Monday, December 31, 2012

2012: A Year in Review

2012 is coming to a close already and I'm still a horrible blogger. :) I've come to realize that I don't normally write in a journal (which I have on my nightstand) or blog unless I'm not happy. I did write a few posts about cooking and food and running, but I usually feel the urge to write when I'm feeling blue.

While I do like the color blue, I've moved more into a deep purple this year, I feel. 2011 was not a good year for me, but from the get-go 2012 has been amazing! I have been so blessed that I feel like this good vibe I've been riding may fizzle out next year. However, I'm working hard to not let that happen.

2012 started out in Austin with some dear friends! I enjoyed my job as a special ed assistant at an elementary school and grew to love the kids there and made some new friends. I moved into a new apartment that was not so great (but living on my own again was exciting!) and then had a summer off. I already blogged about how I felt like someone broke up with me those first few days. I wasn't sure what the future held and I missed going to work everyday.

Summer started and I began to hang out with some Borders friends who lived in the same apartment complex. We'd meet at the pool often.

I went on several job interviews in Victoria, TX (a two hour drive each time) and luckily the last time paid off! I was offered a job at the interview table, told them I'd think about it and get back to them, and then my muffler completely separates from the rest of it. I call the Fine Arts director of my current district to ask how long it would take to hear back from the principal I just interviewed with that morning because I was just offered a job in Victoria (?!?!). I drive to a muffler shop, they fix it FOR FREE!! and my current principal calls to offer me the job in San Antonio! I also get another job offer from a different Victoria school while sitting in the muffler shop. This was all on my best friend's birthday so we all got to celebrate together. The muffler is still going strong, by the way, from a free welding job.

So... my summer continues, this time completely worry-free. I swim, sleep, and learn to play tennis from a cool guy named Patrick. I guess all the swimming and tennis paid off because we started dating in July. :)

I worked at the Witte museum for three weeks with their summer adventure camp and had a blast with all of the kids and spending a ton of time in the new part of the museum. I'm glad I had that job because it gave me something to do for part of the summer and the paycheck tied me over until my first teacher paycheck in September. The district is on a once a month pay schedule so that's been interesting.

Summer ends and my new adventure as a middle school Theatre Arts teacher begins! After a week and a half of cleaning, my classroom is perfect! I'm still learning as I go and I've been blessed with great colleagues at a great school. I've had so much fun at work, even though I put in 10-11 hour days. I wake up excited to get to my classroom and play Theatre games or get out props and set pieces with the students. I'm still getting the hang of 7th and 8th graders, and they are still getting used to having a Theatre teacher that is always present and prepared, but it'll be even better next semester. I have the freedom to shape my courses for next year and One Act Play will be awesome!

Before Christmas I moved into a much better apartment with a HUGE kitchen. Sleeping in silence has been great for my stress levels, too! Also, living in a place that doesn't smell like cigarette smoke has been amazing. Sassy enjoys it; she's not sick all the time anymore.

2012 was amazing and refreshing and hopefully my hard work carries into 2013. I have One Act Play competition coming up, another half marathon, and summer vacation! Oh, and time with the boyfriend, of course.

Everything works out in due time. A hard lesson to learn.

Happy 2013, y'all!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

End of an era?

As the school year comes to a close, I've begun to reflect on the past few months. They always seem to go by so fast, which tells me that I'm in the right field of work. It doesn't seem like the year should be over already as I feel like I just started. But October really was a long time ago.

Since then, I've been in several different classrooms and got to know nearly every student in the school. I've learned so much from each teacher that I've worked with, as they each have their own teaching style that works. They have no idea how much they taught me while they were teaching their students. I've also made several friendships among the staff, which I consider a blessing. I know not everyone is able to work with people they consider friends.

Last year, I was teaching high school students. This year, I worked with elementary students and loved it. I have made a great connection with a few of them, and I will never forget them. They, too, have taught me so much about being an educator and mentor to young people.

I don't know where I'll be next year, but if the past is any clue, I know that I will be changing lives and learning more about myself and the world around me in the process. The hard part is trusting that everything will work out and my dreams will come true with my hard work. Isn't that the way it's supposed to go?

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Musings on Love

"Miss, how old were you when you first fell in love?" a fifth grade boy asks me at lunch today, because of course, he is in love with a girl. In fifth grade. I answered him honestly and said, "I was 22 years old when I first fell in love."

"Are you still together?" he asks.

"No, he's married," I reply.

"Oh, that's not fair for you."

Oh, children! Their brutal honesty catches me off guard, and makes me laugh nearly every time. Love is so simple for them, but yet so complicated. So and so likes her, but she likes so and so, he said she said, blah blah blah. Little do they know that it gets more complicated as they get older. You can be head over heels in love, ready to take that walk down the aisle to your future, and the next day it's completely gone and everything you thought you knew is wrong. There are things in my past that I still don't understand, and I'm really not sure I will, and I've learned to live with that and move on. Love is such a tricky thing, though, when all I can think about is my career. I can see my window of opportunity shutting right in front of me for the third year in a row. I really don't have time or energy to be chasing down love.

I think being alone is not an issue for me. I've been alone, in a relationship sense, nearly all of my life. I actually think that's what killed my one and only relationship. I'm so content and used to being with myself that I have no idea how to let someone else in. I could go see a shrink about this, but I figure that once I get my career situated, these things will just iron themselves out when I meet the right man. All of the little things will just disappear, and then I'll know he's the one.

At least that's what I thought last time.