school, home and church

where do i begin? i know why i'm going back to school (purely worldly) to make more money and that makes me kind of sad. the only way teachers can get raises, especially with the economy, is to go back to school. i'm enjoying doing this with tasha, who is amazing. the girl works like a whirling dervish! but i'm a little disappointed b/c so far all i'm doing is a repeat of my master's degree work. i just keep reminding myself that this time next year i'll be done and will see the "fruits of my labor."

the praise team at church got a very nice compliment from our guest speaker and his wife. they heard us last sunday and we also sang for the beginning of the program they presented at our church on saturday, at their request. we have worked so hard to be sure that we are first of all leading the people in worship and that our music is a blessing. well, the compliment was that our music is truly annointed! we could not have a bigger assurance from jesus that we are in his will with the music!

the other thing that is happening at church is that this thursday we are opening a soup kitchen for folks in our area. this came about by keith's preaching on being a light to others. he asked people to put down on paper what they would be willing to work for and to see happen at church and this was one of the ideas. there are about a dozen people helping with this project! what a blessing : )

the youth group continues to be a bright spot in my life. we are consistently running anywhere from 10 to 12 on wednesday nights. i love seeing these young folks grow in the lord and for them keeping me young! one of "my boys" told me the other week that for someone with white hair i sure didn't act old, ha-ha. we are going to the corn maze in dawsonville saturday. one of the many reasons i love being a youth leader.

my job at school has kept me hopping. i told our curriculum director that it was very unsettling to be new and old at the same time. after all, this is not my first rodeo but it is my first time being at middle school. i still feel a little unsure of myself but they haven't asked me to leave so i guess i'm doing ok. i do love teaching 6th grade, although they are not that much different from older 5th graders. i'm thinking that the change happens after christmas break, that's when we always saw a difference in our 5th graders. i have a wonderful team who have taken me in : ) the day sure flies by b/c of all the classes.

i guess i'll close for now. ttyl

sadness

jean reeves let us know that pulitzer prize winner david finkel has written a book called the good soldier. in it he details josh's death. it will be 2 years in a week or two since his death. it is still so hard to deal with his death and if it is hard for us i can not even begin to imagine the pain his family goes through everyday. please keep his family in your prayers.

we love you, josh.

go dawgs! oklahoma state, sept. 5,2009

touchdown, gooooo dawgs! 4:03 score is 7-0. they are in possession of the ball. os 9th place ga 13th place
pushin' em' back from their 10. close to first down, os. one yard gain and we stopped them. close to first down for os. on the 20. smack talkin' on the field! first down os. low snap and caught and smack down by evans!!! what a tackle!! evans down, checking his shoulder, he's off the field but ok. 1 minute for this quarter. almost intercepted! but we lost it. third and ten and blitz by ga. cuff takes the quarterback down. hike to miller and out of bounds near the 35. under a minute and pick up of 3. boykin is out of the game. first down for us but there's a flag on the field, holding, repeat 2nd down. penalty on us. we were the most penalized team last year. end of 1st quarter.


nice pass but knocked out by os. good punt and os has a good run to 31 yard line. so far we are out doing them in all categories. flag thrown, false start offense, os. 5 yd penalty. os in possession, tough run, about 5 yds. pass to 41 yd. ga needs to hold em'! 2nd and 6. run and flag on the play. holding, offense, 10 yd penalty. os on the 50. 3rd down and ga blitzes. kick and in the end zone,out to the 20 yd line. cox has ball ( ga on offense), pass is complete. penalty on os. ball on the 24 yd line. pass, incomplete. no huddle, 3rd and 9. cox calls for time out. settle down georgia!! line up,ga pass ,and thomas off! first down and change! 17 yd gain!! drive for about 10 yd. hi mark richt : ) on the 49 got 3 yds. they're saying it's really hot on the field. ga in the I and nothing! ready to kick, good punt and bounce on the one yd line and the linemen run into each other, omg!! so it's a touchback, : ( on the 28 hand off and picks up the first down for os. pass and incomplete, almost intercepted! false start offense, 5 yds. replay 1st down. on the 25, pass and ga knocks it down. that's twice we could have intercepted and we weren't able to do it. evans back in the game. 3rd and 15. another flag. dead ball, false start on offense. on the 20. pass off run and stopped after 14 yd gain. still no 1st down. punt and thomas running and flag on the play on the 18. illegal block on us. ball inside the 10. pass and caught! ball on the 35. toss sweep and gain of 3. time out. on ga 37. pass and incomplete. too high and a flag on the play. no foul on the play. 3rd down. samuel tripped over his own freakin' feet!!! punt and short and caught on a hop by os. ball on the 28 and os pass and complete. ball on the 50. pass again and ball on the 46. time out ga, last time out for this half. 2 and a half minutes to go in this half. os coach is having a meltdown. line of scrimmage, pass long and touch down os : ( kick was good. kickoff and ga driving out of the end zone to the 23. pass from cox and it was almost intercepted! he was almost sacked! 2 and 10. hand off but false start on ga. 5 yd penalty. richt telling ga to remain calm and settle down. time out os. on the 20, fumble and frickin' os has the ball !@#$%$ flag on the play, personal foul on us! on the 5 push and stopped on the 3. 2 minutes left. pass and stopped again! line up, on the 3, hand off and stopped again!!! go dawgs! time out for os. here we go... ball on the 1. flag on the play, 10 yd penalty on os!!! os kicking, kick is up and kick is good. 7-9 at half time. hey uga puppy : )

3rd quarter-let's see a kick butt 2nd half!
i miss larry munson.
goooooooo dawgs! sic' em', woof, woof, woof!
dang, os carries the ball 74 yards in the opening kick off! os runs to the 15 yd line, pick up of 9 yds. inside handoff and the first down, to the 12. poor tackling on our part. line up, pass and incomplete pass. injured player for os. up and off the field. ok, line up ht, running and stopped! 11 yd line. line up, pass and complete but short of the first down. going to go for it. os will call time out. close to 2 yds to go. ball inside the 4 and dawgs stop the run! os gets 1st down. they're marking it and it is a 1st down. first and goal. dawgs stop em' again!! flag on the play. dead ball, unsportsmanlike conduct on os. os scores : ( kickoff and ga runs it back to the 10 yd line. ok, line up, run and only gained 5 yds. os player injured. he,'s up and he is walking off the field. line up, hut, pass and first down for us. running and down on the 30. hut and running and first down! pass and incomplete pass. os player is down and out. pass and complete and first down!!! driving the ball down the field. ball on the 50 yd line pass and run and first down again!!! lost a yard. sturdivant down. looks like a knee injury. needed help to get off the field : ( 2nd and 12. run out of bounds, why didn't he throw the ball??? gooooo dawgs! hand off and ga has the ball on the 35 yd line. kicking a field goal. up and good! ga 10 and os 17. what a kick! we need a touchdown! kicked and os runs it out to the 25. no gain on the next play. 2nd and 10 pass and first down for os. ball on the 35. no pass and short of the 49. heat is causing problems for us. dehydration and cramping. first down for os. pass and down on the 46. hut and pass and run and first down. come on dawgs! under 4 min for this quarter. pass and the slips and falls. no gain. hut, pass and incomplete pass. line, hut, and flag but no call b/c time out was called before the snap. 3rd and 9. line pass and blitz by ga and flag on the play. offense, pass interference. repeat 3rd down. ball on 49. dawgs rush and pass is incomplete. kick, deep and ball on the 4. line up, snap, running and out to the 11 yd. sturdivant out for left knee. doesn't look like he's out for the season. ball moved to first down on the 15 yd line. dawgs running only 2 yds. pick up. line, snap, pass off and ball moved to 18, gain of 1 yd. line, 3rd down, pass and incomplete. through the hands of charles. cox had a good pass. kick ready, low, wobbly, and ball is on the 6 yd line. 75 yd punt for butler. first time the dawgs have opened outside of athens since 1958. line, snap and brought down on the 12 yd line. os running for first down. clock is running. line up, snap, pass to the 20 yd line. 2nd and 6. os in possession. ball on the 20. os crosses the 20 and is tripped up. on the 20 os in possession, snap and pass and gained 3 yds. ga forces a punt. punted and ga runs and runs and runs and runs and is brought down on the 2 but there is a flag on us. illegal block! argh!!!

4th- ball is... on the never mind, quaterback is sacked! on the 35 and ga is brought down. 13th penalty called on os. ball is on the 35 os passes and incomplete. flag on the play. personal foul on ga, 15 yd penalty, first down. i don't know what the officials saw b/c it was a shoulder hit!!! it was not a head shot! ball on 18. os snaps and hands off and brought down on the 14. think they will kick. os passes and touchdown and that, my friends, i'm afraid, is the ballgame. goooooo dawgs, sic em, woof, woof, woof. kick and brought back to the 40. first down for ga. snap and flag on the play, false start, 5 yd penalty for os. ball on the 37. pass and ball on the 30. snap, pass and incomplete. ga is just not playing well. too many rookie mistakes. snap pass and incomplete again! punt and os running back to the 36. this does not bode well for the rest of this season. ball on the 37. os in possession. snap, pass and brought down. os runs and is on the 42. snap and pass and incomplete.

well , that as they say, is that. i still love my dawgs but what a killer!

funny 6th graders

first of all i love teaching middle schoolers! they are so funny:) one of the 6th graders came to my desk today to tell me something that had been on his mind. he asked me had i ever noticed that teachers who had taught for a long time were nicer than new teachers but older men teachers were meaner than young men teachers. he just thought i would like to know that observation. where that came from i have no idea and then he went back to his desk and went back to work, ha-ha.

it is so much fun to see how they develop their own ideas and opinions independent of others at this stage. some of the things they think can be so profound. we just read a story called "greyling" about a selchie that returns to the sea leaving his adopted mother and father. the theme of the story is that parents have to learn to let their children go and follow their own dreams and wishes. we had a lively discussion in class about this concept. they all agreed that for some of their parents this was hard, especially if they were the oldest or the only child. they are starting to feel the call of independence. i told them to cut their parents some slack b/c this was hard for them, too. i love the interaction with these young men and ladies.

anyway, i am learning. i feel like a new teacher and i have some of the same feelings i had when i first started teaching. it is coupled, however, with experience this time so i know the world won't end if i screw something up or forget to send a notice home in 7th period. that's a nice place to be! i guess i will always need to renew and refresh every couple of years but that's a blog for another time ; )