Faith, Hope, and Love

Right now there are two things I want badly: more time with my curly hair, and more time at the Dallas Arboretum. I got my hair did over Spring Break (it was MUCH overdue) and the lady who did it gave me some gorgeous curls. Now, I've gotten curls before, and I enjoy the way I look with them. But, in a way it never felt natural. And it was also generally a long, tedious process to go through. So, I don't get curls often. Usually I save it for special occasions (or when I feel like paying the extra bucks to get it done). Well, these curls makes me want to have them  everyday . Probably not the best view, but you get the idea.. Slightly better glimpse. And she did it all with a flat iron. No curling iron, no roller, no straws... just a flat iron. I need to learn this skill because, sadly, the curls are beginning to fall. They still look great--they've taken on this sweet waviness--but I'm not sure how much longer they'll last. Plus, I'm trying to ded...

Ever since  Ash Wednesday , I haven't been able to get that Crystal Lewis song out of my head. My dad happened to be in town that Wednesday and we had a good talk about Lent and what it meant. Growing up Baptist, Lent isn't something that we generally observe as a denomination. However, I do remember our church in Nigeria doing a 40 days of prayer and fasting leading up to Easter. And as I've grown older, I've become close friends with Catholics, Episcopalians, and other denominations that do observe Lent. And as I mentioned in my last blog, I never really got it. In fact, once in in high school I almost wiped off the ash cross on a friend's forehead thinking it was an accidental smug mark. While my dad and I were talking, the subject of how the Jews mourned through ashes and sackcloth was related to Ash Wednesday. In a sense, by wearing the ash cross on your forehead you're "mourning" your sinful nature and what it cost Christ to save you. It...

Happy Ash Wednesday! Or is that what you say when Lent begins? I'm not sure... as I've never really observed Lent. Last year was my first "go" at it, and all I did was participate in this Lenten devotional. This year, I'm not fasting, but I am giving up secular music. I had kind of stopped listening to secular radio for a while, but fell off the wagon over Christmas (I love me all types of Christmas tunes!). Plus... the Christian radio stations in Dallas DRIVE ME INSANE! But at the same time, I feel like my focus is being drawn away from Christ when I'm listening to Rhianna sing about sex and stuff like that. I used to wake up singing hymns, or I'd burst out into a worship song as I washed dishes. Now I'm singing, "What's my Name?" Not liking that at all. Not that I think anything is wrong with secular music. And it's not like I plan to never listen to any of it again. But at least for the next 40 days that's the plan becaus...

Today my kids were taking their Writing TAKS test, and since I'm only the lowly student teacher I got to have the day off. I guess I could have gone and observed in the 5th grade class, or maybe helped out in the library. But since I've been sick over the last week, and just stressed and exhausted in general, my mentor teacher thought it'd be good for me to have a personal day. And did I need a personal day. For one, two weeks ago my mentor teacher went to a professional development workshop and was gone for the day. So, our 4th grade class had a substitute... who did nothing . I mean, I basically had a good handle of the class. I was teaching the spelling and grammar, and then guided them in their centers and stuff. And so I guess she didn't really need  to do anything. But this sub was on her phone a lot, and kept running off to the bathroom, and then would walk up to me WHILE I WAS TEACHING and start holding conversations with me and stuff. It was like, "oka...