Updates

Well, there are many things to update this fine morning. First I would like to thank God for the beautiful snow which allowed me to have a two hour delay this morning. The timing was perfect, however, my school system's timing was not. I didn't get my call till I was completely ready for school. Gotta hate that! But, I got some things done that needed done and even slept about 45 min. in the recliner. So, not too bad I guess.

Updates on Josh can still be found at http://www.greenhouseministries.org. Prayers are and will continue to be needed as well as financial help. Please visit the greenhouse site if you haven't already. It's pretty amazing to see how God's people are pulling together to meet the needs of Josh and Shelly and their family.

My mom is quite the trooper! She is plugging along in her recovery. She continues to need your prayers as she works through the pain and tries her best to regain the mobility in her knee. I'm not sure she's at a place yet where she thinks this was worth it. :) Hopefully that will come soon.

My excitement over the Colts being in the Superbowl can hardly be contained. I am pumped! We are having Blue Week here at school so I'm wearing my Colts gear everyday. Luckily I have 3 different things, and our art teacher here at school is Tie-dying shirts with the kids who want to for Friday. So, I bought a shirt and she's going to do it for me! I'm so excited! Sunday can't get here quick enough. We always have a Superbowl party as a Sunday School class, but it rarely involves watching the Superbowl. This year will be different!

Lady Wildcats are still on top with a 24-0 record. This season has been incredible and I'm hoping they just keep right on rolling.

I guess the last thing is that I'd like to ask everyone to begin praying now about my job hunt. The postings have started picking up as retirements are being turned in. I haven't found anything close enough yet, but I know there will be openings. Just pray that Lord will direct my path.

Kelley

Prayers Needed...

I feel like this post is a day late and dollar short because most of the world already knows about Josh Buck's accident, but just in case there is even one prayer warrior out there who hasn't heard...

Josh and my brother are brother-in-laws and co-planters of Greenhouse Ministries. Josh and his wife Shelly were on vacation in Cancun, Mexico when Josh had a diving accident. He is now in Miami Florida. The details of this whole situation are incredible as are the miracles that God has already performed in his healing. Just a few min. ago they were taking out the intubation as he is breathing on his own about 7 days earlier than they expected!! He is also complaining of pain in his thumb which to this point had no feeling. Praise God!! Please go to http://www.greenhouseministries.org to witness the details of this amazing story. There are also ways you can leave comments for Josh and Shelly as well as information on how to send a donation. The costs are mounting and they need our help.

Another request: My mom had knee replacement surgery today! She made it through the surgery with flying colors, but she is very sick right now. I'm guessing from the anesthesia. (sp?) She should come home tomorrow. I will be going to Ohio Wed. through sometime this weekend to help her as she adjusts at home. Please keep her in your prayers.

Ladies Poker Night

We had a good turnout Thursday night for our first ever ladies poker night. Since we are all just learning, it was kind of like the blind leading the blind, but it was lots of fun. By the end we were all feeling more confident. A big thanks to Shawn and Jill for loaning us the "official" poker table and chips. That made the experience more fun!

Saturday Morning- What a day today will be! Two huge games! I'm not sure my heart can take it. My insides are nervous!

On a more serious note, I'd like to request prayer for my cousins, John, Tom and Kim. There Dad passed away and this is a very difficult time for them. Puts the importance of things like big games and ladies night into perspective. Nothing is as important as eternity. I love you guys and you have been in my constant thoughts and prayers.

The Thrill of Victory...The Agony of Defeat

Well, what can I say? The agony of defeat was pretty bitter Monday night as my Ohio State Buckeyes got their tails kicked. I could have handled a close, well played game that ended with us on the short end of the stick, but to play so poorly was truely embarrassing. Living in a state other than Ohio made this especially difficult as I had students who had a good time "chomping" at me all day on Tuesday. I'm sure it's even worse for my brother living in Michigan. But, to prove that I'm a true blue fan, I wore my OSU colors proudly on Tuesday and even continued to carry my new Ohio State purse that I got for Christmas. The cool thing about the agony of defeat is that it really doesn't last that long. I'm over it. In the grand scheme of things, it really means very little. I'm not sure about my poor little Elijah though. I talked to Jason today and he said the little guy was pretty distraught by halftime.

Lucky for me, I have several teams that I'm rooting for these days who are experiencing the thrill of victory. The #1 IWU Lady Kats are undeated with an impressive 20-0 record after tonight's solid win over Huntington. Saturday will be a big test as we travel to Ft. Wayne to play the #3 ranked St. Francis. I'm nervous already. That will be a HUGE game. If you live in Marion, you should check out a home game. They really are fun to watch!

I'm also rooting for the Colts. I'll be dressed all in blue tomorrow as my school celebrates blue day. (We don't have students on Friday hence the Thursday celebration) So Sat. will be a really nerve racking day as I will leave the IWU game to come home to watch the Colts take on the Baltimore Ravens.

It seems lately that life is one big game! Go Kats! Go Colts! (Love ya anyways, Bucks!)

Change...

Change is a funny thing. It sometimes comes so quickly, it takes your breath away; yet sometimes it's so slow, you don't even realize it's happening. Some people hate change while others crave it.

Here it is January 1, 2007. I thought it only appropriate to post on the first day of the year. I thought I'd write about resolutions and how I don't think I've ever kept one, so I don't bother to make them anymore, but then I changed my mind. As I pulled up my blog, I noticed to the side that I started this blog last January. On the 16th, I will experience my 1 year blog anniversary. I posted 88 times this year. Besides scrapbooking, this is the one thing that I have really stayed with and still enjoy. I thought I would take a trip back in time before I did my post to see what was going on last year at this time. This is when I realized how much has changed. My Dad often asks me, "What's new?" And I feel like I have absolutely nothing exciting to share. Nothing ever changes. My life is on auto pilot and it's the same old thing every day. Well, reading my blogs made me realize that isn't true.

Last year at this time, I was probably a good candidate for therapy. Maybe some of you didn't realize it because I coated it in humor, but I was stressed out and miserable. I was up to my eyeballs in my internship, I hated everything about school with not a positive word to be spoken by me about my kids, I was struggling to lose weight for a wedding that I just new I was going to look ridiculous in. I felt like I was drowing in credit card debt and barely making the bills except for frequent help from my parents. I thought my life was going to end if I didn't find a principal's position, and I was scared to death I wasn't going to pass my licensure exam.

Deb was merely a stalker. Carolyn, Kim and John were just commenters, and Anonymous thought blogs were stupid and she didn't have the time.

So, what's new? Well, I am happy and rarely stressed. I didn't find a principal's job, but my life didn't end. As a matter of fact, I am enjoying one of my best school years ever. I love my kids and some days think if it was always this good, why would I want to be a principal? Money? Oh, yeah, that's why. I'm still in debt, but I'm making headway. I got rid of my expensive car and lowered my payment, insurance, gas etc. So, things are less strapped. The wedding was wonderful and despite the fact that I didn't lose the weight I wanted, I love the pictures and think I looked just fine in my dress.

Deb, Carolyn, Kim, John and Anonymous are all now bloggers that I enjoy visiting with weekly via blogland.

Life is good. At this point in 2007, it's better than it was in 2006 and I'm sure it's only going to get even better. We are halfway through the school year, which is amazing to me! Jobs are starting to be posted for next year, so I am starting to gear up for another roller coaster ride. Coming off of a big holiday season, I also realize just how blessed I am to have my family. I hope I never take them for granted.

So, what has stayed the same? Alot. I'm still batteling my weight, I'm still a TV junkie ( American Idol starts in January!!!) , I still LOVE my house, I still enjoy blogging, I still have great friends, IWU women's basketball is still awesome, and My niece and nephews are still the cutest on the planet!

I'm looking forward to 2007! It could be a year of big change, but I'm not afraid. Change is good.