Change

It's all starting to sink in.  In just a few short weeks life as I know it will be over.  A new adventure will begin.

My feelings about all of this change almost as often as the weather in Arkansas.  Snow in May?  Seriously? I'm just thankful it wasn't in the area when I live.

Andrew and I have started loading our cars each weekend and moving stuff from the apartment to House B.  I've started bringing things home from my classroom.  So much so that the walls in my classroom are pretty much blank.  It's pretty sad.

My students told me today that my room no longer feels like home. :(  Break a teacher's heart!

I was having a particularly rough day the other day.  I text my family and asked for their prayer.

Immediate change.

I am so thankful for the power of prayer.  I spent some time with my sibling-in-laws last night.  They are so funny.  God has blessed with me some great family.

The last two days have been much better.  I'm trying to enjoy my last weeks at my current school.  No matter how ready I am for summer and to live with my husband again...No matter how excited I am about my new school, I want to slow down and be in the moment with the students and coworkers I have now.  They are my second family and I love them dearly.

Speaking of my new school.  I'm loving it already and I'm not even there.  The current math specialist emailed me welcoming me to the district and suggesting some workshops she thought would be beneficial.  The 7th/8th grade math teacher emailed me offering to attend those workshops with me.  I've been in touch with some of the 5th and 6th grade teachers through facebook and email.  I already feel welcomed and like part of the family.

God is good!

Opposites Attract

He's tall.  I'm short.

He's logical where I'm emotional.

He's the youngest sibling.  I'm the oldest.

He can talk to anyone whereas I need time to warm up to you.

He reads to learn.  I read for pleasure.

He's confident when I'm unsure.

He's the loud to my quiet.

He's an excellent navigator.  I'm directionally challenged.

He doesn't enjoy amusement parks.  I LOVE them!

He's a go with the flow kind of guy.  I'm a planner.

He gets tired of taking pictures.  I can't get enough of them.

Home Sweet Home

After six fun-filled days in sunny California, I'm home.  I didn't think I would ever be happy to see my STANKY apartment, but I was yesterday.  I traveled with 30 7th-9th graders and we had the red-eye flight home Monday night/Tuesday morning.

It was a blast.  When I ask the students what their favorite part was, most say they can't choose.  I know the feeling.

We saw the Golden Gate Bridge, the Tanner Family's house (Full House), Giants' Stadium, Alcatraz, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach, and even (window) shopped on Rodeo Drive.

Yes, we did see someone famous.  I saw Jane & Peter Fonda.  Jane was getting her hand prints done at the Chinese Theater and was there for the premier party.

We looked for others, but didn't see anyone else.  A few students claim they saw Ashley Olsen at the airport.

I think we were all so determined to see someone famous, that everyone looked famous to us.  We had lunch at the Farmer's Market one day.  I'm not sure Traci and I said five words to each other the entire two hours we were there.  We were so busy people watching and hoping to see a celebrity.

Memories were definitely made.  Our students had a blast and learned a lot.  I will always cherish the time I was able to spend with them getting to know each one a little better.

My favorite moment of the trip though was Sunday night.  One of the students who went to DC last year requested that we pray like we did on that trip.  So Sunday night before curfew I prayed with several students right there by the elevator.  I love those kids!  I love that they have a heart for God and want to take time out of a busy fun-filled trip to thank Him for safe travels and the fun memories.

It was hard to return to the classroom today, but all the I missed yous made it a little easier.

Apartments & Celebrities

We finally closed on our house Friday.  I'm living in an apartment until the end of the school year.  My cousin is living with me so I have a roomie.  We actually have furniture in the apartment.  It sure beats sleeping on the floor in an empty house.

The school year - that's the only thing left to do it.  May 31st feels like it is right around the corner and yet a lifetime away all at the same time.

I'm ready to live with my husband again.  We've been living in separate places for 3.5 months & quite frankly I'm over it.

I'm ready to start work at QES.  I'm ready to meet my new coworkers & see my new classroom.

I'm not ready to say goodbye to my friends at HG.  The woman teaching next door has become my best friend.  We do everything together.  When we wake up sick, we can email each other our lesson plans & know everything will be okay.  She's my soundboard for ideas, my encourager, & my field trip partner.  She's my friend.  I don't know how I will survive a school day without her, let alone a school year.  I pretty much start sobbing whenever I think about it.

I could spend hours writing about the people of HG.  They've become my family over the past six years.  God has blessed me immensely by allowing me to work for my principal.  She's pretty much the perfect boss.  She's also a friend.

I'm already planning trips back to visit.

Before I say goodbye though, my field trip partner and I are taking a group of students to California.  We leave in less than two weeks.  I am our official group photographer & videographer.  I'm going to do some interviews for the video & one of the questions I'm going to task is who they would like to see in LA.  I thought I was pretty set in my answer.  I want to see Adam Levine.  But every time someone tells their answer, I start changing my mind.  When I asked the husband, he said Jennifer Anniston.  HA! I would be completely stoked if I saw anyone from the cast of Friends.  Someone else said Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory.  That would be pretty cool.  I'm pretty sure our students (and me) will be excited to see anyone famous.

So...Who would you want to see?

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my very best friend.  I love you with all my heart, babe!

Miscellaneous Monday

Only eight more weekends.  Then I get to live with my husband again.  Not that I'm counting.  But I totally am.  I'm over this whole two houses thing.  

This past weekend was a long one.  I left work at 11:00 on Thursday and headed toward House B. Along the way I stopped for what was my first and possibly last interview.  The school I was interviewing at had two openings in their elementary school.  I felt pretty good about it going in.  I knew that I was completely covered in prayers.  Everyone told me to just be myself and I tried my best to do that despite the little bit of nerves.  

This interview was so different from how I remember them.  The last time I interviewed I was fresh out of college and had no real teaching experience.  Going in with seven years of teaching experience changes the entire process.  I was interviewed by a panel of four people, all who seemed so incredibly nice.  It was a short interview - only about thirty minutes.  I sat down and just shared with these people about what I do...what I love.  I am so incredibly blessed to get to do what I love for a living.  I walked out of there feeling very good and pretty confident, but at the same time not wanting to get my hopes up.  It was my first interview and still very early in the year.  

The principal called me the very next day and offered me a position teaching 5th and 6th grade Math.  I was beyond thrilled.  I immediately began doing a happy dance.  

Andrew and I have been in awe all weekend over how quickly and easily this happened for me.  It is simply one more way in a long list of ways God has been in the details of this move.  

I'm a planner by nature so I've already started pinning tons of ideas and asking questions to every math teacher I know.  Hopefully they won't start hiding every time they see me.  I have a LOT of questions.

Saturday was spent shopping for a few little things for The Liberty Belle.  It was a rainy nasty day, but we still enjoyed spending the day together driving around and shopping.

Easter Sunday was a great day.  We went to church Sunday morning and heard a wonderful message.  It's a message I've heard before, but the reminder was so good and refreshing Sunday.  Too often I forget that the gospel is for me.  Though I have a relationship with Christ, I'm still a sinner and I still need the gospel daily.  

Chris is risen.  And if that isn't something to be joyous about then nothing is.

After church we drove to my Mommom's house for lunch with the fam.  It was so good.  I'm going to love living at House B and being only 45 minutes away from them.

The weather was so nice Sunday.  My parents, brother, and sister-in-law came out on a little Easter cruise with us.  It was the first real test run The Liberty Belle has had.  I had my camera with me all ready to document the day, but I left my SD card in my computer.  I'm so bad about that.  

We still haven't closed on House A so right now I'm sleeping on a mattress in the floor and living out of boxes.  I don't mind sleeping on the floor, but I HATE having my closet all packed up.  I'm seriously considering picking out five outfits and wearing the same thing every week.  I'll have a Monday outfit, a Tuesday outfit, and so forth.  The nerd in my wants to do it as an experiment and see how long it would take my students to notice.  I know I have a few girls who would figure it out.  

March Madness

Sweet Sixteen.

Elite Eight.

Final Four.

Brackets.

Seed.

March Madness.

This time every year college basketball takes over my TV.   Though I don't mind it, I haven't really been into it since 1994 when the Arkansas Razorbacks won the championship.  And let's be honest, I was 11 then so I'm not sure how into it I really was.  I just knew every one around me was really excited.  I was really just enjoying watching those games with my Daddy.

This year I decided it would be fun to make a bracket and have a nice friendly competition with the husband.  Of course I had no idea what I was doing.  He told me to make my bracket at espn.com and we could create a group.  We extended the competition to the Weaver fam.  

There are five of us.  The hubs and I plus Uncle Kevin, Andrew's brother Chris, and two nephews - Cody and Pryce.

My goal?  I don't want to be last and I don't want the husband to win, which right now he totally is.

I don't know that I've watched a college basketball game all year until this week.  I didn't really have a method in picking my teams.  I just went with the team name I liked best.  :)  They say that people who don't know anything about basketball normally do pretty well with their brackets.

I was really hoping my ignorance would work in my favor.  

It's fun watching games with the husband, especially when we have picked different teams to win that particular game.  

Oh my!  The trash talking has been intense.  

And humorous.  Remember I know nothing about this.

A friend of mine and her husband helped their three young daughters fill out brackets.  They are having fun cheering and competing as a family.  

I now have a new tradition I want to do with my family.  

The hubs and I have different teams winning the championship.  I'm the only one of our five that has Kansas winning this thing.  

Go Jayhawks!!