Gracias a Dios [Atlanta Edition]

Atlanta was wonderful.

Learning, coffee, building friendships, the familiarity of home…

It was all fabulous.

BUT

good news:

It was great to come home to the DR!

That was something that took me by surprise.

I loved getting away, but coming back to a place I now know,

that I really loved.  

Thank you God for...

Starbucks.

I just love the feeling of a coffee shop. (clearly I'm not alone)

Working, writing, and just relaxing in Starbucks was a highlight.

Barnes and Noble. 

I could get lost in a book store for hours.

Thankfully Alicia feels the same way.  

We spent part of an evening camped out in the kids section :)

Pumpkin ice cream, Target (3 times!), and public transportation.

I consumed a lot of pumpkin flavored food and drank while in the USA :)

We rode the MARTA everywhere during the conference, 

and it always gets me excited!

Barbecue and how excited Alicia was about it!

It was WONDERFUL to experience my first time back to the States with another person who has already done it.

I am so thankful for you Alicia.

For the Starbucks Christmas cup coming out the day I headed back 

and the drink that warmed my cold fingers.  

 Lovely friendships and twinkle lights.

For huge fluffy beds, a magical view, and computers that work.

For new knowledge, inspiration, and resources.

I cannot explain how much I grew as an expeditionary learning teacher from this conference.  

We just started our first expedition, and I feel so prepared to make it a success!

Thank you for coffee Jesus.  

Thank you specifically for Caribou Coffee.

And for a beautiful lobby and neat elevator.  

For letting my fly with friends!

For the past 4 years, I've only traveled solo.  

I loved having the chance to fly with people I know,

and it made the process fun and not so boring.  

Again, thank you so much for making this trip possible!

I am blessed with generous people who are investing in me and my students.  

God is good to me.

Gracias.

picture this...

 picture this...

March 2013

Kaia, Sarah, and I are sitting around our dining room table

discussing life before heading to bed.

I'm in the beginning of processing whether or not I should teach overseas

and move away from my beloved home.  

I do not like the idea.

Kaia and Sarah finally ask the really hard question everyone is wondering...

"What do you think God wants?"

After fighting it and holding it in for months I answer...

"I think God wants me to leave here."

The tears start pouring after the burst of my secret.  

My amazing roommates comfort and encourage me.

We pray.

But before I head downstairs Kaia pulls me over to the computer.

"You need to hear this song." 

 picture this...

March 2013 - May 2013

I am alone in my room, relaxing before falling asleep.

Thoughts of leaving my family and friends race through my head.

Anxious feelings about the future.

I can't sleep.

This one song plays over and over on my iPad 

and reminds me of Who this is really all about.

picture this...

October 18, 2013

About 40 staff member sit in the dark Doulos library early in the morning.

Only one lightbulb is lit.

I am sitting in the Dominican Republic, where I teach.

The Spanish accents and English voices come together as we sing

those words I've come to know so well.  

"Oceans" By Hillsong United 

It's been fun to see how my life has changed,

but this song has been constant.

This song has challenged me to leave my comfort zone

and trust God more.

I loved how on Friday morning, when we worshiped with this song,

I could almost feel things coming full circle.

And "Oceans" had been there through it all.

[Thanks for the picture Heather!]

[fun fact... that computer pic is actually my Doulos application!]

Peace Up. A-Town Down.

This week I will be leaving this...

[Jarabacoa, La Vega, Dominican Republic]

to visit this...

[Atlanta, Georgia, USA]

How jazzed am I?  

Really jazzed.

October 23-27 (wed-sun) I will be at a conference in Atlanta.

It's not a secret that I'm really excited for this adventure!

I work for Doulos Discovery School

which is, among other amazing things, an Expeditionary Learning School.

Very simply put, we teach/learn through investigations and explorations.

We don't just sit in the classroom and learn.

We pick topics, then we...

dive in

explore

read

investigate

watch

create

listen

and grow.

I love it.

And as a kindergarten family, 

we are about ready to dive into our first expedition...

INSECTS.  

You better believe it's going to be good.

If you are interested or a teacher, check out

www.elschools.org 

It is brilliant.

Here is blurb I thought explained EL well.

Our approach to curriculum makes content and skill standards come alive for students by connecting learning to real-world issues and needs. Academically rigorous learning expeditions, case studies, projects, fieldwork, and service learning inspire students to think and work as professionals do, contributing high-quality work to authentic audiences beyond the classroom.

So for three days I'm leaving these ninos. 

I am praying I come back a better teacher.  

Please join me in that prayer.

Thank you all for supporting me prayerfully and financially in this adventure.

Doulos asks all 1st or 2nd year teachers to go to the EL conference,

and I completely believe it will be worth it.

I could not be more ready to learn!

Thank you for making that possible.  

So here we go!

Next Wednesday Alicia, Sam, Danae, Dan, James, Katie, and I 

will be heading to the States for some learning!

[Alicia and I will be travel and hotel room buddies] 

I don't know all the details of the actual conference,

but I sure do have my free time planned out!

My stateside to-do list:

drink specialty coffee drinks

buy gifts for my host family

find a food truck

sleep in silence

buy 3 cans of pumpkin

read in a book store

eat a monster cookie

relax in an actual coffee shop

and take a hot shower every.single.day.

Like I said, we would love for you to be praying for us.

I really want to get everything out of this conference that I can!

Thank you again and again for your support.

[oh, and Alicia, apparently I make this clicking noise while I sleep... 

I'm sorry in advance...] 

Discoveries

Things have been good.  

Sure, there have been ups and downs...

But overall, this past week has been good.  

Thanks goes out to lots of friends, both on this island and that other chunk of land :)

And my fam of course.

There have been lots of wonderful "quick chats" that I love!

Those quick chats make me feel more a part of regular life,

which I LOVE.

I was leaving some friends house last night and I thought,

"that was life.  I just did life with them."

and it was good.  

Thank you to everyone, I mean EVERYONE who has been a part of life lately.  

I mean it, I love you.

I do.  

Can I share a few things I've been discovering lately with you?

cool, thanks!

Alexander and I have been discovering that after school time is awesome!  

And very valuable.  

Coconut juice is kinda good and 

if I have my eyes open to see love, it will be there.  

If I study Spanish, I will learn Spanish... #duh 

Priscy is a wonderful study/reading buddy!

Oh my goodness, Lexie and I discovered how AMAZING 

"Hammock Friday" is.

And if you give themes to each day of the week,

the week gets a tad more awesome...

I still miss home.  

Yep, that one is not going away.

Which is great, because I have a FUN and CRAZY home to miss :)  

If Sandy and Darrell invite you to their house (thanks Cortney!)  

SAY YES.

every.single.time.

Facetiming with Liam will NEVER be boring.

I crack up every time we chat.

Little boys get excited about potty training earlier than I thought...

Field Trips are so different in the DR.

Field Trips are crazy great in the DR.

Field Trips are still exhausting in the DR.

Jam sessions at the Pace home are wonderful.

You will laugh, sing, and shake a rattle.

And you will leave smiling.  

Teaching kids outside instead of inside will result in happy kids.  

I should do this way more often.

If I set my cup of coffee next to me...

then lean over...

I will spend the day with a coffee dipped shirt.

#trendy  

What have you been discovering lately?  

Seriously, I want answers.  

:)

in my backpack...

I love to read.

a lot.

I struggled while learning to read in elementary school

so I didn't LOVE it when all the other kids did.

I began to fall in love with reading in middle school when everyone started hating it.

Now it is one of my top 5 favorite things to do! 

I have been spending a lot of time reading lately because

I can't take my head out of this book.

I read "Divergent" (thanks Jess!) the 1st book, this summer 

and loved it.

I will get to go see the movie "Divergent" in Santiago this March!!

But "Insurgent" has been such a good escape for me lately.

I have loved diving into the plot and forgetting about my to-do list for a while :)

The 3rd book comes out October 22nd and I plan on buying it

in Atlanta and jumping in shortly after!

If I have my backpack (which I always do) then I have this book.

Good stuff I tell ya.

I'm currently reading through Romans with Kaia, 

but she is a few chapters head of me :)

As a staff we are digging deep into Romans 12:1-2 this year,

so it is interesting reading all that surrounds that.  

My bible study rocks.  

seriously.

Every Wednesday evening I hang out with

1 other Doulos teacher

2 JCS teachers

1 CMA teacher

1 Young Life AD

and 1... Krista :)  

It is magnificent, to say the least.

Anyway... along with just being real together and eating great food,

we also are reading this book together.

"Grace For The Good Girl"

(Thanks Justine for lending me your copy... and notes)

It is soooo good, and not to cheesy either.

If you have ever thought of yourself as a "good girl"

you should read this.

It has really helped me to see my life differently,

and we're only 3 chapters in!

We are reading slowly because Lexie is a 

1 chapter at a time kinda girl :)

I am LOVING my literature right now!!

What are your reading?

Tour [Mama's Visit]

My mom came to Jarabacoa to visit me!

How blessed am I?

We had a blast!  

I am continuing to realize what treasure she is.  

I can't believe I get to call her mine :)

We spent 2 nights (1st and last) at my host families casa.

The 6 nights in-between we stayed at a wonderful hotel-ish-thing called The Villas.

The AC was glorious :)

We ventured up the mountain to a beautiful place called Jamaca de Dios.

Jamaca de Dios translates to Hammock of God.

I had forgotten about a phrase I read in a travel book before I moved here.

A friend reminded me last week.

"God is everywhere, but He sleeps in Jarabacoa."

True.

We enjoyed a beautiful BEAUTIFUL dinner and view at Jamaca de Dios.  

It was a highlight of the trip and very unexpected!

Mama braided Priscylla and Aileen's hair.

So cute!

My mom was on the opposite side of the computer for the week.

We skyped family several times.

Liam is just getting more and more goofy and it is a blast to FaceTime him!

We skyped the whole family while they enjoyed Italian sausage sandwiches...

MY FAVORITE!  

I love watching Hanalei changed and grow up, 

she is becoming more and more interactive!

Of course, we enjoyed our favorite show Gilmore Girls a few time.

Wifi can be a bit of a struggle here, but it was good to catch it when we did.

Snuggling into bed at night with the AC, Gilmore Girls, and my mama.

So stinkin sweet.  

My mom got to experience the washing clothes process.

She enjoyed it... I sometimes don't...

Also, the water handle came off so now we use a pliers :)

As a celebration of Miss Balerie joining our class for the week

we made a poster with our handprints.

The kids LOVED it and we had some fun too.

 My favorite part of my mom's trip was having her at my house.  

This is us hanging out on the porch before dinner.  

On our last night together, my mom helped me decorate my room.

I had been wanting to do this, but I kept putting it off.

I am so glad she helped and made the process much happier.

I loved having my mama here.

I am so blessed to call her my mom.  

Thanks for taking work off mom and joining me for a week.

I know it's really hot and loud, 

but I know it was worth it for us both :)

Gracias a Dios

This was intended to be a post about my mama's visit.

But then my day happened...

and it didn't happen very well.

stink.

My mom's post will happen, but not today.  

Today I just need to focus on gratitude.  

Not the gratitude I have for my mom's visit, but thankfulness for my everyday life here.

I've cried upwards of 6 times today.

It's been that kind of bad.

(I'm not searching for your pity...

but if you'd like to send me Coffea butterscotch lattes that would help)

I need to remind myself of all the wonderful ways God is good.  

Here we go :)

1.  God is good, He just is.

2.  Hip-hop music coming out of my computer

3.  Nelly singing while she works in the kitchen

4.  Lots of windows and natural light in my classroom

5.  Friends/Co-workers who genuinely ask about life

6.  Diet Coke  

7.  this one specialty drink in Jarabacoa within walking distance

8.  wifi

9.  Priscy's frienship

10.  Beautifully polished nails

11.  A family that will let me cry at the dinner table

12.  a bedroom that feels like mine

13.  International, not Nation, Coffee Day (we can participate!)

14.  Totally strange hail storm in the DR

15.  The way weather brings everyone together

16.  Being stuck in a car with people and not alone

17.  Aileen's energetic laugh

18.  My amazing bible study ladies

19.  laughter at my lunch table

20.  A much simpler life

21.  Sleeping through the night without electricity 

22.  The peacefulness of this home

23.  Coffee con chocolate at Doulos

24.  Friends/Co-workers who run together

25.  Sunrises through my window

[pond empty for cleaning... 

the day before we are scheduled to study it for 3 days straight...]

[pond full the next day]

26.  God working good through our "mistakes"

27.  Amazing learning that comes from something that seemed to be "bad"

28.  Really big fish that make me laugh

29.  Curiosity 

30.  Learning outside

31.  Our drop-dead-gorgeous campus

32.  Hearing this little man say, "Hi Auntie Morgan" for the 1st time

33.  Technology that allows him to know me

34.  My family's never ending love

35.  The beautiful sight of Liam's face

36.  Big & beautiful tears rolling down cheeks (7 times and counting now...)

37.  A dulled and worn-out bracelet to remind me of Castaway and my YL family 

38.  sweet and thoughtful students and families

39.  Natural beauty

40.  I GET to teach precious children

41.  Harriet :)

42.  My health

43.  Fresh flowers in my classroom almost every day

[Me on Tuesday]

[Kelly on Tuesday]

[Jamie on Tuesday]

[Ashley on Tuesday]

44.  The way Snap Chat can show us that we are all wearing the exact same shirt

45.  Community crossing boarders 

46.  A phenomenal home base

47.  Celebrations to look forward to in the DR

48.  Fiction books

49.  US soil in 20 days

50.  Sweet, energetic, and ready to learn kiddos

51.  Escape provided by shade and fans

52.  crayons 

53.  Praying with my co-workers and students 

54.  5 year old's prayers 

55.  The fact that even if none of this was true, God would STILL be good.  

I'm putting my trust in Him today, as hard as that is.  

I'm doing it.  

Who's in?