FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE WEEK...

On Tuesday, I took my students to the Pumpkin Patch. We all picked pumpkins and I put them plastic grocery sacks and we brought them back to school. We sat them on the patio, so we did not trip over them all day in the classroom, but when we left school it was flooding and we had to run out of the classroom into the rain. So, I told the kids to leave the pumpkins there until tomorrow. I told them water was good for pumpkins anyway. As I walked out of my room to go home, I noticed one of the students also left her apple from lunch in the sack. So, the next morning, one of my little boys runs in the room and says, "Mrs. Webb one of the pumkins growed a baby!!!"....I said, "What??" And he replied, "ONE OF THE PUMPKINS GROWED A BABY LAST NIGHT!!" I just started laughing and said, "Come here Ayden...let me show you...the pumpkin did not actually grow a baby, Bailey just happened to leave her apple in the bag with her pumpkin, but you are soooo funny!!" He smiled sweetly, but did not find the moment as funny as I did!

Me...a football fan?

So, for Ryan's 30th birthday I bought him season tickets to Mississippi State's football games. Even though I was a cheerleader I have never gotten into football until now. I have loved going to the games with Ryan and have found myself becoming a football fan. There are a couple of things that I have discovered about myself though. I hate watching the guys drop the ball (I think that is called a fumble..haha), not because it makes me mad. I hate it because it makes my heart hurt. Literally, I feel such pain for those guys because thousands of people are yelling at them from the stands and I guarantee you they did not do it on purpose and feel bad enough about it already. I also hate when the fans leave when we are losing. I also hate to see anybody lose because I can only imagine how disapointed the losing team feels. I am not a competitor, I knew this already...I made more friends than points in every sport I ever played. But, despite the heartache I experience for the players who mess up, I am enjoying the atmosphere. It seems like we are driving back to Mississippi for games every weekend. So, I thought I'd share a little bit of that with you.

Finding the Blessings...

I have often used the word "sweet" to describe God. I even made my small group do a whole weeks worth of study identifying the sweetness of God. I could not get over the reactions I had. I think some people thought I was crazy....they could not think of how God was sweet. Well, today I was reminded of just how sweet God is to me. As many of you know, I've been struggling to like living here. I love our house and neighborhood, but never venture out too much (cause there's not a whole lot to do). Well, my favorite store in the world (stay with me here) is a store called Dirt Cheap. They carry lots of Target and other fun stores things but really cheap, and sometimes slightly damaged. They have these in Mississippi....and wow, I just love them. My best purchases so far are Vera Wang and HOTEL bedding for cheap, gap khakis for 25 Cents and an anthropologie pillow for $2. Well, it just so happens that they just opened a brand new one about 15 minutes away from my home. I went today and bought some bedding (photos to come soon) for our guest room. As I arrived in the store, my heart was beating so excitedly that my legs and eyes could not keep up. I was driving home in bliss thinking of my purchase, and excited about the replenishing of my discretionary funds next month...when it hit me. I think God put that store there just for me. That was his way of brightening up my days here. He knew I needed something...and he gave me a store, not just any store...DIRT CHEAP, my favorite store!!

....what a great ending to a day....


Highlights of the past few weeks:

* Ryan and I have had a fun time going to all of Mississippi State's home football games. We are enjoying the time together (well, I am enjoying the time together, Ryan is probably enjoying the football).

*There is lice in my classroom (or on 2 heads in my classroom). I am not surprised! It's my number 2 fear in life and God is obviously trying to work on this one. I am constantly performing self lice examinations on myself though, pretty obnoxious.

*Chloe Jane Biscuit Webb is officially blind. The poor baby can't see and runs into stuff a lot! It breaks my heart!

*I got to cuddle with my niece Anna Jaymes last week. After she fell asleep with my mom and dad, Mama put her in the bed with me and I loved waking up and feeling her there. There were only two problems, 1. She woke up saying, "tee tee" and then I felt the soaking wet sheets. Then as we got up I saw problem number 2....you see, I tend to play with peoples hair in my sleep (not that I sleep with lots of people...haha. only my husband, and occasionally my mama or jenni, jodi, and donna). Apparently, I had played with the toddler's hair all night long, and all in one or two spots. Well, when sweet little Anna Jaymes was walking in front of me, I saw what looked like a resemblence of a birds nest in the back of her head. So....ummm, I tried to brush it and wet it...and it never went back to normal. So, I sent her down to Donna and Robbie's and blamed her bad hair on the rain outside! Now, I confess...it was actually all my fault. Sorry, Anna Jaymes...Aunt Stacey really did not mean to make you look like that.

It's been a while.....

It is time for me to begin updating. I can't promise regular updates but I am going to try to be better. So much has happened in my life in the past few months that I can't tell you about it all...so let me do it in the form of highlights.

So, we left California....and it was emotional for me. I sat on the airplane next to a guy around my age and began crying before ever taking off from Los Angeles. The poor guy felt awkward I know as he sat and listened to me cry. I dreaded take off, I did not want to have to watch the city of angels, the city that I had come to love so much, fade away from my sight and life. God, being the sweet and compassionate God that He is threw a blanket of clouds over the city early that morning....and I never saw once glimpse of anything but glorious clouds. After that emotional flight....things sped up in our lives. We looked for and found a house within 4 days. We fell head over heels in love with our realtor, "Miss Reba." We spent 30 days living in 2 hotels, both of our parents houses in Mississippi, and a cabin on Enid Lake. By the time our house closed we had both began work in Baton Rouge and were feeling very unsettled and ready to have a home. We moved in our house....and we love it. We have lots of things on the to do list ...and it just keeps getting longer. To be honest, when we moved I began to really pray for Ryan. I was worried that the adjustment might be hard for him, because he loved his job in Torrance so much. I thought that me, being as easy going as I am :) would have no problem adjusting to a new life. But, I was wrong. Ryan is doing great. I on the other hand have had a few break downs where I just cry. I miss California and almost every aspect of our lives there (with the exception of our last living situation). So, pray for me....please. This has been one of the hardest transitions yet.

I started work at my new school August 3rd. I really miss my old school. Everything is very different. One thing that is different is that I am now teaching kindergarten. I really enjoy my class. Here is one of the highlights of our move: I actually have 4 NON-ENGLISH speakers in my classroom. Zip, Zilch, Zero, Nada English. Although this isn't rare for Los Angeles, it is VERY rare for Central, Louisiana. I love them so much. These 4 children are the highlight of my days for multiple reasons. One is that they symbolize so much for me. You see, when we found at that we were coming to Baton Rouge and not going overseas I pitched a fit with God. I wanted to be in China working in an orphanage, and I did not want to go back to the south, where it's the opposite of diverse. The diversity in L.A. was one of my favorite things about the city. So....God sent me to Baton Rouge and brought the Chinese orphans and diversity to me. He's reminding me that He has a plan. So two of my children came form China less than a month or so ago. Two recently came from Mexico. One of the Chinese students is a little girl. Her parents sent her and her little sister to America with another Chinese family who opened up a resturant in our city. I see this little girl, as my orphaned China Baby....and I am madly in love with her and these 4 other children who are new to our country. Now, I also like my other 16 students..haha...but some of them are so bad that I want to cry. So, this is another reason these 4 EL's are blessing to my life.

Oh, and one of my kiddos has the Swine Flu.....yikes! So, in closing...here are some pics of our house.

...Just don'tknow what to do with my life...

.....Last night this was what I wrote in my prayer journal...and I really just wanted to share it.



Father it happened again. It was a feeling that I felt in every inch of my soul. It's a feeling that confuses me...but it's from you, I know.
She turned her head a little different than mine. Cerebral Palsey was the first thing that came to my mind. On her wrist was a tatoo that spoke of something so bold . The ink spelled"courage"...and her story it told. A beautiful picture of God's amazing grace. I can only imagine the trials she's gone though, but still she smiles and runs after you. This girl she wants to serve the needy, the hurt, and the broken. Wow God...in her very words your love was spoken. But why God does it affect me in sich an intense way. I don't know what to do with these feelings, I don't know what to say. All I know is that I long to lover her...to make her feel special, treasured, and adored. I want er to feel normal in a way that she's never felt before. So God, show me! What can I do? I want to somehow use this passion for you. It's your love they need, your affection they seek, but God is it possible to give it though me?? How Lord? When and Where? Show me the way, because it's really not fair.
It's not fair that I get to move my body with ease. It's not right that I don't get people staring curioiusly at me. Why her God? Why has she had to suffer? It's not just her God, there are so many others. I want to be a light...a Barnabus in the night. I want to be their friend. Just tell me God...do you want to use me in the lives of the sick, the scared and the broken.....show me how God...please allow doors to open.

From the mouth of 1st graders to thepages of my blog...

My students are currently making a Recipe for a perfect Mom. We were brainstorming ideas and I said "Patience." Of course the response is..."What is patience?" I explained what it is and then my extra grace required child says, "My mom doesn't need patience cause we don't be bad to her." I laughed hysterically because coming from this child's mouth it was comical ....she requires more patience than I have some days. However this led to the comment of another student saying, " My mom is not patient. Not when I am trying to use the bathroom." ....and then another student says, "My mom takes a whole hour just to use the bathroom." The conversation then turned to gas and one little girl says, " Mrs. Webb, Why don't teachers fart in the classroom?" All of this happened within 3 minutes and I realized how quickly 22 first graders can get off task and run with it. I laughed hysterically for about 30 seconds and then threatened the next one that said "Fart" with a trip to the office!!!

I don't know how we ever get anything done!

If at first you don't succeed....don't force it!!

Last week Ryan and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversery (a month early) in Jamaica. This was our first time in Jamaica...our second time at a Sandals Resort. We had an amazing time. But the most memorable of the week was an unexpected event. Before I begin the story let me start by saying we met an amazing couple, Sara and John, who were on their honeymoon. We met them on the plane ride there...and were BFF by the end of the week. They were such a blessing and so much fun. On Wednesday afternoon we joined Sara and John on an off the resort excursion. We went into the town of Ocho Rios. I was a little scared. It's just a really sad country. Lots of drugs, perversity, and agressive people. However, we wanted to experience the city and take back a few souvineirs. We bartered at the open air market went into a few Jamaican stores and then headed into the direction of a Hard Rock Cafe. The walk there was pretty scary. Sara and I were just ready to find a bathroom. ( I think 75% of my vacation was spent in a restroom :)). I needed to go and we both wanted to wash our hands and get clean. We find the gift shop for Hard Rock...and us girls immediately head for the restroom. The restroom was a public restroom shared by all of the surrounding stores. It was nicer than I expected...but still not super. There was a Jamaican lady who stood guard of both men and women's...probably keeping druggies out. We enter the restroom and begin to bathe in the sink. Then, I go into the stall to take care of my business. I stood up...adjusted my cute pink tank and gray cotten skirt and turn to face the toilet in order to flush. It had on of those small cylinder silver sticks sticking out of the side. So, I pushed it....and then said, "It won't flush." I pushed again...or maybe I pulled...to be honest I blacked out here because the toilet exploded. Yep...It exploded!!!!! All I remember is high pressured water spraying me everywhere from head to toe. I Screamed and turned to try and open the door. The water was still spraying so hard....and everywhere that I could not get the door open...the lock was too slippery. Meanwhile I am still Screaming ....I yell for my new friend Sara....only to see her run by through the little crack in the stall. I finally get out and the bathroom attdendant, another local woman, and Sara are standing in the hall way in disbelief as I walk out. I am walking out soaked....with a look of disgust and shock on my face....but I felt I needed to explain. So I said, "The Toilet exploded!!!" Sara said "I know, it got on me too." Meanwhile, the toilet is still exploding and the water is pouring into the hallway at a fast pace. Sara and I just looked at each other and I kept asking, "What do I do??" She looked just as disturbed as I felt. I go into the mens room and scrub my arms and face with soap. Then we head into the gift shop to find our husbands. We see John first...and Sara starts crying and can't even get words out to explain what has happened she just keeps pointing to me and crying. Then, I began to explain that the toilet exploded and I start sobbing (unexpectedly)....people are staring now because I am soaked and we are both crying. Ryan came up and we explained to him. Later he told me that as he saw me he thought.."Did someone push her in a pool?" We buy a t-shirt and I go into an electrical room to change into a dry shirt. The ladies at the store kept bringing lots of paper towels to help me dry off. ....and the exploding toilet was still exploding and had now began to cover the parking lot with water.

......soon I began to laugh histerically at the event. I mean really, how many people have ever had a toilet explode on them?? The event completley bonded Sara and I. As I replay the memories in my mind I am overwhelmed with laughter.

We later decided that it had to have been clean water...with that much pressure behind it. But still, dirty or clean toilet water....the event goes in my most memorable for sure.

Below is a photo of us 4 in the cafe as we wait on our Taxi to pick us up.....my oh my. I will now have an unhealthy fear of flushing...and if you use the restroom after me and I haven't flushed...go easy on me...the wound is still fresh.

....and here we are with no tears,no toilet water, and no recent trauma.....