First Day: Round Two

Well, they say the first year of teaching is your hardest.  And yes, it was hard.  But it was fantastic.  So starting this year is thrilling, knowing that it will be even better!  Here's a look at my classroom before school started, and a few shots of my little ones for the year.  You typically expect kids to be pretty quiet on the first day, and then once they feel more comfortable, they get louder.  Well, from the moment they walked into the room, these kids have been full of energy.  They've kept me on my toes for the past week.  But they're thinkers. They're hard workers.  They love to laugh.  And they love to learn.  Needless to say, I think it's gonna be an awesome year.

My 19th year!

Gili Trawangan: The Ocean Part

We know more about the surface of the moon than we know about parts of our own planet... the ocean.  And here, I got to experience what few get to experience.  Breathing underwater.  Swimming with sharks.  Seeing coral in countless colors.  Witnessing thousands of God's most unique creations.

During the first dive (which was only in the pool), I was minorly freaking out... thinking that something was wrong with my equipment and that I would suffocate.  But by the time I got into the ocean, and got to see the beautiful world around me, the breathing became second nature, and a tool to get me closer to seeing the animals that seem to come from a dream.

The photos of us were taken by a photographer (named Storm... awesome name) who came on a dive with us.  The majority of the animals were from other dives he went on, but all of the photos I included in this post are fish and animals that I got to see... multiple times!

Hang loose.. or call me maybe...

Our instructor, Dan

Diving is by far the coolest thing I've ever done.  There's no feeling like gliding through the water, looking up behind you, and seeing a good friend, the sunlight streaming into the water behind her, a boat's shadow skimming the surface, while thousands of fish swarm around her and you.  Then you turn back forward, see a sea turtle, and fish weaving in and out of the coral.  It's witnessing God's creation in such a special way.  I cannot wait to suit up and hop in again.