It's not too late, it's never too late

Today should have been the first day of school and it was a day of meetings again thanks to Irene coming through the area.  And due to Irene's flooding in the area...we will not start school until Tuesday.  I have mixed feelings about this because I am grateful to gain an extra 2 days off this week and spend it getting ready with final preparations, but at the same time I can't help but think of students who may be without power or a home because of water in their house.  God has been gracious and has kept me safe through all this and I have not lost power.  My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by this storm.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Lunch with friends to relax after a day of meetings
2. Skype with a friend
3 Getting to school early to get work done
4. Always going the opposite direction of massive traffic due to flooding
5. Relaxing night

Bonus Day

We gained a bonus day of work tomorrow!  It was supposed to be the first day of school tomorrow, but the roads are still really flooded and the busses can't get through so we have another meeting/work day at the schools.  I'm looking forward to just being at the schools to get some work done without having to do it at home!

Today was nice though because we had our all district in-service.  My favorite part every year is being able to worship as a faculty and have wonderful conversations before and after.  After going to a few meetings all day I was able to spend some quality girl time with a great friend since she forgot her keys in her house :)  The flooding down in the Paterson area is just getting bad, but at the same time seeing the magnitude of the water it makes you think.  It really makes you think about the power of God and how much he is in control.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Gaining an extra day to work on school things without the students there
2. Worship and fellowship with ECSA staff
3. Walk and girl time with a great friend
4. Catching up with fellow faculty members about the summer and the start of school
5. Cool air to keep the windows open all night again :)

One day at a time...

Today was not exactly the way I had hoped to start this week.  I left my parents house really early to make sure I left plenty of time to get to my meeting at the middle school on time, well God had other plans.  I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for about 2 hours, they closed the entrance to 287 (due to a sinkhole which I'm grateful they did after the fact otherwise I would have been in the sinkhole), and I got lost in downtown Paterson because all the roads were flooded and there were no detour signs.  I had a meltdown and was just so frazzled that by the time I got the middle school I just wanted to get to the apartment.  To answer the question..yes I was late also.  The plus side...I got to see some colleagues I haven't seen for most if not all the summer and great to laugh and talk with them.  The rest of the day was spent cleaning the apartment and working on school things.  The "to-do" list is "almost" gone...finally!

Top 5 for the day:
1. Going out to lunch with a friend and catching up on life...not talking about school :)
2. Seeing the "to do" list for school going down
3. Hearing that everyone is ok from the hurricane and some of the power is being restored
4. Putting up the last of the curtains to complete my living room until the paint
5. Hanging up a poem I have been waiting to hang up

Finished with the curtains on a gorgeous day

Hanging up the poem "Perfect Love" as a daily reminder :)

The rains came down and the floods came up...

I am very thankful to be staying with my parents an extra night.  With Hurricane Irene past us..we still had some major winds and huge flooding.  Our house was alright.  We just lost a tree in the backyard and it hit nothing.  We went for a drive around the town and found the Musconetcong river flooding Mountain Avenue.  Anyone who needed to evacuate was to stay at the high school, and luckily no one I know is up at the high school.  We had some of my parent's friends and their family up for a few hours since they were told they had to evacuate.  I've never seen the river flood like this before.  I hear I have power and my apartment is fine.  The question will be...how much flooding and closed roads will I hit going out to in-service and back to my apartment?  I'm praying I don't hit many, but my heart and prayers go out to my friends and family who are without power, water, and some without homes right now.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Not losing power or water all day
2. Losing only one tree in the backyard and no damage to the house or cars
3. Spending some time with family friends
4. Getting some work done for school
5. Nice cool weather after the storm

First view of the tree that fell

My workstation for the day

On our way to see the damage by the tree we found a butterfly

The tree uprooted

Checking out the tree

More of the tree

Top of the tree

We decided to save the butterfly

And put it on the tree branch 

Driving around Hackettstown...this is the cemetary

The river is flowing OVER the actual drive

More of the cemetary

Driving over a little bridge with the water starting to come up and over the road

Come on Irene

I have had the song "Come On Eileen" stuck in my head all day, but only substituting Irene for Eileen.  I have had a very boring day.  I helped my parents take everything from outside and move them inside for this hurricane coming.  I believe we're supposed to get hit around midnight and maintain for most of the day tomorrow.  It'll be a day of getting more school work done and hopefully not losing power!

Top 5 for the day:
1. Getting a start on school things I've been putting off
2. Helping my parents outside
3. Talking to college friends
4. Home cooked meal for dinner
5. Hearing from my brother about the new CD that will hopefully come out soon

Just a few days left...

Today was the last day of band camp.  It was a lot of work in the the heat...and it was the hottest day all week (which was a good thing).  They performed for the first time in front of their parents and friends and they did an amazing job.  They have some work to do, but plenty of time and I'm excited to go to their first game and see them perform :)

I am officially beat from the week and could sleep for hours ha.  After band I was just so out of it.  Lot's of things going on in my head...and that's not good for the few days I have left before school starts.  We'll see what happens tomorrow morning.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing the band perform for the first time the first portion of their show
2. Not getting really sunburnt being outside in the sun all day
3. Laundry being done
4. Knowing I can sleep in tomorrow :)
5. Shower after a long day and lots of suntan lotion

The Polar Express!

I have a different set of 4 measures going through my head right now!  It's the fast part called "Polar Express" like the train.  It's going really well and I'm excited to see what tomorrow will be like as their last day.  Will they be high energy or exhausted after a long week?  My guess is high energy.  Let's hope the staff is all high energy tomorrow since it's the last day :)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing the band perform on the football field for the first time :)
2. Relaxing and good talks with the staff after for dinner again :)
3. Marching in the rain (it's more fun than you think..until the bugs come out)
4. Getting laundry done for the start of a new week
5. Phone call with a friend to hear about their first day of school as a teacher :)

Band, Band, Band, and time with friends

I have a tendency to forget how much marching band becomes a family very quickly until today.  I finally got a chance to meet the percussion instructor and we all went out for dinner and a time to talk band and relax.  As much as this dinner was more of a "let's discuss what's going wrong and figure out how to fix it for the last two days" I keep being reminded that this is a learning experience for everyone.  I am usually really good at coming up with positive things to say to others to remind them to stay positive, but I am always at fault for this too.  In about two months I know I'm going to be stressed and finding negative things about everything, but I need to remember that "it's a learning experience".  Every day is a learning experience in the education world.  We test lessons and things and see how they work...sometimes lessons work great for one class and not so great for the next.  My goal this year is to remember that and see how long I can go and the impact I have on the students and how I feel.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Fun conversations at dinner
2. Spending a lot of time in the sun (even if it's hot) and getting very little burnt
3. Realizing how much the students have learned in a matter of 3 days
4. Having a pretty awesome flute section that is willing to work hard at one measure for 5-10 minutes to help others in the group
5. Amazing band staff :)

If you just believe...

I have the marching band music stuck in my head...just the 4 measures of "Believe" from "The Polar Express".  I am having a great time working with these kids and seeing them improve every day.  I am also loving spending time with Jesse and Adam.  They are great guys and really great music educators.  Watching them work with the kids makes me excited to get back to my kids in a week :)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing the first song on the field with music
2. Spending time with fellow music teachers
3. Relaxing evening with my parents
4. Another day of EXCELLENT weather
5. Not feeling the earthquake

Because we are alive in Christ

After spending most of the day at band camp (with one voice lesson first thing this morning) I'm much more motivated to want to get going on school things.  Granted, I still didn't do anything for school today, I worked on laying out things to work on in band tomorrow during sectionals.  Little things in small doses is what I'm going to have to do in order to get this done before school starts next week.  I can't believe I'm going into my 3rd year teaching at EC.  Time certainly does fly and it just keeps getting faster and faster.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing the marching band sounding good and looking good!
2. Gorgeous weather for working outside all morning
3. Successful voice lesson :)
4. Spending time with fellow music teachers :)
5. Very little sunburn after being outside all morning :)

The last week

Here we are going into my last week of summer.  I'm spending it working at a marching band camp and I'm so excited.  Today some of the marching band staff was supposed to come over and hang out, but they bailed since they were busy.  This is what I get for going out to get chips and things for a day of hanging out ha.  Oh well, I'll see them all week and hang out with them.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing my parents excited for a night getaway in AC :)
2. Spending the day with the pup
3. Watching movies all day
4. Wearing a great shirt and feeling great about myself
5. Relaxing evening before a busy week.

When blood and water hit the ground, walls we couldn't move came crashing down

I got my haircut today and relaxed with my parents.  Today was their anniversary and we went out to dinner.  They are going away tomorrow while I house sit :)  It'll be fun and I'm looking forward to spending time with some friends before our busy week of band camp.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Awesome haircut feeling great
2. Gorgeous weather to drive with the windows down
3. Out to dinner for my parents anniversary
4. Relaxing afternoon with great talks
5. Seeing the pup with a fresh haircut

My haircut :)

One day more, another day another destiny...

"Les Miserable" is my favorite musical of all time.  The music is excellent and the acting is always stellar!  I'm hoping to go see it in DC when they are there.  I also know the guy who plays one of the lead's wife.  She teaches at the after school program that we have and her and I have had some good talks.  She's a great girl and I have loved getting to know her.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Surprise lunch for a birthday girl
2. Getting the first week of school planned/outlined
3. Laughs and good talks over lunch and drinks
4. Overall decent weather for most of the day
5. Relaxing evening with the parents :)

Working hard or hardly working?

Today I definitely worked hard.  I recruited a student to come help me finish setting up the elementary school which looks pretty well if I do say so myself :)  I taught a voice lesson AND started teaching at marching band tonight.  It was great to be back in the marching atmosphere and I realize how much I miss the whole thing.  As tiring as it is...I still miss it.  It's the "family" you grow with, love, hate, fight, and shed tears with.  It was my life for eight years and I wouldn't trade it in for anything!

Top 5 for the day:
1. Spending some girl time with a student
2. Finishing (for the most part) my classrooms
3. Working a marching band sectional and marching for the first time in a couple years
4. Successful voice lesson with my voice student
5. Spending time with a friend and meeting a new friend...even if it was business related :)

Front of the classroom..topper almost done

The phrase for the year

Birthday board with student and composer birthdays

Back of the room

Cabinets and instruments

My helper for the day :)

My awesome back board

Back of the classroom again

A Whole New World

I am super sore today from setting up the apartment yesterday.  Today I ran to get some bulletin board things and even started setting up the classroom.  Other than that...today has been a day of just relaxing, or trying to relax ha.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Spending some time in the elementary room
2. Finding awesome little prizes in the dollar store
3. Girl time with an awesome colleague
4. "Bride Wars" for the movie of the night
5. Relaxing evening

Whistle while you work..doo doo doo doo doo doo doo....

Today was my work day.  I had a doctor appointment this morning and then went straight to the middle school to get the room set up.  That is now one more thing off my "to-do" list.  My apartment is starting to look like a home after two years :) I got all 7 blinds up AND my curtains in all rooms.  It was a long process all day, but definitely loved the outcome so far.  I now need to paint the rooms, but this will do for now :)  Alright...time to run so I can go help my landlord's girlfriend paint some trim and have some girl time :)

Top 5 for the day:
1. Curtains and blinds are up and feeling the instant gratification that I did this myself
2. Setting the middle school up and getting ready for the year
3. Receiving a picture and card from my sponsor child, Betzi, in Guatemala
4. Super nice nurse at the doctor's office to come in on their two weeks off for me
5. Feeling exhausted at the end of an excellent work day and knowing I worked hard all day :)

Empty chair ready for the students

View of the room from the fire exit

Student work station

My desk full of personal/work things

My window into the music office

My kitchen with the new blinds and valance

My living room with the new blinds and curtains (a valance or two more curtains to come)

My bedroom with new curtains and blinds

Another view of the curtains

Every day I'm shufflin'

Today was an ok day.  It drizzled most of the morning, sunshine came out a little this afternoon, then it poured for about 20 minutes with thunder and lightning, and now it's back to fine weather.  I got some mail done today and even took down the rest of the metal pieces from the windows in the kitchen and living room.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to get the curtains and blinds up with my landlord's girlfriend.  I'm also hoping to spend some time at the middle school tomorrow setting up and getting ready for the first day of school :)  As much as I love summer and have seen it fly by, I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine and back to work.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Finding a letter in the mail from a former student :)
2. Talks with my landlord's girlfriend about renovations and the craziness it is entailing :)
3. Monday Night Football watching the Jets on ESPN
4. Friendly post office workers
5. Overall relaxing day :)

Everything happens for a reason, Even though sometimes it's hard to see. God knows you better than yourself so you gotta belive- That everything happens for a reason, God has big plans for you. Not everything will go your way, but God will show you why some day

The title of this blog comes from a former student of mine who wrote a song and sent me the lyrics.  It's very true and hard to remember sometimes.  Today was just a very frustrating day.  It poured and I mean POURED all day.  The drive to the apartment wasn't too bad but trying to unload everything into my apartment was when it decided to start raining harder.  I was hoping to get the curtains and blinds up today...but that hasn't gone over very well since I need a drill to get the screws in and a hammer small enough to get the nails out of the side of the window frames.  My car alarm has been going off all day also so now I need to go spend some money I don't have to find out what's wrong with my car.  Oh well, off to try and relax for the night.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Having an hour of no rain and I can have the windows open
2. Homemade waffles and bacon for lunch with Mom and Dad
3. Little traffic on the way home for a quicker and less stressful drive in the rain
4. Supportive parents no matter how frustrated I get that always love me
5. Getting some school things done :)

You are sixteen going on seventeen...

It seems like only yesterday I was in high school getting ready for college.  Now, I'm getting ready for my third year of teaching and helping a marching band this year.  It was a pretty good day and the weather wasn't too bad.  It was fairly cool, humid, but cool and then rain tonight.  Mom and I went shopping for some school things I needed from Staples and then went to get curtains and blinds for my windows.  I'm going to put those up this week so I can add a bit of color while I figure out what color to paint the walls.  I'm looking forward to relaxing and spending some time at the schools this week doing final set up before school.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Being able to sleep with the windows open
2. Going on a walk with Mom and the dog
3. Getting new curtains and blinds for my windows :)
4. Dinner with Mom and Dad
5. Ice cream for a treat :)

Home again, Home again

We finally made it home to my parents house!  It was a long drive in the pick-up truck, but it's nice to be home.  I miss being in Nashville though, I had a blast and LOVED the area.  Everyone was so nice no matter where we went.  I could, however, do without their slow driving haha.  We made a couple stops on the way home and got a chance to see my roommate from Sophomore year and her newborn baby.  I finally got a chance to hold him (and he's not even a month old...this Sunday he will be).  Well, I am going to probably head to bed soon since it's been a long day of traveling.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing a great friend as a mom and seeing that she's fitting the role well :)
2. Holding a newborn baby :)
3. Coming home to a very excited puppy
4. Relaxing with my parents watching preseason football
5. Surprised with my car having an oil change and some detailing done to make it look brand new

Me, Beth, and baby Connor :)

A better view of my college's exit

A picture from Mom's phone before we left Nashville

Football season is near!

Football season is so close I can feel it :)  I love football season.  It is my favorite sport to watch and I can't wait to start watching the Jets on a weekly basis :)  Anyway, today was a long day.  We just got into a hotel where they first gave us the wrong room and we couldn't get in because it was locked from the inside.  The new room we're in is huge and bigger than my apartment (pictures to come tomorrow).  We met Mark for lunch at Meridee's, a cute little bakery and restaurant.  I had the best grilled cheese ever!  We then left and traveled to Knoxville to meet up with a girl we hosted when I was a baby from Up With People.  It was cool to actually be in a true city business building and be able to see the city.  It was a long drive to the hotel in Roanoke and we are very grateful to be in our hotel room and ready to sleep.  Tomorrow is another day of traveling and visiting before finally getting back to Hackettstown tomorrow afternoon/night.

Top 5 for the day:
1. Seeing my brother's place of work and meeting his co-workers
2. Lunch with my brother and mom at Meridee's
3. Conversations in the car
4. Visiting a friend in Knoxville and experiencing a city business job :)
5. Dinner at Cracker Barrel for delicious food and good conversations

View of Knoxville from the 19th floor of an office building (the football stadium is the University of Tennessee's stadium and part of the college)

Mom and Keri before we left

She saw me when I was 6 months old for the first time

The office building we were in

Finally in Virginia

God in my hoping, There in my dreaming, God in my watching, God in my waiting

Today was the last day in Nashville.  We did the backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry (which was amazing and I loved every minute of it) and the backstage tour of the Ryman Auditorium (the original place of the Grand Ole Opry).  It was a lot of walking and we walked down by the river to see the Titans football stadium and the pedestrian walking bridge.  It was a great day and tonight we went to the Wildhorse Saloon for dinner.  That was a lot of fun and great way to end the mini vacation.  It was delicious food, live entertainment, line dancing (which I didn't do ha), and great time to sit and enjoy being with my brother and my mom.  Tomorrow we're meeting my brother for lunch and then starting the trek back to NJ with quite a few stops to do a little visiting and getting gas since we have the pick up truck this time.

Top 5 for today:
1.  Being able to stand on stage in the circle of the Grand Ole Opry
2. Seeing the Honky Tonk bars and Broadway at night
3. Going to dinner at the Wildhorse Saloon with Mark and Mom
4. Gorgeous weather with no rain the whole time we were here and low heat index
5. Seeing backstage of the Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry

On stage in the circle of the Grand Ole Opry

View of the seating from the stage

Famous guitar outside Legends on Broadway

On stage at the Ryman Auditorium

Outside the Ryman

Wildhorse Saloon line dancing

Mark and I on Broadway

View of the Honky Tonks on Broadway