wednesday

i wish i had a picture. last night, i came home early from our Dave Ramsey class, and walked upstairs to let Marley out. lately, we've been just keeping her in our bedroom instead of her kennel so she can roam around a little more and not be penned up so long. usually, she does great and hasn't taken much interest in anything except having the bed to herself. i opened the door, and it was just like a movie scene. a chocolate lab standing in the middle of the floor, covered with little white feathers and feathers still floating all around her. yes, she had decided to eat the tag off of our down comforter, and then realized how fun that was when the feathers kept flying about. the remainder of the evening was spent by me sweeping up as many teeny tiny feathers as i could find, and with her chasing what was left and occasionally hacking up a few that she had swallowed. she never ceases to amaze us.

i just finished reading Betsy's blog about the spring-like weather in TN, and it made me so excited for spring as well. I love the first day you can wear sandals, and not have to take a jacket with you. I love leaving windows open and sitting out on the porch. I love being barefoot. I've always been that way, even as a kid, and therefore I need multiple pedicures throughout the year...

The 12 inches of snow just melted, and then we're supposed to get 1-3 inches of rain on top of that. It's pretty soggy up here in Indiana, but as much as I loved the snow...I'll be ready to move on. I can't believe it's more than halfway through the school year and I'll be sending the kiddos on in no time.

Lately, I've been thinking about making a big change in teaching. There may be an opportunity to teach a higher grade, like fifth or sixth. I've student taught in sixth grade before, and while I was incredibly intimidated going in, I loved it! I loved being able to really discuss social issues and work on writing persuasive essays. I loved that they could do things for themselves!! Oh, that would be sweet relief. Don't get me wrong, first grade has always been a fun grade to teach, but I think I'd love the challenge of teaching older kids. I am about done with the whining and tattletaling, not being able to tie their own shoes, picking noses, etc. I didn't go to school 5 years to run a daycare. That would be a big change and a lot of extra preparation on my part, but it sounds soooo good these days. Am I cut out for the job? The worst thing ever would be to get the class that laughs in my face (eye to eye I'm sure) and doesn't take a thing seriously. It's one thing to discipline a 6 year old, but quite another when they're you're same size.

Lots of changes to come, I'm sure. Especially with the seasons. Rest assured, we're keeping Marley forever, staying in this house, and remaining in Anderson until told otherwise;)

Only 2 weeks til Knoxville!

this belongs on a myspace bulletin...but for the sake of a blog, what the heck.

keep in mind, i have a teeny tiny ipod that hasn't been updated in a year or so. wear it.

1. Put your MP3 player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! DON'T CHEAT OR YOU'RE LAME


IF SOMEONE SAYS "ARE YOU OK" YOU SAY?
"Alcohol" Brad Paisley.....hahahaha. is that bad?

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Carolina Blues" Blues Traveler....apparently I'm stuck in 7th grade, sad, and belong on the east coast.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"I've Loved Enough to Know" Deanna Carter....oh, more true than you know.


WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"What Am I to You?" Norah Jones....hm.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Sunrise" Norah Jones....no, I don't think the sun rises and sets on me.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"Waiting on the World to Change" John Mayer.....SO true.

WHAT IS 2+2?
"Undertow" Sara Bareilles....that's a dumb one.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"My, Oh My." The Wreckers.....hahaha. very suitable.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"My Dear Country" Norah Jones...wha?

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"She's Everything" Brad Paisley...yes, I am very much loved.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Seasons Change" Corinne Bailey Rae

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Lost" Michael Buble....I'm sure at one point they did.

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Lay Me Down" The Wreckers.....haha, oh my. ;)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Don't Miss You at All" Norah Jones.....ouch.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"I'm Your Man" Michael Buble....i gotta put more songs on here.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Winter" Eastmountainsouth

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Some Mistakes" Brad Paisley....yes, but weren't they fun!?

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" John Mayer.....I can imagine that would suck.

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Scotch & Chocolate" Nickel Creek....hey, at least I'll be happy.

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"Glass" Ingrid Michaelson.....interesting..?

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"It's Not You It's Me" Little Willies....so true. I can really crack myself up.

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"All At Sea" Jamie Cullum


WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"I'd Like To" Corinne Bailey Rae.....have I not already? then what WAS that?

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Your Man" Josh Turner ....yes, he does.

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"Die Alone" Ingrid Michaelson....yikes, my funeral does not sound promising.

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"Love Ain't Worth Making" Deana Carter....um? i beg to differ?

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"The Uncloudy Day" Brad Paisley

see far in a snow storm

another delay for school tomorrow due to winter weather in good old Indiana...I saw on the news today that so far in our winter season, we've accumulated a total of 22.6" of snow. yipes. a tad different from my marshy homeland on the east coast of Virginia. still, i am with Tim when I think that if it's going to be THIS cold, it might as well snow.

ya know, that's the ONLY thing I could find that was wrong with Knoxville. i'm not sure if i remember a GOOD snow in all my 5 years of living there. yeah, we had a few random snow days, but only because Sevier County schools were pretty skittish.

Tim and I are going back in a few weeks to rent a cabin with family and celebrate my sister's birthday. it's like we're going to Disney World; we are SO excited! we have plans to reunite with friends we haven't seen in way too long and just enjoy being back home.

i'm not sure if it's the arctic Indiana winter, but we are missing Knoxville more than ever. Tennessee in general brings back pleasant memories for both of us, and we both agreed we felt like it had seemed like home. we fell in love, made life long friends, and made some pretty big life decisions all within the walls of the Smoky Mountains and Vol territory.

i almost typed that i learned who Jesus was in TN as well. but while Tim and I were trudging through the ice and snow to meet his parents for dinner tonight, we discussed how our views of Christ, the Church, and the American Christianity have changed so drastically in the last year that even we were surprised by it. i realized how different i am now. yeah, my life changed drastically in so many ways in TN, but it's here in IN that i feel like i found Jesus. like, the real Jesus. the one who had opinions and feelings. the one who said some things that i never really thought were like him. the one who tells people that if they even so much look back to say goodbye to his mother, he is not fit to be a disciple. the Jesus who wants to restore the people and the Earth that he made to live in unison with each other. the one who expects love. the Jesus that never built a building to be a church.

i'm learning that being the church is SO much simpler than we've created it to be. keyword: we.

gosh. we have a lot of work to do.