He's got that Super Bass!!!

This one is for the boy with the boomin system! Top down, AC with the coolin system... He got the right kind of build. That's the kind of dude I was lookin for, and yes! You'll get slapped if you're lookin (girl)!

I said excuse me! You're a hell of a guy. I mean my my my my! You're like pelican fly.... You're like slicker than the guy with the thing on his eye!

Boy you got my heart beat runnin away. Beatin like a drum and it's coming your way. Can't you hear that Boom Badoom Boom Boom Badoom Boom Bass?!

Boom Badoom Boom Boom Badoom Boom! He got that SUPER BASS!

He just gotta give me that look, when he give me that look then the (stuff) is comin off! Uh! Excuse me you're a hell of a guy! You know I really gotta thing for American guys!

I mean sigh! Sickenin eyes! I can tell that you're in touch with your feminine side! *wink*

 Boy you got my heart beat runnin away! Beatin like a drum and it's comin your way! Can't you hear that Boom Badoom Boom Boom Bass?!

 

He got that SUPER BASS!!

Great big shout out to my man who owns that SUPER BASS all day long!!! Love you Dr. Dylan Carey!!

They haven't mutinied on me....... yet.

For the past 3 weeks now, my students have been writing essays at least twice a week, sometimes 3 times. We finished the AP textbook between the last week of March and first week of April, giving us around 4-5 weeks of review, which is soo needed for these guys!! Because let's be real: when they entered my class in August and September, they thought it was going to be another blow-off history class, and well, it's not. They did not take me seriously about reading... about how hard it is to choose between 5 answer choices instead of 4... about how even worse 2 of those answer choices are right, but one is better... about how I don't give extra credit for anything- period... and most importantly I'm not your momma and I don't care if you cry, whatever the reason may be. I'm a hard-ass, I know, but somebody has to be!!

So..... the review is very necessary because all of that stuff I taught in the first 12 weeks, they did not really learn, so we have to go back and hardcore re-teach and re-learn that stuff. It is a vicious cycle every year. So, I have them write a ton over the last 4-5 weeks for multiple reasons.

1. THEY. CANNOT. WRITE. PERIOD. Their spelling is atrocious. They cannot form a paragraph to save their lives and oh! Thesis statements! Yeah, I still don't get those, even though that is one of the first things every paper should have. Even better, asking them to argue a point, take a stance or debate a factual position is like asking them to learn rocket science. Only an itsy, bitsy, teeny, weeny percent ever actually make it into space aka learn to write a true essay.

To a person (like me) who used to be the editor of her high school newspaper and has been writing full essays and papers since she was around 9, it is absolute torture to grade and re-teach these concepts over and over and over again. But, you only get better at things if you practice so.... we practice. A LOT.

2. I got this idea for writing so much the last month before the AP exam from MY AP history teachers in high school. I have tweaked their format significantly to fit my brand of students, but I learned from the "17 Days of Hell", our affectionate name for that last month of AP US and AP Art History. We wrote an essay for 17 days straight in class and had to turn in a completed outline for each essay as we walked in the door that day. If you were going to be out for school business, that outline better be in the teacher's box by the time school started in the morning, which was around 7:30 for us. I have vivid memories of turning in essay outlines at 5:30 am before we left for tennis tournaments that day. I also have memories of writing my outline on the bus home from tennis tournaments, worrying my teacher would not be able to read my handwriting because of all the bumps from the bus and the road. It was work... hard work, not gonna lie. But man! We sure knew our stuff at the end of that month!!!

Now, there is no way on God's green earth my kiddos would turn in outlines each day. Heck! They don't even turn in a 10 question WS for homework on a normal basis so.... yeah, outlines were not happening. Plus, my administration would frown on 3 weeks of straight essays every day because I am not "differentiating" or "meeting all academic levels and needs" of each student this way. Hahahahahahahahaha!!! How times have changed! I'm sure my old teachers would laugh at this idea of creating 3-4 different assignments each day for all of the "levels" in your AP classroom we are forced to do in 2013. It was either get with the program or there is the door. Yeah, that doesn't happen where I work, so once again, I tweaked from the old style.

3. I do this because we are done with the book. Technically, my students should know about each topic and should be able to write on anything I give them with a little preparation the night before. Should.... being the operative word there! Writing is a great way to show a teacher, to show your boss, to show anyone, you actually know the information. It is painfully obvious in a history course if you BS something because we teach FACT all day long. So I see who is really studying at home and who really wants to do well on these exams and in my class because their essays reflect the correct insight and factual information. Now, I'm not a total meanie!! They get the prompt the night before so they can study and make their own outline (most won't make the outline, but I encourage them to).

4. I get a sick satisfaction out of marking essays with a RED PEN. Now, before you go thinking doom and gloom, I write BOTH positive and negative comments on each essay, but I write them all in red pen. This is thanks to Mrs. McGill, my newspaper teacher. She always said "the bloodier" the article, the better it will be once the final copy is complete. So true!!! She always carried a red pen with her, no matter what, and I find myself doing the same thing. Plus, red makes the students nervous... little side benefit for me! hehehehe! I also grade harder than normal readers/graders would. This is thanks to newspaper as well. I learned early on the harder and pickier the grader is in those first few essays, the less mistakes are made in the future. Students see all the red.... dripping down their paper, and most will work very hard to make sure they can actually see their own hand writing next time. Plus, it makes all of us, kids included, feel better knowing the graders in July are not going to take off as many points as I do so the students will probably do much better on the real exam.

5. The essays push the students yes, but it also pushes me as an educator, and I would be a terrible teacher if I did not push myself while pushing my students at the same time. I have to really know my stuff in order to give all of these essays and accurately grade them. I mean, my class covers 8000 BCE to 2013 all around the globe, so the essay topics are never on the same category or group. I repeat: I have to know my stuff. So, I study and read, continually making myself re-learn about topics I think I'm set on, or tackling a new topic I just don't particularly like, but need to get better on. Japan... you are my challenge this summer!

6. In conclusion, I have been grading essays non-stop for 3 weeks now. We have two more to go.... Did I mention I have around 140 AP students? Did I mention we are writing essays 2-3 times a week? Are ya doing the math?! (Insert pause as I get out my calculator because you KNOW I cannot do anything in my head math-wise!) 280 plus essays a week... Sucks to be me, eh?! Well, only 2 more weeks left and then my kiddos take their test.

Plus, they haven't mutinied on me yet!!!!

 

In all honesty and seriousness, they really are working hard. I'm proud of them, no matter how much their writing drives me insane! I mean, we gave a practice AP exam on a Saturday morning at 7:30 am a few weeks ago, and we had around 80 students show up- our biggest group yet! They ate over 144 donuts and 3 bags of Easter candy while testing too. Was the food a bribe? You better believe it! Amazing what happens when you promise food to 15 and 16 year olds and tell their parents they get a free morning off!! (Test takes around 4 hours).

 

In conclusion, I will leave you with a conversation I had with an AP student of mine just yesterday as they wrote another essay over the Cultural Achievements of MesoAmerica:

 

Student: Mrs. Carey, can I use this statement in my essay? Will that work?

Teacher: You know I cannot answer any questions. This is an essay.. a major grade. Plus, what are you going to do during the real AP exam when you cannot ask anybody any question whatsoever, and you have to write 3 essays all by yourself?

My student stood there very seriously and thought about his repsonse for a minute or two and said: Ask God the question and hope He knows how to write AP World History essays and can make my hand put down the correct answer.

 

Well AMEN to that one! That is my kind of reply and my kind of kid!! Have a good one guys and enjoy the weekend!!



"You and me baby go picking Wildflowers..."

Welcome to the Wildseed Wildflower Farm of Fredericksburg, Texas: one of the msot unique places in the USA you will ever visit tucked away in the gorgeous Hill Country of South Texas. It is the largest working wildflower farm in the United States, complete with a wholesale garden area, gift shop and small restaurant  with winery serving local cuisine from the Fredericksburg farms and local areas. They have some of THE BEST jams, salsas, spreads, fruit and cheeses ever! We always end up getting some kind of local food every time we come here, whether we actually need it or not! :)

The Wildseed Farm holds a special place in my heart because I used to meet one of my wonderful college girlfriends here after we both got married and moved to different places in TX. This was somewhat of middle ground for both of us, so for almost 4 years in a row, we met here once or twice a year to shop, smell, eat and catch up with each other. I looked forward to those get togethers with her for months in advance!

Fredericksburg itself is extremely special to me. Dylan proposed to me here... at Christmas. It was Christmas magic, plain and simple. So the town and everything it encompasses will always be somewhere I visit often because of the wonderful memories. My life changed here in Dec. 2007, in the best way possible. How could I not want to keep coming back?!

This year for my 27th birthday I wanted to come here during the spring to enjoy the wildflower show. We have had some really decent rain lately, so I knew all the flowers would be blooming and smell fabulous! As you can see, it was a beautiful, sunny South Texas Spring day!! My birthday week was a good one! Started out with my kiddos making me posters, bringing balloons and singing to me during class. The middle saw phonecalls and e-mails from friends and family who I had not heard from in a long while. And it ended with a perfect day in Fredericksburg among the wildflowers with my amazing husband!

 

Working on my future "modeling" skills... hahaha! What a laugh eh?! Nah, just having fun with the camera man!

Fredericksburg is also home to Ben Klein, seriously one of the most stand up guys I have ever had the privilege to meet. He and Dylan became fast buddies at ACU, and they were kind enough to include me in many of their shennanigans. I love the guy to death, even though he is a die-hard Longhorn man and likes to make my life miserable during football season. ;) He is married to a beautiful, fun, lovely wife and they have the cutest newborn boy!! Every time we visit Dylan and I always commnent on how we wished Ben and Bethany lived here so we could go see them. You don't realize how much those close friendships you had in college mean to you until those people are not in your life anymore. Plus, friends at ACU were just... priceless. You don't meet people like that on an every day basis. Good ole Abilene... :)

 

Happy Friday with a classic, beautiful yellow rose of Texas...

You better Acca-Believe it!!!

 I am obsessed with the movie PITCH PERFECT and its' soundtrack.

I'm pretty sure if I could go back and do one thing over growing up, I would be not be a sissy and put myself out in the theater/singing world because I cannot express how badly the inner singing woman inside of me wants to get up, sing and dance on stage like these girls do. And the sad thing is, I did do musicals in middle school. I honestly have a decent voice and talking, performing in front of lots of people doesn't bother me. (Clearly, look at what I do for a living) I have no idea why I stopped doing those things once I got to high school. Shame on me for quitting and shame on whoever else got me to stop!!! Alas, that line of work has passed, but I will forever dream of doing this... I mean Elphaba of Wicked has my name written all over it!! But alas, that line of work has passed...

Literally. I will confess to watching the movie two times in a row... back to back. I will confess to downloading the soundtrack and having it on repeat in my car for at least 2 weeks now. I will confess to secretly wishing I was Anna Kendrick (who used to seriously annoy me as Bella's friend in the TWLIGHT movies) in the movie.. belting my heart and lungs out in the last mashup song.  The last mashup song is seriously my jam right now. It gets better every time I listen to it. The song choices are beyond amazing and the actual scene in the movie rocks! So... I can't help it... you have to listen. You have to watch.... maybe multiple times, like I do. You have to sing along... throw your fist in the air as a tribute to THE BREAKFAST CLUB, if you must. I do everytime!!!

http://youtu.be/cNSx1RdPl04

My next favorite jam is the guys group, called the Treblemakers. Their last mashup is awesome too and my next favorite song on the soundtrack. The little dude with the glasses who comes out of nowhere with the rap midway through the song makes me laugh so hard every time! Plus, he reminds me of one of my students which just makes it even better. So now, you have to watch...

http://youtu.be/eb9xuYKJVeo

Last but not least, Fat Amy. Who doesn't like her?! And her quotes!! Epic...

http://youtu.be/48HqBv5Ropo

The Aca-Remix is good too!! I absolutely love Nelly's "Dream" song and had previously hated Bruno Mars "Just the way you are" but after hearing the re-mix, I love it now! I still hate Bruno Mars... he is totally ripping off Sting and the Police in his latest songs... but I now like that song in that version. So see what music can do in all of its varieties!!

http://youtu.be/K0MPuAaHVDw

Oh the quotes! These quotes make me wish I was living back in the house in Abilene with my amazing roomies Rach, Joanna, Kristen and Abby because I feel like so many of these moments in this movie would have been appropriate for our crazy college lives!! I wish we could laugh at them and share them together.

 

Case in point:

Chloe: "Oh yeah... I'm pretty confident about.. *gestures to her body*... all of this.
Jesse: "You're one of those acapella girls. I'm one of those acapella boys. And we are going to have aca-children. It's inevitable."
Fat Amy: "You are going to get pitch-slapped so hard your man boobs are going to concave in."

Bumper: "So I have a feeling that we should kiss. Is that a good feeling or an incorrect feeling?"
Fat Amy: "I sometimes have a feeling I can do crystal meth, but then I think mmm... better not."

Mwahahahahahahahahahah!!!! One of the best lines of the movie!!!! :)

"Aca-excuse me?" I know right! After watching these clips, you are thinking to yourself how juvenile this movie really is and I will agree completely. But there is just something about it.. I don't know. It gets me every time!! Perhaps living in the high school for world for 8-9 months of the year with 15 year olds is getting to me... Perhaps my brain in some areas is starting to truly lose brain cells as I try to reach their level.... Perhaps I'm just learning how to appreciate the little, silly things in life I did not do in high school... Who freakin knows?! And more importantly, who cares!!!

It's all about "The Magic" in you.. in me.. in whoever you want to be!

This the THE VOICE!

 

Ah, those 4 little words get me super excited every Monday and Tuesday!! Absolutely love love this show! I am a true fan as well because I have been watching since the first season 4 years ago when the rest of USA couldn't tell whether it was going to amount to anything or not. Well people, I knew. If there is anything I do know (besides stuff for my job), it is music. Those of you who know me; heck, those of you who have just recently met me can attest to that. So as I said before, I knew this show would be money!


I even called the winner for Season 1 from his first blind audition. Javier Colon. OMG the man sent shivers down my spine with his rendition of Cyndi Lauper's acoustic "Time after Time." His voice was golden from the get go, and he had such heart when he sang! I was super jazzed when he picked Adam Levine to be his coach as well because let's be real, Adam Levine and Maroon 5 are beyond amazing!!! They have 4 CDs now, but the first one "Songs about Jane" will forever be my favorite! It was so raw and gritty and emotional. Ah, the 90s. Those were the good ole days of music. :) But.... I digress.

(Side note, I have been listening to Maroon 5 since before they were ever on the radio. Since before people even know who they were, outside of a select group. My awesome friend Brendan Hope turned me on to these guys one summer, and I'm pretty sure the two of us drove everyone nuts because we had their one CD "Songs about Jane" on repeat for an entire summer. Wherever we went, we were listening to their music. Good memories eh buddy?!)

Back to The Voice.... Javier made it on Season 1. I also learned to really like Blake Shelton that season. I was not as in tune with the country music scene, but I came to really like the guy and in turn, liked his music. Now, Seasons 1-3 saw Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green as the other 2 judges. I am a huge Christina fan... regardless of her ups and downs so I really wanted her to have a winner. Cee Lo... well... he never won me over. Now, I like some of his music, especially the songs "Old Fashioned" and "What part of Forever" but his personality always creeped me out a little. And, he only ever picked pretty girls for his team which I thought was also creepy. Needless to say, he never won.

Season 2 was good, and I called the top 4 for that round. Man, that was a good season!! The top 4 were all just amazing! I was not going to be upset about any of them winning. My personal pick was Chris Mann (Team Christina). His Battle Round song covering Celine Dion's "Power of Love was just ridiculous! He did a fabulous job on everything.. loved his duet with Christina on "The Prayer." Juliet Simms (Team Cee Lo) was a true rocker chic! She was fun to watch and her rendition of Sting's "Roxanne" was legit, but she got kind of werid towards the end, almost like she was shutting down. Adam's guy was Tony Lucca, my second choice. He had an advantage because he used to be a Disney Mousketeer or whatever they were called. Loved loved his rendition of Kayne's "99 Problems" (one of my fav workout songs to this day!) and his duet with Adam covering Beatles "Yesterday" is another song that gives me chills, regardless of how many times I listen to it. Jermaine Paul was Blake's guy and he won Season 2. He was good, but I felt already had an advantage because he had been a back up singer for Alicia Keys for many years, but don't get me wrong, the man earned his award. My favorite song of his was the duet with Blake "Soul Man." Loved loved it!!

Another awesome part about Season 2 was getting my dad into the show. He called randomly one Monday night to ask if I was watching this show becuase he thought I would like it and of course, I was way ahead of him. We started talking and since he raised me musically, we have similar tastes in music for the most part. So for the duration of season 2 and 3, we either called each other right after the episdoes to talk or we texted our reactions to each singer. It has been really neat to bond over this show with him!  I look forward to his calls and our chats that week about who we think the winner would be. We also get a kick out of the dynamics of the coaches and laugh about their jokes or digs at each other. :)

Season 3 was last year and sad day, I did not watch too much of that season because we were just a little busy with trying to sell a house.. move.. get Dylan settled into working a full time career etc. There was just tons of stuff going on so I was a little behind all season. I liked Pip's version of "House of the Rising Sun", but knew he would never make it to the top. I liked the 80s rocker dude with the mullet and thought he would win. He didn't. Blake's girl, Cassadee Pope, won and as I look back on her stuff, she was good. Her cover of Miranda Lambert's "Over You" was so haunting as was her final song, "Stupid Boy." She deserved her win, but like I said, I did not see too many of her actual performances.

Now, it is Season 4 and so far, it's rocking!! I was a little bummed to see Christina go, although she had started to be really hoochie momma-ish in Season 3, so I think was probably for the best. Cee Lo, whew! And I am loving Shakira and Usher!! Shakira is all kinds of fiesty, but super nice to all of those contestants. And Usher is smooth... quiet but smooth. There have been some true Latino artists, and I think that is thanks to Shakira, which is awesome because The Voice can be anybody. Way to add more diversity to the show!! Adam and Blake are both beyond obnoxious because they have both won before. Blake more so than Adam because he has 2 wins. But it is all in good fun and you can tell. The season is only halfway through the Blind Auditions, which means the coaches are still picking teams so if you do not watch, still plenty of time to get in on the action and not feel behind!!! :) They don't have the teams posted yet, so I'm having a hard time remembering who I think has staying power but these were the songs that stood out to me thus far:

1. Judith covering Christina's "What a girl wants"- Girl had lungs, power and her own spin on the song!!
2. Christian covering LMFAO's  "Sexy and I know it"- Turned this dance song into a sexy kind of indie version and I was all over that!
3. Midas Whale "Folsom Prison"- I don't think these guys will go too far but they rocked their Johnny Cash version with the harmonica!
4. Warren Stone's Zac Brown Band's "Colder Weather"- dude had a voice! Plus, fire fighter and cowboy- hello! :)
5. Danielle "Mean"- I absolutely hate Taylor Swift but that little girl did such a good job on this song I actually liked the song when she sang it.
6. Monique "Loca"- loved the fiesty Latino get in on this Shakira song! Plus, her pink shoes were just fabulous with that outfit!!
7. The judges just loved the little girl who sang "Safe and Sound" from the Hunger Games soundtrack. I am more partial to the original version because the Civil Wars sing the song and I am beyond obsessed with that duo but she was good. She is super young though, so we will see how long her voice holds out.
8. Sarah Simmons "One of Us" Joan Osbourne cover was good.
9. Girl who sang Garth Brooks version of "Make you feel my love" was good too. Judges all loved her.
10. I even liked the girl who sang Katy Perry's "I kissed a girl." She came out of nowhere because her looks sure did not indicate she would sing like she did.


All of the contestants are good, don't get me wrong. These were just the songs that stood out for me and that I can remember at the moment. So, if you don't watch, you should! Would love to have more people to debate and chat about the show with!! If not, I shall do my best to keep everyone updated and as soon as teams are set, I will pick my top 4. We will see how I do this year... :) I'm 2 for 3... pretty good odds eh?!

Have a great Saturday night everyone and get ready because Tuesday night has the potential to be EXPLOSIVE!!! Ziva is getting ready to go CRAZY on NCIS so be expecting a long post about what happens on the show!!! We have been waiting a month to see how she takes her father's death and anyone who thought she was just going to let it blow over was stupid. Ziva is beyond that. I'm just so afraid she is going to get all stupid with Tony and ugh!! See, okay, I can't do this yet. Episode has not even aired and I'm already assuming the worst. Needless to say, I am already so eager and excited I can barely stand it when I think about what could happen... EEEEEEEEE!

Jews for Jesus

"For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast..."
                                    -1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Last week at church we heard one of the most amazing lessons about God and His amazing, all-encompassing love for us! I mean, you know in your heart that God has been planning our salvation from the very beginning of time... that God loved and loves us so very very much that He will do ANYTHING to keep us from Hell and Satan... that He sent His own Son for our sins. This idea, this thought is sometimes beyond comprehension, but for those of us who believe, it is our lifeblood. It is what keeps us going, no matter the circumstances in our lives.

However, and I am guilty of this too, we sometimes forget about the Old Testament and how God was planning our salvation back then... way back when in ancient BC times. I feel like us modern Christians get so caught up in the New Testament we forget to look back on where the love of God all began and how the examples, stories and moments from the Old Testament all point towards Christ's sacrifice and resurrection in the New Testament.

But, last week we heard a lesson from this young man named David Moishe, a young Jewish man who believes in Christ as his Savior!! Incredible! A Jew who believes in Jesus!!! He accepted Christ in his life many years ago and has dedicated his life to teaching other Jews and to use the Biblical terms, Gentiles, about how God meshed the Old and New Testament together. How the sacrifice from the Old Testament effortlessly converts into the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. How no man, woman or child in this world should ever question that Jesus is their Messiah, their Savior. His organization is called JEWS FOR JESUS.

He gave a presentation on the Passover, explaining how each item, each song, each prayer, each and every piece of the Passover is linked to Christ. It was incredible. Never in a million years would I have been able to connect all of these ideas between the 2 Passover meals, but once David started explaining everything and using scripture from both Old and New Testament to back it up, the pieces just fell into place. By the end of the lesson, I was BEYOND HUMBLED. Truly, honestly, humbled at the love God has for me.... has for every single person on this earth. It was almost to the point where I felt unworthy, because I know I do not do a good job of showing my ultimate love for God each and every day, yet He does for me. He even did back in BC times, with the very first Passover and sacrificial lamb. He made sure that those events and ideas would connect with His Son, many years in the future.

Old Testament: In the Passover meal, the woman begins the ceremony by lighting a candle and saying the first prayer.
New Testament: Mary gave birth to our Savior, bringing "Light" into the world.

Old Testament: Each food item eaten during Passover connects with the suffering of the Israelites during their stay in Egypt and wandering in the desert. Many of these food items are unpleasant to taste... bring you to tears or leave bad feelings in your mouth afterwards. They make you feel as if you have done something wrong. You are desperate to cleanse your mouth... to wash away the dirt and grime left behind by these bitter foods.
New Testament: The bread/crackers and the wine/grape juice are the bitter foods. The cracker gets all stuck in your mouth, making you eager for the wine to wash it away. And the wine does wash it away, but it also leaves an aftertaste in our mouths, reminding us of the actions we have just participated in. Jesus washes away our sins. Jesus takes away the bitterness...the dirt... the grime. Christ's blood takes us out of the desert, out of our wandering, out of our tears and brings us into everlasting life and light.

Old Testament: The sacrifical lamb cannot have any of his bones broken.
New Testament: Christ's bones were not broken, which was contrary to the custom of Roman crucifixion. (Breaking bones caused the victim to die quicker, ensuing asphyixiation came quick)

Old Testament to New Testament: There are 3 pieces of unleavened bread which are placed in one linen bag during the ceremony. They represent our Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The 2nd piece is broken and taken out of the bag. It is wrapped in a linen cloth and hidden for the majority of the ceremony. Christ's body was wrapped in linen after he was broken by sin and death and placed hidden from view in a tomb. At the end of the ceremony, the children search the house looking for the broken, hidden piece of bread. The child who finds it receives a "prize" and there is much rejoicing over the long, lost piece of bread. Jesus is risen on the 3rd day. There is MUCH rejoicing once He conquered death for us all. Our "prize" is the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.

And the church said........ A.M.E.N. :)

As I sit here writing this, I have chills and a great big swell of emotion in my heart. Tomorrow is the 3rd day. Tomorrow my sins are washed away! Tomorrow, death is overcome! Tomorrow, Sunday, the most amazing act ever in human history, in world history, occurs! I'm not sure that the gratitude I feel in my heart, the "thank you" I say to God will ever be enough for what He has done for me, done for us, but both New and Old Testament assures us that God hears us and loves us for what each of us can give. As a colleague at work remarked on Thursday, "Easter should be the biggest and most important holiday, period. I mean, people are born and people die every day BUT, there is only 1 person who came back from the dead. And that I think, is something to really think about..." And I say again, A.M.E.N.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good! The Lord is my strenth and song, and He has become my salvation. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiently. The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death. This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it!"

                                        -Psalm 118-

 

 

If you are interested in more information about the Jews for Jesus group, visit their website at www.jewsforjesus.org

CONFESSION....

The donut is one of the most A-mazing food creations ever invented... period! Deep down inside, I absolutely LOVE donuts. I realize they have almost zero substanence to them; they are mostly just puffed dough, sugar and icing, but I mean Come On! What is not to like about that.. seriously?!

So what prompts me to write about this you say? Well, today was our "Friday" of the week at work because we get a holiday for Good Friday- South Texas, hard core Catholic country. And someone brought donuts today and left them in the break room for people to have. Now, normally I resist the power of the donut.... Resist you say, after I have just proclaimed my absolute love for the food??!! Yes, I do. Over the years I have honed this amazing Will Power, specifically for food. When I really want and need to, I can ignore just about any wonderful junk food, sweet or carb I really should not eat. HOWEVER, today... was not one of those days.

Perhaps it was because I have been doing Boot Camp via trainer Dr. Dylan Carey for 2 weeks now and running on average 5.5 miles 3 times a week, so I'm feeling good about myself. Maybe it was because the "skinny jeans" were actually loose today. Maybe it was because I have a 3-day weekend. Maybe it was because I had 120 out of 135 students sign up for my AP exam, we finished the book and I have a full 5 weeks of review!!! Maybe because... I just wanted a dang donut!

Donuts... ah! One of my favorite memories from growing up was at the donut shop. My brother and I played piano while growing up (I played all the way through high school... he quit much earlier on) but we had to take lessons during the summer. My mother always signed us up for the Monday morning lesson at like 7:30 am or some VERY EARLY time for the summer!! The bribe was after our 30 minute lessons, we could go have donuts for breakfast. When you are young, bribes like that work very well. So for around 6 weeks during the summer, every Monday morning we splurged and had donuts for breakfast. I remember spending forever picking out the donuts we wanted- it was such an agonizing decision because they ALL LOOKED GOOD! Donut holes were a must- we always bought a dozen of those, regardless of what else we all 3 got. Now, this was just with my mother, which makes the memory more special. We used to talk about randomness and silly stuff. I don't remember the specifics, just that Monday morning donuts during the summer were the ultimate. When my brother was little, he was such a hoot! Super funny and silly, so I'm sure we spent the entire time laughing at his antics. :) Plus, my dad is not a huge donut fan and this was not something he ever brought home (he is more a bagel guy), so donuts remind me strictly of my mom and my brother being little. He always, always wanted a sprinkle donut... and just ate the sprinkles off the top. hahahaha!

Longjohns are also good...another favorite of my brothers. The Bear Claw.. always a good choice. Nuts are always welcome on any food in my book too, so we ate those kinds quite often. The only kind we all passed on was the jelly-filled ones. Those don't really do anything for us. Also, we did NOT frequent Krispy Kremes once they opened. I draw the line there... those kinds, I refuse to eat. You have to stay tried and true to the ultimate donut, not this strange liquidy confection. I also learned to appreciate a good Diet Dr. Pepper on these outings too. Never have been a big milk fan, so my mother and I used to split a Diet Dr. Pepper (until I was in high school, this was only time I was allowed to drink one and of course, you get hooked!) To this day, my favorite soda is a Diet Dr Pepper and it is another one of my vices for yet another blog. :)

 Getting back to today, Thursday 2013, I perused the box and made my choice. Now, my all-time favorite donut is the chocolate old-fashioned, with the glazed running a close second. Specifically the ones from Day-Light Donuts in Edmond, OK. Today, I could have cared less where the donut was from but if I have to talk about my favorite, old-fashioned all the way!! There is just something about the consistency of the dough that makes these different from regular donuts. And the way the chocolate melts and conforms to the donut.. AH! PERFECTION!

This was not an option today, but no matter. I had some round, glazed donut with a hint of chocolate in the middle and IT. WAS. GOOD. I sat there in the break room savouring the donut and realized one of the other teachers in my department was staring open-mouthed at me as I ate the donut. I started to get self-conscious, thinking I was smearing chocolate everywhere or had icing all over my mouth. I quietly asked her what was wrong with my face and she replied... " Never in 5 years have I ever seen you eat junk food here at work! I'm just surprised and shocked! I'm staring, I know and I apologize, but I just thought you did not eat things like that."

WHOA! I... never eat junk food!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, that is a good one. If it was humanly possible and there would not be ENORMOUS repurcussions to my eating junk food every day, I soo would. BUT, that is not how the human body works and I know this. So junk food indulgences happen few and far between. But as I start to reply in this manner, I realize I don't eat like this at work.... ever. Simply because there are always sweets and goodies in our break room and I am afraid that once I stop, I'm not going to be able to stop. :) So instead, I smiled and informed her that I rarely indulge, but when I do, I like it to be the real thing and enjoy every last bite of it. And today, I wanted a donut. I think she still was shocked, even after I explained the reasoning behind it- no matter! The donut made my day and sent me down memory lane with a big smile on my face as I remembered the good times donuts had brought me growing up.  

Never ever minimalize the power food has!! Regardless of what food it is! I owe wonderful memories to the donut!! Eating one makes me feel like I'm 10 years old again, sitting in the chair swinging my legs around because they don't touch the ground while listening to my mom and brother talk about whatever with sticky fingers and a happy tummy! You know you are jealous of my awesome memory!! :)

So indulge and live a little... one little donut, even two little donuts are not going to kill you or break the calorie bank. I know this now... has taken me oh so many years to be okay with this statement and accept it as truth, but it is truth! So as you salivate over the donuts or whatever food it is that you want at the moment because my donut craving has induced your own secred food craving, I leave you with the words of Homer Simpson...

 

"Donuts... Is there anything they can't do?!"