Today...

I packed all my things (and extra things, and extra extra things...lol) for camp and loaded up my car...
Then I said goodbye to my parents and our cat. And our house. And my neighborhood. And my hometown. Where we've lived since I was one year old (minus a year when we moved to another town in Missouri, but we came back!)
And it was weird. And kind of hard. But it was quick. It was like all the packing and sorting and hauling, and packing....just sort of ended abruptly, I gave my parents hugs, took a few pictures...and left.
My parents are moving to Germany while I'm gone. I'm excited for their new adventures...but a little sad to say goodbye to places and things I've known my whole life.
Not that I won't be back. I only live 45 minutes away and still have friends there. But...it's just not the same.

On a more fun and positive note - I drove through four states in 6.5 hours today - Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. It was pretty exciting. I'm on an adventure. God is at work all around me in my life - things are changing, growing pains are hurting...and I'm right where I'm supposed to be. That's what I thought about as I drove today. And I thought about how adventurous I really am...it doesn't make me nervous to drive by myself to far away places. I actually kind of enjoy it!

Tomorrow I'll make the most beautiful part of the drive! 5.5 hours through the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and into the Appalachian (I hope that's the right name) range of North Carolina! :) I'll meet new friends who I get to spend the next six weeks with...and start training for my summer job. I'm so excited!

I may not have Internet access all the time - so the posts might be limited...but I'll be back when I can! :) Happy Summer to everyone!

P.S....If you want to send me some mail (hint hint!) you can write:
My Name (I feel weird putting my first and last name out on my blog, but most of you know me!) =)
Summer Staff
P.O. Box 128
Ridgecrest, NC
28770

I'll even write back...because who doesn't love getting snail mail, these days?!

I'll try to post pictures from my big trip soon too! :)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!

LOL - I feel like the kid on Home Alone 2! If you haven't seen it, or the first one, he screams like that a lot.

I was going to write about something else...but I couldn't resist writing about what I am doing right now.
In April I volunteered to go to a three day ELL (English Language Learner) training in St. Louis. It was district-paid for, so that was even better!

So...now that is how I found myself here at a fancy hotel - walking into the lobby to check in, wearing jean shorts and flip flops...and feeling a little bit lost! I can only be thankful I knew how to walk through the revolving door...without falling on my face or something! I had to exchange my car keys for a temporary "10 minute parking chip" and then when I went back out I had to take a ticket to the parking area so I could get in the little gate. I am staying on the 8th floor, and it costs $12.95 per day to use the Internet if I am in my room....that is a lot of money to pay just to use the Internet in your pajamas. So - I dressed up (if you could call my school teaching clothes dressy...I think the atmosphere here is more "classy" ha) and came to the lobby to use free Internet. I think my school district will appreciate that budget-conscious choice! lol

Don't worry...I haven't jumped on the bed, done cannon balls in the swimming pool, or run up the room service bill. And I haven't been chased by any creepy guys with gold teeth! Yet. Haha. But I do still have two more nights for adventure! ;)

Here's to life in the big city...at least for a couple of days! lol

I'm So Vain...You Probably Think This Post is About Me...

Sorry for the corny title - I did something kind of vain today.

Well...I wasn't just trying to be vain. It was actually something kind of fun and just for myself, but I felt a little vain about it, especially when I handed the lady my debit card and paid for it. I got a spray tan. Yes, I paid to turn myself a different color...lol...

I do not tan on my own. I burn, peal, and repeat. lol So I decided to be brave and give it a try.

This weekend a best friend from high school is getting married, and I am the maid of honor. And my dress is dark purple...and strapless....and short. And I am white. Very white. And who wants to be the only thing whiter than the bride's dress blinding people from the altar? lol

It wasn't so bad...I'm still waiting to see the final results. And my biggest fear hasn't come true...yet. No orange Ooompa Loompa nightmares.

It was one of those times my dad would use his phrase, "It's just not necessary..." but I had fun. And tomorrow I'm going to a day spa with the other wedding party girls where we will be pampered even more with manicures and pedicures...I could get used to this life...good thing it's too expensive to get used to! lol

We'll see how the tan turns out. For now, at least the bride won't have to enter to the song "Blinded by the White..." I mean, uh..."Light" hahaha Maybe I'll post a picture soon!

Just Thinking...

I wonder where I thought I would be at 26...
I can think of some things I always assumed when I was younger.

I thought I would be finished with college (as a lawyer, nurse, secretary, teacher, doctor, speech pathologist, early childhood specialist, music teacher, and many more....in no particular order - but it's funny to see how they changed over the years...)

I thought I would be married and possibly have children. I even assumed this all the way through high school. Getting married just seemed like something people did in college, so naturally I thought I would too. (I'm still waiting...)

I thought I would drive a fancy car (maybe a yellow Mustang convertible!)

I thought I would have lots of friends and spend lots of time socializing. (Different times have brought different friends, but God has been good to bless me with strong friendships throughout...)

I thought I would live near my family but travel anywhere I wanted to. (I do right now, and I have traveled a lot!)

I thought I would be a writer. (Well...I have a blog, when I actually take the time to write here! haha)

But did I know...

I would be a music teacher with my own classroom and love so many kids every day?

That I'd be an aunt...times ten (soon to be eleven?!) (These pictures only show five of my ten nieces and nephews...I'm missing pics of my Fabulous Five nieces!)

That I would travel the world, have a heart for missions, and fall in love with the most beautiful people and continent in the world?! (I'm not trying to be too bias...but I DO have a BIG place in my heart for Africa!!!)

I would be an Amazon alligator hunter and an adventurous drum girl? (I did not catch the gator in that picture by the way, but I did hold him, and he was alive! lol)

I would love serving others and have the opportunity to be a part of First Baptist Church Arkadelphia throughout college and help with their Arms Around Arkadelphia ministry even after I graduated?...

I would have some of the best friends I could ask for - some from elementary through high school, and some from college?...

I would carry my camera everywhere and love taking pictures of everything - especially the beauty of God's creation?

That I would one day be maid of honor for one of those lifelong high school friends I mentioned earlier? (And plan showers and do other fun maid of honor things for my first time ever!)  =)

There are so many more things I never could have imagined would be at 26...and so many things I did imagine and have yet to experience. One thing I am as sure of as ever is that I have a good and faithful God. And that He created me and has continued to shape me into the woman He wants me to be over 26 years. He continues to help me learn and grow every day. 

As my birthday came this year, I thought about how I was actually looking forward to being 26. There wasn't anything particularly exciting about that number, but I truly feel like I'm becoming an adult. I have been out of college for three years now, working and living on my own, and I'm really enjoying that. God gives us different seasons in our lives, and even though it's not always easy, and I long for other seasons that are yet to come, I love where I am at now. 26!

26...

Happy 26th Birthday to me! I only have three more minutes left of my birthday...and I actually don't have a lot to share about the day. I spent most of it in a car driving home from Arkansas. But - I had a great weekend with family and visiting friends there, and I've decided to declare another day this week "celebrating me" day so I can have some fun since I was in the car all day today! lol :) Oh well - thanks to all my friends and family for all the birthday wishes! I'll be back soon!

Schoooool's OUT....for SUMMER! :)
I was thinking that song in my head when I typed it...lol...
It's official. I finished my third year of teaching today!
Which means......it's summertime! And.......maybe there will be more time for blogging!
Maybe...
Happy Summer Vacation!  :)

Just a few funny quotes to help me remember...

"You just need some Oxiclean, Ms. Whitaker!" - A Kindergartener noticing the wet spot on my shirt after I spilled yogurt on it at lunch...he is always so expressive when he talks, and it was funny how specific he was on insisting I use "Oxiclean" and in an infomercial-enthusiastic voice! :)

While singing a Kindergarten program song "I Can't Spell Hippopotamus" where the kids spell different words - cat, hat, mat, etc...but then sing about how they just can't spell hippopotamus..."I can spell cat, c-a-t, I can spell beautiful music teacher..." I always get a boost of self esteem from those kiddos!

Oh man - as usual I KNOW there was another one...I was trying so hard to keep it in my memory on the way home tonight, but maybe I'll remember it soon!

Today was officially my last day of teaching for the year. Tomorrow the kids go half a day, but there are no specials classes, so I'll get to clean, organize, and check out! I feel like I survived so much more than even my first year of teaching this year. It has been a challenge, a learning experience, good, bad, hard, fun, sad, and much much more. Here's to summer vacation!

I've always been fascinated by clouds. 

Isn't amazing how quickly they change sometimes, and how the different kinds can mix together? 

Waiting. Sometimes God teaches us through times of waiting. I don't understand His ways or His reasons, but I do understand He is in control. Always. He knows the plans He has for me. Even when I have to work hard to "like" them.

I loved looking at the sky the morning I took these pictures. I could have watched all day. 

The mixture of textures was just so beautiful. God is such an artist. 

I'm going to step out on the "honesty platform" and say I've just been through/am going through one of the hardest years of my life. No...I didn't walk through any major tragedies or lose a loved one. I wasn't in the middle of any natural disasters as much of our world has been. I am very blessed. In many ways. Don't get me wrong, or think I'm being unthankful. I have just been challenged to grow in trust through my relationship with God. I have taken so many steps I thought for sure were in His plans and then doors have closed. I have been stuck waiting, waiting, and waiting again. Ok, I know I said "stuck" but that is how it has felt, when really I know it was no "coincidence."

This one is my favorite. 

Maybe one of the best things about God and being in His will though, is that when we are praying and seeking Him, and we need to know if we are going in the right direction, He opens some doors and closes others. He has very clearly done that for me this year many times. Most recently, I applied for a position teaching ELL (English Language Learner) students in our school district. I really wanted the position, though I'm not yet certified. But, again He has closed a door. I will be teaching K-6 music in the same building again next year. There are many positive things about that, and I am blessed to have a job. Most of all I am blessed to get to care for my 550 kids again. I pray I am an example to them every day through my words, actions, and attitude. But my stomach hurts about this, and I'm anxious too. I will be praying hard that God will give me the desire to go back again next year and give it my all. I want to enjoy my work and feel adequate in what I'm doing each day. I don't feel that way this year. I feel like I'm surviving...every day. I pray that I will find my adequacy in Christ and not in myself or my career. I pray that through Him I will find joy and contentment in what I am doing despite any circumstance. 

It's not always easy following God. It's not supposed to be. But looking around, I see His awesome presence surrounding me - in the clouds, in the unique personalities of my kids, in people I meet, places I go, my passions and desires, in my salvation and my life...and I know He is a God who will never leave or forsake me. And I choose to follow Him...no matter where He leads. 

Summer News!

There is so much to write about right now...lots going on with the end of school and life in general, but for now, I'm excited to say I'll be working HERE this summer! God is SO good...I applied earlier in the Spring thinking the dates would probably not work out since I am pretty booked until mid-June. I didn't hear from them, so I assumed it was because they realized I couldn't come the whole summer. I prayed so much, with a HUGE desire to go, asking God that if I was supposed to be there, the dates would somehow work out. Then I got a message last week to set up a phone interview - had the interview Friday, and received my job offer today!! The training and job start June 20th, the week AFTER my last summer training at school! And I finish July 30th, which means I'll have a little time to get ready for the new school year too. I am so excited about the chance to work at a camp, fellowship with other young adult Christians, and be a part of a children's ministry even through the summer! I will be helping with preschool childcare for parents while they are at conferences there. I will live in a dorm and be put in a small group to meet and have Bible study and accountability every week. Most of all I am excited for the fellowship of Christian friends I have been missing out on so much lately...I am truly thankful to God for this opportunity! 

Ridgecrest Camp is in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina....sooooo pretty!

Here is the small chapel on the campus - also beautiful, and where a wonderful college friend of mine got married after working there for the summer. (She met her husband at Ridgecrest, so hey - maybe that will be an added bonus! lol Just kidding!)

My Rose...

I got the most beautiful long-stemmed white rose from a first grade girl last week, and it looked SO lovely on my desk...until she asked to have it back! lol That morning she and four other girls came rushing down he hallway urgently and said they'd been searching for me but hadn't found me in my office. I was wondering what might be so urgent when one little girl handed me the beautiful flower in the picture above. They were all so proud to be with her when she gave it to me, and I was thankful and honored she had thought of me to give it to, out of all the other people she could have chosen. 

I carefully put it into a water bottle and placed it on my desk where I could enjoy it all day. She had no idea how full my heart was from her love and choice to share. But, to every story there is a funny side! And...when she came for music class that afternoon, just as I was getting ready to thank her again, she said, "Ms. Whitaker.....I'm really sorry, but............I need my rose back." LOL Thinking in my mind that she may have "borrowed" it from some where and needed to put it back, I agreed and assured her it was ok. Then I asked her why she needed to take it back and she said, "Well, I just saw one of my old teachers I haven't seen in a REALLY long time, and I really want to give it to her. I'm sorry..." I have to admit, it was a little sad, but I was glad I had taken a picture of it that morning so I have the memory! And I think sometimes we can learn from our kiddos - while they don't usually understand it's not polite to take back a gift, she was choosing to share the joy with more than one person. I got to enjoy the beautiful rose for the morning, and another teacher got to enjoy it after that. I was happy she shared the joy, plus...she did pick me first! :) haha Oh well - another teacher memory to put in the books! 

 

I also received this little flower from one of my second grade boys the same morning. He had picked two or three, so it was nice of him to share with me too!