things I'm pinning, 1

This sangria looks amazing! Is it summer yet?

I should probably make this "skinny" taco dip. Recipe courtesy of my co-worker, via Pinterest.

Wouldn't this be a fun kid birthday gift? 

I'd love to decorate my house like this.

Made this chocolate cake with PB frosting a couple weeks ago & it was so good, I'm making it again on Saturday.

Wanna follow me on Pinterest? I find lots of cool stuff :)

on logs and specks in our eyes

Ya know that verse about logs & specks? Well it's hit me hard lately.
Here's the ESV (Matthew 7:3-5):

"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."

Ick. Straight up truth right there. 

This truth has been resonating with me lately in the issue of entitlement. 

I always judge students and parents for acting as if they're entitled. It's something Joel and I have talked about since the very beginning of our relationship. While it's true that we've both known lots of students & their parents who act entitled and really make us mad, the sick part is that I act like I'm entitled all the time. 

I want what I want. When I want it. 

It's my turn. It's my dream. I've worked hard. I've prepared adequately. I've asked and asked and prayed and prayed. I should be getting what I want! 

My feeling of entitlement is dangerous in so many contexts. It's sinful. It distances me from others. It creates in me a bitter, nasty heart. It makes me impatient and discontent with my blessings. Gross. 

This verse seems to be calling us to humility and honesty. We need to repent of our sinfulness and lovingly help our brothers and sisters to address the sin in their lives. Together. Without judgement.

(image from here)

finding joy (in the small things)

As I wrote last week, this "season" isn't my favorite of life so far. Even though I remember the discontented days when I was single, the long months being engaged but not married, and the loneliness of my year in Japan, for some reason this season seems so so hard.

This weekend, though, I've found a lot of joy in some very small things.

Moments. Memories. Conversations. Discoveries. All working together to lead me into a joyful, grateful place in my heart & mind.

Here are a few small joys:

Cute chevron cards so I can write Valentines notes. Long walks hand-in-hand with Joel as the sun sets. Getting a letter of confirmation that the state of Pennsylvania will help pay for my grad class this semester! (Phew!)

Reading on our guest bed, propped up by colorful pillows as the afternoon light streams in. Skype chats with Mom & Dad. Sparkling lemonade with Saturday night dinner. Spontaneous trips to Trader Joe's with my BFF. Perusing Pinterest for fun ideas.

Meat lovers pizza from a new place. Running outside in the crisp air. Snuggling on the couch watching "The Wire." Having leftovers for dinner so I don't have to cook. Clean laundry. Having a fav bar within walking distance, perfect for a Friday night mini-date.

overheard in my classroom

"Do you think I should get a laundry basket before I get a snowcone machine?"

"Three laundy baskets. One for darks, one for lights, and one for whites."

"our story"

I just got inspired by this sweet story.

It seems my blog readership has changed over the last four years and I realized that I've always just hinted at how things between Joel and I have worked out. I've never really told "our story." For a long time, I didn't even mention him on here because I wasn't 100% sure where our relationship stood and I didn't want to get too vulnerable. Now I'm 150% sure about our relationship & I've learned the value in being vulnerable. So here's the (somewhat) condensed version.

After arriving back in the U.S. from my year in Japan, I moved in with a family and my best friend in suburban Philadelphia. Some time in the winter of 2009 (February, maybe?), I mentioned to the mom in the family that I'd be happy to be set up... if she knew any eligible bachelors. We all laughed about the idea & I dismissed it casually until she said that actually, she did know someone...

He had been her daughter's history teacher the previous year and he was great. He was about my age, she thought, and definitely a Christian. She wasn't sure if he was even single (or interested!) but she wanted us to meet. But how? OH, right, he often has guest speakers come into his class to teach about different cultures. Like Japan. Where I had just lived for a year.

She sent him an email. He invited me to come in. I waited a couple months until he started teaching about Asia. We emailed. I bought some Japanese snacks & created a PowerPoint.

That day, when Joel opened the door to his classroom, I was cautiously intrigued. He was surprised, apparently, because he was expecting me to be 40+ years old! My presentation went well. He cut his lip on the cheap chopsticks I'd brought in. One boy asked if I was his girlfriend. Another boy said, "He likes you!" He bought me lunch. One kid dropped a ring in his pocket! We parted ways, after he gave me a kind invitation to find him on Facebook if I wanted to hang out with him and his roommate someday.

The rest, they say, is history.
Which is quite fitting since I'm now incredibly happily married to the history teacher of my wildest dreams.

overheard in my classroom

"Mrs. Alberts, do you like wampire or werewolf better?"


First & last time I post about Twilight on this blog. I promise.

this season & the next

I just finished reading an incredible post by one of my favorite bloggers, Moriah, of Moriah Makes. She is in a very different stage of life and has loads of experience and wisdom which I can only dream of someday possessing. Here's what she said, with some editing on my part:

"...I'm trying my best to be patient, to grow in this season and to be ready for what's next. It's not like I'm at a standstill or anything.... But, there's a big part of me that is having a hard time waiting. The problem is that I want to get through this season as fast as possible with my own hands, think of ways to make progress in my own eyes and get the ball rolling on what I think God has for us... and that's not how it works. So, I'm learning to be patient and continually praise God..."

Ditto, man. I've been looking at this season as one to just get through. (And by season I mean this season, this stage, of life, not the actual season of winter.) I hate not having a full-time teaching job. I hate not having kids. I hate the long, cold days and Joel's constant work load in the evenings. I hate living so far from our families and having to travel for every vacation. I hate the way my schedule doesn't leave much room for running or hanging out with friends. I hate having dental coverage that doesn't cover very expensive but very necessary oral surgery.

I keep thinking if only we can make it through to the next phase... when we get to move... when Joel gets a change of his workload... when we get to have a baby.... when we have a vacation... when we travel somewhere new & exciting... when it's sunny outside.... etc. 

But that's NOT what God has called me to, right now or ever. I'm called to obey him daily, constantly. I'm called to live for Him and love others well in exactly this season, despite my circumstances. So that's what I'll be working on, in this season, with His strength. 

He said, she said

Kelly: If we move we definitely need to get rid of this table.
Joel: The chairs I don't care about, but we could keep the table. It might be good for crafts or sewing or something.
Kelly: Or, we could use it as a LEGO table! If we have kids who like LEGOs.

This weekend I

It was a quiet weekend at the Alberts house. On Friday we watched a movie from red box and ate chili and homemade biscuits on the couch. We did some laundry, some cleaning, and some school work.

We slept a lot and cooked and went running together. (And by together I mean at the same time. NOT the same pace. Or distance. Ha.) Yesterday we had some sweet time with friends. I made an amazing cake (recipe here) and sat in our basement waiting for the laundry to be done so I could move it along.

Today was quiet, too, which was nice. I'm slowly learning to revel in the peace, the slowness, the rest. I'm. Slowly. Learning.

He said, she said

He said: " Gosh!! What are we gonna do when we have kids?!"

She said: " Well, I guess we'll do one load every day or so. Instead of three on a Saturday morning."

my new shoes

I went to TJ Maxx today to spend some gift cards that were burning a hole in my jeans pocket. In the shoe aisle I noticed these bright red Converse All Stars. I tried them on but later noticed a similar pair of black ones. I put both in my hands, wandered around the store, and finally tried them on again.

When I still couldn't decide which I liked more, I bought both with the intention to return one pair. After much coercion Joel said he liked the red best. I decided he was right. THEN I was flipping through on of my fav blogs and noticed Joanna has the same ones!!

Clinched it!

Bits of Christmas

We had a ton of fun in Grand Rapids with Joel's family for Christmas. We ate wayyyyy too much, relaxed, slept in, and played with friends.

We also got a brand new iPad!! Here are a few pics we took using the iPad camera. 

a few resolutions

I'm two days late on my resolutions for 2013, but I really just needed a little time to think on them. It's hard for me to put my goals & dreams out there. I don't usually like semi-cliches thing. Joel and I talked about some stuff we want to happen this year, but they're really not things I can put into written words.

So, without further ado, here are a few resolutions:

1. Take more pictures. I struggle to photograph the daily things. It's hard for me to find beauty in the small-ness of life. But I want to try this one! Really, I do!

2. Run (at least!) three times each week. This can be so hard if I sub twice and teach ESL twice. That leaves one weekday and the weekend. It's really not fun for me to get up and run on Saturday or Sunday, but I need to do it. I've not been at all content with my body lately and it's time to stop being annoyed and just make change happen.

3. Find contentment in what God has given. I need to prayerfully change my habit of comparing myself with others (OH, they have their own classroom. No fair! Aw, man, I wish I lived near my family! Dang, that group of friends hangs out so often! Oh, look, another friend is having a baby! Crap, they make a lot of money! Gosh, what a cool trip; wish I could go there!). I need to rejoice in the constant love of Jesus and the hope I have.

4. Love others well. This starts with loving God well, spending time in the Word & prayerfully seeking his will. After that it means listening carefully when Joel speaks, seeking to find ways to care for him, and making sacrifices for his well-being. Then it means giving of myself to love friends, family, students, co-workers, and neighbors.