Note from the Teacher

9 months, 181 days, 1,267 hours spent with these little faces.

"I saw them wonder at God’s creation while observing our tulips bloom, and watching our first chick egg crack open. There were times that brought laughter to our classroom such as finding worms in a mailbox labeled “Pet Worm, Don’t Touch,” or the children “getting married” on the playground. I saw the children’s joy when we did 100 jumping jacks on the 100^th day of school, or taste testing for cooking projects, or celebrating Wacky Wednesday. I saw learning take place as they began reading to one another and counting by 10’s on the playground. I have seen them grow in their love for God as they spontaneously sing worship songs while we’re lining up, and through their inquisitive drawings and questions in their prayer journals. They have all grown in making peace with each other, working as a team, and learning personal space. Above all, they have been shepherded into the presence of God each day as we open His Word, pray together, and lay a foundation to see who He is.

Indeed, this has been a special class."

::Miss Goldstein

::End of Year Letter 2012.

Alley Couch

We’ve been on a bit of a motivated DIY kick over here at the Lily… and it’s a fine line between trash and treasure. From experience, I've learned to never make any huge life changes during these kicks of design enthusiasm (you might end up with a teal room… or a broken bed… or… a room you want to redo every 6 months?!). 

So, I’ve conjured the mindset that the least amount of money put in, the better. Instead of quickly deeming an old scrap of wood or splint of metal “trash,” I’m more apt to call it a new curtain rod, or a headboard, or who knows… a new couch?! In this way, re-designing in my life could equally be called garbage-picking, perhaps for the less refined in their efforts. 

So - given my new outlook on life - I sent this photo to my roommate on a morning walk.

Excuse the blur. And just ignore the graffiti...

It’s obviously a dilapidated couch – but it has some potential right?! 

I later found out (thank you kind neighbor) that the couch has been there for weeks – probably rotting in mold and a new home for creatures that crawl.

Weeks?! Really?! ... Right next door?

I guess when you’re not looking for something, you rarely find it. But with eyes wide open on a hunt for apartment treasure, you find it’s all around you – in alleyways, under trainstops, hidden behind doorposts or wedged between shops.

How much beauty do I pass through everyday without a second glimpse? How many people may be struggling with a pain I have also been through sit next to me on the train? How many soft breezes or vibrant colors or still moments of peace do I experience and ignore?

Beauty is not something necessarily striking. It is found when you open your eyes to see it. And it is here. Because after I found that couch right next door, I suddenly noticed these lovely gems hidden on my street.

Neighbor's summer pots.

back of Starbucks.

red door. blue door.

finally, back home again.
even my porch steps bring me comfort & peace.

Sometimes all it takes is an upside-down couch to bring new eyes to the world HE has made.

What else am I missing because I’m not looking?

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." ::Matthew 7:7

Here's a taste of the kiddos I spend my days with...
A little video we made for Mother's Day. Enjoy!

(I am an iMovie amateur... so don't judge the video quality + lack of audio here. Apparently Mikey got all the film genes in the fam ;))

Mid-May

Truth: I am diving into the last full week of school and I could not be more ready for summer.

It's this time of year that everything School comes with a bit of year's-end-nostalgia... while teaching ideas are rapidly replaced with summer dreams. 

Last year I dug my heels in and embraced being a summer city dweller. 

My weeks consisted of runs, bikes, beach, festivals, patio beers, music Mondays, film, and exploring a city so dear to my heart. Although it was the most restful & refreshing way to spend last summer, I find myself hesitant to repeat the many schedule-less days waiting for my roomies to get off work and play with me. 

So I find myself torn between two good options: enjoy my city that comes alive during the summer or travel to far away places that offer adventures unknown.

the lake on the city.

I know - I am lucky to have such choices. But also feeling divided in my heart. Sigh.

Either way - summer is almost here and I.can't.wait.

A Weekend of Mine

There are a few things you can expect when Jenny comes to town: outfit swaps, good coffee, silly adventures, & lots of delicious sweets!  

And this weekend was no exception...

A picnic on a cloudy day, afternoon coffee & blueberry buckle, cinco de mayo margs, and a sleepover with Jenny & Britters in the big city.

I am thankful every day for the way these girls bless my life!

{photos taken on Pentax 50mm film}

A Tune that's True

Can't get enough.

Faithful

{"Faithful" by: Enter the Worship Circle}

Why My Mom Is The Best

Ever since I was a little girl, I have admired and looked up to my mother. Trying on her high heels as she got ready to go out, I knew I would never be as grown-up and beautiful as my mom. 

She greeted me each day with an eager smile and spark of energy, asking me how many swedish pancakes I wanted for breakfast. She was my Room Mom for each grade (when that was cool) and made me a birthday cake of my choice every year since I can remember. My brothers and I would joke that she had a "story of the week" for all the neighbors around town, as she bounced from the library to the grocery store to our activities in her tennis skirt. 

In the winter, my mom was energetically shoveling snow off the driveway in the same pink snowsuit she still wears, even as neighbors made circles around her with their snowblowers. She stayed up late to help me as I cried through my math homework, she always let me punch the bread down before it went into the oven, and she was my biggest encourager when I felt like nobody was. She rode her bike so I could have the car, she brought me lunch when I forgot it, and she bribed me to go on a missions trip that ended up changing my life. She empowered me to make my own decisions - for better or worse - she taught me how to choose Truth. 

Yes - it was always obvious - my mom was the very best in the whole world.

Now that I'm 25... my mom and I share clothes (truth be told: I came home from Spain to many little items of mine "misplaced" in her closet... ;)), and I know my mom isn't perfect. 

But she's still the best. 

Her sacrifices for me & my brothers have been unending. My mom makes the details of my life a priority - from traveling near and far to see me play in badminton & drill team, to flying down to SING, to backpacking in northern Spain, to visiting the chicks in my Kindergarten class... she has never stopped making me feel important. 

She is my supporter and my strength and my biggest fan. She speaks truth into my ears and believes the best for me. She is who I call when I am homesick in Waco, or don't know where to find something in the grocery store, or after I know I said the wrong thing to a friend, or when I feel the weight of being a first year teacher. She is Home to me - she has created the sense of refuge, unconditional love, and safety that defines what a home really is.

For me, being a mom always seemed effortless because of Mickey. But I now understand a bit more clearly what it takes to have a child... and I know it always requires sacrifice to give attention and value to another human every second. For my mom, it was never out of obligation, but always out of deep heartfelt love.

She has given me what nobody else can - an example of the mom I hope to be someday.

Even There

When everything seems to go wrong in a period of 1 hour 

and it's been a bad day 

and I feel like shambles... 

somehow there are slight glimpses of Life 

that bring me a smile I didn't think was possible.

returning home to a cactus in a mug makes everything better.

"...even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast."

Psalm 139:10