Coffee, brownies, and The Delgados

mmm...
I was just thinking about how depressing the daily grind can sometimes be. But then I reminded myself that since I'm a Christian, everything I do should be to God's glory. Even if I'm just going to work every day and singing with children. So I made some brownies and a cup of decaf and decided to "unstress" about it. I got to digging around in my music folder and found some anime soundtrack tunes that I hadn't listed to in a while, and they're quite good. Through anime I have discovered the music of The Delgados. Nicely done. Thank you, Glasgow.

Anyway, feeling better now about living my own little daily grind. Amazing what music can do for you. That and a good cup of coffee. As we used to say at St. John's, "thank you, Jesus!"

Bonnie

Y'all need to check out my friend Bonnie's blog. She is a wonderful young woman - quite inspiring. She will welcome her second child on Monday, but sadly, her husband will be watching the birth from Heaven. He went to claim his mansion, robe, and crown in January. Anyway, check her out and send up a couple of prayers. Guess that's all.

More than a year???

I was reminded by a family friend that I needed to update my blog. So this one's for you, Tamara.

Currently I am working at a small private school, doing many different things there. Computer teacher, reading teacher, preschool music teacher, etc. Also the after-school program. I'm taking a couple of night classes this semester and am doing pretty well. Although it's not too complicated to complete a math and a speech course...

Jon and I have been married for four years, and our cat Harley will be four in May. My parents are recently divorced (this August will be one year), and my mom finally got to live her dream of living between her two kids and moved to Texas this past January. Yay!

As for all things inspirational, nothing comes to mind at the moment. Sorry, Tamara! But I did haveone of my pre-kindergarten kids come up to me today and say, "Miss Laura! One, two, three, Hallelujah means praise the Lord! He is good, He is great, He is who we celebrate!" That made me happy. It's one of the songs we've been singing in music class. And I thought it was so cute that she counted herself off! (Because I dont' count - I just let the CD play.)

More to come later. And not in a year.

Adios!

Funny websites

Okay, I'd forgotten about this one, but you need to visit.

www.songleaderrevolution.com

Also, www.lolcats.com

And if you're on Facebook, visit the "You know you're a Church of Christ if..." group. Some spelling mistakes, but they have an exhaustive list of jokes to giggle at.

I'll post more later. These were just the few that came to mind.

Thanks, Jeanne

Well, I'm supposed to be auditing some stuff right now for Jeanne, my co-worker, but I wanted to stop and say how much I appreciated her little conversations. She seems to be the go-to gal around here when it comes to needing a break from work and just having a nice chat. So if you ever stumble across this blog, Jeanne, thanks for letting me vent. I really appreciate it. Now I'm back to working on this project for you.

Chocolate Turnovers

Oh my word. I am sooo full right now. I had Arby's for lunch today, and I usually get either fries or a turnover. But today as I pulled into the drive-thru lane, I saw a new item on the menu: Chocolate Turnovers. Ack! So I ordered a roast beef sandwich, curly fries, sweet tea (of course), and a chocolate turnover. I ate it all. But I couldn't finish my dessert. I tried so hard; it was so yummy, I didn't want to waste any; but I just couldn't eat another bite. So now I'm almost finished with my lunch break, trying to digest as quickly as possible (yeah right, like I've got any control over that), and recover from my lunch binge. Note to self - no more gorging! But it was almost worth it...

The Comfort of Thunderstorms

So, it's raining right now in Conroe. One of those nice-sounding thunderstorms that you get quite often in Oklahoma or Arkansas. I haven't heard a nice thunderstorm in a long time, so I'm feeling more at home now than I have so far. I really like thunderstorms. There's something about being inside a nice, safe, cosy building while the weather is black outside. It's perfect weather for snuggling up in a favorite sweater and doing nothing. It also reminds me of Octobers in Oklahoma when I was in elementary school. The classrooms in my schools were old, with real hardwood floors and chalkboards (complete with dusty erasers and chalkdust!), and they were always smelling of school smells and felt warm and dry and safe. That's how I feel during dark thunderstorms. Safe and young. I feel the hot heat coming from the old-fashioned (and probably original) steam radiator against the wall under the brand-new windows; I see myself reading SRA folders and getting ahead in the literal reading rainbow; I smell the papery smell of math workbooks and phonics workbooks, and spelling tests being handed back with great red numbers at the top of each page. I see my wonderful smiling teacher sitting at her desk, looking as glad as I am that it's a rainy day, and therefore quiet and dull and sleepy. The classes will stay inside for recess today, and watch movies in the auditorium, which also has a hardwood stage, but carpet on the main floor. There are also old wooden folding chairs that stand against the wall during the school day, but come down and make two seating sections whenever there is a program being performed. After the movie recess, we will go back to our warm, safe, dry classroom and continue doing quiet work while the rain splatters against the new windows and the thunder rolls by, and the lightning taking our picture.