another year passes

instead of the usual reflection at new years, i tend to do most of my reflecting on my birthday. So this year i've decided to just make a list of the big things i remember about my year as a 26 year old:

* getting a job in Tampico

* quitting my job in olathe :(

* being surprised by friends in kansas on my birthday at the mexican place(i can think of the name anymore:()

* saying way too many goodbyes in Kansas

* packing and unpacking

* moving all my stuff to my parents house

* taking bunches of graduate classes and living at panera this summer

* going to the beach house in NC

* being attacked by a shark

* being on crutches in the hottest time of year anywhere---especially in Tampico

* arriving in Mexico

* setting up my classroom while physically hindered by crutches and boot

* meeting ATS staff

* the first day of my first classroom of 2nd graders

* kissing cheeks with many many people

* learning tons of little things about Mexican culture and language

*military guys with guns everywhere:) haha--it's just normal now

* tons of sweating

* finally figuring out how to get hot water

* visiting new places: San Miguel and Xilitla

* Mom and aunt visiting

* Halloween in Mexico

* flying home in flip flops for Christmas

It's been a year of numerous changes and probably the most eventful year of my life so far.....i've always thought i've had a good life---boring but good. Now i can say that this year changed it from boring to crazy!:) haha...but through it all i've learned a great deal and have been so blessed by the Lord this year. I'm excited to see what happens in my 27th!

Of course i didn't put down every memory i have---so if you have one, please add a comment with something i forgot!:)

thanks for being part of my life!:)

the fight is over...

(Dear friends, family, and people who have come upon my blog somehow. This post is something that is hard for me to write about, but I feel like I need to express my thoughts and feelings, so I've decided to write them down. Thank you for reading and letting me share my heart)

As a teacher my favorite part of it all is the kids. They are great---smiles, laughs, hugs, funny things they say, the way they surprise me with ideas and so much more. Never did i even think of being in the position that I would experience what happened this year; and specifically Monday, January 10th, 2010.

After an 18 month fight with cancer, a sweet girl in my class named Michelle, passed away. Just typing these words wrenches my heart and calls tears to my eyes.

I didn't even want to answer the phone Sunday evening, seeing my principal's number because of my fear of what I would find out. It is quite hard to think of not seeing her again. Today was difficult to keep my composure while still going through the motions at school. We are trying to remember her, honor her, and pray for her family. I thank the Lord that she is no longer sick and suffering like she was the last few days, but that doesn't seem to replace the sadness in my heart quite yet.

Here are some things I feel privileged to know and love about Michelle:

She had a great smile and smiled often.

She loved to talk (sometimes too much for a teacher's liking;))

She had great fashion sense and wore wonderful hats while her hair was growing out.

She was beautiful--inside and out.

She was a great friend; loyal and kind.

She was great at drama.

She gave fantastic hugs.

Michelle experienced so much in her short life and I am so glad to have known her and her family. I hope you will join me in praying for her family: mom, dad, little brother, and older sister. Pray that the Lord will comfort them through this hard time. That they cling to him and know that Michelle truly is feeling no more sorrow and no more pain.

one of her really cool hats--this one even had built in braids!:) How adorable is she?!

I love you Michelle.

Christmas/January Brrrr....

My fingers are a little cold right now, so I apologize for this being a really short post.

I had a wonderful Christmas at home with family and friends....too short for sure, but so nice. I was happy to come back to warmth, but sadly it's been really chilly here. We started school on the 7th and i had 4 kids gone, but that night it got down to 5 C which is like 40 degrees F or so. Schools and places and homes dont have any heat.

So on Friday only 6 (of my 22) kids showed up for school!!! It was like a snow day kinda---just a cold day. I wore my coat, gloves, and scarf all day inside b/c my classroom was only 58 degrees....brrrrr!! So basically we just drew pictures, played some multiplication games, and hung out:)

Here are some pictures from home in Morton, IL with all the snow and then some of me cold in my room this weekend

Christmas fun

Christmas started early for me in Tampico...I started getting my class ready to celebrate right after Thanksgiving. We put on an assembly teaching others about Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa as well as dancing up a storm!!:) It was so fun and we had a great day of Christmas fun that Thursday. After school was out I had a few warm days before heading home to COLD Illinois. Running out of the airport in Chicago in flipflips when it's 30 degrees F is not recommended!!:) haha. After having out traditional family celebration with my sister and parents Christmas eve we spent Christmas day relaxing and then went to see The Blind Side--great feel good movie! I love those! The next morning we were on the road up to Iowa to see my mom's side of the family and then finished our traveling on Monday visiting my dad's side in Illinois.

I've got a new car that will be on it's way to Mexico (thanks to my grandparents) this week and hopefully I will be able to have it in Mexico sometime in January. And my parent's were great and part of my Christmas present was to install an IPOD hook up in my car:)

It's been a great holiday at home so far and I still have the rest of the week to go! I'm looking forward to the warmer weather awaiting me, but I've been enjoying the familiarity of home:)

Check out the pictures of Christmas fun at school and such below!:)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

hot and cold

Wow...this week has been crazy! It has gone from warm 70's and 80's to cold 50's and 60's! Without heat and a bunch of humidity that 55 degrees feels like 30! I spent most of my time wrapped up in my beach towel (i haven't bought a blanket yet--haha) or in my bed just to stay warm! And finding closed toe shoes to fit has been a challenge too----i guess i'll have to go shoe shopping over Christmas---shucks!;) haha

Thankfully today, Monday, it warmed up back to normal--82!:) yaya...and tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer. It's amazing how accustomed to this i have become--makes me really nervous for the cold and snow that will greet me upon my arrival to the Chicago Airport in less than 2 weeks. Yep...less than 2 weeks...like 12 days and I will be home!

My 2nd grade class is putting on an assembly for the holidays so we have been busy getting our lines memorized, learning to speak clearly into a "microphone" (really a highlighter right now), and a dance of course!:) They are doing great and it is so fun to dance together and see them be excited to perform and share their knowledge about Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas. Stay tuned for pictures and such of that fun event!:)

Thankful for Xilitla

This Thanksgiving I had the great opportunity to go with my friend Dana and her family/friends to an interesting town in the mountains called Xilitla. We left Thursday morning and spend the day driving there----It was interesting to find our way. I drove and it was quite interesting as we went over the ever popular surprise speed-bumps on the highway and ventured through the small towns. Then we started climbing up the mountains....and the fog and rain increased---great combination huh?:) lol. We eventually got there, but had no idea how to find our hotel, so we went down one crowded narrow street after another, asking various cops along the way, and finally found it. Whew!

We found our hotel, which was so cool! It is called El Castillo (the castle). It was a house that the surrealist artist Sir Edward James stayed in with a family along with other famous artists like Dali and others I don't remember:) Check out these amazing pictures of the hotel/house:

It was quite a gloomy Thursday with misting rain, so we took a quick walk around the town and then back to the hotel to watch the informational movie and also a chick flick while cuddled up in blankets in the cute common room trying to stay warm---it was colder than we thought it would be and we were not prepared! After the movies we ventured through a secret door/passageway (seriously) and ended up at a restaurant to feast on amazing homemade hot chocolate and hamburgers/bruschetta and pasta.

Finally we headed to bed ready and hoping that Friday would be warmer and dry. Friday morning came with a delicious breakfast of papaya, bananas, sweet breads and toast. Then we were off to the rainforest to see Las Pozas (the creation of Sir Edward James). I have to say it was one of the most interesting and beautiful places I have experienced---he created a whole dream world with stairs and bridges and curves and houses all connected and combined to make such an interesting and inexplainable atmosphere. These few pictures don't even do it justice at all...

It was a trip full of laughs, crazy driving, beautiful scenery, and many memories. I will definitely be going back sometime and hope i can take any visitors that come see me (hint, hint) to this amazing place.

dancing and singing in the streets of San Miguel...

So this past weekend a few friends and I went on a trip to San Miguel Allende...it's inland and quite a ways on a bus (overnite bus 10-6 and then another bus for a few more hours) My roommate Robyn, and 2 other girls Dana, Cheryl, and I all went together. We started out on Friday night at 10 and had a great time!

on the bus...

Here is the front of the hostel we stayed at---kinda felt like we were at camp in the bunk beds but for US $10 a night....it was worth the shared bathroom and hard bunks:)

Here is the center square with the beautiful cathedrals, cobblestone streets, and just wonderful atmosphere.

During the day we went shopping in the market and other stores surrounding the center square area---check out the great stuff I got!:) Some I won't show as they are presents for people, but here is what i got just for me!:)

That night there was a band singing with people gathered around singing along....and then some people started dancing---we felt like we were in a movie with how perfect it was! See the pictures and video's below:)

Sing along in the street----and Dana:)

We splurged and bought the expensive bus tickets for the ride home Sunday night and were very glad to have more space and not freeze like the way there. Although I cannot sleep on a bus very well, it wasn't too bad of an experience:)

So we have 2 short weeks and Thanksgiving and then only a few more week's till Christmas break! It's going crazy fast, but I'm looking forward to going back to the States for a little while---but i will probably feel strange hearing everyone speak English all the time everywhere:) haha

In case I don't write again before Thanksgiving----Happy Thanksgiving!!:)