"we are finished." school that is. well josh is for real finished- i am so proud of my college graduate. and so proud especially for applying to a million different school districts and looking for job opportunities anywhere and everywhere. he is so responsible. and that makes me swell inside knowing how blessed i am for his hard work ethic.

so far i have straight As, but i must have rubbed off too much on two of my professors because they have procrastinated on posting final grades. i suppose i am not allowed to complain because i procrastinate too. [sigh.]

okay well, we are leaving tomorrow. for Bruxelles, Belgique. brussels that is. i am excited/nervous/in a daze/ going crazy because i feel like i should have more to do. but i think we are ready. bags (almost) packed. errands done. i will be gone for a while but maybe will have some spare time to blog. who knows though.

we do not have much of an itinerary but on the list for sure is: Paris, Bruges, Brussels.

i cant really believe this is happening. i have ALWAYS wanted to go to europe and speak french and by baguettes from la boulangerie and now i have been given that opportunity and i feel so very blessed. i am excited to see my new parents and see the world and take pictures and be with josh. i am super excited to practice my french too. i am much better after this semester- i had a brilliant professor. learned beaucoup. i find myself translating things i say or people say into french. but in no way am i fluent but i think we will get by easily! (i hope!)

mes amis, à bientôt! maintenant, il faut necessairé que j'aille et emballer.
(my friends, see you soon! i must go and pack now.)

nous sommes fini.

lynchburg & nine months.

today marks 9 months of marriage for josh and i... my oh my how time flies. seriously. i am realizing more than ever how life really is a breathe in the whole scheme of things in this world. i want to keep remembering that time is not guaranteed and it is completely uncontrollable. so happy 9 months joshua... i still cant believe i get to spend the rest of my life with you.

this past weekend we went to lynchburg. dan and ally are one of our favorite couples to be around- we all get each other and i just really love that. so when we heard mark driscolls marriage tour was going to lynchburg we asked dan and ally if they'd be interested in going... they are not married but will probably be one day and the even welcomes dating couples as well. so dan left radford and we left norfolk to set out for lynchburg. what else made this weekend such a good one is that allys birthday was sunday na dans is tuesday- so we got to celebrate a bit with them! the conference was great. mark driscoll is a funny guy who speaks truth. we learned a lot and honestly just being able to sit and breathe for a minute together was a blessing for us. the conference went until 12 pm on saturday. by far my favorite part of the conference was the very end. driscoll offered all the men in the room to stand up and take a vow to love god and be a leader for their wife and family. dan asked ally if he could stand up which was seriously so sweet and respectful. so the men all stood up and after were able to pray over all the wives. it was so beautiful. and moving.

so after our other friends from chesapeake met us up in lynchburg just to hang out. katie & brandon. they couldnt come to the conference so we all met up after to eat lunch. we ate at the market on main... a little townie lunch in downtown lynchburg. it was a really cute little place. then the girls headed over to the jcrew warehouse sale while the boys went to climb (of course... dan and josh love love love to climb and i heard brandon wasn't too shabby either) so let me tell you briefly about this jcrew warehouse sale... absolutely insane. we waited an hour to get inside. it isn't a clearance event at a store. its a warehouse with boxes and boxes of stuff. all with set prices. shoes $10-20, little kids crewcuts stuff $2-10, womens dresses for $20. not kidding- i got a 100% silk dress originally marked $168 for $20.... that is a steal. you have to dig. but it was thrilling/exhausting. they give you a price list when you walk in and a trash bag. you cant try anything on but we wore camis and made due somehow. it was wonderful. it also only happens about once every 3-4 months. but worth the wait.

after a long day at the warehouse we went to the fosters home where we stayed. they are a couple on the young life committee in lynchburg and are absolutely one of the coolest married couples we have ever met. their home was beautiful and their kids were so sweet (3,8, and 10) those are both understatements. their home was insanely gorgeous- he is a contractor and built it himself. on the way home josh and i both said how blessed we were to stay there. heidi made dinner saturday night and it was so good with rodneys home brewed beer too.

a beautiful and wonderful weekend.

couple things:
1. i finished the 2nd book in the hunger games trilogy and im hooked. trying to hold myself off for the 3rd one until NEXT WEEK when we go to europe.... yup next week we leave.

2. josh is officially finished on friday. please pray that a maury SS teacher is planning on leaving... that would be such a blessing.

also that i could find a summer job... hummm

3. happy birthday to some of our favorite people to be around- dan & ally we love you so much and are so glad we got to spend some time with you this past weekend. cant wait to make our viral videos, get rich and famous, build houses in the obx, and use the rest to open a rock gym/craft store.

lynchburg & nine months.

boston.

josh was on spring break last week so when my brother and dad told us in january that they were going to boston, we asked if we could tag along. a little break for him while he is student teaching...

well next thing you know, my whole family is going. so my family left wednesday afternoon for one of the best cities in the US.

i love boston. so does josh. he loves big cities and new england in general. nyc is pretty- but boston is beautiful. its clean. and you have to love the new england accent and food. seriously though- if youve never been you should go. the buildings all have so much character and not to mention the best seafood money can buy.

it was a beautiful weekend and my parents surprised josh and i with tickets to opening day at fenway park. for those of you who dont know- i was born and raised a red sox fan- and if i were anything else, id be banished from the family im sure. i love the red sox. i used to follow it much more in middle & high school and it is harder for me now since we dont have cable and our schedule is crazy. but i still love the red sox. theres something magical about being at a baseball park- and its ten time more magical at fenway park. its 100 years old this year- no park has ever reached that (and to think they were thinking about tearing it down a few years ago!) the smell of hot dogs, sausages, and beer. the lights, the people yelling. oh i do love it.

 100 years.

my sisters beautiful family.

my beautiful family.

we crushed the rays in the 8th inning.

crazy kids- jaydon & savannah.

we left boston and headed to my cousins house for the night- jennifer, michael, patrick, and little michael. what a family we have. sad we didnt get a picture of everyone, but it was wonderful to see them again and catch up. i love my cousins.

little michael, patrick, savannah and jaydon eating breakfast. 

boston was good for us. josh and i got to spend some time together with no agenda. we needed that. this trip has me more and more anxious for europe in a couple weeks- nervous but mostly excited!

have a wonderful week....

boston.

the good & the bad.

the bad.

i have to go through an interview process to officially be accepted to the odu education program. thursday i received an email "your followup interview is for april 18th." perfect. i mark it on my calendar.
the next day i get an email saying i missed my appointment and need to call monday morning. needless to say- i freaked out. hildy was here...(sorry hildy...) i call almost immediately because there must be some sort of mix up. the lady i have to deal with is... well... not the nicest woman in the world- at all. i told her i never received an email about the first interview which i guess was on march 22nd. she tells me she and dr.butler both received the email and told me i must have forgot. i didnt forget. i wouldnt forget. so im trying to explain to her that i dont see any missed emails- the only one i received was yesterdays. i start crying. and she told me "stop crying. its not the end of the world. calm down." what? why was she being so rude? i do not know. i do know that they have gotten a lot of complaints about their customer service. i told her i was looking at my email right now and the only one i got from her was the one from yesterday. she told me shes not going to argue with me.... ummmm.... im not arguing. im upset and trying to explain myself. i am NOT  a slack student. she told me "im hanging up now. you need to call back monday." never in my life have i been talked to like that from a complete stranger.

i sobbed hysterically for about 20 minutes. not a good start to the weekend. josh reminds me she is only the grumpy secretary. luckily she has no say in my academic future.

i went to the office myself in person monday in-between classes. she was on lunch (whew!) the nicer later takes a message, but no word by 330 so i call back. mean lady answers and i make the conversation short. she is looking for three "panel members" to do the interviews and will let me know soon.

im so worried itll be next thursday or friday- i will be out of town. we are going to boston to see family. i NEVER see my family. i will be so so sad.


please please pray it wont be on thursday or friday....





lets end with the good.

last thursday was a day i will always remember. i got a sub job as a kindergarten teacher assistant. i wanted a higher paying job (being assistant makes less....) but this would due. i am so glad i didn't find a new job. i subbed at thurgood marshall elementary school. its a title 1 school. that means most of the kids come from a very low income area. most of the kids were fed breakfast. and provided a lunch as well- along with an afternoon snack. at 730 the kids started pouring into the cafeteria and getting their breakfast. most of the teachers were so grumpy.... but my heart melted when those little 5 and 6 year olds smiled at me and asked me "are you nice?" being at a title 1 school also means full day kindergarten (i like the idea of full day kindergarten so much more.) so i had the little ones all day and those kids melted my heart and warmed my soul. there was only one white boy in the class. much different than anything i have ever done- i went to hickory. i still remember their names, and ill probably spell them all wrong. quasean, ja'sean, amiya, namya, zanya, and jamaya, raleek, najeeh, amandre, david, thomas, angela. i loved them all. i loved seeing how smart they all were. they were in kindergarten- counting money. thats so advanced! i was impressed. they have a good teacher. they all wanted to write my name with chalk during recess.... a dozen times each. they got these things called "blurts" and you put a check by your initials on the back board if you are not following the rules. ja'sean was a little bit of a worm- he liked to wiggle. he was also about 4" shorter than everyone with these huge glasses. oh my goodness he was so cute. he got a blurt and had to go give imself a check. so he walks to the back board, grabs a piece of chalk, and just looks up at where the teacher had placed his initials for that day- it was like he was looking up at the beanstalk from "jack and the beanstalk" i couldnt help but chuckle it was so darn cute because he stood on his tip toes as if he was going to be able to reach it- he was about a foot away from even being close. those kids taught me so much. no one wants to teach at a title 1 school. well almost no one. it can be rough. but those sweet babies are kids just like me and deserve so much- deserve a chance at learning and growing.

oh my heart still melts when i think of those kids... i keep telling josh "i want to go back and see the babies."

i hope one day.

the good & the bad.

free.

a while ago i was talking to my new friend janis here in chesapeake. just talking about life- it was mostly just her asking me questions because she is that type of person who cares that much. i love that about her. anyways, we were talking about my heart. i told her straight up. it has not been good. i feel bound by everything in my life and i have little joy.

yesterday i said i feel "bleh." i think im ready to expand my thoughts on that feeling. i told janis this. "i feel like i am in this room. like we all start in this room and because of sin we are bound in this room by chains. i imagine this room to be cold. damp. and made of stone. also in darkness. but because Jesus came and died for us, we have the choice of letting him free us from those chains and that room. were free to see the world and really live. live life like he intends us to. and i believe because this room is so familiar, i am still sitting there, with the little light from the door shining through, but holding onto my chains, as if they were a part of me, but i am totally free to let go."

thats where i am at. just in this room totally disconnected from everyone and everything- afraid to come out. im trying to let myself go, but my heart is bitter and callous and its really hard. so as i was thinking a lot today- i am going to let go and take this step by step. i want to feel the joy of life again, no matter what circumstances i am in. life is tough. and i dont think that is going to change because this world kind of sucks. so life will always be tough- but jesus doesnt suck. hes given me so much. the opportunity to life- life to live with him and a loving husband and friends and family (even if a lot are far) and that life will not be perfect and may be hard but i know i have hope and joy and freedom. freedom to let go- get up- and walk. walk with Him.

i will choose freedom. and im not going to be bound to anything- ill only be bound for the promise land.
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speaking of free- who scored free movie tickets to the hunger games at macarthur for next saturdays date night? yup. me. went to school early to get tickets they were giving away for students. they also are going to give us free refreshments. can not wait.
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** also my brotherinlaw is coming home tomorrow! read about their story here. please pray for a safe flight and that their little family of four will reconnect and learn so much from this experience. also that jason can find a new job soon.

happy weekend everyone.

free.

the gym.

oops. i forgot to blog a dozen times. to be honest, i do not have much to say- i have not been in tune with myself lately (or anyone else for that matter.) i am off. and i just have not felt connected so i therefore i have not really had much to say.

things are moving so slowly yet so fast around the henderson household. we go to boston with my family in a couple weeks. and then after that only two weeks of school for josh and i. then after my exams the following week, we are off to europe. when i put it that way it seems like it'll fly by. but lately i have been dragging so everything seems about five times slower.

 not sure what is up with me. the only way i can describe it is "bleh." literally i am "bleh." that is all i have to say about that.

last week i spent some time with a friend ally. i would most definitely consider her one of my best, that i am confident to say. we have not been long time friends but we get each other. maybe because we have the same name. of because we are dating the same people (not literally, but dan and josh are so alike) whatever the reason i just love her so much. we got a little taste of summer last week, laying by her pool and going to the beach. can. not. wait. we connect so well. and i love that.

spring is officially here. josh is applying to schools all over- and we are praying the lord would guide that decision. but for now we wait. maybe until august. who knows. i am excited for him to be done with student teaching and hopefully be able to get his own class next year. i just know he is going to be a wonderful teacher- he works so hard and has a big heart for that.

we are also looking for summer jobs. any suggestions?

happy wednesday everyone. check out this ecard that pretty much nails it when describing me and my relationship with the gym:

sorry for this boring post- just wanted to give you an update.

xoxo

the gym.

dear spring,

i invite you to stay for a while.
love, ally.

.....
seriously though. i am craving warm weather like i never have before! i hate this bipolar weather. the warm days (like today) are teasing me. josh on the other hand is dreaming of being in montreal where the winters average 20F. ew.

yesterday was lovely out. 67 and sunny. josh came home and surprised me with a trip to the zoo complete with a strawberry limeade from doumars first. oh they are so so good. i know they will be a weakness for me once spring & summer come and stay for real.

lately i have been in a funk. slump. valley. i am not quite sure what to call it. but not feeling well. perhaps because while im on spring break josh has a really busy week student teaching. sad that we cannot relax together. also feeling extremely alone. josh is not home. SOL week means cut throat sub jobs. and i do not have many friends here in the first place, but even when friends are home from college, seems as though everyone is busy.

just not feeling myself this week. and our financial situation isn't the best currently. i think that is why i crave the sun- so i can go to the beach and read or write or sit. but instead i hate the cold and cant fathom going outside for an extended period of time. not sure if you could classify this "seasonal depression" but i am definitely not feeling myself. i am distant. lonely. narrow-minded. selfish. sad.

i am learning to trust that God still has us. he will provide for us financially. and i know he is here to comfort me. he still holds me dearly. i know this. but i am fairly certain i am not allowing myself to feel that. i am just closed off. but trying really hard to break down those walls and to live life like God intended me to- free. but i am pretty sure i am fighting off everything. but that is not my job. i need only to be still. so i will make my heart still and trust that god knows me and cares for me and is fighting for me.

glad to have a husband who truly cares for me and is patient with me and loves me well. i am so blessed beyond measure.

dear spring,

wedding video.

i am so beyond excited to share this with you! our wedding video!

matt benson did an AMAZING job. seriously. he is a really good friend of ours and also did our engagement pictures. i am so glad we did this. pictures are wonderful, but bringing it to life really put the cherry on top. i will not say any more. just watch it. thank you everyone for being a part of our day and our life. third day really was so special.

check out our wedding video {here}

wedding video.