i forgot

there were two other videos i meant to post yesterday.

these guys are just ridiculous. i used this video to teach my kids what an allusion is.


this is, without a doubt, my favorite erykah badu song. i've been listening to it for years, but recently re-discovered it when my ipod was on shuffle. :)

as of late

well, there's always something going on, isn't there? i've started my second semester of teaching in north georgia, and it looks like i'm starting to figure it out. i love my school. i am very blessed to be able to say that, and i know it. i have my first honors class, and they're awesome. they're challenging, but in a different way from my other classes. i'm enjoying the new perspective. my other two classes are a lot of fun. i have some great kids this semester. also, i am trying to book invisible children to visit my school, so i'm really excited about the possibilites there.

i found out this week that one of my uncles has inoperable cancer. he lives in florida. i'm not sure if i will get a chance to see him or not. there are lots of things i could say, but i'm not sure where to start. it's not easy though. when i was little he lived on lake lanier. now that i'm up here, it makes me sad that he doesn't live up here anymore.

this week has been very interesting for me in terms of politics. those of you who know me, could probably never say you've had a conversation with me about politics. one reason for that may be that i hate discussing it. but i can't keep from commenting on this week's events. i thought that tuesday was a fantastic day. i want to believe that obama will make good choices for our country. i want to believe that he is an honest man, and that he believes he is making healthy decisions for us all. i couldn't help but feel hopeful on tuesday, watching the inauguration with my students...watching history take place. but i confess, as with every politician, i don't agree with everything obama plans on doing. i'm not going to go into specifics b/c that's not the point. i'm just going to be honest in saying that i know i'm not going to like everything he does, but i do pray that he is wise, steady, and honest.


here is some lighthearted entertainment to lighten the mood.

whenever i need a smile, i check out ps22 and their latest videos. this teacher is getting it right. i don't care who you are. music is the universal language.


don't inarupt. rude.


these next two videos are ridiculous. and no matter how you feel about obama, i think you'll get a kick out of them.

things you should watch

i thought i'd share a few things i've watched lately.

i've already decided i want to adopt willie. he's the super tiny one with cornrows.


i really just love this last video b/c it shows TI getting "slide certified" at the ron clark academy (around the 6:30 mark)

i need warmth

i tried writing a blog on oct. 11th, but never finished it. im having to start over now.

the past month has been kind of a blur. it started off with adam's birthday. he came up with his parents and we spent the weekend celebrating. his parents stayed with his brother, just around the corner from little five points. it was really hard for me to drive past several times and not hang out. greg - do you remember the time we went with dave, thomas, and justin? fun times. adam isnt a fan of his birthday, but i did my best to make a deal out of it b/c i love birthdays and think they should always be celebrated. it was a good weekend.

a few days later was one of the best experiences ive had in a while. jill came up for a few days and we went together to the catalyst conference. it was amazing. there were over 12,000 people there this year. i think that was a record. we heard some amazing people speak. there were many tears. God showed up. what can i say? as usual, im changed b/c of it. it was good to see jill, too, b/c we hadnt seen each other in almost a year. romeo was also glad to see her :).

the weekend after that i headed down to savannah to sing in a friend's wedding. it was great to be in savannah, even if for what seemed a moment. the wedding was great, and it was good to see such loving faces. i also celebrated my mom's 58th birthday. i used to think that was old, but if you know my mom, you know she's not old, so...

the weather started to change that weekend. now it's about a week later, and i've been sick ever since i left savannah. i don't remember ever being sick for this long. my head hurts. my ears are stopped up. i've sneezed so much i've probably started what will be a tsunami headed for goodness knows where.

this weekend sucked. i spent - and im not kidding - the entire weekend on the couch. i slept. i blew my nose. i took medicine. i slept again. it was awful. it didnt help that the moments i was awake, all i could think about was the awesome reunion a lot of my friends were having up at milligan. it was homecoming this weekend, and it was my five year reunion. there are so many hearts dear to me i wish i could have seen. oh, to hang out at sub7, hear chris sing, play games and drink shakes! i was really bummed that i couldnt be there. i dont deny that i cried about it.

i feel so weak. i know that no matter where i go in life, what my circumstances are, and who i'm with or without, that God should be enough. but he's not. if i'm really honest about how i feel (feel being an important word here), i dont think that he's enough. im struggling with lonliness a lot. it's been over a week since ive had a hug. don't misunderstand me. i know that God is enough. all im saying is that im in a spot where im struggling to believe that. i am so blessed, and i know it. i thank God for all that he's blessed me with, but i confess that im in a spot of weakness. i believe God wants me where i am, doing what im doing. that doesnt make it easy. and when i think of all the other places in the world God could call me, i recognize that i still have a very cushy life. the things im struggling with here are the same things i struggled with when i went to college for the first time and the things i struggled with when i lived in a foreign country for a summer. i crave warmth. i crave tangible love. i crave meaningful relationships. and i know these things do not magically appear, and that they are things that often take time. i dont feel bad in admitting that i struggle with this. i miss family. i miss the great friends that ive made over the years. i wish i didnt come home everyday by myself. that's all.

i beat anorexia, wait- i'm funny?, and poetry is...

oh geez.

you just dont know.

here we go...

- my niece, brady (http://www.bradyfaith.net/) is doing so well! her site is my homepage, so each time i open a browser i check on her as well as her mom and dad (my brother and his wife). i got so excited last night b/c in her pictures she's starting to look like a little fat baby, and this is a good thing. she was so tiny, and now her little fingers look so cute and pudgy. it kinda made me think of this shirt...



she's come a long way, and i'm super excited to get to see her in october.


- speaking of october, a few exciting things are going to happen. adam is coming up next weekend to celebrate his birthday, so that will be fun. i'm going to get to spend more time with his family, so that will be fun. the week after that is the catalyst conference. this is going to be amazing. this will be my third time going, and it has twice melted my face off. jill sims will be attending with me, so that makes it super fun. and finally, in mid-october, i get to go home b/c i'm in a wedding. that will be awesome for several reasons.




- i've been checking out some dave ramsey stuff on money, and it's really good stuff. if you're not amazing at managing money, you should check him out. i ordered a few of his dvds, and they've been amazing so far. highly recommend that action right thur.




- um, suddenly i was funny in class last week. i mean, it wasn't the pity laugh the kids normally give, which usually amounts to a verbal equivalent of, "oh, ms. reagan. you're so lame. we pity your humorless soul." no, this one was more like, "bwahhahahahahah....stoppp!!!! i'm bout to pee my pants!!!!ahahoiwehahwoeihhahahah!" oh yeah. we were reading a short story called "checkouts" and i explained one of my favorite skits to each class, and all three classes thought it was the funniest thing. who knew. maybe i'm adjusting better than i thought... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA1BO5mjHiA

today we listened to bradley hathaway's poetry in class and discussed his use of imagery, alliteration, poem structure, and allusion. it was magical. www.myspace.com/bradleyhathaway

- chLC is coming to visit (i think) this weekend. she's one of "my girls" from when i did student ministries at savannah christian church as well as young life. she's just started college, so it will be fun to catch up with her and giggle for the weekend.





- last weekend mom came up to visit and it was great. greg and jessica came over for dinner on saturday night. we watched a little from the last season of the office.



- i've been listening to tunes by the following as of late: joshua radin. kate nash. old crow medicine show. fleet foxes. johnny flynn. jose gonzalez. tyga. and, as always, copeland.

- today in the faculty meeting we watched a video interview with this kid named brian. a year ago, brian had the normal life of your average 17-year-old boy. this past spring he was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. in the video, i saw this bald-headed kid nervously rock back and forth in a big comfy chair and attempt to explain what he's gone through in the last few months. he misses school. he misses his friends. but there was nothing pathetic or needy about him. physically, he is so weak. but the voice i heard in the video was far from lacking in strength. he talked a lot about how God has carried him through all of this. when asked if he had a message for people watching the video, he stressed several times not to take the little things in life for granted, and that if you're doing something you love, whether it be playing sports, being artsy, or hanging out with friends, that you should enjoy it to the fullest - and i love this part - because that's the way God wants us to live.... at the end of the video, brian said he wanted to pray for us, so we all bowed our heads as this teenager with cancer prayed for us.... i mentioned that in my classes we read poetry today. well, another poem we took a look at is carl sandburg's "ten definitions of poetry"... poetry is being ungrateful and oblivious of blessings, while the One who provides these things speaks over you through a sick child fighting to survive.

this is why i'm hot

this is what i'm talking about.  this is what i miss when i say i miss savannah.  this occurred in the stands at a savannah high vs beach football game.  more than likely this is at memorial stadium.

ps - if you dont already know, the dancing style is called crumping. watch the movie rize.

little boy fall