Before and Afters

Before I get to the pictures I wanted to give an update on the job search. There are two openings in the area, one Spanish and one English. I have my applications in at both places, but haven't heard anything. I have also submitted my applications to what feels like a million other schools. Things are going to work out, but the suspension between the present and future can be conflicting at times. It seems like I am working really hard to get a job and when I walk into middle school or high school I know it's where I want to be, but when I think back to student teaching I realize how tough it was to fit in life things (grocery shopping, laundry, watching TV with Daniel, enjoying life, etc). I managed and told myself it was temporary, but a real job won't be temporary, in theory, and I wonder how the excitement of my first job will blend with the time consuming responsibility/stress that comes with it. Lucky for me I have no experience that indicates I won't be able to handle or enjoy this next stage of life, but I might have to over analyze things a time or two.

Now for the pictures.

Living Room

We still have a couple shelves to hang by the TV.

Slipcover!!!!

Office The bookshelf was relocated due to Daniel's weight bench. I've gotten used to this less than decorative piece of furniture, but I did manage to cut most of it out of the second picture.

Kitchen

Daniel was a hero on the plate wall. I think of things...he does the measuring to make it happen.

Guest Bedroom

The white shelves are from Target and were a great deal.

Master Bedroom.

The blue looks lighter than it actually it is. It's more of a gray blue in real life.

Master Bath

The picture above the toilet looks higher in this picture than in reality.

Now all we need are guest to come and enjoy our beautiful home! We're getting ready to work on the lawn. Daniel doesn't seem to think weeds are an acceptable substitute for grass. I'm not a green thumb by instinct so it will be an adventure, but maybe I'll get a tan with all the time outside...ha!

basketball vs. pictures

So I was going to post before and after pictures of our house...seriously it was on my to do list with a little star next to it. BUT when faced with a close game combined with the frustration of job hunting (more on that in a later post) all I could do was take a hot shower and anxiously watch the game hoping that a win would help my spirits. Plus, even if I had wanted to blog Daniel had the computer during the later parts of the game to help refocus nervous energy. What might he have been looking at to keep the nerves at bay...tractors!!! What was I doing to control the nerves? Rolling on the floor and trying not to cry. I still don't have a job, I'm going to be super worn out tomorrow, but K-State won and all the rest of it will work out even if it takes a couple overtimes.

Great weekend

Daniel and I had a very productive weekend. Normally productive doesn't equal fun, but when you throw in a K-State win and decorating I generally have a good time. Daniel enjoyed the K-State game (and March Madness in general) more than the decorating, but he wins a husband of the year award for all his help. I think the thing I loved the most about the weekend was enjoying being with a person I take for granted more than I'd like to admit. A friend of mine got married this weekend and her facebook status a couple days before the wedding said something to the effect of "I'm getting married in two days...it's crazy how much you can love someone." Her status got me thinking about how I felt on my wedding day. It still makes me smile to think about all that happened that day. However, we humans have a way of letting stuff complicate the perfectly simple things in life. Daniel and I are very happy, but that doesn't mean there aren't evenings I'm more focused on work, supper, etc. than the joy I have in being married to a truly special person. So this weekend I wanted to take the opportunity to soak in how crazy it is to love someone so much. Now it's time to get some sleep and keep on enjoying the many ways in which I'm blessed and I mean that in the most non-cliche way possible.

Painting

I have enlisted the help of my family once again. Caroline made a visit and I had her help me paint. I'm sure she was thrilled. What might you earn as a painter, well how does a Braum's ice cream sound?!? I suppose we fed her too. What generous people we are!!! Her help was much appreciated, but her presence in general was the best part. It sure felt lonely after she left. Other than painting I haven't done much else with my spring break. However, that doesn't mean I'm not sore from the repetitive motion of rolling a brush and squatting motion I use to get everything covered. I promise a full set of pictures when the walls have been transformed.

Pictures

I have been terrible about keeping you all up to date. Life has been a little crazy, but I'd like to think we're settling into our new house. Before I get to the pictures I should let you know that Daniel and I have locked ourselves out twice in less than 2 weeks. The first time was after we had gone grocery shopping and when we lugged all our sacks to the back door we realized the key we grabbed was not going to open the door...Luckily we had left the screen door open and managed to avoid waiting in the dark for a locksmith. Second time was last night, but it was our locked garage that caused the problems. Somehow the door to the garage (it's detached) got locked and when we left for small group we couldn't get to our cars. This time a locksmith was a better option than breaking a window, but no one answered when we called. However, thanks to Daniel's mechanical mind we (and by we I mean Daniel) were able to use the drill and somehow unlock the door. Yep, that's right nothing was drilled through just unlocked. Now for the pictures.

There is no longer a bush.

We're still in the process of getting the walls decorated. Guest bedroomGuest bathroom. I made the bouquet and must say I'm proud of it.My mom and I embellished the curtains. I think they turned out pretty well.I'd say the patio furniture was a good buy!Part of the kitchen I'm going to paint our room a blue to coordinate with the pillows.I can not even begin to express how wonderful this closet is. Everyone should have one.

Lunch meat

This week marked a first for subbing...I subbed all 5 days!!! I'd like to share two interesting stories/lessons learned.

1. At 7 in the morning on Tuesday I got called, which wasn't too bad until I heard that it was for a kindergarten class. When I got there the regular teacher was finalizing plans. She told me to "just get through the day." Not so comforting. Oh my goodness, this class was crazy. Individually they were good kids, but once one situation arose and taken care of a whole new saga was unfolding. I made a particularly "energetic" young man cry when he thought he'd be in the time out room during a birthday party. By the afternoon I had managed to gain what I considered to be good control of the class (i.e. they weren't running around the room screaming and no one was constantly telling on someone). However, I didn't see what was around the corner. At the end of the day I was to walk the students to the office so they could catch their rides. No big deal right? Well I got the kids lined up quietly, but the choice about whether I should be in the front or back presented itself. For those who don't think much of the job of educators might think this choice proves how simple the life of a teacher is. Still, I had a decision to make and I stayed in the back of the line to make sure there were no disappearing children along the way. Unfortunately I didn't anticipate the screaming rampage the students took off on as soon as they hit the gym and continued all the way to the office right in front of you guessed it, the principal. There were horrified looks of everyone who witnessed this disaster and I all could do was hang my head. It's common knowledge that this particular group of kids are constantly on the verge of out of control, but I really thought I had tamed the beast. I guess I didn't entirely, but I did learn one important lesson...ALWAYS be in the front of the line and just to be safe, learn how to walk backwards. And for all you teacher skeptics out there never underestimate the advice I just provided.

2. As I was subbing in a 4th grade class I got a call from the office. They asked if one of the students had brought lunch meat and if so would she bring it to the office. I thought it had something to do with eating a special lunch because of a dietary need. So I passed the message along only to get an odd look. I repeated myself at which point a para in the classroom asked if I meant lunch money...wow that made a lot more sense! I promised the class I wasn't always so off my game; too bad I continued to pronounce a few their names incorrectly. At least I'm not the sleeping sub (apparently there is a sub who feel asleep during class once).

That time of year

I'm not a person who gets sick, knock on wood, but about once a year I get a cold that slows me down. So here I sit at home in my sweats with a sore throat, running nose, sinus pressure, and headache. Jealous, right?!? Luckily I'm on a Sudafed and Motrin regiment and I'm sure that in a few days I'll be back at 100%.

On the bright side the 6th graders I subbed for on Wednesday and Thursday guessed that I was 27 or 30. Most people want to be younger, but for a girl who gets mistaken for a high school student on a regular basis 27 was wonderful to hear. Another high are the Olympics. Now I may not have the ability to compete as an Olympian, but I found myself identifying with the women who competed in the half pipe. Here's the connection, as Daniel and I get closer to closing on our house we've run into some road blocks that are leaving us a little uncertain about our financing. Needless to say it has been an up and down experience leaving us frustrated. As I was watching the women's half pipe I thought about how disappointed some of these ladies felt when they fell on jumps they had nailed thousands of times before. I was feeling disappointed about the uncertainty of financing and call me weird, but I wanted so badly for these women not to experience disappointment too. Unfortunately competition requires such disappointment and in effect it's what makes the games exciting. So here I am identifying with Olympians and experiencing a love/hate relationship with competition. Gotta love my life!