From the Desk of the Teacher

I'm being featured over at asjulesisgoing.com

Check it out.

The Desk in PROGRESS! ;)

Summer Adventures

This summer has flown by. I have done quite a bit of traveling and fun-seeking.  So here a few pictures of my adventures. I started the summer with a trip to the Outer Banks with my friend, Sarah. I don't have any pictures of that, but it's become a great tradition to kick the summer into relaxation mode.

After I returned home to Raleigh, I quickly packed my bags for almost two weeks at home in Arkansas where I loved on my nieces and my nephew and spent time with my parents and my siblings.   You can follow my sister-in-law's amazing blog here.

I returned home from Arkansas and accomplished something that I never thought possible a year ago. I "ran" my first 5k and I was not the last one finished!  I finished in 42:19





I was home for a week or two just relaxing and then I went to New York City with two of my awesome girlfriends!  It was so much fun. One of the things, I got to do on this trip was buy myself a weight loss prize at Tiffany's. It was one of those surreal moments. I teared up in the store at the accomplishment of achieving a little over 70 pounds lost in 9 months.

Here's a few of my favorite pictures of our trip.

These are my weightloss buddies we've lost a combined total of over 250 lbs

Yes, I did go in to buy my prize like that!

I returned home and then I was fortunate enough to be accepted to North Carolina Center of Advancement in Teacher Renewal Seminar at Ocracoke Island, NC. It was a week learning about the ecology of the barrier islands. We kayaked, and hiked and planted marsh grasses in the driving rain. It was so fun to connect with other teachers and be pampered. 

 We stopped at Beacon Island on our way to Portsmouth Island. It's one of 9 nesting places for brown pelicans. It was so cool to see hundreds of pelicans nesting.  Awesome reminder of God's creative design.

 Portsmouth Island is no longer inhabited, but the Parks Service has preserved it and we visited it to examine a natural barrier island that hasn't been disturbed by development.

 We stay in this restored Coast Guard Station that is absolutely beautiful.

 The Ocracoke Light from the Tower at NCCAT!

 Picture of me out on the tower balcony. See the lighthouse, super tiny in the background.

Well it's been a great summer even though it seemed to fly by and it was full of traveling. School starts tomorrow.   I will be glad to welcome back routine to my life even though it's kind of crazy.

I will leave you with a picture of my weightloss progress. This one literally made my jaw drop. I know I stare at myself everyday, so I don't see the transformation!

What a difference a year makes!  Here's to a "new" me and a new school year!

Check out this cool classroom giveaway!

There is an awesome giveaway over at Thoughts of a Third Grade Teacher! Check it out! This amazing HEAR ALL Recorder from Learning Resources.

Nearly 8 months and down 60 pounds

 Here I am celebrating my 32nd Birthday with some of my closest friends.  I am really proud of myself when I look at these pictures and know that I have been working on Taking Shape for Life for nearly 8 months and have lost nearly 60lbs. I have purchased a few new pieces of clothing that are size large, which is a little crazy when you think about the last time I wore a size large was probably middle school if even then.  I have experienced a bit of struggle with these last 10lbs, it is evident that I eat with I'm stressed and school has been kind of stressful here at the end. Summer is drawing near which hopefully will enable to me to kick my weight loss into a higher gear and get to my mini goal of 30 more pounds so that I can go shopping in Tiffany's in NYC in July and buy myself a prize!  In the meantime, I'm getting back to the basics and journaling and exercising 20 minutes or so 4 times per week.  Here's to making my way to 70lbs lost quicker!  Thanks for stopping by!

5 minute Friday

I've seen my sister in love link up to this a few times and I thought I'd give it a try


 On Fridays over here a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes. Unscripted. Unedited. Real.
 1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

Here are my best five minutes on:

Identity

 Who we think we are? What would be like if I truly dwelt on the truth of my Identity in Christ? I think that would radically change who I am and what I do on a daily basis.   Today, I feel like a mediocre teacher, a 32 year old single women who longs to be married and become a mother.  Yet God has His ultimate good for me which doesn't currently include those things. It pains me at times to trust in His Sovereignty and yet I know that this is the place where I am the safest and most secure.  I am grateful for many things I am in this current moment.
I am a friend, a daughter, a teacher, a lover of Christ, a sister, an aunt, a sojourner on the way to health, a crafter, a seamstress, a homeowner, giver of hospitality.  How I long to be content in this season on a daily basis? But I suppose that's part of this journey moment by moment trust.

STOP.