Overwhelmed.

I can't even formulate a blog posting right now. I'm just so overwhelmed.

If my head is still attached to my shoulders after the craziness that the next 72 hours will bring, I'm going to be very impressed!

Location:Overwhelmed.

Just trying to keep my head above water.

Sometimes, all you can do is try to keep your head above water.

I find this comparison a little ironic considering I can tread water for longer than most of the human population, but the metaphor still stands.

This semester, I'm just trying to stay afloat. An education majors methods semesters are known for being harder than student teaching. Not only do we right lesson plans that are 8-10 pages long EACH for a 30 minute lesson, but we also take statistics where the professor thinks that she can post a 5-hour module at 4:00 on one afternoon and expect us to have the module complete, homework done, and quiz finished by 3:30 the following day. Maybe that's reasonable for some people, but frankly that involves me dropping everything else to devote 6+ hours to this class on one afternoon, without warning. This semester also involves two sets of observations: one full day observation at the elementary and one morning observation in the ESL classrooms on A&M's campus. We also take an online ESL class which is not hard, just time consuming. And a reading class which requires us to read 4 chapters a week and also has extremely long time consuming modules.

I didn't even TOUCH the group projects, because that's a whole other set of issues.

That's what every method student is dealing with this semester.

Let's add trying to figure out how I'm going to get 24 people to Austin this weekend in one piece, then find restaurants that will accomodate for such big groups.

Oh, and a job? Yes, I love my job. But it does take out extra time that I would normally have devoted to other things... like stats.

Then of course my body HATES the bipolar weather so I've been battling the typical runny nose/cough/achiness that 99% of the student body currently has.

I don't think I will EVER be caught up this semester... but as long as my head is above water and I keep breathing, I will get through it!

Lessons from Observation Field Trip

Today, A&M bused about 30 of us to Aldine ISD for a field trip. These are the lessons I walked away with:

1) Even a good pair of shoes don't stop your feet from hurting after 9 hours.

2) Cafeteria lunches are actually in fact as bad as I remember. I will be bringing my own lunch from now on!3) Two hour bus rides are not enjoyable, unless you fall asleep for a vast majority of it.4) Never underestimate pre-k and kindergarteners -- those kids are smart!5) Introducing myself as "Ms. Suddendorf" is just weird.6) I'm definitely in the right major. Can't wait to spend more time in the classrooms this semester and to meet my 4th graders next week!

SNOW DAY!

All week the weather apps had been teasing us by putting little snowflakes on Thursday and Friday. Little glimmers that represented more than just cold weather. These little snowflakes represented a possibility of cancelled class, the opportunity to build mini snowmen, the chance to go "ice-skating" around the apartment complex.

And boy, did the weather cooperate! We got a 2-hour late delay on Friday which turned my 6-hour lecture into a 3-hour lecture because the 8-10:50 prof decided to just cancel class altogether. I did go "ice-skating" every time I would go outside -- you didn't even need skates to go sliding all over! And although I didn't get to build a snowman because all the snow was covered by a thick sheet of ice, I definitely had my fun in the snow!

And yes, I loved that the temps got back in the 60's today so that I could be out in shorts and chacos again!

Answered Prayers: Meet Dani!

When Rachel and I found out that Maddie was planning on moving out and living elsewhere next semester, we both knew that there was no way that our apartment complex would let us stay in a 4-bedroom apartment by ourselves - they would assign another pair of roommates to move into our apartment. Last night when Rach and I were talking, we both decided we needed to pray about the situation and ask our Father to show us the woman we should live with next semester.

So often God's timing does not line up with ours, so it seems like forever passes before we receive an answer from God. And as rewarding as those experiences are, isn't it neat whenever we receive an answer immediately?

Tonight after practice, I get a text from Dani. Dani plays water polo with me and has had classes with Rachel. She often hangs out with Myriam, Jen and I when we all do something together. She has a passion for Jesus, an enthusiasm for summer camp, and is a lover of people.

Here's the conversation that went down:

Dani: Are you by chance looking for a roommate for next year?
Me: YES! Rachel and I are staying in our apartment but Maddie is leaving so we need a third!
Dani: OMG can I live with you?
Me: We would love that!

Y'all. How good is our Father that He takes the stress and off of our shoulders of finding another roommate, and provides us with Dani? I guess you could say we are all quite a bit excited!

Typical Conversation with Rachel

Let me walk you through today. It's 11:10 and you are just getting home for the first time since you left the apartment at 7:15 this morning. You are finally able to think about supper when you realize you don't have bread to make a peanut butter sandwich, and had the leftover mac'n'cheese for lunch. So, you throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

Rachel: "That's NOT all you are eating for dinner"
Me: "You're right, I'm putting M&M's in the bag too!"
Rachel: "Um, protein?"
Me: "I said I was having M&M's..."

Yep. This is my life!

Thankful for Girls Nights.

Tonight was such an incredible night. Jen and Myriam came over for supper and we made steaks, pasta and bread. We then spent a good two hours talking and enjoying a variety of sugary goodness with Rachel while baking cookies (only about half the cookies got baked, the other half were eaten before they made it to the oven... whoops). We decided to play Just Dance on the wii, but needed new batteries, so we made a run to HEB in our PJs and had our own concert in the car on the way. Once we got home we made complete fools of ourselves for a long time while we "just danced", before getting to Skype with Katie! It was 12:30 AM our time, so 8:30 AM her time! It was the first time since early December when we were all "together", well, as close to "together" as we will be for quite some time. I sure have incredible friends!