Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

But my dear it's so delightful…let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! This past week we had our first official snow. And it was awesome! We got about 6 inches of snow and it was absolutely beautiful. I am 100% not enjoying the freeeeeezing temperatures, but I am certainly enjoying the beauty of the snow (from the comforts and warmth of my home).

Another Semester In The Books

I am officially a second semester junior…AKA, I am officially MORE than halfway finished with my college career. How crazy is that? What a sweet sense of relief I am experiencing. I keep checking my calendar just certain there is another assignment or another exam to be studying for. To my pleasant surprise, there is nothing left to do. My textbooks have been returned, exams have been taken, papers have been written, and many prayers have been prayed as the chaos of the end of the semester came to a close. {Insert deep sight of relief here} I am so exhausted, but my brain has not transitioned to “break mode” yet, so I chose to write down a few thoughts on the semester…

First Day

Last Day

Wow, what a semester this has been. Part of me feels like my first day was yesterday and another part is so relieved it was not. Ha! To say it was a rough start is an understatement. Those first few days I was seriously considering trading my degree for an MRS Degree and calling it a day…which still doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea to me. Ha! Those days were filled with fear of the unknown, desperation to feel like I fit and belonged somewhere, longing for affirmation of my major and my decision to move home, feeling super lonely, and battling a serious case of post-summer blues. Phew, I am so glad those days are behind me! After my (near) mental breakdown, I began seeing the Lord work in some really beautiful and unexpected ways. From the very beginning of the semester, I recognized more than ever before, my absolute dependence and need for Him. As I began the semester, I prayed that through everything I did, He would be glorified, whether it was through a conversation or an exam. I'm not one to typically talk about grades but I am a little too excited NOT to share that I got straight A's this semester…my first 4.0 of college. Every semester before this semester I would get just one B. With that being said, I want to publicly give God absolute and full glory for my success this semester and for leading me through every class and every experience. How annoying is that? Ha! I love how much He loves to show off for us when we stop and let Him.

Once the initial overwhelming and monotonous days of syllabi reading were over, I started seeing some really exciting differences between UK and NKU and began having a greater passion for my schoolwork…because my classes actually mattered! Crazy concept, I know. Ha! I had finally moved past the general education classes and could finally take some classes that were both relevant to my major and interesting. By no means was this semester easy, but boy does it make a difference when you are interested in the classes you are taking! One of the biggest differences I noticed (academic wise) was how passionate and knowledgeable my professors were…please notice that I said professors and NOT teaching assistance. Wow, what a difference that makes! It was so refreshing to be taught by professionals that had previously been IN the field. Their passion for education was contagious and inspiring. And…brace yourself, this is crazy…the professors knew me by name AND went out of their way to encourage me. Being such a words of affirmation person, this seriously blew me away. Multiple times throughout the semester, I had professors send me an email just to encourage me and let me know that they were proud of my hardwork. Wow. I love UK and will always bleed blue, but the intentionality of my professors this year served as GREAT sources of encouragement and made me feel like I belonged at the university. What a joy it is to say that!

I Actually Feel Like A Teacher…

By FAR my most worthwhile experience this semester was my Field Experience. Twice a week, I had the honor and joy of loving, serving, teaching, and leading the sweetest first grade class there ever was (okay, I may be a little biased). Where do I even begin with these sweeties? I guess I begin by saying a big THANK YOU to my amazing coordinating teacher, Jill Glass. What a blessing it was to be able to partner with her this semester and learn from her! Jill LOVES her students and they love her. I am so thankful for the way she embraced me right away and shared her students, her skills, and her time with me. Jill taught me countless things from managing a classroom to recognizing when a student just needs a hug. She is loving and encouraging to her students and treats them like her own. It was always so beautiful to watch her lead and teach them. Collins Elementary School is full of passionate and compassionate teachers and it is absolutely humbling, contagious, and inspiring to see the dedication and the love for students so many of the staff exude.

Now to the students…wow. I love them. I don’t know if I should be worried or thankful that I fell in love with these kiddos in such a short amount of time. I may have a slight attachment problem on my hands. Ha! Ever since I began pursuing a degree in elementary education I had assumed I wanted to work with the younger students and boy was I right! I LOVE the innocence and sweetness of 6 and 7 year olds. These next few sentences may sound a little “rose colored glasses,” but I seriously believe these things… I love how willing they are to learn and how quick they are to love and accept you. I love their backwards d’s and b’s and their little chicken scratch handwriting. I love their questions. I love the hilarious things they say. I love how clumsy they are. I love that they can’t tie their shoes or button their pants. I love their hugs, oh how I love their hugs! I love being a part of building a foundation of learning that they will use for the rest of their academic careers and for the rest of their lives. I love how moldable they are. I love how much they want to make you proud. I love their precious smiles. Did I mention that I LOVE first grade and I LOVE these kiddos?

Goodness, as I type this I cannot stop myself from smiling as I remember some of the precious and hilarious things the kids would say and ask. That whole, “kids say the darndst things” saying could not be more true. Ha! Each Thursday I would go with the kids to their PE class and would laugh out loud at least once every single class. Oh my, it was so precious. The clumsiness of these kids is enough to make your heart melt. A couple standout moments in PE were gymnastics day (where we helped every student do a front roll and handstand…you would have thought they had just won an Olympic Medal), hula-hoop day (where my ego was boosted as the kiddos thought it was the most amazing thing that I could hula-hoop, Ha!), and rock climbing day (while these sweet babies are only 6-7, holding them up to the rock wall as they nervously went from rock to rock was a serious workout for this 5’2 girl). So precious. So hilarious.

• First grade hugs are the best! Their little “sneak-attack” hugs and love make your heart melt.
• Kids think they are super sneaky and clever…they haven’t discovered yet that teachers (like moms) have eyes in the back of their heads.
•  First grade whispers are definitely not whispers.
• Putting an imaginary bubble in your mouth is more effective than you would think.
• I am not sure if first graders can ever be completely quiet or sit completely still…it is hilarious how squirmy and squirrely they are.
• It is okay to be a little OCD in the classroom.
• I am a little more OCD than I once thought.
• “Goldfish are crunchy.”
• Kids only have to go to the bathroom AFTER the opportunity has passed.
• KTIP Lesson Plans are totally overrated.
• Hearing “Miss Emilee” makes my heart happy.
• Homemade cards from kids are enough to make you melt.
• Tennis shoe strings are a serious struggle.
• Calling “bottoms,” “buckets” is so much cuter.
• Little girls are completely unaware when their little buckets are exposed…not sure how many times I said, “Pull your pants up, baby.”
•  Children laughter is contagious.
• “It would be silly to enunciate the double consonants at the end of words” (example: gla-s-s).
• Sometimes I don’t want to correct kids when their b’s, d’s, and well…every other letter is backwards because it’s so cute. But I do anyway.
• Sometimes you have to play the “bad guy.”
• First graders cry. Quite often. Sometimes it’s pitiful, sometimes laughable, and sometimes ridiculous. Regardless, you hug them.
• Every day is a brand new day and holds the opportunity for new adventures.
• Kids need to know that you’re “safe” before you can teach them anything worthwhile.
•  No matter how many times you have gone over procedures, kids will forget them and make up their own rules and you will have to remind them again…and again…and again.
• Call and response attention getters work like a charm.
• There is nothing better than having reading time with picture books on the carpet (this was only one of my favorite and most relaxing parts of the day).
• Listening to first graders read is a wonderful mixture of absolute sweetness and a little bit of pain (Ha! If you have read with a first grader, you get this).
• Being called “mommy” on accident is precious even if the student’s face turns 50 shades of red.
• Elementary school is different than it used to be.
• Kids will push their boundaries…if we let them.
• Dressing like a “professional” is somewhat overrated in the classroom…keep it classy, keep it comfortable. You spend more time on your knees working with a student than you think. High heels are ridiculous in the classroom.
• Kids are kids.
• There is something to love about every student…even the “difficult to love” ones.
• I’m going to have to have babies quickly (kidding…nobody panic) so that my favorite names aren’t “ruined.”
• Sometimes, you have to choose to laugh instead of cry.
• I love teaching. I love kids. I cannot wait to be a teacher.

As the end of the semester crept closer and closer, a part of me was sad knowing that I would have to say, “see ya” to my sweet kiddos. It still makes me tear up thinking about leaving on my last day. While I plan on coming back to visit, there is definitely a sense of loss and (unwanted) closure to this wonderful chapter. I knew I wanted to do something special for the kiddos (and Mrs. Glass) to remind them of how special I thought they were and how much I loved them and my time with them. I thought and thought and finally decided on a project. The majority of students at Collins come from pretty low socio-economic homes and are raised in homes much different from mine…which made leaving them even harder! Knowing this (and being a words of affirmation gal), I decided to make them a “Word Cloud” of words that described each student. I loved thinking about what made each student so special and unique and was so happy with how they turned out. 

I came ready and excited with my gifts and was humbled and surprised by the sweet gifts the class had prepared for ME. Each student had written and drawn a card for me and gave me a framed picture of the class holding a (precious handmade) sign that read, “We Love You, Miss Emilee.” Heart=melted. Tears=happening. Goodness, it was pretty brutal leaving the classroom for the (not really) last time. I am so thankful to love and be loved by this class.

I could go on and on. I learned so much during my time at Collins and grew in immeasurable ways. I went from seriously wondering if teaching was where God was leading me, to being absolutely certain that I was created to teach and love on His children. When someone would ask how school was going, I said every single time, “School is school BUT, I get to work with first graders and THAT is amazing.” It really was amazing. I believe wholeheartedly that the Lord orchestrated my time at Collins Elementary and blessed me with so much affirmation and joy to show me that I am (finally) where I am supposed to be. Praise Him for that! I am SO excited to have a classroom of my own someday.

Not So Academic Thoughts…

This semester really could not have been more different than my past semesters. I could write another 4 pages on the non-academic side of life in Northern Kentucky, BUT, let’s be honest…if you are still reading this, you’re a saint. I won’t keep you much longer. Promise.

Dating Life

Oh golly, dating is so much more fun when you actually get to do life with the person. Ha! Profound, I know. Moving back home was absolutely the best decision I could have made in regards to my relationship with my sweet boy. It has been so amazing to see how the Lord has brought our hearts even closer together and has given us opportunities to learn and grow together. Amazing. I have LOVED our Friday Fun Days and our sweet days in between. Oh I am in love. {Warning- vulnerability coming up} My poor boy has seen me in some pretty…emotional moments. There were countless days that I would just start crying. For no real reason. Seriously. Talk about being a stereotypical girl. Ha! Every time I would be overcome by emotion, Darin would simply hold me, ask if there was something he could do, and hold me some more. That, ladies and gentleman, is grace. It may not seem like a big deal, but it is most certainly a big deal to me. In my (many) moments of feeling crazy and overly emotional, he loved me, prayed for me, and didn’t try to fix anything but simply let me cry and hugged me. He is a keeper. That is for sure. It has been SO much fun to discover “our spots” and find a new rhythm of life together. I love falling more and more in love with Darin and find such joy in discovering new ways to love and serve him more and better. He is amazing. And I am thankful. Obviously, I could write pages and pages about him (and probably will at some point) but I’ll leave you with this, Darin Mirante is an amazing man, life with him is better than I ever imagined, being in love is the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced, I am better because of his love, and I love that today is only the beginning with him.

Life At Home

Leaving Lexington and moving back home with my parents has been an adventure! There have certainly days that I miss the silliness, singing, and sweetness of living with the girls, but I have learned (and am continuing to learn) how sweet this time is with my parents. They are SO gracious and generous and love me so well. I am so thankful for the way they have re-opened their home to me and allowed me to live such a comfortable and sweet life with them. They really are the best! I have loved getting to see both of them in different lights and have learned to really appreciate the thing that make them so special. Here is just a quick glimpse into the wonderful people that Steve and Rhonda Hancock are…

I LOVE how humble my Dad is. He would do anything for anyone without blinking an eye. I love that he isn’t afraid of what people think and just does what needs to be done. I love how quick he is to laugh and how often he laughs at himself. I love how blunt he is…sometimes to a fault. Ha! I love that he is and always will be a kid at heart. I love how much he values family. I love how easily excited he is. I love that he loves “old timer” music…the Gathers. I love how proud of his family he is. I love that he loves adventure. I love how extroverted he is. I love how silly yet sensitive he is. I love my Daddy-O. For so many reasons.

I LOVE how much of a servant my Mom is. She loves and serves people better than most. She is always looking for a way to bless others and goes out of her way to make life easier for those around her. I love how much she loves her family. I love how much of a caregiver she is. I love that she is a mom to so many “adopted” children. I love how passionate and confident she is. I love how sacrificially she gives of her time, love, money, and resources. I love how hard she works. I love how much she loves to bless others with her yummy food. I love how supportive she is. I love how sensible and practical she is. I love my Momma. I love who God has made her to be.

I am thankful to live with my parents during this stage of life and am so thankful for the way they love, provide, support, and lead me. Mom and Dad, thank you for your love!

A Few Perks of Living At Home
Spending time with precious friends who have been in my life for years and who will be in my life for many more years to come. I have loved getting to love on some of my favorite little people this semester and be a part of their lives. I love those sweeties! AND making sweet memories with new friends. I don't have a ton of friends but I sure am thankful for the irreplaceable friends I DO have.

At the beginning of the semester, Darin would always laugh saying I needed to find a hobby…seeing as my primary "hobby" was him. Ha! Well, I (re)discovered my hobby. Reading! I LOVE reading and got pretty hooked this semester. During my spare time and on our many coffee shop dates, I would be a little reading machine. I read 6 or 7 books this semester (all of which were Karen Kingsbury books…HIGHLY recommended). What a fun and relaxing pastime!

Life On A Treadmill

One final thought of the semester…I realize at this point I am probably talking to myself. Or maybe you have taken a bathroom break and have returned. Ha! Anyway…

Many times throughout the semester, I have felt like I am running through life on a treadmill. This is something I have struggled with for most of the semester and something the Lord has really been teaching me about. I would be lying if I said I loved being in school. I enjoy learning and find great value in getting a degree, BUT there are definitely moments when I get tired of being the only one in my “immediate circle” still in school. Now everyone who is thinking, “Oh if only she knew…embrace this time while you can…these are your best years!” I appreciate your advice, but (respectfully) disagree with you. I would be so sad to think that my years as a wife, a teacher, and a mom paled in comparison to my days in college. Will they be harder? Absolutely. But I dream of the day I will get married, have a classroom of sweet kiddos, and have babies of my own. I am so excited for those milestones and often get frustrated feeling “stuck” in school. Hence, the treadmill illustration. I have struggled (and honestly continue to struggle sometimes) with this feeling and have prayed often that the Lord would give me peace in the moment, the ability to appreciate this stage of life, and patience to wait until His perfect timing for those precious milestones. This has been easier said than done, folks. Ha! But I am learning. I am learning to find value in this stage of life. To appreciate the simplicity of these days. To appreciate the dating stage, knowing this is the first and only time I will date. To appreciate the lessons and memories shared with my parents. To enjoy having intentional time with my few but amazing friends. To value and appreciate the education I am getting. To enjoy not having the stress and responsibilities of “the real world.” And ultimately, to appreciate and embrace the moments I HAVE, because these moments are precious and are all I am guaranteed.

Okay…I am finished. There is my life this semester. A semester full of emotions, memories, and lessons. A semester full of new experiences, new friends, and new places. A semester where the Lord showed off and showered me with reminders of His faithfulness. Thank you, Jesus for being who you say you are! 

14 Snapshots Sunday

These last two weeks have been filled with sweet adventures and memories! I am so glad I have a fancy camera to capture these moments, as I am a strong believer in the whole, "a picture is worth a thousand words" motto. Anywhoooo, let's see. The fall continues to amaze me with it's beauty and colors. I seriously cannot get enough of it! I love the trees and wish they would stay so bright and beautiful all year long. BUT, I suppose we would take them for granted if that were the case. 

Two Friday's ago, my sweet momma had a procedure done on her elbow. Bless her heart, the surgery was successful but she was definitely in pain and loopy on drugs for the first few days. Thankfully just over a week later, she is recovering beautifully and is certainly on the mend. Despite the very unfortunate situation of her having to have surgery, our family greatly benefited by having some super special visitors come to take care of her. Anna, Nanny, and Rachel all came up from Louisville and spent a few days loving on momma and loving on us. Oh it was SO wonderful. Having that one-on-one time with my Nanny was absolutely invaluable and so precious. She is a rockstar! She even taught me how to bake oatmeal raisin cookies...which if you know me, this is a miracle in and of itself. Ha! Oh my goodness, I cannot say enough how much I loved having her with us and seriously considered asking mom to fake being in more pain so that she would stay longer. Ha! Ooops, did I say that out loud?

It just so happened that on the same Friday that mom had her procedure done, Darin and I had planned to travel to Evansville with Linda to visit his Grandpa Schwind. Yup, I get get the bad daughter award. Poor planning on my part, BUT my parents assured me that she would be drugged up and that there was nothing I could do but pray and check in on her. Well, after being convinced of all of that, we left for Evansville and had the BEST time! Anytime Linda is around, it's a party! :) We had the best time laughing and telling stories on the drive to and from Evansville and made some really sweet memories. 

Another major highlight of this week was taking the most gorgeous walk through Central Park with my sweet love. Central Park is one of our "spots," as we go fairly often just to walk around and enjoy being outside together. Well, this one of the most beautiful walks we have had there. We got to the park close to sunset the trees seriously looked like they were on fire. It was breathtaking. We loved taking a slow stroll through the park with our adopted son...I mean dog, Chai. Oh it was so lovely. God is such an incredible artist. Can I get an amen?

The biggest highlight of the week though, was this past Wednesday. Darin had been "babysitting" Page's dog, Chai for the last few months as they got settled into their new house in Noblesville, but the time finally came for us to take him back. It was a pretty emotional day. Ha! We had both grown accustomed to life with Chai and seriously talked about him like he was a little boy who had just been adopted when we dropped him off. Yes, we have serious issues. Anywayyyy, the highlight of dropping Chai off was getting to see Page and her beautiful babies. We had the BEST time playing with the girls and loved just watching them play and live. Oh my goodness, I love them. 

A Little River Walk Photoshoot in Evansville

Grandpa Schwind

Central Park

Our Favorite Sitting Spot

My Boys

Sweet Nanny-O

Perfection

Isn't She Amazing?

We Love Them So Much

Fun Fall Festivities

I am LOVING fall this year...perhaps because I have been able to stop and be in one place this year. Praise the Lord for that! Seriously, I have been enjoying this season so much and have been especially excited about fall...until the weather got cold. Then I remembered why I don't like this time of year. Well, that and my crazy allergies. Ha! BUT, this fall has been more fun and more festive than I remember others being. The majority of the season so far (September-just recently) had the most amazing weather. My idea of perfect weather is sunny and 70's. Ahh, so perfect. What has made this season even better is the fact that I've gotten to spend it with my love. I am thankful.

I've had some really sweet times these last few weeks and have gotten to capture some fun pictures as well...

Capturing Kodak Moments...
I am loving getting to learn about my new camera. I haven't had a whole lot of time to research the camera but am having a good time experimenting with it and capturing some pretty nature pictures...and fun fall pictures as well.

Friday Fun Days...
My schedule this year is pretty sweet. NKU is so much different from UK (in a lot of ways) in that I am only on campus about 10 hours a week and for only 4 in person classes a week. Meaning, I have two days a week where I am FREE...which is awesome. At the beginning of the semester, Darin and I were reading and relaxing at a coffee shop and were convicted of how important practicing the Sabbath is. After that day, we made it a point to practice our Sabbath on Friday, since Sunday is a work day for him. Each Friday we have one-on-one time and find fun and relaxing places to hang out and read, talk, adventure, etc. I LOVE our Friday Fun Days. They have quickly become my favorite day of the week as I treasure that intentional time with my love and really enjoy finding new places to explore with him. My very favorite dates so far have been...Over the Rhine and Devou Park, Fountain Square and Sawyer Point Park, fun (and yummy) restaurants, relaxing parks, and my latest favorite date day...super lazy days on the couch watching Parenthood. Seriously, this is my latest obsession.

A couple weeks ago, after feeling especially spoiled by my sweet love, I decided it was time to spoil him too. I was so excited to plan our Friday Fun Day...and a little nervous since the bar was set awfully high. Well, I tried to do my love proud and do lots and lots of research on the best place to eat and the most fun thing to do. I had been wanting to go to the zoo with Darin ever since I took Maren and Warner back in the summer and then once I got my camera I had even more incentive so decided that the zoo would be our final destination. After doing lots of research, I came across a restaurant called Zoup! which was SO yummy. The restaurant was Panera-esque but the food (gourmet soup and wraps/salads) was way more unique and yummy. AND an added bonus was that Darin had never even heard of the place...big bonus for me, as he has done a lot of research for restaurants and is over in that area quite a bit. He rated it to be an A+ so that was a success! After that, I punched in the address for the zoo and we headed that way. Throughout the day he had been guessing where he thought we were going (which I always hate because I feel defeated if he guesses correctly. Ha!) and he had flippantly said the zoo but I quickly wrote that option off. Until we got close and zoo signs were plastered all over the place. Oops. Needless to say, I told him/he figured it out before we got there. And we had the best time! He had only been to the Cincinnati Zoo for the Festival of Lights so it was fun to adventure around the different exhibits and discover new things together. We even got to feed the giraffes...I know, I know, that's for the kids buuuut we couldn't resist. The weather was perfect and the company was even better...oh and Darin was amazing too. Ha! Kidding. I'd say it was a wonderfully successful day date and I think it's safe to say that I earned his trust to plan another day sometime soon.

Mom and Dad Go On Vacation...
Well, as the title suggests, mom and dad went on vacation, which left me and our 2 nutty dogs home alone. Eep! I know it is completely ridiculous, but I was sincerely afraid of being home alone at night. I love being home alone during the day (most of the time, Ha!) but realllllly did not like being home alone at night. The week was pretty traumatic. Dramatic but true. The first night was the most traumatic of all...and the shortest night of all as I got maybe 3 hours of sleep. Geesh. Let me just set up this scene...severe storm and tons of rain (strike 1), 1 dog being afraid of lightning the other being afraid of thunder (strike 2), Emilee being afraid of infamous and fantasized "bad guys" that would inevitably break into the house (strike 3), oh and did I mention that the night before we had watched Olympus Has Fallen (which was the worst movie I have ever seen) and Elizabeth Smart's story (umm, yeah the story of how she was abducted from her bedroom)...I'd say that was 3 strikes in and of itself. Geesh. So all of that combined with the fact that these two goofball dogs of ours are both completely worthless when it comes to being guard dogs and very much high maintenance and it was just a recipe for disaster. So I think I fell asleep around 3 or so that night only to be woken up at 5 by Marlough shaking my entire bed. So naturally I had to get out of bed and go downstairs (which was terrifying), let him outside (even more terrifying), and feed him/give him his medicine. Of course my fear was at an all time peak as I was zombie-walking through the house at 5:00 in the morning...and then...I  saw the biggest spider ever (only a liiiiitle dramatic...it WAS the biggest spider I have seen the house before) crawling along the kitchen floor. I can't make these things up, people. I freaked out but refrained from screaming because, who was going to come save me anyway? Uhh, nobody. So then I try to figure out how in the world I am going to work up the courage to kill said spider (because I can't let it go because then it would inevitably wind up in my room...ugh, I'm cringing as I type this) so I grabbed a shoe, put it on, took a deep breath, and stomped the heck out of that spider (FYI- I literally just had to wipe off my palms because my hands are sweating just thinking about that experience). Gosh, it was awful. Obviously I was quite worked up by the time I made it back up to bed and didn't fall asleep until 6 and woke up at 7:30. Needless to say, it was rough. The rest of the week was still pretty traumatic but had some high points...one being Rachel coming to visit for a day/night. That was definitely the best night I slept. Ha! It was SO good to see Rach and have some one-on-one time with her. Made my heart super happy for sure!

Moral of this story...I have an over-active imagination and should never be left home alone.

Niederman Farm...
For the past 10+ years we have visited the Niederman Farm during the fall to walk through their (amazing) corn maze. We met the Niederman's back during the Lakota days and have kept in touch ever since and have made their corn maze a Hancock Family tradition. The corn maze was awesome (but not nearly as magical as it was when I was a little girl) but being reunited with our sweet friends was even better. They are as good as it gets and it was so good to catch up with them! The homemade donuts were a yummy treat as well...Ha! Definitely more sweet memories made and another year of corn mazing is officially in the books.

School...
Strangely enough, I am sort of kind of liking school. Whaaaat? Crazy, huh? I guess I should clarify and say that I am tolerating the school part but LOVING my time at Collins (the elementary school where I'm doing my field experience). Seriously, I cannot even say how much I love my time there. I am working with sweet baby first graders and they have officially captured my heart. I can't walk through the room without getting little squeezes and love from my sweet babies. I am learning so much from my time there and get such joy from watching them learn and live. These kiddos are definitely a handful but they crack me up. I'm not sure why I haven't been doing this all semester, but I started writing down some of the hilarious things they say...because as you know, kids say the darndest things.

-First of all, watching them during PE is hands down one of the most precious and hilarious things of all time. They are so uncoordinated and clumsy and it just makes my heart happy. So far this year they have learned how to hula-hoop (which was a serious challenge), run/walk with a speedometer, practice making animal sounds and movements, etc. I get the biggest kick out of these kids!
-Being called Miss Emilee makes my heart happy.
-I love that these babies can't tie their shoes/button their pants, etc. I love being needed by these little ones.
-Hearing first graders read aloud is just really stinking cute. I love the words they make up.
-While reviewing different animals, a picture of a centipede (yucky) was shown. One little girl shot her hand up, anxious to inform the class what this creature was. When her guess of "a worm" was denied, she stated quite disappointed, "Aw man, that's my favorite animal." I seriously had to stop myself from giggling. Poor girl needs to be taken to the zoo. Ha!
-During writing time, I helped one of my favorites (can I say that?) his assignment, which was to identify words around the room that ended with a double consonant (ll, ss, etc.) As we walked around the room, he would point to a word and read it correctly and then say (every single time), because the word + both sounds of the consonant (example: Glass= Gla-s-s) would be silly. He then proceeded to giggle every time. Be still my heart. This doesn't do it justice, but it was precious.
-During writing time, one little boy was asked to do a free write. His free write stated, "My cat pees on my bed. I smell my bed." Umm...alright then.

That's all that happened this week, but I am definitely going to start writing these perfectly quotable moments down because they make me giggle and hopefully they'll make you giggle as well.

Small Group...
When I came home from UK, I realized I was in serious need of some community. After struggling for a while as to what to do, I asked several of my sweetest friends to start a small group with me. With crazy schedules and crazy life, several of the girls had to decline, but by the end, there were four of us and that is just fine with me! Every other Wednesday we meet up and talk about life over some dinner. We are keeping it pretty casual at this point so that we can get to know each other better, but it has been so refreshing to have such a sweet group of girls to do life with and laugh and be super silly with. Definitely love these amazing ladies.

Pumpkin Carving...
Well this pretty much speaks for itself. We did some good old fashioned pumpkin carving...and it just wasn't as magical as it used to be. Still fun but a lot more goopy gooey work than I remember. Ha! I am quite a traditionalist (sometimes to a fault) so much so, that I used to carve/decorate my pumpkin by myself when Rachel decided it was no longer fun, simply because we used to do it each year and I felt the need to carry on the tradition. Well, that tradition quickly died as I realized that carving pumpkins just isn't as much fun by yourself. Ha! Fast-forward 7 or so years and I hadn't carved a pumpkin since. Until this year. Oh yeah! One Sunday I was feeling especially festive and decided that Darin and I needed to carve pumpkins. It was an adventure and was a fun process, but just seemed to be more work in a cold and dimly lit garage than it was worth. Ha! Not to mention, I got overly ambition and decided to spell "LOVE" because I'm cheesy like that. Besides my V failing and being dangerously close to my "o" heart and my E being excessively lopsided, I'd say it gets an A for effort. I'll rack the whole experience up as another fun and festive memory and be happy about that.

Woodhill...
Again, this title pretty much explains itself, BUT it was a definite highlight of the past few weeks and definitely worth mentioning. Last week I had my "Fall Break," which was less than exciting since no one else in my family had Fall Break...lame. Buuuut, since I didn't have class Monday night or the following Tuesday morning, Darin and I took a trip down to Lexington (my first time back since I moved out...definitely pretty emotional) and got to grab dinner at our favorite restaurant Saul Good with two of my favorite people. Ooooh it did my heart so good to see Lydia and Katelynn. After dinner we got to go to Woodhill and visit with our sweet friends there. Again, that did my heart good. It was SO wonderful to catch up with our friends there and show them that even though I've moved I still love them an awful lot. Love those people. Love that ministry.

Happy Anniversary Union!
First Church Union Campus celebrated it's 1st Anniversary last weekend with a big party after church. We had pizza, a jump house, a balloon guy, a DJ, Kona Ice, and lots of friends to celebrate with. It was so fun to be able to see the congregation in a different setting and see the silly and playful side of some people. My heart swells with pride as I watch Darin (and the rest of the crazy amazing Union Team) lead and love these people so well. I am so excited to see how the Lord uses this campus and these amazing people to reach our community and love people to Jesus. It's going to be an exciting journey!

Being Home...
Coming home was the best thing for me. I get teary eyed typing that because that statement comes with a lot of layers. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed my decision to come home and am overjoyed by the ways He has always revealed some of the reasons why He led me back home. With that joy also comes some sadness though, as I certainly still miss my UK peeps. Somedays that missing is more painful than others. Sometimes my heart aches as I miss my sweet friends that I left behind in Lexington. But despite that aching, I have never regretted my decision to come home. Praise the Lord for that! One of my biggest fears of coming home was that I would regret my decision and spend another year being discontent. So being able to say that confidently is a big deal. I miss the CSF community, Southland, Woodhill, and more than anything, I miss my sweet friends. BUT, I am loving life back home. I cannot even express how thankful I am for the healing that has happened since being home and the precious and invaluable memories I have made here. I am so glad I didn't fully know how amazing doing life with Darin is or I wouldn't have been able to make it through last year. It is SO amazing to actually do life with Darin. To do every day, boring and mundane, normal life with him. It's so awesome! I love the new rhythm we have and I love how much I get to see him, learn from him, learn about him, and spend time with him. I cannot get enough of him. I love any and all time with him and am so thankful for quiet, silly, and memorable moments with him. I also love having time with my parents. I fully recognize that this is a really special and fleeting time and am so thankful to have this quality time with them. They love me so well and I am so thankful. I love getting to see some of my favorite little people grow up, I love being a part of the Union Campus, I love getting dinner/lunch with some of my very favorite people, I love being in ONE place. There is so much good that has come out of my move back home and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for how faithful the Lord is.

Fall Festival...
We started the Halloween festivities early at First Church this year and had a great time at the Fall Festival. Man, there are some seriously cute and creative kids out there. Darin and I were the "greeters" for the night, so we got to see all the precious kiddos and costumes...best job, I'd say! We decided to be festive (yet simple) as well and got Minnie and Mickey hats. First couple "costume." Ha! We had fun visiting with everyone and had fun being a part of the festivities. I sure do love my Mickey and am humbled every day to be his Minnie.