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!!

Lemon Cookies

I pinned this recipe for lemon cookies a while back.  The husband is a big fan of lemon.  I like it too, but not near as much as he does.

I finally got around to making them today.  They are so easy.  

Step One: Gather the ingredients.  1 Lemon Cake Mix, 1 Can of Lemon Frosting, 2 Large Eggs, and 1/2 Cup of Oil.

Step Two: Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Step Three: Mix the eggs and oil with the cake mix. 

Step Four: Once these ingredients are mixed, temporarily forget that you are grown adult and your grandmother has ALWAYS told you not to eat raw cookie dough with uncooked eggs and enjoy those beaters.

Step Five:  Roll the dough into balls.  Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step Six: Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Step Seven: Allow cookies to cool. 

Step Eight: Sandwich cookies together with lemon icing in the middle.   

Step Nine: Enjoy!

Our Maiden Voyage

Yesterday afternoon I received this text from the husband...

We have not had a chance to take her out since we bought her.  Her...why are cars and boats and such always girls?  

We've been debating on a name for the boat since we bought it.  Who knew naming a boat would require so much thought.  I initially threw out The LB.  Then there was a debate on how to spell it.  

Last night while we were out on our maiden voyage, we finally decided on a name.

The Liberty Belle

Sitting at the marina 

My Captain

We were just a little excited.  

It was a beautiful evening.  I can't wait till it warms up and I can lay out with a good book.  Last night I was thankful for the enclosed cabin which blocked to cold lake wind.

We had the lake all to ourselves.  The husband kept calling it our own private lake.  It was nice.  I decided since we were the only boat on the water, it was the perfect time to practice my driving skills.  

It was such a fun outing.  The husband did a great job navigating and driving the boat.  

Interviewing & Some Last Minute Memories

The day after I wrote my last post about job hunting I received two phone calls from two different schools.  When I grabbed my phone to run and pick up some lunch I noticed I had two voicemails. One was from a school, QES, wanting to set up an interview.  They are interviewing for two different positions at the same time.  As soon as I heard the message I started crying.

The year I started working at HG, I cried every time someone called to set up an interview.  I really lost it when I was offered the job at HG.  Any insecurities I have fly out the window when someone wants to take the time to interview me.  I just feel incredibly blessed each and every time.

The other phone call was the elementary counselor from HSES.  HS is my first choice.  It is less than ten minutes from our rent house.  My high school band director who is still an amazing mentor and friend put me in contact with the counselor.  She is helping get in contact with the right people at HS.  She is amazing.  I felt like I was talking to an old friend.  It looks like they are going to have an opening that I consider to be the PERFECT job! This is the position I really want.

I'm gearing up for interviews and trusting that God has the perfect place for me.  I'm trying to prepare myself that His perfect place might not be my perfect place.  If that's the case it will be okay.  I know His ways are better than my own.

We spent our last night in House A Friday night.  I had these grand plans for how it would go but we were so tired by the time we got home that we pretty much just passed out.

Saturday morning came and I couldn't resist documenting our last morning of waking up in House A.

Our last day in House A was spent packing and making some last minute memories.  Lib & Lincoln enjoyed one last afternoon in their backyard.  We couldn't have asked for better weather for this.  It was an absolute beautiful day!

We fed the birds. 

 We posed for one last portrait.

There was lots of running around, wrestling, and one last game of fetch.

Our last picture in House A

The closer we got to the end of the day the more teary-eyed I became.  To be perfectly honest, I'm still not sure that it has completely sunk in that I no longer live there.

On the Job Front

I have officially resigned from my current position at my current school.  As of today, I have not been offered a job for the upcoming school year.  I haven't even interviewed for a position.

That seems to be the big question lately.  It's what everyone wants to know.  How is my job hunt going?

Right now it isn't going anywhere.  I've mailed nine resume packets.  Other than a few phone calls that haven't resulting in anything, that one simple sentence is both the beginning and ending of my job hunt as of late.

Each time someone asks if I've heard anything and I have to answer yet again without an affirmative answer, I feel a little bit more like a complete failure.  I feel like I'm saying, "No, no one wants me."

All of this of course is the irrational, emotional, insecure side of me.

The professional teacher side of me says that I know many schools are still in the process of determining if and what openings they will have.  I know many people have been offered jobs as late in the year as August.

Then there is a third side of me. I'm a well rounded person.  There is a third side of me that remembers this post I wrote sharing about all the many ways God has been a part of this move.  I believe that God has the perfect plan for me.  He is already working out the details.

People have asked what I will do if I don't get a teaching job.  That's never really felt like an option to me.  I've never for a moment thought that God's plan for me might not be in a classroom.  People want to know if I will sub, if I will stay at home, if Andrew and I might finally have a baby, or if I will do something totally different.

I feel like I know the answers to those questions, but I'm trying to be open to God's plan and not just my own.

 I'm trying to be patient.  I'm trying to trust.  I'm trying to remain confident.  I'm trying to control the anxious planner who lurks inside just dying to coming out.

But come on schools!  Start listing some openings that I'm qualified to fill.

Reminiscing

Lately I've been watching a TV show from my teenage years on Netflix.  Something about this show makes me reminisce.   It stirs up memories that I haven't thought about in a long time.

Andrew and I have been married for nine years.  NINE YEARS!  I'm sure to some that doesn't seem like very long at all.  And I hope that it is just a small dent in a unimaginable number of years that God will allow us to spend together.  But when I think about certain memories, I know that it is because of God's grace we've come this far.

Our story?  It's one I cherish.  It is one that shows God's love for us and the power of forgiveness. What it's not is a pretty story without any blemishes.

Saturday night while we were on a little dinner & shopping date, Andrew and I talked about how crazy it was that it has already been nine years.  We actually met and started dating in 2001. Twelve years ago.  We were just babies.

Our years together have been filled with many unforgettable moments.  We laughed at how we have forgotten about some of our not so fine moments.  We remember the good memories.  Those are the ones we cherish.  Those are the ones that get us through when we have rough days.

We'll never forget the night we almost froze to death, our smoke alarm went off, and there was a giant bug in our bed.  Yes that was all in the same night.  We didn't get much sleep.

With only one week left in House A, I can't help but think about all the memories that have been made in this house.  It was the first house to purchase together.  This house has hosted many friends and family members over the past few years.  We've celebrated birthdays and holidays.  We've hosted Bible study and shared our lives with new friends.  We've changed jobs while in this house.  We've welcomed three crazy furbabies into our lives.

I'm sure I'll cry next Friday as we spend our last night in this house.  But I will also smile as I dare to imagine all the memories that will be made in our next home.

Random Monday Thoughts

I woke up not feeling well this morning so I took the day off.   I have spent the day in bed resting and watching mindless TV.

Just for a change of pace I thought I would throw together a post of random thoughts for the day.

 I spent Friday with our 7th grade quiz bowl team.  They took 2nd place in the tournament.  I was very proud of them.  It was a fun day.  I told Andrew I had so much fun that it made me hope my new school didn't have a quiz bowl team and I can start one.  He may have called me a dork.


Saturday my parents came down for a little shopping.  Mom & I dropped Daddy off at an antique store and headed to the library for their used book sale.  I bought two boxes of books for my classroom library.  I would have bought more, but I'm out of bookshelf space in my classroom and I am going to have to pack up all these books in just a few short months.


Speaking of packing. I move out of House A in just two short weeks.  Still not sure that has completely sunk in with me yet.  Seems a bit unreal.  I will be moving into an apartment for a couple of months until the end of the school year.


Spring break is just a few short weeks away.  Not far behind that is my big trip to California.  Before I know it school will be over and I will be embarking on our new adventure.  Up until this point it seems like Andrew has been on a new adventure and though I have been a part of it, it hasn't been my adventure.  Soon I get to join him.  Though I am thrilled about the idea, it still scares me a little.

Only 88 more days.