P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E, find out what it means to me

Ok, so maybe I couldn't figure out a good title for this blog...
And it can probably be said that I have FAILED, failed, failed as a blogger. 
Well... Deal with it :) 
Here's what has happened:  I moved. 
I packed up my belongings from my precious little duplex and shoved as many things as possible into my car and drove (way too many times might I add) back and forth from Missouri to Iowa until finally I had moved all of my things to my new apartment in Ames.  Let me tell you, this move has been crazy, wonderful, extremely sad, stressful, and most of all... COLD!  I would really like to go back to the point where I thought that I missed snow and thought it was beautiful and kick myself in the shins. 
On the positive side:  I love my job (I work at the most amazing Childcare Center), I love moving to a new town, I love being in a place where (mostly) everyone is a Cyclone fan, I love being closer to my family and getting to have "sister dates" weekly.
On the other hand, I miss my friends and the people at Oronogo, and the kids in my class like crazy!  I miss the familiarity of Joplin.  I miss my kids' crazy sayings and hugs and giggles.  I miss being able to hang out with my friends.  I miss Mad Gab.  I miss Roommate Date Night. I miss dance parties.  I miss jam sessions in the car on the way to... well... anywhere.  I miss my roommates and Norman Drive (even Jean). 
It's a funny feeling- trading friends for family, trading jobs, trading cities, trading roommates, trading levels of comfort... but I know without a doubt that this is where God wants me. 
There are so many things that I miss right now that I know will come with time, and that's where this whole patience factor comes in. 
It seems like the last chapter in my life I was always waiting.  Waiting for a new job, waiting to be near my family, waiting for things to feel right again.  And now I have those things.  I am so blessed to have a job where I feel challenged, yet so much at peace with what I'm doing.  My stress level is completely different this time.  It's so much less about feeling like all of my talents are being drained, and so much more about doing my best every day- pushing myself to do more and succeeding.  I prayed so hard for something new, for air, for rest, for peace because before I just felt stuck... and now it's here.. and I don't know what to do with it!  Which seems completely silly.  Sometimes it is so hard to accept peace.  Sometimes it is so hard to even recognize that gift when you're looking for all of the things that could go wrong.  So I've learned to stop waiting around for something to magically happen.  But to enjoy the time in which you are granted peace, to soak it up and breathe in that fresh air while you wait.  To rest, learn and grow in patience. Because when you don't use that time wisely it only leads to dissapointment.  So for now I will wait.  Wait for what's next.  But while I'm waiting I will enjoy every minute I am blessed to spend with my family.  I will enjoy being challenged daily at my job and forming relationships with my new kids, parents, and new co-workers.  I will enjoy getting to know my new roommates, enjoy my tiny room in our tiny apartment, and even the noisy neighbors who constantly feel the need to stomp.  I will enjoy every minute of this cold, arctic weather.  Even every parking pass I have to buy, every mile I have to walk in the bitter cold.  But in all seriousness, I will try my very best to enjoy every minute that I am faced with the choice of whether or not to find dissapointment in waiting.  And just maybe I will enjoy resting, learning, and growing while I wait. 

these are a few of my favorite things

For some reason I have had the "These are a few of my favorite things" song stuck in my head this afternoon and I cannot for the life of me get it out.  I have tried listening to other music, I've watched t.v., read part of a book... nothing.  So I suppose I should take all of my frustration out in my blog, right? 
I promise I will not do such a thing, but, I will share a few of MY favorite things:

1.  fall, Fall, FALL!  Oh gollly I love fall!  It's so beautiful, the weather is perfect, it's magnificent.  I love to sit outside and read and drink some delicious tea, or drive around with the windows down, it's just... perfect. 
2.  Music.  I couldn't live without music.  I don't have a favorite band or even a favorite genre because I love so many of them.  There always seems to be a perfect playlist or just a perfect song for each day.
3.  Coffee.  Yes my friends, I have started to drink coffee.  I don't drink it every day, but I think that eventually it may happen.  Just a warning.  But it is delicious. 
4.  All things pumpkin.  This should probably go under the "fall" category, but I feel as though it deserves it's own placement, because of it's greatness. 
5.  Movies.  I may as well add "especially chick flicks" to this one.  I have a crazy ammount of movies, and I love them all.  Especially when they involve Audrey Hepburn, or Katherine Hepburn.  I also live for musicals.  Sometimes life is one big musical, especially when my mom is involved because she sings EVERYthing (and now my sister and I do as well). 
6.  Fluffy pillows and Down Comforters.  Amen.
7.  Delicious smelling candles. 
8.  Sunday Afternoon Naps
9.  The Elliptical
10.  Laughter
11.  Christmas Lights (all year round- no, not the tacky kind that people often leave on their porches over an extended period of time, the pretty kind.)
12.  Reading- I think I've started about 3 books and I cannot decide which one I'd rather read first.
13.  Hair cuts
14.  Movie nights, baking, family dinner, Wii competitions, watching home videos, and just plain being ridiculous with my family.  I don't mean to brag, but my family is the greatest.  End of story. 
15.  I should probably stop here since I could go on forever... so the last one will be:  Inside jokes.
(do you see what I did there, no explanation)

So there you have it, some of my favorite things- make sure you take time to actually ENJOY your favorite things often.  Because when I have a horrible day "I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feeeeeeeeel so baaaaaaaaaaad."  Too cheesy?  Good.

first. blog. ever.

Well well well.  Here we are.  I suppose I should introduce myself or something, but that seems a little tacky to me.  If you want to know who I am, then you should just keep reading my blog.  Clever huh!?  Basically all you need to know about me is that my name is Lindsey, yes, Lindsey Doolittle.  Go ahead and make all of the jokes you want about my last name because I'm pretty positive I've heard them all.  I was even stopped in one of the lines at the airport so this woman who thought she was incredibly clever could ask me if I could talk to animals.  I should also mention that I am a tad sarcastic.  So there it is.  Lindsey, Sarcastic... let's see what else.  Probably most of the things I will write about will have to do with my job.  I am the Director at a Daycare/Preschool.  If I had to describe it in one word I think I would choose fun/exhausting/hard/rewarding... I like all of those words :)  My job is tough, it's not just babysitting children all day.  Some days I feel as though I work at the zoo, and somehow every parent decided the night before that it would be a terrific idea to give the children crazy pills.  Those are definitely my favorite days.  But in all honesty, those kids are my world.  I don't have any children of my own, but those kids are such a big part of my life.  Even the mean ones.  Yes, they may scratch me, bite me, pinch me, kick me, punch me, spit in my eye, pee on my lap, snot on my shirt but by golly they're the greatest!  Some days it's really hard, especially the days where you learn things about their lives that breaks your heart, especially when there's not much you can do to make it better.  But the most rewarding days have been teaching my little class of 4 & 5 year olds and seeing them get it.  Watching that light bulb flash as they truly get it.  Being able to write or say or sing something that they haven't known before.  Their hunger and excitement to learn are inspiring.  Those are the days when I know that it's worth it.  Also, when they tell me I'm their favorite (this may or may not include candy for saying such things). 
I should also warn you that you should be prepared for some ridiculous quotes to appear in this blog.  I swear that we have THE funniest kids at our school.  I wish though that I could insert little sound clips of them- because some of them need the accents that they bring along with them.  I suppose I'll just have to do my best! 
For today I leave you with these words of wisdom for this beautiful fall day by Laynie (age 4) "Never jump in a pile of leaves with a wet sucker"

So there you have it, the first little glimpse of me.  Lindsey.  Sarcastic.  Zoo-Keeper.