10 Things My Parents Taught Me About Marriage :)

"Be careful little eyes what you see/It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings/Be careful little feet where you go/Because the little feet behind you are sure to follow," Casting Crowns, "Slow Fade"

The Rambo's, December 1996

The Rambo's were founded in 1986. 27 Decembers later, the small ginger Rambo in the center, aka moi, is getting married, hitched! One day I'll no longer be a Rambo, but a Hazelton. 

I'm blessed more than most young brides-to-be. My parents had a fantastic marriage. Mom and Dad are so strong, loving, sacrificial to each other that I only hope my little feet can continue to follow where they go. Mom, Daddy, as you lived your lives, I watched from afar. And from you, this is what I learned about marriage.

1. Make your spouse your best friend. I adore how much you adore each other.

2. Don't fight in front of the kids.

3. You will both fall, so be strong for the other one when they fall. From bad days to depressing seasons, I've seen you lift each other up.

4. Never leave your partner behind, especially in a fire. You showed me this with Matthew's diagnosis and your support of each other during that dark time.

5. Give your spouse a break when you can. Wash the dishes for them, cook, take out the trash-live to make the other's life better. I see this everyday.

6. Do things you know the other likes because you love them, or vice versa. Mom gave up Jeopardy for this :D

7. Set nearly all of your free time aside for quality time with each other.

8. Deal with each other's odd habits. Let Dad watch the CBS Evening News in silence and don't get mad at Mom for being 30 minutes late ;)

9. Give and forgive, always, always, always.

10. Without a growing relationship with Christ, none of this is possible. 

Mom and Dad, you've led me this far. When I marry Andy on June 14, 2014, I want to be just as wonderful as you are, and I'm planning something special to honor you two and Andy's parents on our wedding day. Thanks for leading me. And for Mr. and Mrs. Hazelton, Andy is incredible, and I know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree :) I cannot wait to call you my in-laws and I value your wisdom and love, too!

Do's and Don't of Singlehood!

DO's:

1. DO REALLY GOOFY, IRRESPONSIBLE (YET CLEAN) THINGS WITH YOUR GAL PALS. Ellen, Sarah, and Pamella-remember our 2 AM stroll down Tennessee Street to Waffle House?!?!

2. Get off your couch, stop eating stale Dorito's and go for an ADVENTURE....and do it with a PURPOSE to glorify God in it. Work at an all-girls summer camp where your 6th grade girls turn you into a "Barbie doll"? Live in a village in the Andes and poop in the bushes for a summer? Work at an orphanage in a third world country? "Oh blah blah blah I'm not cool enough-" um, no. Shut it. God's gift of life is too precious to waste, and when you're unspoken for is the best time to do such things.

3. Remember that God's timing will work out in the neatest and most random way possible. You cannot plan romance to happen-and it's just part of the story of God's plan for you in the kingdom.

DON'T

4. Place your value on your relationship status. Having someone doesn't make you any more or less valuable, it just means that there are seasons for everything. Remember that God has a special purpose for your life right now, one that does not involve a partner. Just like a bride has to prepare before she can see the groom on her wedding day, God has special preparations before you can meet your man!

5. Be bitter towards those in love. Realize that they're probably jealous of you in some way or another so it all evens outs in the end, and let their love be a reminder of the one God will have for you when the time is right.

6A. Think that your man will be perfect. Are you perfect, Little Miss??? NO. So don't hold him to unrealistic expectations.

6B. Settle. Please, please don't. The wait is worth it for a good one (and notice I didn't say perfect, because those don't exist.) Wait. The wait is soooooooooo worth it. Please wait.

Spanish/ESL Teacher Life on a Sunday Night Yo!

It's a cold Sunday night. I'm drinking coffee in hopes of warming up and waking up so I can alas tackle this mountain of papers to grade and lesson plan ideas swarming in my head.

Somehow I thought when I'd graduate college, I'd love teaching and I'd WANT to do my work even on a Sunday night. Wrong. Work is still work, mi amiga!

It was a wonderful weekend. My fiancé and I explored downtown  with the Christmas lights, drank Starbucks (Andy fell in love with his first latte), saw the new Hobbit movie, worked on wedding plans and went to church together. This afternoon, I went to Suheyla, a former ESL student and friend's home for Turkish lunch and to meet her new baby daughter.

It's also the last week before the break, so I'm trying to keep work light for my students this week. Kidnergarten will be coloring a Guatemalan flag, `1-3rd grades will draw and label pictures of their families/pets in Spanish, 4th-6th grade will be watching a PBS documentary about language acquisition, and 7th grade will watch a Guatemalan film about immigration called El Norte. For the night ESL classes I teach, well, I'll figure that out tomorrow, but they will be having a party on Thursday with salsa dancing, arepas, and pupusas-heck to the yes!!

(After I wrote that, my sister/roommate/bestie/maid of honor Melissa walked in the room, and we spent the next two hours yapping about wedding plans. Um, looks like I'll be grading those papers during my planning tomorrow instead!)

Speaking of that ol' sister of mine, we're making Christmas cookies tomorrow after work to give away to my ESOL students on Tuesday's class! I also owe my 7th grade Spanish students arepas on Tuesday, so I supppposseee I'll whip out my pre-made harina de maiz then, too ;)

I'm Learning: Who I Wanna Be as a Spanish Teacher Girl!

As my dad predicted, I knew it'd be my destiny at some point-I'd be a ginger Spanish teacher. Magaly, my high school immigrant friend from Mexico, swore the same thing.

I love, love, love being able to speak new languages. I question how languages work. I'd take La Tiendita (a fabulous family run Mexican grocery/restaurant where no gringos go to) any day over El Jalisco (your typical Mexican-American joint). I just spent the past fifteen minutes listening to Peruvian Andes music from my time as a student missionary there. There will be salsa dancing/music at my upcoming wedding.

And well kids, if you know anything about moi, you'll know that I just survived my first half of the year as a first year Spanish teacher at a private school teaching and developing curriculum for kids grades pre-K-8th grade.

I have no idea how my students describe me as, and well, that probably would vary depending on how much homework I assign each class! But I know what I want to be. I want my kids:

1. To learn as much Spanish as possible through immersion-based learning. Class is taught in Spanish whenever possible, and students are required to use Spanish whenever they can.

2. To experience the benefits of second language learning. We're registering for a pen pal exchange with a class from Spain and we're writing cards for the kids at the malnutrition center in Guatemala I interned for.

3. To see why so many from Latin America immigrate to the United States and to have compassion for them. We've watched a documentary about child migrants and the dangers they face, we're getting ready to watch the Guatemalan/PBS film El Norte about sibling immigrants who run to the US to escape persecution for being indigenous, and we've interviewed immigrant friends of mine.

4. To understand what it means to be Latina and how being Latina doesn't refer to one specific skin or hair color. On that note, we're talking about racial problems in Latin America and studying the terms criollo, mestizo, indigena, and mulatto.

5. To EAT! My kids are now lovers of Jumex juice, Takis, and arepas :)

But for me...I want to be kind, approachable, fair, understanding, and fun. Yeah!

For every time I've felt "heck yes!" about a lesson, I've also felt "burnt out." It's the first year teacher blues. For one, I get to design my own curriculum but....am I teaching these kids the right things?! Two, I'm trying to figure out a discipline structure that works for so many age groups I teach but that also matches my school's philosophy as a progressing, experimental school. Three, while I've only had a couple "parental concerns" this year, they eat me ALIVE at night when I try to sleep.....

But ya know something? I had this Mexican friend once named Magaly who I helped learn English. Any time I'd correct her or teach her something new, she'd look at me, smile, and say "I'm learning."

Am I who I want to be as a Spanish teacher? Dunno. But as Magaly used to say "I'm learning."