This week

My friend Maria and I send each other emails every few days that consist of a list. The list is simple and contains items such as: 1.week 2. food 3. regularity (dont ask) 4. God 5. boys
We use this list as a starting point to tell each other whats going on in each area of our lives. I love it! and Maria's are so freaking hilarious! My point in telling this is that I wrote to her today about what God has been doing in my life and I'm really excited about it, so I thought I'd share....

Its so crazy to me how quickly I forget how soverign God is. Satan uses little things each day to distract me and keep me from realizing how amazing God is and how much he does for me. Well in the past week or so I have been pretty discouraged about some areas of my life and God has really used it to draw me close to Him. After some much needed advice from a good friend I started finding verses each day that really comfort me and remind me that God is in control and cares about every silly detail of my life. I started writing the verses on several index cards, taping them to my bathroom mirror and even writing them on the board in my classroom where the kids and I can both see them throughout the day.
Every time I start to get discouraged or dwell on things that upset me....i stop immediatley and pull out an index card or look at the board, or just pray the verse over and over in my head. It only takes a second but the peace it has brought me has been amazing. I have been trying to take everything i worry about to God and I feel better!!!! I love how God uses even the crappiest times in my life to teach me somthing about his character. I learned this week that God really is here every moment and He really CAN and WILL give me all that I need:) And to top it all off, it utrns out that things that seem like a big deal really arent when you realize that God has the master plan and is watching over you.

Here are a couple of the verses I have used:

-For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for your welfare, not destruction. To give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

-and you have been filled by Him, who is head over every ruler and authority. Colossions 2:10

-A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11

things my kids say

1.
SW- "HS marked a red dot on my nose!"
HS- "Well I couldnt tell if he said yes or no"

2.
CS- "Can we pray for my grandpa?"
Me: "Sure, whats wrong?"
CS- "he got a bandaid on his lip"

3.
KK- "My dad likes to row the bawn"
Me: "DO you mean "mow the lawn?"
KK- "OHHHH....thats what he keeps saying! I know what that means!

4.
EK: Dear Mommy and Daddy, I hope you are a light to your friends. I hope your heart will be filled with joy when the whole family knows Jesus. I love you more than I love butterflies! You and Jesus make my heart warm!


4.
Me: "NS, why do you still have your backpack on? We are on the playground?"
NS: "ITs not a backpack, its my JET PACK!!!!!! zzzzzoooommmmmmm

5.
Me: "How do you feel when you are sick?"
JA:- "I feel obnoxious"
Me: "obnoxious?"
GD: "I think he means nauseus."
JA: "Oh yeah, thats it."

6.
RG- "Once, i didnt obey my mom, so i got a pop.....from Pop."

7.
After 20 minutes or writing time to write about Jesus...
Me: "SW, why is your page still blank?"
SW: "I didnt write anything becaus emy page is clean and pure like Jesus."

Keepin' Austin Real

On Saturday, Nate and I decided to load up our bikes and go find a trail to ride them on. We had looked online and found Walnut Creek park had a fairly easy bike trail....so we went.
Let me start by saying that I have had 3 knee surgeries in the past 13 months and I just got to where I can actually bend my leg far enough to ride a bike about a month ago.....
So we ge there and there are bikers everywhere unloading to ride. They are ALL geared out in spandex, helmets and backpacks full of water.....I start freaking out... First of all, we got the cheapest bikes that Academy sells. Second of all, nathans bike doesnt have breaks. And third, I have a gimp leg!
So here we go down this trail and all I can say outloud and in my head is "i'm gonna die."
We did the 5 mile trail and survived....only because at the tricky parts I got off the bike and nathan had to carry BOTH bikes to the next safe part...hahahahaha poor guy. Oh and did i mention that we had to cross the creek twice???? The first time, I didnt even attempt to walk the bike...i let nate do it all. The second time I thought..."well i'll help him out and do it on my own." ---bad idea---when nate got back to me I was standing in ankle deep water with my bike up on a rock laughing hysterically at myself.
So we made it back alive---thank you Jesus! And it was fun....I feel like a pro now:)

As we drove home Nathan said "all those bikers were too geared out."
Me: "yeah it made me feel like an idiot."
Nate: "NO, they were keeping Austin weird...We were keepin Austin Real."
Me: "We should make shirts!!!"

Jordan's crazy toenail

My BFF, Jordan, came over tonight for pizza and the office with Nathan and I.
So J and I have been friends since Pre-K and BFF since Mrs. Fisher's 2nd grade class..awww good times:) I just thought I'd share a story from tonight that exhibits why i love her, she is crazy, and why there is no doubt that she is my true BFF..

Jordan (while holding up her big toe) "did you see my nasty toe?"
Me: "Oh my gosh! What happened to you?"
Jordan: "toenail finally fell off"
Me: "What are you talking about? what happened?"
Jordan: "Lance (her boyfriend) stepped on it on our second date and it just now fell off."
Me: laughing hysterically.........................

So they have been dating 11 months....which means that it took 11 months for her toenail to fall off... Just thought I'd share:) Love you JB

One more Jordan quote....while talking to her friend who was struggling with a long distance relationship...."break it off and shop local."

Its not like I even have a good whistle....

Ok. So today during our reading circle I was calling on different students to answer questions about the book/ read out loud. Well two of my little darlings decide to start giggling, messing with each other, etc. So in usual teacher mode I would abruptly stop this behavior by either saying something, passing a knowing glance or snapping my finger quietly so to not distract the poor student who was trying to share his insight into our weekly story. Well all of these normal reactions seemed to fly out of my head and instead I whistled at them......I NEVER whistle except at my dog, Kricket. Plus...I stink at whistling! I'm really bad at it!! All of the kids froze and whipped their heads around to look at me with an expression that said "did she seriously just whistle???" Well I got really cracked up because I could hardly believe I did it and we all got a good laugh out of it. I may use it again though...really got their attention:) Here is a picture of Kricket...the love of my life..

The Story of Us

Ok...so I feel like the best place to start this whole thing is with Nathan and I. We have been dating for 11 months now....hard to believe....but lets start at the beginning.
I met Nathan 8 years ago when I was a senior in high school. I had just become friends with Will and he introduced me to Nathan. They had known each other since t-ball:) I can still clearly remember standing by Will's locker and seeing Nathan stroll up to us. If you know him...you know what I mean by "stroll." Anyways, so Will introduced us and I remember thinking that he seemed really confident for a junior (yes he is a year younger than me). So time went on and Will and I became really close which meant Nathan was around all the time as well. By the time my senior year was over, the three of us were inseparable.
That summer we went to Rockport with Will's family for his 18th birthday thus beginning our love for PAt Green's "Three Days," and all-you-can-eat chicken fried steaks at the Big Fishermen(nathan ate 5).
So then came August and I left Austin for my first year of college at Mary Hardin-Baylor. I WAS MISERABLE! I had just found the best friends I had ever had in my entire life and I was ripped away from them to this horrible small town called Belton. So, I came home every weekend and spent ungodly hours on the cell phone.
The friendships continued to grow.
Did I mention that by now Nathan was dating a girl named Christina?
Ok, so I would come home every weekend to hang with my fam, Will and Nate. And somehow I was constantly suckered into letting Christina stay at my house each night while she was in town from Houston. We all had so much fun. My friends at school just couldn't understand me wanting to go home all the time....it was bc of my boys:)

Skip ahead 3 years to 2005- Nathan and Christina break up...we become even closer....still at school.
One more year- Nathan graduates early from UT and moves to San Diego to get his masters in Bioengineering.

December of 2006- I graduate from UMHB and move back to Austin to find a teaching job. Move in with mom and dad for a few months. So this is when I started attending Great Hills Baptist and met Scott and Seth. We became fast friends since we were all new to the group/ they were new to Austin and I had just moved back.

For Spring Break I went to San D to visit Nate for a week. We had a blast! Went to LA and everything....
Come home, Seth and I date for a short period of time.

So as usual I am still super close to Will and Nate. It is so hard though bc Will is at Baylor and Nate is in Cali....but we stay close.
So after Seth and I broke up I decided I should keep with tradition and go to San D for Spring Break again.... And that's when Nathan and I started dating.

We had spent so many years getting to know each other/ sharing life with each other without even knowing what the future would hold for us. It is so cool to see how God works! Neither one of us had spent time miserable or wishing we were dating...but when the timing was right it was like God said "Ok...now it's your time."
We started dating March 7th and spent the next 4 months flying back and forth between san diego and austin almost every weekend:) so much fun....
After my last day of school last May I flew out with a one-way ticket and we moved him home to Austin. Of course we had to stop in Vegas for a few nights first;)
Now here we are, 8 years of friendship, almost a year of dating..
Sorry this post is so long.....but I'm sure he will be mentioned alot in my writing and you have to know what its all about! I love you Nate!

my first blog

So after finally deciding it was time to start reading these blogs I've been hearing everyone (girls at work) talk about I did last night. After realizing that the entire Kinder team has a blog, I got jealous and made my own! Even though you see people every day and hear all the stories....it is still fun to read about them...especially if you missed details! For example, I read a posting that Lissie put up in December describing our weekly happy hour and how much it means to her to have a group of girls at work that she has bonded with. It was so nice to read that and know that she feels the same way I do. So, here I am.....Thank you Lissie, for inspiring me:)