Like pretty much ever other blogger in my list, I'll begin by apologizing for my lack of recent posts. We are all fairly busy right now, and if you're like me you feel a twinge of guilt every time you turn on the computer...after all, it's summer and every spare moment is to be spent on the kids, right? :)
Speaking of summer and kids, we are currently experiencing mid-summer sibling rivalry at its finest. Mix that in with a little pre-adolescent know-it-all attitude, a toddler whose favorite new word is "Fine!" (you can image the context), and you pretty much have a recipe for disaster. Dealing with it while keeping a "saved and sanctified" attitude at all times is no picnic, either. I now have great appreciation for my parents...sowing and reaping...it's a scary thing. :) So, we are working diligently to mold their little attitudes and actions into something respectable and Christ-honoring, knowing that this process will not occur overnight. Sigh.
We trying to do a variety of things with the kids this summer. I am doing a private duty case 20+ hours a week 3rd shift (sanity-saver), working on some things for PCS, doing some research on another project which is both fun and overwhelming, and helping to get our VBS organized, so it isn't like we just have every day as time for a new adventure, but we're trying.
Church camp was wonderful. We were able to stay for the whole thing, except for the day of Dr. Woodworth's funeral, when we made a quick trip home and back the same day. Brenda Hunter and I enjoyed six+ hours of travel together that day, and it was therapeutic to be able to spend time with her for chic chat (same as girl talk, right?). Camp could have lasted another week, and I would have been thrilled. It was a refreshing time!
I am slowly posting pictures on our family blog, so check in from time to time. Hopefully I will have it caught up within the next few days. I'm only like 6 weeks behind. Not so bad. lol
In the meantime, I need to get back to the mound of laundry that I need to fold, and somehow divide chores between the 4 kiddos and keep them moving without fighting for the next few hours. :) Have a great weekend!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Deals & Steals
As I mentioned in an earlier post, couponing has become sort of a hobby for me. I guess I shouldn't call it a hobby, because that indicates something that costs money and provides pleasure. My version of couponing (not buying too many things I won't use, etc.) doesn't cost me, but saves big time on the things I ordinarily have to buy.
I have always hated spending money on things like deodorant, diapers, toothpaste, all of those things that are so important but seem to cost so much! I would much rather spend my $ on new clothes, hobby items, or Biggby coffee...seriously. Having 4 kids and a life, though, often dictate the opposite. :)
The cool thing is that I never thought I would see the day where quality and expensive brands, with a little coupon savvy, would be almost free.
That day is here, and I'm taking advantage of it while it lasts!
I was telling a friend about a deal I had recently found, and she asked why I wasn't posting them on this blog. I guess I just figured there are about a bazillion couponing blogs out there, and if someone wants to find a deal they have all sorts of outlets for learning. This week, though, there are several awesome bargains which some of you may find very valuable.
Rite Aid - I haven't ever really been a huge fan of this store, basically because I'm not into rebates. I'm not good with making sure all of the paperwork is in on time, and tracking my rewards. Some people can do it, not me. At least I'm not into making myself. Recently, though, they have begun an UP Rewards program, which is similar to CVS Extra Bucks. There is always a limit of one per transaction, but you can do multiple transactions and roll them over. Most deodorant sales mean little to me because Greg uses the same brand, and it is an expensive one...Old Spice Red Zone. There are cheaper Old Spice deodorants, but this one works for him, and smelling good is worth whatever $ you must pay. :) His deodorant is about $3.77 or more at WalMart. Last night I assembled my P&G coupons, and went to Rite Aid for their Old Spice sale. I ended up spending just over $10, and received $4 back in UP rewards, meaning I can go back and use the $4 on anything I want with no minimum purchase. Here is my deal:
CVS - I usually get great deals with the CVS Extra Bucks program, but this particular trip was mostly made up of clearance deals. I went in for a 50 cent BAN deodorant, and came out with this:
4 tubes Colgate Total Whitening toothpaste, 1 Ban Deodorant, 1 Huggies body wash, 3 tubes Oragel, 3-2 pks. of Nuby pacifiers, 2 pks. Pedialyte strips, 2-4 pks. Pedialyte singles, 2 Pedialyte 32 oz., 2 pkgs. GoodNights Pull Ups (Huggies), 3 pkg. Playschool hand wipes, 1 pkg. cotton cloths moist wipes, and 2 bottles Aveeno Baby Wash for sensitive skin. The funny thing is that these items originally ranged in price from $1.49 each (the hand wipes) to $13.99 (Good Nights) with most items falling at around $5 - $6 bucks a piece. My total was right at $35 plus I received $2 extra bucks. That may still seem like a lot of money to you, but if you are out of Pedialyte when the kids get sick 75% off sales aren't to be found! These items can be useful in baby shower gifts, or in our case my own kids or my neices and nephew.
One more deal to pass along...I know most of us either hate or refuse to wear pantyhose, but in my case they are a necessity some of the time. And with my build, support is a necessity, as well. :) I religiously wear one of the better labels from No Nonsense...Great Shapes, Sheer Endurance, or something like that. They run $4.99 a piece regular price at Meijer, Walmart, etc. I try to always have a good supply because paying that price is killer, especially when some of them are known to explode after just one wear...haha. Meijer and WalGreens run bogo specials every couple of months, and at the last WalGreens bogo sale I was floored to see that the manufacturer had put out double packs...so even at regular price I was already getting one free. Add the bogo to the deal, and I purchased 78 bucks worth of pantyhose for like $17. Amazing. This week Walgreens is doing the bogo sale again, and one of my good bargain buddies alerted me that they still have some double packs. I have tons from the first sale, so I will probably leave the bargain to other needy souls! If you like good pantyhose at an awesome price, head to Walgreens soon.
I have always hated spending money on things like deodorant, diapers, toothpaste, all of those things that are so important but seem to cost so much! I would much rather spend my $ on new clothes, hobby items, or Biggby coffee...seriously. Having 4 kids and a life, though, often dictate the opposite. :)
The cool thing is that I never thought I would see the day where quality and expensive brands, with a little coupon savvy, would be almost free.
That day is here, and I'm taking advantage of it while it lasts!
I was telling a friend about a deal I had recently found, and she asked why I wasn't posting them on this blog. I guess I just figured there are about a bazillion couponing blogs out there, and if someone wants to find a deal they have all sorts of outlets for learning. This week, though, there are several awesome bargains which some of you may find very valuable.
Rite Aid - I haven't ever really been a huge fan of this store, basically because I'm not into rebates. I'm not good with making sure all of the paperwork is in on time, and tracking my rewards. Some people can do it, not me. At least I'm not into making myself. Recently, though, they have begun an UP Rewards program, which is similar to CVS Extra Bucks. There is always a limit of one per transaction, but you can do multiple transactions and roll them over. Most deodorant sales mean little to me because Greg uses the same brand, and it is an expensive one...Old Spice Red Zone. There are cheaper Old Spice deodorants, but this one works for him, and smelling good is worth whatever $ you must pay. :) His deodorant is about $3.77 or more at WalMart. Last night I assembled my P&G coupons, and went to Rite Aid for their Old Spice sale. I ended up spending just over $10, and received $4 back in UP rewards, meaning I can go back and use the $4 on anything I want with no minimum purchase. Here is my deal:
Regular price was over $55. In case you can't see the products clearly, I snagged 4 of the deodorants, 4 body wash, 4 body spray, and 1 Butterfinger (needed a 50 cent filler item to use one of the coupons, so a 50 cent candy bar makes a great filler...lol). By the way, with 9 and 10 year old boys, you can never have too much body wash!
WalGreens - Pampers Wipes on sale 2/$5, two $2 off coupons from P&G, my total purchase was $1.33 (including tax).
CVS - I usually get great deals with the CVS Extra Bucks program, but this particular trip was mostly made up of clearance deals. I went in for a 50 cent BAN deodorant, and came out with this:
4 tubes Colgate Total Whitening toothpaste, 1 Ban Deodorant, 1 Huggies body wash, 3 tubes Oragel, 3-2 pks. of Nuby pacifiers, 2 pks. Pedialyte strips, 2-4 pks. Pedialyte singles, 2 Pedialyte 32 oz., 2 pkgs. GoodNights Pull Ups (Huggies), 3 pkg. Playschool hand wipes, 1 pkg. cotton cloths moist wipes, and 2 bottles Aveeno Baby Wash for sensitive skin. The funny thing is that these items originally ranged in price from $1.49 each (the hand wipes) to $13.99 (Good Nights) with most items falling at around $5 - $6 bucks a piece. My total was right at $35 plus I received $2 extra bucks. That may still seem like a lot of money to you, but if you are out of Pedialyte when the kids get sick 75% off sales aren't to be found! These items can be useful in baby shower gifts, or in our case my own kids or my neices and nephew.
One more deal to pass along...I know most of us either hate or refuse to wear pantyhose, but in my case they are a necessity some of the time. And with my build, support is a necessity, as well. :) I religiously wear one of the better labels from No Nonsense...Great Shapes, Sheer Endurance, or something like that. They run $4.99 a piece regular price at Meijer, Walmart, etc. I try to always have a good supply because paying that price is killer, especially when some of them are known to explode after just one wear...haha. Meijer and WalGreens run bogo specials every couple of months, and at the last WalGreens bogo sale I was floored to see that the manufacturer had put out double packs...so even at regular price I was already getting one free. Add the bogo to the deal, and I purchased 78 bucks worth of pantyhose for like $17. Amazing. This week Walgreens is doing the bogo sale again, and one of my good bargain buddies alerted me that they still have some double packs. I have tons from the first sale, so I will probably leave the bargain to other needy souls! If you like good pantyhose at an awesome price, head to Walgreens soon.
Since I don't have my teaching income in the summer (it's not a huge income obviously, but it does help cover household necessities), I have created a huge stock in my laundry room. It looks like a very unorganized, small scale, Sam's Club. My goal this week is to reorganize and free up cabinets to simply house my almost free deals, thus avoiding those last-minute, unplanned, non-coupon purchases which tend to eat our $! By the way, a trip to WalMart is completely rare for us anymore. And I love it! Woo Hoo!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Somehow I think I am above using spell check, but I have noticed that I'm either gonna have to quit blogging when tired or in a hurry (which is how I spend most of my life) or develop a close relationship with that little ABC icon at the top of my screen. I apologize to those of you who cannot stand to read the blog of a teacher who seemingly cannot spell correctly. I will attempt to do better in the future. Now, has anyone made the coffee? This week has me dragging! :)
"My Valentine"
...not only are those words the title to one of my favorite Brickman songs, they also describe a very special person.
During the summer of 1993, while wearing a very bright green dress (really has nothing to do with it, but the dress was way too bright to be forgotten!), I fell in "love" with an enormously tall bass singer from Hobe Sound Bible College. Unfortunately, he was not ready to date a high school girl from the Midwest, so our brief whatever-it-was became a memory only to be revived for a good laugh in later years.
In the spring of 1996, the HSBC boy became reacquainted with green dress GBS girl, and the rest is history.
Occasionally, I will reminisce on the early days, realizing once again that I really had no idea what true love was all about. And that's probably a good thing. Did you realize that "true love" isn't really all that glamorous? Occasionally, through social networking sites, I will take a peek into the lives of younger types who are in and out of relationships like sand through an hourglass, and it is all there...the drama, suspense, hype, tears, smiles, romance, love songs, flowers, you name it. There is so much talk about "true love" and "forever yours", and all of those words with enduring value. Then I laugh and think to myself, "If you only knew!", hoping one day they really will know and will remain virtuous until that day so that they can live without regret.
So, back to my point, if in those early days we had really known what true love was and what it required, we may not have been quite so eager to sign on the dotted line. Don't take me wrong...no regrets here, just an observation.
Now it has been almost 13 years. We have been through births, miscarriage, major back surgery, deaths in the family, home purchases, sickness of various kinds, spiritual battles, many important decisions, and each of those things has strengthened the love interest that began as a tiny seed in 1996.
I clearly remember our 7th anniversary, and the meaning it held for me. Most divorces happen before the 7th year of marriage, so that became kind of a milestone for me. Not that divorce was ever an option for us (nor had we ever been at the point where we felt like we needed an option), but we weren't so naive as to think that it never happens.
Then came year #10. I always thought that people were pretty old when they reached the 10th anniversary, but by the time it rolled around, I had changed my mind. :)
Now we are approaching #13. I thank God continuously for the incredible husband and father He has placed in my life. This blog could not hold all of the wonderful things that I could say, so I'll not even try.
I'll just wrap up with this...I love you, Greg, and I hope that you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!
***This post is old, and remained unfinished, but I thought I should put it up anyway, cause I wanted to tell my man how much I love him! If you find it mushy or disgusting, please avoid throwing up on your computer keyboard, reach for a Tum, and move on...
By the way, I did part with the green dress (into which I shall never again fit) just a few months ago. Hope it made someone do the happy dance at the Goodwill store! :)
During the summer of 1993, while wearing a very bright green dress (really has nothing to do with it, but the dress was way too bright to be forgotten!), I fell in "love" with an enormously tall bass singer from Hobe Sound Bible College. Unfortunately, he was not ready to date a high school girl from the Midwest, so our brief whatever-it-was became a memory only to be revived for a good laugh in later years.
In the spring of 1996, the HSBC boy became reacquainted with green dress GBS girl, and the rest is history.
Occasionally, I will reminisce on the early days, realizing once again that I really had no idea what true love was all about. And that's probably a good thing. Did you realize that "true love" isn't really all that glamorous? Occasionally, through social networking sites, I will take a peek into the lives of younger types who are in and out of relationships like sand through an hourglass, and it is all there...the drama, suspense, hype, tears, smiles, romance, love songs, flowers, you name it. There is so much talk about "true love" and "forever yours", and all of those words with enduring value. Then I laugh and think to myself, "If you only knew!", hoping one day they really will know and will remain virtuous until that day so that they can live without regret.
So, back to my point, if in those early days we had really known what true love was and what it required, we may not have been quite so eager to sign on the dotted line. Don't take me wrong...no regrets here, just an observation.
Now it has been almost 13 years. We have been through births, miscarriage, major back surgery, deaths in the family, home purchases, sickness of various kinds, spiritual battles, many important decisions, and each of those things has strengthened the love interest that began as a tiny seed in 1996.
I clearly remember our 7th anniversary, and the meaning it held for me. Most divorces happen before the 7th year of marriage, so that became kind of a milestone for me. Not that divorce was ever an option for us (nor had we ever been at the point where we felt like we needed an option), but we weren't so naive as to think that it never happens.
Then came year #10. I always thought that people were pretty old when they reached the 10th anniversary, but by the time it rolled around, I had changed my mind. :)
Now we are approaching #13. I thank God continuously for the incredible husband and father He has placed in my life. This blog could not hold all of the wonderful things that I could say, so I'll not even try.
I'll just wrap up with this...I love you, Greg, and I hope that you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!
***This post is old, and remained unfinished, but I thought I should put it up anyway, cause I wanted to tell my man how much I love him! If you find it mushy or disgusting, please avoid throwing up on your computer keyboard, reach for a Tum, and move on...
By the way, I did part with the green dress (into which I shall never again fit) just a few months ago. Hope it made someone do the happy dance at the Goodwill store! :)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Would You?
Recently I heard someone pose this question, "Would you do something you don't want to do to get an outcome that you desire?" The context in which the question was presented caused it to strike me in a pretty forceful way, and it made for some interesting introspection.
As I mentioned in another post, I am a fairly classic firstborn. Dreaming comes easy for me. I can see end results with an amazing amount of clarity and color. On the other hand, motivation to take the baby steps...well, it's a little slower in coming! Maybe you can relate.
As a college student, there were lots of little things that I just did not want to do. To begin with, I wasn't all that crazy about majoring in elementary education. I was one who chose my college before I chose my major, rather than selecting a field then looking at colleges that had programs within my chosen course of study. Looking back, I see God's hand in all of those decisions, but at the time I found it very frustrating to have to sift through piles of "silly" projects and seemingly endless lectures on subjects that really wouldn't impact my future in a real practical way...or so I thought. I detested the time spent making file folder games for preschoolers and notebooks full of worksheets for elementary students...little did I know. :)
Really, on a much larger scale, I think most women who are ambitious have goals, plans, and objectives for their own lives and for the lives of those over whom they have influence. It's much more complex than just making it to the end of the week or the year, or holding out until the kids are grown, or even until we retire from our chosen professions. There are dreams that we want to see fulfilled. We don't want to just make it through life, we want to L*I*V*E* every moment to its maximum potential! Getting from point A to point B, however, can be more difficult than it seems. It requires effort, and lots of it.
If you listen to conversations among women, you may hear statements like these:
"You have no idea how much I would love to lose some weight!"
"Wow...what I wouldn't give to be able to drive a car like that!"
"I sure wish my daughter could play the piano."
"Wouldn't it be nice to come home to a clean house?"
"I wish my kids had more interest in spiritual things."
"It just seems like we never have enough money."
"She's lucky that she has such a great husband."
...and you could keep adding to this list.
The sad thing is that many women will only continue to wish because the outcome never becomes real enough to propel them into action. As much as a momma of four likes to think, a clean house is not a goal that cannot be reached. It requires discipline, consistency, and more discipline, but it can be done. Nice husbands are a blessing, but we can help to make our husbands nicer by being better wives. It's not always easy to treat a pig like a king (my husband isn't a pig, but some are, I've heard), but the outcome just might be worth the effort! We can begin to shed excess weight by controlling our eating impulses and exercising our muscles. Not easy, but worth it. Children can learn to play musical instruments when their parents are willing to sacrifice to pay for lessons and then require the necessary practice. Money can be more abundant when one is willing to work hard to acquire it, and then use it wisely. Parents can raise spiritually minded children when they love God, make their home a place for His presence, speak highly of the church and its people, train the children in His ways, and involve them in cheerful acts of service (cheerful is a key word here).
Inside each of us resides a God-given mechanism that determines our actions and responses in every situation we encounter. It is our will. God doesn't want puppet servants, He wants people who actively choose to follow Him and seek to make good decisions, so He created us to have a choice. This same inner force is what will either help us reach our dreams or leave us continuing to wish.
So, here is my question for you...Are you willing to do something you don't want to do in order to achieve an outcome that you really desire? If you are, please leave a comment and share your experience. You may be an encouragement to someone else who is walking in your shoes!
As I mentioned in another post, I am a fairly classic firstborn. Dreaming comes easy for me. I can see end results with an amazing amount of clarity and color. On the other hand, motivation to take the baby steps...well, it's a little slower in coming! Maybe you can relate.
As a college student, there were lots of little things that I just did not want to do. To begin with, I wasn't all that crazy about majoring in elementary education. I was one who chose my college before I chose my major, rather than selecting a field then looking at colleges that had programs within my chosen course of study. Looking back, I see God's hand in all of those decisions, but at the time I found it very frustrating to have to sift through piles of "silly" projects and seemingly endless lectures on subjects that really wouldn't impact my future in a real practical way...or so I thought. I detested the time spent making file folder games for preschoolers and notebooks full of worksheets for elementary students...little did I know. :)
Really, on a much larger scale, I think most women who are ambitious have goals, plans, and objectives for their own lives and for the lives of those over whom they have influence. It's much more complex than just making it to the end of the week or the year, or holding out until the kids are grown, or even until we retire from our chosen professions. There are dreams that we want to see fulfilled. We don't want to just make it through life, we want to L*I*V*E* every moment to its maximum potential! Getting from point A to point B, however, can be more difficult than it seems. It requires effort, and lots of it.
If you listen to conversations among women, you may hear statements like these:
"You have no idea how much I would love to lose some weight!"
"Wow...what I wouldn't give to be able to drive a car like that!"
"I sure wish my daughter could play the piano."
"Wouldn't it be nice to come home to a clean house?"
"I wish my kids had more interest in spiritual things."
"It just seems like we never have enough money."
"She's lucky that she has such a great husband."
...and you could keep adding to this list.
The sad thing is that many women will only continue to wish because the outcome never becomes real enough to propel them into action. As much as a momma of four likes to think, a clean house is not a goal that cannot be reached. It requires discipline, consistency, and more discipline, but it can be done. Nice husbands are a blessing, but we can help to make our husbands nicer by being better wives. It's not always easy to treat a pig like a king (my husband isn't a pig, but some are, I've heard), but the outcome just might be worth the effort! We can begin to shed excess weight by controlling our eating impulses and exercising our muscles. Not easy, but worth it. Children can learn to play musical instruments when their parents are willing to sacrifice to pay for lessons and then require the necessary practice. Money can be more abundant when one is willing to work hard to acquire it, and then use it wisely. Parents can raise spiritually minded children when they love God, make their home a place for His presence, speak highly of the church and its people, train the children in His ways, and involve them in cheerful acts of service (cheerful is a key word here).
Inside each of us resides a God-given mechanism that determines our actions and responses in every situation we encounter. It is our will. God doesn't want puppet servants, He wants people who actively choose to follow Him and seek to make good decisions, so He created us to have a choice. This same inner force is what will either help us reach our dreams or leave us continuing to wish.
So, here is my question for you...Are you willing to do something you don't want to do in order to achieve an outcome that you really desire? If you are, please leave a comment and share your experience. You may be an encouragement to someone else who is walking in your shoes!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
It's a Date!
...those are words I love to hear! Now that I'm "all grown up", birthdays aren't quite what they used to be, and I never have an answer for the question "What do you want for your birthday?" I really do feel sorry for my husband because I have a way of making it difficult...not to mention that my birthday and Mother's Day were two days apart this year (and I didn't even bother to remind him that it was National Teacher's Week and that I am his daughter's teacher...lol)!
Back to the "all grown up" stuff, these days I would rather have experiences than things (don't get me wrong, I love 'things'...it's just that most of the things I love are things the whole family would enjoy, not something personal), and so I asked him to take me to hear one of my favorite artists as my birthday gift.
We were introduced to Jim Brickman's music in the mid-1990's (when some mellow "luv" songs were mandatory background music for our dates), and Jim's music has followed us through almost 13 years of marriage, four kids, and the joys and struggles of life.
I'm amazed by the amount of people that have never even heard of Jim Brickman! His mellow piano arrangements have soothed my nerves on many occasions, and the vocalists that he features on his songs are awesome. He has provided the music for this blog since its beginning. Check him out at jimbrickman.com.
Back to the "all grown up" stuff, these days I would rather have experiences than things (don't get me wrong, I love 'things'...it's just that most of the things I love are things the whole family would enjoy, not something personal), and so I asked him to take me to hear one of my favorite artists as my birthday gift.
We were introduced to Jim Brickman's music in the mid-1990's (when some mellow "luv" songs were mandatory background music for our dates), and Jim's music has followed us through almost 13 years of marriage, four kids, and the joys and struggles of life.
I'm amazed by the amount of people that have never even heard of Jim Brickman! His mellow piano arrangements have soothed my nerves on many occasions, and the vocalists that he features on his songs are awesome. He has provided the music for this blog since its beginning. Check him out at jimbrickman.com.
There was a strict "no camera" policy at the show, so I was unable to get any pics of Brickman at the piano, but we did participate in a VIP Meet & Greet at the end. 
Thanks, Greg, for a great evening!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Congratulations!
One thing that I absolutely love about my job is watching children grow into responsible, mature young adults. There are few things more satisfying to me than watching a young person set a goal and work like crazy to reach the goal. In our non-traditional classroom setting, a large percentage of the students are focused and responsible. They learn from a young age that their success is not dependant upon the teacher or others in the classroom. They use their ability to read and discover information that is presented to them in a written format, and the sky really becomes the limit. They become confident and eager to meet challenges that are placed before them. They are held back by no one.
We have three seniors this year, and two of them are PCS thoroughbreds. These two completed their coursework just before spring break, and have around 28 high school credits each, plus a nice stack of college credits through classes they were able to take at Rhodes State College this year. They did this while helping to put together a spectacular yearbook (it's here and it's cool!), and raise funds for and compete in student convention. I am so proud of them! I think that they would say they surprised themselves in what they were able to accomplish this year. Each of them stretched themselves, and did things that a year ago may not have seemed possible.
Jennifer and I go back a ways...I began to babysit her when she was less than a week old (if my memory serves correctly) and since I wasn't really a "baby" person that was new for me...we developed a real bond during those years, she was the miniature bride at my wedding (sorry about all the bobby pins, Jenn. I know you were scarred for life, but your hair rocked!), and then we were able to spend many days together during her years in school! She is not a quitter. I watched her when there were things that she really didn't have to do, and didn't really enjoy doing, and she stuck with those things. I would say those experiences will serve her well in the future. Congratulations, Jennifer!
I began teaching at the school when Sharree was just four years old. Her mommy was a teacher, so she was one of the little staff kids that really deserves a lifetime service award. :) Although I didn't have her in my class until the seventh grade, or so, I knew her to be a thorough student, who always wanted to do nothing less than her best. Through the years that we have had a closer relationship, Sharree has blossomed in many ways, and she is graduating a year early (even with all the crazy extra stuff she has done!). Like Jennifer, she has not opted for the easy way out, and has given herself to help with many extras. Congratulations, Sharree!
Although we are going to miss the every day presence of these girls in our classroom, we are excited to send them out to be a blessing to others. Our prayer is that they remain spriritually grounded and never lose sight of their goals!
We have three seniors this year, and two of them are PCS thoroughbreds. These two completed their coursework just before spring break, and have around 28 high school credits each, plus a nice stack of college credits through classes they were able to take at Rhodes State College this year. They did this while helping to put together a spectacular yearbook (it's here and it's cool!), and raise funds for and compete in student convention. I am so proud of them! I think that they would say they surprised themselves in what they were able to accomplish this year. Each of them stretched themselves, and did things that a year ago may not have seemed possible.
Jennifer and I go back a ways...I began to babysit her when she was less than a week old (if my memory serves correctly) and since I wasn't really a "baby" person that was new for me...we developed a real bond during those years, she was the miniature bride at my wedding (sorry about all the bobby pins, Jenn. I know you were scarred for life, but your hair rocked!), and then we were able to spend many days together during her years in school! She is not a quitter. I watched her when there were things that she really didn't have to do, and didn't really enjoy doing, and she stuck with those things. I would say those experiences will serve her well in the future. Congratulations, Jennifer!
I began teaching at the school when Sharree was just four years old. Her mommy was a teacher, so she was one of the little staff kids that really deserves a lifetime service award. :) Although I didn't have her in my class until the seventh grade, or so, I knew her to be a thorough student, who always wanted to do nothing less than her best. Through the years that we have had a closer relationship, Sharree has blossomed in many ways, and she is graduating a year early (even with all the crazy extra stuff she has done!). Like Jennifer, she has not opted for the easy way out, and has given herself to help with many extras. Congratulations, Sharree!
Although we are going to miss the every day presence of these girls in our classroom, we are excited to send them out to be a blessing to others. Our prayer is that they remain spriritually grounded and never lose sight of their goals!
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