one afternoon at the dentist office ...

whew! what a busy couple weeks it's been! i need ... spring break ... desperately. for lent i decided that i needed to slow down ... take time to breathe ... and to just be still. like psalm 46:10 says so simply "be still and know that i am god."

then i decided that maybe i could "be still" but that i would need to learn to say no sometimes. (i wish i could say NO to work deadlines!) it seems like once i made this commitment to "be still" that life got crazy busy. there's days when i put my shoes on at 6:30 AM and head to work ... and wear them until 10:oo PM or later because i have not had the time to stop and take them OFF ... horrible i know. i'm tired ... overwhelmed ... you name it. this is my prayer ...

"come to me ... all who are weary and burdened and i will give you rest." matthew 11:28

and ...

" ... but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles ... they will run and not grow weary ... they will walk and not be faint." isaiah 40: 31

please pray with me and for me.

now to the list ... my 25 things to do while 25 list! this excites me because i have REAL updates to make!

update #1: number 16: watch a sunrise.

about a month ago i chaperoned a youth retreat to the beach. i asked one of my best friends (who was also chaperoning!) to wake up super early with me and watch the sunrise ... and since she's my BFF of course she said yes ... thanks amber! so after being up way too late with some super youth we woke early the next morning and walked out on the beach to watch the sunrise. it was beautiful ... peaceful ... and the perfect way to start that day.

straight out of bed ... ready to enjoy the sunrise! :)

beautiful sunrise on panama city beach ... home.

update #2: number 8: read 5 books!

well i have not read 5 yet but i did read 1/5 ... and it was SO good! i started it when i went on my trip to philly. i literally read the book the whole 2 hour flight to philly and back home! then decided i had to finish it late one friday night ... there i was laying in bed ... reading ... sobbing (sad/happy tears from the book!) ... all while listening to ben (the rat!) in the attic (obviously this was prior to his capture!) ... but i finished the book that night and have since recommended it to everyone! want to know what i read ...

i highly recommend this book!

i'm now open to more book suggestions so please feel free to leave some recommendations. :)

update #3: number 5: run a 5K in under 25:00!

well i really didn't know if i'd be able to pull it off but seems i did! i ran in the strides for scholars 5K this past saturday and coming around the last corner i looked to the finish line and saw 23 something on the clock and took off! my official time was 24:19 and i placed first in my age group! last year my kids all signed a cherry street shirt and gave it to me for teacher appreciation day ... i decided i'd wear it and run for me! now there's some motivation!

brittany and i at the 5K!

so that's my update ... today i was at the dentist for a teeth cleaning and it was the first time ever that i appreciated the dentist office and their dental chair and their dental instruments (we all know the dentist is not exactly your favorite place!) it was the first time i feel in two days that i've been able to just sit/lay and not have to speak ... basically to relax ... at the dentist of all places. then a song came on and the lyrics really hit me.

"bring your love to life inside of me. why don't you break my heart til it moves my hands and feet. for the hopeless and the broken ... for the ones that don't know that you love them ... bring your love to life inside of me."

i feel like i've been so bogged down by what i need to get done and how i can just simply make it until spring break that i've overlooked my purpose. i've been busy moving my hands and feet to meet deadlines and to make sure my kids have learned the next important math concept but i haven't done these things in a way that people/kids will see his love inside and through me. i've been so tired ... overwhelmed ... that i'm broken and truly need him to bring his "love to life inside of me." now ... this is my prayer.

number 26?

number 26: spend time with a rat named ben. (yes ... a rat ... rodent ... yuck!)

if i were 26 and needed to add a 26th thing to my list this would be it. ben (the rat) and i have spent the past two weeks together. i love my house and have always wanted to live in an older house with "character" but i didn't really know this could possibly mean rats. our relationship started about two weeks ago when ben decided he wanted in the house ... scratching at the ceiling to the point i literally thought a hole would open up and he would fall through. i called the landlord and packed up and moved to mom's temporarily. over the past two weeks the landlord set numerous traps and i decided to NOT be chicken and move back in. since then ben has brought me many sleepless nights when he decides he wants to play with the traps at ... 3 AM!

well ... we FINALLY caught ben! i had a friend's husband come over to check the traps and the insulation that was coming from my vents and as he walked up the stairs to the attic there was ben ... caught in the trap! there was also insulation in the attic and a fist size hole in my duct work. AWESOME ... not! good thing i'm renting! long story short ... i hope ben is a loner and has NO friends and i hope the landlord solves this problem quick! the end.

back to things that matter. prior to the rat event i traveled north to spend some time with my dear friend wendy! i flew to philadelphia and stayed with wendy in princeton. we journeyed to nyc on saturday where we had lunch at a mexican resturant in hell's kitchen. of all the times i've been to nyc i've never heard of hell's kitchen. it's an area of the city full of resturants ... my kind of place! we joined some of her friends for lunch at a mexican resturant called el centro! it was so good! we then just walked around the city and eventually ended up at the met where we spent the afternoon! i really enjoyed it! we were also able to have dinner at another resturant in hell's kitchen with some sweet friends of mine from auburn ... lauren and daniel! they were in nyc for the weekend so we decided to meet up have dinner ... see a broadway show ... and of course eat some post-show cheesecake at juniors! even though we spent just a few hours together we had a great time! i'm truly blessed by their friendship!

wendy and i in central park

lauren and daniel at dinner in nyc!

and ... i was able to mark number 18 off my list!


number 18: see a broadway show/musical! check!

wendy and i at memphis! AMAZING show!

so glad lauren and daniel were there to help experience number 18! :)

while in nyc we were able to see the show memphis! it was amazing! to see as many broadway shows as possible is on my life list! maybe i should aim for one a year ... hmm ...

my trip up north was made complete with a visit to philadelphia to see my newly married cousins! wendy and i woke up sunday morning and drove to philly to have brunch with my cousins ... ciara and jt! it was a cold ... cold ... morning but i enjoyed the walk from their place to this cute cafe called the gold standard! it was delicious! ciara and jt were able to show us their little part of the city and i loved their apartment ... especially climbing the fire escape!

ciara and jt! love them!

best brunch ever! the gold standard in philly!

everyone going up the fire escape! HAH!

wendy and i concluded my trip with a nice trip to a church her professor planted followed by a nice dinner at the professors house with his family and other seminary students. i really enjoyed meeting and sharing a meal with some other seminarians (if that's a word)!

i'm seriously so thankful for wendy's friendship! not only is she one of my best friends ... but so much more. i'm word-less trying to describe what she means to me!

needless to say ... life has been eventful! i have more to updated about the list but i will save that for the next one! :) enjoy your saturday everyone!