This Girl is on Fire

Well, today was the day.  Today was one of the days my best friend has been looking forward to for so long.  We went wedding dress shopping!  :)  Momma Abe, Joy (Caleb's momma), Lynnae, Whit, and I piled into the car to head to Des Moines.  It was such a fun car ride there and the time flew by.  Naturally, we had to make a stop at Scratch!  This was Joy's first time.  It was a big day for me as well!  I hit stamp #50 on my tour card!!!  :)

Our first place was Schaffer's.  I have never been wedding dress shopping before, but it felt so natural to be picking out beautiful dresses.  It was so much fun to watch Whit get all gussied up in the beautiful gowns and twirl around on the pedestal.  Lynnae went right for the shoes and kept walking around in some high heels!!  It was a no go on the dresses there, but before we went to David's Bridal, I treated myself to a cup of Turtle Mocha from Caribou Coffee!  :) 

At David's Bridal, Lynnae was tired.  The place was busy, and there were so many dresses that would be perfect.  This was the place we should have started at.  I was able to do the honors here and zip my best friend into all 3 contenders.  Honestly, she only tried on 3.  The first 2 were big hits, but that third one.  WOW!  That was it.  We all looked at her, she looked at us, and we all just knew.  The tears came down.  The hugs were given all around.  The pictures were taken.  The bell was rung.  Whit had found the dress that she will marry her other best friend in on November 23rd.  It is BEAUTIFUL, and that's all I can say...until I can share pictures in November!  :)

After that, we joined up with the fellas at Hu Hot and had a very late lunch.  We talked and laughed the whole meal through.

The whole way home, we jammed to Taylor Swift.  We danced like crazy women.  We laughed into hysterics.  We belted out the high notes.  We let Lynnae sing her solo...This Girl is on Fire.  :)

Stop

"Do I have 22 kids?"

"I still have _____ minutes left.  What am I going to have them do?"

"What are they doing!?"

"Where did _______ go?"

This week has been my second full week being in charge.  What a week it has been!  The kids have been testing me.  The end of last week was AWFUL as far as behavior goes.  The start of this week was interesting, but it has been getting a lot better.  I love all 22 of those kids, but some of them can be MEAN!  One of the boys had one of the sweetest girls in tears one day.  

And then they have those absolutely adorable, why can't you be like this all the time, moments.  Those moments where one comes up to hug you after a small group lesson.  Those moments where they're talking to each other and saying that I'm an awesome teacher.  Those moments where they want me to sit by them at lunch.  Those moments where they come in all excited in the morning to tell me a story.  Those moments where they really get something I was teaching them.  Those moments where they are fascinated with some ridiculous story I share about a random moment in my life.  Those moments where they say something so ridiculous or unexpected that I just can't help but laugh with them.

Today was a little crazy, but not as crazy as the previous days had been.  Which that in itself is something just short of a miracle since all week they were set on no school on Friday due to the impending snow storm.  I honestly don't think I heard more than 3 kids talking about it all day.  They listened really well.  They transitioned quickly.  They did pretty good on their math test.  

They still had me on my toes all day long.  I felt like I was running around all day.  I was even in a hurry to get home because of the storm.  My body was busy all day long.  My hands were always doing something.  My eyes were always looking at something.  I got home and I didn't want to do anything.  I stood and looked out my window at the falling snow.  I just stood there, completely motionless.

I finally stopped.

I finally stopped talking, looking around, moving, correcting, teaching, driving, walking.  

I just stood motionless.  And boy, did it feel good.  Just to stand there and marvel in the falling snow.  Just to marvel in the Creator who sends that snow to Earth.  Just to be.

Surprises

This weekend was full of so many wonderful memories.  Naturally, I didn't capture a single one on camera.  But that's alright, because sometimes, a camera cannot pay justice to the moment.  My sweet memories of this weekend will be held onto tightly.

Friday night was a surprise birthday party for Grammy.  I was running behind because I had to stay after school for a little while and grade papers and such.  I might have been going a little fast as I drove home.  When I pulled into their driveway, I noticed a different car.  I creeped on the plates and noticed it was from North Carolina.  My instant thought was my sister.  I could hardly believe it!  I popped in and everyone was excited to see me finally arrive.  Abbey pops her head around the corner and my heart was smiling pretty hard!  You know it's pretty great when one can pull off such a surprise as Abbey and Tim did that night for us all!  It was such a thrill to eat, laugh, talk, and play cards with my family.  My card night was an up and down roller coaster ride, that's for sure!  Abbey and I got to have sister catch up time before bed.  It's one of those things that I always look forward to when we're together!

Saturday brought the send off of Tim and Abbey as they needed to head back to NC.  The rest of the day was spent in constant motion.  I dinked around doing a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing.  Laundry, trip to Ottumwa, quilting, going to the library, and lesson planning consumed my time until supper.  In Ottumwa while at Wal-Mart, I ran into my sister-in-law and my niece.  This was one happy aunt!  I wasn't expecting that at all, so that definitely lifted my spirits!  I keep stitching away, and my quilt seems to be getting smaller, little by little.  I didn't see Ruby on Friday night when I made it home, but I made sure to be the first one she saw on Saturday morning.  I let the barn door swing open, and that little blonde body just about took me out!  Basically, the feelings of excitement was mutual!  I made sure to get plenty of wrestling in with her this weekend! :)

Sunday was amazing!  I have one of the best church families ever!  Not only will any boyfriend of mine need to be approved of by my biological family, but my church family as well.  I had all of the ladies asking me about everything!  I love them all and I love how they still treat me as if I still live at home.  GREAT NEWS!!!  Teresa Hoffman is doing well!  No more chemo for her!!  This is such exciting news and hopefully the next time I'm back I'll be able to see her in church!  :)  After lunch, Daddy and I caught Spinelli.  She had a wonderful lesson followed by an ear piercing.  She now has a green tag to match her momma's tag!  I also had the wonderful time to sit on my gate and drink in the barnyard peace.  I was able to give things to God and just sit in His presence.  Ruby and I wrestled and played fetch for a while longer.  After a while, I headed with my country music to the basement.  I feel like I've been working on this quilt for so long!!  It looks great, but I'm ready to get it done.  Sadly, I won't be able to show it to my 3rd graders before I go.  I stitched as much as I could while listening/singing to George Strait, Johnny Cash, and Chris Young before it was time to head back to Grinnell.

I have one week left of being completely in charge.  Last week was a little rocky with the change in authority, but here's hoping this week will be better!  :)

She's in Love with the Boy

Seriously, just listen to the song.

This song is one of my favorites...mostly because it does have my name in it, but it's also some classic country.  That stuff is the best!  This song came out shortly after I was born.  My momma used to tease my daddy that this song would come true for me.  Momma said he would be all protective like the daddy in the song.  Truth is, I made things easy for him, or something like that...

I'm gonna go all sob story for a minute.  I was single all through my high school years.  I didn't even get asked to EITHER prom.  That would be the only thing I would want changed.  I mean, Junior year was the worst!  I went with a giant cootie!  The one thing I did learn was that Katie Strupp is never, ever, ever going on a blind date AGAIN.  Like ever.

Naturally, as a high school girl, I had my fair share of crushes on the football stars and the hot farmer boys in FFA, but really, who doesn't in high school?

I am pretty sure God was protecting me big time back then!  Honestly, I used to be shy around guys.  Like big time.  Like so shy that I couldn't get enough guts to ask the SHYEST guy in my class to prom.  I think that shyness protected me on those FFA trips where sometimes things got a little crazy.  That shyness protected me from going to the parties and hanging out with the rough boys.

Back then, I wanted a boyfriend.  I mean, Taylor Swift was just becoming famous and the power of suggestion is HUGE!  I felt like every song fit my life in some way.  I hadn't set boundaries for myself at that point either.  Now, I look back and I am so glad that shyness protected me from a lot of heartache, hurt, and broken relationships.  I had more time to invest in the youth group because my heart was on fire for God.  I had more time to invest in the right friendships.  I had more time to discover who I am.  Back then, I wasn't as outgoing as I am now.

I didn't go out on my first date until I was 19.  I won't share that embarrassment.  Through that experience, I learned that I still had a lot of growing up to do before I was really ready for a relationship.  At least I can look back and laugh at it now.  :)

Since then, there have been other guys at various levels of closeness.  Not going into details, but I do believe I learned a lesson with each one.  Some of them had many lessons!

Right now, my Facebook is still listed as single, and I'm okay with that.  Right now, it's just me and God (later there might be other things added).  Right now, I'm in the waiting for whatever may come along.  Hopefully someday I will have that wonderful moment in the song where what's meant to be will always find a way.

Broken and Beautiful

Today's church service hit hard and heavy.  The topic?  Death.  I've been affected by death just as much as the next person.  I've often compared that hurt to a bruise that never goes away.  Sure, it gets better with time, and then suddenly, it gets poked again and it hurts real bad.  As the service went on, I thought about the deaths that I had experienced.  I thought about that pain that comes with the sad realization.  I thought about that punch in the gut feeling when saying goodbye.  And then, I also thought about the wonderful experiences that happened in the time after.  I thought about the lessons God was teaching me through those deaths of my loved ones.

During sophomore year of high school, I was feeling pretty great.  Here I was on the verge of being an upperclassman, had tons of friends, I was active in youth group, involved in many things, and I had a job.  Not bad for 16, right?  January came and Errol passed away.  I've talked about it before, so I won't talk much more on this.  I was a mess.  I was at rock bottom suddenly.  My world had just been turned upside down.  I didn't know how to get myself back to 'normal.'  At this point in my walk with Christ, I had prayed the prayer, went to youth group and church, and I think I was just playing the part pretty good.  I hadn't had that moment where I felt in true need of Christ.  That was until I heard the Gospel again about a month later. That was when I realized just how broken I was.  That was when I realized how much I needed God.

Six months later, Tyler died.  Tyler was my classmate.  While we weren't the closest of friends, he was still a classmate and a friend.  I was so in shock that June afternoon.  I was in shock probably that whole week.  This time, though, I knew what to do.  I wasn't going to hold it in.  I was going to give it to God right away.  The growth I had made in the last 6 months made it easier to grieve.  I learned how to talk about it.  I knew that I wasn't going to go back to that place I was in 6 months before.  Just knowing that God was there to provide comfort and healing gave me all the truth and strength I needed.

Grandpa Goudy died right before my senior year of high school.  I was headed to the Iowa State Fair to be a grandstand usher days after his death.  During those 10 days at the fair, I spent a lot of time by myself.  I spent a lot of time working on embroidery, reading my Bible and praying.  It was during that time that I discovered my life verse.

As the deer pants for streams of water,

    so my soul pants for you, my God.

Psalm 42:1

The most recent death that has proved a punch in the gut was Papu.  Papu was Whit's grandpa who I had only been around a handful of times.  He told me that I was just like another granddaughter to him all the same.  He was funny, caring, could tell great stories, and always lit up a room with his smile.  That phone call when Whit told me of his death was not one I wanted to hear.  I hated being so far away form her as this was going on.  They headed back to Ohio for the funeral, and I was headed to camp for 4State.  On Saturday, I was feeling anxious.  I had told Whit that I would call her, and she didn't answer.  I knew she was probably busy and with family, but I was just looking for some confirmation.  I was feeling antsy and introverted.  I finally walked behind the Lodge to the crick.  I sat on a bench and let it all out.  I cried and prayed.  Prayed and cried.  I was a mess.  I wanted to be with Whit and her family so bad, but that wasn't in the plans.  I was at camp and all I could do was pray.  I sat there until I could sing It Is Well With My Soul and actually sing it with confidence.

Naturally, that is how we would end today's service.  It is hands down, my favorite hymn.  I was nearly in tears as that peace washed over me.

It is well, (it is well),

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Happy Tears

If you know me at all, you will know that I frequently use this term at camp.  I used it more so as a camper than a counselor, but I still use it on a regular basis.  Tonight I was driving home from seminar in Marshalltown.  I was tired.  I was ready for bed.  I was ready to get out of my teacher clothes and ready to get into a hot shower and big, comfy pajamas.  Every now and then I just need a good cry.  I knew I had one coming on for a while, and tonight it came on pretty strong.

I bawled happy tears as I drove home.  I shut off the radio and just let the tears and the words flow.  I can't get over how amazing student teaching is going and how I have seen God answer my early prayers about my placements.  These kids have made their way deep into my heart and I love them all so much.  Even when they don't listen.  Even when they all ask me the same question...too many times.  Even when they don't do their work.

I love them.

I love that each and every day they come in excited to see me.  I love that they love to read to me and listen to me read.  I love that they sell me Girl Scout cookies.  I love that they ask about my quilt, my cows, my dog, my life.  I love that they notice my jewelry and that they love to hear a story connected to certain pieces.  I love that they want me to come to their spring program.  I love that the girls waddle behind me every day after lunch because I told them I felt like a momma duck walking them back from lunch.  I love that we can joke, laugh, talk, and accept one another.

I cried happy tears for being able to know each and every kid.  I cried tears of heartbreak thinking about their home lives.  I cried tears of heartbreak thinking about how different my 3rd grade life was compared to theirs.  They have such different situations going on.  I cried thinking about my last week.  Yeah, I know that it is still 4 1/2 weeks away, but I'm already dreading having to say goodbye to these 22 children.

Black Snowpants

Week 3 had its ups and downs to be sure.  By the end of the week, I had 2 snow days and two 2-hour delays.  I had 2 boys crying on Thursday.  I had 2 cold feet by the time I made it to school every day.  I had 22 students who love having a Mr. Potato Head in the room, and I had a chance to go home for the weekend.

Monday was scheduled to be a 2-hour delay.  I was on my way to school when I got a text saying school was closed.  Back home I went and spent the day on the couch continuing to recover from a cold and indulging in Disney movies with my best friend.

Tuesday was the only full day of the week.  The kids were wound for sound and we all were anticipating a snow day for Wednesday with the impending storm.  I currently despise indoor recess.  Those kids need to get out and throw some snowballs.  They need to be building forts in the mounds of snow that has been removed from the blacktop.  They need to have fun outside and scream and yell and do kid things instead of being inside playing with Legos and Twister and stuff.  Tuesday I implemented a new behavior management plan with the help of Mr. Potato Head.  So far, it's doing pretty well.

Wednesday was a snow day.  So much snow!!!  Whit and I had the slowest/longest Lord of the Rings marathon.  We had to take plenty of pauses since everyone was home and there was a lot of activity.  We had to help in the snow removal so we got outside for a little while.  Lynnae and I got to throwing some snowballs, and she was pretty close to getting put face first into a snow pile!

Thursday was a 2-hour delay.  They were wound for sound.  Again.  After lunch, one of the boys slipped on some snow pants and hurt his foot.  Those tears started pouring down.  Ms. Strupp to the rescue and I got him to calm down in right around 30 seconds.  All was right and well again.  The day went on.  My supervisor came in to observe how I was doing thus far in my experience.  It was then time to sent them home.  Getting ready to go has to be the most stressful, hectic point of the day.  I've been there 3 weeks, and I still have NO IDEA how the bus system works.  Anyway, as the students were all getting ready, one of the boys came up to me upset because he couldn't find his snow pants.  Naturally, he was looking for black ones.  EVERYONE has black ones.  I will never, ever get my kids black snow pants!  We still couldn't find them AND his bus was getting called.  The tears came and he wasn't ready to go.  Ms. Strupp to the rescue again.  After promising we would get it all sorted out the next day, he would have to go home without them that night.  I told him no tears to the reply of a couple more tears, a sniffle, and an okay.  "I can't find my boots!"  Ah, 3rd grade.  I love them all!  Teachers were given the release as soon as the kids left.  Everyone was heading into white out conditions.  It took me so long to get home!  This was my view.

Friday brought another 2-hour delay.  The roads were better as I drove to school, but I made sure to still take my time.  Friday brought my third math lesson in my gradual take over.  Friday brought more indoor recess, more squirmy children, and more fun.  The kids all love when I read.  You can hear a pin drop as I read because they are all so transfixed.  Right now, I'm reading The Trumpet of the Swan.  I am reading it a little ahead of them.  I never read this as a kid, so it's a good read right now.  I love them all, but I was ready to hit the road after school let out.  I planned with my teacher for a while after school.  I take over reading and writing next week, so I will have the mornings with me in charge.

This week has been crazy and wonderful!  So many great things happened.  These kids all keep me laughing and on my toes all day long!  It's hard to believe that I only have 5 weeks left with my wonderful 3rd graders!

 

This song basically sums up my week!  :)