Girls Rule!!!!

Ok...sorry for the long delay in postings. I have been trying to keep up with the daily activities in life as I have adjusted to life back in Panama. Overall, things have been going well and God has continued to bless me in so many ways. Of course, there are still the days where I wonder why I am a teacher but then there are days that show me EXACTLY why I am a teacher.

Recently, I have been praying for an opportunity to play softball (because I have been missing it so much). Well, that prayer was answered when I was invited to play with some of the guys from our church in a men's league. I have gone to practice with them for 2 Sundays now and have LOVED it! I am the only girl hoping to be on the team and I am about half the size of the men. Ha! I think that I have surprised many of them though because the men in charge are going to ask the league officials if I can play in the games! Yahoo! We will see what they say but just wanted to say "GIRLS RULE!".

A Fresh Start!

Sorry for the delay in updates. I spent about 3 weeks in the USA for winter break and now I am back in Panama. It is crazy to go from the snow to warm sunshine again! I will be honest, the sunshine feels nice:-) I had a wonderful break...filled with scrapbooking, seeing friends, sleeping, watching movies, coffee dates, cleaning, shopping, and organizing. I never like to have a break end but it does feel good to be back in Panama! Already I feel so blessed to be here with such great people.

School starts on Monday, which is hard to believe! I am not excited about the busyness to start again but I am excited for a fresh start to the year! We have lots to do but it will be good to see my kids grow in many ways. Please pray for me as I start back at school!

Merry Christmas!

I am now back in cold and snowy Washington. It was a 20-hour travel day last Saturday but I made it! The scariest part was the drive from the Seattle airport to our little town. Yikes!

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Christmas with your loved ones. As we celebrate this Christmas, may we all remember the true meaning of it all. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Finally Done!

I wanted to let you all know my excitement right now....I am officially DONE with school for the semester and will now have a month off! It has been an intense week at my school, which makes me even more ready to get on the airplane! Tomorrow's schedule: manicure/pedicure, lunch with roomies, packing, stocking exchange with roomies, more packing, and enjoying the Christmas Cantata put on by my church here. I am SO excited! Pray for safe travels for me on Saturday and that the snow storms would stop long enough for my parents to come pick me up at the airport! I have also asked that they bring some blankets and a sweatshirt to the airport when they get me....I am going to FREEZE!

Cute Stories!

Okay, so I just had to share with you some cute stories of my students. They drove me crazy today but I just couldn't help but love on them too. Enjoy these quotes:

"I don't need fingers, I need God." Said by a student while she was working on a math worksheet. She was proud of not needing to use her fingers to count.

"I want to stay in your house....for 1 night."

"I want to put glue right here (indicating his chest) so I can stick to you forever."

"I want to go with you on vacation"-boy
"But, your parents will miss you."-me
"That doesn't matter."-boy
"Would you like to meet my parents?"-me
"YES!"-boy

I hope these fun quotes put a smile on your face....they sure put one on me. I also wanted to share something with you about today. I was out for a walk around the block (which takes about 5-10 minutes). Within that time, I saw a monkey crossing the rode, another critter (can't remember the name of it here), and a toucan! Yup, I am definately in Panama:-) Can't wait to share with everyone about life here!

Bottom of the 7th inning!

So, according to my dad, I am in the bottom of the 7th inning now. Just a few more outs left in the game:-) One pitch at a time.... I only have 1 1/2 more days of school and boy does that feel good! I can't even tell you what an accomplishment it feels to get this far into the school year. I am just hanging on, counting the days, and loving it all. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful community here in Panama with me. I am excited to share with everyone I see in the states about my experience.

Life is good!

Well, I had a WONDERFUL Thankgiving weekend and now I am enjoying a nice 3-day weekend (Monday is Mother's Day here). Only 7 more days of school left until Christmas break. There is definately a countdown going on in my apartment as we prepare for the break. The students seem to be ready too so now we are just trying to get what we can done. Things are crazy busy but life is good. Lots of fun Christmas parties to come, which makes me so thankful for such a wonderful community of people here. I am leaving December 20th for Seattle! Yahoo!