A post about nothing

DAG UM!!!....We haven't written on here in a looooong time. I keep telling myself that I really dont' have anything fun to blog about. I mean what could compare with our digs in Israel or career changes or adoption, nothing really. So for my sake ( because I know in 5 years I will beat myself up for not keeping up with this blog) I am going to play a really fast catch up of our lives.

First of all- WAR EAGLE!!!!! Auburn went undefeated this year and the AU vs. AL game was absolutely breathtaking....can you say VICTORY after a 24 point lead? Then we headed off to Glenndale and scored on the nations "highest scoring offense". It was beautiful and even though we all needed oxygen tanks to get through each and every game we are sooo PROUD! And since this is my blog, I'm just going to confess that I became completely and utterly frustrated with almost every Bama fan I came into contact with between Thanksgiving Day and Jan. 9th. Adam kept himself composed but almost immediately after the National Championship Game he said that all bama fans could just "eat duck crap" which reminded me of why I love him so very much :).

Moving on, before I say how I really feel :), Adam is a little over halfway done with his Masters degree. He is finished with Hebrew, thank you Jesus, and is now learning Greek. He reads a whole lot, studies when he is not reading and writes paper when he is bored. He is still praying diligently about our next move...whether that be a PhD here or elsewhere. We haven't felt peace about either decision and since it stresses me out I have to trust that God will guide him and give me strength to follow.

I am in still totally in love with my job and my students. I never ever thought that someone could love love love their job. I know that teaching at a private christian school makes all the difference too. I can talk about Jesus, I have to actually since I teach Bible, and I am ministered to daily by other teachers, students and the parents. I have a creative outlet through my art classes and love coaching volleyball, both for the school and now a club team. I have learned that teachers have to get over being shy too. Thanks to my precious 7th graders I was able to sing karaoke in front of the school at a social. Let's just say that I wasn't at all surprised to learn that now I will be riding a donkey in the donkey basketball game this next Saturday for those same little 7th graders!!! I really am kinda scared of donkeys.....what if they are hungry and my leg looks tasty?

Next, our adoption. I am convinced that both Adam and I have prayed for patience at some point in our life and now we are experiencing patience to the fullest. We have had several leads for a handful of sibling groups and we are now looking into a promising private adoption. We have learned to control ourselves though and not get attached to pictures or names because 1) the court system in slow 2) things aren't as they always seem and 3) God has plans that are different than ours. We are still slowly adding books, stuffed animals, videos, art supplies and furniture into the two bedrooms we have waiting but we aren't committing either bedroom to a gender just yet.

Finally, our home in TN has YET TO SELL!!!!!! I mean come on people, someone just make us an offer, any offer :). We have had several leads and it seems as if we will get 2 or 3 interested people and then they will disappear from the face of the planet. Our sweet Realtor is doing everything she can to help us out and we owe her!!! We are past desperate, past caring even. We have completely given it to the Lord and said if you want it to sell, then you have to do it. Otherwise, we will just keep paying a rent, hoa and mortgage every month and we will do it with a smile on our faces :). Years from now I know that we will look back and be able to see what God was teaching us and be able to note that he took care of us financially during this time.

Other than that not to much has changed since my last post. We are about to gain a sister in law, my brother is now in school to become a personal trainer, and we are starting to make plans for a return to Israel for one or both of us this summer.

Hopefully the next time I write will be to tell you that we are a) parents, b)first time home sellers or c)BOTH!!!!!

" Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, Holy, Holy is he

Sing a new song, to him who sits on, heaven's mercy seat"

I love hearing our Logic School sing that song in Chapel!!!

Breathe In, Breathe Out

I don't think anyone understands how exhausting teaching is, besides those who teach. Its a physical (yep that's right), mental and emotional job......and it should be.

I keep asking my other first year teacher friends if they are able to stay awake past 8:30 hoping that I am not the only "lame" one who can't stay awake through one tv show with her husband anymore. Adam has come home several times around 5 and has literally scared the snot out of me as I was unconscious and didn't hear anyone come in the house. This past Sunday I couldn't wake up....I literally slept the entire night, woke up about 10, went back to bed at 10:30 and didn't get back up off the couch until 6 that night....my body refused to get up and when I did try to walk I was very very dizzy ( apparently though this is normal--so says my other teacher friends)

To add to it I have been coaching volleyball for the last 10 weeks, which adds an hour of practice onto 4 days of the week and 3 hours of games ( and traveling) twice a week. Needless to say, the last game was bittersweet. I really did enjoy coaching though, especially watching the girls improve, and I look forward to next year's season.

I have to say right now how thankful I am to be at a Christian school. I have a friend who is teaching in a public school and is miserable. I am not saying that it this norm for all public school teachers but I can definitely see the benefits I am reaping from teaching children who love the same God that I do. I think the biggest difference is in the behavior, but please don't mistake them for angels :).

I have learned that teaching requires you to be on your game for 7 straight hours a day. You can't really "wing it"...and if you do, your students can tell.

Two awesome things that have happened so far ( one taught me something and one was just a great moment period) both happened between myself and a 7th grader.

One day, after 2 hours of volleyball practice and 5 art classes, the bell rang to release the students and one of my 7th grade boys stayed behind. He said " I want to apologize for my whole class today Mrs. Harvell". He almost had tears in his eyes. He said that he could tell how stressed out they made me and that he was sorry that they came to my class so loud and crazy. WOW....talk about a wake up call. I explained to him that I was the one that should be sorry and I should never let any of my students leave thinking about how stressed out I was. It was my attitude that needed to change. So what if they are the last class of the day, or if there are 8 of them who don't know where the paint is, though I show them every day. I should always give every class my best and expect the same from them. I've tried to put a smile on and love on that class a little extra ever since.

Second, on the way from my bible class to art class I was walking with a 7th grade girl and she looked at me with a very red face and pointed to her throat. She had swallowed her cough drop. We were just talking, but I had heard her make a funny sound when she swallowed it. I asked her if she could breathe and she shook her head no. I sent two students to get the nurse and started performing the Heimlich on her. A 6th grade class was watching and saying " is she going to die". I had just attended a CPR class for our adoption and knew that I had to keep her calm so I just ignored them and coached her that we were going to get it out and to keep coughing. I did the heimlich three times before she coughed up enough to make herself gag up the darn coughdrop. The nurse had her after that and gave her some water to help ease her sore throat. Her mom sent me a kind note the next day....but wouldn't you know that I when I saw that sweet little girl later on she was sucking on another cough drop :).

Last, I just received the most wonderful book ever!! My mentor, Mrs. Johnt has finally been able to publish her book with 100 tips for new art teachers. I honestly think it would help any teacher in any discipline. Keep in mind that I credit Mrs. Johnt with leading me to choose Art Education and have continuously reaped the benefits from her experiences and wisdom. In the book, she asks you to think about why you are teaching?, what do you hope that you students will remember about your class 10 years from now?.....those kinds of questions put my day in perspective. This is not a commercial for her book but definitely just a thanks for providing me with tons of invaluable knowledge and for being a sounding board for me.

Adoption update- there's always something huh?

Well Fort Worth City has decided that they are no longer doing fire inspections so now we are on a list for Tarrant County, which means waiting by the phone so that we don't miss our chance for this month and get bumped to next month's list. We thought that this inspection had already been performed on our house....but I guess they forgot about it that day when they came and stayed for 4.5 hours and searched through our entire house and our souls :).

Prayer Request- we are getting desperate to sell our TN home, the mortgage payment we make every month is money needed to buy a kid friendly car so that when all of this necessary evil is over and we have our kids we can actually transport them safely!!!!!!!

Still here, still waiting!!

Life is good right now.

I have fallen in love with my job. I am teaching 6th and 7th grade art, Introduction to Art and an Advanced Drawing class. My art classroom is beautiful and I'm excited to see what my students are producing. So far I have been blown away with my 6th graders work, maybe my expectations were too low to begin with. My drawing class is small and it allows for large projects and good discussion. I also teach 7th grade girls bible and I must say that I have fallen in love with teaching that age. There are only 15 and we meet 4 times a week. We study and memorize large passages of scripture. In 7th grade we do an old testament survey, which is perfect with all of my travels to Israel. I have incorporated lots of acting and art into that class and the girls love it. We also dance (interpretative movement) to scripture. It allows them to be funny, but it really helps them memorize the verse by visualizing it!!! Its alot of fun!!

I'm also coaching 7th grade girls volleyball ( yes, some of the girls I see three times a day in practice, bible and art). I love love love coaching. After our first win I was very very proud of each girl and it gave me a glimpse of how a parent must feel when their child is successful.

That brings me to our children. We have been told that our license is on the way for about 3 weeks now. We must have prayed for patience because boy are we learning to trust God in his timing. I know that kids are a handful but we started this process last November and I am physically achy to get them. I know that God's timing is perfect and that is what keeps me from calling our agency every 2 hours and asking " is it there yet?".

The good thing is that I know that when we do get them they will have a wonderful Christian school to attend.

Adam is steadily working towards this PhD degree and is now in his 3rd full semester of classes. He really likes his Hebrew teacher this semester which is showing off in his grades. He is almost done with all of his archaeology classes and will them move on to his theology classes and more digs :). The seminary has hired another professor for the program and this guy comes with links to Cyprus.......which means that we could possiblly go to Cyprus for a dig in the future. HELLO, sign me up :)!!!!!!!!