By the way...

I got a puppy 11 days ago.

His name is Finn, though I wanted to name him DannyCoale.

I love him.

As Promised...New Looks

So official...poor Grade 9 doesn't get represented :(

This post was a little long in coming....the past four weeks have been extremely busy at work, but we had a FANTASTIC first week of school this week!!!  Hopefully soon things will start to fall into a routine.  For now, though, here are pictures of my new office and of my newly refurnished living room (and my home "office" that now actually has furniture). :)

Looking in..

Now for the living room...

The room is so small it's hard to get it all in one shot, but I love the new look!

And here is the den/office/storage room, that I most often use for folding laundry and ironing :)

I also did some work in the kitchen this summer.  I decided my wonderful table I bought in Williamsburg, though dearly loved, was just too big for my kitchen and completely overwhelmed the room.  I had to keep it against two walls to fit and it ended up more being used as an oversized counter.  So I gave it to my sister to use in her townhouse and borrowed this smaller one from my parents.  It really opens up the kitchen and I feel like I can move around so much better!

Now if only I could do something about how dark the kitchen is...

That's all for now.  Soon I will post about my life lately, and show off some of my recent knitting projects.  I've been quite productive!

Songs of Joy

Had a great conversation with an old friend this week.  I love it when God surprises me with very good news.

Psalm 126

A song of ascents.

 ¹ When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
   we were like those who dreamed.
² Our mouths were filled with laughter,
   our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
   “The LORD has done great things for them.”
³ The LORD has done great things for us,
   and we are filled with joy.

 ⁴ Restore our fortunes, LORD,
   like streams in the Negev.
⁵ Those who sow with tears
   will reap with songs of joy.
⁶ Those who go out weeping,
   carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
   carrying sheaves with them. 

The Lord HAS done GREAT things for us, and I am filled with joy!

He Loves Us!

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by Glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me

Oh how he loves us, so
Oh How he loves us, how he loves us so

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by Glory
And I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me

And oh, how he loves us so,
Oh how he loves us, how he loves us so

Yeah he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves


We are his portion and he is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean we’re all sinking
So, heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way

He loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves us
Oh how he loves

July Highlights

I don't have a lot of time right now but wanted to give a quick update of what I've been up to this month (since it clearly was not blogging).

Some highlights:

-- Working at Young Life camp one day a week in the snack bar (have had some crazy fun times with the other staff and campers)

-- Hull's Drive-in with the girls (so fun, but sometimes difficult to avoid seeing my students)

-- VACATION!!!!!  I went to Maine for a couple weeks and had a great time seeing family and relaxing.  I spent a lot of time reading and learning to knit, and of course we spent most of our days playing on the lake.

-- As I said in the bullet point above, I learned to knit.  I LOVE IT!!! I have a ton of projects in the works and I'm super excited about giving them to people once they're done.

-- I went to Harrisburg for the weekend before going to Maine and had an awesome time with one of my GCC ABT friends, Kim Thomas.  We went to a Senators game, the King of Prussia mall, Hershey Park, and a really cute winery, among other things.  I had a great time.

-- We've had some major changes at school, the most exciting of which is the new look.  My first thought when I went in last year for my interview was that the color scheme (pale yellow walls, blue carpet) was rather daycarish.  Well now we have a very professional theme (brown and burgundy -- yes, like a man cave but I like it), and I am hopeful that this will (maybe) set a new tone of professionalism throughout the building.  I also painted my office (moved to a new office) and spent much of this week rearranging furniture, hanging pictures, and, of course, scheduling students amidst the chaos.  I will definitely take some pictures next week and post them.

-- My apartment also got a new look this summer! It's still the same old walls and carpet with a weak air conditioner (it's been killer this week), but I got new furniture - bookcases, end tables, sofa, kitchen table, and a few other accessories and it looks so nice!  I will try to get a post up with pictures from when I moved in last year and pictures of the place now.  I love coming home to this place now :)

-- So now I've promised future posts and I will do my best to follow through.  Tomorrow I leave for a conference in Hampton and will get back sometime on Wednesday, so I should probably go do some laundry to I have clothes to pack.....

What I Love Wednesday

This is another popular weekly post in the blog-o-sphere.  I will link up to the original blogger next time, but since this is the first time I've written of these I'd figured I'd leave it for my own readers. 

I am LOVING books this summer.  I am planning a post for the end of the summer that gives you a list of everything I've read, but for now I will share two books that I just read this past week. 

I LOVE Francince Rivers.  She is one of my favorite authors and these two works were particularly moving. 


"Her Mother's Hope" and its sequel "Her Daughter's Dream" outline the lives of the women in one family over five generations.  The story was beautiful, and beyond that, it was very real.  As I read these novels, one passage of Scripture was often on my mind.  Deuteronomy 5:9-10:  "I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."  

Generational sin is something that, unfortunately, is very real.  I don't have any children yet, but I am sure it must be heartbreaking for a parent to watch his or her child fall into the same traps he/she once did.  But how wonderful it is when one child finally, after four generations, finally avoids the pit, and restoration follows!!!

And, on a more shallow note, I am currently loving this:
 
I found an internet coupon for $1.50 off and it was on sale at Kroger last week.  I am enjoying it while I type.  Buy it.  Eat it while you read Rivers' books.  You will love it too.