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 :)