Summer Sickness??

Last week was my first visit to Educare in Oklahoma City.  
"Oklahoma City Educare opened its doors in July 2009, to serve 200 disadvantaged children, ages birth to five years old, with year-round early childhood education programs. Educare Centers, throughout the nation, help young children grow up safe, healthy and eager to learn, providing the highest quality outcome-based learning environments for families and their children who are at-risk for school failure." 
The facility is just a breath of fresh air and a very encouraging, happy environment. The classroom that I was placed in is full of adorable loving faces that I'm excited to grow relationships with and observe their development over the rest of the summer. 

 After the wonderful visit to the childcare center, I got some sort of yucky sick. I was in line at the all wonderful Cafe Plaid with the Miss Amanda and just got so sweaty dizzy that I could not stand. This feeling continued uncomfortably in math class and the teacher let me leave early. I was sick the rest of that day (Wednesday) and Thursday, then woke up Friday feeling 200% better. Really don't know what it was - but it's gone.


Father's day was wonderful. We had a fishing cook out at Mom and Dad's in Yukon! Here's me and my Poppa on Father's Day! :) 

The Master's Degree is still up in the air. The experience that I had at Educare on Wednesday and the joy I get when babysitting has really pulled on my heart and directed me towards infants and toddlers over early elementary. I've always enjoyed babies and toddlers more than the "big kids" and so I'm thinking a Master's in Literacy is only going to help me get jobs with those "big kids". So I'm trying to figure out what Master's would help me with the babies. Any ideas please let me know!

June Summer school is almost OVER! Then I'll be down to two classes instead of 3! Looking forward to that! 

That's about all for now... nothing huge happening! 

Even when nothing big is going on, chief end of nothing huge, will be to glorify Christ. 

what a year does...

Korey and I have almost been married for a year. It truly has been the fastest flying enjoyable year I've lived thus far. I'd say our engagement was the longest year ever! Even though our anniversary isn't for another 2 weeks, I am going to tell you about some of the changes that have occurred over the past year in no particular order:

•  Korey and I moved in together and also moved in with a roommate. Our roommate has changed in the past couple weeks -- I enjoy having my friend Haley (jeff's girlfriend) conveniently at my house more often! 
• Korey got a new car back in August 2009 thanks to his parents' gracious help! He feels spoiled at times in his 2009 Honda Civic. He upgraded from a 1997 Chevy Monte Carlo that had no air conditioning and a few other glitches, dents, squeaks and mishaps that would have soon killed the Carlo if we hadn't gotten rid of it when we did. 
• Korey still works at AT&T but is now full time and we are reaping those benefits! 
• UFC has finalized charter membership and we are now not only fans of UFC, but members of University Fellowship Church of Norman, OK. 
• I have decided to go to Grad School ASAP and get my Master's (most likely in literacy education). 
• I-35 between Moore and Norman is finally finished!!!!
• I discovered that having "sides" of the room and bed are crucial to my happiness in our bedroom. The greater part of our first year consisted of me having the walk through the room to get to my side of the bed. Our bed is now wonderfully located right in front of you when you walk in the room and to the left is all Korey's and to the right is all mine. You can see the carpet on my side... Korey's side... that's another story!
• Korey and I will be becoming the Henry's instead of the Hollrah's in the upcoming months. Korey has his birth father's last name, but has never really met the guy. He's been raised by his great mother Melissa and her loving family - the Henry family (Melissa's maiden name). As Korey pondered the idea of making his life legacy, he realized he didn't want it in the name of a family he's never known, but in the name of the family that raised him (and has no boys left after him). He's had this thought for the past 5 years and decided after we were married and I changed my name to Hollrah... that he wanted to be a Henry. Complicated and confusing as it may seem... I support him in the desire to have a name with meaning and love behind it. I just want to always be his Mrs. what ever comes after that doesn't matter. But this is a heads up for that change!

• We went from being a family of two...

...to a family of three on December 1, 2010! We've had Waldo for the past 7 months, and he truly has become part of the family and has grown to be a great pup!

• On the Wedding Road Trip from Norman to Lake City, CO (take note of hair lengths) - June 2009

 

Me and Korey have both lost some hair over the year! I chopped off enough to donate to locks-of-love in October.. Korey was recently buzzed - June 12, 2010!

Well through all changes, through all growth and all learning - may the chief end be to glorify Christ!

Sweet Summer Time

This past week has been the start of homework and class everyday in the beautiful afternoons of summer in Norman, Oklahoma. It has also involved more jobs to make more money and of course pool-time when possible!

I am thankful for the seasons and the weather change. Just by the time I'm sick of it being cold, sick of wearing jeans and closed-toe shoes, it becomes warm enough to whip out some sandals or flip flops and put on a flowing elastic waist band skirt from Old Navy! I dislike humidity, however, fall will be here soon enough for the wind to blow leaves off the trees and the sky to seem faded and dark before the winter arrives with beautiful snow falling to the ground and no two snowflakes identical.

God has the power to make things happen just as we need it. He doesn't have to do that, he doesn't have to bring us comfort at all. He chooses to. He chooses to bless those who serve him. Just as much as he chooses to do that, I choose to love Korey every day. Sadly too often I will hear of divorces and hard breakups that happen because a partner had "fallen out of love". I feel so deeply for the lover on the other end that doesn't know what happened and never saw it coming. They loved unconditionally and whole heartedly... to get a door slammed in their face and their lives falling apart. You don't fall in or out of love. Love doesn't make you do anything. Love is a choice and not an emotion. It is something that God gave us and He allows us to express that love and feel that love, but ONLY if we choose to are we able to love someone. Every day I choose to love Korey. I choose to do things that I think will bring him happiness, and I choose to fold his underwear. I choose to cook him dinner, and choose to let him hog the bed. I choose to enjoy his sense of humor and I choose to serve him whole-heartedly. In every action, I must choose to love my husband, my best friend, and my soul mate. In no way have I fallen in love with him and in no way will I ever "fall out of love". I will always love my husband because I will always choose to love him as I have for the past 27 months.

Just as God chooses to change the weather and make the sun rise, my love for Korey will be as consistent as the sunrise and as much of a choice of mine as what I wear each day.
I charge you to choose to love the ones around you, especially your spouse. Make it a mental choice daily that you are going to love them. With God as your foundation and love as your choice - marriage will last as long as it's made to.

Chief end of summer and love... glofify Christ!

Furthering Education...

Korey finished his online intersession class last night. He is now officially done with undergrad! We had a little high fivin' and cheers in that moment! Haley came over and we had a wonderful meal together as roommates and friends. Then Haley and I watched and cheered on Jeff and Korey as they put together our wonderful new bookshelf for the living room (might I add - $25 from Wally World made of particle board and black poster board as the back drop). It is now safely fasten to the wall with the safety strap - but it still leans crooked. Oh well -- It looks lovely and will soon be filled with all of Korey and Jeff's books of theology, christianity, biblical commentary, and such. ((This will empty a bookshelf upstairs that will then be able to filled with Cat in the Hat, A Fine School, Alice the Fairy, and many more of my wonderful books of choice for the Early Childhood realm of people.))

I just accepted a tutoring job for the rest of the summer that I'm pretty stoked about. It's just 45 minutes twice a week to work on a 1st-going into 2nd grader's reading. We had to put together a service learning project for one of our classes last semester and my group did a "Rethink Reading" session at Roosevelt Elementary. One of the mom's that attended emailed us wanting someone to work with her boy on his reading through the summer -- and that's now ME :)  I feel this is a sign that I should look more into the graduate programs in literacy. I feel that a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Literacy would help make me more marketable, but also be something that I can apply immediately in my teaching (unlike the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies - which might not be as handy until I am able to be a principal).  I also feel that I understand and love Math so much that a Master's in that would just add some knowledge to something I enjoy already. I feel that I am able to explain math in different ways to children-- Literacy however, is a different story. Our Lit sequence at OU was wonderful and I learned a lot, but I feel that I could learn more and understand it better through getting a Master's in it. Reading is soo important to EVERYTHING else you will ever do. Now I'm looking into when I need to take the GRE (to get into a Grad School) on top of the other 2 tests I have left for getting my teaching certificate. Anyways-- I will get my Master's and I'll be tutoring this summer! -- 

Korey will be just a working boy this summer-- but he is very deserving of a break from school! He took 12 hours this past semester while working over 40 some weeks and still being a wonderful and loving husband. I'm excited for him to relax more this summer and I know he looks forward to starting classes at seminary this fall. 

We have VBS this week at UFC as well has a group coming from Indiana to serve our community with us. I hate that summer school had to start this week. It's going to prohibit me from being as involved as I desire, but I know that prayer for our UFC team and the team from Indiana is always needed and something I can do constantly in class or not! If you have any kiddos and want them to have a week of hearing God's word and enjoying Christ with the loving members of UFC - it's from 6-8 Monday-Friday. 

I should probably get to work on this intro to philosophy class... but even with homework - chief end... will be to glorify Christ.

Cha Cha Cha Changes...

As life goes on, changes are made. Sometimes changes are inevitable, unwanted, and uncontrollable. Some changes however, are by choice and made with much thought and prayer. As of today, we have a new roommate. Brandon (the murderer of our dear spider friend TIBS from a past post and dear friend of Korey's) has moved out and a another dear friend of Korey's has moved in. I know some people think it odd that we as a newlywed couple have a roommate. It has allowed us to live in a lovely home for a lot cheaper and have someone around when Waldo needs a dogsitter! :)  Our new roommate is currently cleaning his carpets and painting his walls to his wonderful 10 by 10 room that exists behind our kitchen in our lovely duplex. Jeff is a great guy and happens to be the friend that Korey will be driving to Fort Worth on Mondays with in the fall. It'll be helpful for him to be living in the same house when they have to awake at 4:30am to make it to their 8am class at Southwestern in Tejas!  Change is not always welcome, wanted, or chosen... but this change was a choice made with much thought and very much looked forward to. We are glad for Jeff to now be part of our home and I look forward to his girlfriend Haley being over here more! :)

Another change that is being made with much thought and prayer is my pursuit of a Masters. It just keeps coming up and keeps coming back to me. I have been looking at an online program through UTA (University of Texas @ Arlington). They have full masters programs online. I'm thinking that I could start this in the spring with a class or two while I am student teaching. Sounds crazy, but if it's possible, it sounds like the best idea. I've looked at some programs at the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky, but they aren't online programs and could be more difficult to start after getting there on top of trying to find a job. If any one knows of any other Masters (in Education) options, feel free to let me know!

May God be the chief end of any changes...