Things I'm Loving Friday XXXI

I enjoyed three four-day work weeks in a row, and I am on my way to surviving my first five-day work week. Whew! And today is going to be a relatively easy one because my first two classes are quizzing, I'm giving one of my English classes a mini catch-up day, and I'm taking my beloved 7th period to a sneak preview of the Bellaire Belles Spring Show. Because when that's an option on a spring Friday afternoon, you take it. And on that note ...

7 Signs Teachers Know It's Spring
If this isn't THE most accurate representation of what being a teacher has looked like as of late, I don't know what is. Now that the STAAR is over, my stress level has gone down (at least a little bit), and the pressure has lifted. I've found myself telling myself, "Hey, if it takes me a day or two longer than I thought, it takes me a day or two longer than I thought." While I was initially nervous about leaving my kids with a sub for two days, I realized that it really wouldn't be the end of the world if they chose not to do the work that I left for them to complete. Anyway, number two of this article really called my name. Taking attendance means I've had a productive day, and replying to an email? Going above and beyond.

And then you get things like this and have to be a little bit flattered

Shut Up and Dance
Y'all. I'm obsessed with this song by Walk the Moon. Like can't stop listening to it obsessed. I think I played it for maybe 20 minutes straight on my most recent run. I realize the song has been out for a little while, but I heard it on the radio the other day while driving home from school and I couldn't help but rock out to it a little bit (okay, a lot. But I made sure I was far enough away from the school). It's one that you can't help but dance to.

Camp+Out
The founders of this business are huge proponents of YoungLife. YoungLife promises to give you the "best week of your life" when you attend camp, and I can't tell you how many lives have been changed because of YoungLife camp. But camp can be expensive. And that's why Camp+Out gives 10% of each purchase to the featured YoungLife area of the month, so that they can help give every kid the experience of a lifetime. Love and joy and adventure and whimsy. Clothe yourself in some of the most comfortable apparel you'll ever own, and help give middle and high school kids the best week of their lives.

(Source)

30 Day Plank + Push-Up Challenge
Okay, I'll admit that I haven't started this one yet. I was waiting to post it so that we could motivate one another to complete it, you feel me? Anyway, I received an email from Active Insider with this in the subject line and it made me do a double-take. I'll also admit that my track record of sticking with challenges like this is not the greatest. But what I like about this one is that it lets you build up from your current level of fitness. There are no set numbers or time that you start at, rather, it's totally based on you, and going from there. Let's make a virtual pact - we'll start this Sunday. Toned arms and abs, here we come!

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Houston Rockets
Red Nation or Clutch City - whatever you want to call us, the Houston Rockets are on F I R E! We are currently 2-0 against the Dallas Mavericks as we head to their part of the state for games three and four. Howard and Harden are rockin' and rollin' (fear the beard, right?), and I am absolutely loving watching them play, even if it does mean staying up past my usual bedtime. Rockets forever!

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Unafraid
Though I don't actually know writer Susie Davis, I feel as though I know her, because she lives in the hills of Austin, I know one of her daughters through YoungLife, and I follow her on Instagram. Her most recent book was released this past Tuesday, and because I happened to be at Barnes and Noble that very night purchasing a book for a student,  I plucked this one off the shelves as well. And holy moly, am I glad that I did. I am nearly finished with the book, and I am absolutely loving it. While my fear may look completely different from your fear, fear is still a burden, and we are all seeking real and true peace.

(Source)

Wilton Nonstick 6-Cavity Donut Pan
Though I'm not usually a huge fan of buying single-use pans (actually, as I write this, I realize that I have quite a few single-use pans), but this one was worth every penny of the seven dollar price tag. Frying donuts, from what I read, is extremely tedious and time-consuming. But baking donuts, on the other hand, is a piece of cake. Especially when you have this donut pan. Simply whip up the dough, pour it into the pan, and bake them for 10ish minutes. And adding glaze gives them that extra feel (and taste). I whipped some up this past weekend to leave in the English lounge on Monday morning, and as of Monday afternoon, all but one were gone. I'd call that a success story! Side note - I never know whether to spell it 'donuts,' or 'doughnuts.' Your input on this issue is greatly appreciated.

And that's all I've got. Have a great one! 

This

I try not to get too cheesy with this blog, but it's really in my nature, and I am warning you right now that this post might be a little bit on the sentimental side. With today being my very last day in Austin, and my last ever shift at SRD (though who knows, maybe I'll continue the trend and work here next summer, too), I'm allowed to get a little bit cheesy.

As I look back at my time in Austin, I can't help but think of Darius Rucker's song, "This." It is one of my very favorite songs, and I think it speaks nicely to how I even ended up in Austin. Might I suggest listening to it as you read? It will up the sentimentality. Seriously, I had it on repeat as I was writing this.

I'm not sure that I have ever shared this on the blog before, but The University of Texas was not my dream school. It wasn't even really on my radar until my senior year of high school. For most of my high school career, the only school I would talk to you about was The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia (duh). I became obsessed with the idea of moving far away and leaving everything familiar to me (I was very prideful of this), and attending this beautiful school in the northeast that had actual seasons and a prestigious reputation. UVA was my "dream school," and this was school I just had to attend. Well, April 1st, 2010 (actually March 26, if we're being specific) came, and by this time, I just wanted a yes or no answer. Many of my friends knew where they would be going, and I was tired of saying that I didn't know where I would be going yet. I had contemplated just saying "yes" to UT, solely so that I would have a definitive answer to the "Where are you going next year?" question, but my mom convinced me to hang on for just a few more weeks until I heard back from UVA.

To cut to the chase, I checked my status online, and I saw that I had been waitlisted. So while I was very obviously disappointed (what more did I have to do in order to be admitted?), it took me about 2.5 seconds to get in the car so that I could drive over to Uptown Park to stock up on some UT gear. Obviously I was upset (and out of my mind for voluntarily driving on I-610 in rush hour traffic), but something my best friend told me still sticks with me today: "Kelli, if you really want to go to UVA, you can make it happen, but it seems to me that God is pointing you in a different direction." And what a direction I took. It's so crazy to me that these past four years of my life could have looked so incredibly different had I tried to get off that waitlist and attend school across the country.

So, the first step I took was choosing to move just two and a half hours down the road to the live music capital of the world - Austin, Texas - so that I could work towards earning my degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

Spoiler alert: I did it!

Which led me to live at Scottish Rite Dormitory, also known as SRD, the dirty SRDy, or the virgin vault, and that was arguably one of the best decisions I ever could have made. I met some of my best friends here, I had the opportunity to be a Resident Assistant with some truly incredible girls, and heck, I still can't seem to get away from the place! It made the transition from high school to college so much easier, and you better believe I will be coming back for the reunions.

I had the opportunity to study abroad and spend seven weeks in Barcelona, Spain with one of my best friends. It is easily one of my most favorite cities, and we had the time of our lives over there. We were also able to explore Madrid, London, and Paris, and I know that I will not be able to stay away from them for long.

I have always been into exercise and staying fit, and since coming to college, I have completed five half marathons, and I am currently signed up complete my sixth in January. Who knows how that might have changed, had I not had lived in a city so dedicated to staying fit? Town Lake is just a place that can't be beat.

I was involved with YoungLife in high school, but, to be completely honest, I never even considered staying active with it in college. I am so thankful that I found myself surrounded by such incredible people those first few weeks of college, because that led me to get involved in a YoungLife small group that met weekly, which led me to go through YoungLife leader training, which led me to be placed on a YoungLife team full of some of the best people you will ever meet.

Not only that, but I had the chance to hang out with a pretty awesome group of girls. I was supposed to be the one leading and teaching them, but I learned more from them than they may ever know.

I got to live in the cutest house with some of the greatest humans on this planet. There simply aren't enough words to describe the love, laughter, and crazy antics that went on in our little house and on Wild Wild West 35th. I will cherish these memories forever - especially the ones that involved "What Are The Odds" - and though we are all running off in very different directions, I look forward to the laughs that are sure to come when we all reunite.

Suite 1 forever

Going back to the YoungLife part of my college experience, I can't help but be thankful that it led me to Dylan. I remember thinking he was cute the very night he was placed on my team. Unfortunately for me, I was dressed as a hipster zombie, so while it would be a cute story to say that he thought I was cute from the moment he saw me, I wasn't really doing myself any favors. Above all, though, I absolutely loved getting to know him over the course of that year, and he grew to be one of my closest friends on the team. One sweet letter and one five-hour beach day later, and we've been discovering new restaurants together ever since. He makes me want to be a better person, my stomach hurts from laughing so much when we're together, and I just genuinely enjoy being around him (even when I'm reading and he's playing Sudoku). And though I know it will be hard to do the whole "long-distance" thing (which is really only two and a half hours so can that really be considered long distance?), I am excited to see how our relationship will grow this next year. And he gives me even more of an excuse to return to this great city.

And finally, because I have yet to mention the very reason that I came to this university, to do the whole school thing, I was able to complete the very best secondary teacher preparation program in the country. It was not without many thoughts of changing my major, many tears of frustration and stress, but also not without many sweet reminders as to why it is that I wanted to do this in the first place.

So, what I'm trying to say is, every seemingly wrong step or bad turn that I took, led me to have the most incredible college experience. I can't even express how grateful I am for the experiences I have had, the people I have met, and this city that I have gotten to know so well these past four years. As sad as it makes me to close the door on this chapter of my life,  I could not be more excited to head back to Houston to start a new one that has me teaching English and coaching volleyball at Bellaire High School. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and it is still so crazy to me how it all seemed to fall into place. It's been a great four years, and it's crazy to think that one little thing could have changed all of this.

Sidenote: I may or may not have teared up a little bit while writing this. Austin, you will truly be missed (though your lack of plastic bags and horrendous Mopac traffic will most definitely not be).

A sweet farewell from SRD

Last Club, Best Club

This is certainly a season of lasts, and while some of the lasts are celebratory (the last presentation, for example), others are on a more sad note. One of those being my final YoungLife club, which happened last night. I was somewhat involved with YoungLife in high school, moreso going to camps and weekend retreats than club and campaigners, as I had volleyball practice on Monday and Wednesday nights, the nights of club and campaigners, respectively. 

Wilderness Ranch '09

So, I wasn't the most active YoungLife attendee, so I wasn't even aware that YoungLife was a thing in college. Well, that all changed when I got a call from a woman named Jordan, asking me if I wanted to be in her small group. Not really knowing what I was agreeing to, but wanting to quickly get involved in things, I said yes, and she said she would be in touch about a weekly time to meet. Small group led to club on Sunday nights which led to leader training which led to me being placed on a YoungLife, or more specifically, WyldLife team in Northwest Austin. I have posted about this many times before, but YoungLife club on Monday nights became a regular part of my college experience. Singing crazy songs, playing outrageous games, making middle school and high school kids eat or drink weird things, dressing up in bizarre costumes - this might not sound like the normal college experience, but it quickly became a very normal part of mine.

And as many times as I was stressed out with a million other things that I felt like I should be doing, I always ended up having a great time just being a kid with my sweet girls. Last night was my very last club, and it was honestly one of the very best. So many of my girls were there, the backyard where we had it was sweet - complete with an in-ground trampoline, volleyball net, and inflatable water slide. The perfect weather made for such a sweet evening with so many wonderful people. It has been a privilege to walk alongside these girls, watching them grow from quiet, crazy seventh graders, unable to stay focused for longer than 10 minutes at a time, to confident, adventurous ninth graders who ask tough questions and have learned to take ownership over their faith.

I can't wait to see where the next three years take them, and if any of you girls are reading this, know that last night was not good-bye, only a see you later, and each and every one of you is always welcome in Houston. More on that later! Anyway, I am thankful for the organization that is YoungLife, the leaders I have gotten to plan and lead with, and the sweet girls I have gotten to lead. If they have learned even half as much from me as I have learned from them, then we're all doing just fine. What a sweet ride it has been, and it couldn't have ended on a better note.

Comeback Queen

I realize that I may not have any blog readers left after taking almost a month hiatus from this thing. I know I warned you guys from the very beginning of this semester that there could be days without a post, but I don't think I realized just how busy these final few weeks of student teaching would be. Lesson planning, unit planning, grading papers, attending job fairs, applying for jobs, and trying to squeeze friends, YoungLife, exercise, eating, and sleeping into all of that made for a very crazy few weeks. 

The Hills YoungLife on Placement Night 2014 

Anderson HS new leaders!

BUT as of this past Thursday, I have officially completed my student teaching semester. All that's left is graduating and finding a job, and that's just crazy. Remember my apprehension 13 weeks ago? I truly had an incredible student teaching semester and it still hasn't hit me that it is actually over. I already miss the students so much, and though they often times drove me absolutely insane, each one of them meant so much to me, and I am already looking forward to substituting up at Westwood so I can see them again.

And my sweet teacher sent me off with a copy of the starfish story - reminding me that not every day will be a good one, but if you can impact just one student, it's all worth it. And that is certainly something to remember as I begin my own teaching journey.

And some of you might be wondering where that journey will begin. Don't worry, I'm asking myself the same question. I have read and re-read over my resume, making sure I am using the perfect action verbs, learned what a cover letter is and wrote one of my own, emailed principals, attended job fairs, talked to recruiters, and even agreed to get my bus driver certification in order to make myself more marketable. Just take a minute and picture that one. Realistically I know that I probably won't know where I am teaching until sometime this summer, but I will keep you guys posted every step of the way. Because I promise now that I have more time, I will actually keep up with this little blog of mine.

I am actually sitting on my bed at home as I type this, as I made a trip home for the weekend in order to attend a job fair. Everything is happening so fast these days, but I was able to slow down on Thursday night when Dylan and I both found it appropriate to skip our Thursday evening classes to bring back a rare Thursday night dinner date. I guess the successful completion of student teaching warrants that, right? And a huge shout out to him for putting up with me and my schedule this entire semester. What a star!

Anyway, we went to a restaurant called Jasper's in the Domain, and I can speak for both of us when I say that it was absolutely incredible. We were seated in a comfortable booth, and we had a very personable waiter who made the experience all the better. Dylan ordered the chopped wedge salad to start off his meal, and I think the onion ring on the salad really stole the show.

For our main dishes, I went with the Texas Pecan Crusted Rainbow Trout, substituting the brussels sprouts for Chinese broccoli (nothing against brussels sprouts, but they were covered in cheese), and I ate every bite. I was really impressed (and intrigued) by the Chinese broccoli, which to me seemed like a combination of spinach and asparagus.

Dylan went with the Lonestar Tenderloin/Brisket Bacon Burger, and as a direct quote from him, "it may have been the best barbecue burger he has ever had." That's a pretty big claim, but it looked pretty great, so I'll take his word for it. And I would love to show you a picture but I have this bad habit of deleting pictures off of my phone before they actually make it to my computer. My apologies!

There wasn't one thing on the dessert menu that I could have, so while Dylan enjoyed a Butterfinger Creme Brulee, our kind waiter brought me two samples of some Port wine, and I can't give you any more information than that because I just can't remember where he said they were from. They were a little sweet for my taste, but I happily finished them off, touched by the gesture.

After walking around the Domain a bit, enjoying the beautiful spring weather we have been getting, we made a pit stop at Berry Austin for some frozen yogurt. You didn't think I could complete the milestone that is student teaching without celebrating with some frozen yogurt, did you? It hit the spot, and I think Dylan and I will both agree that the blackberry flavor stole the show.

Obviously I was not going to give you a minute-by-minute update of my past month, as you can probably guess what I have been doing, right down to the scrambled egg whites I have been eating for breakfast. I am heading back to Austin tomorrow morning, and I start work at my beloved SRD on Tuesday, so there will be plenty of time to blog. And so begins the countdown to graduation!

Here's to hoping I haven't lost too many readers!