May Craziness!

Hello month of May...what have you done to me???

Can anyone possibly relate?

The end of the school year is always crazy

(I always think of Hammie from Over the Hedge

when I type/say Crazy, "Crazy Rabid Squirrel" is what he says).

Anyway, this month has brought award ceremonies, end of the year tests, band concerts, forms to fill out for next year, semester exams, high school ring order (be still my heart), and trying to help with last minute details for graduating seniors, etc. I am finding that I have to write myself notes and leave them where I will remember to look for them. Each day has a new note (but since I am a list checker-0ffer it is fun to see all of the checked marks).

As if that wasn't enough, in my delight at having free time after teaching school (instead of going to school at night), I have a major nesting/spring cleaning issue (NOOOOO, I am not expecting!).

In the last week we have planted our vegetable garden, worked in the yard, pruned all of our trees, made graduation gifts (I'll try to post pics later), cleaned out my closet, cleaned the pantry and refrigerator, and I even got out the ol' ironing board and iron and actually ironed...and the best part is that I enjoyed it! I have to laugh because ironing is so not my thing. I love the dryer setting that says "Refresh."

My family believes that I have lost it (they are kidding, I think) but they don't realize how good it feels to have the free time to get caught up on things that I have needed to do.

My neck is cooperating these days, most of the time, so I can finally work on my to-do list.

Tomorrow is our last day of school and then "School's out for Summer!" Woo-hoo!

I am looking forward to spending time with my family and taking time to rest and refresh my soul. It has been quite a semester. Tears flood my eyes as I reflect on all that has happened since January. I am so thankful for the all sufficiency of God! He is amazing.

Rachel is doing very well. Bless her heart, she still has daily headaches but she is doing really well. Due to her numerous absences this semester, she had to take all of her semester exams and she has done very well. She only has one to go in the morning.

Hannah had to take semester exams this year too. Wow! She is growing up. Both of the girls received their TAKS scores last week. Rachel was commended in History and Hannah was commended in English and Math. Thank You, Father!

Okay, okay, this has been a rather lengthy post.

I better get back to my "To-Do" List.

Ya'll have a great evening!

Joyfully,

Kristi

I Know You by Name!

The sunrise this morning was absolutely glorious! I just had to snap a picture.

The clouds are so heavy with blessed rain and yet the sun is peeking through the clouds.

I love that and I love the scripture the Lord showed me this morning.

Exodus 33:17 says, "You have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."

That takes my breath away. In His great mercy, we have found grace in His sight and He knows us by name. What a blessed thought! Glory!

I have a student named "V" who is hoping to graduate from high school this Friday night. He has taken distance learning classes at the local college this spring and failed. The professor offered a little grace and had "V" sign up to take his Maymester in hopes that "V" would pass and be able to graduate with his friends.

"V" is very special to me. His mother kicked him out of the house early this spring and he was homeless for a few weeks until a wonderful christian family took him in (I didn't even know at the time, I just knew he was acting differently in class).

He shared his story and I bawled. He cried too. (I could cry again just thinking about our conversation). He was devastated when he didn't pass the DL class.

The Lord began to move in my heart that I have some study skills that "V" might be able to use so I eagerly shared them with him. He called me at home a few days later to tell me that he had passed his first exam with a score of 85. We rejoiced together! It was one of those amazing moments where God lets you be a part of what He is doing. I was filled with delight!

"V" did pretty well on the next test but not so well on the 3rd test. I prayed for him over the weekend as he studies for the semester exam. He called me last night to tell me that he passed the test, but according to his aunt he would not pass the class. He sobbed on the phone.

I encouraged him that by my calculations, he should pass the course, and placed a call to a mentor of mine that just might be able to do something about the situation.

Today, we play the waiting game. Please, join me in praying that the professor extends grace to "V." He should pass the course and be allowed to graduate. I encouraged my student to hang on to the Lord because nothing is impossible for Him. I have seen God do the impossible in my life over and over again.

I am praying that this young man sees God work in a mighty way and that this would be his opportunity to see God reveal Himself in a way that "V" has never seen before. Will you please join me in this prayer?

*****UPDATE: THE PROFESSOR DID HAVE MERCY AND "V" WILL GRADUATE FRIDAY ("v" Just doesn't know it yet. I can't wait to see the look on his face)! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!

Remember, God knows you by name too and His grace is sufficient!

Joyfully,

Kristi

For more Word Filled Wednesday posts, please click here.

Happy Memorial Day!

On this day...we remember!

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

With Gratitude,
Kristi

Praising the Most High

"I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2

His praises are continually on my lips and my mind is constantly reflecting on His provision and sufficiency in this journey of faith.

I have had the words "Courage and Boldness" posted by my computer for the last 3 years as I stepped out into faith and went back to school. Here is part of my story:

Three years ago, He called me to have courage to be what He called me to be. He told me that His call on my life was on the other side of my river of fear. He said, "Kristi, you have to wade right into the water before the water will part. Press through your fear!"

Over and over, I asked Him for boldness to carry through with what He was calling me to do. My prayer was not simply for myself but for the ones that we are called to affect and impact.

The Lord constantly reminded me that we are "More than conquerors" and "All things work together for the good for those that are called according to His purpose," and that the legacy of faith and faithfulness "continues to the 1,000th generation."

I've looked at these typed words next to my computer often in the last 36 months. What a journey this has been with the Lord. I simply can't do justice to this journey with my words. It's just incredible what He has done!

I could cry some more as I type this. Last night, I received a call from the Superintendent. The School Board voted to hire me at their meeting last night. This afternoon I will have the blessing of signing my first official contract as a fully certified teacher (and the tears flow once again). Glory! Praise, You Father! You have done great and marvelous things! Thank you for this privilege. May You receive all the praise and all the glory! Thank you for this call on my life and thank you for the perseverance to press through my river of fear. I am now on the other side...I have reached my calling....and I wouldn't trade this amazing journey with You for the world!

What is God calling you to do for Him? Is there a river of fear standing in your way? Sweet friend, dive in and find Him all sufficient! Don't miss your journey of faith because of fear. Listen to His voice and He will guide you every step of the way. Your blessing may just depend on your willingness to step out in faith. I'm living proof!

Joyfully,

Kristi

Please visit the 160 acre wood for more Word Filled Wednesday inspiration.

The winner is.....

And the winner of the Mandissa CD is...............12 arrows!

I loved reading all of your comments on what God is doing in your life. What a mighty God we serve. Blessings to all of you this day!

Joyfully,
Kristi

Summa Cum Laude!

I can't begin to put into words how blessed I felt Saturday morning as I took my place among the 330 graduates. I woke up early and filled with great joy and anticipation at the realization that I was finishing the journey that God called me to take three years ago.

My mind was flooded with memories of how the Faithful One guided and provided for every step of this journey. Together, the good Lord and I accomplished so much. Together, with the support and prayers of my family, my church family, and friends, I can now say that I am officially a college graduate! Woo Hoo! Hallelujah!

I have so much to tell you about this amazing journey of faith but for now I'll just show you a few glimpses of my day. I need to boast in the Lord...please hear that from my heart...I'm not boasting in my ability but in His....through His wisdom and His grace I graduated Summa Cum Laude which means with "highest praise."

Praise You, Father!

You are the only God that is so worthy

to receive our Summa Cum Laude, our highest praise!

Oh, how Your children adore You!

My girls!

Hannah, Mom, Dad, and Rachel


Here I am receiving my diploma from Dr. Watts, president of UTPB.

Can you see the joy all over my face?

Guess what??? My diploma really was inside. Many graduates opened their cases to find that they had fines still that needed to be paid or work to complete before receiving their diploma. I was so relieved to see mine. Somehow, it felt more official....like I really was graduating after all!

My family! Mr. Incredible, Hannah, me, and Rachel.

What delight!

Joyfully,

Kristi

PS You still have time to enter my giveaway! I'll draw the winning name in the morning. Please go here to enter for a Mandissa CD that is so fabulous!

Nothing's Impossible with God!

"But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27

Oh, yes! He can still do the impossible!

When God called me to go back to school to finish what He started in me so many years ago at Baylor University, I said, impossible.

He said, "Trust me to do the impossible." And He reminded me that we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus.

Oh, yes! As I take my place Saturday morning among the 299 other graduates, I will be the one with the big smile on my face...because together the Lord and I accomplished what I thought was impossible...Yes! With God all things are possible. I'm living proof!

What a delight to be His child.

Joyfully,

Kristi

PS Please visit my friends for more Word Filled Inspiration.

PPS Don't forget to enter my Giveaway!

A Giveaway!

I was one of the blessed winners of Holly's Mandissa CD giveaway a month ago. WOW! I LOVE this CD. It has been a tremendous source of blessing for me as I tried to finish up my degree this past month. Songs like:

01. My Deliverer

02. How Much

03. He is With You

04. The Definition Of Me

05. Not Guilty

You can listen to some clips here.

After the initial shock wore off from last Friday (see yesterday's post) I was singing from the top of my lungs, "My Deliverer!" He was my Deliverer that day (and every day for that matter) and this girl just had to get her praise on.

So, in honor of the new freedom that I am now experiencing with my graduation just around the corner, I want you to have the blessing of enjoying this CD too.

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me what God is doing in your life lately. Has He freed you from something? I would love to hear about it!

I'll leave the giveaway open until Monday, May 11th. My girls will help me draw one winner; I wish that I could give all of you this CD because it is that fantastic!

Oh, and before I go, THANK YOU for all of your prayers. I passed my English Content ExCet test. I get to apply for my teacher's certificate in 10 days!!!

Joyfully,

Kristi

How He Delivered!

I am up and dressed for the day. Even though Mr. Incredible would rather I stay home for another day, I have things I need to do at school today and I have my last final tonight. The principal excused me from morning duty this morning which is a good thing. How much good would I be if I can only look in one direction?

My sweetheart is driving me to school today and to the chiropractor and to my final tonight. They have been so much help this weekend. The girls did the laundry, my sweet husband went to the grocery store and fixed our meals. I am not one to let my family do so much, so I'm trying to let them, but I would rather be up and adam too.

I just had to share what God did for me on Friday, before I burst! As ya'll know, I taught school in the morning, and then left before lunch to go take the biology Clep test. I felt His peace that passes all understanding but I was anxious to begin the test. Finally, it was time. In all of my computerized tests, I have a system of jotting down the question number of answers that I'm not sure about so that I can return to those questions when I am finished. This test had 110 questions to be answered in 90 minutes.

Eagerly, I began the test. By the time I had reached question #20, I looked down at my paper and realized I had marked 18 out of the 20 questions to go back and look over. Oiy! Two questions in to the test, I knew that I was in trouble. I knew that the Maker of biology was right there with me, but halfway through the test, I said, "Where are you?" My mind began to decide that I would take geology this summer to fulfill my one remaining science credit, because this clearly was not going to do it.

Still, I pressed on. I reached the end of the test with a few minutes to spare. I started going back over the questions that I had marked. I changed 2 answers and then felt like that was it. I needed to end the test. I hit "End" expecting to show my failing scores, instead, and much to my surprise, I passed! I was so stunned that I asked the test administrator if she could look at my screen and confirm what my eyes thought they saw. She laughed and said, "Congratulation! You passed." Still not convinced, I asked her to print out my test results. I was overjoyed and stunned because clearly it was the Lord who enabled me to pass!

Armed with my test scores, I headed over to the book store to pick up my cap and gown. I was on cloud nine! Before leaving campus, I decided to take my scores to the registrar's office who sent me to the admissions office. They were nice until they informed me that my Clep test would only award 4 semester credit hours instead of the promised 8 semester credit hours that my advisers had told me to expect. I was stunned because I was counting on 7 hours in order to graduate.

Holding back the tears, the admissions office encouraged me to quickly go see a general advisor. I walked in and gave my plight to the receptionist, who looked at her scheduling book, where there is not an opening for weeks, but then ushered me in to an adviser's office. Still fighting back tears, I explained my situation to the advisor, the one I had never met before. I began praying for the impossible....and He heard my petitions!

After what seems hours, but was probably only 15 minutes, she smiled and said, "Come with me." We walked back to the registrar's office where the man in charge was sitting (he was not there 30 minutes ago). She explained my situation and then showed him my transcript from Baylor University. They never counted my Anatomy and Physiology grade from Baylor (I must add this was way before my 4.0 GPA days). He smiled and explained that they would add the 4 semester credit hours on to my transcript and that I could graduate as scheduled! Hallelujah.

What you don't know is that I took Anatomy & Physiology 2 times at Baylor. As an over achiever personality, this has always bugged me! Amazingly, the Lord once again redeemed my past. He turned my failures into success as only He can do. I told my mom a few weeks ago that I felt like God was setting the stage to show His glory....and wow did He ever!

On Saturday morning I will put on my cap and gown, my honor banner and my cords and proudly receive the long awaited diploma that the Lord encouraged me to obtain. Hand in hand, He and I will finish the race that He called me to run....and I am so looking forward to that day!

Joyfully,
Kristi

Yep, I'm That Girl at the Dance with the Neck Brace!

I was so looking forward to my day...mowing the yard, working in the garden, doing some spring cleaning, and maybe a pedicure. All of these things that I simply have not had the time to do.

I woke up at the early hour of 6:30 with a new sense of freedom. With no more papers to write or tests to study for, I knew that I would relish in the new found joy of my day.

I thought I would start the morning over coffee as I googled images for how to wear my hair on graduation day. It's been years since I had to think about how to fix my hair while sportin' a mortar board. Curly? Straight? In between?

I couldn't wait! Not wanting to wake up Mr. Incredible, I slowly rolled over to get out of bed when, Crack! Boom! Bang, OUCH!!!!!!!! was heard. Needless to say my sweet hubby popped out of bed at the speed of light. Nothing says, good morning sunshine like the horrific, excruciating cries of your bride who was only a few minutes lying sweetly beside you.

I'll spare you all of the details, but I have done a good job of completely messing up my neck and shoulder. Thankfully, we only had to wait 3 hours for the chiropractor's office to open. He told us a lot of things that I don't remember because, hello, I was in pain! Something along the lines of pinched nerves but maybe a disc problem that could possibly need an MRI, but we will just have to wait and see. But, in the mean time I get to wear a lovely cervical collar! Oiy!

Does he not understand that I have to give a final Power point presentation to my fellow college students Monday night? Not to mention, I have to teach school next week!

Hannah says not to fear, that if there is a way, we can bedazzle it. Thank you sweetheart, but I'm not planning on wearing this for long. Stubborn? Yes, that's me!

I'd much rather be called stubborn than the girl at the dance with the neck brace (remember the movie 16 candles?)

This resembles how I tried to eat my lunch this afternoon. Half of it landed in my lap. I won't even describe trying to brush my teeth. Yes, I'm valiantly trying to keep my big girl panties on and not throw a pity party, but hello....freedom where are you?

Trying to keep my chin up,

Kristi

My Redeemer Saved the Day!

I am just beside myself....I'm emotionally....and physically exhausted. I just had to drop in for a second to let you know that My Redeemer swept in and saved the day....in a big way!

By His grace, and only His grace, I passed the Biology Clep test. It's official! I will be graduating one week from tomorrow morning. Hallelujah!

Oh, there is so much more of this story to tell. But, for now we are off to celebrate in the goodness of the Lord at my parent's house. We are having a shrimp boil to celebrate and I can hardly wait.

Thank you so much for your prayers today! I felt every one of them.

Joyfully,
Kristi