weather

Two posts in one day..wow!

Just wanted to let you know that I checked the weather report for June 7 [next saturday]. As of today it is supposed to be "Rainy."

Please pray!

spatterings

I tend to start a lot of my blog posts this way but... it's been awhile :).

A lot has happened since graduation. I will try to be concise yet informative for my faithful fans out there! Here are a few more pictures from graduation that I promised:

One last photo shoot with the roommates was a necessity, and it was fitting that we were in the gym. [Sidenote, Deb broke her foot playing ball a couple weeks ago. Allowing it time to recover is hard for her, as is being on crutches. Please pray for her].

With Brent before the ceremony began.
Posing with my "diploma"... which will actually be mailed to me later.

I got to sit next to my David, also an English Teaching major and a good friend. It was fitting that we ended our time at college together, as there was only one semester in my FOUR years that I did not have a class with him!

My grandparents even made it up for the occasion!

...and Brent's parents, Beck and Joan.

and of course, my parents!

I had to get a picture with dad later, as he was way up north trying to track down a Uhaul for me right after the ceremony!

The next weekend came and proved just as busy, as I headed to Wisconsin to marry off Renae. It was a beautiful wedding and she looked so wonderful. I don't have many pictures from the occasion, as I was a little busy :) Here we are hanging out, waiting for the wedding to start!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Brent was graduating! Here he is with his beautiful sister, Beth, and a goatee.

My parents were able to make the trip down to see him graduate as well!

Whew... and then it was home again home again jiggity jig... and begin the packing process! Brent and I pretty much have everything packed up and ready to go [I can hardly believe how organized we are]. Then the weekend came and he was off to Louisville to start his job/internship...and I rode along. Long story short, I had a phone interview with a middle school out there and they wanted me to come. So I bummed a ride from dear ole Brent and had another interview on Tuesday. I guess you could say it went really well, as they offered me a job at the end of it. I didn't accept right away as I had another interview set up for Wednesday, so he told me he needed to know by Thursday [yesterday], as there were EIGHT other candidates he would need to let know! wow!

Wednesday came around and I went to the Christian School and oh my goodness I felt out of place. It was in a very affluent part of town and up on a hill with white columns and a brick building. Very impressive campus to say the least, and I put my redneck ways aside long enough to have another good interview! :) The middle school principal there was a very sweet southern lady and I could have talked to her for hours. However, during the interview I believe she only asked ME one question [regarding classroom management]. The rest of the time she talked about THEIR school, THEIR curriculum, etc. Which is okay, but I really felt the public school was interested in learning about me, to see if I could be a good teacher and fit in with the direction their school was going.

I also loved the public school's set up, and how they explained their ideas to me. I thought it was interesting that one of the teachers in the interview informed me that their school district takes education very seriously- when Kentucky Superintendents were told to cut some teachers for pay reasons, their County did not cut a single teacher, but rather office personnel and board members etc...as he believed that the teachers were the most important part of their school district. I thought that really said a lot about them. Anyway, I'll have 4 classes a day [longer periods than normal] with about 30-35 per class. I will also get 2 prep periods [they give all their teachers that as this allows them time to meet as departments and 8th grade teams etc]. It sounds like they really have a lot going for them and different people I talked to in the area said that this school distric was supposed to be the best in the area!!!I am very excited. Of course I'm a little nervous, but they have a great teacher induction program as well in Kentucky, which will be great. Some extra paperwork, I'm sure, but helpful. Now I am just trying to figure out all of the requirements for getting my Kentucky certificate, and besides some forms, 300 dollars, and a couple tests, I should be in business :)! YIKES!

So...as of yesterday I accepted and officially have a job next year as an Eighth Grade English Teacher in KentuckY! Hard to believe how everything is falling into place.

I flew back home on Wednesday, and Brent will be there until next Wednesday. He is really loving his job at the church as well, as already was able to play in a softball game last night [which his team won...and during which he turned a double play!]. He took some pictures of our apartment, the church, my school etc...and I'll post those at a later date.

Sorry this is a novel. A lot has happened and I wanted to reward those who have been patient enough to wait :)

I'm official.

Well, I graduated from college. It was a whirlwind of a weekend: Friday night was Baccalearuaeoritqwre. [Trust me, no one knows how to spell it anyway!]. I had to say a little thing and talk about nervous! Everyone kept telling me that I teach and I'm in front of people all the time-- I reminded them I teach seniors and freshman who really aren't paying attention more often and not... and this was parents and grandparents who wanted to hear that their 90,000 plus dollars they spent to send their child to college was worth it :) It went well though.

Then Saturday morning came and so did the rain--oh well. I'd rather it rain on my graduation then my wedding [June 7...keep praying]. I had "reserved" a UHaul trailer to send some of my stuff home, and there wasn't one the right size at the local location... so immediately following graduation my dad missed lunch and drove to Vermillion, South Dakota!! What a trooper. Then Brent's parents, my grandparents, Aunt Linda and Uncle Al, and my mom and Brent all shared a meal....then it was time to rush back and check people out of the apartments [part of my job as an RA- everyone had to be packed up, cleaned up etc by 5pm]. It was a little hectic and I was 100% exhausted by the end of the day.

Sunday everyone helped load all my stuff, and then they were off to Missouri and I was off to cleaning the apartments. At about 5 oclock I had everything vacuumed and dusted and...you get the picture. Then a few goodbyes...then to my aunt's and then to bed at 9:15 [I am serious!!!] I slept in until 11 this morning!

Tomorrow I will head to Wisconsin to help Renae get married off on Saturday! Then back to Missouri. I'm sure posts will be few and far between, but I hope to keep you updated on my never-a-dull-moment-life. Here is the only picture I currently have from graduation-- Dad took some, and I will post those when I get home. These are all the women I was priviledged to be on RA staff with last year:

spring has arrived...finally

Well, we finally got Spring! The past few days have been absolutely beautiful-- which is a nice break from the SNOW we had a week ago. Yesterday I was able to go for a run/walk [obviously more of the latter], and I even cleaned my car out [and when I say clean, I mean shop-vac, soap and water, floor mats, toothbrush in the cracks...CLEANED!]

I also woke up this morning to some great news that my cousin had her baby! -- and it's even on my grandma's [the baby's great grandma's birthday], which I just think is pretty great. Congratulations Kris and Roberta!

In other news, I am subbing a half day today, and then the rest of the week. I am really looking forward to a) getting back in the classroom, b) earning some cha-ching and c) seeing my students again [I get to sub for the same classes I student taught in!]

It's actually finals week here at school, however, since I student taught this semester I've obviously been done for awhile. It's very nice/slightly strange. My roommates have, at least 5 times a day, have informed me of how unfair this is. However, I remind them that while they were all away on Spring Break, I was here, slaving away. :) But since it's finals week this also means it is graduation weekend. So... Saturday I will graduate: talk about very nice/slightly strange! Then next weekend my roommate, Renae, is getting married in Wisconsin. I'm in the wedding and will be leaving early next week to head up there to help out- whew! Talk about a whirlwind... then I will return, pack up things at home and prepare for my own wedding! It's going quickly.

Well, there is another wasp to be killed [this is the third one we've killed in our room in 24 hours...I'm a little nervous about that!]. Hello Spring, I suppose.

happy may day

Well everyone, this will be brief but I just wanted to inform those of you who didn't know yet that IT'S OFFICIAL! Brent and I have applied for and SECURED an apartment in Louisville. We just got the call today that everything went through!!!

When Brent traveled there in early April he was able to look at only one apartment. He really liked that one and we had been waiting for the call. However, we recieved a call from a different place that the guys at the church had recommended to us. Blindly [except a brief online tour and floor plans] we decided to go for this one. It was a little bit more than the previous one we had wanted, however it had nearly 270 more square footage and washer and dryer hookups [which we were able to purchase from some missionary friends who are returning overseas, but had just bought the new set!] I talked to Kali, thinking she could lend me some apartment-living-expertise, and she said she would pay about 100 more a month to have a washer and dryer in their apartment!!! We decided it was a good deal and Brent took care of EVERYTHING... including the FOURTEEN page application! Everything just fell into place from there-- it even opens up the 13th of June [we are moving in on the 16th]! We are very excited to have a place to settle.

Also, I just wanted to say a big thanks to all of my family who came and threw a wonderful shower for me last weekend. We had so much fun and I was blown away by your gifts. It was great seeing everyone again and fellowshipping over A LOT of Chinese food. :)

That's all for now...more to come, I promise.