This year our Christmas series at church is called Kingdom Come. We are talking about ways to be generous and have faith that could help build the Kingdom of God here on Earth. The creative department at Elevation continues to blow my mind. They created this cartoon that is just awesome. Check it out.
Who doesn’t love ear candy? I’m a big fan. I love having music in the background and I REALLY love Christmas music. As it has already been stated, the Christmas music has been on for a while for me. I was just reading the Elevation Worship blog (that London, Chris, Mack and Wade collaborate on) and they have put up a 3 song Christmas EP on there and DOWNLOADS are FREE. The best kind of Christmas gift – music AND it’s free.
Check it out. Great great great.
I’ve been pretty bad lately at the whole update thing on this here blog. I’ve had plenty to write about but been exhausted or just incredibly busy this month. Lots to share and having a few days off this week, maybe I will finally be able to process them. Among things to share… Musings about my Patriots, BBQ madness, UNCC application and GRE stuff, hard conversations and leadership, mom’s visit to the Queen City, and life in general.
Presently, however, I am dealing with the aforementioned Patriots and trying to ward off a sinus infection…so I’m going to get back to that.
The 26th birthday has arrived. It’s crept up on me. This school year is really flying by so quickly, granted it we are only entering November and there are months to go. It has been just a busy, busy time. Not that that is a bad thing. Things have been going well and I’ve been learning a lot and am being stretched in many areas. I’m thankful for that and hope I’m up to the tasks set in front of me.
I never got to a “Holi-birthday List” this year, so clearly it will be just a Christmas list at this point, though I’m not sure what all that might entail. The thing is, I can’t really think of anything I really “want” or “need”. It’s all icing at this point. I’m grateful to have a job, have wonderful friends and family, have a roof over my head and clothes to wear and those are the things that count because I know God’s got it all under control and He’s blessed me with another year. One of the best gifts I’ve gotten on my birthday this year has been a nearly three hour conversation with two amazing friends in Pennsylvana last night. Speaker phone, pictures, video, guessing games…all included in this conversation that took place at 10:70 (and if you’re curious about that, just ask…it’s a thing from back in college). It’s nice to know technology can bridge the gap between people in some small way.
In other news, as is customary for me at this point in the year, it is ON. The Christmas music, that is. 
It IS the most wonderful time of the year, starting TODAY!
Last night at a meeting I was in with several other Quest volunteers, I decided that our icebreaker would be sharing what we would like our super power to be…if we had one. One of them, a music teacher, shared that she’d love to have the power to make people break out into song thus making life…a musical. I like that idea quite a bit. The great thing is that this is a reality. This is the greatest video ever. I wish life were more like this…. So many more smiling faces.
The first guy’s dance moves are hilarious and watching people constantly run in and join is entertaining. And when you think it doesn’t get any more awesome, techno Julie Andrews comes in and we see them doing the macarena and many other hilarious dance moves. Then they all go on their merry way.
Further proof that life CAN be like a musical…
Love it.
Life has been very busy lately with school, a class I’m having to take, church, conferences, several parties, and now October is here and FLYING BY. I think there are literally 5-6 days this month when I don’t have something after school. Weekends are full too. I’ve been working on school stuff, church stuff, wedding parties, grad school application, rounding up everything to go with that, and studying for the GRE. Suffice to say, I’ve had quite a busy beginning of the school year and needed much sleep. But alas, I have a moment and can post something!!
Friday 5: Seven Days
- This past week, were you more predator or prey? Predator… As in a predator for information. Going to the UNC sponsored World View Symposium on education, globalization and 21st century skills was mind blowing. I came away knowing a lot, having a lot more questions, a lot of ideas, and ready to change it up and take it up a notch.
- Which Beatles song title could best be the title of your week? Eight Days a Week
- “Roses are red / Violets are blue / ___________ / __________.” How would you complete this poem so that it described this past week? I learned something new this week/How about you?
- How many pieces of unopened mail are sitting wherever you put your unopened mail? 2-3
- What was the best meal of the past seven days? Caribbean Chicken Wrap at HAM’S in Chapel Hill
This past weekend we had something called Student Takeover at church. Pastor Steven preached a message aimed at the students in our church (middle school, high school, college) challenging them to answer 4 important questions about who they are, who they answer to (world vs. God), etc. As a special part of this service, the creative team put together a music video to encourage them to do well in school this year with a few of the band players (the awesome Larry Tran who plays the keys and Luke Hill who plays the drums). It’s HILARIOUS. Check it out.
We’ll start with the solemn and then end with the humor of children. They provide such laughter…
8 years ago today I was a senior in theatre class when a girl came in and mentioned something about a plane and a building. Nothing was said about where it was, so we all just thought it was a tragic accident or something that happened on a movie set. I went to lunch and this was all everyone was talking about. By the time I got to my psychology class we saw the news and saw what actually happened. TVs were on in all classrooms. When I got to AP English at the end of the day, Dr. Taylor decided the tv needed to finally be shut off – that we didn’t need to keep watching everything over and over. So for those 50 minutes…we sat there, with the lights off, quiet and just reflecting. I remember our principal coming over the PA system once or twice to calm fears and for students with parents who may have been in NY or DC to come to the office to make phone calls so that they didn’t have to keep wondering about their family.
One thing I really remember about that time was my prayer life heating up but I also recall how much we began to pay attention and really SEE EACH OTHER. People saying hello and holding doors where once before they would have bumped into another person and said nothing. Our humanity was never more apparent and that was something we really needed as a country because we were spinning out of control with out materialism, we were becoming money making robots, and we forgot the faith of our founding fathers. 8 years later…in some ways we are better off, but I have to wonder if we’re creeping back in the other direction… Once again forgetting our priorities, becoming robots again, letting our faith fall to the side, becoming complacent again. And honestly, I can’t say I see the current administration helping this situation – ready to openly talk with North Korea all of a sudden, it’s not terrorist it’s “criminal”, and so on and so forth.. The great thing, however, is that God is always has been, is and always will be in control.
Also good to know that there ARE people out there who remember well what happened and are changed and doing something about it. I had the news on for a second and they were talking to a guy who lost his father. They were standing at ground zero and he called it “ground hero” in passing. At first I thought he mis-spoke and then a minute later I realized that wasn’t a slip of the tongue…he did mean to say it that way. If you ask me, that’s a much better term and less depressing. In spite of the lives lost, over 3000 were saved at the cost of losing 30+ firemen and policemen.
Friday 5: 5 Greatest Things I’ve Heard at School (from kids)
1. “Ms. Gallagher, this is my new girlfriend!” – said by a 1st grader as he put his arm around a girl in his class. Her response? “______, you’re embarrassing me!”
2. To understand what’s going to go here, I have to first tell you that each week I’ve been putting a trivia question outside my door that has to do with something in Spanish speaking countries. The question is usually in English and the kids can respond at any time during the week and use books, computers, and ask people to help them with the answer. Well, this particular week the question was “In what country did the guitar originate?” I had a third grade class leaving and several of them were writing down their answers. One little boy put his answer in and then whispered to me, “I know the answer – it’s Alabama.” I asked him if he was sure and he replied, “No…wait…it’s really Tennessee, I meant to put Tennessee.” That cracked me AND his teacher up.
3. A week or so ago I was doing an activity with some second graders where we were discussing the difference between “nino” (boy) and “nina” (girl). I asked each of them whether they were a “nino” or “nina” and we were graphing boys vs. girls so that we could then count them up. I think in this particular class there were an even number of boys and girls so I decided to have some fun and added myself to the girls side so that there were more girls than boys. They thought that was amusing. Fast forward to dismissal… I’m in the hallway and that second grade class is walking to the buses. A girl in that class whispers to me as she walks by, “Thanks for making the girls win!” Again…laughter. It’s wonderful to know that what she truly remembered from my class that day was that THE GIRLS WON. haha.
4. “I will do whatever you want, whenever you want.” – first grade girl who is very talkative and wants to be the teacher’s pet. hahaha.
5. I was doing an activity with 5th grade asking them their name in Spanish – Como te llamas tu? Me llamo _________. After that they drew themselves and wrote “Me llamo ___________.” What did one boy write partially to be funny, partially writing what he heard (I had the sentence written on the board for them): “Me almond _________.” Now, if you say “Me llamo” fast enough, it can sound like “Me almond…” ha.
The last few days people have been asking how the first week of school has gone and honestly, I haven’t got anything on the negative side to say…except for maybe the whole having to get up at 5am thing.
I’ve spent this past week feeling so thankful and really EXCITED about the possibility this year holds. Things have been so positive so far and it’s been great. I know many factors play into the whole positive atmosphere right now – a new school year, so many people being thankful they have a job, shifts in grade levels (something new to learn), a great new assistant principal, and understanding and support among the staff with all the changes this year in scheduling and other various aspects of school life.
To be honest, last year I was ending the year in a rut. The first half of the 2008-2009 school year was great. The second half of the school year, so many things and situations that were out of my hands popped up unexpectedly. I tried to meet them head on and gave it my all…but it really wore me out handling the job of two people by myself while basically coaching someone else on how to try to teach Spanish. I was at the point where I was trying to decide if I wanted to stay where I was or if I needed a serious change of pace. I wasn’t really happy with what was going on with lessons, but not for lack of doing what I could given all of the extenuating circumstances. I was ready for the school year to be over.
For most of the summer, I did nothing remotely related to school and that was probably the best thing I could have done for myself. When workdays rolled around, I wasn’t jumping up and down with excitement, but I was glad to get back into a routine. There were so many things that were up in the air even at workdays that I wasn’t sure how the school year was going to start.
Well, they’ve started well. While there are many changes with teachers switching grade levels (and the grade levels we have now – wow, phenomenal), additions to schedules, new technology expectations (and a good way to save paper!), the addition of a new assistant principal, etc…everyone is beginning this year ready for the challenges ahead, supportive and understanding, and thankful to be where they are with the job that they have been given. There’s something else I can’t quite pinpoint, but the atmosphere at school has just been so positive. I’m excited and I’ve changed some things up in my routine, added some things to my classroom management and added in some fun stuff for the kids for us to do everyday.
I’m excited. I’m so glad I’m able to say that after a hard second half of last year.
Also exciting:
- Studying for the GRE…even though I’m not sure what I want my master’s in yet. I figure it will become more clear to me after I take the GRE.
- Being part of the Globalization team at school and getting to go to the WorldView Symposium in October with 3 other teachers.
- My moodle page – http://moodle.ucps.k12.nc.us/course/view.php?id=2344
- B90X
- Fall weather is coming…sometime.
- Elevation’s new Matthews campus
I’m here…in this world. It’s a very busy one right now, however. Between back to back vacations and then school workdays starting plus a new campus opening up at church and school starting this week, well…you’re just going to have to wait for the stories and pictures about all of the above and more. They’ll probably be spread out over several posts since it’s all very exciting stuff, but here’s what’s to come:
- Ya Mon – Cruise to the Bahamas
- Trip to the Mountains
- Jury Duty and Taco Salad
- Workdays… Or How Long It Takes to Put Up 5 Bulletin Boards
- Matthews… You Just Got Elevated
