Random

Here's some random pics of the beginnings of the moving process. In one of them you can tell that Rori is a little unsure of what is happening and why these boxes are crowding her favorite place to lay down! On another note, I am wanting to make these Pillow Cookies that I found on the Bakerella blog. All I can say is, "YUM!" I think I will make them for our 4th of July get together. I'll let you know how they turn out! Without further ado...here's the pics:

Excitements and Sorrows

These days I am finding myself in a complex emotional state: I'm dying to move, but I'm dreading moving-all at the same time. I'm so ready to get there and be closer to where Taylor works, where the majority of our social life is, and where we will be ministering! I'm dreading packing and moving in the heat. Every move is pretty much this way. Full of excitements and sorrows.

Things I Will Miss About Our Current Place:
-This was our first place together. Because of that, it will always hold a special place in our hearts.
-garden bathtub
-walk-in closets
-big bedrooms
-fireplace
-the fabulous area all around the apartment complex
-the wonderful office staff

Things I'm Really Excited About Our New Place:
-LOTS of windows
-a huge kitchen
-beautiful laminate wood floors
-my own office that's not part of the guest room
-an aMaZiNg, big laundry room
-1.3 miles from the church
-not living on the 3rd floor
-everything is brand new
-a great storage space under the stairs

Despite the few sad "goodbyes" I'm beside myself excited and can't wait to get on with the move!!!

Random Observations

-With this job change, my husband comes home tired but happy (not grumpy); and gets up in the morning energized and excited to go to work. It's fabulous.

-Taylor told me the other day that he loves me being a stay-at-home wife. He said I'm happier, more relaxed, less grumpy, and small issues stay small issues and don't become overwhelming problems.

-I like doing at least one load of laundry a day. It doesn't get overwhelming, and it is always something I can count on getting done in a day. This may change when we have kids...I may flip to an all-laundry-in-one-day gal, but for now I'm liking this.

-My house is staying cleaner and more picked up, and that makes me feel really good.

-I am getting the luxury of being really creative with my jewelry business. I L-O-V-E it!

-This new schedule is freeing up all kinds of time to be servants at a moments notice. I love being able to say, "Yes, I can help out with that. When do you need me?"

-Taylor and I have energy to get out and do stuff together instead of just having "date nights at home." We aren't too exhausted to get out and about and just enjoy being together away from the house.

That's just a small sampling of some of the fabulous things I am discovering about the joys of this new season of our lives. More to come later, I'm sure.

Yea!

I was finally able to get my blog updated in a way I liked it. I still don't think I'm doing the banners "correctly." I can't get the banners to download, so I end up saving them as images and adding text boxes. Then I can link it into my blog as a picture. I'm sure that is the most complicated way to do it, but that's how I am able to get it to work and look cute! I love it now! A new look for this new chapter in our lives! Happy Weekend!

Under Construction

So, as you can see, I had the urge to redesign my blog again. I'm learning when it comes to blog world that background are easy. However, I have the toughest time with banners. I found a banner that I love ( Tickled Pink (Text) ), but when I click on it to download it won't do anything. Does anyone have any tips for how to get this banner into my blog? For now, please excuse the mix-matched look.

The End of an Era

It's finally here. My time to begin letting my to-do list and schedule actually follow the same path as my heart's priorities. School finished today at the end of a very long, emotionally draining week that I may choose to talk about at another time. But, it's over. I moved out my personal things. I turned in my keys. And, I left. For 24 years my life has operated on a school calendar. That will happen again, of course, once we have children in school; but for now I get to revel in what I would do if my life didn't revolve around an August to May schedule. Since I was 5 years old I have dreamed about being a teacher, and for 5 years I have been one. There were parts I thoroughly loved about it. There were parts I could have done without. A brief parent note today summed up the part I enjoyed when it said, "It is because of you that [my son] reads." That touched my heart in a place that is only touched when I'm a teacher.

But, I've reached a point in my life right now where getting up and going to work all day everyday isn't my top priority. When I started teaching, I wasn't married. I needed the job to live on, and I needed the job to provide some substance to my life. Now, I'm married, and I'm dying to make being a wife my top job! I want to be able to serve my husband by having more energy and focus at home. I am going to be able to work from home on my jewelry business touching the lives of other women while my number one focus (after my spiritual walk, of course) gets to be towards my husband and our home. I honestly don't know what to do first. I've longed for months to be at this point because there was so much I wanted to do, and now that I'm here I don't know where to start. Granted, I've only been "here" for 4 1/2 hours. I fully expect to spend the next several days and weeks learning what the rhythm of being a full-time wife while working from home feels like. I'm beside myself excited, but I'm also quietly contemplating how fabulous this feels inside.

So, for now, the teacher part of me is taking a break. Someday, Lord willing, I will open my home and heart to other children that need help learning to read--beginning my own therapy business. There is still a part inside of me that gets such joy from unlocking the door in the child that opens them up to the world of reading; and I want to one day be back doing that again. In the meantime, I am closing the back cover on this chapter of my life, curling up with a brand new book, and longing deeply to see what's inside.