It's been a while..

So, it's been a couple years since I posted on here. So much has happened in my life in those two years. I don't even know where to begin..

Since my last post I have graduated from college, moved back home to Eugene (well I guess technically Springfield now), was a high school leader at First B for 2 years, and am now officially switching churches and just started a bible summer program through that church :) I am also currently a Pre-Kindergarten Teacher at a day care, but I am looking for better work and may have an interview next week! Pray for me please!!

As far as my family goes...I am living in Springfield with my sister Linda, and a friend of ours. My brothers are growing up so fast! I can't believe it! Seth is almost 12, and will soon be taller than me I'm sure. Ethan will be 10 later this year, and still seems so young to me, but he is growing up so fast as well! Hannah just turned 5! I remember so clearly the day she was born, it seems like yesterday. She is getting so smart, and will be starting kindergarten school work soon. Abby is almost 4, which is just crazy. She still seems like the little baby to me. She is so turning into such a beautiful little girl and has a mind of her own, and very selective hearing ;) Madison is 2 1/2. She recently started fully walking on her own! I think I cried when I first saw a video of her walking without fear or help from an adult. I have seen her walk in person a few times, and it still amazes me. I praise God so much for Maddie's ability to walk and the joy she has in doing so! I feel so blessed to have all of my siblings so close around me. I miss the younger ones a lot and try to visit them often, though it's hard to find the time to go out to Elmira.

I wish I was more of the journaling type. I hope I can update this more often. I have it book marked now! haha.

Hoping to write more soon!
-Kirsten

Last day in 4th grade

Today was my last day in my fourth grade class. Overall it was a great day and very fun. It seemed to go faster than most days and before I knew it the day was almost over. My students and my mentor planned a little party for me with a couple of goodies, and my students said some nice things to me and wished me good luck in kindergarten next term. haha. They also made me a nice book filled with poems from each of them. I received a class picture as well.

After the little party, we put in a video for the rest of the afternoon. It was nice to just sit back and enjoy being in the classroom one more time. I will really miss this class.

At the end of the day, I received multiple hugs and goodbyes from my students. This was really hard for me. haha. One of my students, Zak, hugged me for a very long time and didn't want to let go. He was probably one of my favorite students, and one that I feel compassion towards. He has had a very hard young life, and it makes me want to take him home with me so that I can take care of him. I will probably miss him more than most of the kids from my class, though I will certainly miss them all for one reason or another.

I did pretty good about not crying until after school. I cried almost the entire drive home. haha. I am still sad about not seeing my students anymore, but I will always remember them and cherish the time I was able to spend with them. I will miss them dearly.

I hope it gets easier saying goodbye to my students in the future. haha. Though I doubt it will ever be very easy. Children will always have a special place in my heart and life.

Kirsten

Lonelyness

Why do I always feel the way I do? I haven't written on here in months, and I don't know why. I guess it's because I never feel like writing helps me. I have never liked writing, especially when it's journaling...I have never been one to keep a diary or anything of the sort.

I have had so much on my mind lately that I feel I'm going crazy talking to myself so much. I am worried about so many things, and stressed about life in general. I feel so far away from God right now, and I don't know how to get back close to Him...I see those around me and how close they seem to be to Him, and I feel like I don't compare. I have always wanted to feel that closeness, and I have at times, yet most of the time I feel far away...

My baby sister is soon to be born. This alone is adding to my worry daily. I worry about my Mom and how she is dealing with everything. I worry about the life that this little girl is going to lead. I know that I need to put my faith in God about all of these things, but I don't know how...

I feel alone.

Missing Home

So, today I realized how much I miss home. I miss seeing my siblings. It feels like it's been forever since I have seen them, even though its only been three almost four weeks. I am not used to going more than a couple weeks without seeing them. Abigail just turned 6 months old last friday. She is getting so big! Hannah is as cute as ever, and I miss seeing her smiling face. I miss my brothers, and my sister Linda too. I hope I get to go home soon. I can't wait till this term in over so I can have a break and go see my family.

I am just feeling a little homesick :(


Kir

Accepted :)

So, last week I received a letter from the College of Ed...and I got in!!! I'm so excited that I am finally about to embark on the last part of my journey through college. It is such a relief to realize this, and realize that by this time next year, I will have one more term and then I will be done with my bachelor's degree, and I will have a teaching license. CRAZY!!!!

So far this term is hell...lol. I don't really enjoy any of my classes, and I have gone to less than half of my 8am class that is twice a week. I feel like I am such a bad student when it comes to that class, but really I have no motivation to go. I don't feel as though I am really missing out on much by not going that often. I did go today, and I have to go on Thursday, so I am hoping I will make it to the rest of the classes for the term. Pray for me :) Other than that class, the rest are going fairly well. I have gotten pretty good test scores for my midterms, well at least the ones I have gotten back already. And I am fairly confident that I did good on my last two midterms, which I have yet to get back.

Life in general has been good. My roomie Allie just got home from being in Thailand for over two weeks. It's nice to have her home :) I missed having her around to talk to. Me and Emily had a good time just chillin at home while she was gone though. Work is going good. I have been getting more hours lately, which I enjoy. I like working, and I like feeling productive.

I miss my family. I wish I could go home more often, but being an adult doesn't give me those privileges. Last week I got to babysit my siblings with the help of Linda of course. It was pretty fun, until my baby sister ran out of milk...My mom ended up being gone longer than planned, and so I got to hold the baby all evening so she wouldn't cry. She was very fussy. But overall, it was a good day. I took my brothers to a birthday party at Splash! That was fun. Linda helped out alot by watching Hannah, and also playing with the boys. I hope I get to see them all again soon.

Well, it's about time for me to go to class again...but thank God it's my last class for the day, and I don't have to work :) yay!

A New Year

It is now 2008. How fast does time fly? geeze. So a lot has changed in the last few weeks of my life, and they are really good changes ;) I a now have new roommate named Emily Ash, and she is pretty much amazing. I love having another person in the house. Having one roomie was driving me up the wall, not that I don't love allie or anything, I just needed more people to be around me, and I needed more personality in the house. I love having 3 of us live in the house. I feel so blessed to have another roomie :)

Besides that, I feel as though I am going to hate this term. I have early classes everyday of the week, which makes it really hard on me, because I like my sleep, and I don't go to bed early enough to get the amount I need to function...So I will probably end up sleeping in my 8am class quite a bit, unless I can find something to keep me awake in the class. Today was the second day, and I didn't even go...I'm so bad. I think I can figure out someway to keep myself occupied in the class though...so who knows how that class will go. The rest of my classes seem to keep me awake fairly well, but I already have tons of reading to do, and I don't know how I am going to keep up with it all.

Anyways. I pray that this term goes well for me, since it is my last regular term in school. Hopefully I will be in the Education Program next term :) Well, I guess this is goodnight, since I do need my sleep :) Loves!

Changing

Today was one of the laziest days I have had so far this term...I went to my morning final at 8am, and then I came home and went back to bed and slept until 1! It was amazing. I feel as if I have gotten a chance, however brief it may be, to get some rest, and do nothing for one day. It is so nice! I realize that I still have a lot to do this week, but at the moment I am not worried about it. It's quite nice.

This week is finals week. I will be so happy when it is over with. I am pretty tired of the classes I am currently taking, and I am ready for a change in my routine. I know that Christmas break won't be much of a change, but at least I won't have to go to any classes! Thank the Lord! I will get to spend time with friends and family, and I will get to make some money by working as much as I will be scheduled for! I am so excited to be working. I really hope that I will be able to get caught up on my bills, and be able to start saving for a missions trip next summer.

I am really wanting to go on a missions trip for a few weeks over the summer. I may be going with my friend Laurel, and maybe a couple of others. I don't know where we would go, but we want to work with children wherever we end up going, if it's the Lord's will that we do get to go. I don't know if I'll be able to save up enough money to go, but I'm praying about it for the moment ;)

I know that my life will constantly be changing, and I hope that I am prepared to accept the changes that will occur.