1 week down.. many more to go...

Finished the 1st week of work. It was a great week, but of course I always look forward to the weekends. :)

Mitch has been here this weekend. Tyler and him worked in our yard yesterday. Our yard has been in need of a mowing for a week now. (it's been raining a lot here-grass grows fast) Our mower and weed-eater needed to be serviced so they also did that too. So that to say our yard is looking good.. thanks to Mitch and Tyler.

We grilled steaks last night and they were awesome! Tyler and Mitch grilled them perfectly. Then we went to the movies and saw Babylon A.D. It was interesting, but kinda strange. I liked it.

I have to work tomorrow unlike the rest of the world, but it will be ok. I am looking forward to a 3-day weekend in Oct.


We are about to take our Sunday afternoon nap. Church was good this morning and Leal's Mexican food was yummy for lunch. until next time...

I LOVE TO TEACH!

Ok, so I just finished my 1st first day of school (since last year I came in two weeks into the school year and did not get the nerve-wrecking experience of a first day of school) But this year was my lucky year...and the first day I was actually dreading all last week, but the Lord taught me a lot in the mist of it. I remembered today after all my students had stormed out of my classroom at 3:50 pm what my mom told me last year at the beginning of my teaching adventure. She said, "Haley, with teaching, you just have to jump right in there and do what you know to do and when you're in front of that room facing those small faces, it will just come to you and you'll naturally do it" She is so right (of course). With her 15 plus years of experience she has so much wisdom and encouragement to give me so often. I told her recently that I do not think I would have made it through last year without her constant support, encouragement, and words of wisdom. She is the best mother in the world. Her and my mother-in-law are. I am so thankful I have two of the most wonderful and godly women as my dearest friends.

The first day of school went very well I think. The Lord got me through it, I had no doubt He would. I give Him all the praise for strengthening me. I think I am going to have a really neat group of students this year. They have the best names! I have a Pedro, Yiecel, Enrrique, Angelita, Astrid, Xavier, Anabel, two Gabriella's, Osvaldo, Noel (a boy), Orlando, Alexsia, Brenda...etc... They seem to be real sweet kids and smart too! I am excited to get to watch them grow, learn, and improve. It's so neat to see them at the beginning of the year and then see them at the end.

Please pray for me as I dive into this adventure and pray that the Lord gives me the grace to teach my best, and see each child through His eyes with love.

Tyler's nose

Well it has been 1 week since Tyler had his nose surgery. He caught a head cold this week and so he hasn't been able to breathe out of his nose very good due to that, so we haven't seen much of any difference yet than before. We are praying that it's just because it's still a little swollen and because of the cold and that he will soon benefit from having the surgery. Everyone we've talked to that has had the same surgery has said it has helped them so much. Hopefully Tyler will be able to say the same soon. He is doing well though and his nose seems to be healing ok.

He is now wrapped up in watching these videos on this small group, church wide, bible study called "The Truth Project". He will have to teach it to the youth small groups. So far he has been pleased with it and it shows a lot of some guys he respects (R.C. Sproul, Ravi Zacharias) The study is mainly suppose to help believers obtain a christian worldview centered on THE truth. Please pray for him and that this study will affect students and that they will come and be interested in it and many will be discipled through it.

Classroom complete!

Finally my classroom is complete and ready for students to enter and learn. I have worked pretty hard in preparing for this year. My hope is that these new students of mine will catch the passion to learn this year and work hard for me and for themselves. I am still praying so much for this year. It's my first "first day of school" since last year I came in 2 weeks into the year and just took over what another girl had already started. It will be interesting to see how it goes. Please pray it will be organized and fun, not chaotic and boring. I have 21 students this year, compared to my 17 last year. My room as you can see is quite small, so we will be scrunched in there pretty good. I am hoping that although I have a lot of kids I will still be able to connect with each of them and get to know them. Time is limited on chit chat it seemed last year, and with even more kids it will be even more hard to take the time to just talk with them.
My mission is to fix my eyes on Jesus each day and I pray the Lord gives me the grace to pray without ceasing and not go through my days ignoring His presence and help. My sweet friend, Meg, encouraged me with this verse recently:
"The Lord is my Helper, whom shall I be afraid? What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6
What can little 3rd graders do to me? Why should I fear? The Lord always sees me through. He did last year! And I trust He will again. And I know he uses my job to push me closer to Him and force me to call out to Him and cling to His strength.

This is my room. My co-teacher took the pic of me outside my door. The sign on my door my mom got Mrs. Ginger Calhoun to make for me last year. Everyone always asks where I got it and I wish I could get her to make all the teachers I work with one.

Also, my friend Jessica that I carpooled with last year left Bovina and moved to Farwell (a nearby town) to teach. So I have been praying the Lord would bring me a new friend, new teacher that I can really talk to, relate to, and minister to. Well He always answers my prayers!! The new 4th grade teacher is from Clovis and her name is Melissa. She is a believer and is really fun. I have enjoyed getting to know her so far and she is riding with me and 3 other women this year. The Lord blesses me and keeps me. I praise Him for my new friend and for providing me and Tyler jobs that we enjoy and love even if they are stressful at times.

Back to work..a little scared...

I actually feel like I have been working a lot this summer, even though it was my "vacation" time. I loved being off during these past 3 months. It may be one of my favorite things about being a teacher. :) It has been lots of time with Tyler (my fav hobbie) and helping him. I have been on a 10 day mission trip with Tyler and students in the youth group, to church camp for a week, helped plan the Mexico trip before we went, mowed our yard several times, finally finished our scrapbook, and now have taken care of my husband who just had surgery.
BUT, I have also been on a week trip back to east Texas to see my family & niece, gone to Snyder for the 4th with Tyler, and also taken a trip to Cancun with Tyler.
WHAT A SUMMER IT HAS BEEN.
The Lord has taught me so much and I am still contemplating everything.
And now He is sending me back to teach for a 2nd yr. I have been reading another book about fear and anxiety called " Running Scared" by the same guy who wrote "When People Are Big and God is Small". I think sometimes, man I have a lot to be afraid of or worry over! What if I can't get pregnant? What if my new class has really poor behavior ? I have to deal with a new and different set of parents this year, what will they be like? I hope I will teach my new students as well as I did last year, I hope I will teach them better! Will I teach them to have character and not just math? What if I get too tired and stressed this year? What if I do get pregnant and then I'm tired all day at work or throwing up? Will I be able to share the gospel with any of my co-workers this year? What if i don't have the courage to? Lord, I don't want to fail you. I want to take hell and eternity seriously and use this job for your glory and will. Am I ready to be a mother? Are Tyler and I mature enough yet? How long will you make us wait? I am so excited...make me patient Lord.

These are fears I have been recently dealing with. But God is faithful to bear my burdens and carry them for me, all my fears. I remember a time in college when I was dealing with some stuff and my best friend, Melissa, wrote me a note and she said "You are safe in His hands" just thinking about that is such truth to my heart. No matter my fears or worries God has me in His hands!!!! His hands! Whew...that's awesome. And He holds these things and all I have to do is think about Him, pray, and worship him and know He will strengthen me and perservere me and no matter what happens He is still good and will always be good and I will spend eternity with Him..delighting in Him and being fullfilled by Him.
"delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Tyler recovering

Here he is. He hasn't been in alot of pain, thank goodness for pain med. I was going to buy him some get well balloons, but knew he wouldn't really care for them, but I knew he would be really excited if I bought him a get well book. He's been wanting Tim Keller's "The Reason For God" so I got him that one and as I expected he was extremely excited about it when I showed him in the recovery room at the surgi-center. He has been enjoying it as he's had lots of time to just read and rest. I made him a peach smoothie this morning (that;s the other thing he's holding

Nose surgery success...

Tyler had his deviated sectum fixed today in Lubbock. His mom and dad and younger brother came to support and everything went well. We are home now after being pulled over by a highway patrolmen on the way home telling me I was speeding when I was only going 71. (and yes, I know that is technically speeding). After he saw Tyler laid back in the passenger seat with gauz covering is nose and an ice pack over his eyes and cheeks, he became very gracious and gave me a warning. This, i might add, is the FIRST warning Haley Anne Hicks has ever recieved. I always, always, always get the ticket and never get grace. And the only reason I did this time was because my husband looked like he was in severe pain and the guy knew I was just trying to get him home asap. So anyways...I was thankful he just gave me a warning. I like warnings.

Tyler is doing ok as of right now. He is taking pain med and can basically only breathe through his mouth right now. He is a strong man, dealing with all this. Our saying going into to it was "Think about the results (breathing through BOTH nostrils again) and not the process." I told him his theme song would be "Just Breathe" by Faith Hill. So thats what's going on around here in Clovis, New Mexico. Thanks to you guys who were praying for Tyler. He really appreciates it. Goodnight.

Fair Time

We made our appearance at the fair tonight. We had to go from 6-8 to work at our church booth, but we got there early (at 5) to get to hang out with some friends and eat some good, hearty and healthy fair food. Ummmm..ummmm...roasted corn on the cob and a snowcone for me, Tyler had a corndog and cherry limeade. We wanted to ride the ferris wheel together (we have yet to ride one together) but voted that one down after being informed it would be 10 bucks for both us to ride it. we figured it out and it's cheaper to go to Six Flags than to the fair! They get ya at the fair. But we do love our little Curry County Fair here in Clovis, Nm.


Oh, I forgot the most fun part and that's getting see all the farm animals. We got to admire hugs pigs, hogs, cows, and sheep. We loved it!

I love apples!

I just realized something a few moments ago while I was cleaning up my kitchen. I had picked some apples from our apple tree and they were sitting on my counter waiting to be made into a delicious apple pie. I glanced at them and then remembered how I have always wanted some fake green apples to put into my hurricane, but have never bought any because they are so expensive whenever I have seen them in stores. Well....I thought wait a minute....I have all the green apples I could want right in my backyard now! Genius!!! So..i got really excited and went outside, picked some more, washed them up, and put them in my hurricane. The Lord blesses me in small, little ways like that so often... not a big deal..but the Lord didn't have to allow us to get this specific house with an apple tree in the backyard..but He did... I am thankful...

Old friends

Tyler got to catch up with his buddy Cody Garrett today and I had the priviledge of getting to sit in on their interesting conversation at the Java Loft (coffee shop here). Cody and his wife Carrie just got back to the U.S. from northern Africa. They have been missionaries there for 3 years and now will be living in Alburqurque.

More Cancun pictures that were on Tyler's computer

Requested recipes...

My best friend Melissa recently asked me for some recipes... I buy turkey sausage everytime I go to the store almost, just so I have it all the time because you can make quite a few things with it and it's better for you than regular sausage and it's cheap! Two things Tyler and I love is just the simple "Zatarains's" New Orleans style gumbo mix with rice (box mix) and the mix just with rice. You can add chicken, shrimp, or sausage, but I always use the turkey sausage and Tyler really likes it. They're both quick, easy, and really delicious.

Another quick and really yummy thing you can make with turkey sausage is Tomato & Spinach Pasta. This is a recipe from my cousin, Sunny.

Tomata & Spinach pasta-

*2 cups penne pasta -7oz-uncooked (I used just plain macaroni one time since that's what I already had AND I always buy the whole wheat pastas to make it even more healthy and it doesnt taste much different from regular pasta)
*1/2 lb of hot or mild italian sausage (casing removed) (This is what the recipe calls for, but I used just regular turkey sausage(more healthy) and it was really good!)
*1 pkg (6 oz) baby spinach leaves
*1 can diced tomatoes
*basil, garlic, and oregano (I just added these seasonings myself-however much you think)
*1 cup of mozzarella cheese
*2 tbsp Paramesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile cook meat into large deep skillet. Cook on med-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally-drain. Add spinach and tomatoes. cook 2 mins or until spinach wilts. Remove and cover. Drain pasta; place in large serving bowl, add mixture and cheese; mix lightly. Serve with texas toast or garlic bread and WaaLaa!

Well there you go my fellow cooker. Hope y'all like it. It's pretty easy and fun to make, if you guys like pasta. I love to make pasta's cause there is no italian restaurant here in Clovis so it's always something different and fresh.

Apples anyone???

This has been our first summer in our house and we learn new things about it all the time. Since summertime has come I have discovered that one of the trees in our backyard is actually an apple tree! It's kinda fun to have an apple tree of your own. I never thought I would own my own tree that makes apples! So the other day I decided it was time to try one of these green apples. I went and picked two good-looking ones, washed them, cut them up, and then proceeded to taste them. I didn't think they would be that tastey since they are all pretty small, not like the big ones you can get at the grocery store. I was right. They were pretty sour. I thought it would be fun to make an apple pie though with apples from our tree so I called my good friend, Jan, (since she is a really amazing cook) and asked her if an apple pie would be good if it was made with sour tasting apples. And she said she thought you were actually suppose to make apple pies with sour apples. So there ya go! I was like perfect! My apples are sour! She told me my friend Kristin is known for her famous apple pies and that i should call her, so that's my plan...to make an apple pie with our very own apples before I go back to work...wish me luck!

Girls Gone Godly

We are having a girls sleepover tonight for girls in our youth group. We are calling it Girls Gone Godly. Me, Tyler's intern Ali, my friend Cristy Cross, and our pre-school director here at church are all doing short talks on different issues girls deal with: modesty/clothing, self-respect/body image, eating disorders, gossip/jealousy, dating. If you read this before tonight please say a prayer for us and the girls that will be there, that God will use this time to encourage them and teach them what it means to be godly in every area of their lives.

We're back from Alburqurque

we are through with trips for the summer. It's kinda a relief. I am going to stay home for the next two weeks and enjoy my house and home for a change. I feel like we have just gone, gone, gone all summer long, but every trip was really great though. So no complaints here. I'm just happy to get to stay home for longer than 3 days at a time.

Our trip to Alburqurque (I never know how to spell it correctly) was pretty good. We stayed at the Marriott and wished we could have brought that bed back to Clovis with us, it was comfortable. We went to the Aquarium Friday and got to see tons of different fish (sharks, sting-rays, sea-horses, etc) Tyler and I really liked that. The conference preaching was ok. It was mainly about marriage and family. The guy that made this new christian film with Kirk Cameron was the speaker. He made Facing the Giants movie too.
We loved being with our friends, the Osburns. They have 2 little girls and a baby girl. Aspyn, Makaidyn, and Pacyn. Of course I loved being around a baby all weekend. :)
I sit here on my couch as I write this and I just realized that I'm never quite sure how to end posts. Do I say bye? or just leave it as it is when I'm done....I feel like I always leave it without ever really ending it...ya know you've always been taught to have a good closing paragraph in your writing... oh well...