Out of the Mouths of [Semi] Babes

As most of you know, I'm a 7th grade math teacher. My kids are 12 and 13 years old with the occasional 14-year old hanging with us. This is an awkward time in their lives because while their bodies are maturing towards adulthood, their brains are not quite there. Here's a few statements that make me (a) laugh, (b) go, "Really?!?!", and (c) love my job! I ask God for an extreme amount of patience and a sense of humor everyday on my way to work. It's comments like these that let me know He's answering my prayers. Enjoy!   **This is a cumulative working list. I'll add as the school year progresses.....or until I forget about its existence.**

• *Back-story: We have been talking about linear equations and lines in class. I told the kids they can remember that a horizontal line goes across from left to right because that's how the horizon is.*  A friend of mine moved to Hawaii recently. I was checking out her awesome pictures on Facebook and showed some snapshots of the landscape to two girls sitting near my desk. One said, "That's so pretty! I've been looking for the horizon here, but I can't find it. I can't wait until I see it. One time I saw the trees in the background and thought it was the Grand Canyon because they looked so big." (Not making this up or adding to it.)
• The kids have been trying to figure out one of their classmate's middle name. They said he knew everyone in the room's middle name, but no one knew his. So I asked him what my middle name was. A student seated near my desk says, "Wait, is your real name not Miss Floyd?" I said, "Well Miss is not my first name. It's Jamie." She said, "So Floyd is not your middle name?" Nope. (This was one of those "Really?!?!?!" moments.
• Question on Pre-Test given to students on the material they learned from last year:  23. What is the probability of rolling a number cube (dice) and it landing on an even number? Correct answer: 3/6 or 50% chance. Student's Answer: Most Likely.
• When talking about my 25th birthday fastly approaching, a child shouts out, "Miss Floyd, don't worry. My uncle is 50 and he still has muscles!!"
• After showing them a picture of a guy dressed up like Santa with a reindeer. "Miss Floyd, so Rudolph is for real? That story is true!?!?!" (So cute!)
• I just want to eat, sleep, and be happy. And play X-box.
• **When asked if he wanted to come back to school after the Christmas beak.** "I didn't want to come back to school. I walk too much here."
• The assignment was to do numbers 1-12 displayed on the board. Sometimes you wonder.....

                                                     1, 2, 3, ........., 9, 10, 14

• Our Thought for the Day today was "The only real disability in life is a bad attitude." When prompted with the question, "What is a disability?", this is the response I got. "A check in the mail." Now at first I thought the kid was kidding around, but no, he was 100% serious and thought that was what disability was. I said, "Well, yes, some people do get monitary support because of their disability, but that's not the actual disability. There are actually two different types of disabilities. Does anyone know what they are?" Response: "The check in the mail, and......hmmmm....maybe one you get handed to you."
• Students were given 8 equations to solve. Marky Mark (not his real name) misses number two and makes a huge deal about it. When we finish calling out the answers to the 8 problems, I ask how many of them got a perfect score. Marky Mark raises his hand proudly and yells "Me!!". I remind him that he missed one. He says he still got a perfect score. Hmmmmm.
• Child A is staring at Child B. I tell Child A to stop staring because no one likes to be stared at. Then I proceeded to stare at him. After about 20-30 seconds of staring, I asked Child A if he liked me staring at him. Child A responds, "Kind of." Hahaha, not the response I was going for.
• "Miss Floyd, did you know that if you eat a mushroom five minutes before it blooms that you'll have eternal life?" (I was starting to get worried at the beginning of this question, but it didn't end the way I thought it would.)
• Student waits until everyone leaves the room and comes up to me saying, "Miss Floyd, don't tell anybody, but you act just like my  mom. She makes up words just like that [I called him presh] and she dances around the house. Please don't tell her I told you though. I'm not supposed to tell people how she acts."
• Back story: We usually listen to my Pandora station softly in my classroom. Unfortunately, they started blocking Pandora so I brought in an OLD clock radio that my parents gave me. It used to be my dad's alarm clock. I have no clue how old this thing is, but you can tell it's ancient. So I bring it in and it will only pick up local stations. The kids have been wanting to rotate the stations so we can have a variety of music genres. Real story: Child A: Miss Floyd, can we turn the radio to some rap? Me: No sir, it only picks up local stations so it's either this or country. Child B: Why does it only pick up local stations? Child A: Probably because it's so old. Child B: Miss Floyd, how old is that radio? Me: I'm not sure. I got it from my parents, but I can tell you this, it's really old. Child B: You should keep it until it stops working. Then it'll be even more old and you can sell it for a lot of money because it will be worth something some day. Me: That's a really good idea! Child A: What? I already know what you're going to be when you grow up. You gonna own a pawn shop. You gonna have a room full of junk thinking it's gonna make you some money.
• Today after school, a student asked me why I wasn't working out today. I told him I was tired and didn't feel like it, but I was going to take my Pilate's mat home and do some over the weekend. He asked what Pilate's was so I got out my resistance band and showed him the "paint under the stairs" move that works the back of your arms. I said, "it's fun, isn't it?" His response: "Yes ma'am. Well, not really. I'd rather sit around and eat ice cream." My thoughts exactly. :)
• I told one of my students, who is black, to "get to work, son." He looked at me, looked at his arm, and said, "I ain't mixed."
• A student borrowed a pencil from me because he could not find his. He found it in his pocket about five minutes later. When he returned mine to me, I noticed he had a tiny pencil in his hand. I asked if that was his pencil. He confirmed that it was, indeed, the pencil he was planning to use. I asked he if was sure that he wanted to use that one instead of mine. He said yes. We spent the rest of the class waiting on him to catch up before we went to a new page of notes because he was having trouble writing with his pencil. Given another opportunity to borrow a pencil from me, he politely declined. I'll let you figure out which was my pencil and which was his.
• 

TO BE CONTINUED....

The Holidays: Overwhelmed and Underwhelmed

     Just like pretty much everyone else, I love the holidays! Especially Christmas. It's the most wonderful time of year, as they say. Happy music, parties, presents, family get-togethers, decorating the tree (and the rest of the house), and Jesus. With all that combined, how can you not love this holiday?!?!

      Thanksgiving went by in a blur. My 25th birthday, Iron Bowl, and Thanksgiving all within a week of each other. Plus, I took the entire week of Thanksgiving rather than the 3 days that school was out. When I returned from the break, I hit the ground running and I feel like the pace hasn't slowed down.

     This holiday season, I feel myself being equal-parts overwhelmed and underwhelmed.

     I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed because Christmas is quickly approaching and I still have so much to do!! I thought I was getting a head start this year on the gift-buying, and I felt like I could take a break because I had accomplished so much. Now I realize I just took too long of a break and am pretty much behind. With so much to buy and so much decorating still to be done, I'm overwhelmed. Also, my social life seems to take wings this time of year (not that I'm complaining). So many get-togethers and parties leaves me with little time to do what needs to be done. Thank goodness for a full seven days off before the big day to get it done!

     I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed because I'm so overwhelmed that I tell myself, "No big deal, if the house doesn't get decorated to the degree I want it to be, it'll be fine" and "I can just do the rest of my gift buying when we get out of school for the break" and "I'll just skip this Christmas party because I need to get some stuff done." Each of those statements totally relieves me of stress, but they're part of what makes Christmas so much fun. Decorating, buying gifts for your loved ones, and parties. FUN! And I feel like I'm missing out on some of the spirit of Christmas because of it.

     I think it was like this last year, too. Maybe that's what all adult Christmases are like.....I hope not. I'm almost positive that every adult does this, but I keep telling myself that next year I am going to be more prepared. I've come up with a plan that will totally work if I stick to it. As a teacher, January is my poorest month. We get paid on the last day of the month and because we get 2 weeks off for Christmas, we get paid in the middle of December. So even though it is the same amount of money, I go one and a half months without actually receiving a paycheck. And because I have shopping left to do and I have one and a half month's salary in my checking account that week before Christmas, it's easy to overspend on gifts and spend January scrimping and saving to get by. All this to say that January is not included in my "master" plan. So here's what I've come up with: starting in February, I'm going to get one Christmas gift a month. That way I will have a foot ahead and it won't be so shocking on my pocket book when December rolls around.
     Anyway, overwhelmed or underwhelmed, it's going to be a great Christmas! I'm so looking forward to it!

Thankfulness....a week later

So I know I'm seven days late on this one......but for anyone who knows me, that should seem about right.
Fact: We all have something to be thankful for. When we discuss the things we're thankful for it is usually only the generics that come up: God, salvation, family, friends, health, house, car, living in America, etc. So I'm going to take this time to list a few non-generic things in my life that I'm thankful for (but really I'm just bragging about all the little things that make my life so great):

1. the fact that my kitty cat, Skunkus Leonis, waits on me to get home everyday like a puppy dog
2. the way my classroom smells (Tyler Candle Company: Limelight)
3. the adrenaline rush after my coffee
4. my sweet students--the normal reaction when I tell people that I am a 7th grade teacher is awe. Truth: 7th graders are awkward and usually the worst behaved. Truth: Mine are AWESOME
5. my memory foam pillow
6. when I mention that my favorite candy is Reese's and I have kids (that I don't even teach) bringing me Reese's out of the blue for a week straight
7. when someone returns your smile
8. even better: when someone smiles at you first
9. the breakfast muffins a coworker brings to me almost every morning
10. slumber parties with my friends (yes, we are 25 and do it at least twice a month)
11. watching my flowers grow and knowing it is because of my care and attention
12. my bloodhounds' howls
13. wreaths (for all seasons)
14. my Droid 2
15. calculators
16. Dan, my stuffed animal
17. my house robe
18. chap stick
19. MAC makeup
20. hot rollers
21. a compliment
22. Mrs. Jeanelle's cakes
23. the fact that my grandparents really do live over the [branch] and through the woods
24. a really good pen
25. my metabolism
26. massages
27. Flintstones vitamins
28. red toenail polish
29. freshly vacuumed carpet
30. my Sherpa blanket
31. my chair (that's really Don's chair)
32. my childhood summers with my Grandma, Kelly, Stephanie, and Mandy
33. post it notes--they're so much fun
34. the fair
35. hope
36. when someone tells me that I'm their favorite teacher :)
37. physics
38. Sunday mornings: getting ready for church listening to 92.3's southern gospel hour, actual church, and Sunday dinners (Southern for lunch)
39. Rummy
40. Tetris
41. that I found The Office....many, many seasons later
42. the tv show Lost
43. the fact that Stephenie Meyer wrote the Twilight series
44. Motion City Soundtrack, Brand New, and Dashboard Confessional
45. Pandora
46. Hand Sanitizer
47. Gum
48. Wal-Mart
49. jersey sheets
50. Regina Phalange

I could keep going forever, so I'll stop at 50 since you probably stopped at 3. :)

Spirit Week is the Best!

  Our school is having our spirit week to kick off the basketball season. It's been so fun! Monday was tacky day so I got to wear sweat pants. Yay!!! I dressed up in a tee, sweat pants, and my snow boots with a mismatched headband. Now, I realize I looked like every other girl in a college town on a normal weekday. (Man, I miss those days where dressing like that on a daily basis was considered completely acceptable.) However, that's pretty tacky for a teacher who normally dresses up everyday. I was sitting behind my desk when the students started filing in for Homeroom and had a little girl dressed almost identical to me. Because she couldn't see my entire outfit, she asked if I had dressed up for tacky day and I told her I had. I was about to tell her that we could be tacky twins but before I could get it out, she told me she had decided not to dress up for this particular spirit day :). When I got up to do something, she said, "Miss Floyd, you aren't tacky today!" I didn't have the heart to tell her that this is what I considered tacky. Haha!
  Tuesday was camo day. I loved this day because I got to wear big, baggy pants with HUGE pockets that I could put lots of stuff into. Seriously, at one time I had my keys, phone, and a water bottle in my pockets. I also got to wear a hat which meant I didn't need to fix my hair.

   Wednesday was twin day. All the math teachers dressed alike and were quadruplets.
   Today is Famous Figure day. I am Bella in Breaking Dawn. Enjoy the pic. You can't see the glitter all over my face, but I sparkle :) Fun times!

I Am Not Of This World

     I was reading my Bible today and felt conviction so powerful! This is the passage that I read:
Mark 8:31-38
And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, "Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest  not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men." And when he called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
     There is so much spiritual truth in this small passage. The essence of Christiandom is right here. I found several spiritual truths that pierced my heart and convicted me.
     The first thing I thought about is how ashamed Peter must have felt when he rebuked Jesus and, consequently, was literally called Satan. According to other Gospels, Peter had just accepted Jesus as the Messiah. He had accomplished all the requirements for salvation that Jesus lays out in verse 34. He accepted Jesus as the Savior of mankind and agreed to follow Him. In Peter's case, this was a literal following. And yet, in one moment, he put his cross down and rebuked Jesus for saying that He was going to die. Surely Peter knew that Jesus spoke the truth. After all, Jesus calls Himself the Truth. Surely Peter knew that Jesus knew better than Him. He is One with the Creator of the universe. Surely Peter knew that Jesus wouldn't lie. Lying is a sin and Jesus's sinlessness is what set Him apart from other men. And yet, he went back to his corrupted finite way of thinking and rebuked Jesus. Don't we do the same thing? The Holy Spirit speaks to us and convicts us about something, and what do we do? We tell Him that we know better and do that which is according to what we feel is best for us. Sometimes we do it consciously; sometimes we don't. But wrong is wrong whether or not we think about it before we do it. And when we go against God, we are likened unto Satan. We do the same thing that Peter did, and the Holy Spirit is inside us saying, "Get behind me, Satan."
     We often look at Peter with critical eyes. How dare He doubt what Jesus was saying about future events that would come to be??? It's so easy for us to believe in the miracle of the Resurrection because it's already happened. It's just like when people watch a football game and rebuke the coach for making that play. How dare he--it's not going to work. We know because we just watched it fail. Hindsight is 20-20. But how many of us do the same exact thing when it comes to the future miracle of Jesus's return? Sure we technically believe that Jesus is coming back. Sure we believe that it could be any moment of any day. But do we truly believe that? If we did then we'd live each moment of each day like it was about to happen in the twinkling of our eye. When we have the choice whether or not to tell that "white lie", we'd choose not to. When we have the choice to think that impure thought, we'd choose not to. When we have the choice to listen to that dirty joke, we'd choose not to. When we have the choice to murmur and complain, we'd choose not to. Why? Because we want to keep our hearts pure for Jesus. When we choose to sin, we are rebuking Jesus and denying His Truth that He can return at any point in time. You might say that's harsh; maybe it is. But that's exactly what Peter did and Jesus called him Satan.
     What really cried out to me in this passage was about gaining the world and losing your soul. Jesus says you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. When we get saved, we do all three of these things. But often times, we put down our cross somewhere along the way and follow the world and our flesh. I know that I do this on a daily basis. As long as I'm consciously thinking of it, I'm carrying my cross around. But as soon as I start being like Peter and take my eyes off Christ, I start sinking back into the waves of the world. (I'm referring to when Jesus bid him to come walk on the water with Him.) It is so easy for me to get off-track. I know this is because of my sin-nature, but I should always have serving Jesus at the forefront of my mind. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness...." Matthew 6:33.
     Jesus says in order for a man to gain his life, he must lose it. This most definitely conflicts our sin nature. Our default is to look at the world as our unit of measurement. Success in the world often times means making money. Jesus says it is easier for a rich man to go through the eye of a needle than it is for him to enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:24). Sin = pleasure and pleasure is a good thing if you look at the world's standards. But Jesus says to put off the old man and his sinful pleasure. This is something I definitely struggle with. I find myself inadvertently trying to disprove verse 36 of this passage by trying to gain the world and save my soul. I want to experience the pleasures of this world and have the joy of being in God's will. It can't be done. We are not of this world; we are just passing through. Our entire purpose for being in this world is to exalt and worship God. Our lives are to be acts of living worship. I fall short of this on a daily basis. Matthew 6:24 says you cannot serve two masters--you will hate one and love the other. Revelation 3:16 says you must be hot or cold; you cannot be lukewarm because He will spew you out of His mouth. We must put on the new man and never take him off. Easier said that done, right? But God says His yoke is easy and His burden is light in Matthew 11:30.
     I hope this spoke to you as much as it did me!!! It didn't just speak to me--it shouted at me. :)

School Days

  About a month ago, our school had school-picture day. For a 12-year old girl this is the most stressful day of the year. You can see the stress on their faces as they walk onto the school's premises. It is considered to be a normal occurrence for students to ask to go to the bathroom throughout the class period. No biggy; they're back within 2 minutes. However, on school picture day, the frequency of bathroom trips quadruples. These kids don't come back for quite a while. I'm sitting in the classroom thinking to myself, "Poor child, they don't feel well." When they come back, a transformation has taken place. What once was a fresh-faced, messy-pony tailed little girl returns as a dolled up teenager with cascading curls. This year, one little girl walks in my classroom wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt. After a short trip to the bathroom, she has on a Sunday dress.
   Now, I'd be lying if I said that I do not get a little stressed about this day myself. I make sure my makeup is completely done, hair is fixed, and I am wearing a shirt whose color is complimentary to my skin tone. Why??? Because, gasp, this photo is going to be in the yearbook. Why do I care so much? Don't know. When you are actually a student in school, this is a big deal. You know that all of your friends are going to meticulously comb through each page of the yearbook. But what is one page that no student cares to look at? Answer: the teacher picture page. Sure, they might give it a quick once-over, but that's about the extent of it. These are the people that give them silent lunches, detentions, homework, and make them spit out their gum. All the same, I want to make a good picture. And so, I did.

 

Dressing Up and Cutting Up

     Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I know that it can be quite controversial what with the whole devil's holiday stereotype. But while it may have some less-than-admirable origins, it is has evolved into a fun holiday that is equated with dressing up and eating lots of candy. I like to dress up. I like to eat lots of candy. Hence, I like Halloween.

    I start brainstorming costume ideas in August and September. I had my heart set on being Princess Lolly from Candyland, but that just didn't come to be. So I started thinking of what else I wanted to be. I really, really, really LOVE Gigi's cupcakes. In particular, I love the Miss Princess cupcake at Gigi's. And, so, a cupcake was born. :)

Blaire, Me, and Claire (aka Indian, Cupcake, and Border Patrol)

Me and Mom (aka Cupcake and Lorena Bobbit)

   

The Changing of Times

  So this title is misleading. I'm not talking about Daylight Saving Time....maybe in a later post. I'm talking more like me getting semi-up-to-date with the changing of the times.    I have never claimed to be anywhere near a technologically savvy person. I rocked the tiniest television for almost a year when I first moved into my "adult home". It was about 16" wide. Seriously. I was fine with it until NBA season rolled around and I couldn't make out the players' numbers on the jerseys. Anytime my Celtics came on and I watched the game I would have to sit in the floor right in front of the television. Now I have a much larger television (thanks to my parents). It's still not anywhere near a newer model television. It's one of those that are really deep and heavy, but it works for me.
   I don't have an Ipod. Of any kind. I think they're super-cool, but I just don't have one. When my MP3 player got stolen at the beach last year, I went to Wal-Mart and got another. It was cheap. It got the job done. Can I do the cool little swirl thing like on the Nano? Nope. I have to manually click down the list of songs. Can I check my FB account on it like the Touch? Nope. Can I take 8 mega pixel pics with it? Sure can't. But I can listen to music when I occasionally work out (that's the only time I listen to it). And that's all I need.
   I don't have a Kindle. I read the old-fashioned type of books. They're alright by me.
   I got a DVD player last year for Christmas. That was a nice upgrade.
   One of the (few) goals I have set for my life is to lead a simple one. I think there's something to be said for simplicity. In this society it's pretty scarce. We try to make everything complicated. You can't even go to the drugstore without being bombarded with choices. Even getting into my shower and trying to wash my hair is not a simple task. There are multiple choices and combinations of shampoos and conditioners to choose from. Nothing is simple anymore. I always felt like my lack of interest in technology just helped with my simplistic goal. However, I am pleased to announce that:
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Could you feel the anticipation building as your eyes scrolled down? That's what I was going for anyway. But for real, I am pleased to announce that after four years, that's right four years, of rocking the Crazor, I have finally upgraded cellular phones. And I didn't get just any phone; I got the Droid 2. The latest on the market. Practically unheard of for me!!
  I got my Crazor back in the day because I was starting my contract with Verizon and it was one of the free options. Naturally I went with that. I went in there after giving myself a pep-talk that I could stand up against the evil sales people who would try to sell me the latest and greatest phone with apps (this was before there was actually something called apps) that I didn't need. All I cared about was dialing out, receiving calls, and texting. I didn't even care if it had a camera on it since all the cameras on phones sucked. My goal was to keep it simple. And I did. Mission accomplished. I got everything I needed and wanted from that little Crazor. It served me well.
   Probably my favorite thing about my outdated phone was that I could take it to work and leave it all over the place. For some reason last year we could not keep a working clock in my classroom. We didn't have a SmartBoard for the better part of the year so we couldn't just look at it and know the time, and I don't wear a watch. So my cell phone (always on silent btw) was our classroom clock. Now I lose anything that is not attached to my body. Well, maybe lose is not the best choice of words. Let's go with misplace. I am known for my, shall we say, restlessness while teaching. I am constantly up moving around and since the old faithful Crazor was the classroom clock, it got left all over the room quite a bit. But the great thing was that I never worried about someone stealing it. We all know that things get stolen at school. Doesn't matter which school--it happens. Especially if the item deals with technology. Fortunately, any child who had a phone (which is the vast majority) had one that was way cooler than mine. And any child who was not fortunate enough to have their own cell phone didn't want my old thing. That would be too embarrassing. So I liked the freedom to just toss it anywhere in the room and know that it wasn't going to come up missing.
   But I finally decided it was time to get a more current phone. I really like that the new Smart phones can do just about anything. And really you can save a good amount of money with them. They have a GPS system. Just saved about $100. They have free ring tones. Just saved more money. They have a nice camera. Cha-ching. They come with the Internet. No more calling Info. They're just so convenient. The Droid 2 comes with mobile hot spot. For $20 a month you can have the phone put off wi-fi that will power your computer at home. I am cancelling my Internet at home and going to try it. Just saved $45.
   The only problem I have with my new Smart Phone is that I'm not smart enough to use it. I have no clue what is going on. I have no clue how to work my apps. I had trouble even answering my phone earlier today. I no longer have to be sympathetic to the elderly who get phones and don't know how to use them; I can now be empathetic. Oh well, I'm sure it, just like everything else in life, will get easier with time.

                     Here's me with my Crazor: A Tribute.

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

     As most of you know, I am a teacher. I absolutely love my job!!! Very much! I felt the calling to be a teacher around the 2nd or 3rd year of college, but I was already majoring in something else. When I told my parents of my intentions to change majors, they quickly tried to change my mind--understandably so. Teachers put up with a lot of flack and disrespect all while getting paid what most would consider to be a menial salary. I grew up in a small school where it was considered taboo if you didn't go to church on a regular basis. For the most part, if you got in trouble at school, your parents came up the school, not to get onto the teachers/administration for getting onto their baby, but to give their child a good tongue-lashing (or worse). My parents feared that this was not an accurate present-day  model of the school system, and that if I did become a teacher, I would wind up under-paid, under-appreciated, and unhappy. I got the "kids today aren't what they used to be" speech. Still, I remained unwavering. They conceded, knowing that it was my life and ultimately my decision. They were just trying to point out the cons to what I saw to be a pros-only list.

     I am pleased (and so are my parents) to say that I am so completely happy with my decision. This is my second year teaching, and I absolutely, positively love my job and my students. Sometimes I feel like I love my kids a little too much since I'm always making excuses to myself for their lack of effort or good behavior. But the point is: I'm happy. Could I be making more money doing something else that I'd probably love just as much? Sure. But I've never known what it was like to have lots and lots of money at my disposal so, you know what they say, ignorance is bliss. I'm all about simplicity and leading a simple life. I do alright. I don't want for anything that is a necessity (but an English Bulldog), and I have enough to do what I want for the most part.

     I don't know what it's like to be a mother, but I can honestly say I love every single one of these kids like they were my own. I get upset with them if they don't meet their potential, proud when they do, mad when they act a fool, excited over their milestones, etc.. If they do something that I don't care for or are disrespectful, I forgive them instantaneously (for the most part) because I love them so much.

     I turn the twenty-minute commute that I have to work each day into prayer time. I like to take that time to recognize my blessings, pray for family and friends, put on my spiritual armour (I certainly need it--not to stand against the wiles of the devil but my own self), and pray for my kids. I don't know what it's like for them at home. I work in a fairly large school system so there is definitely a variety. Some kids come from great prosperity;some from poverty. Some have a great support group at home; some are lucky to get dinner. It is my prayer every day that our school, and especially my room, will be a safe-haven for these kids. A shelter in the time of storm. That they will see God's love for them through me and my love for them. I have them for less than an hour a day. And during that hour, we are hitting the ground running doing some serious mathematics. A lot of times I don't know what is going on in their personal and/or home lives. Sure there are some key indicators, but I don't know for sure unless I talk to them about it. That's why I pray for them. That no matter the situation at home, whether it be good or bad, they know that my room is their getaway zone. For that hour of each day, they are loved and cared for. Hopefully that is the case with every class, but I know I can only be accountable for my one hour that I personally have  with them.

     I say all this to say this next sentence: God is good and faithful to answer our prayers! I don't want to put information about any of my students out there for the world to see so I'll just say this: I recently got confirmation that the above paragraph is much needed and appreciated. Some of these kids do feel the way I hoped they would--school and my classroom is their shelter from life's storm.  That may not seem like much, but to me it is everything. I know that my room is a haven. That even though a child's life may be upside down sometimes, they are happy in my room. Their problems aren't there for that hour. And that's what makes it all worth it!

     I'm so grateful that I have led a problem-free life. Now that is not to say I haven't gone through some tough times, but in the grand scheme of things, I've been dealt a good hand.  I had a normal childhood. I knew that I was loved by my family and my Savior. I lead a normal adult-life. God is good and so are His blessings! I cannot thank Him enough!

I'm calling it even.

     So every year I have an internal (and pointless) battle over which season I love the most. It always comes down to summer and fall. For some reason, I feel the need to only have one favorite. When summer rolls around, I'm soooo glad that it's here and I inevitably think to myself, "yep, my favorite is definitely summer." Then fall rolls around, and I'm so ready for the cooler weather, lightweight jackets, football, changing leaves (you get the picture) that I think, "yep, fall is definitely my favorite". This year was no different. I thought I had finally decided on summer since my job allows me to have summers off. This past summer was my first summer off and it was A-MAZING!!! So yeah, naturally, summer was it. Fell right into the number one spot, easily. Buuttt, now it's fall, and I'm thinking I love it just as much. So, after 24 years of battling my own self, I'm calling it even. I love them both. --Disclaimer: if you're thinking, "Wow, I just wasted a couple minutes of my life reading this meaningless paragraph", you're right. My apologies. I just really felt the need to put that out there.

     This is my second year officially living as an adult. (This constitutes living by myself, paying my own bills, and not just having a job, but having a career.) I have really gotten into seasonal decorating since becoming "an adult". Wreaths are my favorite! I think the majority of people would say their favorite decorating season is Christmas. Not mine! It's fall. Everybody decorates for Christmas--it's expected. But not everyone decorates for fall--it's appreciated. I love the burnt oranges, the burgundies, the deep purples. I put up a fall display in my yard this year. Not gonna lie--I'm pretty proud of it. (Which is why I'm posting a picture of my boss display.) It brings so much enjoyment to me, my neighbors, and passers-by. And hopefully you.

Inward Perfection

     Every first Tuesday of the month, we have a Ladies Missionary meeting. I look forward to it every month!! It is comprised of the ladies of Liberty Methodist Church and a few non-members, such as myself. We eat, fellowship, have a message, and discuss business. This month I was asked by Mrs. Geneva to give the message. As soon as she asked me I knew that I wanted to speak about Matthew 11:29-30, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." But then I realized that is what I want to speak about--maybe I should ask God what He wants me to speak about. So I did, and I dove into my Bible hoping He would either (a) give me confirmation that I should speak about those verses, or (b) give me something that He wants me to speak about. In the end, He went with plan B--which came out much better than what I had originally planned (which is always the case). Here's what He gave me:


   I started reading in Matthew 1 and just kept going. I started noticing a few themes and how they felt connected throughout several chapters. I started thinking about the inside. I titled this Inward Perfection.


   We, as humans, tend to focus on the outside. Outside appearance. Outside actions. Outside emotions. That is our nature, but it is also what society teaches us. Just look at commercials. Millions of products designed to improve something on the outside.


   As Christians, we tend to focus on the outside as well. Did what I just say come out wrong? Could it be misconstrued to sound "bad"? Is my dress a little too high? Is my blouse a little too low? Did someone see me roll my eyes at that person? The list of questions we subconsciously ask ourselves could go on and on. Or how about this--how many of you have seen or been a part of this little scenario: It's Sunday morning. You and the fam are getting ready for church. Someone is bickering and fighting. Someone is mad at someone else. Parents are nagging the whole way to church; kids are fighting the whole way to church. But as soon as you roll through the sanctuary doors--something happens. A transformation takes place. The bickering stops. The fussing and nagging stop. Everyone puts a smile on their face and acts like they have had the perfect morning with their perfect family. Why do we do this??? Outside appearances. The way we act in public is different from the way we act in private.


   As I was going through Matthew, I started noticing Jesus talking about a focus on the inside rather than the outside. There are several different angles you can look at this. I want to look at three: the literal sense, inward thoughts, and inward worries.


The Literal Sense. In Matthew 6, I started noticing a theme throughout the chapter. Several verses talked about doing righteous acts in private rather than out in the open. We should focus on worshipping inside. Literally. The first time this appears in the chapter is in verse 4. (Matthew 6:4--That thine offerings may be in secret and they Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.) Jesus talks about how the Pharisees would make sure everyone saw how much they were putting into the offering plate. Sometime they would even ring a bell when they gave offerings. Jesus says to let what you put in the offering plate be between you and Him, and when the time is right, He'll reward you in public. He knows that we want to be recognized for our servitude. And He promises to do that, but it will be in His timing.
   Later in verse 6, Jesus talks about praying in private. (Matthew 6:6--But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.) The Pharisees would often go out into a busy crowded street, stand in the middle of it, and begin praying very loudly so everyone could hear them. Jesus warns us not to do this. He says to let your prayer be between the two of you, and in His time, He'll reward you openly. Too often we find ourselves praying to men rather than to God. While I am soooo not one to judge, it is a pet peeve of mine for people to use uncharacteristically flowery language when they pray in public. When you start thinking about what you are going to say to God and plan your entire prayer out because you know you're going to be doing it in front of other people then you are praying to please men rather than God. How quickly we can go from good intentions to unrighteous acts.
   Also, in verse 18 (Matthew 6:18--That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.) The Pharisees were known for fasting. Many times they would put a white substance on their faces, like makeup for instance, to appear pale and weakened from fasting. Jesus warns us against this. If you want to fast, great. But don't do it to stand esteemed in the eyes of others. Do it with a pure heart.


Thought Life. Why is it that we put so much time and effort into maintaining our reputation when we spend so little time correcting the things that only we and God know about? Is it wrong to care about your reputation? No. But what is wrong is caring more about the opinion of other's rather than God's opinion. We care more about what strangers think of us than God. If you don't feel like this statement applies to you then let me ask you a question: how many of you have been in a situation where you feel the voice of the Holy Spirit tell you to talk to someone about God and you choose not to because it's socially inappropriate. Or because you are afraid of rejection from that person? Or you are afraid they will ridicule you for being a "religious zealot"? Yes, we are all guilty of this.
   So many times we try to change the outside without doing some deep cleaning on the inside. We try to treat the symptoms rather than the source. Example: Suppose I had a terrible pain on my side--so much so that it was debilitating. I couldn't stand or sit up straight; it ached all day long without fail. Would I keep just popping aspirin and hope that the pain would subside? Maybe at first, but after a while of constant pain, I'm going to go to the doctor and try to figure out why I'm having this pain. It is only when I have been properly diagnosed that I can truly start treating the problem. So many times, as Christians, we try to treat the symptoms of our sin rather than get to the source. The symptoms are what shows on the outside--what we say, what we do, how we act. The source is what is on the inside. The only way we can be properly cleansed is through Jesus. He must be at the source. A purging of the old man and a putting on of the new. We have to fully rely on Him and have faith in Him.
   Chris Tiegreen wrote, "We must embrace the fruits of the spirit in our thought life as much as we embrace acting them out." I thought this was pretty good. On my daily commute, I ask God to help me exhibit the fruits of the Spirit throughout the day. I ask Him to filter my thoughts, actions, and words. But I never really thought about making sure that I exhibit the fruits of the Spirit on the inside as well. It's just, if not more, as important. It's like your mama always says, "what's on the inside is gonna show on the outside".


Worrying. Worrying is a plague that affects us all. Here's what the Bible says about worrying:
Matthew 6: 25-34--Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing? Behold the birds of the air: for they don’t plant, neither do they harvest, nor store the harvest into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one foot to his height? And why take ye thought for clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin thread. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these lilies. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is living, and tomorrow is dead, shall he much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, With what shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the unbelievers seeks)  for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow will take thought for the things of itself. Evil is plenty for just today.
  I think this is pretty self-explanatory.
  In Matthew 28, the disciples and Jesus boarded a ship, and the sea and wind got really rough. Jesus was sleeping and the disciples woke him up and begged Him to do something about it because they were scared. When Jesus calmed the wind and seas with a word, they marveled that He could do it. It is so easy for us to look at the disciples and judge them for their stupidity. How could they sit and worry about the storm when they have the creator of the world on board with them? How could they be stunned when they see the Savior of the world calm the storm with a single word? Yes, how easy it is for us to judge them. But I say to you, is not God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit one? How dare we judge those disciples for worrying when they have God in the flesh beside them when we carry God with us in our hearts wherever we go and we still worry. They had God beside them; we have got in us. How dare we worry about the things of this world. We have the master, creator, and savior of the universe in our hearts (if we're saved).
   Is it easy not to worry? No! It is our default reaction. We must train ourselves to put off the things of the world and look to God as our lord and master. When our worries grow larger, God grows smaller. You are indirectly saying that God is not big enough to handle your problems. God promises us in Romans 8:28 that if we submit to Him and His will, and let Him guide us, then everything will work out for good. Even if it doesn't seem like it. That's where faith comes in. Faith that God will keep His promise--which He always does.
   I hope this helps you as much as it did me!

Three Day Weekend, oh my!!!

   I had a great Labor Day weekend!!! Although everyday is a pleasure to get up and go to work(seriously, I LOVE my job), I was definitely looking forward to a four-day workweek. Especially since it was game day weekend as well.
   Friday night, Josh and I went to a dinner at the home of Greg and Carol Cadenhead. Greg and Carol live about two miles down the road from me. I love their home. They have the most beautiful view! They are the type to really "live off the land" in that they have a year-round garden. And not just any garden. It's BIG. It puts my little summer garden to shame! They also have a pet turkey (who I have lovingly named Jimmy). How awesome is that?!?! There is a big, beautiful pond. We sat outside and enjoyed a fresh salad, vegetables, lasagna, and cake while enjoying the conversation and watching the sunset over the trees and pond. It was....picturesque.
   Saturday, Jenna and I drove up to Auburn and tailgated with some friends. We had a blast!!! War Eagle(52-26)!
   We had a wonderful service at church on Sunday. While I have been considered a "regular" at several churches, Calvary Baptist Church in Tallassee is my home. It is small in population, but big on God. We are fortunate enough to have a pastor and his family who truly love God and live what the Bible says. The sermon on Sunday was excellent. It was based on John 3 when Jesus is talking to Nicodemus about salvation. Jesus tells him that unless a man is born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. Nicodemus did not understand what "born again" meant. He thought Jesus was talking in a literal sense and couldn't understand how a man can be physically born twice. Brother Jim brought up a few interesting parallels between a man's physical birth and his spiritual birth. While I am probably going to miss a few points since I didn't take notes, here's a couple that I thought were great:

• Just as a person needs to be physically born only once, a person only needs to be spiritually born once. Once you have been born, that's it. You're here. Similarly, Christ's blood is strong enough to save you once (and for all). I am a firm believer in once saved, always saved. I am grateful that even though I sin on a regular basis, I do not lose my salvation on a regular basis. The result of my sin is a loss of fellowship, not a loss of relationship. If I "commit a sin" against my earthly father, Rex Floyd, to the point that I have shamed him--I never stop being his daughter. Our fellowship may not be what it used to be while I continue to shame him, but it doesn't change the fact that he is still my father. Similarly, when we sin against our heavenly Father, our fellowship with him might falter (that's when repentence comes in), but he is still our heavenly Father.
• Being born causes someone else to suffer. Now mothers reading this might not like the choice of words: "to suffer". But the fact of the matter is that childbirth is painful. Thankfully, we have medicine to alleviate the pain, but without it, that junk is painful. (Or so I have heard.) Just as mothers have to go through the physical pains of birthing their child, someone had to suffer for us to be able to be born again. That person was Jesus. I am so grateful that He took the weight of our sins and bore them Himself. It makes me think of that hymn lyric "I should have been crucified; I should have suffered and died. I should have hung on the cross in disgrace, But Jesus, God's Son, took my place."
• When you are born, you do not have a past. When we are physically born on this earth, we do not have a past. How can we have a past when we haven't been born yet? Similarly, when you are are spiritually born, God wipes away all of your past transgressions. In Ephesians 2:1, the Bible says that we were once dead in our trespasses and sins. When we get saved, the blood of Christ washes over us and makes us new.

I'm sure there were other points, but those are the ones that I can readily recall. Pretty good, huh? After church, I got to visit with family and people considered family.
     Monday was Labor Day. Now I know you're not supposed to do any labor on Labor Day, but housework really, really needed to be done. I did laundry, dishes, swept inside and outside, mopped, organized my closet, etc. I also managed to sleep in until 9:15, watch a couple hours of television, and read a book (not the whole thing--it was that productive of a day.)

All in all, pretty great weekend!

My Absolute Most Favorite Hymn

I am a huge fan of hymns. I love to read through a hymnal like it's a book of poetry. I love to sit and meditate on the words. I don't feel like I can do that when I'm singing in church because I am forced to  move on to the next line. This is my favorite; it's words are magnificent. Hope it touches you as much as it does me.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

1. When I survey the wondrous cross 
 on which the Prince of Glory died; 
 my richest gain I count but loss, 
 and pour contempt on all my pride. 

2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, 
 save in the death of Christ, my God; 
 all the vain things that charm me most, 
 I sacrifice them to his blood. 

3. See, from his head, his hands, his feet, 
 sorrow and love flow mingled down. 
 Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, 
 or thorns compose so rich a crown. 

4. Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
 that were an offering far too small; 
 love so amazing, so divine, 
 demands my soul, my life, my all. 

A Love for my Country; A Love for THE Country

     I want to start off with saying that I love my country. I am absolutely, positively proud to be an American. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It doesn't get much better than that. Granted, America isn't what it used to be or all that we hope it to be, but it's still pretty awesome. I am so grateful for the men and women who sacrifice to allow me the freedom I exercise on a daily basis. I am so grateful for the liberty to be different. We can say what we want, believe what we want, and (for the most part) do what we want.

     Just as much as I love my country, I love the country. I love being a southerner. I've never been anything else. I'm sure the north has its perks, but as they say, "ignorance is bliss". And I'm quite sure that even if I did give being a "yankee" a chance, I'd still choose to be a southerner. I love good ol' southern hospitality. I love that when I walk through any public place and I make eye contact with a stranger, smiles are exchanged. Sometimes even a "Hey, how are you". Northerners don't do that. There's comfort in a shared smile and/or greeting. I love that we fry everything and drink sweet tea. It tastes better. I love our southern drawl. It's endearing. And I love that we have the best football conference in the nation (not that I'm claiming to be the BIGGEST f/b fan.) Bbbbuuuuutttttt.......... War. Eagle.

     Taking it a step further: I love being southern and living "in the sticks". I grew up in the country. Me and Kelly (my sister) spent our free time playing in the woods. We had forts, named bays along the branch, and (attempted to) catch crawdaddies. It was nothing to have our legs covered in mosquito bites. (Random: Anybody remember dog days??? Terrible.) We didn't worry about strangers with candy. There were no neighbors near enough--except Grandma and Granddaddy who are literally through the woods and over the branch. We didn't have to worry about walking our dogs because they had plenty of land to roam as they pleased. As a little girl, I wanted nothing more than to live in a subdivision. I wanted to ride a bike to my friends' houses. Now that I'm older I am soooo glad that I didn't get the opportunity.

     One of my most favorite childhood memories is riding my go-cart. If any of you have not been to my parents' home (aka the home of my childhood), there is a field in front, a field in back, and woods on either side of the house. My granddaddy is a cattle farmer so that's what the fields are for. Anyway, I would ride this red go-cart ALL over the yard. One day I came home to find that my granddaddy had taken the tractor and cut me out a maze in the back field. The grass was probably more than waist-high and my maze path was cut down. It was awesome! I could go as fast as I wanted, hugging the curves, and take a sharp right right around a curve. So what if I got off track? All I'd hit was grass. Best. Childhood. Memory. I bet all those city folk didn't have a personal maze in a cow pasture when they were young. Jealous much? Probably.

     During the first three years of college I lived in Auburn. Those three years are the only exception to this next statement: I've always lived out in "the country". I absolutely love it. Last year when I graduated college, got my first big girl job, and officially became an adult (that horrendous word!!), I moved out of my parents' home and into my own. Well, not technically since I rent, but you get my drift. The first decision was where to live? Do I want the convenience of the city or the beauty of the country? Do I want the night time sounds of cars and pedestrians or do I want the sounds of crickets chirping and frogs croaking? In the end I chose the country. Now I live in a modest two bedroom home with an immodest front and back yard. It's so nice to have my own little space to have a summer garden, hang ferns off of the front porch, sit with friends on the deck, plant flowers in the front beds, and wave at the neighbors when I go to check my mail. Plus, all of that comes with the country price tag which is significantly cheaper than the city's. I feel that I made the superior choice.

     As I was driving to a friend's house yesterday after work, I looked at my fellow small-town country residents. As you know, every route in the country is scenic so there's plenty to look at. Just a few things I observed:

• people mowing the lawn
• kids playing baseball and football in the front yard
• teenager riding horseback
• father and son on the gator driving home from the neighbor's
• lots and LOTS of American flags hanging from porches

Just a few things that I smelled:

• leaves burning
• honeysuckle
• fresh cut hay fields

Does it really get any better? Now I realize that this is all based on preference. Many people would much rather live in the city. And that's okay. I think a lot of it has to do with where you were raised. I am simply saying that I love my country and the country and am grateful for both.

My summer garden

View from my window when I wash dishes

My home

 

Yay for Blogging

So I have been tossing the idea of blogging around for some time now. I finally made up my mind to do it yesterday. I don't really have any expectations for it. I'm just going to go with it and see what happens. I chose the title "Chain of Love" because my favorite song is Danny's Song by Loggins and Messina, and I hope that this blog will start a chain of love for whoever decides to read it. (Does that count as an expectation?)