Blog Night is Cancelled

Ladies,
This is the easiest way to reach most of you so I am announcing this here. If you can think of those who attend who don't read the blogs, please call and let them know. Due to a rummage sale on Friday and Sat. I must cancel this week. We will be busy setting up in the garage all evening on Thursday. If you really need a break from your life and would like to help, you're more than welcome to still come. :)

Also, I have Parent/Teacher conferences next Thursday night until 8:00. You are more than welcome to still meet, but I won't be able to be there. You can either use my house, or move the meeting next Thursday. I'll put you in charge of that decision Jaena. :)

Give me a call with any questions.

Thanks,
Kelley

Life is slow

For those of you who feel like life is passing you by or that you seem to be meeting yourself coming and going, you might be frustrated by this post. Life right now is so calm and uneventful. I’m enjoying my job; I have relaxed evenings and just generally feel refreshed. The absence of classes, internships and constant stress has been heavenly.

New news: I have a new (old) car. My lease is up in Dec. on my rendezvous and it was time for Kelley to put the Dave Ramsey ~ Financial Peace learning to use. I’ve just been biding my time to try his buy a car with cash plan. So, I found the perfect car last week thanks to Sue. A guy she works with is selling a ’92 Honda Accord. Back in the day, this car was loaded and was driven by a Dr. A year ago the guy that works with Sue bought it, but due to having a hip replacement found that it wasn’t comfortable for him on longer trips. Sooo, Dad and Mom made a quick trip on Sunday to see it and drive it, and with their blessing, I bought the car. Actually I got a loan. I don’t want people thinking that my bank account is over flowing or that Mom and Dad made this purchase for me. My car payments are being more than cut in half and I’ll be getting 31mpg city. Yahoo! Cheaper insurance, cheaper tags, cheaper payments! My plan is to pay it off while putting the extra money away and in 4-5 years have enough saved to buy my next used (but newer used) car with cash. The process will continue until I’m driving a practically new car with no payments. I will add pictures to this post when I get home so you can all see my little beauty. My thinking is that in 4-5 years I might have it junked up enough that my brother might want to drive it. Right now, it’s probably in too nice of condition. He doesn’t like them unless he’s afraid he might not arrive at his location. Just kidding, J! Although, I’m seriously thinking it might be a great car for you when I’m done with it. You’re going to love it!

Diet Update: I believe I said that I was going to do an update on each post and I have failed to do that. I seem to forget till I’ve already posted. The diet is going very well. This is probably the healthiest eating plan I’ve ever followed. I’m following it pretty well, but have cheated just about each weekend. Even with that, I have lost 9lbs. Monday will be 4 weeks that I’ve been on it. I’m averaging a little more than 2 lbs. a week which is a great, healthy amount to lose. I can see this working for the long haul. I’m refusing to tell Elijah about it though till I lose a significant amount. He informed me that the diet I did for the wedding stunk. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it wasn’t the diet that was the problem, but the dieter. Gotta love their honesty and perception.

Well, that’s all the news I have to report today. I hope all my buddies out in Blogland are having a good week!

Kelley

My Teacher Friends

I was thinking this morning while I was getting ready that our work lives are the one place that people can't really picture us. We talk about work to our friends and family, but they rarely get to see us in that atmosphere. We talk about people that we work with, but they can't really "picture" them. So, I decided to share my favorite co-workers with you. Good to put a face with a name!

This is Teresa Aspy on the end. She teaches Language Arts. In the middle is Sandy Roberson who teaches Math. These ladies are super special and I enjoy being on the 6th grade team with them.
This is Chad and I. Chad teaches Social Studies and is a major pain in the...! Just kidding. We are very good friends and have taken our masters together. I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun in my classes if he hadn't been there. It would have been less work, since I basically carried him through, but not as much fun! Just kidding....?
Now these ladies are my super-duper friends! This is Heidi (brown hair) and Terri (blond), my diet buddies! We have gone through every diet success and failure together the last 7 years. Right now, we're all experiencing success, so hopefully this will be the last diet.... Heidi is also my driving partner. We ride to and from school together which makes the ride fun.
Next you have my twin sister, Delayna. We have been asked more times than we can count. Both short, similar hair (when Delayna has hers down), etc. Delayna is the 7th grade Science teacher so we were on the same team for 3 years. Lots of good times!
Last, but certainly not least, you have Reta, the librarian. She runs the school very effectively! :) She's one of the many "mother" figures in my life and what I love is she never hesitates to tell me just how it is!

These are great people that I feel very blessed to work with. Every one of them supported me through the last 3 years as I worked towards my masters. I hope they know how much they mean to me.

Weekend at Home

This was a great weekend at home. I hadn't been home in a while and the upcoming weekends are full of activities, so I made a trip home for the weekend. Sue got bribed into going to since I have very few miles left on my lease that's not up till December. Friday night we went up to the big Popcorn Festival (Marion is the Popcorn capital of the world - Not VanBuren). We saw a great country concert and ate some yummy food. Saturday, was a relaxed day with minimal running. We visited my grandparents and went to see a new house my dad just finished. That evening was the Big OHIO STATE game!!!! We were all pumped about the game and enjoyed watching them beat the TEXAS Longhorns. During the game, John, Kim and Carolyn (and kids) came to visit. John was home from Florida. It was so great to see him. Sunday, he sang in church and did a fantastic job. I was listening wandering why he isn't in the Gaither Vocal Band. I took some family pictures on Sunday to share. Hope you enjoy them.
This is me with my Grandma Grate.
Me, Mom, Dad and Andrea
Kim, Kelley and John
Sisters~ Kelley and Andrea
Sue, Andrea and Kelley

Ramblings...

I’m calling this post Ramblings for lack of a better title. This is exactly what I’ll be doing today. I don’t have any significant happenings to post about, but I get frustrated when others don’t post so…. Post like you want others to post. That’s Biblical, right?

I’ve been amused this week by Miss Anon…our new blogger friend. She finally caved and joined the rest of us addicted bloggers. I knew it was just a matter of time. If you don’t already know who it is, think…Kelley’s oldest friend (not in age, but in time known)…4 kids….always speaks her mind….Is it coming to you yet? She’s going to shake things up, I can just feel it.

I’ve got the first of my biannual sinus infections coming on this week. I could set a calendar by it. It never ceases to amaze me. I’m not feeling too bad, so I’m hoping that it’s not going to be a bad one.

School’s still going well. I keep waiting for the wheels to fall off, but so far so good. Neat kids!

I’m headed home this weekend which I’m excited about. Haven’t been there in a while and I’ll get to see Cousin John while I’m there. We’re also going to a Trick Pony concert Friday night. (That’s a country group for those of you who are wandering) They’re famous for songs like “Pour Me…Pour Me another Shot of Whiskey” Quality. Forgive me Lord.

On a spiritual note, I read a great devotional last night. The scripture was familiar to me, but it started a few verses ahead of the “famous” part.

Isaiah 40:28-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increased the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

The title of the devotional was Keep Trusting. It talked about the disappointments that we all face from time to time whether it be not getting the job we wanted or something more serious like a failed marriage or death of a loved one. It’s so easy to let these disappointments derail us or wreck our faith. Sometimes the disappointments are in other people. People aren’t perfect and we all disappoint someone at some point in our lives. We need to forgive when people let us down, and we need to accept the forgiveness of others and not beat ourselves us over things we can’t change. Disappointment can cause us to get tired and weary, but we need to take hope in the fact that God doesn’t grow tired or weary. He will renew our strength.

I thought this was so appropriate. I have felt disappointment. Not getting a job was disappointing. I have been disappointed in friendships, but my disappointments pail in comparison to some. I am so thankful for a God who not only renews me each day so I can soar like the eagles, but who carries me when I’m too weary to put one foot in front of the other.

Father,
Help me to build my faith, and to believe that You will bring good even out of circumstances I don’t understand. I choose to trust You.

Love,
Kelley

Kenny Chesney Concert

Yesterday Sue and I attended our 5th Kenny Chesney concert. Now some may think that that's a little crazy, but let me tell you, "He NEVER Disappoints!" It was another AWESOME show! I'm just glad I missed the sermon on lust a couple of weeks ago. ;) Just kidding. Although he is soooo easy to look at. This first picture is of the thousands of fans that were seated on the lawn. We nearly lost our lives in the stampede to get good seats on the grass, but luckily we were okay. (and we got decent seats)













This concert was special because we got to take Amy, Sue's neice, to her very first concert ever! She loved it!!













Oh My....Just look at him!













Another reason this was an awesome show is that Carrie Underwood, our favorite American Idol, was one of his opening acts. She was Fantastic! Loved it!!!













Then, came Dierks Bentley. He's a cutie, but doesn't sound that great live. I made a much needed trip to the bathroom during his portion of the show. It was a long line....













Towards the end of the show, Kenny totally rocked out. This was his last show on the tour and he went out with a bang. He and Carrie sang "Hurt So Good" together. I was very envious....another sermon I must have missed.













Uncle Kracker was also there. They sang several songs together which was also great! This is the 3rd year in a row that he's been there with Kenny. It's always a fun part of the show.













WORTH EVERY PENNY....UNTIL NEXT YEAR.....