Believer or Follower?

Note: I'm sorry that this post rambles on, but this has really been weighing pretty heavily on mind lately.

This morning on my way to work, I was listening to Rick and Bubba like I always do. It usually irritates me when they have guest speakers on, but this morning was different. This morning's speaker was Don Davis, a former NFL football player. Don played for the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, and lastly the New England Patriots. He was also one of the assistant coaches for the Patriots until last year.

Don was raised to be a believer of Jesus Christ. He went to church, Bible school, etc. He followed the rules and played sports, and as he put it, did all the "right" things. When he went to college, however, his beliefs were put to the test, and he did a lot of things he knew weren't right. It wasn't until later, he said, that he became a follower of Jesus Christ.

I was kind of confused about the difference until he explained it this way: Everyone knows who Tom Brady is. He's a quarterback for the Patriots. He is dating/engaged to a supermodel. He is in the news quite often. We know who Tom Brady is. Don, on the other hand, really knows who Tom Brady is. He has played with Tom and coached him. He knows him personally. They have a relationship.

It made me think...Am I a Believer or a Follower? I honestly have to say that I think that I'm a believer. I was raised in the Church, raised knowing who Jesus is, raised to know about the Bible, raised to do what is right. However, I don't think that I always follow in Christ's footsteps. I don't think that I really know Him.

Sometimes I'm jealous of the relationship that my husband, Marc, has with the Lord. He was raised in Catholicism and had very little understanding of the Bible. Yet, a few years ago, he was baptized in Christ. His story is different from mine, but I think his is better. He has a love for God that I don't think I've ever had. And I'm ashamed to admit that. And I want to change that.

I grew up in a church that taught if you did what was right, you would be blessed. If you did wrong, you would be punished. Through my childhood and teen years, I did what was right. I didn't drink, I didn't smoke, I didn't party, I didn't curse. I didn't do all the things that kids do. I tried to treat others like I wanted to be treated, I was kind, I was compassionate. 

And while I do have many blessings in life, like a wonderful husband, a career, a place to live, a car to drive, I don't have the one thing that I have always wanted: children. And for some reason I can't get it out of my head that maybe I did something wrong along the way. Maybe I did something that made me not worthy of that blessing. Don't people always say that children are a blessing from God? I think that is my roadblock to really trusting Jesus. 

I'm going to try to work harder at trying to understand God's plan for me might not be what I had planned. I want to be closer to God and become more of a servant and follower than just a believer. 

10 Questions

I was sitting at my desk this afternoon about ready to pull my hair out, and the following 10 questions that I would never miss came to mind:

1. Can we use markers?

2. When is lunch time?

3. Are we having recess today?

4. How much longer until we leave?

5. How many more days until (insert holiday here).

6. What are we having for lunch?

7. Do we have homework today?

8. Can I use your (insert school supply here).

9. Are we getting a grade on this?

10. Will you tell (insert child's name here) to stop looking at me?

I'll leave my sarcastic comments to myself, but let's just say that I hear these same 10 questions over, and over, and over, and over on a daily basis. Ahhh...Is it Spring Break yet? (Which, by the way, is the question my students hear me repeat several times a day. Payback...Gotta love it!

What a Birthday!

What a birthday this has been! After being sick for three days, I finally felt well enough to go back to work. So this morning as I was getting ready, Marc gave me a birthday card with a donkey on it. (I love me some donkeys!) Inside the card was an iTunes gift card, so I can download some songs. It's one of the things I would never buy for myself.

Work was really hectic today. Being out for two days made for a stack of paperwork that had to be completed by....you guessed it...today! I was about ready to pull my hair out by 2:30, but I couldn't because I had to help with inside dismissal today. (Too cold or too rainy? Neither if you ask me!)

When I got home, there was a birthday bag sitting on the ledge waiting for me. Of course, I picked up the bag, poked around a little bit, but never opened it. I waited like a good girl until Marc got home. When I opened the bag, inside was two of the three Cricut cartridges that I had ordered over the weekend. I received my Pooh & Friends cartridge and my Mickey Fonts cartridge. Yay! Things were looking up!

Marc and I decided to go to Sante Fe Cattle Co. for dinner. They just opened a new restaurant right around the corner from us, and it's soooooo good! After we got home from dinner, I quickly called Disney Reservations to add the dining plan and make the final payment. When the castmember asked how my day was going, I told her it was going pretty good because today was my birthday. So, she sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I love Disney!

So, it's been a crazy, Disney-filled birthday! And I loved every minute of it!

Happy Early Birthday to Me!

This afternoon I got to open an early birthday gift...A Cricut cutting machine! 

I have been wanting a Cricut for what seems like forever! But, I couldn't bring myself to spend so much money on something that wasn't a necessity. So, Marc bought me one for my birthday gift.

A Cricut is a machine that cuts paper into diecuts for scrapbooking. Of course, you can also use it to make cards, signs, even bulletin board letters. It will cut a variety of media, including paper, vellum, vinyl, etc. I'm so excited to use it.

It came with a basic cartridge that includes shapes and letters. I also ordered two Disney cartridges last night: Mickey & Friends and Pooh & Friends. They should arrive in a few days, and I can start scrapbooking again. But for now, I plan to get acquainted with my Cricut!

Get on the DOZER!

Santa brought Salvie a Donut Dozer for Christmas last month. After having to coax and beg him to get on it for the first few days, he has finally fallen in love with it. So much so that we had to get him a second Dozer, because we got tired of moving the other one from room to room. So now Salvie has a Dozer in the living room and a Dozer in the bedroom. He loves his Dozers!

This Is Wrong on So Many Levels!

I just saw this Saturday Night Live parody of Beyonce's Single Ladies starring Justin Timberlake:

justin timberlake snl beyonce single ladies video

So wrong...So funny, but so wrong!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

And even our sweet baby, who stays inside, can't seem to get warm!

Doesn't he look pitiful?

Cute Question

Today one of my students asked me if teachers lived at school. I couldn't help but laugh when he asked. I guess to them it only makes sense...We are at school every morning when they get here, and we stay at school after they leave.

Anyway, he was shocked to find out that I live in a house with my husband and fur babies. The expression on his face was priceless! I also explained that I go to church, go shopping, out to eat, etc. It was like he made a new discovery...Teachers actually have lives outside of school. Precious!

They Say You Can Never Go Home

Yesterday, we got a lot of rain around our house. So much that they ended up closing some of the roads around us due to flooding. The creek/ditch that runs next to our house was completely full and running over at the banks. The water ended up crossing the road in front of our house. It was horrifying!

Being the baby that I am, I didn't want to sleep at our house. We are on a septic system, and I was afraid that we might have problems with it overnight. (That's a whole 'nother story that we can attribute to our stupid, moronic neighbor next door.) So, I packed up and headed to my parents' house. Just me...Marc was brave and stayed back to keep an eye on things and take care of our dog.

So, last night I slept in my old bedroom. This morning, I got ready in my old bathroom. When I lived with my parents, I loved, loved, loved that bedroom! It was huge and had its own sitting area. I had a huge walk-in closet and my own bathroom and vanity area. Have I mentioned that I loved that room? But last night and this morning felt pretty strange! I realized that I was no longer in love with that room and all the space it has.

I guess it has something to do with missing my husband and the fact that I don't like to sleep alone. It could also have something to do with the fact that that is a part of my life that is behind me, and I can never go back to those innocent, stress-free days. But I can honestly say that I missed "my" house! As small as it is, I actually missed its coziness! I missed its warmth!

Tonight, I'm sleeping in my own bedroom! And I'm sure I'll get a much better night's sleep!

A Look Back at 2008

Well, 2008 was definitely a year to remember! I started off the year with a bang, literally! On New Year's Day, I fell down the stairs at my brother and sister-in-law's house and broke my leg. We were on our way to the airport at about 2:00 in the morning, it was dark, I was tired, and everyone knows I'm really clumsy. Those things mixed together in a bad way that morning. I spent the better part of January and February in a cast. 

In March, we ordered a new range and microwave, which spurred some small home-improvement projects around the house. We repainted the bathroom, put down new flooring, changed linens, etc. We also took down wallpaper in the kitchen and dining room, repainted, and put down new flooring. We were thrilled with the results!

After a nice, relaxing summer break, we headed back to work. I had a lot of trouble adjusting to new things in my classroom. We started a new Reading series, and I got a new ActivBoard. Both things, along with a difficult class, made the beginning of the school year pretty rough for me.

Marc and I celebrated our 10th anniversary a little early with a trip to Disney World. We went with two other couples and had a blast! During September, my younger sister graduated from culinary school, and we were super proud of her!

The end of the year was busy with holiday parties and trips to visit family. We went to Texas for Thanksgiving and went to the last Dallas Cowboys game at Texas Stadium. We also went to Connecticut on Christmas Day. We had a great time visiting with family and seeing our niece and nephews. And the last day of the year was awesome: It snowed on New Year's Eve...Lots and lots of snow!

Unfortunately, during 2008 we also lost two pets. Lucy, my classroom guinea pig, died in March. We also had to put Guiedo, our first puppy together, to sleep on October 29. He was over 10 years old, and his health went downhill very quickly. I cried for weeks, and I still think about him every day and miss him terribly.

Marc and I had many ups and downs, but all in all 2008 was a pretty good year! Here's to 2009!