Currently Listening Nothing Left to Lose By Mat Kearney see related

Does anyone still read this? I guess we'll see!

The merry merry month of May...What a crazy month! Here is a little rundown of what's been happening:

I finished student teaching and graduated from grad school:

Lindsay graduated from Cedarville and celebrated her 22nd birthday:

My friend Kenneth came all the way from Germany to visit. That's him butting into the picture at a Phillies game:

Celebrated Mother's Day and my mom being cancer free at the Susan G. Komen Walk:

Jordan (we have been friends since birth...we're more like family) got married to a beautiful girl inside and out:

This is the first weekend this month that I will actually be home, so I think I'm going to chill by the pool, catch up on some reading and enjoy the beautiful weather.

"All good things must come to an end...."

I can't believe it, but my student teaching ended yesterday. My cooperating teacher and students were so great! It's amazing how much we all got attached to each other. They told me that I have to come back and visit, which I will gladly do. Yesterday, we had a party, and I got so many touching cards and gifts. I got a little teary eyed on my drive home. I could not have asked for a better experience. I learned so much and hopefully taught them a lot too. Here's a little glimpse into my last day...

My 2nd period class...11th grade history

My 3rd period class...10th grade history

My 6th period class...9th grade history

Some of my 9th graders...

The cake Mrs. Wilson made for me...

P.S. I have an interview on Monday at 11am. I have to teach a lesson then answer the board's questions. I am praying, praying, praying!

100-grade that many students got on Thursday's history test

64-teams in the March Madness tournament that began on Thursday...the best time in basketball!

50-minutes it took me to drive home in Friday's ice storm

30-classes that I taught this week

26-jersey of my favorite Sixers player (yea Kyle Korver) and Friday night's player of the game

19-days until Easter break

9-ninth graders in my group on last Monday's field trip to the Franklin Institute (here they are):

8-Felicity episodes I watched this week on DVD (mindless way to unwind...haha)

6-accidents I saw on Friday's drive home in the ice storm

4-hours that I got to sleep in today

3-detentions I wrote out Friday (my first ever)

2-hours I spent watching The Holiday (and counting down the days until my holiday)

0-time I've spent doing homework

***On Friday afternoon, my mom got a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach about me. You know the kind where you feel like something bad is going to happen? She immediately began praying for me and my safety as I was driving home in the worst ice storm. At that moment she was praying(my mom did not know any of this until she got home), I had lost control of my car on the icy road. My car slid across the other lane and spun me around until I was facing the wrong direction...toward oncoming traffic. I know that God protected me because when my car stopped sliding, I was right by an empty side street, so I was able to get out of the way of the cars that were driving toward me. God had His angels around me yesterday!***

Currently Watching Step Up (Widescreen Edition) By Channing Tatum, Damaine Radcliff see related

Here's a little math equation for you...

Ice + 35 minute commute = no school for me

Now that's a math equation that I actually like! I'm not feeling the greatest, so today's weather was a blessing. I'm staying in sweats all day, watching movies, and maybe eating some chocolate (it is Valentine's Day afterall).

On a serious note, if you could please keep the school where I'm doing my student teaching in prayer(my old school), that would be great. I know that God has great plans for the kids of that school, and Satan does not want to see that happen. It feels like we are under attack, and we need some prayer warriors! 

I am exhausted...

So this past weekend was winter camp with our youth group. I thought it would be a great time for the leaders and the students to relax and have fun. Instead, this weekend turned out to be one of the hardest of my life! On  (Friday night) the way to camp, our bus's brakes went out, so we rolled backwards down the hill and crashed into our other church bus driving behind us. God protected all of us, and no one was hurt. Since our bus was out of commission, we had to stand on the side of the road (in as the news said "dangerously low temperatures..the lowest in 2 years) for half an hour until another bus rescued us. Our bus accident took up the entire road, so the truck behind it carrying our luggage could not get through until 3 am. On Saturday, one of our 9th graders (who is one of the students I am close to), hit his head on the ice so hard that he began having seizures. It was so scary to watch this happen to one of my kids. The other leaders and I sat with him while the ambulance took over an hour to get him. (He is doing much better now.) This is just scratching the surface of all that happened. We just kept saying that God has big plans for our youth group...so big that Satan is scared and trying to thwart them. Thankfully, greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world!

On another note, student teaching is going well. I am starting to feel more and more comfortable. Also, I'm starting to know the students better, and they're getting to know me better too. I hope they like me and are learning a lot. It is such a huge responsibility to be a teacher. Over the last few weeks I have become an educator, counselor, judge, negotiator, and hopefully someone they look up to. I'll keep you posted, and I'll try to take some pictures soon, so you can see my students.