Currently...

Thinking…of the many tasks that will accompany the many changes that we are anticipating in the coming weeks and months. I am thinking of ways to organize and maintain my sanity. I am thinking of ways to prepare for the future without forgetting to live in the moment. 

Feeling…renewed and refreshed. Spring cleaning and moving have been a great time for me to declutter our home and Lent was an excellent opportunity for me to declutter my life and focus on what matters most. 

Watching… Extreme Couponing -- and any other TLC show that I can stream on Netflix.

Excited…about moving and all the redecorating I am going to get to do - I can not wait for my house to no longer be a disastrous moving zone (although that might take a few months!). 

Reading…a lot of graduate school notes and articles... and The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan and This Star Won't Go Out by Ester Grace Earl (recommended by John Green, so it's a must read!)

Wondering…what God has planned for our family next. There are so many unknowns and questions that I am anxious to have answers for. 

Working…on lesson planning for the rest of the year. I only have a unit and a half left as a classroom teacher, and I want to make sure that I give it my all. There are a lot of fun things coming up - including book spine poetry to celebrate Poetry Month and a field trip to the National Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque. 

Stressed…about finishing up my semester of graduate school. I only have two weeks left and a LONG to do list. A test, a disposition, a reflection paper, and a final revision of my thesis proposal are still setting half-finished on my desktop. 

Proud…of my husband. He is so confident when making decisions that will better our lives for the future.

Wanting…for myself and those around me to be content with a calm life. We are so blessed with wonderful family and friends I need to remind myself that we have enough and to be content.

Wishing…I would have gotten this Crystal Faye sweatshirt sooner. I'm worried that it's just getting warm enough that I won't need to wear it anymore. And this Erin Condren planner sooner. It took me until April to get a 2014 planner. And that I made more time to be active.

Eating…Easter candy, Easter candy, and more Easter candy. Honeycrisp apples. Triscuits and string cheese. Anything that can be grilled.

Drinking…Diet Coke, Smart Water, and this year's first batch of sun tea. 

Loving…online shopping, Pinterest, and how inspirational all my favorite blogs have been. My family for helping us move. My husband for putting up with the many changes in our life (and my hesitation with each and every one of them). The sunshine and the rain. New babies. Spending time with friends.

#fortydaysofkind

Now that it's holy week, I wanted to take a look back on the Lenten season.

In April, I instagram-committed to doing 40 random acts of kindness for Lent with Becky from bybmg.com and a few others... I got off to a great start and spread all sorts of goodness in the first two weeks. While I haven't stayed perfect the whole time, I really have felt a difference in the way I treat those around me...

It's amazing how many times per day God gives you an opportunity to be kind. Even though I tried to do a majority of my acts of kindness randomly and anonymously (so most didn't make it to Instagram), I found drawn to the many coworkers, students, and friends that I interact with everyday that could use some extra kindness.

The two best parts:

I also have felt the love myself... a few very amazing people in my life also took on the challenge to do nice things for others (including me). This was absolutely the best part -- seeing others be inspired to spread the kindness... it really is the reason for the Lenten season!

I still have so many ideas for upcoming opportunities to do random acts of kindness for those around me... I don't plan on stoping once lent is over. I hope to continue to spread as much kindness and caring as I possibly can to those around me. 

What You Missed...

5 things you missed... (while I was away!)

1) I interviewed for and accepted a new job for the fall! I am so excited to announce that I will be the high school teacher-librarian at Muscatine High School this fall. I am so ecstatic to have this amazing opportunity as such a new teacher librarian. I am preparing myself to take all the knowledge and experience I have gained as a MS Language teacher and as a School Library Studies graduate student and put it to great use helping the staff and students at MHS.

This job means a lot of big changes in the relationships I have with my coworkers and students -- and a lot of changes in my daily schedule. But I am so excited (and already have so many ideas bouncing around in my head!).

2) With our jobs for next year all lined up, we have been on the lookout for a different place to live. Kasey and I have loved our little place on his grandparents land for the past two years, but we are so ready to have a bigger place (that we can fill with a family sometime soon!). We found an awesome 4 bedroom house in Columbus Junction that fits great with our budget -- we will be renting from a couple of retired teachers... pretty much a perfect arrangement! I'll post pictures after I go crazy redecorating!

3) A new place also means selling our current place. I want to give HUGE pats on the back to anyone who has ever sold a house... because it is a lot of work! After doing some research (and a lot of staging -- goodbye junk!) we have had several people out to look at our place. We haven't made any decisions yet, but some of the offers have two-week expiration dates so things will get busier before they slow down!

4) I am 2/3rds of the way done with with the first 1/2 of my thesis (way to tired to do the math!). My topic is: The Collaborative Relationship Between School Teacher Librarians and Public Librarians. Without boring you too much, I find it really interesting and really stressful all at the same time. This semester has been some of the latest nights in my graduate school career!

Also last month, I completed my practicum hours in the Mid-Prairie School District. It was so much fun to spend four days with the two teacher librarians in the district - I got to work with so many great kids and picked up so many great ideas for my future library!

5) Its Spring in the teaching world. I'm not sure how it happens -- but it sneaks up on me every year. From now until June 5th (ugh!) it will be a mad - but exciting - dash to get as much learning and fun completed before my students move on to high school! This also means doing lots of spring cleaning in my classroom and my computer!