BIG news

Since I am catching everyone up on six months of my life, I figure it's pretty important that I fill you in on something HUGE!

We are in the process of adopting Chris!!!!!

It is something that we have been thinking about ever since Chris came to live with us last November. We decided not to even talk about it until he'd been living with us for at least a year. We wanted to make sure that it was going to be in the best interest for everyone if we went through with it. Well of course I couldn't keep quiet for a whole year, so Aaron and I would talk about it every once in a while and then Chris and I would talk about it every once in a while. Well after all that talk and lots of talking to caseworkers, we decided that adopting Chris was what would work out best for all of us.

To be honest, nothing is really changing. We are just making it "legal." But, it still is a big decision because it means that we are "real" parents now. When Chris gets in trouble at school teachers are going to look at me like I'm a terrible mother. When Chris beats someone up, its now officially our responsibility. I'm not going to get anymore awesome compliments about what a wonderful person I am because I'm a foster parent (I can't help it...I'm a sucker for compliments!)

Thankfully Chris doesn't usually get in trouble at school and I think he's only been in one fight since he came to our house. So, I don't have too much to worry about.

Anyways...just wanted to fill ya'll in!

Momentum

I led the youth group Bible study at church tonight and we talked about an awesome subject: DISCIPLINE.

We talked about how even though leading a disciplined life can be hard at first and sometimes hurts, it really does get easier after a while and turns us into better people. Our Bible verse come from Hebrews. It talked about how our earthly parents discipline us and how that ultimately shows their love for us. So, how much better is it when our God disciplines us? His discipline is life transforming!

It was fun to talk to the youth about this because I know so many of them are at a crucial time of decision making right now (including our little Chris). My favorite part of the whole lesson was when we talked about how every day the choices you make are taking you away or bring you closer to God. And how this creates a momentum in your life. Once you start making choices in one direction, they get easier and easier to make. That's why its so important to make the RIGHT choices. You want your momentum going in that direction.

The last time I'd led the youth Bible study they had been pretty much silent the entire time. No one would talk or answer any questions. Tonight they all talked the entire time. Thank goodness because when Aaron asked me to lead the Bible study I almost said no. I didn't feel like sitting up there with a bunch of moping teenagers that refused to talk. It really was a blessing to get to talk to the group tonight! Praise GOD!

I'm sitting in Aaron's office at church right now waiting for the adult Bible study to let out. Ryan Richardson, our worship leader is practicing in the other room. I can hear him singing "My Redeemer Lives" in the other room. To sum it up: Its a great night to be at church!

Peace and Love,

Rachael

Being a Cadet

One of the reasons that I had taken such a long hiatus from the blogging world is that my new job was devouring all of my time and energy. For those of you that don't know, I am a 4th grade Reading and Language Arts teacher at Connally Elementary here in Waco. Its my very first year and although I love it...it's stinking hard sometimes!

My school is on the north side of Waco (in between the tiny town of Elm Mott and the big ol' Walmart in Bellmead). Connally is a really strange mix of all different types of people. The students who feed into Connally are typically low income. We are also EXTREMELY ethnically diverse. It was a huge wake-up call after growing up in Rockwall where everyone looks the same and has at least a couple dollars in the bank.

So much goes on in my classroom every single day that it would be impossible to catch you up on all of it. But here is a list of my top ten loves and hates about teaching:

HATES
1. Getting up at the buttcrack of dawn to be at school by 6:30 am.
2. Grading 4th grade writing compositions. They're not so great at writing yet and I can't seem to do anything to fix it.
3. The smell of 22 children after recess on a hot day.
4. Kids who need to call their moms about every little thing.
5. Kids who get mad and still throw crazy temper tantrums.
6. Keeping up with all the paperwork - AHHHH!
7. Trying to do 40 things at once and still stay sane.
8. Rainy days that keep the kids cooped up all day.
9. Giving the kids free time. They are just too loud!
10. Knowing that one of my students is having a rough time at home and not being able to do much about it.

LOVES
1. Trying to show kids the love of Christ every day. Its hard, but so worth it!
2. All the funny stories that I tell anyone that's even slightly interested.
3. Listening to my students read out loud.
4. When one of my kids finds a book they just love.
5. Monday mornings when the Waco Tribune gets delivered to our class. The kids look like old men and woman with their newspapers open on their desks.
6. Free ice cream day at the cafeteria.
7. All the wonderful teachers who encourage me and give me great advice.
8. When a student sincerely apologizes after doing something wrong.
9. Students that are willing to help each other out.
10. That I think I'm exactly where God wants me to be. It's so good to know that you are doing what you were meant to do.

Go Cadets!
Rachael

It's been a while

Hi friends,

Sorry for the six month hiatus. I wanna catch ya'll up on everything, but I have a feeling that its gonna take a while. So, I'll just start with what I did tonight. I watched my very favorite tv show ever! Please tell me that you've seen the show 17 Kids and Counting on TLC. Everything about the show blows my mind!

For those of you who are not avid viewers, I'll give you a quick summary: A ultra-conservative man and woman in Arkansas decided to have as many children as God would give them. I think they are up to 18 now and the show is about how their family operates. All of the girls wear long dresses / skirts and don't really wear make-up. They are all home schooled and do all kinds of crazy things to help the family save money (Can you imagine how much it would cost to run a family of 18?). My favorite character is the eldest son Josh. He's 20 years old, has never dated, and has never kissed a girl. He's also just like his dad which might not be such a fabulous thing!

Tonight was a special episode where the oldest son, Josh, gets married. Ummm he asked his future wife, Anna, to marry him on her 19th birthday. I think they'd only met like twice before that. She comes from the same type of background, but her family lives in Florida. Anyways poor Anna gets totally surprised with this engagement and then she says "YES". I mean can you believe it. So anyways, Josh and Anna have all kinds of "Christian" rules that they follow during the engagement. When they are together they always have to have a chaperone, they are saving their first kiss for the wedding, and they are trying to "guard their hearts" from each other until the wedding.

I mean I seriously love this show. It's the only show that I actually plan my schedule around. Tonight I told Aaron that I hope our next church is in Arkansas and that their family goes to our church. I just think it would be awesome to meet them and see if they are for real! Aaron and Chris watch the show with me and both of them are stupefied by the way these people behave and the rules that they set for themselves. We've even threatened Chris that we are going to make him turn into one of these uberChristians.

Seriously...check it out!!!!!!!

Peace,

Rach E. J.