Hannah Elizabeth

2010-01-05T12:17:00.000-06:00

Follow me on my new blog:
becoming-the-jones-family.blogspot.com

over due

2009-12-08T11:54:00.000-06:00

i'm getting married in 11 days

i feel like cooking!

2009-10-29T11:38:00.002-05:00

Almost been a month since my last post! Some of my friends and I are participating in an email recipe exchange. It's been fun getting different recipes from people I don't even know! Here are a few that I am looking forward to trying!

Fromm Jill Flowers
This is one of my favorite easiest recipes but I make a few substitutions to make it healthy and a tasty…at least to my familyJ
MEATLOAF – LIPTON STYLE – this is one of those 30 min meals that makes life as an athletic trainer easier.

1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix (I also use beefy onion or onion/mushroom for different flavors)
2 lbs. ground beef (I use 1.25-1.50# of the 96% LEAN ground meat or some friends have used turkey)
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs* (my substitute is the quick 3min oatmeal)
2 eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup ketchup (my substitute is to use (2) 6 oz V8 juice which will also take care of the water and it adds a great flavor and it adds a vegetable)

I hand combine the ingredients (with gloves) and place it in a round glass bunt bowl, cover with a paper plate and cook it in the microwave for a total of about 15 min. The round shape of the meat in the bunt bowl allows it to cook evenly in the microwave so it is done MUCH faster.J Cook at 5-6 min intervals and check the meat doneness between intervals. Then before the last 5-6 min of cooking, I cut it into quarters. Or you can follow the traditional baking directions below.

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in large bowl.
2. Shape into loaf in 13 x 9-inch baking or roasting pan.
3. Bake uncovered 1 hour or until done. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

From Gaylynn Sills
Chicken Enchiladas
1 whole fryer (or I use 4 to 5 chicken breast)
1 can chopped green chilis
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup chicken broth
Flour tortillas
Cheddar and Monterrey Jack Cheese
Boil Chicken until done and then cut up. Combine Chicken, green chilis, both soups and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Put mixture in the flour tortillas and roll up.
Place rolled tortillas in a greased pan. Spread cheeses over the top and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.

From Michelle Baker
DUMP CAKE
1) regular box of yellow cake mix
2) 1 can cherry pie filling (I buy the lite one)
3) 1 can crushed pineapple
4) 2 sticks butter – melted
5) Crushed pecans ½ cup or so – (optional)
Take a 9 x 13 pan – do not grease do nothing
DUMP the entire can juice and all of pineapple use the back of a spoon and spread evenly
DUMP the entire can of pie filling use the back of a spoon and spread evenly
DUMP the entire box of dry cake mix use the back of a spoon and spread evenly
Sprinkle the entire package or ½ cup handful of pecans on top
Pour the melted butter EVENLY over the top
Cook in 350 oven for @ 45 minutes –
Comes out like a cobbler - Serve warm with vanilla ice cream J
You can change all kinds of parts of this receipe. You can use fruit cocktail for the pineapple, any kind of pie filling for the cherry pie filling (blueberry and pineapple is my favorite) also you can use coconut for the nuts but add them about 15 minutes before done.

Flu season indeed

2009-09-30T10:26:00.002-05:00

My hands- clammy, my skin- cool, head- hurts, attitude- grumpy, sleep- didn't last night (I triiiied), throat- sore from coughing.

Are these side effects from my flu shot yesterday? I chose to pay 10 extra bucks and get the mist instead of the shot. The sign said:

Shot- 80% effective with flu like symptoms for 2 days
Mist- 100% effective with no symptoms.

Come on now, tell me you wouldn't get the mist?
However, I do know the difference between the two is that the mist is a live virus and the shot is a dead virus. So, are these side effects or did I get the shot a moment too late?

My students are dropping like flies.....

my heavy heart

2009-09-16T10:33:00.003-05:00

This week my students have been delivering their first speech. I have been so impressed with the speeches! This is an introduction speech where they tell about a vivid memory- a time in their life that impacted them. They tell it in first person using descriptions and details, and there have been many tears shed from both me and my students. Loved ones lost, students battling cancer, involvement in drug raids in Puerto Rico, getting shot during a drive by shooting, calling the police when your mom is being beaten by your dad, giving birth at age 14... these are just some of the many stories I have heard this week. My students are desperately in need of a Savior. I pray that I can be a light and encouragement for them. Will you join me?

i speek crectly

2009-09-15T12:28:00.003-05:00

I know. I'm over due for a blog, but let's be honest, it was summer time.

So to catch up or just act like I never took a pause in the blogging....

I'm a little frustrated. You see, my students are on day 2 of their first speech of the semester and many of them either did not write enough or did not do it all. What makes it worse, is they don't care! One student who had to stay for tutorials yesterday so I could make him write his speech (it's amazing what you can do with a simple phone call to mommy... "What?! He hasn't written it? Well I'll tell the coach he wont be at practice until he completes it!") anyway, he said "Man Miss, I was planning on getting to sleep through this class all year."

I think not. English is good, math is great, science wonderful, and history is up there too, but seriously people EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW HOW TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE! Thus the importance of COMMUNICATION APPLICATIONS! However, Texas disagrees. They vote on Thursday to see if it will be a required graduation credit. 10 years from now they'll be at some restaurant placing an order and can't understand a single thing the person taking their order says. Wonder what a com app class could have done for them....

I'd like to see the State Board of Education come and challenge my students in the "Ummm... Olympics." My moneys on the kids.

it's the beauty of simplicity

2009-06-03T09:04:00.003-05:00

I am 2.5 days away from finishing my first year of teaching. CRAZY! I have been so busy these last few weeks. Ok, I've been busy all year, but especially these last few weeks. God is good though. Here's some updates:

I am teaching one session of summer school. 8 days. It will be good. I'm looking forward to it.
My Shepherd group on Sundays has grown to 14 girls!
Tammi and I combined our small groups for the summer. We are doing "a summer of prayer" and I am SO excited!!!
Free Food Mondays is still doing well. We continue to have a a great turn out each week. God is blessing this ministry.
We got a cat..... (and I kinda like it... who knew!)
My girls back home all graduated! I've been their small group leader since they were in 7th grade! Now they are all going to college! I'm so proud of them!
Summer is almost here and I am ready for a tan!
I've decided to grow my hair back out. I've enjoyed my adult haircut, but I miss ponytails and simplicity.
I'm starting to enjoy running. I still hate it more than I love it, but my heart (or head?) is slowly changing...
I miss my family... a lot.

2.5 more days! Then maybe a reflection on my year... maybe. :)

I pledge allegiance

2009-05-12T10:36:00.000-05:00

Every morning at 7:15 AM the school bell rings. I close the door after checking every one's ID as they enter the classroom, reminding them to tuck in their shirts and turn their phones off. The familiar voice of our principal comes over the loud speaker, and we all rise to pledge our allegiance. The students stand, facing the small and pathetic representations of our state and country that are attached to the white board. Some actually look at the flag while others stare at the floor, yawn, or make a face at their friend across the room. On a good day, one or two students may be awake enough to mumble through the pledges, but it means nothing to them. It is just a part of their daily routine, a routine that began years ago on their very first day of school. Now, 13 or so years later, it's no different then brushing their teeth. When did we stop teaching the purpose of this routine? The magnitude of this action; to pledge allegiance to something is anything but routine. It's a commitment, a lifestyle.

According to dictionary.com to pledge allegiance is to solemnly promise the loyalty of a citizen to his or her government. I'll be the first to admit that I fall short of this. I complain along with everyone else about all the mistakes our government is making, certain I have the solution. It's not my fault, I didn't vote for them. When I pledge allegiance, I'm really just promising my loyalty to those in our government who I voted for, leaving me the right to complain about our leaders who I feel are unfit for the role...

My parents raised me better than this. They taught me to have respect for those in authority, even when I disagree with the choices they make. I may not have voted for you, but you were elected and I will support every decision you make because I have pledged my allegiance to this country and its government. I will do my part if you do yours, for I can not pledge my allegiance to a country who does not fight for the values it was founded upon. One Nation UNDER GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL. When you take that oath, you are pledging your allegiance to these values, promising to defend them at all costs.

One Nation under God- This is the core of our country. As Derek Webb wrote, "My first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man.My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood, it's to a King and a Kingdom." We are to seek God in every decision, keeping Him the CENTER of our nation. Instead, we have taken Him out of the schools and to even speak of Him could cost you your job.

Indivisible- We spend more time trying to obtain the majority, planning for the NEXT election, rather then focus on the here and now. Instead of fighting and defending bills that represent the values we were founded upon, we waste time gossiping and complaining about the red and blue. What happened to the UNITED States of America? I often feel like the Divided States of America is a more appropriate name. Over the last several years the few times I have felt united was during a tragedy like 9/11, Hurricane Katrine and Ike, or the shooting at Virginia Tech. Shouldn't I feel that we are united every single day?

With Liberty- I teach the required speech credit students in Texas must take to graduate from high school. I teach them about the 1st Amendment and their right to freedom of speech, and yet I'm not allowed to share my faith with them. How is this liberty? How is this free? What would Patrick Henry have to say about this? Would he choose our weakened concept of liberty or would he choose death?

Justice for all- I feel so much pride in our country when I hear stories of our troops fighting for justice, or the stories of rescue missions taking place on enemy territory. We fight for the beaten, abandoned, and abused. The jobless, homeless, sick, and the old. However, we draw the line at the unborn. They have no voice, no rights, no choice. How is this just?

I DO pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, because I am a part of that republic. For I believe in a Nation that is one under God, indivisible and united, not just in name but in what we stand for, with liberty and justice for every single being. This is what I pledge to, and as long as our leaders can pledge to this as well they will continue to have my support and respect.

keep the comment questions coming! This is fun!

2009-05-08T14:05:00.003-05:00

Beate- I sure would love to travel to Norway, but if I'm going to spend that much money on a flight I want to be there for a while. I only have a limited amount of time this summer... maybe next summer! As far as tips for teaching go... I'm still trying to figure that one out! Praying for my students daily and asking for patience has helped greatly!!

Julie!!!- I'm going to be spending 10 days with the Botacio family (Aylen and her mother worked at Cresta Del Mar each summer with us). During those 10 days Aylen and I will be taking a long bus ride to Costa Rica to spend 3 days with Robert & Nina and help them with a camp they are doing. If there is anyone you want me to take something to or bring something back from please let me know!! I'll be in Tyler in June, and leaving for Panama July 15!!

and so.

2009-05-08T12:08:00.002-05:00

so today, i felt like blogging but didn't know what to blog about... and i got this idea.

leave a comment and tell me what to blog about. if no one leaves a comment, then i guess its safe to assume i'm blogging to an audienceless cyber world.

make it interesting. or entertaining. i like both.

comment away blog stalkers!

24.

2009-05-04T10:26:00.003-05:00

Yes friends, it is true. Only 24 days left of school. TAKS is over and I'm still alive. Praise the Lord. I will graduate from my certification course May 16th and will officially be a State of Texas Standard Certified Teacher. Thats a mouth full!

This past week I realized something. I've had a challenging year. Teaching has been much harder and demanding than I would have expected. However, despite all the ups and downs, I love my job. I really do! God has blessed me greatly. The school I work at is incredible and my students are wonderful. Of course it's a challenge, but I think that is one of the things that I appreciate so much about it. God has provided me with a wonderful job and I love it! He is so faithful!

My summer is quickly filling up. Here is the summer schedule so far...

JUNE:
June 5- Last day of school
June 6- Teacher work day (ON A SATURDAY!?)
June 7- Cousin Will's graduation
June 9-13 Houston Mission project with youth group
June 16-17 SIOP training for work
June 18-20 Family fishing trip
June 21- Fathers Day/Baptism
June 22-25 ESL Training
June 26-? Home for a few days

JULY:
July 8-July 12 Youth Camp
July 15-24 PANAMA!!
July 30-? Home for a few days.

Summer? What summer? haha. At least it is full of fun things.

be prepared!

2009-04-30T12:09:00.003-05:00

So I can't take credit for this one... all the credit goes to the Andrew Minchew:

"'swine flu' is the past tense of 'pigs fly'. Do you know how much crazy stuff is supposed to happen when pigs fly? HUNKER DOWN!"

I'm pretty sure my response to a passed note in 5th grade questioning "will you be my girlfriend" was "when pigs fly"....... I sure hope he doesn't remember this! :)

so THATS why i feel sick....

2009-04-27T13:10:00.003-05:00

So I was out sick Friday, and am here but not feeling real well today. My students are convinced I have the swine flu. Now you would think that this would make them paranoid and what not, but they think it's awesome. To quote one of my students, "Dude Miss, how cool would it be if you were one of the 20 confirmed cases! And we know you!" Me-oh-my.

So this past weekend I got to go home and meet my beautiful new nephew- Joshua James Holt. I started calling him "JJ" but my sister (his mother) said that was "gay-gay" but, in the defense of anyone named JJ, know that I personally think that name is charming. However, to appease my sister.... Gator it is. (For those of you who don't know, when my sister found out she was expecting, Isaiah on his own started calling the baby Alligator. It stuck.) He is sooo precious. I'm glad I got to see him while he is still at the "all I do is eat, poop, and sleep" stage. In a month when I go home again he will look so different. I loved snuggling with him. It amazes me that someone can hold something so beautiful and fragile and still not believe in God.

It was very refreshing being home, I just wish I could have stayed longer. I always have such mixed emotions about home. My heart longs to be home, but at the same time I am so happy with life here. I really am torn between two wonderful places.

Things at school are crazy right now. We have the dreaded TAKS tests this week. After that, only FIVE MORE WEEKS OF SCHOOL!!!! Holla! The month of May is going to be super busy.
-May 15th I am taking the day off for a friends graduation here in Houston. The graduation is at 9 am so I get the whole day!! Hooray!!
-May 21-25 I'm going with the debate team to..... NEW YORK!!!!!! I'm so excited. NYC has been one of my "must sees" for so many years. Hooray for marking places of my list!
-May 29 I am taking that day off for my dear sweet small groups HS graduation back home! Can't believe my girls (who were in 7th grade when I started working with them) are all graduating and moving off to college! Makes me feel old! It will be nice to be home again for a few days so soon!

Now, for the latest breaking news. I'M GOING BACK TO PANAMA THIS SUMMER!!!!!!!! I know. You are probably just as excited as I am :) God is so faithful. Through out all my different plans and what not for this summer, my hearts desire has consistently been to go and visit my friends in Panama. However, with it not being a mission trip, I just could not finance it. Flights are just too much these days. Last week, I was sitting at my desk and the Lord laid it on my heart to call my mom and express to her how badly I wanted to go back to Panama. When I called her she said, "Hannah. Dad has TONS of frequent flier points. I'm sure he would love to help!" And she was right. With in 24 hours I had booked my FREE flight to Panama. I leave July 15 for 10 wonderful days in my beloved Panama. I'll be staying with Aylen's family while I'm there. It is going to be so different this time because it's not a mission trip, and I'll once again be back in a Spanish speaking home! I get to see all my wonderful friends, and there is a chance that I might get to go to Costa Rica for a few days while I'm there to visit some missionaries that used to live in Panama and help them with a camp they are putting on. GOD IS SO GOOD!

I feel like that phrase, "God is so good" has been a constant phrase for me in the last few weeks. Well, last few months actually. I'm sure if you read my blogs faithfully you see that. It's a lot to convey all at once. Take me out to coffee and I'd be blessed to share with you.

I'm reading Crazy Love again. That book blesses me. My small group is beginning to study Romans. I am looking forward to this. I feel like it is a very applicable book of the Bible for me right now. You can look forward to blogs on my reflections of what I'm learning :)

With that said, the bell is about to ring and in will walk my wonderful 7th period.

Holla!

2009-04-14T14:05:00.002-05:00

Whew! What a whirlwind these past few weeks have been. Work is keeping me busy, but I'm not complaining. My students are currently delivering their "How-to" speeches and it has been fun! I've learned how to make tortillas, how to care for an iguana (which was brought to class), how to "be fly," how to do the Hannah Montana dance, and more! My students are enjoying this assignment which always makes class fun. Only 2 more speeches for them!

I leave Thursday after class with the debate team for a quick trip to Austin to be recognized in the House, watch some historic debate in action, meet with the debate coach from UT, and take a quick tour of Austin. At the end of May I will be leaving with the team again to New York for a week to debate. They have worked hard for this opportunity and I am so happy for them! They have worked hard. Yesterday I was asked to be the head coach for next year. I'm praying through it as it is a big commitment, and one I hadn't planned on.

I'm almost all moved into my new house! I still have about a car load and a half left at my apartment, but I have a few more weeks to get out. I'm loving living with Tara and Theresa. They are truly a blessing.

God has really been teaching me lately what it means to be "in His will." I find great comfort in knowing that I can not do it on my own. He is my Provider.

I had a car accident a few weeks ago, I'm hoping to get my car back this week. Hooray for drivers with good insurance!

Only 7 weeks of work left then SUUUUUMMMMMEEEEER! Hooray for being a teacher! Best job EVER!

my prayer

2009-03-27T13:35:00.001-05:00

Revelation- Third Day

My life has led me down the road that’s so uncertain
Now I am left alone and I am broken
Trying to find my way
Trying to find the faith that’s gone
This time I know that you are holding all the answers
I’m tired of losing hope and taking chances
On roads that never seem
To be the ones that bring me home

Give me a revelation
Show me what to do
‘Cause I’ve been trying to find my wayI haven’t got a clue
Tell me should I stay here
Or do I need to move
Give me a revelation
I’ve got nothing without you
I’ve got nothing without you

My life has led me down this path that’s ever winding
Through every twist and turn, I’m always finding
That I am lost again
Tell me when this road will ever end
I don’t know where I can turn
Tell me, when will I learn
Won’t you show me where I need to go
Let me follow your lead
I know that it’s the only way that I can get back home

God is faithful.

2009-03-24T09:51:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I attended a retreat with the college + ministry at my church. The theme was REFRESH which was absolutely what happened. Spring Break was a whirlwind (a very enjoyable whirlwind) and the retreat was the perfect ending to the week. We spent some time reflecting on the times in our life when we truly saw God's blessings as He lead us through trying times.

I'm by nature a worrier. Towards the end of college I became consumed with worry. What was next? I had gotten into several grad schools but really wanted to teach. Who was going to hire a fresh graduate with no teaching experience? I spent the whole summer applying to schools, but had zero luck.

Now, about 9 months later I can look back and see that the job I have now is indeed the answer to my many prayers, but the coolest part of it is how I can look back to the summer after I graduated from high school and see the chain of events that led me to this place. It would take a long time to tell you the whole story and all the people involved but I can see the direct path, those connected dots, that led me right here to Houston.

Part of me wishes I had known about this plan so that I wouldn't have wasted so much time worrying about it, but I have grown SO much because of this experience. God is good. He is faithful. He knows my future. Not only do I have a cool story of God's faithfulness, but this experience has radically changed my relationship with Him.

so much to say

2009-03-09T09:45:00.004-05:00

I'm trying to think of all that's happened since I last updated... I'll try my best...

Things at school have seemed to slow down a little bit, but it seems like everything else has picked up. Only one more week until Spring Break!!

So last week was quite traumatic. I administered my first official ELA TAKS test. Now, here's the thing you need to know about the TAKS test. Students must pass every TAKS test in order to graduate, which means my job (and the jobs of all teachers) depend on these results. It's a very secure test, and we have to go through all this training and paper work just to stand on our feet all day and monitor the test. The actual test day wasn't so bad, but I sure hope the 11th graders did good. If they get an over all 95% then I get a bonus in November :)

But it wasn't just the TAKS that made my week traumatic. Last Thursday, a fight broke out in my class. Now I don't mean a petty argument, I mean a full-out fist fight. Now it certainly was over something silly and was a fight between friends, but regardless, my heart was racing and I was pretty upset with these boys. I spent a long time talking with the police and AP's afterwards. At least it got me out of class.....

This week we are focusing on teen deaths related to drunk driving. Today was really cool. They brought out two cars on the street in front of the school that had been wrecked, and simulated an accident. The police, EMT, corner, etc. all came. It was very moving and way to realistic. The actors had blood all over them, they even took someone on a CareFlight. The students really seemed to be moved by it. Every 15 mins over the loud speaker we hear 10 seconds of a heart beat to symbolize another life lost to drunk driving, and "The Grim Reaper" has been paying classes a visit and removing someone from the room to also symbolize the deaths. Someone then reads an obituary for the student. Tomorrow, the parents of the students who were "killed" will be on campus for a mock memorial service, but there will also be a family here who really did lose a child to drunk driving. What a powerful statement.

I have a few workshops to attend this week, one is on the choking game which has become quite popular on campuses. My school had a student die just before January from this game. Her parents will be present at the workshop.

Spring Break is almost here! Daniel and I will be meeting up in Austin with my parents, Leah, Sarah, Isaiah, and Melody. I am VERY excited. It's been way too long since I have seen family. WAY TOO LONG!

I'm attempting to finish The Host, but I'm having a hard time getting into it... maybe over Spring Break...

I feel like God is trying to prepare my heart for something. Just the things I've been learning in my quiet times, at church, and in small groups kind of all point towards that. It never ceases to amaze me how those different settings can all be "unintentionally" teaching me the same thing. I love being apart of HIStory.

finally

2009-02-23T07:45:00.003-06:00

I know. I've very over due. So I'm going to copy my old roommate, Katie, and do this blog the way we used to... informative lists. Awesome.

This past weekend was Journey (Disciple Now). I had 11th grade girls and it was awesome! God moved in mighty ways.

I keep fooling my self into thinking that life will soon slow down. I think it helps me for the time being.

Daniel and I just celebrated 4 months. :)

The weather has flirted around the upper 60's for too long. I'm ready for beach weather.

This semester feels soooo different then last semester. I am really enjoying my job and my students. Not that I didn't last semester, just more so this semester.

I had my first (and hopefully last) MRI this past week. It was unpleasant.

On the medical note, I broke my toe.

3 more weeks to Spring Break! Me and Daniel are meeting up with my family in Austin. Can't wait!!

Sarah is about a month and a half away from having little Joshua. I'm looking forward to holding him.

Last week I got asked to write 4 letters of recommendation for my students. They must like me.

I realized this weekend that I truly enjoy working in the ministry. I help out with the junior high on Sundays right now, and will soon be leading a small group for the college ministry. This weekend though made me want to work in some way with the high school too, but I guess I have to limit myself before I make too many commitments.

In my small group we have been doing the Experiencing God study. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new and refreshing devotional. It has dramatically changed the way I view and approach my relationship with God.

Daniel and I have been memorizing Romans 8. Here's what I got so far. I'm sure I'm missing some words....

Therefore there is now no condemnation for anyone who is in Christ Jesus for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as an offering, He condemned sin in the flesh so that the requirement of the law might be fullfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For a mind set on the flesh leads to death, but a mind set on the Spirit leads to life and peace, because a mind set on the flesh is hostile towards God for it does not subject itself to the Law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh can not please God.

...I need to get some work done :(

DEBATE IS OVER!

2009-02-15T19:06:00.002-06:00

Dear Mom,
I told you I would update my blog today, but the day got away from me and I no longer feel like sitting down and catching the world wide web up on my life. Perhaps I will tomorrow. Until then, please accept this short and inadequate blog and know that a much overdue one is on the way. Love, Your favorite daughter.

2009-01-26T08:36:00.002-06:00

Things can finally start slowing down! Hooray! This past week was the hardest week yet of my teaching career, but it is over and I came out alive! We hosted our debate tournament and I am very thankful that we had the help of many other coaches and volunteers. Debate season is now 6 weeks from being over! Hooray!

I have had a full week with my new students. This semester feels so different. The classroom dynamics are completely different, personalities, attitudes, everything. I have more students this semester (which was unexpected), but I'm ready for the challenge.

Today is my parents 30th anniversary! How cool is that?! I talked with my mom last night and she said she can honestly say that all 30 years have been good years. Not a single bad one among them. I hope I can say that one day. I praise the Lord for parents who love Him and are faithful to Him and to each other.

Well. My 3rd period class is about to walk in... guess I should go greet them :)

2009-01-23T13:29:00.001-06:00

Busiest week eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeever....

I'll blog about it later

Pictures!

2009-01-20T21:03:00.002-06:00

I've been too busy to post pics, so here are some links to my facebook albums. Enjoy!
Random
Christmas 1
Christmas 2
More Random

por favor

2009-01-14T05:27:00.001-06:00

On the right hand side of my page click the "Loyal Readers" thing and start following my blog.

la-di-da

2009-01-12T08:18:00.002-06:00

This past weekend was wonderful. Mary is in town so that in itself has been enjoyable. We had a girls night Friday and saw "Bridewars" which was very cute. There were a ton of previews for some movies that look super-cute! I'm glad there will final be some more chick flicks. I feel as though Hollywood has been busy with hooror films and sequels.

Saturday we went with some of Daniel's family to ice skate... outside... in Houston... haha. It was so fun! A little strange ice skating outside in warmish weather, but I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. It was so fun! Afterwards we had pizza, ice cream sundays, and games at my place. I LOVE WEEKENDS!!

This week is a short week. 1/2 day Thursday, no school Friday OR Monday!! And next week... ALL NEW STUDENTS!!! wow.

Home again home again, jiggity jig.

2009-01-05T07:29:00.002-06:00

Well the past few weeks have been quite eventful. I spent a week at home with my family, and can I just say that I love my family? It was so refreshing to be home with them. The kids (Isaiah, Meelo, and Andrew) are growing up so fast. Sarah is looking very pregnant and I am very ready for baby Joshua to be here. Being home always makes me more homesick though. When I got back to Pasadena and walked into my apartment I was overwhelmed by the feeling that it didn't yet feel like home. Still feels very temporary. At what point does something begin to feel like home? A year? 5 years? I guess I'll have to wait and see...

We started back at work today. It's a strange feeling, coming back to work. The past 4 years I've had a month off at Christmas. While my 2 weeks was nice and appreciated, I could definitely handle 2 more weeks! However, in 2 weeks I will get all new students. I'm excited about that opportunity. This is most certainly going to be a busy semester. We are hosting a debate tournament this month, so I'll be swamped with work for that, and supposedly we will have tournaments every weekend until close to Spring Break (March 16). That is a long time from now, but I think I can make it.

My sister Mary is coming to visit this weekend. I can't wait! She is so much fun and I am looking forward to spending time with her.

I've been thinking about New Year's Resolutions. I usually don't make these, but I think I'll give it a try this year. I would like to be able to run a half marathon by the end of the year. I know that is MORE than enough time to prepare, but if you knew how much I hate running, you would understand why I need the whole year for this goal. Other resolutions include flossing everyday and having a better attitude about work. I would also like to find a place to serve at my church. Oh and NO MORE COKES! I have decided to (try) give up sodas. I think this might be the most challenging resolution! Caffeine is a necessity when you wake up at 4:30 am!!

Season 4 LOST!!

2008-12-15T17:52:00.002-06:00

I'm currently sitting at Barnes & Nobles (my favorite place in the whole wide world!!!) with a few of my students. They are gift wrapping as a fundraiser and I am "supervising." I can't complain. I would probably hang out here on my own free will.

The search for a roommate continues. We are exactly 4 days away from Christmas break, and soon I will be getting a whole new group of students. CRAZY!! I can't believe I'm almost done with my first semester! Here's to hoping for a less stressful 2nd semester....

Guess who I'm going to see in concert Saturday!!!! Bethany Dillion! With Shane & Shane!!!! I'm so stoked. I love them. I went to their Christmas concert last year and it was thebomb.com. Can't wait! I don't know if Daniel is as excited about it as I am, but oh well.

So random. I'm sitting here typing away and some of my students come over to ask me a question and the guy at the table facing me says "YOU'RE a teacher? How old are you?!?"
But it led to an awesome conversation. He just got out of the Army. He was in for 3 years and most of that served in Iraq until he got injured. Spent 18 months in a hospital over there. Anyway, had a great conversation just about the attitude of the troops and such, but he said something really interesting. He said you go over there believing in God and your country but you see so much pain and turmoil, that you no longer believe in any of that, especially not religion. He said to survive you can only believe in yourself and the other troops watching your back. This is hard for me to understand. I would think that at such a low and difficult place in your life you would lose belief and hope in everything BUT God. Something to contemplate. He said he misses life there though, fighting for our freedom. He feels unsettled here and like he's just coasting with out a reason to fight. I hadn't heard this perspective before on the war. Gives me something to think about.

I'm very ready for Christmas break. I'm looking forward to sleeping in!!

baby hippos and early mornings

2008-12-09T06:06:00.004-06:00

I have decided that I officially detest waking up so early. My 4:30 am alarm has now become a 5:15 am alarm. Arrival at school by 6:15 is now more like 6:45... Waking up so early wouldn't be that bad if I went to bed earlier, but well... I'm not giving that up just yet. When I was "younger" I used to think about being an adult. Living on my own, being responsible for myself, having my own place... who knew it also included lack of sleep, bills, and sending kids to the principal. I miss being a kid...

I'm watching the news and they just showed a picture of a baby hippo... TOO cute. I want one for Christmas... Go here to see the video.

Blogalicious

2008-12-03T08:06:00.003-06:00

Well I'm once again blogging at work. I feel so rebellious.

Thanksgiving Break was wonderful. Home was refreshing. I missed my family so much! I can't believe how much the kids have changed in just the past few months! They keep growing and growing! Nothing too exciting happened over break, which was nice. I loved getting to sleep in, lay around the house, read, and play with the kids. That is my favorite type of break. I took a lot of pictures. I'll post some later.

On the right hand side of my page click the "Loyal Readers" thing and start following my blog.

Now back at school the kids are definitely still on break mode. I'm not complaining though because amazingly enough they have been pretty quiet (ie: sleepy) in class. We are doing a unit on debate for the next three weeks. I'm really starting to enjoy debate and my students like having a reason to argue. My debate team has an out of town tournament this weekend so I'll be chaperoning 11 students for the weekend at a hotel... say a little prayer for me. It will be fun though. One of my students won 2nd place in novice poetry last tournament, so I'm hoping for another trophy this weekend. I sure complain a lot about coaching debate, but I'm really starting to enjoy it.

Only 2.5 weeks until Christmas break. However, I'll admit that my mind has been focused on a different break... summer break. I'm already starting to make plans for the summer (although I know they will all change between now and then).

My lease will be up in February and then I'm hoping to move into a rent house. I'm looking for some roommates if anybody has any ideas! I miss having roomies. Living by myself is lonely and boring. Even if I'm not there all that much, it's just nice knowing you are not alone.

I've started reading Same Kind of Different As Me. SO good. Part of it takes place in Fort Worth which is cool because I can picture the places they refer to. The story is very powerful. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but it is a must read.

My classroom smells weird today. It's kind of making me nauseous... Well, I've run out of things to say.

Give Thanks

2008-11-27T20:19:00.002-06:00

Things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving (in no particular order):

My family (parents, sisters, the brother, brother-in-laws, Meelo, Isaiah, Andrew)
green tea
tradition
nice weather
my car
Daniel
education
Mo
Pine Cove
pictures
good health
my laptop
peanut butter m&ms
music
my church
books
The Ralls, Houghs, and Gires.
Emily Poteet
international travel
my passport
granny smith apples
target
my converse shoes
dogs
karaoke
cherry pie
lower gas prices
my overseas friends (Beate, Aylen)
Jessie
my small group (the one i'm in and the one i led)
straws
Nintendo 64
youtube
my job
my students
good conversations
Gods unconditional love
my ipod
Apple products
Ouachita
grandparents

God has blessed me greatly indeed.

holla!

2008-11-18T08:31:00.002-06:00

So my lack of blogs is due to the fact that I don't have a ton of time to sit and blog, but today I have discovered that blogger is not blocked at my school! Hooray! I now have a new way to misuse my planning period! Haha.

Life has been pretty crazy these last few days. School is in full swing, just finished our 2nd 6-weeks. I can't believe I only have this group of students for 6 more weeks! I'm excited about getting all new students next semester, but not looking forward to learning 120 new names! I've been making lists of things I want to do differently in class next semester, so hopefully that will help with the management of the class.

This past weekend we had a super fun party at Tammi's. There was a great turn out, tons of food, and lots of laughter. Rock Band was a hit and I lost at (big time) at Nertz. All in all it was a wonderful evening. God has blessed me with some great friends.

In exactly 5 days I will be home! For a whole week! Hooray!!! I can't wait. I haven't been home since August! Crazy! I'm looking forward to spending time with the fam and especially with Isaiah and Meelo. OH and I haven't seen Sarah since shortly after she found out she was pregnant so I'm looking forward to seeing her. She will be having another boy. They're naming him Joshua James (Josh after my brother!), but Isaiah has called the baby "Alligator" since the day she found out she was pregnant, so I feel some nicknames coming. She'll be due right around... May? Yea that sounds about right. I'm so homesick! This will be great.

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. I love going over to my Aunt Karen's with my moms whole family and just enjoying the fellowship. Playing with my cousins kids, beating everyone at UNO, watching Travis out eat everyone, enjoying the pie, and listening to my dad and Dustin compare cell phones (I can already hear them now... "Oh yea but can your's do this?" Anna you know what I'm talkin about!). The absolute best part though comes at just a few minutes before 11:30 PM when Josh starts taking orders for Whataburger breakfast burritos. That has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. Every Thanksgiving we all go eat a late-night breakfast burrito from Whataburger. When we were younger we all piled in the car and went together. Now we just take orders and send someone. It is a great tradition. Yes it will truly be a wonderful day. To make it even better, Aunt Judy and Aunt Paula will be there this year! I can't wait. I'm trying to come up with a list of things I want to do and people I want to see while I'm home. I figure if I can't get it all in over Thanksgiving break, I can finish the list when I come home for Christmas.

Well I figure that's enough for now. The rest of this week will be great. Today I have a party with my debate team, then a basketball game. Wednesday is another basketball game and Thanksgiving dinner with the church college+ group. Friday I have a debate tournament and Saturday is Daniels senior recital (hoooray!!!). AND SUNDAY I'M FLYING HOME!!! 5 days... 5 days to home...

thoughts on Heaven

2008-11-10T05:09:00.006-06:00

Well, it's only been... 10 days since my last post? Yeah 10 days. Not too bad. Life has been pretty busy. School is going good, although I will admit there are a few students giving me some gray hairs. But that is expected, right? Debate team did MUCH better this past weekend with a few students moving on to the semi-finals. Very proud of them. They are currently working on their 3rd speech- a group speech. They love the fact that it's group work... because then they have an excuse to talk all class long. Haha! Speaking of school... here's a picture of MY classroom!!

So before I start blogging about what I actually wanted to blog about, here's a run down of my super-fun weekend:

Friday: Debate vs. Clear Lake. I got to drive the party bus (also known as a 15 passenger van). Takes me back to my Rock On days at PC (shout out to Tim Holms!).

Saturday: I GOT TO SLEEP IN! Holla! Then I went to U of H to take a test... but afterwards Daniel took me ice skating! Hooray! Is it possible to get worse at something? I do not remember being extremely bad at ice skating when I went soph year. Katie Holt- do you remember? Anyway. I was pretty much awful at ice skating but I blame the extremely wet ice. Seriously, it was a total melt down.

Sunday: church (have I mentioned how much I love my church?), then guess who came to visit?!? KATIE BUCHER!!

Love her. She drove down from C-Stat just to hang out with me. So blessed. We had a great time catching up. She's pretty much thebomb.com. Then I went to small groups where we planned the most ballin' party ever. And we took pictures (see below).

So that was my super-fun weekend. Now onto the original motivation for updating this blog....

So this book Crazy Love that I've blogged a few times about is still one of the best books I've read. If you haven't gotten a copy of it yet, GO NOW! It will change your life. Anyway, here is a portion of the book that we talked about for a while last night at small groups and has continued to be on my mind. It's from the book, but was actually taken from God is the Gospel by John Piper:

"The critical question for our generation- and for every generation- is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disaters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?"

AH! So tough, right? I'll be honest with you. My immediate reaction was "yeah, I just might be ok with that" and there is still a little part of me that could be. I've been letting this thought "marinate" in my mind. I think about all the good things it named, friends, food, activities I enjoy, etc. and think about how good those things are. Truly enjoyable because they are good. I've known a lot of good in my life, and rarely do I experience something good and think "wow God, thank you." Good is an everyday part of my life. I see good and become... desenitized? to it. I expect a day with at least a few good things. How can I so easily forget that every good thing in my life is because of God? It could not exist with out Him. Therefore a heaven with all the good things in my life could not possibly exists with out Him, right? But what if it could? What if a heaven could exisit with good but not with God? Would I be satisfied? I know my answer to this is no, but I'll be honest. It's easy to say yes. Good things in life are easy. We know how to enjoy. Living a life for the Almighty is hardwork, and I guess for me when I think of an eternity of worshiping God it could sound like work, or at least not as pleasurable as the good things I have come to expect in life. But heaven is going to be so much more than just worshiping God! I mean we will be in the presence of our Creator! We wont want to do anything but worship Him. Singing praises to Him will give us more pleasure than any good thing we could ever experience here on this earth. It will be so much better than a heaven with all our friends, no sickness, no conflict. It will surpass any good we could ever imagine. It will be... uh I don't even have the words. That's just how truly awesome it will be. So, could I be truly satisfied in a heaven like John Piper described? No. I certainly could not be satisfied.

have i mentioned how much i like fridays?

2008-10-31T05:24:00.004-05:00

Well this week has been pretty good. My students delivered their informative speeches this week and did a very good job. Yesterday was quite eventful. We had a fire drill, I sent a kid to the principal, went to the worlds longest staff meeting (2.5 hours!), and waited in line for over an hour to exercise my right to vote. I really wont mind if today is less eventful... But I am going ice skating tonight!

I sure do miss my best friend Em. She's in Australia. I figure in her honor, I'll post the most recent Facebook wall message we shared.

I wrote:
thursday routine of the past (senior year):

go to the chic for pizza/bosco sticks
watch greys anatomy (in my room while the office was recording in yours)
you go down to the lobby for duty, i "do homework"
you come back and we watch the office in your room
we sit and talk too long and i have to force myself to get up and leave you to be responsible and do more homework while i go crash in my room.

She replied:
Thursday Routine of Sophomore year:

Come back after class and pretty much do nothing.
4:00 watch and make fun of 7th heaven reruns
5:00 watch smallville reruns and make fun of it too
5:35ish RUN to chic-fil-A during a commercial break and run back for the ending.
6:00 Watch the following movie after smallville and groan because of all the commercials for Wildfire.
8:00 to the rest of the night we would then feel sick of TV and then not think of anything else to do and then around 10 or 11 I would do tons of reading while you and Katie would watch the foodnetwork.

you know, I never thought I would miss making fun of 7th Heaven.... Em. Come home soon.

Looking forward to ice skating and pumpkin carving :)

2008-10-27T04:53:00.003-05:00

Well my students had their first debate tournament this past weekend. While they didn't make it past the first round, they all did very well. They worked hard and had good attitudes. I am very proud of them.

This past week was so very busy, and I missed out on a lot of sleep. I'm looking forward a less eventful week with a little bit more rest.

This really isn't a very good post... I'll do better later this week.

glorious inheritance

2008-10-20T05:26:00.002-05:00

Sleep. I've always been good at this leisurely activity. In high school I would sleep until about 2 pm every Saturday. I could easily sleep for 14 hours straight. Going to sleep has never been a problem for me. However, finding time to sleep is a new obstacle.

If I wake up at 4:30 am then that means for a good 8 hour sleep I need to be in bed by... 8:30, right? WHO GOES TO BED AT 8:30?!?!?! Not I. I should go to bed then cuz I definitely need those sweet 8 hours, but there is still so much to be done at 8:30. I'm doing good if I'm in bed by 10. Ridiculous. Needless to say I feel that I am now in a constant state of yawning. I'd take a nap when I get home for work, but I go to sleep just a few hours after that so I feel like I'd be wasting time that could be better spent. I'll just pray that the Lord daily renews my strength.

So this book Crazy Love, and how obsessed I am with it. I just finished chapter 3. Basically it was about understanding the magnitude of being known by Jesus. We all grew up singing "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." But do we really only believe that He loves us because "for the Bible tells me so"? This was a question raised in the chapter that really hit me hard. About a year ago my mom gave me this wooden signing that says "Jesus knows me this I love." As cute as it is, it bothered me a little bit that the words were out of order. As I read this chapter though, I kept thinking about that phrase. Jesus KNOWS me. He knows me, Hannah King. There is nothing special about me, nothing worthy of being known by Him, and yet not only does He know me, but He knows EVERYTHING about me and has since before I was created (Jer. 1:5).

The following is a portion of the book that really hit me. I bet you can guess which two words I struggled hearing the most.

"The very fact that a holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, fair, and just God loves you and me is nothing short of astonishing.

The wildest part is that Jesus doesn't have to love us. He doesn't need me or you. Yet He wants us, chooses us, even considers us His inheritance (Eph. 1:18). The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us.

That really is amazing beyond description. The holy Creator sees you as His 'glorious inheritance.'

The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him- and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by."

AH! SO STINKIN' GOOD! Ok, now lets go back to the part that hit me the most- "glorious inheritance." The reference to that is from Eph. 1:18. However, if you back up to verse 13-14 it says, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."

What is this inheritance? Is it Heaven? I think that that is part of it. But think about the word inheritance. Webster defines it as "to receive as an heir at the death of the previous holder." Our inheritance (now please know that this is only my interpretation) is Life. Jesus (the previous holder) died for you and me so that we could inherit life. And not just any life, but an enternal life with no pain, no sickness, no hurt. A life where all we do is worship God. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty! There really is no greater love than this! He died for us so that we could have Life. Think about this, He DIED for us, for me. And He KNOWS me, everything about me. I would not die for me. I've screwed up, I am very unworthy of this Life He freely gives, and yet, despite my unworthiness and knowing all my flaws, HE STILL DIED FOR ME!

I'm amazed.

Friiiiiiiiiiiiiii-day

2008-10-17T05:30:00.003-05:00

Hooray for Fridays. The following is a list of reasons why I usually love Fridays (note that I say usually because if there is a Debate Tournament that weekend, I'm not a big fan of Friday...)

-I get to wear jeans and a tshirt to work. Best day ever.
-My students are in fairly good moods.
-I clean my apartment on Fridays, and yes I do enjoy this.
-I get to sleep in until 5 am (as opposed to the normal 4:30 am)
-Hanging out with friends
-NO agenda. No papers to grade, no lesson plans to work on, just an enjoyable evening.
-Staying up past 9:30 pm. Although, usually right around then I start the yawning... just because I get to stay up later doesn't take away from the fact that I woke up so early.

Anyway. I am thankful for Fridays. I think God created them just for me. Oh, I started reading The Shack. A very interesting (and slightly confusing) book. But I am enjoying it so far. I'll keep you posted.

I think I'm gonna see a movie tonight! Whoop!

Humor Me Lord

2008-10-14T05:07:00.003-05:00

Here's an interesting concept: Sometimes God answers our prayers with humor. I've been praying about something in my life pretty hardcore, and basically had asked God to do the typical "give me a sign" because as we all know faith is so much easier when it's something tangible (that is sarcasm at myself by the way). Anywho, it was not necessarily a laughing matter but the way God choose to answer my prayers was most definitely something to smile about. In fact, I feel like I've been laughing about it for over 12 hours, and know that I'll probably laugh at this for years to come. God is good. He gave me my answer and something to smile about. He's pretty cool like that.

Good Morning.

2008-10-13T05:17:00.003-05:00

Some people are early morning joggers. I think I shall become an early morning blogger. It is currently 5:18 AM. Ridiculous. I will say though that I am "getting used to" waking up so dang early.

The conference in Corpus was pretty great. I will admit that it was hard sitting in so many different lectures, but the resources were well worth it. I'm looking forward to applying all my new lesson plan ideas to the classroom.

I'm beginning to set aside a little bit of each paycheck so that I can go to Panama over Christmas break. Be praying that God works it out. If it is His will, I'll be there.

Small groups last night was pretty much thebomb.com. I am obsessed with this book Crazy Love and encourage everyone to go out and pick up a copy. Pretty convicting. Ever since my first summer working at Pine Cove I have been learning that this life is not about me, and this book is showing me that I never fully grasped that concept. This life really isn't about me, although I live as if it is. My only purpose (and incredible purpose at that) is to glorify my Maker. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Think about it though. My soul purpose, your purpose in life is to bring glory to God. Sounds simple huh? So how come we make it so complicated and screw it all up? I'm working on that answer.

Thought for the day:

"Whatever God's reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is His glory. God's art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like." -Crazy Love

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Psalm 19:1-4

my longest post EVER

2008-10-08T09:12:00.003-05:00

Ok. SO here is a legit blog for those of you who are faithful readers. (ps: I would really like to know who my readers are, so please leave a comment.) I'm currently sitting in an air port waiting to board for a flight to Corpus Christi. Myself and the other speech teacher from my school are going there for the remainder of the week for a speech teacher conference. I'm looking forward to the workshops and am already excited about applying what I learn in the classroom, but I'm not looking forward to sitting in workshops from 8 am to 9 pm for the next 3 days....

Where to begin! For those of you who have not quite caught on, I moved to the Houston area in August. Pasadena more specifically. I'm teaching high school speech and lovin' it! It is way harder than I had expected, but I like the challenge. God has been so faithful to me. The move was flawless, getting started at school was a smooth transition, and I fell in love with the first church I visited. I've made friends, and feel "at home" here in this great town. Of course I miss my family dearly, but my busy schedule helps distract me.

Pasadena: I really like it here. Close enough to the water that I can satisfy my love for the ocean, far enough away from downtown Houston that I don't feel like a fish out of water, 10 minute drive to work, and I live next to a Barnes & Nobles. Life is good. I should add that three weeks into the semester I evacuated for Hurricane Ike. Awesome. School was closed for 2 weeks. I received only minor damage at my apartment (praise the Lord!) but many I know lost almost if not everything. My electricity was only out for a few days, but everyone around me (including next door) went weeks with out electricity. It has been hard on our area, but God has changed the lives of many through this disaster.

School: I have about 130 students, the majority of them are Hispanic. A few of my students speak very little English, and I am suddenly aware of why God called me to "learn" Spanish. I'm getting to practice it daily, which is wonderful. It amazes me how the majority of my students are the same age (Juniors) and yet everyone of my 5 classes are soooo completely different. 1st period- extremely quite. But that is totally understandable. It is after all 7:15 am (did I mention I wake up at 4:30 am? My dad would say that's karma). 3rd period is a great class. They are well-behaved and responsive to our lessons. You'd think they'd be my favorite, right? Just wait. 4th period is a fun class, the only hard part is they are in there for almost 2 hours. It is so hard to keep them awake when they are ready to get up, move around, and eat lunch! (Speaking of lunch, it starts at 9:45 am. Crazy!) Then there is 6th period, my biggest class. I have 33 students in there. Individually, they are great. However, they all have a TON of energy and lots to say. I have a little trouble managing that class, but I'm learning. And finally, 7th period. My favorite, and not just because it's the last class of the day. I would never tell them they are my favorite class, but I don't mind mentioning it here. So what is so great about them? Well first of all, about half the baseball team is in that class which is just fun. Secondly, they are hilarious! I'm positive I teach some of the funniest kids in the school. But finally, they are my favorite because they are good learners and seem to enjoy what we are learning. They are fairly easy to teach, and help make the learning environment enjoyable. I can't think of a better class to end the day with.

I'm also help coach Debate. The head coach heads up the actual debate part of the team (believe it or not, you do more than debate at tournaments!). I help the students write their speeches, practice for improv speeches, prose, poetry, and theater. Yes, those are all events with in debate. Amazing, huh? I'm learning a lot and enjoying it, but there is a down side... it keeps me at school for about 2 extra hours everyday and we travel for tournaments almost every weekend. However, it is all worth it. So that is enough about school.

Oh wait, I'll add one more thing. I sent my first kid to the principal. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I felt so bad. After all my students left the classroom, I cried. I dreaded seeing the student the next day, but to my surprise I am still his favorite teacher. Gives me a cool picture of how it must be for God to discipline us. It pains Him but we love Him all the more for it.

Church: My church is AMAZING! A friend had invited me, and I praise the Lord for that friend. The church has made my transition here so much better. The college+ group is wonderful, my pastor is oozing with wisdom, and the people are so loving. I am truly blessed. Oh and I got invited to start attending a small group which I'll begin on Sunday. We are going to be reading Crazy Love. I'm definitely looking forward to this. I miss having a group of girls to grow with.

A final thought: EMILY POTEET COME HOME PLEASE!!!!! My best friend is living it Australia and will be there until the middle of Dec. I haven't seen her since May. We talk almost daily, but it just isn't enough. I miss my 'lil Poteet! I can't wait for her to come home and then move to Pasadena to live with me! (wishful thinking, I know...)

My heart and flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26

i'm lame.

2008-10-06T23:17:00.000-05:00

So I'm so very over due. The following is a post I started after I got back from Panama at the beginning of August... It's not a complete post, still had thoughts to be expressed/refined and details to be added, but it probably wont ever get finished... so here it is. A REAL post will be coming this week with updates of the here-and-now. No worries.

I'm not even really sure where to start. The last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster. Camp in Panama was so much more than I could have imagined. God was totally in control of all that happened, and He deserves all the glory. I really feel like the Panamanians have finally grasped the vision of camping ministry, and that they will continue to move forward in their ministry. It was so hard saying goodbye to my friends there. Aylen and her family have been so wonderful to me the last 3 years. They have taken me in and truly made me apart of their family. I praise the Lord for that relationship, and I am excited to visit them some time in the future.

Saying goodbye to Robert, Nina, Nicole, and Johann was real hard too. I love that family. But they'll be in the states for a few months pretty soon, so I know I'll see them.

It was weird leaving Cresta del Mar. For the last three years I have been blessed to serve there, and as we drove away, I wasn't real sure how I felt. I'm still not. I just feel so emotionally worn out. I was pretty distracted on the trip too. That didn't really help. I realized that as soon as I stepped off the plane in Houston, everything would change. My mom picked me up there, then we drove all around Pasadena looking for an apartment to move into. I think we found one, we are gonna fill out all the paper work and meet with them tomorrow. I'll move here on Monday. Welcome to the real world.

My alternator in my car went out the day before I left. Hopefully it wont be too expensive to fix. I hate money. (ha ok so here is something funny. this post was written almost 2 months ago and just a couple of weeks ago my alternator went out... AGAIN!)

I know this post is mostly gibberish, but I can't really think straight right now.

home....

2008-08-07T22:24:00.002-05:00

well. i'm back from panama. a blog will come, rest assured. i just need to process. lot going on. but don't worry, i will blog.

I'm in Panama!!

2008-08-02T16:13:00.002-05:00

SO I'm in Panama right now. We finished 3 days of camp at Churuquita yesterday and are now spending the weekend with our host families. I'm with Aylen's family again which is AWESOME! Her family is great, and definitely forcing me to practice my spanish! Today we hung out with all Panama CCI staff past and present. It was so refreshing. We swam, played some games, and one stinkin' incredible game of kickball in pouring rain. That's what I love about Panama in the rainy season. Just because it is pouring doesn't mean we stop everything and run for cover. We keep on keepin on. After fellowship time, we sat around and got an opportunity to tell the staff what we have learned from them over the last 3 years and then they got to tell us what they learned from us. I still can't believe this is our last trip here. The staff have grown so much of the last three years. I am confident they will continue to put into practice what they have learned during model camp. Churuquita was a new location for us. It was beautiful, but pretty undeveloped. I'm excited to head back to Cresta del Mar tomorrow. I love that place. Pray that God does awesome things while we are there and that many come to know and love Him. The following links should send you to a Facebook album I've made of our first few days here. More pics to follow!
Album 1:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026637&l=a6b5e&id=82200756
Album 2:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026638&l=c5326&id=82200756

scratch that

2008-07-26T18:11:00.000-05:00

so after all my venting i got the job. and i took it. i, hannah king, am moving to houston. in 2.5 weeks.

back to square one

2008-07-26T13:33:00.000-05:00

it's funny, life that is. this past week was odd. i got a call on monday for an interview at a school in houston. awesome. so drove to austin wednesday, stayed the night at my dads apartment, woke up at 4 am and drove to houston for my interview at 8:30. the interview started out rough. the principal made kind of a big deal out of my age, but i think she eventually accepted the fact that i'm young. anyway, the interview went pretty good after that. great actually. she had one other person to interview after me, and she said unless they were just awesome, i've got the job. cool, right? well. she told me that regardless of whether she offered me the job, she'd still call me on friday to let me know one way or the other. friday was quite possibly the longest day of my life. the phone never left my hand. and it never rang with a 281 area code.

i'm kind of disappointed that i didn't get the job because i LOVED the school, but more than anything i'm frustrated she didn't call. i know she probably has an excellent reason for not calling, but one of my biggest pet peeves is when you say you'll do something and don't follow through. i know i need to let it go. i just made the mistake of getting my hopes up.

on a much more exciting note, i leave for panama in less than 48 hours. i'm so stoked. i can't wait to see my friends there, be at cresta del mar, and love on some kids. my spanish hasn't been used in sooo long. i'm pretty rusty. i'm sure it will come back just fine. if not, it's not like i knew spanish the first time i went there. or that anyone else on my team does. i'll fit right in.

i'm hopin for a nice tan while i'm there. i looked at some pictures from the first week of summer and realized that i have actually lost my tan this summer. that's never happened before. this is, after all, the first summer in years i haven't spent in a lifeguard stand. hooray for summer school.

anyway. i should pack.

i cant think of a creative title

2008-07-22T09:48:00.000-05:00

I'm not gonna lie. I'm kind of going crazy. We planners don't like to not know what we are to plan. It's not healthy for us. This whole "not knowing what's next" thing is pretty much stressing me out. Which it shouldn't, because it is an incredible opportunity for me to learn to trust the Lord. How come I can recognize what I should appreciate and yet still stress? Well friends that is because I, Hannah King, am a stupid sinner. Face it. Mankind is just stupid. We make mistakes, we miss the mark sometimes, and the majority of the time, we know it. Praise the Lord for forgiveness. I know I sure need it. So my new goal is to try to be less of a stress, and lean a little bit more on the Lord. Besides, His plans are way better than mine.

i ramble when i'm tired

2008-07-19T01:57:00.000-05:00

it's currently 2:00 am... I went to bed tonight at 10:30, but for some reason woke up and can't fall back a sleep. I know, lame. Who goes to bed at 10:30 on a Friday, but I have to wake up at 6 am for something at my church.

Anyway. The wait is over people. Today, I bought a pair of Chacos. Perhaps that is why I can't sleep. I have waited for so long for a pair of Chacos that I just can't sleep knowing they are in the same room as me and not on my feet.

I'm crazy. And its clearly not my best hour. I leave in a week and 2 days for Panama!! I'm so pumped. I have been countin' down the days since.... well. Since I got back from Panama last summer! I'll be there for 10 days, but I'm totally ok if my passport expires and I can't fly home. Too bad it doesn't expire for.... 7 more years.... awesome.

I hung out with my younger sisters tonight. We had fun. Shopped a little, documented my trip to buy Chacos with silly photos, ate at El Phoenix (our fav), then went home and laid in the hammock for a while. It was fun. I feel like I have missed out on so much this summer because I have been in class since June 1st. But I am officially done! No more classes for me! WAHOO!

Brace yourself... I'm pretty sure I have officially decided to put grad school off for at least the first semester. I think I just need to adjust to being a teacher. I don't need my masters, it was just a dream to have it, but you know what? I don't feel as ambitious as I once did. Funny how God changes our plans. Or, I guess we change our plans when we realize that they weren't the ones God desired for us. Yea, that answer is way better.

If you think about it, say a prayer for me on Monday. The past week to two weeks most schools have been on vacation, and principals come back this Monday. I'm really hoping I'll get (several) calls to come in next week for interviews. I mean, time is ticking. When I get back from Panama (08/08/08... weird...) it will be just days before teachers report back to school.

Anyway. My eye lids are heavy once again, so I shall return back to my nest. Oh, My best friend is now a resident of Australia. Sad for me, stinkin' awesome for her. Em if you are reading this, I miss you.

all other ground is sinking sand

2008-07-15T16:27:00.000-05:00

wow. two posts in one week. get excited people.

i've been thinkin a lot about where i am at in life right now, and i've realized that i keep forgetting to seek God in my decisions. it's not like i just make decisions so fast that i don't "have time" to pray over it, because if you know me you know i am the worlds slowest decision maker. i think that i am just in the bad habit of asking everyone around me and basing my decisions on what they think is a good idea and how i feel about it. pretty dumb, huh? if Christ really is the solid rock that i stand on, how come i keep choosing to build my life on sinking sand?

what got me thinkin' about this was when i realized i never prayed over my decision to work at Paschal High School. ever since i got the offer, i haven't really felt 100% about it, but i didn't exactly get hired anywhere (yet), so it seems like it's my only option...right?

nope. i'm gonna keep up the job search. if no other doors open, i'll go to Paschal, but right now, i'm just going to keep PRAYING that the Lord leads me down His path and shows me where He desires for me to be. until then, i'm just gonna lean on Him. that's about all i can do.

“For it stands in Scripture: ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame’” 1 Peter 2:6

Poor Arkadoo

2008-07-14T18:27:00.001-05:00

So this past weekend was Jessie's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful. SHE was beautiful. See? I was pretty nervous about singin at the wedding, but the Lord was faithful and I didn't mess it up too bad! :) Anyway, being around the girls from school brought up a lot of thoughts and memories from school... there are so many things I wish I had done, many things I'm glad I didn't do... then I started thinkin' about good 'ole Arkadelphia, and realized... it is GOOD to be home. As much as I loved college there are a few things I do not miss. For example: I do not miss going to chapel, being forced to take classes I am uninterested in, not liking the churches in the area, having to drive 45 mins for real food or a coffee shop, Sonic that closes at 10:30 (I mean seriously!!), social clubs, and of course, we can't forget they dying town. Poor Arkadoo. Livin' in the 'delph was great, but I sure do like being home.

Sweet Relief

2008-06-30T15:41:00.001-05:00

I PASSED MY PPR EXAM!!!!! Praise the Lord. It was kind of a big deal...

I'm agreein' with BC Johnson

2008-06-29T22:34:00.000-05:00

So I have a philosophy paper (9 pages) due in less than 24 hours and I am yet to start writing. I have been working on it for the last couple of hours, but I just don't understand any of it. I don't know how to approach it. I'm writing on the topic of Evil and why God let's it happen in the world. Awesome. I'm pretty sure that 9 pages from now I still wont know the answer to that.

I walked into my parents closet and my dad was in there, sitting in a fold up chair, watching a movie on his computer... I asked him what he was doing and he said he couldn't find a place in the house where he could actually hear... it was pretty funny. Not everyday you see that. He wasn't even watchin a good movie. 10,000 B.C. Lame.

Speaking of lame, I better get back to my paper....

Wahoo I'm a teacher!!

2008-06-26T16:44:00.001-05:00

I'm officially going to be teaching at Paschal High School!! I'm so excited! God is so faithful! I can't think of a school I would rather teach at! On a sad note, I got the job at Sylvan, but since I'm student teaching in Ft. Worth, I can't get back to W'ford in time for work... so the (paying) job hunt continues...

a little of this and a little of that

2008-06-22T13:52:00.000-05:00

I feel like I just don't have enough time. I have lists of things I want to do, books I want to read, movies I want to see, people I want to have coffee with, places I want to visit... but by the time I have gotten up, gone to class, worked out, and participated in one of my many weekly activities (Bible study, etc.), I have just enough time to do homework and go to sleep. When will my life slow down! I'm looking forward to my (one) week off in July. Perhaps I can catch up on at least one of my things on my list.

It has been a blessing to watch the college ministry at TBC take off. God has been so faithful, and has provided us with some awesome leaders. I pray that He continues to bless the group.

I have an interview Tuesday at Sylvan Learning Center. I'm excited to start making some money! Here's to hopin' the interview goes great!

This would happen to me.

2008-06-20T23:52:00.000-05:00

So I've been bloggin' pretty regularly for the past 2 years on a different blog, but while trying to consolidate web addresses I accidentally deleted it and all my posts. LAME!

Now I'm sad...