a post by your friend Lauren (or Laurel, or Gloria, or Laura... depending on who you are)

            I am so proud of my kids! And all the elementary kids!  They performed their Christmas Program for the Middle School/High School chapel today and they did so well!!  It was so fun to see them in their costumes!! They are way too cute!  Okay, enough of that!

            The fifth graders threw a surprise going-away party for their teacher today.  She was their 4^th grade teacher last year and agreed to stay another half year as the fifth grade teacher this year because the regular 5^th grade teacher was on furlough.  So he is coming back for next semester and she is going to Maine.  She is the most spunky 77 year old you will ever meet, and she has blessed me SO MUCH in my short time here.  Always telling me how thankful she is that I am here and how I am an answer to her prayers.. seriously she is so sweet!  Sometimes, she thinks my name is Laurel, but that’s okay.  For some reason, most people think I say something else when I first introduce myself.  Just last weekend at church, the lady sitting in front of me thought my name was Gloria.  One of the guards calls me Laura.

            Back to the topic at hand.. last week I found a note in my box that said she was ripping her prayer journals up in preparation to leave and she found a prayer that she wrote for a new 4^th grade teacher.  And then she said “so, you see, Lauren, you are an answer to prayer!”  It came at the perfect time too!

            One of the parents was welcoming everybody and Pat (the 5^th grade teacher) stands up and gives this whole speech about how she is so thankful I am here and how she knows I will be a teacher forever “with maybe a break in there to get married and have kids!”  She went on and on and I felt so guilty because it was HER party… but after a speech like that, how can I leave this school after a year?  If only it wasn’t so far from home!  That would make the decision a whole lot easier!

            I have all the presents for my kids wrapped which I am so excited about because when I give them the presents, it will be the last day of school which means I will get to board a plane soon! : )