Sweet Cousin O' Mine..

I can't think of a more fitting way to celebrate my sweet cousin's 16th birthday than to dedicate this blog post to her and how much she inspires me to be a better person everyday - and she probably doesn't even know it! 

Anna and Me @ the Beach Up North!

I was eight years old when my mom got off the phone with my aunt and told me I had a sweet baby cousin! I was too excited beyond words. I jumped up and down on my parents bed. I felt like I had my very own baby doll to play with at family gatherings and holidays. My family even babysat every Monday morning during the school year . I had the most fun feeding her her morning breakfast just before I had to head off to school. Now that sweet little girl who I used to play with and swing around on the living room floor in a laundry basket has turned her sweet 16 today! 

Today, I'm starting my first segment on people who are undoubtably inspirational in my life. Anna is definitely the first one on the list. Somewhere along the way (I think it was the day we realized we could share clothes, ha!), Anna turned into one of my best friends. She's the one person I am always excited to see and hang out with when we go Up North. She's the person that I can make bracelets with and giggle at all of my Grandpa's silly sayings. Anna's most inspirational quality is her confident spirit in who she is at such a young age! That was something I didn't learn until much later. I learned to truly be myself when I went away to college. I found out that I am a daughter of the King and that gave me true confidence. Anna has that inner confidence naturally and it shows in every smile, every laugh, every facial expression - and every outfit! :)

This year, I went to see Anna for the 4th or 5th time? in the Grand Rapid's Nutcracker. After being almost every part in this ballet, she performed as was a flower and a snowflake (my favorite part!). She was stunningly beautiful in every way! Anna is mesmerizing when she dances not only because she is so talented but, because she dances with every part of her being and I love watching her! Her love for dance radiates out of every fingertip with every turn on stage. Just look at her!

I hope my cousin has the best 16th birthday - she deserves more than she will ever know! I was always excited for Anna to grow up and turn into a beautiful woman. I always figured it would be pretty fun - I just didn't know how fun it would be! Happy Birthday, Sweet Cousin O Mine! :)

You Tell Me This Time...

Back up, just a moment.

I entered the blog world in 2005 the same fall I started a brand new journey at Rochester College - my home away from home. Rochester College is where I became a daughter of the King - my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ just before going on my very first mission trip to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2006. I was always a good kid. I went to church every Sunday and Wednesday with my folks, surrounded myself with Christian friends, never even questioned getting into the party scene, the list goes on..But, I never really thought this whole "Christian Lifestyle" as my own. I definitely believed in God and knew there had to be something more to it than just the usual going to church thing.

Mission Trip to New Orleans - 2006 - taken right above where the levee broke

I definitely knew he was real because God and I would have one-way conversations as I would go to bed at night with things like, "I don't think I'm mature enough to make this type of commitment," or "How about when I'm 18..that seems like a reasonable mature age," or "I'll know when I'm ready." It wasn't until my 18th birthday came and went when I started to panic and tell God things like, "Okay, I'm 18 and I still don't feel mature enough for a life-long commitment, what about one more year?" Because like I said, "I'll know when I'm ready, God..jeez.." It was to the point where God was even sending me people at church, asking me why I hadn't taken the next step to real honest commitment. My stubborn, infuriated, Italian-self, would just get even stubborn, infuriated and well, italian lol. Constantly, I was the one trying to be in control of my life situation - as anyone can clearly see from the one-way conversation I had with God all throughout my (oh, so lovely) teenage years.

I wanted to take a step back into the reason I started this brand new blog. Like I said in my first post, I have been continually blessed by God. And in the past year I have learned so much about what God's Love truly is through family, wonderful friends, awesome mentors, and a loving church family. In the same year,  I also had to learn what God's Love just isn't - at all. In the five measly years that I have been a true Christ Follower, this is the year got really side-tracked. But, through it all, I searched. I discovered. I learned. And now I am inspired and now I am flying higher than before. Mainly, because this time around, after all the "Let me tell you, God" conversations - which I did all too often this year. I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of, "You tell me this time.."

Ultimately, it comes down to my pride. God's Love doesn't consist of being proud. I've read the Love Chapter tons of times. But, when you can actually feel and see these words played out in your own life. It's too great. It brings me to tears. All the wrongs that I did in the past year because of my own pride and selfishness is completely forgotten on His end - just in the moment I had a true heart to heart with Him. That is unfathomable. And that's why I feel so ultimately blessed. That is why I feel a peace that passes all understanding.

I'm hoping and praying that the purpose for this blog will not only be cathartic in nature to me - as writing always is - but, also a way in which I can express my inspirations through God's unfailing Love and dreams of flying higher through Him.

So, "You tell me this time..I'm listening.."

Fish Out of Water...

It's starting to happen to me.

Do you remember when you were in 2nd grade and you saw your teacher outside of school? Let's say in a normal-everyday-kind-of-place like a Target or a Kohls or a Home Depot? I remember thinking to myself, "What in the world is Mrs. (insert teacher's name here) doing here? WHY on earth would she be outside of school? Can she be here??" I thought my teacher lived at school and nowhere else. As if Mrs. Johnston wasn't a real person with a real life and the thought of her doing normal-everyday-kind-of-things such as going to the grocery store to purchase a gallon of milk was completely unfathomable. Scratch that, it was completely unfathomable!

Anyway, that aforementioned scenario just happened to me. Haha. But, I never thought how much funnier it is to be the teacher on the other side of that scenario. It's priceless. There I was standing in the check-out line at Target with a good friend ready to make a purchase when I saw a kid about twelve years old just staring at me. Side note: I'm pretty thankful I wasn't buying anything embarrassing like "feminine products" or toilet paper. I'm sure that will happen to me one day, but I'm glad today wasn't that day. I was merely buying a very cute skirt I found on clearance. Phew.

Back to the story, this twelve year old stared wide eyed as if he saw a fish flying out of water. I'm pretty sure he was going over the same set of questions my 2nd grade self would have been thinking. Until, I broke his thought process and decided to give him a polite smile and wave. And he eagerly waved back once he realized he wasn't seeing things. His face was priceless.

I'm sure there will come a day when I dread seeing students everywhere I go. When I get to my 5 year teaching mark, I will have had close to 1,000 different little faces! The more and more I continue to teach in this area, the more and more students will catch me going to the store just to pick up a loaf of bread at kroger or buy a new lip gloss at Walgreens. Who knew that teachers did those types of things? I for sure didn't. :)

Hello World..

Check out the new digs! I'm attempting to start a new blog here. My chosen teaching profession has recently made me crack down on my internet privacy with the fear of knowing my students are searching for me online. But, I've always enjoyed the blog world and incorporating into a huge and ongoing conversation amongst other blogging friends. So, I'm back on here with "Be Inspired..." which is the most fitting and appropriate name for this new blog site. I give thanks to my mentor teacher for giving me the cutest necklace on my last day of student teaching that reads "Be Inspired" on one side and "Fly Higher" on the other, which is where this phrase originates.I am excited to start this new journey on here. I'm excited to write about my all my new highs and I'm sure there will be times of great lows. But for now I couldn't be more pleasantly inspired.

Isn't it cute??

I love it!! :)

:End Introduction:

I am so blessed and completely and utterly at peace with how my life is right now - So much so that I catch myself settling in my nice warm bed at night, placing my head on my pillow, saying my prayers, then with an ever so slight, but peaceful smile on my face I falling dreamily asleep. (I know it sounds a bit ridiculous) But, the fact of the matter is that God is blessing me left and right. Each night I pray for how wonderful my family is. How great it has been to have grown up in a Christian home that taught me good morals and how to act like a responsible adult - okay still working on the later half of that..but really. I have been blessed beyond measure.

I have been blessed with the ability to teach. And as exhausting as it may be sometimes, I couldn't have asked for a better profession so suited for me. I love it. Although, I am just starting out and still subbing, I have been blessed to get to know so awesome kids - and some not so awesome kids lol - but, as soon as I figure out how to work them, it makes my job so worth it. I come home with crazy stories that are fun to share with family and friends. And sometimes I know that people even get bored of me telling stories about "my kids" I really don't care, because God has blessed me so unconditionally. Soon, I am starting my round of three long term subbing positions that will take me to the end of the school year. I'll be honest, during the middle of the summer when I was applying left and right for jobs and continually not hearing back from any one of them, I started to get really discouraged. It was as if I was sending my resume out into the cyber void hoping that something would spark the eye of the magic internet fairy and the school district would pick me - not much hope there. But God had a plan for me. That it would be better to sub for this full year, so then I may have a better shot next year. Or I might have to continue subbing and I'll be excited for that, too! Each long term position I've been requested for feels like one more step in the right direction. It feels like one more shot to try something new and polish my teaching strategies.

I love it.