2015 so far...

It's hard to believe that we are in mid-April of 2015! Looking back over my blog, I barely posted, I mean really I only wrote five posts. A lot has happened since then. 

1. I have a new dog now - Millie. She is an adorable and snuggly Boston Terrier! 

2.  I got to see Sarah McLachlan in concert at Jones Hall with the Jeans! Amazing show and beautiful set. 

3.  I celebrated Endometriosis Awareness Month by hosting a last minute but FUN walk in Houston at my school track! Also changed all my social media pictures yellow for awareness. 

4.  I've had play dates with my sweet niece and some of them included Millie. :) This one was at the dog park and Millie kept good watch over J.   

5. I've had play dates with my nephew who loves to take selfies. He gets so focused on taking the picture that he forgets to smile. ;-)

6. We've met as a family for PIZZA fun because Aunt B had coupons and it turns out we couldn't use any of the coupons! We had a great time anyway!

7. My sweet sis Amber made an Endo Photo Challenge via Instagram and it meant so much to me! 

8. I got to take students to SHS to hear Matt de la Pena - it was amazing and the 8th grade girls are in love. See the tall and handsome guy in the middle? That's him!

9. Millie is a snuggler. I love this time of day with her. It is usually after dinner and before bed - I'm either reading a book and watching TV on the couch and she is at my feet. Melt my heart. 

10. And this post would not be complete without the reminder of how BLESSED I am to work as a librarian in SBISD! I am so thankful for my job and thankful for the time at SFA! 

Katy

Last week, I was in Katy visiting a friend and I had the chance to capture this photo. It is a rare picture of what's left of the Katy prairie. Growing up in Katy was nice - it was still a small town and most people knew each other. Now Katy has become a booming metropolis with all kinds of stores, malls, venues, and restaurants! When this time of year rolls around, I always think of running to the end of our street to watch the trail riders head into the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Usually, me, my mom, my sisters, Ms. Julie and her kids would hear them coming and run down to wave and watch the horses in wonder. It was "normal" to see horses in Katy, but now not so much. Katy will always have a special place in my heart - through good and bad - but I will always miss the Katy Prairies that have morphed into homes, businesses, and entertainment. 

An Unusual Week

Today school was cancelled - Houston iced over and since we Houstonians don't often drive in ice, the authorities decided to keep us home. Okay with me! :) I had a wonderful day - it was spent on the couch napping, watching the news, answering Jeopardy questions, and relaxing. It was a real blessing!

This has been an unusual week because I got to see my first NFL game! It just happened to be the AFC Championship in Denver, Colorado and the Broncos were victorious! Now they're going to the Super Bowl! It was a great time with Rich driving in the car, being in Colorado, going to the game, and then spending time with friends there. We ate delicious food at 2 different local restaurants - pasta at Pasta Jay's in Boulder and then breakfast at The Huckleberry in Louisville, Colorado. Such a blessing to see the mountains and spend time on the road with Rich. God gave us favor and blessed our trip. I've posted some pictures below... enjoy!

Happy to be in Colorado again! 

 Such fun at the Broncos game!!

Celebration time after the game! 

The beautiful view from our friend's kitchen window...

Being a Librarian

This past week, I felt more like a librarian than I ever have before, and it was great! I feel so blessed to work with a great co-worker, friends at school and great students too. I can feel the dynamics on our campus changing for the better and I am thankful.

Here are some of my favorite things about being a librarian:
1. Reading all kinds of books and sharing them with adults and students
2. Working with my great librarian assistant - we are a great team!
3. Getting to know a wide range of students from different classes and grade levels
4. Encouraging teachers with lessons and teaching in general
5. Going to Starbucks in the middle of the day and not worrying about the stack of essays waiting to be graded!
6. Reading the "new" library books before anyone else
7. There is nothing like the feeling of putting a book in a child's hand...
8. Being in the center of the school so we hear it all - good and bad
9. Being a safe place for students and teachers to come and just enjoy the beautiful library we have
10. And of course, being surrounded by books!

The Bells of St. Mary's

Turner Classic Movies had a lot of old black and white Christmas and holiday movies, so I DVRd them and watched some over my holiday break. On December 23, I watched The Bells of St. Mary's with Bing Crosby for the first time. It was released in 1945. In the ending scene, Sister Benedict, played by Ingrid Bergman, is being sent off to a new position against her will. She loves the school of St. Mary's and wants to be around children, but the Bishop has other plans for her. She has a hard time accepting this fate. Her prayer, asking God to remove the bitterness from her heart, led me to start praying the same thing. Go to the 5 minute mark to see the beautiful scene. 

I love old movies, and this one is on my new list of favorites! I look forward to finding and buying it so I can share it with a faithful friend and fellow movie lover, Rich. Movies have a special meaning for us because our first date was to see the movie, Penelope, after a yummy dinner at P.F. Changs. I'm adding this one to our list of "movies to see" because it started a healing process between us Christmas Day 2013. I'm thankful for movies, but most of all for how God can work through any and everything. 

Hope

"Hope is the word which God has written on the brow of every man." ~Victor Hugo

     Somewhere in my first two years of teaching, the word HOPE became very important to me. It wasn't just the fact that I was dealing with 6th and 7th graders either! ;) I had come home from college to a broken home. When I left for SFA, my parents were together, everyone lived in the same house and things were great. Then I graduated and reluctantly came home to a mom struggling, sisters looking for their own ways, and a father who was seriously confused. I had a longing for things to return to how they used to be. I was hoping in the strength of man - my strength, my mom, my sisters and even my dad. None of which is really hope at all. Hope has been hard for me to embrace, but I am beginning to realize that true HOPE comes in God's strength, not mine. 

     So, now HOPE is beginning to have a different meaning for me...HOPE in God and not myself. And yes, that is extremely hard for me to say! Many things have led me here... dealing with endometriosis, depression, counseling, learning how to be in a relationship and receive love, giving and receiving love when it's not deserved, and accepting myself. My counselor Mark challenged me in December 2012 to pray this prayer each day, "God, help me see you for who you are and not who I think you are." Now I add to that, "God, help me see myself for who I am and not who I think I am." Accepting myself is hard uncomfortable. I don't like who I see in the mirror each day, but I am chasing the HOPE that God has not given up on me, so I can hope in Him and not myself. 

A visible reminder of the new hope I have - my tattoo. 

Thanks, Amber for photographing the event and being with me too!