Thankfulness...

what does it REALLY mean to be truly thankful? i feel like so often i wait until this time of the year to be thankful for anything. and when i say thankful for anything, i don't mean that i never feel thankful for anything or anyone. thanksgiving just brings a new awareness to my life.

this year, i am thankful for all the new changes in my life. it's been a long road in that i'm not always willing to be thankful for all of them. it's been hard being away from my family, my best friends, my church, and just my home... but i think it has brought me to a very new (and good!) place in life. i am extremely thankful for my wonderful husband. i'm still amazed that he picked me to spend every day with for the rest of his life and amazed that he has made it through thus far... ;) what a trooper! marriage is HARD, but oh my goodness-- i love it and i wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

i am thankful for this new city and how beautiful it is. i am never wondering what to do because there is an abundance of things to do in cincinnati! it is also so visually appealing and simply a lovely place to live. i am thankful for the new friendships i have been able to establish here and for the old ones that are such a comfort to me. what a blessing it is to move to a new city but to be able to have the comfort of such dear friends! i am also truly thankful for home. i have never truly appreciated home as much as i do now. sometimes... well, more than sometimes... i long to move back to michigan. hopefully it will happen someday soon, but if it doesn't soon, i have a wonderful husband that is with me and a wonderful family that i know will always welcome me back with open arms. same goes for my best friends from michigan. i am absolutely thrilled to be seeing them this coming weekend... that is a HUGE thing that i am thankful for!!!

i am also thankful for these sixth graders and the joy and challenges that they bring to my life every single day. there are hard days but i think that goes for every part of life. honestly, they crack me up more often than not. i am thankful that they are teaching me how to be a better teacher and a better person, i am thankful that they teach me their dances and their sweet "moves" and i am thankful that although they put on a tough guy face sometimes, they really do love me and tell me that in their own individual ways. i just got the most precious letter from a student telling me that she loves to see me smile and that i am her most favorite person in the world. now, i realize that i am probably not really her favorite person, but just the fact that she took the time to write me a sweet note blesses my heart. being a teacher is hard... especially a middle school teacher... but i am thankful for it. :)

we just had another single mom pass away at CCS. this is our second of the year... the year. the first is a little girl in my class but this was a 4th grader. please be praying for her as she faces a very difficult time without her momma. you can also continue to pray for jessica, the young lady in my class as she is facing some difficult things without her precious mom as well.

i hope you all take time to really be thankful throughout this next year. i hope that i can look back on this coming year and say that i really took time to thank the Lord for all the blessings in my life each and every day. there sure are a lot of them! happy thanksgiving!

A Break...

I'm not really sure I know what a break even is anymore! I am constantly on the move and doing something whether it has to do with getting the house clean, hanging out with friends and my husband, or grading papers. I know I said this before, but when you have 50+ 6th graders doing homework everyday, the work sure does pile up. They are good students though, so that helps. However, I have read the most hilarious answers to certain questions on tests or homework. I'm sure I was the same way when I was in middle school, but they come up with the most interesting answers. Sometimes I want to give them points for being purely creative, even when they are terribly wrong. :)

We went back to Marion for Homecoming this past weekend-- which was a week ago now. It was an absolute blast, especially getting to go to Mi Pueblo for arroz con pollo with my girls!! Ty and I also had a great time with all my friends that I made while I was living in Marion. Can you believe I was actually a bit homesick for Marion? Maybe not Marion itself, but... my friends, the Stopps, Kendall, my kindergartners, Mi Pueblo, etc. That is Marion to me. :)

I think that God was in a very interesting mood when He created marriage. I love my precious husband to pieces, but it's very... different... living with a boy. We are continually learning new things about each other. He didn't know that I HATE doing dishes. I didn't know what a neat freak he was. There is also very little "alone" time when you are a 6th grade teacher and a wife... and I crave my alone time. I get home before Tyler every evening, which is nice to just get my bearings. However, I absolutely love the moment when he comes home from work and we get to just be together for the rest of the day. There is something wonderful about waking up next to your best friend every morning-- I highly recommend it. :)

It's Friday... and I can honestly say I had a good week at work. It went quickly and I have a feeling that next week will go even faster. Then, next Friday, we are going home to Michigan for the weekend! I really can't wait; I miss them so very, very much. This weekend will consist of date night tonight (Ty planned it!), breakfast and "house" shopping with Lisa then dinner with the Brunk family tomorrow, and then church and the pumpkin patch/apple orchard with our couples Bible Study on Sunday. I would say the weekend holds a lot of promise for us! :)

And now... a few wedding photos... just because I want to. :)

My precious flower girls!

One of my favorite pictures!

Two Months Later...

Well, it has been almost two months since the big day. Two months in just three days to be precise. It has been the most incredible journey of my life and obviously, it hasn't even REALLY started! :)

The first few weeks were an absolute whirlwind... actually, the first many weeks were a complete whirlwind. We went on our amazing honeymoon, got back at midnight on a Saturday, moved to Cincinnati on Sunday, and I started work on Monday. It was exhausting, but actually, very fun. Now we're settled into our new apartment, going through our daily lives. It is so fun to be able to see Tyler every single day after having a long distance relationship for so long. I love cooking for him and finding new things for our apartment and just being with him for more than a weekend at a time!

I am really liking my job. Teaching 6th grade is obviously a lot different than teaching kindergartners, but it is a challenge I am enjoying a bit more everyday. :) I work at Cincinnati Christian which is a fabulous school. I never realized how FUNNY middle schoolers are! Don't even worry; now that I live in Cincinnati, one of the students leads us in the "Who Dey" cheer every Friday. :) There are amazing women there that encourage me at CCS and I've made some wonderful friends. It has also been such a blessing to live near Lisa, Tim & Laurel, and Emily & Grant. I can't thank God enough for putting me in a new city with old friends. It has made the whole transition even smoother.

Speaking of transition-- I do miss Michigan terribly sometimes. Before the wedding, I wouldn't really let myself think about all the changes that were taking place in my life and now that all the craziness is over, it is starting to catch up with me a bit. It's mostly in the little things where I get sad. I miss my parents, my home, my dog, my friends, my church, etc. I didn't really realize how blessed I was until it was all behind me, so to speak. However, I have an incredible husband who makes me more thankful for him with each passing day. I really have nothing to complain about.

I am still pushing for a dog, but Tyler keeps saying no. :( We'll see how long it takes me to break him down. It only took ten years with my dad!! What else, what else... oh, yes. Our neighbors upstairs are EXTREMELY loud. We only get woken up in the middle of the night about two times a week... how nice. That's JUST what I signed up for! ;) I don't know what they're doing, but I'm pretty sure they have an elephant for a pet.

I will write more about the wedding/ honeymoon later. For now, grading is calling me. Another change from 6th grade-- there is SO MUCH GRADING! It doesn't seem to stop. We'll see if I ever get a real break. :)