....................

The Ghost Cat Saga Continues....

As my students line up the same little boy....with the ghost cat is lined up with his lunch box...and the following conversation takes place:
Student: My ghost cat is in my lunch box!
Me: Now, how can you tell it's in your lunch box?
Student hands me his lunch box and says :You feel how heavy this thing is!
(He then proceeds to hold the ghost cat and allows me to pet her/him.)

...This kid cracks me up.....

Another little boy tells me today:
"Mrs. Webb, I am a very caring person. I even gave away my baby pants so that other children who have accidents can use them."
...my response..."Wow, that is caring!"

A Little Funny Continued

Well...just a little update for you. The little boy who told me about the ghost cat had something to say in the middle of a lesson today. He all the sudden jumps and says, "I feel him....Did you just feel him? My ghost cat is here, I can feel it. It just walked by." The kid next to him looked terrified! I tried to ignore it and move on. This little boy is hilarious! He cracks me up daily.

Oh I have to thank God for fun students...they make my days so fun!

A little funny...and a little homesick

Here is the funniest thing that I heard from one of my student's this week:

Student: Mrs. Webb, I had a cat and he lost his balance. Then we had to take him to the vet and now he is a ghost that guards my room at night.
Me: Humm..so the cat died?
Student: No! He just lost his balance and now he's a ghost. He's not a bad ghost but a good one.
Me: Well, thank goodness!

The same kiddo told me later that his father could see the future and could come perform for the class. This kid is a real character!
Feel free to check out our class website at http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/StaceyWebb/

I'M A LITTLE HOMESICK...

Sometimes it hits me like a little hunger pain, other times it knocks the breath right out of me when I am least expecting it. Random things cause it to happen and I am not sure what caused it this time, but I am feeling a little homesick. Maybe it's because it's Fall...my favorite time of year. I am flooded with memories of cheerleading and high school football games. I am reminded of cool mornings and getting out my sweaters and long sleeve shirts. The ranch is beautiful this time of year...and I miss being there. Maybe it's because my whole family will be at home this weekend for the special Riverdale Cattle Sale...and I'm so far away. Or maybe it has to do with the fact that my sweet Aunt Nell just passed away today reminding me of how much I love my family. On top of that as I sit on my floor writing this, there is a movie playing on the television in front of me that I only ever watch while going to sleep in my room back home, Facing the Giants. Usually when I watch this I am in my comfy king sized bed with the door cracked open so that I can look out and see my mom and dad's door open just down the hall. Whatever is causing, it hurts a little. There are days when I love being in California, when I am so glad I'm here and not there....but today is not one of those days. I've written in my blog before about the things I love about California...the reasons why this is such a great place to live. But this evening, since my heart is in Mississippi....I'll tell you my favorite things about going home.

1. I love the excitement that builds up inside me as I walk through the Jackson airport knowing that in a matter of minutes I will be able to embrace my Daddy and Mama.

2. I love all of the embraces between myself and my parents. They are many!!

3.I love turning on to Huckleberry Rd...aka "The Gravel Road" and knowing I'm about to see the most beautiful place on earth, Riverdale Ranch.

4. I love the trees, the grass, the leaves, the cattle.

5. I love my mama's pantry...and all the good food that's in there!

6. I love waking up and kissing my parents good morning.

7. I love seeing my nephews and Donna and Robbie.

8. I love going to Dirt Cheap in Kosciusko and running into old friends while there.

9. I love going to Howell and Heggie the local drug store/ gift shop and talking about things with the friends I find inside.

10. I love the porch swing on my parents back porch...not when I am out there alone, but when one of my nephews or family members is out there with me.

We won't go home again until Thanksgiving....and I cannot wait. I have been so blessed with an amazing family who loves me and loves the Lord. I just wish I were with them right now!

A LOOONG UPDATE...

IT HAS BEEN TWO MONTHS SINCE I'VE WRITTEN....I AM ABOUT TO BEGIN UPDATING REGUARLY AGAIN!

Here is a summary of what has been going on in the past two months!

We Went home to Mississippi for 2 weeks in July and got to spend time with both of our families. We had a blast!


We also went on a road trip with two of our good friends from California, Cathy and Cliff Riner. We went to Sequoia National Forest and saw some GIANT trees, went to San Francisco, and stopped in Big Sur and Santa Barbara on the way home. I'll upload pictures later...the website won't allow me to do it right now.

And....days after getting back from our trip, I began teaching First Grade! I have 21 Fabulous students and I am falling madly in love. They've already made so many funny comments that I could begin a book. Infact I think I might change the title of my blog to "Marvels of a First Graders Mind." I need to tell you all they say. They make me laugh so much. The first day of school I allowed them to make the rules for our classroom. They had already told me about 10 rules...which is way more than they can really remember to follow so I decided to move on. There was one little blonde haired boy who could not allow me to continue without telling me a rule that we must establish. This was the dialouge:

Student: Mrs. Webb, I have a really good one that no one else has said and it is a super important one.
Me: Okay, well if it is super important than please tell us.
Student: No Picking Your Nose in Class!
Me: That is a really good rule!

That is just one of the many insightful comments that they offer every single day.

My goal for the school year is to make each of my 21 students feel as if they are my very favorite. So far it is only a struggle with one of them. I love being their teacher though. I am having so much fun teaching them and I think they are having some fun, too! We dance (thanks to an amazing CD from Donna), we sing, we exercise, we laugh, we have massage trains on Friday! We play, we learn, we have a lot of fun together!


My dear sweet husband is telling me it is time to cook dinner, so I am going to get out of this comfortable leather recliner and make something.....but I'd rather stay here and tell you more about what's happening in Hermosa Beach!

I Promise to update at least once a week.

Life's Little Pleasures

As I sit down to write this update, I am sipping my favorite beverage. It is a Grande Mocha Light Frappacino/No Whip! For $3.85 I can happily sip this beverage for about 12-16 minutes...and I love every second of it. I do not treat myself to these on a daily basis....but occasionally I wake up craving Starbucks!!! Today was one of those days. Starbucks makes me feel so good!!! The photo is of one of the three Starbucks in our small city!!! I can't for the life think of living an hour away from one (as my parents do in Mississippi)....it's just one of the small things that I have grown accustomed to that I never want to live without.



But...this post is not going to be about Starbucks, believe it or not....I want to give you an update on Ryan and I. So.....



This is our favorite time of year to live in LA. We spend every weekend at the beach (For me...some week days, too). Ryan absolutely loves beach volleyball. He is very good at it....me, I like to play sometimes. I scream and block my head when the ball comes my way...which is not the strategy if you want to win. So, I only play when it isn't a serious game and when there are nice people playing on my team! We love being at the beach though...and the water of the Pacific is finally getting warm enough for us to get in. We have yet to pick up surfing, but love boogie boarding! So all of our free time is spent on the sand of Hermosa Beach or in the
massive Pacific ocean.

Ryan is still working hard. I feel a little guilty since I get to sleep in and he has to go to work. So, I try to make most of my days somewhat productive. I tutor a couple days of week...and as for a job for the fall...well, it all rests on whether or not I passed my CTEL test. If I passed, I am almost positive I will be teaching first grade. If I did not pass, I have no idea. But, I am waiting on God for that, and trying not to worry.

Our church (Mosaic) is doing a gathering here in Hermosa for six weeks. If it is a success, they will move a gathering down here indefinitely. This is so great since we normally drive to Beverly Hills every Sunday. It would be such a blessing to have one so close. Not that Beverly Hills is super far away....but when you are driving on LA interstates, it can get quite congested with traffic. We are helping out in leadership roles with this new gathering, and are enjoying it immensely. I am beginning a new Bible Study at our home. This will be our 4th womens bible study. I love doing these. God just keeps bringing such amazing girls into my life. ...and he Challenges us beyond belief through these Bible Studies (We are doing Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" this time around).

We are heading home to Mississippi in 12 days. I cannot wait to see our families! My nephew Maeson just left me a message on my voicemail asking if I was in "Califorma" and he wanted to know when I could come see him. ....I melted at the sound of his precious voice. I really am looking forward to being home. I have to admit that I dread the many comments that Ryan will make concerning moving back to Mississippi. I know it is coming....but the truth is, I don't think God really wants us back in Mississippi. I don't really want to move back, either. If God says go...then I will go. But, I honestly think he is saying...NO....not now...I have so much more you need to do. I actually told Ryan that I would be perfectly fine with God keeping us here in L.A. long term. I have found such freedom in living here. Freedom in my faith....Freedom to love without limits...Freedom to act without judgement.....such freedom! Today as I was running down the strand (concrete path along the beach)...I was looking at the people I passed and those who passed me. As a guy with a mohawk rode past me on his beach cruiser....it reminded me of how much I love this place! I love that there is not one "normal" way to look. I love that no one looks twice at that man...no one thinks how abnormal he is. I think God is healing me of every prejudice bone in my body...and I PRAISE GOD FOR THAT! I love that I am learning to see our extreme differences as an amazing gift...and what I love most is that those differences that I once thought extreme, seem less and less that way.

I realize this has been such a random post! If you are still reading...sorry for the random thoughts that flow through this brain of mine! We miss you all! Come see us...come experience this place that God has used to change my life!

Now, I desperately want another Starbucks!

I DID IT!

I DID IT!!!!

My friend Peggy and I just finished a 4th of July 5K race. I have never done anykind of race before....I've run....but always just on my own. Peggy has done a half marathon so this was a tiny thing for her...but a big deal for me. This was before we started....and we had no idea we would be dressed alike! The numbers made it seem so much more important than a normal run! It was a lot of fun and I plan to run another one....and maybe even a 10k! This was so fun! Thanks Peggy.....you made it a blast!