Let the REJOICING begin!

     Yesterday was a day filled with many different emotions... I finally got a job offer at a school that I have been wanting to work at every since I did my student teaching there!  When the principal called me I felt like my body was going to explode!  I was excited ... I may have even had some happy tears stream down my face.  With all of these crazy emotion going on, I took a minute to think about how lucky I truly am.  Throughout life I have many ups and downs ... just like everyone else.  I have had many high moments, but there has been many downs moments as well.  Through all of this I have noticed many things. 
    
     One being that the Lord is amazing and if we trust in Him all things will be okay.  We have to be patient and trust that the Lord is listening to us and our needs ... even if He doesn't answer our prayers right away ... He IS listening and will help us on His time not ours!

     Second thing I learned was that I have the most amazing family.  My family was standing right next to me when I heard the great news and they were jumping up and down with me!  They have supported me from the very beginning and I am so lucky to have them!!

     Third thing I learned is when great things happen to you and even when horrible things happen ... you notice who your real friends are.  The people that will be there for you no matter what!  The people that will rejoice with you when something great in your life has happened! Or maybe even cry with you when something horrible has happened.  These are the times that you may realize that some friends wont be there for you ... and wont be happy for you and your accomplishments ... but to that you have to shove aside and embrace those that truly love you and care about you.

     So ... THANK YOU to every one of you that has been there for me ... prayed for me ... and rejoiced with me.  I love you all and I am so thankful to have you in my life!

     This was my class that I taught during my student teaching!  I can't wait to meet my next bunch!

Mommy and Me

     This past week my mom has had a lot of time off of work.  So you know what that means??? Mommy and me time.  We have gotten to spend a little extra time together this week and it has been fantastic.  My mom and I are extremely close.  She is not only my mom but my best friend.  She has been there for me when no one else has.  One of our favorite things to do is watch Lifetime movies.  For some reason we love the dramatic... over acting... "suspense thrilling" type of movies ...  Of course with a sappy romantic ending!  I mean come on ... we are girls!

     My mom is pretty great and I am so lucky to have her as my mom.  I feel that I forget to tell her sometimes how much I truly appreciate her and everything she does for me.  So I thought this would be a great way to do it.  Thank you mom for always being there.  Even when I was in 1st grade and I was just a scared little kid not wanting to go to school ... you held my hand and told me everything was going to be all right.  You clipped a little angle to my sweater and told me that the angle would watch over me when you were at work.  Without you I think I would have been a 1st grade drop out!
    
     I have always looked up to you.   I watch you with your grandkids and I am just amazed of how great you are with them.  I just hope that when I have kids one day that I can be just as great of a mom as you were to me.  So thank you mommy for all you have done for me and all that you do.  I love you more than words can describe you beautiful lady!

     For everyone out there reading this ... go and take this time to thank your mom, dad, grandparent or whoever in your life has made you who you are today ... because without them you wouldn't be where you are today!

I know she is pretty cute ... but sorry she's mine!

I love you <3 

"Love is patient..."

  
     Last Sunday was one of the first Sundays in a LONG time where I actually got to go to church and did not have to be teaching a Sunday school class.  I had been teaching every Sunday for the past two years and I decided to take sometime off from that.  I wanted to actually be able to go to church and let someone else do the preaching and teaching.  I am so glad I did this because Sunday had the best message I have ever heard.  My preachers message was on the topic of LOVE!  Best topic ever if I do say so myself.  Boyfriend was with me at church and as soon as the preacher started talking I looked over at boyfriend to make sure he was paying close attention to what the preacher was saying.  I may have even nudged him a few times just to make sure.
  
    The preacher told us to turn to 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7.  If you aren't aware with this passage go and read it!  It's this one that goes a little something like this ... "Love is patient, love is kind..."  you know the one you hear at every wedding.  Yeah that one!  So he starts off talking about this quote.  I have heard this verse a thousands times and I have even quoted it many times in cards and stuff to boyfriend, but I had never heard it quite like this.  He went on talking about how love isn't easy and it shouldn't be.  Love is work and that if you truly love someone you will do whatever it takes to make it work.  That if one does not have patience with the one they love, then do they truly love them?  If one is not kind to the one they love, can they truly love them?  He went on talking about every point in this verse.  Saying that to envy the one you love is wrong and it is "meaner" than jealousy.  That one should "rejoice" at their loved ones accomplishments.
  
     At the end of the sermon, the preacher told everyone to go home and to talk with the one you love and to go through each part of this verse.  Of course I could not wait until we got home to discuss it with boyfriend... so as we were walking to the car I started asking him all these questions and started going through each part of the verse.  With a beautiful smile on his face he answered each question with grace.
  
     After I discussed it with boyfriend I thought about all the other people in my life that I love... In the end...  this sermon made me realize how truly lucky I am.

     I have a mom and dad that loves me no matter what.  They have had patience with me throughout my life and have giving me guidance.

     I have a sister that loves me no matter how much I followed her around when we were kids.  I'm sure I was quite annoying.

     I have friends that love me even though I am such a dork at times.

     I have a boyfriend that loves me despite my faults.  I am so truly and deeply in love with this man and I am so thankful to have him in my life.  The patience he has with me is unbelievable.

     So thank you to my family, friends, and boyfriend for loving me and for letting me love you.  But most importantly thank you Lord for loving me even when I most certainly did not deserve your love.

I LOVE YOU DAD

     In about one hour it will be Father's Day!  One of the best days of the year I might add.  My dad is amazing to say the least and I thought he deserved a little shout out!  I remember back when I was a little girl and I would curl up beside my dad and watch Bugs Bunny and we would laugh and laugh.  When I got a little older I started doing competitive cheerleading.  Almost every weekend I would have a competition ... and guess who made it to every competition ... my dad.  Now I am sure he did not want to sit through hours and hours of nonstop "COME NOW YELL WITH US!"  but being the amazing dad he is ... he sat through them with a smile on his face.  As soon as I walked out on that stage I would always see my parents smiling up at me acting like I was the only one on stage!  My parents always knew how to make me feel so special and I always felt like a little SUPER STAR!  I have always been daddy's little girl... his little angle.  Ever since I was little my dad has always calls me his "boo" and that is something that I will always hold dear to my heart.  So this is for you dad.  I love you.  You are my hero and I couldn't be where I am today without you.  You have always been my biggest supporter and biggest fan.  I love you more than words can express.  Here's to you daddy!

I know he is adorable! 

Redbox

     Redbox is the best invention ever created.  Boyfriend and I are cheap when it comes to date night.  So when we discovered redbox we were set.  So first rule of date night is that we have to get at least one redbox movie and most likely it is a comedy.  The second rule of date night is that we have to go to the grocery store and get lots of snacks and desserts and just a bunch of yumminess!  Third rule of date night is that you HAVE to wear comfy clothes.  Cute clothes are not allowed.  Fourth rule is to have a bunch of pillows and a big fluffy blanket.  Once everything is set and ready we snuggle up and have our date night!  oh how romantic.

Job security?

     Growing up I always dreamed of what it would be like to be a "grown up" and what it would be like to be done with school.  Well I'm at that point in my life and the dream isn't exactly what I thought it was going to be.  So far jobs are rare and hard to find.  Im in the education field so it's a waiting game to see which schools will even have openings for the fall.  I went into a profession that always needed teachers and I thought great ... "job security!"  Well what happened to that?  Instead principals are telling me that they are cutting jobs not making new ones.  Oh joy.

     On a positive note boyfriend is doing a little better on the job search.  He has been interning at the same job for over two years now.  He works with the stock market ... which in my opinion is extremely boring ... but he loves it.  Everyday after work I always ask him how work was.  He goes on a spill about the stocks and being the loving girlfriend I am ... I try and act excited about it... but in reality I have absolutely no idea what in the world he is talking about.  So anyways, boyfriend officially got offered the job TODAY!  This is huge and I am so proud of that boy!  So this is to you boyfriend.  You little smarty pants.  I love you and I am so proud of you.
              ... now lets just find me a job okay?

Look at boyfriend all dressed up ... what a babe!

Drivin the mini van

     Well it is that time of the year again.  Family vacation time that is.  Every year my family gets together and goes on a vacation to the beach.  My mom, dad, sister, boyfriend, brother-in-law and three nephews are all here.  We got a nice big house right near the ocean and we are having a blast.  Good ol' family time.  My nephews are absolutely adorable.  Ethan is two and he is a handful.  Earlier today we were on the beach running, building sand castles and of course playing with Thomas the Train.  Whoever invented Thomas the Train I envy you.  That boy has every train you could possibly think of at $15 dollars a pop.  Then there is the twin boys, Eli and Noah.  They are eight months old.  Noah absolutely loves the beach, while Eli acts like someone is hurting him if his feet touch the sand.

     As much as me and boyfriend love the fam we decided that we needed a night out just the two of us, but the only problem was that we didn't drive down here.  We wanted to save money so we rode with my parents.  I was telling my parents about our little situation of not having a car and so my dad says (in a chipper voice I might add), "Take the mini van!"  Now don't get me wrong ... mini vans are cute and very practical for families... BUT not so cute when your in your early twenties with no cute little kiddies running around.  Needing a night out alone we decided that we would rock that mini van and we would do it with style!  So boyfriend and I hopped into the mini van and went cruising down the street with the windows rolled down.  We looked extremely cool and we were loving it.

Doesn't he look cool?  He should def get a mini van right?

On our date night

What a babe!

<3

Are you in love or what?

the end