Two Days

2 days.

That's it. That's all that is left of this first year of teaching for me. Wow. There were definitely times when I did not think this week would ever come.

When I try to think of words to describe this year, I simply cannot choose just one. Crazy. Hard. Funny. Joyful. Exhausting. Humbling. Stressful. Happy. Busy. Unpredictable. Worth it.

I have learned things this year that I could not have learned any other way. That said, I will absolutely do some things differently next year. At the beginning of the school year, our principal talked to us about making sure we had time to "fill up our cups," meaning that we should take time outside of work to do things we actually enjoy. When I heard her say that, I thought, "Well of course I will do that!" But I didn't. Not for most of the year anyway. So, I felt chronically tired, sick (literally- flu, kidney stone, passing out), and burned out.

I care about my students. A lot. I want them to do well and I want to "consume myself to light the way for others." All that said, family matters. Friends matter. Church matters. My health and well-being matter. Next year, I will make more time for those things earlier in the year.

Other than that, really no regrets. I have made a lot of mistakes (understatement of the year). But, sometimes those mistakes provide the best opportunities for learning and growth.

2 days. Then summer is here. What will I do with myself, you ask? I'll miss my students, sure. I'll probably even visit them at summer school. I have joked about "sitting on the couch and watching TV all summer," but that probably will not happen. Honestly, I'll probably find a way to make myself busy like I always do. But in the midst of the Peru trip, working at a camp, organizing my classroom for next year, teaching swim lessons, and going to teacher trainings, I think I will get a pedicure. I think I'll sit out by the pool, get a massage, work out, and finish reading all of the Harry Potter books that I once started. I never understood before why teachers get an entire summer off while the rest of the world continues working. And then I became a teacher. I get it.

Tim

This is my brother, Tim.

He is hilarious, athletic, and probably hungry right now. He loves George Washington, almond butter, coaching football, cheese enchiladas, his black Honda Civic, and the West Wing.

More importantly, Tim is caring, studious, selfless, and thoughtful. He loves Christ, people, and flying airplanes. If you haven't met my brother, I am sad for you.

Tim and I hated each other's guts when we were growing up. As the older sister, I would get mad at Tim for being annoying and then sit or stand on top of him until he turned bright red. Tim, in return, would shoot cap guns in my eyes or push me into pieces of furniture and then laugh hysterically. Unfortunately for Tim, most of the friends and cousins we grew up with were girls, so we would purposefully leave him out of activities. He would get so mad and then go cry to my mom, who often made us include him.

Then we grew up. High school did amazing things for our relationship, and college was even better. Now, Tim is not just my brother but one of my best friends. Tim was skeptical of Andrew when we first started dating. Even though Tim is younger than me, he treated me like the protective older brother watching out for his sis. Eventually, Andrew proved that he was worth keeping around, and now the two of them are great friends, too.

There are many reasons why I admire my brother. He will probably never tell you this because he thinks it is nerdy, but Tim is a National Merit Scholar. That means he is really smart. Not too many people in the U.S. are National Merit Scholars, but Tim is, and he got a full ride to OU because of it. He managed to graduate a year early because of all of the credits he had from high school.

Also, Tim lived in the dorms during his entire three years in college. Most people are anxious to get out of the dorms after their first year, but Tim stayed with the purpose of reaching out to freshmen. This is just one of the many examples of Tim being willing to drop everything in order to be a good friend.

Tim cares about kids. He coaches middle school football basically for free every year, just because he loves it and wants to invest in the kids.

Finally, Tim's love for God is so obvious in everything he does. Tim loves the gospel, and it has changed the way he loves people and looks at the world. He rarely thinks about himself, which is humbling and convicting to me.

Tim graduates next week. He'll go on to be a commercial pilot and make the world a small and more connected place for many, many people. A lot of uncertainty lies in Tim's future as he does not know where he will be based (hopefully Houston!) after he completes his basic airline training in Memphis. But one thing is certain: Tim will continue to trust Christ with whatever lies ahead, and he will continue to love and care about those around him as he puts himself last.

So Tim, here's to you- my brother and my friend. You did it, and I've never been more proud.