Staycation

I want to leave Tennessee for some place... don't know where, but I know I don't want to be here any more!!! I've got just a touch of cabin fever.  

Basically, I'm bored and have nothing to do. I spent the day doing some quilting. I just have to put those blocks into rows and hopefully I'll have a quilt top tomorrow. I've been working on this quilt since summer and my sister wants it now! LOL

Tomorrow, I plan on getting out of the house and having lunch with a friend. I also need to go and shop for some fabric to back this quilt. I won't let myself start another project until this one is finished. I have another tshirt quilt in rows and I really don't like making them. I have a third cut out, but I may break down and pay someone to make mine for me!!!! Something about the stretchy blocks just get to me. :)

Shouldn't complain, I have enjoyed having this break and I'm hoping for some snow so that I have a few more days off next month!!

Have a blessed day,

Tracy

Winter break

I'm so enjoying this break. I was ready to have time off. It is hard getting adjusted to new holiday schedules. Sister has this week off and we spent some time doing last minute shopping and having lunch.

I didn't think I'd miss going to Florida as much as I do. I miss going to Tallahassee and doing the day after Christmas shopping. I miss taking a day and going to sit on the beach and reading, just soaking in the ocean sounds. But most of all I miss mom and dad and that really says it all!

The kitties and I have been taking it easy, just hanging out. Today they had an adventure and investigated the garage. Had they not knocked things over, I'd never have caught them out there. Puff did come in wearing the evidence in her whiskers. That was all the excitement we could stand today. :)

Christmas Spirit Pt 2

I've gotten there!  LOL my Interact kiddos came over and I put on the holiday music and Christmas spirit arrived. We had a nice time, they came and talked and talked. I love the randomness of their conversations. Dinner was a meal of lasagna and bread sticks. We played a quick game of Dirty Santa and then they went home. The house seemed empty and quiet then.

The kitties are getting used to having company. Asher actually came out and participated with the festivities. Puff continued to be a shy girl and stayed in the bedroom, but she at least stayed on top of the bed and not hidden underneath. I felt so blessed when I purchased my house. I knew I was supposed to use it as a place for bible study, to have my students over, and have a strong Christian influence in the lives of others.

I am such a clutterbug, that I often let that stop me from having friends over. That has to stop!!! I've made great improvements in that since moving over a year ago. But have a long way to go, two rooms are still disasters and my goal over Christmas break is to get one of them under control. I love the FlyLady technique and hope to put it into place again. It really does work!

Off to put the Christmas music on again and may wrap a few presents!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Spirit

Oh where are you? I need to put on my favorite Harry Connick Jr CDs and get in the spirit of things. Today, I decided to have my high school club Christmas party here instead of school. It will be the first time I've done this.

I decided to break out some decorations in preparation. I don't have a tree. I've gotten out of the habit of putting one up. I don't even know where my ornaments are! But I do have a few things out and I need to light up my angel. I got her last year in Arizona. She is a gorgeous tin piece. Last year I put presents around her instead of a tree. :)

Tin Angel in La Posada gift shop

We are doing Christmas at sister's this year. So I just have to please myself. Tomorrow, we are singing a few Christmas songs at church. I'm sure that will help me get into the spirit of things.

Winter is Coming

I really enjoy all four seasons, but winter is my favorite. I love grey days and bare trees. I really really like snow!

Snow often stops work. Teaching in a rural hilly county means we don't have the road equipment to clear the roads. It just isn't financially feasible. Also, we live in an area that will have temps just high enough to start frozen precip to melt and then fall and refreeze at night. Icing is a major problem.

I just like the way snow makes everything look clean. We have a dusting of snow in the forecast for tomorrow. But I also like snow because of Psalm 51:7

7 [a]Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
[b]Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Have a bright blessed day!
Tracy

Conferences

I've been away from my classroom the past two days. I have been at a technology conference. I have learned about newer "hotter" geeky things. I am amazed at the levels of knowledge people come with to a technology conference. I guess I expect very knowledgable people only to come.

By knowledgable, I mean those who know tech stuff doesn't always work. Also I expect teachers to act better than students when things go wrong. I don't expect interruptions and pouting when they don't follow directions and then can't do what what is being modeled for them.

I really enjoy presenters who gather information during their session and immediately share it. When they are eager to jump on a new idea or look at a new way of using something and aren't afraid of openly learning with their audience.

I love to learn. I expect educators at a conference on education to love it as well. I want enthusiasm and eagerness. I want to be recharged and to come back to my classroom with lots of ideas for my students to learn and share.

So far it has been a great conference and I look forward to the last day kid sessions.

Last Thankful

To be honest, I'm thankful the thankful posts are finished for November 2011. I have many many blessings to be thankful for and I am humbled by them. 

Right now, I'm thankful for two precious little babies born this week. I'm praying for them and their parents. They were born very early and pray the parents and families feel God touch them and walk with them through this new journey. I know they will have mighty stories to tell when God's timing is right.

Have a blessed day,

Tracy

Quick Recovery

This is Asher. He really likes to sit in my lap all evening. But because I'm on the computer tonight, he is laying as close as possible. He is a great cuddle buddy!

I'm thankful that my foot isn't as painful as I thought it would be. I thought I might have a problem after working all day and not being able to elevate it. But I can thankfully say that I've only had motrin once today and that was at work!

Now I'm waiting to watch the snow fall! I can't believe we will see snowflakes tonight or in the morning.

Have a great Tuesday,

Tracy

Just a few more thankful posts

I have missed several days throughout the month. I still don't feel like I've gotten into the blogging habit. I'm trying be reflective and put my thoughts on line.

I think part of the problem is that I'm single and tend to live a solitary life. I don't make a lot of small talk and tend to talk to myself or the kitties. So I'm not used to put my thoughts "out there". I noticed today when sis and BIL were here that we didn't just fill the air to hear ourselves. :) Sis and I are quite comfortable spending a lot of time together, reading or vegging and not talking. Quiet is nice!

Today, I'm thankful for Bible study. I'm teaching an inductive bible study at church in January. I've been a student of inductive bible study for 20 years, I've trained at Precepts Ministry several times. I really love how much information I get from this type of study. But even more, I love how much more God teaches me about Himself through each study.  I am excited to be sharing inductive study methods with members of my church. It is the reason I'm at The River. I strongly felt God leading me there to disciple others in Bible Study. I'm thankful to use my gifts and talents in this area.

Have a blessed Monday!

Tracy

Thankful!

Today, I'm thankful for insurance. I took a wrong turn in the garage and sprained my foot. I thought I might have broken it. I spent the late afternoon and early evening in the ER. I came home with a nice little boot and a pair of crutches.

Motrin is good thing!

Today

I'm thankful for relaxed days. I enjoyed a brief nap this afternoon.

The kitties and I have enjoyed the day. The hardest thing we did was unpack a Scentsy order! Kitty Puff loves to play in the boxes and bat the packing papers around.

Predators

I'm thankful for a great group of students. We brought students to a leadership day with the Nashville Predators. We had a tour of the facilities, listened to a group of discuss their jobs with the franchise, and watched a game.

Our students were so well behaved and I think they had an awesome time! While shopping in the pro shop, the coach came in to shop and was kind enough to pose for pics. Great day!

Thanksgiving Week

I'm thankful that this is a short week at school. I have great students, but they are all feeling the need for a break.  I'm very thankful they are getting one!

Tracy

Sunday's Thankful

MY God is so good. My GOD is so good. My God IS so good. My God is SO good. My God is so GOOD!

All the time! That is what I'm thankful for.

Thankful for Treasures

Today, my sweet sister and her hubby came and put in a new water heater for me. It is so nice having a new member of the family!

While he did all the hard work, Carm and I started going through mom's trunk of pictures. Something I haven't done and still have problems doing alone. But as we were going through pictures, Carm ran across a small plastic bag with some of dad's work ID's in it. When I opened it to take a look, there were three of dad's and then I found mine. Old high school ID's, college ID's, driver's licenses, hidden treasures I didn't know existed. 

I immediately teared up, Sis said "Don't" so I sucked it up! LOL But I'm so happy my mom saved these. I'm thinking a shadow box or something like that to put them in. I have a note mom wrote and dropped in the mail that says simply "I love you" I think I'll add it.

I am truly blessed!

Thankful weekend

Today, I'm thankful I don't have to rake leaves.

Old friendships

That is what I'm thankful for. I saw a friend yesterday that I've worked with for many years. She has recently retired and is fighting cancer. I'm/we covet your prayers.

I always enjoyed watching my mom interact with her girlfriends. It was like they were back in high school. They would laugh and giggle. It was so much fun to be around them.

I also have a group of friends that I've talked with for years via the Internet. We've gotten together at various stitching retreats and just to visit and stitch. It is like we see it each every day when we get together. I really enjoy these ladies.

I'm thankful for all the friends in my life.

Tracy

Hobby

When I was young, I hated my mom taking pictures. She took forever to focus or whatever she was doing. LOL Both sister and I have a love of photography today.

I am constantly reading photography blogs. My vacations are to places where I can take great pictures. Even if my photo style is bad, the scenery compensates. :)

I'm very thankful mom gave me a love for photography. Even if I didn't want to be her subject. Tonight, I combined my gifts and made my own camera bag. I found tutorials online and think it was a success!

Sunday Morning

Today, I am thankful for many things. I'm most thankful for my sewing abilities. Not that they are grand, but that I come from a long line of sewing women.

My great-great grandmother was a tailor. She provided for her family by sewing men's suits. She lived far away from Nashville, which is where her suits were sold. She would send them to stores via ferry in Granville. She also made all of the clothing her children wore, from the skin out.

I remember my great grandmother quilting and crocheting. I have baby shoes she made for either sis or me. I am also blessed to have several of her quilts. I cherish them. I am a bad blogger and didn't take any pictures before sunset.

My mom didn't quilt. She did crochet and made great clothes. I'm still wearing some flannel lounging pants she made me. I will be very sad when they wear out. I also have an afghan she made me. I inherited her sewing things. I went through some tonight looking for Velcro. Made me miss her so very much. I'm sure there are snaps and buttons in that box that are older than I am.

Let me say again, I am very proud to come from a long line of talented women. I deeply miss them tonight.

Rest in peace sweet ladies...

Still Thankful

I missed posting yesterday, it was a busy day! Our football team is in the state semi-finals. I worked the ticket gate last night.

That is what I'm thankful for today. I was able see lots of friends and even some special relatives! That is why I enjoy working ballgames. Even though it was very chilly, I got to laugh with my friend Lisa as we worked and hug on cousins as they came through. It was a fun night.

Thankful Day Nine

Thankful for a great bunch of bosses. My principal and vice principals rock! They are supportive, don't mind giving compliments, and listen to what we have to say.

I have watched in the background as they handle a variety of tasks. They do their job with integrity and honesty. I don't always agree with them, but that's okay, that is why they are in those positions. They get to make the big decisions. I will remain in my position and don't have to make any big decisions! I like it that way.

I hope you are as blessed as I am!

Tracy

Thankful Day Eight

I'm very thankful for my new Scentsy business. I'm really enjoying myself. Today, I became an official certified consultant. I've had a great start. 

I'm thankful for my friends and new customers! I love walking into my classroom during the day and smelling a fresh scent. I smile as the kids walk down the hall and ask each other what smells so good?

I also love coming home and turning on my warmers. My house smells good, often liked baked goodies that I don't have to bake or eat! It's great!

Be blessed!

Tracy

Thankful Day Seven

Today, I'm thankful for answered prayers. Even though many, many, many, times I don't receive the answer I want, I'm still thankful that my prayers get answered.

There is a specific request I'm thankful for today. My sweet friends, the Thorpes, had baby Ruthie just a few short weeks ago. Ruthie had a problem with her lungs and today, she actually was able to breathe without any assistance!!!!!  So very excited for them!!!

Have a blessed day,

Tracy

Thankful day six

Had a lovely post typed on my iPad and blogger seems to be mad at iPads right now and won't let me post.

So I was thankful for comfy clothes and the ability to truly relax at home. I'm not going into all the reasons again. LOL

Let's just say I'm thankful and let that be enough!

Be blessed,
Tracy

Thankful Day Five

Today was an awesome day! I'm thankful for my church, specifically my Elder team. My church is run a little differently from other churches. We have an Elder team of approx 5 men who shepherd the church. Three of the current team are our pastors or have been. Two of the Elder team answered God's call of missions and they are currently serving in Central Asia with their families.

Today, our lead pastor (Elder) is serving in India on a mission trip and another member of the Elder team was preaching in his place. Jeff became ill during the night and couldn't preach this morning. We currently have two campuses and Steve (campus pastor and Elder team member) was preaching on his campus. He stepped up and offered to preach at both campuses. God had an awesome message to share through him today. 

Steve traveled to both campuses, preached 5 services, and didn't get one speeding ticket traveling between campuses. :) Our worship and media teams were completely flexible and changed up each service and led wonderful worship times. If we hadn't been telling the congregations what was going on, they would have never known at times we were going with the flow! 

I proudly serve on the media team. God has totally blessed me to be able to serve my church with the gifts He has given me with computers and I am totally in awe of how He uses us. It was awesome to be a part of the prayer teams this morning and to see God answer those prayers. Today God really let us depend on Him and it reminds me I can be thankful for my dependence on Him every day!

Have a blessed day,
Tracy

Thankful Day Four

I am thankful that I have company when I come home. These two are constant entertainment.

Puff is quite the lounger, she does not like to cuddle or keep you company. But she must be in the same room, she is very nosy. Asher loves to sit in your lap and watch what you are doing. He started this after Sam (mom's Rat Terrier) passed away. Sam was very much the lap dog.

 

Every evening they do the equivalent of the Basset 500, racing through the house chasing each other. They roughhouse and tumble and you often hear Puff squeal Uncle when Asher has her pinned down. He is very serious about winning.

Right now, there is a bird in the crepe myrtle bush outside the dining room window. Puff is on the attack and very seriously stalking the bird from window to window. Always something going on and I'm thankful for the company. Single life can feel very lonely sometimes.

Have a blessed day,

Tracy

Thankful Day Three

Today, I'm thankful for a warm home. It has turned chilly here in Tennessee. I have the heat on, but I leave it low at night and during the work day. I came home today and was quite chilled. But I know I'm very lucky to be able to turn my thermostat up or pull on extra clothes or crawl under a quilt.

I follow several Compassion bloggers (Kelly Stamps - Kelly's Corner, Amanda Jones - Baby Bangs, and Shaun Groves - The NEW Shaun Groves). I started following them as individuals and then they went on a trip to Guatemala for Compassion. Guatemala has had my heart since my first trip in 1995 and it is where my Compassion child lives. On this trip they are headed to Ecuador.

They will be touring the country and several of them will have the opportunity to meet their sponsored child. Many of these children would not have a warm home, food, shelter and other things if it weren't for Compassion and people like you and me who sponsor them.

So for this I'm thankful for a warm home, not only mine but theirs and Juana's.

Have a blessed day,

Tracy

Thankful Day Two

I'm thankful for the technology that keeps us communicating.  This week I've had friends posting picture of their sweet babies. They are far away in miles but not from our hearts and prayers. We've been praying for these sweet babies for months and they've arrived, been healthier than expected and some have already gone home.

Others friends are using technology to keep us up to date on prayer requests and travels. It amazes me how we are able to keep in contact with friends around the world. Some I feel like I may know more about than those who work down the hall from me or live down the street.

I'm able to enjoy and keep friendships going and growing even though I'm separated by distance. With that said, I'll quit typing here and go text a friend I've not heard from in weeks.

Have a blessed day,

Tracy 

November Thankful Posts

I'm such a horrible blogger. I only journal on mission trips and I don't know why I thought I'd be good at keeping up with a blog. They say that doing something for 21 days instills a habit and with that in mind I'm going to use this month's holiday to force myself to write once a day.

I've already missed day one. But that is ok. 

I'm thankful for family. My sister is one of the most important people in my life. I love her dearly and we don't get to spend a lot of time together because of work schedules and life styles. We are both busy women and we like it that way. But it does prevent us from getting together often.

Two weeks ago, sister decided to add to our family and she got married. Welcome Jay to the family! This is a picture of us on their wedding day. I won't post other pictures without their permission but I'm very happy for them.

After the wedding, I was able to visit with another sweet family member and her family. I love my cousin Sandi and just don't get to spend enough time with her and her sweet mom and daughter.

Many of our family members are spread far and wide. Closest blood relatives (mom did love genealogy) are in Indiana and one may be moving back to the Nashville area. But again, busy schedules keep us from seeing one another.

That is one reason I like technology. We can communicate without breaking the bank.  Tomorrow I'll post again. I already have a topic in mind!

Have a blessed day,

Tracy

Fall Break

This week is a week of rest! I'm planning on stitching and reading. I've loaded my iPad with lots of ebooks from the library. I have plenty to stitch and way too many things started. None are in the near finish stage but I am picking up me needle and hopefully making progress.

My stitching companion is waiting.

Welcome Fall Break

I realize no one is ready my blog, but that is ok! I don't have but a few sweet followers and friends who check the blog out when I post to Facebook.

I'm am welcoming a break in the school calendar. The students and faculties are so ready! This year feels stressful for many of my educator friends in Tennessee. The new evaluation system seems to have so many stressed and ready to give up on educating our future. I hope they can work their way through this latest attack on our profession.

I'm planning on spending my break quilting, stitching and doing needlework on my sweet friend Keisha's bridal veil.  She is getting married next weekend and I'm so excited for her and her fiance. I don't know how my friend Cindy (her mom) has made it through this year, all four children have added spouses!

I've also jumped off the deep end in a new area of my life. I've become a Scentsy consultant. I have a long background in retail and I love sales. I saw the warmer on Plumstreet Samplers and knew it was something I'd love to have in my home. I had my first party this week!  Big shout out to my friend Leigh who hosted for me. We had a lot of fun and sniffed a lot of fragrances. If you want to try it out, check out my Scentsy page.

Last, please pray for my worship leader Jimmy and his sweet wife Kim. They are expecting little Ruthie in the next few days and we are asking God to work miracles in Ruthie's life. She has a health issue and as a result is being born at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. God has worked major miracles in her life already and we know He has more planned!

In His hands,

Tracy

Timely Posts

I realize the reason I haven't started a blog before this summer is that I don't have much to say. Some friends would disagree with that statement. :) I read a lot of blogs and follow them daily. But I'm just not as wordy or eloquent. Thus, only weekly posts here so far.

Saturday, I had the privilege of attending a Living Proof Simulcast. It was an awesome day of worship and study. We delved into a character study of Luke; who he was and how he came to be one of Christ's followers and a major contributor to the New Testament. I really enjoyed the study and it reminded me of vintage Beth Moore studies. Really felt drenched in the Holy Spirit.

Last night, I was noticing a light out of my blinds and realized it was the moon. So I drug my tripod outside and set it up. I didn't take any outstanding pictures, but I do have one to share.

 

I love the fact that I'm still learning to take my camera off program mode and use it in manual. This has been a major accomplishment for me. But I'm still learning the ins and outs of settings. I couldn't get the white balance right on the roses. The color is really blown out. I was really just playing with learning the depth of field on the lens I was using (50 mm prime 1:1.8) and didn't stress the color balance.

I am a horrible yard owner. I've let the weeds grow around my knock out roses. I really need to get outside and clip them away.

You can ALSO tell I'm a horrible yard owner by the fact that the second picture is of poke berries.  I've had many poke plants come up in the fence row flowers. I got tired of pulling them up and now I'm kind of glad I didn't pull up the last batch, the pink stems are gorgeous.

I also have had a rogue tomato plant grow right outside the porch. I pulled one up in the mulch by the front door and really thought to myself that I was nuts and there was no way I had a tomato plant growing in the mulch. But my yard laziness proved me sane. There are lots of little tomatoes on the plant I didn't pull up. I doubt they will develop enough to be eaten before the first frost. But I have gotten a good laugh at myself and God's humor. I had wanted to plant containers of tomatoes on the porch this spring and never got around to it. So He's making sure I get some tomatoes despite myself.

Be Blessed

Tracy

A little stitching

I actually found a little odd time to squeeze in stitching. I started Lizzie Kate's Big Girl Panties. I love this saying and this design!

Saturday Stitching

I've finally had a stitching finish! I think this may be my first and only finish of the year!  How sad am I?

The design is by 4 My Boys and it was a freebie. I radically changed all the colors and I'm going to make a pillow out of  it. I wish I knew how to do cute flat folds. But finishing is my downfall.

I plan on framing this little piece, it is by Lizzie Kate and I stitched it one over one. I've had it finished and waiting for the framing fairy to come and put it together. I think she lost my address, so I've dug and found the frame, glass and pins and I'm ready to put it together.

I must say that the white balance on my camera and I had loud arguments today. The camera won and I did a little photo editing and the colors are still not vibrant. But I can live with them.

Happy Saturday!

Tracy

Quick check in

Just doing a quick post. I hope to post some pictures of a new finish tomorrow. Light isn't right to take photos tonight.

I am very thankful for a three day weekend. This school year is going really well. But because of changes in our teacher evaluation system it seems as though a lot of my coworkers are really stressed. I've been to several TEA regional meetings and the feeling seems to stretch across Tennesse.

On a happy note, Carmen and I spent some time at a couple of Nashville art exhibits and I took a few pictures. But I can't seem o get them uploaded. :(. Why do I keep having blogging issues?

Thankful Thursday

Today, I'm very thankful for my coworkers. They make laugh, they make me cry, and they are always willing to help one another.

I'm also very thankful for my Dad. Today is the fifth anniversary of his death. I still miss him so very much! I have my love of traveling because if him. He went all over the world with work. Because of him, I traveled to Alaska this summer. He gave me a burning desire to see the area where he worked for thirteen years. I know I will return and I would love to see more of the state. It was all I thought it would be and there is much left to discover.

Dad in La Carmen Bolivia

Dad came from a big family, seven total, four brothers and three sisters. Dad was the first to pass, Aunt Edith (the oldest) has since passed away. Uncle Lonnie and Dad were really close. This is my favorite picture of them. Uncle Lonnie is the last of the siblings to live in Texas. 

Weekend Wonders

This weekend has felt like a roller coaster. I hung on tight for the ride!

Friday was the 2nd anniversary of mom's death. It was a very emotional day. I chose to spend the evening and Saturday working with Rising Above Ministry at By the Brook. This is a retreat they hold for mother's with special needs children.

I am blessed to be friends with Jeff, Becky, and Jon Alex Davidson. They head this ministry. I have served as the media person on the worship team at all the By the Brook retreats. I started the summer mom battled cancer and I often think I was ministered to more at the retreat than the moms!  

This retreat I had the privilege of teaching a class on quick inductive Bible study. There were such sweet ladies in the class, some very new to Bible study. It was awesome of God to give me the privilege of starting them on the journey of studying His Word.

Sunday was a full morning of church, working media for three services makes for a full morning. I took the night off from The Source which is our single's ministry. I had too much laundry and other home jobs to catch up on. I'm feeling very blessed and God answered my prayers of Friday morning to please let me feel His love and arms surround me. He is so good!

This one of my all time favorite pictures of mom taken on our trip to Key West.

Summer Plans

My goal for the summer (while not in school) was to work on several quilting projects. I did start on my sister's t-shirt quilt and have half the blocks sashed. I did very little cross stitching.

Today, I decided to watch a couple of older Fons and Porter episodes. I became inspired to start a project I've had planned for ages.

 I had all of the materials to do a few notebook covers. I have had this project ready to go for over a year. I decided it was time to get started.

I cut out all of the pieces. It is a very simple cover, you need a piece of quilted fabric cut to wrap around the notebook you choose. A couple of pieces to hold the notebook in place and an optional pocket for pens or as a catch all.

I cut all the pieces and then cut binding strips. I wanted the project to go quickly, so I machine stitched the binding to the front and back, adding a decorative stitch for the front of the piece. I'm not sure I will do that when binding of the entire piece. Next, I sewed the small pieces that hold the back of the notebook in place. I'm sewing four covers at once. So I stopped after turning the last strip inside out.

I still need to sew the pieces together and add the binding. But that will wait until Monday. I need to purchase some large buttons for the flap and I want to try to find some darker velcro for the closing. 

I realized that I needed to photograph my progress while I was sewing along. It is great practice for my photography class. I'm pleased to say I shot the entire time in manual mode. A big accomplishment for me. 

Not that every shot was good, by no means, some were really bad. But I'm learning from my mistakes. Mistake #1 is not wearing my glasses and having the diopter set for corrected vision! LOL Several of my photos were blurry because of that.

Asher decided to come and watch my progress.

Tracy

Summer's Over

Or so it seems. Teachers in my county have had two complete days of inservice. Tomorrow, we have an administrative day which means we get some time to spend in our rooms prepping for the new year.

We will get schedules and student rosters tomorrow. This will give us some specific prep time. I received my textbooks today for one class. I have already started pulling materials. I know that sounds a little slow, but I've never taught this class and had no idea how the text fit into the curriculum standards.

I have a new photography class assignment and I hope to be able to take some pictures at school depicting the first day of school. It will be a "day in the life of" study. I'm looking forward to the photo shoot.

I will be teaching 8th grade US History and several more classes. I'm looking forward to next week when students start.

Tracy

The End - Bye Harry

I went to see the last Harry Potter movie today. Sis and I splurged for 3D IMAX and it did not disappoint. Of course it was a different take than the book, but I expected it to be different. In preparation I've been retracing the series. I'm on book six. My trip to Alaska came mid-read.

I am sorry to see Harry all grown up.

On the photo front, the assignment this week was to do a diptych. I naturally drew a blank and had to call sister for artistic pump priming. She helped a lot. I took one set today that I liked and hope to do another tomorrow. As I look at the pics up close I realize the focus could have been a little sharper. Also, no matter how much delinting I did, lovely cat fibers still show up on the black velvet.

Blogger still doesn't like to upload my pics. Will try from different computer tomorrow.

Weekend Arrives

It is hard to believe we came home on Monday. Sunday, we did another tour of Anchorage and then drove to Whittier. It was a wonderful trip. The town of Whittier is exactly what you imagine a seaside Alaskan village to be like. It was foggy and boats were out in the water. It was very poetic. We had to drive through the continent's longest tunnel to get there. It was a unique experience.

We started our day by seeing a black bear cub and ended the evening with a moose and calf sighting. It was a great day.

After traveling all day Monday, my body decided Tuesday was a day of rest and I slept in late and went to bed early. We had school in-service Thursday and next week the school year starts.

I leave you with these memories of Alaska.

Saturday - tourist day

All I can say is wow! I serve an awesome Creator and His work is magnificent.

blogger hates my photos so I will post some here - flickr.com/noahtracy

Friday - End of park experience

Thursday and Friday were big days for the mission teams. We ended our time with park parties. One we hosted and one we served as cooks and clean up!

But we started each day with a time to run team errands. We had completed all of our in-park service projects and the ship hadn't arrived for the food bank. So we spent Thursday getting team pictures printed and while running into the stores, team members made a great decision. They decided to bless the children in our park with backpacks.

It was great fun, they purchased backpacks, pencil boxes, markers, and notebooks. We filled the boxes with candy, gum, and our team picture. We took the two mornings to purchase the items and then prepare the backpacks.

On Thursday afternoon we had our park time and we just loved on the kids. We saw new faces and had a great time just loving on the kids. That night we had our park party. It involved a bouncy house, hair paint and hot dogs. Needless to say, the kids had a blast. One of the teams here came and did drama skits, a great time was had by all.

Friday afternoon, we had a small turn out. We got to visit with most of our regular kids and we just spent the day giving out lunches and hanging out. The sun was out and you can tell the kids aren't used to warm 70+ degree days. They loved to stay in the shade. We had a great time handing out backpacks and talking to the kids for the last time but it was bittersweet. But we know the next team will have an awesome time with these kids.

We spent the evening on kitchen duty and serving at another teams block party. It was near our park and the make up of kids was a lot different. This area had a lot of Laotian immigrants and their turn out was huge. We cooked over 150 hot dogs and there wasn't a hot dog left when we packed up.

Team devotions and prayer times have been awesome and tomorrow we pack and leave Graceworks. We will have a fun day going to a glacier and having lunch at a wilderness park with all the mission teams.

Our team is tired but still ready to face the day! Can't wait to see God's creation tomorrow.

Friday -

Thursday

This post will come a little later, we just got in and I'm too tired to think and type. :)

Wednesday - Warfare

Today started out a little on the down side. After a great breakfast and chapel, we found out that the ship hadn't arrived for the food bank. We had a back up plan of working at the park, mowing and weed-eating the area where we serve lunch and the park that has been recently reclaimed from nature.

The service work went very quickly but it didn't feel like we had accomplished a lot. The ladies went and ran team errands and we were finished very early. We left the park and had our lunch in the mall next to the park. The mall is very empty, lots of empty store fronts, very depressing. After lunch we decided to drive through the park and pray over the trailer court.

I think several of team members felt the spiritual warfare that was taking place. My heart broke as child after child darted in the road or played in the dirt and NO one was watching out for these babies. Tiny little people left unattended and it seemed like they were so unloved. I just started praying and inwardly weeping.

Phil drove us back to the park, freshly mowed, called the team to prayer and then sent us out for personal prayer and quiet. All I could do was weep as I prayed. I felt such battle taking place over this area. I called on My God to do victory and work through our team and those to come.

We left the prayer time and headed to feed lunch to the park children. We expected more kids because the sun/Son had come out and it was time to win some hearts. We ran out of lunches and had more kids show up after lunch was over. We played intentional games and after the games Chris led the kids in a time of bible study and discussed the parable of salt and light. It was awesome.

More kids showed up and the guys were wore out from all the playing, tickling and just intense conversations. I watched Robby grab four guys and just pour into them. Cary and Phil had several others and were just in intense conversations. Brittany and I talked with sweet little girls and just loved on them, told them Bible stories and just tried to explain how much God loved on them. Chris had a group of both girls and boys and we had NINE kids led to the Lord today!!!

The battle was fierce but God had victory. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

NO photos again, blogger hates my collection.

Tuesday - Rain Day

An awesome day today!!! We started with a great breakfast of pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup and fresh fruit - yumm! From there to chapel where Phil brought the message about praying and listening to God's voice.

From chapel we went to a local church to help in their food bank. They were in great need of volunteers and were very appreciative of the help. Several team members worked with the clients by helping them shop and making them feel welcome/loved on. Just talking, asking for prayer requests and asking them to come to church on Sunday. The rest of the team worked keeping the shopping carts prepared with bags and boxes broken down and out of the way. It was a great morning and we may work there again tomorrow, helping unload and organize a shipment.

We headed out for lunch and realized our lunches had been left at the home church! Ooops! so we headed to a nearby Subway/Burger King and had lunch. While eating lunch, the rain began. Luckily it was a soft rain. We headed to the park and prepared canopy/tents for lunch. After the kids ate lunch, we play lots of Ninja and freeze tag. We played for almost two hours and took time to look for a lost coin and share the parable of the lost coin! It was great. Kids came and went - it was cold as the rain fell, but we were pleased with who the Lord brought to us and the one on one time we could have with the kiddos.

After the park, we came back to the church, had a brief rest and then an amazing dinner. The wonderful cooks prepared salmon (smoked, grilled and blackened), halibut (baked and fried), coleslaw!, and hush puppies (regular and jalapeno). It was delicious and the first time I've ever liked salmon. So thankful for this awesome team that volunteers to staff the kitchen!!

After dinner, several team members headed out for a three mile hike, Phil and Andy are roughing in a door frame here at the church (the church is installing all new outer doors), and some of us are having down time. Daily team devotions and team debrief to come!

Photos later - blogger really isn't liking my connection

Monday Evening

Today, we had orientation at Graceworks Ministries, what an awesome ministry. There are five teams here this week, working in five different neighborhoods. The ministry is very organized, we are all color coded (we are yellow), vans are named (bear van), and neighborhood hosts are assigned to each team. They have really planned how to best use their time and talents.



We worked in Penland park today in a 450 site trailer court. Very inner city, exactly what you imagine in this type of facility. There is a great diversity in the area, both in people groups and family makeup. We had 25+ kids at the park. We are feeding them lunch (federal lunch program) and after lunch we have two hours planned to love on these kids. It is a very young group of kids at the park, ages 3 - 12 with the majority in the 3 - 7 age range. We will have a family night on Thursday.

It was a great day, we had several of the children asking great questions and showing amazing knowledge, someone at home is really pouring into them. After we had our team time, two of the kids met with Phil and a group and had more questions. He walked them through salvation and Jesus' love and they accepted Christ!! Great afternoon.

We followed that with a nice team worship time before dinner and we are about to have devotions. For those of you looking for awesome Alaska photos, sorry! 1) we've been asked to wait a little while before taking pictures with the kids and 2) it is cloudy and you can barely see the awesome mountains surrounding Anchorage.

I leave you with this prayer request for Tuesday. Pray for the children to return, for our team to be unified and very specific in actions, continued ministry to the area, this area to fall in love with Jesus!

We are here!

We made it to Anchorage. We had a little delay Minneapolis as we waited for a storm to blow over us. But everything else was smooth! Here are today's prayer requests and I will write about today a this evening.

Monday, July 11 – Saturday, July 16:

Pray for our team to be rested and ready for the work that lies ahead each day. Each of these days will be filled with sharing the Gospel with the Boys and Girls Club, and serving the community. Each day, for some children/teens, this will be the first time that they have ever heard the name of Jesus! Pray that the Holy Spirit fills us, that God speaks through us, and that the love of Christ captures the hearts of those we witness to. Pray for strength, boldness, unity, love, and protection. Pray that Heaven has just become populated with more souls for the Kingdom as Hell become more deserted.

“And the Word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly...being chosen to carry the name of Jesus....proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (ACTS 6:7;9:15;28:31) SERIOUSLY PRAY BIG THINGS!! PRAY THAT GOD WOULD DO SOMETHING SO SUPERNATURAL IN ALASKA THAT IS COULD ONLY BE EXPLAINED BY THE FACT THAT GOD HAD SHOWN UP AND SHOWED OFF; THAT THE WORK WOULD LAST; AND THAT IT WOULD NOT BE DEPENDENT UPON US TO KEEP IT GOING BUT WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY THOSE WHO EMBRACED THE CALL. PRAY THAT GOD RAISES UP GENERATIONAL GIANTS THAT WILL HAVE A RIPPLE EFFECT THROUGHOUT GENERATIONS TO COME!!! Also, please continue to pray over our families for protection as we are away.