opted not to(which I think was wise), but I let her make that decision on her own. Jr. High is a touchy, scary time for a lot of kids because it's a new school, new responsibilities, and peer pressure.

I prayed last night in our "Back to School" service that God would help me be a witness to these kids because this is the age that will make or break them. I usually pray that prayer every year, but for some reason, I feel a certain "something in the air" for our children of today. I hope I can make a difference in their lives because these are awesome kids, and they deserve to know who Jesus is and that He loves them unconditionally.

If you read this post and have kids, I pray for them daily and wish them the best. What do you say....let's win our school for God!!

Happy Birthday

I know this is a belated post, but the meaning is still the same. Sunday, August 10th, my wonderful father-n-law celebrated his 84TH birthday!!! We had a little party for him Saturday night, and we enjoyed being with him so much!! I'll be honest...I didn't ever think we would see him get out of the hospital when he suffered his massive heart attack in May, but God had different plans, and I'm soooo thankful for His healing and mercy!!!! Happy Birthday, Papa....you're the greatest, and I love you very much!

Prayer for Patsy Kelley

Today I found out that Patsy Kelley has been diagnosed with colon cancer. I was so shocked and saddened to hear this news!! I talked to Christy (Brown) Castro, which is Patsy's daughter, and she told me that Patsy will be going in for surgery Wednesday to see how far the cancer has spread. I know that everyone that reads this post will not know Patsy, but I sure would appreciate it if you whisper a prayer for her. I KNOW God can heal her body, and that's what I'm believing Him for. Patsy used to attend Life Tabernacle, but she is now going to the church in Iowa Park. Christy told me that she feels a real peace about the whole situation, but please keep the family and Patsy in your prayers. God has NOT lost his power!!

VBS

Last night, at church, we had an incredible re-enactment of VBS, which took place last week! My hat is off to Bro. Joseph for an AWESOME job he's doing with our children. I took a lot of pictures for our end-of-the-year slide show and saw some funny sights!! I never knew our people had so much talent!

I'm also very EXCITED about a new program Pastor Holley is beginning in September. It's called Ex-Treme, and it sounds like it's going to be "extremely" exciting. Thank you, too, Bro. Gene for a vision for our kids!! It's so much fun living for the Lord!!!

Austin

For the past 3 days I've been in Austin, Texas sitting on a Reading TAKS Test committee. It was one of the most exciting and rewarding experience of my life!! Now, don't get me wrong....I'm NOT for the TAKS Test, but if our kids have to take it, then it might as well be durable.

I was on a committee with 10 other Texas teachers from other towns, and we were nominated and chosen to serve on this committee. Out of all the WONDERFUL English teachers in Wichita Falls, 10 of us were chosen and approved by Dr. Orr. I feel humbled and honored to have been selected!!

WE did A LOT of reading and literally developed the up-coming Reading TAKS Test for either this year or next year. We spent MANY hours combing through good (and not tricky) answers that would justify the questions. My eyes and brain are tired, tired, tired, but at least I know our kids will have a fair shot at the test and hopefully will not feel so stressed out!!!

Good luck Texas students because I'm on your side!!

Low Level of Depression

I can't believe it.... they're already out!! Yesterday I was at Walmart, and the first thing I saw was SCHOOL SUPPLIES! I thought to my self, "They can't do this to me! It's not time yet!!" It kind of made me go into a low level of depression, but the blues didn't stay around for long when I thought about retirement is right around the corner for me. No, I'm NOT trying to wish my life away, but I would like to go places and do things during the school year that I normally don't get to do. Oh well, I guess my time is coming soon enough. It's the "getting started" that's hard. Once I'm in the swing of things, I'm OK. I do love my job, my school, and what I teach. I feel much better now that I've vented. Have a great week ahead!!

Florida Trip

Well, I'm back from my trip to Florida, and I had a wonderful time! It was so good to spend some quality time with my mom, and she spoiled me rotten. She lives in Jacksonville, but she and I went to Orlando for 3 days and stayed in her condo. We went to a place called "Arabian Knight,"and it was fantastic!! It kinda reminded me of Medevil Times a little bit. The meal they served us was delicious. We had steak, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, rolls, and ice cream for dessert.
The next day we ate breakfast at a very quaint restaurant in a town called, Celebration, Florida. The town reminded me of Guthrie, Oklahoma, so you can only imagine how neat it was. We then toured the new condos that have just been built where my mother is a member of, and for just hearing their 45 minute speech, I received $75.00. The condos are absolutely breathtaking!! Maybe one day soon I'll be able to buy one.
After that, my mom took me to a place called, "The Holy Land". We saw several outdoor dramas that literally brought tears to our eyes. One was when Jesus was crucified, and it seemed so real! The actors and the singing was amazing! We stayed there for the entire afternoon, and it was certainly worth the money. We went out for dinner and then went back to the condo. We were so exhausted, but that didn't keep us from staying up late. We talked, laughed, and talked somemore. You would have thought we were a couple of giggly highschool kids. It was A LOT of fun, though!
After breakfast the next day, we headed back to Jacksonville, which is a 3 hour drive. We stopped in St. Augustine, though, to do some shopping at one of the largest malls in the United States. I quickly spent my $75.00 on a new comforter and sham set at a Croscill store. Needless to say, I had to borrow a suitcase from my mom to get it home, but it was worth it.
The last full day I was there, we went to Cheesecake Factory to eat, and it was yummy!!! We shopped all day long from can to can't, but I got a lot of good bargains. They have so many neat places to shop!
My trip came to a quick halt because the next day was Saturday, and it was time to come home to reality. When I arrived at DFW, my flight was delayed for 4 hours due to stormy weather, but I FINALLY arrived back home in Wichita Falls after 11:00 PM. Harden was there to pick me up, and it was soooo good to see him again.
My next possible trip will be to Branson with Harden for a few days, if he can spare the time off from work. It doesn't seem like he owns the shop, but the shop owns him!! I hope we get to go because he really needs the time away.
My last hoorah will be the end of this month. I will be going to Austin to serve on a TAKS Test committee for 3 days. It's an all expense paid trip, so I'm kinda looking forward to it. I sure would like to see that test done away with, but until then, I guess it won't do any good to complain about it.
Well, I'm getting pretty tired, so I'm signing off.