2013-2014 Goals.

I'm very fortunate to have a great Fine Arts director who has recently been chosen to be president-elect of TETA (the Texas theatre teacher's organization). During our summer conference, he gave the keynote address and spoke on the importance of setting goals and having them posted visibly. After the 5th or 6th time he mentioned (read: emphatically stated) this, the lady sitting next to me leaned over and said, "He's your Fine Arts director, right?" I nodded, and she laughed a little. "Better get those goals posted in your room FAST."

And so I did. Sort of. Right now, on a huge bulletin board on my classroom wall in silver glitter letters is "2013-2014 Goals". I know what mine are, but for right now it's blank. Tomorrow, first period when my Theatre Production class meets, I'm going to make the students choose their goals. I'm pretty sure that having them create the goals will make them more connected to them. Basically, my one rule in that class is going to be that if it doesn't help us get to one of those goals, you shouldn't be doing it. Winning.

But...I've got some personal goals this year. And so I've decided...somewhat begrudgingly...that I'm going to post them here. Visibly. So that you can all help hold me accountable. And--with a few exceptions--I've decided that if it doesn't help me get toward one of these goals...you guessed it. I shouldn't be doing it.

So here ya go.

1) Make my relationship with Christ THE priority in my life. I'm not in some place where I've wandered away and need to get back on track, but I'm definitely guilty of not putting growing in Christ at the top of my list.
2) Get outta debt. I'm not swimming in it, but God has MAJORLY blessed me with a great paycheck and low expenses, so I need to be working toward financial freedom. I'd also love to be able to start putting money aside for things in the future.
3) Get healthy. This is the hardest for me. Not because I don't think I can do it....but because I know I can. I've done it. And then let myself get not just back to where I was...but worse off than I was. And that kills me. It's embarrassing, discouraging, and disheartening. And it's time for it to be over.
4) Be a better teacher.  I think I do ok as a director, but my actual classes often end up getting pushed to the back burner. I want to make a pointed effort to be a good teacher this year--to give every class the attention it deserves.
5) Cook more. Last year, I ate out WAY too much. Laziness, lack of preparation, and just plain being busy got the best of me and I spent too much money and too many calories in the drive thru. Bonus: this goal helps with #2 and #3, too!
6) Focus on the now. I'm always overly concerned with the future. It leads to anxiety, discontent, frustration, and worry....and most of the time, for no good reason. This year, I'm going to be more present in the moment, grateful for my circumstances, and aware that there is a plan for me and worrying about the future won't change that.

So there ya go. My goals. I'm going to post them somewhere in my house and make a point to work toward them this year. If you've got suggestions on how to accomplish any of them, pass those tips along. Lord knows this sister needs 'em.

(BTW, I'm already using Dave Ramsey, Weight Watchers, and Fighter Verse. :-) )

What I've learned from eHarmony.com.

Confession: I am a subscriber to the infamous dating website, eHarmony.com.

Second confession: This is not the first time I've been on the site.

Several years back, my college roommate sent me an Instant Message. (Like, on AIM. Yes, this was several years back.) She was newly married to her college sweetheart, about to purchase a house, living the dream. As we chatted, she started asking me strange questions.

"Would you date a guy who had been divorced?"
"Would you ever date a guy who already kids?"
"Would you ever relocate for a relationship?"
"How do you feel about a guy that has a cat?"

In a few minutes, she supplied me with the login and password for the eHarmony account she had created for me.

I laughed, but then got curious. They had a special going on, so....why not? Worth a shot.

Nothing ever came of it, but I boomeranged back and forth to the site as they had specials. And let me tell you.....the stories I have could keep you entertained for hours (ask my teammates from the summer). This last time I was bored and there was a special. It seemed as good a shot as any, as I had no time whatsoever to go out and meet anyone and there wasn't exactly an overabundance of single men at work or church. Again, nothing has come of it (yet?), but this time around I have realized a few things that I thought I would post here for any men on eHarmony.

WAYS TO GUARANTEE I WILL NOT COMMUNICATE WITH YOU:

1. Make your profile pic a selfie of you in the bathroom mirror. Bonus (negative) points if your shirt is off.
2. Upload other pics that include sitting in your car with your sunglasses on (selfie, of course), pics with your cat, and pics where we can clearly see that your ex-girlfriend has been cropped out.
3. List "Jesus" as the most influential person in your life. I mean, I love Jesus as much as the next girl, but come on.
4. Don't post your real name. Obviously, if your name is "Mr. Right", I'm going to be sucked right in. Where have you been all my life?!
5. List your passion as "living life to the fullest". I was really hoping for someone that just wanted to get a little out of life. Dang.
6. Under "last book you read", list any of the Twilight series.
7. To the question "What is the most important quality you are looking for in a partner?", answer anything about looks. If that is the MOST IMPORTANT quality.....move on. 

Other things I've learned:

• If his profile pic is a group pic and you find yourself saying "please be that guy, please be that guy".....it won't be. Guaranteed.
• If he seems too good to be true....he probably is. I'm convinced some of those profiles are just there to keep you interested. 
•  It is pretty much a guarantee that you will get matched with at least three people you know. And it's SUPER awkward.
•  There is no easy way to transfer from talking on eHarmony to talking in the real world, but Facebook makes it easier.
• On that note, if you do that, you will end up with multiple FB friends that are failed eHarmony attempts. Just embrace it.

So to my single girlfriends...it's not an entirely bad investment, and you're guaranteed to get some good stories out of it.

And to my single guy friends....if you're going to do it, make it worth the time of the girls you're matched with.

And to everyone....call me if you want to hear some awesome stories.

An Unexpected Family.

I've mentioned already that I spent the summer traveling with a camp team. Yesterday, I said my goodbyes to 22 incredible people as that time came to an end. Looking back, it's so amazing to see God's hand all over it.

I started working for Student Life Camp right after my freshman year of college. I had been a camper pretty much every year that I could be, and was thrilled to make it on staff as an actress. I worked the next year as well, and then came back as a Program Director a few years later. Life happened, full-time jobs happened, teacher certification happened, and it didn't work out for me to go back. I was sad, but knew that everyone's summer camp time came to an end at some point. My brother was still working for them, so I knew I would still be connected to that community.

Ryan continued to work for SL and became a camp team director. I watched him grow into an incredible leader and wished that I had gotten the chance to serve on one of his teams. In the meantime, I very happily became a theatre teacher, as I had long dreamed of doing.

In early June this year, I was wrapping up my second year of teaching. Evie, my sweet Lab, and I had just moved into our cute new little apartment. I was very much looking forward to a summer of laying by the pool, working out, eating healthy, and getting everything in order for the next school year. On a Sunday morning, I walked into Target to buy dog food, curtains, and some cleaner for the new place. Instead, I walked out with khaki shorts and a pair of shoes for Reg Day. While in the store, I got the call from Ryan that their Family Group Coordinator had decided that she wasn't supposed to be serving on the team this summer, and they needed someone to take her spot--fast. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to make it work in light of several issues, but I knew God was planning on getting me back on the road for one more summer.

Over the next couple of days, all of the concerns I had for the summer were worked out for me. My ever gracious landlords happily accepted the responsibility of watching my dog--oh, and by the way, if I wasn't going to be in the house they didn't see why I should pay full rent, so they just went ahead and knocked $200 off the months I would be gone. I could not be more grateful for their help in making this summer of ministry possible. The summer events that I had planned and could not miss were all contained within one week, and were scheduled at a time that it would totally be possible for me to come back to Texas for a week. These were just the big things--a million small details came together in this beautifully orchestrated plan.

One of the toughest things about working camp in the summer is that it's usually done during a season in your life when you don't really know what you'll be going back to in the Fall. That was certainly the case for me in the previous years I had worked, but this time, I knew exactly what was next. I would be coming home to a new apartment, my sweet dog, a full-time job, and a church home. I knew that being free of these concerns would allow me to minister to the people on my team in a way I had never been able to before. I was also coming into this significantly older than a lot of the people on my team. While I knew this could potentially make for a disconnect, I also knew that it could make my teammates see me as someone they could confide in. I was so ready to invest in these 22 people.

What I never imagined was how much they would minister to me. It literally took me until the end of the summer to realize just how spiritually drained I had felt in the last year as a result of the tough environment at work. The spiritual and literal poverty at this school is draining, and the time of worship, learning, and fellowship this summer was exactly the rejuvenation I needed.

The second I met each and every teammate, they immediately made me feel as if I was not only a part of the team, but that we had known each other for years and were already great friends. They wanted to know about me, they wanted to pray for me, they wanted to take care of me. And in those first couple of days, that was exactly what I needed. I had barely slept, I had forgotten just how bad camp food was, and I immediately jumped into a job that I hadn't had the week of training for everyone else had gotten. I was overwhelmed, but more so by the immediate community I had than by the daunting task of assigning out 100 family groups and finding places for all of them to meet.

In the weeks that followed, I spent hours chatting, laughing, crying, scheming, dancing, serving, and living with these (mostly) college students. I went to bed earlier than most of them, joked about how I was way too old for this job and we realized that a couple of them had been at the first camps I had ever worked--and that it was their first camp as 7th grade campers--but throughout all of that, they never made me feel as if I was too old to be a part of them. I was just one of the team, as much as any of them.

The community shared among these 23 people this summer was one of the greatest examples of the Kingdom I've ever seen. Each had their role, that they were specially gifted for, but every single person was willing to lend a hand in any area that it was needed. I could literally write an entire book on all of the wonderful experiences we had, but I'll just leave it at this--I went into this summer expecting to just serve a team, and left with some of the dearest friends I think I'll ever have. The faithfulness of the Lord to not only rejuvenate and teach me, but to also provide amazing companionship for me this summer, is so overwhelming.

To my dear sweet OT13 family--I can only hope I served you a fraction as well as you served me. Your love, laughs, and impact on my life will be long-lasting. Thank you for your incredible service to the Kingdom this summer.

Family on three!