Dear First Graders,

We made it!  We made it to 180 days!  These past 40 or so days have been very bitter sweet as our time as one big family was coming to an end!  But first graders, I am so very proud of you!  You have made amazing growth this year!  When you first came to first grade, you could not sit still (brain breaks were a constant must!), would lose focus easily, and were very tired (that may have had something to do with our early start time)!  Now you are amazing readers, actively engaged to my teaching, and we do brain breaks just because they are fun!  You have such a kind and sensitive heart towards others!  You would always make sure your friends were okay if they would fall down or when they got their feelings hurt!  You were also a lot of fun!  You loved anything that was hands-on or involved movement!   You were also go with the flow.  You were always full of such big smiles from the moment you walked in until the moment it was time to go home!  You taught me so much this year and I grew the most as a teacher this year and I firmly believe that is because of all of you!  I have loved this year and I love having you as my final class (for now) at WLE!
I love you all very much!
Miss Radcliff

"29 and holding" Party!

One afternoon as I was driving home from Southpoint mall after spending the day with my best friend, it hit me... I will not be here to celebrate my 30th birthday with all of my friends!  I love my birthday but have not had a party since I was 21 and I am completely fine with that.  And I also felt silly suggesting my own party.  But my mom and friends loved the idea and she threw me the best party I could have asked for!  I just wanted to spend time with my friends... nothing extravagant or expensive.  My Saturday night family that I babysit for was kind enough to let us crash their house, on a Saturday night (their usual date night) nonetheless.

It was a wonderful night spent with all of my friends!  We chatted, laughed, and shared many fun memories and stories!  I will always cherish this time with my closest friends!  Thank you girls for being long-lasting friends who are there at anytime!  I love you all!

Brooke, best friend from college

Ellen, friend from church

Sara, friend from church

 

Colin, sweet boy I have babysit for since before he was born

 

 Ainsley, sweet girl I have babysat for since she was 6 weeks old

 

Carrie, the mom I babysit for

Laurie, friend from work

Chrissy, cousin and dear friend

Heather, friend from work

Melissa, friend from work

Michele, friend from work

  

Brooke, friend from work

 The whole group

Africa??

I remember it clearly like it was yesterday... I was a junior in college and came home to visit my parents.  We were all in the kitchen and I started talking about planning our summer vacation to Michigan, Mackinaw Island to be exact.  As I was going off on a tangent about finding the hotel (shocker... I know), my dad said "Well actually we are thinking of going to Africa this summer with the Frank Radcliffs".  I looked at my parents and said "Africa? I don't think so!  We are not going there!"  When I thought of Africa, I thought of danger and bugs!  And I couldn't understand why anyone would go there.  So from that point until we left, I fought it and fought it hard!  My parents told me multiple times that I could just stay home.  It was a major stress in my family and I had no desire to go!  But deep, deep down, I knew it would be a trip I wouldn't want to miss but that still didn't mean I didn't want to go... but I never told anyone that, of course!  The moment we got to church (after going 24+ hours with no sleep and crazy hallucinations), I had an undeniable love of this country and their people!

Which by the way... Africa is NOT a country... it is a continent.  Most people just know that I am going to Africa but have NO clue where.  They say I am going to Nigeria, Uguanda, Tanzania.  I don't know why Africa is viewed as a country when the continent is more than 3 United States.  But when I first went, I just told people I was going to Africa.  I viewed it the same way.  But now being blessed of going to Africa 4 times (Kenya, Zambia, and Botswana), it is more than just a continent, it is full of many wonderful countries. 

Back to my story... After we got back from Kenya after our first trip, I knew I wanted to go back again and again!  So the next summer, we were back in Kenya!  And I have been two more times after that.  I love Africa and all of their countries!  People there have life hard, very, very hard!  But they have such a heart for people.  To see the smiles on kids' faces, is my favorite part of going to Africa!

The irony in all of this is the girl who refused to go to Africa is now moving to Africa! God, You always have the last laugh! ;)  Thank you for giving me this amazing opportunity!

Living in the Moment

As I am coming to the realization that I will not be able to go to most events and fun times here with family and friends, I am trying to focus on soaking it all in by living in the moment and not thinking, "I sure will miss doing this".  I am not really a "living in the moment" girl but always wished I was.  So I am trying to enjoy things and not think about what I won't be able to do or be a part of.  It all hit me during Tanya's wedding this past weekend as I was watching my family dance, chat, and laugh that I won't be able to attend all family events.  Which is hard for me because my family means the world to me.  But instead of sitting there sulking, I decided that I would enjoy being at that family event and not think about the others.  And I had a great time!  I spent a lot of the night hold my cousin as he slept... finally ;) and I loved every bit of it!

Instead of being sad (just don't mention my babysitting families and don't even think about saying how they are old and don't really need me anymore... that isn't helpful or encouraging), I am enjoying all the small moments I have with those I love!

*Night Bowling with my Greensboro friends (who knew blind people were such good bowlers)


*Holding and rocking Josh at the wedding and reception
 

 *Sharing a brownie sundae with my favorite red-headed cousin


*Turning around as driving away when I drop Ainsley off on her playdate to see her waving goodbye to me

*Finding out that school was dismissing in 30 minutes, and we had to feed our students before then (while it was stressful, I had a blast)

*Catching snowflakes in our mouths with my students while waiting for their bus

*Enjoying the snow/ice at my home with my sweet puppy dog

Telling people... or not

I cannot truly explain it or even understand it for that matter but I did not tell people right away or even want others to tell people.  I did call Brooke (my best friend) the night I got the job but after that I told very few people.  Then my goal became to tell one person a day and easing myself into it helped.  But once I told my principal, I had a weird feeling that the cat was out of the bag so I told others quite quickly after that.  The reactions were different... they were ones of sadness, worrying for safety, pure excitement, encouragement, and well, just shock.  But they all made me feel loved and encouraged. 

I am one who wants to hear big news of people (pregnancy, moving, etc) from the source and not from others (mom, dad, brother, cousin, friend) who know the source.  I am actually quite adament about that!  So I wanted to treat others with the same respect!  Which is why when I started telling people, I had to do it quickly so others would know from me.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, I am relieved that is done but now I am more anxious than ever!  While moving is still over 7 months away, it feels more real... and scary! 

Dream Job

Today was a world-wind day!  It started by waking up at 4:30am for an interview at 5:30am!  Let me back up some.  On Sunday morning, I got an email from a school in Tunis, Tunisia that wanted to interview me on Skype!  I was floored, shocked, excited, and super nervous all at once!  This was also a school I was unsure of because of safety but I took a leap of faith and applied.  But something in their website made me feel like they would take care of their new teachers.  So here I was getting ready to interview for the first time and I was oh so very nervous!  But as Aunt Beth put it "If it's God's plan, you already have the job" .  During the interview, I felt very welcomed and comforted by the three people who interviewed me. I hung up thinking I could not have asked for better people to interview me for my first time.  But I also felt I did not sell myself well at all and as I put it... I tanked!  But I packed up and headed to school to see my sweeties!

While my kids were at lunch, I checked my email on my phone and saw an email from the school's director at 10:10am.  My first thought was... Whelp, it didn't take him long to know I wasn't the one for the job.  But it was actually an email congratulating me for earning top choice and he offered me the job as a 2nd grade teacher!  I was floored and shaking!  I called mom but she didn't pick up.  So I ran next door to the one and only teacher I told at school and showed her the email.  We hugged and then I went back to my classroom and called Dad.  Then I was able to get a hold of Mom and Aunt Beth then later that day I was able to tell Paul!  I was on Cloud 9 that day and over the moon that my dream was finally coming true!  But I had this weird feeling that I didn't want others to know just yet.