Hello, I love you, won't you tell me your name?

Hey! Hey there? Remember the time when i used to blog often? Since my last blog was when Ella turned 12 and she is 3 months shy of 13, needless to say--lots has happened. WE moved to a new home, I graduated from college, got a new job as a 3rd grade teacher, and I am attempting to learn my way as the leader of this special group. I would love to put there pictures up, I don't as a respect of confidentiality. But trust me, they are awesome. Teaching them is a great gift. I am learning much and finding that I am inadequate in so many ways. What matters is I am loving them in ways only I can (like making them own problems, be responsible in our school community, and chewing gum in our room is totally ok even when the school community won't let us :)

I have found that living in a new house is a great and wonderful thing. Now what is not so wonderful is the limited amount of time I have to make this home "ours". What does that mean really? New paint, new furnishings, new drapes? You know its your home when you come home to find Ella's boots in the foyer, her coat following her in the living room floor, and she is sitting in the kitchen already into her 2nd bowl of Reese's Puffs cereal after a long day of being and academic genius (well, for middle school that is). Those are the times I breathe in a sigh of thankfulness--then tell her to be responsible and get her stuff up.

Grant played his first season of freshman football and came out all the better. He is a lean, trim version of the unsure Grant we once knew. I applaud how courageous he was even when he was so mad at us for making him do "this". He has often said, "I don't know what i would be like if you hadn't made me play football." I know what he would have been like and I'm glad that I made him push himself. I'm glad when he was begging me not to make him go back to camp, I told him to "suck it up" and get in the car. I'm glad I got to sit in the bleachers and watch him from the sidelines as he was passed over to play, while his friends won game after game, and I got the pleasure of watching him congratulate them genuinely. He learned the game of football, yes. But the best teacher of the semester was the master of looking outside yourself and being part of the team. He was part. Not a significant part this year. Maybe not even next year. But he had joy just being in the game. Part of the team. One of the guys. And they boys on the team loved him. Were encouraged by his resolve. Were cheered up by him "good gaming" them when they came off the field. Were helped when mom gave them rides from practice and he never complained about not playing. Isn't that how we should be in towards service to the church. Rooting on one another with no complaining? Cheering those who are seemingly "more" in the game than we. He learned much from the semester sport, but was an example to me of just being in the Lord. Growing on the sideline. That is a sweet lesson only taught by patience and perseverance.

Ella is 12!

Today we celebrated our middle child turning 12. This celebration has actually been going on since Friday with shopping, dinners, grandparent parties, homemade cakes, movies. It ends up being birthday week. I'm glad Ella doesn't know what a half birthday is yet. John's camera is in his car and since its 10 degrees outside, I'll get it and post pictures mabe Thursday (the next day I have a "break")

Super excited about Thursday, though. Julie is coming over for supper, all new episodes of The Office, 30 Rock, and the new Amy Poehler show. John and I are stoked! I haven't run since last Wednesday, so Summer, you cannot be running either. Its team slacking!!!

Ms. Bolin, here's your reply

I got all of your things from your mom. I was working and she walked in and just held up this envelope that said, Flat Stanley for Jennifer Martin. It was like I was in an airport. So here are some anwers to your questions...
1. I like to eat most foods, I don't like okra
2. I would love to come there, but not any time soon.
3. I was born here in KY
4. I like the Bible and one of my favorite children's books is Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.
5. I Love Cat in the Hat
6. I like to play tag at recess
7. I do like sports like running but the only team sport I've ever played was one season of Co-Ed Dodge Ball with a church I once served.
8. I like to sleep a lot and its my favorite thing to do when I am home.
9. My eye are blue
10. I did celebrate St. Patricks Day by running a race where I placed 7th in all the girls aged 30-35.
11. I've never seen a volcano but that would be cool! I've seen a waterfall.
Tell you students I "miss" them too and its sweet that they want to ask me so many interesting questions. One more question for them...If they could take me anywhere in Brazil and show me,where would that be and why? This should be a fun response! Talk to you soon and thank you for the timely return of the Stanley's...

Ms.Bolin's Class, I love you!

Dear Mrs. Martin and 4th grade,
We just have a few questions.....
What do you like to eat? What food to you like? Are you going to come here? Please can you come here? Where were you born? Which book do you like? Do you like The Cat in the Hat? What do you like to play at recess? Do you like to play sports? What are some things that you like to do at home? Do you like to sleep? Do you like to play? What color are your eyes? How did you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Have you seen a volcano? Have you seen a waterfall?
We wanted to ask you these questions. There are a lot of them and you can answer the ones that you would like. If your students would like to answer some of them, that would be great! My students also said that they "miss you" because they know that that is a kind thing to say to someone in a letter. (haha-they made me write that). Something funny that happened.Nicolas told me the other day that God was so big that He could eat His lunch in one bite. We colored Flat Stanley and made some clothes of our own. They should be in Kentucky on March 31st. I will talk to Mrs. Martin about this. Also, we bought some postcards from Brasilia. Stanley will be bringing those to you.
Your Friends,
Caleb, Nana, Thales, James, Nicolas, and Ms. Bolin

I will answer you as soon as I get finished with a SS lesson plan, math critique, and studying for BIO. soon, i promise...

with pictures!

one more, i know its three but i'm waiting around in the library

i have to watch Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" in the next two weeks for a conservation assignment.

here's an inconvenient truth, its freaking freezing here Al. FREEZING! Global warming needs closure.

ok, no more for tonight...

addendum

all righty, that was a little negative so I'm going to lighten this up immediately with some good news. i found out I got one of two teacher's scholarships and will be getting my little bit of money on the 21st for my student teaching semester. that's awesome. and God is in control. which makes me know the only real thing i need is Him.

and that helps closure.

Time keeps on tickin', tickin', tickin', into the future...

i hate being so busy that i cannot do the things that i like to do. like nothing. i'm pretty much the best at nothing as anybody doing nothing can be. i've talked to julie and ginger in 15 min. segments that only lead to open ended questions about our lives and for people who need closure,this, my friends is no good. speaking of needing closure, (i'm thiking this is a fallacy made up in the minds of psychologists that need work) if this semester doesn't end soon it will kill me. here's what i keep telling jeanne when we run, "why am i doing this, there are no jobs, and i'm old and in college. doing this with the anticipation of no work is very demotivating. oh, go do something fun, no, i can't I have a dramatic presentation of the life of Fredric Douglass to complete after I get off of star bucks at midnight" did i say there are no jobs here?

closure: to finish a bachelor's (for no job) only to be told you're not really certified until you finish your masters. Sighhhhh. really.

really. amanda, i'm flying myself to Brazil to work. maybe that will bring closure to my life...