We'll start with a brief mention of Sunday...here we go!
Sunday
Finally received some brief feedback from my professor about my paper & PowerPoint for my defense. Let me know that said defense was scheduled for Tuesday evening. I had e-mailed the paper 2 weeks prior and the PowerPoint one week prior. Made some minor changes to my PowerPoint & paper, but I knew that I'd have more feedback headed my way. Had to plan my lesson for Monday. At this moment I definitely felt the stress of the week, but it was just looming overhead.
Monday
-Get to school early & make copies
-Introduce new topic & manage to get grades uploaded by noon
-Shortly after noon receive feedback from professor that the majority of one of my chapters of my paper must be completely scrapped and redone.
-Speak to professor & determine to still have my defense Tuesday evening but will turn my paper in a few days late.
-Meet in PLC & try to take a breather (ha!)
-Head home & make changes to my PowerPoint while Harper sits in my lap.
-Mitch gets home & Maddex and I head to the Eaglette parent meeting back up at school.
-Come home, heat up dinner, eat, get everyone to bed, then plan my lesson for the next day & make a few more changes to my paper.
Tuesday
-School as usual...head home afterwards
-Feel nerves like I haven't felt in YEARS as I sit in my closet waiting for my professor to call. Spend about 50 minutes on the phone going through my PowerPoint to defend my graduate project. All seems to go well despite my stuttering and nerves :)
-Around 6:00, I head out to go meet my life group for dinner - I was SO thankful for this evening to de-stress after that defense experience!! Mitch was sweet enough to put the kids to bed so I could run to the outlet mall after dinner. Got myself a new dress :)
Wednesday
-School as usual...head home afterwards. Wait - school was NOT as usual! We had severe weather procedures which lasted through lunch and launched us into a crazy schedule. OOH! Let me interject a story here...
The day I found out I was pregnant with the twins we had severe weather procedures. I had woken Mitch up that morning and told him that I was pregnant. Then he got up like normal and took Maddex to Mrs. Vickie's. When he got home, he texted me that it looked like a tornado had come through near our home. He confirmed with me that everything was okay at our house. I think about that morning all of the time...if Mitch had left earlier to go to Mrs. Vickie's, he could have been returning home when that tornado hit OR if he had left a few minutes later, he and Maddex could both have been involved. It gives me chills to think about how close they were to a disaster that morning!
-Work throughout the day/afternoon to make all of the needed changes to my paper.-Get ready for a community dinner to honor teachers of the year. We loaded up all of the kids and headed to the dinner. It really was an enjoyable evening and the babies were SO good. Maddex was hilarious, but also very good.
-Come home, get all the kids to bed a little late, and head to bed myself. I think at some point Wednesday I finished my paper & sent it to my professor for any final edits.
Thursday
-Get to school and scramble to get part of my lesson today. Get observed, unannounced, first block (of course!)
-Receive final notes from professor and make a few minor changes to paper. Print paper, have Mitch pick up copies, take to Office Depot, bind & mail.
-Submit paper and PowerPoint electronically
-Eaglette tryouts after school & work on finishing a grant that was due at 5:00 that day. Tryouts went well & I got the grant finished 40 minutes before it was due. At that point I realize that it has to be approved by my principal before the deadline! So I shoot an e-mail to Mr. Walker & ask him to review my grant within the next 36 minutes if possible. Big shout out to Mr. Walker for coming through for me!
-At this point, I head home for my most regular evening of the week. Dinner was in the crock pot and I got home to sleeping babies. I actually took a power nap despite 2 cups of coffee!
-I ended the night with chocolate chip cookies.
Today is business as usual and we have the final Eaglette tryouts this afternoon. I'm so excited - I love this day! So, all of that happened within a few short days - throw in full days of teaching and late bedtimes, early mornings, and a few nightly feedings and I'm pretty pooped! Insert comments here like "I don't know how you do it." :)
Now, let's switch gears and talk about the joys of this week.
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22 - 23
It would have been so easy to be consumed this week, but the Lord proved faithful (as always) and gave me new mercies every morning. He provided me with the stamina and energy to make it through each day. He sustained me despite lack of sleep and helped me to stay positive and have a good outlook! He kept me well and made my steps successful. Those facts, in and of themselves, are enough to have made this a great week!! I do have some specific moments of joy amidst this crazy week that I hope to always remember...
-I had a wonderful meal with some of my favorite women! And I got to shop (even if I basically ran from store to store) and get a new dress!
-I enjoyed another evening where my accomplishments of a teacher were recognized. I've been so honored and humbled this year!
-After the dinner on Wednesday, Maddex was hopped up on cake and was hilarious and so sweet. She kept getting Mitch to "fly like a bird" across the room with her (this meant she galloped while flapping her arms). She would get to me & kiss me on the mouth. Then go back to the other side and do it again. Over and over and over. The Lord knew my soul needed those sweet Maddex kisses. Mitch would tell her to count to three and she'd say "one, two, three, four!" I think this memory is my favorite of the week!
-My friend blessed me with some diapers! We still haven't had to buy diapers since the twins were born!!! Wow!
-Mitch brought me lunch yesterday and made me chocolate chip cookies.
-I always love tryout week!
-Today I was made aware of a curriculum plan from the state. I felt like their plan mirrors much of what I do in my classroom but adds even greater material and depth to how I teach. I feel VERY excited about having some direction for next year!
-HELLOOOOOO!!! I FINISHED MY MASTER'S DEGREE!!!
-Finally, I am blessed with a husband and mom who are always ready and willing to help out during weeks like this. They both kept the kids extra and helped out around the house while I've been going ninety to nothing. So a SUPER SHOUT OUT to Nana and Mitch!!!
I'm not sure that list even includes all of the wonderful moments I've had this week. I honestly say that I can look back on the week with relief, pride, and accomplishment. It would be so easy to be caught up in the work, tiredness, and lack of time with my kids, but I choose to remember the good.
Thank you, Lord, that I am not consumed by the world around me, and that I can trust in your faithfulness and new mercies each morning!
PS - I promise to include some new pictures in my next update!!! :)
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