Christ in me, the Hope of glory, Be my everything

Church was really good today.  The worship was mainly all hymns again and I have loved how the new worship leader is adding a fun spin on the hymns.  The sermon was even better and lead into a wonderful day.  I spent the day hanging out at the pool at my parents house and had a wonderful steak and corn on the cob for dinner.  It was a movie night and we even got some home cooked popcorn.  Well, I should head to bed soon since I have a fun day with a voice lesson tomorrow!

Top 5 for the day:
1. Great sermon and worship service
2. Relaxing in the pool
3. Getting some sun
4. Movie night with the family
5. Home cooked dinner

You're the God of this City

The song title really has nothing to do with my day hah.  I was planning on spending the day relaxing and not really doing much, but that quickly changed.  I got a phone call from my mom this morning that she was 287 and wanted to come down for a little bit.  Well a little turned into a couple hours of us taking down the vertical blinds and starting the apartment renovations (which I'm super excited about).  She even had a chance to meet my landlord and his girlfriend and see what they have done.  Now it's going to be a night of relaxing and picking out some fun warm-ups for the choirs this year...one more thing off my "to-do" list :-)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Spending quality time with my mom :)
2. Getting the blinds down and seeing a huge difference in brightness and size of the rooms
3. Spending some time with my landlord and his girlfriend seeing their renovations
4. Making a haircut appointment for "Back to School" :)
5. Still clean apartment from the beginning of the week :)

My living room post vertical blinds

Kitchen post blinds

Bedroom post blinds

The mess of the blinds

My bathroom after taking the shutters down

The aftermath

And I'm hangin' on a moment with you

Today was a lazy day.  I slept in, went grocery shopping, had a surprise visit, and a phone call.  Other than that nothing super exciting today.  I'm looking forward to going to Nashville in one week...but that also means the first day of school is coming up quickly.  The only eventful thing today was I forgot my wallet in the shopping cart at the grocery store and when I went back to get it, the high schoolers working had turned it in to customer service and everything was still there!

Top 5 for the day:
1. Friendly grocery store employees who helped me find my wallet I forgot in the cart
2. Surprise visit again to say goodbye
3. A special phone call :)
4. Really sweet watermelon from the A+P
5. Gorgeous pink sky after a quick thunderstorm

And I fall facedown...as Your glory shines around

Today was such a fun day!  I had to play "find the missing shoe" this morning because my surprise visitor last night hid everything in my room and found everything except my one shoe.  It ended up being hidden in my Needmore bag hanging on the door to my office.  I spent all day at my mentor's house relaxing and spending time with her and her kids (along with a few other kids haha).  Spending time with her shows me what kind of a woman I want to be.  I could not ask for better role models in my life.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing my mentor/friend for the first time all summer :)
2. Getting some sun and pool time
3. Seeing two students excited to see me (and the brownies)
4. Delicious watermelon
5. Lunch and refreshments provided by the wonderful host :)

Ae you ready? Get set, let's go!

Today was just a fun day in general.  The humidity was down so I could have the windows open most of the day and even got a chance to walk around Ridgewood and go to lunch at a new restaurant in Ridgewood with a colleague and friend.  I stopped by the middle school to pick up some things so I feel "semi" motivated to do some school work.  I had a surprise visit from a friend I haven't seen in 3 months and it was fun...now I need to go find everything he hid.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Lunch at a new restaurant :)
2. Walking around Ridgewood with no bugs flying around
3. Surprise visits with lots of laughs
4. Seeing middle school colleagues (and an elementary teacher) while going in to pick up some things
5. Having the windows open most of the day :)

You have made a way here, You have made the way clear...

"Come to Save Us" by Sons & Daughters just keeps playing in my head.  Today was a very successful day.  I came back to the apartment today after spending the weekend +1 at my parents.  I quickly dropped everything off and set up the new carpets and installed the new toilet seat :)  I then ran to the grocery store to pick up special items for the special dinner I was making tonight :)  I even got a chance to clean the whole apartment and make myself look decent!  Well, it's off to clean the dishes from the dinner and figure out what I'm doing tomorrow..probably go into one of the schools?

Top 5 for the day:
1. Having a guest for dinner with lots of laughs :)
2. A helpful friend to let me borrow items I didn't have in my apartment
3. Delicious dinner I can say I made myself and put a lot of time into
4. Relaxing after the dinner and more laughs :)
5. Seeing a "soon-to-be" 4th grader giving me lots of hugs :)

Special people let me borrow items I didn't have :)

My dessert in the making

Finished product...and off into secrecy it goes!

Yes, I made grated parmesan cheese and grated it myself :)

Made the garlic bread too!

Fresh Jersey tomatoes and cucumbers to add to the salad!

Tomato sauce with meat to go with the Ziti pasta I made :)

The aftermath...all the clean-up :)

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away...

I have Casting Crown's "Slow Fade" stuck in my head since we watched "Fireproof" last night.  Today I was going to go back to my apartment but the weather was so awful I couldn't drive on the highway.  I spent most of the day out in the rain for 2 doctor appointments and some shopping with mom.  I finally got some new shirts that I'm excited to wear (some for school) and some new home furnishings to set up tomorrow :).  Well, "The Bachelorette" is finally back on after the President's address to the nation about the national debt ceiling.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Finding some decent tops :)
2. "The Bachelorette" talks with my ATL/VT girl :)
3. Lunch with two lovely ladies from Advanced Eyecare
4. Getting some new home furnishings that I can't wait to set up tomorrow!
5. Planning a delicious dinner for tomorrow :)

This is it

Sitting here watching Michael Jackson's "This is it" makes me realize how much of an artist he really was.  Very vocal in both the music aspect of his shows and the technical aspect of his shows.  That shows a true artist and musician.  Overall today I didn't do much at all, but last night was a blast.  I was so glad to see my two friends get married to each other :)  They make a gorgeous couple and I was so happy to see them on their happiest day together.

Top 5 from Saturday:
1. Seeing Yesenia and Charlie become husband and wife
2. Seeing friends from college
3. Dancing the night away
4. Gorgeous centerpiece to bring home
5. Air conditioning in the church and reception hall

Mr. and Mrs. Charles O'Brien

The gorgeous centerpiece

First dance

Lovely LVC ladies

The Bride and I

Top 5 for Sunday:

1. Lazy Sunday in my pjs
2. Getting laundry done
3. "This Is It"
4. Looking at pictures from the wedding
5. Going through pictures to choose for printing :)

Seasons of Love!

The showcase was AMAZING!  I could not have been prouder of the girls and all the hard work they put into this!  We had great feedback and I believe the girls had fun.  I'm glad that it's over, but will miss working with the girls.  I can now focus on some school things after the wedding tomorrow :)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Successful Drama Camp Showcase :)
2. Gifts and hugs at the end of the showcase :)
3. Surprise audience members :)
4. Walking into a house with a dog excited to see me :)
5. Having A/C to sleep with!

Closing number at the run through

Group shot with everyone

Drama Camp 2011!

For I have one life to lose...

Only one more day of drama camp.  I am enjoying this week and am glad it's only one week and at the same time wish it was a little longer.  I am remembering why I wanted to be a teacher every day I go to camp.  Spending time with all the campers is what makes going back to school in about a month a little easier.  I miss seeing students every day and them make progress every day, even in the smallest way possible.  Just one more day until the weekend, until my friend's wedding, and a weekend I get to spend with my parents :).  I am finding that the more I spend at my apartment, the more I enjoy going home when I do.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing the whole show for the drama camp :)
2. Getting my GRE scores...knowing it's just a matter of waiting to hear back from Montclair
3. Having almost everything packed for a fun weekend!
4. Finished the elementary school summer reading book
5. Singing to music all night long :)

Hakuna Matata!

Drama camp songs just keep getting stuck in my head!  Overall I'm looking forward to seeing the final list Friday and see them perform Friday night!  I got a chance to spend some time with some colleagues and catch up by the pool.  It has been a nice relaxing evening and am looking forward to tomorrow!

Top 5 for the day:
1. Poolside Happy Hour with colleagues/friends.
2. Catching up with the landlord's girlfriend who lives below me :)
3. Seeing the group numbers come together with lots of energy
4. Catching some sun and not getting sunburned :)
5. Coming home to a cool apartment on a hot day :)

Surprise Homecoming

So as I write this I'm wiping up tears after watching "Surprise Homecoming" on TLC.  This show is moving up in ranks for me and probably my favorite TV show right now.  I always cry watching this show, but tonight it was even more emotional.  The final surprise was a father who surprised his 3 kids at their school.  I don't think I can even begin to imagine what the kids felt after not seeing their father for awhile because he was deployed in Iraq.  The little boy's face was priceless because he looked like he was in shock and didn't really realize who it was until they told him to run up and give him a hug and then he didn't want to let go.  I can't help but think about all the families who are still waiting for loved ones to come home.  Thank you for the sacrifice you make.

Overall, today was pretty fun because the Drama Camp is coming along so well and the kids are remembering their finale dance.  I'm just hoping they get their individual songs and the group songs memorized in time.  We shall see!  I also spent some quality girl time with Jenna catching up on the summer and looking forward to spending more time with her tomorrow.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Catching up with a great friend :)
2. Hearing a former student play a song she wrote (and really wanting to sing it myself) :)
3. "Surprise Homecoming"
4. Pictures of little kittens that are free!
5. Getting the cover for my laptop (finally) :)

I think I'll try defying gravity and you can't bring me down

Today was the first day of Eagles Drama Camp and it went really well I thought.  The kids are picking up their songs quickly and the choreography looks great for the closing number right now :)  I am so excited to see how the rest of the week comes around.  Lots of fun things are planned and I can't wait since I'm only working 3 hours a day at the drama camp :)

Top 5 for the day:

1. Spending time with students (current and former)

2. Random text messages in the early morning :)

3. Being able to make final cuts in the music using very little time.

4. Getting a note from a former student :)

5. Seeing students smile at Eagles Drama Camp making new friends :)

The students learning choreography :)

We're all in this together...

So Eagles Drama Camp starts tomorrow.  I spent a good hour and 15 minutes working on cutting songs and got it to the point where it'll work.  I'm excited to see all the students tomorrow and see how they progress during the week.  I didn't do much of anything today and besides work on the drama camp things and watched the Women's World Cup..which did not end up well for the USA women's team.  Japan ended up winning in Penalty Kicks.  At least it came down to the wire which made it even better.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Having a wonderful brother who was willing to help with editing music :)
2. Screen sharing to make life easier :)
3. Leftovers :)
4. Having wonderful supportive friends :)
5. Having a successful conversation after months of not talking :)

Gonna push it to the limit get it more!

"More" by Usher is my song choice tonight.  It's been stuck in my head all night...but for good reasons :)  I went on my first motorcycle ride today and that was the last song that was playing on the radio before we turned it off.  I had such a blast and got to see New York State's Bear Mountain and Piermont :)  Bear Mountain had gorgeous views of the Appalachian Mountains, we could see NYC in the distance, and lots of little cities around.  Piermont was such a great place to take a break from riding on the bike and stretch our legs.  We even walked the "pier" and grabbed dinner before heading home :)  Today was definitely the best day so far this summer!

Top 5 for the day:
1. First motorcycle ride with an awesome motorcyclist :)
2. Breathtaking views at Bear Mountain
3. Walking and fun talks around Piermont
4. Dinner at a small stand to sit and talk some more
5. Phone calls to catch up :)

View from Bear Mountain looking towards NYC...stolen from Pete :)

Friday Night Lights

I did absolutely NOTHING today beside make dinner and straighten up my apartment.  I finally cleaned up all the choir music off my floor.  It was the final episode of the "Friday Night Lights" series and it was great.  It's a great series and they left it open so I'm hoping they bring it back in a few months...maybe.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing my schedule laid out for the new school year
2. Hearing the excitement of the choir members for the new layout  :)
3. Phone date with my best and making plans to see 'Bama v. PSU in September!
4. Cooking dinner :)
5. Having a fairly clean apartment tonight :)

Rock-a-by baby...

Today was it! Today was the day Connor Liam Edwards entered the world!  I am so happy for my roommate and her husband.  I got the call this afternoon while I was at my co-worker's house just relaxing. I was so excited to hear :-)  We have been waiting for over a week for him!  I can't wait to see pictures and hear Beth's excitement!  Mark sounded excited, overwhelmed, and tired hah.  Today I also got a chance to relax and hang out with some colleagues to laugh and talk about anything except school :-)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Connor Liam Edwards being born at 6:42 :)
2. Laughter and conversation with colleagues
3. Lunch with my other half at the high school :)
4. Keeping my windows open all day :)
5. Announcing officially that there are 2 choirs this year at ECMS :)

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades...

Today marked the day where my MSU grad application is only waiting on the GRE scores.  Just one more week until they are official!  I can't wait for the whole application to be done so I know that it won't be long to hear if I am accepted or not.  The weather today has been so bizarre.  It was absolutely gorgeous this morning and then it poured for ten minutes then was sunny and humid the rest of the day until tonight where it rained for five more minutes and stopped.  Just bizarre.  I met up with my favorite author and co-worker/friend to have some girl talk and hear about the new book she's almost done writing and the third that will be in process soon.  I'm so excited that I heard some of the secrets and am so excited for the next book!  Most of today I relaxed and actually started picking out the choir music for the choirs this year :)  I think I'll be able to mainly choose out of the music I have not have to order any (which is a plus for any trips we do).  Well, it's off to relax and do a bit of reading for the night :)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Girl talk with Laura Kuehlke :)
2. Feeling confident in some choir music selections :)
3. Walks around Ridgewood :)
4. Seeing a friend get a teaching position knowing I helped :)
5. Making plans for August (including some marching band!)

My living room floor at the moment :)

If you have a moment why don't we go

What...a...day.  I had to get up early to go to the doctor's to get bloodwork done.  Luckily I was going the opposite direction of all the traffic which was great.  I was able to come back and relax a little before beginning to pick out choir music with the high school choir director.  We also had Day 2 of the Drama Camp Selection Day which was a huge success.  We have a much larger number of students than we originally thought which is great.  I'm looking forward to next week at a full week of seeing students new and current sing and put on a showcase :)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Enjoyable nurse to take my blood and make jokes with :)
2. Seeing students excited about drama camp songs
3. Spending time with my other half at the high school going through choral music
4. Relaxing night while looking forward to tomorrow morning :)
5. Fun conversations :)

You have come to save us Lord

Today was a great day.  I was originally planning on running some errands and getting some cleaning and school work done...well that didn't happen.  Instead I spent the day with a great friend at his apartment pool and catching up.  The bright side....I didn't get severely burned (which is a first for me in about a year)!  Well, I need to go to sleep since tomorrow is a long day of driving.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Swimming on a hot day
2. Eating delicious pizza with a friend
3. Very little traffic both ways to Rockaway
4. Very little sunburn!
5. Talking to friends who I haven't talked to in awhile

Jesus, You're the One who Saves us...

I have had a pretty great day today.  I was able to go to Mendham for church which was nice and to hear Tony lead for the first time (for me) was great.  I think he'll be a great addition to the Mendham community and be a great worship leader.  I also had a chance to relax at my apartment and stay out of the heat as best as possible.  It wasn't too hot, it was just humid which is a killer.  I had a great time meeting someone new for coffee at Starbucks in Ridgewood today :)  It was just fun to be out in the gorgeous evening weather with fun company :)

Top 5 for the day:
1. "Come to Save Us" by All Sons and Daughters
2. Seeing friends at church I haven't seen in awhile
3. Hearing a message that really hit me
4. Sitting under the night sky on a gorgeous night
5. Good conversation and laughter :)

And I give you all my pieces broken....

Today was a day by the pool.  It was a great relaxing day and I think I got some sun today (which is a huge plus since I never get sun because I burn too easily).  I made the mistake of looking at the calendar and realized summer is almost half over and I have done nothing for school.  It looks like this upcoming week I will need to get started on some of that so I'm not stressing come August.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Going out for dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse
2. Finishing "Captivating"
3. Making plans for a bible study with a great friend and mentor in my life :)
4. Listening to new worship music
5. Spending the day out at the pool and not getting sunburned :)

The puppy smiling while trying to stay cool :)

God works in mysterious ways...

So today was a such a rainy day I read most of the day.  I did get a chance to go out to eat with Mom and make some plans for this weekend.  I can't believe how fast the summer is going and soon I will need to start working on school stuff so I'm doing it all in one week!

Top 5 for the day:
1. Sleeping in and curling up with the puppy
2. Going out for dinner with Mom
3. Reading "Captivating"
4. Making plans for Sunday :)
5. Text messages that make me smile :)

Just you and I defying gravity..

Today was the Eagle's Drama Camp Song Selection Day.  I got a chance to see my students who are in the camp to choose the song they want to work on for the Showcase at the end of the camp.  This made me very excited to work with them in about a week and a half :)

Top 5 for today:
1. Lunch with my fellow Drama Camp instructors :)
2. Delicious grilled chicken salad dinner with my mom and a friend from church
3. Massages :)
4. Voice lessons with lots of laughs
5. Seeing students with lots of smiles :)

All my life I've only be pretending...

So I was in a "Les Miserables" mood and have been singing to the soundtrack most of the afternoon.  The GREs were alright....took about 3 hours and I'm just glad it's over.  I have about 2 weeks to wait and I should get the official results.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow and seeing the students coming for the drama camp to pick their songs :)  Well I should go pack for the weekend and get everything together for tomorrow :)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Phone call to make my day :)
2. Being done with studying for the GREs!
3. Late night Disney movie
4. Happy Hour with some friends and fellow teachers :)
5. Finally being able to relax :)

I am jerseylicious :)

Been watching "Jerseylicious" on Style most of the afternoon while going through studying.  I am so nervous for this test tomorrow that I am taking the last practice test and calling it a night.  I'm hoping after tomorrow I can enjoy my summer a little bit before working on my extremely long "To Do" list I just made for school.  I'm so glad I am getting this test out of the way and have about a month before I will be back in my classrooms to set up for the fall :-)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Having a kitchen full of fresh food :)
2. Finding Friendly's Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream at the grocery store :)
3. Finally getting my first pair of TOMS shoes :)
4. Studying for the GREs one last day :)
5. Having plans to see friends :)

My TOMS shoes, car sticker, flag, and the shoebox :)

God bless America...Land that I Love!

Happy 4th of July everyone!  This was a very relaxing 4th of July and even had a chance to read for a change.  Just 2 more days and I will be finally be done with the GREs.  I'm a little nervous about the test but at this point it comes down to studying tomorrow and then leave it up to God.

Top 5 for today:
1. Early video chat date :)
2. Reading for fun
3. Remembering how to work some math problems
4. Talking with someone who I haven't talked to in a long time
5. Macy's NYC Fireworks :)

Singin' oh death where is your sting, oh death where is your victory?

Christian music has a way of changing one's attitude from nervousness to calmness.  I was nervous all day about going to a co-worker's house because I only know my co-worker and she was throwing a huge party for 4th of July.  Needless to say I hate going places alone, but pushed myself to go meet new people and it was the best time ever.  I met some new people and just had some really great laughs.  It was good to get out since all I've done all weekend is sit around and do nothing!  Well...it's almost midnight so I should probably head to bed since I have the GREs on Wednesday (ahhhh).

Top 5 for the day:
1. Meeting new people :)
2. Having good laughs :)
3. Seeing the weather change from rain all day to just on and off for the picnic
4. Eating delicious charcoal grilled food :)
5. Spending time with my co-worker/friend :)

No matter where life takes us nothing can break us apart

It has been a movie day for me.  I watched "The Terminal", "High School Musical 2 and 3" and now I'm watching "School of Rock".  I do enjoy taking my daily walks though...it's really nice to see something new on each walk even though I walk the same route.  Today I saw an American Flag hanging from a crane...Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Top 5 for the day:
1. Making plans for tomorrow :)
2. Being able to keep the windows open almost all day without sweating
3. My daily walk
4. Spending some time with my landlord and his girlfriend
5. Having a movie day with me, myself, and I :)

I've been California wishing on these stars...

What a great two days...I had a voice lesson and my cousin's 17th birthday yesterday and had lunch with my mom today.  Less than one week until the GREs and I didn't score so well on my first practice test today.  I hope I do better next week...

Top 5 for Thursday:
1. Celebrating a new driver on the road :)
2. Teaching voice lessons again and hearing voice changes
3. Seeing friends and family
4. Sleeping with the windows open
5. Laughing with my parents

Top 5 for Friday:
1. Lunch with Mom!
2. Cuddling with the puppy
3. Getting better at curling my hair :)
4. A special video chat tonight :)
5. Knowing the Montclair application is done and sent in!