Thankful Thursday - We're Going Home

Andrew and I have enjoyed our time in Missouri.

We met some of our very best friends here.

I will forever be thankful that Andrew and Eric met in our backyard and decided we should all be friends.  I love the people in this picture with all my heart.  We have all laughed together and cried together.

It broke our hearts when they moved almost a year ago.

Missouri hasn't been the same.

And now it is our turn to leave Missouri.

Andrew and I have been talking about and praying about moving home to Arkansas for a while now.

We discussed different parts of Arkansas and have landed on Central Arkansas.

We will moving back this summer. 

I am thankful to be moving home and all the adventures that is going to include for us.

A New Adventure

Hi people!

I seem to have taken a hiatus from the blog.  I'm not sure if anyone even noticed.

But I'm back now.

A new adventure has prompted my return.

Let me back up a few months and fill you in.

At the end of May Andrew resigned from his job.

This afforded us something we'd never had before.

A summer off work together.

I tell my fellow teachers this and we joke about how awful it must be to have your spouse home all day every day during summer break.

And I'll admit it drove me crazy at first. Having Andrew home was a change to my summer schedule.  Thankfully it didn't take him long to settle down into a summer routine of nothingness.

It gave us the opportunity to take a vacation we've only dreamt about before.

In June we packed our car to the gills, dropped the LBs off with family and headed west.

We had no itinerary, no spreadsheet.  

We've never traveled so irresponsibly.  

There were a few nights in hotels but for the most part we camped our away across the west travelling over 5,000 miles through 13 states in 14 days.

Maybe we'll share some of those adventures with you soon.  I've wanted to blog it since we returned but it was such a big trip the thought of putting it all in words was overwhelming.

At the end of June we moved out of our rent house and back to our home in Heber.  By this point our house was on the market and we planned to live there until it sold or until school started again.

August arrived with no offers on the house and it was time for me to go back to work.  Working almost two hours from where you live is not the ideal situation.  

On Monday mornings I get up crazy early and make the long commute to work.  I then stay with Andrew's parents throughout the week.  

Staying with the inlaws. 

 People tend to apologize to me when I tell them that's what I'm doing.  I guess not everyone has inlaws like I do.  I've enjoyed staying with them and hopefully they haven't been too bothered by my presence.  Big Man is always good to make sure I'm comfortable and the air is set to just the right setting.  Belinda has given me a new love for all the cooking competitions on Food Network.  

When Friday mornings rolls around I pack my backs so I can head home for the weekend.

This isn't the first time Andrew and I have been what I call weekend spouses.  But I wouldn't mind if it were the last time.  

As I returned to work, Andrew decided it might be time for him to do the same.

And the job search began.

There was talk of several different options.  Some were short talks.  Some were more serious.

I continued to tell him I'd follow him wherever he wanted to go.  

Seems like a cheesy cop out answer, but it is how I felt.

Life has felt very unsettled and I simply wanted to feel settled again no matter where that meant we lived. 

He mentioned cities I didn't really want to call home, but I just wanted that feeling of being unsettled to disappear.  I was willing to discuss any and all options.

In the midst of the job search we accepted an offer on our house.   God  brought the perfect buyers and we are set to close at the end of October.  

Not sure where we would be living after moving out of our beloved home, things picked up speed as Andrew interviewed with Redneck Trailer Supplies in Springfield, Missouri.

Springfield sounded the most appealing out of all the places he has mentioned.  It's not that far or that different from home.  

I could do life in Springfield.

From the beginning RTS has appeared to be very interested in Andrew.  

I can't say I blame them. :)

His interview was over five hours long.  He had five different interviews for one job.

I would have be physically ill.

Actually I was physically ill the day of his interview.  My students could tell I was a bit preoccupied.  I'm pretty sure nothing I said made sense that day and I made one mistake after another.

 On Friday Andrew accepted a job offer from RTS.

We are moving to Missouri.

We are going to be...

Wait, what do you call people from Missouri?

Missourians?

Yes I think so.

We are going to be Missourians.

I have never been anything other than an Arkansan.  

Never thought I'd be anything different either.

We are excited about this new adventure.

But if I'm being honest I must tell you I've also already had a good cry about this new adventure.

I told my principal Friday and my BeMS Math Family (Earhart, just pretend like you are a Math guy).

They were all very supportive.

But they also gave me dirty looks and told me they were not talking to me anymore.

Makes a girl feel wanted.

Makes a girl feel good

Also makes a girl cry.

I love these people and my current school.  It breaks my heart to leave them.

Andrew has been saying he was retired for the past few months.  I was hoping I might get the chance to be retired for a few months but I may not get the opportunity.

Springfield has a 7th grade Math position available.  

I'm applying this weekend.

Looks like one more way God is lining it out all for this new adventure.

Andrew will move and start work in one week.  I'm not sure when I will join him.  It will depend on whether or not I have a job there.

You have prayed us through so much in the past.  We would be honored if you would pray for us as we begin this new adventure.

We love you all!

Ten Things That Have Me Pumped About Moving

1. Andrew's commute will go from a little over an hour to less than ten minutes.  This means more time together.  It means we can eat dinner together.  

2. Wal-Mart Pick Up....I cannot say how I'm excited I am about this.  Grocery Shopping will never be the same.

3. All the gym options.  I'm excited to find a gym and join some classes.  I miss Zumba.  And who knows...maybe I'll try something new.

4. We will have more than a handful of options when we want to go out to eat.

5.  Proximity to golf courses.  My husband is going to play golf regardless.  Being closer to the course makes those golf days a little shorter.

6. Shopping.  Oh the Shopping.  I'm going to be right down the road from Hobby Lobby and a mall and Ulta and....my husband may need to take my debit card away.

7.  Church...We never really found a church that was a good fit for us when we moved to Heber Springs.  There are so many more options where we are moving.  One of my biggest prayers, expectations, and excitements is finding a church home.

8.  Friends...With a new church a new gym, I'm praying for new friends.  I miss having a group of women that I can connect with it - people I can encourage and who can encourage me.

9. Infertility means lots of doctors appointments.  It will be nice to be 15 minutes from our clinic instead of an hour and 15 minutes.

10. New Job.  I'm happy in my current position at my current school.  But I'm sort of hoping God leads me to a new position out of my comfort zone.  I want something to push me and stretch me as a teacher.  Scary but exciting.

Why Are We Moving?

So about this move...

We love our little town.  We love our old house.  We love being close to the lake and spending time on our boat.

What we don't love is Andrew spending 2.5 hours in the car every day.

We don't love never eating dinner together.

We don't love those nights where he's getting home from work as I'm going to bed.

As you can imagine those things get old after awhile.

We've been talking about moving back to central Arkansas for a while now, but that talk became serious a few months ago.

We found a lot we loved and Andrew designed a house we loved.

We looked at buying a house instead of building. 

We talked about selling our current house...something that neither one of us really wanted to do.

I'm not good at talking through big decisions like this.  It takes me awhile to adjust to the idea of change and then once I adjust I'm set on that plan.  I struggle to discuss various ideas all at once.  I just want to scream at Andrew to pick something, pick a plan and I'll get on board. This of course is frustrating to him as he is the complete opposite.  He wants to thoroughly discuss every option and doesn't settle on one thing until he makes his decision.  

It's can be a very stressful scenario...at least for me.

So I was much relieved when a decision had been made, when a plan had finally come together.

We will keep our current house.  This allows us to continue hosting porch parties - something we absolutely love - and it gives us a place to stay when we want a weekend on the lake.

We will be renting the adorable little house I shared in my last post.

It is less than 10 minutes from Andrew's office.  That little fact in and of itself makes it the perfect house.

I am applying and praying for a job closer to the new house.  If nothing comes up, I will take my turn at having the commute.  

I think we are both pretty excited about shortening his commute and having that time together.

Because we are keeping our current home and not moving everything we own this has been the easiest move ever so far.

It feels a little bit like we are getting to have our cake and eat it too.

And we aren't complaining about that!

Five on Friday

I can't seem to put together a proper introduction today so let's just dive right in...

ONE...

We're moving!!  We started having conversations a few months ago and now we are just a couple of weeks away from moving into the cutest little rent house.  There are so many things that I'm looking forward to with this move.  I'm working on another blog post to cover that and the why behind this move.

TWO...

New house means new decor.  I'm having a blast shopping and designing everything....well letting my super talent sister-in-law design everything.  I would be so lost without her.  These are some of the color palettes I'm loving.

THREE...

I've been obsessed with face mask lately.  I love how they leave my face feeling moisturized and refreshed.  This avocado mask from Sephora is probably my favotie.

FOUR...

A little Valentine's Day leak led to us getting a new roof.  Such a big difference.  The house looks amazing!!

FIVE...

Tonight my championship team takes on Andrew's championship team.  Pretty sure it will be a first since we started our family bracket challenge.  Hopefully he won't be in too bad of a mood when his team loses. :)  (Go Bruins!!)

Three on Tuesday

I cannot believe it’s been almost a month since I last blogged.  I have so much that I want to blog about for my own personal memories.  I love looking back at our adventures.  I had started this post for Five on Friday but never posted it so I decided to make it Three on Tuesday.  Creativity at its finest ladies and gentlemen. 

1. We have been in our new house for three weeks now.  Our lives have been a crazy blur of boxes for the past three weeks.  How can two people have so much stuff?  Not only do we have all of our things to unpack and put away, but we also bought A LOT of stuff from the previous owners.  It has been fun going through all of it.  There are several things that are a mystery to us.  We have had lots of good laughs over our guesses at what these items are.  I tend to believe whatever Andrew says even when he is just making something up. 

Two of our nephews came over to help us move.  We could not have done it without them.  Cody and Pryce are seriously some of the sweetest boys ever.  They are such sweet gentlemen and don’t mind helping us with whatever we need – except moving scrapbook desk back down stairs.  Ya’ll I thought they were going to die carrying my scrapbook desk up stairs.  It is huge – even when it is broken down into three pieces. 

2.   Moving has been hard on Liberty & Lincoln.  Liberty doesn’t do well with change.  She likes her routine.  She has been a little distant the past three weeks.  A lot of it has to do with the fact that she doesn’t a fence right now.  She can’t just go outside and run around.  She is cooped up with her crazy brother in the hallway all day.  It absolutely breaks our heart.  She will sit at the door and just cry because she wants to go outside and play.  We are in the process of finding someone to build a fence for her.

Lincoln on the other hand…. Oh My!  Sweet boy has never had to be inside for so long.  He might just eat us out of house and home.  In the past three weeks he has eaten rat poison, three coats, cardboard, a night light, Swiffer pads, and who knows what else.  The little guy thinks everything is food.

In the mornings they get up with me and I take them outside to potty.  As soon as we come back in Liberty goes and gets back in bed with Andrew.  Lincoln is my little morning shadow.  He lays on the bathmat while I shower and follows me everywhere I go.  I have no idea what he does after I leave and before Andrew gets up.  I’m sure he eats something.

3.  We took Christmas card pics Sunday afternoon.  Our sweet friends came over to help us out.  Amanda was able to capture a shot of Andrew & I that we both love.  If we are friends on facebook then you’ve seen it.  I’m a little disappointed that I posted it on facebook.  Normally I don’t like sharing the picture we are going to use ahead of time, but when I posted on facebook I didn’t think we were going to use it.  It doesn’t have the LBs in it.  I took the dogs out and tried to capture a good picture of each of them to add to the card.  With a sick day yesterday I was able to get our card made.  I LOVED it.  Andrew didn’t.  I was a little bummed that I couldn’t do what I wanted.  We have had so much change in our lives this year that I wanted to do a year in review card.  That isn’t happening but I will say I’m pleased with the changes that I made and it will be a lot less expensive because it is no longer double sided. 

Christmas cards should not be as stressful as I make them. 

Moving, Visits, & Marriage

The week is finally here.  Andrew and I close on our new house this Friday and we could not be more excited.  I feel like a little kid at Christmas just thinking about it.  This is our dream home and we feel extremely blessed to be able to have it.

The past few weeks we have begun preparing for the move.  Last Monday we sold our washer and dryer.  That wasn't a big deal until Friday when one of our dogs puked all over the bed.  We didn't notice until it was dry & crusty.

YUCK!

We spent one night in our guest bed and one night on the couch & love seat.  Neither was a real comfortable option so I hung out at the laundry mat yesterday afternoon.

Reminded me of a great episode of Friends.

Today we sold our refrigerator.  I think the buyer will pick it up Wednesday.  I'm not sure what we are going to do after Wednesday.  

I was off work today thanks to Christopher Columbus so I decided to head "home" to visit my HG family.  I was able to have lunch with Traci and visit with several former coworkers and students.  

I had the best day!  People would be talking to me and halfway through conversation realize that it was odd for me to be there.  It was too funny!  Students kept asking me if I was coming back.  So sweet!

I ended up staying until school was over.  

On my way home I stopped and picked up a new rug that Andrew picked out.  We love it and think it is going to look even better in the new house

I have been reading this lately...

Can I just say WOW!

Lately I have felt overwhelmed about my husband and our marriage.  Overwhelmed in a good way.  It's something I've been wanting to write a blog post about, but I can't seem to find the words to describe what I want to say.

I have always felt blessed that Andrew chose me to be his wife.  But lately that feeling has been intensified.  There are times when I look at him and tears well up in my eyes because I'm so thankful to be married to him.

I feel like God is calling me to something big that has to do with marriage, but I don't know what it is yet.

I encourage all wives to get a copy of this book and not only read it but pray that you would be open to allowing God to use this book to strengthen you as a wife and as a daughter of the King.  

Andrew & I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in just a few months.  It is hard to believe that it has been a decade since we promised to love each other for the rest of our lives.  

I've decided that we need to go somewhere to celebrate.  I told Andrew it didn't have to be far away, expensive, or extravagant.  I just wanted to go away and celebrate.

Today I told him that I was fairly certain 10 years was the Las Vegas / Grand Canyon Anniversary.

Yep.  Pretty sure I read that somewhere.

What do you think?  Where should we go to celebrate?

Midweek Randoms

I'm home with an awful stomach bug today so I thought I would take advantage of this time and get caught up here on the old blog.

Andrew and I close on the house two weeks from today.  I don't think I have ever been so excited about moving.  We view this home as our forever home.  I don't plan on moving ever again after this.  This is it.

The thing I'm most excited about is getting to host our families for the holidays.  I have already been planning and thinking about ways to make it extra special.

Since several of them will be spending the night with us we have also been shopping for bedding.  We have four guest rooms in the new house.  I know how I want to decorate one of them.  I am not 100% sure about the other three, but I feel like I have to hurry up and decide.  I'm thinking about just doing neutral colors for now and then I can add color later with pillows and other decor.

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Yesterday my coworkers and I took our students to the Greers Ferry Dam 50th Anniversary celebration.  It was neat to be a part of this small piece of history.

Arkansas Governor Mike Bebee spoke.

President Clinton also spoke.  I don't think my students really knew who he was, but they thought it was pretty cool to see a former president.  With ever important looking car or figure they would ask if it was the president.

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Andrew and I have a new favorite show.  It is rare that we find something we both like but we love Cutthroat Kitchen

Have you seen it?  If not you need too!  I'm not sure that it is supposed to be funny but Andrew and I laugh until we cry.

Friday Night Randoms

1.  It has been raining all day.  We definitely needed it.  The rain has also made the temperature drop.  It's been nice.  Whenever it starts to cool off, I start listening to Baby Its Cold Outside by James Taylor.  I love it.

2.  Andrew and I have attended the past two Razorback football games.  It has been an absolute blast.  But I'm not going to lie.  I'm looking forward to watching the game on TV tomorrow from the comfort of our home.  I'm planning to make some chili cheese nachos for the game.  Yum!!

3. We close on our house in less than a month.  I am so ready!  We are going to have the blessing of hosting my family for Christmas this year.  I could not be more excited about that.

4.  Speaking of Christmas cards I have already started planning ours.  We have scheduled our photo shoot with Uncle Kevin - he is so amazing to take our picture every year.  It's not easy with two crazy dogs.  I even think I have the card design picked out already.  I just have to figure out outfits and we will be ready.

5.  The Voice returns Monday.  Yay!

Our Dream Home

When Andrew and I began talking about moving, we also began talking about our forever home.  The home that we see ourselves living in for the rest of our life.

The plan was to find a small rent house while it was just him living there and then once we figured out where I would be teaching we would buy land and build.

We found land pretty early on.  It was perfect.  Half way between our two jobs and close to the marina where we keep our boat.

Wooded area.  Feels remote but is still very close to town.

Earlier this month we met with a builder.  Nice guy!  He quoted us a price and I thought we were ready to start the process.

There is nothing wrong with our little rent house, but it is little.  I dream about a house with a few extra bedrooms so that family can come stay with us.  We talk often about either his parents or my parents living with us someday.  We would be thrilled to have them here with us.

Somewhere in there Andrew decided he wanted to see what was on the market for that amount of money.

So we began the process of him emailing me links to houses that were for sale and me turning them down one by one.  There was nothing out there that I liked just as it was.  There was something about every house that I would want to change.  We wouldn't have that if we built a home.  Besides - I had fallen in love with the piece of land we had been looking at.

After turning down a craftsman style house that was built in 1926, Andrew insisted that I go by and look at it.  He just knew I would feel differently once I saw it in person.

We drove by and I had to admit he was right.  We made an appointment to check out the inside.

I liked it but hardened myself so I wouldn't fall in love with it.

The more we talked about it and looked at it the more I liked it.

We've gone through it a second time.  It's one of those houses where you walk in and you can immediately see yourself living there, raising a family, and hosting lots of get togethers for family and friends.

Now is the hard part.  Looking at numbers and figuring out if we can make our dream a reality.

It's hard.  I want this house so bad.  But it is a huge decision and I don't want to do anything that we don't have complete peace about.

Only time will tell.

Home

This saying has never been more true to me until five months ago.  Even though I was in the house we owned and Andrew was in a tiny rent house, that tiny rent house felt more like home to me that our house.  The feeling only grew when my furbabies moved in with Andrew and I moved to an apartment.

After five months of living in separate houses in separate towns, I finally moved back in with my husband a little over a week ago.  It was a bittersweet moment.

Up until my last day at HG actually arrived, I was more than ready to get out of there.  I knew I would miss my coworkers, but I was R-E-A-D-Y to live with my husband again.  In fact, I felt a little guilty for wanting to be out of there so badly.

Then my last day came.  Quicker than I really wanted.  I woke up feeling sick that morning.  Everything I did, I couldn't help but think how it was the last time... the last time I would pull into the school parking lot, the last time I would lock up my classroom, the last time..

I pretty much started crying as soon as I woke up.  In fact for most of the day there was a song playing in my head - How Can I Help You to Say Goodbye by Patty Loveless.

It's okay to hurt and it's okay to cry.  How can I help you to say goodbye?

Ha!  It's a little comical I know.

At one point I laid my phone down to go to the bathroom only to come back and discover this picture...

That would be my principal and my best friend.  Ya'll I have a very special relationship with my principal.  Though she was very much my boss, she is also a friend.

And as for Traci?  It's been a long time since I had a real best friend.  A friend that I can to with anything.  A friend to go get mani/pedis with.  A friend who allows me to crash at her house for the last week of school when I had to be out of the apartment.

Saying goodbye to her was hard.  We've been in denial ever since Andrew accepted the job.

So how did it go?  We acted like two mature adults.  We hugged and then jumped in our cars to keep from crying.

Of course as soon as I put the car in reverse, the ugly cry began.  I know that our friendship has not ended just because I moved.  I know that I will make new friends at my new school.  But man am I going to miss teaching next to her every day.

Speaking of my new school.  I started work today.  I spent the day touring the school and planning units.  It was very overwhelming to say the least.  I came home and curled up in bed with my chocolate.  It was that kind of day.

Everyone was so incredibly nice and helpful.  It wasn't a bad day.  It was just different.

It is all different and taking some getting used to.

Being here - knowing this home and I don't have to go back  - it's a great feeling, but it's also an odd feeling.

Like it has sunken in yet that I am home.

Home sweet home.

Memorial Day Weekend

Last weekend was a fun-filled weekend on the lake.  It was absolutely perfect.

We started the weekend with Riverfest on Friday night -   a little Darius Rucker aka Hootie!

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to pack and move one last time.  Our nephews, Cody & Pryce, came home and helped us move me out of the apartment.

Once everything was loaded in our three vehicles, we made the drive to our new little town.  We pretty much dumped everything in the living room and hit the lake.

Other than church and sleep, we were on the lake all weekend.

The boys played lake basketball.  They are constantly making up games to play.  This weekend was no exception.  

I got in the lake, but it was still a little cool for me.  I spent most of my time laying on the boat reading.  

It was truly the perfect weekend.  

Our Weekend

I wrote this two Sundays ago and am just now posting it.  Oops!


Friday was Magic Springs day. Students who participate in the music program or athletics are rewarded for all their hard work with a trip to Magic Springs day. I'm not going to lie. As a teacher, I love this day. I can count the number of students on one hand who are at school. It's the perfect day to get some things done as the year comes to an end. This year my to do list is a bit longer since I will not be returning to HG. Everything has to come down and be moved out of my classroom. So that's exactly what I did Friday. I loaded up my car with the entire contents of my classroom. All that is left are a few odds and ends in my desk. It's very bitter sweet.

 I have two week left at HG.

 Some days that feels very real. Other days, I'm in complete denial. I think it will all sink in when I start attending workshops at my new school.

 Maybe even before then.

 I'm attending a Meet and Greet for new hires tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to meeting some new people, but am a little anxious. I have no idea what to expect. I'm pretty sure I will be meeting the superintendent and the school board. No pressure!

 Saturday was a very busy day. If I'm honest it was a very trying day. We headed out to work on The Liberty Belle as soon as we woke up. I'd love to tell you what we did, but I'm not really sure. Something about the steering. The husband says it was the hardest job we'll ever do on the boat. That's good because it is the lat job I'll ever do on the boat. I love my husband with my whole heart. He's my very best friend. But working together on projects like this is not the best thing we can do for our marriage. Ha!

 Because of that little job, we ended up missing our nephew's graduation. We felt awful. Time just go away from us. We came home, cleaned up, and headed to his celebration dinner.

 

Today started with some awesome worship at New Life Church.  We've been attending here since Andrew moved in January - at least on the weekends we've been at House B.  The longer we attend, the more I like it.  I dare say today was the best service yet.  We are starting a new series called Legends of the Faith.  Today we talked about David the lessons we can learn from him.  There is so much we can learn from David.  He was a man after God's own heart.  Yet, he was far from perfect.  He was an adulterer and a murderer.  Despite his faults, he loved God with all his heart and God loved him in return.  It just goes to show you that God can use anyone if we just allow Him to use us. 

Tonight we went to my brother's house to celebrate his 26th birthday.  He grilled burgers for everyone.  It was so much fun.  We enjoyed yummy food and outdoor games in the yard.   I love seeing my brother so happy.

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!

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?

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.  

Christ 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.