Concert Cuteness

I had my first elementary Christmas concert on Thursday - and suddenly I LOVE my job.  I really liked my job before, but after seeing how adorable they were and experiencing the adrenaline of a performance, I now love my job.  Thought I'd share some of the cuter moments with you! (I was planning to upload some videos, but they're too big right now...hopefully they'll be coming!)

Kindergarten Concert

 1. Snowpants

2. I'm a Little Green Tree

3. Rudolph Saves the Day!

4. This is Christmastime

5. Reindeer Polka

 1st Grade Concert

1. Jolly Old St. Nicholas

2. Did You Ever See a Reindeer?

3. Repeating Reindeer Patterns

4. It is Time to Celebrate

5. Rudolph the 1st Grade Student

 2nd Grade Concert

1. Christmas Don't Be Late

2. Reindeer Hooves

3. Nutcracker Dance

4. My Christmas List

5. Reindeer Boogie

Brilliance from Mark Twain

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

Thanksgiving Hosted: Check!

We had an AWESOME 4-day weekend.  Although I was sad to see it end on Sunday night, it was sufficiently long, restful and family-filled...we LOVED it! 

A while ago we realized that this Thanksgiving was going to be different.  Traditions have been morphing a bit on both sides of the family, and we were very excited to realize that this was going to be our first Thanksgiving celebration in Iowa with our own family (not the extended).  YAY! 

As we were planning the menu in my mom's kitchen (note: they're still building their house, so this planning happened in the unfinished basement where they're living), we realized that they don't have a dishwasher.  Hmmm...for Thanksgiving?  No thanks!  Therefore, I offered to host...in a house that we hadn't yet moved into...without a dining room table.  Yeah, good idea!

It turned out to be the perfect motivator, and in a very busy and short 3 weeks, Chris and I were able to get most of our boxes unpacked, the house settled, and the living room/dining room area painted.  It was really exhausting, but it's DONE! 

All that to say, we had an AWESOME Thanksgiving.  The menu included...

1. Turkey (my first one - aided by mom of course! - and it turned out quite wonderfully!)

2. Apple, Bacon, and Sage Stuffing

3. Green Bean Casserole

 

4. Corn Casserole

5. Mashed Potatoes

6. Cranberries

7. Apple Pie

8. Butternut Squash Pie

Everything was made from scratch, and everything ended up tasting wonderfully.  After we set the table, we all said it felt like we were in a Norman Rockwell picture. :)

(notice the cell phone in mom's hand - we're talking to Matthew in Chile right now!  

Amy was there too, she's just taking the picture.)

And the best part - Chris "carved the turkey"!  It was pretty fun...he got really into it, and almost forgot to eat!

In the end, we were all really tired.

It was a LOVELY day, and I felt very thankful to be with a family that I love so much. :)

SCL is in the books!!!

So - there's been a possibility of visiting my brother in Chile for a while, but I honestly thought it just wasn't going to happen.  That is, until this morning when Chris said "YES, YOU SHOULD GO!!!"  Wahoo!

SCL (Santiago, Chile!) - here I come!

How Now Shall We Live?

Tonight we got to spend the evening with my dear friend Katie and her husband Eli...and it was just what I needed.  I love when you have friends that choose to be family...and for me, that person is Katie.  Katie just "gets me", and I was reminded of how much and why I love her tonight.

We had a GREAT time.  They took the house tour (which is still coming, I promise!), visited about life in general, went to Wal-Mart for some strawberry daiquiri's, and then just TALKED - for a long, long time.  It was especially fun to see Chris and Eli's personalities join the mix, as we talked about family issues, personal feelings, our walks with the Lord, what Eli's learning about in his master's program, how Katie's doing at her job, and what Chris and I are going through as we transition and change.  And, I NEEDED it. 

To be honest, I've been in a funk.  I like school, I've liked getting our house settled, I've been reading up on how to cook the best Thanksgiving Turkey - but I just feel confused, lifeless, down, blah.  Tonight we talked about lots of things, and then Katie asked about our transition/culture shock - and I spilled it all.

The beauty about being with friends that you consider family is that you are 100% comfortable with them.  I said exactly what I was feeling without thinking about how I "should" be feeling.  And, as God so often does with beautiful heart friends, He shared something profound with me through Katie and Eli.

Tonight I re-read this paragraph that I wrote while we were in Hong Kong visiting my cousins...

While in Hong Kong, we also got to go to two church services with Jason and Christine. They both talked about God's heart for the world, and proposed that we must ALL have that same heart in if we desire to truly know Him. The pastor asked us to carefully consider whether or not we were willing to go to the world (financially, short-term missions, long-term missions, prayerfully, etc.), and if we were, to hold our hands out in offering. After considering how God could call us (after all, we're already in India...what more could we be called to?!), Chris and I both held out our hands in "willing" surrender.

The DAY AFTER that service we were faced with the possibility of staying long-term in India, and had a long, grueling struggle with the Lord that ended in us saying "yes", and then everything falling through at the last minute.  Six months later we're back in the U.S. feeling confused, frustrated and lost.


Tonight we verbalized how hard that was for us.  We had gotten to the point where we really wanted to stay - we wanted God to ask "everything" of us and we were ready to give it - but suddenly we were back in the U.S.  And then Eli said it - THAT'S why.  We wanted that to be our "sacrifice" - which suddenly makes it not much of a sacrifice.  If I'm totally honest, the real sacrifice is to be here.


I LOVED India. I loved the differences, the new culture, the people, the language, the monkeys, the climate, everything.  I loved being independent, figuring out how to function in new surroundings, being the minority.  It was uncomfortable and challenging, and God's voice was clear.  "Lord, how do I show your love?"  "Simple!  Love the Hindu helper in your building, give the homeless family food on your way past, befriend the Muslim tailor that sews your curtains." 

In the U.S. things are comfortable.  It's easy to become materialistic, to be complacent, to fall back into the routines that fill up our schedules and keep us from being effective.  And when you're comfortable, God's voice becomes quieter...harder to hear...less distinct. 


Honestly, it was easier to to live a God-influenced life in India.  And yet, our own country is pleading for the true Savior.  The U.S. is worshiping self-indulgence, tolerance, food, materialism, schedules, entertainment.  When the "competition" takes the form of monkeys or blue men with dreadlocks, it's easy to identify them as false gods.  When they come in wrapped packages with a 50% off sign - enter shades of gray.


And so - I'm realizing that for now THIS is the country that God is calling us to.  THIS is the nation that God wants us in.  THIS is my biggest sacrifice.  Every day my heart longs to be overseas, where the needs are physical and obvious, where the gods are ugly and made of stone.  However, THIS is the country that needs us right now.

So, here we are.  And all I can ask is, "How Now Shall We Live?"  Here lies my struggle...and I will wait, Lord, for Your answer.

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Things about the U.S. that are NOT a struggle for my heart :)

     1. Hosting Thanksgiving for my family - and having a BEAUTIFUL day together, complete with sweet food, group naps, and lots of laughs.

     2. Going wedding dress shopping with my baby sister.

     3. Being able to "drop by" my parent's house after I'm done with work.

     4. Calling Rachel and being able to spontaneous meet up in Ankeny for supper.

     5. Seeing dear friends when they're home for the holidays.

For the love of iGoogle...and other things.

Totally random, but I LOVE iGoogle.

For those of you that don't know, iGoogle is a way of organizing your "interests" into a homepage that fits you.  So, for example, I have my e-mail, facebook, a to-do list, the weather, the time/date, BBC top stories, CNN top stories, and a Bible Verse of the Day.  You can also create your own "custom" look...I have one for my school e-mail that has bright colored music notes.  SWEET!

I think you can set up your own iGoogle page at www.google.com/ig - OR, just google "igoogle", and it'll come up. :)

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On a totally unrelated note, here's an article that REALLY got me thinking/praying for the muslim world, and the Christians that are facing persecution in the midst of it.  We NEED to be praying for the persecuted church, and we so often forget how blessed we are to live in a country where freedom of religion is a right. 

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And last but not least, you REALLY need to check out this video about Jonah and the Whale. :)  My papa showed it to us today - it's kind of long, but TOTALLY worth watching.  This girl is so young...really impressive!

Feeling very thankful...

In the spirit of Thanksgiving - and in the general spirit of thankfulness, I'm feeling especially thankful for our country today, as I read these two articles.  Despite our country being very secular at present, it was founded on Christian values - and those values still shine through in our freedoms.  

Christian Areas Targeted in Baghdad Bombings

China Jails Tainted Milk Activist

I've been thinking a LOT about our country during the recent elections, and am glad to see that when needed, Americans still know how to stand up for our rights.  :)

HOUSE FOUND!!

Wahoo!

So - last night we signed a 7 month lease to rent a house in Ames!  It is absolutely perfect for us...perfect location, perfect size, perfect kitchen, perfect with the dogs perfect price, perfect landlord, perfect everything!  God is so very good to provide for us in His own timing.  We have LOVED living with my parents, but are also very excited and ready to have our own space again. 

Things I'm excited about:
1. Unpacking our boxes for 18 months ago!  It's going to be like Christmas. :)
2. De-junking!  With my new-found desire for simplicity, I'm going to be SERIOUSLY purging.
3. Inviting people over.
4. Having our own space.
5. Living with our dogs again.
6. Having a guest room. :)
7. Bible studies/game nights/parties.
8. Scrapbooking our India year.
9. Getting involved with the international scene at Iowa State - inviting international students into an American home!
10. Having a "my" home to go home to.
11. Cooking
12. Cleaning
13. Decorating
14. Making our house smell good.
15. Garage sales

Yippee!

I've half marathoned!

So, I made it!  This last weekend I ran the Road to Education Half Marathon with my sister, her roommate, and my friends Laura and Marie from Minnesota.  And, we finished!  It took us 2:16, but we finished. 
And, it was awful.  I have literally never had a more horrible running experience!  All you runners out there - you know when you just have "one of those days" where nothing seems to fit together?  Your legs are going one speed and your lungs are going another speed, and everything is hard and you never find the "zone"?  Yep.  That was the race.  The WHOLE RACE!!!!  I thought I had found a zone right around mile 2, but it lasted about 4 1/2 minutes, and I was back to the type of running that was anything but enjoyable. 

I have to say though, I LOVED having to push so hard.  For the last 3 miles my sister and I just talked (out loud...got some goofy looks!) ourselves into putting one foot in front of the other, and we eventually finished.  And, I will most definitely do another one.  After all, I can only go up from here, right?!

Embarrassing story: Chris and Matt came to cheer us on, but we had told them to come late so they could see the end since it was kind of a hard race to follow.  SO - around mile 12 Chris and Matt show up with their video cameras and ridiculous amounts of energy.  And apparently, I GLARED at them.  No happy smile, no glad to see you, just a glare.  And then I said, "You guys better be at the finish line" and ran off.  I'm claiming temporary insanity due to physical duress!

SO - anyone up for a spring race?!  Ragbrai?  Another half marathon next fall?  Looking for new "goal" buddies to add to our group!

It's the little things...

Lately there have been some little things that have popped up as "extra exciting" in my life.  In keeping with my blog's title, I've been really aware of how things that were mundane and normal "pre-India" are now luxurious and exciting "post-India."  Here are the things that fall into that category from the last week or so.

1. Electric tooth brush.  We had one before we left, but it got "fried" from the electricity issues in India.  SO - we just got another one, and my teeth are unbelievably happy twice a day.  :)

2. Shampoo.  I've been using bad quality shampoo for a while.  While Redken shampoo will never fall into the "need" category, it is something that I tend to splurge on consistently when it's available...and this week the splurge happened.  My hair is also unbelievably happy.  :)

3. Driving/Owning a car!  In rural/small town Iowa, we're realizing that it's almost mandatory to own your own vehicle.  Since we either walked or taxied everywhere in India, I really missed the independence that comes from being able to drive yourself everywhere.  Thankfully I didn't forget how to drive, and have really appreciated the independence-factor every time I get in the car.

       My brother has graciously let me drive his siebring since we moved back, but this last week we took the leap and bought me a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica.  It has quite a few miles on it, but is an awesome car, and is exactly what I was dreaming of, even before I knew it existed.  The car itself isn't a "little thing", but the change in my attitude towards cars and the freedom they bring is something that has changed dramatically!

Other than that, hmmm...half marathon is this weekend.  Not setting any goals other than just to run it and have a good time - then we'll see how it goes, and goals will happen from there.  I've been travel-dreaming again, and have tentatively set this year's dreams in this order: Chile, New York, Haiti.  More to come as they are dismissed or become reality. :)  And, we have an in-service today at school, so I'm loving life and short school weeks!

Things to be excited about...

1. Meeting new friends and rekindling old freindships.
2. Committing to a church body to invest our time and energy into.
3. Becoming the best elementary teacher I can be
4. Learning Spanish from Maria Lovin :)
5. Taking guitar lessons
6. Learning how to live a balanced life in the U.S.
7. Adoption :)  (maybe not soon, but some day!)
8. Learning how to eat healthy and local.
9. Coffee dates with girlfriends
10. Amy's wedding!
11. Matthew coming home (so far away, hurry up brother!)
12. Having less of a to-do list at school, and getting more of my to-do list at home done.
13. Scrapbooking our India year!
14. Learning how to serve people in the U.S.
15. Exploring Iowa like a tourist

*Anyone have any "secrets" in Iowa that we should visit/try out?!  This is a new passion - to uncover the beauty of this state!

Elementary Moments...

Elementary reactions to my bright yellow puffy vest
       "Mrs. Farley, why are you wearing a life jacket?"
       "You look like yellow sugar."
       "No, she looks like a cupcake."

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Best "Stop 'n' Drop" Reflection
     Note: "Stop 'n' Drop" is my disciplinary tool...every time a student needs to just step back from a    situation, they take a "stop 'n' drop".  The first one doesn't come with any consequences, it's just to re-direct their frame of mine - but they always have to verbally reflect on their actions before they can rejoin the group.

Mrs. Farley: "Student, how are you going to behave differently next time?"
Student: "Hmm....not be ridiculous."

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Definitely had two wet pant moments this week (let me clarify...not myself, my kids!).  And while they were pretty hilarious in the back of my mind, I did pull it together and directed them to the nearest pair of dry pants.  :)  I love my job!

people.

I'm surrounded by people lately.

The interesting thing, though, is that I wouldn't consider myself to be part of very many meaningful, impacting relationships.  At school I'm around people all the time.  There are about 25 minutes every day when I'm not around people, and I definitely use those minutes to sit in silence.  A lot of times I don't feel lonely - I would even say I feel a bit over-stimulated!  But when I really sit down and think about it, I realize that I'm not involved in very many close, comfortable relationships right now (other than my actually family members).

The thing I liked the most about India was that we had friends that were "family-friends".  They would come over and I could either interact with them or totally ignore them, and either was okay.  We could barge into each other's house to borrow food and not even feel like we had to ask how they were doing!  And I loved every minute of it!

It's a little different right now since we're living with my parents and are still in a fairly transitional time of life.  We haven't figured out where our church home will be, we're both trying to figure things out at work, and we're just starting to have enough energy at the end of a day that we might (maybe, possibly!) want to do something with other people instead of crash into bed and sleep for 12 hours.  So, while I'm giving myself grace and accepting this as a natural by-product of the transition, I'm pretty impatient to get relationships going again!

The problem, though, is that I have an idea of the types of relationships I want to have, but no idea how to make it happen.  In Webster City I was so involved with work that it was hard to really invest in people outside of school, and then we were in India (where it happened organically).  I'm expecting a lot of trial, error, and intentionality. :)

BRING IT ON!

alone?

Chris left this morning for Seattle to attend the wedding of a long-time family friend, and is going to be gone for 6 days.  While I'm missing him a lot (I've already cried twice today!), I think I'm really going to relish having some alone time. 

I feel like I haven't been alone for years, and in some ways it feels like I've lost my individuality.  I went to Panera tonight and just read a novel...alone...and it felt so good.  I seriously can't remember the last time that happened. 

As soon as we get married we enter into a completely new social experience.  We are ALWAYS with someone.  Even if you aren't talking, you are physically near someone during your most private moments...and therefore, these moments cease to be private!  While there is a beautiful comfort in that companionship, it's also a pretty huge transition.

Even more than that - I have lately been surrounded by an abundance of people.  I have 25 minute class periods with 25 kids each, and sometimes have 12 different classes a day.  That's 300 people to interact with every single day!  Then I leave school to come home to mom, dad, and my grandpa.  When I'm not physically with people I'm trying to maintain long-distance relationships (Webster City people, India people, far-away friends, family members...).  It just feels like there are people everywhere.

And so, while I will miss Chris a lot, I'm going to embrace these next few days.  I'm going to lay in bed alone, go out to eat alone, go on a walk alone, maybe even go to a movie alone...

My only fear: what if I can't remember how?!

Koran Burnings and Reactions

There has been a lot of talk lately, both in the news and in my personal conversations, about the Islamic world, the proposed mosque site near ground zero, and the threatened Koran burnings in Florida.  I'm desperately trying to figure out what our response as American Christians should be.  I came across this article on BBC (it takes place in Kashmir, which is the state we visited this summer...not near the violence, but the same region) and it honestly scares me a lot.  There have already been 18 deaths in riots about the Koran burnings, and in the video accompanying this article they are burning Barack Obama in effigy.

So, no opinions really...just working to understand and process everything.  It all feels so crazy, and I think it's much more personal and impacting since coming back from India. 

Thoughts?

A Wonderful Weekend

            

Last weekend wasWONDERFUL.  We decided that we definitely needed a Stellmaker family vacation, so we took the three-day weekend and headed up to Minnesota!

My dad is (and always has been) a CRAZY big Minnesota Twins fan.  They don't get cable at their house, so he gets on the twins website and keeps refreshing their page so he can know what happens every play....he's pretty hard core!  So...when we found out we could go to a Twin's game, there wasn't even a second thought.  To make the night even better - it was the 50th anniversary of the Twins, at which they honored the top 50 players....and 37 of them could come!  These were dad's heroes as a child, and he definitely had some "little boy giddiness" moments!

We spent Friday night in a hotel (thanks mom and dad!), and then Chris and I left early to visit the Endo's at their home!  It worked out perfectly...we were only about 15 minutes away, and it was GREAT to see them!  The Endo's are a family that we worked with at Woodstock.  We love the whole family to death...just really great people. :)  THANK YOU for blessing us, Endo's!

                           

Lily, Ella and Mo didn't want us to go, so they grabbed their car seats and decided they were going with us!  This is definitely our car, and if Angie hadn't put her foot down we would have added a few kids to the Farley family!

And then, wedding dress shopping we went!  It was SO much fun to spend time watching Amy be BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL.  She's seriously going to be the most stunning bride I've ever seen.  I didn't want to spoil the surprise though, so I thought I'd just post the picture of her looking overwhelmed in her ridiculously small dressing room. :)

                                

And finally, we headed up north to my aunt and uncle's cabin.  It's right on Lake Minnewawa, and is really secluded.  And - we had a PARTY!  Uncle Mark, Aunt Connie, Tara (cousin), Nick (her husband), Tyler and Siena (her two kids!), Papa, Uncle Doug, Aunt Sue, and the 6 Stellmaker/Farley's.  WHOA FUN!  It was seriously tons of fun...except that it was really cold (frost on the ground!) and we went camping. 

Before and After Pictures

I am feeling SO good about my room at school!  And those of you who talked with me during those weeks before school started will know that this is a miracle.  We got home on July 25th, and I was in my room from July 27th until school started...EVERY DAY!  At the time I was really stressed out, but now I am SO thankful that the work is done and I can enjoy it.  Yay!

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"Before" pictures...

 

 

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And "after" pictures!