What It Is

Happy 26th!
At the first Razorback game of the season.
8th grade football.
Totally involved teachers.
Pappaw.

You know how you can sit for a while thinking of a title before even typing your post? Well, I do that...and I have decided to take some of my own English teacher advice and type the body before I come up with the title. But, I just don't know exactly what to say today. I realized it had been almost a month since my last post. And that's just not right, seeing how I tend to judge others who don't update their blogs on a frequent basis. So, here it goes...what I've been up to, what I've learned, and other fabulous things from the past month.
* I celebrated Wes' 26th birthday this past Sunday (and our 3 year anniversary of being engaged)!
* I've been a faithful follower of the Razorbacks despite some major disappointments. I mean, come on, they have a tough schedule this year. Playing top ten teams back to back to back isn't easy, especially for our rookie team.
* I've tried out my "mean face" to some of my 8th graders, and it doesn't work. They weren't scared, and it didn't settle them down at all.
* I've gone to way more 8th grade football games than I ever imagined, and I actually quite enjoy them. I even got to catch some of our next opponent's practice today after school...Thursday may be a rough one.
* God is teaching me a lot, and He is trying to bring me closer to Him. I'm just the stubborn one who thinks she can handle it all on her own. So, I've given up, and I'm trying to let Him take over and guide me. I want to make sure that I learn whatever it is He wants to show me.
* I've realized the shortness of life. My dad's parents have been moved to a nursing home, and things just aren't looking too good. One has a mental illness and the other, a physical illness. These are not easy things to deal with, and I just want to treasure the days God gives me now. This also makes me look up to my mom and dad even more...if that's possible.
* I want to be a better friend and call my favorite girls more often. Our friendships work without phone calls, but I want/need to stay updated way better than I do now.
* I have started to plan my next trip. Either Colorado or San Francisco...go figure!
*Ok, I think I'm just rambling now. I'm off to a quiet Tuesday evening at home. Wes is gone to BSF, and I'll grade some papers, maybe get on the Wii Fit for a while, and then just relax.
P.S. I don't think the title after the body thing really works for me. The first phrase that popped in my mind after I almost forgot to put a title won the slot.

Moving Out

Several VIP's in my life have moved out recently. Benton, JB, and the kids moved out to Colorado last weekend. It hasn't hit me yet that I can't just call JB and go visit her in Fayetteville anytime I want. It hasn't hit me that I won't see the kids at every single important event in their lives. But...it's definitely hit me that I miss them a lot already!
Two days before they left, my brother and mom headed out to California in the juiced up Crown Vic (a U-Haul was attached to it). Allen starts is PhD program later this month at Stanford. So, life will be different for me, but I am really looking forward to some fun trips to the Rockies and the San Francisco Bay Area. I guess the travel agent in me must get back to work!
However, during the last weekend of October, my best girlfriends are moving IN for a couple of days! The annual reunion is happening again, and we have some fun things planned. We are also looking for a photographer to take pictures of us during the weekend, but we don't have a huge budget. We would just like to pay for a sitting and then the CD of pictures...so if you know of someone, PLEASE let me know!

It's Nice to Say

It's really nice to be able to honestly say that I love my job, the people I work with, and waking up in the mornings excited to get ready for school. I am so glad I am where I am. However, I also love being able to say "It's Friday!" After a rough, almost heartbreaking/almost heartwarming first football game last night, the day today was a little more somber. We tied Elmwood last night, 13-13. Pretty good match I'd say. So this weekend is going to be nice. Wes and I help out tonight at rEcess, our friends' non-profit organization's monthly event to help families with special needs children. Tomorrow is going to be restful and relaxing with really not much to do. We have nursery duty at church on Sunday, and I may go up to do some work at school on Sunday afternoon. Maybe. I'm looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow, watching some football, and persuading Wes (or anyone else who would want to) to go with me to Cold Stone for a mid-afternoon treat. Have a fabulous Friday!

A New Era

The Bobby Petrino Era has begun at Arkansas, and although the game was a little too close for comfort, I am excited about the change in our coaching staff and stadium. I like the straightforwardness of Petrino, the new razorback in the middle of the field, and the new jerseys of the players. However, the red pants are not my favorite. I vote to go back to white ones, but I'm probably not the most listened to or respected fan. So, I won't really worry or complain about it. Anyways, I love the Razorbacks, the football season, and Fayetteville. Here's to a rough and challenging schedule ahead of us!

Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Western Illinois Leathernecks 28-24. It's a W!

The Life of an 8th Grade Teacher

Well, I'm a little more than a week in, and here are just a few of the things I have already done. I have gone to a football kick-off, the 1st volleyball game, and cheerleading practice, taught students to relate Facebook and MySpace to school multiple times, prayed that I would not be so sarcastic to my students on a daily basis, laughed hysterically with my across- the-hall friend Betsy way more times than necessary, and have compiled more hilarious stories than the entire year teaching 6th grade. That last one may be a stretch, but I definitely am on my way to beating my funny moments from last year. 8th grade is a blast. And getting to see my students participate in school sports teams for the first time is awesome. However, I must have expressed too much excitement because I now have been asked to form my school's spirit club, or as I like to call it, the student section. We want a name for t-shirts so students can wear them to all the games, posters for the hallways before games, skits for pep rallies, etc...and apparently, I am qualified. Not sure about that, but I said I would think about it. To wrap things up here, I will leave you with one of my homeroom student's first impressions of her teacher (me)..."My first impression is clear. Mrs. Walker is fashionable and professional." I'll take that!

Back to Normal

Ok, so my travels are over for a while. I'm staying put. These last few weeks have been full of great adventures, and the most recent weekend was one I will not soon forget. Our weekend in NYC for Mary's wedding was wonderful, and I am so thankful my flights on Sunday went as planned! (I had to start school the next day!) We did a lot of shopping in the city, and the wedding was out of this world. Wedding venue: Christ Church United Methodist/ Reception: Central Park Zoo. And of course the greatest part was getting to see my best friend!

But now things are back to normal. School has started, and I love my students. Fourteen year-olds are mysteries to many people, but I love to figure them out and really get to know them. Here are the perfect teacher pictures. Enjoy, and I'll write more soon!

In Bentonville

I guess it's about time to admit that I'm home from the big trip. I had great intentions to fill you in on our daily activities from city to city, but that just didn't happen. To use the internet in most places, I had to walk to an Internet Cafe, pay some Euros (or Swiss Francs), check e-mail and give updates to family before my time ran out on the computer. So...thekatebox got the shaft.

However, many of you by now have seen the 500 pictures on Facebook and could probably give a day to day account of the trip. For those of you haven't seen them or heard some of the stories, here are a few of my favorite pictures and places with captions under each one.In front of Kenwood House outside of London (remember the scene with Julia Roberts acting in Notting Hill?).
Seeing Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London!
At the Louvre in Paris. The Eiffel Tower...and notice how well I planned my outfit to match.
One of my favorite foods--real pizza. Even though this was on a sidewalk cafe in Paris watching the end of the Tour de France, the pizza was real and incredible. I consumed much more pizza in Italy of course.

Watching the first cyclists come down the Champs Elysees on the final stage of the Tour de France!

It won't let me put a caption UNDER the next picture. This is in Gimmelwald, Switzerland...high in the Alps.Schiltorn peak. We took cable cars to reach it, and the views were unbelievable and so vast. That's Allen in the green and white striped sweatshirt!A night in Vernazza, Italy. We had just eaten dinner and were walking around this beautiful, small riviera town.

Main street in Vernazza.Reaching Manarola, one of the towns of the Cinque Terre.The hike was definitely a highlight of our trip. Wes and I took fresh pizzas to the rocks one night for dinner. This was our romantic setting.The view from our apartment in Vernazza.

On our last night, Allen and I went to the top of one of the hills surrounding Lake Como and ate dinner. We sat right next to the window, and this was our view.

Of course this is just a snapshot of our trip. We are so thankful for the opportunity to visit and experience these amazing places. The cultures and people we encountered really taught us a lot, and the scenery proved in amazing ways the beauty and creativity of our God. Thanks for your prayers along the way.