Photo "Friday"

Dreaming of sunny beaches, as Mamaw & Josh's parents are in Panama right now.

Here's a flashback to the beautiful Laguna Beach in June 2008. We were at Florida Camp with Josh's church.

Friday morning

Well, so far my weekend of relaxation has started with an early morning call from the center, because of "crisis". Crisis being that we had a worker out, she had found a sub, but that sub was sick, and then that sub found a sub, but then that sub also ended up sick. One of my early morning supervisors called for advice, because my liaison in the childcare office also can't cover the room, because she is recovering from being sick and doesn't want to pass along her germs if she is still contagious.

Sensing a pattern here? Sickness. It feels like we haven't gotten a break from it this year, and probably most peculiar for me about it is that this year has probably been my healthiest year in a long time. Why? Because I went back to taking an allergy pill everyday. I'm not happy that I'm tethered to my prescription medication, but at least I'm not on antibiotics every other month, like I used to be.

So, anyway, here I am awake probably an hour or two before my usual sleep-in time (I am going to relish sleeping in because I know it won't happen with kids!). I fortunately went to bed about 10 PM last night, so waking up at 15 till 8 AM hasn't left me sleep deprived. I would have been woken up even earlier, but I do give myself a break on Friday, and I put my phone on silent until I'm ready to look at it.

Speaking of sickness, my poor husband is asleep in the bed. His cold had him coughing all night, and he is trying to rest up. It's a good thing he got on antibiotics at the start of this thing, because it has been rather rough for him. I'm still sporting some sinus drainage, so I see a hot cup of tea (with milk and sugar, of course!) in my near future.

I'll probably post Photo Friday in a little bit. I have slacked the past week or so, but I have been making up for it with lots of long posts. Information overload!

Thursday Things

This weekend comes as a very welcome relief from what has been a very peculiar & hectic week.

Today was a short work day for me, with multiple errands in the afternoon. I left work, picked up Josh, & met up with my parents for lunch just before noon. We ate at the Little Diner on 1st, a meat & three eatery, with quite yummy food. After we were done there, I dropped Josh back at work, & I set out on some errands. I got a haircut, pictured later in the post. I stopped by the bank with my paycheck, and then I headed over to an allergist appointment. My allergy appointments usually take a long time, which is why I took the afternoon off. I have a lot of comp time from the weekend, plus plenty of sick time for doctor's visits. Surprisingly, my appointment didn't take as long as I thought it would. This visit came at a good time since I've had a sore throat for about two days, but my allergist seemed to think I looked healthy enough, so I didn't have to go on any medication (thankfully!). I'll just drink fluids. It's probably drainage.

After the doctor, I drove over to the center to get some paychecks out of the bookkeeper's office. She had left for the day, and without me or my afternoon supervisor in, I needed to get checks out for afternoon workers. The office was locked, and I was the closest person with a key.

After that I went to pick up my husband at work. He left early today because he hasn't been feeling well. He is recuperating from what we think is a cold (He has a Z-pack to help him along), and I already had a sore throat, and I was worn out from the week. After stopping for gas & a few groceries, we were home earlier than usual.

This weekend brings much needed rest & relaxation. This comes in the form of housework & studying for the MAT, but maybe just having two days at the cabin will give me the much needed stress relief I long for. I think I may be going for some yoga over the next few days to release some tension. I realized at the doctor it's not all in my head. A 122/90 reading for my blood pressure (I'm normally a 110/70 kind of gal), showed me that the waves of anxiety aren't just in my head. Deep breaths Amanda, deep breaths.

Although the week was crazy, God has still blessed me each and every day. I'm leaning on Him to help me not worry so much and to continue to open doors & provide for me & Josh each and every day. After all, where stress is concerned, this too shall pass.

Mini-praise of the day, my haircut turned out cute. I only had a few inches taken off, but it was a much needed trim to give it some shape & prevent tangling. The curl you see...Yup, it's natural. I washed my hair when I got home to get rid of any stray clippings, plus the hairspray was giving me a headache (My allergies make me sensitive to fragrances). I sprayed it with some "Frizz-Ease", brushed it, and after it dried a bit, I finger combed out the curls. I don't often wear my hair like this simply because my hair is unpredictable enough that it only looks good when I stay home. lol. If I try to wear it out like this, it falls flat or frizzes. Oh well.

Past, Present, & Future

On our honeymoon last November, Josh arranged for us to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table. Since we were talking tonight about making reservations for our upcoming trip this November I thought I would post a few pictures from that trip. We're wearing our "Just Married" buttons, which got us many, many congratulations from Disney cast members. We had our picture taken with Cinderella as well, but it was not with our camera, but rather theirs. I don't currently have a digital file of it.

It's been crazy, busy, and stress-inducing week, but I am happy to say that everyday has had a ray of sunshine somewhere in it. I would appreciate some relief from the waves of tension that have been washing over me the past few days.

Saturday began with me waking up at 6:30 so that I could arrive at a training at the center at 8:00 AM. It was excellent, given by RIP (Regional Intervention Program), on their theories and strategies on dealing with behavior in children. Very beneficial, and I was one of 14 staff who attended the 4 hour training. Afterwards, I went over to my parents, and had lunch with them, my sister, & my sister-in law. We had chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, & gravy. Mmmm!

After we ate, I gathered up some boxes of things that I hadn't yet moved to the cabin, and Kimmie & I set off for a an afternoon/evening of sister time since Josh was away helping to chaperone a Christian youth retreat. We had a fun evening eating & playing Rock Band.

Sunday was a mainly typical day with church in the morning, lunch at Mamaw's, & evening church. The basic things that changed the day for me were going to a baptism for some members of the church Josh used to attend. It was in the Conasauga River and was a nice service. Also, I ended up a at church a few hours earlier than usual since Josh was driving separately, and he needed to help his dad with a few things. We had pint-sized projects that evening, so I got to spend time some time with some hilarious kindergarten boys. They do & say the funniest things.

Monday - Wednesday of this week had me exceptionally busy at work. The phone has been ringing a lot, I've been in classrooms a lot, and in general I've worn a lot of hats this week. I'm most certainly looking forward to the weekend, and I am going to relish some time out of the office tomorrow afternoon for lunch & a doctor's appointment @ the allergist.

So, why so stressed? Well, work itself is stressful, but mostly it's because I am again a student. I am going to pursue an MAT in Early Childhood Education, and it's a bit overwhelming. I'm easing in slowly this fall with an online course in Early Childhood at Cleveland State. Next semester will hold Master's Coursework at Lee. Between now and November 1st I have to take the Miller Analogies Test (I'll be taking it September 21st), which I dread simply because it is a timed standardized test. Besides that, I get to gather things like immunization records, references, fill out paperwork, get fingerprinted, etc.

Here's God's blessings & reassurance that I'm headed the right direction. Albeit I have some stress, I'm so excited about going back to school. A friend from Bible study is the person who helps to coordinate the MAT program, and she has been a wonderful help in answering my tons of questions. Also, most exciting is that TECTA (TN Early Childhood Teaching Alliance) will pay 85% of up to two class each semester (assuming they have funds) just because I took a 30 hour free orientation with them. They already paid 85% of my class this fall. Overall, I'll end up saving half the cost of the tuition for the Master's because they are willing to support my pursuit of early childhood education.

God is AWESOME. Josh is incredibly supportive too, and he's already been figuring out my class schedules for the next few years. It's thrilling & daunting all together. My knowns are starting to outweigh the unknowns, but there is still a lot to do. Pray for peace & clear focus for me as I embark on studying for the MAT on September 21st, and I get all my things together.

FBC shower - A Glimpse Back

Pictures from the wedding shower at First Baptist last fall.
I worked with Ms. Betty in the two-year-olds class for years.

She handmade a quilt for me & Josh. It is currently on our bed.

It's a bit late to do a full post tonight, but I'll try to get updates up soon.

Sunday Sunset

Little blessings each and every day.

A crescent moon sat high in the sky as the sun set this evening.
A brilliant sunset another evening during a calm between the storms.