A Year in Pictures - Weeks 1 & 2

I have always wanted to take a picture a day for a whole year. I have tried it before, but I was never very successful. This is one of my goals for 2012. I think it will be neat to go back and look at how I spent my time each day or what caught my eye on particular days. Here is a look at Weeks 1 and 2 of 2012:

Week 1
Sunday, January 1 (Day 1)

One year without a Dr. Pepper! I had a Dr. Pepper to start 2012. However, I thought it was very nasty and only drank a few sips at first. I think I will stick to my water for another year. (This gal is definitely not use to staying up till midnight anymore = the awful picture.)

Monday, January 2 (Day 2)

Back to work I go. Today was a Professional Development Day where only teachers attend. The morning was spent listening to a great speaker, Tara Brown. The afternoon was spent meeting as a grade level and working in our classrooms in order to prepare for the kids to come back tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 3 (Day 3)

UPWARD is in full swing. I am serving as the UPWARD Cheerleading Director. We have the most cheerleaders that we have ever had in all the years. We have four squads totaling over 40 girls. What a great way to learn cheerleading skills and the word of God at the same time. Every Child is a Winner!

Wednesday, January 4 (Day 4)

I had the privilege of welcoming this sweet girl from Belize in my classroom for a few days. Sadly for my class, we had to say good-bye to her a week later, because she qualified to going to a higher grade based on her age and academic ability. We will miss her, but we are glad we will see her around our school.

Thursday, January 5 (Day 5)

The first Thursday of each month equals BUNCO night! This is a great break from my crazy schedule to catch up with some awesome ladies and have a good time. Sadly, this night did not bring me any luck based on my card, but I did win the door prize which was a cute new slap bracelet watch.

Friday, January 6 (Day 6)

I have started running again, and Izzy was at my parents' house to welcome me home from a long Friday run. I have to park at my parents so I do not have to run on the highway from my house when it gets dark. It has been nice to see my parents, Izzy, and Padro (the family bird) a little more.

Saturday, January 7 (Day 7)

The first Saturday for UPWARD games. Every Child is a Winner! The first graders are receiving their stars to put on their megaphones. First grade is the first time the girls are eligible to do UPWARD, and they are always very eager to begin.

Week 2
Sunday, January 8 (Day 8)

When I was a child, I learned to crochet and knit from my Aunt Linda. I decided the other day that it is about time that I start doing it again. It is a slow process as I have not been able to figure out how it fits in my daily schedule, but I am looking forward to getting back into the groove of making things.

Monday, January 9 (Day 9)

One of my favorite things about an UPWARD practice, the devotion time. I appreciate the high school and college girls who have given up their time to be an UPWARD cheerleading coach. More than that, they are serving as a role model to these cheerleaders.

Tuesday, January 10 (Day 10)

It's that time again. Graduate school classes are beginning. This semester I am taking 9 hours. I have enjoyed the program so far, and I'm looking forward to this upcoming semester. I just hope I can handle the nine hours with everything else going on. It shall be an interesting semester.

Wednesday, January 11 (Day 11)

Just two of the seven books that I had to have for this semester. This shall be fun. It will be interesting to go from School Law to Special Education to Classroom Discipline. I am sure some late night readings are in the near future. That School Law book is humongous!

Thursday, January 12 (Day 12)
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I had the honor of being initiated into the Alpha Delta Kappa - Iota chapter tonight along with these teachers - Amelia Morrison, Tammy Oliphant, Brittany Higgins, and Jessie Warren. "Alpha Delta Kappa is an international honorary organization of women educators dedicated to educational excellence, altruism and world understanding."

Friday, January 13 (Day 13)

This is why I teach! A student who does not enjoy reading that much determined to read a book on Martin Luther King, Jr. He was so eager to tell me about what he read. I think it is also funny how he chose to sit in our classroom canoe.

Saturday, January 14 (Day 14)

Welcome Home Party for Ken Welch. He has been serving overseas for a year, and Kevin and I were glad to welcome him home by attending a party in his honor. We appreciate all he has done for our country.

Going from 2011 to 2012

Wow! What can I say about 2011? It was a great year full of firsts, lots of work, and most of all precious memories. I started this blog as a way to keep up with goals I set while I was 25. Well, I have one more month to go before I turn 26. However, I feel this is a great time to recap some of the biggest things that happened in 2011.

First and probably the biggest, I was able to achieve one of my best goals I have ever set for myself. That goal was to stray away from caffeine drinks. I was addicted to my Dr. Pepper and Sweet Tea. You can read all about why I chose to do this and the beginning of my journey here. I officially did not have one the entire 2011. In celebration of my accomplishment, I drank a Dr. Pepper to ring in the New Year. I actually did not like it, and I was not able to drink but just a little at a time. I really think I have fallen in love with water, and I will probably stick with it for 2012.

In 2011, I completed my third year teaching (Read all about it here.), received tenure before the new state law changed, and started my fourth year teaching. I truly have a passion for kids and love my job even though it consists of lots of work at home and some days are rougher than others. I know God put me in this profession for a reason, and I enjoy seeing how he is using me in this occupation.

I started a new journey this summer that Kevin has been so nice to support me in. I started back to school in order to receive a Master's degree in Educational Leadership through the University of Tennessee at Martin. (Click here to see how this journey started.) I have completed 12 hours, taking 9 additional hours this spring, and should graduate in December 2012. I have really enjoyed learning new stuff and tackling this challenge. However, it has been very time consuming, but I know it will be worth it in the end. Hopefully next year at this time I will be able to say that I have a Master's degree! (One of my major goals of 2012!!!)

Kevin and I celebrated our first anniversary. It seems like yesterday we were preparing for that Big Day. We enjoyed our one year at our home away from home, the Tennessee River, in our new boat. See what else went on this summer here.

There have been so many memories in 2011 that I will never forget. I can't wait to see what God has in store for Kevin and me this year. Our life is in His hands, and we look forward to the future He has in mind for us.