Blast from the past....

You can officially start calling me Ms. Baker as today was the first day of my substitute teaching career! Let me just tell you...it was bizarre. I thought it might be a funny experience simply because I was teaching at the very same school I attended not too many years ago and I was so right!

As soon as I arrived, I found that I would be teaching in the same classroom in which I attended kindergarten. As if that was not strange enough, I was teaching alongside women who taught me when I was little! When I arrived, I had my first group of 2nd grade students for reading. They.were.monsters! It was interesting to me that I actually got along really well with the "troublemakers" that Stacee warned me about but did not enjoy the "good kids". They were such tattletales and could not stand to mind their own business. Part of being in 2nd grade, I guess :)

After lunch, I got a new group of kids for math time. We went to recess first, where so many memories came up. I saw where I was "married" in 1st grade, where Rhonda broke her arm in 3rd, where I fell off the swing set and got caught on my overall strap, where one of my best friends in the world told me that she was moving away, etc. etc. etc. I remembered the day the new playground equipment arrived in 3rd grade and how it was so exciting (and now looks old and worn just like everything else). After recess it was time for tech lab with Mrs. Anderson, the same lady who was there when I was in school. When I came to pick the kids up she showed me how my picture was still proudly displayed in her room because of a huge contraption a few friends and I had made that had never been topped. Quite an afternoon of reminiscing...

We came back, had a quick math lesson, then switched to homeroom where we watched Spongebob while cleaning up and getting ready to go home. It was certainly an adventurous afternoon and reminded me of why I want to be a teacher. No day is ever the same and the students deserve someone who sees their potential more than they do. Needless to say, it was a great first experience! :)

Brit

Summer Time!

Just a short little blurb to say....

Hello, summer! For at least 2 weeks or so...haha

Life...in all its messiness.

Life has been crazy complicated yet totally joyous lately. I've really been appreciating the concept of community and have been constantly reminded of the beautiful people that the Lord has blessed me with. Recently, some things have come up where there are some complicated situations that really are not that big of a deal, but in my current mental state everything is blown out of proportion. This song has really been blessing me lately...maybe the words in it are what you need to be reminded of, too.

1. Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
   Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
   Jesus, I come to Thee;
   Out of my sickness, into Thy health,
   Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
   Out of my sin and into Thyself,
   Jesus, I come to Thee.
2. Out of my shameful failure and loss,
   Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
   Jesus, I come to Thee;
   Out of earth’s sorrows, into Thy balm,
   Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
   Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
   Jesus, I come to Thee.
3. Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
   Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into Thy blessed will to abide,
   Jesus, I come to Thee;
   Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
   Out of despair, into raptures above,
   Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
   Jesus, I come to Thee.
4. Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
   Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into the joy and light of Thy home,
   Jesus, I come to Thee;
   Out of the depths of ruin untold,
   Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
   Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
   Jesus, I come to Thee.

Blessings

So, lately God has been reminding me of how He blesses me on a daily basis. The little things, the big things, and everything in between. A couple of specifics:

• People! People who encourage, keep me on track, love, make me laugh, listen, talk, etc etc etc. Relationships are central to life for me, and I'm so thankful that my Jesus knows that and has provided such great people to live my life with.
• Finally getting be part of a worship band again. Music is one of my favorite ways to communicate with the Lord and so it's really great to be part of that again!
• Living with my brother has been wonderful. Granted, we don't see each other as much as we'd like, but those nights where we're both just goofy or get to talk about our days are always fun.
• Schhhooool! Yes, I know, I just said that. I really used to dread going to class, feeling like I was wasting my time/money. Now, I love it! For the most part, I have great classes with subjects that I really enjoy. What a blessing!
• Annnddd. dun dun dun dun! Jesus has really been helping me continually be filled with Him. I'm not advertising in any means, but I finally feel like I'm at the point in my life where I'm not closing the door on relationship opportunities that arise. There is obviously still going to be lots of prayer and petition before going into anything, but it's not not an option anymore. As I've opened this door, I feel like there were a few days where I was wanting a relationship so badly that being fulfilled in Jesus didn't even really mean much. Buttt, in His grace he gave me some time to spend with Him and reminded me that He is my first love. All in all, I'm really happy and comfortable with where I'm at now. :)

How has Jesus been working with you, lately?

Love you all, so much!

Brit

Swamp Caaabbaaaaaggeeee!

Alright ladies, we have quite the task before us.

Find everything fun/quirky about Swamp Cabbage and participate in all the festivities.

There will probably be quite a few people from UCF coming down, so I want to offer up the most authentic, countrified experience ever.

Love,

Brit

PS. should we do the mudhole? haha...

The first step to overcoming an addiction...

...is to recognize that you have a problem. There, I said it.

I am addicted to board games!

I guess I've always held a certain fascination with them. There are just so many great aspects! For instance...

1. FREE! Once you buy them of course.

2. Unlike watching movies (which I also thoroughly enjoy), there is actually interaction between people.

3. It's a great way to break the ice and get conversation started with people that you don't know.

4. They never get old. A game is different every time, depending on how things play out and who is playing.

Not really sure why I wanted to write about this, but alas, I wrote. I guess it was because I wanted to share my weekend with everyone, and board games encompassed much of it. I also studied for my math test that is happening in a couple hours. Kind of nervous! Especially since like a ding-dong, I read all of every chapter whereas if I would have reviewed my notes first, I would have seen that only parts of some chapters were necessary. Lesson: READ YOUR NOTES FIRST!

So, what's your favorite way to spend time with people? Or some favorite board games?

My current favorites: Quelf!, Rummikub, Taboo, Catch Phrase, Apples to Appples...

Love,

Brit

Rallying in prayer...

Alright, guys. I came across the story of a sweet little girl named Kate, and thought I'd do my part to spread the word.

Kate was diagnosed with a brain tumor in late June 2009, and now is fighting the battle for her life. Her parents are grounded in their faith and are asking for prayer support through this stage in their lives. I cannot even imagine going through what Kate and her family are experiencing now. The least and the best thing we can do is pray for them. I'll post the website in case any of you want to follow her story.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

Love,

Brit