Changes

On April 17 of this year, after lots of prayer and discussion with my husband, my parents, my in-laws, and a few close friends, I turned in my resignation to Cornelia Elementary School. It wasn't an overnight decision for sure. It's the only school I've taught at, and I was there for 11 years. I was hired the summer after my college graduation, and I stepped into my first classroom as teacher at the young age of 22.

That first year, I was with fourth graders. The next ten years were spent with first graders. I worked under three different principals and four different assistant principals. I met many life-long friends. I worked hard, I learned many lessons, and I had the privilege of teaching over 200 kids who I claimed as my own while they dwelled in my classroom with me. All of these things will always be a part of me, but when I felt the call to leave, I had to answer. I had to take a huge leap of faith. I had to step out of my comfort zone.

Some thought it was because of family issues (we have been considering adoption, as many of you may know, but we have not made any definite decisions on this), some thought it was because I no longer had the desire to teach. Please don't worry, though, I am not giving up teaching. I think it is what I have been called to do. I am, however, taking a different path, at least for now. It's what is best for my family. 

Therefore, I am proud to officially announce that I will be a part of the Trinity Classical School family beginning in August. Chandler will be joining me there as well as a member of the newly-formed preschool program. It has been amazing to see how God has orchestrated all of this. 

If you are reading this, I ask that you pray for us as we make this new and exciting transition. We are very blessed, and I know that God has some wonderful things in store for us on this new journey.


See My Page on Trinity's Website

To The Beach: Take 5

For the fifth year in a row, we packed up pretty much all that we own and headed to Myrtle Beach for a week. (I keep thinking this will get easier as Chandler gets older, but so far it hasn't.) My parents met us there. Our itinerary? We didn't have one. It was a trip planned solely for relaxation. 

Our original intentions were to sleep in, but the cute little four-year-old with us had other plans. He had his own room this time for the first time ever on vacation, and he loved it. However, I think the lastest we slept all week was 7:30 a.m, but that's okay. It maximized our time together. The only problem was that this same cute little four-year-old only napped one day of the trip, too, so there were usually a couple of let's say "challenging" moments after dinner. 

We enjoyed watching the other early risers at the beach from the comfort of our balcony and/or the breakfast table of our condo. Then, we would soon slather on tons of sunscreen and meander down to the beach for a while. Some sandcastles were built, Captain Hook was buried and then rescued by Jake and the rest of his crew, some waves were jumped, and several novels were read. One day we even hauled the cooler down and had a picnic on the beach. Talk about true SANDwiches! Most of this was done in the shade of our umbrella. I'm way past the days of desiring a tan. I'll just stay pasty white, thank you very much.

The pool was refreshingly nice on the hot, humid days, and the hot tub was nice in the evenings. We went out to dinner a few times, but stayed in a few times, too, opting for calzones one day (yum!) and grilled burgers and hotdogs another (compliments of chef Brent). 

Chandler was all about putt-putt, so Brent and I took him one evening and then treated him to ice cream. It melted faster than we could eat it, but that was part of the fun! It was a good, relaxing trip overall, and I am so glad we got to go together. 

Part of the lovely view from our balcony

Chandler begged his Daddy to dig a hole. He loved it!

This sandcastle was demolished less than 5 minutes later. 

I think the picnic on the beach was one of the highlights for him. 

Chillin in the shade

Putt-Putt

Yum!

Summer

Summer is here. Just like most educators, I am so thankful that this time of year is here. You see, I spend ten months out of the year pouring my heart and soul into other people's children, and now I get two whole months to pour my heart and soul into my own precious child.

It's not that Chandler gets ignored during those ten months. Don't you worry about that for a minute! It's not that I don't enjoy pouring myself into other children. On the contrary, I feel that is what I have been called to do. However, it is nice to spend time with the child God gave to me without having to worry about other kids for a while.

Summer is the time of year that I can explore new things, refresh my mind, and do new things with my son. At four, he's at the perfect age to do a lot of things he's never been big enough to do before like go fishing at the lake, watch a movie in the theater, catch lightning bugs in a jar, go to the drive-in, play hide-and-seek at dusk, and more. He's also old enough to start making memories that he will be able to remember for years to come. For these reasons, I have decided to make the most of this summer.

Many of the things I have planned are for the whole family, like taking a trip to the zoo, catching an Atlanta Braves game, and pizza at Louie's. Other things are just for the two of us while Brent is at work. I can't wait to spend time with my sweet little guy (and the big one too) this summer.

Is everything going to be perfect? No. Will everything work out according to plan? Absolutely not.

Will there be lots of laughs? Definitely. Will memories that will last a lifetime be made? I think so.

Stay tuned for updates on our summer happenings.