Thinking back...

I was pondering the other day how much my life has changed in the last year. It's amazing what a year can do for you. This time last year I was still dealing with what I thought was a devastating blow of not finding a job. While I had an overall good attitude about it, I was still struggling immensely. Little did I know that in a week, my life would change drastically and I would face the HARDEST year of my life, but also the most rewarding and fulfilling.

I am so blessed and humbled by everything God has done in my life, especially this past year. It has grown and stretched me in ways I never imagined. I am still pondering the future and where God is going to take me...literally. I know that my time in Missouri may be shorter than I had originally planned...but after going through what I went through this last year, I feel more equipped to handle it.

My 8 1/2 years at GPH seems lifetimes away right now. I very much miss my "family" there but I am still able to keep in touch with them. Our lives are all moving on and even if I were still there, things are quite different than they were when I left. God knew it was my time to go there.

If I had known everything that lay in store for me last October when I accepted the new job, I'm not sure I would have taken on the challenge. BUT I am so thankful I did! I made some good friends, I learned A LOT, I grew some tough skin and learned more endurance and patience than I thought possible...and hopefully in the process...I reached a few kiddos.

Thank you Lord for what you've brought me through and where you are taking me!

Two parter

Okay so I have a two parter tonight. One part serious, one part not. So let's start with serious then move on to something light hearted.

I love love love my job...but as with any job with kids, there's always that ONE kid that just pulls your heart. I want SO MUCH to be able to reach this one child beyond even academics. Obviously I can't go in to specifics for confidentiality...but let me just say that every day...I pray and pray and pray for this one child more so than the others b/c this child doesn't have a chance in life otherwise. I literally would take this child home with me in a heartbeat if I could. I thank God so much for allowing this child to be in my class this year. I feel honored and blessed to be this child's teacher...I am humbled really. No child should have to endure the crap this one has. It's just not fair. But every morning, this precious little one walks in to class smiling ear to ear, hugs me and keeps chugging away despite all of the circumstances mounting up around him. He is God's precious one. One of the reasons I chose teaching over social work is b/c my heart can't handle more than one of these at a time!

Now...on to the light hearted before I cry AGAIN....

Top 5 cold/allergy/sinus comforts:

1. Grilled cheese and cherry lemon slush from Sonic.
2. Polor Express on loop on the DVD player (no matter what time of year)
3. Humidifier
4. Kleenex
5. Clean sheets- I have to have clean sheets when I am sick... it's a must
6. Theraflu (okay so that makes 6...oh well).

Friends, please say a prayer for my little friend tonight. Jesus knows!

Rainy day

I can sum up my weekend with four simple words:

1. sleep
2. work
3. movies
4. rain

It's one of those weekends where I've barely left my pj's, haven't even thought about make up, my drink of choice is theraflu, and I'm watching all my favorite movies.

I did somehow manage to clean most of my house and get my fall decore put out. And I got most of my planning done for the week.

This weekend I watched Polar Express on loop all night long, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, A Christmas Story (3 times) and now I'm watching Elf. I dont know what the deal is with the Christmas movies. Perhaps it's the cold rainy weather. I dont know. I love Christmas movies!

So that's it...my exciting life.

Kids say and draw the funniest things...

Drawn by one of my kiddos...how cute is this???

This is a picture of a cat for me. Cute!

This picture is from one of my students currently obsessed with whales. She says she drew it freehand, but I saw her trace it. :)

This one totally made my day. :o)

Okay before I begin this blog...I am SO NOT GOOD with formatting blogging stuff. I wanted my pictures at the END of my blog but I can't seem to make it happen! I need to take a blogging class! So the ABOVE pictures are some my kiddos drew...now...you can proceed to the rest of my blog EVEN THOUGH the pics are NOT where I want them!

So yesterday I was having a pretty crappy day. I woke up in mucho amounts of pain AFTER sleeping 10 hours. It was not pretty. I came in to school to have to deal with an issue that I was not in the mood for....so...I was cranky. Yep, Miss Netteler was CRANKY!

I have a small mailbox in the writing center. My kiddos can write me notes during free time. So yesterday, I read the notes...and I have to say...they made me happy. :) I love my kids!

So here is a sample of what I read yesterday to cheer me up (if unclear what the word should be, I put the correct word in parenthesis)

"Dear Mis Nettler I rilly whant to have a clas pet"
"Miss Nettler I am said (sad) now." (which makes ME sad that she's sad!)
"Dear Mr. (yes MR) Netteler, you rock. I say you are the best teacher ever."

"Hey Ms NEtteler, you are the best teacher ever"

"Can I come to your house sometime"

"What is your favorit food."

"We have a mrbte prte" (He means we are having a marble party on Friday)

"I love owre clas."
"Dera M.s Nettler I wan to laren (learn) a bowt wals (whales)"

"You are a very very very nice teacher."
"Daer Miss. Nettler, Did you like my danse at hte foot ball game?"
"Dear Mrs. Nettler you are a grat techer. I want to now (know) do you go to god fathers?"
"You are the best techer."

"Dear Ms Nettler do you lick (like) my pitcher I wen to larn a bowt walse (whales)"

"Dear Mis Nettler you are a grate techer you are asume (awesome)."
"Dear Ms. Netteler you are the best teacher ever."
"You are the nicest 2nd grade teacher."

"I like you." (this one made me laugh A LOT)

"I like you, you are nice." (and this included an adorable picture of me and her)
"Dear Mrs. Nettler the rain was weird at the football game rite?"

Obviously we need to work on things like...SPELLING MY NAME RIGHT! But otherwise, these are good for a laugh!

Ho Hum...

One thing I have learned in life is that God does not follow my plans very well.

Okay, well...I'm kinda glad b/c HE DOES know a lot more than me! I'd have screwed things up for sure if it were up to me.

Change in the air...

Well, normally I do not blog about serious stuff. I like to keep things light and funny. But tonight, my heart is heavy. There's a change a comin'. Tonight, I'm being totally transparent. I've been wrestling in my spirit over where the next phase of my life will be. Let me share first my devotional the other night. This is out of the book "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.

Title: Called By God
Scripture Reference: "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying; 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me'" Isaiah 6:8
Synopsis: Isaiah overheard God saying "who will go for us?" The call of God is not just for a few, it's for everyone, but not everyone has the "spiritual ears" to hear it.

(Quoted from the book) "Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistable pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate insistence of "Follow Me" was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard- "The voice of the Lord." In perfect freedom we too will say, "Here I am! Send me."

I've been undergoing a spiritual battle of sorts...where is the next step? Where is God sending me? I am spiritually restless right now. I almost feel like a wanderer. I am, for the first time in my life, not involved in a church (though I faithfully attend and love my church). My ministry is in the classroom and I believe will continue to be, but there is something else that God is calling me to. Tonight, something I had already been feeling as a possible next step was confirmed. Events over the last year or so are starting to make sense and pieces coming together. I can no longer fight it.

Right now all I can do is rest in the arms of my precious Savior and say "Here am I! Send me."

And I'll just end with this, if what I am feeling is what God is going to do, well...all I can say is NEVER say NEVER! ;o) (and no, I'm not referring to Justin Bieber!)

I need patio furniture....

I'm sitting on my deck doing my nightly relaxation ritual with the animals. I'm also lesson planning, because a teacher never stops working. Milo is entertaining himself by dropping his ball off the deck and then running below it and getting it. It's pretty humorous to watch. Braxton is chasing bugs as usual. And Sammy is in time out in the house b/c he ran off again (which he ALWAYS does). Actually last night he climbed hte fence so I dont know why I even let him out.

I'm sitting on my rump on the hard wood of the deck. Next year, I'm so buying patio furniture! THis is not comfy to say the least.

Today I had to compete with an arachnid. My students know what that is because we just learned about them last week. Yep, I had an 8 legged critter on my ceiling all morning. I've learned, the hard way, that that arachnids will get the full attention of 20 7 and 8 year olds long before the teacher will. UGH. So I was cool with the arachnid on teh ceiling. It disappeared about halfway through the day and I was fine with that. Out of sight, out of mind.
After school, I had planning with the other teachers. I got back to my room about 6 pm. I had a tshirt lying on my desk. I lifted it up...and BAM there's the arachnid! I literally SCREAMED. I mean...LOUD. The funny thing is, I even joked with a couple of kids about how that spider was probably in their backpacks. Lo and behold, it was under my tshirt. LOVELY!

It's dead now.

OF course two weeks ago, I found a toad in my classroom. If I had kept the toad like my kids begged me to do, the spider would not have been an issue. Maybe I should find a toad to keep the arachnids at bay.

Speaking of bay....I REALLY miss the show Switched At Birth (if you dont know why bay reminds me of that, then you dont watch the show). I hope it comes back on next season. I always get in to shows that never air again after one season. It was actually a really good, mostly family friendly show.

Well, I got nothing else ror the night. OH WAIT YES I DO! ...speaking of arachnids! Last night I had a dream that I was covered in spider webs and spiders. I woke up and JUMPED out of bed and threw my covers off. I'm pretty sure I screamed. I think freaking my kiddos out last week with the spiders is coming back to haunt me.

Well, g'night folks.