Warmish January

It hasn't really felt like winter much lately. About once a week we'll get a shot of cooler air, but then the mercury creeps back up into the 70s. I've spent more time in my cropped jeans than boot cut ones since Christmas. Thanks to the warmer temps, leaves have been falling off the oak trees in our yard like they usually do in March. And now the paperwhites along our drive have started blooming.

I don't mind skipping the Arctic fronts and icy roads this year. I'm just sad I'm not getting any more mileage out of my sweaters and scarves. We may be back in shorts and flip flops a bit earlier than usual in 2020!

A soup sorta day

I attribute it to the cold. And maybe the fact that I had a couple peanut butter cookies for breakfast. Whatever the reason, when I finished mentoring/tutoring yesterday, I was craving some homemade soup like nobody's business. So I made a run to the grocery store for supplies. I googled a recipe right there in the produce department, picking up items and hurrying home to whip up a one pot recipe I chanced upon for chicken and vegetable tortellini soup. In about 30 minutes, I was gobbling up a tasty bowl full of steamy goodness, sopping up the excess with a slice of fresh baguette.

As usual, I had the milling around my feet furry peanut gallery in the kitchen, patiently waiting for a nibble. Or something to accidentally hit the floor. 

You can take the teacher outta the classroom

Every Tuesday afternoon at 1:00, I spend an hour with Emily. She's a second grade student at a Title 1 elementary school here in the city where I live. I found this opportunity to volunteer on an elementary campus through the local branch of OASIS, a national organization that caters to the 50+ crowd, since they were looking for old mature folks to mentor/tutor children in low income populations. This is how I got partnered to work with Emily as a first grader last year. 

I truly believe I was called to be an educator. And I've honestly missed working with children since I left the classroom in 2015 for our second move to England. However, I haven't missed the paperwork, meetings and nights/weekends workload enough to return to teaching. If half or even 2/3 teaching jobs existed, I'd be all over that. And yet they don't, and so I get my teaching fix working with Emily. We read. We journal. We discuss. We watch short videos to help illustrate things we read about. Last week our video was prompted by information about pikas in our "Animals in Winter" book, and how they prepare for winter since they don't migrate or hibernate. We don't have pikas here in Texas, so Emily was at a loss. Thanks to the magic of the internet, we found a two minute video of yodeling pikas filmed in Colorado. She and I agreed they look like the cutest, big eared hamster-ish critters we had ever seen.

Over the course of the next two weeks, Emily and I will be exploring Egypt and its ancient wonders. I'm armed with a couple books, a Teachers Pay Teachers slide show on life in ancient Egypt and fun blow up globe. It's a little bit of history, geography and the wow factor of the pyramids all rolled into a couple mini-lessons.

Travel prep

In celebration of the older daughter finishing her second masters and me surviving the last 20 years of education for this girl, we're taking a much anticipated trip to see the pyramids in less than a month. So I've been busy looking online to prep us for our visit to Egypt. 

I bought an overview book so I can check out the highlights of our itinerary hotspots instead of looking like an Egyptian village idiot. I also purchased a new sun hat. The one I use here at the house for pool, patio and yard chores is looking a bit worse for wear. I also ordered a brand new portable charger, plug adapters - can't travel without my hair straightener and iPhone - and a long scarf to cover my head. There's no such thing as too conservative, or cautious, in the middle east.

For this trip I decided to buy and try a rolling duffel bag, my single piece of checked luggage we're allowed. I still get to bring a carry on and cross body purse, but I've already got excellent options of these things from prior travels. The suitcase I used for Peru summer before last, and every other trip since then, is getting a bit frayed. It was cheap and super lightweight, which was exactly what I needed for South America. Alas, you get what you pay for. So I searched online reviews and opted for this sturdy yet not-too-heavy 29" rolling duffel. I'll let y'all know how it goes once we're home and I'm shaking the sand from my bag.

Resolutions

Every year it's the same old thing in the media and on blogs. Work out more. Eat better/less. The vanity concerns. For 2020, I'm trying to get in more of this - God's word. I love my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) class, and I highly recommend this in-depth study for anyone wanting to dive deeper in the Bible. 

Every time I drive up to our house, I enjoy seeing how the brick work on our little enclosed patio area off the master suite has crosses in it. It's a nice reminder of where my focus and efforts should be, remembering how God sent his son Jesus to die for the sins of the world so that we might overcome death through faith in God's ultimate gift to us.

Oh sure, I'm working out again. Eating less sugar. Slathering on my eye and neck creams more consistently. Scheduled a consult about getting my lenses replaced... the ones on my actual eyes, so I can finally see 20/20 and go glasses/contacts free for the first time in memory. But all of that pales in comparison to the REAL commitment I need to make in 2020, staying in God's word and living out a more holy life as He directs me. All of the skinny jeans, smooth skin, and improved vision pale in comparison to loving the Lord, our one true God, and living out all of the time I have left in this mortal body choosing Him every day. Not gonna lie... less laugh lines and love handles would be nice, too!