one text message

Who knew so much truth and encouragement could come through one text message...

"Hey girl! I was just thinking and praying for you today and wanted you to know that we love you and are so proud of you for taking this step of faith and following God into this challenging world of teaching. I also wanted to remind you that even though this is really hard, God does not call the equipped, He equips the called!! Welcome to the "getting equipped phase". Take a moment to thank Him for loving you so much that in order to give you the best He has for you, He put you in this place not to do the work perfectly, not to get everything turned in on time, not to get every project just right, but rather to increase your faith and reliance upon Him! You can't do this on your own, so do what you can, but let go of TASKS, so that you can embrace the RELATIONSHIP!!! He loves you so much, and is freakin' crazy about you!! He also knows your busy and stressed out mind, and it breaks His heart to see you like this. He calmed literal storms by saying 'Peace, be still'. Let Him calm your worries and anxiety, He is on your team!! I love you and am praying for you EVERY DAY. Sweet dreams."

TFA Institute is stinkin' tough, but I know everyone goes through hard and tough things. 

I hope that you will take away a little from my friend's message. 

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. 

Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. 

Psalm 143:8

math is where it's at

so last week was houston induction. THIS week i began houston institute. yesterday, i found out that this summer i am teaching 6th grade math at an hisd middle school. at first i was a little bummed that i did not get assigned reading/writing because that is what i will be teaching in the fall, but i am over it now. i have fully embraced math. i am excited to take on the challenge and get a taste of a different subject. although i have been spending yesterday and today at my school, i won't be teaching until monday (which is okay with me... still lots to learn :-). 

little things to be thankful for...

my sweet new friends

yummy food from rice university

unanticipated extra time in the mornings

an afternoon rain shower

friends and family that are close by

"lead me in the right path, o Lord, or my enemies will conquer me.

make your way plain for me to follow."

--psalms 5:8

don't lose sight

day two.

rigorous. mentally exhausting. inspiring.

i must say that my overall feeling right now is overwhelmed. i am meeting students and parents and community leaders from the area i am teaching. meeting these people has made me reflect on what i want my classroom to look like and what kind of classroom leader will i be. with so many thoughts and ideas floating in my head, it was sooooo wonderful to have dinner with the principal of my school and other tfa corps members who will be at my school.

dinner was for sure the highlight of my day. before dinner, i only knew of one other tfa member that would be at the school with me. during dinner i met the four others who will be at my school. not to mention, my principal said she is still looking to hire a couple more corps members. what i loved was just getting to hear her vision for the school and her passion for education and the kids at her school.

-----

:: tid-bit ::

"Who is in charge of your life? If it is you, then you have good reason to worry.

But if it is I, then worry is both unnecessary and counterproductive.

When you start to feel anxious about something, relinquish the situation to Me...

In this world you will have problems, but you need not lose sight of Me."

--Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

john 16:33

i have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.

here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.

but take heart, because i have overcome the world.

freshman again

the adventure has begun.

i have moved back into a dorm after five and a half years. i am definitely feeling like a freshmen in college again. i don't know anybody. everybody asks about majors. and i am learning all sorts of things.

move-in was crazy. my suitcase probably weighed 75+ pounds and it took me five tries to get into the trunk of my car, and that was only one of several items that i carried to rice university. i thought i had over-packed until i met several other houstonians who brought double what i did. 

after move in, we had small group discussion time with our TTL group. i do not know what that abbreviation stands for. maybe a transition something. i got to spend sometime with a small group reflecting on the hours and hours of pre-work we completed. we finished up by reflecting on things we want to take away from our time at institute. for me it is... relationships, how to become a classroom leader, and connecting community and culture the the classroom. 

after an hour break, we went to dinner with a current tfa corps member, a student, and their parents/family. what a neat time it was to see how much of an impact this teacher had made on the life of her student. this kid went from being unmotivated and not a great student to begging his mom to come to saturday tutoring and getting into a magnet math/science middle school. it is things like that that remind me about why i am doing this. 

now... drumroll please... introducing my new home... the dorm!

 -----

 :: little tidbit ::

"I chose to pour My Light into you so that you can be a beacon to others.

There is no room for pride in this position.

Your part is to reflect My Glory. I am the Lord!"

--Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

Isaiah 60:2

"Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth,

but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you."

the happenings: my iPhone pics

puppy photo courtesy of Tioga

forever and ever amen

"nothing is sweeter than love,

nothing stronger,

nothing higher,

nothing wider,

nothing more pleasant,

nothing fuller or better in heaven or earth;

for love is born of God."

--thomas a kempis

.....

today is our first wedding anniversary.

this year has flown by so quickly. it is hard to believe that it has already been a year.

i can not imagine this past year without chase.

i am the luckiest girl in the world to have him by my side.

i love this man.

psalm 34:3

glorify the Lord with me,

and let us praise

His name together.

photos by ben sassani

Hilton Head

Wow! It has almost been one year since I got married to my best friend. So many crazy things and changes have been going on, so we felt that a small vacation was very needed. A time to get away from the hustle and bustle and be with just each other. Hilton Head was perfect. We were there just before Memorial Day weekend which marks the beginning of their busy season. It was a fun and relaxing time. A perfect place to get away and celebrate our first year together.