Read Angie's Thoughts

Well, I know it has been a couple of years since I sent out a Christmas letter but honestly, I was just content with my simple life of working at Trinity and had nothing particularly newsworthy to share. This year, however, there have been some new developments that I want to put out there! I am still teaching 2nd grade at Trinity Lutheran School. This year I have eight students, my biggest class yet! I have three boys and five girls but when you add myself, Happy the parakeet and my dog Maggie who comes to school with me each day, the girls outnumber the boys eight to three so they don't even stand a chance! I continue to love each day at school, rarely thinking of it as 'going to work' but instead, getting to spend the day with my wonderful students and coworkers. I love the chance to share Christ with them, bringing Him into our conversations at any time and hearing my students share the prayer requests on their little hearts is such a blessing and encouragement to me ...

As I sit here in my pajama pants and enjoy the lazy Thanksgiving with my dad, I am reminded just how very blessed I am. God has been so good and so faithful, even more than I will ever deserve. I thought I would take a few minutes to sit down and write out just a fraction of the things I am thankful for! 1. My Savior who gave His live for me so that I could spend forever with Him. I am thankful for His love and faithfulness. 2. My dad, he's my hero! 3. My nephew and nieces - Lilly, Peyton, and Lola 4. My job at Trinity. LOVE it there! 5. My 8 students...they make me look forward to work every day 6. Raspberry chai 7. Fleece sheets 8. My wonderful Maggie who brings me so much joy and companionship 9. My little red car, Victoria 10. Cheese 11. My best friend Amy. She's my complete opposite but God knew I needed her! 12. The chance to go back to school for my Master's degree 13. My calico Calli - she's so petite and always happy to see me 14. My gray torti L...

I've said before that one way God seems to work in my life at times is in spur-of-the-moment ideas or revelations. He has been at work in this exact way this last week and if I stop and truly think about it, my mind can hardly fathom how great He is. Since I graduate with my BA in psychology from the University of Wyoming in 2004, I've been asked numerous times why I don't pursue my Master's degree. My answer was always very simple - I just didn't want to. I had no desire to go back to school. None. After working at Trinity for a few years, I looked into what it would take to get my teaching degree and when I found that it would entail a couple of years on the UW campus, I knew that wasn't the direction I wanted to take. I was content where God had placed me in life and was willing to wait for Him to show me the next move. A couple of weeks ago, while having a really bad day, I was talking with a friend of mine at school. She has been my go-to listening ear ...

This past weekend I was at a conference for school which also included many pastors from all over the state of Wyoming. As we were all gathered together for a church service, I couldn't help but glance around at all the pastors standing around me singing and think, "I wonder how many of these guys are child molesters." Strange? Absurd? Shocking? Most people would think so, yes. But because the grandfather who molested me for seven years as I grew up was also a pastor, that is often one of the first questions I find myself asking when it comes to pastors. It's what makes finding a new church so hard...I often wonder just what sins the man preaching from behind the pulpit is hiding. This is one lingering affect my childhood experiences (abandonment by my mom and the sexual abuse) still have on me and at times, it is so frustrating. Here are some more examples: ~ When I see any married couple for that matter, often my first thoughts are, "They know each other in...

Today was quite a day. It took me awhile to convince myself to get out of bed and, knowing it was going to be one of those days, I stopped to get a coffee on my way to work. By mid-morning, I was fighting back tears and even had a mini break down in the teacher's lounge as I was looking through some cupboards for super glue. I pulled myself together and went back to class and made it until lunch time, so thankful for a lunch volunteer so I could have some time alone. I went to the classroom of a good friend, who has seen me at my worst - a bawling, snotty, hiccuping mess - and sat down in her little kindergarten sized chairs and just let the tears flow. Why the tears? Despite a couple of 'down' days over the weekend, this week really was a good one and all was well. Then I had a dream last night that opened recent wounds I've been dealing with and I woke up this morning so incredibly sad. A friend once told me that when Satan can't get to you during the day, he w...

I love my job at Trinity Lutheran. I can honestly say that most mornings I wake up thinking, "I get to go to school" and rarely does the thought, "Time to get ready for work" cross my mind. I've always said that I consider myself very blessed to have found a job I love so early in life. I have had jobs in the past where I would wake up and wonder how long it had been since I called in sick and if it could feasibly be 'sick' again. I love to watch my students learn and grow, I love that I get to take Maggie to work with me and although I keep the same routine in my classroom each day, there's always a new adventure waiting around the corner. I also believe that because I teach at a private school, I get the opportunity to get to know my students and their families on a more personal level and I really love that chance to get involved in more than just their life in the classroom. I really am blessed! This year I am teaching my biggest class since I...

The end of October will mark 20 years since I told my dad about the sexual abuse I had endured at the hands of my grandfather, beginning when I was a very little girl. It's hard for me to believe that it's really been that long...20 years can seem like an eternity! One might think that in a span of 20 years, a person who had experienced such abuse would be able to have moved on. I wish that were true for me, and for all survivors, but I honestly believe that healing is a life-long process. Sure, there are some aspects and issues of the abuse that I have made peace with, moved on, and never looked back. Issues like anger and unforgiveness were resolved years ago, and I say that with total joy and peace in my heart because there has been such freedom in letting those bitter feelings and thoughts go. But I do still struggle with other issues. Not all the time, or even most of the time, but there are days when issues like body image, shame, or intimacy issues pop up and must be dea...