Rae-inspired Blog

I love to read Rae Francis' blogs. She always makes me smile. This is why I also love to talk to her, travel with her and just know her in general. She is an wonderful girl growing into an amazing woman. I know that Marc and Joan are so proud of her! She is one of the people I am thankful for and this is my note to her (if you listened to Shay on Sunday, you know what I'm talking about). Thanks, Rae, for being a great example of what it looks like to truly follow God and for always smiling. It's infectious and I can't help but to smile when I see you. :)Rae's blogs often consist of lists of things she loves or quick "snippets" of her thoughts on a subject (or many subjects) or something along those lines. She usually includes fantastic photos of whatever she's talking about. But the thing I love most about her blog is that it's always positive. When I read it, I can really hear her saying these things in her upbeat and happy voice. And they always give me something to think about, whether it's a Bible verse or how to get more involved with my photography or that I should be more appreciative of what I have.

This last point is what I plan on doing here today. The last few blogs I've posted have been long ramblings about all the things I have to do and how it's stressing me out. Rae reminds me that I have so much to be grateful and thankful for. So this is my list:

I'm thankful for... Rae Francis and her infectious positivity and understated encouragements!

I'm thankful for... GOD! That He has a plan for me and

my life (something that I don't have to sit down on Sunday evenings to do myself). That He is patient with me and takes me back every time. That He loves me so much that He would send His one and only son to die for me. That He knows everything about me; every hair on my head (I often think of this and just cannot wrap my head - or hair - around it. I mean, I don't even know every hair on my head!!). That He hears me and answers my prayers (in His way, in His time). That He is here, no matter what, and He will always be here. Who else can say that?

I'm thankful for... the internet and its endless resources when I'm tired of thinking for myself.

I'm thankful for... my wonderful parents. They are supportive and caring and want the best for me. They love me for me, even when I'm being a pain. They remind me who I am whenever I forget. I'm getting married this summer (in less than 60 days!!) and I'm taking that boy's last name, but I will forever be a Wilson, and I couldn't be any more proud of that!

This is my 2nd favorite picture of me and my daddy. The first favorite is from when I was a wee little tot and I don't have it on my computer. :(

Most pictures I have with my mama now usually include microphones! She sings pretty! :)

I'm thankful for... Casting Crowns. My absolute favorite band. I don't think they've come out with a song that I don't love. Ironically, I still don't have any of their CDs. Weird!

I'm thankful for... K-Love for playing Casting Crowns when I need it! (and other great songs that remind me of who God is and what He's done for us)

I'm thankful for... my UNCG supervisor. If you read my last blog or have talked to me recently about my student teaching, you know that I've been struggling in it. Let me just tell you, if it weren't for my supervisor, I can promise you that I wouldn't still be a student teacher. I can't imagine what I'd be doing, but I know it wouldn't be this. He has faith in me and lets me (and everyone else) know it. He won't let me forget that he knows I can do this. He also doesn't accept my crap when I try to slack off. He knows when I'm doing my best and will only accept that. Great man, he is!

I'm thankful for... teacher workdays! Tomorrow is one. Our first break in a LONG time. We had a half day a while ago, but it was so long ago that I don't even know when it was. I'm still gonna try to get there when I usually do (around 8) because my daddy will be in town and I plan on having lunch with him. :)

I'm thankful for... not getting a parking ticket when I parked outside my dorm all last week. I hope I didn't just jinx myself because I fully intend on parking out there this week, as long as there is a parking spot.

I'm thankful for... Karla not dying in a car accident last week. She's my best friend, my soul sister. She's in New York right now, planning on being home mid-April. If I could drive up there right now and bring her home, I absolutely would!! I miss her and am so grateful that she wasn't hurt anymore than she was in the accident.

I'm thankful for... cheeseburgers. It's dinner time!

This is just INSANITY!

There are many things that can be placed into the "insanity" category for me.

• First and foremost, how long it's been since I've posted a blog. I'm terrible, I know. So if anyone still reads this, I so appreciate it! :)
• Then, there's the fact that it's March 24. March. 24. Less than two months away from May 21. That would be my wedding day! I'm very excited, but beginning to feel the stress coming. I am naturally a procrastinator. Wedding planning isn't really the time you want to be a procrastinator. We only have a few things left to do, but they're pretty BIG things to take care of, that probably should have been done by now. They will get done. They HAVE to!
• It's also March 24. Closer to April 15, which is technically the last day of my student teaching. Yay! I could devote an entire blog about on this subject. I'll keep it confined to a paragraph... or, really, a sentence (which may turn into a string of seemingly unrelated words that only fit together in the context of my head). Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!! Frustrated and excited and love the kids, even though they are weird and crazy, feel stifled, no confidence, ready for my own class, stressful, really enjoy the good days, like to freak the kids out by smiling at weird times or dancing. There is a chance that I may miss some of them right after I leave because many of them are funny and incredibly smart and downright cool kids. There aren't any that I genuinely cannot stand to be around, which is good. I will be happy to not have the part-time responsibility for them anymore. That sounds weird, but I am just ready for my own class and my own kids. That will suffice for this topic.
• I could not be anymore frustrated with the house hunt situation Blair and I are in. We find something we like and something always happens. I know that if it's meant to be, it will be. I understand that. That's how I got him. :) I'm not frustrated with losing any particular house... I'm frustrated with searching and looking and clicking and being in Greensboro while trying to find a home in Durham.
• There are 75 gazillion things that I'm supposed to be thinking of while I'm teaching. Content, management, motivation, remediation, rigor, extension, missing work, bathroom breaks, discipline cards, phone calls to parents, documentation, meetings, and so many more. There are 239 million things to think of when I leave school. Grading, house search, what shoes for the bridesmaids, how are we going to set up the stage for the ceremony, graduation announcements, breathe, flowers, cake, bridal shower and bachelorette party, when is Karla (MOH) coming home, am I going to see my parents this weekend, when will I see Blair, how am I going to afford gas this week, babysitting, eat dinner, what to pack for lunch, plans for tomorrow... I NEED A SPRING BREAK!!! Guess when Guilford County's spring break starts? April 20th. After I'm done teaching. How did I ever think I could get all this stuff planned and done and taken care of and paid for when I'm supposed to be teaching for 15 straight weeks with maybe two days off??
• Are you there God? It's me, Jordan. I've been living in the Book of James since Metamorphosis. I don't remember how I stumbled upon it, but I decided Saturday morning of that weekend that I would read through James. Then, I realized why I was reading it. I'm living it.

Jordan, trials and tribulations test your faith. Tests of faith build perseverance. Ask for wisdom without doubt and I will provide it. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. Jordan, there is a house for you. You will survive student teaching. Delegate wedding work. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger (frustration). Worry and frustration occur when you aren't trusting in Me, when you aren't praying and fully giving these things to Me. Surrender, baby girl. Surrender to Me! (Remember, God calls me "baby girl" when He speaks to me)

• If you aren't exhausted reading this by now, you will be with this last point. I've also decided to work the 60 day INSANITY program, since my wedding is in less than 60 days. I want to be around where I was when I bought my dress (after a summer of working out - Insanity and Zumba pretty consistently - and 2 weeks in Slovakia, running around, sweating and a more healthy appetite - like, STOP eating when I'm FULL!). I'm not that far from my goal, so that makes me happy. But the workout certainly lives up to its name. I'm not actually doing it everyday yet. I've done it twice this week, Monday and yesterday. Tonight, I went to Zumba at the Rec Center, so I'm still working out, but I kinda have to work my body up to full time INSANITY again.

I was going to say more things, but my brain is fried and my eyes are tired. I guess the point of this blog was to say, "Sorry for not blogging for a while. This is what's going on. PLEASE pray for my sanity and the 37 ka-jillion things that I have to get done/think about every day and my perseverance and motivation to keep working out because I know I feel so much better when my body is in shape!" K thanks. I love you, whoever is reading this!! :)