20 Things That Make Me Happy

My too-cool friend Andi recently challenged people to come up with a list of 20 things that make them happy. I'm more than happy to oblige! Here is my list:

1. Free time to spend with Dusty
2. Making crafty things
3. Making people laugh with my stories
4. The Office
5. A clean, well-lighted room
6. Free weekends!
7. When I am able to save money
8. Going home
9. ice cold diet coke (yep, stole that one from you Andi)
10. A riveting book (currently reading An Ordinary Man about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. This is the perfect example of the word "riveting.")
11. A good wine
12. Green things (for instance, grass in the middle of winter)
13. A perfect playlist with all my current favorite songs
14. Good smelling candles
15. The A that I got on my anatomy test!
16. Losing weight (5.5 pounds so far!)
17. Funny work stories
18. Indian food
19. Hearing from close friends/family whether via phone, email, etc.
20. The fact that my wedding is less than three months away!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone else wanting to share a list visit Andi's blog and let her know! (Follow link in the first paragraph.)

Stackerz

There are two things that I have learned about working with kids. One is that they don't think logically. Two is that if you listen to yourself explaining logic to them you might just learn a thing or two. Take this story for example:

There is a treat that exists called Stackerz, basically button sized fruit roll-ups. My daycare kids will do anything for Stackerz.

The first day that we had them in the classroom we used them as motivation to pick up their mats after nap time. (Sidenote: number three thing that I have learned is that bribery works!) They hopped on it and got things done in record time for being two years old.

As they were sitting at the tables eating their new treat, one of the teachers decided to explain the logic in getting a Stackerz. She said, "All right boys and girls, don't these Stackerz taste good?"

[Insert lots of yeses and giggles and laughs here in agreement.]

The teacher continues: "Now that you've had a taste of a Stacker, don't you want to be good?"

And then it clicked... and I thought to myself, "Now that I've tasted and seen that the Lord is good, doesn't it make me want to be good."

Not to be good to be seen as righteous, and not to be good to justify the sin I commit everyday. Just to be good because I know that He is Good, the ultimate embodiement of good.

Let's hear it for two year old logic.

The Things You Find Online

I can't believe this website exists...and I can't believe how extensive it is either!

The Terrific Two's

Anybody who knows me knows that I work with two year olds at a daycare. A really great daycare. Today I worked longer than usual and decided to make mental notes in my head about all the funny things I heard said or said myself. Here's what I remember...it's pretty entertaining! (Names changed for security.)

Things I Said:

• "No Billy, we don't color on our lips."
• "Boys and girls, leave your hearts on the table and go to your centers!" (we colored hearts today to decorate the room for Valentine's Day)
• "Well Sarah, I don't know why your poopie is green today."
• "We can't go on a bear hunt today because you were too loud in the halls."
• "We don't bite our friends."
• "Be nice to the pages." (of a new book)

Things I Heard:

• "Go poopie go!" (from a girl going potty)
• "My dinosaur's name is Dino-Billy!"
  
• "Santa Claus took my Dora shoes to clean them then he's bringing them back tonight."
• "My mommy said I can have snack anytime I want." (from a kid wanting snack at 10 am.)

And the Best Part... A Conversation I Had:

Sarah: "I have a Cinderella dress but I can't wear it right now."
Me: "Oh really? Why's that?"
Sarah: "Well, it has a little bit of cereal on it and a little bit of pee."

Daycare life...it keeps me young. Or at least is increasing my stress handling capability.

Super Bride

10 Reasons Why I Am Not Super Bride:

1.) I am not looking forward to my reception.
2.) We have not made any honeymoon reservations.
3.) I have not reserved hotel blocks for guests.
4.) I was going to make my invitations...now I'm not.
5.) I dreaded wedding dress shopping. (My mistake: it wasn't too bad actually)
6.) I still don't have a complete guest list compiled.
7.) None of my wedding party knows what's going on.
8.) I constantly, constantly, constantly change my mind.
9.) I've quit squealing over tiny wedding details.
10.) I do not know what our favors will be.

Housing Scramble Saga: Pt. II

Uncertain living situations have been the tune of my life since August. Upon my first few days of being back in the US last August (having spent a hard seven weeks in the Middle East) I drove from my home in Missouri to my other home in Kentucky only to find that my scummy landlord was raising our rent! Not to mention the fact that he never made any of the repairs that we requested over the summer (three months not long enough?) the rent was waaaaay more than any of us could afford.

After a few moments of hyperventilating, I put my bold face on and told him I thought it best if we just parted ways...having no place to go in the mean time. Here are some fun moving pictures, just because:

(have i mentioned that I have awesome friends who helped me move?)

Enter Arbor Lane; a last minute decision that I think I've sort of regretted making. Nonetheless we moved in, hole in the bathroom ceiling and all. Jen and I have since faced things needing fixing (like out HEAT!) and a landlord who won't answer their cell phone and outrageous rent in comparison to other houses in our neighborhood.

Two days ago we got tired of it.

Yesterday, we wrote out our 30 day's notice.

As of today, we still have no place to live.

Life's funny isn't it? In this situation I have no one to lean on except the Lord and his provision. It says in Psalms that he opens his hand and satisfies the desires of every living things. Thank you LORD for that promise. I know that I already have a yes in you.

Now, I shall go pack boxes and wait...