bittersweet.

Last week was a sad one. RIFs were delivered to 26 teachers in our corporation. Several who received them were dear friends and they will be missed greatly both professionally and personally. I wish them the best and know God is in control of all, even when hope is hard to find.

It's a tough time for all. When the economy began its initial struggle and it faced an inevitable plunge, I thought education would be the 'safe' job. How could it not be? There will always be kids. There will always be a desire for knowledge. You'd think there would always be a push for quality education. Yet now we lay off 26 teachers, say there won't be increased class sizes, and decrease our resources incredibly. Needless to say, I'm a bit skeptical.

I still don't know where I'll be going yet. Placement lists are supposed to come out this week. I remind myself of the same thing I did to my friend last week who recently had a baby, husband lost his job last year and now works thirds nearly an hour from home, and faces uncertainty as I cried with her after she received a RIF letter...God IS in control.

yikes.

Yikes is the only word I have for my lack of writing. I would like to be better. So I shall try.
Beginning...next week after the craziness of due dates, meetings, exams and dog classes subsides.
Check back for quite the overdue update!

ridiculous.

Apparently, Kindergarten teachers aren't supposed to say ridiculous...I was corrected quite adamantly by a 5 year old this week for telling her that the way she put a book away is ridiculous. Go figure!

Things have been a bit 'ridiculous' in our lives lately...not a bad ridiculous, just busy! My volleyball season is well underway and it has been both a blessing and learning experience for me. Brad is hosting open gyms and getting to know the team before the season officially begins.
School is in full swing as well -- 23 students and counting for me and a new smartboard for Brad...must be nice!
On another note, would you keep us in prayer as we consider a move in our future? We're not sure what the details hold but are hoping that God reveals Himself to us in this area.
I'm off to clean up a bit before going to bed -- you know it's sad when the only time to straighten your house is at 10:55 on a Saturday night!

back to the grind.

Now, for a more current update...

Well, I knew it would eventually arrive. The grind. Wake up, go to school, go to practice, come home, sleep, and let it begin again. I don't think I was mentally prepared for the busy-ness that comes with beginning and new school year AND coaching. Don't get me wrong, I have loved the excitement that a new year brings and the chance to reconnect with volleyball, but it is more draining than I had anticipated...and masters classes haven't even begun!

Please pray for me this year as I attempt to mold the lives of 22 5 and 6 years old. This group is quite different from last year and well...I will need some prayer :).

Brad is enjoying the quietness before his storm of basketball begins. It'll be interesting to see how roles switch as I am so busy. Already, he has been such a blessing with cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the dogs. I have a great husband.

We have company arriving shortly...more updates to come as classes begin!

summer, how I love thee.

EDIT ---- I wrote this post back Mid-July and didn't actually post it because I wanted to include pictures! Now that I have finally uploaded my pictures, you can read the update!

I woke up and pinched myself this morning. Seriously, a summer with no job? How about a summer with a husband who has no job? I honestly don't think I could ask for a better career -- I get to play everyday with precious little ones and only work half the year! I have had a lot of time to sit back and count my blessings this past month. God is changing my heart and I have never been more grateful.

Our summer adventures have included...

Our dear friends, Miranda and Billy's wedding!

A week-long trip to Daytona Beach with our good friends, Josh and Jennie.

Painting of our entire house. It's still in the process but it's getting closer everyday!

Painting of this super cool TV cabinet. Don't tell our landlord, but I think we're going to paint an accent wall this color too! :)

A few days with my family in Michigan.

Time to really seek God through this amazing Bible Study.

Lots of open gyms for Bradley.

Still to come this summer:

Buddy's neutering...tomorrow. I'm not sure the last time I was this nervous!

Trip to TN for Brad to meet my extended family.

My wisdom teeth removal...ahhh!

Our 1 year anniversary! I can hardly believe it's here.

The beginning of a two year journey toward a Masters of Educational Administration...wish us luck!

And the simpleness of enjoying the sunshine before the craziness begins again.

I am so anxious to get into my classroom and begin setting up for the fall...I often wonder if this earnestness will continue as my years increase. I sure hope so! I keep reminding myself to enjoy all the 'time' I've been given and not to let it tick away without realizing that God has a purpose in every minute. I'll try and get an update toward the end of this month because as soon as we hit August 1st...there is litle breathing room!

I'll end with a Beth Moore quote that touched my heart during my Bible Study this morning:

"God created time and never wastes it. We alone waste time when our impatience to receive our earthly inheritance hinders our preparation to know what to do with it."

not quite spring, but yet a break.

I wanted to start this entry by talking about how refreshing spring break has been, but a few things have rained on my parade. Our basement flooded. Twice. And our landlord has made more excuses as to why he hasn't been over to fix it. So our washer and dryer are up on bricks, we have a lot of laundry we are unable to do, and no hot water to wash our dishes because the pilot light was drowned two nights ago. My dear, sweet husband is downstairs as I type trying to work on the silly sump pump that continues to malfunction. He's ankle deep in frigid water. Bless his soul. Maybe when our landlord makes it here, he will 'think' about fixing our pipe that burst in December. That might be a stretch.
Also, my dear, sweet husband who is pretty handy at sump pumps determined he's not so great with expensive linens. For example, our new bedspread. It was downstairs to be washed because our precious pup got nervous on our bed (which always leads to tinkling). Well, it was drowned as well in our flood. Hubbie took it to the laundromat, which was successful, but then he put it in our dryer...on normal heat. We now have a fried bedspread. I'm calm about it now because I used last night to cry and weep over this lost item. I've reminded myself its just a 'thing' and he didn't do it purposely, so eventually we will replace it. Until then, I'll sleep under a melted and semi-hard comforter.
Also, its been cold. And I'm over cold, and very ready for Spring.
I have a few more updates but I'll wait a couple days, hoping you'll check back in anxious anticipation!

where it counts

I had to make a phone call to a father of a very upset little girl to inform them that his little angel had kicked two boys...where it counts. I can't remember how old I was when I learned this was a bad thing. She was five and a half.

Brad and I have decided to take the plunge into joining a small group. I am really excited about developing some relationships where it counts. I also learned a teacher from my school is in the group -- God is good :).

We are praying a lot about where we are headed next year. I find it so uplifting when God makes you yearn for something, but yet the situation is totally out of your control. I am learning to trust God where it counts.

Our mischevious little dogs decided to shred our carpet this morning, sometime between my shower and the time I left 25 minutes later. Let's hope that doesn't cost us too much money to fix because we have very little money where it counts (but a lot in retirement where it doesn't count yet...).

By now, my phrase is worn out so I will anxiously await my husbands return, invest some time in cleaning, and be thankful that my count to the weekend is down to one more day.