And just like that, another 365 has come and gone

So, it's New Year's Eve and I've just awakened in my momma's house to the sound of my new nephew strengthening his lungs…yup, it's been a minute and I've had a nephew be born in the process.

Please forgive my absence. There's definitely been way more going on than I've briefed you about in the past few months. It's honestly been pretty much a roller coaster.

Re school: I just want to get out. Point blank, period. I've done some pretty great things, like successfully completed teaching my first class, but most of my energy around school has been focused on wanting to graduate, like YESTERDAY. There's a lot of transition going on in the program, but more than that, I think the urge to not want to simply be a student anymore is making me impatient at times with the process and very frustrated. But, I'm certain, I'll get there. And I'll take my time and trust divine order. Besides, with finishing school comes the whole next level of responsibility, like figuring out what I'll do with this degree and planning grown up moves. Yikes.

Re family: Well, like I've mentioned, I HAVE A NEW NEPHEW!! My brother and his girlfriend welcomed a new addition this past November. He's a Jr. Very cute and expressive with all his funny baby faces and noises. My nieces, his three siblings are growing up faster than I am ready for. Besides easily towering over me by several inches, the twins are about all things teenage life, and my youngest niece is following up right behind them. Currently, she is going through her toothless phase, which makes for the most heartwarming smiles you ever want to see. I miss them often and pray for them lots, particularly as the big ones are preparing for high school. #mercy . . .The rest of the family crew is doing okay. Everyone is still just working on their power life moves. Pray for us as we push through a lot and prepare ourselves to embrace what God has in store.

Re relationship: I'm continually learning a LOT about love and vulnerability and balancing it all. Leave it to a relationship to help you experience every single emotion in the constellation of feelings we've been granted. I guess as graduation approaches, things get realer on so many levels. Some days you wish there was a much better manual for how to navigate all of this, but you can also appreciate learning in process.

Re current events: The trip that I was blessed to take to South Africa a few years back has increased in its significance since on December 5, 2013, the honorable Nelson Rohlihlahla Mandela made his transition to be with the ancestors. The world mourned. People also celebrated his brilliance, personhood, and his contribution. Talk about a blueprint for humanity…I remember walking through Robben Island and hearing the stories of former prisoners telling about the horrors they endured in these immensely cold, horrid conditions, and seeing the cell where Madiba was forced to reside and the starkness of that red bucket that served as his bathroom and hardness of those prison floors on which he was made to sleep…and then remembering the journey that would become of his life since he did not give up. What a brilliant spirit. I am deeply grateful. …On a lighter note, (don't judge me about this transition) Beyonce dropped a self-titled, visual album on December 13, 2013 with no promotion. All I can say is: pure creative genius. There is of course controversy and criticism, but to me, I really appreciate the art that she has shared with us, and her uninhibited self-expression. Simply, bravo.

Re ME: I've been doing a ton of thinking. There are so many things going on in my head about who I am, where I'm headed, etc. Right now, my goal is to do a few things for myself each day: 1) see the bigger picture in all things; 2) have a LOT more faith and do much less worrying; 3) say exactly what I feel; 4) be myself; 5) push past my comfort zone where necessary; 6) love ALL of who I am, and ALL of who everyone else is in the present; 7) have fun; and 8) live into my purpose. I plan to leave the weightiness of worry and fear and take out a new lease on faith and joy. Prayerfully, you'll see all of this growth and happiness as I keep up with my posts in the new year. I'm excited for 2014. I've got my family, I've got love, and most importantly, God's got me.

All the ABSOLUTE best for us all!

-Cheers

14 Weeks…And Scene! (From December 5, 2013)

Today made the last day of my first semester as a teaching assistant.

Since August, I have been charged with standing before a class of about 19 students and facilitating a course on Research Methods. Today, as we revisited what the students and I learned together, I was really moved to tears.

I didn't take this assignment lightly. It really meant a lot to me to be charged with sharing some research fundamentals with this group. Each week I was met with a mix of challenges that I had to strategize my way through. Mostly, I had to figure out how to translate the textbook into a vibrant classroom discussion and learning experience that would result in the students gaining some awareness about concepts that to many seemed foreign.

In the end, I honestly feel proud. To hear the students' revelations about the subject matter and its significance to the profession; to see them draw connections about the class experience and what they have learned about themselves; and to see my own growth because of this learning exchange really felt like a major accomplishment for all of us.

Next semester, many of the students from this group will follow me over to my hybrid data analysis class for another semester's journey. I'm excited about next semester, but also about the prospect about being able to teach in this capacity for a living.


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I vividly remember the days of teaching to a crowd of stuffed animals in my bedroom when I was a little girl, and coming home from school mimicking everything that I had seen my own instructors do in front of the classroom. To be able to stand in front of my own class of real students is truly like a little girl's dream come true.