growing up

I went to a high school musical this weekend. I had wanted to go to 2, but alas one was all that I could make it to. So I went to the one my students were in. I teach at this school every day, but I'm in the part of the school that was not there when I went to school there. So I usually don't spend much time contemplating my past. Last Friday though as I sat watching my students perform on that stage that I knew so well I couldn't help it. I saw the girl that starred in Anything Goes (the musical we did my senior year), of course being myself I avoided her completely. The sad thing is I automatically thought of her in respect to all the problems we had with her in the production. 1. the part was of a vivacious outgoing lounge singer, and though it was as close to type casting as you can get she couldn't even act like herself on stage. 2. she was an amazing soprano, but the part was alto....ouch.
So here's this to ya'll am I the only one out there that can't help but take part of their identity from who they were in highschool? I'm not anything like that slightly confused artsy freak that wore neon polyester and lived on the stage, but part of me still sees myself like that. I suppose that applies to college too, but college was more a means to an end than a life style...at least for me anyway. Now I find myself watching my students with more interest, wondering if I can predict their outcome or will they be surprises??? Compare yourself to what you were. Would you have been surprised by what you are now???? I think I would have been. I'm glad the path changed from where I thought I'd be.

the nastiest oven in the world

We have completed the move into our new house, everything is unpacked and set up. So now comes the serious defilthing. When we looked at the house I completely missed the nastiness. Why because the woman who owned the house before us was an excellent surface cleaner. Everything was straightened and decorated so that you wouldn't notice the grime. To be honest maybe she didn't either. Its okay to keep things surface cleaned most of the time, because lets be honest none of us have time to clean EVERYTHING all the time. BUT, you've gotta keep things to a decent level in the deep cleaning department. Nothing in the house was deep cleaned. Midew in the showers, grime on the kitchen cabinets, and the oven, the oven well that was my whole weekend.
This oven and stove top looked as if they hadn't even been wiped down in the 2 years that they lived here. The remains of every meal that had ever boiled over on the stove were still there just burnt now, and I think she must have spilled things very often. Yuck! There was grime holding the stove pans on to the stove so that I couldn't tell how to remove them till halfway through the process. And the oven racks were apparently used as grills. Everyone out there Please don't EVER use your oven as a grill BBQing is an outdoor thing, and should never be attempted in your oven. I guarentee the sauce will be hard to get out of the oven.
So after all weekend, my skin is peeling off my hands and my whole family is high on oven cleaner, but I can now say for sure that my stove is steel. So for future reference demand a clean oven before you sign papers.

I told ya'll I should have been nice

So now that we're moved in I find out why it was so hard to move in. The people we bought the house from were planing to take their money and move to Florida. They knew some people down there and they had done some inital research on rental properties. They went down immediately after the closing and tried to find a place. Well the government has just forced the Katrina victims out of the hotels and they have 1st right to any low cost rental properties. So the only places they could find were the expensive rentals. So now I don't know what their going to do. They might stay here in town, but for now they're living with his mother and I'm feeling really guilty. But can I say that had I know this prior to the move that I would have wanted to wait until they got everything figured out before we took possession. I doubt it thats why I'm feeling guilty today, but truth be told I'm reminded of a line in Pride and Prejudice (BBC version)"Don't worry it will pass and probably more quickly than it should." But, new prayer request for the Princes and their unfortunate situation, also my sister-in-law I can't really tell whats happening with her because I don't think she'd like me too, but she needs prayer even though she doesn't believe. So make that alot of prayer. Love you all!

moving

We are scheduled to move this Friday, and I need prayer. I have been having really hateful thoughts toward the people who we bought from. We gave them 10 days after closing to move out, and they called today asking for another week. Well, Steve stood his ground and reminded them that they signed a paper saying they would be out and that certain things would be fixed. Now they're mad because we're enforcing it. They've promised to be out, so we should get possesion at 12pm on Friday. Now that its worked out I just need prayer to help me get rid of the anger I feel towards them for this. Even if they were wrong I shouldn't be all mean about it. So if you think of it send up a prayer that I'll become a nicer person.

lyrics

Music has been rolling over my spirit lately. To me unless your listening to a lyric that is touching your life it doesn't matter how good the music is, you might as well chuck the CD. Right now I'm listening to one of my favorite albums of all time, Everyone's Beautiful by Waterdeep. I was just listening to the song Sweet River Roll, and one of the lyrics just hit me like a ton of bricks. The song is a witness to someone going through a hard time in their life and the singer is interceeding for them. Lately we've been truly blessed, but so many people I or Steve know are going through truly hard times and this song made me stop and pray for them. There is so much truth in these lyrics and a longing to help someone when there is no way that you can. Being not blessed with the gift of gab, so to speak, I very rarely have the right words to say to bless a friends heart, but I am comforted in the fact that I can pray for them and He will hear and bless and comfort them.
here's the lyric that stopped me

Right now it's mornign
You're prob'ly sleeping
I bet you're totally unaware of
the flood of kisses you hold back
by the way that you despair
It ain't me I'm talking about here,
or anybody else you can touch
That's all I'm gonna say right now
I don't wanna say too much

except Sweet Jesus Roll
All over me
Sweet Jesus Roll
All over me