The best way to spread Christmas cheer

During the month of December I have been trying to spread Christmas cheer with a few christmas activities...

Posing with beautiful christmas light decorations




decorating ornaments with my yl girlies




Secret Santa 2009 revealing...I had Nat


waiting for Secret Santa


Jingle Bell 5K...first race post op


our first Christmas carolers



quoting Home Alone...


hanging of the greens gathering at 528


baking/decorating gingerbread men


bringing a bales family tradition to 528...stringing popcorn and cranberries for the tree

in case you were wondering...

where i have been spending my time and who i have been talking to for the past month or two rather than you, it has been spent with these 21 precious (sometimes) high school students. i hope i never forget these guys. they were my first official class that have helped me and taught me what being a teacher is all about.

being a teacher is hard work, but there are definite benefits such as these two weeks of which i will spending a lot of time in soft clothes and watching movies! i plan on blogging during this time and sharing my life with you...i hope i can find time between reading twilight and watching elf to share with you some of the joys this christmas season is bringing me :o)

caving...believe it or not

this past friday was "team late night hang out" for the central young life team. we ate dinner, stood in the stands amongst crazy chs students, and went caving. it was a pretty normal night for us up until the latter of the two. i will have to admit i did have a ton of fun after i got over the idea that the cave could cave in at any moment and my life would be over! i'm trying to talk my family into starting a new tradition...we'll see how it goes! but carson and nic lead this big adventure. we went in with ten people and came out with ten...i think that is a pretty successful caving experience. bonds grew stronger as we coached and encouraged each other through the climbs, controlled falls, and itty bitty spaces. i love my team...in the words of carson mcwhorter, we "got our swag on."

i can't wait to have a house with a craft room

the adventure list

if you know me you probably wouldn't label me as one that was always looking for adventure, and to be honest, usually i am not, but there is a little bit of my heart that loves the excitement and uncertainty of something i have never done before. my friend jess and i have a pretty extensive list of adventures we are trying to accomplish. one day jess said that we always talk about being adventurous, but we don't really do it. well my friends, right then and there we decided to officially back up this quality with actual adventures. so far we have hiked, biked, kayaked, a day road trip to sharp top cove with the most amazing sunset, leaving surprise groceries for friends, and the list is and will be continuing.

I miss Sharp Top Cove...

....well let's go tomorrow!

this was the conversation jessica and i had on friday night. for some reason i started expressing how i missed sharp top cove and a bit of me wished i could go back. the last time i spent some time at the yl camp was as a senior in high school. jessica's whole family was going to be at sharp top this past weekend, so we decided to make a surprise visit to see them and to grant my wish of visiting where i spent my high school fall camp days. as i returned to stc i was reminded of me as a high schooler and how much i have changed since then. jess and i took a hike in the mountains on saturday and had a sweet conversation talking about the change christ has made within us and the change we have seen in each other. it was a fun day of adventure, navigating, talking, questioning, rejoicing, living on pumpkin bread and hot chocolate, and singing!!

"be willing to follow wherever I lead. follow Me wholeheartedly, with glad anticipation quickening your pace. though you don't know what lies ahead, I know; and that is enough!"
-october 6, Jesus calling

Thankful for these girls and the life they give me from letting me spend time loving them!



"the thing i find most amazing in amazing grace is the chance to give it out. maybe that's what love is all about."
-brandon heath

hello fall, i think i love you

my friend jess and i had our first taste of fall 2009 a couple of weeks ago with our first loaf of pumpkin bread. i could probably talk all day about fall and how and why i love this season so much. i will save you the time and just write some of my "oh so favorite things about fall" (in no particular order)...

1. Saturday afternoons in the quiet town of Maryville
2. Flannel
3. Yankee Candles flickering that bring the smells of cider, harvest, pumpkin...
4. Pumpkins
5. Pumpkin bread
6. Pumpkin pie in the oven and in my belly
7. Watching movies snuggled in blankets with a warm drink...Starbucks sounds too perfect!
8. Cozy, fall socks...the first time it is cold enough to wear Smartwool
9. Friends around a bonfire
10. Petros at my sister's birthday party
11. The sound of wind blowing through leaves
12. Warm laughter and hot chocolate on a cold night
13. Caramel apples
14. Foothills Fall Festival
15. Wearing oranges, greens, yellows, browns
16. Driving down Broady Lane
17. The smell when you walk into 447 Broadmoor Lane
18. Bundling up for a friday night football game
19. Sweatshirts and jeans
20. My family

Now that I see Your face, I will never be the same

This is my last year with a group of girls that I have spent three years getting to know. I feel a sense of urgency with these girls in telling them what my heart is screaming at me to tell them. This is numero uno! Tomorrow night Central Young Life will hear about a man that has been blinded since birth. One day Jesus walks into his path, rubs mud on his eyes, and sight is restored! From here on out, this man's life is forever changed because of his encounter with Jesus. My prayer is that they come face to face with Jesus, and much like the blind man in John 9, Jesus covers their eyes with mud in order that when the mud is wiped away and the dirt and filth of their lives goes with it, they will see the face of Jesus and will NEVER be the same. I pray that one day they will sing with a thankful heart that now they can see, see Jesus, and see what life is like with Him.

one short day in the emerald city

i have gone long enough without telling you about one very special weekend. my sister, my mom, my friend(jess) and i hit the road to nashville. jess came along to keep us company on the ride and to get the chance to spend the weekend at home with her family in brentwood. because of her we also got to spend a night in the cleckner household...i love this family almost as much as my own! saturday we spent the day shopping and spent the evening in attendance of the most magnificent musicals on this planet...Wicked. that night we got to spend a little time in Oz...the emerald city! i generally like every musical. i am not a hard critic, but nothing even compares to my love for the story, characters and music. mom, when can we go again?!?!

SO MUCH HAPPENED BEFORE DOROTHY DROPPED IN.
Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for “the most complete and completely satisfying new musical in a long time” (USA Today).

let me be the first to welcome you

BACK TO YOUNG LIFE!!!!!!!!!
last night we gathered up dodgeballs, sixty hamburgers donated by bel air grill, and car full after car full of kids. central high had its first young life club and it couldn't have been more incredible. my prayer for my team this week was that we would feel a sense of urgency about our ministry. we would run hard and fast with an urgent message to our high school friends. i told carson to get about 70 hamburgers and we wished we had because we had about 66 kids come to club. god's hand has been at work at central high school. four years ago i would never have dreamed of have a club where there would be more than about 10 mouths to feed. here are some pictures from our club. rejoice and pray over these kids as they might find what they want this semester as they see, learn and maybe even encounter jesus!!

we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.
2 chronicles 20:12

So much to blog...so little time

My life has changed...plain and simple!  I am now half adult and half college student.  It is busy, busy, busy to live two lives.  here are some updates...

this past weekend my friends took me out to celebrate my 22nd birthday.  now i am officially 22 years old. they took me to dinner, ice cream and a concert, and they all wore yellow (my favorite color).  they know my favorites things and love me well.  

for the past week and this week i am in a middle school and absolutely loving every minute of it.  the school is something else, but the students are the most precious humans to me!  i have fallen in love with their awkwardness and insanity.  could i maybe want to be a 7th grade math teacher now?!?!

my bike is sick.  last friday jess and i heard adventure calling our names.  we headed out to farragut for a ride.  we didn't really know where we were going, but we were going to make it...and we barely made it.  lost doesn't even describe our state at some points in the ride.  we quickly learned how to put my chain back on my bike after it fell off during one point.  long story short the ride ended with two flat tires, 12 mosquito bites, and waiting on the side of the road for jess as she found her way back to the car miraculously.  i love riding with jess.  tomorrow might be the first ride i take without her....already having separation anxiety....

looking forward to the weekend already.  going home to spend some time with my family and puppy!

life with laura

just a picture to illustrate what my life is like with my roommate laura

believe it or not here are the curtains that i made!

holy cow! i have so much to write about that i could not think of a title that would work.  my life has been a total whirlwind the past week.  i will start off by talking about one of my new hobbies.  i got a road bike! i am loving this new exercise.  i road yesterday in 90 degree weather, and i usually hate to even walk outside in that kind of heat.  i love biking.  i went on four rides last week.  i think i may love it so much because of the people i get to ride with, jess and my dad.  they are more experienced and in way better shape. they absolutely wear me out, but i love it.  i am learning a lot...who knew there was a science to biking?  here is a picture of my bike, but mine is all black. i have two favorite things about it: #1 is that it says handmade in the usa, i feel so american as i ride and #2 it has a speedometer that tells you all this stuff about how fast and how many miles, but the best part is that it tells you the temperature, i love informing everyone on the temp about every 3 minutes...

this past weekend i have started another new hobby.  if you remember i recently posted how i was going to sew curtains with my meme.  well the project began this weekend.  i am in love with sewing.  the curtains are still under construction, but hopefully by this weekend they will be hanging in my room.  the sweetest part about this new hobby happened yesterday.  my family came over for lunch at my parent's house.  before my uncle and cousin left they gave me the best gift ever.  uncle david came walking in with a sewing machine and told me that since i am learning how to sew he wanted me to have my aunt's sewing machine.  we all lost it  and hugged like crazy as we looked at the machine and remembered my aunt.  this sewing machine will be a gift that i will forever cherish.

today was another big day! it was my first day of inservice at HVA.  i am falling in love with this school.  i wish i could write about every little detail.  here are a couple of the things i love so far:

1. PTSA- they gave us coffee mugs that gets us free coffee everyday

2. Staff Polo- my mentor teacher purchased a HVA staff polo for me today.  i won't be the most stylish thing that hit HVA, but i don't mind.

3. Tardy Sweeps-  when i get to write up kids that have taken a little too long to get to class.  my mean side and teacher face will be revealed!

4. My mentor teacher-  goodness, i am the luckiest intern at that school.

5. Familiar faces-  the school is full of teachers and administrators from Central (where i have spent a majority of my time the past 3 years), classmates from college, my cousin that i haven't seen since i was 7 years old, and new friends!

6.  all the opportunities to get involved at the school

7.  number one belief statement is--Relationships are the foundation of ALL we do. this is the main reason i went into teaching.

i really feel like this school was made for me to be a part of during my internship.  a place for me to learn from the best!  God's hand in bringing me to this place during this part of my life is so evident everyday that i am there!!

i could probably ramble on but 6:00 am comes early!!

driving 85

i am driving 85...thank you john mayer

slumber party in our very own hotel room

my display

nat's display

the hotel...we were tourists

Buford Hwy...aww Buf

tourists

hitting the road

natalie's artistic side

this past weekend was a whirlwind.  it all started Wednesday night with a bacherlorette party for my friend caroline phillips (now fortenberry).  thursday we had a bridesmaid dinner at sullivans.  sooo goooood.  friday was the rehearsal dinner.  after the dinner about 10 girls spent the night at my house in maryville before the big day.  it was so fun to spend the night with caroline one last time at my house.  we woke up the next day, ate breakfast, and started working!  we spent all day tying bows, arranging flowers, making centerpieces and fixing desserts.  it was quite a day.  after everything was ready to go we headed home to get ready for the ceremony.  the night was filled with laughter, tears, dessert and dancing!! 

after the wedding i came home to quickly book a hotel reservation for natalie and i before falling asleep.  when sunday morning came we were hitting the road to atlanta!!  nat has been wanting to go to atlanta all summer, so we decided to pack out bags and go.  this was a trip of firsts.  it was the first time i drove out of the state of tennessee and the first time i checked into a hotel by myself.  i feel like i am more grown up.  it was a fun trip.  we shopped for teacher clothes, and the best part about it was that it was tax free weekend!! woo hoo!! 

Can it really be true?

as of today, i am finished with summer school for the rest of my life....unless i go back to school one day.  i don't see that moment coming anytime soon, so for now i am going to celebrate today as the last day i will ever anxiously sit through a lecture on a warm, sunny, summer day!!

also today...

i awoke early this morning to arrive at the fountain city panera at 7:45.  this usually isn't too bad, but this morning i had to drive from maryville on about 5 hours of sleep time.  it was a two coffee morning.  jess and i met with abbie and haley.  we are studying the book of luke.  today we did something really cool.  at least i think so.  last week we read chapter 6.  this chapter instructs on how to love and even pray for those who mistreat us, lie to us, etc.  this chapter was hard for us all to hear and apply to our lives.  we decided that we had a lot of things we needed to let go of if we were to truly obey and love our enemies.  today we each brought in a rock and with a sharpie. we all wrote the things in our life that we wanted to release out of our hands and give it to Jesus.  after much thought and a lot of writing we drove down to a pond to through our rocks.  it was a relief for us to physically...in a way...let go and give our worries, fears, enemies to Jesus. 

golly, i love those girls!!

WAAHOO!!!!

Here are more photos from the treacherous hike Hallie, Jess and I took last Saturday.  Thanks Hallie for the pictures.  You can check this sweet girl out at http://halliescreations.blogspot.com

self-timer, large rocks, on the top of a mountain takes much skill

i love her

WE DID IT!!!

always ready for a photo shoot

and i love her too

This past weekend my mom, uncle, cousin and i headed out for another east tennessee adventure.  we ziplined through the mountains!! i loved it and highly recommend taking some time with friends to go. here are two pictures from the zipline.  i will post a video from the day in the near future.

in both of these pictures it looks as if we are posing for the camera.  in reality we had no clue what was going on and were just hanging on for dear life.  right before this picture was taken my guide told me that my trolley was broken.  that was great to hear right before you step off of a super high platform...