Goin' through the BIG D and I don't mean Dallas (or divorce).

I start my Ph.D. classes tomorrow. Good grief...what was I thinking.

I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me.

Only two more days at the worst job ever. Only two more days until the worst year of my life (professionally at least) is over. Hallelujah! If you have prayed for me this year then I want to thank you so much.

Pretty Please

The school board of a nearby district is meeting in an emergency session on Friday to decide if they want to use their stimulus money for an additional ESOL position at the district level. I really want this position! I think if they vote to use the money for an ESOL position that my chances of getting the job are pretty good. Please pray for me. Thank you.

Dance Recital

Alea's dance program was last night. She did a great job. The girls all looked so cute and had a great time. Check out pictures below.

ditto

Ditto yesterday's comment.

drama

If I never have any more work drama for the rest of my life that would be GREAT with me!!!!

This Weekend

After Alea's graduation on Thursday she went home with her Grandma and Papa for three days. She is coming home on Sunday. I am so thankful for the time with Davin. We went to dinner Friday night and saw two movies at the theater. That was a blast. Today we bought a movie and rented four more. We are on the last one. They have all been pretty good. All boy movies of course. Alea is having a blast at her grandparents house. She was excited today to go play in the creek with her Papa. We bought her rain boots just for that purpose. She is enjoying her time too. I love my family.

Like a Lady

Notice how my girl knows how to sit and stand like a lady. I am so proud.

Alea's preschool graduation

Alea "graduated" from preschool tonight. It was really cute. The program started late because over half of the graduates were crying because they didn't want to have to leave their teachers and their school. Alea was so cute singing her songs with little tears in her eyes. It was so sweet. Alea, Andrew, and Fowler have been friends for almost their entire lives. They will all three be going to different elementary schools in Springdale so it is sad that they will be separated. After the program was over Fowler asked me if Alea was coming back to school ever and if he was going to see her again. He was so sad when he asked. I told him she will be back for two more weeks and then she will drop in over the summer. He wasn't very secure in my answer. I felt so bad for him. He is in "preschool love" with Alea. The sad part is that Alea is in "preschool love" with Andrew, and has been for years. What a cute little love triangle.

Is Rudolf real?

Alea asked me on the way home from school today if Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer really worked for Santa and if his nose is really red. I told her yes he really worked for Santa and that his nose was really red. She said, "Really? Really?" I asked what she meant. She asked if Rudolph was really real. She said she saw Rudolph on a cartoon. (She knows that cartoons aren't real.) I asked her if Santa was really real. She said, "Yes". I said, "Well, there you go." She seemed happy with that answer. Does that make me a bad mom? This is why I was skeptical of "doing Santa" in the first place. I don't like lying or misleading her. I know I am not the only mom to do this, but it still doesn't feel right. Any ideas?

I just told Davin this story, and he said she did something similar to him last week. She asked him if princesses were real. He told her that there are real princesses. She asked him if Cinderella was real. He told her that Cinderella was a character. (She knows that characters are people pretending to be someone like Elmo or Mickey Mouse. She figured that out on her own.) I guess this made her start whimpering. Then she started asking about all of the Disney princesses and got upset. Davin said, "So, don't fall for that trick."

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Alea is in tap and jazz this year. She took tap, jazz, and ballet last year. This year she is dancing to the song "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". When I saw what their costumes were going to be I told Alea she had to be the one to tell her Daddy about the outfit. Davin has always said his daughter would not wear a two piece swimsuit. She does look pretty cute. She still will not be wearing two piece swimsuit anytime soon. See pics below.

Much needed

I had a much needed and much overdue day off from work today. Alea stayed home with me and was kind enough to let me sleep in. When I woke up she had "decorated" her face with magic marker (I thought we were past that stage.) I wish I had taken a picture to post on here, but I didn't think about it. She had drawn a princess crown on her forehead, a rainbow on one cheek, and a flower on the other cheek. It looked like face paint. Oh yea, she was also wearing a princess dress-up dress. We enjoyed some time at the mall today. She played in the play area, and I got a new purse and two new shirts.

and when you do...

And when you do stand up for yourself, if you do a good job of it, people will leave you alone for A LONG TIME! :)

Thoughts

When nobody else will, you have to stand up for yourself.

Queen of Hula

Check out pics of Alea below. She named herself the Queen of Hula and proceeded to show me the Queen of Hula's dance moves. This was right after her shower. She has so much personality. I love her so much.

Prayer Request

Please pray for me to find a new job in ESL (English as a second language) in a new building. I don't even care what district at this point. Thanks.