stand in the midst of the challenges

The Lord is with us.

In answering a prayer you have prayed earnestly for years but never thought would happen.

In watching a loved friend have blessings spoken over her.

In creating and providing community.

In protecting those you love from a skidding car in the rain.

In providing for a vehicle.

In giving strength when you feel exhausted.

In a wagging dog who greets you at the door.
In a husband who serves you amazingly and shares your interests.

^{Psalm 121:3-4} He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

twisted.

gaychurch.org defines sin as "the absence of love".

the Bible defines sin as a lack of submission to God's ways.

watered down so it's easier to swallow does not make it true.

more to come soon.

Shake it Out

it's hard to dance
with the devil on your back

so shake it out, oh-oh

My kinder kids have kindergarten problems. She took my crayons. He called me a name. They aren't sharing.

Middle school kids have middle school problems. Fitting in. Wearing the right clothes. Puberty. Acne. Getting the class with the cute boy.

College people have college problems. What do I want to do when I grow up? Who will be my roommate next year? How will I pay for everything? Where is my husband?

It stands to reason, therefore that adults have adult problems. And I am an adult now, whether I want to believe it or not. (Not that I still don't question what I want to be when I grow up...)

cancer.
divorce.

miscarriages.

cheating.

hospitals.

My friends are going through these things now. And I'm hurting alongside them.

I learned a while ago that there are some problems you can't solve (shh! don't tell my kinders!). Some hurts don't magically go away with the right words and a hug. Some actions can't be explained rationally. Some diagnoses can't be expected or reversed.

Sometimes all you can do is pray and sit quietly by their side like Job's friends did.
Then get in your car, shake it off, and ask Jesus to take care of them.

it's always darkest before the dawn

Dancing in the New Year

While I don't believe in resolutions (why wait til the new year to change what needs to be changed?) Javi and I have been discussing our health recently.

I'm a stubborn person. When ppl said "freshman 15" as I left for college, I decided I would NOT be a statistic and began to be unhealthy. When I saw that a lot of ppl fall into the "I'm married now" weight gain we decided that we would NOT fall into that either. I still for the life of me can't figure out why ppl gain when they get married (you don't just "let yourself go") but it really does happen. As I am not pregnant and have no babies, I have no excuse for my body to not be in it's ideal weight*.

*I refer to ideal weight not as a perfect number but at the weight where I feel the healthiest and strongest. When I do not feel like I'm carrying much excess and I can physically do all the things I want to do.

As I've been looking for some exercises to spice up my weight training/yoga routine I see some music playlists for exercising. But the music either a) sucked or b) was something I've never heard of - making it very unlikely that I would actually take the time to download and listen to all those songs.

So here, for you resolution lovers who are gearing up for a new year, new you - I give you some excerpts from my workout playlists:

Guilty Pleasure Pop-

1- Womanizer (Britney)

2- Since U Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson)

3- Get On Your Boots (U2)

4- Shake Me Like a Monkey (Dave Matthews Band)

5- Sexy Back (Justin Timberlake)

6- Single Ladies (Beyonce)

7- Ain't No Other Man (Christina Aguilera)

8- Party Rock Anthem (LMFAO)

9- Fighter (Christina Aguilera)

10- Say Hey I Love You (Michael Franti & Spearhead)

11- Don't Stop the Music (Rihanna)

12- Roller Coaster of Love (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

13- Cowboy Casanova (Carrie Underwood)

14- Hey Mama (Mat Kearney)

15- Dog Days are Over (Florence and the Machine)

Hip-Hop Pop Playlist

1- Yeah (Usher)

2- Fergalicious (Fergie)

3- Apple Bottom Jeans (Flo Rida)

4- Bon Bon Bon (Pitbull)

5- Rude Boy (Rihanna)

6- OMG (Will.I.am and Usher)

7- Shake Ya Tailfeather (Nelly)

8- Pose (Daddy Yankee)

9- Bon bon (Pitbull)

10- Fire Burning (Sean Kingston)

11- I Like You Just The Way You Are (Timbaland)

12- Abusadora (Wisin and Yandel)

13- Boom Boom Pow (Black Eyed Peas)

14- In Da Club (50 Cent)

15- Tonight I'm Loving You (Enrique and Ludacris)

A Little More Rock Playlist

1- Uprising (Muse)

2- Spotlight (Mutemath)

3- Never Take Friendship Personal (Anberlin -- really, anything from this album is golden)

4- Dismantle Repair (Anberlin)

5- Eye of the Storm (Blindside)

6- Going Under (Evanescence)

7- Bring Me To Life (Evanescence)

8- Coming Back to Life (Blindside)

9- Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet)

10- Crushcrushcrush (Paramore)

11- That's What You Get (Paramore)

12- Howl (Florence and the Machine)

13- 1901 (Phoenix)

14- Cochise (Audioslave)

15- Gives You Hell (All American Rejects)

my nose is froze

In honor of December I've collected a few thoughts for you --

YOU KNOW YOUR HOUSE IS COLD WHEN:

- you wear socks and shoes in the house (if you know me, you know this is a big deal)

- you take the hottest shower possible

- you dream about taking a hot shower only to awake disappointed bc you're still cold

- you actually enjoy it when your 50 lb dog sits on top of you

- you wrap yourself in a blanket as you walk around the house

- you blow dry your hair for just a little longer than necessary (and maybe your hands too!)

- your dog sticks to your side when you do the 2 above

- you find an excuse to bake so you can turn on the oven

- you walk around quoting lines from 101 Dalmatians (when they were walking in the snow)

- you arrive at school and celebrate the next 7.5 hours of heat

- you thank God for your 15 min commute in the car and crank the heat up

- you volunteer to hand wash the dishes (hot water!!)

- you feel no difference in temperature when you open the fridge

- you sleep through your gym time to stay underneath the electric blanket

and finally

You brave the scary open flame heat in the 1940s rental house and finally turn on the heat!! Yeah!!

take a break to praise

So yeah, the last time I sat down to write was about 3 months ago. What a whirlwind life I lead - but let me take a moment in the eye of the storm to praise the Lord for what He has done!!

JAVI IS A US RESIDENT!

You're probably thinking "That's great!! (but what does that mean??)"

- drivers license

- work visa

- insurance

- freedom to come and go in and out of the US as desired for the next 2 yrs

- no worries about grumpy immigration officers or cops detaining him

- a right to all the freedoms that you and i enjoy every day!

"Wow, Michelle! How did that happen?"

- We worked through the Open Doors Immigration Service to prepare a strong documented case that we are actually married. We signed a lot of paperwork and answered a lot of questions.

- We sent these documents to US Immigration at the beginning of August. Javi received directions to get his SS number, work visa, fingerprints, etc and then we received our interview date.

We prepared with our lawyer and then went to the interview. It was a lot easier than we expected and after hardly no wait, he was approved!

Thank You Jesus for showing us the way, helping us to do things well, and to follow your voice in each step. Thank You for preparing the way for us and for being so faithful as to care for Your children always!

dear lord, i'm a kindergarten teacher

Yes, it's true, my faithful audience of one. I am 20 someones' Kindergarten teacher. This idea didn't really hit me until I was knee deep in children and head swarming with 40 parents in my classroom on Meet the Teacher night.

I was terrified. I dreamt all sorts of crazy things and prepared my heart for the worst. The first week has come and gone and I have survived.

Yes the first week is over and it was full of tears (theirs and mine), screams (theirs and mine), frustrations and giggles.

I am now a shepherd (see: herding cats),
an encourager (do your best!),
an artist (teaching the next generation to draw-- yikes!),
a singer (yes, some of my students have plugged their ears this week during my attempts to get the class to clean up),
a disciplinarian (maybe the 1st time for some of them),
a referee (that's mine, no, that's MINE!!)
a teacher.

hijole, gina.

***

Funny moment of the week:
We were practicing walking in a line in the hallway. As I told them to put their hands behind their backs, one of my students shouted "My phalanges!"
you can't make this stuff up.