Did you know that half of 56 is 28? That means that this year is officially halfway over–woohoo! I cannot believe that I have made it this far…you are welcome to be impressed as well. There is more impressive news to be shared, though! So let’s dive into this past week…the halfway point of 2012.
July 10
The nerves passed away on Tuesday as I drove the six hours home (after surviving a set of skill assessments, observation at a Montessori, and an interview partially in French). I made it home just in time to say hello to everyone before one of my lovely friends arrived! She made the 45 minute drive just so that she could watch White Collar with me! That is a dedicated fan…err, friend. Anyways, it had been a while since we had seen each other. But I don’t think anyone was quite as excited as this little goofball–Neila! She literally can’t contain her enthusiasm (not unusual…one of her many nicknames is “Tornado”).
July 11
It was nice to be home but my home life is pretty dull. We spiced it up on Wednesday with some pizza! It wasn’t ordered from Pizza Hut, but it also wasn’t quite homemade. We bought all of the ingredients pre-made, but were able to each design our own personal pizza! Mine was thin crust with sausage and mozzarella. Mmmm…it smelled heavenly! Oh, yeah. The other half of that pizza was cheese-less. My mom doesn’t like cheese. Until I was about 12, I refused to eat cheese. I was weird…ha–I should probably use present tense there.
July 12
Anyways, the next day was more dull…I spent part of at the school doing random things for my mom in her classroom. It was a blast…you can be jealous (that’s a joke…intense sarcasm right there). I made new labels for her parent folders. In the photo to the right, you will see a stack of folders that have been labeled with three different labels designed by moi. I deserve an award.
July 13
But I didn’t get an award. Instead, on Friday morning, I got to be lazy (not terribly unusual). I sat on the living room couch and got lost in Sherlock Holmes. But, I was not alone! Oh no, I had a my trusty side-kick, Neila! Doesn’t she look ferocious? Out on the hunt for criminals? Ready to sniff out the bad guys? Wow, I am just full of sarcasm tonight, aren’t I?
July 14
I didn’t get to be lazy on Saturday morning (irony!). My mom wanted to hit up the local library’s book sale…cheap books. She made me get up early and be ready by 9 am! Can you believe it? I had to be up and ready to go at 9 am…the horror. So, I was up and ready with coffee…and we all (parentals and I) piled into the car and drove ten minutes across town to the little “Friends of the Library” shop. But guess what…they did’t open until TEN! I got up for no reason at all. The horror. My parents had to head out of town to pick up some stuff for my mom’s classroom from a shop that closed at noon. So, I was left alone…only to return to the bookstore at 10 am. I returned…and found a few books…probably not worth getting up at nine am, though.
July 15
On Sunday, I decided to visit a random church in my hometown. I had spent my whole childhood and adolescence attending the same church; how was I to know what else this little town offered? Well, I knew it offered about a gazillion churches…I just didn’t know what was inside them. The church that I visited has its reputation for being a more youthful church, which is why I chose to go there. Let’s just say that I didn’t feel the need to walk out crying (see Week 11…an incident is briefly mentioned). Anyways, that’s not what I took a picture of. I took a picture of squash. I made pork/squash/potato kabobs for dinner. They were delicious! And, my parents mostly stayed out of my way while I was making them!
They totally stayed out of my way the next night while I made a delicious pasta dish…they both raved. But my cooking was insignificant when compared to this:
July 16
I HAVE A JOB FOR NEXT YEAR. That is right…mostly. I will be completing a year of service in Minnesota through AmeriCorps. I am going to be a literacy tutor with the Minnesota Reading Corps! Do you know what this means? God always has a purpose, even when you feel that He has abandoned you, that He has forgotten, that you have failed Him in some way…His purpose is greater and eventually you will catch a glimpse of that. I do not know what the next year holds for me (besides a move across the country to a frigid climate), but I know that I am held by Him.
Looking forward to the coming weeks…Emmie
Living a Life of Love 