Finding Joy

Mondays are potentially the bane of everyone's weekly existence...me included! I hate the feeling of the looooooooonnnnnnnnnnnng week looming ahead of me. I dislike the work that Mondays usually entail (setting up the music room for the week, etc.). And I dislike the ending of a perfectly wonderful weekend.

Today, to top it off, I'm feeling sick. I rarely get sick, so when it hits me, I do my best not to moan and groan. Today's sickness is not the gross kind--just the feeling gross kind. I'm so achey, stuffed up, and feverish. BOO. And to make matters worse, I'm here at work (school) until 7pm when the Yearbook children get done making their magic happen.

Woe is me. :(

Not really, though. I'm sitting here trying to count blessings and stop feeling sorry for myself. Things could always be worse. I have a usually healthy body, a wonderful job, a clear mind (usually), friends and family who love me, a Savior Who is beside me, soothing the weary muscles. I have a lovely little home, a sweet puppy, a patient (with the puppy) kitty, and the list goes on. If God be for us, who (or what!?) can be against us?


Alas, Mondays will probably never be my favorite day. And this post is destined to be forgotten---but I never want to forget Who is to be My Favorite in the world. I never want to forget that He endured so much more--for me. I never want to bemoan my lot in life, when I've been given a life that I could have never dreamed of.

God is good. All the time.

Friday Frenzy

I really love Fridays. The anticipation of the weekend ahead usually renders me quite joyful. Last weekend was crazy (sister got married...), but this weekend promises a bit more relaxation. My dirty bathroom and floors are happy to hear this, as is my sweet little Lola, who wants some good attention! We'll be working a bit in our "yard"--which is really not mine, since I rent an apartment, and all that I get to do is tend to the rocks and weeds in the landscaping outside of my door. But, hey...I'm going to personalize my place! And Lola shall enjoy romping in the grass.

This Friday marks the 37th graduation ceremony of the school I teach at. It's a small class this year, but one that is nonetheless special to me. The valedictorian is a student who is almost like a friend to me, without crossing that nebulous boundary between teacher/student/friend. She is a girl after my own heart--loves sci-fi, loves the Muppets, and loves writing and drama. Proof reading her speech for tonight made me cry...she's got so much talent and has become so special to me. **sniff** I'm going to miss that crazy girl!

Since Fridays tend to be a bit frenzied for me, I've decided that my blog posts shall be short, sweet, and hopefully therapeutic. I read other people's blogs and long for profound thoughts to strike me and awesome pictures to flow from my camera. Alas, such things rarely happen for this girl! So, I shall share a few pictures that make me smile and hopefully will make you smile, too. Have a GRAND weekend, friends. May your Friday be less frenzied than mine tend to be. :)


First things first--my "nieces." LOVE.THEM. So cute, sweet, and funny. Congrats to Cecily, the older one, who graduated kindergarten this morning. :)


Next, my puppy. You're going to figure out soon that I am enamored with this pup. She likes to chew on things--including pens--such a "girl" after my own heart.


This comic is funny to me. I love being a Grammar Nazi. :)


And why do I love being a Grammar Nazi? Because of errors like this! Come on, people! :)


This picture is pretty much my favorite funny picture right now. I cannot look at it without laughing. The kid's face, coupled with the experience I've had BEING THERE...priceless and so true. :)

Happy Friday!

Life with Lola

i was going to write some fancy--"here i am, back in the blogosphere" type post.
but i decided not to. it's pretty obvious that i'm back, isn't it?
after nearly a year away from writing, i've decided i need it and miss it.
so, voila. me voici.

i can't recap the past 10 months of my life in under 1000 words, so suffice it to say that i've been busy. insanely, profoundly, and wonderfully busy.

but i'm not going to drone on about how crazy and hectic and stressful life has been. most people don't care much about that, and i am not seeking sympathy. so i shall talk about this little darling:



meet, miss lola jane (short for janeway--only sci-fi nerds get this, so the rest of you, move along.)

she has entered my life and provides joy, frustration, and just enough therapy to keep me sane. i figured she deserved the first post in my re-entry into this happy world of blogdom. i'm pretty sure you'll enjoy her, too. :)

and to all of my colleagues in the english-teacher world--i know i'm using no caps. i'm goin' all e.e. cummings on y'all. :) it's actually a bit of a mental exercise, since i'm used to capitalizing correctly when i type. :)

ok...that's enough randomness for today. i'll attempt to make my future posts a bit more awe-inspiring or thought-provoking, but no promises. i really need to blog to keep myself accountable and to give myself an opportunity to write more! so, indulge me. :)

here are a few more pictures of my Lola-girl. enjoy, friends. :)


going for a ride in the car!


waiting for her new friends to come back to my classroom to visit...


taking her sunday afternoon nap with my dad...


just being the cutest puppy ever...


visiting with my granny...

Hiatus

Well, I think I've waited a sufficient amount of time between blogs. **blushes** It seems blogging has lost its spark for me, and I've lost my time for it. I'm not quite sure I have a very large "fan" base, so thankfully, I doubt there are too many broken hearts at my lack of blogging.

And, it doesn't look like I'll be keeping consistent with this any time soon. In fact, I think I'll be taking a rather lengthy hiatus from blogging. I intend to keep up with the blogs of others--I thoroughly enjoy reading those, my friends! However, this coming school year promises to be BUSY. VERY BUSY.

I've been given a "new job" this year and will be the new Director of Music at Indiana Christian Academy. EEK. Such a daunting task ahead. But I know God's grace is sufficient and that He has a perfect plan in allowing things to unfold as they have. Perhaps my experiences as such will provide for some interesting blog material--we shall see.

Until then, know that all is well and that you can keep up with me via Facebook statuses for now, dear adoring fans. :) And thanks to those of you who blog so faithfully--I enjoy reading what you think and do. Maybe some day I'll pull it together enough to do the same. But for now, I need to devote 100% of me to this new ministry and staying in tune with the Master Musician. :)

Enjoy the rest of your summer! :)

How Did I Get Here?

Have you ever "woken up" and wondered--how in the world did I get here?

I did that. Just the other day, in fact.

I'm not talking about literally waking up, of course. I'm talking about mentally realizing--I am not where I thought I'd be or maybe want to be...or maybe for you it's a positive thing--how did I get to such a great place?! (I hope for you, it is...)

It's intriguing and a bit depressing to reflect on the choices you've made or the reactions you've displayed and wonder why you let yourself become the type of person you thought you never would. What makes someone become bitter? What makes us discontent with things all around us? What makes us angry or frustrated? Surely such cancers are not born over night...so how do we get...there?

I don't know yet. Without bearing all of my soul here, I'm struggling with some of these things. I think I have been for several months now, without even really knowing it. Then one day I realized that I was indeed a bit bitter...a little frustrated...a smidge discontent...things I don't like to be. Things I know are wrong to be.

I wish I could look back on my life as God sees it and know where the trouble started. I wish I could ensure that such things never happen again. Truth is, though, being human and all...I'm afraid it'll be a long road to becoming the woman I want to be for Christ.

So where does that leave me? How does someone still function well, find balance in life, overcome Satan's snares that threaten to overtake, and still go on doing what he or she has to do? Nothing short of grace can provide that kind of strength.

And nothing short of grace has been given.

I don't have all of the answers. I don't even know where to begin sometimes. But I do know Who is in control. I do know that He has not left me. I do know that He is for me...so no one--nothing--not even me myself--can stand against Him in me.

Perhaps the "how I got here" doesn't matter as much as the "where I'm going now"...and the "how He plans to get me there." And perhaps...He allowed me to "get here," so He could be seen more clearly in who I will become.

What I've Been Up To...

THIS:


Yeah. When my desk is this messy, I know life has overtaken me. (I do have to admit that there are other teachers with messier desks--but mine is neat, as a rule, so this is unusual for me...)

The hangers are from cheerleading uniforms I washed, the books contain copies to be made and lesson plans to finish, and the stacks of papers (both in the desk and in the filing systems) have to be graded. EEK! :) That's only a small portion of what I've got to do this week!

Hence--NO UPDATES! I know, I know...you're all utterly crushed. But, life the past 3 weeks has been crazy busy (more so than usual).

I'd appreciate your prayers for all that I've got going on. I feel selfish asking for it, but I also know I'll literally lose my mind if I don't have God's strength and help for the next few months (or 75 years...right?!) to accomplish all He's given me to do. Until then, checkout my other blog HERE, to catch up on my struggling efforts and my friends' often triumphant efforts to attain balance! Happy week to all of you! :)

{.Sherry.}

DA BEARS

I'm a Bears fan.

I was born a Bears fan...no...seriously. My grandpa was a Chicago-born Bears fan, and he raised tried-and-true Bears fans. My dad married my mom, who became a Bears fan. (Can't live in the house with my dad and not be one!) Thus, my sister and I are Bears fans.

I still love the Colts. Always will! But there's nothing that says football season like my dad in his Bears vest with his Bears scarf, wearing his Bears hat and Bears bracelet (made by my aunt who lives in a Bears house), sitting beneath the glow of his Bears window sign.

So...I proudly wear my Bears sweatsack and my Bears bracelet on game days:




And if my grandpa can watch from heaven, I'd really love to see DA BEARS win the Super Bowl--just for him. And for my dad, too, who instilled in me a lot more than a love for DA BEARS.

BEAR DOWN.