Snow Day At GCA

On February 15th, the fourth grade had a "Snow Day"all day at school.
***Basically, we never get snow days in VA, so we planned one ourselves!

I covered my walls and floor with white sheets and put a now mural on the board. There were even "Snow balls on the ground"

Below are both fourth grade classes watching "Attack of the Avalanche" and also the fourth grade teachers in their PJ's --yup, we all got to wear our pajamas!


We had a snow ball fight with paper


We had a snowman building contest out of toilet paper and construction paper!

We made little mini snowmen out of socks...
We made igloos outof sugar cubes....

We ate snowball shaped sandwiches and served hot chocolate...

Jules Designer Jewelry

Last Thursday night I had my very first jewelry show at my house! We had such a fun time. I'm glad that this hobby is finally paying off :O)

Chicago Survey Trip - Part 2

This is the sweet rental car we had.... we wanted to just KEEP it so badly! --oh well. Bound by the Law....


Here are some pics of the local village of Liberty Ville.
Isn't it quaint! I really would like to live there :o)






















Here is a picture of the one and only D. A. Carson at Trinity :o) Yes, I'm a dork... I sneaked to the back to go to the bathroom and snapped this of him !



Here are some pics of our way into the city. We don't have very many because our battery died on the way ... bummer... oh well.















Ok... so all went so well while we were there. We got to look at many apartments, and even had some great job interviews!

We met a woman whose father in law is the Superintendent of Public Schools in Northbrook district. I got to interview with him and the possibilities look good. This is me all dressed up in my new suit holding my professional portfolio..hee.. hee..



We hit a rough patch about 2-3 hours outside of the airport... when our flight was suppose to leave . I realized that I did not have my purse. We went to the hotel, every building on campus at TEDS, and most restaurants that we could remember. It was no where! We don't know for sure, but we think it was stolen, while we were in the city! Soooo.... that was Tuesday night. They would not let me on the flight without my ID. So I filed a police report and we were able to get on the plane the next day... we missed an extra day of work and had to stay an extra night! Soooo ... God is sovereign.. through " GOOD " and through "BAD".

Chicago Survey Trip - 2007

We flew in to Chicago on Friday Night. We got a SWEET rental car, a Nissan , Morano - AWD :o) We are loving it! Friday and Saturday night we stayed with some friends of Jamie and Stacie Potts. They were really very helpful!

Saturday, the 17th , we went into Deerfield to see the Tinity International University. We met Jeremy and Sarah Brown who drove out for the " Taste of Trinity" Days.

** After lunch, Tim and I drove around until about 5pm Apartment searching in the Deerfield and surrounding areas.
Lastly, we went into the city of Chicago, and walked around on the city on Rush street and Milwaukee Ave.

** We went to dinner at the "Grande Lux Cafe"- It was amazing! We ate dinner in the second floor rotunda, overlooking the city. It was gorgeous! I had a signature shrimp scampi and Tim had a shrimp, chicken, and rice meal. It was so fabulous! I don't have pics, because the camera ran out of batteries, but here is the website if you want to see what it was like :o) Click here on www.grandluxcafe.com

Following will be some apartments that we looked at in the area. I will be specifically posting these for family, and friends who are interested :o)




This one is my favorite so far... a bit pricey, but they all are in Chicagoland! It has one bedroom with a nook for Tim's office. It's very spacious and nice looking!

Very much like a hotel entrance and lobby and hallways.


laundary facilities on second and third floors


There is the nook for Tim's office :o)
You can't see it, but we can fit a small table over in the right of the kitchen
The sink is outside of the bathroom .
Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think! Tomorrow is job hunting. I have put together my portfolio and I am dropping it off and meeting with administrators all day tomorrw :o) Pray all goes well!
See you all VA Beachers soon!

Here are some fun pics of tim and I at lake michigan :o)

Happy Valentine's Day Sweetheart!

On March 18th , 2002 in New York City, a handsome and brave young man asked his best friend to marry him....

And she said..... YES!

And that had to have been one of the BEST Choices that she has ever made!

It's FINALLY over!

Yup, that's right. I took the (Praxis I) early this morning at Virginian Wesleyan. It took me four and a half hours to finish. There are three sections on the test: Reading comprehension, Arithmetic, and Writing. I got my scores for the Reading and the Math immediately, because it was a computer-based test.I will not get my Writing score for another 10-14 days, as the essays need to be evaluated.

Each test is scored separtely and can actually be taken on different test days, but that was more expensive, so I just did it all on one day :O()

Well, I will start with what passing scores are for Virginia and Wisconsin. Why Wisconsin? --I am going to apply for my teaching licensure in WI because that is the state I graduated from.

VA Passing Scores are as follows:
Reading- 178
Writing- 176
Mathematics - 178

WI Passing Scores are as follows:
Reading- 175
Writing - 174
Mathematics - 173

And MY scores.................
Reading - 181
Matehematics - 179

I passed both of thos tests in both states!!!! YAHOOOOOEEEEEHHHH!!!!

Praise the Lord !

Something Missing ?

"Christianity without Discipleship is always
Christianity without Christ."

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

My Introduction Page to my Professional Portfolio

Introduction:

My life began in Sturbridge, Massachusetts on January 13th . My childhood days were poverty-based, as my mother and father worked in a very small, conservative, Christian School and had five children to support. There were days when we would not have had food to eat for dinner, but someone graciously heard the voice of the Lord, and brought our family a bag of groceries. Although this was difficult as a child, these situations instilled family unity in me at a young age and brought our family closer to the Lord. Needless to say, Family means the world to me. At a young age, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. This decision has played a vital role in my life since that day.
When the small Christian school we were attending closed down for various reasons, my mother and father shared the load of home schooling five children, ages 5-15. My mother would work shifts as a manager at McDonalds from 4am – 10am and my father would work third shift at UPS. By sixth grade, my twin sister, brother and I decided that we wanted to go to public school. We went for one year, and enjoyed our year very much, but we did miss the Biblical teachings that we had grown up with.
At the age of 13, our family moved to State College, Pennsylvania because my Father’s mother passed away due to cancer. By God’s Sovereign plan, our family inherited a large farmhouse with 150 acres of land. It was then, I attended a larger Christian School in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. I attended from 8th grade until I graduated. It was there that I met my high school sweetheart and now husband of four years, Timothy Baylor.
I followed him to school in Dunbar, Wisconsin. I obtained my Bachelors degree in Elementary Education there. I performed my student teaching tasks in a private Christian school in Portsmouth, VA- teaching fifth grade under Mrs. Becky Gravley.
The following year, my husband and I moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia in order for him to attend a local seminary there. I started my first teaching job at Greenbrier Christian Academy, teaching 2nd grade. I enjoyed my first year immensely, but I wanted a little bit more of a challenge with the kids. I really wanted to teach fourth grade. When there was an opening in the fourth grade the next year, I snatched it up. I am currently teaching fourth grade at Greenbrier Christian Academy.
This June or July, My husband and I plan on moving to Chicago in order for him to attend Trinity Evangelical Divinity School . I am eagerly anticipating the opportunity to teach in the public school system in the area. I know that God has some exciting things planned for our lives in the Chicago area.

A Stolen Idea

Ok, I admit it, I stole this idea from my friend Sarah B:

I am just wondering how many people out there are just "blog lurkers" and never leave comments! I'm not angry or anything, I am just interested in knowing who checks out "Tim and Jules".
LEAVE A COMMENT if you check this blog :o)

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...BLAST OFF!

Well, There are 10 days and counting until I take my Praxis Teaching Certification Test! Needless to say, I am a bit nervous! I have been studying about 1-2 hours a night and more on the weekends. I am feeling confident in the Language, Vocabulary, and Reading sections. But I am nervous about the Algebra and Geometry though. It has been eight years since I have worked with that kind of Math!

Thanks in advance for all of your love and prayers!

Frustration

What do you do when you are feeling frustrated about something... or just impatient with someone? I'm struggling! HELP!

p.s. It's not my dear husband :o)

At Your Funeral

Tonight at care group, our Pastor, Brett Campbell spoke to us about our "Legacy". He asked us to list the top 3 things we would like others to say about us at our FUNERAL!

I have to admit, I just wasn't sure of what to say at first. I finally came to the following conclusions:

1.) That my words were seasoned with salt.
2.) That I loved eternal things and did not cling to the material things.
3.) That I fervently sought to study God's word in a deep and daily way.


I was shocked by my own answers! Could anyone say this about me NOW? Hmmm...
Something to mull on.

What would your top three be?

P.S. It's 1:45am and I just finished my grades for the 2nd quarter...yahoo :o)
I know this post says it is TRB a.k.a. Luthers stein, but it's actually me...
~ Jules ~

God's blessings to me!

These are my beautiful 19 fourth grade students at Christmas time. They so graciously gave me the "Gift card Tree" beside me. Each student sent in a gift card (Taps, Gap, T.j Maxx, Panera, Kirk lands, Olive Garden.... you name it!) I was sooo flabbergasted, I didn't even know what to say, except THANK YOU :o)

I always love my job, but especially this time of year :o)

No, seriously, I have some pretty awesome kids that I am SURE God is going to do amazing things with this year and in the FUTURE!

It's Not All About Me!

Well, Yesterday was my 26th birthday. And for those of you who do not know me... my birthday is a huge deal to me! Growing up my family threw massive birthday parties for my twin sister and I as well as my brother (whose b-day was Jan 15th and is one year younger than us.)

Well, needless to say there is always so much anticipation leading up to my birthday. I would run like an excited school girl to the mailbox everyday, just to see if I had gotten another Birthday card!I got a card or a package almost every day! One day I didn't get either, so I BEGGED Tim to let me open the B-day present from him early --he eventually gave in and i opened it! He bought me a pair of leather J.crew slippers-- I love them!

The Friday before my birthday, my friends at G.C.A brought in my favorite:angel food cake and strawberries! I got a bunch of sweet cards from my students, and my co-teacher got me a subscription to "Light and Tasty"! That night a few of my seminary friends took me out to Panera and we had a little party for myself and Natalie Trach (her b-day is the 31st). We had a wonderful time together. I got coffee beans, Starbucks giftcards, a new pilates dvd(yahoo!), and two shirts :o)Thank you girls-- you're the best!

Well... it seemed like I was going to have the perfect b-day, until...

1.) I woke up early (couldn't sleep) and had shredded wheat by myself in the Living Room. I realized: It's not all about me.

2.) I ran out of gas on the way to the grocery store! Our gas gauge "Floats" so we never know exactly when we need gas. So I ran out of gas, pulled into Sentara (very near our house) and WALKED to the closest 7/11 with my little gas tank. We only have one car, so tim was not able to pick me up. Fortunately, I was able to get a hold of Dawn Mihelis (my dear best friend!) and she picked me up at the gas station and brought me back to my car. I was quickly reminded that it was not all about me!

3.) I used a new face mask about 30 min. before we were going to go out on the town.. no problem , right? WRONG! It turned my face BRIGHT RED for over 2 hours! I started crying to Tim and sadly said, " I don't want my face to be hot and red on MY BIRTHDAY!! sob sob sniff sob" --He so graciously ---LAUGHED at me! It's ok, I laughed too then, and quickly remembered: It's not all about me!

Fortunately, that night, once the red wore off, we were able to go to dinner with Dawn and Nate to the 219 Restaurant in Norfolk. We had a wonderful time enjoying our meal and the company! I will blog on that later though :o)

I guess God was trying to teach me to be a little less self-centered!

Salvation is of the Lord

The morning after I could not sleep all night, I went to school(Wednesday)and I have to admit, I wasn't in the best of moods. I was tired and cranky. Well... every Wednesday at G.C.A. we have lower school chapel. That day Wes Kouba (seminary student) was preaching about the gospel.

He preached that:
1.)Jesus Christ is our God
2.)Jesus Christ is our peace
3.)Jesus Christ is our Salvation

**It was an AMAZING CHAPEL! He was so animated, thorough, and most of all... BIBLICAL! It was so great!

He told the kids that if they had any questions about the gospel to come and ask their teacher. Well, like I said, I was NOT looking to minister to the kids that day--sadly. But God's sovereignty outweighed my tiredness!

Three children came to me and asked me how to become a christian! I walked them each individually through the bridge tract (very good for kids!) and was able to lead them to the Lord!
Four other children made sure of their salvation and rededicated their lives to the Lord! Praise the Lord for working through and inspite of weak vessels!

It's not by strength, nor by power,but by My Spirit says the Lord!