{lately} with the other alex

I think I've got a thing for Alexs. 

A is in Spain right now - to return on Sunday (PRAISE THE LORD!) - but that didn't mean that I had an Alex-free weekend the past few days. No, no, no. A weekend without an Alex seemed unfathomable to me, so I had one of my best friends from IU, girl Alex, come visit me in Minneapolis! Okay, that's not why she came to visit. She came because she's amazing and lives in Madison and wanted to spend a weekend with me before I head south, BUT it did result in an Alex-filled weekend! 

The weekend started off a little rocky when Alex called me from the road to let me know that a) she forgot her wallet in Madison, b) she was out of gas, and c) she was still 45 minutes away in Hudson, WI. Never a dull moment! I quickly poured my full glass of Malbec back into the bottle (no waste here!) and hopped into my car to meet her in Hudson, laughing to myself because it was obviously something that I would do, too. After that, it was a great weekend, the highlight of which was brewery hopping in Northeast yesterday! I love the atmosphere at the local breweries here and wish I'd spent more time at them now.

Clockwise from top left: Check out the photobomber behind Alex at Indeed Brewing!;
Enjoying Let it Ride IPA at Indeed Brewing; I loved the Six and Rated R brews at 612Brew;
Beer flight at 612Brew

 

I've also been in major TFA-prep mode. I have over 45 hours of readings, classroom observations, and logistical pre-work to complete before induction begins on June 3. It feels great to finally be doing things to prepare me for my new gig. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous and getting anxious about becoming a teacher. My biggest fear is that I'm ineffective in the classroom and my students suffer because of it - and that's a fear that's popped up a lot over the last few weeks. But then I went to KIPP Minneapolis's Saturday School this weekend and what could have been an overwhelming time watching talented teachers help kids struggling to prepare for MCAs actually re-established for me why I'm doing this and that change can happen, slow and difficult as it may be.

sign on the wall at KIPP Academy: "We do more & achieve more"

I miss A like crazy. It's only been 10 days, but guys - that's actually the longest we've gone apart from each other since we started dating! He'll be gone for 16 days total this time, and then again for more than six weeks next time. And when he gets back, I'll probably be in training in Tulsa, so who knows when we'll actually see each other! My heart hurts just thinking about it, but I know we'll make it through and be all the stronger for it afterward. 

A & me last summer at Wisconsin Dells - he's such a stud :)

This quote from C.S. Lewis was in my morning devotion from She Reads Truth:

I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time - waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God - it changes me. 

I envy his perspective on prayer and hope (and pray!) that I awaken a new fervor for prayer through this study. Prayer is an area of my life that has been lacking, I think, and affecting how I view my faith and how I live out my faith. I'm excited to dive into another great She Reads Truth study! Click on the link above and join me if you'd like - I'd love to chat about it :)

6 weeks until Charlotte, guys!