And only one other person has posted anything in the past week. Like seriously! I thought the point of the blog was to keep in touch with everyone since we’re all in so many different places. So how ironic is it when the two people who are still in Kentucky are the only ones posting anything…

But I digress. In actually important news, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage throughout the country today, which is, you know, preeeeetty cool. I’ve never really understood why it has to be such a big deal- if you do have religious oppositions to marrying someone of the same sex, just don’t do it. But don’t force your beliefs onto other people- there’s nothing either biblical or Christ-like about that.

The rest of today’s news was less cheerful- a memorial service for one of the murdered church members in Charleston and three terrorist attacks were a sobering reminder that much is still wrong with the world.

Then JKR announced that a new play, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is going to come out in London next summer, which is exciting. Jake and I kinda really hope we can go as part of our honeymoon, but we shall see.

Aaaaand that’s all I have to say about that. I would love to hear from more of you this week! You know, about your lives, and adventures, and feelings, and stuff. Sooooo…

Bye now!

Love,

Sara

Hello from home! I totally meant to blog last week, but you can rest assured that it wouldn’t have been a very interesting one at least- I slept in every morning, read an entire series a book a day, and joined a gym with Jake. The book series was The Selection, which I’ve actually wanted to read for a couple of years now, and it was really good- I couldn’t put it down- but there were also a couple of things that frustrated me, but I won’t go into detail since I don’t know how many of you have read/are planning to read it.

The gym actually hasn’t been so bad. It’s even kind of fun! And, you know, healthy, so that’s always good. But this week I haven’t really been to the gym- I’ve been visiting home, as I mentioned. I’ve been hanging out with my family as well as some of Jake’s friends. Two of them have babies, and one has a toddler, so you can imagine how much fun I’ve been having :) Obviously, I also enjoy spending time with Jake’s friends. Butttttt babies! Oh my goodness you guys, so cute!

And you should already know that I’ve been doing some shopping this week as well. The wedding is still a year away, so I’m not really planning to buy a dress anytime soon, but it was still really fun to start trying them on and getting an idea of what I liked. It would have been nice if you all were around to come with me, but as it is my mom, sister, and mamaw all came, and we had a good girls’ day out :) There are only a couple of dress shops here in town, but we’re planning to take a couple of trips, maybe later in the summer, to look elsewhere, so be on the lookout!

So that’s my boring life :) I hope everyone’s enjoying themselves, and I’ll talk to you all next week.

Love,

Sara

Hello from summer break! I am happy to say that, a week into June, my school year has officially ended. Wednesday was the last day for the kids, and I definitely did not cry when I told my class to give me a hug before they left. My eyes may have gotten a little red… my voice maybe got a little rusty… but I did not cry! Then yesterday was closing day, which means all the teachers spend the day removing everything from the floors and shelves in preparation for summer cleaning. We also got fed, like, three times, so all in all it was a pretty good day. It combined two of my passions- organizing and eating.

And today I slept in until 9 and have done next to nothing except shower and surf the internet. I do have plenty of productive things on my summer to do list, but I don’t have to get up at 7 to do them :)

I’d like to say that I’ll be a more consistent blogger now that I’m not wrangling kindergarteners every day, buuuuut we’ll see how that goes. I hope all of your days are lovely and hopefully I’ll see a couple more blog posts before my turn rolls around again (hint, hint). Bye for now!

Love,

Sara

Hello from election day! No, it's not Friday, but Rachael didn't post on her day either. Maybe this can be our next unofficial theme for the week? Don't worry about what day it is, just post whenever you feel like it!

Anyways, I do have a legitimate excuse for not posting this time (the last few it's literally just been that I forgot, lol). Instead of writing up a blog, I was sitting in a car on an 8 hour marathon drive to Florida! A couple of Jake's (and my) friends got married in Destin this weekend, so we roadtripped it down and back. I couldn't really take off work, so we left right after and met some other friends in Bowling Green to ride with them. We ended up getting to the hotel around 2 a.m., which was at least better than we thought- we were imagining 4 or 5.

As I'm sure you can imagine, the weekend was a little bit rushed, what with spending about 20 hours of it in a car after everything was said and done. But it was definitely worth it. We went to the beach after getting a few hours of sleep Saturday morning (girls and boys separated, of course, because the bride and groom weren't allowed to see each other). It was cloudy, and I applied sunscreen twice, so no sunburn! Then we spent several hours showering and everyone getting ready. I wasn't a bridesmaid or anything, but Jake was a groomsmen, so I ended up hanging out with the bridal party and helping to get table pieces where they needed to be and running whatever errands I could to help out. Whitney (the bride) looked beautiful in her dress, of course, and the wedding itself was gorgeous. It took place out on the sand before we moved up to the deck for the reception. Since it was a destination wedding, there were probably less than 50 people total. We all tried not to cry during the vows, then watched the wedding party take pictures (with varying degrees of seriousness) on the beach before enjoying the delicious food and crazy fun dancing of the reception. By the time that was over, everyone was exhausted from the nonstop dancing and jumping around, and it was time to get some sleep before another marathon drive back to Kentucky.

All said and done, I got home around 10, just in time to go to bed for work in the morning. Today, happily, is election day, so I get an extra day to sleep in before the rest of the week.

So it was a very busy weekend, with lots of driving (Alabama is so big, guys. Why does it have to be SO stinkin' big?), but the ceremony was beautiful, I am so so happy for Whitney and Jonathan, and I can't wait for the next one. Admittedly, that will probably be mine, so my motives are a little skewed. But, the moral of this story is that I love weddings. So you guys better get on it. I need more excuses to dress up and cry and dance til I drop.

Love,

Sara

Hello from theme week! Cause it’s not stealing anymore if everyone’s done it, right? I have chosen to use AB’s questions, though I took out a couple of the tumblr-y ones. I have taken everyone’s advice and stayed away from that black hole of lost productivity :P Sooo here I go!

1. The person I like and why I like them: Jake! Mostly cause he gave me a shiny pretty ring, and what girl could resist such a gesture? Forreal, though, he is more than I could ever have imagined. Funny, smart, goofy, talkative where I’m quiet, outgoing where I’m reserved. As an introvert, I always needed to get away from people and be on my own to recharge, but there has literally never been a moment when I felt like I’d had my fill of Jake time. We talk about anything and everything and can just completely be ourselves together, and I am beyond blessed to have him.

2. A famous person I’ve been compared to: Audrey Hepburn primarily. All kinds of people say I look like her, I guess cause I’m tiny. Though I think she was actually pretty tall. Also Helena Bonham Carter, especially by Anna Beth :P


3. 5 things that irritate me about the same sex/opposite sex:
Same sex:
- I have to agree with Anna Beth- girls can be really judgmental
- Also jealous
- Grudgy
- For all their talking, not very into productive communication
- Generally ridiculous
*** Obviously I don’t mean all girls or girls in general. I personally am fortunate enough to have a group of friends who are very much none of these things :) But some girls are like this, and I am not a fan.

Opposite sex:
- Messy- Jake gets a little bit of a pass because he’s finishing up his finals, but I really wonder sometimes if boys care at all about hygiene or organization. How can you live this way???
- Entitled- by which I mean everything from “friend zones” to “she had it coming” lines. All those things make me want to punch/yell at/castrate people
- Loud- So loud. Just in your face, assuming everyone wants to hear what they have to say, especially if they’re halfway across the room
- Feeling-phobic- I am lucky enough to have avoided this particular trait with my boy :) I wouldn’t like it at all if I were with a guy who got all weird whenever feelings came up.
- Overly-masculine- By which I mean so intent on proving how “manly” they are that they won’t admit to anything that might be considered “weak” or “girly.”
*** Again, I’m not talking about all guys here. I plan on spending the rest of my life with one, so obviously they’re not all bad! Though Jake is pretty messy. So messy…

4. The best thing that has happened to me this week: Well, the fact that it is currently 10 a.m. on a Friday and I’m sitting at home writing this blog post is pretty nice. It’s Derby weekend, so any school systems even remotely close to Louisville are apparently off. Yay! Also, we had a Kindergarten Derby this week, wherein our kids brought in stick horses and raced them around the gym. They had a blast, and it was really fun to watch :)

5. Weird things I do when I’m alone: I’m a pretty weird person. I make random sounds when I do things, do little dances, and also compulsively organize. I also have a habit of getting really comfy, especially if it’s a little cold, and just sitting there, doing absolutely nothing, until I realize I have things to do and force myself to get up (which could take awhile). 

6. How I’d spend ten thousand bucks: I’d put it straight into my savings account.

7. Things I like and things I don’t like about the way I look: My thighs. It’s less about how they look, and more about the inconvenience, though. They’re bigger proportionally than the rest of me, so I can never find pants that fit right! They either get stuck on my thighs or I have to pull them up all day because they don’t fit my waist. I also don’t like my hair, but that’s more of a temporary thing, seeing as I haven’t had a haircut in I don’t even know when, so my bangs are all in my face and I can’t do anything with them.
For things I do like, I like being short, and I like my hands/fingers, because I think they’re thin and dainty. I also like my eyes, and I usually like my hair, when I get a good haircut.

8. My last night out in detail: Well, I came down to Bowling Green, and Jake wanted to go visit campus. So we walked around, and we decided to go by the kissing bridge. There was a TARDIS, the Doctor showed up, it was sunset, I think you all know the details ;) 

9. Something that makes me sad when I think about it: Dead animals on the side of the road. Especially cats and dogs. Especially especially the ones that I keep seeing because no one has come to take their poor bodies away :(

10. Something I’ve lied about: Usually when I lie (intentionally, at least) it’s more of an avoidance of fact that an outright speaking of falsehoods. Like when I had a crush on lasagna at first I just avoided the subject or made people guess. Another thing that comes to mind is, like, the most common lie told ever- when someone asks how you are and you say fine.

11. Would I rather be stranded on a desert island with someone I love for ten years or someone I hate for a month? Explain why: Someone I love for ten years. Assuming we had means to survive for said ten years, at least.

12. Something I’m currently worrying about: I am a pro worrier- when can I get married, how much is it going to cost, goings on at school, just to name a few.

13. One person I’d throw off a cliff, one I’d marry: I don’t want to throw anyone off the cliff, and I think the next is obvious :D

14. Something I do without realizing: I sway, like, all the time. You can even see it in the proposal video, for goodness’ sake!

15. Lyrics that apply to my current situation/mood: Have you all heard Matthew West’s new song, Day One? "I wish I was a perfect picture of/ somebody who’s never not good enough/ I try to measure up but I mess it up/ and I wish I wasn’t like that… It’s day one of the rest of my life/ Day one of the best of my life…” It’s a really good song :)

17. Something I regret: I’m sure I have them, but nothing is coming to mind. Not taking Spanish sooner in high school?

19. My longest relationship and who it was with: 1 year, 5, months, 3 weeks and counting <3

20. Press ctrl v and post
It would be Anna Beth’s post, which I copy/pasted to get the questions. But I’ll let you read that below.

21. Post a bit of my last IM conversation: I don’t IM…

22. 5 things I want to change
- Haircut
- Marital status
- Amount of the world I have visited (Scotland! Venice! Wales! Come to meeeeee)
- I’d like to be better at being selfless
- I’d also like to worry less and trust more

24. Someone I’d like to be for a day and why: Meh. I’d rather just stay myself, to be honest. Unless we’re counting fictional characters? Cause totally Hermione. I mean, come on.

25. 5 things within touching distance: Laptop, blanket, phone, ketchup, hairclip

26. Story of my first kiss: You all already know this one :) My first date with Jake, he took me out to his farm where there was a pretty cliff overlooking the water. He made me close my eyes and take his hand, and there were candles everywhere, and it was super romantic, and he kissed me <3 

So there’s that! Someone else feel free to come up with another theme that we can all steal use next week. Bye!

Love,

Sara

Hello from Flood Day! That’s right, folks, just when you thought the weather had calmed down, no more snow days, no more problems, mother nature throws you another curve ball. I knew it was stormy yesterday, and I knew it stormed some more last night, but I would never have expected to wake up to another “due to inclement weather…” email in my inbox. I wouldn’t have even checked if Jake hadn’t texted me to be careful!

I think part of the problem is how flat this whole town is. Like, it is un-Kentucky how flat it is around here. Just one giant flood plain, no hills or vales in sight. The complete opposite of Western’s campus :P So, while I imagine students at home are sitting in their classrooms cramming in some final learning before spring break, I am instead sitting in my living room, having found the time to write up this lovely little scribble telling you all about the riveting weather we’re having. Aren’t you so glad?

Anyways, that means I get the treat of an early start to spring break, so I’m not exactly complaining. This will surely push our last day even further into June, but I’ll deal with that later.

So that’s me! I’m off to wash dishes and hang clothes and do all those little things I never find time to do during the week.

Happy Easter!

Love,

Sara

Hello from suchhhh a long week guys. Not only is it report card time, but I also had a professional development on Thursday, meaning I had to prepare both for a sub in my class and transporting myself the hour trip to and from the training. Add to that all the typical teacher duties of the week, plus all the crazy random problems that never seem to fail to come up at just the wrong moments, and everything I have to do for next week, I have had, and still have, so much to get done. So we'll see how well that goes this weekend...

On a happier note, it's my mom's birthday today! So Jake and I drove into town for the weekend :) As I type, I'm sitting on the bed by my sister (who tried and failed to get me off) after watching awesome new movies with my parents and cuddling with Reni. I thought I'd give myself a night off before dealing with all the grading and planning and paperwork before me.

And now I'm about to go to sleep, as I got up extra early this morning, and it is several hours past my bedtime.

Only two more weeks till spring break...

Love,

Sara

Into the Woods to make the shelf, to take the trip, to see the play

Hello from a whirlwind of a week! There has been a lot going on in the last few days, which I feel is best expressed, like so many vlogbrothers videos, in parts:

Part 1: I made this!

Part 2: I went on field trips!

That’s right, folks, I have broken into the world of field trips from the teacher’s perspective with not one, but two back-to-back outings this week. The main thing that I learned was how to count to 20 over and over again. I’d get to 19 and start panicking a bit, but then- oh, there’s 20, hiding behind 16 and 17. This happened every single time we moved.

Our second field trip I didn’t do this so much, because we had chaperons, so I was only personally in charge of 4. But that didn’t stop me counting every time I passed one of the other chaperons, trying to think in my head who I had put in their group and match up the faces. It all turned out fine, of course. The kids stayed together, they had a blast, and they were exhausted by the time of the bus ride home.

It was actually kind of the cutest thing ever. We are, after all, talking about kindergartners, and what’s more, kindergartners who had been on two school outings in a row. Their poor little bodies just could not take so much excitement. It was just crazy comparing their energy levels from before and after.

Part 3: We’re going Into the Woods!

Jake, Jill, and I got tickets for a production of Into the Woods at the Kentucky Center, and I was soooo excited! I saw a recording of the play forever ago when I took creative writing in high school, and then of course the movie came out over Christmas, and it has to be one of my favorite musicals ever (I haven’t quite decided how it ranks compared to Phantom of the Opera…). It got even better when we walked in and realized how tiny the theater was! The theater was called the MEX, and Jake had told me several times that it was really tiny, and it only seated like 90 people, but my brain couldn’t really conceive of how small it actually was until I walked in. It was literally like the size of a room. We were feet from the actors, aaaaand it was excellent. Essentially front row seats to one of the best musicals ever? Yes, please :)

Anyway, that’s why this is technically going up on Saturday morning. We didn’t get back from the musical until almost 1 a.m., which is hours and hours past my teacher bedtime, so blogging was just not gonna happen.

So that was my crazy fun week! I've had a lot of fun reading about all of yours, and I shall talk to you next week!

Love,

Sara

Hello from Snowmageddon 2: Winter’s not over.

I was particularly excited about this week in the life of a kindergarten teacher because Monday was, drum roll please, Dr. Seuss’s birthday! That means that, officially speaking, it’s Read Across America week, and, practically speaking, we get to read Dr. Seuss books and do fun crafts! Forreal guys, can you think of better makings for an amazing week than Green Eggs and Ham and who hair day? I didn’t think so.

Buuuuuut rhymes and silly made up words were not to be the only theme of the week. Just when we thought we were done with our days of being held captive by that most dainty yet mighty of precipitation, winter had to rear its snowy head for one final display of its might before turning in for a long and well deserved hibernation. And so, here I am, enjoying my last couple of snow days before spring takes over (hopefully) for good.

I’m not gonna lie and say that I haven’t loved the snow. You guys know me: the winter white is definitely my favorite and most eagerly anticipated kind of weather. And you’re kidding yourself if you don’t think that teachers love these impromptu days of sleeping in and hiding from their responsibilities just as much, if not more, than their students.

But with that said, I think even I am ready for spring. I’d like to be able to wear open-toed shoes and dresses without tights again. Plus, with these last couple of snow days, the school year is pushing into June, and I don’t have to tell you how much I’m not loving that.

For now, though, I’m focusing on the positives: I still have a couple of Seuss books to read to my kids next week, and for now, I’m sitting on the couch in my comfy clothes with a steaming mug of hot cocoa on the table and a beautiful view of the winter wonderland out my window. Also, Jake and I are on season 8 of our "How I Met Your Mother" marathon.

It’s the simple things, guys :)

Love,

Sara

1. Christianity is about hatred and judgment

So much of the time it seems like people assume that making yourself part of a group involves hating and judging anyone outside of it. As Christians, then, we must hate people who are atheists or Muslims, people who are gay, people who are “sinners,” (read on to see that even Christians are “sinners") even sometimes people who are of different denominations.

And yet, anyone who has actually read the Bible should know that all these negative sentiments go completely contrary to everything in it. As just a few examples:

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

“You have heard it said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:43-44

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39B

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.” Leviticus 19:15

Everything about Christianity clearly says to love people and treat them as you want to be treated (“Do to others as you would have them do to you” Luke 6:31). That includes people you disagree with. People who hurt you. People you’re not friends with. People who are different from you. Everyone! Don’t hate. Don’t judge. Just love.

2. Christianity is about rules

I feel like I’ve seen several examples recently of people objecting to Christianity because of all the rules they feel like Christians have to follow. Don’t have sex before you’re married, don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t cuss. If you’re a girl, don’t do this. If you’re a guy, do this. These people don’t seem to understand that Christianity isn’t about rules.

“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’” Galatians 3:10

Before Jesus, there were a lot of rules. There were entire books of all the things people had to do and not do in order to be right with God. You know what people quickly found out? They couldn’t follow all those rules. Because they were people (read: imperfect).

So what happened? Jesus happened. The only perfect human in the history of humanity came and followed the rules for us. Not only did He follow the rules, but He died as if He hadn’t. He was crucified as a sinner to free us from the law.

 “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” Romans 6:14

 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” Ephesians 2:8

So now we don’t have to follow rules. They will neither get us into heaven nor keep us out. The next point goes more into that.

3. Christianity is about being “good enough”

Going along with my previous point on rules, lots of people intertwine Christianity with this concept of being “good enough.” To go to heaven, they think, we have to please God. We have to be nice and friendly and godly. We have to embody love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (Galatians 5:22-23). In short, we have to earn our way into heaven.

You know how you can earn you way into heaven? Be perfect. You know how many people in the history of people have been perfect? If you’ve been paying attention, the answer to that question is one. And it’s not you.

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

“As it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one;” Romans 3:10

None of us are perfect. None of us can do all the right things. None of us can be good enough for God. Again, though, as I mentioned in my last point, we don’t have to be! Jesus already was and is perfect, which means that now we don’t have to be. We don’t have to follow rules, we don’t have to do everything right, we don’t have to have unrealistic expectations for ourselves.

“In him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” Ephesians 1:7

The mentality of trying to be “good enough” will only do one of two things: it will make you feel depressed and inadequate, thinking you can never be good enough for God. Or it will make you compare yourself to others and judge them for all the things they’re doing that you think they shouldn’t be (See point 1).

You can’t be perfect, which means you can’t be good enough for heaven. But you don’t have to be! No matter how many bad things you do, how many good things you fail to do, Jesus is good enough, and that’s all that matters.

“Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” Matthew 12:31

4. Christianity is about ANYTHING other than GOD

Basically, it seems like people over think things. They try to figure out what they have to do, how they have to think, who they have to be in order to be a Christian, and in doing so they completely miss the point of being a Christian.

Christianity is not about hating people who aren’t living their lives the way you think they should.

Christianity is not about restricting your life to this narrow set of behaviors and thoughts that are deemed acceptable based on your age, race, gender, or anything else.

Christianity is not about being perfect and earning your way to eternity.

Christianity is about God.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Once you receive God’s love and forgiveness, Christianity boils down to loving God, loving those whom God loves (a.k.a everyone), and living your life to the best of your ability in a way that reflects that love.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7