Book Recommendation

I love to share any books that I absolutely love with friends. I know some of you have read this one but it is too good to just casually list in the "Recently Read Books." Marley and Me, by John Grogan is one of my new favorite books. I read the first half of the book about two or three weeks ago in one sitting and then decided I could take some time to read the rest of it last night. Although I spent the last four chapters crying, Marley and Me was so heartfelt and so easy to identify with, it was totally worth the tears. If you are a dog lover you have to read this book!


The movie of Marley and Me should be coming out sometime around Christmas of this year. I am looking forward to it!

School Year Wrap-Up

Things are finally coming to a close at school. The end of the school year is filled with various events during the day such as field day, the never ending talent show, awards days, and other festivities. This is also a time where anxious teachers await grade and room assignments. I was told today that I will probably get to teach 1st grade next year which is really good. I have always wanted to teach first grade! There is a chance it could change to fifth if budgeting changes but for right now I am very excited. I have had a great year and could not have asked for better students. I have absolutely had a blast teaching this year.
I also reached an epiphany this past week. I realized during my trip to Lexington last week to the annual Kentucky Literacy Research Symposium that I did not want to spend the rest of my life away from my husband and hopefully one day family. I was able to spend both days with four of my professors and another graduate student. I realized they either lived by themselves or they never saw their families. One professor even practically lives with another one because she lives so far from home. I think my priorities are changing. As I get older, I am beginning to want to start a family. Now I hope to wait another year or two to actually try to expand our family but just the thought of having children is a big start for me. I have really been thinking a lot about what I really want to strive for in life. What am I really working so hard for? What am I actually accomplishing? Am I working so hard that I am really missing everything important? Can't I be successful as a mom or elementary school teacher? These are the questions that just keep popping up in my head. I want to be able to make a difference and I believe I can do that without a Ph.D. I have also been thinking that I can probably make more of a difference teaching young boys and girls rather than if I was teaching at the college level. So although I am wrapping up a school year I have just begun my work as a world changer. I still have to plunge my way through the rest of my Master's but during that and in the years to follow I have lots of little girls and boys to teach and I am happy and honored to get the opportunity to teach.

A Battle with Barberry Bushes

I have a tremendous fear of needles and in my opinion thorns are just as bad. When we moved into our lovely house last year, our yard had 5 barberry bushes in the front flower beds. Now barberry bushes are quite popular around here, but I have no idea why. They are usually for most the of the year and then they turn red in autumn. They are nice looking, but they have huge, very sharp thorns all over them though.
I was so very grateful to my mom and dad who helped me remove two of the bushes from the front yard last year. I did not want to be wasteful of perfectly good shrubs so we moved them to the very back of the yard. Well, I am actually not sorry to say, they died. I had been planning on removing them and the three other thorny shrubs from the front yard this spring, but because of my phobia of sharp thorns, I had been putting it off. I finally got the nerves to pull them up and I put them out by the road. Well, after almost two weeks, they still had not been taken. So Bryan told me I was going to have to bag them up. The mere thought of having to cut the bushes apart and stuff them into bags was torture to me. So I did what any other fear stricken individual would do. I put it off. I carried them around back and they sat in the yard for a few more weeks. Finally, this weekend I decided I was going to be brave and cut them up, bag them up, and get them out of here. I worked very carefully and I only managed to get stuck by a thorn four or five times.
The battle with the barberry bushes was in a way a good task for me. Everytime I felt a thorn it reminded me of Jesus and what he must of felt as the thorn of crowns was placed on his head. I am afraid of a tiny prick from a thorn, and he was not only willing to wear a crown of thorns, but also die for me. Wow! How can I even complain and whine about some stupid, little thorns?

After it all, although I am thankful the barberry bushes are gone, I kind of liked having to overcome one of my fears while also finding something spiritual from it.

I did a lot of work this weekend so here is a recap in pictures:

Here are all of the barberry bushes bagged up and ready to go :)

Here is what our flower beds look like now with new mulch, new flowers, and those barberry bushes replaced with some nice firepower (thornless) bushes.

I also planted a small vegetable garden at the back of our yard. I started all of the seeds in one of those peat pot gardens. I am sorry to report that the rabbits have already dug up some of the broccoli and cauliflower. Those dang rabbits!!!!

I also planted two peony bushes on the right side of the house in hopes that I will have beautiful pink blooms sometime this summer.

On either side of our front door, I planted a beautiful variety of red begonias.

On the back deck we bought a table and four chairs so that we could enjoy the wonderful weather.

I also planted two planters full of a variety of flowers.

And last but not least, I re-established my herb garden. This saves us lots of money and it is very easy to take care of all summer long.

A Big Sigh of... Relief

I was able to breathe a big sigh of relief today. I finally submitted my last paper for the semester just a few minutes ago and I cannot express how much weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I have had a more challenging time this semester than last, even though I only had two classes instead of three. I cannot even estimate how many hours I sat in front of a computer screen and typed or read scholarly journal articles and books. I am so thankful it is over!!! I only have to be thinking and reading up on my thesis topic for most of the summer and I don't have another class until July. I am thrilled.
I am going to spend my time relaxing and reading for pleasure (which I haven't done since I can't remember when). I am also going to be able to spend time with my very neglected husband who has supported me the entire year. Although the summer is not quite here for me yet with my teaching, I am grateful I get to spend my evenings doing what I please and not in class.