Faith, Hope, and Love

Yesterday was the Houston Public Media Regional Spelling Bee. And since I am my school's spelling bee coordinator and we had a student competitng, I got to be one of the guests. Call me a nerd, but can I just say that it was the coolest experiences ever? Spelling Bees can be pretty intense and suspenseful as you watch a group of kids anywhere from 1st to 8th grade (most kids at the level are usually 4th to 8th) get thrown a series of words and try to spell them. The whole audience is on the edge of their seats each time a kid hesitates and there is a collective sigh of disappointment and pity if they get it wrong. We are all ready to clap and cheer them on as they progress. And even though we hope our kid is the one who comes up on top, in those moments we root for each child and feel for them as if they were our own. Or at least I did. The Bee started at 2pm and I didn't get out of there until it ended around 6:30. I was attached to every one of those 55 kids through the 10...

One thing that I have loved about being a teacher is having built-in vacations. Summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break... and then the cycle repeats itself. It gives me the freedom/time to do things I've always wanted to do. Or really, one thing I've always wanted to do: travel. Over past breaks, I've been to England, France, Germany, Nigeria, Spain, Costa Rica, and Ghana. Each trip was special in its own way and has allowed me to feel like the globetrotter I always thought I'd become. But all those trips were only about me (except, perhaps Costa Rica and Ghana, since I did take students. And we did renovate a school building in Ghana). And as you may have picked up on some of my recent jobs, I've been trying to focus on "seeking God first" and making sure the things I do bring Him glory in some way. So when my co-worker suggested we spend our Spring Break in Haiti to work with a school, I was immediately on board. It would be a chance to trave...

Dating is was my idol. Since I was at least six or seven, I've been obsessed with the idea of being someone's girlfriend. And not in a frivolous sort of way. I was always quite serious about my love life. Every guy I dated, I thought I would marry. And I treated each relationship with that level of seriousness (or with as much seriousness as a 12-, 16-, or even 18-year-old can). And I can't even say that I've dated a whole lot (although I have had my fair share of crushes), but when I did begin dating, very rarely was I single for long or not obsessing with my singleness. My first "serious" relationship started when I was 15. I had liked him for two years before that (along with some mini-crushes on a few other boys) and so when he finally noticed me and asked me out, it was amazing. Although it lasted for a little over a year, that relationship ended because frankly, we were young. And I probably scared him with how serious I was about the whole thing,...

If you've been reading the blog for a while, then you know I generally reflect on my love life every so often. And of course Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to do that. Not to gripe about being single or even to gush about the romantic thing someone did for me (because, sad to say, that's only happened ONCE... and while I acted all pleased at the time, it was a bit over the top and embarrassing for me. Note to future man: Public Displays panic me ). I reflect each Valentine's Day because I think love is a beautiful thing, and February 14th pretty much puts it right in your face. I don't feel sorry for myself because I'm single. In fact, this year, as I watched kids pass chocolates, carnations and roses, I didn't think once about not having someone to share the day with. For one, I was in the middle of losing a battle with a major cold/sinus infection that has me laying in bed and wasting a roll of toilet paper. But secondly, I feel extremely...

I can be a major worrier. I hate making decisions because I worry whether or not the choice I don't make would have been the better choice. I worry that others will hate my choices. That I will regret them. Every time I moved, I worried that I wouldn't make new friends,  find a good church, or end up hating my new apartment. I worry that I am not kind enough, or perhaps I'm too kind. That I am not giving enough, or that I give too much. That I am too aggressive, or perhaps too passive. I just worry about everything.  It's actually quite silly. Earlier this week, I heard someone else share about how much of a worrier she can be too. And her place of encouragement,  what calms her and eases her worry are birds. Every time she sees a bird, she stops worrying. The birds remind her of Matthew 6:25-34. Specifically verse 26--"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,  and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not ...

I've had a lot of posts about being single. How it sucks , how I'm fine with it , how I don't care and how I hate being hit on . Blah, Blah, Blah. Don't get me wrong--they are all very true. But I think I'm finally getting to a point where being in a relationship (or not being in one) isn't a secret obsession of mine. A thing that I act cool about, but really I'm hurt and confused about why I wasn't good enough or whatever. I'm finally just moving on from it all. Because when I think back to all those past relationships, I'm not so sure if I'd be all that happy if they did work out. None of them were bad people or anything, but I think they all were/are bad for me. Realizing that has made it hurt less. Realizing what would be good for me has made it hurt less. One of the things I've been really focusing on for the last few months is Matthew 6:33: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto ...

My last post was a bit all over the place. So let's start this new year right. Will I be blogging more? I can't say for sure. I know it's not like I have this amazing group of followers who are relying on me. I started this blog for myself as a way to commit to writing on a regular basis and sort of working out big changes in my life. I had just lost my job and felt lost as a person. Over the years, the blog has evolved, but one thing has been consistent: I tend to mostly write about things as they are changing for me. The job, the living arrangement, the hair... So what's changed since the last time I blogged in 2013? I have moved once again. It seems I can't stay in one place for more than a year. In my life, I have moved a total of 18 times (no including the back and forth each summer of college). I have lived in two different countries and four different U.S. states. I'm kind of at a point where I really want to stay in one place and call it home...