Randomness

Well I overslept again. Stupid phone keeps turning itself off in the middle of the night. Anyone else have the enV2 and have this problem?

I'm not going to church tonight. A certain friend who shall remain nameless keeps getting me sick. PEOPLE. Don't go to church when you're sick! No one is impressed with your spirituality; we're mad that you're spreading the germs! STAY HOME ALREADY!!!!

My nephew is the cutest kid on the planet. I hope my kids are this cute.



See what I mean? What a cutie:)

Less than 80 days till my trip to Hong Kong begins! And only 2 days till the road trip to SC with Hope! Blogs shall be posted! Tune in tomorrow, same time, same station! :)



Leah

Pilates is in the Bible

Really, it is.

Proverbs 31:17 "She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms."

Yep, it's in the Bible.
Someday, I'm going to blog about how Proverbs 31 is real, practical stuff and not a bunch of spiritual mumbo jumbo. But not today. Because I'm being a lazy blogger. So there.


Leah

In a Handy List Format, Too.

1. BeeYoutiful's Ultra-Immune compound definitely works. I'm feeling much better and way less congested. And coughing less. Score one for herbs.

2. The Mother Ship and I cleaned my room top to bottom, because I keep getting random bug bites while I'm sleeping. I'm talking a LOT of them - I have 27 bites just on my arms. So we cleaned the room really well, vacuumed everything, washed the bedding and the sheets, and put my mattress in the garage until the end of the era. I feel better right now but I'll decide how I really feel tomorrow based on whether or not I wake up with more bites.

3. I have the greatest teacher's aide on the planet in my last B-day class. Ms. W kicks butt and takes names, writes referrals and marches the sorry brats straight to the office. You go, girl.

4. I'm going to SC on Saturday and need to figure out what I'm going to take. I always overpack...I gotta stop doing that. I'm making a list (checking it twice...lol) and not taking anything that's not on it! So there!

5. Say Yes to the Dress is a great show. Drama drama drama, and you can turn it off whenever you want. Yay. For the record I think it's insane to spend over $1,000 on a dress you wear once. I've already found one I love, at Beautifully Modest. Yeah they're made by Mormons, but who cares? They're modest. And actually pretty too. Not frumpy. What a concept.


Leah

I'm Alive

But feeling kind of badly. I have a knock-out cold. I'm taking BeeYoutiful's Ultra-Immune compound, with garlic oils, elderberry, olive leaf extract, oregano oil, and rosemary oil. I'll let you know if it helps. In the meantime, please pray for me. *sniff* *coughcoughcough*


Leah

Weekend with the BFFs

My BFFs are Amanda and Trisha. I love them to pieces:) We all met in college, when Amanda and I had nearly every class together, and she lived next door to Trisha, so that's how we all met. I'm not sure I can even describe what it's like when we're all together. We're three peas in a pod. The Three Musketeers. We have inside jokes about inside jokes. We just laugh and talk and are the closest friends you could imagine.
Amanda came up this weekend for Friend Day at my church (you have to bring a friend!) and Friday night we went to see a large string chamber ensemble perform at a local high school. The group has 15 members and no conductor, and plays everything from Telemann to the Turtle Island String Quartet music.
Then Trisha came yesterday, just for the day, and we went dress shopping for Amanda, because she forgot the dress she was going to wear to church at home. We found her a dress at Target, and then went to Wal-mart to get me an iPod jack/car charger so I can play mine in my car:) I'm quite excited about that! And then we came back to my house and just hung out for a while - made cookies, watched TV, talked, caught up, all the good stuff:) Then I had to take Moose over to the church building for a youth activity, so Amanda and Trisha came and we went to dinner at IHOP while Elijah was with the teens. After that Trisha had to go home, and Amanda and I took Elijah and went to OUR home. Amanda and I stayed up till 11 watching a sappy Hallmark movie, and then this morning we went to church.
Friend Day is one of my favorite things my church does. Everyone's just so friendly and it's a great opportunity to invite friends hear about the Savior. Amanda came with us, then we came home, ate dinner, and now she's gone. Just like that. I miss both of my BFFs already. They're such wonderful friends and I'm thankful to have them as mine.

On the downside, I'm sick. Again. I've been sick like 7 times this year I think. I'm drinking so much water I'm seasick because I am GOING to be healthy by next weekend, when dear friend Hope and I are roadtripping to South Carolina to visit our school we'll be going to next year. (Wow, run-on sentence much, Leah?) So please pray that I'm better by next weekend and that Hope doesn't get this cold! K thanks!

Here's a picture of Amanda, me, and Trisha from a couple years ago when we were all in college together.




Thanks for reading!


Leah

"No Pressure for the Rest of Your Career."

That's the quote of the day from yesterday. ^

My orchestras went to district Festival and got I's (Superior) and I am mighty proud of them! It was totally God though, because two days before that, things were rough. But they pulled it together and we got a Superior rating! Go God! Then I went back to school for our curriculum night and Tim (the gym teacher friend) said, "Congratulations! And in your first year too - no pressure for the rest of your career, huh?" Thanks Tim:)

Going back to work! More to come after I see my BFFs this weekend!


Leah

The Wife Hunt, AKA Singles Conference

Oh singles conferences. Fun and awkwardness all at once. I mean it was pretty fun. The preaching was great, and the games were fun MINUS the one where we had to roll ourselves across the gym floor lying on a wheeled cart. In skirts. Propelled by a plunger. It would have been hilarious had I been wearing pants.
Friday night we ate dinner and socialized, good times had by all. I was sitting at a table with Abbie and friends Hope, Lara, and Joyelle, when a young man . . . we'll call him Awkward Eric, came over and sat down right. next. to. me. Bubble invasion, anyone? And was he ever woman-hunting. He grilled me (nicely) about my personal life, while talking to almost no one else. Abbie he spoke to twice I think.

*awkward turtle hands*

He also gave me a short history of the Life of Eric. And by "short" I mean about 45 minutes. I was never so glad to have to throw my trash away. Then when we went in to hear the preaching he sat down right next to my mom. Dude, could you BE more weird? He's sitting right in the middle of our group there! Took one of our guys' seats! It was a very, very awkward situation. Maybe you just had to be there. When we got home late that night Abbie said, "Wow, he was interested in YOU." Haha, Ab, haha.
Saturday we went back and heard more awesome preaching, sang some songs, and ate a delicious brunch. After the second preaching session, we played some lovely games, one of which I already mentioned. We also played this game where everyone had two numbers in their hands (1-10, and you'd only have two of them) and then the leader would call out a really long number (or math problem) and your team had to work together to make the answer. Craziness. It was pretty fun though. And then we played the Cat in the Hat game. This is probably the greatest game every invented. Everyone sits in chairs in a big circle, and you are dubbed Mother, Fish, or Sally. I was Sally. Then the Dr. Seuss book, The Cat in the Hat, is read over the microphone, and every time he reads "mother," all the people dubbed "mother" must get up and switch seats. Except there's one too few, so someone always gets stuck in the middle, and that gets bad points for your team. It works the same way with Fish and Sally, but when the reader reads "the Cat in the Hat" (the phrase) everyone must get up and switch seats. It's so far beyond hysterical. Mom always watches because she doesn't want to get hurt. I only ran over two guys. Heehee:) I thoroughly enjoyed that. After the games I talked with a couple other very nice people, and then we went home. It was lovely minus the awkward wife-hunting people.

Have you ever been to a singles conference? How did you feel about it?


Leah

Oh My.

This singles conference is...interesting. To say the least. Long blog coming!


Leah

Oh dear.

It happened.

The unthinkable.

I was stunned. It couldn't be. No way. It's just...unbelievable. Could this really happen to ME? In MY house? How did I let this happen? Why didn't I do something?

I ran out of International Delight Vanilla Coffee Creamer.

I know! What was I thinking?




Leah

Non-Awkward Singleness

This weekend I'm going to a singles' conference. I'm really only going because Padre is the Sunday School teacher and it would look bad on him if his own daughter didn't go. Plus our class never does anything because we're all lame and either work-a-holics or study constantly. I know. Pfft! Who does that? So anyway, I'm going. The preacher is going to be really good I know - he came to our church assembly in the fall for scheduled revival. (don't get me started on that one. *eyeroll*) But he's a great preacher.
I rambled through all of that to say: these things are usually quite awkward. Because it's like spiritual activity for the spouse-seeking. That didn't sound as awkward as it feels. Do you know what I mean, though? Like "let's all get together and hear great preaching and try to get dates while we're at it. It's just weird. But I think some of the awkwardness (or maybe a lot of it) comes from the fact that at my age (the ripe old age of young twenty-something) people feel weird about being single. Like there's something wrong with them. Well. I sure don't! Not yet, anyway, LOL. I'm just so busy I don't feel weird about it. Do I wish I was dating/courting/call it what you will? Heck yes I do! But only if it's the right man! Otherwise it's a waste of my all-too-scarce time. Here's the thing. I think when you're single you shouldn't just wait around for God to drop a spouse in your lap. I mean, if you're looking, great! But get busy serving God. If he can't trust you as a Christian before you're married, how can he trust you with a husband or wife? Here's what I'm up to in my singleness:

Working full time at a school - teaching orchestra and general music
Working in the church youth group, and chaperoning their activities
Teen girls' accountability sponsor - I set up accountability partners with them and check on them every Sunday
Singing and playing violin/piano in church
Teaching four private violin students
Preparing to go to graduate school in the fall
Reading all about why the KJV is the real Bible ;)
Practicing violin again after a year off for hand issues
Prepping to go to Hong Kong on a summer-long missions trip
Planning for my budget once my income drops drastically in the fall (heh heh...heh...heh...)

And probably other things I haven't thought of. It's a lot. My point is that I'm not sitting around like a wilting wallflower waiting for Prince Charming to come along. I'm busy. And if you're interested in me, you'll have to get busy too. See, I want to marry a man with purpose, and I figure the best way to do that is to have a purpose myself. And in less spiritual terms, I'm just plain type-A and I can't stand being bored. :D But singleness isn't awkward for me because while I'm waiting for my husband, I'm not just waiting. I'm getting ready. I'm putting a lot of energy into life. That way I'll be ready to put all that energy into my marriage and children instead of having practiced being lazy for years. Make sense?

What are you doing to prepare to be a husband or wife?



Leah

Tasteful Tuesday

Last night I made the World's Best Chocolate Cookies. They're moist and chocolatey and the perfect cookie. Make some yourself. They're a breeze to make.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together:
1/2 crisco
3/4 C butter
2 C sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix together:
2 C flour
3/4 C cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Then mix together gradually with wet mixture. Drop spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for ten minutes. Take out right away - they don't look done but they are. Cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet before you take them off. Enjoy 2 or 3 with a glass of milk:)











Leah

The Countdown

It's currently 19 days until I roadtrip to South Carolina with friend Hope. Good times will be had by all, no doubt. We're hoping it's nice and warm and sunny, not rainy and cold like it was last year when I went with Padre. We're going to visit a school down there which Hope will be finishing her bachelor's at and I will be doing my master's. Last year I had to interview for the grad program and audition for the SOM, and this year we're just going to visit. And I'm hoping to have job interviews. Heh. So far I've only heard from the custodial department, and although I'd do that if I had to, scrubbing toilets isn't my idea of a super-fun job. So I'll have to see what else is open...if anything.
The other countdown is to my trip to Hong Kong this summer with Teen Missions International. 93 days! Wahoo! I am SUPER FLIPPING EXCITED about that one. You just can't imagine how amazing TMI is until you've been. So go check it out here

Have a Marvelous Monday!



Leah

DST, the Bane of Modern Society

Or, why the Amish got it right.



I hate daylight savings time. With. A. Passion. I mean, really, what is the point of screwing up our sleep patterns twice a year? Because someone thought that makes us more productive at work? Huh? I bet it was invented by some super-peppy morning person, who gets up every day before five with no coffee and is all perky and happy. Jerk.
Now I used to live in Amish country, and lemme tell you what, they're weird. But the one thing they do have right is they don't bother with daylight savings time. It's called "slow time." It makes way more sense, if you ask me. Have you ever stopped to think about why we do this? It's kind of dumb.
Oh well. I've ranted. Now I'll suck it up for another year.

Do you like daylight savings time? Why or why not? Or do you live in "slow time," like I did?



Leah

School Ramblings and Spring Breaks

I love working till seven o'clock every night.


Maybe if I keep saying that it will become true.


This week I worked till 7 almost every night, except for Thursday when I worked till 9:30. Yes, I'm a teacher. Don't get me started. The music department has had concert after concert, performance after performance, and I even went to work on Saturday last week. *sigh* Like I said before, whoever started the "7-3, summers off" saying obviously wasn't a teacher.

I'm done complaining. I'm very thankful to have a job, especially one where at least half the time I do what I love - teaching orchestra. I have a fantastic principal and a great mentor, co-workers who make me laugh, and some great students.

The thought hit me this week that my school is the inner-city school of the county. The thought surprised me. I never thought I was the "inner-city teacher" type. I guess living in Memphis as a child wasn't a totally bad thing if it helped me get ready for this. But it's true. Mot of our students are hispanic or black, and I'd venture to say a majority of them are with single parents, if they live with their parents at all. They're the ones who get kicked out for "jumping" another kid, having a knife in school, cussing out a teacher, etc. The other schools in the county never deal with this stuff. It's all us. And yeah, it's a middle school. It's terribly sad. My heart breaks for these kids. To be 12 and know your daddy doesn't love you...doesn't even want you...I can't imagine. One of my students came to me crying after school last Tuesday because she was afraid to go home - apparently her father was angry at her over something, and she knew he was going to beat her when she got home. I reported it to the principal since our social worker had left already, but it's not like we can do anything until she comes in with bruises. I hate it. People who beat kids should be beaten themselves.

On that happy note...sorry for the downer there. I've been stewing about that a lot.

On a completely different topic (don't you love my smooth transitions?), The Artist is home this week on Spring Break. I'm rather happy, even if I still have to work. I love my sisters so much and I miss them a lot, with the Artist at school and Punkin' two states away. My friend Boo is coming home too, but not till Tuesday for some reason. She goes to school in California, and with the time difference and our busy schedules, we don't get to talk much. I'm planning to have Boo cut my hair this week. I'll post before and after pictures when that happens!

More blogging to come in The Super-Exciting Life of Leah! Stay tuned!



Leah

I'm working on a real post here...sorry. Work is killing me. Whoever said "7-3 summers off" was definitely NOT a teacher.

Caps won! Yay!

JOY JUST PUT ICE IN MY JEANS. I AM SO FREAKING COLD.

And the Caps score! 2-0 CAPS!

(I still have no idea what's going on)


Leah

Live Blogging, Oh Yes.

Well I am blogging live from my very first hockey game. I'm not actually there, just watching it on TV at my friend Joy's house. Joy is a HUGE Washington Capitals fan, and she's trying desperately to get me into it. I have absolutely no idea what's going on right now, but Joy's dad, Gary, is doing his best to explain it to me. I've already learned that the puck has to cross the blue line (whatever the blue line is) before the player does for it to be...uh...legal. Or something. And Gary just explained left/right/center forward positions and left/right defensemen positions, plus goalie = 6 players on the ice at one time. MmmHMM. And just now he's explaining the whole triangle/box thing going on in their plays.

And BTW Ovechkin is hideous.

More to come!



Leah