Resolutions - a few weeks late

I think it's pretty obvious that one of my new years resolutions this year was NOT to be more on top of things, given that my post reviewing last year and talking about new years resolutions is 11 days late haha! Anyway ...

2010 has been a crazy year. It will forever be known as the year I went crazy. However, the year I went crazy turned out to be one of the best of my life. I may have spent a good $2500, and lost all my living room furniture in the process, but moving to Colorado and back in 2 weeks flat sure helped me learn to appreciate the things in my life that matter. The move (and subsequent move back) forced me into getting a job at a new school, forced me into meeting new people, and overall forced me into mixing my life up a bit. What a blessing that turned out to be! I LOVE my job, LOVE my new friends, LOVE living with one of my favorite people ... the list goes on and on. Moving made me realize how good I had things here, and moving back made me love my life and appreciate it much more. I'd say the outcome was pretty darn good.

On to the resolutions. First, let's review last year's:

- volunteer at least once a month I did this through July, then I moved, and thus the volunteering stopped

- read through the entire bible I was reading through my one year bible and made it through the month of may, then somehow I just stopped completely

- try at least one new thing each month (could be as simple as a new type of food, restaurant, activity, etc) Um, I think I managed documenting this through March, though I'm sure somewhere in there I tried new things. Heck, moving was new, new job, new home, new pet, etc) I'd say I did enough new.

- Project 365 - I missed about 90 days the entire year, all of which were after I moved back from CO. Life got a little crazy, and while I still posted when I could, it definitely wasn't daily. The whole point of this was to take more pictures though, which I definitely did, so I'd consider it a win either way

So on to this year.

- As with every year of my life, I resolve to lose weight (though I'm not going to mention how much), and work out regularly. Unfortunately, I'm off to a bad start with a bum foot which leaves me unable to work out. darn.

- Do something to start building a photography portfolio. I may actually want to do something with this hobby someday (as a job or just on the side) so I want to get some more practice photographing different things and groups of people. This may include giving some free photography sessions to people I know just for the experience; it may include taking a class; maybe something else... all I know is I'm going to make an effort to learn more about taking good pictures, and practice what I learn.

That's about it this year. I'm not making 15 goals for once. I'm making two. Two that I can accomplish. I'm happy with them.

Oh, and maybe post to my blog more ... we'll see haha

Intentions

This was posted on thenotebookdoodles.com today (love some of the things posted on that blog!) and I thought it was just perfect for me given how this year has gone.

It might be a ridiculous story, but I can laugh about it, and I'm so happy now so it doesn't even matter. :)

rewind button

You know that rewind button for life people are always wishing for? I think I may have found it!

From my point of view, I messed up my life pretty badly this summer. I quit my awesome job, I spent a ridiculous amount of money moving across the country, and yet I ended up right back where I started in the first place (sans job, money, and apartment). Oddly enough, I wasn't too panicked coming back without having a job. I just kept telling myself that it was going to be a good year for me, no matter what happened and that there was a reason for everything. I'm learning to go with the flow here. haha

Before I came back, I emailed my principal, my assistant principal, and the original principal who hired me into Fort Bend (who I never got to work for since I was moved schools). I assumed they wouldn't have any openings, but wanted to see if they would just keep their ears open for me in case they heard of something at another school. All three immediately responded that they would be on the lookout for me, and that if something came up I would be their number one choice. This was encouraging, but I still wasn't counting on anything opening up. I know how little hiring is happening this year in general.

As I was driving back on Tuesday I got an email from the principal that hired me 3 years ago. She had just been given permission to hire for first and third grade and wanted to know when I was moving back. I responded quickly with "TODAY! I'm driving through Dallas right now!" She asked me to come in and interview the next morning. Basically, she had already decided to hire me, but was going to let each of the two teams meet/interview me (along with one other girl she was hiring) and then let them duke it out to see which team got which girl. Both teams were great, but I felt like I really clicked with the first grade team. The team leader is awesome, AND there are 2 girls about my age on the team (um, that's amazing! haha). I was really keeping my fingers crossed that I was placed there. First grade would always be my first choice if given the option!

When I left the school, the principal gave me a huge hug and told me "it's just such a God thing that you showed up right now, I'm so excited about this". I just keep thinking how right she is ... it IS such a God thing! Had I not interviewed with her 3 years ago, and had I not made it a point to stay in contact with her every once in awhile after moving schools, this never would have happened. At the time I had no idea how much that connection would help me years later. It's just amazing the way it worked out!

Later that same afternoon I got a call saying they were putting in the paperwork with HR to recommend me for the first grade position!! I somehow managed to move back and find a perfect job for me in less than 24 hours! How amazing is that?!? Seriously, NO ONE is hiring, and yet somehow I managed this. I'm still a little bit in shock, but I'm SO excited! Everyone knows how much I LOVE first grade, and the team just seems fantastic. I think I am really going to love working with them.

So, I did something crazy, realized it was a mistake, and managed to get my entire life back in a 2 week time span. Things are better than ever now. I get to teach first grade again, I get to work with a new great team, and I get to live with some of my favorite people (I realized recently that having roommates (one's you like at least) is SO much better than living alone). Life is so good! :) And, on top of all that, I now realize how much more I need to appreciate my life. I appreciate every single part of how blessed I am today (and that may not have been the case before).

What have I learned from all this? I've learned that life is not quite as cookie cutter perfect as I had made it out to be. Sometimes it's messy and confusing, and that's okay. I don't have to color in the lines all the time. I can make mistakes. My life does not have to be perfect all the time. I don't have to make all the right decisions the first chance I get. And guess what? Life will still be okay.

I'm SO happy! :)

Confession

Call it a quarter life crisis, I don't know. All I know is that I royally messed this year up, and all I want to do is fix it.

When I decided to move to Colorado last October, things were kind of a mess. I was mad at my job, had recently lost some good friends, and in all honestly, didn't have much reason to stay in Houston. It seemed, given that I had nothing to lose, it was as good a time as any to pick up and move and try something new. Had I moved last October, this would have been true.

However, over the last 9 months, my life changed drastically. I made new friends, got old friends back, came to LOVE second grade and my job again, and got really connected at my church (to name a few). In my head I just told myself I had already made the decision to leave, so I never gave it a second thought. When I did think about it, I was sad, so I just told myself I was overreacting and pushed it to the back of my brain.

Then I got there and I realized very quickly how much I had actually left behind. I had a life, a great life, and I gave it up to come to some strange place. I sent hundreds (read: 164) emails to principals looking for a job, with little or no response. I started to get frustrated. I started to think that while living with my dad for a few months would be great (I think we all know how much I love my dad!), living with him, in a loft with minimal privacy, for a whole year, might be another story. I found myself waking up in the morning and telling myself I was on vacation so that I could even get out of bed. I did my best to fill my days and keep myself busy so that I wouldn't cry. I spent hours upon hours on the phone so that I could feel like I never really left. I wasn't happy. I felt stuck in my life, and that is not a good feeling. Then I got a job interview, and I FREAKED! It scared me to death to think that I might be offered a job (a less than stellar part time job that I really didn't want, mind you), and that if I took that job I was stuck here for a year whether I wanted to be or not. Those who know me know I am prone to freakouts, but this was on a whole new level.

So, laugh all you want; talk about me behind my back, because I'm sure you will, but I'm fixing my life. I'm only 25; I'm allowed to make mistakes. In a few years I will look back on this and laugh about the year I went crazy .... quit a great job, moved across the country, then moved back a few weeks later. Yeah it's funny, and it's pretty embarrassing, but you know what? I'm going to be happy. Not everyone has the chance to fix their mistakes; I'm lucky I do.

Is this all a little bit crazy? Absolutely. Will I be happier having a support system of all my friends and people who love me around no matter what I'm doing? Without a doubt. Will I, however, miss seeing my dad every day? More than you can imagine. Have I already learned a lot from this experience? Without a doubt.

So there you have it.

Stay tuned for part two to find out how I completely fixed my life in one day!

Pays to be nice

So here is my story about how it totally pays to be nice to people. I went to the DMV this morning to get my license plates and car registration. I walked in, took a number, and sat down. I was about 30 people away and it seemed to be moving at a decent pace so I commented out loud, sort of to the girl next to me, how I was shocked it wasn't going to be a longer wait. We started chatting and it turns out she is from Texas too so we had that in common. Turns out she was friends with the girl at the counter so as soon as it was free she walked up without having a number. She got her stuff taken care of then waved me up. She smiled, said it was nice to meet me, and left. I got to cut the line and was in and out with license plates and registration in 10 minutes! Unbelievable!! Just goes to show what happens when you are friendly to people :)

That totally made my day!

Road Trip to Denver

Well, I made it to Colorado.

Saturday morning Tony and I set out for our 10 hour drive to Wichita. I don't know what I would have done if Tony hadn't gone with me. I was a crying mess for the first hour of the trip, so thankfully I didn't have to drive. After I got over the shock of actually leaving with no plans to come back, I was fine and really enjoyed our drive together.

As I said, the first day we drove 10 hours to Wichita. We pretty much drove straight through, only stopping for gas, and once to eat. We stopped in Denton at a Dairy Queen and it was pretty sketchy. We are both convinced it was not an actual Dairy Queen, just a place that used to be owned by DQ and is still using their menu etc. The people there didn't have any type of uniform and the food came in generic styrofome boxes haha. After checking into our hotel for the night we drove around Wichita to see the city and have some dinner.

Sunday we woke up and drove the final 8 hours to Denver. I usually do very poorly during long drives. I get antsy very quickly and just want to get out of the car. This entire trip went by so quickly though! I attribute that to Tony being there and enjoying talking with him the whole way. At one point we stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere and when we were getting back in the car, I kid you not, I saw a man lead a horse out of the back of his van. A van! It was the funniest thing I had seen and Tony and I laughed forever!

When we finally made it to Denver we went to dinner with my dad, Davis, and Heather so that was fun. I think I was a little in shock that I was actually here, and upon seeing all my stuff in my room here, and knowing that Tony was leaving first thing the next morning, I sort of panicked and got sad. Shortly after Tony mentioned that he wished he could stay an extra day and see the city etc and my dad was able to change his flight for free. I perked up after that!

It was so great to have him stay with me my first day here! We walked around downtown, ate lunch, drove up to Boulder to see the school etc. Seriously, I couldn't ask for a better friend. He made the transition here so much easier.

Yesterday morning his flight was at 6:25. We were going to wake up at 4:30 to get to the airport on time. My first alarm went off at 4:20 and stirred me awake. Not a minute later I heard a noise and a light went on. I freaked out (my dad is out of town)! I woke Tony up and we tried to figure out what was going on. Upon further investigation, we heard the shower was on. Finally I just knocked on the door to see who was there. It was Davis! They are fixing his shower at his place but he forgot about it so he wasn't able to warn us he'd be coming. Scared the crap out of me!! Anyway, I dropped Tony off at the airport and shed rivers and rivers of tears. I'm going to miss that boy like crazy! :( Being the wonderful friend he is, he talked to me on and off throughout the day and we talked on the phone for a long time last night. I almost forgot that he was so far away.

I'm going to like it here. And I'm pretty convinced I will not be forgotten after all, so life is good :)