Down...

We began the school year without a hitch. It has been great and so much better than last year. But right now I am struggling with something that is eating at me. I can't say what or when it happened, but its just there. I am not sure how to kick it. So please just say a little prayer for me. I have to get over this. I don't like feeling this way and need to feel "normal" again.

Sorry for how short it is but I don't know if I can keep my eyes open. Its time for bed!

~Heather

School year and summer so far...

Well the school year came and went...

I finished my first year of teaching without a hitch. It ended up being a great year and I learned so much. I have so much more knowledge now and I will go in with a big bag of tricks this year. I have a lot thanks to give to the teachers on my team. They helped me in more ways than I can express. They were a marvelous teams to learn from.

Now on to summer...

Summer has been great so far. We have been busy swimming and on vacation. We had VBS first and it was so much fun. Andrew went and had a blast. I counted pennies of course and the kids brought in over $13,000 for missions this year!!!

Once VBS was over it was time to hit the road. We traveled to Atlanta first to see their magnificent aquarium and World of Coke. Then we drove over to Charleston. It was so much fun but HOT!!! We went to see Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, USS Yorktown, and the Old Exchange and Provost. Oh and also the BEACH!!!

Wesley was over joyed the entire trip because of all the history and guns we saw. He loves learning about guns and war so this trip was right up his alley. We saw some awesome historical sites and cobble stone streets. But I believe my highlight of the trip was sitting on the beach watching the kids and John play in the ocean. It was so relaxing and peaceful. I could have spent everyday there but my family is way to hyper to be content to sit on a beach all day. So we compromised and spent two mornings at the beach and then did our tours in the afternoons.

Oh lets get back to the heat. When we arrived in Atlanta it was around 95 but most of what we did was inside so that wasn't so bad. Then we got to Charleston...it was 98!! The humidity was almost unbearable but we trudged along anyway. One day we got in our car and the temperature said 110!!! 110, WHAT! Again we kept on going. So it was time to return home and we took a detour through Gatlinburg and when we arrived on Newfound Gap the temperature was 74! How glorious that felt after being in such oppressive heat.

Well thats all so far but hopefully more excitement to come in the summer!

~Heather

Has it really been that long?

I have been so busy that I have neglected to write in my blog. I hate that because it was always a fun way to get my thoughts out. So I am going to catch up now.

In July I got a teaching job in Clarksville, TN at Hazelwood Elementary teaching Kindergarten. The grade I have always wanted to teach and I have been over joyed ever since. I really love the team I work with and all the kids that I have. I have made it through the Thanksgiving holiday, so I think I can make it rest of the year. I can't believe how fast it has gone, but I know that those long winter months will take their toll on everyone. All I can say now is "Please pray for SNOW"!

The boys started school and each of them are liking their grades. Third grade for Andrew is kicking his butt just a little though. It is a lot harder than I remember and he has had to adjust. Wesley changes classes. They do it in 5th grade to help prepare them for 6th. So he will definitely need the practice before next year.

OH...how can I forget. We went to Disney World over Fall Break. It seems so long ago that I forget that we went this year. It was really fun and HOT! They were having an unexpected heat wave. So it was around 95 each day. Not what we wanted but it was a fun trip anyway. (pictures on the next post)

Now the present. We decided as a family to have our "own" Thanksgiving. I cooked the feast and it was just John and I and the boys. It was very peaceful and wonderful that we didn't have to travel to two different houses. We are thinking next year that we will rent a cabin and have Thanksgiving in the mountains. How wonderful does that sound.

Here is our table set for Thanksgiving.
As soon as Thanksgiving was over, it was time to pull down the Christmas decorations. Oh how John loves to do that. But I love the way my house looks at Christmas. It just makes me feel so cozy and all the wonderful memories of Christmas past come back to me.

Here is some pictures of my house (remember I am not a photographer).

This is my new tree on my kitchen table. It is decorated with cookie cutters and an angel cookie cutter as my topper.

Here is our tree this year. I really like it if I say so myself. I didn't use our star this year, I wanted to do something different. So I bought a lot of floral picks and stuck them in the top. John says it looks like 4th of July fireworks coming out of the top.


This is the top of my tv cabinet. I bought the garland plain and added my own stuff to match my tree. I really like this too. I didn't know how it would turn out but now I have something if I don't like it next year I can change it to what I do. Much more economical and "green".

This is Wesley tree in his room. I love the penquin "theme" if you want to call it that.

This is Andrew's tree. His has a candy theme. It just suits him too well.

Well I hope my next post will be in the next few days.

Talk soon...

Heather

Summer so far...

I haven't written in a while because I wasn't sure what to write. We haven't been too terribly busy this summer so we have all tried to relax mostly. John's grandmother died on Memorial Day. It wasn't a huge surprise to the family but you never want a family member to pass. She is in a much better place and not suffering anymore.

Since then nothing too exciting has happen except me and the kids going to Gatlinburg with my parents. Yes John stayed home. We went to the Wilderness at the Smokies and loved it! I think we have spoiled the kids and they will want to stay there everytime we go. The water park was extremely fun and I had to drag the kids out each day. It was a new experience to travel with my parents as an adult. I hadn't been on vacation with them since I was a child. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be so hopefully each year we can do something. It was nice for them to see how the kids are on vacation and how they have fun. We only stayed 2 nights and I wished we could have stayed one more. But oh well maybe next time.

The job search...I have interviewed with Robertson County. Also I interviewed with one principal. I am extremely hopeful that I get this job. It is slim pickin's out there right now. So I just have to be patient and wait. I pray and pray and I know that God will place me in the right school. So as soon as I know something about a job I will post again. I just hope it is soon because if you know me at all the anticipation is killing me and my anxiety about putting a classroom together in 2 days or less is really scary to me. I would do it though because it doesnt' matter what your room looks like it matters what you teach the kids and how you care for them.

Here are some pictures from our mini vacation (our real vacation is coming in October only 105 days left):

Lost?

Ok, so the day has come and gone. I have looked forward to this day for years now and it is all over. What will I do? Where do I go from here? School has defined me for so long that it is a weird feeling to think that I don't have to go back ever if I don't want to. I don't think it has sunk in yet. I walked across the stage, got my diploma cover, and had a party but I still feel the same. When will I feel different? I am assuming I will feel different when I get a job and a classroom and then a class full of eager students. I hope to have a great summer to lead into a wonderful first year of teaching.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and loved me through this journey. I appreciate all of them and will still need lots of prayers going into my first year of teaching.

Well not much else to say except that I am a college graduate! Whoo Hoo!!

Thanks for reading

~Heather

Up to now!!

Wow!!! I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged. I have been quite busy with student teaching. I made it through my first placement and almost done with my second. I can't believe how fast time flies. Third grade was a challenge for me but I made it. I am in kindergarten now...the place where I love and want to be. I have found where my heart is. I yearn for those early learners and want to help them so much. I just hope to be effective and help them before they move on to first grade. I know that I haven't been their teacher all year, but I get them for 3 weeks and I can call them my class.

I graduate in no time. I can't believe. I am going to be a college educated person. The first one in my immediate family and I hope to show my kids that it is a benefit to go to college. College has been a long road for me. I started right out of high school, going to Belmont for a year and Austin Peay for a year. During the year at APSU, I got married, and pregnant. So school feel by the way side for a long time. Once, Andrew got older I knew that I needed an outlet and to finish what I had started so many years before. I went back to Vol State and found my niche. I think I fit in better there than I did right out of high school. It was wonderful and I graduated with honors! Honors... I couldn't believe it! Then onto the TSU program at Vol State. This program was sent by God for me to be able to complete my bachelors degree. God placed me in this program with all the right people that would help and support my goal. Which they had the same goal but we were in the same situations and understood when no one else could. So I truly believe that God placed me with the right people at the right time in my life to change my life for the better. I can't believe how much I have changed and learned in the past 2 years. It staggers me sometime to think back.
Well, I have rambled on way to long, but I wanted to write down how things have been going and where I am about to be.

Thanks for reading

~Heather

PS Here are some pics from our last Gatlinburg trip

The New Year

Well, we all made it through Christmas. We had a great time and the kids got way more than they needed. As always after Christmas the blues set in for me. I sat in my pajamas for about three days before snapping out of it. It happens every year and I know why it does. I look so forward to all the festivities that surround the holiday and then it is just over. So I take some days to just do nothing. All is better now and we had a great time on New Year's Eve with my brother in law and sister in law. They came over and we played games and ate pizza till midnight.

I have completed a couple more shirts for my friend Mackenzie. I really love doing these and I have so much fun picking out the fabric and ribbon. I could live in Joann's in the ribbon and fabric section. I just walk around and around and look at all of the stuff. The blue one is for Lily and I didn't think I would like this one that much. But it turned out to be my favorite I did in the past couple days.

The next "L" shirt is for Lainee. I really like hers too. I just hope Mackenzie likes them.

The last shirt I did is for Lily. Mackenzie told me to do whatever with this one that she trust my judgment. (Well I just hope my judgment was good enough.) I did a heart for Valentine's day (well she can wear it whenever).

Well I guess that is all for now. I am going to be searching for long sleeve t-shirts (if you find some on clearance give me a call) for next Christmas because I hope to have a craft booth somewhere. So if I start now maybe I will be ready for Christmas 2009.
Thanks for reading ~Heather