what('s) an idea!

Today in English, we had a review of nouns.  I was trying to explain that a noun can be an idea, which is a hard concept to teach.  I did my best.  It came out a little something like this: "A noun can be an idea.  An idea is something that you can think about, but you can't see it or touch it...like friendship or love."  I'm not quite sure I got the point across.  Immediately after my oh-so-precise explanation, Roger (you may remember him from the spelling quiz) said, "Oh, like my nose!  I can think about it, but I can't put my fingers in it!"

sigh of relief

Midterm over!  Now I can look forward to a relaxing Thursday :)

wish me luck!

I have my midterm tomorrow evening!  I'm a little nervous.  I spent the past 4 hours studying disorders like Caffeine Intoxication while drinking coffee.  The good news is, I know how to treat myself!

I don't care what you think.

My pastor said this last Sunday.  And you know what?  I wasn't offended!  I'm so tired of trying to justify theories of human development and counseling when I know that the one answer to all of the questions is not acceptable to my professors.  I'm narrow-minded and judgmental if I say what I believe, so I have to find different terms for it and creatively sneak it into someone else's counseling jargon.  I have to write my faith off as just one tiny factor of my "culture."  The fact of the matter is, I can say what I think all day long, but saying what I know is a completely different story.  And it goes a little something like this:

This world and the people in it are broken, and our only hope of redemption is a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We will always have pain and sorrow and heartache and suffering and disease and yes, even battles with the Devil himself.  Those things will never go away, no matter how many coping strategies or meditation exercises we learn.  Nobody will be able to fill another person, no conversation will enlighten us enough to escape the truth of our depravity.  Fifty minutes once a week for a lifetime won't even do it.  And until we believe what we have been told over and over and over again - that we are in desperate need of the Lord's mercy and forgiveness, which he offers freely and abundantly - then we will forever be in bondage to the very things that we seek to escape.

Whew.  That felt good.  Goodnight!

ahead of the game...but still not ready for it

Laundry is done, floors are vacuumed, lunch is packed, lessons are planned, dog is walked...and I have yet to crack open a book for my midterm this week.  Procrastiductivity is maybe one of my greatest talents!

big tex

Laura Bell Bundy is great!  Going to one of her shows will make you want to buy all of Dolly Parton's albums.  I don't think that's Laura Bell's goal, but it is what it is.

Also, I highly recommend fried smores.  Next time we're singing kumbaya around a campfire and lighting marshmallows on fire, I'd like to also hear the sound of a large vat of grease bubbling nearby.

And finally, Crazy Mouse is a surprisingly thrilling ride.  Worth every ticket!

thankful

...for...

pumpkin donuts
fall weather
a parent conference that went extremely well
more Mexican food than a girl should have in one day
a couple of hours on the couch with a good book
a dog with a waggly tail
spontaneous dance parties in the car
friends who make me laugh out loud
a comfy place to lay my head