Day 2: Meaning Behind my Blog Name

I just recently changed my blog name to "American Honey."
It's one of my very favorite songs by Lady Antebellum. The first time I heard it, I just felt like it described me and the strong connection I will always have to the country. I grew up 14 miles from the city... and a small city at that, in Mississippi. As much as I've always thought I wanted to get away from the country, I never feel more at home than I do around the woods! It's comfort. I added the lyrics below for your enjoyment :)

"She grew up on the side of the road
Where the church bells ring and strong love grows
She grew up good
She grew up slow
Like American honey

Steady as a preacher
Free as a weed
Couldn't wait to get going
But wasn't quite ready to leave
So innocent, pure and sweet
American honey

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowing in the wind
Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summertime
And American honey

Get caught in the race
Of this crazy life
Trying to be everything can make you lose your mind
I just wanna go back in time
To American honey

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowing in the wind
Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summertime
And American honey

Gone for so long now
I gotta get back to her somehow
To American honey

Ooh There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowing in the wind
Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summertime
And American honey
And American honey"

Day 1: Introduce, Recent Picture, Interesting Facts

Introduce:
My name is Danica Layne Boyd. I am married to Jason Michael Boyd. We have been married for 3 years and together for a total of 8 years. He is my best friend! We have a sweet little Yorkie named Dixie! She warms our hearts and no one is ever as excited to see us as she is! We live in Oxford, MS and I love it so much, I never wanna move! I graduated from Ole Miss in 2009 with an Elementary Education major. Right now I am working as an assistant/secretary at Regents Classical Christian School of Oxford and hoping to be a teacher there next year! It is an incredible, sweet institution and it blesses me daily! I attend First Baptist Church Oxford and teach 4th grade Sunday School and it is one of my passions in life! Teaching God's Word to children... there's nothing better. I am full of joy and energy (most of the time!). I am always busy doing something... planning, cleaning, shopping, these are a few of my favorite things! This blog is an attempt at me chronicling some of my life. Hope you enjoy it!

Recent Picture:



The picture of Dixie is one of my favorites. She looks like a mess! She's so funny!
The one of me and Jason is from November when we went on a weekend trip to Branson for a marriage conference. It was very fun and the foliage in the area was beautiful!

15 Interesting Facts:

1. I lived in the same house from the time I was born until I moved to Ole Miss for college. My parents still live in that house.
2. I shared a bedroom AND BED with my baby sister for the first 16 years of my life.
3. My husband believes I have a super immune system because I rarely get sick.
4. Pain medicine has little to no effect on me = incredibly painful wisdom teeth experience.
5. I am addicted to biting my fingernails and absolutely nothing else.
6. I have been to the San Diego Comic Convention and I loved it! For those of you not familiar- this is a nerdfest. I'm a nerd.
7. I hate hate hate Gone with the Wind.
8. My parents fell in love when my mom was in high school, Jason's parents are "high school sweethearts," and Jason and I are "high school sweethearts!"
9. My favorite song is "Make Your Own Kind of Music" by Cass Elliot.
10. I love love love to sing.
11. I have believed in and followed Jesus Christ since I was 11 years old. He just gets better and better. With His help, I hope I do too! He is the lover of my soul.
12. My favorite magazine is Entertainment Weekly. Especially the Bulls-eye on the last page of every issue!
13. I do not like light. I do not like noise. I do not like hot weather. If I had it my way, I suppose that I'd just live in a cave.
14. I have not been in a tanning bed in 6 years and I do not ever plan to get into one again! Fair skin is the way to go :)
15. I adore Beth Moore and aspire to go through every one of her Bible studies.

Seeing how I haven't posted anything since January, I thought I'd end my year of NOT blogging with this idea I found on my friend Liz's blog. I may not do it every day but I will complete it by January, I hope!

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite TV shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-a picture

So, I posted a widget. I've never done that before. I spend a lot of my time singing the music to "In the Heights" right now. It's a hard musical to learn lyrics to, because it's a lot of rap and fast paced music, but I LOVE IT. I love musicals, I love singing - it's a happy place for me. Just to sing along to music in my car and get caught up in the moments that I remember from the actual performance. So incredible.
Anyway....
This week has been going well so far. This was my first week to have lesson plans prepared and it's actually been nice because I've been very.... prepared! I don't have to stress in the morning during my planning period about what I'm going to do that day - I just look on my lesson plans and GO! Not such a bad deal in the end - just not fun having that to do on top of my heaping mound of paperwork! ah well.
I have started a new Bible study. It's called "One in a Million" by Priscilla Shirer. I am loving it so far. I am sure I'll just fall more in love as it continues. It is about our journey as Christians to our own promised lands - the place that God wants to meet us and enrich our lives far more than we could ever imagine. Oh, how I want to find that place. Sometimes I get so caught up (well alot of the time) in this world... in my life... in just going through each day - that I forget why I'm really here. I forget what my focus should be. The study has asked questions about things that hold me back from God, things that seem good - but are really just "perks" of the sinful choices I may be making. I am repeatedly convicted of one thing that I can't seem to shake. I fear this thing and yet I invite it in my life often. This "purple worm" (what a former youth minister called a sin or problem that is keeping you from growing closer to God) is materialism. There I said it. I don't have many followers, so it's not like I'm sharing it with many people - but I'm putting it out there. I am materialistic. I place too much value on the things of this world. Things that mean nothing. That cannot get me anywhere - especially anywhere with my SAVIOR - the Father who LOVES me and WANTS me and ROMANCES me. Gosh I'm silly. I'm glad that at least I realize that I need to work on this cause that'd be pretty sad if I had no idea. So yeah.... I'm working through this and hoping that with God's help I can overcome this ridiculous problem.
I think that's enough for tonight, plus I need to get to sleep - school starts bright and early.

I'm going to leave my precious readers with an interesting quote from my bible study:
"We can be sure that any good things the Enemy gives us are only intended to keep us nourished enough to continue under the yoke of his bondage."

In the Heights Music Widget

something, something, something danica

my title is in honor of "something, something, something dark side" since i'm watching that right now with jason. family guy never fails. always funny :)
well i went shopping today (big surprise) - it's my favorite thing to do on a day off. i got some cute stuff! i even got some lingerie ;-P any one who knows me, knows that i find that kind of stuff very important and fun! i think that wives should make "the bedroom" a place of "joyful noise" and celebration! we can't do that if we come to bed in stuff covering us from head to toe every night :) i've been reading the book "captivating" and it's really made me want to use the beauty that God has given me, the beauty that our husbands so desperately long for. ok, i'll get off that little sermon.
so this week we(interventionists) found out that we were responsible for writing lesson plans starting this past friday. beforehand, we did not have to - mainly because we have so much paperwork already and because it's hard to write down plans for all the different levels/grades we see. but that all changed this week. and it has been extremely stressful. i have 45 students who are on TST (for those non-education majors - this is a process we use for students who are struggling and need more help than just a regular classroom can give). TST students require a good bit of paperwork. i used to only have 32 tst students - but now i have 45 AND lesson plans. when i write lesson plans i have to do it for 6 grades, 2 days a week. that's 12 different plans. sometimes i feel like i am not sure how i'm supposed to keep up with all of it. but... each week ends up just fine and i make it. i always make it through :)
we just found out last week that we are for sure going snow skiing for spring break. i'm pretty excited because we are going to beaver creek and that's a resort we've never been to before. i don't love skiing though.... here's the reason. it's scares me. every moment i'm up there, i'm afraid i'm going to fall and break something, or hit someone or something. it's ridiculous and i should be comfortable after three trips. maybe the fourth times a charm...???
well i'm going to say goodbye for now. maybe i'll post again sooner rather than later :)

my new year resolutions, just cause i like being traditional (not because I believe I will accomplish all of these)

1. I want to read a little everyday - at least a chapter of a book every 3 days. I really love to read once I sit down and do it. I miss it and hate that I still buy books even though I seem to have stopped reading them! So... I'm going to read more.
2. Exercise at least 3 times a week... I've got to get to the Turner Center to actually do that - maybe next week considering I've not been able to pull myself from my warm house to go up there and exercise :)
3. Begin and complete the scrapbook for our Paris Honeymoon. I have all the pics and materials, just haven't sat down and played with it yet.
4. I want to find more ways to serve in the community. Not sure how I am going to accomplish this yet, but I want to do it.
5. Put all of my pictures - even the old ones at my parent's house - in photo albums in chronological order. This will be a complicated task, but one that I will be very happy with in the long run. Gotta get on ordering some nice big albums!
6. I want to enjoy that swing on my front porch more... so warm weather, HURRY UP!
7. Talk to my grandparents more. They are so precious to me and I don't want to waste any time I have with them. God has blessed me incredibly by keeping all 4 of my grandparents here.
8. STOP BITING MY FINGERNAILS!!! and grow a beautiful set of natural nails.
9. Email, call, contact those people close to me more often - such as... my mother and MIL, sisters, Kayla, Suzanne, Liz, Nonni, etc... These people are SPECIAL to me and sometimes I feel like I don't pay enough attention to them or their lives.
10. Write more thank you notes - just cause I like to!

I think that's all. It's a big list but guess what???? I've already finished one book this year! So excited. On that subject, I need to go read a chapter before I go to bed. Night night!