you're killin' me, smalls

I miss my students. (I can't bring myself to say "former;" they'll always be mine.)

According to my Facebook wall, they miss me, too. They have a new Literature teacher and I'm getting mixed reviews from the kids. I'm so grateful that someone has come to take my place and I know they will learn from him just like they learned from me. It's just hard for me to hear them say "I really miss you" and "Please come back."

It's hard for two reasons: One, because I can't come back. They have a new teacher from whom they will learn much. And I have an amazing job I know I'm supposed to be at.
Two, because we're all wearing rose-colored glasses. I know that if I went back I would have tough days and so would they. We would get frustrated with each other and I would lose my mind.

But secretly? I'm glad they miss me. It means that for all my failings as a first-year teacher, for all the mistakes I made, what they carry with them are good memories. And sure, they remember those times I got all red-faced and upset. But those memories are outweighed by whatever I accidentally did right.

So as much as it kills me to hear them beg me to come back, I'm glad we have such great memories from our year together. I, for one, will never forget that.

oh the youth

Can we talk about being the young one? About being the new kid on the block? About changing your hair style and color to give the impression that you are not, in fact, twelve years old?

Welcome to my life.

I mean, okay, I guess I'm a bit youthful. No harm in that. I guess. Except when your face breaks out like a hormonal teenager.

It started last year when I was a high school teacher. And I looked no older than my students. Seriously, pictures of me with my 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students is like playing Where's Waldo with Miss Maggie. Which one is she? Where's the one who's not a teenager? I can't tell.

In the background, I hear singsong voices reminding me that this is good, that when I am 40, I will appreciate looking young. Except for this face breakout thing. That has got to go.

Now that I'm a member of a professional higher education team, I feel the need to prove myself even more. Although I may look young, I am, in fact, an adult with insights and suggestions. Also there's the constant reminder that some of our students are older than me. (Not that again.)

Let it be noted that my coworkers are truly amazing at validating my contributions to the team. I am sought out, listened to, and respected. I am taken seriously. And all that just might contribute to why I love coming into work in the morning.

But for. the. love. I just want to look like the 23 years I claim. There's only so times I can wear wrap dresses and pearls before I start channeling June Cleaver.

SSP

If you haven't caught wind of it yet (which is doubtful because I've orchestrated a veritable fire storm on Twitter, Facebook, and our website), I'm now getting paid to write blogs for my company, Rivendell Sanctuary. It's all very exciting.

This just might be as good as it gets: getting paid to do something you love.

And this is what my blogger friend Allison would call shameless self-promotion, or SSP:

Read our blog (and my introductory post) at: Rivendell Sanctuary Blog.

P.S. There are a record 5 hyperlinks in this post. If you click on all 5, you will not only boost traffic for all of these lovely people and organizations, but you will get a thousand cool points in my book. Win-win, really.

i've got friends in many places

Part of the fun of having overseas experience is that you now have friends all over the world. While my travels may never take me to all the places my friends (and students) have spread out to, it's nice to know that I could theoretically throw a dart at a map and land on a country that's home to a friendly face.

It's especially nice when I can see friends again and know that the miles that separate us are just that: miles. Miles that can be traveled and traversed and ultimately, reduced.

A good friend of mine from Nigeria volunteered to bring back my 3rd suitcase and I retrieved it with a weekend trip to Indiana. My favorite part was the 20 mile bike ride up Lakeshore Drive during Chicago's air and water show.

Being that I was practically in the neighborhood, I also stopped in at Life Church this morning for a sweet sweet reunion. After being away for almost a year, it was a precious reminder of how the body of Christ feels a lot like family.

Old friends, new friends, British friends, American friends, church friends, international friends. Selfless friends, supportive friends, hospitable friends, encouraging friends. Phone-a-friend, too...the drive through Wisconsin gets long, you guys; somebody's got to get you through it.

Friendship has to be the most practical, tangible way that we can be Christ to each other. There was a whole lot of Christ-being going on this weekend and I am the overwhelmed, humbled recipient.

help wanted!

Part of my new job is brainstorming ways to improve our current Facebook ad campaign. Our goal is a high click-through rate.

That's where you come in.

I need to know how you feel about the following questions. Please give me some feedback!

1. Which ad element makes you most likely to click through: headline, image/graphic, or text?

2. In regards to the headline, which is most important: it grabs your attention, it's catchy, it addresses you directly (ex. "Hey YWAMers!")?

3. In regards to the image, which is most important: clarity (recognize what the picture is), relativity (relates to ad subject), color/attention-getting?

4. In regards to the text, which elements are most important: words/phrases, complete sentences, numbers, calendar dates, symbols?

Examples are welcome, as are multiple responses.

Thank you for helping me do my job well!

EDIT: I also need help/resources for SEO information. If you have any links that might explain it/how to do it in non-tech language, I will kiss your hand. Thanks!

no more funemployment

For the record, this post has been a long time coming. Keeping quiet about exciting news is not my forte. at. all.

The organization I hinted at last week, Rivendell Sanctuary, has offered me a full-time position and I am so excited to join their team tomorrow morning.

Rivendell is a brand-new college based out of Minneapolis, with a brilliant education philosophy and a bright future. Feel free to read more on the website, but this is the core I keep coming back to: Rivendell creates students of honor, not just honor students. Amen and amen!

They're giving me the opportunity to do all the things I love: lots of writing, some blogging, some college admissions work, front desk, and even the chance to help our students with their writing skills.

Given all these details, then, let's look at a couple things I wrote recently:
1. "I want to get a full-time job. Something with benefits. Doesn't have to rock my world. Does need to be steady income." Check. (Bonus: the job does rock my world.)
2. "I want to find my passion. I hope it will be a cross between writing and bettering mankind." Check and check.
3. "I am probably not suit-and-tie material...I'm talking about the whole philosophy behind corporate." Check. Rivendell is not all about profit - they are all about changing lives.
4. "I don't want to write anything if it can't make a difference in someone else's life." Check. Writing for Rivendell means encouraging a student to reach his full potential.
5. "I want to work for something I can get behind--something bigger than me. I never want to apologize for what I do or who I work for. I never want to be embarrassed to be associated with a particular organization." Check. Check. Check. Rivendell is exactly the type of organization I can get behind.
6. "I can do anything for a year. I can be suit-and-tie, I can write with a sales bent, and I can work for a corporation who is only interested in stock market success. I can do that." But now, I don't have to!
7. Finally, a little nugget of thought: this job wasn't available last May when I graduated from college. (ahem, Nigeria, cough cough.)

God's timing is perfect. His ways are greater than my ways. I make my plans, and He orders my steps.

Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Psalm 150:1-2

never ceases

Oh, friends, God never ceases to amaze me.

On August 4th 2009, I was preparing to leave for Nigeria and had racked up an enormous credit card bill. My parents were going to loan me the money until my paychecks kicked in. Then I received a check from Disney in the mail for $30 over the amount of the bill.

On August 4th 2010, I was unemployed and seeking a job and was enjoying my savings too thoroughly. Then I received a check from Disney in the mail for an amount which would take me 20 hours of babysitting to earn.

365 days apart. 6,400 miles (and back again). 12 years since the movie's release. Same mighty provision.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: My God is a God who provides.

speaking of adulthood

I feel I entered adult world in April of 2009, when I bought a car, car insurance, and health insurance in the span of 3 days. It was like whiplash, growing-up style.

Since then, I find myself very absorbed in the world of finances, namely paying bills, which for me, include student loans, car loan, cellphone, and credit cards.

In the spirit of things, then, I want to share some tips and helpful hints I've learned along the way...even though "the way" has been relatively short. I also happen to be unemployed and uninsured, so I've learned some great money-saving tips there, too.

Loans: Many lenders have online resources for borrowers including, but not limited to, online repayment, automatic payment/debit, and ebilling/paperless billing. All 5 of my students loans and my car loan deducted monthly from my checking account and I'm paperless on most of them. One of my loan holders (is that a real term? loan holder? lender? bank?) offers me a .25% discount on the high interest rate of my loan for paying automatically. They get their money, I get a lower interest rate. Score.

Cellphone: Again, paperless and auto debit options here. I'm with Verizon, and although I would not necessarily recommend suspending your service were you to temporarily relocate to Nigeria or something, there are other options available. The most favorable options exist for members of the Armed Forces. Regardless of your serviceman/woman or civilian status, most carriers will bend over backwards to ensure you continue your service with them. Be empowered by that knowledge and use it to your advantage...it's called consumer savvy!

Insurance: If possible, avoid paying the month-by-month premiums. Instead, pay all 6 (or all 12) months' worth of premiums at once. Almost all insurance companies offer a discount if you pay all at once...and it's usually pretty hefty!
My car insurance carrier, Progressive, also offers a unique premium discount called Snapshot/MyRate. The device is plugged into a car's data port, records info about driving habits (miles driven, time of day, and braking style) and transmits it back to Progressive. After 30 days of driving, I'll be notified if I receive a discount--up to 30%!--applied to my rate from the start of my policy.
Another common insurance discount is keeping multiple policies (health, home, auto, life) with the same carrier. Check to see if your carrier also offers any special discounts.

Doctor's visits: I've been without dental insurance for a while now, but my dentist's office offers a 5% discount when you pay in full at the time of your visit. That may seem trifling up front, but consider that over the past several years, I've saved $480 with that discount!

Upon my return from Nigeria, I scheduled an appointment with my internist. You know, checking for malaria, parasites, the usual. He gave me a prescription for acne cream (just keepin' it real, guys), but the pharmacy wanted $179 for the generic. I got news for ya, my face isn't worth $179.
I used Fairview Health System's MyChart, an online tool for record-keeping and doctor-patient communication, to email my doctor and ask for a cheaper script. 3 days later, I got a call from the pharmacy, telling me my $30 prescription was ready for pickup. Wham, bam, thank you...Dr.Wycoff.
Don't be afraid to ask about pricing or to tell your doctor when you can't afford a particular procedure or prescription. They may be able to offer a money saving alternative.

I've already written about how much I love my optometrist, but I love her even more after today. My eyes are still healing from the blisters I brought back from Nigeria, but I'm ready to phase back into contact lenses. I asked for a more affordable option, and she suggested one that will save me up to a third of the cost, especially if I don't wear lenses every day.


I'm just getting started in my quest for discounts...what are some of your favorites? Which are the "best-kept secrets" of the adult life?

welcome back, optimism

I really know how to write depressing posts, huh? That last one was a doozy. (doozie? doozee? duuzi?)

Thankfully, I'm feeling much better. It was disarming though, the way that homesickness sidelined me. If I've learned anything from this brief but horrifying experience, it's that I have to allow myself to feel my feelings.

NB: Bottling is not an effective coping mechanism for culture shock/homesickness.

One reason for the emotional turn-around is that I've started writing some articles for Minnesota Bridging the Gap, a women's ministry resource. The articles are casual-conversational, but really fun to write. One is published already, and two more are under review. I'll let you know when the next ones are published.

A huge part of my mood improvement is because I've found an organization I'm really passionate about with a job opening that corresponds with my giftings. I'd prefer to save details for after this week's meeting with the company, but this opportunity could be exactly what I've hoped for.

Suffice it to say, things are looking up. This could be the week I get a job.

You guys, this could be the week.