summer of Mandy: 2010 (day 1)

Who knows if this will actually happen but one of my goals (borrowed from my friend L) is to take a picture every day this summer. Some days multiple pictures will be taken, other days, I might have to get creative and take a picture of something REAL random. Some will be shared here, others will be well, stored on my computer for me to sort through later. So with that . . .

What better way to start off my summer than by going to the Brooks and Dunn concert?!?

Boot Scootin' Boogie (LOVED IT)

It's not a good concert with out Reba making an appearance! :)

My crazy friends who love country music!

I can confidently say that this summer is off to a fantastic start.

funny how time marches on. . .

A funny thing about journaling is that whenever I need to recall how I was feeling/processing/enduring a certain situation many times I can flip through the archives of this blog or the pages of one of my numerous journals and find just what I was looking for.

10 years ago I gave a speech. My dad handed me my diploma and my time as a student in USD 285 had finally come to an end. If you would have told me on that night in May of 2000 that I would be finishing my fifth year of being a high school teacher in May of 2010 I would have laughed in your face. Destiny is a funny thing. Being a 4th generation teacher is who I am. And now 10 years later, May 2010 has rolled around. And graduation season is upon us once again.

Last year was monumental.

There are students who walk into my classroom that teach me so much more than I could ever hope to teach them. They share their lives with me and I have the privilege of having a front row seat to see them grow, mature, struggle, and achieve during their time at SEHS. They challenge me. They inspire me. They are why I love my job.

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell, where his influence stops.” Henry Brooks Adams

Trust His Heart

We sang this song at church today. WOW! The words rocked me to my core. Circumstances aren't always what I want them to be but I can TRUST HIS HEART. If you need some truth, read on. If you need to be reminded of HIS faithfulness, read on. If things are yucky, read on. If things are good, read on. Here's to HOPE! Here's to the tapestry that He's weaving.

Trust His Heart:

All things work for our good
though sometimes we can't see how they could
struggles that break our hearts in two
sometimes blinds us to the truth

Our Father knows what's best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim, and you just can't see Him
Remember you're never alone

God is too wise to be mistaken

God is too good to be unkind

So when you don't understand

When you don't see His plan

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His heart

He sees the master plan
And He holds our future in His hands
So don't live as those who have no hope
All our hope is found in Him

We see the present clearly
But He sees the first and the last
And like a tapestry He's weaving you and me to someday be just like Him

God is too wise to be mistaken

God is too good to be unkind

So when you don't understand

When you don't see His plan

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His heart

He alone is faithful and true

He alone knows what is best for you

So when you don't understand

When you don't see His plan

When you can't trace His hand

Trust His heart

face lift....

March 2009

Crazy changes happened on the inside but the outside was neglected. . .

but then.... my dad showed up with his chainsaw.

T & L brought shovels, rakes, clippers (i.e everything one could possibly need to do some serious damage to UGLY bushes, leaves and trash that have been hidden under said ugly bushes for far too long, and icky brick landscaping that had disappeared due to lack of care.)

So now I give you the new and improved FACE of Indianapolis. . .

There's still work to be done, but the face lift has officially begun!

Nestle (one of the few dogs in the world that I actually like) hanging out on my front porch, inviting you to come visit and see all the changes that are happening around here.

defining a good good good weekend

good #1 - Evansville playing baseball in Omaha

#30 (TOM) my second favorite Ace

#21 (MATT) my all time favorite Ace

a beautiful night for baseball at Rosenblatt

second favorite Ace at bat

all time favorite Ace and me after the game

- - -

good #2 - hanging out with NKEM

and JADA!

good #3 - being in KC and hanging out with a beautiful bride to be

and just where have you been?

There are some days when I think, "I could blog about that." Then weeks go by, literally WEEKS and I haven't written a thing on this precious little piece of the world wide web.

There is much to discuss. There is much to process. Thanks to this trusted old friend. . .

I haven't needed this "processing" avenue quite as much recently.

I am working on a reivew of the first quarter of 2010 (picture style) so you can look forward to that, the two of you that actually read this! Exciting things are happening. . . a fun road trip is on the calendar for this weekend. May 2010 is I think the busiest month EVER in the history of the world. (okay I am exageratting, but only slightly. . .) Throw together a hodge podge of track meets, baseball games, graduations, graduation open houses, wedding showers, a wedding, the end of school, the arrival of two from across the pond. . . but it will be fun because each and every one of those things involve some of my most favorite people! (yeah I know I have quite the list, but what can I say, I HAVE GOOD PEOPLE!)

days that define you...

There are days that define you. You know the days I'm talking about. (Birthdays, weddings, graduations, anniversaries, births, deaths, days that you want to repeat over and over again, and days when your life is turned upside down.)

There have been too many of the "days when your life is turned upside down" days recently for the people in my world.

Hard things.

Circumstances out of our control.

Consequences that have to be faced.

Unexpected deaths of students. (who have friends, classmates, parents, friends, siblings, aunts, uncles, neighbors, teachers, cousins...who are hurting.)

Too many days that take me back to August 4, 1999.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.