so i ran the 2nd annual Maggies/AMC GLOW 5K...so much fun! pics will be posted in the days to come..once i get them.
pandora.com
and no i did not stumble upon this myself..i wish i were that cool.
its been a couple days since my last post. and i cant remember what i said, but again, im gonna talk about my kiddos. being in head start has been wonderful. my class is really great. we did assessments this last week, which was stressful for me cause i was the "teacher" all week (sidenote: i'm so glad that im not a teacher..i know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is not calling me to teach at the "secondary" level: elementary to highschool). it amazes me the gifts and skills the Lord creates in us. All our kids come from homes where Spanish is their first language, and a handful of them do speak some english in the home, but for the most..its all espanol; so then we test them and half of them test fluent in both english and spanish. you have to understand this is abnormal, to be fluent in both languages at 4, not having "formal" education...yes we do have an academic side to head start, but theres more to it than preparing them for kindergarten.
anyways, their minds are beautiful and daily im blessed to be in the presence of the molding of hearts; through these precious, little humans, created in the image of our God, I hear the Lord saying "this is the faith i'm calling you to have, there is no fear in love Alisha, listen to me because i am in control and I know whats best" so many times im convicted and burdened by the things i teach and tell my kids in class, because those same things have a spiritual application to my life-like the Lord is telling me..listen to yourself...hear me-this "advice and wisdom" youre imparting to them is what i want you to trust and listen to from me.
i wish i could really put to life how much of a joy the South Knoll Bilingual Head Start class has been in my life. i wish you could come see me at work-cause thats the fun of it...its not "work": i get to do what i do best everyday-so that helps me battle all the insecurity and doubt & confusion i've been going through lately; my job affirms the Lord's hand in my life. granted my kids do get on my nerves, they arent these "precious little angels" all the time, but thats where the reality of our flawed world comes in-that we are dirty at the core of it-even at 4.
switching gears, last night was our final night of logos and the Lord truly blessed our time together with wonderful food, fellowship and laughter. for a couple weeks i was MIA here and there, but it was allowed cause Ben was always gone too and he was the leader. anyways, our group was a really random conglomeration of people & i love thats how the Lord works because I would have never had conversations with some of them because they would have never crossed my path. it made me sad that the semester was ending cause i still want to meet every week with them. luckily, lisa will still be here through the summer & beyond since she's taking over lacy's job, so i'm hoping to get some quality time with her.
anyway, today i took a much needed day off from work, and traveled up to btown to see Marissa and get some wisdom from Marcus; and its the first time ive been back since i left. its really affirming to see that my "decision" to step down was the "right" one. Debbie is doing an amazing job with the children's ministry and just the progress and attitude of everything was affirming to see in Marcus's and Chris's lives; so much so that i know i can be a bigger part of their lives than i have been. i kept my distance for awhile-just felt like that is what was needed, but after being here today, i know i can be a present instead of a past..that sounds so cliche & lame, but oh well- i know i am loved and have family here and am in the place to finally receive it again...too much i think im driven by fear-but priase the Lord we are empowered by the Holy Spirit..hope and power are to promises im holding to these days.
grace & peace,
lish
here are my kiddos...such blessing, reminding me daily of eternal perpesctive and childlike faith
yes, that is valerie in her girl scout uniform with a gameboy and talkboy & thats me being an awesome passenger.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of accompanying, one of my favorite people in the entire universe, Valerie Blakey, home to Brandon, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, the captial.
We left CS around 430 Thursday afternoon and made it into our beds in MS around 200am and slept gloriously until 845 when Lady Grace, the dog woke me up and then i subsequently after an awkward conversation with Val's mom, woke Valerie up. Friday was spent recovering from the drive and relaxing, since it was vacation. Friday night we hung out with on of Val's really good friends and ate a Greek place..it was very yummy, and then she showed me around downtown Jackson..a very cool place. Saturday we slept in, grabbed lunch with some more of Val's friends who were in town for Easter too. After lunch, it was more hang out time at Val's homes away from home, and then to the Mississippi Brave's game...yes, the MS Braves..they are a farm team. The game was a lot of fun. Saturday we stayed up late watching one of our favorite movies Elizabethtown and then talked and determined Sunday morning when we were at the 8ooam service that it was too late. After church, we went out for breakfast with Val's mom, toured some more of Jackson & then headed back to the house. There we napped and packed, the headed out of town about 145 and made it back to College Station at 1230.
a couple revelations about the trip:
1. a crappy cd player will not play even the most perfect of cds
2. people in mississippi are more literate than we give them credit for
3. I will never like cats.
4. stapling your ear to lose weight is one of the dumbest ideas ive ever heard.
5. the residents in Baton Rouge, LA dont eat out
6. its all about who you know
on a different note, my orientation packet for going overseas with Greater Europe Mission came in and Im officially waiting for my graduate acceptance/rejection letter to East Carolina University. Still in the bilingual Head Start at south knoll elementary and loving it.
grace & peace,
lish
well..since nothing in my life is very exciting..the closet most exciting news is that my sister has a date on Friday :o)
maybe i'll be able to update more this week.
grace & peace,
lish
last monday i decided no matter what was going on, i was taking a trip up to arlington to see my BFF..the only thing stopping me, was extreme plans like going out of town, funeral, wedding, etc..
Libby time was wonderful-free concert, fun bsm kids, sleeping til noon, a haircut, a bbq & ranger game, icecream and church @ 121. time with Libby is always special, full of laughter and great fun. i got to see first hand why she loves uta so much. its a family there..man, at no time did i feel like the random friend from out of town...it was good times! It was such an encouragement to hear about her work there and the hearts that are changing, and internationals coming to Christ. It really was a blessing to see the Body at work.
anyways..libby thanks for a great weekend!
grace & peace,
lish
so apparently i'm a better wrestler than i thought i was... ;o)
Lombardi 2
Blakey nada
This week passed by really quickly, much faster than i thought it would. The beginning was pretty crummy, yet our gracious Father blessed me with an incredible friend who ministered to my heart all week. Friendships are interesting things; doing them right is pretty difficult too.
The Lord's sovereginity has encouraged me a lot this week. Seeing processes and purposes for things in my past unfold opens the door for refinement and wisdom, and also makes me eager for His divine future to become a present in my life..but knowing that i have to deal with a lot of stuff/sin before I can get there is a great challenge for me, and I'm ready.
I'm so very excited about this weekend :o)
grace & peace,
lish
man, i have had an intense couple of days-mentally/spiritually speaking.
The Spirits role in my life to convict and bless has been incredible-to see activeness and the needing to committ specific things to prayer that require immediate action and trust. Time and time again im blown away by this blessed hope and assurance we are guaranteed through Christ Jesus-i'm mean, i dont deserve this and screw up yet, He's always there, it might not always be smiles but to see Him tangibly at work in my life in the midst of a lot of vagueness and unclarity is a ginormous encouragement to me.
Purposefullness is the prayer of me heart these days. To be in pursuit of the glory and the will of the Lord with genuine motivation is the yearning in my soul.
goodnight friends
grace & peace,
lish
[author's note: this post is dedicated to Valerie M. Blakey aka the coolest junior I know, former roommate & currently shares my brain at times...]
Once upon a time, (actually March 7th, 2006) I was introduced to Valerie Blakey (pictured left). At the time, all i knew about this girl was that she was in the Corps of Cadets and did video stuff for Freedom at one time. Little did I know, that in less than a week, I would find out that we were possibly friends/twins in a former life.
Our story begins during Spring Break, on a mission trip to Grove City, PA. Early in the trip it is very obvious that Valerie is super cool and i immediately want to be her friend..so we become roommates for the duration of our stay in the Metroplex of SR, GC and Harrisville, and by roommates, I mean inseparable for the remainder of the trip, experimenting in the realms of telepathy(-not really).
Background: Valerie Marie (yup, we share a middle name) B. was born on June 12th, in some year after 1982.. Shes from Mississppi and enjoys playing outside, especially rock climbing. As I mentioned before, Valerie is in the Corps, so she is mostly familiar with things boy due to the fact the Corps is mostly guys. Which is fine, because like all of you know, I'm not a girly-girl [thus we get along fabulously....but it is quite funny that compared to Valerie...i'm pretty girly].
So we continue...
during our stay in PA, it was my job to prepare all the meals and its on Sunday that Valerie takes her first steps at learning girlness...She watched me make banana bread..and even helped a bit: melting the butter! But while she was becoming woman...i was learning boy-i wrestled for the first time in my life-and got my butt kicked. You should also take note that at this time, I had just recently learned how to knit and had my knitting needles going lickidy-split. [And secretly Val was watching every moved and stitch I made ;)] Another important step into womanhood, was the opening the canned food for me on Thursday when I made Taco Soup-she even helped give out the recipe to a lady when I was busy!
It was a the end of the week that Valerie finally bloomed...she made banana bread and even learned how to knit..contributing quite a bit to my scarf-that i will probably have done by next winter. Her training in womanhood has not come to an end, this is only the beginning! Hopefully by the end of the summer we will have mastered the arts of cooking/baking, frolicking, slumber parties and basketweaving....:o)
Valerie, I love you tons and cant believe we hadnt met and been friends before now. You are a delight and i love "taking care of ya"! I'm looking forward to camping and rock climbing and more wrestling..bring it on sista!
You can check out Valerie for yourself at http://vblakey.blogspot.com.
The dynamic duo
grace & peace, lish
Wednesday morning
Start Time: 7:15am
Temperature: really, really, ridiculously cold
Task: a morning run
Finish Time: 7:40am
Yes, we are Team X-treme. While the rest of our team, was snuggled up warmly in bed, under quilts, me, Betsy and Valerie were stretching for our run. [sidenote: my fellow runners (Valerie & Betsy were more extreme than me running in shorts, but I was the most warm!]
Its 930pm and i've just gotten home from eatting with the Grove City team at the coco loco, and wanted to share just a bit with yall from the trip. I admit, i didnt take very many pictures so once everyones' pics have been added to the site, I'll pull some more & tell some other great stories.
Spring Break turned out to be very restful and relaxing; I love how the Lord works, especially through the little things.
good night and sleep tight.
grace & peace,
lish
so, i love random trips.
like for instance, i decide the week of to go on the Grove City, PA trip, and little did i know i would be meeting the coolest, most incredible gal ever, the one and only Valerie M. Blakey (and yes we share a middle name), aka- my partner in crime, Capt. Crabby. I would post a picture of this dynamic duo, but alas i forgot my usb cable to the camera. so to my faithful readers, pictures will be posted in the next week (hopefully).
grace & peace,
lish
[aka sgt. sensitive]
is it borderline stalker-ish that my storage unit "landlord" sent me a Chilis giftcard?
i'm a little weirded out...but glad for a free meal ;)
things are still trucking along..i'm sure my readers arent too disappointed with the lack of posts..dont worry andrew, i'll get a good one out shortly.
grace & peace,
lish
yea for answered prayers...i'm the South Knoll Head Start Bilingual teaching assistant until March 10th!
for real..its the perfect job for me..the Lord is so good!
grace & peace,
lish
my posting hasnt been as much as i wouldve liked the past couple weeks...but i have some free time so its a good opp..
anyways, i've started subbing for College Station ISD and the Lord has really blessed it! i've landed a quasi-regular job in the head start bilingual class at south knoll elementary; which equals 19 little 4-5yr old hispanic kids running around and telling me i dont speak very good spanish..which is true because i'm a whole lot rusty. but its completely up my ally: kids and spanish all in one job!
half marathon training is going okay...ive gotten shin splints so its a couple days off for me, which the timing is kinda good with my allergies..with the cold weather and tree pollen at its hype, my head feels like its gonna explode, so i really dont feel like running. hopefully this weekend i'll get the big 10 mile in.
PTL-the Lord has provided a leaser for my apt in brenham starting march 1st...whoohoo! such a confirmation that i did make the "right" decision. i dont have to pay any extra rent!
i'm comtemplating plans for spring break...any suggestions? for real..i have a full week of nothing to do and i dont wanna be in CS for all of it....some sort of a road trip is an option
being back in cs is definitely different...i'm like the new kid in a place thats been my home for the past 10 yrs...i've joined a logos group that i'm really enjoying. getting into a routine and forming my "social network" has been harded than i thought it would be..plus the whole single-not in college-but dont wanna join the singles group.
thats about it on the homefront.
grace & peace,
lish
so what i was going to write in this post didnt happen, maybe the Spirit's conviction about my attitude; refining is such a good part of my life...cause without it, i'd be out of control...anyways; heres what i got..PTL that we are saved by grace through faith, and its not of ourselves, but a gift of God..
currently I am:
glad its friday in 45 minutes
really excited i'm going to DFW this weekend
letting the Lord really teach me and show me why i'm back at home
exhausted from my swim tonight
sad that the co-ed softball team didnt form
thankful that in the midst of lameness, i have purpose
learning how to walk with the Lord in ALL my steps, not just the big ones, but the ones that seem insignificant
grace & peace,
lish
well...
i'm officially residing at my house in CS
thinking about ecclesiastes 3
by grace,
lish
so to help Muffin, thats what we call my grandma...[Caley's pick] me, Caley & my mom met in Sealy to accompany her to BINGO in Wallis, TX (its 15 miles west of sealy on hwy 36). let me tell you quite the experience...i'll give you a full run down.
1. Mom calls Monday and tells me i'm to meet them in Sealy at 5:00pm
2. I arrive in Sealy at 5:04pm greeted by a "i thought your mom said 5 o'clock, where is she?"
3. 5:09 Mom and Caley arrive greeted by "i thought the plan was to meet at 5pm?"
4. We leave to go to Wal-mart & Subway; we have to be on the road headed to Wallis no later than 5:30pm
5. Due to poor management at Subway, there is no wheat bread so the Lombardi girls decide to go without, while we have to make a stop at the KFC/Taco Bell to get grandma mashed potatoes
6. 5:36pm we leave Sealy late & hungry..but we're big girls we can wait an hour or so, right?
7. so this whole time you're thinking Bingo starts at 6:00, get there a little early, find a seat, etc..oh no..we find out that Bingo doesnt start until 7:30..thats right 7:30!
8. Caley and I making faces in back seat about how hungry we are
9. 6:06 we find out Bingo lasts 2 hrs!
10. More disgruntled faces
11.Arrive at Wallis community center at 6:10, find seats, begin to pick out Bingo boards
From there the night continues with a lot of "you had to be there humor" that i could write about but just wouldnt be the same...i will mention the fun waiting game that Caley and I made "Find the old person that you think Mom & Dad will look like" . It was quite hilarious, and i was deemed the winner by Mom with my "classic sophisticated" choice of old lady.
Most exciting time of the night:
WHEN I BINGO-ED! yup, i won $50 bucks (47.50 when taxes were taken out), it was quite an amazing moment, full of anticipation & acheivement :)
Quote of the night:
Caley: "Check out that lady..she has a diaper on.."
Me: "How do you know?"
Caley: "All her junk in her trunk."
anyways,
bingo was fun, Muffin had fun, & i won some mulah
overall a good evening
ps-i'm done with my job in 2 days-whoop!
grace & peace,
lish