Wednesday, June 6, 2012

It's Been a While...

I've decided to take up blogging again...at least for today. My husband will be happy since he begs me all the time to update. There are so many things (as uneventful as they may seem) that have happened since my last post that it's actually quite overwhelming to think about. So I'll just hit the highlights, like usual...

Much like I had hoped, this school year was exponentially (get it, Math pun...) better than last. I had high hopes since I was no longer self-contained and was partnered with one of the best teachers in the school. The beginning of the year was discouraging and rough since there was still a lot of shifting of teachers and students, lesson plan formats & requirements changed more times than necessary, and I had one of the most challenging 5th graders in my class. My kids and I gradually got into the groove and routine though, and we started developing into a tight-knit community. I honestly don't know what I would've done my partner teacher, Michelle. She's like a big sister and is just so great to work with. If I had to give this school year a theme it would be GROWTH. Last year was purely survival, while this year I really grew in confidence of myself as a teacher and an influence at my school. Because of this confidence, I was able to joke with my kids more and feel more comfortable. More importantly, there was a lot less (but still some) second-guessing and comparing of myself to my co-workers. ANDDD I didn't drive home everyday like I did last year seriously contemplating quitting teaching to become a full-time waitress, barista, secretary, Target cashier, you-name-it! I'm just in such a better place than I was last year, especially when I first got hired. The Lord has continued to work on my heart about contentment, and that continual mindset shift has made all the difference in the world.

Have I mentioned how much I love living in Nashville? Over the past 6-8 months, we have established and deepened some pretty amazing friendships. When we first moved into our house (which by the way, Brandon and I just renewed our lease for another year...something we've never done before since we've moved every year we've been married!), I was really bummed about not having modern conveniences like a dishwasher and washer & dryer. But the location and deal that we got on the house was too good to pass up. I love that we have a great neighborhood to take walks with Rev and can walk to our favorite Mexican restaurant. Our friends have been so selfless to offer their w&d to do our laundry at any time, and we have definitely taken them up on it. For a while, I dreaded asking them because I knew it was an inconvenience (even though they promise it's not) to have us over for 2-3 hours on the weekend. Just like so many other things, I was over-thinking and worrying about it way more than I should have. But just recently, I realized that if it wasn't for these w&d opportunities, we most likely wouldn't be as close as we are to our friends. So if you've ever offered up your washer & dryer for us, THANK YOU! You may not see it as much, but we see it as a sacrifice and prevent us from being stinky.

Coming soon...a picture update and recap from our trip to Louisiana!

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