Oh, I was hoping you said nap.

In November this became very popular. So popular it basically overtook my news feed on facebook. (Thanks, intellectual "news", now I have to sort through these re-posts to find everyone's overeating Thanksgiving updates.)  I scrolled through the post looking at the blank and mislabeled maps. I read the comments people had left like "It's okay, we'd all probably struggle to fill out a map of Britain." Maybe I'm alone in saying this but, I would have struggled with filling in the states of America as well.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that there are times in my day where I have to legitimately ask myself, "is that a state?" New England...state? Region? Who knows? NOT ME!

Don't even get me started on things outside of the U.S. I say "things" because, as you probably could have guessed, I don't know maps! I don't know places! States? Country? Providence? Territory? Tell me the name of the place, I could maybe guess what continent it's in. That's about as far as it goes. Don't ask me to identify the continents either because that just won't happen.

I have given this lack of knowledge some thought. If I ever have children, they are going to do terrible on their homework. The most help I can offer is, "Did you google it?" Most of the time when worldy/geographically centered topics come up I just nod along, laugh when everyone else laughs and hope no one asks me directly to contribute. Note to anyone who is in a similar situation: if you're asked to share and don't know what to add, just make a Miley Cyrus reference. There's almost always something that can work. I don't know how I made it through the three history classes I've taken in my life.

I guess I should just stick to the maps that I know.

The Diamond Hustle

As you may or may not know, Arkansas is home to a diamond mine! The Crater of Diamonds State Park. According to its website it's the only diamond-producing site in the world that is open to the public. Martha Stewart's magazine also mentions it so, yeah, it's a big deal. With very little time left in The Natural State we decided today was as good a day as any to go diamond hunting.

With the weather in agreement we had no excuses but to follow through with our already calendar planned plans. Getting there is about a two hour drive so it was a bit of a commitment but, since there were no new episodes up on hulu and, again, the weather was gorgeous we set out on the road.  

Your eyes do not deceive you. Those are indeed fanny packs. Every good diamond excursion needs the appropriate accessories. This thing was surprisingly handy!

We even found gems on the way there!

The Crater of Diamonds was definitely something I would suggest going to, just to say you've gone digging for diamonds. But, if you're not sure what to expect let me just lay it out for you.

See those people in the distance? The ones with lawn chairs and umbrellas? Well, they had the right idea. See all the dirt? That's the mine. You dig and you dig and you dig. You should probably sift more than you dig but, I didn't do that much. Diamonds are supposed to be rounded and shiny. They can be clear, black, brown or, as in my case, non existent. 

But, I definitely got something to take home...

Once again, the sun got the best of me.

All in all it was a good outing. Plus, we got to see this beauty!

Make the most of it

This year (or ten months) has been...interesting. I was excited to move and serve and have a new experience but when I got here I found myself asking, "Little Rock, are you for real?" Working with my students, while challenging, has been a fantastic experience. But life outside of work made it seem as if this year would never end. Now I've made it to the final stretch.

6 weeks left in LR
5 weeks left in CY
4 weeks left in the school

We have less than 20 days left in the school! There are still some things I want to do with my time left here. Since the clock is ticking I'm trying to make the most of my time left. Here are some things I've done so far in my "no time left" spree (in no particular order).

1. Went to the derby. I got SUPER sunburned but it was a first time experience and it was worth it. The derby is a magical place where parking attendants kick out other pushy cars to let you take the last remaining parking space in the lot. It's a land where as you're walking to the gate, a friendly man in a car hands you the perfect amount of free passes for you and your friends. Although it's still a land where the horses I pick come in dead last so, not all reality is suspended.

2. Visit the Alligator Farm and petting zoo. Upon discovering that this was a real thing I was immediately drawn to it. The right there should have been a red flag. As mentioned in item number one, I'm not good at picking winners! This definitely seemed like a good idea but when we got there I realized two things. 1- Petting zoos are not my favorite. I feel much better with barrier separating me from animals. They gave us bread to feed the animals and I walked in, broke off pieces throwing them as far away from me as possible and promptly walked back out of the gated area. 2- The animals were not very happy to be there either. This was a very strange mix of animals to have at one "zoo" a lemur, a turkey, a "wolf", not animals that share the same habitat. They all had the same similar chain link area and all looked fairly sickly. It was a bad note to end the day on.

3. SAW AARON CARTER IN CONCERT! Calm down. When we found out he was coming to town we were pretty excited, especially when google research proved he hasn't put music out since Aaron's Party. Who doesn't want to relive the glory of How I Beat Shaq? The line for this show was out the door and down the sidewalk. Girls really slut it up for this show. I mean really. There was a dance with american flags though which really took it next level.

4. Began Tour de Pizza. This week I have told my team that I've just thought of living here as an extended vacation. Well, only when it comes to food. I know this is a bad idea but, hey I'm on vacation! YOLO. Tour de Pizza is a weekly pizza outing. We try a new pizza place every week! Brilliant. It has only just begun but so far sooo delicious.

The end is near.

My sister has often asked me what are my three deepest desires?
I can never answer that question. Try as I might. Thinking about it right now I'd say my deepest desires are about my students and my family.

With just about two months left out here, I really wonder what my students will become once I go home. I want so badly for them to be successful. I want for them to be encouraged and supported throughout all that they do. I want for them to know how smart they are and just how much good they have to offer the world. I want them to get their ten hugs a day. I want them to find their passions and be happy. I want them to know that they have value. A ton of it. I want every thing good to come their way and I want them to greet it, welcome it with open arms and an open heart.

I know that can't happen. For anyone. Life isn't nothing but sunshine. Still, that is my desire for them. That the good of their life outweigh the bad and they know how to push through the storm and soak up the sun once it passes.

Secondly my desire is to be near my family. Say what you will about being an adult and being "on your own" but, I need/want my family around. I miss my mom's jokes and the sound of her sewing machine. I miss my dad's dancing and having him around to fix anything (even a broken heart). I miss my brother's hugs, sing alongs with my sister and having my other brother around to pat me on the back and tell me he's proud to have me as his little sister. I miss Nana's hellos in the morning. I want to be able to get in the car and visit my grandparents on the weekend.

I never gave much thought into the idea of "home" and knowing where that was. Now that I've gone away I know that I do have a home and this is not it.

Things my students say

"She has dimples!"

"Why couldn't you be Asian? You'd be so much hotter if you were Asian."

"Naw, she got dem drum drops." Meaning gum drops, referring to my boobs.

"Watch them lips work." When I asked them if they were being inappropriate.

"If it's hot in here, why did you take off your jacket and leave your shirt?"

"Ooo! Wet T-shirt contest. Ms. Julia, why couldn't you get hit?" When co-worker got water thrown on him by another student.

"Yeah. Like strippers and prostitutes because, better to be F***ing than shooting." When asked if they agreed that jobs stop crime.

"I heard my mama sneakin in at 2 o clock in the mornin'. I said, 'mama, if you gon be sneaking in at 2 o clock in the mornin, at least bring me some Taco Bell!'"

"If only all girls could have mouths like a cobra...do you get it?...Have you seen a snake eat?"

"I saw Ms. Julia at the store buying nothing but AA batteries...you know what for."

"ooo I can't wait to graduate...'cause then I can drink and party!...I'm just playin'. I'm finna go to college."

"Your last name is Korean?"

"You're from New Mexico? So you speak Spanish? How long have you like...lived here...like been here?"

"When Chino goes back to China I'm going to have him send me back a girl...they're hotter over there."

"Leave your door unlocked. Ima pick you up at seven."

And my personal favorite...

"Keep my name outcha mouth!"

A note for all the out of shapers

Occasionally I think to myself "I should really start working out." That thought is most often followed by the most exercise I'm likely to get: walking from my room to the kitchen. It's sad, I know. Well, I finally broke the cycle and started "exercising." I figured there had to be others out there in similar circumstances and so I'm going to give you my non expert work out advice. *If anyone that is actually knowledgeable about this type of stuff reads this, please let me know if I'm doing something that is actually going to end up causing injury.

I think I can officially say that I do not like gyms. Maybe I'm just paranoid but it's embarrassing (to say the least) when I start struggling to breathe after less than a minute of a work out and see other people stylishly sweating and breathing like it's no problem! No thank you. I'd rather keep that to the confines of my room. The perk to at-home work outs is that you can get creative with what you use for weights. I've done reps with bottles of vinegar, irons, shoes...one day I hope to be able to weight lift my sewing machine! That thing it pretty heavy. It may seem weird at first but it gives you something to laugh at which makes for a more fun work out.

I've started working out, if you can call it that, every other day. On the days that I don't do this I have a solid stretch session (out of necessity). First thing's first, I open up my Pandora and pump my 90s hits station. Say what you will about this music choice; the songs have a consistent beat and don't give me anxiety. I also start a stopwatch. I do a full minute of the following: high knees, jumping jacks, front kicks, more jumping jacks, combo of high knees and front kicks (alternating in counts of 8). This is followed by a mix of crunches. I don't time these, just go with the entirety of whatever song is on and change directions when I feel like I'm going to die in the first position. This is followed by what I thought was called a butterfly but, after an extensive youtube search, I don't think that is a real thing. Anyway, you lay down and criss cross your legs and raise them up and down at the same time. About the time I feel like my head is going to explode, I switch to leg raises (that might not be a real name either). Basically you raise and hold your legs at three points in the air, 90 degree angle, 45 degrees and just above the ground.

This is when the real humiliation starts. I roll over and do four reps of five of the closest thing to a push-up I can muster.

Then my arms get a beating. I do 30 seconds of the following: small circles forward, small circles backward, pulses forward, backward, upward and down. This is followed by a full song of brazeo and floreo (hand and arm circles) which kills my forearms. If you don't know Flamenco-y things, I don't know what to tell you. The end is a one minute plank. Every time I do these I think, "oh, this is no problem!" Then I push forward onto my toes like I'm supposed to, much different.

So there you go, my fellow lazies. If that doesn't get you going, maybe this will:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjw92oUduEM

You win this time, Pinterest!

Pinterest has ruined me. I say this for a lot of reasons, one of them being the false confidence it has given me in my crafting abilities. Even the most complicated of projects looks so sleek and simple on Pinterest. Want to build an entire furniture set out of nothing but old pizza boxes? Look at these three simple pictures showing you how to do it! It looks so easy and so fun but I've learned the hard way that those pictures are very often a lie!

Recently I let Pinterest, once again, get the best of me and decided to experiment. I wanted to practice cutting a bottle. As usual, the pin made it look easy so I gathered all my supplies and got to work, before I lost the nerve.

Despite one failed attempt, it worked out pretty well and was actually fairly easy!  For those of you who haven't already seen this online, let me walk you through it. You'll need the following supplies: a bottle (for some reason it always says wine bottles but any will do, glass is glass), cotton twine, nail polish remover, a lighter/match and ice water. Wrap your twine around the bottle three of four times at the point you'd like it to break.

Once you measure out the string, slide that stuff off and soak it in nail polish remover. (Of course I decide to experiment with nail polish remover on the rare occasion my nails are actually painted.) Soak the string for a while, 10-20 seconds is good. Re-wrap the string on the bottle and light that baby on fire! Spin the bottle around while the string is burning. Once the flame goes out dip the bottle in ice water and POP! Off it goes.

Easy peasy! For once.

It's a clean break but it's still sharp so be careful. I didn't think this project entirely through because I was doubting Pinterest and figured I'd just end up getting frustrated and throwing the bottle away. When it actually worked I wasn't sure what to do with my finished product. Then I remembered another pin I had seen...

 I introduced that bottle to some glitter and Mod Podge. If you don't know, you can put Mod Podge on as a top layer over the glitter to keep it from falling off and getting on everything you own/touch. Here's a below average picture of the finished product:

Not too shabby.

Making Up For Lost Time

I've been in Little Rock for about seven months now. Crazy! Time has flown by and I've done a terrible job keeping people updated with what I've been up to. I spend most of my time here serving in a high school working with 9th graders on the ABCs (Attendance, Behavior, and Course Performance). My kids are hilarious and are fantastic to work with...most days. This job has been full of ups and downs but I am glad that I am where I am and have the students that I do.

Since I've been here for seven months already, I have a lot of catching up to do in this blog world. Here are a few highlights (in no particular order) from my time here:

Finding the Soup of the Day

 On one of our first night outings we met this guy who just happened to be none other than Lee Harris, the HR "person" for THE number one refrigerated trucking company. He went on to tell us about his history with this bar and how he used to come in every day for lunch and get the soup of the day. This conversation lasted quite a while. We thought he was full of it so it was a great discovery when we eventually found a menu and actually saw "Soup of the Day" on there!

Getting a trampoline!

This is the only thing resembling furniture in our living room. As you can see, the dinosaurs love it.

Getting to see my cousins!

Since Little Rock is much closer to Topeka than home, I was able to see my cousins for Thanksgiving! It was really nice to be with family over the holiday even if I didn't get to go home. Although I did find out that my cousins hated me along with the rest of the cousin clan for close to the entirety of their childhood.

Making these lil guys for my students!

I gave these out to students on the first day back to school after winter break. Although some kids rejected them and said things like "I don't eat things with eyes on it." Most students were really excited that I was giving them food and I was really excited that they were eating something other than Hot Cheetos and Takis.

Taking a ride on the Arkansas Queen!

From the moment I found out there was a riverboat here that does music cruises I was hooked. It was the only thing I wanted to do while in Little Rock and we did it! We went on an Old School Hip-Hop and Reggae Night. It was the best! We timed it just right because the Arkansas Queen is no longer servicing that area.

Living with these wonderful people!

I hit the jackpot and got the best roommates imaginable. Lots of good times at the unofficially named LOLiday Inn.

Last but certainly not least...

Dominating at the Arkansas State Fair!

Even though I went into this with nothing but funnel cake on my mind, what I got was more than I could have dreamed. That's right, I took on the Mega Corn Dog. What I'm pretty sure was no less than 2ft of battered goodness on a stick.

I think this is one of my proudest moments throughout my time here.