Bride to Be!

So I have not blogged in a very very long time. I realize that not that many people follow this- but if I want more followers I need to keep blogging! Here is my life lately...

1. FINALS! I am currently in the middle of finals week. UGH! Only 3 more tests stand between be and SUMMER...well a weekend, because then I begin interim (a semester long class stuffed into 3 weeks).
2. I AM ENGAGED. It happened last week and everything has been a whirlwind! I can't even catch my breath, I'm sure this year will hold a lot of planning and fun!
3. I am on my way to a LEMONS and LIMES themed wedding. "A simple, summer, southern" wedding that's my vision.
   

I absolutely can not wait to finish these tests and continue my blogging.. for now here is my BLING!!!

AND THEN...

I recently began to think that I have not explained the title of my blog. "One she can change your life" is a quote that I have often thought about- can a shoe really change your life? I do not mean in a literal way, I mean can worldly things change your life? How do we know what our life plan is? I have a sign posted above my closet doors with this quote written on it (as you can see in my picture).
I chose this title for my blog, not because I ACTUALLY believe one shoe can change your life, but because it is a simple dream that became a reality, that changed a life.

I dream of being a teacher; you might dream of being a doctor, lawyer, writer, dancer, whatever. Dreams are something that God puts in us to share with the world. A verse that is commonly taken out of context is Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." This verse is commonly quoted in a worldly way. We are taught that if we love the Lord, He will give us money, fame, or whatever it is our hearts "desire." WRONG! David is talking about our true genuine desires; the ones that are put there from God. We sometimes choose to ignore the beginning of that verse..."Delight yourself in the Lord AND THEN..." then and only then will our desires be granted. Why? Because by delighting ourselves in the Lord our desires will coincide with HIS desires. Verse 7 says "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in there ways..." If we are still and listen to what the Lord has for us- we might actually learn something about ourselves. So I challenge myself and everyone else to be still and wait for the Lord to tell us what our desires are- and while we are waiting I want to delight in the waiting for the Lord. My life plan might not come to me in the mail signed from God Himself; however, I know that He is looking, sitting, waiting for me to choose to come before Him and say "here I am Lord, send me."

A little poetry entry from my journal-

Sitting in solitude
daring myself to think about life- beyond everything I know-
A new world is within my grasp

Resting in these places is something new-
Maybe the East does meet the West?
It is there that I can not get away from myself-
promises- sacred promises- of forgotten faults.

Through the window of an unsure heart
seeing and feeling actions
nothing suppresses my soul-
like sitting in solitude

Some Will Say...

Some will say "Real friends are the people you can tell all your secrets to and they still love you"
Some will say "Real friends never let you down"
Some will say "Real friends are always there when you need them"

I say that real friends do not hold expectations that are unachievable, they listen to your secrets and share theirs, they don't feel like they always have to say something...but when they have something to say do not hold back, they encourage you, and stand by you (infront of and behind your back). That is what real friends do.

With that said I am frustrated with the trueness of some of the friendships I have formed in my sorority. I believe that some of these girls truly are only looking out for themselves. When it is convienient for them- they are a friend- if not...see ya! They can fade in and out of my life as often as I change my socks. I do not want luke warm friendships anymore.

In my life I have experienced some not so true friendships; I've also had great friendships that have faded away. And I've had some friendships that have stood the test of time and trials life has thrown our way. I believe that all of these friendships have taught me valuable life lessons. As part of a sorority outsiders looking in would think that we all love and adore each other. WRONG. Like any group of girls we have our problems that we have to deal with; fights, gossip, boys. Being around this many girls is something that I never saw myself doing; however, even on the bad days I am proud to call myself a part of that house. I have learned to celebrate the good that we do as a whole; and cherish the true friends I have made that I wouldn't have made without my sorority. I have learned that common values, goals, and morals are more importnat and hold real friendships together better than a fun drunken night does.

DREAMING DO IT!

Have you ever been in a situation that had the potential to be very scary- but you wouldn't allow yourself to be scared? This past week at the high school I am doing my student teaching at a student was arrested for bringing a gun to school. Long story short- it was a CRAZY experience that I hope I never have to go through again. The day after all of this happened I found out that the target was going to be one of my students. This was mind blowing to me...

I have never wanted to be anything other than an inner-city school teacher- and while I always knew that there were risks with this, I simply pushed them to the back of my mind. I decided a long time ago that I can not live in fear of something happening to me at my school. After my experience last week I had to retrain my brain not to be afraid of going to school everyday.

I learned a very powerful lesson that, I believe, will take me a long way in my teaching career... Every child has a story- most of the time it is not going to be comparable to mine. Although we come from very different backgrounds, I believe through literature and writing these kids, like me, will be able to figure out who they really are and why they are that way...and what they want to do- then I will help them do it.

forget facebook

In creating my first blog a lot was to be considered... What should my name be? What should the title of my blog be? will anyone even read this blog? do I even care? As I sat pondering these thoughts I decided that I am excited about my new blog. I believe that I will use this blog to post random thoughts of encouragement, humor, complaints, and just plain random thoughts.

I'm currently going to school to be the teacher extraordinaire that I know God has created me to be. Today I taught my very first lesson by myself to my 11th grade students. It was an amazing experience that I have been looking forward to since I was about 6 years old. I look forward to posting more updates and seeing where the blogging world takes me. See ya facebook!