Thursday, July 26, 2012

"Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, 
brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind."

1 Peter 3:8

Monday, July 16, 2012

fun, full & refreshing

on saturday, took a day trip to st. louis with aunt jill, madee & ben.
enjoyed chik-fil-a for lunch and spent a few hot hours at a cardinals game.
listened to the fudgery crew break it down & got back home 'round 11.

on sunday, a day of reading in the living room, turtleman's call resounding from the TV.
a family dinner of ribs and potatoes & a good few hours with ingrid out and about.

on monday, an interview at a school just 10 minutes from my house.
celebrated lucy's birthday a day late, birthday hat and all.
a family+katie dinner of tacos and enjoying the beep of the microwave.
a relaxing night of practicing wedding hair & watching now&then.

on tuesday, a day out with katie + accepting a 2nd grade teaching position @ Franklin!
watch searching, tiara testing, and gold searching at charming charlie's.
lunch at lou's and a stop at hobby lobby.
out to eat for dinner with my parents at buck's fish & bowl to celebrate employment!
late night of planning & reviewing pinterest for classroom ideas.

on wednesday, a day with the bruers.
manicures on the patio, hammock resting & a little soccer practice with micah.
watched my 1st episode of craft wars then had fun at ce's roller skating party!
ended the night cuddling with lucy.

on thursday, slept in & then went to lunch @ monical's with my mama.
ran a few errands & magazine shopped in lakeshore learning & oriental trading co.
stayed up way too late planning, pinning, and dreaming.

on friday, stopped @ dunkin donuts for a quick breakfast w/ my mom.
found some great deals at garage sales, i.e a vintage cart & kid books for 10 cents!
spent over 8 hours with the dakins, celebrating foster's 6th birthday!
ended the night by releasing paper lanterns and reading a bit of mockingjay.

on saturday, slept in & didn't eat breakfast til 11:30.
labeled, organized, and leveled nearly 150 books for my classroom library.
took a late night-few hour stroll through target.

on sunday, enjoyed a pancake breakfast with our southwestern sweetheart, kate.
shopped at walmart for some school supplies.
added 30 more books to my library & had a relaxing night at home.

on monday, slept til 9 then spent most of the day in thrift stores & at hobbylobby.
started the classroom crafting process, cut maps, made planes, & painted.
loved catching up and laughing with my leah friend.
made chocolate cookies at 11pm, trying to live up the last 7 hours at home.

so after 9 full days at home + 1 in STL, i head back to bloomington in the morning.
i loved spending this past week and a half with family & friends who are like family.
i've been reminded of how much the littlest things matter...
and i feel so grateful for where i am & who i get to live life with.
i feel so blessed.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

a mid-July staycation

this week, i have the opportunity to spend 7 days somewhere. i could have chosen bloomington, the place where my community of friends is strong in this season. i could have chosen some beach, planned some simple getaway by myself or with friends. i could have chosen some adventure. i could have chosen to relinquish my free days to watching children in the homes of working parents. but instead of all of this, i chose a staycation. a vacation for a WEEK at my home. in Peoria.

it seems that in the past few years of living in B-N, i have come to Peoria often. some months, most weekends. fall of 2010, several times for days at a time. spring 2011, the same. last summer, often. this past school year, frequently. any of my friends in bloomington could tell you that i love Peoria. i enjoy coming to Peoria because of what it holds... because of who it holds. Peoria is home. although several of the people dearest to my heart live 45 minutes away from Peoria, i feel that a large part of my heart is still in Peoria. i feel refreshed in Peoria, i feel encouraged, i feel empowered... because this is the place where i began so many journeys... its air holds prayers, memories, and stories of nearly 21 years of my life, and that to me is a wonderful place to soak in.

two days in and i am thoroughly enjoying this mid-july staycation!