the stand

This is by far, my favorite praise song. Incredible... I'm going to post the lyrics now, and the song if I can figure out how to do so... it's so inspiring.

You stood before creation
Eternity within Your hand
You spoke the earth into motion
My soul now to stand
You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand
So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You
So I'll walk upon salvation
Your Spirit alive in me
This life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand
So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You
So I’ll standWith arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
So I’ll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

It's going to happen

I'm willing myself to have a good, productive day. So, if any of my comrades read this today, please check up on me and hold me accountable. I'm having motivational issues this week! Oh my! Paper due Thursday as well as a time-consuming assignment. Tomorrow's my bday, when will I get this stuff done?! Eek. More later... :)

Don't drink the water...

It's an absolutely gorgeous fall day today! It's cool and crisp, but not too cool. I so wish I was outside enjoying it! I'm ON DUTY here in the dorm world... fun, fun. I'm having fun looking over my planner - ha, not! Lots on it, lots to do and lots of "stuff" coming up.

I went to get water to make my coffee this afternoon and it looked real gross. I figured the heat of the coffee machine would sterelize any bacteria, righ? Anyway, the coffee is satisfying. I have my least favorite class this evening. I literally have to ready myself for it the whole day.

Started my practicum last Friday. It went okay. It's not how I expected it, but I think it will be a vauable experience.

I'm in an Atreyu kind of mood today.

Love to all!

lobbyists, joggers, and flavored tobaco

So, remember a few posts back when I accepted the challenge to "go to the cutting edge of my competance", experience a "temporary loss of security" (in Madeline Hunter's words) ? Well, I have done it. Today I called lobbyists for two hours. Boy was it uncomfortable, at first. Honestly, by the end of the whole deal it was a pretty good experience. All of the lobbyists I got a hold of were pretty nice guys willing to help. I'm sure I wouldn't neccesarily agree with all their issues, but I was happy to help out my local state rep (and future brother-in-law). The golf tournament stuff is going... well, it's going. Soliciting local businesses has turned out to be more difficult than it all sounded. I did get one guy to sponsor a hole for $500 which I feel is a great success. I got about 5 maybes for participation in the tournament itself, which would be another $500, or possibly $400/team. I'm happy to help. I love organizing, planning and assisting with all these events. I'm really adding to my experience by doing so. I love the fact that I started off young-adulthood with the internship in Kansas City. I feel like those experiences opened so many doors for me throughout the years. I hope this is a successful endevor for the campaign.

It's official. My paperwork has gone through all the higher-ups and I can start my second practicum THIS WEEK. Finally. I need to do a minimum of 3 hours per week for the next 8 weeks or so. I'm excited to get it going! I love spending time in the classroom, especially with a seasoned professional. I know I will learn a great deal.

Went to the gym tonight to do my cardio regiment. It felt good. Sooo good. On my way I see this girl, about my age, jogging down a side street at dusk. Come on, we've all seen CSI and know this is not a good idea, even if you live in Pleasantville. Why do women do this? It disgusts me. BE SAFE! Use common sense for goodness sake! I know it's kind of silly to drive to a destination to work out, but hey I always feel safe on my little eliptical. Next time I witness this, I may have to be the good citizen and stop and try to talk some sense itno these people.

What's this about the government banning flavored tobacos??!! The argument is that by flavoring tobacco, we are marketing directly to children. Let me just say that I am an ADULT and I really enjoy flavored tobacco. What has this world come to? Why is it that that government makes the most ludicrious laws which don't seem to really solve any issues but yet fails to put laws in place to settle other, legitimate issues. Last time I checked, most 10-year olds probably don't even know that flavored tobacco exists. SIGH.

Hitting up Denny's tonight with some of the dorm girlies - woot woot. A movie is to follow, most likely. Should be good times man. The to-do list is long and complicated but I'm making headway everyday.

Love, HR

Gettin' with it -and- "Withitness"

I've learned a new term in my Educational training here..... The word - withitness. One of my professors used it to describe the way effective teachers deal with and anticipate behaviors before they arise - by being completely aware of what is, or isn't, going on at any given moment in the classroom. I thought, oh how cute, this professor made up a cute little term. No, no, no, my friend. Withitness came up in not one, but TWO of my education textbooks. I was amazed. Educators can make up words that BECOME words! How neat is that?! According to WikiEd, withitness is: The Teacher's awareness of what's happening in the classroom/having eyes in the back of one's head :-p I love it! The term goes back to a Jacob Kounin in the 1970's. How about that.

Speaking of getting with it, getting to things, I finally partook in yoga class this evening. I've lived here a good 6 weeks and had yet to attend a yoga class. Disgraceful, I know. It meets twice a week, and I'm going to make it one of my weekly objectives to get there twice. I figure I can do yoga on Mon/Thurs and take care of cardio/weights Tues/Wed. It's ambitious, I know, but if I get into the routine, I'll be able to accomplish it. I already feel so much better. It will help with the stress. The stress is somewhat at a managable level right now. Well, it is completely under control. Brian is amazing, and this place feels better everyday. Feels more like home.

Trying to reconnect with an old friend of mine, God. Not that I've been completely neglecting our relationship lately but I'm not near as connected or on-track as I should be. So, I'm working on that. Prayer-journalling. It's kind of like blogging to God. I did it for the first time last night and it was really helpful. I know it will be a good tool for moving forward, examining what needs to be worked on and then looking back and seeing what God has accomplished in my life. I'm excited about it.

Shadow of the Wind

I finished the more exquisite book I've ever read, Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Really a gorgeous read. The art of the novel is possibly a dying one. The shelves are full of mediocre, cookie-cutter novels with poor character development and bad plots. This book was refreshing...envigorating! I will recomment it to everyone I know! thank you, Cynthia, for recommending this book to me!!!

"On the dawn of a summer day in 1945, a young boy is taken by his father to a mysterious place hidden in the heart of the old city: the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Here, Daniel Sempere will find a haunting book and with it a passion that will change the course of his life. Set in Barcelona in the first half of the twentieth century, La Sombra del Viento is a literary mystery and a tale of doomed love in a world of intrigues and secrets hidden in the dark soul of the city"

The visual bookshelf on facebook calls this the first in a "Cemetary of forgotten books series". I hope with all of my heart that is true!

The weekend was calm, restoring. It's lovely to spend quality time with the man. I'm not ready for this week ahead. Not ready. Eek.

banana-nut cheerios

So, I want to share this teaching method for reading. It's called Reader's Theater. I'm sure lots of people in the profession are familiar with the term. I experienced from the teacher's perspective for the first time last night. It was suprisingly effective and FUN! This is what you do - 1. Find a story with lots of fun dialogue. Stuff with !'s and such are great, because part of the idea is to teach children how to be a better reader. 2. choose a different color high-lighter for each character that speaks. It's best to choose a story without too many characters to avoid confusion. 3. Read through the story once together 4. Next, choose 1 character to highlight. Re-read the story and high-light everything that character says, leaving out the narrator portions. 5. Follow the procedure for all characters. 6. Assign the parts. As the parts are read, encourage enthusiasim and acting-out the dialogue. It's great for understanding dialogue, punctuation, etc. This can be such a fun activity for students!!!

I'm feeling the Wednesday-afternoon laziness setting in. ugh.

grand theft

Ugh we had a theft in the basement tonight. Some (international) student went to the bathroom and when they returned, their laptop was GONE!! I feel so bad for her. I'm also so thankful I didn't get anything taken. My room was open around the same time. We had to search all the rooms in the building, but unfortunately found nothing.

I'm getting ready to start on my latest project. We're planning a gold tournament for Brian's brother's political campaign. My main job is to find donation items for a silent auction. While I've done this a lot in the past, I've never done it for anything other than a Non-Profit. It's way easy to get items when people can get a tax credit, but it will be more challenging for a political fundraiser, I think. I welcome the challenge though and look forward to helping with another successful event. My resume's getting loaded ;)

Lots on my plate as far as school this week too. I have my first test - Religion. It's Tuesday at 11:00. Oh my. Hope it goes well.

I better start formulating a plan, as well as lists.

Love, HR

We went to the WWI museum today. It is, by far, the coolest museum I've ever been to. That says a lot, really, because my parents have drug me to every museum within 500 miles of this place. If you're ever in KC or passing through, you MUST go check it out! There was SO MUCH memorbilia and the displays were absolutely amazing. Maybe I'm just a huge nerd, but it was amazing.

This is where Brian and I spent the afternoon yesterday. It was absolutely glorious!!! He made a perfect picnic and we laid around... just chatting. I wish I could do that everyday. I've been lonely at school lately. I guess I've still not fully adjusted. It's hard to get comfortable when you know something is temporary. It's also hard because I really, really didn't want to be in the dorms. The financial benefits outweighed everything else, so I am trying to make the best of it. An apartment would be ideal. At any rate, I'm going to try to have a more positive attitude.

I'm home this weekend for the first time since I moved. It's SO nice to be here! I didn't really feel too homesick but now that I'm here, I think I must have been. I visited coworkers from both FUDC and Mcd's tonight and went to my favorite restaraunt with the fam. My dad and bro seem to be getting a long pretty well. That makes me feel a lot better about no longer living here. The kitties were so excited to see me!! I miss them! Tomorrow I'll be spending time with my bff's here, getting my hair cut and hopefully catching up with another coworker. It's going to be a weekend of restoration (emotionally) for me.

These are the things I'm struggeling most with: 1. Not having MY OWN space 2. Not seeing Brian nearly as much as I had hoped for 3. Hours of "on-duty" responsibilities for the RA deal 4. How am I going to pay my bills after these next few months? (The answer to all of these which I know is that God is in control here!!!!)

Uncertainty stresses me out. It's really hard to transfer. I'll figure it out. Brian's the biggest comfort I could ever ask for. I don't feel like I've been a pleasant person to be around lately. Or to talk to, for that matter. So stressed. I need to get it under control!

This was a pretty personal post, I guess. Needed to get it out though. Keep me in your prayers. I know this is where God has led me. I know this with all of my heart. It's just the adjustment that's difficult. Cynthia, I'm sure you can relate.

Love to all.
h.r.

not an ordinary day

Today is going to be aaahhh-mazing. I have to sit through an hour and fifteen minutes of Relgion class but then...... Brian's coming!!!!

He's packing a picnic and we're heading down to the river to hang out all afternoon!!!!

YAY!

blog This!

I thought my blog had been hijacked there for a moment. I went to it, as I usually do and this message popped up, "the restoration of property or rights previously taken away, conveyed, or surrendered"..... what a random, odd message to receive. I couldn't figure out what in the world the gibberish was. Then I remembered it was one of the definitions I was working on earlier for a lesson plan. I'd copied it and pasted it into a word document. NOT into blogger. I hadn't been on blogger dashboard all day.... So, the headline on the tab says, "Blog This!" and then there's this wierd quote that may have been left on my clipboard. There's really only one explination and it's a supernatural one. I'm not trying to be one of those ghost-hunter crazies, but there is no other explination! Mary Sibley is screwing with me. It's pretty fascinating, really. I loved living in Roberta Hall. It was so cool when Roberta would make her prescence known. This is kind of crazy cool!! Hi Mary! Ha.. Maybe she'll leave me more messages!!

Today was sort of a blah day for me. I desk sat from 8-9 this morning and then from 12:30-4. Long hours... spent about five hours or more on homework. Classes are keeping me quite busy. I'd been feeling a bit withdrawn the past couple of days. I get that way from time to time. Sometimes it's just for a day, sometimes for a week. I just feel like I need to be alone. It backfires though because then I get down from being lonely. Ahh.. it's a balancing act.

It was gorgeous out tonight. We went to dinner for my roomies 21st. We walked to Quicktrip. Late night candy-run. Good stuff.

I'm waiting for this ambien to kick in. It's always like a race...what can I complete before i'm wiped out? I'm pretty sure I've got a nasty spider bite going on on my tummy. EW!

More tomorrow.
love

these are the moments.....

[pictures to come......]

Had an absolutely amazing weekend. It reminded me to stay in these moments of the present and to be thankful for each and every one of them. We saw friends Friday night and played games - just had fun. It's lovely when you and your sig-nif-o (significant other) can hang out with another couple... something I hadn't experienced until this one. :)

Spent Saturday around home, just spending time with Brian. It was lovely. He works on his book while I do homework or read. Currently Reading Shadow of the Wind and it is really incredible. Watched Role Models with the parents Saturday night...always fun.

The cabin trip was Sunday night/Monday and it was so wonderful to be out in the middle of nature. I have about come to the conclusion that my favorite place to be in the whole entire world is a swing in front of a fire!! With my boo!!! Ahh.. I tell you what, I had NO STRESS whatsoever in the arms of the one I love. There may be cause for some stress but everything melts away with him. Gee, I think that's the way it's supppppposed to be! It was so great to be surrounded by family and friends.

I can't believe I've lived here a month! A month, today! I do enjoy it.

Love you, Cynth. Hope all is well with you two.

7

I thought I'd get up at 7 this morning. I'd forgotten what it looked and felt like. It was early. It was crowded and cold. I have 1 hoodie here at the moment and nights in the 50's and early mornings are hard to handle without proper attire. I cannot believe how MANY of these college kids get up for breakfast. All these people, so EARLY in the morning. It was horrifying. The food tasted good at the moment. I instantly regretted it, however.

I spent the rest of the morning in bed (and elsewhere) trying to recover from breakfast. I thought breakfast was the most important meal of the day?? It seems the meal to avoid around here. Honestly though all the food around here is yucky. Good thing I won't have to endure four years around this joint. That would probably induce some sort of chronic intestinal illness.

It's another gorgeous day. A gorgeous day for a TB test! YES! Ha.. It's a requirement from the school district I will be working in this semester. They are going to stick this NEEDLE into my skin and INSERT medicine. If this particular area of skin happens to react - well then I think it's a bad thing. I wonder if they'll let me do the practicum still??

I wonder if the swine flu's going to come back in full force? I'm not worried but maybe I should get a vaccination? Does a vaccination currently exist? I should check into this. Or ask Anderson Cooper. I'm sure he would know.

I am teaching my first lesson tonight to my student in my Analysis and Correction of Reading Dissibilities Practicum. I'm terribly frightened that the plan I've come up with is entirely too low for the grade-level. I hope this student is not offended at my ignorance. How nerve-wrecking! I'm sure it'll go well. I obtained a wonderful quote which has helped with all the anxiety I was having with all this EDU stuff - "If you want to feel secure, do what you already know how to do. If you want to be a true professional and continue to grow, go to the cutting edge of your competance, which means a temporary loss of security. So whenever you don't know quite what you are doing, know you are growing" - Madeline Hunter. I think that's absolutely wonderful. I will apply it to all areas of my life!!

Well... love to all.