What I Didn't Say

About the Book:  Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat. His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again. When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn't the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

About the Author:  Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.  She is the bestselling, Wall Street Journal featured author of BRANDED, FORSAKEN, VINDICATED, AFTERLIFE (Fall of Angels series), EDEN, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY.  

 

My Thoughts On The Book:  I found the book a bit slow at first.  It seemed like it was a typical American teenage book about partying, drinking, and sports.  It was not until the accident that I found myself hooked.  I could not put this book down and felt as if Jake and Samantha were students I had had in my own classes.  Taylor did an excellent job making her characters life-like and I loved the book.  I hated to see it end.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone.  It definitely sends a powerful message to young people on the results of drinking and driving or riding.
If you would love to see a bit of the book click here and see the book trailer.

 

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free  from Net Galley Publishing Group for a fair and unbiased review.  The opinions you have read here are 100% my own and I appreciate them giving me the chance to review this book for them.

Hodge Podge Volume 90

Welcome to this week's edition of Joyce's Wednesday Hodgepodge, aka HP90. It's a lot like PX90 except this is a workout for your brain.  Sometimes. Sometimes it's just fluff, but in mid August as summer winds down and the school year gears up fluff may be just what your brain needs. Add your link to the bottom of Joyce's post and then you run off and see the neighbors. It is a lot of fun and you can join in anytime....or just once.  It does not matter. 

 

Here are my answers to Joyce's questions:

 

1. Aloha! On August 21, 1959 Hawaii officially became a US State...have you ever been? Upon arrival would you prefer an orchid or a hibiscus to tuck behind your ear?

I've been. I won a trip in 2005 and tok my best friend Mary for her 50th birthday.  We had a blast and upon arrival I got an orchid and loved it.  Orchids are my favorite flowers.  My mom used to raise them and so did my best friend, Susan's, mom.  I have grown up around orchids forever.  I also got a lei of orchids.  I felt special.  If you have never been to Hawaii....you need to go....and be sure to see the whole thing....and do a luau.....see the Arizon Memorial.  You will be touched.  I promise you.

2. Since we're talking tropical...what's your favorite food or beverage made with pineapple?

My dad's pineapple and cheese casserole and curried pineapple.  I love pineapple...so I had a blast at the Dole Plantation in Hawaii.  I ate so much pineapple I had a rash all over my mouth area.  I looked so funny.

 

Pineapple Cheese Casserole - super easy

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups grated sharp cheddar

2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple chunks, drained, and 6 tablespoons pineapple juice reserved

 1 cup cracker crumbs (recommended: Ritz)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a medium-size casserole dish with butter. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and flour. Gradually stir in the cheese. Add the drained pineapple chunks, and stir until ingredients are well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.  In another medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and reserved pineapple juice, stirring with a rubber spatula until evenly blended. Spread crumb mixture on top of pineapple mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

3. Do you believe in soul mates? Explain.

Yes....but not necessarily spouses.  I have two friends that are my soul mates.  We can be apart and then get together and it is like we have never been apart.  We can finish each others sentences.  We know when the other is in trouble or needs something....even when we have not been physically told.  I know both of them as if they were me.  It is amazing and scary sometime.  As far as spousewise....Frank and I have been married for almost ten years and he has become my soulmate too. 

 

4. Share a memory about the house you grew up in.  My house was coral colored and had flowering bushes everywhere.  In the back yard there were fruit trees and I kept a knife and salt shaker outside and would go out back and eat oranges, grapefruits, Japanese plums, tomatoes, mangos, Myeres and Ponderosa lemons....in my own little world under the shade of these trees.  We had two huge ficus trees that were so fun to climb on, swing from, and hide in.  We also had a banyon tree that was an amazing place for a child with an imagination.  I loved my house in Florida and I love my life in that backyard.  Sad thing....the house and neigborhood is gone.  There is no reminder that I existed.  It is now a sports practice field for FAU.  Sigh!

5. Are you comfortable with silence?  I love silence when I want to read or crafting in the shop.  I do not care for silence when it is angry.  When I afraid and alone I prefer white noise.

6. You spot a giant spider on your bedroom wall...what's your next move? Find Frank and get him to take care of the intruder.  If I am alone...get the broom and smash him.  I hate spiders, snakes, roaches, and rats.

 

7. My idea of fun does NOT include_____________.  Hummmm...let me see.  Anything painful, loud mouth people, people fighting, bigots, people who have to always be right....even when they are not.

 

8. Insert your own random thought here. Saturday night I went to a 1962 class reunion....to photograph it for a friend.  They had a classic car exhibit out front and it was a riot to see cars from my past.  So, with that in mind...what was your first car?  Mine was a 1969 Plymouth Satellite.  It was red with a white top, 383 engine, crager mags with knock off spinners.  I loved it!  Tell me about yours.

 

Have a wonderful rest of the week.  I am back in school and really enjoying my year so far.  Ask me again about January.  LOL!

Testifying to Love

I heard a humorous story of a guy who prayed this prayer every morning: "Lord, if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign to show me who it is." One day he found himself on a bus when a big, burly man sat next to him. The bus was nearly empty but this guy sat next to the man who had prayed the prayer. The timid Christian anxiously waited for his stop so he could exit the bus. But before he could get very nervous about the man next to him, the big guy burst into tears and began to weep. He then cried out with a loud voice, "I need to be saved. I’m a lost sinner and I need the Lord. Won’t somebody tell me how to be saved?" He turned to the Christian and pleaded, "Can you show me how to be saved?" The believer immediately bowed his head and prayed, "Lord, is this a sign?" I laughed at this because of the last comment....he actually had to bow and ask if that was a sign?  That was more than a sign....that was a billboard.  As of yesterday I began 119:11 Project and my first verse was Acts 1:8.  ⁸ Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  I made a notecard for memorizing this verse and am praying on it each day for 15 days.  As some of you know my daughter and her husband are going to be missionaries to orphans and I have really struggled with letting her go and letting God do his work with her.  It is funny....I taught her about missions and missionaries all her life....and then when she felt the call to be one....I shouted out in my heart...."NO!  I was talking to everyone else's children....not mine."  But again I came to the realization that she was never mine....she was always His....and I would not have it any other way.  I am proud of them both.  They are a reminder to me that even though I probably won't ever be a missionary in some foreign country....I can do my part in the way I live.  I can witness on a daily basis....and I don't want to have to ask God if this is a sign....when it is like you were hit in the head with a sledge hammer.  So I got up yesterday morning and asked myself.. "Hey, Karen, are you looking for a "sign" to start witnessing?"  I smiled and knew I was....got in my car and headed to work.....on my radio was this song...and I truly believe I am going to Testify to Love!  Have a blessed day!  I know I am going to

119:11 Project

This morning as I was getting ready to start my day I had a forwarded email from one of my sweet friends.  She graduated with my daughter and I adore this precious Christian woman.  It seems a group of some of the Christian faculty and staff are intersted in this project and after reading Kimberly's blog post I know I am.  Her original letter began like this:

"Hey everyone, 

I am trying something this year, and I wanted to let you know about it in case you are interested as well.  As I was thinking of godly women who have influenced my life, you all came to mind.  I want God to plant His word in my heart, and I want to give Him the opportunity to do it through scripture memorization.  I have started a blog about what I am doing to keep me accountable and also to let other people join in if they are interested.  I would love for you to check it out and join in with me if you feel it is right for you at this time in your life!  There is definitely NO PRESSURE!  If you know of someone else that you think might be interested, just forward them this e-mail.  The more the better!  The link is www.hiddeninmyheart.weebly.com.   Hopefully it all makes sense, but if I have been unclear or you have any questions, please let me know.  To all you sweet teachers, I, as well as several other people I am sure, will be praying for you as you touch the lives of the precious children God has put into your care this year.  Hope you have a great first day!" 

In His Grace,  Kimberly. 

So I went to her blog and checked it out and was so touched I had to share it with you.    I truly believe that "God's word is a mighty, powerful force that equips us to be His light in a fallen world.  In Jeremiah 31:33, God speaks about a new covenant that He will make with His people.  He promises, "I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts."  The 119:11 Project is about claiming that promise.  I want God to write His word on my heart, but I know that I have a part in this process as well.  Psalm 119:11 says, "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."  God desires to write His word on my heart more than anything, but I have to give Him the opportunity by meditating on His word.   With the help of the Holy Spirit, I want to plant God's word so deep into my heart that His words become my own."
 

How The 119:11 Project Works

"(First of all, let me give credit where it is due.  The 119:11 Project is modeled off of Beth Moore's scripture memorization team.  You can read more about it on her blog.) 

1.  On every 1st and 15th of the month, I will post a scripture verse that God has used to speak to me on " The 119:11 Project Blog." (See the tab at the top of this page.) 

2.  After my post, I will be meditating on that verse for the next 15 days.  The idea is to do this for one year, and at the end of the year, I will have hidden 24 pieces of God's word deep in my heart.  Now, this is where you come in.

3.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 talks about the power found in a triple-braided cord.  God never meant for us to face this world on our own; that is why He has given us our brothers and sisters in Christ.  I would love for anybody that is willing to join in with me on The 119:11 Project.

4.  If you decide that you want to join in, just post a comment to my original blog (see the tab at the top of this page) and let everyone know the verse, as well as the location in the Bible, you will be meditating on for the next 15 days.  It is helpful to post your translation as well. 

Hints for Memorization

1.  Beth Moore suggests using spiral bound note cards to write down your verses.  One card for each verse.  Spiral bound is great because you  can take them with you everywhere that you go.
2.  Get your family involved.   I started off by speaking my first verse (3 John 1:4) about my daughter and her husband and their new mission venture, she does not even know I am doing this for her. 
3.  You can meditate on your verses ANYWHERE!

Sample Note Card/Post Its
Here is how my first note cards looks:
August 20, 2012

⁸ Rather, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
You know I spent my whole life teaching her about missionaries and missions....now I have to let God lead her heart and let her go. 

Thank you for taking the time to check out The 119:11 Project! 

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all.

Project 365 - Week 33

What a week.  Between inservice meetings and working in my room the week has flown by and now I wonder if I am really ready for the students to arrive on Monday.  I still have a bulletin board to fix because I never remembered to get my black fabric from the house to get started. I guess I will get there a little early and do it first thing Monday morning.  I don't have early morning duty til September so I will have some time to get it done.  I have a clean room and my first block class books are all assigned and on their desks.  Here is a little glimpse of what my week has been like;

Sunday, August 12th

Susan and I came home from our class reunion and stopped for gas in Ocala, FL.  The Big Daddy Don Garlits museum was behind the gas station so we took a few minutes to stretch our legs.

That is a drag racer on top of the pink marble stand.  My dad used to take me to the drag races when I was a kid.  I loved the likes of Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney, and Connie Colletta.  If you have never watched it you need to watch "Heart Like a Wheel."  It is the story of Shirley Muldowney.

Monday, August 13th

Happy Birthday Eric!

Got the desks lined up....for the first of three times....and clean. I am going to have some really large classes this year.  I am lucky though....there are some classes that are huge and will not fit in the classroom.   They are meeting in the auditorium.  We are short teachers this year and all classes are larger than before.  I will be glad to see proration end.  I also miss the days when I took Jill and Kat to school with me and they helped me get ready.  Now they are in their own classrooms getting ready.

Tuesday, August 14th

First Day handouts are done and run.  I am now going through markers and discarding the ones that don't write anymore so I can replace them with new ones.

Wednesday, August 15th

One of our inservices has to do with how to do a successful collaborative project and assess it.  In this example the group of four have to build a rectangle for a porch.  It was so funny to watch.  The men all seemed to stand and discuss what they were doing wrong.  I have built a deck with ASP so I know how to....but I sure was glad my name was not called out.

Thursday, August 16th

Tonight we celebrated Ryden Spiveys first birthday at a Mexican restaurant outside of Wedowee.  The food was great, Ryden was precious and the four girls in the last picture are his mom and her sisters.  The one in the black top, Shelby is the mom and expecting baby number 2 in December.  They live in Virginia where her husband is stationed.  I love these girls.  They are all so unique and such fun.  I am glad we were included in the birthday dinner.  They are having another party on Saturday evening but we will not be able to go.  I am working at a 50th year class reunion for Valley High.  I am taking pictures of everyone as they come in and during the event.

Friday, August 17th

Today I got my quince doll put in her place of honor in my classroom.  Today I finished everything except the bulletin board and my Spanish II pacing chart.  I am as ready as I can be for Monday and excited/  I love the beginning of school.

Saturday, August 18th

The class of '62 had a classic car group bring cars to the parking lot of Sunny's.  It was great seeing cars from my childhood.  I loved these guys and they loved their cars.  The backdrop picture with the three band students is where I took everyones photo.  The band students served as my living mannequins in the picture.  These are the new Valley High band uniforms and the young man in the center is their drum major.  They were all quite dapper.  I had a great night and was glad to get home. It has been a great week and if you want to see what everyone else has been doing then hop over to Sara's blog and check it out.  Have a great week.

The Class of 1962

Last night I had the opportunity to shoot some candids of the Valley High School class of 1962 at their 50 year reunion.  It was interesting to me to see how these people have aged.  Last week I was at my own 40 year reunion and 10 years did not make a huge difference in how we looked and how they look.  I loved snapping them as they came in.  I had three Valley High band members that I called my living mannequins that stood in each picture.  I loved shooting these shots.

The reunion was held at Sunny's in the Valley and they room was decorated beautifully by their decoration committee.  Each table had a lovely floral centerpiece, a plate of chocolates, and a sunflower chocolate sucker made by a classmate.

Outside the reunion committee had arranged for a classic car exhibit.  It was awesome to see all the cars of my childhood.

It was a fun night even if I was not part of this class.  They all seemed to have so much fun.  I am glad Emily invited me to take part in this event. 

Five Minute Friday - Stretch

So, here’s the skinny: every Friday for over a year hundreds of people join a kind of writing flash mob over here. We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that Lisa-Jo posts here at 1 minute past midnight EST ever Friday. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FiveMinuteFriday.  There is no extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation. It is unscripted, unedited, real and sometimes raw.  It started because She’d been thinking about writing and how often our perfectionism gets in the way of our words. And she figured, why not take 5 minutes and see what comes out: not a perfect post, not a profound post, just five minutes of focused writing.  So now on Fridays a group of people who love to throw caution to the wind and just write without worrying if it’s just right gather to share what five minutes buys them. Just five minutes.
Your words. This shared feast.  It’s easy to join in, just:

1. Check what the prompt is on my blog.
2. Write a post in only five minutes on that topic on your blog.
3. Link over here and invite friends to join in.
4. Select the permalink to your post {so not your blog url www.lisajobaker.com but your post url www.lisajobaker.com/2012/07/five-minute-friday-2/ }
5. Using the linky tool at the bottom of my Five Minute Friday post enter your link.
6. Your post will show up in our Five Minute Friday linky.
7. Be sure and encourage the person who linked up before you!

Our most important requirement for participation: There’s really only one absolute, no ifs, ands or buts about it Five Minute Friday rule: you must link up with Lisa-Jo by clicking here and then visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community.  Are you ready to get started?  I know I am.

Today's word is Stretch

Go:
I got up this morning and the first thing I did was stretch.  I stuck my leg out from under the warmth of the covers and pointed my toes as far as I could.  I then took my right arm out of the warmth and pointed my finger at the ceiling.  Ummmmm that felt good.  I did not stretch the left side of my body just then.  I waited until I turned the covers away from me totally and quietly so I did not wake up my sleeping husband.  After standing beside the bed and locating my glasses I stretched up on my toes and envisioned myself as a prima ballerina.  Believe me...that is a stretch.  Monday will be the beginning of a long stretch known as the school year.   This whole week, and part of last week,  I have been stretching myself at work trying to improve my lesson plans and classroom to enable my students to learn more effectively.  I have attended many inservices on teaching with video clips, modifying assessments, making assessments count and today I will be learning about bloodborne pathogens, school safety, entering textbooks into INow, and all about Educate Alabama (which is our evaluation program).  I feel like today will be the biggest stretch...it is the home stretch.  Smiling faced, happy students will enter into the building at 7:45 on Monday and begin to stretch their minds.  I am excited.....and I hope they are.......but that will be a stretch.  Happy Friday to you!

Stop: