Life is good

It's been a while....a long while.

A lot has happened in the past year and a half.

Another nephew was born, I ran three half marathons, my husband and I have both received promotions in our jobs, new friends have been made, new habits made, old habits changed. We've said goodbye to some old dreams and found new ones. We've watched our family members deal with health issues we couldn't imagine.

And in the midst of all of this, I continue to see that God is good. Simple as that. My life is rich and filled with blessings so much greater than I could ever imagine.

I think I will start writing again. It has been a while, but I think it is time again.

Lesson: Even when life gets busy and changes, God is still good.

World View

A lesson that I have learned this year is just how important it is to know and be able to defend your world view. I've always loved discussing apologetics and world view, and I have always known that this was a pretty important thing, but this year, as I taught my freshmen world view class, I learned and realized how empowered and equipped I feel with this confidence in my world view.

Here's the simple question that we ask all year long:

Does that idea fit reality?

For example, does the idea that all of what we see and know today came out of chaos fit reality? In other words, look around you (or at yourself). Does it make sense to claim that the design we see in the world came out of chaos? That's what evolution claims. That order came out of chaos. Here's a simple illustration: take a bunch of legos and throw them on the ground. No matter how many times you do this (chaos), they are not going to form a perfectly scaled model of any sort of building, vehicle, or landscape. We don't see order coming out of chaos in this world. So, I ask my students after discussing this idea of design before a designer "does this fit reality?" No! So, evolution must not work as a world view.

Anyways, my prayer for my students is that they would feel as equipped as I do. That they would continue to look at the world and ask "does that idea fit reality?" That they have learned the same lesson that I have, that it is crucial to know and be able to defend your world view.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up agains the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Sweetness

This past weekend my sister married her best friend. It was such a sweet weekend for all of us. For the bridal party, we were all closely knit. In fact, with the exception of two best friends, one from the groom's side and one from the bride's side, all of us were related to each other. We had such a fun time together and it was just one huge celebration.

But the sweetest moment of all was when the wedding ceremony actually started and you looked down the row of the bridal party and you saw that Hilary and I, Stephanye's sisters, Emily, Bennett's sister and one of my friends from growing up (in fact, I was in her wedding), Jeff Rogers, Bennett's dad, Eric, Emily's husband, and Jeff, my husband, were all crying!

I think what struck me was the fact that both of these wonderful people were later in life than when most Christian couples marry, had not caved to the world's definition of worth is only found in a significant other, but had held out for each other. That and the fact that they had grown up with each other, but didn't have their eyes opened until after college. Overall, it made for a very sweet and worshipful ceremony. And I realized that I had just gained another family!

Afterwards I had the opportunity to sing the "Father/Daughter" dance song, and the words were really appropriate for me, Stephanye, and Hilary and our step-dad.

"They say miracles don't happen everyday,

but in my heart, I know this isn't true.

There are blessings in this life that are more than merely miracles.

And everyday, in every way, that blessing is you.

You stepped into my life

when I needed you most.

Growing so close,

you shared my tears and my laughter.

You opened my eyes

to the kind of love you give.

And your love will live

in my heart forever after.

There are heroes in this world who go unsung.

Yet they touch so many lives along the way.

With no spotlight, no applause, they're like shining stars.

And every day, in every way, you're my hero.

You stepped into my life

when I needed you most.

Growing so close,

you shared my tears and my laughter.

You opened my eyes

to the kind of love you give.

And your love will live

in my heart forever after.

Life isn't always easy

but you never turned away.

And deep inside I know,

I'll always bless the day

 You stepped into my life

when I needed you most.

Growing so close,

you shared my tears and my laughter.

You opened my eyes

to the kind of love you give.

And your love will live

in my heart forever after."

Lesson: Family comes in all forms and continues to grow as long as your heart is open to it.

Expectations

This year, to kick off our school year, we had an in-service all day one day and one of the statements has really stuck with me. The speaker talked about the expectations you have for the students and how if you have low expectations for the students, they will have low expectations for themselves, and how if you have high expectations for the students, they will have high expectations for themselves.

Well, this has really stuck with me, but for more than my students. Of course, I started off my year telling them that I have high expectations for them and think that they can do the best possible. But, I've started telling myself the same thing. I keep telling myself, "This is going to be a great year."

And, now, three weeks into the school year, I find myself much calmer and doing a better job in everything that I do. I start each day off with each task, expecting myself to do my very best in that task. And, as a result, I have found myself doing better in each task and staying calmer.

Lesson: Have high expectations for yourself and take it one day at a time. You'll find yourself (if you're like me) calmer and doing a better job.

So long summer, I shall miss you

St. Simon's Island, Georgia

Ok, so I know it's been a while. What can I say? I discovered how much I truly appreciate the benefits of being a teacher, one in particular being a nice two month break to rest and relax and spend time with family. So, here's to you, summer, I shall miss you!

Beautiful Sunsets

Evening Walks on the Beach

Hunting Island, SC

Beautiful Charleston, SC

Charleston Harbor

Lesson: Being a teacher is always worth it for the benefit of impacting students, but summer does make the deal sweeter. See you soon summer!

Gotta Love Yard Sales!

Mom and I went to several yard sales this past Saturday. We call it "yard saling" in my family! We had a blast and found some incredible deals....I defy anyone to prove to me that yard sales aren't worth the time after looking at my list.

Here's what I found (not including what my mom found):

Solid Wood Book Shelf that folds flat and has an "Arts and Crafts" feel: $18

Dooney and Bourke Purse: $2

Spode Christmas Tree Tea for One Teapot and Cup (still in box): $5

Southern Living at Home Vintage Plant Pot: $7

J. Crew Sweater: $3

Old Navy Top: $2

Gold Cuff: $1

Mary Kay Bronzer: $3

Matrix Hair Products (5 items: all brand new): $12

"Water For Elephants" (needed for my book club): $1

Christmas Berry Wreath (prettiest one I've seen): $1

Two paper back books for Jeff: $2

"Scene It" Bonus Pack: $2

"Foodies" Board Game (still wrapped in packaging): $1

KitchenAide Classic Stand Alone Mixer: $30

I think that covers everything....again, I defy anyone to prove to me that "yard saling" is not worth the time!

Lesson: Learned this as a young child, but it doesn't matter how little you pay for something if you get the same product at the same quality (Example: a $200 mixer for $30!)

My Favorite Place On Earth

A couple of blogs ago I mentioned my favorite place on earth, Charleston, SC. If I could live there, I would! Here are a few pictures from my most recent trip in the spring. Enjoy!

Lesson: It's sweet to have dream places that are reality.