Good Read

It's amazing how once very important things are not so important anymore when you have yourself a very.good.book.  Suddenly you aren't THAT busy and you have more than enough time to do those OTHER things later.  It's even more amazing when your husband who only reads sales books, Money Magazine, and Yahoo News gets into a novel.

Suggested Read: The Hunger Games Trilogy 


(Yes, we have both jumped on that bandwagon. They are so entertaining that I don't even care that I have joined the over-commercialized, sensationalized, science-fiction saga.) 

 Apparently they do not entertain everyone:

Lessons Learned

Daily life gives us continuous lessons. These are mine as of late:

-While beginning my first "real" job search, I have realized that I am competing with 23423 people for the same job. It's difficult to not get discouraged and remember (or find) reasons that you are unique among the rest. I am considering investing in a giant, neon sign for every room in my house that says, "It is not about YOUR plan. Calm down. Do your best." This is very hard to remember, especially after job fairs where your resume is tossed on the table atop 300 others.

-Four year olds can have the tempers of a hungry lion. Never underestimate a tantrum.

-No matter how many lists I make, I will still be going to the grocery store at least 2 other times during the week.

-Family reunions are not to be dreaded. They are to be cherished. It is truly a craft of God's for family to come together and not only immediately, but naturally feel/provide love and support for one another -even after long absences. The acts and love that come out of simply being family never cease to amaze me.

-Relaxation and good company is great therapy and essential to squeeze into busy weeks.

-A positive attitude can make the day go quicker.

-If you actually follow the recipe, things do turn out.

-God has a reason, plan, and purpose for everything. He is at work and when you step back and watch this it is the best show.

-Yes, kids deal with things no child should have to experience; but they also deal with things even no adult should have to experience. You may be there only smile, patient hand, or soft voice that day. There is so much you can't do, but the basics are what you can do.

-Things break---all at the same time.

-Boys don't see messes. This may come as sarcasm, but seriously, they really don't see it. An unmade bed simply means they just slept in it. Then the thought stops. Oh well, I prefer to make it anyway. Will hasn't exactly picked up on hospital corners.

-I like living in our little quaint town more than I have realized. The thought of moving makes me a little sad. (Not that we are).
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Pictures of events in the past few weeks. The whole Cousin family was back together for Will's Grandma's funeral. Although the end of a life is always a devastating loss, Grandma Cousin had been a victim of Alzheimer's for a very long time and it was a blessing to see her at peace. I did not have the opportunity to know her before the onset of the disease, but seeing the family she raised and loved, I know she was a very special woman.

The Countdown

I am more than half way through student teaching and it is taking every last bit of me not to make a paper chain countdown. Countdowns seem to only make things feel longer and I can't risk feeling more time drag. For those of you who have had the pleasure of talking with me during student teaching, most likely have not encountered a Positive Patty, but rather a Negative Nancy. Both the nature of student teaching and the pressure I have put upon myself haven't made it my most favorite experience in life. The truth be told, there is only a fraction of things professors can teach you about the teaching profession in a lecture hall. My eyes have been opened to so many different aspects of being a classroom teacher. While there are positive and negative things, it has been a lot to process and figure out how things I've been taught in courses connect to the real-world.
Apart from my eyes being opened, I have put too much pressure on myself and have struggled stepping back and telling myself to RELAX. While there are people assessing me, I certainly don't think they are analyzing my every move to the extent I am. I am beginning to think they may actually have lives they go home to and might not spend there evenings critiquing my every move and word that day. You think?

Through my obsessing and stressing, I seemed to win over at least a few of the 2nd graders I had at my first placement. They left me with cards, goodies, and well wishes. The picture below is one of my favorite prizes from student teaching. (Note the card). If one of the kids thought I was the best teacher in the 2nd grade than I must have done SOMETHING right.

Going further, I will try to find more peace during the next 7 weeks. I will aim to put Negative Nancy to bed, as I do not want to send out apology cards with my graduation announcements.

Let the countdown begin!