Monday, February 9, 2009

Lessons in Creation (by Kindergartners)

I have a student this year that is a once in a lifetime type student. She is definitely the highlight of most days and when she is absent my day just isn't as enjoyable. The child does not stop talking. EVER. So anyway, she walks in my room and starts talking (this is how we begin every day) about how she missed school last week and was with her aunt. Apparently her aunt gave her a lesson in creation during this time...here's how it goes in case you weren't aware.

Hey Miss Jakus, you know the people who were first on the earth? I heard a story about those people. We are all made from them. God made them. It’s not easy to make people. You have to make them from blood. You have to make the bones and the skin. He closes the skin and then puts a vacuum in the people’s mouth and puts the blood in until their bodies are full.


Good to know.

Try to not be too jealous that your day cannot start this way as well.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

100 Random Things About Me

So everyone on facebook is creating lists that contain 25 random bits of information about themselves. I jumped on that band wagon and came up with 25. My roommate then challenged me to write 100 since she had done a list for her own blog. Here is what I came up with (warning - this does not fit into my attempt to be brief):

1. I have an irrational fear of choking. It’s so bad that I’m sometimes afraid to eat alone at home because if I start choking there will be nobody to do the Heimlich maneuver on me.
2. Whenever I run my first marathon, I am really hoping that I fall in love with it so that I can become a “marathoner” and run in them all over the place.
3. I sometimes wish I had left Texas after graduating and gone and lived in a city like DC, Boston or New York for a little while (I know every girls says this but it is true).
4. My years after college have been the best of my life.
5. Prior to that college really was the time of my life, just like people said it would be. I’m blessed.
6. I think that if I weren’t a Texas girl I would be an East Coast girl hands down.
7. I can’t stand the feeling of anything on my feet (dirt, mud, dust, etc.)
8. I have a scar on my chin that my sixth grade best friend gave me when she jumped on my back and scratched me with her fingernail. She is still one of my best friends.
9. I have taught 85 kids in less than three years. I am glad that every single one of them was one of my students. Seriously.
10. Recently I have been making a concerted effort to remember the funny things my kids say to me better. Also to remember how funny they are.
11. I’m probably the most uncoordinated person I know. Some people say this and it isn’t true, for me it is. If you have played sports with me you have witnessed this.
12. I always check who is online via facebook chat, but I never pay attention to the names of people who are idle.
13. I love to see how things feel. I will walk through stores and touch things (specifically clothes) just to see what their texture is. I think this is a quest to find the softest thing possible.
14. I have an unhealthy obsession with coats.
15. The best Stars game I have ever been to was when they won the Conference Semifinals in game 6 of 2008 during the 5th overtime. My mom and I were literally 1 minute from leaving to go home.
16. Lemon is my favorite seasoning. I probably have consumed at least 10,000 lemons in my lifetime. I don’t think that’s an exaggeration.
17. When I run next to someone on the treadmill at the gym I want to try and outlast them, even if I’m almost done with my workout. I have added miles on before to achieve this.
18. I like to say I’m not competitive, but I think I have a touch of it.
19. I became really great friends with my dad when I left for college through long phone conversations we would have. For some reason you get him on the phone and he won’t stop talking. We still do this still and I cherish that.
20. If I could do one thing for all my students it would be to make them love reading, simply because I love it so, so much. I think books and the stories they tell are amazing.
21. I’ve been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the snow. On that note, I think Paris is absolutely everything it’s cracked up to be and don’t understand people who say otherwise.
22. I love Luby’s. I hate when I get a wet tray there though.
23. When I was little I wanted to put on a neighborhood production of Grease. I had it all planned out but failed on the execution.
24. I love boating and all things about being on a lake. Water skiing is one of the few things I am coordinated at.
25. I love the beach but hate going in the water because I’m afraid of what might get me while I’m in there. This developed as an adult, you couldn’t get me out of the water as a child.
26. I DID NOT like The Office the first time I saw it. Now I think it is amazing and possibly the most hilarious show ever.
27. I love cooking and discovering new recipes, this has become a new hobby since my roommate and I instated weekly dinners at our apartment.
28. My dream is to run the NYC Marathon.
29. Flying Fish Fridays are one of my favorite things about my life.
30. I enjoy finding cute handmade products on the internet.
31. I like to think of NorthPark mall as adult Disneyland. Anthroplogie would be my favorite park (in this analogy).
32. I’m extremely long winded. (See my first blog)
33. I’ve never broken a bone.
34. I didn’t get a ticket until I was a senior in college.
35. I hyperventilate when I get tickets. I literally can’t drive away or breathe.
36. I clearly worry way too much about silly things.
37. Starbucks iced coffee makes any day better particularly if it’s enjoyed outside on a pretty day.
38. I never realized how much better running is when you have a friend with you until the last few months.
39. I LOVE that so many of my friends have gotten into running.
40. Talking about running is one of my favorite things but I feel bad boring people when I do it.
41. Browsing the magazine racks at Barnes & Noble is a fun way to spend an evening for me.
42. I wish I was crafty because I think it’s fun to make crafts, but I am not.
43. I am a horrible artist, ask my kids. Seriously can’t even draw a dog (my pony is probably my most incredible piece of work to date)
44. I love pictures but don’t take enough.
45. My roommate is fabulous about taking pictures of our lives so I don’t have to worry about it.
46. Living downtown was one of the best decisions I ever made.
47. I lived in Plano for 18 years.
48. I’ve lived in Fort Worth for 7 & ½ years (minus the 7 weeks I student taught in Europe) and think it’s where I belong.
49. I’m so thankful to be blessed with a church home that I adore.
50. I like things that are new but I don’t like change.
51. I get extremely excited when it’s time for new running shoes.
52. Finding new music is one of my favorite activities.
53. I ran cross country in high school but was horrible. My best friend and I would walk to the bagel store for a daily run.
54. I enjoy decorating and wish I was better at it. Or had the money to do so anyway!
55. I used to think I wanted to move to Colorado, that was before I realized how much I hate the cold.
56. Despite this, I love skiing and it’s one of the only other things I am coordinated at.
57. I skied for the first time at age 3 and then at least once a year after that until I was in high school.
58. I watch entirely too many shows on tv. Good thing I’ve found a roommate who does too.
59. Pedicures make me happy.
60. Someone playing with my hair does too.
61. I have tried to watch Ellen’s comedy special at least 3 times and have never made it to the end because I fall asleep. Not because it's bad, because I can't stay up through much of anything late at night. What I have seen is amazing.
62. Saying that made me think of Rachel’s line in friends when Ross tells her he fell asleep reading her letter…”You fell asleeeep?”
63. I can turn almost anything into a Friends reference.
64. I just got hooked on the Twilight series. It’s amazing.
65. I think laughter is wonderful and everyone should laugh daily.
66. I enjoy making people laugh but am not all that funny.
67. This is one of the reasons I love living with Ashley, she laughs with me all the time.
68. I love ice cream, donuts, cupcakes and cookies with sprinkles. Really anything with sprinkles makes me happy.
69. I will and have gone to Dallas just to eat Sprinkles cupcakes.
70. Summer lunches with my mom were one of my favorite things to do growing up.
71. I named our Polaris (thing that cleans the pool) after my preschool friend Ashley. Ironic that I now live with an Ashley.
72. I am an only child (might be why I had to name the Polaris).
73. I wish that I had siblings. Badly.
74. I love wearing dresses.
75. I love wearing flip flops, particularly my Rainbows.
76. I used to HATE coffee and diet coke.
77. I now consume one or both of these drinks on a daily basis. I blame my roommate.
78. I have an amazing connection with my roommate Ashley that only we really understand even though we can’t explain it.
79. I can say the first couple words of a sentence and she knows the rest of it 99% of the time.
80. I haven’t seen most classic movies, including The Sound of Music (that seems to be the big one for most people).
81. I love Broadway musicals.
82. My top 5 are: Wicked, Jersey Boys, Hairspray, Grease, and Lion King. Crybaby gets honorable mention, but since its no longer a musical I will leave it out.
83. Baths are one of my favorite ways to relax. This is how I ended up in my room in our apartment, it was the one with the bathtub.
84. My dad and I go to the Season Opener of the Stars every year.
85. We’ve only missed once in 10 years b/c I had to go to a teacher conference.
86. I love teaching Kindergarten.
87. My dream is to teach second grade.
88. I don’t like texting because I think it’s impersonal but I do it anyway.
89. I have a goal to try and make as many people as possible stop texting while driving. An article in People inspired this.
90. I love People magazine and check their website daily.
91. I’m a Mac person even though I never thought I would be.
92. I am extremely sentimental.
93. I have several boxes of things I save just because they remind me of a special event, person, accomplishment, etc.
94. I love swinging on swings. Ash and I go to the park and do this often.
95. I make to do lists to keep myself from getting overwhelmed and love crossing things off those lists.
96. Ical is one of my favorite Mac features because it helps me stay organized.
97. I love cleaning and organization, really. My pillows on my bed go a particular way. I think I have a touch of OCD
98. I really want to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame.
99. I’m a TCU football season ticket holder. Go Frogs!
100. As cliché as it sounds, I live a blessed life that I just love. The Lord is good to me. I’m thankful for all aspects of it.