the end of '13

I'm pretty sure the earth began spinning much faster as soon as October ended.  How are November and December already gone?  Obviously, I've been busy [hellllllooooooo, not a single post in December, and hardly any in November].  Unfortunately, I still am, but I'm also determined to take the time to sit down an write more often.  Starting now.  And by write, I mean re-cap November and December of 2013.  In pictures...

Minnehaha Falls in early November.  We were blown away by its beauty.

Mook swam, Byron climbed, I photographed, and Bridget tried to keep her feet dry.

Ran in our tacky sweaters along the path of Christmas lights at Lake Lanier.

Spent my birthday with this hunk at King and Duke.

Celebrated Christmas with our families!!
My Grandparents' house [above]

at his parents' house 

and with my family!

Bridget loves Christmas, but wasn't too fond of her gift [a candy cane shaped bone]

Mook also loves Christmas -- particularly the gifts.

Byron and I got our 2nd tree together.  This year I even got to put all of my Barbie ornaments on it!

The Faces of Bridget

A week away from school has left me with some time on my hands and I thought I'd compile a few of the thousands of photos of Bridget, everyone's favorite Corgidor.  She wrote the captions herself [duh] to allow you to better get to know her.

I am my grandma's favorite.

Everyone thinks I'm just a princess, but I'm straight gangsta.

Mmmm, flowers.  I love to smell flowers!

I remember to buy my mom cards for Mother's Day.  Then I use these puppy dog eyes to get whatever I want.

Zoolander ain't got nothin' on me.

The mess of moving makes me CRAZY. 

I guard our home all day.  It's exhausting. Thank goodness my parents bought me this pillow.

Santa, look into these eyes.  I've been good alllll year.  I promise.

This year I am thankful for...

Everyone on Facebook seems to participate in the 'Days of Thankfulness' or whatever it is called, where each day they post one thing they're thankful for.  Instead of posting each day, I'm compiling my list all into this post.

I am thankful for...
1.  Such a loving, gracious God and for the truth in His word.
2.  My wonderful husband -- he loves me more than I'd ever imagined possible.
3.  My mom, dad, and brothers -- I couldn't have asked for a better family to raise me.
4. The best grandparents on the planet -- they are so inspiring and I hope I'm like them when I grow up.
5. My awesome in-laws -- they are such a blessing to Byron and me in countless ways.
6. My aunts, uncles, and cousins -- they have always been constant, supportive, encouraging, and loving.
7. My friends -- they've shaped who I am, are dependable, and make me laugh like no one else can.
8. My job -- I love my school much [maybe because of the next two on the list!]
9. My friends at work -- they are such a blessing.  I could not make it through the day without them.
10. My students -- they keep me on my toes and make each day enjoyable and interesting.
11. Bridget & Mook -- the two pups that bring joy to each and every day with their wagging tails.
12. The 11 women in my women's small group -- I am so thankful for the new friendships we're building and for how God's working in them.
13. The 4 couples in our married small group -- It is such a blessing to build relationships with couples who have the same love for the Lord.
14. A home -- it's not where we want to stay forever, or even for another 6 months, but it's fulfills the needs we have right now and is a temporary place for Byron, the pups, and I to call home.
15. Laughter -- because it leaves you feeling better than almost anything.  It's something so simple with such a great impact.
16. Wakeboarding -- One of the first things Byron taught me and our favorite way to spend time together.
17. Running -- because nothing makes you feel free-er.
18. Food -- oh, how I love to cook it!
19. Wine -- specifically Prosecco and Cabernet, and how good it is at the end of a long day!
20. Free time -- that allows me time to clean, write, grade, pray, shop, and catch up with good friends.

Cranberry Salad

[An actual conversation held at a Friendsgiving one year.]

Friend 1: "Will you pass the beets?"

Friend 2: "Those are yams!"

Friend 1: "They're the same thing!"

Friend 3: "Actually...it's cranberry sauce."

You can't make this stuff up.

Thanksgiving is a great holiday; a time to spend thinking about all that we a thankful for with family, friends, and yummy food.  As a child I always intentionally skipped the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.  Sometimes you could see the ridges from the inside of the can, and others it had a similar consistency to cottage cheese.  It was not to be trusted.

Until I had it at my wonderful in-laws Thanksgiving.  My mind was blown.  Who knew the side of cranberries could be so delicious?!  My mother-in-law was gracious enough to share with me her mother's recipe, and I'm sharing it with you!  I did alter the ingredients a bit from the original, but it is delicious!

Grandma Springer's Cranberry Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh cranberries, finely chopped in a food processor

1 - 20 oz can of crushed pineapple, drained

1 - 11 oz can of Mandarin Oranges, drained

2 - 3 oz packages of Lemon Jell-o

7 spoonfuls of white sugar [more or less, to taste]

2 cups boiling water

Directions:

Dissolve Jell-o in boiling water.  Place in refridgerator.  You want the Jell-o to cool and begin to  congeal {it takes about 45 min - 1 hour}.  While the Jell-o is in the fridge, finely grind the cranberries in the food processor and add sugar to the cranberries.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the crushed pineapple.  Once the Jell-o is beginning to congeal, add it to the salad and stir it until it's combined.  Last, add the mandarin oranges and mix them with the salad.  Cover the salad and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.  Enjoy!!

October in Photos

As summer and our weekends at the lake came to a close, I remember saying, "I'm looking forward to life slowing down and catching my breath."  It seems, though, that I've jinxed myself.  Our weekends are still packed, and our weeks are more busy than before!  I can't believe it's already November!

That being said, here are the highlights of October in pictures:

October began with a teachers-night-out.  Over the river and through the woods, to Luke Bryan we go!

[Quite literally]

Susan, Kelli, and me -- Love these two.

While back in Athens visiting Cal and Ashley, we decided to get festive at the pumpkin patch.  I'd never picked a pumpkin off the vine before!  We loved walking around looking at all of the different pumpkins and sunflowers on the farm.  We decided to paint our pumpkins instead of carving them this year.  It's nice to enjoy the pumpkins through November! 

pumpkins for daaayyyyyyyssss

Maybe one day I will have a garden of sunflowers.

Could there be a more accurate picture of us?

Love this man.
We're holding the pumpkin like that for many reasons:
1. It's heavy.
2. If you hold the pumpkins by the stems, they'll break off.
3. How do you non-awkwardly take a pumpkin pic?
This is NOT a 'I'm preggo!' picture.  

This is my pumpkin -- Byron's was rather disturbing so I'll spare you from that.

Byron and I went on a short hike one weekend (I'll post pictures of that later) and I celebrated Halloween with my kiddos at school wearing our PJs.  Then Friday everyone welcomed November with a Sugar Hangover.  

My goal for November is to slow down amidst the chaos, enjoy it, and give thanks for the blessings that come with a busy schedule.

just like the song goes: make new friends & keep the old

I grew up with an incredible group of friends.  There's no doubt that God strategically placed them in my life.  These girls were who I depended on, laughed with, and knew my secrets.  We spent the weekends together, served on mission trips, and unconditionally loved each other.  We had a strong foundation built on trust, Christ, and similar interests, with countless shared memories.  After graduating from high school, most of us went to different colleges where we began a quest to make new friends.

At Georgia College and after graduating, I quickly learned that all girls are not like my friends from home.  I can't remember ever fighting with the girls from Lilburn.  We never had a falling out.  We didn't have drama.  And although most of us still live near Atlanta, we don't see each other that often, so I need to make some new friends.  Not to replace the 'old' ones, but because you can never have too many friends, right?  And it's just time for that.

 Needless to say, finding good, genuine, Jesus-loving [new] friends proved to be rather tiring. . .which is exactly why I joined small groups.  [I'm doing a women's group and Byron and I are in a newly-married group!]  In a previous post I mentioned just how awkwardly it began, but I am more thankful than ever with the way they've turned out.

Yay for our new friends Adam and Alicyn!

After spending months praying for God to put me in a group, I am certain that He's handpicked these new friends for me.  We've only been meeting in our groups for about 6 weeks and I am already loving the people.  I am excited we are building our friendships with Christ as the foundation and making it a priority to meet each week.

It's neat to think that I've made so many new friends in the past 6 weeks and I already feel like we know each other so well.  I can't wait to see how the friendships evolve and relationships grow as we individually grow closer to God in the process.  

I know that God created us to be relational beings.  Sometimes, especially when you don't know many people where you're living, it's easier and more comfortable to continue to seclude yourself and veer away from and new community of friends.  There is no doubt, though, that with a little courage and God's placement of new people into our lives, great relationships happen.  I couldn't be more thankful.

God works in a public school

Most teachers will be honest and tell you that sometimes we get children in our classes that we wish we could trade.  They're disrespectful and distracting and their parents are unreachable.  They're the students that can change the whole dynamic of a classroom.  They're the children that, by the time the morning announcements come on, put you at your wit's end.  They're the hardest to love. 

Yet, they need your love the most.

Their parents are unreachable because they aren't involved...in or out of school.  The children misbehave because they don't know any other way to get attention -- and positive attention??  That exists?! They talk back and argue with you because they don't know any other way, and shy away when you ask for a hug because they're unfamiliar with affection.

Yet, they need your love the most.

So as a teacher you pray for patience and for God to speak through you because you may not always speak words of love.  Instead of groaning at the sight of them traipsing down the hallway in the morning, you great them with a smile.  Instead of getting angry when correcting that same student for the 500th time, you take a deep breath and repeat your instructions once more.  Instead of sending the child home in with crocodile tears streaming down his face because you've expressed how angry you are with him, you pull them aside, discuss how tomorrow will be better, and wave good-bye to a tear-free 6 year-old.  

And as you consciously love them, things begin to change.

Their pace quickens in the morning as they walk to your classroom and greet you with the most genuine, beautifully crooked-toothed smile you've ever seen.  Their excitement for learning grows and and they begin to follow directions.  Their behavior has improved and before they leave your classroom each day they stop to give you a big, sincere hug.

And as you consciously love them, things begin to change.

You realize that God placed this child in your classroom because that is exactly where He wanted him.  You realize that while this child may not experience any of Christ's love at home, he gets to experience it for 8 hours each day in your classroom.  You realize that even though you haven't spoken a single word about God, you've loved this child as God does.  You realize that this child has changed because of how you've loved him and because of what God's doing through you.

It's funny how sometimes it's the most unexpected students that grow into your heart and impact who you are.  They're the students you were so reluctant to love at first, but you can't seem to get out of your mind once they leave your classroom.  The students you specifically pray for each night.

I always thought it would be too difficult to work in a public school where I wasn't able to talk about Jesus with my students.  And while it is difficult, I think it's pretty incredible how God continues to work and reveal himself in a place where the His name can hardly be spoken.