Twas the night before school....

So, its that time again.  Bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils, scotch tape, pointy crayons, and very clean classrooms.  Everything is organized.....lunches are packed nightly, we go to bed early with anticipation of a new year.........I would write a "twas the night before school, and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring......." but I am not the author.....so I won't.

Most of the time I love going back to school, but have so much stress and anxiety put on myself in anticipating what is ahead.  I am a planner.  I love to know what is going to happen 6 months ahead of time, 6 weeks, 6 days, 6 hours, and 6 minutes too.  I have slowly have had to let that go for survival  purposes and for enjoying the day "that the LORD has made......let us REJOICE and be glad in it!"  I have been really excited to start something new this year- new people (i'm really really really missing the old and familiar though), new students, new drive (WOW, I get to drive!) new drop off location for Luke....new...well, everything.  It feels so good.  It feels so right.  And this is why...

I have been refecting upon Isaiah 26:3 a lot in the last couple of months.  It says "I will give you perfect peace whose minds are steadfast on HIM".  Perfect peace?  Really?  I need that and want that.  My pastor made reference to that a few weeks ago at church.  Again, it stung in my heart.  Yes, I want perfect peace this year at school.  In life.  Laura Story sings about it in her song perfect peace.  It is awesome.  So, as I have pressed on the last few years and hung on for dear life, I am surrendering it all and fixing my eyes upon the Lord to give me perfect peace.  And I am excited about what the Lord is going to do in me and through me at St. Peter's.

This past week I have had inservice.  Perfect peace is jumping out of bed so excited to Read the Word, get ready, and go to work and then come home and have so much energy for my family.  I LOVE it there.  I have loved everyone I have met so far.  They are kind and have warm smiles.  Their shoulders are relaxed, they are fit because they make time for themselves to be healthy (most ALL are runners or do yoga.love it.), none are scurrying around, multi tasking because they have to.  We met most of our kids this morning at registration- I didn't have to do anything but work in my classroom, and if they wanted to come by and meet me, they did.  They are precious.  All wanted to help in some way or another.....put books out on desks, tape things, throw stuff in the garbage, etc.  We had so much time last week to work in my classroom, I left early at the end of the week and went to the pool because I didn't know what else to do.  We have half days this week to ease back into school.  Guess where I will be at 1?  Yep.  My favorite place.  Stuart Heights Pool.

I have first day jitters.  I always do.  This is my 8th year of teaching and I am nervous.  Excited but nervous.  I am thrilled that when I got my lunch menu, it is all catered by Greenlife and every Friday I will be eating organic everything and I won't have to pack it.  Although, I got a laptop lunchbox this summer so I have a no waste lunch everyday.  Always wanted one of those....now, I can eat all of my millions of snacks in little separate containers and not have anything to throw away.  I am such a crunchy granola hippie at heart.  =)

So, here are the long awaited pictures some of you have been asking for...... My room was really dirty when I got into it, but now it is spotless.  I love it.  It is like Fellowship Christian Academy, where I went for first grade in Atlanta.  I am even reading the same devotional book to my class as my teacher Rosemary Ushry did.
What you don't see is the chalkboard they took out and replaced it with one of two active boards in the school.  LOVE it.

 Yes, old school desks are in the middle....love it.

 The other side of the room- non fiction books, exploring and art tables, etc....

 Word wall....oh, did I mention I have more cabinets in my classroom than I do at home right now?  I will call this my kitchen right now!

 Math calendar stuff

 I painted these tables with chalkboard paint.  Can't wait to be creative with them!

 Reading nook

Me and my corny self.  YAY to teaching 1st grade!  I even bathed and everything!

 Clipboard wall art!

 Rule wall.  =)  This is my favorite.

 Door #1- thanks Jess for the tutorial for the banners....

 Love me some peace signs...and some clothespins....EVERYWHERE...

 Covering up my shelves

 Chalkboard tables

 Right outside my door

 =)  In between Angie's door and mine

 Official!

I'm quite excited, super nervous, and can't wait to dive in and start teaching.  I love how long the summer has been....love that I have been able to do so many crafts.....go to the pool with my fam so many times.....feels like a never ending summer like they used to be when I was a kid.  I'm at peace.  Not dreading going back.  Happy.  Would skip if you wanted me to.  =)

Perfect peace?  Yes, God, I pray for this year to be ALL yours.