I'll Remember

Goodbye May! The Challenge has been so fun and I know I ended up missing multiple days, but I really enjoyed the prompts from Jenni! Thank you! I'm very, very excited for June. I'm turning 22(in my Taylor Swift voice)! And I'll be in the States for my birthday and I can be with my friends. It's all good stuff. Anyway, for the last day here are my Vivid memories. The things I'll always hold on to. Be it little or big. 

* Making memories in the back yard via mud pies and trampoline with my siblings: age 6 

* being a quiet, quiet pre teen and observing so much about life: age 12

* being in what I thought was true love. And maybe it was. Why can't love be in phases and stages?! It was bliss.: age 16 

* having "my heart ripped out and stepped on" and experiencing heartbreak. Phases and stages, people.: age 17

* moving out, becoming an adult. Growing up. I am SO proud of the growing up I did and the person I am now. I also have many, many friends and mentors to thank for that time in my life. :age 18

* experiencing true love loss. My grandparents passed away within 90 days of each other. They were my rock. There's no doubt they still guide me and I very much want to please them. :age 19

* working. And finding out that working is what I love to do. :age 20

* going on an adventure to Europe. Finding out that the world is not all good. Coming home, because that's where you are always wanted : age 21

There are so many more vivid memories I have, but these things were big deals in my life. These things have helped shape me. 

This One's For You

 

Dear Readers,

All of you. Blog friends, real life friends, facebook, mentors, family. This one is for you. Thank you! Thank you for allowing me to just be me for the last three years. This has been a space where I have been able to get things off my chest, share accomplishments, spread joy, feel loved. This is my space and you come here, you support me, you love me, and sometimes you have a laugh at my expense. And that's okay with me. :)

Maybe you haven't been around for all of it. Maybe you're a new reader who found me through the challenge and left me comment in the last few weeks. Maybe you're a family member and feel the need to keep up with my crazy busy life. Whoever you are. You're here, you read this blog(even if it's only once or twice) and by doing that you have supported my passion to write and my love to say whatever I want. I'm glad I found this apropriate place to say whatever I want and not offend too many people. Also, I'm glad I have found the apropriate people to read those things I need to say. :)

Blogging has been such a great outlet. I have "met" some awesome people and even if we haven't bloggily met I might be one of your readers. Sometimes I'm quiet like that and just observe/read. Thanks for being here. I bet a lot of our letters sound the same today, but there is no doubt that the appreciation is 100% true.

Thank you..

You mean, I'm not perfect?!!

Topic today: my 3 worst traits. I can't believe Jenni's implying that all of us bloggers are not perfect. How dare she?! ;) 

If I can't be perfect than I guess. These would be what I believe, are my three worst qualities. 

- I don't have a sympathetic bone in my body. Ok, lie. I rarely, rarely, like not even at a funeral express any sort of sympathy for others. I feel slightly heartless even writing this, but it is true. I just think everyone should suck it up and move on. Even myself. I'm quite the independent soul and often forget that not everyone is this way. Therefore, sometimes, rarely, I'll give some one a little sympathy. But not often. I wish I could say I'd like to change this, but really? Can we not just all suck it up?! 

- I'm pretty controlling. And I think this is not really a worst trait, but some times I wish I wasn't so extreme. I just like things to be my way. Especially once I have been given power. Don't ever make me the boss of anything if you really want input on it.

- I'm not a huge smiler. I often appear very unhappy when I'm actually absolutely fine. I don't know why? Maybe that's just how my face muscles go! Or maybe it's because I'm a major observer. However, at work I wish I was more of a smiler. The kids never can tell what my mood is and I do want them to know I'm fine, I'm happy. :) 

That's it. This is like when you're in an interview and they ask you this question. Except normally I just turn around and re tell my strengths. For today though, I think I really picked pout some true, bad, need to work on traits. 

What bothers you about you?

Take notes, folks!

Photo by B. Marcella Photography 

Today is my brothers 27th birthday! Happy birthday Old Man! I don't mind one but being 5 years younger than you :) thank you for all your love, support, and for my neices and nephews! You truly are the best brother three sisters could ask for. After all, you played dolls with us more years than you should have! :) 

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Today's topic in the Challenge is to share some of the things I know that school hasn't taught me.

That's pretty easy because I went to Coolidge High School. Home of some of the worst teachers ever(and some of the BEST) and where my graduating class was "the first in many years!!" 100% graduated. Just a little background. ;) 

Honestly though, once you graduate high school or maybe even college for some, you get welcomed to reality. Sometimes reality aint pretty and no teacher can tell or show you how that is going to go. Reality will teach you all about money. It goes quickly! And does not grow on trees. Reality will teach you about debt and bills and then about getting out of debt. Please, get yourself out of debt! Dave Ramsey people! 

I think one thing I've really learned since leaving high school, and the safety of my parents house, is the value of relationships. In the last five years I have met and been blessed by SO many people. I'm so thankful for that. I'm glad I have learned to let people in and be authentic with people. Reality has also taught me that not all people are good. .Some people do and will need to be edited out of your life. That's ok. That just makes more time for the ones who really matter.

My twenties/life/reality it's all teaching me lots of things. I've been in so many situations and thought, "No one told me about this!". But they don't and they wont. Because we all get thrown these unique situations that grow and mold us into the people we were meant to be. And that's just the way the story goes.

The end.

For Reals...

Sorry for my absence from the Challenge. I was crazy sick Thursday morning and into the weekend. I was also house/pet sitting and it was nice to relax and recuperate so that I could get back to life today. Today I am supposed to talk about something I am struggling with. Which is a lot, or a little, depending how you look at it.

I am struggling with one major thing right now( and yes, it's at work). Summer Camp starts in three days! I missed two day of work last week that I would have been prepping my tush off. While I am proud that I know everything there is to know about our curriculum this summer, and that I have hand picked all of the field trips; I am also sad that my prep time has greatly decreased and some of my "classroom transformation" ideas had to go out the door. Sigh.

Anyways, it's only Monday and if this is my only struggle I'm OK with that because I can learn to let go a little and move on to the next stage.

How was your weekend? And while I wasn't participating for a lot of last weeks challenge I enjoyed reading so many of your daily posts! :) The day in the life particularly. Mine probably would have looked the same as many of yours.

The Little Things

A rare boring moment of babysitting. Kids and technology makes my job easy.

How appropriate that after a prompt like yesterday's, that today's would be a list of things that make you happy. Is it just me or is anyone else feeling like this is one deep "get to know the blogger" challenge?? I'm loving it.

Here's my happy list: 

1. Teaching, watching, babysitting whatever. It makes me happy to care for kids. But not babies... I don't really do babies. 

2. Praise. I love, love being told I'm doing a good job. In all things. That makes me so happy!

3. Food. I love to eat and converse in the kitchen and at the table. 

4. TV. Yes, TV makes me happy. It's where I get my "me time" and can tune out all the other madness in my life. It's just a mindless thing I can do. 

5. ONEcc. My church. This makes me really happy. I love that I can be me here without judgement. I love that there are opportunities to serve the community through ONE.  I love that I feel the closest to my Maker when I am here. 

6. Road trips and traveling make me happy.

7. Knowing what is coming next(in life) makes me happy. I'm a planner, remember. 

8. Celebrations. Birthdays, holidays, baptisms, and achievements. 

9. My family. They make me SO happy. I love them. 

10. This makes me happy. Blogging. Speaking my mind, letting others read it, "meeting" new people. It's my favorite outlet. 

What makes you happy? 

Sorry, not sorry

Day 13's prompt is to issue a public apology. So here it goes... 

-I'm sorry that I'm about to one blunt gal(which isn't any different from normal) 

-I'm sorry that I don't like mornings and refuse to wake up like a cheerleader. 

-I'm sorry that I am one roller coaster of a life just cruising through time

-I'm sorry that I am crankier than the average 20 something year old.

-I'm sorry that I haven't spent more time with my family in the last month. 

-I'm sorry I enjoy working. 

-I'm sorry my job exhausts me. Does yours not?! 

-I'm sorry I love my friends and church and would much, much rather spend my free time away from home. 

-I'm sorry that I speak my mind with little regard to others feelings. Truly, I am.

-I'm sorry that chaos excites me. Chaos being busyness. Not messiness. 

-I'm sorry that I require lots of me time. I am selfish in that way. 

- I'm sorry that I can be a real complainer sometimes.

I could go on all day, but here's my last one..

I'm sorry if you stopped reading this list because you got three apologies in and think I'm a snotty *bad word, bad word*. Because if you stopped reading this than you don't know that I am working on every single one of those things! God is working on me right now. And I need to be worked on. So do you. We all do. 

So. I am not sorry... 

- that although I require lots of me time, I love to serve others. 

- that by being away from home on the weekends I'm developing awesome relationships with friends.

- that I love working. Working is my forte.

- that I am not a morning person. I am an afternoon person and that is when my job needs me mentally present the most. So good thing.

- that I speak my mind. 

Friday Favorites

It has been such a long week. I'm typing this late Thursday night and today has been the day of all days. I had an afternoon filled with blood and accidents. I don't do blood, btw. It grosses me the heck out! But I had to play nurse for the last hour of my work day. I also had to finish making 28 handprint bouquets for the Moms of my students. Dang Mothers Day. Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

Handprint Bouquets 

While it may have been busy, I still had a purdy good week. Here's why:

1. It's Great Gatsby Week! I would LOVE to see it this weekend. I hope somehow I find time for that.

2. It's been Frappy Hour at Starbucks all week. My seester lovingly brought me a grande Carm Frap/No whip on Tuesday. Then today she totally surprised with another Venti! And her boyfriend and baby came along to visit and drop it off To me at school. :)

3. Musical Chairs or Round Circle, Round Circle were my entertainment today. I am SUPER competitive, even against 5 year olds. I won round after round of these musical games today. Chyess!! I would have been a sore loser if I hadn't. I openly let the kids know this fact about me and they still wanted me to play. I'm loved.

4. Teacher appreciation week has rocked for me! I have gotten SO many goodies a huge bouquet of beautiful flowers and many thank you notes. And today's parent pitch in potluck was great. I love free lunch!

5. Though a sore throat had me down midweek, I have been able to tackle nearly all my to-do list. And now, TGIF! 

I have ballet lesson, birthday parties, and 10 hours of babysitting ahead of me this weekend. Then it's back to Glendale to celebrate my mom Sunday Evening. :) 

Have a good weekend. 

While I am doing the blog-a-day in May I still do not blog on the weekends. I don't think I ever have(ok, maybe 2X). PS I am loving this challenge. it has been so fun!

It Began with a Door

My favorite moment of my day, M-F, starts with a door. Funny how most things begin with the opening of one door. Figuratively and Literally.

The Gross Motor Room. AKA The Village

I get to work anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour early almost every day(with the exception of my sleeping in days). I don't go in my class though. I'm busy cutting, gluing, laminating, etc. So, my favorite moment of the day is the two minutes that immediately follow me opening the classroom door to start our morning. 

Those two minutes are filled with love(after I wash my hands, of course. Germs!). In that short moment I will get so many hugs, they will want me to pick them up some days, they will shout MISS.LYNDSY!, they express how much they've missed me(what? For the 10hrs overnight?). That's the greatest part f my day. Man, I am loved. If that doesn't make ya feel good, what does? And lucky for me, it happens every day! :) 

What's the your favorite part of your day? 

I love my morning, but the next three fave moments of my day totally contradict the first ;) They are;

- being excused from class for my lunch break(NO kids!)

- being called out to go home 10-20 minutes early(Chyess!!!)

- and sending those kids home to be with their parents so they can drive them bananas. 

My Advice to You..

              Now. Tea and Advice.

                     

First of all, welcome to some of the new readers who were led here from Jenni's{storyofmylifetheblog.blogspot.com} blog! So, so happy to have you and hear from you. Your comments and emails make my day :) Now, ready for more reading? Good! :)

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I don't get asked for real, honest, advice very often. Therefore, I suck at giving advice. It's true. People ask me questions, I give answers. Answers typically based on fact or studies. I don't "do" heartfelt, deep thinking, wow 

effect, advice. 

Sorry, not sorry. People might come to me more often if I did and in my young mind state I'm not ready for that, Even if I do often feel twice my age.

So, here is my advice that I just thought up when thinking about my reaction to other people's thoughts..

When you ask for advice you typically already know the answer. Go with your gut. I'm not one of those emotion thinkers. I enjoy logic behind decisions. But regardless everyone has a gut feeling or instinct about almost everything. Go with that.

Oh, and if you screw up, you screw up. We all make mistakes. It's part of life. Some mistakes will take you longer to recover from{oh, how they do!}, but eventually it will pass.

There it is. My Day 8 Challenge inspired Advice! :)

Fear of?

The prompt for today in Jenni's challenge is to write about your fears. I'm sitting down to think about what I am afraid of and I can't think of anything.. That is scary.

Bugs? No. Dying? Not really. The "unknown"? Eh.. I'm not afraid of those things. On certain days heights make me nervous. So does driving too fast. Most days I could care less. This is a really tough topic for me. Fear is an emotion induced by a perceived threat. I just don't feel threatened by most things..

Maybe a better prompt{for me} is what do you worry about the most. I worry about change. I don't do well with it and I enjoy routine. Don't get me wrong I love a spontaneous night out as much as the next 22 year old, but mostly I like structure. :)

The biggest change in my life thus far was moving to Germany. The whole process was so fast, I feel like I never had time to stop and make sure it was what I wanted. My head said, "You have nothing to lose and nothing to stop you right at this moment. Go". So I went. It lasted three months, my Visa was expiring, and I came home. The whole time I just worried, worried, worried. Partially because my living arrangements flat out sucked, but mostly because it was just such a major change. I was never "scared" or "afraid" though. I knew then, like I know now, God loves me. He loves me so much that he's gonna take care of me forever. He had my back.

Thank goodness.

Does change make you a worry wort, too?

*reading this back to myself and aloud I feel like I contradicted myself quite a few times. Whatever. Some days just go like that :)

Talkin' bout my J-O-B!

I love the topic for today in the Challenge. I could talk about what I do all day. I love what I do. I can also complain about it just like any other working American. But today I will brag. Because bragging is fun. :)

Most of you know my job or have at least heard it mentioned here on the blog. To really make it sound as wonderful as I can, here is what I do:

I GET(yes, it's a privilege) to be a piece of the puzzle called your child's life. I get to be one of the leaders. I probably won't be his first or last. I might not be his favorite. I might only be around for him for a little while. And I hope that when she's older she'll remember me. Maybe she'll remember that I consoled her and uplifted her when she came in crying after school because of 8yr old drama. Maybe he will remember that we built the biggest tower ever with Legos. I know I'll remember those things. :)

With each new job I take on I experience new moments. Every child teaches me something new. Even if it is only the Cupid shuffle ;) I get to be around some of the greatest little humans! I get to help mold and shape who they will become.

I have the best job ever. And today I want nothing more than to do this forever.

The end.

:)

P.S. it is teacher appreciation week. Tell your kid's teacher, babysitter, nanny, whatever Thank You. It's not easy, your child isn't an angel, and we still love them. We need to know you care about us too.

First Summer Favorites

While I am still, so far, on a roll with this blogging ever day deal I plan on sticking to my tried and true for today. This week I dealt with many, many rude people. Adults and children. That was difficult. If there is one thing that makes me grind my teeth more than others it is rude people. However, I have made it through the week and this weekend is sure to be amazing.

I'm heading out to San Tan Valley tomorrow and will be teaching ballet again beginning Saturday morning! Yay! i will also be attending a women's brunch with some of my favorite women from ONEcc. It's hard not to be excited when you have a weekend like this planned. :)

Without further ado, my favsies!

1. Starbucks Happy Hour is currently in effect! I'm all for cheap drinks!
2. I sent surprise packages today! Can't for the addressees to receive them.
3. 13 school days and then summer camp begins. I am very proud of this because I have had my plans done for months and I know everything there is to know about Summer Camp! I hope it shows to the kids and parents. I couldn't do it without my wonderful co-teacher though! :)
4. Dr.Pepper which, as much as wish I wasn't, I have been hooked on it ever since my friend came to visit from Texas.
5. Day 20 of Purpose Driven Life! Can't believe we are half way in. It's exciting and eye opening. Also, my pastor just plain rocks. Check out his podcasts on iTunes. Search Dr.Mark Krenz or ONE Community Church. My favorite is "Called to be Loved" 4/21/13.

Have a good weekend! I am sure I will enjoy many fun photos on Instagram and Twitter from everyone. I am so glad summer is here(for us Arizonians at least)!

I'm a Professional

Well, I like to think that I am a professional. Today is Day 2, blog about something you know about. The one thing I know ALL about is children. Below are the five must know things about children. From a professional. Me.

Enjoy.

Tip #1 Children are like wind up toys, but they have no "slow part". They wind up quick, they pop, and they're ready to go again immediately. Teachers(me) are like ticking time bombs that are ready to go off any minute because those damn Jack in the Box's( the children) have been driving me nuts all day.

Tip #2

Tip #3 Kids will do just about anything to be liked by their peers. Including pee their pants. Knowing full well that they do not have a change of clothes. They might even do this three days in a row..

Tip #4 a serious tip. Stick to your guns. Do not let children walk all over you. You give them and inch and they CAN AND WILL take a mile. If all else fails, just tell on them. Some days I just can't wait for 5 o'clock to roll around so I can just tell on them to their parents. I secretly stick my tongue out at them as they walk away. I'm very mature for my age ;)

Tip #5 Kids are expensive, annoying, time consuming, and require a lot of attention. Don't have them. But if you do, enjoy them for the 20% of the time that they aren't driving you crazy.

I do not have children. I do not ever want children. I have spent the last 8 years of my life being around children every day. It has been lovely. And exhausting. Life changing, and frustrating. And so on and so on. Also, you must know I am being 60% sarcastic in this post. I really do love children and being a teacher and being entrusted with other people's kids. I'm blessed by them everyday.

May Blogging Challenge/Day1 Story of my Life

First off all thank you Jenni(storyofmylifetheblog.com) for hosting this! Secondly, readers, here I go on a month long writing journey that I am ready for. I need it! Writing has been my outlet forever. Even as a 6 year old I just loved to write. Journals, diaries, notes to friends. I wanted a pencil in my hand. And a book. I was also a big reader. So, here we go! Day 1 of being inspired by writing.

The story of my life(in 250 words! Eek!):

If there's one thing I know about my life, or life in general, it is that life is going to knock you down. Over and over and over again. As it has to me many a time. What do I do? I get back up and try again. Sometimes slowly, sometimes with gusto. Depends on the day. :) Another important part of my story... I am a people pleaser to the core! Though, I'm working on not having to make everybody happy. That's it. That's a paragraph. That's what you should know About me right now and the rest will unfold on the pages of this blog. :)

1 day down, 30 to go! No pressure.

PS if you really want to know the long story of my life it is all over my About Me page! :)