A Few Photos of My Classroom

So there's my classroom! I can't really do anything to it yet because it has to be cleaned. I'm really excited about decorating it, though. If you have any suggestions, let me know please!

Sorry this is a short post. I have to go blow dry my hair and then I'm going to one of my coworkers' houses to plan. Yes, they are overachievers like that and are trying to get the entire first six weeks planned before school starts. I have to say I'm glad we're doing that since it's my first year. Plus, 3 out of 4 of us are new to the 7th grade team, so that's probably why we're doing this. Wish me luck!

-A

Daddy 'n Me

Happy Father's Day!

I asked my dad a couple of weeks ago what he wanted for Father's Day, and he said he wanted my help with projects around the house. This didn't come as a surprise to me because he usually responds to that question with a resounding, "Nothing." So today, for my dad, I went outside with him at 1 o'clock in the afternoon (peak heat time) and helped him trim tree branches off of our roof. I can honestly say that it was wicked hot, and I don't know how we lasted out there for as long as we did (which was a whopping 1 hour).

After we had finished clearing all the branches, I asked him what he wanted me to do next. The way he started talking, he made it seem like we were about to dive into another grueling project. But then he said, "Ok. Here's what you can do next for me. Get a cup. Put about 5 ice cubes in it. Then fill the rest of it up with water and bring it out here so I can drink it." I was thinking to myself, Oh, thank goodness, that's all. But I told him, "That's something I can do!"

It was a fun day with my dad even though it was blistering heat and the activity wasn't really something I consider "fun." Since my dad travels most of the time, we don't "hang out" like we used to. Even sometimes when he's home, he's working.

I remember when I was little, he and I would get up super early on Saturdays and have "Breakfast Club." (When I was 5 or 6 I didn't yet understand the 1985 movie reference.) It really only consisted of cereal and chocolate milk, but I would still get so excited for it. He would come into my room when I was still asleep and whisper, Breakfast Club! I would then whisper back, [gasp!] Breakfast Club! Fun times!

Something that we still do, to this day, is if we're going by the grocery store, or my mom has sent us to get something at the grocery store, we'll buy a quart-size carton of chocolate milk and drink it on the way home. But we had to make sure to finish it before we got home because my mom always thought it was gross for us to drink straight from the carton. Oh well, it was fun.

I love that my dad and I do quirky things together because they're things that I'll remember about him forever. My mom still talks about her dad and the funny things they used to do. I can still remember the little "jig" he would do to this song he made up. My mom and I just laugh every time we start dancing to the music in the car (yes, we do that) because we automatically start dancing the way Papa used to.

So, I guess that's all I have to say about Father's Day.

I do I have a new favorite drink at Starbucks, though. Passion Tea Lemonade, sweetened. It's really refreshing on a really hot summer day (especially if you've just come out of the sweltering heat). And it's a pretty pink color! So, thanks to Hailey for getting me on that boat!
I'm off to take a shower now... another one. It's pretty much my new favorite thing to do. I'll be posting pictures soon of my new apartment, so get excited!

-Ashley

Family Matters

I've been thinking a lot about big families recently. I, myself, come from a small nuclear family... I am the only child. None of my extended family lives here in Texas. My dad's side of the family is from Pennsylvania, but he has a brother that lives in Denver. I only know of his brother, sister, my 2 cousins, and my grandparents on his side of the family. So that's like, what, 6 people?

My mom's side of the family is a different story. Her family is from Mississippi. She grew up in a really small town, and I can pretty much say with confidence that I'm probably related, in some way or another, to every person in the town. Every time we would go visit, I would get introduced to some other relative. "Ashley, I'd like for you to meet your fourth cousin, thrice-removed times seven, Billy Bob." "Umm, hi?"

Most of my mom's family still lives in Mississippi, but a lot of them live in Louisiana too. In fact, we're going on a MS/LA trip in a couple of weeks.

But that still leaves us here in Texas. I hear people talk about going to see their grandparents for the weekend, or they're having dinner with their aunt and uncle, or their cousins are going shopping with them for a can opener. I don't know; it sounds silly, doesn't it? I've never had that luxury, and sometimes I resent that.

I've always said that when I get married, I don't want to have more than 2 children, and 1 would really be sufficient. But now I don't know. Being an only child has been somewhat difficult growing up. All of my parents' attention is always on me, and as "wonderful" as that might sound, it gets really annoying sometimes. My dad is constantly asking me, "What are you doing?" It's as if I can't not do anything. Like right now, I'm sitting in my room on my computer at 1:47 in the afternoon. And, do you know what? I'm perfectly content with sitting in my room by myself, doing nothing. These past few summers I've worked so hard, and it's been really stressful, so now I think I deserve a break. I think my parents are slowly starting to realize that I deserve this "break" before I hit the real world.

I promise, there's (somewhat of) a point to this post. I wish I had brothers and sisters. I know I've been truly blessed in life, and some of the things that have happened to me probably would not have been possible if I had brothers and sisters. But just imagining what my life would be like with siblings is really exciting! For once, the attention wouldn't constantly be on me, I would have life-long friends, and, for once, I would come from a big family.

So maybe I'm having a change of heart about what kind of family is in my future. Maybe I would like to have 3 or more children. I know it's in God's hands and whatever kind of family He blesses me with is going to be a full and happy family.

-Ashley

A Little Bit of Everything

I have to say, I am quite pleased with myself and my ability to keep up with my blog so well. I guess I'm trying to get as much in as I can before I start teaching because I probably won't have that much time on my hands then. So, enjoy this while you can!

My herb garden is doing quite nicely. The basil is dominating the parsley and chives, but everything has sprouted. I get so excited when I see plants grow from scratch, especially when I'm the gardener. I'm proud that my thumb is a slight shade of green.

My friend's (Teresa) husband, who's in the Army, deployed to Iraq on Saturday. Teresa is doing well considering the circumstances. She is one of the strongest women I know. She and Craig (her husband) have been so completely optimistic about the situation ever since they found out he'd be going to Iraq. She tells us that she's fine with it because Craig is fine with it. What a strong marriage they have, and they've not been married for a year yet! I'm looking forward to sharing my life with a strong, God-fearing man and having a marriage that is totally Christ-centered like the Banners'. If you would, please be in prayer about Craig's safety, for Teresa, and for both of their families during these next 15 months.

For some reason, I'm not tired yet but I really should be getting to bed. Night!

-Ashley

I Have a Big Girl Job

Ok, so here's the low-down on the job stuff that I promised from my previous post.

I had my interview at Arnold this morning. I went into it with the notion that coming out of it I would know for certain whether or not I should be at Beckendorff. I've been praying all week that God would give me clarity about this decision.

The interview went ok. I didn't really feel comfortable during it, not like I did during my BDJH interview. So my answers weren't really on point with the way I wanted them to be. Even though I already had an offer from BDJH, I still wanted to do my best during this interview just in case. The position Arnold has available is a 7th/8th grade split math position. When they told me that, I knew immediately that that wasn't where I was supposed to be. As a first year teacher, teaching two different grade levels would be very difficult on top of everything else.

After I got home, I got a call on my cell phone from the principal at BDJH. He wasn't at my interview, come to find out, because he was in the hospital with pneumonia. He seemed so very nice and encouraging. He told me not to be worried about being a first year teacher and lesson plans and everything else because that is what my team's there for. He just made me feel so comfortable about the position, and he was really impressed with my resume, yada yada yada. I knew at that point that God has me at this school for a reason and it's going to be a great experience for me. The phone call was so reassuring. (He even said that my classroom is ready for me whenever I want to start getting it together!)

So there you have it. I am now a Beckendorff Bear! Grrrrowllll! :) I am so excited. Even though it'll be a bit of a drive, I think that's a small price to pay for being at a reputable school for your first year of teaching. I'll post pictures of my classroom when I get it all set up, but that won't be for a while.

I need to start planning everything, and I should probably go to the teacher supply store to get bulletin board stuff. That reminds me of that quote from You've Got Mail: "... bouquets of sharpened pencils..." I used to love school supply shopping, so I guess now I'll love teacher supply shopping.

That's all I have for now. Love!

-Ashley

Q&A

Katie posted this questionnaire thing and tagged me to do it too. I have news on the job front, but I'll do a separate post for that after I finish this.

Here we go...

Here are the rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing 5 years ago?

Let's see. Five years ago was the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. That summer I had just started a job as a receptionist at an insurance agency. I babysat for the man who owned it, and one time after I had babysat for their son, he asked me if I wanted to be a receptionist for him. I was so excited because, at the time, I was a cashier at Randall's (a grocery store) and I was about sick of it. God was so good because I worked at The Freeman Agency for about 2 years and the people I worked with/for were amazing people. That was probably my favorite job up to this point. Other than that, I was probably hanging out with my friends a lot, getting ready for senior year. I had just "broken up" with my first "boyfriend" around this time 5 years ago. That's a long story in itself. He's married now, and he and his wife are so adorable together!

What are 5 things on your to-do list today (not in any particular order)?

It's still morning, so I haven't done a lot:
1. Interview at Arnold Middle School (I just got back from this... more on that in another post).
2. I really need to clean my room. My bed is made but I have a lot of things scattered around because I was doing a "craft" project... I turned a bulletin board into a monthly calendar. It's so much fun. Actually, I think cleaning my room will always be something on my to-do list because I can always find something in my room to clean or organize.
3. My dad asked me to spray paint 15 shovels for him for a ground breaking he's having for work.
4. I'm going to go to PetCo to find some sort of water bowl contraption because my little "angel" Amber keeps dumping the water bowls over (I think she thinks it's fun), but then all 5 dogs don't have any water. Yesterday, I'm confident that I refilled their water bowl 10 times.
5. I would like to drive out to show my mom my new school! (Again, read my next post.)

What are 5 snacks you enjoy?

1. Hard-boiled egg whites
2. Chocolate chip cookies
3. Kettle corn
4. Since it's summertime... WATERMELON! I like the ones with the seeds because, if I'm outside, I like to see how far I can spit them! Haha, yes I know I'm weird.
5. Flip Sides- they're these new crackers that are a cracker on one side and a pretzel on the other. Tasty!

What 5 things would you do if you were a billionnaire?

1. First, I would probably buy myself a house. Completely pay it off. Then, I would probably want to buy furniture to go in my house.
2. I would donate money to a few charities: The American Cancer Society (my grandmother died of colon cancer after finding out she had it two weeks before), St. Jude's Children Research Hospital, and The American Heart Association (Heart problems run in my family).
3. I have ALWAYS wanted to travel, especially to England. So, I would probably have to plan a trip there for me, my tour guide Katie (I hope you're up for it!), friends and family. And why stop there? Since I'd already be in Europe, why not make a trek out of it? France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. Bring it on!
4. I might have to steal Katie's idea on this one. I would love to help sponsor mission work abroad.
5. I would probably save a lot of it. I'm a big time saver. I really do hate spending money, so I would probably save most of it for the future... get a head start on a college fund for my children.

What are 5 of your bad habits?

1. I'm a nail-biter. I've let my nails grow out several times, but if one breaks, I bite the rest off. It's horrible and I wish I didn't do it.
2. I pop my knuckles... all of them. Fingers and toes. Blah.
3. My parents say I mumble when I talk. I wish I could speak with a little more eloquence.
4. I fall asleep in the bath tub. I get so relaxed when I take baths, so I just fall asleep.
5. I procrastinate like nobody's business. I hate that I procrastinate (and unintentially rhyme). I would probably get so much done if I didn't. I think that's something that I'm going to work on this summer.

What are 5 places you have lived?

1. Essington, Pa- I was born here. My parents and I lived in a one bedroom apartment. My play pen was set up in the kitchen, that's how small it was.
2. York, Pa- We lived with my grandparents for a few months while my parents got things ready for us to move.
3. Atco, NJ- I lived here until I was 5. My dad's an engineer, so he gets transferred a lot.
4. Baton Rouge, La- I lived here until I was almost 12. We left while I was in the 6th grade.
5. Las Vegas, NV- Oh yeah. This was an interesting home. We lived here while I finished 6th and 7th grade... about a year and a half.
6. Cypress, TX- My home for 9 years now (with a little detour to College Station for college). This is, I have to say, my favorite place that I've ever lived. I honestly can't imagine leaving Texas.

What are 5 jobs you've had?

1. Cashier at Randall's
2. Receptionist at The Freeman Agency
3. Tea kettle intern at Chantal Cookware Corp.
4. Reading Room student at Cushing Memorial Library (on TAMU campus)
5. 7th grade math teacher at Beckendorff Junior High School (I know!! :) )

What are 5 people you want to tag?

The only person that I know who reads my blog is Katie, and she was the one who tagged me to do this questionnaire. If you read my blog, I'd love to know who you are! So, leave me a comment, and I'll tag you. :)

Ok, I think I'm going to take a blog break, and then I'll post about my job. Later gators!

-Ashley

Why do people steal?

This evening my mom and I went to the Wal-Mart by my house to get some milk and bread. I drove and parked next to a car who had people sitting in it, no driver. This doesn't usually seem out of the ordinary.

When we were finished shopping and came back to my car, I specifically said to my mom, "You keep a lookout while I put the groceries in the car." My gut told me to say that because this Wal-Mart parking lot is becoming notorious for robberies.

So, after I had finished putting everything in the car, I watched as my mom went to put the cart away. While she was doing that, I noticed a guy running frantically through the parking lot, looking over his shoulder as he went. I saw that everyone who was in the parking lot was looking around to see what was going on. That's when I saw another man following the running guy with a pair of shoes.

As soon as my mom got close to the car, I yelled at her over and over, "Get in the car! Get in the car!" I didn't want the guy running through the parking lot to suddenly take a turn toward us and rob us too. Right when we got in the car and locked the doors, the guy started running toward our car, and got in the car that was parked next to us with the people sitting in it. At this point my mother and I are starting to panic, but I still had enough composure to copy down his license plate number. Besides writing it down to give it to security to report them, as he was speeding off, I was really afraid he was going to hit my car.

So then we started driving through the parking lot, and we saw the security car heading toward the entrance of the store. When I pulled up next to him, the guy who was following the "criminal" was there and come to find out he was a Wal-Mart employee. The shoes turned out to be the "criminal's." He was running so fast that he ran right out of his shoes!

I hope they catch them. When we were driving home, my mom and I drove all through the neighborhood to make sure no one was following us (I know, that sounds weird, but my mom was paranoid that maybe they saw us talking to the security guard). So, that was kind of a scary experience. I just kept thinking over and over again, What if I hadn't told my mom to keep a lookout? What if we hadn't gotten in the car right when we did?



Ok, on to something a little less... intense. I had my interview at Beckendorff Junior High this morning, and it went AMAZINGLY (is that a word?). The three 7th grade math teachers and one of the assistant principals were on my interview panel. We actually talked about relevant things... like math stuff! They were really relaxed and welcoming.

When I got to the school, I found out that I wasn't the only one interviewing for the position. There was a girl sitting in the waiting room with me and she told me that there were two more people who had already been interviewed before and she was next. When she went in for her interview, two other people came in to interview for the same position as well. At this point I'm thinking, "Wow, my chances are getting slimmer by the minute!"

When I left the interview, I had a message on my voicemail from Arnold Middle (in Cy-Fair... the middle school I went to) wanting me to come for an interview on Monday. I guess the hiring freeze is over. So I called them back and scheduled my interview.

Later on I was running errands with my mom, and the assistant principal called me. Now, the way I heard it, she told me that she didn't have a job to offer me, but that she passed my resume on to human resources, and I should be getting calls for more interviews. At least, that's what I thought she was telling me.

A few hours after that, I got a call from KISD human resources and... they offered me the job! I'm still a little stunned after all the competition and the aforementioned phone call from the assistant principal. They want an answer by tomorrow... and I have my interview with Arnold on Monday. You do the math. I really like what I've heard about Beckendorff and my interview was a good sign, too. The only thing that's a downside is the distance. However, 35-40 minutes really isn't that bad when you think about it.

I'm just praying that I'll know for sure that this is the job for me after my interview with Arnold. If the interview doesn't go as well as the one for Beckendorff, I'll definitely accept the offer with BJH. The TAKS scores for Arnold are very mediocre, whereas for BJH they are exceptional, so that's a major plus.

I really do appreciate all your prayers during this frustrating/confusing/anxious time. I find comfort in knowing that I'm not alone in this. I know what's meant to be will find a way, and I hope I'm not blinded when I choose a path.

(If you've made it through this entire post, I applaude you. I wrote all this because I needed to get it out somehow, and there's really no one else to talk to here besides my mom... and she's heard about all of this already. So, thank you.)

-Ashley

The Next Food Network... Flop

I just got these new Rachael Ray knives today. I am so excited about using them to cook. I'll feel like a real live chef. I might even have to start my own cooking show. However, probably the only things I'd be able to "demonstrate" are boxed brownies, chocolate chip cookies, spaghetti, and taco soup. Hmm, that may not get me good enough ratings.

Yesterday, I had my own "craft project day." I have this huge bulletin board that has been cluttered with junk for the past 10 years. So, I decided to turn it into a big calendar so I can post appointments and things to do on it. It looks pretty cute, I think.

Well, I don't suppose I have much of anything interesting to say today. Sammi and James are on their way over to hang out tonight. We'll probably watch a movie and cook some dinner. Maybe I'll get to use my new knives!

-Ashley

P.S.

I just got a call from Beckendorff Junior High a couple of hours ago asking if I wanted to come in for an interview for a 7th grade math position. BJH was one of the schools in Katy ISD that I emailed with my resume letting them know I was interested.

I'm very nervous about this interview, but God has totally provided. I know that if this is where I'm supposed to be, the interview will go well, and I'll have a good vibe about it.

I am excited, though, because from what I can tell, this is a great school. The only downside about it is that it's about a 40 minute drive from where I'll be living. However, I think if I do get the job, I'll tough out the drive for a year, and if I know I'll be there for longer, maybe then I can start looking for a place that's closer to the school.

Your prayers about this are very appreciated! I know that I got this interview for a reason, and I'm excited to see where it takes me!

Bloom Where You're Planted

I was just reading my devotion for today about thriving where God has placed you. This has been so true for my life because I've moved a lot. I've had to learn how to sort of restart my life every time I have moved. That is something that I would not trade for anything. I know that I'm the person I am today because of the places I've lived and the people there that I've met and formed relationships with.

But then I started thinking about something else. For the longest time I've wanted to kind of go out on my own and join a church where I felt "at home." My parents have done a great job thus far at raising me to be a strong Christian woman, but I think that now I'm at the age to make my own decisions about the church community that I should be a part of. I don't necessarily feel connected to the Catholic church in an emotional or spiritual way. That's just where my parents go to church, and since I've grown up Catholic and I now still live with them, that's where I go to church.

So, I'm a little confused about what I should do. If we're meant to bloom where we're planted, does that mean that I've been going to this church for almost 10 years for a reason, and I should just try to thrive there? Or should I get up the nerve and "transplant" myself in a community that I feel more connected and where I can form more accountable relationships with people my age, or even people not my age?

Please pray that God will help me sort this out, and that I will bloom where I'm supposed to be planted.

On a completely different subject, I'm about to run a recovery program on my computer that's going to make my computer like the day I bought it... none of my pictures, music, or documents. One of my dad's friends came over and looked at my computer yesterday to try to figure out why my wireless card isn't working. He suggested that before I send it back to HP that I run recovery on it. I'm always very nervous about doing stuff like that just in case I've forgotten to save something and it'll be erased forever.

But other than music and pictures and documents like my resume, I can't think of anything else that I need to save. Actually, other than those things, I don't think there's anything else on my computer to save. So, after I post this, I'll probably go ahead and do that. Wish me luck!

Yesterday evening my mom and I washed her car, my car, and my dad's car. We did all three in about an hour. We are car wash powerhouses! I love having a clean car. It makes it more fun to drive. I'm actually supposed to take my car in to the place that my parents bought it from so that they can do some touch up painting and make it look even more new (to me)! So that's pretty exciting.

Well, I think I'm going to go get dressed now. I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing today, so I'd better go figure that out.

-Ashley