To Believe or Not to Believe......That is the Question

Over the past few months, I have been reading quite a few books in my spare time. I must admit that I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to curl up with a good book and just read for hours. After all, between working full time and going to school full time, reading for leisure was never really something that I ever had the time to do! A few of the books that I have been reading include: Rich Dad, Poor Dad, By: Robert Kiyosaki; Financial Peace Revisited, By: Dave Ramsey; Praying God's Word, By: Beth Moore; and of course I threw in a murder mystery written by Mary Jane Clark. Each of the above books are written by phenomenal authors who echo a dynamic message!

Nonetheless, out of all of the books that I have read, Beth Moore's book has probably been my favorite. Perhaps I love her book so much because she is so transparent about her walk with God. For example, in chapter two of her book, Beth discusses how "God seems to work in themes in [her] life. [Therefore,] every sermon, morning devotional, and Christian radio program all 'coincidentally' speak to [her] about the same subject for an uncomfortable length of time." Well let me tell you, I can definitely give a fellow sister a big, fat AMEN to that because God is certainly working on a central theme in my life right now! It's the theme of belief.

As many of you all may know, I am currently looking for a job. I began applying for teaching positions back in January for the 2010-2011 school year. So for the past seven months, the re-occurring theme of belief has been popping up in Sunday morning sermons, conversations with friends, daily devotionals, various books that I have read and Christian radio programs. But out of everything that I have heard or read, it was probably chapter two of Beth Moore's book that totally solidified with my spirit. Beth was talking about a time in her life where she felt like the Holy Spirit spoke to her and said, "Beth, I want you to believe Me." She answered, "Lord, of course I believe in You. I've believed in You all my life." She said that the Lord responded back to her very clearly and adamantly by saying, "I didn't ask you to believe in Me. I asked you to believe Me." I have to tell you that once I read that, it sunk into my spirit like a dead weight, and I immediately began crying and repenting. I began thinking to myself....how many times have I simply believed in God, but not believed Him? It's almost like I am trying to put God in a box and be "safe" about my requests to Him; Lord, please forgive me! After all, doesn't Hebrews 4 tell us to come BOLDLY to the throne of our gracious God? I be live that it's about time for me to do that!

I think that one of the coolest things about being a believer in Christ is that even though the enemy may come against us, God has given us EVERYTHING we need to fight back. "[We] have what it takes--[we] have Jesus [who is] the Way, the Truth and the Life. [But it's not enough] to believe in Him! [We] must believe Him! Believe He can do what He says He can do. Believe [we] can do what He says [we] can do. Believe He is who He says He is. And believe [we] are who He says [we] are." If that does not totally rock your world then I don't know what does because it certainly shook mine!

Now here I stand--confronted with a choice and a decision. I can be anxious and worry about whether or not God is going to provide me with a job OR I can believe God is going to do this thing and provide me with a job--not just any job or the first job that comes along, but the job that HE WILLS FOR MY LIFE. My choice: to believe Him and be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, BOLDLY present my requests to God. And even though many may sarcastically say......."Good luck in finding a job," "Take the first job that comes along" or "My friend 'knows' people and she still can't get a job," I am praying and believing that God has a job for me and is going to provide for our family like He said He would. After all, He has provided above and beyond this family's needs throughout the past seven months! So go ahead and believe in Him, but don't forget to believe Him!

Acquiring Financial Peace

Kevin and I have had the privaledge and opportunity to take a wonderful class through our church called Financial Peace University. It is a phenominal program that was developed by Dave Ramsey. Dave is a well known financial expert who stresses the Biblical way of managing your money versus the world's way of managing your money.

There are seven baby steps of Financial Peace University. They are:

1. Establish a $1,000 emergency fund
2. Pay off all debt
3. Fully fund your emergency fund (3-6 months of expences)
4. Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRA's and pre-tax retirement
5. College funding for children
6. Pay off home early
7. Build wealth and GIVE

I have to admit that it has been extremely difficult for us to really plow through the baby steps like we would like to since I am not currently working. We have already established our emergency fund and are currently working on paying off all of our debt. Our debt primarily consists of a student loan and a car loan, which is pretty much the average American's type of debt. Even at that though, we are over it and cannot wait until the day that we can call ourselves DEBT FREE! Our ultimate goal is to have all of our debt completely paid off in less than a year. So we will see how it all works out!

Even though it is going to take time, patience and discipline, Kevin and I are determined to follow through with this program. We would like to successfully complete the program by the time we turn 30 (which is only five years away). However, there are no promises that will actually happen because we would like to eventually purchase a larger home and start a family, which all takes money. Anyway, I figure five years is a good goal for now and we can adjust that goal as life happens. So until then, we will live like no one else so that eventually we can live like no one else!

Change, change and more change

I think that the title of today's blog post is literally the story of my life for the year 2010. It's funny how we get so "used to" life. We wake up at the same time every morning, walk through the doorway of the same job every day, come home, eat, sleep and wake up to do it all over again the next morning. This every day monotony is what I like to call the personal comfort zone. Predictable, secure and comfortable.....yes. However, if one little teenie, tiny normality is removed from the daily monotony, then life just isn't right because it puts us outside of our comfort zone. As I rewind all the way back to December 2009, I think back to the good old days when life was simply predictable and what I would like to call secure. Nonetheless, I knew that once January 1, 2010 rolled around that my life would be different because I would be leaving behind a paycheck, a workplace in which I had worked for nearly six years, and some of my nearest and dearest of friends.

Well, January came quicker than I imagined and I found myself traveling nearly fifty miles a day to make a difference in the lives of twenty-one second grade students at John B. Dey Elementary School. Who would have ever thought that I would have become so attached to the kiddos at John B. Dey in a mere eight weeks? From Ancient Egypt to poetry, the children and I worked very hard every day and explored many new and exciting things. Was it worth it? Absolutely....every minute of it! But just when I started to get "used to" that daily routine, it was time for me to say good-bye and move on to a group of twenty-three fourth grade students at Cedar Road Elementary.

March and April were filled with new and exciting challenges as I had to mentally shift gears and up my anty to teach "big, bad" fourth graders instead of "little, lovable" second graders. Oh how kiddos change in just a few short years. Second graders are so loving and affectionate; they want to please you and are still so moldable. Fourth graders on the other hand are independent, have their own unique personality, are comical, show very little emotion or "love" toward their teacher, and can be relatively hard on themselves given the right situation. I must admit that going into it, I was kind of scared that these particular fourth grade students would be smarter than me and outsmart me in numerous situations, especially given the fact that they were identified gifted. However, this was not the case. Did they keep me on my toes.....MOST DEFINITELY! Nonetheless, they also humored me, made me laugh until I cried, inspired me, made me work hard and think smarter. Most importantly, on numerous occassions, I was awestruck by their God-given talents and knowledge that simply re-inforced why I am what I am--a teacher! They were such precious kiddos, and I am honored to have been able to make a difference in their lives!

Then May rolls around. In the blink of an eye........I attended one of my very best friend's wedding in Florida; I graduated from Regent University with a group of fabulous girlfriends who I greatly miss seeing every Thurday night; I was re-united with one of the coolest kids in the entire world (only until I have a child of my own and then he will be the second coolest kid in the world); I am now saying good-bye to another one of my best friends who is moving to Hawaii. Oh how life changes......just like that.....in the blink of an eye.

June has been so much fun! I am thoroughly enjoying being able to spend an ample amount of time with my mom, family and friends. Not only that, but I spent a week hanging out with one of the coolest kiddos in the world....Benjamin! I cannot even begin to tell you how thankful I am to be able to make all sorts of new memories, which will simply leave a favorable and lasting impression on this season of my life. Not to mention.....I am also going to Seattle to see my other half and enjoy a mini-vacation (all thanks to my father-in-law)! Thank you God for this time of my life.....thank you for providing for my family.......and thank you for preparing the way for me to enter into the next chapter of my life!

In closing, I know that when I look back on this particular season of my life, I will simply realize that it made be a better, stronger person. Probably the coolest thing about it all is the fact that even though many different aspects of my life are constantly changing, I serve a God who never ever changes; He is the same yesterday, today and forever! I also know that all of this change is necessary......necessary so that I may be able to move onto the next chapter of my life! I am so excited and cannot wait to see where God leads me next!

Life Thus Far....

WOW! I know, I know! I have not blogged on our family blog since 2008. What can I say.....life has been CRAZY! So in a nut shell, here is what has been going on.......


Kevin received a job promotion in 2009 and has been traveling a lot more than we ever anticipated. He started taking classes for his mechanical engineering degree about one year ago. However, he decided that he would wait until I finished school before he went back full time (or close to it). Therefore, he plans on going back to school this upcoming fall 2010 to continue his education. I cannot even begin to express how proud I am of him. God has certainly blessed me with such a wonderful husband, and I love him so very much!

In 2009 we adopted a dog. His name is Carter. To say the least, he is the sweetest, most adorable little animal that could ever walk the planet. We love the little guy so much and he brings so much joy into our lives.




As for me, I was working full time and going to school full time up until December 2009. I took an educational leave of absence from my job in December in order to complete five hundred hours of student teaching in the public school system from January until the end of April. Student teaching went really well, and as you will notice, I imported several blog posts into our family blog from the my student teaching blog (which was required by my university). What I imported was from the first half of my student teaching experience. I actually regret not blogging about the second half of my student teaching experience because it was such a different experience. Anyway, I FINALLY graduated from Regent University on May 8, 2010! YEA!!!!

Currently, I am a stay at home wife, which is weird since I am so used to staying busy. I have applied in three different public school systems as well as one private school. Please, please, please pray that I will be hired for a teaching position for the 2010-2011 school year. Who would have thought that it would be so diffuclut to find a teaching position!? Nonetheless, I know that God has it all under control. He has called me to the education field, and I know that He is beginning to prepare the hearts and minds of the students who I will teach next year. It's just me that needs to continue to have faith!

As far as traveling is concerned, Kevin and I have traveled to several different places over the past year or so. A few include: Las Angeles, San Francisco, Sonoma and Napa Valley, California; Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam in Nevada; Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Of course, we have visited Orlando and St. Augustine, Florida numerous times in the past year. I think the best part about it all is the fact that we have had the privaledge to travel with my parents and create new family memories!

Other than that, Kevin and I are still actively involved in our church. Over the past four months, we have been invovled in a class called Financial Peace University, which is by Dave Ramsey. We loved the class so much that we are getting ready to lead a Financial Peace University class. We are totally psyched about it, and are thankful for the opportunity to help others achieve financial peace!

So what does the future hold? Who knows (except for God)! We look forward to a relaxing summer, yet getting back into the swing of things in the fall. New undergrad classes for Kevin, a new job for me and who knows......maybe even graduate school in January! So until the next blog post, we are standing on Philippians 4:6, trusting that the Big Man up above has everything all under control!

Week Eight....The Final Stretch!

Week eight was probably the busiest week of them all. Even though I was beginning to release responsiblity back to my cooperating teacher, there were still a million and one things to accomplish. To begin with, the children practiced every morning for their Temples and Tombs musical that they formally performed for their families on Wednesday evening. Of course that meant that I was at school from 7:15 in the morning until 8:00 in the evening. To say the least, it was a long day, but it was well worth it!



Next, I requested to observe kindergarten, first, third and fifth grade teachers during my last week at John B. Dey. All I can say is....amazing! There was one teacher in particular that I was truly in awe of. What a talented and skilled teacher; I hope to one day be just like her! I took a gazillion pictures of her classroom so that I could implement similar ideas and strategies in my very own classroom. Take a look at her phenominal classroom....







Finally, I had planned a poetry book signing party on my last day. Poetry was one of the units that I taught the students during my time at John B. Dey. From the very beginning of the poetry writer's worshop, I had told the students that I was going to "publish" their very best poem in a class poetry book. They participated in a poetry writer's workshop and wrote three varieties of poetry (free verse, cinquain and couplet). I must say that the students were so excited and really put forth their very best effort knowing that there was an exciting reward in the end. So week eight was the week that I was pulling it all together, creating their poetry book and purchasing items for the poetry book signing event. I was at school on Thursday night until 9:30 PM. I wanted this event to be totally over the top because the students had worked SOOOOOO hard, and now it was time to share their work with their parents, grandparents, assistant principal and principal. I cannnot even begin to put into words how successful this event was. However, I think the pictures below say it all.









Friday was a bitter-sweet day. I was excited to be half way through my student teaching experience, yet it was hard to let go and move on to another school. I will greatly miss my second grade students at John B. Dey Elementary School! I am so thankful for the opportunity that I had to serve my cooperating teacher, second grade students and administration. The memories that were created in my first placement will forever be engraved in my mind.

Random Ramblings of Week Seven

Week seven.....wow! This past week I kept on telling my cooperating teacher that I am in total denial that I am going to be moving on to another school in nearly a week. It has been such a wonderful and positive experience that I honestly do not want to leave!

At the beginning of week seven, I started to think about what the future holds, or what it does not hold. I spoke with my good friend, Monica, about how I felt so defeated and hopeless due to the overall economic status of the economy. I have worked so hard to try to get this degree. Not to mention the fact that it has been a long haul between going to school full time and working full time. Now that it is time to go out and apply all that I have learned in a new found job, well, there may not be a new found job because there aren't any jobs! I think I have heard it all. From "What a time to graduate" to "Good luck in finding a job," it seems like the future does not look too promising. Nonetheless, God dropped Philippians 4:6 into my spirit while I was driving to work one day. It says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

I am now looking forward to what the future may hold. Although it seems like nothing is too promising, I know that my God has my future in His hands. He is a miracle worker, and He can do what everyone else around me says is absolutely impossible. It is exciting to know that He is already beginning to prepare the school, the classroom and the hearts of the children who I will be able to touch once I graduate. So I am awaiting my miracle because I know that as long as I am faithful to God then He will be faithful to me!

The Adventures of Week Six.....

Week six has been yet another great week. Once again, I cannot emphasize enough that teaching has its ups and downs, good days and bad days. Well, Tuesday was one of those bad days that just so happened to turn into a really great day. I came in Tuesday morning feeling like I was simply "flying by the seat of my pants." I was exhausted and in a funk. Not to mention the fact that the children were not acting like themselves. They were a little bit more roudy than normal. Well, I took them to art class, which was first thing in the morning at 8:15. To say the least, it was a nice break first thing in the morning, especially since I was in a funk. I picked them up from art class around 8:50, and I could tell that they were still a bit roudy. Wel, when they came back in to the classroom, they immediately went to work. So at this point, who do you guess comes strolling in to the classroom!? Yep, you guessed it....the assistant principal. She was completing a random lesson plan check. No big deal, but again, they kids were CRAZY! In all honesty, I really just wanted to ball up in a corner and cry!

While she was in there, I sat there and thought to myself, "She might as well sit down and observe me while she is in here; it can't get much worse than this!" So I invited her to sit down and complete the Regent evaluation form right then and there. The assistant principal observed me for nearly thirty minutes, and then left me a sticky note on my desk that said, "Lauren, You are doing a wonderful job! You are very confident and concise, too! Come by and see me today during P.E. time." Of course I am thinking to myself, "This can't be good; my lesson was a disaster; my reputation is ruined!"

The rest of the day seemed to creap by. I was so thankful when it was time to take the children to P.E. because I felt as if I could finally just put my misery to rest. So I made my journey down to the principals office. When I sat down, the first thing that the A.P. asked me was, "so how do you think you did?" I looked at her and said, "honestly, it was one of the worst lessons ever, and I felt like it was nothing but a disaster!" She immediately look perplexed and told me that if that was a bad day then she would like to observe me on a good day because my bad day is comparable to some teachers good days. At that point, I had no idea what to say because she completely took me off guard! She proceeded to go over my evaluation, which was very, very good. Then she asked me a few questions about when I would be graduating, receiving my lisence and when would I be on the job market. So to say the least, after our meeting, my extremely, horrible, no good, very bad day turned into a wonderful one!

Week Five....REALLY!?

Week five has emhasized the importance of flexibility. Snow days, student assemblies, staff meetings, you name it, you just have to learn to be flexible and adjust acordingly in order to be a successful teacher! To say the least, that is what I have done so far this week! I honestly feel like I have revised daily lesson plans at least a million times! Uggg!

Today was our first day back since last Friday's half day. Wednesday and Thursday will be half days and Friday will be a full day. It was SO nice to be back in the classroom again. I did not miss the long drive to the beach, but I missed the students dearly! So now the race begins...the race to complete everything that needs to be accomplished for the month of February.

It is so hard to believe that we are half way through week five. Time flies, doesn't it? I must say that as I was riding home from work this afternoon, I was thinking about how sad it is going to be to leave the children and staff at John B. Dey. It is amazing how close I have become to the children, parents and staff in only one month. They have been so good to me! From teacher to teacher collaborations to a birthday surprise party with cake, cards, balloons gifts and all, my first experience has certainly been a memorable one!

The Fourth Week Thus Far...

It is so funny how teaching has its ups and its downs. Of course I could have told you this before I even began the student teaching experience since I used to teach at The Manor Schools. Nonetheless, student teaching has over emphasized the fact that one day you can be on top of a mountain and then the next day you can be low, low, low in a valley. I say all of this because the end of week three, I was one bad math lesson shy of having a nervous break down. I literally came home Thursday night, looked at my husband with tears in my eyes and said, "I don't think I can do this. I do not think that I am cut out to be a teacher." Thank God for a blatenly honest husband because Kevin looked at me with this crazy expression on his face and said, "Honey, you're tired. You need to go to bed." So I took his advice and went to bed.

The next morning I woke up two hours later than I normally do because I had to go to a "Teach at the Beach" seminar. Therefore, I had plenty of sleep and was now able to function with a clear mind. After the seminar, I headed to John B. Dey only to later find out that the students had taken a math test that morning. Mrs. Hartin quickly ushered me over to a table and told me to sit down--she had something for me to look at. As I flipped through the tests, I was rejoicing over the students success because the majority of them made a 100%, while all the rest made a low A or high B. I could not have been any happier at that very moment! All of my hard work, sweat and tears had paid off! To say the least, I was on top of a mountain.

This week, thus far, has gone just as well (if not better). I have had a few of those "this is why I am a teacher" moments. The more and more I get into the routine of becoming an elementary school teacher, the more and more I realize that this is exactly where I am suppossed to be--this is truly my calling. Therefore, I cannot let a single, solitary lesson get me down in the dumps. I am have to try to keep my head held up high, try harder, work harder and continually strive for excellence. Not only that, but I also realzied that due to my math lesson gone bad, I was able to exeplify to the students the well known phrase, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." This seems to be a resounding quote that we have heard the past couple of weeks throughout numerous lessons. So I guess I can truly say that I too learned my very own lesson!

In closing, I felt that it was more than appropriate to share a few words to encouragement that come from Phillipians 4:13, NIV. It says, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." So if you happen to be in a valley, simply know that you won't be there forever. Keep your head up high and know that even when you feel like you cannot write another lesson plan, teach another lesson or share another smile, you can because you have an almighty God who is on your side and cheering you on. He is your strength, your peace and your rest!

The Second and Third Weeks...

The second and third weeks have been just as great as the first week. I must admit, by the second week I was extremely frustrated with the math program. Virginia Beach city public schools use a mathematics program called Everyday Math from Chicago Institute. I think the developers of this particular math program were really on to something when they first created this program because it takes a spiral approach to mathematics. In other words, just like every child does not learn how to walk or talk at the same time, not every child may be able to grasp or understand a math concept at the same time. Therefore, you might teach addition or subraaction strategies many times throughout the year because of the spiral approach--INGENIOUS! However, as you might have noticed, I mentioned addition or subtraction strategies. I am sure you are wondering what I mean when I say strategies because after all there is only one way to add and subtract numbers, right? WRONG! Now there are numerous strategies like the counting up strategy, the partial sums strategy, etc. So instead of being able to simply add or subract a math problem, you now have to memorize a wide variety of strategies to help you come up with an answer. So it was slightly frustrating trying to retrain my brain to use all of these strategies as I am teaching the children. All is good now though!

Oh and I must tell you all what I have been working so hard on the past few weeks. The children will be learning about Egypt during the month of February. Therefore, the media coordinator and I collaborated on a project that the children will complete. First, we set up pen pals (using E-PALS). The pen pals are a second grade group of students in Pennsylvania who are learning about Egypt the same time as we are. The children will write to their pen pals using friendly letter format (which they just learned about). They will start out with a simple intro letter telling about themselves. Then the students will converse about what they are learning about Egypt. At the end of the month, the children will have an opportunity to video conference and see their pen pals face to face. My class will perform a few songs from their Egyptian musical that they will be performing for their parents. It is called "Temples and Tombs." We might also have a trivia contest between the two classes, but we will have to see. The plans are not etched in stone quite yet.

The next project we are working on is poetry. I just introduced the poetry unit last week to the class. Throughout the next month, the kids will learn how to write a free verse poem, a haiku, and acrostc poem and a couplet. They will go through the writing process using the writers workshop format. Next, the students will draw a simple illustration of their poem in art class. After that they will take their very best poem and "publish" it in a class poetry book. Then at the end of February, we will have a book signing and meet the poet party and nvite the parents to come in.

Other than that, everything has gone particulary well! I have been so busy writing lesson plans, which is the story of my life these days! So far, so good...no complaints on my end!

The First Day and Such...

So I had every intention of blogging about my first day of student teaching on the first day. However, that just did not happen. Therefore, I will give a brief overview of the past couple of days.

I have been assigned to John B. Dey to work in a second grade classroom for my first student teaching experience. I must admit that I was slightly nervous about the first day, but knew I was all prayed up and ready to jump in feet first. Everyone was very welcoming and helpful to make my transition to John B. Dey a successful one. Mrs. Hartin even set up a desk just for me to make her classroom feel like my classroom. I thought that this was a nice gesture.

As far as the children are concerned, they thought that it was really cool to be able to have two teachers. One little boy in particular really touched my heart. Every Monday the children compelte a weekend update. Well, as he was reading his vacation update to the class, he told everyone how "he did not have a good Christmas. Infact, his Christmas was not great at all. He had a wonderful new years though." Once the children had gone to lunch, Mrs. Hartin told me that this little boy has seven brothers and sisters and sleeps on matresses that are on the floor. She went on to tell me that the mother apparently went psycho and tore down the Christmas tree and told the children that they were not going to have Christmas this year. Therefore, this little boy did not receive any Christmas gifts or even celebrate the Christmas holiday. So here I am standing in the classroom with tears in my eyes thinking to myself, "this is why I teach." With all of that being said, I have to say that the first day went smoothly and the children were absolutely adorable!

Days two and three have also gone extremely well. Over the past few days I have had the opportunity to meet the principal and assistant principal. They are both very nice, but you can tell that they expect their employees to be a step above the rest. Therefore, I say....BRING IT ON! Other than that, I have been keeping myself busy getting to know the children, taking down and putting up bulletin boards, grading papers, making copies, tidying the classroom, reading books to the children, planning lessons, etc.

So far, so good! I cannot wait to see what the next few weeks have to offer. Blessings to all!