i think she really means it…

Here We Go Again…

Thursday, August 28th, 2008 | Sara the Teacher, Sara the Wife | No Comments

It’s a new school year!

Surprisingly, I’m *not* singing the end-of-summer blues like I was last year. It’s been a good summer, and I’m grateful for some time off.

Some of my summer highlights include:

• spending a week in Tahoe with Nate’s parents and the Stewart family
• taking a tour of the Warner Brothers Studios (thanks, Emily!)
• spending a weekend thrift-store shopping with my grandma and mom
• having lunch with some neat women
• traveling to Philadelphia and New York for my precious friend’s wedding
• spending lots of busy (but fun) days with our friends Dan and Sandra (I miss you guys!)
• spending the weekend with my beautiful friend Taryn
• watching the Los Angeles Galaxy play a few games at the Home Depot Center
• running the America’s Finest City Half-Marathon (in San Diego)
• watching as much Olympics as NBC could air

In addition to all of this “fun” stuff, I had the opportunity to do some staff development (a.k.a. “teaching teachers”) in the Stockton Unified School District and Compton Unified School District. Both were very interesting experiences! I think I expected a little too much from these teachers. I thought they would be great students, excited about learning a new math program. Boy was I wrong! There were a few teachers who eagerly accepted our teaching, but I was surprised by how many teachers were very, very difficult students. I even caught a few teachers cheating (copying homework from others, answering test questions together, etc.). I was so disappointed! I really did not expect to be in the presence of a bunch of overgrown, whiny 8th graders! Alas, it was not all bad. It was a great experience and I actually had fun (after all, just like in my classroom, I had to convince these people that what I had to say was interesting and important…a challenge I love). Who knows if this experience will lead me elsewhere, but I was grateful for a few weeks of something new (and a little extra money on the side).

So, now, more than ever, I’m ready to go back to my classroom. I’m excited and the back-to-school nightmares are minimal. Despite the many, many challenges our schools face in the state of California this year, I am thankful for a new school year and a great job.

I *love* new beginnings…

To My Love…

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 | Sara the Wife | 3 Comments

Today is your day–Happy 30th Birthday! I am so proud to be your wife. You are a wonderful man. To honor you today, I will list 30 of my favorite things about you: › Continue reading

My First Business Trip

Friday, August 8th, 2008 | Sara the Teacher | No Comments

I just got home from my first ever “teacher” business trip.  I have been working with the Introduction to Algebra math program and UCLA over the past 3 years, and this year I was asked to help train some new teachers in Stockton.  It was a good experience.  I haven’t quite decided if I *like* teaching teachers (they can be worse students than 8th graders!), but it was a good challenge for me.

I will return to Stockton next week for the second half of the training, and then head over to Compton for a week with a new group of teachers.  Way to end my summer with a BANG!

From the business side of things, our hotel was nice (it was the first time I ever stayed in a hotel room by myself), and my team (Connie and Phyllis) was a blast.  I was definitely tired of eating out by the middle of the week and plan to take some of my own food next time.

It was a great experience!

“God is not done revealing Himself to you yet…” Tom Hughes

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 | Sara the Wife | No Comments

Tonight’s service at church was excellent.  Tom’s words spoke deeply to my heart… “God is not done revealing Himself to you yet.”  It sounded so personal.  He’s not done with me, tiny little sara, yet.  Whew!  It’s a concept I haven’t quite caught hold of yet.

I’ve had some heavy stuff on my heart this past week.  I’m a thinker and a problem-solver.  I like to have a well-thought-out plan and execute its steps in order.  I make sure the plan is logical and usually just “think” my way through life’s decisions.  While I can grow quite passionate about teaching and loving on students, I am not usually a “feeler”– I don’t follow my emotions when making decisions.

The problem is, life (and especially life with Christ) should not always be a logical, well-thought-out process.  In fact, the very idea of faith is based on trusting and obeying the Lord even if it doesn’t make sense.  I struggle with that.  How do I trust in a plan or life that I can’t methodically sort out in my mind?  Is that even responsible of me?  Shouldn’t I figure out the consequences of my actions before acting?

God is doing a work on my heart.  It’s so scary because it doesn’t make logical sense.  How can I really trust Him without feeling like I’m being irresponsible?

Because God isn’t finished revealing Himself to me yet!

I’m afraid I’ve put Him in a box and I live by the idea that “God helps those who help themselves.”  But God is so much greater than that, and I’m ready to change my thinking.  I’m ready to see how great God really is.

Tom said, “People who grow and change do so in a quest or a crisis.”  I’ve decided.  I’m not going to wait for the crisis.  Instead, I’m staring a quest.  A quest to make my Lord true Master of my life–Adonai.  A quest to see the greatness of God on a whole new scale.

I’m scared as heck, but I’m ready.