The Community

Today I'm thankful for a job that allows me to blog (the baby naps for 3 hours). ;)

I have said in previous blogs that I would eventually blog about my roommates so here it goes...among other things.

I have truly been blessed with a few wonderful communities in Nashville, my families away from family.

For starters, my employers.  I can't even begin to say how thankful I am to work for the family I do.  They bless my life not only financially but as well as emotionally as they consider me part of their family just as much as I consider them family.  It's been refreshing to have this since my family is across the country.

My church family.  I love the servant hearts of my church family.  Without knowing it they have challenged me to go beyond myself and to live to serve God and to love well by doing good in the community and volunteering as much as I can.  They are quality people and I'm glad to be apart of a church where their main concern is others needs and to advance the kingdom by meeting these needs and building relationships. 

My small group and Nashville bests.  I have said this before but I feel like I have been friends with these people more than just 6 months.  I'm so happy to walk through like with such genuine, real, and loving people.  Not to mention we have some really great time from chatting in coffee shops for hours, going to awesome shows, and going to underground wrestling (yes that really happened).

The last community I want to share is probably the most important to me in Nashville.  Mostly, because they truly have become my family.  My roommates; Stephanie, Christy, and Amanda.  There are no words for how blessed I feel that we are living together during this season.  This is the community where you can't hide anything, you can't be fake, because they have seen your ups and downs.  We have all cried in front of each other, called each other out, and lifted each other up.  We hold each other accountable and pray for each other.  They truly have become my sisters, they know all my junk and  know theirs, no judgement just pure love.  I trust them and confide in them.  We are all so different and my relationship with each is different, which I love.  When we are all together it's non-stop laughing, joy, and encouragement.  I love them with my whole heart and am thankful for this season because we know it won't last forever (marriage, obviously ;)).

For example as I'm blogging we are all sitting at our dining room table talking and I was talking about myself in a negative way and Christy said "Alexis, you need to put that lie to rest!"...see why I love it ;)

Health and Fitness: As some of you know I did a master cleanse, the one with the lemon juice and cayenne pepper.  It was supposed to be for 10 days and I last 5.  Not because I was so hungry and needed to eat but it was not conducive with my lifestyle working with kids and being active all day.  I had no energy and was always tired.  It would have been a great idea if I would have done it during a vacation.  I just love working out too much!! ;)  Even the 5 days had an affect after the cleanse, all I crave are raw foods and no sugar so it's been really good ( I did make some red velvet cupcakes though..such a weakness).

My workouts have consisted of once before work and once after work.  I do spin 4 days a week, kickboxing twice a week, zumba twice a week and bodypump twice a week and run and strength training in between.  I have to be careful though because I used to really be obsessed with working out and I feel it was because I danced for most my life and would dance 3 hours a day and so I never really thought about working out or had to but when I started college I stopped dancing so I over compensated and worked out all the time and then started teaching aerobics, so it's something I do have to monitor so don't wear myself down. 

I'm running a half marathon in April and need a new training methods.  Any ideas?!?!

What's your favorite things about your community?

In honor of Stephanie's EP coming out here is a preview of one of her songs.  Check her out on iTunes :)

Blessings, xoxo



Today changed my life...Misunderstood

I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I accepted a subbing position this morning at 5 A.M...

If you have not read previous posts I'll fill you in on my career this year.  I'm a full time nanny to a 1 year old boy and any days I get off I sub in the Metro Nashville school district.  I do this to network so I can get a teaching job next school year. I also do it because teaching is my passion and I would have missed it for a year.

The school I subbed at this morning was an inter-city school near the projects.  It was a 2nd grade classroom.  At this age you expect the kids to adore you and instantly seek your approval.  Today the exact opposite happened...Not one student was respectful towards myself or any teacher that had to come into the classroom.  I had students saying the worst possible words you can think of, telling me they wished they were dead, and telling me they don't care about me or anyone else.  I had to break up two fist fights and had to chase 2 students down the hall because they ran out of my classroom telling me they hated me and didn't care.  By lunch time I felt like a drill Sargent.  All the other teachers would get up into the kids faces yelling at them.  I tried that, but it didn't come natural.  To them I was a door mat and one more person who just didn't believe in them.

As write this I'm crying...

When my students left my classroom for lunch, I cried and prayed "God please make these kids behave the last 4 hours of school, turn their attitudes around, I'm going to burst any minute, I need your help."  I heard God just say "They need you to be proud of them, change your mind-set, it's not about you."  I cried some more...the word that came to mind for these students at this school was "Misunderstood"...

This feeling of being misunderstood is something I'm familiar with in my own life.  I have always felt that people perceive me a different way then I know myself to be.  OR, I have felt that I need to be what people expect me to be and when I either fall short of that or don't live up to that, I feel I disappoint people all the time.  Which leads to feeling so ashamed, that no matter what I would do they would always have a certain perception of me.

I never knew how bad I struggled with this until today. 

After lunch my students came back and I wanted them to know that even though they were misbehaving so badly and not doing ANYTHING I asked of them that I still believed in them.  After talking to God about it I felt my whole perception of these students had changed.  Getting in there face and yelling at them was doing only more harm to their spirits or they were perhaps immune to it because it's what they get at home.  I wanted them to know that even though they had been so bad for me and disrespectful that I still loved them, that I knew they were smart and capable of anything.  I have to admit that I was even offended by these 7 year olds, but I had this supernatural grace for them. 

After lunch, their behaviors didn't change....mine did.

Isn't that true in life though?  We want so badly for people to change or to do what we want them to and that's when we will forgive them, and that's when we will be proud of them and love them.  God tells us it's easy to love the loveable so he calls us to love the unloveable. I understand love and grace in a whole other way today and I hope it doesn't stop there.

I hope that even though I was with them just one day that they have an ounce of belief in themselves.  They came into my classroom expecting to be nothing and do nothing and I hope and pray that along the paths in their lives someone else recognizes how much love they need to survive.  I truly mean survive.

I'll never be the same after a day like today.  I see these kids who have nothing, and I complain about not being able to get an outfit I want, that I hate my phone, or I need a new laptop...wow...today truly changed my life.

P.S.- Shout out to my Dad who also calmed me down at lunch on the phone today and encouraged me to write a book for 1st year teachers (we'll see ;)). Love you Dad.

Resolutions vs. Lifestyle

New Year means new blog post, or it just means I feel it's about that time since it's been over a month ;)

First things first my best friend/sister and her Husband are having a baby!!! 

and

My beautiful friend Brie Gilbreath got engaged to Beau Beaupre on New Years Eve and I'm so glad I was home to celebrate with them.

In honor of the New Year I decided to share my so called "resolutions"...when I think of resolutions I think of something that lasts hmmmm maybe a month or so.  That's not the way for everyone, but for myself I would succeed much better if I set up a lifestyle change that I can strive to live out forever and make more changes to grow off of it in the future.  All of these are idle words unless put into action, I realize this and therefore will do my best to let them become active in my life.

So here goes THE LIST....

Spiritual

- Be about the Gospel instead of religion
-Be transparent in my walk, my struggles, and challenges.
-Know my word and let it change me
-More grace
-Love and love well
-Disciple mind-set
-WALK IN COMPLETE HUMILITY

Financial

I got Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover for Christmas and I'm going to be doing that this year.  No more impulsive shopping, or spontaneous traveling unless it's saved up and planned for.  It's going to transform my bank account.  My parent's are so good with their money, I want them to now rub off on me. 1st step is always admitting (It's part of being transparent ;)).
I have A LOT to save for...mostly it's so I can travel, I have lots of traveling dreams this year and want to get it all in this year while I can and have the time.
I'll be filling y'all in on how that's going...Dave Ramsey is a financial genius

Fitness
I have always been a big fitness person and workout regularly.  So I don't really have a goal to increase my workouts because I do OK with challenging myself.  So my fitness lifestyle change will be to eliminate ALL sugar, not including natural sugars in fruit, yogurt, and honey.  Since I'm being real I'll say I don't have a goal weight because I don't really weigh myself because the number doesn't matter to me, what matters is the size of my jeans, dresses, and most of all how I feel.  The size I feel fits my body is a size 4, which I have been since college.  Right now I'm a 6 or 8 depending on the brand. I was a size 4 all through college so I know it's something I can do, and it's something I can keep. I recognize I have curves (have since junior year of high school) and can't eliminate my hips or butt, but I know I can make my hips look smaller and so since I already eat gluten-free and organic the conclusion I came to is SUGAR :).  I CAN DO IT...I think. For those of you who have fitness resolutions I think it's wonderful and I want to encourage you in any way I can!! Keep it up, it can change your lifestyle FOREVER!  On top of this I will be running my 2nd half marathon this year in April!! Training has begun... It's a struggle..not loving it...running...yuck!

Relationships
Become more intentional in my relationships.  I cannot tell you how much God has revealed to me this year in terms of how many WONDERFUL human beings God has blessed me with in my life.  Moving to Nashville, visiting Arizona, and traveling has really given me perspective of the friends that have been in my life for years and continue to pursue me.  I want to pursue people just like they have done for me.  This includes my family, in Arizona and across the county.  I want to intentionally build on these relationships and not take any for granted.  Less social networking and more one-on-one and phone calls.  I just want to the celebrate people in my life!!


The plan for 2012

1.) Go to Chicago, Florida X 2, Haiti, Home X 2.
2.) Start ballet again
3.) Sell my gluten-free banana bread to a cafe in town to sell (if you want the recipe let me know!)
4.) Start my Children's book
5.) Start my Master's degree
6.) Get re certified in aerobics and Zumba

The great things going on this year

-My best friend/sister will be having a baby, making me an Aunt.
-My neighbors and friends will also be having a baby
-1 cousin and 3 of my friends are getting married
- My roommate's EP comes out
- The Hunger Games movie comes out ;)
-Last but not least....It's another year we are ALIVE :)

Song on repeat at the moment :)

Blessings, Darlings :)