Before the alarm goes off

Last night was a restless night. I'm not really sure why. I've been up since before 2 am. I spent time studying for my upcoming test. Honestly I really thought that would put me to sleep. Alas it did not! I figured by about 4 am there was no point in trying to go back to sleep when the alarm would sound at 5:30. So I thought I'd try to sneak a blog entry in before I have to cook breakfast.

--------- much later in the evening---------

Yesterday was our one year anniversary. It's so crazy to think about how fast this year seemed to go. There were moments it felt like it drug on forever, but overall it was pretty quick. It was a pretty good evening spent together. We got to really just reflect about the good and funny things over the past year. I consider myself to be really blessed to have the wonderful husband that I do.

Being married is a lot more difficult than I had imagined it would be. My life changed in MANY ways this past year. New role, city, home, job, etc... All in all I would say this first year was full of many adventures, but I'm sure glad to spend them with my husband. I'm so glad that I waited on the Lord's best for me.

One of the biggest things I've learned this past year is that a wife's work is never done! I've heard that saying time and time again. Before I became a wife, I didn't understand what that really meant. I think that a husband's work is never done either. I'm pretty sure it's called "adulting". I think for both parties the job continues, the work load is always there, and the stress of trying to get it done remains. God's really been softening my heart to these facts. Maybe He has something great in store for the knowledge I'm acquiring.

In an earlier post I made reference to the dreaded laundry basket that I just can't seem to keep empty. I think that's one of the most symbolic chores of a wife's work never being done. I think the struggle is that our jobs are ongoing and never really ending. The dishes will always need to be washed, meals will need to be cooked, the floors will need to be cleaned and the list goes on and on. There is always work to be done to take care of and manage our home.

When I lived with my dad I didn't always get the importance of the house being picked up. I was immature. I get it now! Sorry dad for all those times you came home from a rough day and the house wasn't picked up or there was a mess in the kitchen because I had cooked. My husband has explained to me on several occasions how important it is for a man to come home to a clean house. As a wife I'm just rallying around the fact that we are in one piece, dinner made it to the table, and I did something productive for the day. If the sink has dishes... it's ok because I did x, y, and z. If the living room hasn't been picked up, it's ok right? I'm learning that the effort to keep the home clean and organized means a TON to my husband. He appreciates that I take the time to work on keeping the house clean. I don't enjoy doing chores..... some people LOVE cleaning, it's not my favorite thing. My heart doesn't do flip flops from cleaning the house. My husband is an acts of service man. That's one of his love languages. It means a great deal to him that I WANT to clean the house for him. That I enjoy doing that. Therefore I try to make the effort to do that for him with a glad heart. It's an opportunity for me to love him in a way he speaks love.

It's funny how perspectives change when the circumstances change. I didn't realize the value in this type of work until I got married. God's really been working on me in regards to my role as a Proverbs 31 woman. Ladies it is hard work! There is a great deal of expectations for us to meet. There are days of great triumph... and days of catastrophic failure (maybe I'm being a tad bit dramatic here, but hey it's my blog and I can be dramatic if I want to.) Lol!

 I'm really looking forward to what this next year will bring. Hopefully the "big" changes will settle down for a bit. Right now we are focusing on getting involved in our church home and building our community here. I'm working on making new friends, which is hard when you are out of your comfort zone. I know that being out of our comfort zones brings about much growth.

Anyway, I better get off of here and get a GREAT night's rest!! I've been looking forward to a new blog post since I changed the look of my blog. I really like the look and feel of this theme.

Life is often bittersweet...

I really am pretty sure I'm one of the worst bloggers ever. I just often find that I don't want to sit and take the time to write out my thoughts. Though it ALWAYS makes me feel better when I do. So let's recap life...

I FINALLY am feeling much better. I think the last couple days have been the first in a VERY long time of no coughing. I actually was able to get off of all my over the counter allergy meds too! I know that was exciting. It has been a very long time of coughing. I basically got a sinus infection, bronchitis, etc... I got put on antibiotics and after 10 days of meds, I think it finally kicked it for me.

I took my ESL test. I felt like it was exceptionally difficult. I left that test feeling so discouraged. There wasn't a clear feeling of whether I did well or not. That's such a tough feeling. I found out yesterday that I did pass! Praise the Lord! I know that He's gone before me in all things related to our move. It's so hard to trust Him. I'm in the process of studying for my content area. I have to pass all four subjects. For those that asked why.... I'm an elementary education major. That means I should be able to teach any subject 1-8 grade. In Texas my certification would be content areas 4-8. I could also add on content areas k-6, but I am more of an upper elementary/middle school teacher. This upcoming test is the last one I have to pass. I have until January 1 to pass in order to keep my job. That's why I'm such a stressball about the whole thing. It's hard to have that deadline put on me. I haven't looked at Science or Social Studies in about 12 years.... yeah... I have to study....  A LOT! Prayers for this test are welcomed. Thank you for those who have been prayer warriors for me in this transition of my life.

Ok so many of you asked what happened to my sweet Bella. I went home last weekend. We didn't know that she was sick or in this case dying. Anyway, when we came in the door Friday night she cried with excitement to see me. She was wagging and excited to see us. At some point that night I went and laid on the couch and snuggled with her. She thumped her tail while I laid there and pet her. It was a sweet moment that I got to have with her. Saturday she seemed fine. We were in and out all day running errands for daddy. We had company that night and of course Bella seemed fine. Her and Katie were around begging for food. Sunday she seemed to be moving slower. Bella was about 10 years old, so we didn't think much about it. I noticed at some point she had trouble with her back left leg. She just kind of stayed propped up on the couch resting most of the day. She wouldn't even jump up in the recliner to sit with me (now I know she really couldn't). We talked a bit and rationalized what the issue could be. At some point I was sitting with dad and watching some tv. Bella got off the couch from her usual spot and sat on the cushions (where we'd sit) instead of the back of the couch. I was sharing some chips with Katie girl and Bella wouldn't really come over to eat some too. I would toss them to where she was laying and she enjoyed them too. About the time we were getting ready to leave, she hopped up to the back of the couch (her spot). I scratched her ears and kissed her bye, knowing that I'd be seeing her next weekend as we passed back by on our way in from Baton Rouge. I got a call from Dad on Monday afternoon. He was at the emergency vet with Bella. I was being informed that he had to make the decision to put her down. Later on after I got all the facts, this is what it boiled down to. Bella had a tumor that ruptured and caused internal bleeding in her spleen (I'm pretty sure that's where it was). Surgery wasn't an option as it would spread. They could have siphoned the blood out of the spleen and injected it back in, but it wouldn't fix the problem. Earlier that morning Bella had several episodes that appeared to be "seizures". They weren't actually seizures, but it was what it looked like was happening to her. That's when dad got her to the vet. He stayed with her as the vet put her down. I'm so thankful that I was not there to have to see my baby girl suffer like that. It breaks my heart to think about that happening to her. I raised her from a pink bellied little puppy. Bella was such a good dog. She made an excellent companion and brought a lot of joy to our family. She was a good companion for my dad when he was healing from his surgeries. She brought a great deal of joy to us both. So that's the gist of what happened to our sweet girl. She's not suffering and had a wonderful quality of life. I'm thankful that she was a part of my life.

This past weekend was great. I got to see several people from home. It was so different coming back. Life is much slower paced in Lake Charles. Honestly I miss that. I told Jacob I want to retire where it's slow like that. It was good getting to see our friends from Sunday School. It's hard to believe I've been "gone" for as long as I have. It's been good to move and get out of my comfort zone. It's hard! I think the Lord has really used this move to grow me closer to Him. I've seen His hand in everything though. I've seen Him working in all things. He's gone before us on so many things. Learning to trust in Him and relinquish control has been VERY hard. Even though I know I'm not in control, but I sure like to think that I am.

We are coming up on our 1 year anniversary. It's crazy to think it's already been a year. There has been a great deal of growing together on both of our parts. I know the Lord has REALLY been working with me on communication. If anyone asks me how married life is, my response is "hard work"! Everyday we have to work together to do what's best for the team. Life can be really hard, but I sure am thankful that I have Jacob in it with me. He's such a good fit for me. He's my best friend, my companion, my confident, and the love of my life. I'm so blessed to spend my life with him.

Anyway, I better get off of here and do some studying.

All Things New

So I'm a terrible blogger. Honestly I just haven't really felt like I could focus. Last week we had family come and visit. It was a great time! I loved watching Jacob interact with the kids. It was fun to spend time with the family. We spent the one day at the beach. *Insert one of the most awful sunburns here* My legs were ON FIRE and not because I worked out! I now have a very "interesting" tan starting to form. I don't think there's any way to "even" out this tan. lol We took the kids to the Rainforest Cafe. They really enjoyed it. Of course we did too! It's neat to experience life through the eyes of kids. We took them to Moody Gardens. We toured the aquarium and the rainforest. I LOVE the aquarium! It's my favorite. We also got to watch a Great White Shark 3D movie. It felt like Shark Week all over again. lol

This past weekend was restful. We got to spend some time winding down. We had a surprise visit from Sandi and her husband. It was so good to see them! Church was great on Sunday. We made some pepper jelly Sunday afternoon. All in all it was a pretty good weekend.

Yesterday was my first new teacher orientation. I spent about 5 hours in training. We got our id badges. I need to find me a fancy new lanyard for my badge. lol We got our tablets that we use in the classroom. I'll be learning a Dell tablet. Thankfully it's Windows 10, so I have some experience with it. It will definitely be a change from being so iPad based. That's what makes me a diverse tech teacher right?

As with everything else that's new, I'll have to learn a new platform for our webpages. The district I'm in doesn't use Blackboard. They use It's Learning, so that will be a new challenge. Also I'll have to learn more about OneNote and how to incorporate that into my classroom more. I'm exited because my district is a 1:1 and so we will have technology available. It's funny how different things feel as you are learning a new place, new rules, new procedures, etc... It's not bad to challenge and grow ourselves, but it new and scary at the same time. 

My sinuses are killing me.... Ok not really, but it sure feels like they are kicking my butt! I went to the doctor again yesterday. He gave me an antibiotic and I'm praying it kicks this sinus junk. I'm tired of coughing... It's been going on for a long time. 

On a good note, I'm making new friends. I am really excited about that. I don't want to replace my other friends, but in a city where you don't know anyone is lonely. Community is so important and I'm so glad that God is putting people in my path. I'm thankful for my new developing friendships. Also for the most part my new school is similar to my previous school. I'm thankful that it's not completely different and I hope that I'll be able to find myself in this new family. 

My husband will laugh at me when he reads this part. So lately laundry has been the thorn in my side. It is NEVERENDING! As soon as the basket gets empty, it slowly starts to fill up again. I know... I know... try having kids and their laundry, etc... I don't know why the laundry chore has been driving me bonkers lately. I mean it's not hard, it's just always there.... looming... from the laundry basket.... calling to you that the chore is still not complete. Yesterday I was really frustrated about it, but today I'm trying to find the humor in it. I'm pretty sure that the Lord is working on me in regards to counting it all joy (Brother Don would be proud)! This first year of marriage has been a difficult one. It is hard to try to find out your purpose or role in the home. I know for me it's been a roller coaster. I feel like I put so much stock in allowing my job to define me as a person, that I didn't really see who the Lord defined me as. Can I say how convicting and difficult that is?! I spent the first part of this year really trying to figure out what's my job. When I was faced with having to resign my teaching job and seek a new job, I struggled. I was heartbroken. How was I going to contribute to the family? What if I wasn't bringing in money? Didn't that make me less of a person? The answer is no! I have found that as a wife, my priorities have changed. While I don't LOVE doing chores and keeping up the home, I know it's an important role for me to fulfill. It makes a happy home for my husband. His job is to provide and my job is to manage. Once we had our respective roles, things just started falling into place. My job isn't to provide the money for our family. It doesn't hurt when I'm bringing some in and contributing to the bills, it's not my main role. My role is to take care of what my husband is providing and that includes our home. It even includes the dreaded laundry. lol! I have found that my husband comes home happy when the home is in order. I don't always have it together. There are some days he comes home and I haven't even touched the stuff that needed to be done. He's told me countless times that it means a great deal to him that I'm trying and making the effort. My heart has been changing so much in the last year. God has REALLY been doing a work in giving me clear direction on what a wife looks like and what her role is. I've gained a new respect for all the homemakers out there! Taking care of a home is a full time job! Paying bills, running errands, cleaning the home, taking care of the kids, taking care of the spouse, cooking meals, etc... All of that is so important and boy it seems to never end. I've also learned that managing the home doesn't mean I have to do it all. That last line has been so vital in my discovery. While my job is to manage, it isn't to do it all. Sometimes that means I have to ask my husband to come along side me and help or take care of tasks I simply can't get done. It really does give me some relief to know that I don't have to do it all by myself. 

I laugh sometimes when I reflect because I would like to think by 35 I'd have a clue about life. Often times I think God gets the laugh because He has yet another area of my life to work on. I know it's a lifelong journey. I'm thankful that He's taking the time to change my heart and show me what my real purpose is and who I am in Him. I'm so thankful that He has brought me to this place in life where I can look back and see that all the growing pains of the last year were worth it. He is the God of the mountains just like He's the God of the valleys. That promise is so near and dear to my heart. 

Well I think I got a bit more deep than I anticipated. However I promised that I would share my journey and transition. Blogging is good for me. It gives me a place to put down my thoughts. I think when I look back I'll be so glad to see how God will grow me. I remember the words to Hillsong's Oceans really penetrating my heart on this journey. I remember crying them out to the Lord. I guess He was listening! 

"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

[6x]
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Oh, Jesus, you're my God!

I will call upon Your name"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep

My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand

Will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

[6x]

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

Oh, Jesus, you're my God!

I will call upon Your name

Keep my eyes above the waves

My soul will rest in Your embrace

I am Yours and You are mine
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

Week 1

It's week 1 and I'm still going strong. It kind of makes me sound like I'm on a diet or something. I've survived my first week after moving. So after being down with the crud and napping all the time, I have finally bounced back. This weekend we shopped for a new mattress. It is weird to lay on the beds in the middle of the store. I learned that you have to lay there for about 10-15 minutes to have a good "idea" about the mattress. Shopping for a mattress when it's just you is pretty easy, but when you have to consider both of you and your styles... that makes it a little more tricky. Thankfully we managed to agree on a bed and get out of the store feeling great about our purchase. Day 2 and sleeping like a champ! I think we take for granted how important it is to have a decent mattress and how much better you feel when you sleep soundly at night.

This weekend we went to Crystal beach to visit some family. We left early Sunday afternoon for what should have been about an hour commute.... Not on this weekend... It was longer than the three hour tour. Once we arrived at our destination, we visited with family. Enjoyed some jalapeno poppers and cheeseburgers. I made a new Weight Watcher's dessert. It is a wonderful summertime recipe. It is Raspberry Walnut bars.They were super good, traveled well, and didn't make us feel guilty for eating them. I'll post it on Keeling's Kitchen soon. 

Yesterday we got to relax. Actually relax and "do nothing". It was a lazy day. Well not really lazy, but it sounds good right? I monogrammed backpacks and beach towels for the kids. They are coming next week and we are taking them to the beach. I hope they LOVE their bags. We filled them with all kinds of goodies. I think as long as we remembered the fruit chews, we are a pretty jam up aunt and uncle. It's the small things in life. 

Today I went to Seabrook and got to see my new classroom. I met some of the 7th grade ELA teachers. I was given many books to read and some professional development things to look in to. I was guided on how to find my email! Can I say how dumb I felt? I'm a techie person, but sure didn't know how to navigate the new interface. I have to learn a new webpage management software as they don't use Blackboard in this district. Hopefully it will be an easy transition. The students definitely seemed ready to get out for summer. I'm looking forward to this new challenge. It's a bit overwhelming, but it'll be great. I signed up for my last 2 test today. I take one in June and one in July. Please keep me in your prayers. I hate testing about as much as the next person, but I'm on a deadline and would LOVE to have these tests done and not hanging over my head all year. 

Anyway all in all it's been a pretty good week. It's HOT here! I mean HOOOOOOOTTTTTTT! I lived in Lake Charles, but this is much hotter. lol! I'm looking forward to a shopping visit with family this week and mini vacation with the kids next week. Things have started picking up the pace as each day of summer rolls on by. 

Welcome to Texas

Welcome to Texas! This sign held a new meaning for me this round as I passed the state line from Louisiana into Texas. I'm pleased to say we got internet yesterday and I feel as though I've entered the land of the living again. I've been waiting to blog so I could sort through all my thoughts and feelings and today I found myself wanting to avoid it. Sometimes it is easier to not have to deal with the real deep stuff going on right? However I promised my husband that I would work on making time to journal the transition I'm experiencing in order to see the growth that took place over the course of this upcoming year. 

I'm so glad to have had our stuff moved here and put away before I got home for good. That was a blessing. It's nice to be able to come in and just relax. I moved the last of the boxes to storage as well as cleaned out my school stuff from the car. It was nice to get things squared away. I think I needed to feel like I made the apartment "home". I've been told it's like nesting, but I like to have things put away and the woman's touch on the place. I don't think my husband minds. I'm sure it's a tad amusing. 

Ok so how's Texas so far? Well.... I started off by visiting the local urgent care. I can honestly say they were super nice. I'm trying to get rid of this stupid sinus cough. The steroid shot has been keeping me restless at night. I hope that today is the day I get to crash and sleep like a champion. I hate not being able to sleep at night. 

I got my teacher planner this week. School supplies make me happy! Anyway, I found the school calendar for next year and wrote in the few holidays we get off. Boy Texas sure does it much different than Louisiana. We aren't off for many vacation days during the school year. I am excited to meet with some of the staff next week at my new school. I think it will give me some normalcy to feel like I'm getting my feet wet and figuring out what the next year will hold. 

I realized that I lost all my teacher resources from my Blackboard site. So I set up a symbaloo account and started retracing my technology resources. It's actually a pretty neat pinboard for websites and such. After reaching out to my fellow colleagues, I was able to begin adding to my technology resources. It's so different planning for a non ipad type classroom. My students will have a tablet, but I'm moving more to Web 2.0 tools. Thankfully I've had training on all types of technology tools, so I can integrate technology easier into my future classroom. 

While refreshing some of my technology tools, I had to change my school for Class Dojo. I've been a mentor for a couple of years and I was concerned about losing my status with moving schools. I put in a simple email and viola! Class Dojo Mentor status is restored. It's the little things in life that helps contribute to the normalcy of adjusting to change. 

I spent the better part of my morning organizing my embroidery files. I did that for several hours until my eyes were ready to shut down. I have 2 folders FULL of  designs left to categorize. I will be super glad that I did this right? After a peanut butter and homemade plum jelly (don't knock it until you try it!) sandwich, I settled down for a much needed nap. My mind was so glad to have a break to unwind. My husband asks what do I do when I first get out of school.... my answer.... nothing.... literally nothing. There is something so draining about winding down the school year. I haven't been as productive as I wanted to be, but most of the house was already put together for me. I caught up on laundry. All my married friends with kids.... I get it now! Laundry is the one chore that is NEVER complete. There is always one more load to do or another one building. It's almost like waiting for a resolution, but instead it's in a constant state of rising action in the plot line of chore life. 

Today was a soggy day. It was PERFECT stay home and rest/nap weather. Honestly I'm thankful for a stocked freezer and pantry where I could plan a meal without having to leave the house. Maybe today was the first real lazy day I've had. Just winding down in time to rest for the weekend. Lol! That's real life right? 

I'm really excited about sewing this summer. I am collecting patterns from the 2016 Row by Row Experience. If you sew, check out the link - http://www.rowbyrowexperience.com/. I plan to make stops by local quilt shops when we do a little light travel this summer. I think this will be a great resource and learning tool. I'm eager to check out the two quilt shops near me: Painted Pony and Pinwheels and Posies. I hope to take some classes and gain some more skills. I know that I have a sewing class with Grandmother to teach me how to make a bed skirt for my bed. I'm pretty stoked about that as I need a split bed skirt and they are hard to find. Why not learn to make my own right? 

Well it's time I get off of here. I have to start getting dinner put together and in the oven so my husband has a hot meal to come home to. It really makes me feel good taking care of him again.... it's good to be home with my husband and taking care of our home. 

Jean Day

This was my view after getting behind the wheel of my car. I turned it on and saw that it was a brisk 37 degrees outside. I live in the south since I don't think I could acclimate to colder temperatures. Today is a day to be thankful not to have morning duty. All I can think about is my sweet friend who's getting married tonight... outside... in the cold... At least it didn't rain, but baby it'll be cold outside!

Today is Friday! For us it's jean day... my favorite day of the week. Why is it that we feel like we can accomplish so much more getting to wear jeans? I mean I usually feel like a champion on jean days and that I can accomplish the world. Okay maybe that's a bit extreme, but it sure seems like I can do so much more. I especially love being able to wear tall boots. I know it's totally a mental thing, but it makes me feel stylish. I love that feeling. In all honesty, I probably like them because I'm short and I get to feel like I fit in with the taller people in the world. There are many things clothing wise I have to be careful not to wear because it doesn't flatter short people. So on jean and tall boot day, I get to be just like everyone else! It's the simple things in life.

My husband and I talked this morning, thankfully he's coming home tonight. I was telling him about my blog and he was all excited about it. I love that he is a reader and writer also. He's a very well rounded person. He's an amazing writer, VERY creative! He should probably blog too, even if it's just for writing practice. I think that he will be the author of a book one day. He's got the creativity and drive to do it.

Well in the last few seconds before the school bell rings, I find that I'm enjoying those few precious moments of silence. Today is going to be a super busy day and I get ready to be absent for three days so I can attend a technology conference for my state. I'm pretty excited because I am being presented with an award for being the region's middle school teacher of the year. It's such an honor to receive. I'll find out next week if I was able to win the state level award (keep your fingers crossed). Anyway, I'm off to begin my crazy hectic day. Thankfully I have my jeans and tall boots on and I should be able to conquer the world today!

Currently December

I love this activity! I participated with some friends when we blogged together and it was always great to run across new and interesting blogs. I'm linking up with Farley for the Currently December activity.

My classroom is always so hot! It's crazy how cool it can be downstairs, but upstairs in my world it's like a sauna. So I'm listening to the classroom fan making it's humming noise. There have been many days I was really glad to have them. 

I'm loving that almost all of my holiday shopping is done. This year everyone pretty much received a homemade gift. I made some rag quilts and monogrammed some hand towels and blankets. I love making gifts personalized. I find that it's a great way to be thoughtful. 

I'm so ready for my Christmas break. I feel sad saying that especially since we just got back from Thanksgiving. It just seems like it's well past time for a break. A real break that includes sleeping in, pjs during the day, and reading. 

I'm wanting to sit at home in my pajamas and read. I feel like life has been so busy, that I haven't had time to read. I would love to just veg out and get lost in a book. 

I need my husband to come home from Chicago. I'm ready to see him and spend some quality time with him. Thankfully it's almost time for him to make the trip home. 

This year like most years I'm sporting a faux tree. Our tree is frosted and has the pine cones and cranberries on it. I love it!! I don't think I've ever had a real tree to be honest. Maybe that is something I need to put on my bucket list for the future.