And Monday Strikes with a Vengeance!

I had grand plans of writing about the lovely week I spent in Montana, of the vacation I was currently on with my family, and my mild trepidation about moving to Thailand.

Instead, I will just say that I didn't really enjoy my time in Montana, today's family road trip was rained out, and Wal-Mart makes me not want to move to Thailand anymore.

In all honesty, I loved the people I spent time with in Thailand, but everything else I could just leave behind. We are hoping to reschedule our vacation for later this week. 

I still loathe Wal-Mart. They turned what should have been a 90 minute process turned into a 7.5 hour ordeal. #ChoosingtonotembraceBoomtowntoday

But Monday is almost over and we are going out for a lovely family dinner once dad gets home from work. #DoIsoundlikeIam16? #Iamreally26 #Andahalf

My Summer by the Numbers, An Update!

I'm currently sitting in a hotel room in Kalispell, Montana while it's raining and all things baseball tournament are currently in limbo. Since the weather is currently anti-summer, I figured now would be a great time for a summer "bucket" list update! 

"Top 10 List for Summer 2014."

1. Read The Divergent trilogy. I am planning to save this for my plane ride and 
    travel adventures to Thailand. It'll give me something enjoyable to help pass 
    the time!

2. Finish the remainder of my grad school class work. I'm working on it! I am still 
    going to have one class left to finish before October 10. Story of my life.

3. Read Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. I still plan on reading this. 
    Not sure when or how, but it's still in the works.

4. Visit Medora on our family's 17th annual summer excursion. My brother and his 
    girlfriend arrive on Saturday! #Excited #GoodthingIcleanedmyroombeforeIleft

5. Read Khaled Hosseini's And the Mountains Echoed. I didn't like this book 
    nearly as much as his first two, but I still find Hosseini to be an excellent 
    storyteller!

6. Sew my sister's T-shirt quilt. Probably will not happen. See #2.

7. Read Harry Wong's First Days of School. See #3.

8. Finish my own jean quilt from high school. See #6. And then #2.

9. Clean, organize, and purge my current belongings. I have made it through six 
    of twelve rooms/areas so I am getting there!

10. Watch the entire series of "Boy Meets World" with my sister. My sister is all 
      caught up. I'm stuck somewhere in the first or second seasons. See #2 and #9. 
        #AtleastIhavebeenalittleproductive #IdidgetcaughtuponGrey's
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I Would Consider Watching More Soccer If...

The World Cup is going on right now. I have no idea what's going on. I know what constitutes a goal, I don't think they count turnovers or over-and-back violations like in basketball, and I know the game doesn't end just because the clock has hit 90 minutes (the length of a normal game). At any rate, I don't consider myself a bandwagon fan of soccer because I really don't consider myself a soccer fan at all. As I told my sister, I have take up watching soccer "to become a more globally aware citizen." Psh... It's not nearly as fancy as it sounds.

If typical soccer games had more enthusiastic refs or minions of any kind, I'm sure I'd be more apt to watch though.

Enthusiasm always makes things more enjoyable and minions are just too cute to hate. 

May your day be blessed. :)

Wasn't Quite Ready for This One

Well I certainy did not intend to fall off the face of the earth for almost three weeks. In my defense, I spent one of those weeks in Omaha going through a completely intimidating and mind numbing professional development session for the AP course I will be teaching this fall. Any confidence I had going in to this fall semester has been completely shattered and I'm about as humble as they come right now. #Imaybringmyblankietothefirstdayofclass #Teachersdon'tdothat?

This summer has been an odd one. Overall, I'd say it has been a tough four weeks. For the first time in a long time (maybe ever?), I feel a door closing. Like straight-up-shutting-with-a-deadbolt-lock-for-extra-security-closing. Don't get me wrong... I completely understand that if God wills, He will break that deadbolt with a snap of His fingers (or however it is one breaks a deadbolt-- I don't really know how to break through a deadbolt and isn't that the point?).

When I moved away for college, I swore I was never going to move back home. But I won't lie. I always felt a little piece of me that wondered what it would have been like to live at home again and not be a high schooler. I saw a lot of other people my age doing it, but I also I knew I was right where I was supposed to be as a college student in Grand Forks. God presented me the opportunity to come home for a spell and I'm so grateful. I'd be lying if I didn't say these three years were very trying-- the first year was difficult as a family and this last year was very difficult professionally-- but I wouldn't trade them for all the buffalo wings I could ever eat and that's saying something!

At the risk of sounding like a complete downer, I super excited about what's to come. I feel like I'm getting my life back. I didn't realize how much I had ceased to be my own person. I moved home and fell so comfortably into the role of teacher and coach. Some people looked at me as my dad's mini me. Other people saw my as the head coach's mini me, even after I became a head coach myself. I think I could easily live the next 20 years of my life doing the same things each season and I wouldn't have given it a second thought. 

I moved home because, by doing so, I was taking myself out of my comfort zone. But now home has become my comfort zone and it is my time to move on.

I talked with a co-worker last week who is also leaving the school and he made a comment about it being so hard to leave. I think I would be more scared if I found it easy to walk away from things than the difficulty I'm experiencing. I know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I am walking forward in God's will and His grace as I make my way to Thailand, but that doesn't mean my heart doesn't hurt and I don't keep in mind the faces of the students I am leaving behind. I know that their lives will go on without me and they'll quickly fill the gap of my absence with the new teachers and coaches-- I wouldn't want it any other way. But I see that the hurt means that I left part of myself with those kids.

When they would ask why I stayed, I would tell them the truth-- I was given an option to move home and give back to the school that invested so much in me. I spent three years at THS as a student and I returned for three years as a teacher and coach. In many ways, I feel like my debt (albeit hypothetical) has been paid. I can honestly say that I left my position at THS in a better place than when I inherited it. It is always my goal to leave whatever I do in life in better shape than when I came upon it.

In short, I guess I find myself mourning a loss I didn't anticipate. I always knew my Trenton job would be temporary, but it certainly was comfortable. My plans were to stay two years longer, but God said three was enough. Again, I eagerly anticipate what is to come, but I will always think of what I have left behind. It's a bittersweet thing, leaving what I am behind. They have already filled my position and I pray the person whom they chose to fill it will experience success. I pray she will be able to see the students for who they are and understand their circumstances, but will be able to challenge and stretch and educate them more than I was able to. I pray the students will give this new teacher the respect she deserves and they will not hold my mistakes and failings against her in any way. I pray they will also forgive her any mistakes and failings she may make against them because it's simply inevitable.

Until then, I will keep watching baseball, eating Mexican food, and listening to country music. Mine is a lovely life. :)

Food and Music, Weather, Bad Bloggers, Instagram, and NoDak Bloggers

As has become my fairly new usual, I am linking up with the ladies of The Good Life, A. Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, and Hello Happiness for "5 on Friday." Please join us!

One. In light of my impending adventure, I've taken up eating a siginificantly increased amount of Mexican food and listening to much more country music than usual. Since I already eat Mexican food at two or three times a week, I've started eating it about once a day. It's not like I can't make it for myself in Thailand, but I'm not taking any chances and am working to get my fill before I leave. My music choices though? Certainly not the best. I've been listening to the Shania Twain Pandora station for the last five days. Nothing says country music like listening to the women of the early '90's. #Notrealcountry #Dadandgrandpawouldbeashamed #Stilljammingout #Cowboytakemeaway

Two. What is up with this summer weather? I'm not a big fan of heat and humidity (so what am I moving to the tropics?) but I'm so over wearing jeans (and sweatpants, let's be honest) and hoodies. I'm ready for some sunshine and heat and general not freezing when I get out of bed in the morning. Or go outside. Or sit on the couch with the windows open. Or go to bed at night. Or any other time of the day.

Three. I just spent the last two and a half days in Grand Forks hanging out with Kelly and Kyle. And like the bad bloggers we are, we never took a single picture. Not one single photo in 68 hours of being together. But take my word on it-- Kelly and I did all of the fun stuff. We went out for half priced apps, hit up the mall and Target, bought slushies at Loaf and Jug, and drove around aimlessly like we did in college. Old habits die hard, for sure.

Four. I re-signed up for Instagram last night. Courtney called me out and said I needed an account, but when I went to reactivate my old account, I received notice that I had been kicked off for a "violation of the Terms of Agreement." I guess my old pictures of dyed Easter eggs and other food really frustrated somebody. They certainly could have come over and dyed Easter eggs with my sister and I if they had just asked. No need to go get me booted of the site.

Five. I know I won't be in North Dakota much longer, but I will always be a North Dakota girl at heart. I'm joining up with everybody else at The Samantha Life to find other NoDak bloggers. We are a rare breed, I'm sure!

Bless this new week.

Regardless of what goes down, I will always have 10,000 reasons to praise my Lord. For that I am ever grateful.

10 Minutes with God

The following is an email I sent out for the college ministry I led for a couple of years. Clearly it has been sitting in my drafts folder for awhile. Nevertheless, its truth is still relevant.

My "quiet time" has been severly lacking as of late. In complete honesty, it is a habit I have yet to really establish in my life. I chose to make yesterday, the first day of the month, yet another fresh start in my life. Crazy Love is not my current text of choice, but it is still in my hypothetical top 10 list.

God is not in the business of perfection-- He is in the business of redemption and renewal. 

Because the first of the month brings with it a sense of renewal and change, I challenge you to look at your quiet time with God.  I had somebody challenge me a couple of weeks ago to designate 10 minutes per day with nothing on my moment's to-do list except to spend time with God.  I didn't know how much difference 10 minutes would make in my day, but I was definitely mistaken- I enjoy my time of spiritual calm and have found myself juggling my schedule in attempt to fit another 10 minutes in.  I'm reading through Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" right now.  If you are looking for something to get started, I have enjoyed that book.  Another easy thing to do, and it takes less than 10 minutes, is to read one chapter of the book of John each day during the month.  The "experts" say it takes 21 days to create a positive habit and with 21 chapters in the book of John, you're looking at a pretty sweet deal for yourself. 

Really, the principle of the matter lies in the fact you are choosing to make time with God.  It doesn't matter what book you read, whether it is a devotional or the Bible or some other Christian text, or if you pray, or if you journal, or if you do something entirely different.  The principle of the matter is that you are spending time with God.  He desires to commune with you in the same way you do with Him.  The Bible says in James 4 that if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you.  God will meet you where you are at.