"How to Hug a Vampire"

It's crazy to think that in less than a week I will have complete control over a classroom of first graders.  I've been teaching nearly the whole day for weeks now, but Monday is the official start to my "full-time" teaching.  I've already taught and done everything that I'll be taking over, I just haven't done all of it at once.  It will definitely be a test of how well I can handle being an actual teacher.  My lesson on Fire Safety went amazingly today and I'm really happy with how well they did with it (and they didn't want to stop at the end!).  They also took a math test today, which the typically lower scorers improved a lot but some of the typically higher scorers dropped because they didn't follow directions.  Guess that will prove to them the importance of waiting for me to read the question and give instructions.  They still get excited about filling each others' buckets which is awesome. 

As for outside of the classroom, we went to Fruitville Grove Farm and the Point of Rocks over the weekend.  The Fruitville Grove had a fall festival starting that day and it was really nice to finally feel a hint of fall.  There were pumpkins, fresh apple cider, fresh fruit, etc.  What threw me off was the near 90 degree weather and the sand paths I was walking on to get from one place to another.  As nice as it was, I'm still looking forward to getting the real fall feeling at Shaw's NEXT weekend when I come home!  I can't believe it's next weekend! :)

In order to get to the Point of Rocks, you have to go out into the ocean, climb on a concrete platform, then climb across some more rocks.  Since we went at low tide, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it might be.  It was a secluded little area away from most of the typical tourists that flood the area.  After finding some seashells, we headed back along the beach, listening to the sound of the drums from the public beach. 

The message Sunday morning was about "How to Hug a Vampire" which ultimately meant 'How to love the people that suck the life out of you'.  It was really eye opening and inspiring and I have been in a much better mood about things since then.  The main points were:  1. We are life-suckers too.  2. Create a property line (don't let people in closer to your heart than they should be--guard your heart).  3.  Stay in God's purpose.  Ultimately there are 2 ways to fall out of yourself, you can either fall into sin or fall into a 'religious leader's' lifestyle.  When you are struggling with something or someone, it is important to realize that your reaction to that situation shows more about you and your character than the situation itself. 

I also joined the YMCA this weekend.  I was talking to someone from The Shore and she mentioned them, after a few hours of checking the places out and driving around, I found one about 20 minutes away with 2-1m and 1-3m boards!  Plus they're outside, which is clearly a requirement, I am in Florida after all.  I was really excited to find it and can't wait to get started again.

That's about all for now.  I'm still struggling with the washing machine, but if that's my biggest challenge right now, I must be pretty blessed!