School

So the other day I get this random missed call that I didn't recognize. Listening to the voicemail I realized that it was my academic adviser at Western calling to see if I still had my book from my human sexuality class for her son. I still did so I was able to sell it to her, but it was really cool because I had been wanting to talk to her about my major and other stuff and I didn't even have to set up an appointment, she talked right on the phone to me!

I was telling her how I was wondering if Western had an ESL program (which they don't : ( and was wanting to just know more about the Child and Family Development program (which I'm in now) and more about the Early Childhood Program (which I'm thinking about switching to). She was able to tell me a lot just over the phone, even though I do need to still sit down and talk about it with someone probably. First, Western does not offer an ESL program; she told me some of the colleges that do in MI, but they were all private colleges that I don't really think I would ever want to attend, so I crossed that off for the time being. I really just think I'm supposed to stay at Western and finish out schooling here for right now.

So that leaves staying with the Child and Family Development major or switching back to teaching. Chris was able to tell me that the CFD program is very broad...much more broad than teaching would be. If all I ever wanted to do was work at a daycare this would probably work, but if I ever wanted to teach at a preschool or something higher, I would definitely have to get certified. I could probably get by with this degree and get a job teaching English overseas, but if I ever come back and want to work in the US teaching I would have to go back to school. Plus staying in this major would mean I wouldn't get much teaching experience which would probably really help and prepare me for teaching overseas. I think teaching overseas is what I want to do someday so it only sees sensible to stick with teaching here in the US.

When I was at Spring Arbor I was in the elementary education program. I was in it from my very first semester there to when I quit 2 1/2 years later. I got a good taste for it and enjoyed it a lot...I got a lot of classroom time with all the observation hours that you have to put in. I don't know though...I liked the program okay, I was doing well, I just wasn't as passionate or excited about reaching the end as I thought I should be. I mean I liked being in the classroom and working with the children, but I couldn't see myself running an entire classroom of 3rd graders. I definitely wasn't as passionate as some of the other students to just graduate, have their own classroom and start teaching somewhere.

So when I had my breakdown and quit at j-term last year I really had an identity crisis. I didn't know who I was anymore. I wasn't a student any longer and I really thought I never would be able to go back, so that crossed out becoming a teacher. I remember Richard, my step dad, asking me what I was going to do now that I was living back at home...I couldn't just sit around all day at home and stay depressed, he wanted me out and doing something more with my life. So I considered volunteering, trying to get a job somewhere and I distinctly remember saying something like "I wish I could get a job at a daycare, I think I would really like that." And I did a few weeks later.
I don't really remember if I became passionate about preschoolers before working at the daycare, maybe I did a little bit because of Japan, but once I started working and going to Threshold and just really moving on and trying not to stay depressed I really felt like I could go back to school again. But this time going for teaching kind of freaked me out. I didn't think I was passionate enough, I didn't think I could actually be good enough to teach elementary students or even if I could student teach. So, I decided to go for the Child and Family Development major.
The classes sounded interesting to me, which was a big deal, because before anything about school kind of freaked me out about going back. I didn't really know much about the major but kind of just picked in on a whim because "it sounded good." But ever since talking to Sara H. (who is in South Korea right now) I've really been thinking if this major will be enough. It wouldn't certify me to teach, which would probably really help me get a job overseas if that's really what I'm called to do. So I've been going back through and deciding if I should change my major back to education.

So talking to Chris I asked her about the Early Childhood Education program. It's much the same as the Elementary Education program, but with this major you have to do two student teaching semesters. Immediately my flesh wanted to say, "Forget that!" But the more I think about it and if teaching overseas is what I am called to do, then I probably need to be able to student teach here in the US, at least it would probably help. And why not get stretched even further, get even more classroom experience and leadership under my belt and do the Early Childhood program when I think it is the smaller children that I am more passionate about. The Early Childhood Program would get me certified to teach preschool through 8th grade...if I just did the Elementary Education I wouldn't be able to teach preschool after graduation.

So I think I'm going to switch my major to Early Childhood. I've been praying about it, haven't heard, "This is what you should do" or anything like that just the "seems good" in the Holy Spirit so I think I'm going to go for it. I still need to talk to family and friends and Pastor Erica about it. I haven't talked to anyone else really besides Pastor Erica that I've been thinking about changing it, so I need to hear what others who know me think. So yeah...if I did change it that would mean around 2 more years at Western, I think. We'll see...

Strong Tower - Dating

So Strong Tower has been really good lately. Pastor Erica asked all of us girls what questions we had about dating and she's going to go one by one through them over the next couple of weeks. This week was really good - some of the questions were something like:
what are the areas of physical contact and how far is too far?
how do you know they're the right one to date?
what is the right/wrong motivation to date?
how do you know they're the right one to marry?
how do you be content in the current season you're in/not be anxious?

They're all questions that are really good, but the last one can really be applied to anything in life; it doesn't have to do with just dating. Pastor Erica's response to the question was to be grateful for the season you are in. She mentioned that we should write down what we are grateful for. So the following are things I am really grateful for at this time in my life:

Pastor's Eric and Erica - being poured into each week
EC
My EC brothers and sisters
ESOM
volunteering in the 2's room
my job at the daycare in the waddler room
my car
my family relationships
Gwyn
Deanna
my school history
my past at SAU and how I can use what I learned now in EC
Pastors Jeff and Beth
Matt Munson and Michelle Snow
Sarah Hornback
Mallary Nisbett
PJ
being at Western and my professors and what they are pouring into to me in that way
finances - God is providing!
bridge card
laptop

It is good to go back over and instead of thinking and getting inpatient about the season I'm in...thinking on the positive and what God has blessed me with already that I have right now and not always thinking about what's going to happen in the future.


So talking about dating at Strong Tower has really gotten me thinking about dating (kind of a "duh" no-brainer, right?). I'm still getting over the mindset that I will never find anyone who really will love me enough to marry me, what if I really even want to get married, the I'm not good enough to be married...blah blah blah. I want to believe that he'll come around some day and I want to believe that I will date and get married some day it's just hard to believe right now. I've never even had a guy friend, why would somebody want to marry a girl who hasn't even gotten to know other guys as just friends??? But I have to tell myself that things change, people change, times change and maybe someday someone will come along.

So what if that happens sooner then later? What if a guy starts to like me before I've really figured out what I want to do with my life. Would someone really want to date someone who thinks she wants to live overseas for a few years, maybe forever, after she graduates college. It just seems like a waste of time. Why date someone when you think you might not even be in the country over the next couple of years? I don't know...it's just something I think about during the heart to heart...I know Pastor Erica will help me process it in our one in one. I just wanted to make sure I had thought it through what I've been thinking out on "paper."

EC for Next Year

Upclose weekend went great! It was really neat to be able to meet everyone who is interested in EC and hope that they will actually join and sign up. It was fun to meet possible girls who might be in my house next year. I can't wait! I think Andrew and Emily had a really good time, Andrew especially. He really connected with some of the guys and I think he will seriously consider joining next year depending on how this semester at the Arbor goes.

Upclose weekend and thinking about next year has really gotten me excited for it to be here. I'm really hoping I'll get to be an RA. The other night I couldn't sleep and I kept thinking of things that I want to do with my girls next year and how I will want our house to be. Here is a list of what I have so far:

Have a house name - come up with ideas and vote as a house within the first couple of weeks
Have each girl put a detailed schedule up on the outside of her door telling when her classes are and when she will be working - have a deadline to when they need to be up
Write verses or encouraging sayings on the bathroom mirror in dry erase
Have a house dinner night where I or another girl cooks and we all eat dinner together
After the dinner night try to hang out for a little bit: do nails, watch a movie, exercise video, worship, have a heart to heart about what God is teaching them
Before each semester starts go over each girl's new class/work schedule and pray over them to have a good semester
Have a mouse meeting every other week or once a month about new house rules or things that come up or announcements
Show them how to clean a toilet and what is expected out of cleaning
For me as an RA - always keep good stock of paper towel, toilet paper, hand soap, dish soap, dishwasher soap, sandwich bags/gallon bags, kleenex, etc. - ask for $10 a semester from each girl to buy these types of things and ask for more if needed, keep money in a jar in the kitchen
Keep watch of workouts and make sure they are doing them on the right days (not when it is boy times)
Wash dishtowels and hand towels regularly (keep dirty ones in a box in laundry room)
Have a dress up dinner night with the guys each semester
Write a "Monthly Cycle" newsletter each month and put it in the bathroom
Have a summer slumber party of future EC girls this summer at my parent's house
Have a variation of Muffit Christmas morning
Do the bathroom word game
Do the bathroom Christmas carol pictures
Do bathroom testimony/what has God been teaching you? paper
Do the holding thumbs prayer
Do morning house workouts
Do birthday dinners with dollar store presents
Have host parents (mom and Richard) cook our house dinner once a semester
Do a Walmart scavenger hunt

A pretty good list don't you think? It makes me excited about next year and all God is going to do! Can't wait!

Upclose

This weekend is Upclose! I have three girls in my group - Kali, Marissa and Jessica. Andrew's with Austin and Marshall. Emily's with Ashley. I think it will be a really fun weekend. It's a Sunday and a Monday. They get to come check out our condos, visit ESOM classes, have a family night, experience a typical EC day, etc. We've been praying for it and getting ready for it this week. It will be exciting for it to actually get here! Can't wait!

Spring Semester 2011

This week was the start of a new semester at Western. I have four classes with 12 credits. My major is still Child and Family Development. The first class is Monday afternoons. It goes from 4-6:20. When signing up for this course, I forgot to account for the walking to class time and now I have to leave from apprentice 15 minutes early...oops! It's called Intimate Relationships with Jeorge Feirro. It will be learning a lot about the family and marriage. It seems like it will be a pretty easy class.
I also have two classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Principles of Biology (hopefully my last prereq) is from 9:30-10:45. It's a big lecture style class with hundreds of students all from freshmen to seniors. It's bio class for non-majors. That's with professor Coulter. He seems to be a really nice guy, a good teacher and really knows the subject. Sometimes he can be a little too wordy. It's weird to be back in a bio class; it seems like high school all over.
Then there's Adolescent Development from 2-3:15. I think this will also be an interesting class to think back on my own adolescence and learn more about others. This is with Bryce Dickey. She says she's a tough but fair grader so I guess we'll see.
So it's kind of nice on Tues/Thurs to have a 3 hour break to eat lunch, do homework, whatever. Tuesdays I'll be working right after my last class and maybe Thursdays too if she ever puts me on the schedule. Fridays I'll be working too just like last semester. EC hours stay the same (except for leaving a little bit earlier on Mondays). I will also be babysitting every second Wednesday of the month at VFC for the macro training night.
Oh, I also have an online class. Personal Nutrition. I can't remember right now what the professor's name is...I think it will be okay, can't really tell for sure yet.
Overall, I think the semester won't be too difficult. I know God will help me and give me grace to get through it. Excited for what's going to happen Spring 2011!

EC Family Night and Disciples Cafe

Yesterday was an EC family night. The first years got to plan it so the second years had no clue what was going on. Us girls got together around 8 to get the envelops with the bowling coupons and quarters for shoes ready. Everyone got here around 8:30 to our house. Ashley had picked up pizzas from Papa Murphies. While they were cooking we played catch phrase. The whole time the second years were trying to get us to tell them what we were doing for the night.

After we had eaten pizza, we told them that we were going to play a new game that we had heard of called blind-folded musical chairs. We blind-folded them and even moved the table out of the way. Then we had them put on their shoes and coats; they were totally confused. We did a mini trust walk out to the cars and kept them blind-folded the whole way to the bowling alley. We ended up meeting the guys there and everyone hung out and bowled. We got to play just over two games; I bowled about a 77 I think. It was pretty fun.

Tonight after church I met up with my family at Disciple's Cafe. It was a game night. I played echure with Andrew, Mom and Kaili. We had a good time.

One on One

Today Pastor Erica and I had a one on one. I asked her to read my blog so we could talk about what I've written; so far she's the only one who has read it. It was good to come into the talk with some thoughts already written down and thought through.
One thing that really stuck out from the talk is just that God is looking for people with hearts that are right. He isn't looking for someone to pray to Him for 30 minutes every day and read the Bible through in a year. He's looking for people to have a relationship with Him; it's not just a religion. So that's encouraging; although I'm not all totally perfect and like the "super Christian" God still loves me for who I am and I just have to guard my heart, "for out of the heart come the issues of life."
I was also able to talk to her about Western and working overseas and reading my Bible...it was just a good time of revelation about who I am and where I'm going. Another thing that was really interesting that I hadn't noticed before is I get really excited when new start up or happen. Like being in Japan, getting a car and starting my job, starting going to VFC, Threshold and then EC. Then once things have been going awhile I kind of loose some of that passion or desire...I start to loose momentum and things begin to become more everyday and almost boring. I don't know if that happens to everyone...but Pastor Erica pointed that out to me today and I just thought I'd share it : )