Jennifer's journal

Instant gratification

2010-05-26T08:24:00.028-07:00

I believe that the oil spill that we are dealing with right now is all a result of the instant gratification society that we live in. Everything in our society today screams "gimme, gimme, gimme!" "I want it now and I don't care how I get it, or who I hurt in the process." BP wants to make more $, so they hastily build this drilling station and never take into consideration the "what ifs" before they get busy making the big bucks. Then the explosion occurs and the whole world looks on in shock and we scratch our heads. But you can't totally blame BP-becuase they are just doing what the rest of our society is doing, getting instant gratification. Why are we dealing with an economic crisis? Because we had a spending party for years and years, and all of a sudden we realized we forgot to plan for the future and save for emergencies! Its rediciolous! So, if the government and society as a whole is doing it, why shouldn't BP do it too? I fear that our society will never learn to stop and think before we act. When are we going to learn? If BP had slowed the process of building this drilling station and first put into place some plans to deal with leaks, explosions, etc., we wouldn't be in this position! Then again, why aren't there processes in place for economic downfalls? We desperately need to stop and start delaying gratifiaction, or the whole world and our society will be at stake.

injustice

2009-11-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

q. what happens if a lawyer, doctor, accountant, business person or any other professional, does not perform well at their job after repeated help and support from the companies that employee them????

a. they get fired!!!!

q. what happens if a teacher does not perform well at their job after repeated help and support from the schools that employee them?????

a. they continue teaching.

as a future school administrator this is one of the issues that frustrates me more than anything. yesterday i attended a workshop on school law and we spent the majority of the session learning how to navigate the many laws that protect teachers from being fired. and then there are teachers who have tenure. tenure is granted to teachers who have worked 5 years as a teacher. once a teacher has tenure they are virtually impossible to get rid of.

the problem is that we can NOT afford to have poor, or even mediocre teachers in our schools. american education has fallen so far behind other competing countries and our achievement gap is not getting any smaller. the simple solution to this problem is to have quality, motivated, strong teachers in each classroom.

studies have shown that if a student has 2 really bad teachers during their years in school they may not be able to recover! do you see how serious this problem can be?????

in order to fire a teacher i have to do the following:
-collect TONS of data on them (classroom observations, walk throughs, etc.)
-put them on an action plan-this involves TONS of work on the part of the administrator.
-stay in constant communication with human resources to make sure you are crossing all your Ts and dotting all your Is.
-hold multiple meetings with the teacher and try to work on the action plan.

this process can take at least 2 years-and sometimes more. in the meantime that teacher is still teaching and having a negative impact on students. if this is not an injustice, i don't know what is.

some school administrators have a hard time going through this process and they decide to just let it be...well that will NOT be the case when i take the helm. i would not be able to sleep at night knowing that i am letting my students suffer at the hand of a bad teacher. so watch out bad teachers...i'm coming your way.

i'd trade it all

2009-11-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

i will be the first to admit how much i enjoy being single. i love sleeping in on the weekends, watching what i want on tv, going places at the drop of a hat and not having to tell anyone where i'm going or trying to find a babysitter. that's just a short list of the things that i enjoy about being single. i try to embrace those things when i'm feeling down about being single. my friends that are married with kids always tell me that they are jealous (in a friendly way) of all these things that i get to do. for example, i'm going on a cruise next week and last week when i had veteran's day off i stayed in my pjs all day and didn't leave the house. i love these things, i really do. BUT...i would trade it all for the desires of my heart; a husband to share my life with and kids to love and adore. so you may be jealous of the little, fun things i get to do being single, but i'm jealous of what you have. so when i gloat about these little things, its only because i'm trying to make myself feel better about the things i don't have yet. bare with me.....

Summer time and new beginings

2009-08-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

i can't believe i haven't posted since may. the summer has gone by so fast-but that's okay because its been a pretty good one! from june 1st-August 1 i babysat for a 6 and 8 year old. they are pretty good kids, but i was with them for 50 hours a week and it got old real fast. i'm so glad that's over! i've also decided to "retire" from babysitting. i've been babysitting since i was 10 years old-more than half my life and i can't take it anymore! don't get me wrong-i LOVE kids, but i'm tired of watching other people's kids :)
in summers past i've always tried to take at least one or two trips to the beach. wrightsville beach is only 2 hours away so its not a bad drive. this summer my parents have made day trips to the beach a regular thing. we've gone every other weekend since the summer started and its been so much fun! we've been to wilmington, southport and topsail island. this coming weekend we are headed to carolina beach. day trips are not as hard as you may think. we pack coolers with sandwiches, snacks and drinks and load the car with beach chairs, towels and umbrellas...and that's it! we leave around 8 am and arrive at the beach by 10. we stay till be are sunburned and water logged and then we rinse off in the showers and grab a bite to eat on the way home. its a mini vacation that always feel like more a day trip, with the big bonus of sleeping in my own bed at night!
yesterday i stared my internship at eastway elementary school. i'm so excited to be there! i will post more on the details soon.
and to put the icing on the summer cake-my bestest friend in the whole wide world is coming to visit me next week! this will be her first trip here since i moved here 6 years ago! i haven't seen her in almost 2 years! i'm so excited to see her and show her my life here. i realize this post is a big jumble of info, but i wanted to give you something! bye for now!

2009-05-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

today i went back to my old stomping grounds to proctor for EOGs. i've been back there several times since i left last year, but i never get to see all the people i want to because of varying schedules and a big building. since i was there for several hours today i got to see some former students that i haven't seen in ages. the kids that taught my first year (2003-2004) are now in fourth grade! and it just so happens that i was proctoring in fourth grade. i saw several of my former students and they are SO big now! they are no longer sweet, innocent kindergartners. they are pre-teens with hormones and boyfriends/girlfriends. one of the students i had my first year of teaching was victor. victor came from a rough neighborhood and had a very unstable home life. we had a long, hard year working on his behavior, academics and social skills. i saw him today for the first time in a year. he was SO surprised to see me. he came over to me and said "what up ms. halsey!" and he attempted to give me "a pound". i was like-no way, you are hugging me! i spoke with his teacher who told me that he is doing so well and is super smart. that made my heart so happy!

this picture shows the look that i got from about 20 former students. they were just so surprised to see me. it was so nice to be reminded of how much i was loved!

memories of lemonade

2009-04-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

on my way to a babysitting job today i noticed three kids on the side of the road desperately trying to flag down cars. they were selling lemonade. i always try to stop at lemonade stands. nothing is better than seeing young, innocent children jump for joy when you pull over and buy a cup of their 25 cent lukewarm lemonade. ryan and i use to have lemonade stands during the long, summer days on long island. growing up we lived on a very quiet residential street that outlined the edge of a beautiful farm. it was a dead end so we really got very little traffic. but when a car did come down the road we would jump up and down and wave our arms in hopes that the passing car would stop. and if they did we frantically worked to pour them the lemonade and collect their money. it was such a simple, pure joy to complete a sale!
peter jennings, who was an abc news anchor, had a summer/weekend house at the end of our street. as little kids we thought it was soooooo cool that a "celebrity" lived on our street. we always knew when he passed by becuase he traveled to and from the city in a black limousine. during one of our lemonade stands we saw his limo coming up the road. as usual we frantically waved and tried to convince the car to stop. we must have made an impression that day because peter jenning's limo stopped! he got out and bought a cup of country time lemonade from us and flashed his famous smile! it was great! and even greater was going to school the next day and telling all my friends! sometimes i wish i could go back to those days.

pretty at the gym?!?!?!!!!

2009-03-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

when i go to the gym to workout...i'm there to do just that. workout. i do not go to socialize, i do not go to impress anyone, and i certainly don't go there to pick-up guys. so when i go to the gym i do NOT look cute. i wear one of two pairs of old, cotton, drawstring pants, a tee shirt and usually a hat. (hopefully my hair will soon be long enough to get into a ponytail so i can lose the hat!) i don't wear makeup because i sweat like a pig and because i'm there to workout. i also don't fool around at the gym because i really can't afford to. i have a lot of work to do and a lot of weight to lose, so i can't just go there to hang out. well, a few weeks ago i was working my butt off when i noticed a girl strolling around the gym. she was dressed very nice...she had on true workout pants(like nike or adidas-not target brand like mine), brand new sneakers and a see through shirt that you probably would where out on a friday night. she also had her hair blown out perfectly and a complete make-up job. now i must confess-on bad morning i will throw on some cover up and bronzer just so i don't scare people at the gym. but i never put on a full face like this girl...she had eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, foundation, bronzer, the whole nine yards. i'll admit that i'm jealous of girls like this. she was very pretty and didn't even need to be at the gym. so all this was okay with me until i got on a machine next to her. that's when i got mad. she was sitting on a machine but she wasn't really using it. she was sitting on it and playing solitaire on her iphone! seriously?!?!? you came to the gym to sit on a machine and play solitaire?!??! couldn't she do that at home?!?!? it really made me mad! there i am sweating my *&@ off and she is chillin', playing a game. ugh! i'll admit that some, or most, or my anger is the result of being jealous...but really?!??! come on now. yes i wish i could be her-she doesn't even need to workout. but i just felt like her being there was rubbing it in my face.

that's it. no fun or meaningful ending to this post...it was just a good way for me to vent!

3/5/09

2009-03-05T16:19:00.001-08:00

2 years ago today a miracle took place in my dining room. God stepped into my apartment and touched my brother’s heart. Ryan was instantly healed…but we did not know that for several months. What took place on that March afternoon was a result of God’s unfailing love, grace and mercy…but also 6 years of P.U.S.H. If you are not familiar with P.U.S.H. it stands for Pray Until Something Happens.

My family, my friends, my relatives, my church and perfect strangers prayed for Ryan’s healing…for 6 long years. God proved to be faithful to our prayers on March 5, 2007 and we will forever be grateful for that.

If you are dealing with pain and suffering and you feel like God is ignoring you…don’t give up! Keep the faith and keep P.U.S.H.ing! God will rescue you. Remember Ryan’s story when you get discouraged. If God can heal him, he can certainly heal you too!

Today is a great day for me. I would go so far as to say that there might not be another sister in this world that is more proud of her brother. J

my ring

2009-02-28T20:23:00.001-08:00

a few weeks ago i read a great book about being single. i normally can't stand these kind of books...i feel like i've already heard it all. you have to trust god, he will provide, don't put your life on hold, etc. etc. etc. my mom gave me this book a long time ago and i just rolled my eyes (sorry mom) and put it on my bookshelf. well recently i felt led to read it and i'm glad i did. it was refreshing. so to make a long story short the book said that if you see a piece of jewelry that you like-buy it! don't think that you have to wait till you get married to have "nice jewelry". so i was telling my family about the book and how i had seen a pretty ring in kohls that i wanted to buy. i briefly described it by saying; its round and has some diamonds on it. that is all i said-never mentioned it again. well, on my birthday i was opening my gifts and i was SO surprised to see the ring! i was TRULY surprised. so much so that i started to cry..i couldn't believe they remembered what i said and then went and bought it. i have to tell you-it is VERY hard to surprise me. i am very good at figuring out what i am getting for my birthday, christmas, etc. i actually can't remember the last time i was actually surprised by a gift before the ring. that is not to say i don't love my gifts...i just know in advance what i'm getting. so this ring was a true surprise and a true blessing. i have a great family!

lent

2009-02-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

so i gave up facebook for lent. this was not my original plan. my original plan was to add something for lent and not give anything up. i was going to add consistent daily quiet time to each day during lent and hopefully carry that on into the future. but as ash wednesday approached i felt god prompting me to give up facebook. so i decided to go for it. on tuesday my status declared that i was giving up facebook for lent. as soon as i posted that status i panicked. now i really have to do it! i can't get out of it now because i just told everyone! so tuesday night around 11pm i signed on for the last time for fourty days. i logged off and let out a big sigh. well today is day 4 and i'm still alive :) i actually haven't missed it that much. however-i now realize how much we rely on facebook to communicate. i've already been unaware of several things that are happening because i'm not on facebook. i've had a few phone conversations that led to "oh that right! you're not on facebook..."
but right now i want to communicate with god more than anyone else (no offense to my peeps!) so i think this will be a very positive thing. i also haven't had any trouble finding time for quiet time with god...this is not surprising!

i hope you all are enjoying the season of lent as well!

its my birthday!

2009-02-18T06:49:00.000-08:00

i can't believe that another year has come and gone. its amazing how fast time goes by when you are having FUN! and that is the truth. my life is so much fun right now. i'm happier and more content than i've ever been and i'm living in excited anticipation of what god has in store for this coming year. i suspect that its going to be a great one.

top 10 reasons why its great to be me!
10. i'm getting in shape and losing weight-it feels great.
9. i'm pursuing my dream of being a school administrator.
8. i am unemployed and loving it!!
7. i have an amazing church and an amazing church family
6. i have great friends that i adore.
5. within the next few months my entire immediate family will all be living in nc and most of my extended family too. no more traveling for the holidays and having to go long periods of time without seeing each other!
4. i'm single and that has allowed me to pursue my dreams without anything holding me back.
3. i will not be single much longer-god is so faithful and i know he has an amazing man in store for me!!!!
2. i finally know myself-its only taken 28 years for me to figure "me" out!
1. god is my savior and best friend.

Sam & Libby

2009-01-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

until a year ago i claimed to be an animal lover/happy pet owner. however, i began to realize that i really don't like pets. being the neat freak that i am pets don't fit into my idea of clean. the fur, the smells, the bad breathe, etc. i felt good once i finally admitted it. it was as if finally was able to stop lying to people about how i felt about animals. and i'm finally not afraid to say that i'm not an animal lover. i really don't think it makes me a bad person either. i don't mistreat animals, i just don't like them. at all.

well, with god's great sense of humor i am now housing not one, but TWO cats! i still can't believe it. my parents are in the process of moving here from NY, but they are still taking lots of trips back and forth. so, my mom and dad approached me about taking care of their two cats. i want to do everything that i can to help my parents, so i said yes. it wasn't easy to do though!

so sam and libby have been living here since december 24th. they are about 7 years old and they are brother and sister. cute names right?!?! they sleep a lot and like to go outside a few times a day. libby loves to cuddle on the couch and sam likes to sleep at the foot of my bed. they eat twice a day and use the liter box very well. they actually prefer to go outside and use the bathroom so that is a plus.

so, as much as i hate to admit it, i really don't mind having them here! i can't believe i just said that. so maybe i'm not as much of non-animal person as i thought. the jury is still out on dogs though.

sadness

2009-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

so its been a rough couple of weeks for me. i hesitate to even say that because none of the sadness is directly related to me...yet i'm really feeling the pain. last week baby beau passed away. i didn't know him well, but i did have the privilege of watching him a few times when he was in the step-down unit of the hospital. beau was born with congenital heart failure and has struggled throughout the 16 months of his life. however, he was able to overcome so many obstacles and survived 6 major surgeries. he recently began to show a lot of progress and was learning to sit up on his own. then he had a brain aneurysm on december 26th and was pronounced brain dead. on sunday, december 28th he passed away. it was his mom's birthday that day. i struggle to understand this tragic situation. i attended beau's memorial service this sunday and listened to my pastor talk about beau and his life. he talked about how god grieves with us when things like this happen and that it is NOT god's will when things like this happen. this really made me think because i always thought that god was able to control life and death. i was one of the people that use to say "it was god's will" or "god must need him in heaven more than he needs him on earth." but my pastor really challenged my thinking and said that because we have free will things like this happen. as i try to wrap my brain around all of this i get more sad news today. one of my best friends sister is in the final stages of cancer, she is only 28. my friend just has a baby 3 weeks ago and now she has to say goodbye to her sister. i'm not sure i can understand all of this. my heart is heavy. i know this is were my faith needs to take over...but my mind is just trying really hard to figure it all out. sigh.

old lady

2008-12-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

word to the wise-don't schedule three doctor's appointments in one day. i did this today and it was NOT fun. i thought i'd be smart and schedule all the appointments for one day. these are appointments i've put off while busy this semester. well-i felt like an old lady all day. i even fell asleep on my couch in between two of my appointments!!! i never do that! and if today is a glimpse into my future, i don't want to get old! thankfully i got good reports so i won't be going back to any of these docs for a while. i'm gonna go eat some prunes now and put mothballs in my closets...ugh.

december, really?

2008-12-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

well, i made it. my last paper has been edited and handed in. classes are done until january 13th. i was sooo excited for this break, but now i'm finding that i'm busier than ever! i have a ton of babysitting jobs, christmas parties, birthday parties, etc. this week was crazy! however-i'm not going to complain. its still nice to not be doing school work. hopefully things will slow down next week and i can actually relax a bit.

is it december yet????

2008-11-13T16:38:00.000-08:00

my advise-don't get a new laptop at the end of the semester! it's too tempting to use during those boring classes! for example-i'm in class right now! ugh-i kinda feel guilty, but sometimes class is so off topic and irrelevant to my future that i just tune out. it doesn't help that i have 6 hours of straight classes either. i also can tell its the end of the semester because i seem to find almost ANYTHING to do that can distract me from my work. last night i finished up dinner and knew i had to get back to work. but instead of throwing the dishes in the sink and getting to work i cleaned the kitchen to perfection and then i refilled the salt and pepper shakers. did that need to be done? no! were they almost empty? not really. after i did it i totally realized what i was doing and had to laugh! anyways-i'm sooooo looking forward to the month of december when i have NO classes or assignments. i plan to sleep late and spend endless hours in front of the tv, while reading mindless books. aaaahhhh. i can't wait!

p.s. isn't my laptop pretty? its purple and i love it!!

my new life

2008-10-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

sooooooooo...a few things have changed lately that prevent me from blogging the way i'd like to. grad school has taken over my life. every bit of free time/down time is now devoted to writing papers, reading thousands of articles and books, going to class...and did i mention reading and writing? wow! its crazy the amount of work i have to do-but don't get me wrong-I LOVE IT! i'm learning sooooo much and have the most fascinating professors. i actually look forward to all my classes, which is quite a difference from undergrad!

i'm also in love with not working. (maybe kelley was right all those years...working is overrated! ) here is what a typical day of mine looks like:

8:00 alarm goes off
8:30-9 i actually get up
9-9:30 coffee and the today show
9:30-10 check email and get my facebook fix
10-go for a walk (this is a recent addition to my day)
11-shower and get dressed
11:30-12:30 school work
12:30-12:45 lunch
12:45-3:00 school work with frequent breaks to get a drink, use the bathroom, check email, etc.
3:00 get ready for class
3:30-leave for class
4-10 classes (yes, three hours classes back-to-back) it hurts my butt!
10:30-get home and unwind
10:30-11:30 school work
11:30 facebook fix, check email, watch some TV
12-bedtime

okay, okay-i know all you moms hate me right about now. i'm sorry! but now do you understand why i love not working?!?! i know this one year of freedom from work is going to fly by, so i'm trying to enjoy every moment of it!

i apologize in advance for my lack of blogging. all my writing is now devoted to school work. but i will make an honest effort to keep you up to date.

(and if you're interested in boosting my self esteem-please become one of blog followers. i only have 2 right now and that makes me sad! )

beautiful child

2008-09-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

the past few weeks have been GREAT! i've dived into this new chapter in my life and i couldn't be any happier. every night, when i lay my head on my pillow, i fall asleep thanking god for all that he has given me and for how he has provided for me to fulfill my dreams. i also thank him for my family who i've also had the awesome opportunity to spend lots of time with these past few weeks, and it has been wonderful! two weeks ago we headed to wrightsville beach for the weekend. it was ry and i, michele and dylan, and kim and howard with the "jcrew". the jcrew is their five kids, jaylyn, jessie, jovie, jax, and jaegar. despite the hour of unpacking/packing the cars every time we went to the beach-it was so much fun. all the kids are at really fun ages and we all enjoyed being with them at the beach. jaylyn is kim and howard's oldest and she turned 9 years old august 24th. jaylyn has grown up so much lately. she not only acts older, but looks a lot older too. it has been so neat to watch her grow up. jaylyn was only 2 when i moved to nc, so i've had the privilege of really watching her grow up. she has an amazing heart for god, she loves her family and is so giving. being the oldest (which i can relate to) she is often required to be the helper or the "built in babysitter". she never seems to mind though and you can see in her eyes how much she loves her little brothers and sisters. when we were at the beach we celebrated her birthday. ryan and i have jaylyn a card and some money. when she came over to say thank you to me, she gave me a big hug and whispered something into my ear that i will never forget. she said "i love you more than you will ever know." it was so precious and so sweet, and i know that it truly came from her heart. i love being a part of her life and i can't wait to watch her continue to grow up. as long as she doesn't grow up too fast!

wake up little suzie, wake up

2008-08-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

so today was the first official day on campus, i had orientation this morning and tonight i go to meet all my professors. then we start classes tomorrow. because i'm in the school of education (soe) all my classes are in the same building. this is a plus because unc's campus is pretty big and parking is an issue. so, i took a few minutes this morning to roam around the building that i will be spending LOTS of time in over the next 2 years. i found a great computer lab, my professors' offices, my classrooms and then i stumbled upon the greatest thing i've ever seen. it's a starbucks vending machine!!!! for just $1.25 you can have a fresh cup of starbucks coffee just by swiping your one card! and this machine really makes fresh coffee, because it grinds the beans just for your cup of coffee. oh my, grad school just got a whole lot better!

my little BIG brother

2008-08-09T17:19:00.001-07:00

my little brother is not so little anymore. he turns 19 in a few weeks i can't believe it. i have trouble remembering things that happened just a few years ago, yet i remember the day he was born, and the day we brought him home from the hospital, like it was yesterday. i even remember the day that my mom and dad told us (me and ry) that my mom was pregnant.

i was 9 years old and i had had a bad day at school. i fell during gym class and skinned both my knees pretty badly and then i got one of my notorious migraines. needless to say i wasn't very happy when i got home from school. when my dad got home from work my parents called ryan and i into the kitchen and asked us to sit down at the kitchen table. my mom proceeded to tell us that we were getting something new and that they wanted us to guess what it was. we had no idea, but we were excited...so we started yelling out things like, a dog? a cat? a bird? a gerbil? a hamster? we kept guessing wrong so my mom gave us another clue. she said, it has 2 arms and 2 legs. i was stumped. i had already names all the possible animals that i could think of, so i said "a dinosaur?" this made my mom and dad laugh really hard. finally my mom said "do you give up?" and ryan and i said "YES!" and then my mom said she was having a baby. i was ecstatic! i loved babies and wanted nothing more than to have a REAL baby to play with. over the next several months i became very involved in my mom's pregnancy. i served as her spokes person, telling every person we came into contact with that she was having a baby. i went with her to her doctor's appointments and was fascinated with the sonograms. the last month of my mom's pregnancy was filled with anticipation. i wanted everyday to be the day that she gave birth. it was a hot summer and that made it hard on my mom, yet she never seemed to slow down much. our neighbors had a swimming pool but they were only out on the weekends, so they gave us permission to use their pool during the week. we spent many hours at their pool that august. every time my mom got in the water the baby( we didn't know if it was a girl or boy) would kick. my mom would always let me know and i'd quickly swim over to her so i could feel the kicks. it was magical to me. my mom was scheduled for a c-section on august 29th. ryan and i spent the night at my grandparents house. in the morning we headed up to the hospital to wait for the new arrival. it felt like we were waiting for DAYS. my grandparents, my dad, ryan, my aunt gay and i, all waited outside of the operating room. my grandfather entertained us by stealing wheelchairs and stretchers in the hallways. and then finally the moment came. the nurse came out rolling a baby cart and she said "its a boy!" i remember being overcome with emotions and immediately i started crying. we all ran over to the cart to catch a glimpse of the sweet little baby. we got to ride in the elevator with the nurse to the nursery. everyone was crying tears of joy, even my dad, and that made me cry even more! a few days later he had a name, jason edward, it took my parents a while to decide between the name jason and justin. i think they made a good choice! before he came home my grandparents helped ryan and i decorate for his arrival. we hung white and baby blue streams all over the place, along with balloons. i even taped up steamers across the entrance to the house, so that my mom would have to cut them before entering the house. he wore the cutest NY giants sweatsuit home from the hospital. he looked adorable and so little! that day was one of the happiest days of my life. i was so excited to have my very own real baby to play with. my dolls did not compare to the real thing! after the excitement of bringing him home my parents sat down on the couch to relax and my grandparents headed home. i remember having a very specific mission in mind and i was very intent on carrying it out. i headed into the living room and asked my parents if i could show jason around the house. they smiled and said yes. so, i took him in my arms and took him into every room in the house. i told him what each room was and what we did in that room. looking back, i'm not sure why that was so important to me. obviously it meant absolutely nothing to a 3 day old baby! yet i loved doing it and will never forget it.

fast forward almost 19 years later and jason is getting ready to enter his sophomore year at high point university. he's a great person, with a big heart and a smile that could melt anyone. we aren't as close as we use to be, but i believe that in time we will again be very close to each other. right now we are just in very different phases of our lives and he has a rigorous social schedule to attend to! he will always be my little brother though, and he will always hold an incredibly special place in my heart. i love you jay! thanks for giving me such special memories.

Our hearts

2008-08-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

This is the song that Annie's sister found, that TRULY sums up how we all feel about the mission trip we just went on. I had to post it because it is so beautiful and so true.

Written by Sara Groves

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it
I heard what I heard and I can't go back
I know what I know and I can't deny it
Something on the road, cut me to the soul
Your pain has changed me your dream inspires
your face a memory your hope a fire
your courage asks me what I'm afraid of(what I am made of)
and what I know of love
we've done what we've done and we can't erase it
we are what we are and it's more than enough
we have what we have but it's no substitution
Something on the road,touched my very soul
I say what I say with no hesitation
I have what I have and I'm giving it up
I do what I do with deep conviction
Something on the road, changed my world

Click on this link to see the music video by Sara Groves:
http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--52356267

These are the chips....

2008-07-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

That caused marissa to spill her entire can of coke on our flight from Swaziland to Johannesburg. The picture didn't come out too well, but if you look closely you can see a Hispanic looking character holding a chip on the bag. Next to him it says "BEEG, very BEEG!" and on the back of the bag it says "Me, I'm Jose, I like Honey Mustard BEEG time!"

How politically uncorrect are these chips?!?!?! I mean come on now!

My trip to Africa

2008-07-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

Okay people-I finally wrote about my trip. You may need to pour a cup of coffee for this one-its long!!!

It was three weeks ago today that I was journeying home from Africa. I thought that I would come home and quickly write all about my adventures and send out lots of pictures and stories. However I found it hard to “digest” all the amazing things that took place in Africa. I’m still reluctant to sit down and write about it, in fear that my words will not even come close to capturing how truly amazing this trip was. I will try my best though!
Team Swazi departed from North Carolina the morning of June 19th and we arrived in Swaziland at 10pm on the 20th. It was a LONG trip. The longest of the four flights was 18 hours! We checked in to our bed and breakfast and got some much needed sleep. The bed and breakfast was a pleasant surprise; it was much nicer than we expected it to be. Each room had its own bathroom, mini refrigerator and TV. These comforts were really helpful to us at the end of each long day.
We spent most of our time at the Moneni Carepoint. It’s one of many that Children’s Cup has established in Africa. Christy Merrill, who is my friend from North Carolina, is in charge of this Carepoint. The Carepoints provide a meal, once a day, for any kids in the area that have been signed up by a parent, sibling, auntie, etc. The Carepoints also provides free education through second grade. There is no such thing as public school in Swaziland. All the schools charge tuition and the children have to wear uniforms. If your family has no money then you don't go to school. Children’s Cup works very hard to raise money to pay for these children to go to school. School fees vary depending on the school and the grade level (the higher the grade level the more it costs). School fees cost anywhere between $25-$125 US dollars. To us that seems like nothing, but to a Swazi family it is a lot of money. While at the Moneni Carepoint we got to do a variety of things. We observed the classes and meet all the kids on our first day; we also helped prepare the daily meal of “pap and beans”. We spent one morning doing crafts with the kids during their school day. We also painted the two storage rooms, hallways and bathrooms at the Carepoint. We painted them a beautiful “Carolina blue” color and we put up a cute Sesame Street border. It looked great!
My favorite thing about the trip was spending quality time with the kids and simply pouring our love out to them. The kids were absolutely wonderful to spend time with. I expected the kids to be sad and unhappy, but I was pleasantly surprised that they appeared to be very happy kids! You see, these kids have no idea how bad they have it. They don’t know any better. Many of them have HIV, many have lost one or both parents to AIDS, and for most of them their only meal each day is the one provided by Children’s Cup...yet they’re happy. I found that amazing and comforting.
One of the special things we did with the kids was showing them a movie complete with popcorn and candy! We showed them a cartoon movie about Daniel and the lion’s den and we shared with them the story and explained to them the importance of trusting and obeying God. They loved watching the movie and for most of them it was the first time they had seen one. Before the movie started I gave out the Pixie Sticks that I had brought with me. I showed them how to eat one and they were so excited! Watching them enjoy the movie, candy and popcorn was great. We also spent one afternoon just playing with the kids in the yard outside of the Carepoint. School lets out at noon, but the daily meal is not served until 3pm, so the kids just hang out and play games until its meal time. These kids are not use to getting much attention from adults. Culturally, parents do not interact with their children very much. Not to mention that many are orphans due to the high level of AIDS in Swaziland. Therefore, the kids absolutely loved the fact that we were interacting with them, playing games with them, and giving them lots of love! There were so many kids in the yard that day and I wanted to spend time with each of them. Their favorite thing was when we took a picture of them and then showed them the picture on our digital camera screens. I can’t tell you how many pictures I took! While playing in the yard I always made sure to comfort any kids that were crying after falling down, or being pushed, etc. This is just a natural instinct for me, and I’m sure teaching kindergarten for five years also brought out the comforting side of me. Well, the kids quickly caught on that I was the one they should come if they were upset. It was so special for me to be able to play that role. There were two kids that afternoon that grew attached to me for one reason or another. The first was a sweet little girl that was about 5 or 6 years old. She was crying because she had gotten into an argument with another child. When I picked her up she immediately rapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder. I walked around with her like that for a few minutes and silently prayed for her. After only a few minutes one of the teachers pointed out that she was fast asleep on my shoulder. It was so sweet. I held her for as long as I could and then laid her down on a mat to rest. The second girl was much younger and I’m not sure why she was crying. I picked her up and she did the same thing, she laid her head down and clung to me. Whenever I tried to put her down she wouldn’t let me! She is the child in the enclosed picture. She wouldn’t put her feet on the ground! I hope that these children felt love, peace and warmth as I held them. That was my prayer as I held them in my arms…that for just that moment they could feel the love that God has for them through me.
We spent one afternoon at the government hospital. While we were there we visited the children’s ward and the women’s ward. While in the children’s ward we prayed with the sick children and their mothers. We also gave out prayer bears that the kids from our church had made. It was great to see the kids light up and smile when we gave them a bear and spent some time with them. While in the women’s ward we again prayed with the patients and spoke encouraging words to them.
The neatest thing that we did while in Swaziland was distribute the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas boxes at two Carepoints. My church has been participating in this Samaritan’s Purse event for years. I’ve helped make and pack many shoeboxes. Being on the other end of this great cause was absolutely amazing. It was truly Christmas in July! (Yes, it takes from December until now for the boxes to make it all the way to Swaziland!!!) The kids we gave the boxes to had never gotten one before and they were so excited. To watch them take their boxes and open them to find new toys and treats was great. I will never forget the joy I saw on their faces. It truly was priceless.
One afternoon we went on a walk through the community surrounding the Moneni Carepoint. We went to visit with people who were sick so that we could visit and pray with them. It was a humbling experience to see the living conditions of these people. None of the houses we visited had running water or electricity and many were just mud huts with dirt floors. We had the privilege of praying with several people. One was a single mom with AIDS, one was a 94 year old man who had injured his back and legs in a fall, and the last was Senzo. Senzo is a 15 year old boy whose parents both died of AIDS. Senzo is raising his two younger sisters, ages 12 and 9. He is struggling to raise his sisters and provide for them. Thankfully they all attend the Carepoint and are provided with food and love from the Children’s Cup staff. Senzo was only able to attend school through third grade and therefore he is not educated enough to get a job. However, he volunteers at the Carepoint everyday, helping cook, clean and prepare meals. We were all touched by Senzo and his situation. Because of the generosity of our supporters, we had some extra money when we arrived in Africa. We used that money to buy Senzo food, a cooking pot and some new bowls and utensils. We also were able to pay the school fees for one of his sisters. We also set up a system with Christy to have Senzo “paid” for his volunteer work at the Carepoint. Using the donations (until it runs out) Christy will buy food for Senzo and his sisters each month. This will ensure that they do not go hungry on the weekends, when the Carepoint is closed. It felt great to be able to do this for Senzo and his sisters.

Well I could go on and on, but I think I covered all the most important events. If you are interested in supporting Children’s Cup Ministries, please visit their website: childrenscup.org. They truly are an amazing ministry that is doing great work for the Lord, but they can not do it without financial support.

i'm home!

2008-07-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

we arrived safely back home yesterday morning. everyone stayed healthy on the return trip and all our luggage arrived too, yeah! i'm still adjusting from jet-lag and reverse culture shock, but other than that all is well. i plan to blog ALL about the trip, but i still need a few days to gather my thoughts. in the meantime i share with you my favorite picture from the trip.

the end of an era...

2008-06-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

today is my last day at north chatham. i started here in 2003, just 1 month after moving to NC. i was young, scared, didn't know anyone and really didn't now much about myself. over the past 5 years i've grown SO MUCH and a lot of my growth has happened here at ncs. i've worked with some wonderful people who've inspired me to be a great teacher, i've worked with some not so wonderful people that have taught me how to love "unconditionally" and to accept things despite how i may feel about them, and i've made life long friends here too. leaving here is bittersweet. i'm obviously excited about going back to school to get my masters, but leaving this school is hard. so if you see me or talk to me over the next few days i may seem out of sorts. my emotions are all over the place as the end of an era in my life comes, and a new one begins...

randomness

2008-05-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

-the past few days have been great. i had a nice, relaxing and fun weekend. last night i got to spend some true quality time with my brother and we had a great time. we went to carrboritos for dinner and sat outside and then we went for a stroll through the gimgoughl (spelling?) road historical district. the houses are so gorgeous and everything was blooming! then we went to lickity split for some yummy ice cream. what a great night!
-ryan got another very cool tattoo yesterday and i got to go with him. it's on his forearm and says "take courage". i love it!
-my mom is coming to town tomorrow for the long weekend. i'm excited to see her and spend some quality time with her.
-kim is being induced tomorrow. baby jeager should be here sometime tomorrow! i can't wait to meet him!!!
-fireworks are one of my favorite things. i went to a durham bulls game on friday night and after the game they did fireworks. i sat through them with an ear-to-ear grin. i feel like a kid in a candy store every time i see fireworks! i hope, i mean dream, to have them at my wedding someday :)
-my best friend has gone m.i.a. kelley-if you read this please call me!!!!!!!!!
-there are only 14 school days left! i'm so ready for this school year to be OVER! i'm not looking forward to packing up my classroom though :/
-i'm going to africa in less than a month! i'm so excited that i can't really put words to my feelings! go team swazi.
-i started walking/jogging again. i've only been 3 times in the past week-but its a start. slow and steady runs the race, right?!?!
-i've truly enjoyed the wonderful smells of spring while on my walks/jogs. honeysuckle is my favorite smell in the whole world. love it!

wisdom

2008-05-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

we had kindergarten screening yesterday for next year's class. i was working with a little boy and he was doing a great job. i asked him, "how did you get so smart?" and in a very matter-of-fact way he said "oh, god told me how to do it." and he continued working.

i love the innocence and honesty of children.

my tattoo!!!

2008-04-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

I finally got my first tattoo! I've been thinking about it for a long time now and I always knew what I wanted to get. It was just a matter of getting the nerve up to do it. I got the Ichthus-better known as the "Christian fish". Here is some history on it:
" Ichthus is the Greek word for fish and it represents the first letters in the words of the Greek phrase meaning "Jesus Christ Son of God. Savior." This earliest Christian symbol was based on many of the disciplines being fishermen. Since Christianity was an underground movement for the first 300 years. The Ichthus was a secret sign that allowed followers to identify themselves to one another. Upon meeting someone, a Christian would quietly make a single arced mark in the earth. If the stranger were Christian he would complete the sign of the fish by adding a reverse arc. Today this simple outline of the fish of the letters IXOYC can be seen worldwide as symbol of one's faith in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Savior. "

I love it!

all blogging aside...

2008-04-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

no, seriously...how has it been a month since my last post?!?! wow. let me tell you my life is at the beginning of a new chapter and i'm so excited about it. as many of you well know by now, i got the scholarship i've been praying for, hoping for, dreaming for. sometimes i still can't believe it! the life that i have grown very use to is about to be completely changed. i'm sooooo use to teaching kindergarten. i know i've only been doing it five years-but in this phase of my life that feels like a lifetime. five years ago i still had no idea who i really was and what i really wanted. in five years time i have learned so much about who i am, what i want and who i want to be. however i always thought that the "who i want to be" was out of reach or too big of a dream. but now the dream, the prayer, is coming true. i can't wrap my mind around the fact that i'm only teaching for about thirty more days and then i'm done! no more "nine to five" for me. i'll be a full time student again with a backpack and some classes that won't require me to get out of bed till noon (insert HUGE smiley face) crazy right?!?! of course the whole "nine to five" deal will return when i complete school, but it will be the "nine to five" that i always wanted. aside from all that my trip to africa is right around the corner! despite all the busyness of school, registering for classes, finding a summer job, etc. i'm going to africa! i still can hardly believe it. i feel as if i've walked into god's favor. like he has been at work behind the scenes of my life and just now, this month, i walked through the curtains to see all that he has done. it is amazing and i'm in awe of his goodness to me. i sometimes question how deserving i am of all this. but god quickly reminds me that because of his grace and mercy and unfailing love-i deserve it all.

point of view

2008-03-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

it's official!

2008-03-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

my flight to swaziland is booked! i'm so excited! it has already been an amazing journey, and i'm not even there yet! god is working in amazing ways. we needed to pay for our plane tickets by march 31st and i do not have enough support money to buy my tickets yet. however, god provided and one of the other team members was able to use her credit card for my ticket. as soon as i have enough support money she will get paid back for the ticket. i've known for a while now about the march 31st deadline-but every time i started to worry about it god said "no, no, no." as in-don't worry about it...i've got it covered. the past 48 hours i started to freak because the deadline was fast approaching and the money was still not here. i should have known better though-i should have listened to god and not worried. lesson learned. i guess i'm just still in awe of how amazing god can be. so i've got my plane ticket (actually SEVEN!) for africa. i'm going, and its all because i serve an amazing god. thanks to all of you for your prayers and support :)

florida

2008-03-22T11:45:00.001-07:00

we made it to florida! it feels good to be here. it is so peaceful at my aunt's house. we got in late and slept in this morning. its raining today-but that's okay. it gives us a chance to settle in, visit my grandparents, etc. the forecast for sunday through next saturday is all sun!!! so we will have plenty of time to catch some rays. we are headed to the movies today to see the bank job. it looks like it will be a good one. i hope everyone has a great easter!

life

2008-03-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

wow-i haven't blogged in a while. i've been so busy! but lots of good stuff is going on. today i found out i was accepted to UNC!!!! i'm excited. i still need to wait to find out about the scholarship i applied for, but i'm halfway in the door!!! anyways, ryan and i are headed to florida tomorrow to meet up with my mom and visit my grandparents. our plans for the week in florida? sleep in, get a tan, relax.

i can't wait! i really need this. i'll get back to you from the sunshine state!!

happy easter!

by the grace of god...

2008-03-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

one year ago today something amazing happened. it was an amazing god thing. and i don't feel i can give it any justice unless i tell the story...so read on.

i woke up with a pit in my stomach-ryan had not come home again. this was one of dozens of nights that he didn't make it home after a long night of drinking. i was mentally and physically exhausted from worrying. my hope was fading and my days were consumed with just making sure he was alive. we barely spoke. my family and i had not given up on ryan-not once...but we had no idea how to help him. he was so lost, so unhappy and so out of control. he had been to rehab twice already, he had been diagnosed with epilepsy, and he wouldn't listen to us anymore. this had been going on for 7 years.

i drove to work and just prayed the entire time-i cried out to the lord as i had thousands of times in the past-i begged him to help ryan. i had been at work only an hour or two when i got a phone call from his girlfriend, elizabeth. ryan had lost control again and ended up at her door step in a drunken state. she would not let him in knowing his condition and he proceeded to punch holes in her door and verbally threaten her. she called the cops-but he got away before they got there. i could not leave work, and what good would it have done anyways? he probably was now at home sleeping it off. i prayed my way through the rest of the day and left immediately after school. i called adam on my way home to see if ryan had showed up at work. he was on his way to the job to check. i told adam to pray-it was clear that ryan's situation was getting worse by the day. i prayed some more.

i got home and ryan was no where to be seen. i called him and left messages, i talked to my parents and asked them to pray. i knew he would be home soon and a confrontation would take place. i prayed.

he came home shortly after i spoke with my parents. he tried to walk right past me and to his room. i stopped him and began talking. what exactly did i say? i don't know. i just know that god was speaking through me and i needed to keep talking. ryan stood in front of me with a blank stare-his eyes were so empty and his shoulders hung low-his knuckles bloody. the longer i talked the more he seemed to listen, until finally something in him broke. in fact i think everything in him broke...his heart, his mind, his physical being, all of it. he began to cry and then sob. he let out years worth of tears. i told him it was time to get help NOW. i got out the phone book-opened it to the yellow pages section titled "addiction" and handed him the phone. he looked at me as if to say"really? right now? i have to do this now?" and i said yes. the events that followed happened only by the grace of god. he entered an outpatient rehab program through unc, he started going to church on a regular basis, he met with our pastor, he started telling the truth. months later he rededicated his life to the lord and was baptized.

i have my brother back-the brother i thought was gone forever. he beat a disease that has affected my family for over 75 years. i believe he broke a generational curse. today he has been sober 365 days. we are closer than we have ever been. he is not just my brother...he is one of my best friends. thank god for what he did. it has been an amazing year and i can't wait to see what he has in store for ryan in the future.

happy one year of sobriety ryan. words hardly express how proud we are of you. i love you...

crazy

2008-02-23T16:58:00.000-08:00

my assistant's brother works at our school. he is one of our custodians. on thursday he came into our classroom to say goodbye to his sister (he was going home early). when he was walking out of the room my assistant said "see you at home". they live right next door to each other. one of my students was listening and he said "mrs. marsh, are you married to your brother?" she giggled and said no. my student said"oh good, 'cause my dad told me if you marry our sister or brother you have crazy babies."

too funny!

faith

2008-02-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

I'm going to Africa!!!!!! (thanks Annie, can't wait to see you christy, and thanks to my faithful god for working in my heart and the hearts of my friends to encourage me to go!)

good times

2008-02-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

saturday night i went out with my peeps from work and we had a great time. we went to the long branch saloon in raleigh. if you've never been its kind of like walking into the heart of texas. you'll see lots of cowboys, lots of hairspray and some serious line dancing. i'm proud to say that i learned how to do 4 line dances!!!! yes i did. for the most part i think they look harder than they really are-most of these dances are just a mix of about 3-5 basic steps. and as an added bonus we got to see a gorgeous country singer, chuck wick, perform. he was so yummy! anyways, it was a good time. here are a few pictures from the night. enjoy!

need i say more??????

2008-02-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

2008-02-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

so it's finally super bowl weekend. jason is here for the festivities, i've cooked "crack for your taste buds" snack mix ( i know its a crazy name), and heath bar chocolate cake. kim and howard are making meatball subs, michele is making spinach artichoke dip, elizabeth is making pigs in a blanket and ryan is bringing (notice i didn't say making) wings and cheese dip. we've got the big screen hd television, plenty of soda, but there is one thing missing.... mom and dad :(

now if this was just any super bowl it wouldn't be as important for them to be here-but this is a super bowl with the NY GIANTS. we have been die hard giants fans for as long as i can remember and we've watched almost every past super bowl that they were in as a family. so, it's kinda makes me sad that we can't be together. we looked at airfare and the possibility of them coming, but it was just too expensive and impossible to get them back to NY by monday morning for work. so-the halsey family will watch the super bowl from NY and NC-we're gonna try to connect a webcam so we can talk a bit during the game. we aren't sure it will work but we'll try. i think this is just another reason why they need to move to NC asap!!!!

Go GIANTS!!!!

bliss

2008-01-17T04:38:00.000-08:00

due to the wintry mix that has fallen around the triangle my school has a two hour delay. can i just tell you how glorious a two hour delay is? some might think its not as good as a snow day...but you're wrong! if we have a snow day it has to made up, but a two hour delay? those precious two hours are MINE and we don't have to make them up! so, when i got the phone call at 4am i reset my alarm clock-changing it from 5:40 to 7:40!!!! if you know me you know how much i love sleep-so that was great. right now i am watching the today show-which i NEVER get to see, while sipping on my morning coffee...sipping-i usually am gulping the last of it down when the kids are walking into the classroom. and it gets better-when the kids arrive at school this morning they will come in at 9:45 and by the time they unpack and do their warm up work it will be lunch time!!!! (yeah, we have an early lunch at 10:15) which means my teaching part of the day will already be half over. wow-can we have a 2 hour delay everyday?

movies

2008-01-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

over the past week i have seen two very good movies.

last friday night i saw juno. if you liked little miss sunshine, you will love this movie too. it is full of quirky characters and lots of laugh. ellen page plays juno and she's the main character. ellen is such a great actress! this is her breakthrough performance and i can guarantee this will not be her last. go see juno!!! if you need someone to see it with i would totally go again.

last night i saw p.s. i love you. it was sooooo good! i laughed wholeheartedly AND cried wholeheartedly, that makes a great movie if you ask me. hillary swank is phenomenal and the guys in this movie are HOT! bring your tissues.

now i want to see 27 dresses and the bucket list. i really do love movies :)

God says...

2008-01-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

I say: Its impossible. God says: All things are possible. Luke 18:27

I say: I'm too tired. God says: I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28-30

I say: Nobody really loves me. God says: I love you. John 3:16, 3:34

I say: I can't go on. God says: My grace is sufficient. 2 Corinthians 12:9

I say: I can't figure things out. God says: I will direct your steps. Proverbs 3:5-6

I say: I can't do this. God says: You can do all things. Philippians 4:13

I say: I can't forgive myself. God says: I forgive you. 1 John 1:9

I say: I can't manage. God says: I will supply all your needs. Philippians 4:19

I say: I'm afraid. God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7

I say: I'm always worried and frustrated. God says: Cast all your cares on ME. 1 Peter 5:7

I say: I'm not smart enough. God says: I give you wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:30

I say: I feel all alone. God says: I will never leave you or forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

It's beginning to look a lot like....

2007-12-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas! We safely made it home to New York. I just finished watching a movie with the fam while I curled up on the floor by the fireplace. And now it is SNOWING! I'm home, its warm, my fam is here...Christmas is definitely here! I'm happy :)

what a weekend!

2007-12-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

i managed to check off everything on my to do list this weekend! i even accomplished a few extra things-like dropping off some donations to the gcf, getting some christmas shopping done, and seeing a great movie, dan in real life with doss and MK. i even did my christmas baking! thank god for the adrenaline rush that i get before a big trip home-otherwise i'd never get it all done! see you in 4 days mom, dad, jay, kelley!!!! i might sleep the first 48 hours that i'm home-but then i'm all yours!!!

holiday to do list

2007-12-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

here is what i need to get done today:
-laundry
-buy sweater for ugly christmas sweater party
-get green onions for dip to bring to party
-buy dog food
-buy computer game for Kayla
-buy ingredients for christmas baking
-go to target
-go to cvs
-clean the house
-finish adopt-a-family project
-shower????

wish me luck. i know we all have to do lists like this one! good luch to you too!!!

can you believe this????

2007-12-15T07:13:00.001-08:00

I stole this from my friend Annie. I just had to share it!

hectic

2007-11-28T16:03:00.000-08:00

that is the only word that accurately describes how i feel. i am busy and lots of deadlines are fast approaching. my two biggest stresses right now are that christmas in right around the corner and all 4 grad school applications need to be signed, sealed and delivered by january 15th. needless to say i haven't found much time to blog. i always check your blogs, but don't take the time to blog myself. i will be back soon. congratulations to angela and jj-they welcomed baby natalie yesterday! and happy birthday to reilly and rachel! now i know 3 people whose birthday is november 27th! rachel, reilly and natalie. must be a special day :)

my new boyfriend

2007-11-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

i went to the tree lighting at southpoint tonight and got to hear lifehouse play. well, no one ever bothered to tell me how HOT the lead singer is! i found myself staring at the big screen to get a better look. his name is jason wade. doss and i really enjoyed him, and the music too!

take a look at my new boyfriend :)

a fun weekend!

2007-11-16T15:18:00.001-08:00

we had so much fun at grandfather mountain!! we decided it will be an annual thing from now on!

if you're looking for me this weekend...

2007-11-08T17:03:00.001-08:00

I'll be here. Enjoying the mountains. Enjoying great friends. Enjoying a long weekend!

God though a 12 year old boy

2007-11-03T10:41:00.001-07:00

8:45-driving to take MAT. call my dad to pray with him (as planned yesterday). no answer.

9:00-arrive at testing site and begin to review for test, scheduled to begin at 10.

9:15-back in NY my dad is driving to a meeting and remembers he is suppose to pray with me around 9. reaches for his phone and realizes he left it home by accident. prays for me anyways and asks god to bring be peace as i prepare for the test.

9:20-a boy around the age of 12 walks past me as i study. i think to myself-what is a 12 year old boy doing at a college hall on a Saturday morning? our eyes meet and he continues to walk, i continue to study.

9:25-the boy walks by again and says " I wish you the best of luck on your test today," with a big smile on his face. I INSTANTLY knew that God was speaking through this boy to let me know that it was going to be okay and that he was right there by my side.

9:26-the prayers of my earthly father are answered by my heavenly father.

10:00-test begins and i have a strong sense of peace

11:15-test ends and i did well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOD IS SO GOOD AND SO FAITHFUL. PRAISE HIS PRECIOUS AND HOLY NAME!

you da' man bob!

2007-10-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

michele and i went to pigs n' punkins today. and we got to meet bob, kristen, mike and jon! they were so nice and seemed honestly happy to meet us. i listen to them every morning when i am getting ready for work so i was excited.

i also got to eat barbecue and have a funnel cake. since i didn't make it to the fair i was excited to still get my fair food fix! we also watched pig races and pumpkins chucking contests. it was a fun fall day :)

what the heck happened to fall?

2007-10-08T16:32:00.001-07:00

i guess i made a mistake when i posted about "loving fall" a few weeks ago...because its gone! how the heck is it 90+ degrees in october?!?! if it doesn't get cold soon i'm moving back to new york!!!!! ggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I have a crush!

2007-10-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

not the typical boy crush though. i have a crush on my sweet little cousin jovan. jovan turned 2 on september 29th and she is kim and howard's third girl. don't get me wrong-i absolutely LOVE all of kim and howard's kids. but right now jovie is my favorite. because they are not my kids i can have a favorite, right?

so jovie is crazy. that is why i love her. she is all over the place all the time. i never see her sit still for more than 2-3 minutes. there is just too much for her to do and to many things for her to explore. she can't just sit around and let life pass her by. she has to embrace life! jovie has a bit of a speech delay and is learning sign language as part of her therapy. have you ever see a 2 year old do sign language? oh my gosh-it is too cute. jovie has gotten really good at the signs for more, please, help and open. i love to watch her sign.

her favorite person is my brother ryan. i think his name is the one that she learned to say the best. she started with just "ry" but now distinctly says "RYAN!!!" because she doesn't say much her expressions are exaggerated and she makes the best faces! anyways, i am really enjoying jovie right now. i could be having an absolutely horrible day and then i see jovie and it all just fades away!

sometimes i wonder what jovie will be like when she is older. i'm not sure what she will do, but it will surely involve multi-tasking...that is surely one of her strengths!

anyways, i love jovie and feel blessed that she is a part of my life!

LOL!!!

2007-09-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

i stole this from jamie. it is too funny! enjoy!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRq82c8Baw

scaed (scared)

2007-09-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

i could really write a book of all the funny things that i hear my kindergarteners say-they crack me up! but instead i will try to remember to put them in a blog so that my readers can have a laugh too.

so i was working in the bookmaking center with this adorable little girl today. she doesn't use "r's" in her speech yet and she occasionally omits some other sounds. we were making a book about things that go (we are learning about transportation). she was pleased that she was able to complete the book without much difficulty. i could see her confidence building. she was telling me about her feelings about starting kindergarten and she said this; "ms. hawsey, i was gettin' a wittle scaed of kindewgaten, when kelly (her sister) said dey got pwdoh, and i said I'M DERE!" ( i tried to type it the way she said it).
definition-ms. halsey, i was getting a little scared of kindergarten, when kelly said they got play doh and i said "I'm there!"

how cute is that?!?! did you know that a little playdoh can take away a whole lot of fear?

Psalm 37:4

2007-09-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

I love Joel Osteen. He is one of the best preachers of God's grace. I make a point to watch him every Sunday morning, and every Sunday morning I am blessed by what he says. I know that some refer to him as the "smiling preacher" and some say that he is too nice to his congregation-but I say bring it on Joel.!!! There are MILLIONS of people in this world that need to be treated nicely and need to know beyond a shade of doubt that God's grace is available to them.

Through Joel's website you can sign up for daily devotionals to be emailed to you. This one really touched me. Sometimes I really don't think that God is going to give me the desires of my heart. I get discouraged and feel like giving up my dreams. But God knows what I need and want!!! Read all about it.

Today's Scripture
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart”(Psalm 37:4 AMP).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria God knows the secret petitions of your heart. He knows every hidden dream He’s placed within you. He knows those things that you haven’t told anybody about. Maybe you thought they would never come to pass, or maybe you buried them because they didn’t happen on your timetable. Maybe, in the natural, you have every reason to give up on those dreams. Be encouraged today—God is still working behind the scenes! He still has a plan to bring those dreams to pass. Do what the verse says, and delight yourself in Him today. That word delight, actually means to make yourself soft and pliable. It paints the picture of God as the Potter and you as the clay. Allow God to mold and shape your character today. Allow Him to direct your plans and ideas. Keep an attitude of faith and expectancy today, and as you submit your ways to the Lord and open your heart to His leading, He will fulfill those secret petitions of your heart!

A Prayer for Today
Father, You said the path of the righteous gets brighter and brighter. You said no good thing will You withhold because I walk uprightly before You. You said because I delight myself in You, You will give me the secret petitions of my heart. So Father, I thank You today for being in control of my life. Thank You for the good things You have in store for my future. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

I like this one....

2007-09-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

SLOW DANCE
Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.Don't dance so fast.Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow downDon't dance so fast.Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child,We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had timeTo call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.Don't dance so fast.Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.
Life is not a race.Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Fallin' in love with fall

2007-09-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

I love fall! Summer use to be my favorite season when I lived in New York. Now my favorite season is fall. Summer in the south is just too hot sometimes. But fall is just gorgeous-cool mornings, warm afternoons, beautiful leaves and chilly nights. Last fall is when I actually fell in love with this season. It was beautiful and the changing leaves were amazing. Look at this picture I took last fall!

Anyways-I'm happy that fall is here :)

5 year olds

2007-09-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

i'm really enjoying getting to know my new class. it only takes me a few days to figure most of them out. i love to listen to their conversations with one another as they get to know their classmates. unlike adults, they skip past the small talk and get right down to playing and being best friends. they don't even care to know each other's names that much, they don't really find that important. as long as that person is available to go on the slide with them at recess or build a castle with them in our blocks center-that's all that matters. i wish it was that easy as adults!

on wednesday i was sitting with a small group of kids and they were gluing green dyed noodles onto a piece of paper with their name on it. this was the first time we experimented with glue. i have this sweet boy in my class this year with the most southern accent i have ever heard on a five year old. as he was gluing his noodles down he got some glue on his fingers. he was intrigued by the drying glue on his finger-and made this statement (imagine it in a true southern accent). "ms. halsey, this glue dries on my fingers like boogers do."

lol...3 days later it still makes me laugh!

i'm back...i think

2007-09-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

i can't believe that i haven't posted in weeks! sorry about that. back to school is such a crazy time. i go from lazy summer days with little to nothing to do and then the next day i have a thousand things to do. this is a killer on me physically. i like to sleep in, so that is what i do all summer. but i pay for it once school starts again. at the time i would be normally starting to get up and drink my coffee in the summer, i have already had breakfast and am headed to lunch at work! yes-we have lunch at 10:20 am :(
so, needless to say my blog has been ignored. so far so good with my 5th kindergarten class. today was only their second full day, but they are doing well. i only have 2 criers so far, and they both don't cry for long. thank the lord! i think i'm gonna have fun with this class.

in my last blog i mentioned my Halsey/God partnership to help me get through the school year. well i'm happy to report that it is working. god is a great partner!!!! i have been able to stay calm and not get super stressed. i have even continued to have a life! i have not put my life on hold for the first few months of school. god is good. i encourage you to invite him into your workplace. ask him to partner with you and see what he does. he will always be on time, he will help you with all your tasks and he will teach you new things through the people and things you come in contact with at work. i know it is easy to say that your work is not related to your faith or that your job does nothing to further His kingdom. but you can make it both of those if you want to. let god show you how you can further His kingdom through your job. its amazing how much easier your job can be when you do it for God and not just for a paycheck.

summer, school and new beginnings

2007-08-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

this has been the best summer i have had in a long time. i got to do so many fun things. i went to long island for 2 1/2 weeks, i got to see 3 of my college roommates, i went to jeremy and ali's wedding, i went to a wonderful nccat seminar where i went white water rafting and broke a board with my hand, and i have enjoyed many lazy afternoons by my pool. i certainly didn't work very hard this summer and therefore i didn't make much money-but it was sooooo worth it. i've also learned a lot about myself this summer and have overcome some things that have held me back in the past. now i am only one week away from my summer's end---ah! next tuesday i go back to school. while this can be a very exciting time for you moms, it is an anxiety filled time for me. what kinds of kids will be in my class this year? will the parents like me? will i get everything done before school starts? what will our schedule look like? how will i get through the dreaded first few months? well, i am taking a new approach this year. instead of being stressed and super-stressed i have decided to go into a "Halsey-God Partnership". yup, I am partnering up with God to get me through this new school year. i'm gonna listen to Him and let him control all that takes place. this is not going to be easy ( since I am a control freak ) but i know that it is what i need to do. so, i'm gonna enjoy the next 7 days and not go crazy! i am going to enjoy every last minute of my summer. then next tuesday my partnership will begin. in the mean time my partner will be handling all stress and anxiety regarding school. so, be in touch with him if you need anything!!!

internet oh internet, how i miss thee

2007-08-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

ryan and i moved into our apartment a year ago in july. when we moved in we discovered that there was an open wireless connection available to us. we assumed it was from an apartment nearby because we had an "excellent" connection. i don't do anything top secret on my computer so i wasn't worried about my identity being stolen or anything. i thought it would be okay for us to "share" the connection until we got around to getting our own. well, a year has passed and the connection has never failed us. it has been wonderful to have one less bill. but all good things come to an end eventually. when i was in the mountains last week the people who lived directly above us (whose dog runs around from room to room nonstop!) moved out. and with then went our wonderful internet connection :( once the denial passed and i realized that the connection really was gone i panicked to find a replacement. i called a few different places and ended up going with road runner through time warner. however, they cannot come to do the installation till Sunday!!! the thought of a week without internet was scary. thankfully i have internet assess at work and have been able to check my email, etc. almost everyday. but i miss my own internet so much! i actually had to use the phonebook for the first time in ages this week! i needed to look up a number and i usually just use yellowpages.com, but this time i actually had to dig out the phone book, do the abc's in my head and look up a number. how spoiled are we?!?!? and then i needed directions and i couldn't do mapquest! aaahhh! i had to rely on the not to precise directions from a friend to navigate through downtown raleigh. i'm happy to say i made it-but not without a few wrong turns down a few not too safe streets. but finally it is saturday and i can see the light! tomorrow between 1-5 i will have my own internet connection that cannot just up and leave without my permission! it is amazing to think that less than 12 years ago we didn't even have a computer in our house. i only opened an email account my senior year of high school so that i could communicate with my boyfriend who was already away at college. and now i can't survive without it.! i even caved in and bought a $9.99 day pass for t-mobile at starbucks yesterday! can you believe it! i spent $9.99 just to make sure i wasn't missing anything (that is basically what it all comes down to). as school gets ready to start again i am going to make a conscious effort to not check my email 10 times a day. i'm sure, as i have learned this week, that i will survive.....

a case for coffee

2007-08-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

i love coffee. absolutely love it. and i seem to keep finding great reasons to drink it! http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070806/hl_nm/caffeine_memory_dc

have a great day and don't forget to drink your coffee.

breakthrough-literally!

2007-07-31T19:51:00.000-07:00

i am currently in cullowhee, nc attending a seminar on "Daring to Lead". it is a week long seminar done by NCCAT (north carolina center for the advancement of teachers). the focus of this week is not about leadership styles or techniques, but about who we are as individuals and what about us makes us a good leader. it has been great so far. today we had the pleasure of hearing from a motivational speaker named brian biro. he is a great motivational speaker and is full of energy! i'll admit that i was skeptical of him at first. he was for sure a bit corny and i thought that he had way to much energy for the 9 am meeting. but then he took out a piece of wood-not just a thin piece of plywood, but a rather thick chunk of wood. he held it up and said that by the end of our time together today that each and everyone of us would breakthrough a similar piece of wood with our bare hand!!!!!!!!! HE GOT ME THEN! i got really nervous and thought all about how i was not going to be able to do it! but as he poured out his energy and confidence in us i began to get excited and think that maybe i could do it. our 3 hour session flew by and it came time for us to break the wood. brian gave us each a piece and asked up to write on the wood something that we needed to breakthrough in our lives. it could be anything from breaking a bad habit to being a better mom to being a more effective teacher. i very carefully decided that i needed to breakthrough my fear of failure. i wrote my words on the wood and then it was time. i was so nervous. several people went before me and were able to do but that did not ease my nerves! then it was my turn. i walked up to brian-handed him my wood and he asked me to focus on him and NOT the wood. i hit the wood-nothing happened. i hit it again-nothing happened. then i looked into brian's eyes and i saw that he truly believed that i could do. then i heard the loud, chanting and cheering..."Jennifer! Jennifer! Jennifer!.....i got in position and i hit it again and it split clear in half! wow! what an awesome feeling!!!! i know that i was only able to do it because of the look in brian's eyes. it wasn't the fact that i had seen several others do it before me, or that we had been taught how to do it correctly, or that 25 people were cheering my name. i was only able to break the wood because i knew someone believed in me.

what a powerful lesson that was for me, in so many different ways. as a leader i saw how important it is to surround yourself with positive people who believe in you, so that you can get things done. on a spiritual level i thought of god and how he looks at me with similar eyes all the time and tells me that i can do it! i can do anything, if i just fix my eyes upon him. yet i still act in fear. so, today i leave the fear behind. i agree to move forward with my plans and to stop living in fear of what will come. i will pursue my master's degree in administration, i will be myself and i will rely on my lord and savior and be CRAZY for him!!!!

so watch out peeps-fearless halsey is here :)

(the picture shows exactly what we did-except we used our hands. i will hopefully have a real picture of me in action when i get back. )

miscellaneous

2007-07-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

well, i don't have anything exciting to blog about right now, so your just getting an update on my life. i've been back from new york for 2 weeks now and its been nice to still be on "vacation". sometimes i don't know what to do with all my free time and i get a bit down-but i'm not complaining! i have been doing some babysitting jobs and still working at aqueduct. this week i went out to dinner with ryan and we had such a great time. we had lots to catch up on and he was really talkative. we went to chili's because i had a giftcard, so we only spent $4!!! we went to coldstones afterwards and we started talking about being "single". ryan said the best thing to me-as he was trying to cheer me up about being being single (and fat). he said "if what was on the inside was what people could see on the outside-you would be the most beautiful girl in the world...and me, i would be so single." ryan is a great brother! i also watched two good movies this week, alpha dogs and children of men. both are intense movies that i enjoyed. alpha dogs has lots of bad language though :(
i'm hanging out with renee tonight, we have lots of catching up to do. we are doing sushi and then coffee. yay! two of my favorites! then on monday morning i leave to go to cullowhee, nc for an NCCAT conference. it is called "daring to lead". i am excited. we get to go white water rafting!!! i have wanted to do that for a long time. well-that's really it, not much to report. i hope everyone is having a great weekend.

i think i have a drinking problem...

2007-07-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

not the kind you think though (thank god). i went to the grocery store today and i realized that i went there just to get drinks! i left with 3-four packs of flavored seltzer, 2 things of crystal light, and a case of diet coke. it got me thinking about my drinking! and i realized that i am always drinking something. if i am going out to run errands i always have a water or d.c. with me. when i am home i am always drinking a seltzer or crystal light and when i go out to eat i take advantage of free refills like its my job. my mom even noticed this habit when i was younger and she took me to the doctor to see what was wrong with me. she thought that i had diabetes or something. thankfully i don't have a medical problem. i'm not even thirsty all the time-i just like to have a cold drink...ALL the time.
that's my story and i'm sticking to it :)

Permission to nap

2007-07-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

I love to take naps, but I'm also well aware of how napping is frowned upon by our high pace society. I've heard people say that if you nap you are lazy, unproductive, etc. Well, I was happy to see an article in the News & Observer this morning about NAPPING! The article not only promotes napping, but talks about its many benefits. Including increased productivity, alertness and health. Yeah! I have been waiting for this for a long time. I now will have no guilt about my napping!!! Christy will love this article too :)

Signs

2007-07-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

This sign was at the shrine too. (I put my phone on vibrate...you never know when he might call!!!)

Holy...

2007-07-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

When I was home I went to this Catholic Shrine that I had recently read about in the book, Fast Lane to Heaven, by Ned Dougherty. This shrine is only 20 minutes from where I grew up, but I can only remember going there once when I was little to see the manger scene during the Christmas holiday. Anyways, they have some beautiful crosses, statues of Jesus, Mary, and the apostles, as well as the stations of the cross. As my Mom and I walked around we noticed this sign. It made me laugh so I had to take a picture of it.

I disagree with this sign. God did not make me a soft spoken woman! I'm a bit loud and I embrace my loudness. I can handle dressing modestly, but not all the time!!! Anyways, I know that my place in heaven will have a sign that says something like this "This is not a Holy place, come as you are and we will praise the Holy one!!!" AMEN!!!!

Home sweet home

2007-07-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

I am finally back and happy to be here. I missed my cozy apartment, my bed, my big bathroom, and even my dog. I got back last night after being gone 24 days! I had a great time traveling to Long Island, Rochester and Elmira. I put over 2000 miles on my car and listened to every CD that I own more than once while driving for way too long. Today I am back to laundry, cleaning the apartment, washing my dead bug covered car, and unpacking. Life is good...

And in other news....

2007-07-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

Heather Doss took a break from her busy filming schedule to spend a relaxing holiday weekend in the Hamptons. She was spotted at hot spots like Backbar, 75 Main, Mt. Fuji and Goldberg Bagels. On 4th of July she took to the streets of Southampton and went on a shopping spree at some of Southampton's trendiest boutiques.
Doss, known for her paparazzi dodging skills, was also seen at Cooper's Beach where she seemed to be collecting rocks. Doss spent the holiday weekend with her long time friend, Jennifer Halsey. The owner of Breezin' Up on Jobs Lane in Southampton said that Doss was a pleasure when she stopped in to purchase a t-shirt. "She looked radiant, just like she does in the movies, she was sweet as could be, " said Breezin' Ups owner.
Doss returned to Raleighwood on Saturday and resumed the filming of her up and coming film, yet to be named. There is already oscar buzz surrounding this film, also starring Brad Pitt and Kate Hudson.

A picture speaks volumes

2007-07-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

My dad cooking yummy steak!

Rose garden at the library.

Cooper's Beach...my favorite!

I don't own a digital camera (yet). But my parents do and I love to snap pictures and then with the click of the mouse have them on the computer! So here are some random shots of my vacation. They say more than my crazy blog entries!!!

My best friend

2007-07-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

This is my best friend Kelley. We have been best friends for 14 years, we met in 8th grade. Kelley lives in my hometown and I rarely get to see her. We talk on the phone, email, myspace, ect. when we are not together...but being with Kelley is half the reason I will always travel back to Southampton, NY...even when all of my family members have moved away.

When Kelley and I are together there is a unique bond between us that I can't really describe. Whether we drive around aimlessly for hours, go out to eat, go out for drinks, or she kidnaps me to run errands-we have a great time. If I had to to choose one person who I had to be stranded on an island with the rest of my life it would be Kelley! And as an added bonus to the wonderful Kelley, she has an awesome husband and cutie-pie daughter that I love too. I am so blessed to have a friend like Kelley. She knows me so well, maybe too well sometimes :)

We have seen each other through so much. I will never forget when I got to go to the prom when I was a junior in high school. I was dating a senior and we had been dating for a long time. Kelley was single and it was hard for her to constantly be around me and my boyfriend. Being the loyal friend that she is, she came over to see me all dressed up and to send me off in the limousine before the prom. But when Kelley came over and saw all the "couples" and all the fun we seemed to be having it hurt her and she got upset. She tried so hard to hide it and to be happy for me. She kindly gave me a kiss and told me how beautiful I looked and then she left out a side door so that I couldn't see her tears. It broke my heart.

Well, fast forward a year and the picture was reversed. I was single and she was dating one of Southampton's most eligible bachelors. That was hard on me, but Kel was always aware of how I felt because she had been in my shoes before. And now, fast forward 9 more years and Kelley is still with Southampton's most eligible bachelor, except that he is not eligible anymore! He is happily married to Kelley and their adorable daughter Rielly is almost 4 years old. And me..well you know that story-I'm still single. But thank God I still have Kel to cheer me up when single life gets to me.

So Kel....I love you and thank God for you always. Thanks for being the best friend I could ever ask for. Miles will never weaken the special bond we have.

Sunset from my parents porch....

2007-07-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

ponder this

2007-06-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

at my brother's graduation on sunday they had one speaker who was actually worth listening too (rare for a high school graduation). she asked the graduates this question: "what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" think about this for a while, what would you do if you couldn't fail? i came up with a long list of things! i would do soooo much! but then i thought, isn't knowing that i couldn't' t fail the same as trusting the Lord in all that i do? ponder that for a bit.

Big money

2007-06-28T06:11:00.000-07:00

this is another picture from the house my dad just finished building (see blog entry below). this is a picture of some of their sports memorabilia that they have started to hang up. my dad told us that one of these pictures, hanging in the BASEMENT, was purchased for $55,000. yes, you read that correctly. fifty-five thousand dollars for a picture that is hanging in the basement.

that just made me wonder... how much did the picture hanging over the mantle cost? or the pictures hanging on either side of the dining room? surely the pictures hanging in more glorified places must cost more than the one placed among so many others in the basement?!?!?

do you know what i could do with that kind of money? after paying off all my debt i still would have plenty of money to do something like put a down payment on a town house! that is just crazy!

My Dad is the best builder

2007-06-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

dining room sitting room off of kitchen

front of house

pool spiral stairs

back of house

back of house too yes...this is 4 grown adults inside of one of the guest bedroom showers!!!
i love these stairs!

Let me brag about my dad for a minute. For 30 + years he has been building custom homes on Long Island, New York. One of my favorite things to do is to go visit a house when my dad is done building it. I love to see all the architectural beauty, the quality construction, the design...and the elegance. My dad doesn't just build any old house, he builds gorgeous mansions and estates. I am so proud of him. So, here is the latest house that he completed. The family that built this house was out on their yacht in Sag Harbor, so we got a rare post move-in tour. Here are some pictures. My favorite has to be the shower picture. Enjoy! And way to go Dad!!!

"THE HAMPTONS"

2007-06-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

so unless you live under a rock you've heard of "the hamptons". the home to A-list celebrities, the summer home to almost all celebrities, the home of some of the coolest, trendiest night clubs, and the world's nicest beaches. yes, that is all true.

i grew up in the hamptons. when people ask me where i am from i never say "the hamptons". i say long island, ny. if they say..."oh yeah? here abouts on long island? i then say "southampton". and 99.99% of the time i get something like this "oooohhhhhh, your from "the hamptons". wow, we have someone special among us..." this drives me CRAZY! when i was a teenager i thought it was cool, but not anymore.

i have been dubbed "the hamptons girl" in college, at work and along my travels. people say, "oh jennifer you're gonna think my home is like a trailer compaired to living in the hamptons" or when a fashion question arises i hear "go ask jennifer, she would know cause she is from the hamptons". and that is just the tip of the iceberg, i have been asked so many other ridiculous questions and been stereotyped as well. people always assume that i am rich, loaded, have more money than i know what to do with, etc.

well let me tell you about the hamptons that i grew up in...despite what everyone may think the hamptons is not ALL rich and famous. there is a middle class and there are also a few poverty stricken areas. yes..poverty in the hamptons. sorry if i am bursting anyones bubble! i grew up in a struggling middle class family in a struggling middle class community. as property prices went up and the hamptons became more and more famous...things also became more and more expensive. you might be thinking, why didn't they just move to a different area? well, its not that easy. both of my parents were born and raised here and all of us were born in the same hospital. my mom, dad, me, ryan and jason-all born in Southampton Hospital.

in fact, my distant relatives FOUNDED the town that i grew up in. there are at least 10 streets with the name halsey in them. halsey ave, halsey street, halsey neck lane..you get the point. there is even an original halsey house that was built back in the 1600s that is now a historal sight. you have to pay to go in it! you'd think that such a historial name would come with historial amounts of old family money, but it didn't. my parents always wanted to stay here and they truly love it here, so that is why we struggled to make it in the playground of the rich and famous. it was hard, we never had extra money and we often just had enough to make ends meet. some times were better than others. my dad is a builder and he builds gorgeous homes for people with unimaginable amount of money. when work was good we could all breathe a bit easier, but it wasn't always good.

despite what most people think about the hamptons, we did not drive a range rover, bmw or mercedes. we drove chevys. i can even remember my first day at a new catholic school in 6th grade. i was talking to some girls (who turned out to be the cool girls) and one of them said, "So what kind of car does your mom drive?" i remember feeling embarrassed to say a station wagon. her mom drove a jaguar, and i secretly was mad at my parents for not having a car like all the other families we were surrounded by.

my point is that although the hamptons are beautiful and the beaches are great, it is just like any other place you can live. there is a wide range of incomes, nationalities, religions, etc. the hamptons are overrated!!!

home is....

2007-06-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

well, i'm "home". i don't really consider Southampton, NY home anymore. but because it is where i grew up and where my family lives-i call it home. however, when i am here and talking about chapel hill, nc...i call that home! how confusing right?!?!

my mom use to have a decorative plaque hanging in our house that said "home is where your heart is". i never thought about it, just saw it on a regular basis. 4 years ago when i moved to NC i don't think my heart was anywhere. it was unhappy and longing/searching for a place to call home. and now it is safe to say that my heart, my home is really in North Carolina.

i know this for many reasons.
1. i just love it there... the kind people, the beautiful weather, the great churches, my extended family, my brother, and soon to be brotherS (Jason is going to High Point University in the fall!!!).
2. i have complete peace in my heart when i am there. i don't have that feeling here anymore.
3. my church and church family are there
4. my great job is there
5. awesome friends
6. i believe my future is there

lots of people ask me if i would ever move back here. the answer is no. as much as i love the beach, my best friend, and the beauty, i just don't feel like its home anymore. my next blog will further address my dislike of "the hamptons".

so, my home is north carolina....and i miss it :(

The music of my life

2007-06-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

This is fun! Got it from Joey and Jamie. Try it..

1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the questions.
NO CHEATING...

What does next year have in store for me?
Mr. Brightside-The Killers
mr. brightside sounds a lot like mr. right doesn't it!?!?!

What does your love life look like?
Once Again-Matt Redman
haha

What do I say when life gets hard?
Night, Night-Seiom Accorgo
this is sooo true-when i'm upset i always go to sleep-that is how i deal when life gets hard. i guess i secretly hope to sleep through it all!

What do I think when I get up in the morning?
Zanzibar-Billy Joel
what does zanzibar mean???

What song will I dance to at my wedding?
Mission Pen Possible-Tunnelrats
so funny!

What do you want as a career?
Walk by Faith-Jeremy Camp

Your favorite saying?
Music of my heart-Nicole C. Mullen

Favorite place?
The One Thing-Paul Coleman

What do you think of your parents?
Black, White, Tan-Nicole C. Mullen
LOL!

Where would you go on a first date?
Hallelujah-Brenton Brown
See…just the thought of a first date makes me say hallelujah

Drug of choice?
Shooby –Nicole C. Mullen
sounds like a good drug!!

Describe yourself:
sleep, baby sleep-Nursery rhymes
i do like to sleep :)

What is the thing I like doing most?
Sing Alleluai-Jennifer Knapp
that's great!!!

The song that best describes the president?
Highway Blues-Marc Seales

What is my state of mind like at the moment?
Crucified-Christafari

How will I die?
Our Little Love-Nursery Rhymes

Jamie's custom question: What makes me smile?
New Mexico-Billy Joel

Joey's custom question: What captures your attention?
Mockingbird-Eminem

Jennifer’s custom question-What will my day be like?
Keeping the Faith-Billy Joel
this is the best one!!!

evil credit cards

2007-06-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

okay, i got the bright idea to open up a target credit card account when school started this past year. i said i was doing it to "support my school", since a percentage of what i spend is given back to my school. but it was really just because i love target and like to spend more money than i make. yes i said it and it's true! however, since september i have been blessed to have been apart of a financial peace small group at my church. so i am in the process of eliminating debt and trying to SAVE money. interesting concept for someone like me!

i cut my target credit card and another visa card up about 3 months ago now. surprisingly i haven't died of starvation or from the lack of this summer's latest hand bag. i didn't cancel my credit cards yet because i am still paying them off. anyways, i got a letter from target national bank the other day. it stated that my wonderful payment history had earned me a large credit increase along with my target card being switched to a visa target card, so that i could use it anywhere in the whole wide world. i have to say it was tempting...i started to think of all the reasons why i should accept this reward for my great behavior (yeah right). but i came to my senses and decided to opt out of the upgrade. well, let me tell you they sure don't make it easy for you to opt out. you have to read through this brochure with negative 4 font and then you have to call an 800 number, enter your account number and press 2 about 6 times to confirm that you really do want to opt out. isn't that crazy??!?!? so much effort to do the right thing. if i had decided to take the new upgrade i would have had to do nothing...absolutely nothing, just go to my mailbox and get it when it arrives. so, beware of credit card companies. they will do anything to make YOU slave to the lender.

aqueduct

2007-06-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

before i blog i just want to give a shout out to my wonderful cousin kim and the glorious joey...you two are the only people who read my blog. thanks for the support!

soooooooooooooooooooooo...i'm working at aqueduct right now. i am "night manager", which means that i am here to supervise the waitstaff during dinner, make sure that dinner goes smoothly, and handle any needs of our guests (extra towels, show them how to work the tv, etc.) i also answer the phone and make sure that everyone gets into their cottages safe and sound at night. i turn lights on and off, lock up the buildings, etc. it is a wonderful second job for me, because it is not stressful and it allows for me to get things done.

i have LOTS of down time here. so i always bring my laptop, lesson plans, bible, etc. i use my down time to pay bills, update my blog, check email, work on my budget...i could go on and on. before i worked here i'm not sure when i use to do all these things! i sometimes am working on personal things for hours at a time!

now that school is out and its summer time i don't have as much to do. i was looking forward to getting my work done tonight and then just watching some tv tonight and just vegging out. however the tv is not working and i am sad :( i have to admit that i really love tv. its at times like this-when my brain and body are just tired, but its still not time for bed, that i really love tv. i'm too tired to read without falling asleep, so tv is perfect. i have already searched every website that i know of and i just want to channel surf until its time to lock up (11pm). so, instead of watching tv i am writing a boring blog :) sorry guys. blame it on the tv.

new york

2007-06-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

the top 10 reasons why i am excited to go home (in no particular order)

10. jason is graduating from high school...hooray!
9. if i want to go the beach i can be there in 5 minutes instead of 2 hours!
8. i get to eat REAL bagels, good chinese food, and amazing chicken salad
7. i get to see kelley, sine and reilly :)
6. i get to see my mom, dad, jason, grammie, pa, gay and mal
5. i will be reminded of how much i love living in n.c. (traffic, lack of a.c., rude people, etc.)
4. i get to see lisa and joe
3. i will spend most of my days there with my feet planted in the warm sand, while listening to the sound of the ocean waves crashing and feeling the cool sea breeze (none of this 100 degrees by noon crap)
2. doss is coming to visit!!!!
1. i will be "home"

Bathing suit shopping...

2007-06-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

Today I decided it was time to go bathing suit shopping. YIKES! I absolutely hate bathing suit shopping. I hate it for several reasons...

1. my body (that's the obvious one)

2. the prices!

3. the tangles mess that bathing suits are when hanging on racks.

4. trying 400 + bathing suits on

5. wondering about the other people who have tried the same on on (yuck!)

I could go on and on. Anyways, I started in Sears and was surprised to find that most of the bathing suits were 50% off. That was cool. I find it funny that the bathing suits go on clearance/sale before summer even officially starts. Then I discovered that the new trend is buying tops and bottoms as separates, mix n' match. I am a big fan of the tankini, so we were off to a good start. I found a bottom that I liked on my first trip into the fitting room. That must be some kind of record!!! I couldn't find a good top so I purchased the bottom in faith that I would find a top at another store. So after a pit stop at Auntie Ann's pretzels I went to JC Penney's and found a top! Again on my first trip the fitting room. The suits were on sale at Penney's too. So I ended up spending about $50 dollars total. It was a wonderful bathing suit shopping experience! I NEVER thought that I would say wonderful and bathing suit in the same sentence!!!!!!! So, now I'm all set for my trip home to Long Island and for lots of summer days by the pool. Yeah!

weird?!?!

2007-06-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

so after my last work day yesterday i came home to take a nice restful nap. sometimes i nap on the couch, but when i want a really good long nap i get in my bed. so as i was sleeping i had a bad dream, i don't remember what is was about. i just know it was scary and i felt tense. whatever was happening in my dream caused me to reach up and scratch my face. i now have 2, 3 inch scratches across my cheek! i look like i was attacked by a cougar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! has something like this every happened to you? can you help me think of a cool story to tell everyone? the nap story is not very good!

summer, summer time!

2007-06-14T06:53:00.000-07:00

i made it! another school year under my belt (so to speak). today is my first official day of summer (although summer does not truly officially start till next Thursday). i love it. my multi-tasking self tends to calm down and i start to get little things done that i normally can't do. so far today i woke up to my dog and NOT an alarm clock, went for a walk with Sister, checked my email, and now i am watching morning talk shows while blogging! how great is that?!?!

the rest of my day involves a manicure and pedicure, courtesy of a gift certificate from one of my student's parents. then i will run a few errands and probably get a nap in. i'm pretty happy right now!

down pour

2007-06-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

i got home from work today and decided to take my dog for a longer than usual walk. the temperature was just right and i also needed to make a few phone calls. yes, i'm the one who walks her dog, talks on the phone, chews gum...and then gets almost hit by a car. i know some people get annoyed at people like me, but i'm a multi-tasker by nature. i always need to be doing more than one thing. thats a topic for a whole other blog though.

so, sister and i start walking and i notice the black clouds in the distance. but i decided they were too far away for me to worry. i was wrong! about 5 minutes into the walk it starts to rain and then POUR!!!! sister and i started running back to the apartment, but it was too late. we were soaked. so i stopped running and just admired the rain for a minute. i could immediately smell the rain on the hot asphalt and see the steam start to rise. it reminded me of being a kid, playing on the farm and getting caught in an afternoon thunderstorm. it was fun. sister didn't much appreciate getting so wet, but it was worth it.

i didn't sing in the rain, but i was tempted!

Christy

2007-06-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

All of you who might read this already know what I'm about to say, but I'm gonna say it anyways. Christy Merrill is a great person!!! Yesterday we FINALLY got to celebrate Christy's upcoming big move to AFRICA!!!

I meet Christy 4 years ago as I started my teaching career at North Chatham School. She thought I was snotty at first because I turned down every offer she ever made to go to happy hour on Friday afternoon. I didn't turn her down because I am snotty, I was just struggling with my adjustment to teaching and moving to NC, etc. So when she couldn't get me to happy hour she invited me to church!! I finally said yes and that is how I found newhope!!! It is amazing how God works. It is really all because of Christy that 12 (yes twelve) of my family members now attend newhope and are experiencing God's love and grace in a whole new way. Cool, huh?

Well the story doesn't end there. Christy and I not only worked together, but now we went to church together. We eventually ended up in the same small group too! So to save gas money we just decided to become roommates!!!! (that isn't really why, but it makes sense, right?!?)

I lived with Christy for 2 years and God continued to bless me through her. And now she is moving to Africa! I'm gonna miss her...a lot. But I couldn't be more happy for her. She is the most obedient person I know when it comes to listening to God. And for that reason God is preparing to bless her in ways that she could never even imagine. There is talk of Christy returning with an African baby and lots of piercings...who knows!! The only one thing I know for sure is that thousands of people will be blessed by her in Africa.

If you don't already support Christy in prayer or with finances you need to get on the boat!!! This girl is going places...so lets help her get there. Leave me a comment if you want more info on supporting her.

I LOVE YOU CHRISTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

$4.76

2007-05-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

okay. as many of you know i have been taking a financial peace course through my church. it is great and certainly life changing for me. anyways, i have a budget that is based on an envelope system. for example...if i need $150 a month for gas i put it in an envelope marked "gas money" and use that money only for gas. when i run out, well i run out. hopefully i make it to the end of the month. i am only in my second month of this new budet system and i definitely don't have it all figured out yet. but i am working on it and that's all that counts, right?!?!
so, after some poor calculations i ended up with only $6 for food to last from this past saturday until friday (which is still 2 days away). i don't really have any groceries in my house but i got creative this week. i defrosted all the turkey burgers and chicken cutlets that had gone astray in my freezer, i ate all the canned veggies that have collected dust in my cabinets. but then last night i realized that i had NOTHING left. at least not anything that i could combine to make edible. so i ventured to target this afternoon with my $6. i planned on getting some pasta because its cheap and i like it, but then i got into the store and discovered all the things under one dollar that i could buy! here is what i ended up with 2 bottles of sparking water, 1 pasta side dish thing, 2 bananas, 1 large can of peas,1 box of vanilla cookies and 1 box of pasta...for $4.76! can you believe it?!?! i thought about going back and spending the left over money but i knew not to press my luck! as i stood on line to pay i noticed that a guy in the lane next to me was buying 1 can of tuna fish, 1 box of mac and cheese, and vanilla cookies( the .99 cent ones). i think he was in the same boat as me! it made me feel so much better and i guess that god just wanted me to see that i'm not the only one who has to count my pennies. why am i sharing this? because i want everyone to know that you can survive on very little money and LOTS of faith in god! hopefully i will do better next month, especially now that i know how to spend less than 6 bucks on food in 8 days!!!

Teacher Appreciation

2007-05-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

This week is Teacher Appreciation week. I forget its coming every year, but it always comes at the perfect time. May is filled with EOGs, 4th quarter assessments, summative assessments, Spring Fever, etc. Not to mention Mother's Day projects, PTA meetings, parent orientation for next year's class and kindergarten screening day for next year's class...you get the point. With all the craziness I sometimes forget why I teach. I start to count the days till the end of year...when really it is too soon to do it.
Then I come into work on Monday and each of my students came in with a flower for me! They walked in with a proud smile and a flower. I could tell how excited each of them were. They clutched the flower in their tiny little hand and said "This is for you Ms. Halsey!!" It's a flower!" (just in case I didn't know) My class mom came in with a huge vase and arranged them as the kids came in. All together they looked beautiful!!! I also got some really thoughtful cards from parents. Today my c lass mom organized a catered lunch for all the kindergarten teachers. Not only did we eat delicious food, but we also got to eat WITHOUT our students. Parent volunteers came in and took our students to lunch and we got to eat with other adults!! Imagine that! I did not open one milk or ketchup packet. I did not clean up one spill or remind one student to close their mouth while chewing. I did not eat corn dogs with canned peaches or pizza left over from Monday!!!! Needless to say it was nice, very nice. So, I like teacher appreciation week. I know that it is just one more thing for you moms, but please understand that we really do enjoy it! We often really under appreciated-so this week really means a lot. Now I have the motivation to get through to the end of the year (without loosing it). To all my teacher friends-I think you're great. Keep up the great work. What we do is so important!!!

Ryan

2007-05-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

Below is a journal entry from August 2005. It seems like ages ago right?!?! So why am I posting this now you ask? Well, God is good. The prayers and prayers and more prayers that I and so many others have prayed for Ryan have been answered. Today marks 2 months of sobriety for Ryan! Praise the Lord! He has been transformed by God and I am finally starting to see the old Ryan...the Ryan that I grew up with, the Ryan that I loved. The pain of the past is still very fresh though, and I find myself still doubting him, worrying about him, suspecting things, etc. I know that only time can heal these things, and at the end of each day now I can breath a sigh of relief. I still have my brother, God spared his life...and I also believe that God is going to work though Ryan in amazing ways. I look forward to what God has in store for him. Happy 2 months Ry! I am so proud of you!!!

August 27, 2005

I use to have a brother named Ryan. We grew up together and I think I loved him more than any other sister loved her brother. My other brother Jason and I both loved Ryan. The three of us had so many memorable times growing up. I remember growing up on Loper’s Path with Ryan. Even when we both went our separate ways off to college, we remained best friends. He even came all the way from his college to mine to surprise me on my birthday one year.
I do not have a brother named Ryan anymore. I have an alcoholic for a brother. He is not Ryan now, he is an alcoholic. The Ryan that Jason and I love has been gone for sometime now. It only gets more and more painful as time goes by. Jason and I are still growing up together, but we do it with heavy hearts now. A part of us is missing and we can only remember the past to hold onto memories of Ryan. We try to talk about the good times often, to keep them fresh in our mind. Otherwise we will forget the brother Ryan we once had.
I hope and pray more than anything that Ryan will come back someday. It may never be the same, but I still want part of him back. Right now Jason and I just have an alcoholic for a brother. I hate my alcoholic brother. My heart will never fully mend until I have Ryan back. I love Ryan and always will. I pray that the Lord will send back my brother. That is all I want. I still love Ryan more than any other sister loves her brother.

To blog or not to blog

2007-05-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about blogging I thought it was a selfish hobby. I frowned upon blogging and wondered where people found the time to blog. I would occasionally read a friend's blog just to see what it was all about...but I didn't buy into the whole thing. I found myself thinking, "Don't these people have anything better to do with their time? Heck, I could give them a laundry list of things to do for me." Honestly, I think I was jealous at first-because I wished I had that kind of spare time! However, I now have a part-time second job that has LOTS of down time. In that down time I started to read a few blogs. I was intrigued. I was reading things that I found very interesting, funny and just refreshing. I also was learning things about my friends who I thought I knew so well.
Blogging is really just a fancy word for journaling. (Our culture has created fancy words for just about everything.) When I thought of it more at journaling I started to warm up to the idea. However, I've never been much of a journalist either. I have about 10 pretty journals that collect dust on my bookshelves. Each one a gift or one that I purchased in an attempt to inspire myself to be a better journalist. It didn't work. Out of the 10 journals that I have they each average about 2-3 journal entries, followed by 100+ blank pages! A few years ago I started to journal on my laptop. I am a much faster typer than I am a writer. This solved the sore writing hand problem, but still left me feeling unsatisfied. As I began to explore the blogging world I realized how much you could do with blogs, like adding pictures, changing fonts and colors, etc. That was very appealing to me And most importantly my friends can read what I write! So, to make a long story short HERE I AM!!! I am now an official blogger. If I can find the time to browse myspace and look at the pictures on people.com everyday, I can find the time to blog too. There are no guarantees that I will keep this up, but at least I'm not wasting 100+ pages of a journal, right?