{children}

i love my job because i love kids.  i love their joy, i love their awe, i love their trust.

i have been following a blog for the past year about a sweet little girl with cancer.  i hate cancer, and i hate when kids get cancer.  it doesn't seem fair.  but i love her family.  not only did they trust God with her cancer, but they trusted Him without question of why.  she passed away over the weekend after 4 years of cancer treatments, surgeries, experimental therapies, and so much pain... too much for a sweet little 9 year old to face.
i cannot imagine losing a child.  my brain won't even allow me to go to that place, but reading what her mother wrote... there is joy. joy of knowing where her baby is. joy in knowing this isn't a goodbye forever. sadness, but joy in knowing Christ, and knowing her little girl loved Jesus.

very frequently, the hardest part of my job is trying to show parents how great their kids are.  my little friends are some of the funniest, cutest, most trusting and loving children.  that is who God made kids to be, and it is why i love them.

to my friends who are parents, thank you.  it is easy for me to lose faith sometimes in parents.  thank you for loving your kids, taking delight in your kids, and letting them know you love them.

life is too short.  earth is temporary.  i want to make the most of my time here.  i want to love. i want to be joyful. i want to celebrate each day God blesses me with.

life is not always easy, but it is beautiful.

and go pray for this family (prayfordaisy.com) i pray i can continually hand over to God the things that are most dear to me, and face each trial with joy, just as this family has with one of the most difficult struggles in this world.

{indoor camping}

Why do I love working in a preschool? Because I get to do fun activities with my little friends, call it therapy, and introduce them to new things.
This week, we are learning about camping. I have loved camping since I was little- my parents have taken me on camping trips since I was a wee little one, so why not give my kiddos a little hint of something I love?
I currently have a 4 man tent set up in my room, we are roasting marshmallows over a 'fire', and everything is being done by flashlights and lanterns. Even just on day one, it has been so fun watching my kids have fun.
This is why I love my job- seeing my kids learn and have fun.

{my little friends}

without going into detail, somedays of my job are just hard.  i love my little friends.  even the ones who try my patience and test my nerves, i love them dearly.  it breaks my heart when i hear about my little ones who are not being given the life that they so deserve- a carefree life full of joy and happiness.

sometimes, it is easy to get down...

but i want to thank my friends with kids.
thank you for loving your kids.  for many of your facebook posts and blogs where you talk about the joy your kids bring you, the activities you do with your kids, and reading in your voices, your words, and your pictures how much your kids are loved.
i can assure you that even if you think you screw up little things about parenthood, if your kids know you love them and they are safe, that is what they really need.

you all give me hope that the future is not dark....

thanks for loving your kids :)

{if i'm going to be sick...}

so i don't post on here too often anymore.  1. because, shocker, i don't have time... 2 jobs and planning a wedding, plus wanting to spend time with people i like = less time for things like this.
2. sometimes, life as a speech path really isn't all that interesting.

well. working in the schools, i am exposed to many, many little germs from my lovely little friends (see last post...). i caught it.  and actually, i think i caught a few, because it seems like every day, my symptoms change a little bit.
but that isn't what this post is about.  although i am a huge baby when it comes to being sick, i have decided, good must come.  and today it may come in a little joy in your life for reading this (i hope).

i have learned something i would like to share.
niquil is great.  lord of the rings is great (to a lot of people... to me it's ok, but we can chat about that later)
watching lotr then taking niquil?
AWFUL!!!!!!
i mean crazy dreams last night.  dreams i was a hobbit being chased, then dreams i was the nasty, disgusting orc's that are chasing the hobbits, then i was gandolf, then i was the little elf dude... i mean, they didn't stop.  and let me tell you, being in the mind of an orc is a scary enough dream.
to conclude, i had wedding nightmares (don't know how those got their way in there), where i remembered i didn't shave my legs at the last minute before walking down the aisle, attempted to shave really quickly, cut myself, and bled onto my dress, down the aisle, and it was a disaster.

this might be the end of my relationship with niquil when i'm sick.

hope this offered a small piece of joy on my behalf.  (or at least a lesson in what to watch or not watch prior to taking niquil)... like i said... SOMETHING good has to come from being sick

{not for the weak}

if you have a weak stomach. stop here. this post is not for you.

it is 11:30, i have worked 2 jobs today, and i am tired, so this will be short and to the point.

my life is never dull.

today, i had a little friend sneeze. this was not an ordinary sneeze. it was one that propelled thick, yellow snot that must have been stored in the depths of his brain, because it came out in a long string that came past his chin, past his collar bone, stopping somewhere between his belly button and chest. my little friend proceeded to suck this long (double) strand of snot right back up where it came from in one great snort.

one can only be impressed with that.

between the number of sick kids out, and sick kids that SHOULD be out, i need a snow day tomorrow.

so tonight, i beg you to do a snow dance, throw a ice cube over your shoulder out your door, and sleep with your pj's inside out and backward.
think of me. think of all the poor teachers stuck with sick, cranky kids.
DO IT FOR US!!!!!

{thankful}

i don't want this blog to be all about me and ian. life is so much more than me, or him, or the two of us, but today, i am thankful that i get to become his wife in a few months.  we're going through marriage counseling, and it is helping me to realize how thankful i am for the friend he is to me, his organization and desire to help me be more organized in my life (both with actual stuff and with emotional stuff as well), and the way he just makes me laugh daily and reminds me life is too short to not try and enjoy every minute- whether that minute is good or bad by earthly standards.

i pray that you have or find someone in your life who consistently pulls you up to be more like Christ, and challenges you lovingly to become a better person.

{Christmas}

I love this season :) I love the job, the celebration, and the reminder of Christ entering the world as a tiny baby born into chaos, hardship, and still, joy. I love Christmas traditions- decorating the tree, driving to look at Christmas lights, baking cookies... Today I did some Christmas wrapping, artsy presents, and listening to Christmas music.
4 days til Christmas! Hope you're ready!