sunday evenings

lead to monday mornings.
and i like to be positive about monday mornings.
i usually have my best runs on monday mornings.
but i'm not gonna lie...
for the past few weeks
sunday evenings have brought with them
a certain level of anxiety.

and i've realized that I'm not much of an anxious person.
but when i do get anxious,
i ain't pretty.
just ask Rob.

to-do lists start forming at a rapid, uncontrollable rate.
i think of five things i should have done before leaving on thursday.
i lose precious sleep,
which stresses me out because i desperately need my sleep.
(this adds to the "it ain't pretty" I mentioned above.)
and...
well, you get the point.

don't get me wrong,
i love my job.
and i am really thankful for it.
but it's hard.
and some weeks are more difficult than others.
which was last week.

but...
God is showing up in the midst of it.
just like he always does.
and He's opening my eyes.

there are spiritual battles being
waged everyday. everywhere.
even at my job.
especially at my job.
I feel it.
in my spirit.
in my body.
I see it.
in my clients.
in my coworkers.

call me crazy.
but it's the Truth.

it is an honor that God
allows me to be on the front lines.
but I sometimes feel weary.

and now is one of those times.

just keepin' it real. ;)

so, if the Spirit leads.
and I pray that He leads.
pray for me this week.

this verse is my encouragement as i head into another manic monday,
and maybe it will encourage you, too:

"For God did not give us (me!) a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of POWER, of LOVE, and of SELF-DISCIPLINE"

Sweet Jesus,
fill me up until I'm overflowing with your Spirit.
for-the-love-of-all-that-is-holy....
FILL.ME.UP.

foolishness

i've been slacking in the blogging department lately.

one time, i told my sis-in-law that I was going to blog Monday thru Friday...
like my blog idol, whatever.

that's the name of the blog.
and how i feel about my consistency with blogging.
whatev. :)

i could list some reasons why i haven't blogged
like I've been coughing for 10 days and not feeling well.
or i've been busy cleaning my house and making 3 course meals every night. HA!

but the truth is I've just been a bit lazy.
this working full time thing. whew.
i keep thinking I'm going to get better at the whole schedule thing.
and i guess I am. have. but still feel like there is more to do than I have time and/or energy for.

and i don't have kids. yet. yikes!
someday I will have kids.
and I'll figure out the balance when that change happens.
but for now I'm just trying to figure out the balance of working full time, being a wife, friend, etc.
my weeks are starting to have a rhythm to them. I like rhythm. :)

I also still like my job.
it is challenging. I have some really tough clients and families.
But God is so good and He is really opening up some doors and giving me good insight.
I have been able to connect with the girls and I see growth in them.
which is really cool.

wanna know something else that is cool?
yesterday I found out that there is another Christian therapist in the building.
In fact, the girl who told me she was a Christian said, "oh yeah! she really loves Jesus. a lot."

Just the way she said "She loves Jesus," got me thinking.
There is something about loving Jesus that feels different that saying, "I love God."
I know, I know. Jesus is God and God is Jesus.
But in our "all paths lead to heaven" society, God is politically correct. Or at least more politically correct than JESUS.

Talking about JESUS with someone who isn't a Christian is still really intimidating for me.
I can talk about God, especially God as the Creator, the Truth, Love.
But Jesus...well, that is just foolishness.

isn't it....

this morning I was reading in 1 Corinthians where Paul writes to the Christians at Corinth:

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God....For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."
1 Corinthians 1: 18, 25

I get that. Honestly, I battle feeling like a fool often. Thinking that if people knew how much I loved Jesus they would think I was crazy.
ignorant.
judgmental.
weak.
silly.
weird.
strange.
Gosh, I don't know what they would think.
But I am not the first person to battle these feelings.
It was obviously an issue a couple thousand years ago when Paul was writing this letter.
And I found encouragement and confidence in Paul's words.

So this morning I prayed that I would be one big FOOL.
That I would embrace the foolishness of Christ.
And that God would give me the courage to live as Christ and love as Christ. all the time. in all I do.

wanna be a fool with me?
i think it's totally worth it.

back to school

back to school.
back to school.
to prove to dad I'm not a fool.
Got my lunch pail packed
my shoes tied tight.
i hope I don't get in a fight.
:)

(name that movie and....you'll get a prize from me! ha!)
i think of this movie every time I say the phrase, "back to school"

so it's that time of year again.
i've always loved this time of year.
mostly because i get to buy new school supplies.
have i ever told about my love of office supplies? no?
well, i really really like buying new school/office/organization stuff.
really.

that is not the point of this post, however.

the point is that I am not going back to school this fall.
praise the LORD!
but it feels a little strange.
thankfully, rob is a teacher :)
and this year he is a legitimate teacher.
like he has his own class room and everything!

so, i still get to live vicariously through my hottie hubby.
today we spent 4 hours working in his class room.
i'm so excited for him that i didn't even mind spending my saturday unpacking boxes.
plus i just really love him a lot. (too gooey? sorry.)

my job was to go through the boxes and organize the different centers he had arranged.
it was SO fun to look through the boxes of elementary phonics cards.
and flash cards.
and children's books.

it actually made me kinda wish that i had chose teaching as a career.
kinda.

(don't worry, i'm not planning a career change already...not yet. just kidding, mom. just kidding.)

we got a lot done today and it was fun to get to be a part of the "back to school" process.
just in a slightly different way this year.

rob, i'm so proud of you.
you are going to be such a great teacher.
your students are blessed to have such a kind, compassionate, wise man in their lives.
and they don't even know it yet!

yipee for going back to school!

step into

my office!

and sit down on my comfy couch...

in case you were wondering if I'm qualified,
you can check out my diploma :)

more importantly, however, take a moment to admire the incredible painting done
by the beautiful and talented Sheena-bo-beena.
She is great. so thankful for her!




ta-da!

you want to water my plants?
sure!
mom planted them and gave me instruction on how to water. :)
and take a look out the window where you can see the mountains.
or if you prefer, ignore the mountains...

...and check out my SWEET curtains!
why, yes! they were made by yours truly!
you want me to make you some for your office?
okay...i can probably arrange that! ha!



if you're looking for me during the week,
there is a good chance i'm sitting here.
at my desk. with my mug of coffee.
lovin' my job. (most of the time...)
eventually there will be inspiring poems and drawing hanging from the ribbon above.
my clients have yet to be too inspire, i guess :)




if you prefer, you can sit on one of my awesome retro chairs.
i found them in the storage room and they were the original inspiration for the office.
nice, huh?



come again!!
we can have some coffee!

tired

the past couple of days have been Ca-raaaa-zy.
a couple of my clients had fireworks of the mouth on monday.
some 4th of July leftovers.
and their bottle-rockets were pointed at me.

lucky me, huh? :)

and today i spent 3 hours trying to get one of my clients in a car.
doesn't seem that difficult, right?
oooooh, but it was. it truly was.
and she is a high functioning 16 year old.
i might understand if it was one of rob's clients...

so tonight i feel tired.
but my sweet husband gave me a backrub
and i suddenly have enough energy to blog.
HA!

so don't feel too sorry for me :)

i have some fun things to blog about
stay tuned for pics of my sewing projects.
my decorated office.
and other fun things.

for now...i'm going to read up on how to sew curtains and then get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's.

wednesdays

are crazy at Excelsior.
not sure why...
but hump-day and troubled adolescent girls just don't seem to get along.

last wednesday one of my clients had an hour long standoff making googly eyes at her girlfriend.
"babe. babe, just stay with me, babe."
lovely.

today one of my clients mooned her class after a verbal altercation with a peer.
nice, huh?
when i tried to talk to her later because she was upset about being in trouble
she yelled at me and crumbled into tears.
even the most tough girls have a fragile side.

i couldn't figure out a word for "mooning" in spanish.
so when i called the mom I had to say, "she lowered her pants in class"
weird.

i love my job.
it is definitely an adventure.
i'm laughing even as i write this.

this week I have been memorizing Romans 5 and praying this verse over my work:
"we rejoice also in suffering, for we know that suffering leads to perseverance, perseverance to character, and character to hope. and hope does not disappoint because Christ has poured out his love into our hearts..."

my big girl job

the excitement I feel for my job is not fading.
even after working until midnight on sunday
and being back in the office by nine am on monday.
(yes, that's my schedule...but no worries...the rest of my hours are flexible...and I REALLY like my job!)
I just feel so thankful.

I was thinking about the timing of it all again tonight
I just can't help praising God
honestly, I had begun preparing myself mentally for a long job hunt
and I was also prepared to trust God's goodness and the faithfulness in the midst of that
because God would have been good no matter what.

yet again he has chosen to bless me beyond what I imagined.

back to the job.
I'm still waiting for my official office to open up.
which will be really great. much easier to get things accomplished.
in the meantime I'm just floating around and learning the ropes.
I'm really excited about all my clients.
I'm praying that God will do great things through me as I work with them and their families.
feel free to pray that with me/for me if I happen to cross your mind :)

happy tuesday!!

exciting news

I really like office supply stores.
Not as much as I like bookstores,
but it is up there.

I like the thought of buying all kinds of thing to get organized.
This is probably why I really look forward to January.
The month when I get to select the perfect planner for the coming year.
It's all clean and ready for me to fill-up with stuff.

wow. I sound a bit crazy.
Honestly, I can go days without opening my planner.

Nevertheless, the task of picking out a planner is very crucial to one's organization scheme.
:)
Well, this January I went all out.
I splurged on a full-blown appointment book.
With time slots and everything.
It's my big girl planner.

I told myself, "This is the year you get a REAL job! Go for it!"

Maybe it was a bit prophetic...

I GOT A JOB!

I started today at Excelsior Youth Center.
I'll be the Treatment Coordinator/Therapist for 7-8 adolescent girls and their families.
I am so so SO excited.
And I am praising GOD for His goodness and faithfulness.

I do not deserve this.
I have not done anything to earn it.
God totally provided this and I want to give Him the glory.

One month ago I was graduating from graduate school and Rob was getting ready to wrap up another year as a paraprofessional.
We both recognized that we might neither have a "real" job this coming fall.
A month later,
WE BOTH HAVE JOBS!

Within ONE WEEK
Rob found out about,
applied for,
interviewed for,
and was hired as
a special education TEACHER at Westerly Creek Elementary school.

Within ONE MONTH of graduation
I have landed a really great job
with a great organization.
A job that I am really excited about!

We feel so blessed.
We praise God.
We have JOBS!