1 down...approximately 35 to go.

TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY OF MY FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...well kinda...I still have Flex days, but they don't really count.

*long, slow, deep breath* It has been a phenomenal year. I don't even know where to begin.
We'll start with a few lessons learned:
-ALWAYS take ziploc baggies on long bus rides for children like myself who get motion sick.
-brainwashing is effective. gig 'em ags.
-if you don't dedicate time to teaching them to tie their shoes, you're gonna have to do it the whole year.
-get a flu shot. or get the flu.
-hugs are my favorite. even if they're at my knees.
-if you give a 5-year-old a gluestick, they may eat it. if you give them rubber bands, they WILL shoot each other in the face.
-you can learn a lot about life (yours and everyone else's) around a teacher lunch table.
-Panhandle temperatures below freezing=no recess=two looooooooooooooooooong months.
-there is no easy way to eat a cupcake, especially when you're 5.
-being left-handed is surely a handicap...because it is extremely difficult to teach.
-spills are part of life. an excessive part of life in kindergarten.
-if you ask 5-year-olds to perform on stage, someone is absolutely going to lift their skirt, pick their nose, or have to go pee.
-everything can directly relate to Justin Bieber.
-"If I lived in a castle..." is a writing prompt that will likely lead to sentences like "I would sleep with Justin Bieber" or "I would have a beer with Justin Bieber."
-"Miss Walker!!!! Poker face starts with 'P' too!!!"
-if somebody "said the 'F' word", it was probably "dumb" or "stupid"...and I should probably do a better job of teaching initial sounds in words
-I work with the MOST amazing people...I can't even adequately express my gratitude for how they have guided me through my first year and welcomed me into this community...
-it is so good to be back in small town Texas. even if everyone knows your name, your past, your present, and your future. or think they do anyway.
-at any time of day or night that you go to the grocery store, you will know at least one person.
-running is good for the body, mind, and soul. until you see a skunk, have to dodge a biker, or run consistently against 30 mph winds.
-I picked a great year to be a new Aggie in Raiderland :)
-there are some things around the house that men are just better at.
-a mustang doesn't handle snow well...at all.
-if you lose your keys...dang...just don't lose your keys.
-the greatest of friends come in all ages and stages of life
-a child is so fragile, so impressionable, with knowledge so underestimated
-teaching a child to read opens up their world and lights up their eyes
-patience is true love in action

God is so good, so faithful, so wonderful. His mercy never ceases to amaze me. This first year in the "real world" has taught me so much about myself...who I am in my Savior. I have never felt so in step with Christ, moment by moment...leaning on Him when my patience, body, and spirit are weak...yearning for His Word...pleading on bended knee for His reassurance and direction...relishing in His love and affection.

In the absence of my family and best of friends, my Heavenly Father has made me so dependent on Him. I have tasted the sweetness of His faithfulness and goodness...the words "'tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" have never meant so much. I took such a leap of faith this time one year ago. One of the excerpts from my devotional describes that leap and this year so perfectly, "A little girl trusts her daddy so completely because she has no reason not too. He stands away from the edge of the bed that she stands on and continues to back away, calling her to jump to him...and so she soars, and so she flies...and so he catches her. And the two rejoice at the wedding of her trust and his faithfulness."

If He called me to leave this place, I would get in the car and drive. If He called me to change careers, I would not hesitate. Instead, He has called me to trust.

So instead of planning, I have surrendered...
I have renewed my contract.
I have fallen completely in love with my best friend.
I have formed new friendships.
I have demanded more of my body than I thought possible.
I have learned patience.
I have renewed my faith and commitment to Him.

He has stolen my heart, my plans, my future, and turned my world upside down. I have the God of all "as my pinch-hitter, my lawyer, my dad, my biggest fan, and my best friend." Sacred delight is a moment by moment decision, and more of a blessing than I could ever have imagined.