A Little Bit of Embarrassment

I used to be active, in shape, an athlete. I enjoyed running, the fitness room, biking and playing sports. While I would still say that I enjoy these things, I don't do them nearly enough.

Last week I got motivated for about 5 minutes so I checked out a fitness video from the library; a good ole VHS aerobic workout! Problem #1: It was a step routine and I don't own a "step." Problem #2: As previously mentioned, the motivation lasted about 5 minutes.

I did make it through the video once and I'm utterly embarrassed to say I awoke a little sore the next day. My entire reason for writing this post is to see if I can motivate myself for another 5 minutes and work up the energy to do the video one more time before I return it to the library! We'll see how that goes.

4th of July

As I sit in my living room watching the Macy's fireworks on TV and hearing fireworks outside my windows, I am reminded of one year ago. Last year on the 4th of July, Eric and I drove to Nashville from Bourbonnais, IL. What was suppose to be an 8 hour trip turned into a 13 hour trip with my dad and his wife following us carrying all of our possessions. We each watched the fireworks over the Ohio River as we crossed into Kentucky in our respective vehicles.

We got into Nashville late, just behind the rain, and I was a bit anxious about all of my possessions being in a truck and trailer, in the rain. We stayed at a shady hotel because we were set to move in to our apartment the following day. I vividly recall laying in a hotel bed, around 1:00am, thinking I was hearing gunshots, knowing that my possessions could be stolen at any moment from the parking lot. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much that night!

The next fine morning I realized I had been hearing fireworks :) A year later I can confidently say I was having a blond moment!

So we've lived in Nashville for one year today... and we like it! We are in our same apartment, have made some great friends, and are enjoying school work and our jobs. We feel blessed to be here.

Maybe We're Not the Brightest...

Eric and I had a fun weekend, but perhaps we're not the brightest crayons in the box :)

Saturday Eric spent from 7:30-4:00 in the sun, on what was being called "the hottest day of the year." The high was forecast in the upper 90s, but with the humidity we're sure the heat index was much higher. Needless to say, that's a long day in the sun.

When he got home (and I got home from an all day class) we quickly showered and got ready for a wedding. It was an evening wedding, so we naively assumed we would have dinner... and pretty quickly following the wedding.

We rushed out of the house to get there on time and were not-so-pleasantly surprised to discover we were attending an outdoor wedding. Let me interject that the wedding was BEAUTIFUL in all aspects. However, we arrived not really dressed for an outdoor wedding AND reception on the hottest day of the year. Eric was miserable, and didn't get food until around 8:30.

I think we've learned our lesson to eat before we arrive, and maybe even to pack a change of clothes for the unexpected.

Baby Roman

My trip to Michigan has been wonderful! I have spent some great time with Jeff and Andrea, and I got to meet my new nephew, Roman Joseph :) My family is so great and I love them dearly. I am so thankful for the past few days and the time I have had with everyone, especially Andrea. She is truly the sister I've never had!! I head back to TN in the morning and it's bitter sweet. Roman should come home from the hospital in the next few days and I wish I could be here. On the positive side, I'm going home to my husband, who I miss. I am greatly looking forward to being with him again! Here are some pictures from the trip:

The Things We Love

We celebrated our anniversary with a day full of the things we love.

It all began with a short morning hike.

Then to a local coffee shop. Relaxing and nice.

Our afternoon consisted of watching a movie, one of Eric's all-time favorite things to do! Then we headed to The Melting Pot.

This is our chocolate fondue dessert plate. Glorious.

And the happy couple celebrating 2 years!

Wedded Bliss

Two years ago on this fine day, Eric and I were married. Here's a flash-back of the happy occasion!

The Life of an Unemployed Girl

I'm unemployed, it's gross.

Long story short, I'm off for the summer with tentative plans to return to my job in the beginning of August. If I knew for certain that I will have a job in August, I'd probably relax a little. However, I do not know that. And so the job search begins...

This is my second week off work and so far this week has been better than last week. I've been applying to anything I find, half of which I'm not qualified to do. The job search stinks. Being home all day stinks. Not having friends to hang out with or things to do stinks. And last but certainly not least, not having any cell-phone minutes left until NEXT Wednesday stinks!

So today I decided to go to the pool. It was a first for the summer. I got ready, book in one hand, water in the other. Got to the pool, layed peacefully for 30 minutes, and the rain fell! It was real light at first and I thought about staying. After looking at the surrounding clouds I decided to come inside. I changed my clothes, made it to the computer (obviously) and now the rain is really coming down outside! I guess that was a good choice.

So off I go to search for more jobs. Oh, how I was NOT made to sit still!

Before and After Pictures

We bought some clippers and I cut Eric's hair for the first time!

The Last Day

It's over. The school year is over. While yesterday turned out to be one of the longest days of the year, we were still able to capture some smiles on camera!

The Beginning of the End

This is our last week of regular school-year programming. My last day of after-school programming is Friday. Counting today's program, we have 4 days.

We do a summer "camp" from 8-4 during the month of June, but only a handful of my kids will be attending. I know that I'll have fun (I'm actually looking forward to it a lot), but the thought of this school year ending hit me harder than anticipated. Probably because I anticipated nothing.

Yesterday I came home emotional, which surprisingly hasn't happened all that often this year. I love these kids. I love being greeted with a hug every day, being involved in almost every aspect of their lives, and having a relationship with the whole family. Some of them will move this summer, families will change, kids will grow up and some will attend middle school. This Friday may very well be the last time I see some of them. Wow. Not only have I become part of their lives, but they have become part of mine. I will miss them.

Something New

I've become accustomed to working with inner-city "at-risk" kids. After 8 months of being in the neighborhood, I have seen a lot. Yesterday, however, I saw something new.

I have two sisters in my program, age 9 and age 6. Yesterday, they showed up with their brother, 18 months. They had walked probably close to 1/2 a mile with this boy. When I asked the 9 year old what was going on, she said nobody was home so she had to take her baby brother. This girl has had to stay home before due to babysitting her baby brother, but I guess I've never actually seen it before.

Part way through the program she asked where she could go to change him. She had a clean diaper in her hand, but nothing else. As I watched her, I asked if she had brought wipes (or anything else, for that matter). No.

I couldn't believe the responsibility put on this dear 9 year old girl. She told me later that her mom comes home from work at 9:30, which means this girl will feeding her siblings dinner tonight. Or not feeding them. On other nights the mom works until 11pm. I asked my student who normally watches the baby brother? A cousin, or maybe granny.

We were making mother's day crafts yesterday, so I was seated at a table helping the kids which led to some good conversation. At one point this 9 year old girl said she wanted to attend a specific high school, "because they teach you how to take care of babies there." Wow.

At the end of the day I am more determined than when I began. I will strive to provide an exceptional education for these students so that they might have options as adults.

Family

This is a picture of me with my brother (Jeff) and sister-in-law (Andrea). We had a baby shower for Andrea this past weekend. She's due July 1 and she's looking SO cute!

So mom kept me awake well into the night finishing up some things for the shower. Then we got up early to travel to Grandma's. I think we both ended up with about 3 1/2 hours of sleep, but it was definitely worth it! It was great to see the family and hug on Andrea. I even got to feel a foot of the baby :)

I'm super excited to go back in July and hold that little one! Yay!

Burned to a CRISP!

The weather was in the 70s on Saturday, so I went with Eric to the soccer games he was refereeing. You better believe I was soaking up the sun! I sat on a blanket, pulled out a book, pulled my pants up to my knees... and basked in the sun :) I also wore a tank top so I could get as much sun as possible.

When we left the park I commented, "I hope got some sun today."

While I was still in my car driving home, I realized I was burned. All day Saturday I took the stance "I've never been happier about a sunburn!" I'm thrilled to get a little sun, and excited to watch it turn from burn into tan. Hopefully it will give me a decent base to work on for the rest of the summer.

However, today I feel slightly different. I didn't sleep well last night because I couldn't roll onto either shoulder. Every time I move an arm I ache. When I flex my ankles, I cringe at the feeling of stretching skin on my shins. As I walked down the hall this morning, I thought... OH NO! With every step I can feel the crispness of the burn!

Bring on the aloe. This Saturday is suppose to be near 80 degrees and I need to work on my backside :)

This past month both of our parents have visited. My mom and Craig came for a weekend and brought Scott, whom I affectionately still refer to as "My Little Brother." What's wrong with me? Two weeks later Eric's parents came for a weekend. We were excited to have both visits. We love living in Tennessee. Our experience thus far has been great. However, we now live in a place where we can't just see family on a whim, so having them make the drive was wonderful!

In other news, Eric has less than 2 weeks of classes/finals before SUMMER BREAK! I think our excitement is pretty equal :) In better news, Eric scored a summer job as a pool manager. Again, the excitement is equal... Eric will have a job, and I will have a pool! He keeps asking when I will actually have time to visit the pool. I don't know, but you better believe I will be there! Basking in the sun is one of my all-time favorite things to do.

I'm learning a lot teaching at the after-school program and continue to feel challenged to learn more. I want to help these kids and it's difficult. I just started reading a book about spelling (who ever thought I would be reading that?!) and it's been enlightening!

A few pictures from family visits:

Life Lately

Here is my class saying "Thank You" for the new paint. We have bright disney-colored walls now! Our center looks pretty amazing. I'm trying to pay bills, and Max won't leave me alone. This is sooo common and sooo frustrating, that I just had to take a break and snap a photo.
And Eric... the new soccer referree! His first games are tomorrow!

Visit to VA

Check out how happy my husband looks with a baby in his arms :) This is Doug and Elizabeth's little girl, Avery.

What's For Dinner?

Mystery Solved

I was talking with two high school girls yesterday about getting their driver's licenses. One girl told me she was going to take her test this summer, which prompted me to ask about Driver's Training. This is normal, right? Every teenager you know has taken this class unless they grew up in the sticks of Montana or some rural farm where they might have gotten a "farmer's permit" instead.

Oh no. There is no class in Tennessee. You can just take a test, get a permit for 6 months, and then get your license. Is it a driving test? Oh no, again. Simply a written exam.

Mystery Solved! Tennessee drivers are AWFUL because they were never taught how to drive!

To Clip, Or Not To Clip?

The current craze at our church is clipping coupons and crazy, organized, time-consuming grocery shopping. My first thought: I don't have time for that. My second thought: They are saving a lot of money...

So I bought a Sunday paper yesterday and clipped the coupons! I was amazed at the amount of good coupons, and that they last for so long! I did some afternoon shopping at Kroger yesterday with my coupons. I know I saved (because my receipt tells me saved), but I still think I would have spent less doing my regular shopping at Aldi, buying non-branded products.

The debate continues... to clip, or not to clip?

Life Lessons

Life Lessons from The Secret Life of Bees

1. Don't be afraid

2. Don't be an idiot

3. Don't swat. Don't even think about swatting

4. Send some love

Rules for working with bees, but very applicable to everyday life. Perhaps a new favorite movie.

Mailboxes

I introduced a new element today. We now have mailboxes in my classroom. It's really an over-the-door shoe organizer, but each student has a "box," if you will.

Here are the rules:

• You may "send" mail to anyone in the class
• If you are sending mail to another student it must be positive/nice
• You can send me anything you would like, but try not to use the word "hate"
• You may only "check your mail" at the end of class
• I will proof EVERYTHING!

So, without further ado... my notes from today!

Note 1: Dear Ms. Joy, You are the best teacher!

Note 2: Dear Miss Joy, You hurt my fillings (feelings)

Note 3: Ms. Joy, you are nice, but you be mad sometimes

Note 4: When you said don't talk about each other, another student said my mom is a whore and got doodi stains in her pants. So do something. Please do it.

Note 5: I don't like you, Ms. Joy (with a hand-drawn sad face... tears and all!)

My heart has been warmed.

My Precious Gems

Precious Gem #1: Sent home 20 minutes into class

Precious Gem #2 (girl in red): Also got sent home 20 minutes into class

Precious Gem #3: Suspended for tomorrow

Our Golden Boy

So I've been sick for a few weeks (head cold) which developed into what I thought was pink eye last week. I'm still not sure on the exactness, but I had a "pink" eye that was itchy and developed some "gunk" in the corner of my eye. Lucky for me, Eric had some eye drops so I began using them. It wasn't bad to begin with, and then got better over the next few days.

In the meantime I stopped taking the allergy medication that was recommended to me. I don't have allergies, but every doctor here says Middle Tennessee sits in a bowl that collects allergens and "everyone who lives here has allergies." I didn't believe them, so I stopped taking the meds. The "pink eye" came back. So I had a PA look at me on Sunday (friend from church) and said, as if there is no other explanation, "You have allergies, take the medication."

Last night I was in a particularly cuddly mood and my husband HATES to cuddle, so I begged and begged to have the cat sleep with us. I still can't believe he caved, but he did. In the first few minutes, Max got STRIKE 1 as he was pouncing on Eric's feet. Over the next few minutes Max got STRIKE 2 as he climbed across Eric's head. I was determined to make it through the night, so I grabbed Max under the covers and held him tight for about 30 minutes (hoping he would fall asleep). Somewhere around 1 am Eric locked Max out of our room. Somewhere around 8am I woke up with my eyes swollen shut. Hmmm...

So I've been doing some research and I truly think I might be allergic to my cat. It's heartbreaking really. But it makes sense. Kittens don't carry as many allergens, they develop as the cat grows... our little Max is just 5 months, and developing those darn allergens. They also say male cats carry more allergens than female cats. I'll be doing some more experimenting... giving Max a bath, doing some extra cleaning, and taking the darn eye drops to see how this develops in the coming weeks. And Eric will be THRILLED to hear that Max can't sleep with us anymore.

A New Experience Everyday

This conversation is from today with 2 of my new students.

Keilis: Mrs. Joy, Keimari just peed in your trashcan.
Me: What?
Me (to Keimari): Did you just pee in my trashcan?
Keimari: No
Me: I think you're lying.
Keimari: long pause.... YEP.
Me: Keimari, look at my face. Don't ever pee in my trashcan again. Do you understand me?
Keimari: Yes, mam.
Me: If you need to go to the bathroom, use the toilet, not my trashcan.
Keimari: nod
Me: Now go wash your hands.
Keimari: I already did. I used the bathroom for that.

A Humbling Experience

I had a mom come in early this week. She had a one page form that needed to be filled out for her son to participate in a new program we're offering. After the "hellos" she said "Mrs. Joy, would you help me fill out this form?"

Seems like a casual encounter, but it has taken a long time to get to this point and I consider it a huge accomplishment. When I first started this job in October, the parents didn't care one bit about me. To them I was another teacher who would probably come and go, but I was offering free tutoring (among other things) to their kids. I learned at my first parent meeting in my first week on the job that I had a LOT of work to do.

Over the past 3 months I have worked to build relationships with these moms as well as their children. The first step was meeting their kids teachers, check one. Then I showed up to the school musical, check two. I've taken kids on field trips, check three. Perhaps the biggest step was the Christmas party and watching parents and kids open gifts they would have otherwise never had, big check four. After Christmas I was still here! Had another parent meeting last week and introduced a new program, "because I care about your kids and I think this will help us all."

Most parents stop in to say "How were they?" "Is she behaving" "Any problems, Mrs. Joy?" It has been my goal to build deeper relationships. I offer medical advice, "Um... take your kid to an eye doctor, she has pink eye." I take kids home when no one shows up to get them. I ask about lives, jobs, opportunities, etc. Sometimes I feel like I'm making no progress at all. Then this mom came in...

You see, she can't read. Until Tuesday, she had never admitted that before. The child's teacher at school didn't know, and here we are sending home notes that this mom can't read. I became skeptical awhile ago, but no one seemed to know for sure. On Tuesday she said "I'll fill out the part I know," and she filled in the name and address. Then there were a series of questions to mark yes or no... I read them to her. Then there was the annual household income question, just circle the category you fall into... she didn't know.

This was a very humbling experience for me. I'm still not sure how much progress I'm making, but at least with this one mom she feels comfortable enough to ask me to read to her. Then I remember exactly why I am here.

Local Weather Alert

We now interrupt the regularly scheduled program to bring you this important announcement:

NO SCHOOL TOMORROW DUE TO FREEZING TEMPERATURES

Okay, I understand in Canada where it might be 40 below, but here in Tennessee it *might* reach zero tonight, so they've gone ahead and cancelled school for tomorrow. It is currently 2:30 in the afternoon and they have already cancelled tomorrow. Here's an actual piece of the weather alert:

TEMPERATURES THIS COLD CAN POSE A NUMBER OF DANGERS.
MOST IMPORTANTLY IT CAN SERIOUSLY AFFECT YOUR HEALTH. EXTENDED EXPOSURE TO BITTER COLD CAN CAUSE FROSTBITE OR HYPOTHERMIA. IF POSSIBLE, STAY INDOORS. IF YOU HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE, LIMIT YOUR TIME IN THE COLD AND BUNDLE UP WITH COAT, CAP, AND GLOVES.

I just can't seem to get my mind around this. The actual forecast says tonight's low is 5 degrees and tomorrow's high is 26 degrees, but it warns the temperatures will not rise above freezing until Saturday.

How do they think Canadians survive? Or for that matter, people in Chicago, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, Washington, Montana, and the list goes on! These states don't close down for 6 months out of the year... life goes on.

Here's to the constant adjustment of life in the South!

The Driving Force

This morning as I was driving to work I was hit with the lyrics of this song:

I don't want to go through the motions
I don't want to go one more day
Without your all-consuming passion inside of me.

I don't want to spend my whole life asking
"What if I had given everything?"
Instead of going through the motions.

It is SO easy for me to go through the motions day-in and day-out. My life is full of procedures and processes. If this happens, then that happens, etc. I haven't been captured by a song in a while, but this one got me today.

What is the driving force in my life? Where is the all-consuming passion inside of me? Jesus is enough, for all of me. Oh, how I long for His passion to overtake me.