1st Annual Diamond Dash 5K... in the books!

Well the 1st annual Diamond Dash 5K is in the books! Done! Finito! Finished! Over!!!!

It was fantastic! There were plenty of rough patches along the way, but we got it done. I'm so proud of my girls and softball parents for all their hard work. We were able to raise $1700 for our season after expenses! It was a huge success and we had way more people than we expected. There were 82 participants!!! I think next year could be even better. I have plenty of things that I need to work on and I've already made a list of those changes I need to make. It was so cold, but everyone commented on how much fun it was... and apparently I mapped out a pretty tough course! I'm glad it was a hit and I hope to have the 2nd annual Diamond Dash 5K race next year!

Now it's time to get ready for softball season. I have another LOOOONG to-do list for this week. It never seems to end, but I'm glad the race is over so I can focus on something else.

Softball is looking good right now. We have a team LOADED with talent and girls ready to work hard. Can't wait to go to bed tonight. I'm exhausted.

One last note... it was so great to have all my friends and family and those from the community that just came out to help the team. I appreciate such community spirit in our county. I know my girls are just as thankful!

Thankful for community support,
Katelyn

Here we go...

I just applied for a job in Florida. I've pretty much decided that if I get an interview or anything that I am just going to stay here for another year because I'd really like to be here for all of Holli's wedding prep this coming year, but I decided to apply anyways. I just don't want to ignore the longing that God has placed on my heart for the past few months so I'm going to apply and see what happens. My principal was very supportive when I talked to her because I wanted to put her down as a reference. It was good to have her support. She said she'd miss me if I left but that she wanted me to do what's best. She said that if I didn't like it and I wanted to come back here that they'd welcome me with open arms. That was very reassuring. I'm thankful that God blessed me with such a supportive administration and faculty around me as well.

Softball has started up this year. We had tryouts this past week. I have a VERY talented group of 13 girls! I'm really excited to see what the year brings. Me and my momma and daddy worked on the field today to get it ready for practice. I'm sore already, but it looks SO much better than it did when we had tryouts this week. I really hope that I can be a good coach. Being a good player and being a good coach are two completely different things. I just hope that I can help these girls reach their full potential.

My classes are going ok right now. I am trying to stay caught up on grading and such, but it's so easy to get behind with everything I have going on.

We have almost 75 people in the 5K and 1-mile races!! I am super excited! It's a huge success already! I was even contacted by a guy who lives in Springfield and has friends running the race. He does a morning show on channel 5 and gave our 5K race a plug at 5am Friday morning!! I am very thankful for the success this has been thus far. I just hope I can get everything ready this week and stay on top of my school work at the same time.

I got to see some of my bestest friends last night! I was able to go to Lipscomb after a movie with my roomie and her friends last night. I got to hang out with Brooke, John, and Nathan. It was good to see them. I even got to spend the night with Brooke. I thank God for the amazing friends he's placed in my life.

Here's to another week in God's service to my students and those around me. Help me to be a light.

Katelyn

Ready for a slow down

SO many things are going on right now. I'm VERY busy getting the 5K together. It's going really well! Almost 50 people are signed up for it and we still have 2 weeks to go! I'm also busy trying to stay caught up on all my school stuff AND I'm helping plan decorations for the Sweetheart Banquet at church this wknd. I had a particularly terrible past 2 weeks. Actually it's just been tough altogether since we got back from Christmas. I struggle to get up in the mornings. It's hard to make myself go to work when I know I have SO much to get done. I told another teacher today that if this semester had been my first semester of teaching, I would have quit. It's a good thing I had a pretty good first semester because I know how rewarding and fun teaching can be. I'm trying to get back to that...

My roommate and I are trying to map out plans for opening a bakery! This is a plan on the backburner, but if my semester continues this way, I could see myself baking for the rest of my life. I love it! So that's on the side right now.

Also I am thinking about moving to Florida to teach. That's still on the backburner as well. I haven't filled out any apps yet, but I REALLY miss FL.

On an exciting note: My physics class is getting better. My kids seem to be having more fun as long as I get them up and moving and keep them involved. Today was good! I had a student tell me today that this was the most challenging class he'd ever had. I asked if that was a good thing and he said "that's a very good thing." I've never been challenged to think like this before." I think that is the biggest compliment I have received as a teacher. It really renewed my spirit.

I am excited to get softball going next week. Nervous, but excited. But for now I have some dishes to wash before I work on my school stuff.

Ready for a slow down,
Katelyn

Rough week

It's been a particularly rough week at school and just in general.

I broke one of my new year's goals by only working out 2 times this week instead of 3. Fail.

My algebra 2 class was awful all week long. They were wild and no matter what I did, I couldn't get them to calm down.

I gave a test to that same algebra 2 class and the grades were not so good... that's always discouraging.

I caught one of my really good fun algebra 2 students giving answers to 2 other students on a study guide. It broke my heart. It hurt. A lot.

I got a 5K donation envelope that had no check in it because the donor forgot to seal it... fantastic.

I felt like a terrible physics teacher ALL WEEK LONG because I kept butchering problems when I was trying to explain them or I was confusing my students. It was really frustrating to me considering physics was my major in college. I should be a pro at it! Instead, my incredibly smart physics students were correcting me every other problem and bringing up questions I wasn't sure how to answer. It was a nightmare. I've always been scared my students would be smarter than me since I had to work hard in physics to do well... I nervous that nightmare has become reality.

I got observed for an environment observation on Thursday. My algebra 1 class was taking a test, but by the time he came in, they were mostly done so I let them get on the computers or play some of my quiet logic games at their seat. I got a low score because students were "out of control" and I wasn't managing behavior. THEY WERE QUIET!!! That's all I care about when other students are taking a test, frankly. I don't understand why because they weren't all still sitting at their seats scribbling furiously on some useless time wasting assignment after the test, that they are automatically considered out of control. Ridiculous.

The weather has been pretty depressing too. I need sunshine in my life. Being in rainy, cloudy, landlocked TN is really a struggle for me right now considering this time last year I was living in 75 degree weather where it was sunny 6 days of the week.

Speaking of this time last year, I've also had disney depression all this week. On Tuesday night I looked up jobs in Osceola County, FL where Disney World is. I found 2 physics teaching jobs. I wouldn't leave now, but it's tempting to go down there where it's sunny and warm most of the time. I miss my friends from Disney. I know they aren't still there, but a few of them are going to be moving back in a year or so for good and I would love to re-live that experience. I just wish I could rewind and live that whole Disney CP experience all over again. It was amazing and yes, I'm thankful for the experience, but I resent it's lingering after taste that leaves me longing for a non-realistic life living in Cinderella's castle with Katie, Emily, Jacks, Kelli, and Bri. It's depressing.

Not only do I miss my Disney experience, but I also miss the college experience. I was really down this week about how I didn't feel like I had any friends. Now I know this isn't true, but I feel like that because there are only about 2 people other than my roommate that I could call up and say "hey let's go get ice cream in 10 minutes" and it could happen. I miss that ready access you have in college and that I also had at Disney to friends where you can just load up and go do something fun for a little bit. Instead, all of my close college and Disney friends now live in Utah, Illinois, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and Nashville. The latter 3 are just a short drive, but as a girl saving for my masters and my baseball trip fund, I can't afford (with my gas guzzler) to drive every weekend to Nashville or further. Therefore I'm left to foster relationships every few weeks with visits, every week with phone calls, and every month or so with cards. I feel so alone.

This contributed to me wanting to move. I feel so comfortable here in Springfield that I guess I thought if I moved I would be forced to put myself out there and make new friends, but then I think about on The Holiday when Cameron Diaz trades houses and goes to England for Christmas to get away from thinking about how alone she is... and she feels even more alone when she gets there. I can't run from my loneliness. It will follow me. I make the decision to be lonely or not. I need to make new friends and put myself out there no matter where I am. It's hard when I live in a town that I've lived in my whole life except for college. I pray that God will help me see the joy and how I can be content no matter what my situation or where I find myself in life.

It took a little verbal smack in the face from my lovely friend Brooke to help me see all of this. Yes crappy stuff happened this week. We all have those weeks. And we all feel really alone, but moving to FL won't change that. If I feel that I should move because of right reasons then I should go, but she said I shouldn't run from being alone. And thinking about it even more, isn't this the time when I should be turning to God? I'm never really alone, right? I'm trying so hard to feel him and see him and it's just not happening for me right now. I read his Word and pray to him. Maybe it's my turn to listen. Maybe I should shut off the music for a few minutes or just sit up without playing words with friends at night and just meditate. I've done all the complaining and talking and I guess if I want guidance I need to listen.

So despite all this loneliness and "depression" I did have a few good positive moments this week to share!

This one actually happened last week, but in response to me writing a problem on the board and telling students to "put the baby in the calculator and see what you get" one really quiet boy said "Miss Duncan, that problem is about the size of a baby." BAHAHAHA! I laughed so hard. I think it may have been more funny to me than most anyone else, but if you knew the student you'd think it was hilarious. Also, another teacher told me that that same student was talking about that moment later on in the week. Hilarious!

I have already lost 8 pounds from working out!!! 2 pounds from my goal! Now my new goal is going to be 15 pounds altogether!

I conducted my first lab as a physics teacher. It went ok. The girls didn't particularly care for it since it was a paper airplanes lab, but the boys LOVED IT!

I had to really get on to a student in the hallway for being so disrespectful to me in front of the class (I'm getting to the positive part...). It took a lot out of me and I hated to do it, but I had put up with enough and I was about to explode! So I wrote him up afterwards and gave it to the principal. The next morning she and him came to me and he apologized and very sincerely told me that I was a really good teacher and he was learning a lot from me and that he didn't want to go back to the other algebra 2 teacher (whom he had last semester). He said he would respect me from now on (we did still have a little issue later that day in class, but I handled it quietly) and that he knew I was his ticket to graduate and that he would work really hard for me. Now my principal assured me that there have been teachers that that same student has disrespected before that he absolutely refused to apologize to. She told me that I have already won him over, but it's going to take a little time for him to actually show that. She reassured me that I was a great teacher and doing a great job otherwise, this student and her would still be in her office arguing about whether he was in the right or wrong for disrespecting me in front of the class. This made my Friday morning a little better!

Last night, I got an encouraging text from another teacher at school who is a close friend telling me that I was doing a great job with the kids and that my physics kids were bragging on me and my class! I was so happy, especially after thinking this week in physics went terribly!

The good student that I caught cheating did apologize to me the next day and said it wouldn't happen again. I will still be cautious, but it was good to hear an apology.

Life has it's ups and downs, it's up to me to decide if I'm going to dwell on the downs and let them last longer than they should. Even if there is no SUNshine in my life each day, I am going to make a focused effort to bask in the SONshine EVERY day!

Glory to God,
Katelyn

Some firsts...

The other day I got asked to write a recommendation letter for a student. It's the first time I've ever been asked to do that! It made me excited to think about why that student asked me. Obviously I've built a strong relationship with her and she trusts me to give my honest opinion about her. She's such a sweet girl and I love her so much! I couldn't have been more honored! I know this seems like a small thing, but it was a first for me and just really seemed like a big thing to me.

Also, I have had a couple of students say they wish they had me in class. Talk about a confidence booster! I was texting a friend the other day who works at another school in the county. She happens to work with a parent of one of the kids at my school. When my friend asked the student's mom if she knew me, she said she didn't. She apparently went home and asked her son about me and came back to school to tell my friend that her son said I was really cool and he wished he could have had me in class! I just love building relationships with these kids! Love my job!!

I also lost my voice for the first time this week. That was interesting. I have had kids talk for me and I've had to limit my talking. The kids have been super good for me because they know I don't have a voice and they need to hear what I'm going to say... maybe I should fake this ALL the time!!!

We are also currently getting our first snow of the year! Maybe I'll even get to experience my first snow day as a teacher!!! I HOPE SO!!!

Loving it all,
Katelyn

A new year, a better me!

With the new year, a lot of people make new year's resolutions. My best friend, Katie and I have decided to make goals for the new year. I'm glad we're calling these goals instead of resolutions, simply because of the quitter stigma that usually lies with resolutions. Most people forget they even made resolutions around Valentine's Day. However, me and Katie are going to keep each other accountable for these goals. We broke them up into 5 categories: Career, Spiritual, Financial, Health, and Fun. Here's what I decided to set as my goals for the new year...

Career

1. Begin my master's degree
2. Organize my Algebra notes notebooks for next year

Spiritual

1. Lead a high school girl's bible study 1 night a week this summer
2. Keep a prayer journal consistently

Financial

1. Put $100 more in my savings account each month starting in February
2. When I've saved up enough money for my master's degree, put half of what I'd been investing in savings into vacation account every month

Health

1. Work out 3 days a week
2. Lose 10 pounds

Fun

1. Visit 2 more ball parks
2. Get Disney reunion plans set in stone
3. Go on 6 dates... so about 1 every other month
4. Meet the love of my life (ok so this one isn't realistic, but why not put it down anyways?!)

As another year has passed in my life, I want to see this as another opportunity to better myself. As I told Katie: this is going to be our year! I'm excited about the year to come and all the good times (and trying times) that are to be had in order for me to grow as a person, daughter, teacher, friend, role model, and Christian woman. I pray that God blesses my goals and endeavors in the coming year.

Here's to another year,

Katelyn

30 Before I'm 30

I'm on a quest to see a game at all 30 major league ballparks before I turn 30. I started this journey a year and a half ago. It all started with one spontaneous trip to Cincinnati to see a Reds/Dodgers game with my friends Daniel and Carter in April of 2010. If I'd been smart about this, I would have documented my adventures as they happened... better late than never!

Daniel had become one of my good friends through being RA's together at school. One afternoon, his friend Carter and him were planning a random one-day road trip to go see the Reds play the Dodgers in Cincinnati just for fun. (Carter is a Dodgers fan.) I got the invite and decided to go! Why not?! I would totally love to skip class for a ball game road trip! I'd never been to Cincinnati and thought it would be fun. No, I wasn't a fan of either team, but wouldn't it be cool to say I'd been to that ballpark?

On the drive there, I began thinking about how fun it would be to say I've been to all the MLB ballparks, and not only go to them, but see a game at each of them. I'm a big Braves fan, but I love baseball in general. This just seemed like a really cool goal. Only one problem: I had NO idea how many of them there were. When I got home, I looked it up. There are 30 ball clubs, so naturally there would be 30 ballparks to visit. I needed to set a deadline for this goal. It just seemed so obvious that I should try to go to all 30 before I turned 30! I was 21 at the time I set this goal, so 9 years seemed like plenty of time to accomplish this!

Over the course of telling some people about my new goal and them asking questions about it, I decided I also needed to set guidelines on this new goal... like what if a ballpark I'd been to was torn down and replaced by a new one? Do I have to go to the new one as well? Do I actually have to actually see a game at each park I visit or can I just go see the ball park? So here's what I decided. Here are my ball park road trip guidelines:

• I have to actually go to a game at the ball park
• If a new ballpark is built and one I've been to is torn down, it's grandfathered in, meaning I don't have to revisit that franchise's park.
• I will take a picture of myself with the field in the background at each park.
• I have until my 30th birthday to reach my goal.

So what if I reach this goal? I wanted to have some kind of reward for myself (as if all these baseball trips wasn't rewards enough...). I decided that if I accomplish this goal that I will reward myself with a trip to one of 2 things. Either: the next World Series, OR the next Home-Run Derby or All-Star Game.

Of course not all of these rules and guidelines and rules came together all at once, but it's been a process and definitely a fun one at that!

The Cincinnati trip was fun and it was a good start to my adventure!

Almost 2 years later, I have been to 6 ballparks and am loving the journey! So let me recap where I've been...

After my trip to Cincinnati, I was revved and ready to go on all these awesome trips! I just knew this goal was going to be easy to accomplish (yeah right). Every semester Lipscomb has a "dead day" which is just a day for everyone to cram and study before finals begin. I did the only logical thing I could see fit to do on this day that semester: road trip to St. Louis. I tried to get Daniel and Carter to go, but they said that was a little too far to drive up and back to in one day. I asked SO many of my friends. Everyone said they needed to study, didn't want to spend the money or just wasn't a baseball fan. I was bound and determined to go though. I even told my mom I would go by myself. Of course she didn't like that idea, but I was determined. Finally I convinced 2 of my sisters in my service club to go with me! I was SO excited! We left at like 6 that morning to get up there for the game that afternoon. The Cards were playing the Braves, which was perfect for me! Becky, Anna, and I had SO much fun. It was a super long day though. Even though it was kind of a random trio to go on the trip, I wouldn't change that trip for the world. Those girls helped make that trip memorable for sure!

That summer Daniel, our friend Landon, and I met up in Atlanta with our other friend Chelsea. We had such a fun weekend there and also knocked another ball park off my list. Now of course I'd been to Atlanta plenty of times before that (and since), but this was the official visit since I'd started my journey.

After that came family vacation to D.C. Now, I'd hoped to visit the Nationals park and the Orioles park too, but my family had different plans. They didn't want to spend that much time at ballparks on their vacation (I thought it was a great idea...). Plus, the Nationals were out of town the WHOLE week we were in D.C. so that was a bummer. We did drive up to Baltimore one day for a ballgame there. It was rainy and kind of yucky for the first part of the game, but still a fun experience nonetheless. I was really glad to get to share part of my journey to my goal with my family too!

I will admit, I was bummed that I didn't get to see the Nationals while we were there, but that just means another fun D.C. trip will have to happen. So after all of those parks, I was starting to realize how expensive this mission was going to be. HOWEVER, I knew that once I had a teaching job and was on salary that I would totally be able to knock out the parks in the summer times. (I also soon found out that wasn't entirely true... these trips are expensive regardless!)

Baseball season ended for the year and I was left to wonder what parks I would go to the next season. In the meantime I applied and got accepted for the Disney College Program. This opened up the possibility of visiting the Florida ballparks!

I actually didn't go to either ball park in Florida until towards the end of my 4 months living there. At the end of my program, my new bestie, Katie, and I went for a beach day in Tampa. After our lovely beach afternoon, we went to a Marlins game that night. It was fantastic! Of course everything we did together was an adventure, but it was good to mark off another ball park with a new best friend!

 That same week, we were heading off to the Bahamas on a cruise with another one of our new besties, Emily. We decided that since our port was in Miami, that when we got back from the cruise, me and Katie would just have another beach day and go to a Marlins game. That was probably the best beach day EVER. We literally found the most perfect secluded beach spot. It was the most beautiful serene beach I've ever been on. We were there for like 5 hours. Oh how I miss those wonderful beach excursions! After our flawless beach day, we went to a Marlins game. It was a pretty sad looking stadium in the middle of NOWHERE. But that didn't matter because I'd crossed another park off my list!! That was also one of mine and Katie's last trips together (which makes me really sad because she's my best friend now and I miss her SOOOOO much).

That's the last ballpark I've been to up to this point. I'm super excited to see what adventures this summer will bring. I am planning a potential trip to either Chicago and Milwaukee to visit the Cubs, White Sox, and Brewers stadiums OR a trip to Cleveland and Pittsburgh (and maybe Detroit) to get the Indians, Pirates, and maybe the Tigers stadiums crossed off my list! I really wanted to go to NYC and Boston this summer, but since I'm planning on starting my masters degree this summer, funds won't be there for that trip just yet. I'm also hoping maybe a trip to Cali will happen next summer... we'll see!

Ready for more,
Katelyn