Things that make me smile...

In light of a friend’s recent blog, I decided to make a list of my own! Enjoy!

Things that make me smile (in no particular order!)

1. Jesus Christ
2. my adorable nephews and nieces
3. being the youngest of 3 and the only girl ;)
4. big hugs from my kids at school
5. coloring
6. comfy pajama pants
7. my South African kitties
8. having great parents
9. the Summit worship choir
10. turning the radio on just in time to hear the beginning of my favorite song
11. ferris wheels
12. game nights with friends at my house
13. SMSes (text messages) from friends thousands of miles away
14. my pink and brown down blanket
15. waking up early enough to be able to spend time just hanging out with God in the morning
16. good coffee
17. good hair days
18. days when I don’t have time to put on make up and I still somehow look decent
19. taking pictures
20. looking at old pictures!
21. late nights when anything (anything!) is funny
22. listening to South African bands and knowing my friends here haven’t seen or heard of them (especially when I actually met them in SA!)
23. fixing the duct work under my house (with PINK duct tape)
24. being part of a church who knows what missions is – and DOES it
25. my big comfy denim couch
26. girly movies
27. Half Baked Ben and Jerry’s ice cream
28. watching fireworks
29. holding babies at Oxford Manor
30. Glade plug-ins
31. Yankee candles
32. camping with family and looking like gypsies!
33. paying all the bills and still having some money left over (what’s that feel like again??)
34. surprise phone calls from family and friends
35. girl talks :)
36. gel pens
37. fun stationary
38. turtles
39. singing in my car at the top of my lungs
40. sleeping in on a Saturday
41. reading old journals and seeing where God has brought me from
42. scrap booking (when I actually do it!)
43. saying something to my kids in Spanish, and them understanding
44. long talks with my Mom
45. laundry fresh out of the drier
46. meerkats (man I miss those guys!)
47. being done with the circuit at the gym
48. lightning storms
49. realizing that my kids are actually grasping something I’ve been trying to teach for a month
50. blogs
51. watching tadpoles turn into frogs
52. watching caterpillars turn into butterflies
53. stuffed animals
54. going to bed knowing that I actually did all I wanted to do that day
55. playing with play-doh
56. baking homemade chocolate chip cookies
57. laughing so hard my stomach hurts
58. finding the perfect gift for a friend
59. friends who help me fix up this old house
60. knowing that I am a PRINCESS! A true daughter of the King! :)

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

My house is finally warm!!

Yes, my house is now officially warm. I know the heat's been working for over a week now, but I finally had a housewarming party tonight! We had a pancake supper, where people could make whatever kind of pancake they wanted to. It was tons of fun. For about the first hour there were only 4 of us here and I was about to be bummed, but then all of a sudden everyone started flowing in! About 20 people in all were here tonight, and I'm pretty sure that's a record #! I cannot even begin to express how awesome it is to know that God has placed so many amazing people into my life here in Durham. These friends are my family away from family! Each one of them contributes to my life in an individual and unique way. God works it out all so perfectly, doesn't He? Some friends can fix things, others can clean, others can cook, others give encouragement when I want to burn this old house to the ground! This house is my home. And I love it, and everything in it, more all the time. Here is the link to some pictures from this wonderful evening... Enjoy!

Housewarming Photos

Link to pictures:
http://community.webshots.com/user/bonnieb81

Bonnie - the home repairs gal!

Well, something finally happened today that I MUST write and tell you all about!  Back in July I posted about my Dad fixing the duct work under the house.  I was really excited because a couple of times I got to help him and I got to go under the house and get grimy with him!  heheh Well, today when I came home, my roommate informed me that no air/heat was coming into her room.  So, I started investigating.  I looked into the first and easiest solution, but alas, that looked fine.  Then I did the first thing any girl in my position would (or should) do.  I called my Dad!!  But… Dad is in New Jersey…  He talked me through what the problems could be, and then I went to work.  I changed into my old clothes, grabbed the flashlight (thanks, Dad!) and headed under the house.  And wouldn’t you know it, the line of duct into her room was completely separated.  Heating the crawlspace = not good!  Once again, I called my Dad to get advice.  He talked me through what I needed to do.  I grabbed my duct tape (which happens to be bright pink!), scissors, and another flashlight.  Away I went into the darkness otherwise known as the crawlspace.  I’d never been that far back before… that was Dad’s domain last time.  I propped up one of the flashlights kind of as a spot light, and used the other one to see more clearly.  Though I’m sure I was much slower than Dad ever would have been, I got the job done!  I was able to reattach the pieces (3 in all) and now there is air flowing in my roomie’s room!!  I so wish I’d had a camera down there.  Imagine me lying flat on my back in a shallow crawl space, taping duct to metal to duct.  I love it… if you look into the crawl space, you’ll see one bright pink patch job!!  And that’s my handiwork.  I feel so accomplished. Funny thing is, I really enjoyed doing the work!  I guess I like knowing that I am capable (with the help of a great Dad and an awesome God!) to fix things.  Hooray for moments of learning!

To change the subject and tone of this a little… I’m a little sad tonight about my work situation.  Some of you  know that I have had a difficult child this year in my class.  It’s been a challenge, and it’s been getting harder.  Today was a crazy day for this child, resulting in the rest of class having to leave the room for almost 2 hours until someone came and picked him up.  Some higher-ups made the decision to remove him from my class for the time being and place him into a special education class.  I’m sad in some ways, and also slightly relieved in some ways.  I fought to have this little boy in my class.  He was doing so well.  But in the past couple of weeks, things have continually escalated.  We have to focus on him so much that I fear the other children are losing out.  I have been praying daily for wisdom to know what to do with him.  I guess today God took the problem out of my hands and let someone else make the decision, and I must say that I thank Him very much for that!  It was too hard of a decision to make myself.  Maybe now I won’t be as stressed at work as I have been lately.  I can finally relax a little and return to the fun Ms. Boisvert that I so want and love to be!!  Please pray for the family of this child.  I won’t go into details because they’re not necessary, but trust me when I say that the family needs as much prayer as possible.  Maybe he will receive the help he needs and be able to return to my class in a couple of months… we’ll just have to wait and see!

Ok, I have to finish on a happy note. :)  I went to the NC State Fair Saturday night and I got to ride TWO ferris wheels!  The friend who was with me was quite the trooper.  If you’re reading this… I owe you big time! :)  Those of you who don’t know, I love ferris wheels.  I don’t really know why… I just do!  Hooray for ferris wheels!

Phew… my fingers are tired now.  Time to get ready for bed!  Thanks for checking in on me!