Saturday, May 10, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Coffee and tears...
Tonight I decided to break away from my routine and come to a place where I could hang out drink some coffee and be away from the stress of living and working in the same place. In a week and a half I will go home. I'm so excited, this might actually be the most ready I have ever been to go back to the states. I mean I'm really ready. So ready in fact that I probably will have a really hard time coming back. I'm trying really hard to just enjoy the time I have. To see bast the obstacles that are slapping me in the face and to realize how lucky I am to be living here for this time. Instead I continue to get caught up in the negatives. I continue to just hope the days disappear, quickly. I don't really want life to pass me by. I don't really want to wake up and realize that I have no idea where the time went. But I also don't want to be unhappy. I want purpose again. I want love, and I want to understand the kids that I teach.
I continue to get slammed with the fact that my students have no idea what the word independence means. They may never get it. Even the people I work with freak out when their nannies are gone for one day. Seriously? I don't know how to deal with that kind of life. I don't want to know either.
How do I live in a world that treats people like crap because they make less money, or come from the wrong country? It makes me sick.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
One advantage of working overnights is the fact that I get some reading done. I decided that I would try and read through some of the Mark Twain Award Nominees as well as the Newberry Award Books. It is a lot harder to locate these books at the library than you would think. Either they are super popular and are always checked out, or the library no longer carries them. I want to go with the first option. The second option makes me sad.
The first book that I read was When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead. This book had a Science Fiction kind of feel, dealing with time travel. Def. geared for older elementary/middle school students. What struck me though was how great the book was at dealing with feelings of middle school students. Those feelings that you get when friends all of a sudden change. What you go through when you know you should stand up for someone, but you don't always do it. I really enjoyed reading this book because I felt that the author did a great job of revealing the struggles of each individual. It was also fun to think about time travel as well. Interesting read. A couple of quotes I liked....
"The world is kind of blurry, and we like it that way. But sometimes our veils are pushed away for a few minutes, like there's a wind blowing it from our faces. And when the veil lifts, we can see the world as it really is, just for those few seconds before it settles down again. We see all the beauty, and cruelty, and sadness, and love. But mostly we are happy not to. Some people learn to lift the veil themselves. Then they don't have to depend on the wind anymore." page 71
"Belle surprised me. 'Well it's simple to love someone.' she said. 'But it's hard to know when you need to say it out loud.'" page 149
The second book that I read was The Potato Chip Puzzle. Written by Eric Berlin
I can totally understand how this would appeal to those math/puzzler types. It was great! It was interesting, but goofy all at the same time. Sort of a mystery, and the characters were very appealing to me as a teacher. What I took from this book? That I need to watch how I come across to others. My tone of voice, my stress, and just who I am as a person can be taken in many different directions depending on my mood. If only potato chip companies really did offer schools money for a day of puzzles...wouldn't that be something!!!!
The first book that I read was When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead. This book had a Science Fiction kind of feel, dealing with time travel. Def. geared for older elementary/middle school students. What struck me though was how great the book was at dealing with feelings of middle school students. Those feelings that you get when friends all of a sudden change. What you go through when you know you should stand up for someone, but you don't always do it. I really enjoyed reading this book because I felt that the author did a great job of revealing the struggles of each individual. It was also fun to think about time travel as well. Interesting read. A couple of quotes I liked...."The world is kind of blurry, and we like it that way. But sometimes our veils are pushed away for a few minutes, like there's a wind blowing it from our faces. And when the veil lifts, we can see the world as it really is, just for those few seconds before it settles down again. We see all the beauty, and cruelty, and sadness, and love. But mostly we are happy not to. Some people learn to lift the veil themselves. Then they don't have to depend on the wind anymore." page 71
"Belle surprised me. 'Well it's simple to love someone.' she said. 'But it's hard to know when you need to say it out loud.'" page 149
The second book that I read was The Potato Chip Puzzle. Written by Eric Berlin
I can totally understand how this would appeal to those math/puzzler types. It was great! It was interesting, but goofy all at the same time. Sort of a mystery, and the characters were very appealing to me as a teacher. What I took from this book? That I need to watch how I come across to others. My tone of voice, my stress, and just who I am as a person can be taken in many different directions depending on my mood. If only potato chip companies really did offer schools money for a day of puzzles...wouldn't that be something!!!!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
That leaves books for last....and probably my favorite. Although travel and books seem to go hand in hand. I guess eating should be added to that too. Anyways....my list begins with the best books of all time. There are always books coming out that I want to read, so this list will probably just keep growing. But look forward to my reviews when I am done reading! :)
One Thousand and One Nights
The Stranger
Journey to the End of Night
Nostromo
Crime and Punishment
The Idiot
Invisible Man
One Hundred Years of Solitude
A Doll's House
The Trial
The Castle
The Sound of the Mountain
Zorba the Greek
Catch-22
And so many more....
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare
- The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
- In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
- The Stories of Anton Chekhov by Anton Chekhov
- Middlemarch by George Eliot
One Thousand and One Nights
The Stranger
Journey to the End of Night
Nostromo
Crime and Punishment
The Idiot
Invisible Man
One Hundred Years of Solitude
A Doll's House
The Trial
The Castle
The Sound of the Mountain
Zorba the Greek
Catch-22
And so many more....
Next up is travel.....since I am in Missouri I want to be able to experience the things that I have yet to experience of life here in this great state. So...I am going to visit all those touristy-type places that I have overlooked for the past 30 years. Here are a few I want to make it to this year....
******Wine Country Gardens
*******Winston Churchill Memorial (I think I went there on a field trip once, but don't remember)
******Hermann, Missouri
******The Butterfly House
******Harry Truman Library
*****Pony Express, St. Joesph
******Ozark National Park
*****Hannibal, MO. (as a tourist) :)
******Precious Moments Park
*******Clarksville, MO
******Missouri Covered Bridge
******Mansfield, MO. (home of Laura)
*****Missouri History Museum
******Arrow Rock
****George Caleb Bingham House
******Louis Buldoc House
*****Christ Church Cathedral
*******Field House
****Fort Osage
The list will probably keep growing....
******Wine Country Gardens
*******Winston Churchill Memorial (I think I went there on a field trip once, but don't remember)
******Hermann, Missouri
******The Butterfly House
******Harry Truman Library
*****Pony Express, St. Joesph
******Ozark National Park
*****Hannibal, MO. (as a tourist) :)
******Precious Moments Park
*******Clarksville, MO
******Missouri Covered Bridge
******Mansfield, MO. (home of Laura)
*****Missouri History Museum
******Arrow Rock
****George Caleb Bingham House
******Louis Buldoc House
*****Christ Church Cathedral
*******Field House
****Fort Osage
The list will probably keep growing....
I'm going to start with restaurants...here are a few of my top pics...more to come later
***Addison's American Grill
****Bambino's Italian Cafe
*****Bangkok Gardens
*****Bengals Bar and Grill
*****Bleu Restaurant and Wine Bar
******Boone Tavern and Restaurant
******Broadway Diner
******Casablanca Med. Grill
*****CJ's
*****Coffee Zone
*******Coley's American Bistro
******El Rancho
*****Ernie's Steakhouse
*******Flat Branch Pub and Brewing Co
Okay....so there's the list so far....
***Addison's American Grill
****Bambino's Italian Cafe
*****Bangkok Gardens
*****Bengals Bar and Grill
*****Bleu Restaurant and Wine Bar
******Boone Tavern and Restaurant
******Broadway Diner
******Casablanca Med. Grill
*****CJ's
*****Coffee Zone
*******Coley's American Bistro
******El Rancho
*****Ernie's Steakhouse
*******Flat Branch Pub and Brewing Co
Okay....so there's the list so far....
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A first blog and a new start...
As far as I can tell life has a way of turning you upside down and just really making you realize the truth that is held deep inside. I guess really that wouldn't be life, it would be God. I am starting a new blog, not because I didn't like my old one, but because I just want to start over. To begin again, with this life that God has given me in hope that I will be able to write something that will spark an interest in more to come, or write something that will bring me to my knees before a Holy and Wonderful God.
And so I begin this new blog as a starting point in a new journey. You see for quite some time I have been on the fence, not really in my faith...I have always believed and will continue but on the fence in what God has been calling me to do. I like to think that it is kind of like when I was little and my Dad wanted me to do this trust fall activity with him when he was preaching to the church. I knew that I could do it, I knew that he would catch me, but I didn't want to stand up in front of everyone to have to do it. Because then if I messed up everyone would see. It is kind of like that with the call God places on your life. I know that He has called me to live differently, but when my life gets put out there, then everyone sees when I mess up. Let me tell you I mess up a lot. But I realized through the past couple of weeks that messing up is okay, as long as you learn from it and move forward. Don't hinder on the parts that make you feel weak or insecure, but instead take a step forward and say...yes I know that I have messed up, but I am still God's and I am still going to follow, no matter what!
I started this school year with a dreading realization that this is yet another year spent away from family and friends that have come to mean so much to me in the states. I so just wanted God to say, "Okay, you have paid your dues, you may go back now." But you know what? Well he isn't saying that, in fact I feel that He is pushing me in quite the opposite direction. Instead of saying, get ready to move, He is saying get ready to be planted. Not planted for forever, but planted for awhile. How do I feel about that? I am not really sure that I can even feel anything but thankful, because if anything the Lord has been faithful to me through it all. I don't deserve an amazing job that I love, with students that are so willing to do whatever I ask. I don't deserve to be able to talk about Jesus on a daily basis, and it be a part of the mission statement. I don't deserve to be able to eat for $1.00 from a street vendor and not get sick. I don't deserve to bask on the beach in luxury for weeks at a time, but that is where He has me. So, I look forward and press on. Not because I want to live for myself, but because despite the hardships and aches, He is calling me to live for Him.
That's what I want this blog to be about....Prayer, what God is doing, and how He works and moves. So join me on this journey and maybe God will speak to you too!
And so I begin this new blog as a starting point in a new journey. You see for quite some time I have been on the fence, not really in my faith...I have always believed and will continue but on the fence in what God has been calling me to do. I like to think that it is kind of like when I was little and my Dad wanted me to do this trust fall activity with him when he was preaching to the church. I knew that I could do it, I knew that he would catch me, but I didn't want to stand up in front of everyone to have to do it. Because then if I messed up everyone would see. It is kind of like that with the call God places on your life. I know that He has called me to live differently, but when my life gets put out there, then everyone sees when I mess up. Let me tell you I mess up a lot. But I realized through the past couple of weeks that messing up is okay, as long as you learn from it and move forward. Don't hinder on the parts that make you feel weak or insecure, but instead take a step forward and say...yes I know that I have messed up, but I am still God's and I am still going to follow, no matter what!
I started this school year with a dreading realization that this is yet another year spent away from family and friends that have come to mean so much to me in the states. I so just wanted God to say, "Okay, you have paid your dues, you may go back now." But you know what? Well he isn't saying that, in fact I feel that He is pushing me in quite the opposite direction. Instead of saying, get ready to move, He is saying get ready to be planted. Not planted for forever, but planted for awhile. How do I feel about that? I am not really sure that I can even feel anything but thankful, because if anything the Lord has been faithful to me through it all. I don't deserve an amazing job that I love, with students that are so willing to do whatever I ask. I don't deserve to be able to talk about Jesus on a daily basis, and it be a part of the mission statement. I don't deserve to be able to eat for $1.00 from a street vendor and not get sick. I don't deserve to bask on the beach in luxury for weeks at a time, but that is where He has me. So, I look forward and press on. Not because I want to live for myself, but because despite the hardships and aches, He is calling me to live for Him.
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