A way to vent . . .

It seems like a blog is what I need right now, because of a few things . . .
1. The school year is almost over, and being my first year of teaching, and getting 7 new kids since February I am more than ready for it.

2. There have been a few frustrating things that have happened throughout the year and I just need to figure out a better way to deal with them, because only sharing my thoughts with my wonderful husband and a select number of friends isn't the most effective way it seems.

3. It seems like a good way to keep my brain going and working over the summer, and I really enjoy reading other people's blogs so here we are!

10 days with kids until the end of school. Here is a little background: I started out with 10-11 kids at the beginning of the year, and now I have 21. Some have moved from different schools and others just seemed to appear out of thin air. There are a few in particular that are very trying on my patience, probably more so now that the school year is winding down. I know the home situations many of my kids come from are less than perfect, and often much harder than I will ever understand . . .but it is really hard to be positive 100% of the time when you want the kids to act a certain way and they look at you and do the exact opposite of what you say. I feel like part of me forgets to call on Jesus when I get to the point where all I can do is roll my eyes . . .I need to work a little harder at this so I have 100% love for my kiddos even when they make very unlovable choices.

I know I am able to say that I survived my first year of teaching, I survived two rounds of conferences, I have worked with some great families, and some that have made me a better person for working with them. I know that my kids have learned a lot over the year, and have grown both physically and socially. It is amazing to use the talents that God gave me finally in my own room. To anyone who doesn't have a teaching job, or the job of your dreams is still being searched for, I know it is out there. Be patient and keep putting yourselves out there.

My big plans for the summer:
1. organize closets
2. plan and prepare for the new school year
3. exercise more often
4. get a little bit of a tan
5. play a lot with the Sparty man
6. enjoy some quality time with my hubby
7. organize, donate and/or trash many objects in the basement
8. figure out what kind of new car we are getting
9. learn to trust God 100% versus 85% of the time, I'm too controlling . . .
10. hope that we finally get preggers

I will likely have a lot of lists on my blogs, because I'm a planner and I love them. And I'll try to change things up so my blogs aren't boring for you. I'll try to include pictures frequently, but I often let them sit on my memory card for a few months before they are uploaded. Mostly I hope you get to know what is going on in my life and that I get to learn a little more from each of yours too!

Keep on smiling!
Erin