Day 13: Goals

I think about goals all the time. I teach my students to set goals for themselves. Goals are an important part of life.

My (daily life) goals are very simple ones: (in no particular order)
1. Be the kind of wife God expects me to be.
2. Be the kind of Christian woman God expects me to be.
3. Be a good MilShelb Mom.
4. Be a caring teacher.

My goals for the future: (in no particular order)
1. Pass evaluations.
2. Become debt-free.
3. Buy a house.
4. Make that house a home.
5. Take vacations with Jake and the MilShelb.
6. Get to heaven!!

Skipping Around Again

Day 12- What You Believe

I skipped to day 12. I thought this one looked very interesting. I had to do a little thinking, because that is a broad topic... so, I thought I'd divide it into categories.

GOD
I believe in God with every fiber of my being. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End. He is all that is and was and is to come. He is my reason for living. I believe in a loving God... an all-knowing God. A God who loves me and cares for me. A God who answers my prayers. I believe in a God who loves all people- even those who deny Him. I believe in a God that is worth living out loud for... and I do my best to live out loud for God each and every day of my life.

Children
I believe in children. I believe that all children deserve a quality education and to be taught by someone who loves them and believes in them. I believe that children are the best and most precious natural resource we have and they should be nurtured and brought up with manners, class, honesty, and the truth. I believe in believing in my students and letting them know that I believe in the with all of my heart and that I will do anything in my power to help them to succeed.

Public Education
I believe in public education. I wish more people believed in public education. If we worked this right it could really make a difference in the future of our country.

My Husband
I believe in my husband. I believe in love at first sight. I believe in a one true undying love. I believe in a love that wraps you up and holds you close and never lets you go. I believe that my husband works hard for us. He believes in me. HE believes in ME. I am so blessed.

Smiles
I believe that smiles can make someone's day better just as frowns can make someone's day much worse. You never know how much a smile can help someone out.

Gratitude
I believe in always being thankful and grateful for what you've been given. I believe in expressing gratitude whenever possible.

Call Me a Cheater...

call me what you'd like... but I'm skipping to Day 10: Something You're Afraid Of.

I used to be afraid of being alone. I'm not anymore. I have Jake. I know he will never leave me... until his dying day. He is an amazing man.

I used to be afraid of the dark... and, to be honest, I still am... but that's for another day.

Well, I take that back. Maybe I'll just make a list of things I'm afraid of...
1. the dark. :) I refuse to walk through a dark house... even my own. I hate dark parking lots, dark cars, just dark in general. I always feel like someone is behind me. Weird, I know.
2. the "unknown". I am afraid of things unknown to me... like, people dying. It's unknown when the people I love most will leave this earth and I am afraid to lose them.
3. losing my MilShelb. I hate to think of a day without them... mostly because I hardly remember my life before them. They have really changed my life.
4. Shelby running away. That girl is an escape artist. If there is a tiny hole in the fence, you'd best bet she'll find it and be gone in a heartbeat. So far, I have been fortunate enough to have been able to keep up with her... but you just never know.
5. Fire. I am deathly afraid of fire. I'd say one of my worst fears is my house catching on fire. I just cannot imagine the panic that would go through me. I would not know what to do.
6. (I know this may sound a bit odd... but I'll admit it) I am afraid of not telling Jake that I love him and then something happening to him or to me. I tell that man I love him every time I leave the house. I just never ever want him to wonder if I truly did... because I truly do.
7. getting in trouble. Now, I know that sounds strange and sounds like I am up to no good, but that's not the case. Because of this fear I am constantly checking and rechecking everything. I hate having people fuss at me. It rarely happens, but I always feel like total crap afterwards and go over and over in my mind what I should have done. Good thing I rarely get in trouble.
8. last but not least, passing evaluations. (If you don't know much about teaching in SC, we have to go through evaluations in order to become teachers with more permanent teaching certificates. It can be a very difficult process.) What will I do if I don't pass?

The thing about fear is that it's really pointless. The thing that is happening will happen whether you fear it or not. You're supposed to put your fears, burdens, and worries on God. I need to do that more... and rely on myself less.

Day 6- A Picture of Something That Makes You Happy

I'm making up for lost time. You've gotta do what you can when you have the time...

This was a wonderful day. Jake and I were both home and we got to play in the snow with the MilShelb. We loved it. I think about all the happiness on that day and smile. We don't get to spend as much time together (all 4 of us) anymore because we've (sadly) entered the world of working people where you spend more time working and sleeping than anything else... but oh to be back there just for a bit. :)

Day 5- Your Siblings

Well, I warned you I'd be horrible at this- and I am. But, to be fair to myself, I have been very sick since Saturday and haven't really been able to use the computer much. But, I'm feeling some better now and will be going back to work tomorrow... anyhoo... my siblings.

I was born an only child. However, my Mom remarried and I now have two sisters. I have known them since I was 6 or so... so, basically my whole life. Growing up we were very different. To this day, we remain very different people. I find it truly amazing that we are able to get along, because we are so different.

My sisters are both married. They both have a dog (and cats, but I don't hold that against them ;)). They both graduated (like me) from the University of South Carolina. My older sister went on to graduate school and now teaches college courses at a school in Indiana. My younger sister is recently married and works at a boutique. 

We may be very different, lead very different lives, have different goals, dreams, ideas... but we have so much in common- where we came from. My sisters taught me a lot about life. Because I was born an only child (and was pretty much still raised as one even though they were a part of my life), they taught me more about friendship than about being sisters. We did not have the traditional home life. We do not share any of the same parents through birth. My Mom and their dad are married. Simple as that... and yet very complex. It's really hard to put into words our relationship.

It's hard to sum up, but they taught me so much. I love them each... for different reasons. They are unique, wonderful ladies and I am blessed to call them family.

"If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child."

-Linda Sunshine

Day 4- Your Parents

I have amazing parents. Some may even go so far as to call them spectacular! I have parents who believe in me, taught me right from wrong, and taught me to love and fear the Lord.
I was raised in a Christian home. I ate dinner every night with my parents and sisters. We ate together, prayed together, spent time together.

Growing up, my parents strove to give me the best there was. They sacrificed for me. They made sure that I had everything I needed and most of what I wanted. My mother even gave up an entire summer to teach summer school to save money to send me to Europe for two weeks.

I grew up in the house with my mom and step-dad. My real dad died when I was a baby. He was killed in a car accident. For a few years it was just me and mom, and then came Michael and his two kids.

My family is big on vacations. We have visited tons of places and I am very blessed by that. I have seen so many places and learned so much. I have my parents to thank for that.

Family is important to my Mom. She loves family. She taught me to put family first.

My Mom rocks. I mean that. She is a generous, loving, kind woman. She taught me to give to others and not expect things in return. She also taught me to be independent and stand up for myself. I know that God knew what he was doing when He put me and mom together. :)

So, to my parents- thank you for everything! You are amazing people. I love you.

Day 3- Your First Love

Well, I'll be the brave one. I'll admit it. My husband is not my first love. When I was in high school I dated a guy (who shall remain nameless) for nearly 2 years. We were best friends. We spent lots of time together... you know, typical high school sweet heart relationships. As with many of these high school relationships, life changed after high school. We went to two different colleges in two different towns. We grew. We changed. Bad decisions were made and it ended. I learned a lot from "boy who shall remain nameless". Mostly, I learned that people can love you one moment and disappoint you the next. I learned to stand up for myself. I learned that I deserve someone who would never hurt me or make the choices that were made by "boy who shall remain nameless". I learned what a real true broken heart feels like. I learned to stand on my own two feet and to be my very own person.
Eventually I learned that this was all part of God's plan. God was preparing me for Jake. For my husband. He knew that Jake needed a woman who is independent. He needed a woman who will stand up for herself and her family and what she believes in. He needed a woman who knows to stand at his side and stand behind him to back him up all at the same time. God knew that I needed to understand that people will hurt you, but Jake never will. I trust Jake with my heart, my life... because I learned what it looks like to not be able to trust someone. I am so thankful for that lesson.
I am thankful for my first love, because it prepared me for my true love.

Day 2- The Meaning Behind Your Blog Name

Well, my blog is called "The Everyday Life of a MilShelb Mom" because MilShelb are my babies and my life revolves around them. They are my life. Well, I wish I had more time with them, to be honest, but I am a very busy person and my every day life does not include as much time for my MilShelb as I would like... but, back to the meaning of the name.
MilShelb= Milly and Shelby
Milly and Shelby= my two mini Dachshunds
It's called the everyday life of because I mostly write about things in my day to day life. I just write about boring things, venting, and of course I write about Milly and Shelby.

So, it's that simple.

Day One

I figure while I'm sitting here I might as well do my first entry... so, here goes.

My name is Maggie. I'm 24. I'll be 25 in December.

15 Facts

1. I'm married to an awesome guy named Jake. He's the love of my life and the one person I can tell anything and everything to... and the one person I can count on to tell me like it is.

2. I am a proud MilShelb mom. They are my miniature Dachshunds and my pride and joy.

3. I graduated from college (USC- go Gamecocks!) with a BA in Elementary Education.

4. I teach second grade. I take my job very seriously. A crappy second grade teacher can really mess things up for you in the future. These kids are my babies and I am their teacher, role model, and advocate.

5. I (like Katie where I found this challenge) hate ketchup. I do not eat it. I will NOT touch it. It is gross.

6. I love all animals. I even love insects. Ok, love is too strong. I love all animals. I don't kill insects. (Ok. I kill mosquitoes. They're nasty.)

7. I live for the moment I walk in the door to my house and my sweet babies greet me with wags and barks hello. It makes my heart melt.

8. I love skittles. I really do. They're wonderful. (Only the red bag. All others are gross. lol)

9. I only like football because my husband does. I actually don't care much for football, but I love the atmosphere. It's so energizing!

10. I believe that God has a plan for everyone. Every single bad day is in His plans. Every single strange happening... all that... it's in His plan for a bigger picture that no one can even imagine.

11. I am obsessed with Shelby's feet. (Shelby's the Shelb in MilShelb.) She just has such cute little tiny feet!!

12. I really think that Milly and Shelby know how I feel about things. I know they don't speak english- but, really, they don't have to. They know how I feel and I love that about them. They're wonderful!

13. I have a love-hate relationship with the copier at work. I love it when it works, but it almost never does exactly what I want it to do, so most of the time we aren't getting along.

14. I am stressed to the MAX 99.9% of the time. I really think that it is a great thing my head is attached to my body, because otherwise there's just no telling where I'd leave it.

15. I love my life. It is crazy. It is hectic. It is chaotic. But, I live every single day doing something that I love. I spend every single day in a marriage to an amazing man. I go to work with awesome teachers who are there for the RIGHT reason- because they want to HELP children. I come home each night to my sweet babies who think I'm awesome! I may go 500,000 mph every day, but I just love every minute of it. I know I complain a lot about the craziness of it all, but to be 100% honest, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

30 Day Challenge

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite tv shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-a picture 

 I found this 30 Day Blog Challenge and will be participating in it. I won't promise I'll write something every single day- because I know I won't. Let's be honest... life gets in the way, but, I do want to participate... so here goes nothing! :)

A Better Life...

I love you, Jake... that's all that really matters.

Probably Shouldn't Post This...

I won't say who this is about... and, actually, I've typed this thing about 50 times. But, this is the last one or I won't even bother posting it because I seriously am tired and just want to go to bed.

My brain is so scattered right now that I can't really think straight. I do that when I have too much going on... which seems to be my life lately.

You know, I am not a person who goes looking for drama. Really. I'm not. Plenty of people say that, but I MEAN it. I am not. I truly would rather run and hide from it, but I always end up right where I don't want to be- stuck in the middle of an impossible situation. Yuck.

I really try to mind my own business. I mean, between Jake, the MilShelb, and my 16 kids, my job, my class I have to take, and all the other odds and ends of my life, I really have more than my fair share of crap going on. Yet, that's not ever enough. Others seem to feel the need to pile it on me. I have a hard time saying, "no. Don't tell me that. I don't want to hear it and I cannot possibly keep your secret." Of course, I don't say that. I listen. I take it in. I feel for them. I can't sleep half the time because of someone else's problems. I really care way too much about other people.

I have decided that for my own sanity, I am going to start saying no. I am going to start saying, "please don't make me your confidant. I cannot take it." Or, "Well, you can tell me but I'm at least telling Jake because I just have to have someone to talk things through with." That poor man, between me and all my crap and everyone else I know's crap he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders (and yet he just goes on with his life. Nothing bothers him.). 

The point is, if you know you're one of those people who are weighing me down with your burdens, this is my silent cry- please stop. It's not that I don't want to be your friend. It's not that you can't talk to me. It's not that you can't confide in me, but choose carefully because I simply cannot take all of your stresses and carry them, too. I cannot do it.