I survived my first day of work! It actually isn't a huge deal because I didn't see kids today, but it was still overwhelming and a little stressful. I feel like I am on information overload. I met a bazillion people today and yesterday, many of whom I don't remember, and many of whom I have met twice. I got to see my friend who works there, which was fun, but I didn't get to talk with her much as we were so busy. I got to help with planning and scheduling some testing today, so I was able to do something productive. I don't get a desk or anything for a while at least, so that is a little stressful, but I don't have to teach kids for about a week either, which will give me some time to try to organize my life.
Another productive thing I did today was translate for a couple of parent-teacher conferences. The first one was great because I didn't actually have to translate the whole thing, I just have to help clarify if anyone needed it. The second one was much more difficult. I had to translate the entire conference and I was pretty uncomfortable about it. I just felt like I didn't have the skills yet to competently translate. It was hard because I could tell the mother was having a little bit of difficulty understanding me. I did what I could, though, and I figure that is all I could ask for. I know my Spanish skills will get better as I use it, and as I take chances. I am very hopeful!
I am excited about starting to work with kids, but apparently I am going to have a "very tough group." The kids have some issues, which I know nothing about, and apparently the teacher before me didn't do a whole lot for the students and kinda made them hate going to her class. I feel like I have a lot of ground to make up for these kids to be successful. I am already brainstorming ideas for lessons and techniques I may be able to use. I am excited to use what I have learned and figure out what works for these kids. I want to make a difference! I think I picked a good school for that, if nothing else. These kids like to fight, cuss, be mean, indimidate each other, etc. I am sure they are going to try some of those things with me because I look so young, so I am going to have to be very tough at first, and if they cooperate and are respectful then I can ease up a little, but I know if I am too lenient at first then I know they will try to take advantage of that.
I know I have a LOT to learn, and I really want to do the best I can for these kids. Teaching is my passion and I want to make a difference in the lives of these students. I want to be able to work with their teachers to make a successful team and do a lot of good for them. I am still nervous that I am in charge of kids though. I am having a hard time remembering that I am my own entity now, no longer a student teacher who has to do what my cooperating teacher says. It's quite different from what I am used to, but I am going to have to get over it quickly!
Ok, enough for now. Gonna go relax in the bath tub for a while. And I need to go to bed early... 5:15 comes too soon in the morning.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Excited, Anxious, Nervous... Shall I go on?
These are all the emotions I am feeling about starting my job tomorrow. I went and took a tour of the school, saw my classroom, and met several teachers. I am not going to see kids tomorrow, which is comforting. And apparently I never have kids on Fridays, so I will have two half-days this week to get everything organized and ready, then I will start with kids on Monday. I am so thankful that I am starting with two half-days, and that I won't have kids right away. God is so good to me.
Kitchen update: Our cabinets are in and finished!! They have handles and knobs on them and everything! Tomorrow the counter guys are coming to make the template for the counters, and the electricians are also coming tomorrow to upgrade our power and put all the plugs and stuff in around the kitchen. I am excited, though, because I am actually doing laundry in my OWN laundry room! It is still loud because we don't have the doors on it, but it is super convenient now that it works again.
Gotta go finish laundry and eat some dinner. Work tomorrow!! So early...
Kitchen update: Our cabinets are in and finished!! They have handles and knobs on them and everything! Tomorrow the counter guys are coming to make the template for the counters, and the electricians are also coming tomorrow to upgrade our power and put all the plugs and stuff in around the kitchen. I am excited, though, because I am actually doing laundry in my OWN laundry room! It is still loud because we don't have the doors on it, but it is super convenient now that it works again.
Gotta go finish laundry and eat some dinner. Work tomorrow!! So early...
Monday, January 25, 2010
New job
Yep, I got the job! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. I start on Thursday, which will be weird because it will be a half day, but maybe that is a good thing so I am not thrown in right away. I am going to be the 4th, 5th, 6th grade bilingual teacher at a school called Desert View. I know one of the teachers there so it is going to be nice to go in there and have a resource right away. I am going to take a tour of the school on Wednesday, which will hopefully calm my nerves and whatnot. Anyway, that is the update.
The kitchen cabinets are going in as we speak and they look amazing! It is different than I pictured in my head, but in a good way. They look so rustic and beautiful, especially with the wall color. It is going to be just that much better when the countertops are put on next week. I am not going to post pictures until it is completely finished, though, so you will have to wait a little while longer to see what it looks like.
OK, I have to figure out a way to leave to go sign my contract over at the administration offices. Maybe someone can come hang out at the house with the cabinet guy while I run that errand. Adios!
The kitchen cabinets are going in as we speak and they look amazing! It is different than I pictured in my head, but in a good way. They look so rustic and beautiful, especially with the wall color. It is going to be just that much better when the countertops are put on next week. I am not going to post pictures until it is completely finished, though, so you will have to wait a little while longer to see what it looks like.
OK, I have to figure out a way to leave to go sign my contract over at the administration offices. Maybe someone can come hang out at the house with the cabinet guy while I run that errand. Adios!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Painted
Our kitchen is painted! We spent the day painting the ceiling and all of the walls. The color is pretty dramatic, but I love it! Our cabinets are very light, so the color will hopefully contrast very nicely. We will see on Monday!
My brothers came over at about noon today to hang out for the afternoon and spend the night while my parents go out and spend the night at a hotel out of town. They were very entertained by the xbox and the super nintendo, in fact they did that most of the afternoon. They tried to ride their scooters for a while but it was way too cold. They didn't even lift a paint brush, but that was probably more helpful than if they actually tried to help. We had dinner at Dion's, which we have had quite a bit recently, but it was still good, and we needed a change of scenery after being cooped up in the house all day.
At the moment we are watching Looney Tunes that Jason has recorded on the DVR. I am getting tired, though, so I think it is time to go read.
Prayer request- Some friends of ours from Lubbock have spent the last few days in the hospital with their baby who is fighting RSV. She is still on oxygen and is feeling pretty puny. Please pray for quick recovery for her and that her parents would be able to get enough rest and know how to comfort their baby while they are in the strange environment. I don't think they are able to go to work or school while she is in the hospital, though he might still be going to class, I am not sure. Thank you and I know they appreciate the prayers!
My brothers came over at about noon today to hang out for the afternoon and spend the night while my parents go out and spend the night at a hotel out of town. They were very entertained by the xbox and the super nintendo, in fact they did that most of the afternoon. They tried to ride their scooters for a while but it was way too cold. They didn't even lift a paint brush, but that was probably more helpful than if they actually tried to help. We had dinner at Dion's, which we have had quite a bit recently, but it was still good, and we needed a change of scenery after being cooped up in the house all day.
At the moment we are watching Looney Tunes that Jason has recorded on the DVR. I am getting tired, though, so I think it is time to go read.
Prayer request- Some friends of ours from Lubbock have spent the last few days in the hospital with their baby who is fighting RSV. She is still on oxygen and is feeling pretty puny. Please pray for quick recovery for her and that her parents would be able to get enough rest and know how to comfort their baby while they are in the strange environment. I don't think they are able to go to work or school while she is in the hospital, though he might still be going to class, I am not sure. Thank you and I know they appreciate the prayers!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Perpetual waiting
I am STILL waiting to hear about my job. I was told I would get a phone call yesterday and I didn't. I called the office this morning and was told that a decision still hadn't been reached because the "boss" still hasn't looked over my peperwork. The lady I talked to said she hopes to have a decision for me today, and that everything still looks good, but she is just waiting for her boss to look over everything. I still don't have my certification, but I took my application to Santa Fe on Wednesday so that saved about 2 days. Plus, I was able to get a confirmation that I turned it in for me to fax the office that might hire me, so I hope that cuts it when it comes to my certification, at least for the next two weeks or so. Ugh, I just want to know already! This is two week I could have been subbing and making money, but I have been on hold...
On a different note, our sink and hardware has made it to our house, which is good because we didn't think they would make it on time. Our kitchen is completely drywalled and textured. Today we are going to prime the whole room, paint the ceiling, and hopefully decide on a wall color for the rest of the room. I got a quart of paint that I liked on the sample card, but I'm not sure it is going to work, so we may be back to square one... We will just have to wait and see about that, though. The people from the cabinet company are coming today to make sure the room is ready to be finished. The electricians have not finised their work, which makes me a little nervous, because we don't have any switches or plugs or anything. But, the best news is that the cabinets are coming on Monday!! They will be installed on Monday and Tuesday. The countertop people will come on Thursday to make a template for our counters. Supposedly it will take about a week for the counters to be finished. We were hoping to be able to have a Super Bowl party, to celebrate our new kitchen, but we are pretty sure it won't be done :-(
I feel like my life is all about waiting right now. I guess God is trying to teach me patience... I'll update when something new happens...
On a different note, our sink and hardware has made it to our house, which is good because we didn't think they would make it on time. Our kitchen is completely drywalled and textured. Today we are going to prime the whole room, paint the ceiling, and hopefully decide on a wall color for the rest of the room. I got a quart of paint that I liked on the sample card, but I'm not sure it is going to work, so we may be back to square one... We will just have to wait and see about that, though. The people from the cabinet company are coming today to make sure the room is ready to be finished. The electricians have not finised their work, which makes me a little nervous, because we don't have any switches or plugs or anything. But, the best news is that the cabinets are coming on Monday!! They will be installed on Monday and Tuesday. The countertop people will come on Thursday to make a template for our counters. Supposedly it will take about a week for the counters to be finished. We were hoping to be able to have a Super Bowl party, to celebrate our new kitchen, but we are pretty sure it won't be done :-(
I feel like my life is all about waiting right now. I guess God is trying to teach me patience... I'll update when something new happens...
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Floors and more
Yep, I said floors. We finally got our floors put down in the kitchen! It is so exciting, but we covered them up with paper before they were down for even 24 hours so we didn't get them dirty when we finished the work. We spent today mudding and taping the drywall to get it prepared to be textured and painted. It's coming along! We are hoping that by the first week in February we will be completely done with the whole thing.
I finally finished the baby blanket for my niece on Saturday. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to my sister, so I will have to do that later. I'm really glad I got it finished, though, because now I don't have to worry about it any more. I have a bunch of other projects that I could work on, but I Don't have much space to work on them since our livingroom now holds the refrigerator as well as everything else that normally resides in the kitchen. We will see if I can get anything else done, but I am not holding my breath.
This week could be interesting. It is hopefully my last week of unemployment (which I will know for sure on Thursday) so I have some things to get done. I want to spend some time with my sister and her kids. I also want to run some errands that I won't have time for later on. Our cabinets might come in this week, which means we can get them installed either late this week or early next week. I guess I am going to have to see what all I am able to get done! Updates to come as things develop this week.
Also, I have a couple of prayer requests. One is for my mom's aunt. She fell last week at work and had to have a partial hip replacement. She is already up and walking around with a walker. She was in good health when she fell, so we are praying that her recovery will be quick and complete.
Another is for me. I have started reading my Bible daily again. I go through phases with this. I will get in the habit, everything is going great, then I get out of the habit. I can tell that I am so much happier and much more at peace in my life when I am reading it every day, but since I haven't for a while now I noticed my relationship with God was suffering. I know people go through this a lot, and I just pray that I can get back in the habit and that my desire to learn more and more from Him will be as strong as ever.
Thanks so much! Until next time...
I finally finished the baby blanket for my niece on Saturday. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to my sister, so I will have to do that later. I'm really glad I got it finished, though, because now I don't have to worry about it any more. I have a bunch of other projects that I could work on, but I Don't have much space to work on them since our livingroom now holds the refrigerator as well as everything else that normally resides in the kitchen. We will see if I can get anything else done, but I am not holding my breath.
This week could be interesting. It is hopefully my last week of unemployment (which I will know for sure on Thursday) so I have some things to get done. I want to spend some time with my sister and her kids. I also want to run some errands that I won't have time for later on. Our cabinets might come in this week, which means we can get them installed either late this week or early next week. I guess I am going to have to see what all I am able to get done! Updates to come as things develop this week.
Also, I have a couple of prayer requests. One is for my mom's aunt. She fell last week at work and had to have a partial hip replacement. She is already up and walking around with a walker. She was in good health when she fell, so we are praying that her recovery will be quick and complete.
Another is for me. I have started reading my Bible daily again. I go through phases with this. I will get in the habit, everything is going great, then I get out of the habit. I can tell that I am so much happier and much more at peace in my life when I am reading it every day, but since I haven't for a while now I noticed my relationship with God was suffering. I know people go through this a lot, and I just pray that I can get back in the habit and that my desire to learn more and more from Him will be as strong as ever.
Thanks so much! Until next time...
Thursday, January 14, 2010
God is great!
I (unofficially) got a job! I haven't gotten an offer yet, but the assistant principal at the school I interviewed at called me back today asking me to send him some information. I had to fax him my certification from Texas, my application for licensure in NM, and I will have to send him my scores from my certification tests when I get my results from the bilingual test back. He said, "I can't offer you the job, but I want to get all the paperwork in order so we can send it off to central office so they can let you know..." I thought that was really funny. But I'm so excited about it! My mom thinks it is going to be the perfect first job for me because I won't necessarily have my own classroom and I will be more like a consultant, working with students individually on their work, and working with the other classroom teachers to help the students. I agree with her that this is going to be great since I am coming in at the middle of the school year. I need to talk to a friend of mine who works there to get the scoop, but I had a really good feeling when I went to the school for my interview. It isn't quite real yet since I haven't officially gotten an offer, but I am very optimistic!
On a different note, my youngest brother has had an erruption today. He was being very defiant about school and was arguing with my mom. Once they hit 5 times arguing they get priveledges taken away. I guess he was at 3 and he just said go ahead and put him at 5, so mom did. She told him to go get his iPod from his room and he said no. She said if he gets it he only loses it for one day, but if she has to get it he loses it for two days. He told her to go get it, so he lost it for 2 days. He then left on his bike and was playing with some other toys. My parents took everything away until he finishes his school work and chores. Him and David were on a walk when I went to my parents' house and I haven't heard anything since then. I know it is stressful for my parents but they also knew things like this happen when you are parents. If you could say a prayer for them today that would be great, and I know they would appreciate it.
Today has been spent watching Harry Potter (I now own the whole collection, thanks to my outstanding husband) and quilting, while I wasn't sending off that stuff to the school. I had a great birthday yesterday and I'm excited to go spend some of the gift cards I got yesterday with Jason. Off to do more quilting!
On a different note, my youngest brother has had an erruption today. He was being very defiant about school and was arguing with my mom. Once they hit 5 times arguing they get priveledges taken away. I guess he was at 3 and he just said go ahead and put him at 5, so mom did. She told him to go get his iPod from his room and he said no. She said if he gets it he only loses it for one day, but if she has to get it he loses it for two days. He told her to go get it, so he lost it for 2 days. He then left on his bike and was playing with some other toys. My parents took everything away until he finishes his school work and chores. Him and David were on a walk when I went to my parents' house and I haven't heard anything since then. I know it is stressful for my parents but they also knew things like this happen when you are parents. If you could say a prayer for them today that would be great, and I know they would appreciate it.
Today has been spent watching Harry Potter (I now own the whole collection, thanks to my outstanding husband) and quilting, while I wasn't sending off that stuff to the school. I had a great birthday yesterday and I'm excited to go spend some of the gift cards I got yesterday with Jason. Off to do more quilting!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Interview and such
That's right, I had my interview today. There is a story behind it, though...
Around 9am this morning I was finishing up preparations for my interview that was set to start at 10am. I got a call asking if I could make it in by 9:30 instead of 10. I said, "sure" and I left that minute because I didn't know exactly where I was going. It should have taken me about 15 minutes to get to the school, 20 max. Using my trusty iPhone and GoogleMaps I typed in the address to the school. I had never been there so I didn't see anything wrong with the directions. So I get to where the map tells me and there is no school in sight.
At this point I am starting to freak out a little because my interview is supposed to start in 10 minutes and I have no idea where it is. I called the school and asked for directions, assuming I wasn't too terribly far away. The nice lady on the other end gave me directions, that I followed precisely, and that got me absolutely nowhere... It is 9:32 at this point, I am further away now than before, so I call the school again. I get a different receptionist who give me directions again. These directions are VASTLY different from the first set I received.
I finally got to the school, at 9:45, and I am told to wait a few minutes and they would come get me when they are ready for me...
So yeah, not a great start to the day, and I'm sure they had just a wonderful first impression of me. I explained what happened and they all understood, so hopefully it doesn't damage my chances of getting the job. Overall I think the interview went really well. I was able to explain some of my strengths, let them know about some of my weaknesses, and get a good feel for the kind of people that work at the school. I have a friend who works at the school (a lady who babysat me when I was really little, like before I went to school) and she doesn't seem to have any problems with it. Later on in the day I got a phone call from the assistant principal and he asked me several questions about my certification. Thankfully I finally have my certification from Texas and as soon as I pass that stupid BTLPT I will be able to have all of my certifications transfered over to NM.
Today was a pretty good day, aside from some of the hiccups, and I am much more hopeful about getting this job than the other job I interviewed for. I don't think I will hear for at least a week and a half if I got the job or not, but I am going to try to make sure everything is in order so I won't have to do anything else if they decide to hire me. I'm pretty excited about it!
Around 9am this morning I was finishing up preparations for my interview that was set to start at 10am. I got a call asking if I could make it in by 9:30 instead of 10. I said, "sure" and I left that minute because I didn't know exactly where I was going. It should have taken me about 15 minutes to get to the school, 20 max. Using my trusty iPhone and GoogleMaps I typed in the address to the school. I had never been there so I didn't see anything wrong with the directions. So I get to where the map tells me and there is no school in sight.
At this point I am starting to freak out a little because my interview is supposed to start in 10 minutes and I have no idea where it is. I called the school and asked for directions, assuming I wasn't too terribly far away. The nice lady on the other end gave me directions, that I followed precisely, and that got me absolutely nowhere... It is 9:32 at this point, I am further away now than before, so I call the school again. I get a different receptionist who give me directions again. These directions are VASTLY different from the first set I received.
I finally got to the school, at 9:45, and I am told to wait a few minutes and they would come get me when they are ready for me...
So yeah, not a great start to the day, and I'm sure they had just a wonderful first impression of me. I explained what happened and they all understood, so hopefully it doesn't damage my chances of getting the job. Overall I think the interview went really well. I was able to explain some of my strengths, let them know about some of my weaknesses, and get a good feel for the kind of people that work at the school. I have a friend who works at the school (a lady who babysat me when I was really little, like before I went to school) and she doesn't seem to have any problems with it. Later on in the day I got a phone call from the assistant principal and he asked me several questions about my certification. Thankfully I finally have my certification from Texas and as soon as I pass that stupid BTLPT I will be able to have all of my certifications transfered over to NM.
Today was a pretty good day, aside from some of the hiccups, and I am much more hopeful about getting this job than the other job I interviewed for. I don't think I will hear for at least a week and a half if I got the job or not, but I am going to try to make sure everything is in order so I won't have to do anything else if they decide to hire me. I'm pretty excited about it!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Quick update
We went to El Paso yesterday to take my test. We left at 9am and got back around 11pm. It was a long day and I was completely exhausted by the time we got home. I think my test went better, I felt more confident about it. I had a terrible ear ache while I was taking the test, though, so I was slightly distracted. I hope I did well enough to pass.
Now to prepare for my interview tomorrow. Jason finally goes back to work after being off for three weeks and I am going to miss not getting to hang out with him all day every day. This week should be pretty interesting!
Now to prepare for my interview tomorrow. Jason finally goes back to work after being off for three weeks and I am going to miss not getting to hang out with him all day every day. This week should be pretty interesting!
Friday, January 8, 2010
More prayer requests
You may think I am on a roll by posting so much recently, but really I just have a lot of prayer requests, because I know God answers prayer and the more prayers the better!
Tomorrow I am going to El Paso for that test. I need to do better on the oral part especially, but the writing part also gave me a little trouble. I just pray that I can have a clear mind and use what I know, and that God would give me the words I haven't learned so I can succeed this time I take the test. He has done that for me before, and I just pray He will do it again now.
The second request I have is for an inteview I have on Monday. It is at a school I have never been to but I know one of the kindergarten teachers there. I think she has worked there for several years, and while the school isn't all that supportive of a bilingual program, the position is "bilingual teacher." I don't know the grade level, if it is long or short term, or any other details, but all I care about is getting a job of some kind. Please pray that I would be able to adequately express myself and get my views about teaching across. I also ask that I would get a feeling of how the school functions and what the atmosphere is like so I can accept the job if it is a good place to work, and think twice about it if not.
Thanks for praying, I really appreciate it.
On a different note, the electricians are done in our kitchen. The laundry room is going up quickly (thanks to Jason and his dad's handy-ness) and I am getting closer to being able to visualize what the kitchen is going to look like when it is done. It is going to be a bit of a let down, though, because the kitchen is going to be so nice and the rest of our house still needs so much work. We are trying to figure out if this is where we are going to want to live forever and raise our kids, or if we are just going to somewhat fix it up and then sell it in a few years. If we are going to live here forever we are going to do a LOT of work on the house to make it perfect, so I am not going to want to move. If we aren't going to live here forever I am still not going to want to do a lot of work on the next house we get, so it is going to be interesting to see what we decide. I can't even consider moving right now because we still have so many unpacked boxes in our garage and throughout the hosue, but maybe in a few years I will be able to entertain the idea.
Well that's the update. Time to go help out and be productive before going to El Paso tomorrow. Or maybe I will just go play Rockband with my sister and my parents. We'll see...
Tomorrow I am going to El Paso for that test. I need to do better on the oral part especially, but the writing part also gave me a little trouble. I just pray that I can have a clear mind and use what I know, and that God would give me the words I haven't learned so I can succeed this time I take the test. He has done that for me before, and I just pray He will do it again now.
The second request I have is for an inteview I have on Monday. It is at a school I have never been to but I know one of the kindergarten teachers there. I think she has worked there for several years, and while the school isn't all that supportive of a bilingual program, the position is "bilingual teacher." I don't know the grade level, if it is long or short term, or any other details, but all I care about is getting a job of some kind. Please pray that I would be able to adequately express myself and get my views about teaching across. I also ask that I would get a feeling of how the school functions and what the atmosphere is like so I can accept the job if it is a good place to work, and think twice about it if not.
Thanks for praying, I really appreciate it.
On a different note, the electricians are done in our kitchen. The laundry room is going up quickly (thanks to Jason and his dad's handy-ness) and I am getting closer to being able to visualize what the kitchen is going to look like when it is done. It is going to be a bit of a let down, though, because the kitchen is going to be so nice and the rest of our house still needs so much work. We are trying to figure out if this is where we are going to want to live forever and raise our kids, or if we are just going to somewhat fix it up and then sell it in a few years. If we are going to live here forever we are going to do a LOT of work on the house to make it perfect, so I am not going to want to move. If we aren't going to live here forever I am still not going to want to do a lot of work on the next house we get, so it is going to be interesting to see what we decide. I can't even consider moving right now because we still have so many unpacked boxes in our garage and throughout the hosue, but maybe in a few years I will be able to entertain the idea.
Well that's the update. Time to go help out and be productive before going to El Paso tomorrow. Or maybe I will just go play Rockband with my sister and my parents. We'll see...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Golfing, coughing, and prayer requests
We got to play golf today! It is rare when we play golf without my grandparents, but today we were able to. My parents, Jason, and I all went and walked 9 holes. I didn't play well, but I didn't play all that horribly either. I get so tired walking, so it is a good thing we only played 9 holes. My mom had low blood sugar at the end, which made it interesting, but then we ate a delicious lunch and she was much better. I am starting to feel sick, however, and I am hoping that goes away ASAP because I don't want to feel ill again when I take the BTLPT on Saturday. Jason is taking me down there, which will be nice, but I am not looking forward to the trip at all. Just have to keep the faith!
I have a couple of prayer requests to mention:
The first is I know two separate couples who are going through a divorce, or at least discussing it. One couple has children and it upsets me greatly to see the anger, frustration, immaturity, and everything else that goes along with it, from one of the people in particular. I just pray that they are able to put the petty arguments aside, especially in front of the children, and that they will keep the interests of the children in mind above everything else. I don't know how it is going to turn out, but I just pray that the children aren't shoved into the middle of it, and that it happens quickly rather than being drug on.
The other couple does not have children, but it is just as painful for them. I don't know any details of their separation, but I just ask that you pray for God to intervein and for their marriage to be saved. If anyone can do it, God can do it. I don't think the divorce is finalized, so there is still time for Him to work a miracle. I also ask that you pray both of the individuals can stay close to Christ through the situation, that their faith does not suffer. Please pray for all the families involved in both situations.
Another request is for the couples I know who are getting engaged and talking about marriage. One couple is my sister and her boyfriend. They are not engaged yet but are planning a wedding nonetheless. I don't know when they will get engaged, but they are talking about getting married in August (which doesn't make sense to me because she will graduate in September, but I haven't really talked to her about it yet). They are not Christians and I know how hard it is to have a successful marriage without Christ as the center, so I just pray that they come back to Him so their marriage will last and they can have the best chance possible. I really like her boyfriend, he is a really great guy, I just want the best for them.
The second couple I am thinking about are friends of ours. They have been living together for a while and I think they are great for each other. We are super excited that they have found each other and that it is working out. They are not Christians either, however, and I pray they would come to know Christ so their marriage, too, has the best chance of survival. One of them has had a hard family situation to deal with, and I know he does not want his own situation to end up that way, so I pray that it won't. I want them to be happy, and I want their marriage to be successful, and I know the best chance of that is if they base their relationship on Christ.
I know relationships and marriages can be successful apart from Christ, because I have seen it, but I want everyone to know the joy I know from having a relationship with Christ. Marriage is hard work, and I know Jason and I have to work at it all the time, but it would be infinitely harder if we didn't have Christ as the third member of our team, so to speak.
And finally, I am asking for prayer for my job situation. I have been completely unsuccessful in trying to contact the HR person in charge of hiring. All I want to do is sub for now, and I can't even do that! I haven't gotten my certification letter in the mail yet, either, which is making things even more complicated. I don't know if I am going to be able to get certified in NM before I get both certifications or if I can just do one and then the other (my bilingual certification once I take my last test on Saturday). Nobody is being very helpful with my questions, so I am kinda drowning in all the information and requirements for what I need to do. I just pray that God will open some doors and show me what He wants for me in the future. I assumed I would just be able to sub pretty much as soon as I graduated, but it is proving more tricky than I anticipated. I am just stressed about this whole job thing, and I am praying for wisdom and guidance through my search.
Ok, I think that is enough for now. I feel like I only know how to write novels these days when I blog, but what can you do? I write what I am feeling and thinking, and isn't that the point? Until next time!
I have a couple of prayer requests to mention:
The first is I know two separate couples who are going through a divorce, or at least discussing it. One couple has children and it upsets me greatly to see the anger, frustration, immaturity, and everything else that goes along with it, from one of the people in particular. I just pray that they are able to put the petty arguments aside, especially in front of the children, and that they will keep the interests of the children in mind above everything else. I don't know how it is going to turn out, but I just pray that the children aren't shoved into the middle of it, and that it happens quickly rather than being drug on.
The other couple does not have children, but it is just as painful for them. I don't know any details of their separation, but I just ask that you pray for God to intervein and for their marriage to be saved. If anyone can do it, God can do it. I don't think the divorce is finalized, so there is still time for Him to work a miracle. I also ask that you pray both of the individuals can stay close to Christ through the situation, that their faith does not suffer. Please pray for all the families involved in both situations.
Another request is for the couples I know who are getting engaged and talking about marriage. One couple is my sister and her boyfriend. They are not engaged yet but are planning a wedding nonetheless. I don't know when they will get engaged, but they are talking about getting married in August (which doesn't make sense to me because she will graduate in September, but I haven't really talked to her about it yet). They are not Christians and I know how hard it is to have a successful marriage without Christ as the center, so I just pray that they come back to Him so their marriage will last and they can have the best chance possible. I really like her boyfriend, he is a really great guy, I just want the best for them.
The second couple I am thinking about are friends of ours. They have been living together for a while and I think they are great for each other. We are super excited that they have found each other and that it is working out. They are not Christians either, however, and I pray they would come to know Christ so their marriage, too, has the best chance of survival. One of them has had a hard family situation to deal with, and I know he does not want his own situation to end up that way, so I pray that it won't. I want them to be happy, and I want their marriage to be successful, and I know the best chance of that is if they base their relationship on Christ.
I know relationships and marriages can be successful apart from Christ, because I have seen it, but I want everyone to know the joy I know from having a relationship with Christ. Marriage is hard work, and I know Jason and I have to work at it all the time, but it would be infinitely harder if we didn't have Christ as the third member of our team, so to speak.
And finally, I am asking for prayer for my job situation. I have been completely unsuccessful in trying to contact the HR person in charge of hiring. All I want to do is sub for now, and I can't even do that! I haven't gotten my certification letter in the mail yet, either, which is making things even more complicated. I don't know if I am going to be able to get certified in NM before I get both certifications or if I can just do one and then the other (my bilingual certification once I take my last test on Saturday). Nobody is being very helpful with my questions, so I am kinda drowning in all the information and requirements for what I need to do. I just pray that God will open some doors and show me what He wants for me in the future. I assumed I would just be able to sub pretty much as soon as I graduated, but it is proving more tricky than I anticipated. I am just stressed about this whole job thing, and I am praying for wisdom and guidance through my search.
Ok, I think that is enough for now. I feel like I only know how to write novels these days when I blog, but what can you do? I write what I am feeling and thinking, and isn't that the point? Until next time!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
New Year, New Adventures
Happy New Year! I know it is a couple of days late, but at least I got it out there. I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful New Year. We were so blessed to be able to spend as much time as we did with all our family and some of our friends. We got some pretty good gifts, but that is not what made the celebrations so great. We did a White Elephant gift exchange with Jason's family which was tons of fun. I gave a box of cookies and got a lovely mug and magazine full of cookie recipies. Jason gave an "outhouse calendar," a roll of toilet paper, and a book called How to S*** in the Woods and got a hockey stick. This year was exceptionally hillarious for several reasons, one being Jason's gift (the person who gave him the book 10 years ago actually got it back), and the other being my mother-in-law's gift- a framed piece of fabric she dyed that she named "Blue Boobs." It was a great time and I'm so glad that they have accepted me as part of the family, they are wonderful people. After that we went to my parents' house to eat dessert and spend time with my family. All the family that lives in ABQ made it down to the house and even my family from Arizona was able to make the trip. Great day.
After Christmas we made the hike up to Tome Hill. Jason's grandma likes to hike it every year around Christmas, so that is what we did. Jason's uncle, cousin and their family all came with us, and afterwards we ate at Dion's (a new tradition since I joined the family). We took Abby, too, and she surprised us all at how good she was. The day after hiking the hill we went up to the cabin to sled. We were hoping there would be a lot of snow and that the trip wouldn't be a waste of time. It definitely wasn't. There was at least a foot of snow, and while it wasn't packing very well, it was still tons of fun. My broters came and had a good time, too, other than getting really cold (because they wore jeans!) and anxious to get home so they could play with all their new Christmas presents. We drank a lot of hot chocolate and were all sore the next day because of the sledding :-).
On Tuesday after Christmas I had an interview at that bilingual school that I want to work at. I don't think I will get the job, but it was great experience and I'm glad they at least know my name and can call me if something else comes up. I think I will find out for sure this week, but like I said, I'm just glad they gave me the opportunity to interview and practice. I keep applying for jobs as they come up and I know eventually I will get one, but for now I will be happy subbing (once I get over how nervous it makes me to walk into a completely strange classroom).
New Year's Eve we went to my parents' house to play Rockband with my family. My sister bought herself a Wii and that game, and it was actually a lot of fun. It was hillarious when my sister decided to sing "American Woman" with me. We were all rolling on the floor laughing. Fun game.
Other than that the break has been pretty good. Jason still has another week off (unpaid furlow) so we still get to hang out for a while. He is taking me to El Paso on Saturday to take my last certification test (the one I failed once already). Hopefully I will feel well and will able to do better. I didn't fail by much, but my score needed quite a bit of work. We will see how it goes. I am trying to have faith that God has something planned for me, which is why I failed the first time, but it is hard to remember sometimes. Good thing I have a lot of people praying for me because I certainly can't do it on my own.
More to come, but I am going to help Jason do some yard work for a while. Happy 2010!
After Christmas we made the hike up to Tome Hill. Jason's grandma likes to hike it every year around Christmas, so that is what we did. Jason's uncle, cousin and their family all came with us, and afterwards we ate at Dion's (a new tradition since I joined the family). We took Abby, too, and she surprised us all at how good she was. The day after hiking the hill we went up to the cabin to sled. We were hoping there would be a lot of snow and that the trip wouldn't be a waste of time. It definitely wasn't. There was at least a foot of snow, and while it wasn't packing very well, it was still tons of fun. My broters came and had a good time, too, other than getting really cold (because they wore jeans!) and anxious to get home so they could play with all their new Christmas presents. We drank a lot of hot chocolate and were all sore the next day because of the sledding :-).
On Tuesday after Christmas I had an interview at that bilingual school that I want to work at. I don't think I will get the job, but it was great experience and I'm glad they at least know my name and can call me if something else comes up. I think I will find out for sure this week, but like I said, I'm just glad they gave me the opportunity to interview and practice. I keep applying for jobs as they come up and I know eventually I will get one, but for now I will be happy subbing (once I get over how nervous it makes me to walk into a completely strange classroom).
New Year's Eve we went to my parents' house to play Rockband with my family. My sister bought herself a Wii and that game, and it was actually a lot of fun. It was hillarious when my sister decided to sing "American Woman" with me. We were all rolling on the floor laughing. Fun game.
Other than that the break has been pretty good. Jason still has another week off (unpaid furlow) so we still get to hang out for a while. He is taking me to El Paso on Saturday to take my last certification test (the one I failed once already). Hopefully I will feel well and will able to do better. I didn't fail by much, but my score needed quite a bit of work. We will see how it goes. I am trying to have faith that God has something planned for me, which is why I failed the first time, but it is hard to remember sometimes. Good thing I have a lot of people praying for me because I certainly can't do it on my own.
More to come, but I am going to help Jason do some yard work for a while. Happy 2010!
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