hi all...well, it has been quite a long time since i've updated this thing.  wow...time has gone by so quickly!  i'm officially out of school for the Christmas holidays...three weeks of no children!  Woohoo!  haha...it's funny, but i'll miss them in some ways.  I love being a part of their day to day lives.  They are growing, learning, messing up, having the smallest of victories that might mean something one day.  It's all pretty beautiful and sad at the same time.  I'm not sure I want to see them in twenty years.  I want to see how they'll grow up, but in some ways I don't.  They are so resilient at this age...some of them have lives full of too much crap for me to comprehend and yet they are happy at school and love running outside or building with the blocks.  Anyway, sometimes I feel like I could be around four and five year olds for a long time and teach them their ABCs, numbers, how to play with each other, and whatever else comes along and then some days I feel like just doing something else!  I'm not sure what is next...am I ever?  It always seems like such a huge question that keeps showing up.  I guess questions will never cease from pervading this brain as long as I live and am trying to do what Jesus would have me do.  That's all...this place is full of people like all other places...and this place has required me to stretch my idea of love, my idea of myself, and my idea of God.  That's all I can hope for...

Wow...things have been quite busy lately and it just keeps comin'...but i love it!  love it love it love it!  *kicks legs*  k...i'm done.  anyway, last week i headed to Tennessee for Leigh Ann's (aka roommate) wedding.  i stopped in ATL to see my sis for a second then i stopped at a camp where i worked one summer and spent the night which really just meant that i stayed up talking forever and slept in the clothes i was wearing and got up at butt crack early morning and stayed in the clothes i had slept in and worn the previous day...glorious!  i love camp.  and i love lindsey who affirms my life.  and i hope i affirm hers as well.  i left there early and headed the rest of the way to MO-town where leigh ann lives.  but before i got there, i stopped at my alma mater and saw some dear friends who work and live there.  Dave and Mandy...Mandy was pregnant...way pregnant and was due this past week.  so i talked with them a while and mandy said that christopher would not be arriving until the next week...wah wah.  so i finally made it to leigh ann and did not stop upon arriving.  tablecloths were put on the tables, trips were made to the florist, the candle people, the cleaners, the mall, and i don't even remember what else.  i was put in charge of making those crazy bouquets of bows from all the wedding gifts for the bridesmaids...all 9 were made.  don't mess...some were pretty.  and some not so much.  anyway, i'm making this way too long, but the wedding was all that leigh ann wanted it to be...i tried my best to be oh so beautiful for her and i wore those shoes longer than i wanted to.  AND Mandy went into labor Friday morning and Christopher came just for me!  I got to stop by the hospital and spend some quality time with my nephew...i thanked him for coming just for me.  He is the cutest thing EVER!  bahhh...cute little hair and pretty skin and just beautiful.  and dave and mandy...wow...wish i could live near them.

So...headed on home and then worked all week at a high school...i've become a counselor as well as paperwork extraordinaire.  these kids don't know what they're doing with their lives...i don't really either, but at least i have hope and some aspirations.  most of them have nothing or won't admit to having any.  so...i've been trying to pull it out of them.  i told one kid he was just lazy and he agreed.  Friday i went to see Ratatouille or whatever the crap that movie is with all the rats.  bahhh...worst movie.  yikes...don't listen to the critics...they've got it wrong...i swear.  it was painful...i should have left.  Saturday i went to a baby shower...and half the women there were pregnant as well.  including half of them being my age.  i tried not to touch them.  last night we had baptism at a swimming pool while it was raining and lightening...it was wonderful.  four kids...cutest things ever...i cried.

k...i'm done with this crazy long entry.  thanks for reading...oh and i'm going to chicago in like two days!  yay!