You win some, you lose some...

Today's game was super painful to watch but that doesn't mean that I love my boys any less.  I hate the stupid mistakes they made but I'm still proud of them.  The good news is that the last time Brady lost to the Steelers they won the Super Bowl so here's hoping!

Truth

This came up on my Pinterest this other day (OBSESSED...follow me if you have one!) and it is so accurate...and so relevant to my life right now.

Long Time No Blog

It seems like it has been forever since I have posted anything of any kind on this blog....I blame grad school and student teaching.  These two things combined leave no room for anything else...especially not anything fun or enjoyable (at least lately).  Don't get me wrong, I love teaching....but things would be so much easier without having to do work for 4 classes as well as working on my action research project at the same time.  I'm going to really try to get better about it though...even if it is only a few sentences or something as simple as a picture or posting I have found that day on Pinterest (one of my obsessions) or somewhere else.

I will leave you with this today...it's a little too accurate for my own good ;-)

God Created The First Teacher

My mom sent me this today and in honor of me starting my student teaching this week I thought I would share:

God Created the First Teacher

On the 6th day, God created men and women.

On the 7th day, He rested.

Not so much to recuperate, but rather to prepare Himself for the work He was going to do on the next day. For it was on that day, the 8th day, that God created the FIRST TEACHER.

This TEACHER, though taken from among men and women, had several significant modifications. In general, God made the TEACHER more durable than other men and women.

The TEACHER was made to arise at a very early hour and to go to bed no
earlier than 11:30 p.m. - with no rest in between.

The TEACHER had to be able to withstand being locked up in an air-tight classroom for six hours with thirty-five "monsters" on a rainy Monday.

And the TEACHER had to be fit to correct 103 term papers over Easter
vacation.

Yes, God made the TEACHER tough... but compassionate and gentle, too.

The TEACHER was equipped with soft hands to wipe away the tears of the
neglected and lonely student... of those of the sixteen-year-old girl who was not asked to the prom.

And into the TEACHER God poured a generous amount of patience. Patience when a student asks to repeat the directions the TEACHER has just repeated for someone else. Patience when the kids forget their lunch money for the fourth day in a row. Patience when one-third of the class fails the test. Patience when the textbooks haven't arrived yet, and the semester starts tomorrow.

And God gave the TEACHER a heart slightly bigger than the average human heart. For the Teacher's heart had to be big enough to love the kid who screams, "I hate this class - it's boring!" and to love the kid who runs out of the classroom at the end of the period without so much as a "good-bye," let alone a "thank you."

And lastly, God gave the TEACHER an abundant supply of HOPE. For God knew that the TEACHER would always be hoping.

Hoping that the kids would someday learn how to spell...

Hoping not to have bus duty...

Hoping that Friday would come...

Hoping for a free day...

Hoping for deliverance...

When God finished creating the TEACHER, He stepped back and admired the work of His hands. And God saw that the TEACHER was good. Very Good!

And God smiled, for when He looked at the TEACHER, He saw into the future. He knew that the future is in the hands of the TEACHERS.

And because God loves Teachers so much, on the 9th day God created "Snow Days" and "Summer!"

- Author Unknown

The Girl You Sang To (A Thank You)

As many of you know I was the lucky girl who Josh Groban sang Happy Birthday to at the Washington DC concert on July 27th.  It was such an amazing night for me thanks to Josh and I thought he deserved not only a thank you but to know a little more about the girl he sang to.  So here it is...it might sound a little cheesy but it shows a glimpse of who I am...I really hope he reads it!

A Poem For Josh, From the ‘Pretty In Purple’ Girl You Sang To

Sending this Straight to You dear Josh,

Some further ‘inspection’ for your need.

You sang Happy Birthday to me in D.C.

Jenna – an elementary teacher to be.

Entering my grad year,

I’m not The Wandering Kind.

Teaching the little ones,

Their talents Hidden Away I hope to find.

To wonder like Galileo,

Teaching them to read and write,

My teaching specialty for grad year,

Is to help them find their light.

Hearing your thoughts on If I Walk Away,

I’ll think of the song in a different way.

Not only of love, but of a students’ heart,

Their own true worth I hope to impart.

I grew up dancing and singing my way through school.

Dancin’ in show choir and travelin’ around.

Virginia, DC, Florida, New York….

Heard those Bells of New York City, a beautiful sound!

You Raise Me Up daily in your video posts,

I crack up over your crazy goofiness.

My Confession to you – we are much the same

Light-hearted and passionate, seeking love and happiness.

By the way ….. on how ‘you owed me’- do you remember the q?,

in Richmond you sang to my friend Jess* - now ‘you owed me’ big!

Game on! Climb through that Higher Window, I can do it too!

It truly was my birthday, just needed that text to jump out at your crew!

Love Only Knows I spent two weeks phrasing it,

Determined to succeed, I Never Let Go of my goal.

When you called my name I couldn’t believe it.

The dream of a lifetime I would now come to know.

Time stood still.  What really happened?  Everyone watching.

Thank God for Facebook and Twitter, pieces of the night streaming in.

Don’t Give Up I tell myself….keep on searching

The clarity of the night no longer veil thin.

Thank you dear Josh, from the bottom of my heart,

I’m your number one Grobanite from your career start.

Now you know the girl you sang to and hugged,

Don’t ever forget that You Are Loved!

*(Hint:  She asked if you about what’s the worst trouble you’ve gotten in and it involves Italy)

So there you have it...a little bit of me for you.  Josh, if you are reading this I would love to know that you did!!  Thank you can't begin to express how you made me feel that night...but it's the best this teacher can do right now.

Contact Me at:

Twitter= @JennaShevlin

The Day Josh Groban Learned I Exist

I know it's been awhile since I've written a blog on my personal account and not on my Reality Check blog but there just hasn't been much to talk about....until now.  Last Wednesday (July, 27, 2011) I went to the Josh Groban concert at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.; now I knew that this night would be amazing but I had no clue just how amazing it would become!  Before the show began you could text in questions for him and 3 would be chosen and given to him to read/answer during the show.  I texted in a question thinking that it would never get chosen but what did I have to lose...well I was wrong because it did get chosen!! 

My question was the 3rd and final question and it took me about 5 seconds to realize that it was my name and seat information that Josh had just read...I then proceeded to jump out of my seat and scream.  My question read like this "Today is my 22nd birthday and it is my wish to have you sing to me.  Will you please make this the best day of my life?  PS-You owe me and I can prove it."  That in turn provoked some "I'm not the father" comments which was just fine with me!  That idea, even just for a few seconds, was more then I ever imagined he would say to that (and to me) but it was perfect.  Then came the big moment....he left the stage and came straight to me (I had floor seats and was at the end of a row)!  He stood there alternating between holding my hand and having his arm around me and proceeded to sing me the best rendition of Happy Birthday I have ever heard, along with the entire arena.  I stood there beaming, looking into his eyes and knowing that he was looking back.  When he was done he gave me a hug which was one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me and certainly something I will never forget.

It is several days later and I'm still in disbelief.  I find myself constantly wondering whether it really happened and then I close my eyes and can see him looking straight into my eyes, I can feel his arm around me while he was singing as if to keep me from floating, I can hear him saying my name multiple times, I can smell the delicious scent that stayed on my clothes for the rest of the night, and I can feel his arms around me and his scruff on my face; I then know that it really happened.  I am living proof that dreams really do come true...this was one dream that I NEVER thought would come true, but it did.  It is a night, a feeling, and a memory that will never leave me....it is a special moment that he and I shared in front of an audience of thousands that nobody will ever be able to have, it is mine and mine only.  It is without a doubt the best night of my life and will be incredibly hard to ever top!  Josh Groban knows that I exist in this world and to be able to say that is a dream come true in itself, the rest is just icing on an already amazing cake.

Graduation

I'M A COLLEGE GRADUATE!!!

It's official....I have a BS in Psychology from the University of Mary Washington....I really did it.  I feel like half of graduation is lost on me because I'll be back at UMW in 3 months for grad school so it doesn't seem very final to me.  I thought I'd just mention some memorable moments of the day instead of going the sappy, sentimental route.

• Not being able to sleep the night before, half due to the loud and obnoxious people still partying next door and outside at 2am and half due to being too anxious.
• How freaking complicated it is to put on that hood!
• Losing my shoe on campus walk during the procession and having to stop to put it back on.
• Being able to turn my tassel from the right side to the left.
• Having my name called, walking across the stage, shaking President Hurley's hand, and getting my diploma
• Cheering and clapping for my friends as they walk across the stage and get their diplomas
• Being hit in the head by a mortar board cap while everyone else in the vicinity avoided them...welcome to my life
• Seeing Andrew before hand without any weirdness, only smiles....and the fact that he decided to wear khaki shorts and boat shoes to graduation
• Hearing my parents cheer and yell my name throughout the ceremony
• Getting the traditional parent/daughter picture that eluded us at my high school graduation

It's been a fun 4 years Mary Wash....see you again in 3 months for grad school and student teaching!