Now I have time

It is Sunday night and I am sitting in the living room with my husband and 2 of our dogs....no kids anywhere. As we sit exploring social media on our respective laptops, I think back to the day when I couldn't imagine being in the house with no children for one night, and definitely not a full week.  But I am....

I traveled over 1000 miles by car to get my oldest children to their summer destinations.  Briana is spending her summer in Somerset, PA.  This is very close to where the plane went down on 9/11, flight 93, I think it was.  It is a very remote city.  Beautiful farms.  Very few people.  She will be working with another intern to promote the camp.  For two weeks, it was just them and the families that run the camp year round.  It has been lonely but things are picking up as the counselors and eventually campers begin filling up the cabins.  They just had a new addition, a pony was born today.  Briana was the first to see the baby.   She has adjusted well to a very different life.  I am sure she will learn a lot

I left PA and met Andrea in Virginia.  She has a job there and was moving into her first apartment.  Actually it is an old Victorian house that is shared by several girls.  She is making her way in the adult world.  I am very proud of her.

 Pictures of my trip

Joanna is working at camp this summer.  I think she is very surprised at how difficult it is.  She has met some new friends and is enjoying working with old friends.  She is working with the daughter of an "old" friend of mine.  It is interesting that we spent many years at Trinity Youth Camp and her daughter traveled from Utah to work at camp.  Our daughters have become friends.

Baby Krista is in Michigan with the youth group.  It is her first big trip all alone.  We haven't heard from her much, which means she is working hard.

One very special thing about the beginning of summer is that I have been able to spend alone time with every member of our family.  This is not something that happens often.  I think it was a first with Joanna and Krista.  I spent 2 whole days each with them.

Now what to do with this time I have.....among other things, I think I will blog a little more.  I set this blog up when Briana left for Argentina to keep her updated.  I think with all the girls leaving, I need to post more to keep them posted in between all the texts we send to each other.

The First Mile and the Last Mile

I have been teaching 8th graders about justification and sanctification.  It is a difficult concept for them, but it is crucial for them to differentiate between the two.  While I was running my 9.3 practice miles for the Gate, I stumbled upon (in my mind) an interesting analogy involving the first mile and the last mile.  They are, at least for me as a runner, the most important in a race.  They should be viewed as the most important in the Christian's race as well.

In running, the first mile is important.  It is the one that gets you off the couch and hitting the pavement.  The first mile for the Christian is putting your faith in Jesus Christ.  This places in the narrow path that leads to heaven.  John 14:6 illustrates the margins of that path. "No man cometh to the father except by Me", Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  When we put our faith in Christ, God sees us as righteous, just as if we had never sinned.  As Christians, this is the beginning of our journey.

No runner wants to walk his last mile, especially not the finish line.  He wants to run across the line.  Paul speaks often of his desires for his last mile.  In Acts 20 he is telling of his trials and ends by saying "None of these things move me".  He was not distracted by his difficulties in life, he knew who he believed and was persuaded that He would finish His work (2 Tim 1:12, Phil 1:6).  Paul was not ashamed when he ran into heaven because he was not ashamed of the gospel here on earth.

If the first mile and the last mile are most important, does that mean those middle ones don't matter.  Absolutely not.  If I, as a runner, go too fast or try to do too much, I may become weary and stumble.  As a consequence, I might walk, stumble or crawl across the finish line, making me ashamed of my performance.  It is those middle miles in our Christian life that will keep us from not being ashamed before Christ when we conclude our last mile.

This is where an understanding of sanctification is important.  It is the act of turning from the world to God. (2 Cor 5:17).  These "good works" are not necessary for justification, but should be a result.  Just like the middle miles for a runner, you must prepare.  Your preparation for those miles in your Christian walk comes from God's Word.  Here you will find the plan for your life.  Follow it.

What I learned from Eighth Graders

My posts are sporadic. My life is very busy, that is a good thing, but it does impair my creativity. In December, I resigned from th DCPS. I felt like I was too old to fight that battle. I had never in my life been to public school. I had never worked in the public sector. I had never personally been exposed to Unions. I didn't know your employer could deduct money from your check to put in a retirement account for you, without your permission. And I had certainly never been exposed to grade recovery, compass odyssey, limelight, alt cert, and th list goes on. I was definitely on foreign soil. I really had some great students and colleagues, but I guess I am more of a free enterprise kind of gal. When I was offered the job at a private school, I took it.

Here is where eighth graders enter. I teach ninth grade Economics and eighth grade Bible. I have never taught eighth grade and only taught ninth a few times. Eighth graders are a strange breed. Here is what I have found to be true, not necessarily in order of importance.

In order for something to be heard, it must be repeated at least 5 times per student.

In order for students to notice the homework assignment written on the board, it has to be multicolored with stars around it, and that is only good once and for just a few observant kids. The next time you have to find another way to make it stant out.

When called out for talking, it is never their fault and they are not the only one.

Arguments can go on for days.

Read is a four letter word.

Their notebook is always in their locker

When a child has his hand raised during discussion, it is probably to go to the restroom, not to answer the question.

Drama, drama, drama, life is so full of drama.


They contain copious amounts of energy and really don't have a lick of sense, but they don't claim to know anything, that will come next year in ninth grade.

I am up way too early, and it has been a long time

I am taking this stupid reading comp class for my teaching certification.  Not that reading comp is stupid, but this one is.  I am not sure if it is the set up of the online class or the Maya Angelou wannabe teacher.  This explains why I woke up at 4 am this morning sweating this course.  I haven't posted in a while, so why not vent, I say.

I teach AP/IB and Honors science classes, so I fail to see how I can use phonics and fluency activities in my class.  Honestly, if they are decoding and stumbling over words, they are in the wrong place.  When the instructions how would you implement these activities in your learning environment, my honest response is I won't.  The instructor would like for me to make something up to show that I have read the module.  From her responses, I am not sure she has read the module.  Or maybe, we just don't understand each other.  She is probably a former elementary teacher (take no offense my friends that teach elementary) and our approaches are, and should be, very different.  I don't think I have ever been so glad for a class to be over.  Considering I took Organic Chemistry more than once, that is quite a statement.

Ok, off my rant.  This school year is off to a great start.  I am teaching 3 different classes, which means 3 preps, which means I have more to do than I have time.  Krista is also taking Biology online.  Fortunately it is following the same sequence so I can use some of the same things with her that my students are doing.  Unfortunately, her Algebra II is not so easy.  I guess you can say that is another prep.

Briana is settled and doing well at Liberty.  Andrea has had a change in plans, she is finishing her AA at FSCJ.  This will be completed in December.  She has applied to a few colleges, so we will see where she will be in January.  Jo will have her AA in June.  Kris will hopefully finish 10th grade and maybe make it to the state tennis tournament.

Saturday is the annual Marine Corps half marathon.  I am as prepared as I am going to be.  I am so tired of running in the heat.

Well we are updated.  Have a great day!!!!

Lessons learned and pages turned

It has been a while since I have posted on my blog. To say my life was uneventful would not be true. It just appeared that things were just too mundane to be of interest to anyone out in cyberspace. I finished my first year back at school. Busy doesn't explain life during that time. Not only was I teaching, but I was back in school myself working on certification.

Joanna has her license and a truck, which leaves only Baby Krista and she even has her permit. Today I took Joanna to open a checking account and get a debit card. Krista is right behind her. They both have jobs lined up for next year. It is difficult to believe that all my girls are nearly grown.

Andrea will attend Flagler College in the fall and Briana will be at Liberty University.

I turned 50! I decided this would be a good time to detox my life and quit dwelling on my past failures. It has been challenging, but I think I have been moderately successful. With fewer years ahead than behind, I decided I would be more selective with whom and for what I use my time.

My church is still a place where I find fellowship and food. Our family is blessed to worship with such a great family.

I continue to run. I have connected with a running group, the Absentees. This is a good group, as I am absent more than I am present. The members are diverse and very interesting. All are much better runners than I, but I glean from their experience. I am impressed with their tenacity and faithfulness to the sport. The fact that we run is binding in itself. I hope that I too have left something with my new friends.

This summer I have been volunteering at the Freedom Farm in their organic garden. I think I do more listening than productive gardening, but I have enjoyed this. The men there, with God's help are beating their addictions. God's Word and hard work are their new obsessions. I am glad I can be their friend.

As my girls grow into young ladies, I am realizing that letting go is difficult. Actually letting go and finding and empty space is more difficult. As their wings take them from my nest, I have to let God protect them. He illustrated this very effectively this past week. Andrea had an accident and we were 600 miles away. I couldn't solve this problem. But God did, better than I could. He is always there and as they have long ago released my hand, they are always in God's hand.

As long as he is alive, Jimmy will be here. I am very grateful for that. It seems like we have always had kids. As the girls fly, I will continue to find ways to help others, make new friends and enjoy the rest of my time with my Baby.

I once was lost....

If anyone knows me, they know I am seriously directionally challenged. I started teaching again this year and I am a travelling teacher, that just means I don't have a classroom. It was several months before I didn't wander around the halls trying to figure out where I was. It really is that bad for me.

Currently I am training for the Gate River Run which includes the Hart Bridge at mile 8. I had plans to meet up with a friend in Riverside to run the bridges. My husband gave me explicit directions, including landmarks, to the Riverside YMCA. Now in my defense, 95 has changed alot recently, but I went south instead of North and didn't make it. I ended up in Southside Park so I decided to run from there. In spite of being lost, I had a great run. Crossed the Acosta Bridge (which is very tall) 3 times and the Main Street once. It ended up being a wonderful 6 miles. I got mixed up in the Donna 5k at one point. Jacksonville really is a beautiful city!

I guess the moral of this story is that we are really never lost, God is always in control. He knew what I really needed that day. My friend's group actually changed their time. I don't really like to run with anyone. The weather was beautiful and I had no real agenda.

Tysons 2010

This has been a very eventful year, but aren't they all? I am grateful for all the blessings in my full life. God has been very good to me, as undeserving as I am.

As always, the year starts off with my anniversary, 2010 was 23 years. I can't exactly tell you what attracted me to my husband initially, but I knew he was a good man. After nearly 24 years, he is still a keeper. He joined me on the running trail this year. He doesn't do many long runs, but we have enjoyed comparing notes on the training. He ran the River Run (Ortega and Gate) and the 5K at my annual Marine Corps HM. He is determined not to be a typical American with a waist larger than his chest. He continues teaching his Spanish Singles class and has preached on a couple of occasions.

I am completing my second full year of running. February was the Ortega River Run. I had upper respiratory issues for 2 weeks before the race, I finished with a PR and threw up at the end of the race. The week of the Gate I had a stomach virus and was throwing up for two days, I managed to finish that one 2 minutes ahead of the year before. I didn't run again until the HM in October. 2 weeks before the race I got a blister on my foot that got severely infected and was still a wound during the race. I had to stop and stretch several times in the race but still finished slightly ahead of last year. I ended the year with my first 5K...I now know that I don't like that distance. I think it is because it is because I don't like speed work. I began teaching at Paxon High School. It has been an adventure for 2 reasons, I started after the school year did and I have been out of teaching for 11 years (except for teaching my own kids).

Briana is finishing her AA this year. She has done exceptionally well, even making a B in Calculus. She has applied to Liberty and UNF. She has taken up Yoga with me and is really enjoying it.


Andrea completed her HS tennis career with a final trip to the state tournament. Her first opponent lost only one match in the tournament, the final. It was a disappointment for her. She is currently midway through her first year playing tennis at FSCJ. She will finish her AA there and has already been accepted at Flagler where she will play tennis next year. The boyfriend is still around.

Joanna began dual enrollment this year. She is doing well. She now has a truck and an appointment to get her license. She has a goal of having her AA when she graduates from High School.

Krista will begin her High School tennis career this year at Ed. White. She is in 9th grade with alot of great potential. She, too, has an appointment to get her learners permit. This is the last one Dad gets to teach. I am so glad Jimmy does such a great job with teaching the girls to drive. I know I couldn't do it nearly as well as he does.



One of the biggest events of the year for us was going to Washington DC for the Restoring Honor Rally. We had never been to DC and even thought it was a whirlwind trip, it was quite memorable in many ways. We planned to return at the end of the year, but had some unexpected expenses and decided not to. We do look forward to visiting our nation's capital again.

We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas season and wish you many blessings in the new year.