Looking & learning from by brother

My brother, lately, has been a total rock star for me. He typically is a guy of few words and isn't always the easiest to talk to. However, since my sinus surgery in early June, he has been my rock star. He checks on me, still, and makes sure I am okay. Usually, he is there when I need him most.

Tonight, I came to the realization that I need to take notes from him. 

I will admit it. I get grumpy around nine and brushed him off when he had a question. My heart swelled up, though, when he said "I'll check on her if she makes noise." 

You see, around 9 he is tired too and my parents or myself usually deal with the dogs. Well, I was ready to be done for the day, our parents are out of town, and his phrase"I'll check on her if she makes noise" refers to our Doberman who can bark and get crazy at random times. He said the right thing at the right time. He is actually listening to me and helping me. I nearly fell over. ;)

This boy drives me crazy on a daily basis. He is SO laid back and black and white. He is not easily bothered and doesn't get upset that often. Gosh, I would love to have a little of his laid back-ness. :) He is also seven years younger than me. He may be taller and wiser but he may never know how much I gain from him as a brother.

To be carefree and so laid back...a dream

He cares and it truly shows when you stop the craziness called life and just listen to him.

This weekend has been awesome. Actually, this month has been awesome and I am truly grateful for my brother. I am learning that I have to let go and be a little less structured then I am all the time. If he can do it, I can try. 

He allows me to be real around him, isn't afraid to tell me I am losing it, and is making me a better person. 

So very blessed

I just have to say that my life is so blessed right now. Between subbing, family, & friends, I have it good.

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Is it bedtime yet?

Okay, I'm admitting it. I am plain popped. Teaching for three days has been great. But now I see why some teachers go to bed at 10pm. ;) It is just exhausting. Between that and making dinner and having an "out" of school life, life has to regain balance at one point. I know it takes time but it takes some getting used to.

How to do handle working and balancing family time?

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Miracle children all around

I have been blessed to know wonderful women, who I call friends to this day, and have seen their miracles grow up before my eyes. I have to count my blessings and am grateful to see that miracles do happen all around us. Here are a few miracles I've witnessed:

* Cristi's kids - Heart transplant recipient and military family.

* Steece quads - will be FOUR next month. Born preemies and thriving now!

* McNulty quads - who have turned FIVE and start Kindergarten this fall. {Where does time go?}

* Murray quads - Four boys who sure know how to make you smile.

* Cochran quads - when you need to smile, the Cochran crew knows just what to do!

* Tammie and the Hellions - Five years old, triple the laughs, and Tammie is too funny!

* Tader babies - who are thriving after being born at 32 weeks!

Children are miracles!!

What is normal?

What is normal? What does it mean? Is anyone actually normal?

I believe that no one is just normal. Every person has their own characteristics that make them unique and special. Every person has something to give and receive in this world today. No one is the same or, in this case, "normal." No two people have the same body structure or personality even multiples. Normal can mean so many things and could be used as an action word to state of being.

Normal, to me, means a few things. It can mean average, similar, and the same. So, in this sense, there is no normal person. Each person has their own characteristics and uniqueness. No two people are alike and therefore normal is not really a way to classify who you are!

How do you define normal? Do you like the word?

Hold the drama

College girls AND boys like to cause drama! But I must say that my life does not have time to dwell in this game. SO I must say...hold the drama! Oh and I will try very hard not to allow the drama to swallow me as it did last Friday.

HOLD the drama

It's New Years Eve

As 2009 exits and 2010 arrives may your celebrations be joyous and bright. As the clock strikes midnight a new year will start! Many blessings to you and I personally wish you a very happy New Years!

Enjoy your New Years eve celebrations

Facts about me

To give you a little pleasure, I thought I would tell you a little more about me...

** I just found out today that I made a 4.0 this semester while taking 19 hours as well. I am on cloud nine!

** I don't do crowds...period!

** I LOVE going driving around and looking at Christmas lights.

** I LOVE watching sunrises and sunsets (yes I am up early enough to watch the sun rise.)

** My younger brother, who is 14, is bigger in height and weight compared to me. I am 6 foot and he is 6 feet and one inch.

** Most of the food I make is from scratch.

** I am persistent and know what I want in life.

TGIF!!!

Tradition

Every member of my family, young to seasoned, receives a typed Christmas letter each year from me. I started this tradition several years back with my parents and it just evolved into my "thing." Every letter is different, every letter unique, and every letter is from the heart.

Sometimes, I feel, people loose sight of the importance of family during Christmas and I am trying my best to keep "good tithings to you and your kin" alive and well. Sure some letters may be written at 2am on Christmas...but it is my mission to give everyone their letter...straight from the heart this year! Oh and the Christmas letters are being started this week to avoid any late nights on Christmas ;o

OH and if you have forgotten...there are TEN days until Christmas :o

Miracles do happen part 2

I had the grandest intentions of writing about family traditions and one I started last year, but those will have to wait until tomorrow.

Tonight I saw the video below and my heart is uplifted with JOY for the Mckfamily! Sweet Stellan has a new life and is FREE of those wires, tape, and sticky things. My heart is overfilled with joy and thankfulness for this sweet family. We may not know what HE has planned for us...but HIS will surely shines through the sky right about now.

Jeremiah 29:11 states " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

HIS will shines through and sweet Stellan is HEALED!!

CLICK HERE to see the heartfelt homecoming of sweet Stellan.

HALLELUJAH!!!

I don't understand why...

I don't understand why I have thrush right now. I have been sticking to what I have been told and I am not even on antibiotics. GRRR! I eat yogurt with the good cultures in it, am NOT on antibiotics right now, and have been taking probiotics, plus I have stayed away from sick people. GRRR!

Sorry...just had to vent! I am at a loss for words/answers to why I have this right now! Okay vent over!

The Shred...day 26 & tidbits

Burn baby burn!!! That is what I did tonight. Go ahead and sing the song...I know I did :o I officially have FOUR days left of this 30 day DVD and I have to say it has not been half bad. Even though I will be done in FOUR days...I will still rotate between level two and level three workouts until the next round of Shred for 30 days happens{after Labor Day.}

Next up...More details about my very first blog party :) I tried to do it today, but time got away from me. I promise more details will be up on Sunday{sometime}

Shout out to the Cochran Crew: Hope the FIRST birthday party goes off without a hitch and everyone has a blast!!!

That kind of day...hey, hey, hey!

Just sing the song with me..."It's that kind of day...hey, hey, hey!!!"

Um...so if the car troubles and costing major $$ was not the lowest part of my day. I saw a cockroach crawl into the oven tonight! YUCK, GROSS, EWWWW!!!

Did you have a bad day?! Tell me about it in the comment box. I am seriously! You may think my day is funny and I need a laugh as well. So you go girl or guy!!!

Curveballs & life

HI everyone...hope you all had a great Wednesday. Bare with me as I have a bunch to say and it's not really organized...what a shock! Also...scroll down for more posts! This is my 3rd post of the day...WoW...I know!

** I am asking you to pray for my Nonni as she is having trouble getting over illness and is really sick right now!

** I am tired, a wee bit stressed, and just ready for class to be over with. YES, I only have two more days, but after taking 19 hours this spring...I have a little spring fever. Oh and the fact that I did not sleep well last night sure does nothing for the entire situation. I have a huge paper due Friday morning that also needs to be completed too...oh yea...no stress at all...right?

** Someone asked me today if life had slowed down and I don't really think so! After my sister's graduation is over with and done...I believe it will though! I intend on putting a "out of office" message on my emails, still blogging, and taking my summer in stride. After this class, I am not taking any further classes till the fall. For my sanity...I need this summer! Ya know?!

** I think there is a smoker next door to me. It was not apparent until today. My bedroom has the brunt of the smell...not that strong, but is a tad apparent. Know of a good air-freshener that I can use? Nothing too strong, but smells great???

** I am a tad irritated with my soy food allergy. You see, when something that I can't have is made Gluten/Wheat free or nut free, it has soy in it. Hello...I am allergic to SOY, wheat, gluten, nuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and modified food starches. I don't want things just to be wheat/gluten free or soy free...I want to be able to eat what is FREE of all my allergies. YES, there is allergy free food out there and I eat a bunch of it daily, but I would LOVE to eat waffles or pancakes again...yes...I miss them! Now off of this rant...just had to get it out!

Now I am off to read through articles and *hopefully* head to bed early! Have a great evening!!!!

Thankful Thursday

Today is the day...Thankful Thursday that is. Click on the button to view more THANKFUL blogs! Bare with me today as it is a little emotional. It has been one of those days.

I am thankful for the blog Wind Beneath my Wings as the music on it has been exactly what I needed to hear today.

I am thankful to finally be moving this weekend. I am so ready to live in a rat free apartment.

I am thankful for 4 little men & girly twins as the mama has been so nice and sweet to me these past few days. Each time I comment, I seem to get a sweet and heartfelt reply. He blog has been under attach lately due to her expressing an interest in homeschooling next year. There is a certain anon blogger who keeps attacking her grammar and did mine yesterday as I accidentally said attach instead of attack. Her will and strength is amazing to me.

I am so thankful for sweet and uplifting bloggers. These past few weeks have been quite interesting and I have been amazed at the generosity you all have shown.

I am thankful for sleep. I am also thankful for lazy days too.

I am extremely thankful for finals being OVER. Right now, the wait continues for final grades.

I am thankful for a break before my Maymester starts Tuesday...even if it's only five days, it's something.

I am so thankful and excited to be able to review a book by Nicole O'Dell in August.

Hope you are having a great Thursday. Click on the button to see more Thankful Thursdays!

This is who I am

I got an email the other day and was quite taken back in a good way. It was from a friend emails me often just to encourage and tell me how great I am. No, I am not bragging; this is just the way sweet Terry is! She told me that I was amazing, special, and a true gift from God. It was just what I needed to hear since this email came last week during my hell hellacious week.

Some people need to hear that they are special. Some people need to be reminded, like me. Some people just need that reassurance that they are loved and some need to be told that they are loved for the first time. This is real people. Some people just need to be reminded that they are God's creation, they have a plan in store for them, and they will succeed at anything they do.

I did a bunch of thinking over the weekend and have come to some conclusions about who I am in God's eyes and I thought I would share. I am a child of the Heavenly Father. HE made me in my mother's womb and I am eternally grateful. I have been put on this earth for a reason. God has a plan in place for me. I may not know HIS specific plan right now, but will eventually. I may stray from HIS path, put he leads me back and puts me in my place. HE gives me strength through my struggles, triumphs, and life lessons. HE is my STRENGTH, my life, and my Heavenly Father! I am so grateful HE gave me life and made me WHO I AM!

I'm back and have LOTS to say

Just as a warning...this will be a long post. There is so much I want/need to say and I have decided just to put it all in one post.

As many of you know, this past week was the most hellacious week of the semester. To top it off, on Friday morning my lesson plans and every single activity was lost on my computer. I went to bed at 3:30am and woke up at 6:30 and they were gone. Yes, I searched every file and temporary file, but to no avail, they were GONE. So the tears really flowed. As a last attempt, I madly tried to retype every single one. But I could not do it all in time. You see I have four classes in a ROW on M-W-F and did not have enough time. The professor was actually really nice and gave the entire class a break. They will be due next week and I was so excited and glad that he was so nice. I know I cried for some of the morning because I was so scared something would happen, but worst of my thoughts did not happen.

This past week I also had another first. I went on 3hours of sleep in two days. Let me tell ya, I slept for 14 hours last night and needed every single second of sleep. This was an extreme that had to be done, but I will try never to do this again. I have pulled all nighters in my life, but this was just too much. Oh and to all you mamas out there, I will get some more sleep tonight and get plenty of rest this week.

Finals are this coming week. I have SIX, yes six, of them. I am devoting tomorrow afternoon from 3 on in the library as I prepare for them. The library has become my second home lately as I have been spending 20+ hours in this place. The staff actually know me by name and welcome me "home" as I walk through the doors. Some have seen me each and everyday this week!

Learning about what life has in store for me has been trying this week. I had many moments were I wondered "why me" but, for some reason, I felt at peace each and every time. There were extreme moments when I was anxious, worried, or stressed, but I know I felt God's grace and hands on me through out the week. I also felt your prayers. There were times when I said "I can't do this" or "I am stressed to my max" and felt relief immediately. I can't explain it, but I wanted to say THANK YOU for all the prayers. I really appreciate your help this past week. Knowing that I can do things and accomplish goals are amazing things.

Next weekend, I am moving. So two days after my finals and two days before Maymester starts, I am moving. The reasons include rat infestation and bad neighbors. I will not go into why they are bad, but it is just a bad situation overall. I have friends moving me on Saturday and I am very excited. I have the boxes, tape, and bags and will pack this week.
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Now onto my opinion about two things. Please know that these are MY opinions:

Swine flu: I understand the affect of this, but the media and all its hype is WAY TOO MUCH! The media is supposed to inform and not make people hysterical. The US is a little on the hysterical side right now. Yes this virus is airborne, but there is help for those who fall victim to this virus.

World's Meanest Parents and Nanny 911: This Saturday night I watched Nanny 911 and World's Meanest Parents. I have to say that I am shocked with the kids' behavior on Nanny 911. Most kids, while they are little, have a schedule and those who are lacking one, usually act out or crave attention. When kids have a schedule they know what will happen, for the most part, next. Yes kids still misbehave on occasion, but not near as much. It is amazing how some kids are acting before a nanny from Nanny 911 comes in! Worlds Meanest Parents is about 2 teens, each different, weekly who go to a new home of strict parents and their own family. There the teens learn respect and discipline from loving, yet strict parents. The parents are strict, yet fair. The teens that visit are usually smokers/drinkers/out of control. These parents guide the teens and let them know how to behave. Trust is talked about and the teenagers learn what it means when they lose privileges. Overall...I believe that Worlds Meanest Parents is a GREAT idea.
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My family raised me to be honest and understanding of people. Trust was also a huge issue in our household and each child lost trust by lying or doing something wrong. I did, as a kid, struggle with telling the truth. I have learned that the truth sometimes hurts, but is the best thing. Having that support system of family help me through my truthful struggles is very comforting and great, in my opinion. Yes, everyone struggles here and there, but being disciplined to be able to recognize that is huge. Everyday there is a struggle, but with support; anything is possible and doable.

I have learned that I am also so BLESSED by family and friends (bloggers included). It felt so good to be able to read your comments throughout the week. You have no idea how special they made me feel. Sometimes, there are times when I want to quit but you gave me strength and I am very grateful! Thanks again!

I will be back tomorrow for a special post to my sister as well as on Monday for Not Me Monday as MckMama has said she will be posting NMM. I am now excited for Monday :) Hope this post was not too, too long! Hope you and your family are having a great weekend!

You know what...

**Update** You know the ITCHINESS that was bugging me tonight, well, I have stinkin chiggers on both legs...yahoo for me ;)**

It is one in the morning, no lectures please! I have tried my normal bedtime routine, showered, drank milk, and nothing I have no idea why seems to be working. I have taken my medicine, taken a little benedryl for allergies which are killing me by the way and nothing is working. I want to sleep! I am tired and wish I could just close my eyes and sleep, but no, I have insomnia and it has a MIND of it's OWN! You know what else, I have BAD allergies and they are becoming of the best with me right now...seriously! Red, itchy eyes ALL the time...ITCHY all over>>ALL THE time! When will the allergies end you ask, probably never! since they are YEAR Round GRR, GRR, GRR! Sorry to be a downer but this is REAL life now...

A few new things

A bunch has happened over the past few days and I wanted to fill you in a bit. First, I have added a prayer button on the top of my posts to the prayer vigil website for Stellan. I am amazed at how our blogging community has pulled together. A friend today asked me why I cared so much today about sweet Stellan since I was constantly checking my tweets and dashboard. I told her that Stellan's mama has brought us together through her blog and all I can do right now is PRAY. I am upholding my end of the bargain.
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Secondly, I received my Pay It Foward prize from Amanda and IKEA prize from Tobi. A post will come sometime later this week!
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Thirdly, this week has brought a break through with the teacher I was having difficulties trials struggles with. I actually enjoyed my art class on Tuesday night too. We had a conversation and understand on Monday afternoon as well. After an hour of discussion, I am hoping that the last 6 weeks are bearable and great...I WILL BE OPTIMISTIC! THANK YOU for all of your sweet and encouraging comments through this hurdle as well.
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A few songs lyrics that I have mixed for how life's events are going:
GOD is in control
HE will raise your up on Eagle's wings
HOLD you in the palm of HIS hand
Shining in the light of HIS glory
This is the day
HE lives in me
I am a child of GOD

2 Amazing offers in 2 days...

So I have a father who believes networking is important. Well, a guy (who I babysit for) who used to work for my dad e-mailed me this week and asked if I would be interested in an internship with S.N.A.P. this summer. You see, he is on the board of Directors as is another lady, (President of the Board) who I have worked for (babysitting,) and asked if I would be interested in developing a more spiritual based program for people (teens/adults) with cognitive disabilities. Let me tell ya, I was HONORED. SERIOUSLY! To be thought of is an amazing opportunity, but this is so COOL! Nothing is set in stone yet or put in contract, but I will let you know as the details develop.
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Well today I got a message from my church back home and was asked if I would be willing to intern as the Children's' intern for the summer :) I LOVE my HOME church. The people are AMAZING and the staff is AWESOME! Golly gee, what another honor!!! I have given an informal "yes" already and it is being described as a part-time, ten hours a week internship. I will meet with church staff on my Spring Break (9th-13th) to pan out details and learn more. Again, I will let you know more when I know :)
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Right now, I want to do both and am hoping I can. I voiced an interest last summer about this church internship, so I am so excited :) Life is stressful right now and summer is still months away, but to already to panning out summer details is cool :)
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One of my babysitting contacts has already contacted me to see if I would be HOME this summer too. Can you believe in a few months that summer will be in full swing? Seriously!!!!
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Hope you guys are having an amazing week. Yes it may be stressful or overwhelming, but the weekend is near. Can you believe it? I can't! Life is sure flying this week!