Pictures, Pictures, and ... More Pictures

This summer has been a busy one and has come and gone way too fast. I was able to spend a lot of time with family this summer which was a BLAST!!! I am so grateful to be surrounded by such amazing people that love me and support me despite my short comings. I'm one lucky girl and here are just a few pics from my summer.

Mom, Janette, Jake, and Clay joined Leslie and me for Stadium of Fire. It was great to have them out here because it isn't very often that they can take off from their busy schedules. Leslie and I also made a few road trips home. Some of those trips involved leaving after our late nights of work and driving through the night which required that we sing, dance, or find other forms of entertainment to keep us from falling asleep. Our day trips were almost as eventful especially with Leslie finding as many pairs of sunglasses as she could and giving herself a few sets of eyes. It has been wonderful having her out here with me because now I have a travel buddy not to mention an excellent roommate. I have really gotten close to her and I'm going to miss her when I graduate and move out.

Duck Pond...

Quack! Quack!

Hot-N-Ready! hahaha

this seat is taken...

Sisters!

Enough said...

9 Hours Can DRIVE You Crazy!!!

On The Road Again...

Clay and Leslie...

Cabela's Adventures...The boys can spend hours looking at things that don't really interest us girls so we took pictures the majority of our time. Girls Got To Stick Together!!!

Another one of my highlights of the summer was this guy right here. I love him more every day and am looking forward to December when we will be getting married! I cannot express how grateful I am to a loving Father in Heaven who has blessed me with such amazing people in my life. I'm so happy to know that families can be eternal!

Steven and Me -Roswell Ranch Rodeo!

First Graders Rock!!!

For the past month I have been in a classroom full of first graders and have loved every minute of it. There is not a day that goes by where I don't want to break out in laughter because of something that these little six year olds do or say. Some of my favorite stories of this past month are as follows:

First day of class after introducing myself a little boy comes up to me and says, "Miss McCarroll...that's a good teacher name."

And so it begins...

The month of March for first graders includes days of green, spring, and leprechaun activities. There was a little boy in the class who thinks he is a legit leprechaun. He has carried around a little pot of gold for the whole month. Every lesson I taught he knew why things happened and it was, you'll never guess it, because of a leprechaun; and he knew because he was a real one. One day after becoming a little concerned about it the head teacher asked him if he played leprechauns on recess. His response, "No, I play puppies because that is my disguise because I AM A REAL LEPRECHAUN!"

For another one of my lessons I found a note from a leprechaun friend Mr. O'Riley who had been spying on the kids for sometime. He knew a lot about them. The kids were so excited so I taught them the parts of a letter and we wrote a letter back to our leprechaun friend. The next day, being St. Patrick's Day the kids all recieved a letter back from Mr. O'Riley. The kids were extatic and the letters were quite the distraction for most of the morning and then the afternoon roled around. There is a little girl in the class who is very mature for a six year old, I'm pretty positive that she will be a famous actress some day because she is very dramatic. It's adorable but oh she is a handful. Anyways, that afternoon I'm helping the kids with a writing assignment and I make it around to her table. She says, "Miss McCarroll I know who wrote these letters, you did." I respond back that it couldn't be me, it was definitely the leprechaun. She responds, "Oh Miss McCarroll I can recognize your handwriting anywhere."

And one of my favorite stories...I check the kids homework at the door when the first come in in the mornings. One day one of the little boys walks in and asks me if I want to see his dance moves. I say of course and picture this in your mind...the little boy gets down on the ground in crab walk position and his feet start going wild. He finishes his little dance and then gets back up. I say "Wow! Those are some sweet break dancing moves!" He responds as seriously and coolly as possible, "Ya, break dancing (pause) it's kind of my thing."

I have loved being back in elementary school. These kids bring joy and excitement to life. They are excited about everything, the love everyone, and they bring out the best in those of us who get so focused on the business of life and help us stop to enjoy the tender mercies that the Lord has to offer us. These children have helped me truly see what the scriptures say when they say become as little children. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have had to be associated with these wonderful little people. They have taught me so much more about what really matters in life then anything I have been able to teach them this past month.

IN "FAMELY" I FIND "ME"

My family is the center of my life...they play a very HUGE part in who I am as a person. I come from a family of nine and as each year passes we seem to add on a few more. My family has helped me develop qualities of hard work, responsibility, and trust. They are my support system in every aspect of my life (spiritual, emotional, secular, physical). In family I find my greatest joy. Everything about my life; past, present, and future, are all linked back to family. I am going to school right now not only because of the support of my family but also because I want to develop in ways so I can better support my family. I RUN around constantly through the obstacles and challenges in the BIG WORLD, pushing myself to become the very best person I can be, so I will be able to be with FAMILY forever.

WIDE OPEN SPACES

I LOVE the outdoors! Being raised in a rural community I am no stranger to wide open spaces. I sometimes feel like my life is filled with the beeping of horns, blaring of sirens, and turning of wheels. Every direction I turn I'm faced with another concrete wall detouring me from getting to my destination directly. It is standing in the middle of no where, where I find my escape. I find my freedom and purpose. I see my destination, I know where I want to go and can see how to get there. I love wide open spaces for in them I find HOME and home is where I find me.

RUNNING, RUNNING, RUNNING...IT NEVER STOPS

Running is a passion of mine. It is a metaphor for my life. Like life, running hurts but brings about feelings of satisfaction. While running the harder I push myself the more stress my body feels. Eventhough running comes with so much pain I cannot stop. I'm addicted to this stress and pressure. From this stress I find self fulfillment and I have a sense of worth. The feelings of finishing a hard run encompasses great amounts of joy and happiness. The harder I push myself the more intense the pressure but the happier I feel. Some runs are easy and others I barely make it through. In running I escape problems, I find problems, I create problems. Life for all of us is one huge trail of twists and turns, downhill glidings, and uphill battles. I love the challenge!