Jennifer Lynn

Taxes

2006-04-04T20:24:00.000-05:00

Wow....what a messed up year to do taxes. Income from 3 states, one being self-employed income...sweet. Finally got my federal and Illinois state taxes done a few weeks back and tonight I decided to get my Ohio state taxes done......what a mess. You know that little question mark icon you can click on to 'supposedly' get an explanation as to what in the world every step means??? Ya, well, someone forgot to tell them that in defining a term, you don't use the term in the definition. Wow...I thought we learned that in middle school. By the time I got to the summary page and read what I owed, I just didn't care....get it done and over with...take more of my money cause you've taken my sanity. Then I thought, hey, I'll get the school district taxes done as well....haha...this one's funny.....the school district I lived in in Ohio wasn't even on there....nope....not at all.....large city school in Columbus, the capitol of Ohio mind you, wasn't even on there. Oh but wait! Riverside, graduating class of maybe 70, if they're lucky, was on there, and good 'ole Ben Logan but not a major city school. These people are awesome! So what have I learned this year in doing my taxes??? A.) Pay someone to do them and B.) Never move states again......ever.

Fire Hazard

2006-03-12T18:13:00.000-05:00

Brad was making macaroni the other night and I was trying to warm my hands over the pot of boiling water. He thought it'd be fun to see if he could ignite an empty carton of oj by placing it on the hot coils of the stove. Success...it ignited...pretty quickly. Well, it must have also ignited my hoodie. I noticed a bit later that my hoodie was warm and when I looked down, saw that there was a huge black print from where it had been burnt. It definitely put a hole in it. Lol....all we could do was laugh, even though I was bummed my hoodie no longer looked nice. So ya....if you can't stand the heat, get outta the kitchen.

Exhaustion Week

2006-01-28T16:20:00.000-05:00

This past week has been one of those that you didn't see coming.....you thought everything would be fine, like normal, but it hit you like a ton of bricks.....work, students, parents, friends/relationships, family, and money. It all hit and so now I'm asking that you would pray for me. Things are very stressful and a bit overwhelming right now and it's going to be a difficult month. I know that God will provide and carry me through it but it's a struggle to fully believe that and have faith in that. Thanks y'all.

Saturday Grocery Shopping

2006-01-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

Saturdays are when I do the bulk of my shopping since I work during the week and usually am at the school pretty late. I have found that the things I love about shopping are the encounters I make with other shoppers. I love to people watch but you have to be careful that it doesn't appear to be staring. Smiling helps this. When I make eye contact I try to smile and I almost always get a smile in return. This past Saturday I was in Aldi's (thank God for that store!) and was waiting for an older man to move past the eggs so I could get some and was trying to practice patience and just wait for him to get done. He sensed me waiting and said, "Are you waiting for me to move?" "Oh, you're fine!" I said so as not to be rude. He looked down a second and then popped his head back up when I said that and replied, "Well, you're not too bad yourself!" I laughed and thanked him. Love those brief meetings with people. As I made my way to the front to pay, I was in line behind a cute older couple trying to get everything from their cart. A box of Kleenex fell on the floor inbetween their cart and the counter. The little lady moved the cart and her husband slowly lowered himself to the ground to retrieve the box, obviously having some trouble bending but made it. He stood back up and looked at me and said, "Now I know what giraffs feel like!" I laughed and agreed with him. "You ever seen a giraff get water?" "Yes I have; they have to spread out their legs to get lower." He laughed and agreed with me.

You see, I've found that the older generation still takes time to make small talk with strangers, whether it's hitting on someone or joking about their body, but I enjoy it. I think we've forgotten how to do this. We get so rushed to just get our stuff and leave, we forget to smile at the little boy in the cart with his mom, help someone pick up spilled items, be patient for another person to move, or give someone our cart at Aldi...quarter and all. I call these random acts of kindness and it's through these small things that we can show the love of Christ. Do it. I enjoy grocery shopping so much more.

Armed and Dangerous: part II

2006-01-07T16:08:00.000-05:00

So I went shooting this morning. My principal and his brother-in law, who also teaches at ACS, showed me how to shoot. The first thing I shot was the 12 gauge. Holy crap I'm never shooting that thing ever again! The bruise on my arm is still growing and boy does it hurt. Talk about a kick. It scared me so bad. Wish I would have went with my dad....there's a level of comfort with learning that kind of stuff with your dad as opposed to a friend. I shot the 20 gauge and that wasn't bad. Hit what I was aiming for (ya, that's rare). Then we shot the handgun and that was much, much better. Definitely something I can handle and not feel overwhelmed. I'm keeping that one and the 12 gauge is going home, never to be handled by this chica again. I plan on practicing the handgun so that I actually feel comfortable shooting it if I ever needed to. Even though I HATED shooting the 12 gauge, it was good for me to really feel and understand the power behind that gun and realize what it can do. glad I'm done with that!

Armed and Dangerous

2006-01-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

Some of you might recall a time a few years back when the infamous Jones House of IWU had a peeping tom. Well, folks, it seems I have the same luck in Illinois. Sunday night a man in my apartment complex (let's call him Bob because we'll come back to him) came to my door and told me he saw a man outside my window behind the bushes looking in. The man apparently ran off when he realized he'd been spotted. I kinda freaked. I was on the phone with Jonathan so I immediately hung up and called the police who came out and looked around (didn't find anyone....no duh....they don't usually wait around) and questioned 'Bob'. They've never had any peeping tom incidences at my apartment complex and were a bit suspicious of 'Bob'. Apparently he was intoxicated and made mention of things like 'the angle of my blinds' that bothered the police. They told me to be cautious around this man. Well, there was no way I wanted to stay another minute at my apartment so I called a friend and he and two other guys came over to 'escort' me out. Perfect. I ended up sleeping on their couch for the next 3 nights......orders from mom (haha). I woke up Monday morning to my phone ringing and found out that my mom was currently in Indy on her way up to bring me not one, but two guns! WHAT!?!?!? So I had to drive to my uncle's about and hour and a half away and pick up a .22 caliber handgun and a 12 gauge double barrel shotgun. For those of you who don't know about guns, the first one will mame, probably not kill. The second will kill....no questions asked. My uncle also gave me mace. The next day I found out, though, that in the state of Illinois, I must have a firearm ownership identification card to legally own a gun....oops. So that's getting processed right now and the guns are in my trunk. A few days ago I found a note under my door from 'Bob' saying he wanted to talk to me about what he saw and what I should do and that he had a daughter my age. Call him?!? Ya right. This is a man who left me a threatening note on the washer after I removed his clothing because they were sitting in there. He doesn't know it was me...but I know it was him. I made a recent curtain purchase at Ikea and will soon be getting alarms for my windows and door so that if anyone even touches them, the alarm will go off. Overreacting? Overly cautious? Nope, you really can't be when you're a 22 year old girl living alone in Aurora, IL. So tomorrow: I'm learning to shoot those guns.

It's all about Him

2005-12-26T16:08:00.000-05:00

When the debate over 'Merry Christmas' versus 'Happy Holidays' started, I immediately got defensive and hated that so many stores were not calling Christmas trees by their real name, nor wishing customers a Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays seemed so generic. But why was I upset? Because it wasn't the 'traditional' thing to say or because I felt it was taking away from the real reason for the season?? Well, if I'd have really done some studying, I'd have known that I, like so many others, was wrong...really wrong. I learned Christmas Eve (thanks to Dad ) that Holiday really means Holy Day. Hmm...who knew? Interesting how quick we are to get defensive and cause a comotion that probably just raises more fists towards the church than it lowers them. Sometimes we are so quick to 'try' and keep things Christ centered that we forget WHY we should be. Would Jesus want us to fight to keep lame-o pine trees from being called Holiday trees or show the love of Jesus to others by providing food for the needy and creating a Christmas for those who have none? I think the church as a whole needs to reevaluate its focus. In fact, I need to reevaluate my focus. And it shouldn't just stop at Christmas....my intentions behind every word, action, espression, gift and reaction should be to spread the love of Christ.

Happy Music

2005-11-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

So, we're halfway through November and I've already started listening to Christmas music. I absolutely love it! It puts me in a great mood and I get so much work done while listening to it; it helps me focus. More than that, though, it's just happy music. You can't listen to Christmas music and not smile or be happy. If you can, you're a scrooge. But, here's the point to my blog about this wonderful music, I am tired of people jumping on my case about listening to it before Thanksgiving. I've had people get irrate with me and mad that I even thought about playing it around them. God forbid. Why it the world would you get mad at someone who is listening to joyful music that celebrates the greatest birth ever?!? Yes, I know listening to it in July would definitely be out of the ordinary, but November?? Come on. We only get a month of Christmas, so I'm just trying to spread it out. I can't say, though, that I just picked this up on my own. My mom has been listening to Christmas music starting in November for as long as I can remember. I used to get so excited to start listening to Christmas music, and still do. It's genetic. So, if you wanna complain, please don't do it around me. Let me listen to my happy, joyful music.

Natural Disguise

2005-10-15T09:33:00.000-05:00

So last night the high school had its first ever Mall Hunt. Teachers disguised themselves and wandered around the mall and students walked around trying to find us. They had "Wanted Posters" with our school pictures on it and we all had stickers to place our face when they found us. Each teacher had 200 stickers or 200 points so if we only handed out 10 stickers, each student go 20 points for finding us but if we handed out 100 stickers, they only got 2 points. I tagged along with another teacher disguised as a pregnant woman. She had a wig on and all. I went as her daughter, dressed in an Abercrombie shirt (not allowed at our school) and low-rise jeans, hair in braided pigtails, glasses on and lots of makeup. Most of the high schoolers don't even know who I am so they would come up to my 'mom' and get a sticker and not even ask me or look at me so I'd keep walking. It was awesome! I only gave out 5 stickers! For once in my life looking young paid off! I was told I looked like I was twelve and for once that was a good thing! The other teachers were hysterical! Some of the outfits were great!! It was so fun! Loved it!

Chicago Mini

2005-09-25T17:44:00.000-05:00

Today I went to downtown Chicago with Liz to watch a few of our friends finish the Chicago half marathon....13 miles. As I stood there looking for the girls to cross the finish line, I had this strong desire to be one of the ones running it. I SOOO wanna do it!! I would love to run it with my brother Josh. It would be so cool to train with him and then to run and accomplish something like that together. It was so cool to see people of all ages running it. I was so impressed with some elderly people out there running and finishing right along with the 20-something-year olds. There were couples running together, crossing the finish line holding hands and even a father/daughter duo. It was awesome! I'm running the whole stinkin' thing next year!

In the Name of Jesus

2005-09-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

I've finally found a church I feel I want to attend regularly and the first actual service I went to was incredible. The associate pastor was speaking from Acts 3 &4 on the Name of Jesus. He first discussed the Old Testament teaching of God's Name and then the New Testament teachings of Jesus' Name. He pulled out three (pastors always have 3 points) lessons: In the name of Jesus Expectation is great, Giving is greater, and Reaction is greater. So often we pray that God will do something great but do we really expect it? When we pray for rain, why don't we carry around an umbrella? Do we not really believe it will happen? Expect that God will do things! Our giving should be greater as well and not just money. Time, listening, service, encouragment, prayer and Truth should all be greater in His Name. And when we expect and give more, reaction is greater.

This sermon couldn't have come at a more perfect time in my life. At the time I was frustrated with a few students and my inability to maintain discipline in the classroom. I was already discouraged which wasn't good. As I listened to this message, I lined it up with my students and realized that if I expect God to work in my students and I give more of my time, prayers, love and encouragement, then the reaction will be greater. If I'm going to pray that God will make changes in student's lives, I better believe it will happen and I better be willing to give more of myself.

oh be quiet

2005-09-09T13:19:00.000-05:00

Raise your hand if you don't like Jesse Jackson.....ya mine's raised. He needs to be quiet.

The Power of Prayer

2005-09-07T22:21:00.000-05:00

Today was amazing....my eighth period is not exactly the most focused nor attentive class and it's become quite frustrating and discouraging already. There are a few students, actually one in particular, that pull the rest of the class down. This student hasn't had the best home life growing up. He lives with his grandparents now and mom is in and out of the picture. Dad is in jail. This student doesn't want to be at school and is trying to get in trouble enough to get kicked out. I know there's a lot of pain in his life. He feels like he's a failure and isn't smart enough. I know better. So I've begun to pray...a lot... for him, for the class, for wisdom in knowing how to deal, respond and discipline him, and for opportunities to show him I care. Before class yesterday I sat in his seat and prayed directly for him. That's such an awesome thing to be able to do....to know that that student is going to sit in that very spot that you've prayed God's presence over. If you think about it, pray for this boy, for the situation, the class and me. I'd appreciate it. Today, though, was great. There were few distractions and abruptions in class and this student was actively engaged in the discussion. It was awesome and I have no one to thank but God.

haha

2005-09-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

I just typed in Jonathan's name and the J stood for Juicy. LOL....oh funny stuff

and there's more

2005-09-03T20:58:00.000-05:00

Hold up...I just did it again, typing in Jenniferlynn this time and I got a new one:

Joyous
Excellent
Neat
Neglected
Influential
Flirty
Edgy
Radiant
Lovable
Young
Normal
Nerdy

again...I laugh

Of all the ridiculous things....

2005-09-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

Out of sheer boredom and procrastination, I did some of those incredibly stupid blog quizzes. One was "What does your name mean?" so I typed in my first name and up pops an acrostic of my name. Here it is:

J-Jealous
E-Enjoyable
N-Neglected
N-Nice
I-Ideal
F-Furry
E-Emotional
R-Revolutionary

wow.....I just laughted. Furry?!?!?! Well, I guess I do have a lot of hair on my head and my arms do side on the more hairy side of things. Jealous? hmm...and ideal? Hahaha! Neglected? Not at all! I get such a kick out of these things cause they're so incredibly dumb. Try them out for a good laugh. www.blogthings.com

Hazzing Week

2005-09-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday....tomorrow marks the end of my first full week of teaching as a real teacher. The first week, also known as hazzing week, has been rough. It's unbelievable how exhausting teaching can be. I rise at 5am-ish, get to school by 6:30am, 1st period starts at 7:55 and I don't leave the school til 5-5:30pm. Long day. I've worked up the energy to workout once this week. I've consumed mass quanitites of caffeine (drinks are free for teachers and that includes coffee and fountain Diet Pepsi :) ) and way too many sweets. After devos this morning I noticed a box from Panera on a table and opened it to find half of a chocolate cake. I quickly grabbed a piece....and then more later on in the day......and just now I devoured 3 cookies...might go back for another. And this, my friends, is how one deals with hazzing week for new teachers.

Major violation

2005-08-25T18:41:00.000-05:00

While walking down the hall today I overheard a student drop the 'F-bomb'...something that is absolutely not allowed and is considered a major violation. I approached him and repromanded him and told him it was his warning and next time he'd be making a visit to the principle. I walked away and a few minutes later popped my head into another teacher's room and asked him if swearing was a major or minor violation. It's a major. Oh geez...I can't just let this slide. I knew if I was going to be firm it had to start now. The teacher encouraged me to go talk to the principle who ended up giving the kid an in-school suspension.....second day of school. Ahh...I felt so bad. I know he's a good kid. He came to my class late cause he was talking to the principle and the student apologized to me and wanted to make sure I didn't have the wrong impression of him. He was great the rest of the class and had been great the first day as well. But, I know that if I'm going to make a difference, there has to be some discipline. He's gotta learn, but man it's hard. It's odd...when you're in school you think your teachers delight in punishing you and turning you in but that's not true. I so wanted to give this kid a second chance and yet I knew to be fair and set a standard, I couldn't. tough love.

Preparations

2005-08-23T19:24:00.000-05:00

Well, today is officially the last day of my summer...we start school tomorrow! Wow! Where has the time gone?!? I can still remember thinking about this day a few years ago and how far off and scary it sounded. Well, here I am and I'm not scared...I'm so excited!! I get to teach 120 7th and 8th graders.....so pumped!

It's been amazing the past week or so how helpful everyone has been. People pop in my room to see how I'm doing, teachers are genuinely excited that I'm there, teachers encourage me and one teacher even prayed with me about some things that were weighing heavy on my heart. It's amazing! Every day we start with staff devotions and today the superitendent, who is unlike any other superintendent I've ever met, talked about a parent who came up to him at the elementary open house in tears and thanked him for everything he's done. See, this man's son is known as 'that kid' at school and over the past year or less has done a 180. How awesome is that?!? These teachers have such a passion to teach and love these kids so much. I see Christ reflected more in this school than in any church I've ever been in.

I got to talking with another teacher yesterday about my struggle with whether to teach at a Christian school or to teach in a public school. Do I go where I can easily talk about my faith or somewhere where I am challenged to be a light through my actions and not necessarily my words??? He told me about a student in his class when he student taught that was labeled SBD or something like it and how he was able to get really close to this student but couldn't share with him the love of Christ. The student tried to take his own life and just hit rock bottom and this teacher really struggled with the fact that he wasn't allowed to share Christ with him. I think people forget the number of nonChristians in a Christian school. Sure there are a lot of kids there that go to church and some that don't but how many are just going through the motions? I've come to realize that even though I'm at Christian school, there's still a mission field and I have the freedom to talk about Christ whenever I want. That's such an incredible opportunity!

I know God's brought me here for a purpose. I'm excited to see how He uses me this year. I pray that God's immense love and grace will work through me and speak to my students.

Magic Jeans

2005-08-13T23:11:00.000-05:00

Tonight I wore a pair of jeans that I haven't worn since my freshmen year of college....four years ago!!! I was incredibly excited!! And then I went out and ate pizza and ice cream....lol...oh well. So that's my story......I'm sure you girls can understand my happiness.

Oh, and one more thing....go see the movie The Island. It's fantastic! Definitely a strong underlying message in the movie. I'd label it an ethic adventure movie. That's right...ethics....it's in there. Go see it. And girls...Ewan McGregor looks pretty darn good in this one. You thought he looked good in Moulin Rouge ;)

'Lil Scoundrel

2005-08-12T13:31:00.000-05:00

I went to feed my fish this morning and as I looked around the tank, I noticed that my fiddler crab was no where to be found. I stood up and something caught my eye over to my right. At first I thought it was some enormous spider and then I realized that little sun-of-a-gun got out and had crawled across the living room. I scooped him up into a cup using a large ladel and plopped him back in the water. I think I'll name him Mischief.

p.s. just found my goldfish in his claws....he bit the dust....just flushed him a bit ago. not good if a science teacher can't keep something as low maintenance as a fish alive.

A pensive moment

2005-08-11T23:20:00.000-05:00

Tonight I've had some time to just stop and think about everything that has happened in the past 2 weeks. I've uprooted myself and moved two states over to a city I know very little about in order to teach at an amazing Christian school. Sometimes I can't believe I decided on this job over the public school close to home, but then I realize that it doesn't really matter where I wanted to go or which place would be an easier transition. I know God wants me here at this school. For how long? I have no idea but for now, I'm here...in Aurora, IL ready to teach hormonal 7th and 8th graders some science. I've been so busy lately I haven't really had time to think about the big move or whether I'm lonely or not, or maybe it's just that I'm not lonely and that I'm ok with this move. And again I remember...Jen, you didn't move here by yourself. Your Dad came with you. I've felt a lot of different emotions since moving and even before. Fear, doubt, loneliness, anxiousness, nervousness, excited......usually feeling more than one at once.
I've always been one who likes to have a handle on what's going on, where I'm going and why but the past 4-5 years have taught me that I just have to trust God to guide me. Looking back, I'm amazed at where He's taken me and what I've learned and how I've grown. I'm excited to see what things He leads me through this year. For right now, all I know is that I'm here to teach and minister to my students. Because I'm at a Christian school, I have an incredible opportunity to daily share Christ in my class. That will be awesome!
Please pray for me....this year will be difficult due to it being my first year of teaching and trying to get acclamated to a new place and making new friends.

The Welcome Family

2005-08-11T14:13:00.000-05:00

Many of you from IWU know who Rachel Stone is. Well, Rachel lives here in Aurora and her dad teaches at Aurora Christian and when I came out at the beginning of June to look for apartments, her parents immediately introduced themselves and gave us their contact information. The other day I was at my apartment and Rachel's mom, Donna called and invited me to go out to eat with their family and to a movie. It was so much fun and such a blessing to find such a great family. She mentioned that she's the type that will invite me over all the time and if I ever get tired of them I don't have to say yes. Thing is, they don't understand how much this helps me with this whole moving thing! It's amazing the people God sends along to help us in our times of need and change.

Moving On

2005-08-01T12:46:00.000-05:00

Wow....it's been a month since I've written anything on here! Well, July was great but went way too fast. First there was family vacation....great times! Then a few weeks later was our Yearly Meeting for Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region. That was a lot of fun too, but July had another important factor....it was my last month at home. I just moved Friday the 29th into my own apartment in North Aurora, IL. I start teaching at Aurora Christian Schools on the 24th of August and boy do I have a ton to do before that day! Moving is a pain in the butt. It's overwhelming.....set up electric, phone, internet, tv...blah, blah, blah. There are so many hidden costs. I'm nervous and anxious to start school and meet some of the teachers. I'm also really excited to find a church and get plugged in. It's there that I feel like I will have the opportunity to really make some good friends my age. This is all kinda scary, you know, moving out on my own but at the same time it really gives me a sense of accomplishment having done all this on my own and paying for everything on my own. It's tough but with God's help, strength and guidance, I can do it. So with that, carpe diem :)

Why???

2005-06-22T22:23:00.000-05:00

Why must I struggle so much? Why is it that my family struggles just to keep one car in good working order while everyone else around me has 4 in great shape? Why is it that my dad can just barely make enough to pay the bills while other pastors at churches around here make over $100,000 a year? Why do I have to work so hard to pay for school and loans while my friends parents pay for every cent of their schooling? Why? It's so unfair.

Summer and Emme

2005-06-02T21:54:00.000-05:00

Starting yesterday at about 4pm, I began my 4 day experience with my two cousins Summer and Emme. Summer is 4 years old and about as active as 10 5 year old boys, or at least close to it. Emme is 2 years old and about the exact opposite. She could play with string for 2 hours and be just fine. Summer reminds me of Dash from the Incredibles. They're both incredibly sweet kids, just with completely different personalities. Here are some brief events from the weekend:

Wednesday:
Bathtime results in Jen quite wet and bubbles in her hair.
Popsicles are used as bribery.
Emme wants more "Oot Nacks" = Fruit Snacks
Summer tells me, "I like your boobs." Jen is left speechless, unsure of how to react

Thursday:
Jen is woke up at 7am after a very restless night of sleeping on the couch and the bedroom floor.
We venture to Walmart where I get many, "You've got your hands full!" ya think?!?!
Emme uses the remote control as a phone
We dance in the living room and I teach Summer how to dance ghetto ;)
During bathtime, Summer and Emme both give me a good 'Holla!'
When petting the dogs, Summer wants to see the doggy's boobies.......what in the world?!?!?

Friday:
Up again WAY too early
We venture to the zoo where Summer yells "Hi!" to every animal and tries to venture inside the fence.
When looking at the gorillas, one turns its butt towards us and Summer proceeds to crouch down and try to look under it in search of only God knows what.
We see this antelope/zebra looking animal and Summer announces that it's a cantelope.

Saturday:
Jonifer comes home!!
Summer yet again makes a boob comment only this time it's about Jonathan mowing the lawn with his shirt off.
We play in the sprinkler and Jonathan frolics like a fairy through it.

Sunday:
They leave for home at 9am and peace returns to the Bell household.

Wow....what a hectic 4 days! It was fun but I needed a break. I have a new found admiration for single mothers.

Hello real life

2005-06-02T21:32:00.000-05:00

So I'm back at home.....it's summer....June already. And the tentative 'plans' I'd made for my future as of a year ago are completely out the window. Yesterday morning I officially accepted a teaching position at Aurora Christian School up near Chicago which means in another 2 months I will be moving into my own apartment.....not working at a local school living with the rents. God definitely had other plans for me. The last week has been one of the most overwhelming and stressful weeks of my life as I was faced with deciding between two incredible schools. The other that I didn't choose is a public high school about 30 minutes away from home. That school is great but I just didn't feel that was where God wanted me. Sure, the pay was better and the benefits were better but God doesn't always call us where it's gonna be easy. Living in Chicago is gonna take a lot of faith and trust in Him to provide, but isn't that what I've had to do for the past 4 years living at school? If I've learned anything while being at college, it's that when we seek and follow God's will for our lives, He will provide. And He already has. He's provided a great job analyzing data for a research project being conducted by a woman who works for the county court system. I will do all the work on my own here at home whenever I want to which means that during my last summer here at home, I can go on the full family vacation!! It also pays well and almost completely makes up for the pay difference between the two schools I was choosing....amazing how that works. So right now I'm still trying to soak it all in.....living in Chicago....on my own.....teaching middle schoolers......wow. That's a lot but I'm excited to see what God does! :)

Everyday Magic

2005-05-21T13:36:00.000-05:00

Everyday magic......that's what college has been. I remember four years ago moving into my new dorm room, meeting my first roomate and learning the ways of college. I was nervous, anxious and scared. But those feelings drove me closer to Christ. I remember looking at my schedule half a dozen times the first few days of class to make sure I was going to the correct place. I eventually found some great friends and began to really enjoy college. Every fall I looked forward to moving in again and starting a new year, experiencing new things, attending new classes and making new memories. Whether or not I realized it, every day was magical in its own way. I'm now at the end of those four years and while I'm incredibly sad to leave, I'm also incredibly excited to venture out on my own and see where God leads me. I'm not even sure where I'll be come fall, but I know God will be with me. And that magic will still be there. It may not be in the form of late night dances in the hall, 3 mile runs through Glendale, homecoming soccer games, or playing in the school fountain, but may take form in high school football games, banquets, class projects and making it on my own. Thanks to those of you who have helped create some of the best memories I have. I'll cherish them and your friendship forever.

A mood of sorts

2005-05-07T00:25:00.000-05:00

Ugh...just not in the greatest of moods tonight. Girls, I'm sure you've all had those days where you feel like poo and you feel like you look like poo and maybe you do, but you sure feel that way. Guys, not sure if you ever do...I wouldn't really know. Well, tonight kinda went that way, you see...wow...this is gonna sound so pathetic...oh well...my blog....deal with it.....anyways, back to the topic.....so I guess I just got a little discouraged by my current standings at 22. Single, about to leave college forever (wow...I just had to stop after the word forever cause it hit me so hard) and no job yet. Kinda lame. As I was hanging out with some friends, I realized that I was the minority. I've been pretty content with being single, I think I've established that in previous blogs, but sometimes Satan just really gets to me and makes me feel less-than and I get discouraged. As I looked around at my friends I think I was one of very few that was not in a relationship or did not have someone currently pursuing or interested or potential bf/gf material......and I was by far the oldest there. Just wait,...it's gets worse.....so as I looked around I did another dumb thing and just kinda compared myself to those around me and found myself coming up quite short. These girls are amazing! Beautiful and great personalities and best yet, incredible Christians. Sometimes I feel like my personality intimidates others. I know I'm a dominant personality. I know that I'm a type-A. I know that, but does that make me a bad person? I was talking with a few other people recently and we were discussing how we sometimes feel that those quiet, innocent, keep to myself girls seem to be the ones that are sought after. Well, we know that's not me. I'm not exactly quiet. Ya, I know there are times when I speak before I think and have to go back and apologize; it's a daily learning process, but is it really a turn-off for a girl to be a little independent?? Just a question.

This really went in a million different directions and I'm sorry if I lost anyone. Just kinda putting some things out on the table. So ya, that's me right now. Tomorrow's another day and I hear it's gonna be a gorgeous one :)

Been awhile...

2005-05-07T00:17:00.000-05:00

It's been a little bit since I've last blogged. Well, the biggest thing is that I GRADUATED!! Well, I walked...I don't actually get my diploma til August cause I'm here for May term. MT '05 has been a-mazing! So fun! I think I've looked over material for class a cumulative of 15 minutes, maybe. It's great! We have some pretty sweet people in the class. Jenny and I are lab partners. She rocks...no pun intended haha! Richie, Ted, and Nate are also in there which makes for a fun time. We all sit in the back row and Ted has named us the "Backrow Ballers". It fits. I'm rooming with Kara in a townhouse... pretty sweet stuff. Bigger room, bigger bathroom, bigger closet....I'm happy. Every day Jenny, Ted, Amy, and I run and Amy and I have started lifting as well...Jenny is joining us soon! Let's just say my body has hurt for a few days now......3 miles cold turkey after not running for a good week and half will hurt a bit and add to that a little leg and arm workout and you're hurting. Amy and I have plans to run 4 tomorrow in C-bus and then a good run with Jenny on Sunday night in preparation for our 6 mile run on Tuesday. Ted decided we'd do that. I'm in. It'll be rough but it'll be good :) Every morning Amy and I have coffee....not just any coffee, folks....good 'Best of Columbus' Stauf's butterscotch toffee coffee. A-MAZING!!! So that really about wraps it up. I'm loving the may term!!

More than dinner

2005-04-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

Sunday night Kara, Jen, Amy and I headed out to Kokomo to eat out for my birthday. We decided on Olive Garden where we discovered our waiter sounded a bit like Napoleon Dynamite. He was a little odd.... We trucked on over to Starbucks where lo and behold, we saw a couple of guys from school, one of which Kara and Jen were in the middle of a prank war with. Well, when we left Starbucks and they settled in for a long night there, we checked their truck only to find out that it unlocked. We climbed in and turned knobs on and such. I noticed a box of granola on the floor of the truck and presented it to Kara and Jen. Considering the flour the guys recently dumped on them in the middle of the night, the granola was gladly dispersed throughout the truck. As we headed out, Kara got backed into by some dumb woman. We were suspicious that maybe she'd been drinking cause of an open box of Budweiser in the back of the car so I called the cops. The cop gets there, settles stuff and then proceeds to talk to us about where we go to school and our majors there. He asks us if we listen to Jeremy Camp and tells us it's cool to find fellow Christians. He leaves, we leave and head home. What an interesting night. Oh, and 1:30am that night, Kara and Jen get another round of their prank war: egged....yes I do mean eggs thrown at them...while asleep....close to computers and other expensive appliances. Retarded boys.

Birthday Song, part 2 by Brandon, Joel, Matt, Robert, and Nate

2005-04-25T22:55:00.000-05:00

This song was sung to me Saturday night by Brandon and Joel. Let's just say I was crying I was laughing so hard. Disclaimer: sorry if your name appears in this....I didn't write it

Here we are again
With your birthday song

You just turned 22
We're glad we're not you

Please, let us explain
Not trying to cause you pain

It's not that you smell like poo
but your years here are through

You've spilled some coffee on my crotch
Your car broke down today

Dumping Kevin!
Rejecting Jeff!

And Gabby wants a COOKIE!!

You're gonna teach biology
and evolution versus Christology

6 foot two, you're not
but as the soccer mom, you're pretty hot

Dirty Dancing at What the Hall
Knows the anatomy of a ball

So here's a message from us both

WE LOVE YOU!!!

What a great birthday present! Thanks guys and thanks Rachel for planning it and Jenna for the cake :) You guys are great!!

The Antichrist

2005-04-21T06:45:00.000-05:00

My students came to me yesterday and told me they think the new pope is the new antichrist and here's why:

*1st 24 hours as pope is April 20th: Hitler's Birthday
*Once fought in Hitler's army
*Looks scary

Leave it to 9th graders to come up with some great logic.

DONE!!!

2005-04-19T23:33:00.000-05:00

That's right folks....I'm done!! PRAISE JESUS!! I just have to teach for a week and that's it! No more portfolios, no more oral defenses, no more evaluations...nothing! I can actually focus on my future: getting a job! Oh, I am loving this!!! :)

29 hours.....

2005-04-17T13:35:00.000-05:00

In 29 hours I will be giving my oral defense......basically my entire 4 years and my education degree rides on that half hour block of time........i'm already incredibly nervous and overwhelmed.........might throw-up tomorrow

Intense stress

2005-04-12T06:41:00.000-05:00

this is a recent blog by my dear housemate Sarah on our recent method of stress release:

toast to tommie
If you would happen upon our front porch today, you would find shattered across the steps remenants of student teaching "merch." I, claiming defeat from the upcoming Praxis exam and credential deadlines, along with Jen, protesting against her own war of attrition with full-time teaching and real teaching application deadlines, went to war against a copy of an efolio with a croquet mallet. Each power swing was dedicated to a different factor of stress in our world. Seeing the destruction complete, we floated away with a bounce of grace and punctuated the event with a feminine sigh.Here's to balancing an academic life with a professional life, to the students who do not take notes in class or attend study sessions and thus fail the exams, to the catch-22 of applying to school districts for our first jobs without actually having credentials, to the incomprehensible Praxis II exam study guides, to having the pressure of not being the first IWU students to fail the Praxis II exams, to the bloody huge portfolios we meticulously created for school districts that don't want to look at them, to the onslaught of deadlines and paperwork, and to the fast approach of graduation.
posted by Digs at 4/10/2005

wow...just wow

2005-04-04T21:20:00.000-05:00

Nate, Luke and Jonathan trying to act like girls taking a picture.

The Pap

2005-03-31T19:25:00.000-05:00

Ok, so before you freak out about the title, just amuse me for a second and keep reading. So, we're at dinner tonight and somehow Adam interjects 'pap smear' into conversation. We all give him an odd look like, 'where the heck did that come from??' Thing is, it came from nowhere as far as I remember. So we laugh and tease that he doesn't even know what it is. He asks Jonathan who admits he doesn't know what it is but that it's not for males. Adam proceeds to give his 'definition' of a pap smear. Here it is: The doctor goes in, scraps the 'pap', smears it on a slide, and examines it under a microscope. Wow. My stomach hurt I laughed so hard. He continues to make jokes and points to Jon and says, "Hey Jon...you've got some pap smear on your face." More laughing. Oh dear....where did this come from?!?! A few conversations later Adam and Jon are trying to pull a joke on Amy and I give it away so Jon throws his half eaten carrot in my glass of water, adds some of his salad, Adam adds some pepper, gives it a stir and as he pours it on my tray says, "Here's some pap for ya." Never knew that word could be so funny! It was real amusing to watch guy's faces as they sat at the table mid-conversation and caught wind of the word "pap smear". Oh my....the things that make us laugh 3 weeks away from finals, stressed, sick of school, and tired.

when thursdays are like mondays

2005-03-31T11:41:00.000-05:00

Ugh,....what a day. Woke up tired and lazy. Got to school and realized I'd left my jump disk in my computer, where my modified power points were saved. Granted, the power points were here too on cd, but not modified. So we start 1st period and the students have trouble with my note-taking little strategy. They're also not awake yet. Second period is Honor's and my plan was to show a paramecium under the flex cam (projects what's under the microscope on the board) but a.) I couldn't find the dumb buggers and b.) the flex cam didn't focus it enough to see it so my co-op teacher and i spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure all that out. Kinda frustrating. To make things worse, my stomach hasn't felt the best today either. We get to 5th period and one of the girls says that I don't seem to like teaching or really want to. Wake up Jen. I get on my soap box and apologize if I've come off rough and explain that today hasn't been a very good day but I also explained to them that if they want me to respect them, they need to respect me and that involves doing their homework and listening in class. I explain to them how frustrating it is when I prepare every thing and then they whine and complain and don't do any work. I think they understood and remarkably, things went really well in that class which is usually the worst. It's definitely one of those days where I'm ready to go home after the first period. Oh well,....tomorrow's Friday, thank God.

The Hair Cut

2005-03-28T13:17:00.000-05:00

Previous to this weekend, Jonathan's hair pretty much looked like an overgrown bush. Now..it looks great thanks to dad, amy and me. Instead of paying some lady $10 to butcher his hair like usual, he allowed amy and me to give it a whirl. Dad joined in and amazed us all with his incredible haircutting abilities. Amy and I both cut ourselves, Jon kept yelping cause the clippers kept pulling, and Nate used the water bottle to 'wet' Jon's pants for him. I ended up with so much hair on my socks that it resembled a dead animal. When all was said and done, his hair looked great and Amy and I had a new side profession!

....the fruits of boredom + procrastination

2005-03-22T15:15:00.000-05:00

[Name]: Jennifer
[Nickname]: Jen, Jenner, Niff, Tink, Jennifer Bell-bottoms (8th grade),
[First Breath]: April 21
[Age]: 21 (almost 22!!)
[Astrological sign?]: don't care
[Chinese zodiac sign?]: no clue
[Resides In]: Grove City, OH
[Sexual Preference]: men
[Marital Status]: single and enjoying it :)
[Religion]: religion sounds so stiff....I'm a born-again Christian
[Eye color]: poop brown
[Height]: 5'5"
[Shoe size]: 7 1/2
[Parents still together?]: yes and still madly in love
[Siblings]: Jonathan, Joshua, and Bethany
[Pets?]: Chip and Candy...both dogs
[In school/graduated]: Give me 2 months and I'll be alumni of Indiana Wesleyan University
[What do you drive?]: Ford Explorer= crap
Favorites:
[Color]: cranberry
[Number]: 8
[Animal]: giraffes
[Vehicle]: Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, Lexus SC 430
[Flower]: daffodils!
[Soda]: Diet Pepsi
[Book]: The Atonement Child
[Singer]: Josh Groban, Shane and Shane, Usher, Shawn McDonald....the list goes on and on
[Song]: I can't name just one
[Musical]: ya sure...i sing
[Color your hair?] not recently
[Twirl your hair?] not really
[Have tattoos?] nope
[Piercings?] ya, just the ears
[Have a boyfriend/girlfriend/both?] no, and never to the last two
[Cheat on tests/homework?] no, i hate cheating
[Drink/Smoke?] I've had a few drinks, nothing big
[Like roller coasters?] love 'em
[Wish you could live somewhere else?] mm....yes! Virgin Islands anyone???
[Want more piercings?] I wouldn't mind a diamond stud in my nose
[Like cleaning?] that's sick
[Sweat a lot?] not really...i glow ;)
[Know how to drive?] yes
[Diet?] I kind of have before
[Own a cell phone?] kinda...it's 'shared' and i use that term very loosely
[Hablar Espanol?] non, Je parle francais.
Have you ever...
[Gotten a speeding ticket?] haha...yes...two and a bazillion warnings
Been in a wreck?] unfortunately yes
[Been arrested?] nope
[Been in a fist fight?] no
[Kicked someone in the nuts?] yes
[Stolen anything?] just a few street signs
[Held a gun?] yes
[Drank?] yep
[been so drunk you couldn't walk?] um no
[Considered a life of crime?] no
[Cheated on someone?] heck no
[Cried over a boy?] ugh. yes....too many times
[Lied to someone?] yes[
Been in love?] no
[Fallen for your best friend?] haha....yes i have
[Made out with JUST a friend?] no
[Been rejected?] ya...it bites
[Been kissed?] Yep
Now...
[Current mood] bored..my students are taking a test
[current taste] winterfresh....i'm chewing gum
[Current hair] brown and in a pony tail
[Current thing I ought to be doing] working on lesson plans or my portfolio
[Current cds in stereo] i listen to my media player on my computer
[Current crush] oh sweet, sweet Adam Brody ;)
[Current job] SGO VP of student development and barista at McConn
[Last book you read] The Atonement Child
[Last movie you saw] Hitch
[Last thing you ate] salad....big surprise
[Last person you talked to on the phone] Jenny Stuztman
Do you...
[Do drugs?] heck no
[have a dream that keeps coming back?] don't remember my dreams so i have no clue
[play an instrument?] used to play piano and flute
[Believe there is life on other planets?] um.. dont' really think about it
[Remember your first love?] not applicable
[Read the newspaper?] when i can
[Have any gay or lesbian friends?] no[
Believe in miracles?] yes
[Believe it's possible to remain faithful forever?] heck ya!
[Consider yourself tolerant of others?] umm... it really depends on the day..haha
[Consider love a mistake?] what kind of question is that?!?!
[Have a favorite candy?] Take 5
[Believe in astrology?] nope
[Believe in magic?] no
[Believe in God?] Heck ya I do!
[Do well in school?] Yep
[Wear hats?]sometimes
[Hate yourself?] there are definitely days I don't really like myself, but not hate
[Have an obsession?] no
[Have a secret crush?] didn't I already answer this?
[collect anything?] nope.
[Have a best friend?] Jonathan
[Close friends?] lots
[Like your handwriting?] If I'm not scribbling or writing really fast.
=Love life=
[First crush] Jordan Keller
[First kiss] Aaron Smith
[single or attached?] single and loving it!
[Ever been in love?]no
[you believe in "the one?"] that's very calvinistic....haha
[Describe your ideal significant other] Chrisitan, leader, great sense of humor, sensitive, consistent, intelligent, athletic, sings and plays guitar, great with kids, tall, dark hair, cooks, scuba dives, loves to run with me, plays with my hair, has goals and aspirations, strong and protective, adventersome, very attractive, good kisser :)
[Have you ever played a game that required removal of clothing?] um..no
[Favorite place to be kissed] lips and top of my head
[Are you a tease?] i dunno
[Shy to make the first move?] maybe not shy to but i usually don't
[Wuss] physically...yes
[Druggy] no
[Daydreamer] of course.
[Freak] lol... uh... sometimes.
[Dork] yep. And proud of it.
[Brat] i hope not
[Sarcastic] yes
[Angel] sometimes
[Devil] sometimes
[Shy] not really
[Talkative] when in good company
[Joker] i've been known to create a few laughs
[Flirty] eh,..i can be

It was a delight!

2005-03-20T23:36:00.000-05:00

I think that phrase was said a billion times today and every time it was funny. (from anchorman) Oh, I do love a good Sunday!! After a good 'ole Baldwin lunch, I headed back to SHE house and had a nice little siesta and when I say little, I mean a good hour and a half :) Sundays have adopted their own little tradition over the past year. You see, my friends that live in the dorms trek on over for the afternoon for a little homeworking action in a living room as opposed to the dorm room. We do some homework, maybe a nap, break for dinner, and continue our studying until late at night. It makes studying much more enjoyable when there are others around and maybe a little jockularity. (did i spell that right??) Some days up to 10 people pass through the doors of my little house. It's become quite the Sunday hangout spot. Great times are had by all. I'll miss it.

2005-03-19T13:16:00.000-05:00

I need to apologize for my blog 'for the boys'. It was uncalled for and a little harsh. I'm sorry...sometimes I just do things on a whim and don't really think about it cause at the time that's how I'm feeling. I apologize to any of you who were offended or hurt by it.

Senioritis

2005-03-18T08:47:00.000-05:00

In a feeble attempt to discourage skipping class and not doing homework, Ms. Sarah Dignal, senior SHE-house dweller-extraordinaire, created little reminders to hang in there. She copied off pictures of 'ole Jimmy Barnes (our school president for those of you who don't attend IWU) with little captions that read things like: "Hope to see you at graduation. Sorry to hear about your senioritis. Keep going to class and doing your homework." Ya, that's not gonna work. If I had classes right now, I'd be skipping and pretty much would have checked outta school by now. We just don't care anymore. Get free.

Awkward

2005-03-17T09:42:00.000-05:00

So I go home last weekend and I sit down to watch an old episode of the OC (I'm trying to catch up :) ) with mom and da. The episode was from Valentine's day last year. Well.....turns out the this one wasn't one to watch with the rents. Lots of making out...lots of sex....lots of awkwardness....lots of looks from dad. I've noticed that last season was a lot more shady than this season as far as sexual content goes. Anyways, on with my point...it always seems that whenever I go to watch a movie at home, my dad walks in at the only bad part and then I look like a terrible daughter for bringing such trash into the home. I always tell them that this is the only bad part but it doesn't help. I was just as surprised with the episode as they were and kept telling them, "it's never this bad! it's never this bad!" The last thing I wanna do is watch a sex scene with the parents.

Dad's are great

2005-03-07T20:33:00.000-05:00

So on the way back to school from Chicago, my car decided it wouldn't start again at a gas station. Great. No surprise, though. So this happened at 5:30pm and I didn't end up leaving that place til 8pm. Ya, long night. I had to find someone from school to come get me and get a tow truck to tow it to Marion. I was slightly frustrated. My dad drove out after the evening service and got here around 12:30am so that I'd have a car in the morning and so that he could fix the Explorer. It took him all day to get the part and fix it. Turns out it was the starter which was good cause it was either that or the entire engine was shot, so praise God it was just that and he could get the part and fix it. I'm lucky to have such a great dad that will drop everything to come help his daughter. Being a pastor may not pay the greatest but right now I'm loving the fact that he can drop everything and rescue his stranded daughter. He's a good dad....I think I'll keep him.

Gelid

2005-03-03T10:04:00.000-05:00

This so happens to be the word of the day, and appropriately so. It means "extremely cold; icy". How perfect for the 20-some degree weather we've been getting here in the wonderful midwest. I'm currently sitting at school with my coat on because it seems they don't want there to be too much confusion between the outside and inside of the school. Gelid....that describes my hands, Indiana weather, and the Grinch.

And He does it again!

2005-03-03T10:01:00.000-05:00

I knew He would....He always does and yet I still worried. God provided above and beyond my needs, wants, or expectations. He provided the money for my taxes...all of it. He provided time for my portfolio. He provided a better student teaching situation. He provided an easier way to obtain my teaching license. He provided an opportunity to get away and enjoy some of spring break....at a low cost. He knows my needs, wants and desires. He knows the inner workings of my heart. He really is the Great Provider. Believe it.

Snip snip

2005-02-28T20:03:00.000-05:00

I did it....I cut my hair...most of you know this. I cut it a week from last Thursday....a good 4-5 inches along with some pretty sweet side-swept bangs. I like it. a lot. I think I closer to my age....more 18 now instead of 14.....maybe someday I'll looke 21 but for now I'll settle with high school. it's better than middle school.

Ok, here's a question: why are guys so insistent on girls having long hair???? Do they know annoying it can get?!? here was a recent conversation with Brandon Yohn:
me: I'm thinking of cutting my hair.
Brandon: NO!!
me: I love how you plan on finding a hot girl with long hair that's low maintenance.
Brandon: I didn't say she had to brush it.
(disclaimer: not all girls with long hair are high maintenance.....high maintenance for Brandon is just brushing your hair or maybe even washing it.)

Boys....sheesh.

Complete Trust

2005-02-28T06:44:00.000-05:00

One minute everything's looking good. I'm feeling financially stable for the moment and all my chicks are in a row, but that's quickly lost. I'm only 8 weeks from graduation but before I get to that, I have to take some certification tests to get my license for teaching. Thing is, they cost money....a good chunk. Money of which I really don't have. On top of that, I owe a good bit of money for taxes cause my employer didn't take it out. Where is this money gonna come from?? And then that voice in the back of my head reminds me of all the times that I've felt this same way and God provided. It is so difficult for me to completely trust Him sometimes. When I look at the balance in my checking account and the amount I need, I have a hard time completely believing that it will be provided. But it will....it always is. Year after year God shows me again and again that if I just trust Him, He will be faithful to provide for my needs. Why is that such a difficult lesson to learn? Even as I write this, I'm still concerned about it.

God, you know my wants, my needs, the desires of my heart. I know you have a plan for me and I pray that You would continue to guide me and show me where you want me. Lord, I want so badly to trust you with my whole heart, not most, not half, WHOLE. Lord, remind me of who you are and what you have already done for me, that I might remember your faithfulness. I thank you and praise you for what you've already done for me...I am so blessed.

OC Marathon!!

2005-02-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

Jen, Kara and I watched a good 6 hours....no lie.....of the 1st season of the OC. I had some catching up to do since I became a fan this year. I have to say, it was great girl time. :) And now I am looking for my own 'Seth Cohen'. :)

What to do? What to do? part 2

2005-02-26T11:03:00.000-05:00

So the man from the oversees school called me the other day and asked if I was still interested and I told him that after prayer and thinking it over, I don't think I feel called to do that right now. He had mentioned chemistry teacher and I told him I wasn't even certified for that and he said it was on my application......weird. He quickly said bye and hung-up. Amazing how that works out.

My 8th Graders

2005-02-26T10:59:00.000-05:00

Sigh.....yesterday was my last day at Oak Hill Junior High and boy am I gonna miss it. I really enjoyed teaching there. The students were so much fun! Two girls burst in the room during homeroom in the afternoon screaming, "MISS BELL! MISS BELL! MISS BELL!" They ran and gave me a big hug as I laughed and hugged them back and then they proceeded to write "We'll miss you! - Kylie and Lindsay" on the board for me. You really don't understand how that makes you feel until you've taught. I can't wait for my own class, my own students.

What to do? What to do?

2005-02-23T07:06:00.000-05:00

I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place...well, not quite that bad but I'm in a tough place where I need to make a decision between two good things. You see, at the beginning of the year I got interested in the possibility of teaching oversees. When I did some research and looked up some amazing oversees Christian schools, I found out that you need a few years of experience. That's cool...that gives me time to pay off loans and get a few years under my belt before going to another country. During this same time, God really gave me a peace about living at home next year with the fam. Not only will I get to pay off loans in a year or so, but I get to spend time with my awesome siblings that for the past 4 years, I've had to try to maintain a long-distance relationship with. I've watched them grow up while I've been here. Bethany will be in high school next year and she's becoming a young woman. I began to get excited at the thought of her and I becoming closer and being able to be there for her as she matures and goes through high school. I can go to her's and Josh's events and support them....I can be a sister again! At first I was kinda down about not having a lot of friends in Columbus. But, again, God showed me the endless possibilities. Rosie lives in Columbus and knows so many people. I began to really get excited to meet new people, get involved in my church and maybe even some other youth organizations in the area. There's so much I can do!!!
Then, I got a phone call.....from one of the oversees organizations I had applied to awhile ago. They needed a h.s. biology teacher next year...pronto! Ahh! Holy cow! What do I do?!?!? The lady talked to me about how I'd be a full-time missionary raising my own support and such. Wow....I wasn't thinking long-term and I wasn't thinking about being a missionary. I didn't feel like God had pointed me in that direction. I talked with mom and she told me about times when she and dad had to decide between two good decisions and how you have to look at what you value. Right now in my life building strong relationships with my two younger siblings is very important to me. Paying off my loans is important to me. So the lady said she's email me another part of the application process and I could think and pray about it. For weeks it didn't come and I thought, "Ok, this is a good thing then if I'm unsure about it." Then it came and I hesitated to reply, feeling like I knew I wasn't going to go but still unable to make such a big final decision. I could have a job next year! That's big!!! Last night I listened to a voicemail on my phone that was from the director of the school, wanting to talk to me about it all. Shoot. What now Jen?? I don't understand why God would give me such a peace and excitement about living at home next year if He wants me to go oversees. It's not something I'm looking at and going, "Ya! That's what I wanna do! That's where I should go!!" Maybe in a few years down the road but just for a year or so....I'm not looking at long term. So here I stand, on the brink of making a big decision so pray for me if you have a few minutes.....I'd really, really appreciate it, and let me know what you think.

Maybe I should clarify.....

2005-02-13T18:49:00.000-05:00

I think I need to clarify something.....writing about being single does not necessarily mean I'm unhappy about it. I know the Valentine's Day one sounded pretty bitter, sorry, oh well. My writing about being single just means I'm trying to share what I've figured out with others who may not be at that poing in their lives. God's given me a peace about it and I'm honestly fine with being single. I'm not out on the hunt for some guy like half the other girls here at school nor am I about to do the "senior scramble".

2005-02-13T18:48:00.000-05:00

i hate this stupid cough......my lung's gonna come up one of these times.......watch, i'll end up with pneumonia soon.

Mr. Influenza Virus

2005-02-11T23:21:00.000-05:00

I'm sick. It crept up as the start of a chest cough and by the end of the day school day on Thursday, I felt horrible. I knew I had a fever cause of that burning sensation you get in your eyes. So I bought a thermometer along with a bunch of soup, oj, and cough syrup for Jonathan and I (he's sick too) and sure enough, my temp was 100. I slept a bit and then stayed in bed the rest of the night watching a movie. It's been so long since I've been sick, I forgot how absolutely terrible it is! My head felt like it was on fire! I woke up at 4am drenched in sweat. When I finally got up this morning, I went to the health center. Turns out it's just the flu even though I have a bit of a chest cough. I almost passed out at the health center cause I hadn't eaten since lunch the previous day....yikes! You really don't think about it when you're sick and not hungry. The thing I hate about being sick is that you have to quaratine yourself. I had to tell a friend not to come to visit, couldn't go to 2 parties tonight, can't work tomorrow and can't work in the nursery Sunday! Stupid flu.

Bowman Boys

2005-02-09T19:28:00.000-05:00

Kara and I were making our way to Baldwin for dinner yesterday evening and as we crossing to the other side of Reed, Kara started laughing. She pointed to a top, 3rd floor window in Bowman where some stud was flexing and checking himself out shirtless in the mirror. Thank you Bowman Boy for giving me a good laugh.

The OC craze

2005-02-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

I swore I'd never get into watching the OC, but I find myself trekking on over to Evan's 3E to watch what other drama has stirred up in Newport Beach, CA. I'm sure it's very realistic too. It's become my one hour of the week where no thinking is involved. Ya, sure, there's terrible acting, waaaayyy too much drama for one town, and did I mention terrible acting??? But, this is the beauty of it. I can sit and watch it and make fun of it. It's full of mid-20-something-year olds playing high schoolers. HA! Word on the street is that a certain someone from the townhouses is now trying to dress like Ryan....next thing you know he's gonna start curling his hair cause I think Ryan does.....looks like it to me. Wow, just wow.

February

2005-02-02T06:43:00.000-05:00

The wretched month of January is over. Now we enter into the month of February. Yes, it is better than January, but for some of us it is an awful reminder....a reminder that for another year, we have yet to find a significant other. Sure I like the candy and valentines and such, but when you live on a campus full of people obsessed with completing their 'Mrs.' degrees or finding that 'perfect pastor's wife' to complete their Christian Ministries major, it tends to wear on you. Thankfully, I will be at school teaching 8th graders. Yes, I might be the only single teacher there, but at least 8th graders don't walk around star-struck all day and carrying dozens of roses in their arms that they just picked up from the post office. Thanks Hallmark.

Bombardment

2005-01-29T09:21:00.000-05:00

Senior year is an interesting one. Here I am on my last stretch of college, about to enter into the 'real world'. (Isn't that what they called high school from junior high and college from high school??) I have a lot of mixed feelings about his turn in my life. I love teaching and I'm excited to have my own classroom and teach on my own, but at the same time, I'm really gonna be sad to leave IWU and the comfort of having a few thousand other students who go through a lot of the same things I go through. I'm excited to go home and actually be a sister to Bethany and Joshua and really begin to build relationships with them, but it's gonna be hard to leave people here, knowing that our friendship may linger a bit. I'm dreading not having people to hang out with every weekend and stuff to do. A week or so ago, I found these articles on Relevant Magazine's online site and they spoke wonders to me. I'd encourage you to read them....especially if you're graduating or you're single.

This one's about being single...it's good: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/article.php?sid=5574

This one's about ending the so called 'best years of our lives' and how it doesn't end here....yet another good one: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/article.php?sid=5200

So read up. I'm beginning to get excited for what God has in store for me next and that lesson of trusting Him with everything keeps going and I'm sure it will my entire life as I continue to face new obstacles.

Words of Encouragement

2005-01-27T16:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a great day at school! I really enjoy teaching. It's exhausting but so fun! The 8th graders are a lot of fun. So during 2nd period, the aid, whose son is in my 4th period class, said that her son really enjoys my teaching and she told me I do a great job! I was so encouraged! Then during 4th period, a few of the kids told me they preferred me teaching over the other teacher and that they actually understand the material! Yea! Not only do they have fun but they get it! That's what every teacher wants to hear. :) Just more confirmation that this is where God wants me.

The Sagga Continues

2005-01-14T13:35:00.000-05:00

So I was surfing the net and jumped on Relevant Magazine's website where I read an article on CNN about a recent case about putting stickers in textbooks that read something to the effect of: "this book contains material on evolution which is a theory not a fact." I see no harm there but obviously, someone did because the judge ruled that it was unconstitutional. bull crap. Last time I checked, evolution had not been proven. The judge claimed that it violated separation of church and state. "Due to the manner in which the sticker refers to evolution as a theory, the sticker also has the effect of undermining evolution education to the benefit of those Cobb County citizens who would prefer that students maintain their religious beliefs regarding the origin of life," Cooper wrote in his ruling. (http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/01/13/evolution.textbooks.ruling/index.html) Parents wanted the stickers put on there because the book mentioned evolution but didn't mention any rivaling theories about the origins of life.

Education is meant to inform and to fully inform students, I need to teach all aspects of any subject or issue. That means teaching evolution, big bang, micro and macroevolution, and intelligent design. I CANNOT mention God in my class but I can talk about the research and more importantly, the results of that research and whether it supports or disproves any of the theories. None of these are completely proven. I don't think those stickers gave any inclination of a God or that evolution was wrong, but just that it is a theory, not a fact. In fact, there are very few concrete FACTS in science. There are a lot of laws and theories. Students need to be educated and not ignorant to any ideas or theories. At the high school age, they also need to learn to decide what they believe on their own.

If I ever get told I cannot teach all aspects to this issue at a school, I'm outta there. I don't think teaching one side is education at all.......it's allowing ignorance to seep into the classroom.

Welcome to the Real World

2005-01-12T08:17:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. Christmas break came and went and it was great. Now I'm here at school and have been since the 2nd student teaching. Well, I haven't taught yet but I will next week. This week is their sex ed. Yesterday they went over the levels of a relationship. I even snickered when she got to 'underwear zone'. Anyways, to go on with the blog, this semester is quite different from the rest of my college experience because I'm not on campus. I went to Baldwin last night and then had Exalt and it felt weird to be there. I don't know if I'm ready for that. I don't know if I'm ready for the real world. Next fall I will probably be teaching my own class....wow. College has been my life for the past 4 years and I guess I can't imagine anything else. I'll be 22, graduating, teaching, and living at home. woo-hoo. But ya know, living here by myself for a week has made me ok with living at home next year. As long as I'm not by myself. That's all that matters. I don't think I've ever been so lonely. I guess this is a better way, though, to ease into the 'real world'. I'm at school 7 1/2 hours and then I go home to a house but go to dinner and meetings on campus.

Ya know what, though? Even though I've felt lonely, it's really made me turn to the true Comforter instead of to friends and busying myself. I'm learning to remember first and foremost that no matter how I'm feeling about graduating and leaving, God doesn't stay at the college,...He's coming with me.

Home Free

2004-12-16T13:44:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm home and I love it! Time for baking, shopping, wrapping presents, singing, watching Christmas movies, and hanging out with family and friends, so on that note, peace out, I've got stuff to do.

Delightful Snow

2004-12-14T09:52:00.000-05:00

It was late last night, say 1am-ish and Brandon was about to leave my house (otherwise known as the 'Jen's Study Room' cause everyone comes over to get away from the dorms and study) and as he put his coffee cup in the sink, he gasped and grabbed me. He led me to the kitchen, hands over my eyes, to the sink and then uncovered my eyes. What I saw made me jump for joy!! SNOW!!! And not just any snow, the big, fluffy flakes! I immediately ran outside to play!! Oh thank you God for gorgeous snow!!!

Oh Dan...

2004-12-10T01:10:00.000-05:00

I was informed I spelled cohoarts wrong....thanks Dan.

Exalt dinner

2004-12-09T18:53:00.000-05:00

Tonight I cooked dinner for my fellow worship coharts. We dined in the front living room and we were serviced my Ms. Dignal and Ms. Howard....my fellow housemates. Sarah set the table and placed mugs at everyone's place because, as she put it, "the theme is Baby it's cold outside." Our evening was filled with laughter and some pretty good quotes. Steve was labeled 'Pappy' as he cut the lasagna for us all. He also prayed for the food. Let me give you a piece of the prayer: "God, thank you for friends and fellowship..........I can't think of any other 'f-words'...." Later, after singing happy birthday to Jon, Steve made a comment that he could wish for a really, really ridiculously good looking girlfriend, only instead of 'looking' it came out as 'licking'. Then some reference to his fiance was made and he commented that that was after the wedding........oh geez.
On a more serious note, Exalt has become one of my favorite things during the week, if not my favorite. It's my oasis. I get to not only lead others in worship, but worship myself with some amazing people. What could be better at the end of the day than taking an hour to sing praise to our God and King? Absolutely nothing.

It's that time of year!

2004-12-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

In the past two days I have succeeded in watching 3 Christmas movies, baking 7 dozen Christmas sugar cookies and preparing dough for yet another baking adventure. I think somewhere in my lineage I'm related to a fellow named Claus. I seriously belong at the North Pole. Today Sarah and I are going to work on the Ginger Barnes House. She has already constructed the cardboard framework so now it's time to put the graham crackers on, decorate, create the windows and even the front pond. I will also finish my chocolate coffee ribbons while nibbling some of Chris and Amy Jo's peppermint chocolate bark they made last night. SHE house is where it's at :)

Birth Control

2004-11-29T23:15:00.000-05:00

Saturday night my sister Bethany and I babysat our two young cousins. Summer is 4 and Emily is 1 1/2. They both had been at our house for awhile so we kinda knew what to expect. Emily is the most compliant baby I've ever taken care of. She listens the first time you tell her, doesn't whine or cry, and could play with a string for hours. Summer, on the other hand, is a little tornado. Love her to death, but oh my goodness. They stayed the night with us Saturday night and to start the evening off, she started crying/whining that she wanted her mommy....for a good 20-30 minutes. ugh. Then it's time for bed. Summer has to sleep with me, otherwise she won't go to bed. We go to bed around 10-10:30 and it's not until 11:30-12 that she finally drifts off to sleep. In that, oh, 1-2 hrs time, she manages to frustrate me to the n-th degree. After her trying to sneek out of bed, stalling with bathroom and drink breaks, switching with Beth to see if she'd sleep, poking me, biting me, jumping on the bed, pulling my covers off, talking incessantly, and me yelling at her, I finally win and she quits trying and goes to sleep. All the while Emmy just snuggles up in bed with Beth and goes to sleep. Never ever have I been tested by a 4 year old like that, but let me tell you what,....I don't want kids right now, that's for sure. She was good enough birth control for me.

disclaimer: Summer is really a lot of fun, just high energy and ornry. I just didn't enjoy bedtime.

Oh so clumsy

2004-11-24T13:18:00.000-05:00

Holy crap! I've never been so clumsy in my life as I have these past few weeks. A week and a half ago, I knocked the wind out of myself while working at McConn. Ya, I turned around and went to quickly go to the back of McConn, holding a big plastic tub and accidently ran into half of the wall in my attempt to squeeze by and knocked the wind out of myself. I had a good laugh from that one. Then the very same night, in my excitement in talking about Thanksgiving with Dave, my manager, I pulled one of the drawers too hard and the entire thing fell out onto my big toe. I definitely limped all the next day and it's all purple. Great job Jen....2 in one night! I also noticed a massive bruise on my upper thigh and I have NO CLUE how it got there; I just know it hurts. My fourth, and I hope final, injury occured last night. I was tired and I guess miscalculated where the coffee table was as I entered the family room and I slammed my knee into the corner. Ya, it still hurts. Fantastic. I'm a winner.

Those Moments You Live For

2004-11-24T13:10:00.000-05:00

Monday I turned in the last of my big projects/papers/tests that I'll have for awhile and it was wonderful. That evening I joined friends at McConn as they played an intense game of Uno, sipped coffee and creamy frappes and exchanged back massages. I remember sitting there watching their game and then just taking a moment to look around and soak it all in. This will all end in another 5 months for me, never to be returned to again. That's a sad thought, but for the moment, I just enjoyed being there. Christmas music was playing in the background and the Christmas lights from McConn and the fire created a warm glow. I sat there cuddled up in the chair next to the fire in my comfy sweater not wanting to go anywhere or even move. Ahh...good days! :)

Deck the espresso machine!

2004-11-21T13:44:00.000-05:00

In the midst of a hectic Thursday full of lab, class, workout and about 3 meetings, I managed to fit in some time to help decorate McConn for the holiday. Actually I didn't manage, I MADE time for it. I don't think you understand my love for Christmas. It goes beyond just enjoying it to getting giddy over it. Micah and Josh were sitting there as we were decorating around them. I walked over to place a Santa hat on Josh (I was already wearing one, of course) and Micah informed me that I was glowing I was so excited. It's true; I could feel the smile on my face from one ear to the other. I just can't help it! I just LOVE Christmas! I know so many people get tired of the commercialism of Christmas, but the things I love the most are the family time, the Christmas Eve service at church by candlelight, and caroling with my family at the nursing home. The last one is often a reality check for me which is often what Christmas is for me.....I often realize just how incredibly blessed I am, and that my friends is why I love this time of year. I've been not only blessed with an amazing family and so many material possessions but I've been blessed with an amazing Savior.

So close

2004-11-16T14:08:00.000-05:00

I'm so close to the end, I can feel it! This is my last semester of classes...I can't believe it's actually coming to an end. I'm so pumped to be done with classes (well, almost, I must take an earth science class during may term but i don't even count it cause it'll be a joke). On the other hand, though, I'm kinda scared cause that means I start student teaching and then....I graduate and go out on my own,...well, kinda....I think I'm gonna live at home for a year but then what? Ahh! And to compound matters, I'm a girl so it's kinda scary to think about going out on my own and single. I refuse to live by myself so what will I do after a year of living at home? Oh, too much to think about. I think I'll go back to working on my speech.

The gauntlet

2004-11-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

Fridays should never be so terrible as the one today. I had three tests today, all before chapel so that means I had one at 7:50, 8:55, and 10:00....sick and wrong. I was actually supposed to have 4 but my professor for one class let me move it. The first two I really couldn't move and the third wasn't hard but still there was the fact that I still had to take some time to study for it. The first one was so-so...the second was bad and the third went well. To make things all better, though, I took a 2 hour nap....praise God!!!

Words

2004-11-09T23:02:00.000-05:00

Today I was dressed up due to some meetings I had to attend. One of my guy friends came up to me and told me I looked gorgeous. I just sat there shocked. I honestly don't think that word has ever been spoken to me by a guy other than maybe my uncles or some family member. It made me feel so good and brightened my day. There wasn't any other underlying meaning or him trying to hit on me, he's just a very encouraging guy and daily he says something to me that really encourages me.
I think as Christians we've gotten into a rut where we don't encourage one another anymore. I think we often assume it has to be something big like a gift or card, but that's not the case. God calls us to encourage, not buy things. Say something to someone! Why do we hesitate so much to say those things that we're thinking? Is it because we're afraid they'll think we like them? Oh screw it....who cares? You know how I know my friend wasn't hitting on me? Because he's consistent and I see him encourage everyone. Be an encourager!!

There's no place like home

2004-11-08T19:21:00.000-05:00

Went home this weekend....to a new house!!! So exciting even though I had to sleep on the couch cause my bed's not up. Oh well, I was home and that's all that mattered. Mom, Beth, and I went shopping on Saturday and it was so much fun and so relaxing..well, as relaxing as shopping can be. We went into just about every store we passed that had Christmas stuff up :) We visited a cooking store, looked at Christmas decorations, made good use of mom's discount at some stores and of course, tapped into some Starbucks and coffee cake. And ya know, it just wouldn't have been as good if I wouldn't have been with them.

A visit to the realm of unconsciousness

2004-11-01T17:16:00.000-05:00

This morning I awoke and proceeded to get in the shower, just like any other day. I was a little light-headed but just thought it was from getting up and still being tired. I got in the shower and got really light-headed and felt as though I was gonna loose my cookies. The next thing I remember is waking up on the bottom of the shower and trying to figure out where I was and what was going on. I was trying to wake up and get up but was so incoherent. I finally got up and out of the shower and still felt as though I was gonna throw up. I finally realized what had happened......I'd just passed out in the shower. Yikes. I couldn't stand up without feeling like I was gonna throw up or pass out so I sat there, knowing Kara, my dear housemate, would be coming down to get into the bathroom. Sure enough, a minute later she knocks on the door and I open it and tell her I've just passed out in the shower. I go back to bed and a little later on she takes me to the health center. My blood sugar was fine, but Kara had also given me some oj (she's smart like that). My blood pressure was 95/61....little low and my temp was below normal too so they suggested I not go to classes for the day and that I come back tomorrow to see the nurse practitioner. So now I have a bump on my forehead inbetween my eyes so I kinda look like I have a third eye and a bruise on my chin from where I fell. So weird....I have no clue what's wrong with me but I do know that passing out is really really weird...and not fun.

Oh so domestic

2004-10-31T16:53:00.000-05:00

This past week I've baked....twice. In one day I made autumn stripped cookies (orange, white and chocolate strip) and chocolate chip bar cookies. I just enjoy baking so much but I think more than that, I enjoy watching others enjoy what I've made and knowing it brightens their day. :) Everyone likes food and sweets so it's an easy way to put a smile on someone's face!

Songs of Inspiration

2004-10-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how when you're having a difficult day, week, month, millennium, whatever, the perfect songs play. I currently have my gospel playlist up which is a bunch of Christian artists and praise and worship and there have been a few songs that really couldn't be more perfect for the current situations I'm dealing with.

God, I just praise you for your incredible timing in everything. Help me to remember that even when the world doesn't make sense, You do, for you are everlasting. Help me to remember that no matter what happens or where I go, You are with me and will never leave me nor forsake me. What incredible words, God! Thank you so much!

Cover me by Bebo Norman

Cover me
Cover up my tears
cover up this man
That's covered up in fear
Cause I need a peace of mind
I need a piece of you
To cover all that's gone
And everythign that's new

Cause you unveil me with your mercy
I wanna breath you in
And you unfold me and you hold me

So cover up my heart
Cover up my soul
cover up this world
And everything I know
Cover up the sky
Cover up the sea
Cover up the mountains
And every part of me
And every single breath I breath
Cover me

I am still alive
Covered up in years
Covered up in lives
As innocence appeared
So give me a peace of mind
Give me a piece of you
To cover all that's old
With every thing that's new

Cause you unveil me with your mercy
I wanna breath you in
You unfold me and you hold me

Fall Break

2004-10-24T20:32:00.000-05:00

What a fall break! A complete mix of emotions from one day to the next. It started off going to Olivet Nazarene University for the boy's soccer game on Friday. It had it's highs and lows, but the guy's team won on Friday which was so stinkin' awesome!!! I got to see my family on Friday too. It was so good to see them, especially Josh and Dad since I hadn't see them since Labor Day. After the game we made our way up to Naperville to stay at Jenny's. So much fun and so relaxing! Exactly what I needed after such an emotionally draining week. From homecooked meals (hello blueberry buttermilk pancakes!!) to pumpkin spice coffee to homemade ice cream......so wonderful!!! Jenny and I stayed up late talking..what a blessing she is! :) Saturday we went to the Judson game where we lost miserably (the team is 4th in the nation), but we soon redeemed the day by going to Chicago to eat at Ed Debevic's. So much fun there! After church this morning at Jenny's church, we went over to Luke's aunt and uncle's house for breakfast/lunch and some great fellowship. This weekend was exactly what I needed.

Blessed Beyond Measure

2004-10-20T20:36:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I just don't realize how stinkin' blessed I am. I have the best friends ever. They pray for me, stop what they're doing to talk and sometimes just give me a hug for no apparent reason but little do they know, I needed it so badly. Sometimes they don't have to say a thing....just an arm around me or a hug as I cry is all I need. How did I get so lucky? If you wanna see Christ through someone, check out my friends cause they definitely display God's love.

Confusion

2004-10-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

I think one of the hardest things to learn is to trust God. Just when I think I am, he throws me for another loop and tests me. I don't understand a lot of what he does and why. Sometimes it hurts. But I'm just gonna keep truckin. It's tough but He's with me.

Song of the Hour: Take My Life

Here am I
All of me
Take my life
It's all for Thee

Weekend dress code

2004-10-03T17:59:00.000-05:00

So I've decided there should be a weekend dress code so here it is:

1.) Unless you are going out, you should never wear anything nicer than jeans and a t-shirt or hoodie on a Saturday so girls, don't come to Baldwin lunch on Saturday dressed to kill....puh-leeze.
2.) You should dress up for Sunday mornings and then only sweatpants/pj pants/warm-ups can be worn after that.

You see, weekends are for relaxing.....they're a break from the normal routine and so I feel that we should also give our bodies a break from uncomfortable shoes and form-fitting clothes and resort to lounge wear. And Sundays especially should be this way because they are the days of rest. Sundays are for naps so you shouldn't be wearing jeans cause they're not very conducive to napping. You see, I have very good logic on this subject and I feel present my case very well. I'm sure if you practice this, you'll find your weekends much more enjoyable and you're more ready to wear nicer clothes during the week to classes and jobs and such. See, it all makes sense.

House!!!

2004-10-01T01:04:00.000-05:00

Yea! We signed on our house today!! It's ours!!! Our first house! Yea!! So excited!! :) Praise God!

Homecoming

2004-10-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a funny night! So this is Homecoming week and somehow I got nominated to be on court...lol....funny in and of itself. So I go tonight for the 'rally'....absolutely pathetic......and then they call out the court and announce king and queen. All of us girls were standing there laughing at how retarded this whole thing is cause NO one cares nor do many people even vote. So they announce queen, Ashley Palmer, and the head of SAC looks at her and goes, "Is that you?" and then plopps the crown on her head. It just made me laugh even more. There were more people there for dodgeball than Homecoming cause well, we're in college and no one really cares....but it was still a great source of laughter for me. :)

Metrosexuals

2004-09-02T13:35:00.000-05:00

So in a song that someone (who will remain anonymous) wrote about my brother, Jonathan was referred to as a metrosexual. It's not a bad thing, but it's interesting what qualifies someone as being a metro. Here was the list this person gave me: dresses nice, smells nice, gets along well with girls does not have a girlfriend. Hmm.....so basically guys, if you wear anything name brand and shower and have good social skills and don't give into the IWU stigma that you need to be dating, well then, you're a metro. In that case, I hope every guy is a metro. This definitely humors me. :)

For the Love of Money

2004-08-31T06:45:00.000-05:00

I always knew that this world revolved around money and that most people go into professions for the sole purpose of making money, nevermind whether they enjoy it or not. Well, this was all reiterated at my student teaching observation and online. At my observation one of my co-op teachers was talking about how if he could do it all over again, he'd chose a different route cause this is the only profession where you cannot keep moving up the ladder. Once you're at the top, you're at the top and it's not that much money considering your degree. I just sat there thinking to myself, "Wow....you're teaching for all the wrong reasons." I'm teaching because I feel 1.) God has called me to teach because 2.) He has gifted me with the ability to teach; 3.) I love kids; 4.) I want a family and teaching allows you the freedom of having a job and still being able to be at home and 5.) money's not an issue to me. Then I think about my second co-op teacher at the same school who has his ph.d. and yet loves teaching high school. I'm sure he could have worked his way up in someother job biology related but no, he chose to teach and that is commendable. Then while hopping on the internet last night, msn pops up with one of the titles reading something to the effect of: "Do what you'll love......and starve. Why 'follow your heart' is bad career advice." Is that what we've amounted to?!?!?! Screw what you love to do and thoroughly enjoy and do something you hate and dread doing all for the sake of the almighty buck?!!! Sheesh. The love of money really is the root of all evil.

Paul Bunyan

2004-08-26T19:01:00.000-05:00

So I'm back at IWU and I have to visit my student teaching placements before classes start so yesterday, today and tomorrow I'm at my first placement. Very boring. I sit there for 7 hours. Today I brought a few books and read most of the day. His lunch the past few days has consisted of dried peaches and yesterday he used a pair of scissors to scratch his back. The man is weird...nice, but odd. Can't I have a normal co-op teacher?!?! Oh ya, I'm in Indiana....that won't happen. Once again, I'm learning what NOT to do when I teach.

A Look at August

2004-08-22T18:51:00.000-05:00

August has flown right on by. In looking back, so much has happened, it's unbelievable. God's done some amazing things and some things that make me wonder what He's up to.

1. Nissi....this is where I worked this summer. It's basically a factory/warehouse where we do piece work....in other words, the faster I work, the more I get paid. It's a very repetitious job but God blessed me with a job that was mon-fri and, more importantly, where there were other Christians. The owner and supervisor are Christians as well as a good 1/2 to 2/3 of the people that work there. I met some really cool Christians girls that are my age which really helped make work go faster. It's definitely a job that makes me go back to school.

2. My shins.....many of you knew that I was having a lot of trouble with shin splints. I went to the doctor and eventually physical therapy and started running again. Things are much better, praise God!

3. Ben....ok, this is probably the biggest thing. Ben's an incredible Christian guy I met through a mutual friend of ours that I've known for many years. We met up again and remembered we lived in the same town...ironic....so Ben gave me a call later that next week and we started just hanging out together. Well, eventually things developed into more. It's been awesome to have someone to hang out with, run with, etc. It's all so incredibly random that we both went, "Ok God, whatcha doing here??" It's really taught me not to put God in a box and limit him with my own expectations and timing. He's God....I'm not.

Unexpected blessing

2004-08-04T18:55:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been so far from what I imagined this summer would bring. I mentioned my friend Ben in the previous blog, well, he and I have hung out almost consistently every day for the past few weeks. We've ran together, hung out, talked, even done work together. I was not expecting to find such a great person to hang out with. It's been so encouraging....and then some......I'll let you ponder that. Ya, Ben, you'll probably read this some time...haha....but really, it just amazes me how God knows our wants and needs and our desire for companionship and meets those needs in ways we never imagined. Over and over God is teaching me not to put Him in a box; not to limit him by our human intellect. We think we know what's best but we really aren't even close. Praise God that He does.

A good latte...part 2

2004-07-21T18:54:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to Stauf's in Grandview with my friend Ben and let's just say this coffee spot is my new favorite little place. My skinny decaf sugar-free white chocolate latte (don't say a thing) was fantastic!! Points to you Stauf's!

House sitting

2004-07-21T18:39:00.000-05:00

So I'm house sitting for some people at my church for a good week or more. I've really never understood this concept of 'house sitting'. The house isn't gonna run away. They do have a cat that I have to take care of. Now I know some of you are probably laughing right now cause you know how much I hate cats. Luckily, this one isn't too bad except for the time that it decided to eye my food. It's a little odd at night to be the only one there but I kinda like it during the day....time for myself, free range of the computer and tv. Kinda nice but I wouldn't mind a roomie.

Easiest class ever

2004-07-21T18:36:00.000-05:00

I just finished my online class Monday night....yea!!! It was the easiest class I've ever taken in college and was even easier than some of my high school classes. I didn't have to sit through lecture....fabulous. I got full credit on papers that weren't the lenth requirement....so easy! For once in my life I actually enjoyed a history class....amazing.

Yearly Meeting

2004-07-16T22:28:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow starts Yearly Meeting, the Evangelical Friends Church-Eastern Region's annual conference of services and meetings mostly for pastors but also for some church leaders. I absolutely love it!! I get to see and hang out with other pk's and see old friends. It's definitely one of the most refreshing times of the summer. I love to see my parents getting 'recharged' by being able to hang out with old friends. My denomination is so close-knit; it's awesome!! It's held at Malone College and before I even began to think about life beyond high school, I knew my way around that college with my eyes closed....and thought I was pretty hot stuff. :) For about 7-8 years ( I lost track) I was a counselor for the preschoolers program. All of us counselors for both the preschoolers and the older kids got to stay in the dorms and pretty much do as we pleased....and did we ever. We pulled so many pranks on each other and had awesome waterballoon fights til the wee hours of the morning. Ahh....those were the days when I didn't have to work. Now just a nice weekend visit will have to suffice, but it's still so much fun! We Quakers DO know how to have a good time! :)

A good latte

2004-07-16T22:24:00.000-05:00

Mom, Bethany and I stopped at Starbucks on our way up to my aunt and uncle's house tonight. I ordered my typical (skinny sugar-free vanilla latte.....ya, ya, so it's healthy) and when the chick handed it to me, it felt like someone had already drank half of it, I kid you not. I opened the lid and she'd filled a good third of it with foam. Now, for those of you who are avid coffee drinkers, you know that this would be considered a cappacino, not a latte. I was a littleannoyed. I go to the most well-known coffee shop in the WORLD and they can't even teach their people to make a coffee drink correctly....and it wasn't that hard...I know! Sheesh....what do I have to do to get some good service 'round here. ;)

Kelley's Island

2004-07-13T17:42:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday marked the first day of my vacation. My family and I trekked northward to Kelley's Island on Lake Erie for some fantastic camping! I absolutely love it up there! So relaxing. On Friday some of my fabulous friends came up to join the fun. Friday morning I kept waking up thinking, "They're coming today!!!" Kara, Ali, Jonathan, and Jeff arrived first and I was elated to say the least. Jen came next, then Rose and Adam and then around dinner Luke and his cool friend Dan arrived. The next day Erin from good 'ole B-town came too. We had so much fun that weekend swimming, tubing, hiking, goofing off, playing frisbee, put-putting, singing karaoke and just hanging out. (What are we gonna do? "Whatever the heck we want; that's how we do it around here" ~ me) I would be sitting around the fire just chilling while others played frisbee in the street and I'd just think about how incredibly blessed I am. I have the best friends in the world! How did I get so lucky? Great Christians that I know I can always come to to talk and get advice and most important, will pray for me. Those few days were so refreshing for me. I needed to be with great people like that and get to really have heart to hearts and laugh. They're such an encouragement to me and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Red, White, and BOOM!!

2004-07-03T16:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon my family + Rose made our way to downtown Columbus for the annual fireworks display known as Red, White and Boom....it's absolutely huge in Ohio. It didn't start til 10pm of course, but we were there at 4:30ish and many were there way before then. There's tons of stuff to do that day with streets lined with vendors, bars with live bands (I was oh so tempted), and even a parade. We parked it up on top of a parking garage and pulled the grill and grilled some burgers. Some other friends came later to join us. The fireworks were awesome!! The radio station that helps sponsor it plays music and commentates along with the fireworks. Last year, our bicentennial year, they even had an OSU firework...it was awesome!! We were so close to them, it gave me chills....I love how patriotic everyone gets!! The Blue Angels even flew by in the afternoon. It was a great 4th of July event and one that has become absolutely huge...so eat that Michigan!

Bedside Manner

2004-06-30T14:17:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, bedside manner means kindness and gentleness that doctors should show to their patients. Well, today I went to the doctor finally for my shin splints....I've had them too long, so I go to one of the best sports med. centers here in Columbus. My doctor walks in and one of the first things I noticed was that he had what I call a high-class mullet. Short on top, but not buzzed and then a short curly mess on the nap of his neck. You'd think someone as educated as a doctor would know what NOT to do to his hair. So anyways, back to my topic, throughout the entire appointment, I think he smiled only twice, zipped through explaining everything to me so I caught most of it but not all, rarely looked me in the eye let alone my face, and didn't make much, if any, small talk. If I asked a question that he may have answered as rushed through stuff, he'd say, "Well, I said before...." and then repeat it but after making sure I knew he'd already said it. The man knew his stuff but really lacked interpersonal skills...I find that necessary for that profession but I guess some don't see it my way.

What NOT to say to a girl

2004-06-29T18:53:00.000-05:00

Today at work we were repackaging shoes and I went to throw and old box into the gaylord (big box) and my supervisor Christian, a big antagonist I might add, hit it away from the gaylord so it wouldn't go in. Sarah, a girl I was working with, said, "OOO, rejected!" And Christian in response said something to the effect of, "Ya, just like all the other guys in your life!" I was shocked. Sarah and I stood there with our mouths agap. I couldn't believe he said that! It seriously made me feel about this big (imagine me holding fingers an inch apart). Talk about one of the biggest no-no's to say to a girl. Take notes, boys, take notes.