Boxes and boxes and boxes...

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I'll keep my words to myself but here is a glimpse into our house.

This is only the beginning of our junk.

There's more.

We leave Wednesday morning for Texas.

YIKES!!

P.S. I shouldn't have discovered this Picasa thing. Now I will always want to manipulate my pictures.

Behind the times...

I am waaaaay behind the blogging times. 

But look what I just taught myself how to do!

It's my first attempt at making a collage using just a bunch of random pictures I had already on my computer. I looked up a tutorial online, downloaded Picasa and voila! I may have a little variety on the blog from now on. Woohoo! Am I embarrassed that I am just now figuring this out? Yes. Better late than never though...

I got a job!!!

We're moving in about a week and a half. I'm still in denial. Other than my classroom, I've yet to pack anything. I feel like I am still sorting through the emotions in my head. I'm having a hard time facing it. The biggest fear I have of moving is change. Everything changes. I hate change. I don't adapt well. I have always lived close to my family and I see them often. Not going to happen in Texas. I felt like by chasing Ken's education, my career that I worked hard for would potentially be put on the back burner because teaching in Texas wasn't looking like it was going to pan out.

• Teaching certifications are only good in the state they are issued in. Utah license + Texas school = no way you're getting a job. It took some time, tears, and frustration but I was able to get a one year provisional teaching license in Texas. This means I can teach for one year as long as I am working on becoming fully certified there. I have to retake some dreadful tests once I'm there but I do have a year to pass them. I may need a year too!

•  Applying for jobs in Texas while living and working in Utah is NOT convenient! Thank heavens for the internet! I checked daily and applied for all K-3 jobs that were within a 30 mile radius of where we'll be living - that's a lot of schools. I had over 85 applications in (complete with resumes and personal emails to each principal) but it's hard to want to interview someone who lives 20 hours away.

But this week I got a job!

Not just ANY job, but a job that I'm really excited about. I love the principal and teachers that I interviewed with. I can tell it's going to be a good place to work!

I will be teaching

at a school in Fort Worth!

In a nutshell, here's how it happened...

• On Tuesday of this week, I saw the position online and applied for it.I sent an email to the principal introducing myself and let her know I was interested. (I've done this 80+ times remember) She responded via email that afternoon and set up a phone interview for Thursday.
• She called on Thursday and we interviewed for about an hour. Other teachers were in the room and I was on speaker phone. We all talked our way through it.
• I felt like the interview went well and that I was as personable and honest as I could be.
• She told me that we'd have a second interview next week as she was still interviewing other candidates for the position. (Pretty standard) I was a-okay with it but wasn't getting my hopes up because it was a phone interview. Not being face to face is hard.
• The next morning I woke up to an email from the principal letting me know that the interviewing panel was very impressed and she had spoken with my former principal, checked my references and was officially offering me the job!!
• HOLY COW!
• About an hour later, the Human Resources department called and scheduled for me to have an interview with the district and sign paperwork on August 5th.

I am still in awe of having spent so much time on a ton of applications that this one happened so quickly and fell into place. From applied to hired was less than 4 days. I am having faith that this is the school where I need to be. There are people there that will greatly influence my life and if I am lucky, I too can have an influence on theirs.

I believe the Lord has had a hand in my life (always) and that although this move is testing my emotional strength, He will not let me down. I was so worried that all of MY hard work of my own college education was going to be spent working at some mundane job so that Ken could pursue his doctorate. I wanted to teach. I REALLY wanted to teach. But up until this week it wasn't looking too promising.

I am amazed at how many people have since said that they put my name on the temple roll, they were praying for me and Ken, etc. One of my friends even told me that she knelt in prayer right at 11:00 a.m. on the day and time of my interview. I am thankful that there are people who are pulling me through.

Third grade will be a big change from first grade. I have loved first grade. But I am also looking forward (okay, I am a little nervous) to teaching a higher grade.

Yippee! I have a job!!

Last Sunday at the MTC...

Sunday was our last day at the Missionary Training Center. Ken has been a volunteer organist there for about two and half years. We've spent Sunday evenings and holidays there together. I'd say it was good for our marriage. A lot of what they talked about applied to us as well. We are a little sad to say goodbye. I took a few pictures to remember our experience.

The beautiful mountains of Provo! Mountains are definitely something I will miss in Texas.

Here's our building... 19M.

Most Sunday's when we get there the MTC choir is still having rehearsal. They sound amazing!

Here come the missionaries! They pack into the auditorium and they broadcast it to overflow rooms and the new west campus.

Ken's spot.

We've had the opportunity to work with my mom's cousin Judy. (Judy's mom and my grandma are sisters) Judy is one of the music leaders that volunteers as well. It's been fun to see her.

(insert loud organ music here)

We've heard many, many, many talks from Richard I. Heaton. He's a great speaker and is usually there the same Sunday we were.

Brother Angus!! We have loved working with this man!! No one messes with Brother Angus and the missionaries know it!

No "mission" is complete without an official photograph with the mission president and his wife. Here we are with President and Sister Nally, the current MTC president and his wife. They are AMAZING people! Note to self... that purple and white shirt you're wearing looks worse than you initially thought AND don't stand next to tiny people while being photographed. 'Nuff said.

Since Ken never served a full time mission of his own, he never had a chance to get an iconic missionary world map photo. Well, here he is! He's pointing to the state of Utah...

and Texas.

As a fun side photo, here is a picture of me by the map 17 1/2 years ago when I was in the MTC as a full time missionary. I am pointing to the wonderful state of Florida where I served.

And here I am with my MTC companion, Sister Kersey, who also served in my mission in Florida - we never served together there, however.

On the wall Ken and I found an old picture of a former MTC mission president and his wife. This man (George Durrant) is the one who sealed Ken and I on our wedding day. It was fun for us to see!

We're both grateful for the chance we had to be at the MTC. President Nally was so gracious. He told Ken that when we're in town to email and let him know and they could fit Ken in to play in the meeting. We've had some neat experiences and met some great people there!! We are truly blessed!

Is this as hard for everyone else as it is for me? Getting ready to move is rough!

Must keep blogging!

I need to be a better blogger now more than ever. With our upcoming move to the Lone Star State, we won't be near any of my family or Ken's family - I guess it's all "my family", right?  This blog will have to be my main source for keeping everyone in the know and seeing a few pictures of our happenings. I need to get back to daily or every other day blogging. My mind's just on other things right now - like packing, getting a job, wrapping up a million things here, keeping my emotional sanity, blah, blah, blah.

Here are a few little things...

I'm still applying for teaching jobs in Texas. It's been months now. I'd prefer to teach K-2, but would be fine with 3rd or 4th - it would just be a big change from what I'm used to. At last count I have applied for 73 positions. I consider myself to be a great teacher. I do well with difficult students and am a pro at keeping parents informed. But, I am just another name on a screen full of hopefuls. I'm not sure what I'll do if I don't teach. I can't imagine working a "clock in/clock out" job. I know I would feel depressed not teaching - like I was wasting my time. Life in Texas will be a difficult transition as it is. I honestly think I'd be miserable without my own classroom. The screen below is one of many websites of the jobs I have already applied for. I just keep checking everyday...

We got my dad some new chairs for Father's Day. He has a really hard time getting out of the folding camp chairs he has. He's been sitting in the yard a little more and I wanted to make sure he had a chair that was stable and easy for him. We got one for my mom too.

Speaking of my old man, he recently had a surgery - a surgery related to Parkinson's. Can I just tell you how much I hate Parkinson's Disease? It's taking its toll on my dad and I can't stand to watch it. It's even harder knowing that I'm moving 20 hours away and won't be here to help/watch/worry/panic/laugh/cry with what's going on with him. My mom is AMAZING but it's taking its toll on her too. I feel like they need me now more than ever and I'm leaving. Knowledge is power and hope is everything - I think we'd all agree that everyone is doing all they can for him right now. Medicine, doctor's, prayers. That being said, it's still life altering and unwanted!

Ken and I went on a search for a painting a few weeks ago. Rumor had it that a painting that Ken's great uncle had painted was on display at Cabela's. We went, looked around, and asked a million employees if they knew where it was. No luck. As we were leaving, we ran into one of our neighbors who worked there. We asked him and he was pretty sure it was hanging in one of the board rooms. He took us up there are voila! There is was. It was a fun find.

The older Tank gets the more strange things he does. This was a new one... I couldn't find him a few weeks ago. Ken was still asleep and I was getting ready to leave. I decided he had to be somewhere in the house so I wasn't too worried. I went to kiss Ken goodbye and the dark lump in my pillowcase caught my eye.

There he was. All curled up and cozy inside my pillowcase. I had to take a picture. I love my cute little Tank! Hope he survives this upcoming move!!

I'll blog again very soon... promise!