seriously?

ok, so really? Has it really been almost 4 months since I last posted? SOOO much has happened since I posted during NM-SBA testing out in the hallway! ha! I will try to play catch up in one post and post new pictures of our house and classrooms in the next week or so! Since May, we have GRADUATED!!! finally. We had a great graduation filled with lots of family and friends, and super generous ones at that! This totally helped with our move...!

Right before graduation, we had a job fair and some really promising interviews with school much closer to home. Steven took a job offer about a week after we graduated with his hometown of Loving, NM. He'll be teaching middle school math and coaching basketball! After some really promising interviews, I applied with Carlsbad schools and hoped for the best! We moved on faith that I'd hopefully get hired - we pretty quickly found a house to rent in Carlsbad and got ready to start with the rest of our lives!

Now we've been living in Carlsbad for about a month and a half - Steven and I have BOTH been hired! I have been hired with Carlsbad schools (half-time for now - but trying to work me in full-time!) I will be teaching 7th and 8th grade social studies! Both of us have been working hard in classrooms and trying to get ready for our first year of teaching. We are nervous, but excited! Steven will do an awesome job and I am hoping I can do the same.

We have been incredibly busy but incredibly blessed. Steven has started inservice and I start tomorrow! :) It will be crazy, but we are so happy! Pictures to come soon! :)

Grown-Ups

I'm a big kid now? It's been kind of surreal the past few weeks as we begin to fill out job applications, make online profiles for state hiring websites and get things together for job fairs, interviews and the final preparations for graduation. Can I actually be finishing college (for now)? As we begin wrapping things up and deciding what happens next, I get really nervous and almost sick to my stomach thinking about it - although this is what we've been working for for too long (ha), I can sadly understand why people become "professional students." It's almost easier to put off loans for a few more years, get a Master's degree and continue living the college life. But for us, I know we don't want to do that quite yet. We need JOBS! I'm just pretty terrified of living the real world! I'm sure it'll be great once we get hired, but this sort of limbo we're in between graduation and hiring is really nerve-racking. God is really teaching us to put our faith in him as we start a new chapter of our lives and begin looking for teaching positions around the state. Be praying for us as we wrap up college and begin living our lives as "big kids."

Time Flies...

Well, here we are in the middle of March and time is flying by! Both of us have completely taken over our classes (I'll probably start giving classes back after Spring Break, which I'm kinda sad about). We have started looking for job openings, signing up for job fairs, buying caps and gowns, graduation memorabilia...the light at the end of the tunnel is finally here! :) Be praying for our job hunt as it begins...job market is not so pretty for teachers right now.

We are still ridiculously busy, and completely ready to have our own classrooms! I think we talk about super great ideas for our future classes almost every day. :) Other than student teaching, we've had to deal with sicknesses galore, car problems - Bessie is aging quickly - and we have a new niece, Madilyn Elise! She was born almost 3 weeks ago and we get to visit/meet her over our Spring Break, which is really exciting!

Life is chaotic, but God is truly giving us the strength and energy to make it to the end of the semester. Keep praying for us. :)

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

Student Teaching and Life's Shenanigans

We are beginning week 4 of student teaching! So far so good! We keep crazy busy each day...loving the experience, but exhausted at the end of the day. I never guess I realized how much teaching all day can really take out of you! We're lucky to be awake after 10:30 lately. My cooperating teacher is really super great and helpful; the whole 7th grade team is pretty much awesome! I start teaching 1st and 2nd block this week. Steven will take on all math classes this week. Things are beginning to get busy, though! We grade and lesson plan more than we ever thought we would in a single day. But, I don't we would change our career choice for a second. :) Graduation is around the corner (May 7th)!!! and we need to start applying for "real world" jobs soon...how crazy is that?! It's finally here!

Aside from student teaching, we have been ... student teaching. It's pretty much consumed our lives, but I think that it's been really beneficial having Steven to experience this with...I don't know how I would vent if I didn't have someone to talk to that related to my experiences. God has really blessed me in that aspect. :)

Speaking of God's blessings...we have started to make some relationships with more members of the church lately, and it's been so nice feeling a sense of belonging in a church again. I often miss Denver City CoC, and having some church family here in LC really helps. We had lunch with a really awesome family a few weeks ago, and got some much needed help with some car trouble I had before the holidays. Today, one of the preachers prayed specifically for us after church for patience and energy as we tackle this week of student teaching. It felt so great to have someone think of us in such a personal way. Once we find a routine to better manage our time, we will begin going to the college small group on Sundays and hopefully build more relationships there. I can't wait to see what God's got in store for us. :) Although we don't know where we'll end up (job market is a little wacko with education lately) I'm glad we have a 3rd church to call "home."

Pray for us as we continue our fast and furious semester - I'll update as soon as I can :)

Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken

Psalm 55:22