Our first hurricane???

We have managed to live in New Orleans for over 2 years and have never had a hurricane or even a hurricane scare.  I think we were starting to think it would never happen while we were here.  Well, Sunday threw us for a loop.  That morning, this picture and others like it all over facebook...

My thoughts... oh this might be happening.  

The parish I work in likes to stay ahead of the game... we knew by 2 that school was cancelled through Wednesday (goodbye Thanksgiving Break???) and that St. Charles Parish had a mandatory evacuation.

The mayor came on 45 minutes later declared a state of emergency...

The governor came on 45 minutes late announcing a voluntary evacuation on "low lying" areas...

We waited all day Sunday for a report from the seminary.... and heard nothing.  

To go or not to go... that was the question.

We couldn't figure out what we should do.

On Monday we were supposed to see the doctor for an update on baby Skelton, but did not want to get in all the crazy traffic if the announced a mandatory evacuation.

Finally we decided to start packing (at like 10 pm... so late for me) get up early in the morning, watch the news and make a decision.

Well, we got up early yesterday, and still couldn't make a decision, and we still had not heard an announcement from the seminary.  

This was getting drug out too long...

We were able to move up our doctor appointment to 9:45 and decided to pack up to leave right after that.  

Even while we were sitting at the doctor's office we were asking, "Do we really want to leave?"

Finally even though we hadn't heard anything fom the seminary we said let's take a "hurrication" and see some family and friends.  While we were on the road we heard that the seminary was going to be closed Tuesday-Thursday.

I think we made the right decision to go ahead and go, I heard many left after work Monday, so traffic was bad... and better safe than sorry!

We headed out yesterday about 1 in the afternoon, and spent last night and Tuscaloosa with Andrew's grandfather and aunt.  

This morning I go to eat breakfast with Alana, a friend from college that works at the university with her husband ministering to college students.

What other fun things will this "hurrication" hold??? I am not sure, but hopefully we will have some fun things to report :).  We are praying that the impact of Issac is minimal and that are friends that are sticking out the storm stay safe.

I miss my carpool...

  My school is about 25 miles away, this means about 30 minutes in the morning (we leave at the crack of dawn before traffic), and 30 minutes- 1 hour in the afternoon.  For the past year and a half I have been so blessed to be able to carpool to work everyday.  At first it was with AnnaLeigh a dear friend from seminary.  She had a precious baby and switched schools, so we could no longer carpool. Then for the past year it has been with sweet friends Heidi and Sarah.  Sarah moved to another school, and Heidi just had a precious baby and is on maternity leave.  That leaves me by myself :(. I learned that the blessings of carpooling are two-fold:

1. The financial savings are unbelievable... especially with the price of gas these days.
2. The time spent with my carpooling buddies.

I expected the first, but the second came as a surprise.  I love the time we spend together talking to and from school.  Sharing stories and sharing life, especially after a day with little adult contact.

So for now I drive myself.  I spend time listening to music and books on tape. It is okay... but not as good as my carpool time.  We plan on giving it a try when Heidi comes back from maternity leave... with an extra stop at daycare for the little one. I look forward to resuming the blessings of carpooling again! :)

loveeeeeeeeee...

So... we are pregnant!  And friends, we ask for your prayers right now! We are about 10 weeks... due March 18th! You see ever since our miscarriage and the journey that came with it, I was afraid that I would be overcome with fear when we got pregnant again.  That I would be so afraid of losing another baby, of the pain and sorrow that goes with that.  So on the morning of Friday July 6th, before I headed to the lake... I decided on a whim to take pregnancy test. I was so expectant to say"Not Pregnant" that I was wondering around the house finishing getting ready before I remembered to look back at the test to see the word "Pregnant"!!!  I was amazed because in that moment and in most moments (admittedly not every single moment) since then I have been overwhelmed with peace from God.  I knew right then that I should not be scared, but show Andrew and celebrate.  For no matter what happens we have been given a gift, that we should be excited and love this baby! Then this was confirmed when just the next day I was reading my friend Melissa's blog, the timing was incredible.  You should check it out.  The song she put... whew... we'll just say I was a teary mess after listening. We had to make a decision after going to the doctor and confirming we were pregnant... was this something we were going to share or just keep to ourselves?  I mean, everyone says wait until the end of the first trimester... that is when the riskiest time is over.  I can even say in the past, I have been shocked when people have shared before the end of the first trimester, even judging, thinking, "They shouldn't share yet."  But after much prayer and conversation with Andrew we said let's be open about it this time.  I want to share and celebrate where we are at, no matter what happens.  We were open in our miscarriage, because sooooo many women go through it and almost nobody talks about it.  We are  open now hoping for prayers and passing on hope to other couples who have been through what we have.   So for the baby we lost, we are sad we did not get to meet you, but we love you and are excited to meet you in heaven one day.

Our picture from the ultrasound.

Some pictures that Jeslyn took to announce the pregnancy.

For the sweet baby we are pregnant with right now, we love you no matter what happens.  We trust God with your life and hope to meet and raise you.

Beginning... Middles... Ends

Much to Andrew's dismay I love chick-flicks.  One of my favorites is Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock.  All week long, as I have started the first week of school, a quote from that movie has been stuck in my mind. 

"Beginnings are usually scary, endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts."

Every school year the feelings are the same for me at the beginning.  I am scared out of my wit!  

What will this year bring?

Will my kids be okay?

How will I handle all the work?

And now... What will my value added score be?

Every school year the feelings are the same for me at the end.  No matter how difficult my group has been, I am sad to see them go.  I mean, during the school year I am spending more time with them than their parents!

But I love this quote because I never really thought about the "middle" that way.  That it is in the middle of the school year I will spend the bulk of my time shaping and impacting my kiddos. As we get to the thick of things, what am I going to do that is valuable in the middle?

We are in the "middle" of our time in New Orleans, and we have no idea what the next year will bring.  But I am reminded to focus on being here now... that is what counts.

And really, when you think about it, most of life is the "middle" of things, even though we tend to focus more on beginnings and endings.   What am I doing to make the most of these times?

Why I have been MIA all week...

I have been getting my classroom ready...

This is one of the after pics... 

As I said in my last post it is that time again... back to school.  If I had only known as a child how much my teachers loved breaks. I mean really, I had no idea.  Don't get me wrong, I love the kiddos, but it is hard to go back after a long summer break... For the past two weeks I have been trying to piece my classroom back together, after putting it into boxes in May.

Halfway through the first day... 

End of the first day...

End of the second day... not much progress.

After this point I guess I got tired of taking progression pictures, because we go from day 2 to day 9 ( I had meetings and other stuff so I didn't spend the whole time working in my room:)).

The front of my room...

Library area... ready to go!

I am proud of my pom poms... it is the little things.

We start Monday.  It is coming whether I am ready or not.  Come to think of it, as teacher I never feel fully ready.  There is always more you can do, more you can give.  I struggle with that.  Where do you draw the line when you feel like your job is never done? Thinking and praying through this has made me realize I need to set some priorities for this year.

1. Focus each day on loving these kids and helping them become good citizens.
2. Taking time to pray over their desks each morning before the day starts.
3. Knowing when to stop working so I can be with my husband and take care of myself.

I always want to focus on these, but I surprise myself how I will leave them behind when the curriculum gets rolling and I feel all the pressure of getting everything done!

Final Summer Bucket List...

Summer is over... I go back to work 

officially 

tomorrow.  I did not get everything done on the bucket list, but I feel good about what got done!  I am sad about summer being over, but I am excited to see what the next year brings!

Check out the final list!!!

My Summer Bucket List..

Completed

• blog twice a week

• deep clean house

• take more pictures again- probably could still take more

• research next car purchases (we are not ready to buy, just so we are ready when my car stops working)

• money day with Andrew (where we just talk through our finances and review our goals)

• go to the pool often

• go to the beach

• see my grandparents in Annapolis

• see my grandparents in Ohio

• have a cookout

• watch Downton Abbey on Netflix

• I never got to learn to sew.  Maybe next summer???

Books I Read!!!!

• Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

The Vow by Kim Carpenter

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas 

Crazy Love by Francis Chan 

The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel 

Divergent 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth- in progress 

Choose Joy by Kay Warren

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

The Book Theif by Markus Zusak- 

Books I did not finish...

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer- I started this book, but did not finish. The book was really good, but really deep.  I was having trouble getting through it and was jst reading to finish.  I decided to stop and pick it back up when I would be able to focus better on it.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey- Sad I never got through this.

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle

I pretty happy with my summer... and I am going to miss it!

Linking up with Bits of Splendor :)
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