Thursday, July 8, 2010

the me I want to be.

So moving right along, it is summer time...which allows myself to think! It is so easy for me to get in my daily work and home routine, and not once be still and reflect...on life. So if you don't mind, I am going to attempt to share what I am learning.



Our small group is doing a study right now called, The Me I want to be. We are not too far into the study, but so far, it has brought a prespective that I have never really thought about. Let me share a part from chp 2 of The Me I Want to Be:



Your flourishing is never just about you. It is a "so that" kind of condition. God designed you to flourish "so that" you could be part of his redemptive project in ways that you otherwise could not. He wants you to floursih "so that" people can be encouraged, gardens can be planted, music can be written, sick people can be helped, or companies can thrive in ways they otherwise would not. When you fail to become the person God designed, all the rest of us miss out on the gift you were made to give.



I have been pondering a few thoughts. Who is the "me" that God wants me to be? What holds me back from this? What am I passionate about?



My loyal friends, I challenge you to also take a few minutes from your busy routine to do that same thing. I would love to compare notes!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Excuses, Excuses!

Well hello blog faithful! I know that you have missed me so.... I wish I could say my blog stalking has been as absent as my blog posting, but that is not the case. Where in the world has the time gone? I wish I had an ellaborate excuse of why I have not posted in awhile.....but I have nothing! But I do hope this posts finds all of you happy and well.. Where should I begin?

I think a nice place to start this post would be our trip to Jamaica over Christmas break. It was out of this world awesome! I loved nothing more than being with Kyle on a tropical Island with no phones or computers (well you know I did check facebook a time or two). We ate wonderful food, drank girly drinks, and sang Bob Marley's best. I reccomend a trip to Sandals Montego Bay for you all.

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday with friends and family. We then took the rest of the break easy... and when I say easy... I mean real easy... but we were only home for 3 nights of the entire break!

Kyle has been busy with work (surprise surprise).... I do wish I had his work ethic... gosh... he lives out "In all that you do, work with all your heart as serving the Lord." We are trying to balance each other out in our work environments.

We are looking forward to next weekend(February 20th). Our dear friends, Kristen and Mark, will be tying the knot. I look forward to seeing what the Lord will do through their joining. They invest in so many peoples lives and it is a blessing that they will be living here in ATL.

Enough rambling for today... I will be BACK... sooner than later!! I love you all. Happy Valentines Day! I love you Kyle... thanks for loving me...even when it is nearly impossible!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Two Months in a Nutshell!

The Fall is off and running... I guess I do say this every year.... but this has been the quickest year of my life. Let me fill you in on what has been going on lately...

We have gone to a few Auburn games. Our weekends in the Fall are definitely centered around going to see the Tigers play or watching them on TV. We went to Auburn a couple of weekends ago for the Ole Mill game. We had the opportunity to hang out with great friends. I just love Auburn and I hope that one day the Lord will direct out paths to their again.

I was furloughed(not paid) a couple of days in October, so Kyle and I felt it was a great time to spend money! Fantastic logic.... Anyway, we flew to Virginia to spend time with Justin (my brother). It was incredible! We visited several Navy Bases, went to VA Beach, ate a lot of food, watched Auburn lose to Arkansas, and went to Bush Gardens and acted like we were 8 years old! A good time was had by all.. Well by the Chrisman's anyway.

My grandmother, Nanny, turned 90 years old on October 19th. We all set out for Birmingham,Alabama the weekend before her birthday. It was so special and a lot of fun. It was the first time that my immediate family had been together since our wedding. I am so blessed to have a grandmother who shows me daily how to live for the Lord.

I did it! I actually ran a half-marathon. I am so glad that I pushed myself to do one. The Lord really reveals a lot to you in moments such as running 13.1 miles! My parents, Kyle, and Kim were there to cheer me on to the finish line. It was a remarkable moment and I will never forget it...

We love you all and hope that your Fall has been wonderful. See you all soon. God Bless and WAR EAGLE!!! BEAT GEORGIA!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

CAUGHT BY A RED LIGHT!



I use to be a ticket virgin (as Kyle would say) until late. Well... I was laying on the couch last Saturday and Kyle comes in from working in the yard and says, "JULIE FLORENCE CHRISMAN!" I am thinking in my head,"Hey dummie... it is technically Julie Allbritton Chrisman..." but I decided I would say,"what" in a very agitated tone. Anyway, he showed me the mail and on the top was... MY VERY FIRST TICKET!! A photo enforced ticket... I ran a red light... now.... for starters... I still think it was Kyle even though he did not drive my car that day...And also, it said that the light had been red for .09 seconds... and the picture they showed... definately had to have some photo enhancement to it because it was the brightest shade of red I have ever seen... hello!!!... It was only pink when I proceeded to roll my altima through the Lenox Rd. intersection (for those of you who live in Atlanta... check out how many signs/warnings are surrounding this intersection) To be honest... I am so embarrased.. what a humbling experience... it takes your picture and there is no denying what you have done..All of this got me thinking about our awesome God and His love for us... what if he called us out on our sins and mailed us a picture?!?!? Or made us pay 70.00.... it is pretty amazing that everytime that we disobey Him, he sends us His grace and forgiveness and not a ticket! It is incredible to me the different ways that the Lord reveals himself to us... even if it is through a photo enforced ticket... and PS... how dumb!! Love to all... and WAR EAGLE... next blog... how I miss Auburn and how great it was to see Courtney and Mary Lindsey!!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

August 22nd!!!





The Lord created two wonderful ladies on August 22nd!! Sally (that is my mom) and Mary Lindsey "is a Newlin"...... it is their birthday! Both of these ladies bring such joy to my life. They both have a way of making things better and seeing life on the bright side. Their sweet spirit and fun personality are contagious. Mary and Moma, I hope you have a wonderful birthday. Thank you for loving all and shining for Jesus each and everyday!!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Why I do what I do...


So we all know that the school year is off and running.... and this makes me very MIA in the blog world... Sorry to let ALL my readers down... I am going to try and blog more often because it is great therapy... it also makes me think about life fully....sometimes I do not take the time to be "real" and express my heart.


So let me tell you about my class.... I have ten children!!!! In my mind, that is equivalent to 35 students!!!! It is tough. But it is a challenge that I love to face... I love the sense of accomplishment that I get to encounter when May rolls around and I see progress that my students have made.... I have three grade levels... K-2...planning and scheduling really has been tough....


The same question plays through my head and when I pass other teachers in the hall, we ask each other.... why do we do what we do?!?!?!? (Besides the two month vacation that I allows me to go on trips to places like NY (look above)) My job is hard, tiring, stressful, emotional, frustrating, challenging, etc........ but I have the opportunity to shower the Love of the Lord on children eight hours a day..... and there you have it.... that is why I do what I do!!!


I have decided that I am going to leave the blog world with my favorite student qoutes from the week in each post because afterall, kids say the darnest things.......

"Mrs. Chrisman... I can't wait to become a woman..... and I am going to get a job."


(after lunch...waiting outside the bathroom) "Mrs. Chrisman... My butt... it itch..it hurt." (Classmate) "BATHROOM WORD,BATHROOM WORD." (passing teacher) "Mrs. Chrisman.... you got to pick your battles!"
Much love to you all!!! Thanks Kyle for being a fantastic teacher spouse.... Not everyone could do it... and blog world.... did I tell you have my sweet husband sent me flowers to school on the first day?!?!? I know... I am blessed!


Saturday, July 18, 2009

Back to life, back to reality!

Hello! Back to Life, Back to Reality has been my motto throughout the week considering the weekend we had last weekend. Folks... we were in Aliceville, Alabama. It was the home of my dear friend Mary Lindsey's wedding. A little background of Aliceville, Alabama: according to Wikipedia and the 2000 census, 646 families reside in the city, Walter Jones, the left tackle of the Seattle Seahawks calls Aliceville home, and the Piggly Wiggly closes at 7:00 every evening. This place is incredible. I have met some of the sweetest and God loving people while in this town. They have it made.... all that us city folk have is convience! They get to focus on things that really matter like God and family without the hinderance of traffic jams and crime. I love that everyone knows everybody. I was talking to a sweet girl who is from Aliceville and she was telling me that her runs in town consist of a constant wave.... I love everything about that!!! Bottom line.... Kyle and I love Aliceville!
Now... lets take a minute to talk about the beautiful bride and the perfect wedding. My friend hit the nail on the head when she was talking about Mary Lindsey at the rehearsal dinner.. "The best word that describes Mary Lindsey is selfless. She would give you the last bites of her sandwich and the shirt off her back." It was an honor to celebrate such a special day with Mary and Chris. I have never been to a wedding weekend where I felt the love of God so much! I also got to be around some of my closest and dear friends that I no longer get to see everyday.... It was a great weekend.... I can't wait for the Newly Newlins to get back from Jamaica so we can all hear about their first week as husband and wife.

THIS WEEK: Leave for New York on Monday (first time)..... going with my mom, my tall friend, Sara Kate, and her mother... (I hope I get to see Brittany while we are there).... Friday will bring on the Woods/Serota wedding!!! I love Wedding season!!! Have a great week and enjoy the Spring weather in July!