Unemployed = Weird

You know what's weird?

Teaching for four years and then just not.

I decided not to work full-time when we moved from Colorado to Ohio... mostly because we're only here for 18 months (one full school year) and the fact that it takes forever to get licensed in a new state.

I'm not complaining... I love having my days to organize, try new recipes, and take care of things around the house.

And I'm REALLY enjoying focusing more of my energy into my Etsy shop.

But I do miss those snarky 14 year olds, pep assemblies, lunch-time conversations with colleagues, hot Cheetos from teenagers, teaching grammar (yes, I'm a nerd), and even grading writing.

I applied to substitute teach here in Dayton, and I was officially 'hired' for that on Tuesday. I haven't taken any jobs yet, and I'm not sure how often I will (assuming there are jobs available in the first place). Subbing just isn't the same.

• Do you work?
• Have you ever been out of work due to a PCS?

Why I Teach

Right now, I couldn't be happier that it is spring break. I need this week off as much as my students. I am exhausted mentally and physically. It is wonderful to have a little time off to rest.

But I do love my job.

For those of you who don't know, I teach 8th grade language arts at an intervention school. Most of my students are retained 8th graders, meaning they are repeating the school year because their reading levels were so low (YEARS behind grade level). Some of them are first time 8th graders who were chosen to be at our school in order to catch up before it's too late. It's tough work. These are the kids who do not like school. These are the kids who have little support elsewhere in their lives. These are the kids who don't want to work hard.

That said, seeing my students all pumped up for state testing a couple weeks ago was magnificent. I mean, EVERYONE dreads state testing, but it's especially painful for the students who have never been successful in school. These kiddos worried all school year long about how their scores would be, and I am so anxious to get them back (in August). They were working their little butts off all week long. After lots of preparation, many of them feel really proud of their achievements, even if that just means they tried harder than normal and felt better about their answers than normal.

THAT is a win for me. 

I went to a couple of my boys' basketball game this week, and it was so much fun to see them in action! :) 

• What is your job?
• Do you love it, like it, or tolerate it?
• What is the best thing about your job?

December Update

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. I've been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, and that is my only excuse for being such a bad blogger.

In December, I have:

• driven across Kansas to return to Colorado from Missouri, where we went for Thanksgiving break
• suffered through proctoring tons of district assessments with my students (BORING)
• spent a wonderful weekend with Dan and friends in Steamboat Springs
• skied my very first BLUE run (Heavenly Daze at Steamboat Springs - thanks again, Aaron!)
• fulfilled 10 magnet orders from shoppers on Etsy (and made over 250 magnets for those orders)
• completed seven canvas collages for buyers from my Etsy shop {click here to visit my shop}
• celebrated the completion of the first semester with my students and colleagues with food, Elf, foosball, ping pong, and dancing
• tried a new (and delicious) cookie recipe
• celebrated Dan receive PILOT as his job and finish his ninth out of ten semesters at the Air Force Academy

As of this this evening, I have ONE work day left for the semester... and it's a teacher work day! Yay! We will soon leave to visit Dan's family in Portland and then a couple friends in Philadelphia. Both trips should be fun, and it'll be nice to experience a new city (never been to Philly).

I just wanted to post a quick update since it had been over a week... oops! 

The Holiday Week

This week has been different from normal, and it has thrown me off completely. 

I'm going to back up JUST A LITTLE BIT, though, and go to last weekend. I started receiving several orders from my Etsy shop (Christmas gifts, I assume), so I'm feeling overwhelmed there, but it's also a great feeling. It was wonderful working on those orders in the sunlight of my home with my two fur-babies. 

Gilligan always has to be near me - even to help me make magnets!

At least Stormy stays away and lounges in the window... in awkward positions.

On Saturday, I drove over an hour away all by myself to see a movie that was out on limited release. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one of my favorite books, so I headed to a suburb of Denver to see it, and it was INCREDIBLE. Seriously, guys. IT is definitely the best book-to-movie adaptation EVER. Read the book. Go see the movie. Just do it. 

After the movie, I headed to Denver International Airport to pick up Dan. He had been in California at Edwards AFB for one of his classes, and he had a BLAST out there! We stayed in a hotel in Denver that night and headed to Winter Park to hit the slopes with a friend all day Sunday. Skiing was amazing, and the mountains were beautiful, as always.

I had to work on Monday and Tuesday, which is unusual for Thanksgiving week, but it was fun because Dan came in and did physics experiments with my students during their science class, and I got to help out with that. They had a BLAST and paid SUCH good attention to him. It was incredible. I took a ton of pictures, but I can't show their faces, so I'll leave you with this one of three of my rowdy boys completely engaged with what Dan was telling them.

On Tuesday, as soon as school was out, we left to head to Missouri to see my family in Kansas City for the holidays. We always take the cats with us when we drive, but we normally drive all the way through at once. This time, we couldn't leave until close to 5:00PM, so we had to stop in a hotel for the night. Because of this, Gilligan and Stormy got to stay in a hotel room for the very first time. They were skeptical, but I don't think they minded it too much. 

We spent Wednesday and Thursday hanging out with and talking to my family. Thanksgiving was fun, and we are hanging out with some friends tonight. Having five days away from work is nice, but I am ready (already) to get back into my routine. I'm such a creature of habit. Winter break will definitely throw me off this year, as it is two weeks long, and we will be flying to two different places during it. 

Stormy hid from us, of course, but Happy Thanksgiving from us to you. 

First Week of the Year

Well, the first week of the new year has been an adventurous one.

Last Wednesday, January 2nd, I set up my new classroom. No, I don't have a new job. My school had to move to a different location, and we had just one day to get everything set up. My wonderful fiancé came in for a couple of hours, and he helped me get things set up, such as my name letters and lots of posters. He also helped me with my massive bulletin board. I am so thankful for him.

Thursday, the kiddos came back! They seemed to be happy to be there, the feeling was mutual. I was SO ready to see my students again, and I hope they ALL decide to show up this coming week instead of just 75% of them.

When the week got to Friday, something happened. I was hit by a train. No, not literally. But it certainly felt like it at the time and for the following 24 hours. I came down SUDDENLY with an awful cold around 10:00 am that day, but I persevered through the school day. On my way home, I stopped at Walgreens and bought everything I could find to fight the cold. Then, I passed out for 14 hours, from 8:00 pm until 10:00 am. It was so nice, but I still felt pretty sickly on Saturday.

Dan had a genius idea to have Indian food for lunch that day, and it sure did clear out my sinuses! Then, we went out with Michael and Lizzie that night, and Lizzie is currently staying at my place for the week. We had a lot of fun! Today, Dan and I went to the Harlem Globetrotters game, and it was a BLAST! They are so much fun, and it was a great Christmas gift. :)

As far as my goals for the year, I am doing okay. I am almost finished with one book and about halfway through another one, so I am ahead of schedule on that front. I do not have any races lined up yet, so I guess I'm a bit behind there. Oops. I have written in my "thankful" journal and my "Q&A" journal daily, though, and they are such nice outlets before going to bed. I don't know what I would do without writing. Blogging twice a week is weird, but I guess I'll be able to maintain it. If I could make 366 posts in one year, surely I can make 104 this year. Right? My spiritual journey is already expanding as I finish reading the Bible. Dan and I went to church today for the first time in a while. It was AMAZING, and I miss it. A lot. And so does he. I'm so glad we found a place where I am so comfortable, and we are going to attend a new member meeting next Sunday after worship. We have been going sporadically for the past two and a half years, but it's time to make it official. And that leads me to my final goal of being fearless. Going to a member meeting at a church is NOT in my comfort zone. This will likely be my first big test of 2013, but I am ready to tackle it head on.

How is everyone's 2013 going?