What Matters

I've had a lot of opportunity the last few weeks to reflect on what's important & what's not. This has been one of the best summers I've ever had for many reasons, one of which that may surprise some people.

I am so thankful we lost our Mountaineer. Seriously. We have found out that God is taking care of us & we are going to be just fine. We never would've sold it, but God knew we could live without it & He was right. We received more money from the insurance settlement than we ever would've gotten for trading it in down the line & paying off bills feels great! Having one car isn't going to be the hardship we thought & we're glad God forced it on us.

I am developing some great friendships in my Sunday School class. The ladies have been having a lot of social time this summer and getting to know different people has been a huge blessing for me. Between the ladies nights, slumber party(parties hopefully!), & the book club (that will meet for the first time in September), I am getting to know & love a lot of awesome gals!

I am so excited to get back to school! Knowing my colleagues & getting hugs Friday (our first day back) was awesome!! I get to teach 3 senior classes this year also, & I am so ready to go & tackle this new mountain (I LOOOVE British Lit in an almost obsessive way)! Teacher Field Day was great & even recovering from surgery, I got to participate.

I had a great teacher's conference in Dallas. There are some "What happens in Dallas, stays in Dallas" moments, but what I can say is this - getting to hang out with these people for a week (& ride in a convertible!) & teach with them during the year is a huge blessing. They make me want to be better for my kids.

I celebrated 13 years of wedded bliss with Stan. I canNOT believe it has been thirteen years!!! He, of course, looks more handsome and incredible as the years go by while I need a bit more...enhancement, shall we say, than I did at 22.

The product of that wedded bliss turned 4 this summer. He will be an only child. I had the 'no more kids' surgery last week...more on that next post.

Most of all, I am so thankful that God has surrounded me with people who don't judge my worth by my hip size. For the most part, I get to be with people on a daily basis who love me and accept me and 'get' me. I am terribly excited about the upcoming school year and all the chaos and activities that a new year always brings: football games, new kids to love, old kids to hug, books to read, family to see, & friends to hang out with.

Have a great year!!