Adventure #18: Wonderful Break in a Winter Wonderland

Christmas break has been wonderful so far! I have done lots and lots of relaxing, which is amazing :) I've visited with old friends, hung out with family, read books just for fun, went shopping with my mom and my sister, eaten way too many Christmas cookies and bars, and enjoyed the lovely Minnesota weather. There is so much snow, it never seems to end, but it is beautiful! Yesterday it was frosty and glittery beautiful! It is really cold, and I will definitely not miss that when I head back to Arizona, but I will miss the snow :)

I still get a few more days with the snow though :) I'm looking forward to hanging out with more friends and spending time with the kiddos I used to nanny. Plus there's always a little school work that needs to get done and before I know it, it will be Sunday morning and I'll be on my way back to warmer temperatures and all the adventures the next year is going to hold!

Adventure #17: Christmas Preparations

The past month has been a busy one! I've been hustling and bustling running this way and that getting things ready for the drama club performance, the class Christmas party, buying presents for people, and enjoying all the events that come along with the holiday season.


Teaching has been going really well! As early as some mornings come and as much as I sometimes wish I could just sleep instead of waking up to teach 27 first graders, I love getting up every morning to teach. I have really started to see some gains in my students and it is exciting to see them learning. We just started learning how to do subtraction a couple weeks ago and they think it is the coolest thing in the world to be able to do and are working so hard to learn their facts :) It still hits me every once in a while as I walk down the hallway with 27 little ones following me that I am a teacher, these are my students and their education for this year is in my hands. Its a scary thought, but I know God is giving me the strength I need everyday to take on the challenge.

Our drama club performance turned out wonderfully! The stage turned out so cute (after several late nights of hard work) and the kids did a wonderful job. Some of them went all out on their costumes and they were so cute! Ashley and I are so thankful the play is over, but we both had a lot of fun doing it and I think the kids did too!



Once the performance was over, there was still a round of parties to go to to celebrate! Our principal hosted a staff Christmas party at her house and we had a blast playing boys versus girls Family Fued. We had a white elephant gift exchange with our small group. There were some fascinating gifts with lots of laughs to go around as well. We also celebrated with the Lights by going out to dinner! And of course we had to have a class Christmas party! I had a bunch of parents who came in to help so it went wonderfully :) I sugared them up and sent them home for two weeks. I will miss them, but it is nice to have a break as well and I think they were ready for a break! I know we will all come back refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the year!


And now I'm back in the frozen north enjoying all the Christmas fun in Minnesota. I already got to go to the Holidazzle parade in downtown Minneapolis and celebrate an early Christmas with my mom's family. I've played in the snow with my cousins and shoveled the driveway after it snowed again today! I'm looking forward to lots more winter fun like sledding with friends and ice skating and hopefully more playing in the snow :) I'm also looking forward to spending some time with my friends and family as well as relaxing and enjoying my break.



I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and an enjoyable time with your friends and family!!

Adventure #16: To Minnesota and Back Again

I had a great trip to Minnesota for Thanksgiving! It was so wonderful to see my family and get to spend some time with them and of course the food was delicious :)It was crazy to see snow-and really really cold- but really pretty! Then I also got to take on the adventure of Black Friday with my mom, my aunt Crissy, and my Grandma. It was a little crazy but so much fun! And I got some shopping done too!

I also got the chance to visit some friends while I was there. I got to see some of my favorite little kiddos. They were all so excited to see me and it was so great to see them- I miss getting to hang out with them all the time! They have all grown up sooooo much too :) And I got to see some of my friends from forever- it was so nice to see them and catch up on life!

The whole trip was a little bit of a whirlwind, but I loved it! I am looking forward to going home again at Christmas when I will be there for a little longer and get to actually rest and relax and be at home :)

And now I'm back to school. My kids have been awesome this week!!! I missed them a little bit over break :) Its been a good start to the week. We had drama again today- it was a little nuts, but I think its going to turn out to be a good play! I've really enjoyed getting to spend time with the kids and interact with them on a different level!

It keeps hitting me this week- I'm a real live teacher! This is my job, these are my co-workers, I'm getting paid, these 27 kids staring at me are my students, I am their teacher. i need to teac them everything they need to learn in 1st grade, no one else is going to teach them. This is my life. Its crazy and scary and really exciting all at the same time!! Sometimes I can't believe what has happened to me in the past few months. Its mind-blowing, and amazing, and such a huge blessing!

Well the papers are piling up and I suppose I should make some dinner evenutally and figure out what in the world I'm going to teach these children tomorrow :)

Adventure #15: Give Thanks

The sermon today was about giving thanks- fitting since this week is the holiday focused mainly on giving thanks. But it got me thinking about all the things I have to be thankful for. There are so many things I'm thankful for...

For God and my faith in Him. It is through his strength alone I can wake up every day and through His amazing work in my life that I am where I am today!

For my family. They are amazing and I love them soooo much!


For my amazing roommate! I don't know what I would do without her :)


For friends-new and old!


For my adopted Arizona family and their sweet little girls!



For my job-and all the lovely papers that cover my coffee table every weekend because of it!


There are so many little blessings I see everyday. Thanksgiving is a wonderful reminder that I need to be thankful everyday for all the things God has blessed me with. Even on the hardest days, when my kids are incredibly talkative and I feel like I am a horrible teacher, and I miss my family, I still have a roof over my head, a closet full of clothes, plenty of food, and great people around me. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy the day of eating, hanging out with family, and counting your blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving- 2 1/2 day week and freezing north (supposed to be the coldest Thanksgiving since 1989- it was 65 and sunny here today) here I come!

Adventure #14: Another Wonderful Week

This week was pretty good. Nothing too exciting, but sometimes that is good! My kids were fairly good this week, a little chatty, but they are getting better- I think :) It has been fun to continue to get to know them better and see their little personalities. I really enjoy getting to see them everyday, even when they drive me nuts and I don't know what to do with them, every morning when they come back with their sweet smiles and little hugs I remember why I love this so much!

We had Thursday off for Veteran's day and while it felt a little weird to have a random Thursday off, it was really nice! Ashley and I had lunch with the Lights at a really good Mexican resturant and then we drove up to Tempe to go to IKEA. We spent a couple hours wandering around looking at everything and ended up getting some stuff for our classrooms. Then we had a relaxing night of putting together scripts for drama club. We are getting really excited for our play! It could be extrememly chaotic, but I think we are going to be able to pull it off and make it really cute!

Last night we went to the Cheesecake Factory in Chandler with the Light girls (Stacey, Lexi, and Reese), and the two other first grade teachers Stephanie, and Heather (and her daughter Cady). It was really fun to hang out with these ladies outside of school and talk about things besides our crazy kids and trying to figure out what grammar thing to test on next week :) And the cheesecake was delicious!!!!

All this added up to another wonderful week in sunny Arizona :) Hope all of you in the frozen north are staying warm and enjoying the snow! Can't wait to see it in a couple weeks!

Adventure #13: A Quick Trip to Minnesota

What a whirlwind week it has been! I found out on Monday night on my way back from Monday night football at the Lights that my great-grandpa had passed away. He was 95 years old and lived a good full life so it was not so much of a sad passing but more of a celebration of life.

Nevertheless, I really wanted to be home for the funeral. My great-grandma (his wife) passed away the day I left to drive out to Arizona so there really was no possible way I could have been at that funeral. It was really hard for me to not be there with my family supporting my mom and my aunts and uncles and my grandparents. Anyway, I really wanted to be there, so I talked with my parents and thanks to my dad's frequent flyer miles I was able to get a flight back for really cheap!

So I got a sub for Friday (which was only a half-day anyway) and flew back to Minnesota late Thursday night. I still can't really believe I was there. It was so crazy and so last minute, but so wonderful!

It was wonderful to hug my family and see how tall my sister has gotten. It was wonderful to hug my puppy and pet her. It was great to be at my house, even though I was only there for a short time. It was wonderful to hug my grandma and grandpa and aunts and uncles and cousins. It was wonderful to joke with my older cousins and catch up on life. It was wonderful to hold my youngest cousin and rock her to sleep and see how much she has grown and become a little person.

The best thing about the funeral was seeing the legacy my great-grandparents left behind. They were married for 70 years, my grandpa was 95 when he died and I think my grandma was 97. It was amazing to hear stories about their lives and their faith and to think about all the things they have seen and lived through in their lives. All the wars and trials and times of joy. They lived simply but fully, working hard to make sure their family was provided for but taking time to enjoy their lives as well. The memories I have of them are wonderful; going over to visit them at their little house listening to their stories. Grandpa walking their dog Dolly and Grandma digging into her purse to make sure we all got a dollar bill. I remember Grandpa reminding us what Christmas was really about by reading the Christmas story from Luke when we were all together waiting in eager anticipation to open presents.

It was amazing to sit in the church on Friday afternoon and look around at my extended family all sitting there and think about the legacy my great-grandparents had passed down to all of us. It is a legacy of great faith in the Lord and of the importance of family. We have all gone many different places and directions, but that common thread is running through all of us. It is amazing to see and think about. I only hope that I can live a life as faith filled and full as the life my grandparents lived.

It was great to be home and to be able to share this time with my family. And be there to support them during this time. And I got to see the 10-point buck my dad got on Saturday morning. I'm so thankful I was able to go home and see them all. The best part is that I didn't have to say "good-bye see you in 4 months", I got to say "see you in a couple weeks for Thanksgiving!"

And now I'm back to WARM Arizona- it was a bit chilly in Minnesota :)- and back to my world here of grading papers and planning lessons. And now I need to go get started on our newest adventure...drama club. 63 children staring at Miss Fix and I waiting for us to help them become wonderful actors and actresses! Not too sure what we got ourselves into, but moving 1600 miles away from home and becoming teachers worked out okay, so hopefully this will too :) (Suggestions and tips are welcome!!)

Adventure #12: The Things that Make a Life

I can't believe tomorrow is the start of November. The time seems to be flying by and yet going so slowly. Ashley and I were talking about this the other day and decided it is because the weather still feels like summer. Its still at least 80 degrees every afternoon and everything is still green, or at least as green as things get in Arizona. :)

Things in my classroom continue to go pretty well. They have been really talkative ever since Fall Break, but I have been slowly, but surely figuring out ways to calm them down and get them to stay quiet for a few minutes so I can teach :) We had our fall party on Friday and it went really well. I had a bunch of awesome parents in to help me and I think the kids had a lot of fun! I'm not really sure they learned anything all day because they were so excited for the party, but that's okay!

I was thinking this afternoon about the things that make a life. When I moved down here in July, I left behind almost everything I had ever known and I started off on a new adventure, the adventure of making a life for myself. It has been a very interesting journey thus far, with lots of twists and turns that I was not expecting but there have been so many wonderful things along the way!

The things that make up a life are not the house you live in or the car you drive or how much money you make, though those things play a role. I think the things that really make a life are the little blessings that come along. The gorgeous sunsets behind the mountains- something I haven't had since living in Colorado!

The picture doesn't do justice to this beautiful sunset!

Being able to drive around in November (almost) with the windows down and the music blaring in shorts and a t-shirt because its still 80 or sometimes 90 degrees out :)

Having a job that I love! I am excited to get up every day (almost- if it wasn't so early it would be everyday!) to go to work and do what I love. Most of the time it doesn't really feel like work because I get to hang out with kids all day and watch the light go on in their eyes as they learn something new and celebrate with them when they finally get 100% on their spelling test. I feel so blessed to be able to do that because I realize not everyone is lucky enough to love what they do everyday.

Having friends to hang out with. We have kind of established a routine each week and its a great one. Monday night we go to the Lights for good meal and Monday Night Football. The games aren't always great, but its so much fun and so relaxing to be able to sit around a kitchen table with a family and enjoy a meal and talk and laugh and tease and joke. Then Tuesday night we have small group. Its another wonderful night of talking and laughing and listening to stories and supporting each other as we go through life. I feel blessed and amazed everytime we hang out with these people because they just kind of feel into our laps. We happened to go to the church and sit in the row in front of them and we instantly clicked and found friends who understand so well where we are coming from and what we do everyday. Then on Wednesday we catch up on grades and gear up for the end of the week. Thursdays we go watch softball and cheer on the church team and chat with the ladies about the crazy things people name their kids! (Orange jello, come on people what are you thinking?) Then Friday comes and we celebrate another week being completed by going out to dinner then crashing on the couch and dreading the huge pile of grading to get done. Then there's cleaning and catching up on Saturday and church on Sunday and getting ready to start it all over again!

Carving pumpkins with two of my favorite little girls!

There's so many things that make a life, and make it wonderful and I am so thankful for all the blessings in my life

Adventure #11: We made it to Fall Break!!

I can hardly believe it is Fall Break!! I remember thinking in July when I was getting ready to move that I just had to make it to this break and then I could process everything and figure out what in the world I just did. Well now its Fall Break and I'm still blown away by the fact that I am sitting in Arizona. But here's a little bit about what I have processed so far :)

As I think about all that has happened since July when I found out Ashley had gotten a job, and then I got a job, the overwhelming feeling is God's amazing blessing on my life! Last year when Ashley and I were student teaching together in Delano we kept saying that we needed to get jobs at the same school in the same grade because we loved working together! We kept dreaming about that, but we never imagined it would come true! But then in July we found out we would be teaching at the same school. And then we got down here and randomly the principal asked me if I wanted to teach 1st grade with Ashley. Our dream was coming true and it is wonderful. We love being across the hall from each other- we make faces at each other and send our students back and forth with notes!

Then there was our apartment. Ashley looked up apartment complexes online and found one that looked like it would be good. So we put in our application and security deposit hoping that it would work out once we got down here. We drove down and looked at the apartment right before we signed the lease and it was perfect. Its a wonderful size, in a perfect location- right next to the pool, the office, the mailboxes, and right on top of the model so there is no one living under us! Plus its in a good location in the city- close to all the shopping and only 5 minutes from school!! Its a small blessing but an important one too :)

Then there is our school. The facilities are beautiful, the people are amazing and supportive and fun to hang out with and the kids are so great! And there's our church. It was the first church we visited and we randomly found it on the internet and decided to check it out. But we love it- the pastor is awesome and the people are so friendly. And we just so happened to join the small group of teachers. There are like 11 or 12 of us and all but 3 of us are teachers and everyone is from the Midwest (Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota). Its so nice to have people who understand where we are coming from!

God has really blessed us so richly! There are so many other things that I'm sure I'm forgetting. He sure has shown himself faithful in everything! I feel am so thankful for all the ways God has blessed me in the last few months.

Fall Break has been amazing so far! It is so weird to not have anything to do or anywhere to be. I have really enjoyed being able to sleep whenever I want and do whatever I want. I got some scrapbooking done, spent some time in my classroom getting things orgainized and ready to go, and running some random errands. Now Ashley's friends from Crown Heidi, Joyel, and Kim are here visiting us. Its fun to see some familiar faces from Crown and to show off where we live :)

School has been continuing to go well. I finally feel like I have gotten into a routine and am starting to figure this whole thing out! Sometimes anyway :) I am really enjoying my students and the school. I love teaching and am thankful every single day for the opportunity to be teaching these kids.

We are off to our favorite Mexican resturant and to enjoy the rest of our Fall Break. Thanks again for your all your love and support!!

Oh and for those of you who are worried about my eye it is finally almost completely healed. There is still some blood in my eye, but I think it will be gone in the next couple of days and its not painful at all anymore so I forget its even there :)

Adventure #10: Surviving Parent Teacher Conferences

The week is over! It was a very long and busy one filled with lots of new adventures. Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal, teaching and getting ready for conferences and hanging out with friends. Then Wednesday and Thursday were half days at school with parent teacher conferences in the afternoon/evening. They went really well I felt. The parents were all very friendly and it was good to get a chance to meet with them and talk about how well their students are doing. My eye made a really good ice-breaker! It was fun to hear how concerned all the kids were for me :)

Friday was a full day and it was a little rough. I was exhausted from conferences and the busy week and the kids were a little nuts coming off two half days. But we made it through and I got to sleep for as long as I wanted to which was a amazing!!

This morning I got some much needed cleaning done and sorted through the piles that have been getting larger and larger. It feels so good to have things put away and orgainized again! Its a good way to gear up for another week :)



My eye is so much better!

Black Eye Update :)

Sunday night

Tuesday night

Wednesday night

My eye is doing much better! Monday was a long sore day because I hadn't really done much all weekend and then I had to talk and teach and move around all day and that made my face really sore! Everyone at school was very impressed by how colorful it was. All the kids were staring at me as I walked down the hall and there are all kinds of stories going around :) Yesterday was better but still a little sore. Today it was pretty good. My eye is much less swollen and actually feels almost normal- sometimes I kind of forget its there and then wonder why people are staring at me so funny :) My nose has been sore more painful today. It got hit too and is bruising a little bit, and I think there is a lot of pressure built up there and its been kind of painful. But I'm doing well and continuing to heal. And if nothing else, it makes a really good ice breaker for parent teacher conferences :)

Adventure #9: Week Five and a Lovely Black Eye!

Its hard to believe we are already at the end of week 5, which is also the end of our first grading period. It seems like just yesterday we were packing up the U-Haul to begin this crazy adventure. And now here we sit grading papers trying to get everything put in so we can submit grades for report cards. And then we have to get ready for parent-teacher conferences next week and the craziness continues.

This week went fairly well. I am starting to figure out a routine and when I need to do what. There are always days when things get thrown at me and something doesn't get done, but I am figuring out how to handle it all-I think. Instead of getting overwhelmed by everything that has to get done, I am starting to learn that somethings will just have to wait until tomorrow or the next day. I love going to school everyday and teaching my students and watching as their eyes light up when they finally understand something they have been working so hard on. The days get long and crazy, but their sweet faces and hugs and notes make it all so worth it.

And of course we have to have a little fun thrown in to keep us all from going mad :) Yesterday they had a blow-up waterslide at school for a jr. high reward day. It was a half-day so after the potluck lunch, they let the teachers have a turn on the waterslide! It was a blast and we were all having a great time- until we decided to try and fit four people down at once. And that's when I got an elbow in my cheek bone. It was really quite funny and I popped up laughing, but then I got a little nervous when I could see a bump under my eye forming. Ashley looked at me, and said its bleeding, we better get you into the nurse's office. So they took me in and cleaned off the little scrape and put some ice on it to try and keep the swelling down. Then I had to sit in the nurse's office for about 45 minutes while everyone was in training. After sitting for about 45 minutes with ice on it, I could tell the swelling was getting worse since I could feel it going up into my eye. So the assistant principal called Ashley out of the training and she took me to the doctor. They took x-rays and said nothing is broken I just got hit really good. They gave me some pain meds and sent me home :) I have been watching it swell and turn fun colors ever since. I am exciting to watch and see what colors it will turn. It really is not that painful, it just feels really funny! It will sure be a good story to talk about next week at parent teacher conferences :)


The eye right after I got home from the doctor.

The eye this morning- so much prettier!

Well I'm off to grade my pile of papers! I'll post more pictures as my eye continues to turn pretty colors! Love you all

Adventure #8: California Weekend!

I can hardly believe we've finished three and a half weeks! The days are flying by! I think that's a good thing, but it seems there is never enough time to finish everything I want to finish :)

Week three was a little long and stressful. The copier in the school ran out of toner so we were scampering around trying to find a way to teach without copies. The office staff was so wonderful and things actually worked out okay, but it all left me feeling kind of scatter brained and unprepared. But we made it through the week and I'm sure all the kiddos learned something- I hope so anyway! Friday was a half day which meant the kids were crazy with anticipation because they got out of school early and got a long weekend! After they all went home we had a training about some ways to challenge our students. It was good to learn some new techniques, but I was tired by the end of it.

After the training we packed up our stuff and headed to Irvine California with the Light family. Marvin is the maintance guy at our school and Stacey is a second grade teacher. They have two little girls, Lexi and Reese, who are so sweet and fun to hang out with. We went to visit one of Marvin's friends and we had a blast. Saturday we spent the whole day at the pool, which was beautiful, and got really sunburnt. Then Sunday we went to Laguna Beach to check out the beach. Then Ashley and I did some shopping while the rest of the family went back and changed clothes. We then had dinner in Newport Beach and checked out the boardwalk. Monday morning we packed up and headed back to Casa Grande. All in all it was a great relaxing weekend and I'm so glad we went.


Reese and I going a little nuts in the car :)

Newport Beach Pier

Classic Lexi and Reese moment

Chilling on the beach with my FBF BFF :)

The whole crew- Ashley, Me, Reese, Lexi, Stacey, and Marvin

Lexi and I chilling by a fountain :)

This week has been going really well. I have started to feel like I am actually teaching my students something. Not that they haven't been learning things before, but the content is getting a little more in depth. I have been feeling like my relationships with my students are really starting to form and its a wonderful feeling. It is so wonderful to have days where I am reminded over and over again of why I want to be a teacher!

Thanks again for all your love and support! I greatly, greatly appreciate it :)

Adventure #7: Two weeks down!

I survived week two! It went fairly well. There were some obstacles to overcome, but there will always be obstacles. I am starting to get the routine of it all down. It no longer takes me an hour and a half to get myself together to go home at the end of the day. Ashley and I have been able to get out fo the school by 4:00-we barely know what to do with all our time :)

This week the weather caused a little chaos for us. Monday and Tuesday there was a heat advisory so the kids had to eat lunch in our rooms instead of outside (our temporary cafeteria is benches in the shade on the side of the unfinished gym). Then Wednesday it was extremely windy and slightly rainy so once again they had to eat in our rooms. And Thursday the kids were out at recess for about 5 minutes before it started pouring sending all 26 of my first graders soaking wet back into my classroom. And Friday it poured all morning so they once again at lunch in the classroom. Not having that break made the days a little longer and the crazy weather made the kids a little more wound up. But we survived!

There have also been many moments this week that reminded me of why I love this so much. The smile that lights up a child's face when I comment on how beautiful their handwriting is and how I can tell they have been working hard on it. The cute little pictures they bring me of rainbows and notes that say how much they love first grade. And their silly giggles when I say some outrageous thing they know is just crazy. Those are the things I love so much about little kids and the reasons why I worked so hard to get to this point. And those are the things which give me the energy to wake up every morning and crawl out of bed and face all the crazy obstacles that come my way!

Thank you all so much for your faithful prayers and encouragement! There is no way I would be where I am today without the strength and guidance God has given me and so many of you have played such an important role in that. Love you and miss you all :)

Adventure #6: I Survived the First Week!

I don't even know where to start :) It has been a whirlwind of a week! Most of it was good, some of it was hard, some of it was painful, and it was all very tiring!

My voice is just about shot- I sound a little bit like a 13 year old boy going through puberty :) And my heels and pinky toes have blisters all over them. We can't wear flip-flops or any kind of shoe without a back to school, so my feet are going to have to get calloused really fast. And until then I will continue to limb around because my feet hurt so bad!

My kids are pretty cute! Sometimes by the end of the day they start to drive me a little nuts, but their little hugs and notes are pretty cute! And the way they smile at me so proudly when I walk around praising their beautiful handwriting reminds me of why I want to be a teacher. Those simple words hold so much power! You have all the power in the world contained in your little pinky finger as one of my college professors used to say.

Continuing to get to know the staff has been awesome as well. Everyone at the school has been so helpful and encouraging during this first week of school. It has taken us a long time to get home every day because we stand in the hallway joking with people and trading advice and stories!

Trying to figure out all the curriculum and procedures is an everyday learning process. I feel like we ask so many questions everyone must want to run and hid when they see us coming :) But they have all been so helpful and patient with us. I don't know what I would do without our team leader and my mentor and wonderful principal and office staff :)

God has been so good to me and I go to bed every night thanking and praising Him for the opportunity to be here in Arizona and doing what I've wanted to be doing for so long! Miss you all and hope you are all doing well!

Adventure #5: Classroom Finished...Now Comes Teaching

The front of the room and my desk


The book corner


The view from the window wall


The view from my door

After a very long week of moving things and scrambling to get everything in my classroom all put together before meet the teacher night on Friday, everything is finally done, at least for now. :)

Now comes the adventure of teaching these kids. I'm pretty nervous about it all, but I think it will be okay. Its going to be a little choatic and I'm sure there will be times when I have no idea what is going on or what I am going to do, but I am confident that somehow God will give me the strength to get through. Thank you again for all your prayers and support and encouagement! They are felt everyday :)

Adventure #4: Moving in!

This is moving week!! But it really is turning into moving days :) Construction never finishes on time and our school is no different. They have had workers there pretty much around the clock trying to get everything together so we can start school on Monday. We spent all day Tuesday moving desks and chairs from the old campus to the new. But that was all we could move because the fire marshall hadn't approved it yet so nothing flammable could be in the rooms. 9 hours standing and hauling in the hot Arizona sun is no picnic, but it was fun to meet some of the parents and continue building relationships with our co-workers. Today, Wednesday, Ashley and I spent the morning picking up some last minute things at Target. Then we loaded up our cars with all our stuff and headed over to figure out if we could get in. We ended up helping teachers who were here last year load all their books and papers on pallets to be brought over to the new campus. Then we headed over to the new campus and unloaded our cars into our rooms. There were still construction workers trying to finish things but we just moved around them and they moved around us :)

The maintance worker from the school brought over a load of pallets full of teachers boxes and no other teachers were around so Ashley and I attacked the piles and had them all unloaded by the time they left with the truck to go get another load :)

It was another long and streuous day, but so exciting to finally get into my classroom. Granted, it is currently the construction office for the school and there are blueprints laid out all over tables in the corner of the room. But its still my room and its so exciting!!! I took a couple pictures so you could all see what it looks like before I make it all cute :)

Adventure #3: Two weeks!!!

Two weeks from today I will have completed my first day of school as a real live teacher!! Its so crazy to think about and I don’t think its really even set in yet. Ashley and I look at each other every once in a while and say, “We are teachers” or “We live in Arizona” Its crazy to say but it still feels a little like summer camp or RA orientation at Crown. But I think as the days pass by it will continue to set in more and more.

Ashley and I made a trip to Lakeshore Learning Store on Saturday to stock up on all kinds of fun stuff. We then spent the next 24 hours cutting things out and gluing things together and coming up with all kinds of wonderful ideas for decorating our classroom. We also spent some time relaxing in our pool with Ashley’s cousins and getting some much needed rest.

Training is still going strong. Spalding (the language arts curriculum) is starting to make a little more sense, or we’re all going a little more crazy, and things are sort of starting to come together. But there are a lot of things that just don’t make sense and I have no idea how they are all going to come together. There is so much stuff that I keep thinking about or they keep telling us about that I have no idea how I’m going to get it all done. I’m sure it will all work out though, that’s what everyone keeps saying anyway :)

We have really enjoyed getting to know people at school. There are so many nice people and they are so patient as they answer all our questions and so friendly asking us if we found this grocery store or that restaurant. Ashley and I have come to be known as the Minnesota Twins- we are together a lot of the time and our principal called us that in a meeting so I’m pretty sure its stuck. I couldn't think of a better person to be stuck with though!

The next days will be filled with lots and lots of preparation. Which is really exciting, but it all gets a little overwhelming sometimes. But we just need to take things one day at a time and trust that it will all come together! I promise I will put up pictures of our apartment soon! Things are a little crazy around here right now because we have a friend from Legacy staying with us for the week. She’s our first house guest :)

Miss you all!!

Adventure #2: Guess What...you are now a 1st grade teacher!

We survived 2 days of training!! Our days are so long, but we have met some really fun people and are enjoying it for the most part! But more about that later!

Ashley and I were walking up to the school on Monday, extremely nervously and running a little late and we came up to some people who were greeting everyone as they walked in. It turned out one of the ladies was the principal of our school and as we were standing there talking with her a little bit, she suddenly said, "I'm getting an idea! You wanted to be younger Becky and we just hired someone to teach 1st grade who has a junior high background. How would you feel about switching to 1st grade?" It was a little bit of a shock to have her ask this on the sidewalk outside the school and I wasn't quite prepared for that, but I said yes! So I am now teaching 1st grade with Ashley and two other ladies. I am so excited!! It was a little bit of a mindset change, but the more I think about it and learn about it the better I think it will be. 6th grade would have been fun, but I am so much more confident in my ability to teach 1st grade and I think it will be easier for my first year! Plus I get to teach with Ashley which is what we have been hoping for since we student taught together last fall :)

Training has been going well. In the morning we have Spaulding training from 8-12:30. Spaulding is the language arts curriculum they use. It gets really long to sit in a classroom for so long, and it doesn't all really make sense, but everyone keeps telling us it will all click once we start teaching. In the afternoons we have different meetings about the school policies and stuff from 1-4:30 or 5. Today we got to learn about the math curriculum which was really exciting- its going to be fun to teach I think. We also got to ask the veteran teacher in our grade some questions about how things work and what we need to do in our rooms and stuff. It was really nice to get that information because we have been feeling a little bit in the dark.

All the teachers and staff have been really nice and we have even started making some friends! We keep wondering how in the world we got hired to teach at this school, but we are soooo thankful that we did! I think its going to be a wonderful year!

Our apartment is pretty much all set up! Once we get Internet in our apartment I will post some pictures of it! It turned out so cute with all the stuff my mom made for us (thanks mom!) and all the little homey touches we have added. We bought some plants and cactus the other day and they look so cute on our little porch area!

Thank you again for all your prayers and support! The days get long and tiring, but it is all going to be worth it and I can hardly wait to get all the little kiddos in my room and start teaching them! Love you all!!

Adventure #1: Getting There

After many hours of planning and packing, three days of traveling, and numerous stops for coffee and bathrooms and food, we finally made it to Casa Grande, Arizona! Ashley’s dad, Gordie, and brother, Tyler, came with us on this crazy adventure to drive our 17 foot U-Haul truck full of all the things we really, really need:) We made quite the caravan with my car in front pretty much full, then the U-Haul and Ashley’s car on a trailer behind the U-Haul filled almost to overflowing with more stuff. We drove through 8 states and each had their own adventures!

Minnesota- We were really excited to be starting out and it was overcast which was perfect for driving

Iowa- It was hot and humid and pretty flat! We stopped for lunch and it was hotter there than it was in Casa Grande that day!

Missouri- Another flat, hot state! The U-Haul stalled in the middle of the freeway. It just stopped, so Gordie pulled over to the side of the road, turned it off, and then turned it back on again and it worked fine! Who knows what happened but praise the Lord that was the only car problem we had the whole trip!

Kansas- Yet another flat, hot state- we stopped for the night in Emporia. It was quite the interesting hotel! The first room we were given was flooded and the second room only had 2 really small beds. But there was a lot of floor space so we decided to take my mattress out of the U-Haul (it was the last thing we packed!) and Ashley and I slept on it on the floor of the room. It was quite comfortable!

Oklahoma- I slept through Oklahoma, but Ashley told me it was also flat and hot

Texas- Still pretty flat and very, very smelly- we drove through a short rain storm and we watched the external temperature gage on my car go from 99 to 68 in about 2 minutes. Rain really does cool things down

New Mexico- The landscape got really pretty here. We were trying to avoid mountains because the U-Haul was pretty heavy and didn’t do well with hills so we drove on a lot of back roads. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere for a long time. We spent the night in a town called Truth and Consequences- we wanted to make it farther, but we had to stop when we drove into a monsoon. It was a little like driving in a blizzard only it was rain instead of snow. Watching the sun rise over the mountains as we drove away in the morning was awesome!

ARIZONA!!- we finally made it to Arizona about 9:00 Saturday morning! The landscape continued to be beautiful! I think we started driving a little faster because we were so excited to get out of the car and be here!

We got to our apartment complex about 11:30, walked through our apartment and signed our lease. Its so crazy to say that Ashley and I are renting our own apartment and to be putting things away and setting up our own space. The apartment is really nice, very clean and cute. The rooms are a little smaller than they looked in the pictures, but we are getting everything put in its place and I think it is going to be perfect! I’ll put up pictures when we get things all settled in.

We also drove by the school where we will be working and it looked really nice. They are not quite done with construction, but it looked like they were working hard and hopefully it will get done quickly so they can move in and we can start setting up our classrooms!

Thank you all for your prayers for us as we drove down! The Lord definitely had his hand on us keeping us safe and guiding us as we begin this journey!

How it all started...

This grand adventure started at the beginning of the summer when my friend Ashley Fix moved to my parents house to live with us for the summer. One of the first things she said to me was, "Let's move to Arizona!" I pretty much immediately said, "Okay let's go!" not at all thinking that on July 18th I would be packing up all my stuff to move to Arizona with her. But here I am doing just that.

Ashley and I both just graduated from Crown College in May with elementary education degrees and have been tirelessly looking for teaching jobs for this fall. Minnesota is a great state to teach in, but the problem is there are hundreds, maybe thousands of teachers looking for jobs and not nearly that many job openings. So we decided to start looking elsewhere. We choose Arizona because Ashley's dad has a house down there and we were going to rent that from him and be set to go. Ashley researched schools in the area and found Legacy Traditional School, a charter school in the same town her dad's house is in. So one rainy weekend in June we sat on the couch in my living room and filled out the rather long application and sent them in. About two weeks later Ashley got an email asking for an interview and the day after her interview she got an email offering her a job. The next week I had an interview and a few days later got an email offering me the job.

So now we are both packing our lives up, saying good bye to all our friends and family and pretty much everything familiar to us and heading down to Casa Grande, Arizona to be teachers. I have no idea what God has in store for me as I begin this journey, but I see His hand in all of it and I know that whatever He has in store is going to be wonderful. I know it won't always be easy, but it will be good. My mom has a sign hanging in our living room that says, "Faith makes things possible, not easy" I know its going to be hard to be a first year teacher, to be away from my friends and family, and to be in a new place, but I also know God is good and He is going to give me the strength I need to make it through each new day.

I'm excited to see what's around the next corner and would love to have you join me in watching what God is going to do!