Saying "bye" to 2009!

This has definitely been one of the roughest years of my life, but it has also been one of the best years.

I worked so very hard the past two years of college. I was on the Dean's list and the President's list all semesters. My life consisted of going to school, going home, working on school stuff, and going to bed. All of that studying and working paid off this past May when I graduated from LCU. I made the most of my student teaching assignments. I was at a GREAT school, with great teachers, and I was very blessed by everything that happened those 12 weeks at Cooper-West.

Summer came, and I was introduced to a guy that turned out to be the love of my life. The past 6 months have been the best of my life with Ben. I cannot wait until June 26th when I can actually call him my husband.

I worked hard, graduated, met my future husband, landed my first "real" job, lost my Gram, and now I'm planning a wedding.

The thing that hit me hardest this year was losing Gram. She was such an awesome lady, and losing someone unexpectedly is so hard. I think about her often, and I think about what she is doing in Heaven. She reminds me that life is short, and we have no guarantee of when we will go. One of my goals for this next year is to love people more. She inspired this goal because she loved anyone and everyone.

I honestly can't belive 2009 is over, but I am so ready for 2010! Bring it on!

Going to the chapel...

This is going to be a SUPER quick post! But, I wanted to share the news with everyone!! Ben and I are engaged! He proposed yesterday out in the snow...which was perfect! I will blog later about the whole proposal, but I don't have time to right now! The whole proposal process took over an hour...so I will give more details later! We are so excited, and are planning on getting married June 26th! So, be ready to read all about the wedding planning in the next few months...

Crazy Week

This past week was crazy! The last week of school was good, but a little chaotic. The kids were so hyped up! It was definitely time for a break! We went on a field trip to the movies on Tuesday, had The Polar Express day on Wednesday, and had our class party on Friday. I wasn't able to go to the party because Ben and I left Friday afternoon for San Angelo to go to his sister's wedding.

We had a blast at his sister's wedding! Everything went perfect! The wedding was great, the cake was great, the decor was great, and the couple looked great! I got to meet a lot of Ben's mom's side of the family, which was awesome. I took my camera to the wedding, but it was dead when I tried to turn it on. So, I am borrowing this snapshot of Ben and me from his Dad. This was taken right after the reception was over.

We came back to Snyder on Sunday afternoon. Before we left San Angelo, we went by a house to look at two dogs. Their owner passed away from Cancer earlier this month, and they needed a good place to live. Ben and I had talked about getting dogs before, but we found these girls and thought they might be for us. We brought them home with us Sunday evening, and they have been absolutely PERFECT!! They are labs that are 5 years old, and they are sisters! So..meet Choca (chocolate one) and Sophie (black one).

Fun Times

This month has already been full of so many fun times!

This week and next week, we are doing Christmas themed activities at school. I decided to turn this little nook in the corner of our room (that usually acts as our "home center") into a living room/library. I used some mini furniture that was already in our room, and I put up a class Christmas tree, and I made a "fireplace" for the kids to read by. This is how it all turned out. They LOVE to sit by the "fire" and read their books to each other! :)

I have also had the priviledge to lead an 8th grade girls bible study, or 180 group, this year. We meet at a "host home" and have dinner and do a bible study lesson. I lead this group with my friend Sarah, and I know that we both have laughed so hard every Wednesday night, and we have had so much fun getting to know these girls. We get to go watch them play their sports, listen to their band/choir concerts, and just hang out and talk about boys! I am so thankful that I get to hangout with these girls every week. They are all so unique and interesting. It is so fun to watch them all grow in their relationships with Christ.

We had our 180 Christmas party last night. We had dinner and then everyone brought a gift so we could do a fun exchange. A lot of my girls think that my brother, who is a sophomore in high school, is just too cute, so I thought it would be interesting to put a picture of my brother with my gift to see what would happen. The girls went crazy when they saw it! Here are some fun pictures from last night...

Kelsi loved the picture of Hunter that was attached to my gift!

Here she is pleading with someone not to "steal" her awesome gift....and her picture of my brother!

I am already excited about blogging next week! Next week is going to be CRAZY fun....class field trip to the movies, Polar Express day, Christmas parties, and Ben's sister is getting married next weekend. Many more pictures to come...

Stone Soup

This post is a little behind, but last Tuesday, we made our own version of Stone Soup. We read the book, and made a list of things we wanted to put in it. On Tuesday morning, we put all of our ingredients into my crockpot, and by lunch, we were able to have a big feast in our classroom. I also made us some grilled cheese sandwiches! We made some glittery feather headbands--a newer version of the Native American headbands they wore at the first Thanksgiving! :) We had so much fun. Here is one of the sweetest pictures of my kids. This was right before we ate our meal together, and we were praying to bless our food.

Thankful

think that this Thanksgiving has been the best one yet. As I have gotten older, I have realized how much I am thankful for everything in my life. I really think that this past year has opened my eyes to see how thankful I should be. My sweet students and their families have really shown me that you do not have to have much to be happy or to be loved.

I am so thankful that I serve a God who is all knowing and who can handle anything and everything. I am so thankful that He has a plan for me and for you, and it is only for the best. Without Him..I am nothing. God has given me so many blessings, and I am forever grateful.

I am thankful for my awesome and amazing family. They are so special to me. We are all best friends, and can hang out forever and not get tired of each other. We have a special bond, and we always will. They have all taught me so much. My parents and grandparents have been extraordinary role models for me and my siblings. They have taught us morals and how to respect others. I am so incredibly thankful for such a loving family.

I am also thankful for Ben. Since we met, I have had a new outlook on life and love. We went through a lot together, and I believe that if we could get through that, we can get through anything together. He is such an amazing Christian man who challenges me to be a better person everyday. He is so incredibly sweet and puts up with me everyday. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us...

Happy Birthday Nana

Today is my Nana's 71st birthday. We had so much fun celebrating with her tonight! We all went to Mom and Dad's house for burgers and chips and cake. We got this sweet girl in our sunday school class, Ashley Martin, to make Nana's birthday cake this year. Nana LOVES snowmen, so we thought it would be fun to incorporate that into her cake! Ashley is a dessert/cake goddess, and she did an AMAZING job! She is so very talented!

Nana is one of the reasons why I moved back to Snyder. I have blogged about this before, but these present moments with her are so precious because one day things will be different. Her Alzheimer's has progressed very slowly, but it is still evident. We are so thankful for the slow progression, and we hope that it doesn't progress anymore at all, but we know that is impossible right now. She is such an amazing and sweet lady. I am so blessed to call her my Nana.

Here is a picture of her yummy cake...

It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Ali and I got started decorating for Christmas EARLY this year...I just haven't blogged about it yet. Our family loves this time of the year, and Ali and I put all of our Christmas decor out the Friday before Halloween! :) Ben put the Christmas lights on our house for us because it would not have gotten done if we had to do it. Here are a few pictures of our decor. Share pictures of your decor because I would love to see how you decorate or what you do for Christmas!

Thanksgiving Lunch

Yesterday was our Thanksgiving lunch at school. Honestly, I totally dreaded it because I knew it was going to be very chaotic, and my kids would be HYPER all day! Our parents were supposed to sign up before the lunch, so we would have a head count, but more parents showed up than expected. Our whole class (including parents, grandparents, siblings, etc.) took up a whole table that stretched from one end of the cafeteria to the next end. After we got all the food served, I took a few minutes and watched all the kids eating with their families. I almost got teary watching all these awesome, loving parents that took time out of their days to come brave the "yummy" Thanksgiving lunch with their kids, who were just beaming because their parents were there with them. I cannot wait to be able to do that with my kids! I know that most days are crazy at school, but at the end of the day, I am so thankful for all my kids and their families that have already taught me so much this year. Here is a picture of our "school family" eating together!

United

We talked about food and nutrition last week in our class, and we took a field trip to United to take a tour of the grocery store. My kids absolutely loved this! Here are some fun pictures from our trip...

Learning about fruits and veggies!

My girls were in awe of the princess cake!

They loved chatting with Mr. Patterson, the United pharmacist.

Youth Worship

Our interim youth minister at FBC thought it would be cool to have a few people lead worship in our youth on Sunday mornings. This past Sunday was the first time it happened, and it was great! Ben is playing the drums, and Sarah Carpenter and Jordan Payne are both singing and Jordan is also playing his guitar. We went up to the FLC on Saturday night for them to set up and practice together before Sunday morning. We had such a great time together just hanging out. I LOVE listening to Sarah sing, and I LOVE to watch Ben play. This was the first time I have heard Jordan, so it was fun to listen to a new voice! They all did a great job on Sunday, and I think the youth enjoyed it. Such a great experience being able to worship together with all ages!

Corn Maize

Last Thursday, we took a field trip to the Corn Maize in Shallowater, Texas. I was NOT looking forward to this field trip at all just because it is at least a two hour bus trip, and my kids have not been on a bus that long in their lives. That is a LONG way for 18 four and five year olds!

Of course, we were running late to start the journey, but the ride was pretty good overall. We had such a good time when we got there! The kids absolutely loved the corn maize, and we got to go on a hayride and pick pumpkins at their pumpkin patch. I had a lot of great parents go with us, so that was very helpful too! The kids were worn out when we were done, and most of them slept all the way home. Here are some pictures of our adventure...

Meet Ben

Meet my new man! :) This is Ben. He is dark headed, blue-eyed, 26 year old dude that moved to Snyder about 5 months ago, and is just absolutely precious. His parents have lived here for almost 2 years. His Dad is the spiritual formations pastor at our church, and I teach with his sweet Mom! He is divorced, and has a super great baby boy, Joseph, that I can't WAIT to get my hands on. He just started a new job in Snyder, but his passion is music. He is an incredibly talented drummer--complete with some hott tattoos!

Ben is such an amazing person, and has already taught me so much. We have already been through a lot together, and I really think that if we could make it through the past few months, we can make it through ANYTHING together. This is an incredibly big deal for me because I haven't been in a real relationship in three years! The last relationship I had was a complete disaster, and I had to get over a lot before I could move on. I also became extremely picky when it came to guys, so for Ben to even have a chance was a big deal! This is one of my favorite pictures of him, but I'm sure there will be more to come!

Precious Lady

I am writing this today with a peaceful heart. This week has been one of the longest, hardest weeks of my life. When I was writing my previous post on Monday afternoon, my mom came flying into my house to tell me that my grandmother (my Dad's Mom) had passed away unexpectedly.

Her and my Poppa had been in Abilene on Monday because Gram had to have cataract surgery Monday morning. Her surgery went fine, and then they released her. As always, she had a long list of things for them to do while they were in Abilene, so they started off to run errands. One thing they needed to get done was to get the oil changed in their car. Right before Poppa turned into the Toyota dealership, Gram started to complain of feeling ill. He pulled into the dealership, and some guys in the shop helped get her out of the car. In a matter or minutes, she got worse. She was very nauseous, but could not ever vomit. She finally wanted them to call 911, and when she voluntarily goes for medical attention, you know something serious is wrong. The emergency crews got there and took her to Hendrick Medical Center. They worked on her for about an hour there, but they couldn't get her heart to start back up. Ultimately, they're thinking she had a massive heart attack. Such a sudden thing that was SO shocking to all of us.

Gram was 76 years old, but had the energy of a 26 year old. She was ALWAYS on the go. Her and Poppa were married 51 years, they successfully raised 5 children, and she always worked hard to help others out. She worked as a special education teacher in Haskell for 11 years, and then went to work at the Region 14 office as a special education consultant. To read her full obituary, click here.

She was such an extraordinary Christian lady. Her funeral service was absolutely beautiful. The main point that was talked about was how Gram always made it a point to make connections with everyone. Whether it was a Haskell connection, Texas A&M connection, teaching connection, friend/family connection, TCU connection, or whatever, she always made a point to make everyone feel special or connected to her. Everyone who came to her service had a thing in common--we were all linked to Gram somehow. There were so many people at her service, we had to set up chairs in the Fellowship Hall for overflow. The sanctuary was FULL of beautiful flowers that were sent by people from everywhere that Gram had an impact on. It was such an eye-opener to see how many people my Gram had an impact on. I got to listen to so many stories about Gram that were so inspiring. She was an absolutely incredible woman.

At her service, my Aunt Emily and Uncle John spoke for the family, and they did an amazing job. It was a true celebration of her life, and that is definitely what she would have wanted. We love her dearly, and she was such an amazing role model, but we know that she is in a better place. We also know that she is now up in Heaven making new connections with a whole new crowd, and she's LOVING it! :)

"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."

Proverbs 31:10-31

Vent

So, I have been thinking about this post for a long time. I have just felt the urge to sit down and vent. I have been so stressed out with school stuff, and I have just been very overwhelmed with everything. I'm not used to my students, to the teachers I work with, or just the fact that I'm a new teacher without any experience. I thought about doing this everyday last week, but for some reason, I just couldn't make myself sit down to write. Then, Sunday morning in Sunday School, I had a revelation as to why I couldn't do it.

Our lesson was out of James 5:7-12--be patient in suffering. This passage ate me alive. This, my friends, is the exact reason why I couldn't sit down last week and vent. It all came together as David and Tara were speaking on these verses. I know I'm not the only one that has felt this way; I felt like there was a huge mirror in front of me, and I was just staring at myself because this was exactly what I needed to hear.

It seems like I have just moaned and groaned about everything that has been going on with my job. It has been hard getting used to sharing a room with two other teachers, getting used to new procedures, and getting caught up since I was hired late. I have felt like everything I have done has been with a negative attitude and a negative heart. I have a great opportunity in front of me to really minister to young children, to their parents, and to the teachers I work with. I just have not realized it. God has placed me in this position for a reason. I cannot moan and groan about it anymore because I KNOW this is what I am supposed to be doing.

My goal from now on is to do everything with a loving heart and for God's glory--not mine, but His.

"Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door."--James 5:9

New Job

I really can't believe that fall is officially here! This is my favorite time of year..fall and winter! We already have all our fun fall stuff out and our pumpkin spice candles lit! These past few weeks have been a WHIRLWIND, and I can't believe that it is about to be October. Let me update on what has been taking up most of my time...

NEW JOB

Well, I started the school year as a kindergarten aide with a new kindergarten teacher that just moved to Snyder with her family. I LOVED everyone that I worked with at the elementary school, and I loved all the kids that were in our classroom. On Wednesday of the first week, I got a call asking me to teach pre-k part time. I really wanted a full time job, but this part time job would allow me to work until noon everyday, and I would be getting paid A LOT more as a part time teacher than I was being paid as an aide, so I decided to take the job. My new job is a little confusing, so I will try to explain. I am teaching pre-k through Stanfield Elementary, but my room is out at Scurry County Head Start (the old North Elementary building). Head Start and Stanfield have started a new dual-enrollment program this year, so they needed a certified teacher to teach for Snyder I.S.D.'s role in the program. I work with two Head Start teachers, and they are both great. One of them has taught there for awhile, and one is currently pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education at WTC here in Snyder, and she is a new teacher for Head Start. The first couple of weeks were absolute CHAOS because none of us knew what we were doing, or what our roles were in the classroom. We have worked great together to get everything in our room together, and I think that our kids are going to benefit greatly with all of us in there teaching them. Here are some pics of the room. We also took our first field trip today to Stanfield because we have been studying community helpers. We had the police, EMS, firefighters, and helicopter flight team come talk to the students, and they had a BLAST!!!

Summer Update

This summer has been crazy, and it has gone by so fast! I cannot believe that we are already in August..summer is almost over! Here's an update of what's been going on in my world since June..

Taren and Colter's Wedding

My super awesome friend, Taren, finally married her childhood crush back in June. Taren has had the biggest crush on Colter since we were in elementary school! I knew that her wedding was going to be awesome and fun because that is just how she is. It was supposed to be outside, but due to rain, they had to move it indoors. The wedding was awesome--so fun, relaxed, and the atmosphere was perfect. She asked Ali to do her makeup, and she did an awesome job. Taren has been such a great support for Ali since Taren is also an esthetician. You guys are awesome, and I hope that you have many more years of happiness to come!

Summer Camp @ FBC

FBC has done their version of Vacation Bible School a little differently for the past few years. It is now called "Summer Camp" and it's at the Boys and Girls Club. This year, Summer Camp lasted 2 weeks and it was split up into 2 age groups. I was able to help with the first week of camp, and we had a blast! We had a great time of worship and small group bible study, and afterwards, had some fun playing various water games! Here are some pics from that fun week...

Girls Trip to San Antonio

My two aunts, Sarah and Emily, planned a girls only getaway to San Antonio for a few days. This was their graduation gift for Ali and me. We had an absolute blast! We stayed at the La Mansion del Rio on the Riverwalk and got top of the line service! It was so awesome. We did the whole riverwalk thing, chilled by the pool, and went to the outlet malls in San Marcos.

We were pulling into San Antonio on that Monday, and I received a call from the Snyder Elementary principal. She wanted to interview me for a job! Of course, I have been waiting on this ALL summer, and she calls when I am on vacation...naturally. But, she was totally flexible, and allowed me to do a phone interview. The interview went well, but the teacher that was supposed to be leaving decided to stay. So, I am back to square one on the job hunt. I know that God has a plan for me, and I know that He will place me exactly where he wants me to be. Just being patient is the hard part.

There is a shortened version of what has been going on with me lately! There have been a lot of other things going on, but I will blog about them later...that's all for now!

Centrifuge

I honestly cannot believe that it is mid-June already! They say that time flies when you are having fun, and I so believe that! This past week I had the opportunity to go with our church's youth group to Glorieta, New Mexico, to a camp called Centrifuge. Layne had asked me to go the previous week, and I really prayed and thought about it for a long time before I agreed to go. I now know why God wanted me to go with them.

Camps always seem to "refresh" your walk with Christ, but this time, I have vowed to keep that strong walk going past camp. Layne reminded us that camp is NOT our journey with Christ, but it is a part of our journey. I LOVED our speaker that was there with us all week. His name was Landon Dowden and he was from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is a true man of God, and he has a heart for knowing God and the word. The theme for Centrifuge was Move: The Faith Journey. Landon did an excellent job telling us about how we need to know the word and God personally, take a stand in our faith, move to tell the nations about Christ, and how we need to wait on what God calls us to do. This was just an incredible week, because it really reminded me of our great our God really is!

We also had a ton of fun while we were there. The weather was perfect...60s and 70s with a little rain, and the mountains were gorgeous! The kids had a great time doing all the different activities that the camp offered--paintball, ropes course, jewelry making, missions, hiking, mountain biking (just to name a few.) These activities gave them all opportunities to make new friends from other churches, and to grow with those of us from FBC Snyder.

The Prayer Garden

Mattie and Josh playing Laser Tag

One night at our NightLife activities we got to dress up in 70's athletic wear. Layne wore an old Snyder Tiger basketball jersey that his dad had when he coached high school basketball. I dressed as a vintage bowler, but I didn't have any great pictures of my outfit.

Worship with Addison Road!

We played a game with our church group where we had to get into 2 teams and line up on the floor. We passed 10 dog biscuits down the line using only clothespins that we had to keep in our mouths. It was a little challenging, but we still had fun. Then, when that was over, Morgan decided it would be cool to eat a dog biscuit, so of course we sat and cheered her on!

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." --Isaiah 40:30-31

Caroline Elizabeth

So, I have some great news!!! My uncle Paul (dad's brother) and his sweet wife, Dawn, have welcomed a new baby girl to the Cox family! This is their 3rd child, and they decided not to find out the sex of the baby until the delivery day!! Caroline Elizabeth was born on May 27th at 9:05 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs. and 1 oz. and was 19 inches long. They have two sweet little boys, Samuel and Benjamin, that are so cute and definitely approve of their new baby sister. We are sooo excited to have a new girl in the family--we are going to spoil her rotten!!

We have not been able to see them very much because they were missionaries in Madrid, Spain. Luckily for us, they have returned to the States and live in Spring, TX (which is close to Houston.) We are so excited to welcome sweet little Caroline into our family. I am anxious to see what God has in store for her and her awesome family in the years to come.

The Hit Zone

I have mentioned this before, but my Dad and one of his friends put in indoor batting cages a couple of months ago, and as of today, I am now the "manager" of The Hit Zone!! I really enjoy spending time up there because I get to see a lot of people and watch the kids work on their game. I will be there pretty much every day now, so come see me!! :)