Latest Ramblings: School, too.

School went back into session yesterday. Even as I write this post, Stacey is sound asleep on the couch. I think the nerves of a new school and the start of the school year has just worn her out. I'm sure once she settles in, she'll be updating you about it.

As for me, I'm enjoying not having to hear about being able to sleep late and getting up whenever, so the tables are turned, at least for the moment. Yet, it will surely reverse once we move into the new house and the longer commute through downtown Dallas ensues. My job has been riding a different wave as of late, our unit manager left and now we are adjusting to a different reporting scheme.

We went to the house this past weekend, they have started, but haven't done much. Basically, they had forms in place and started connecting to the underground utilities. My excitement is beginning to turn to impatience, especially after all the rain and crazy weather we've seen since the first of the year. Maybe I'm jaded, but after the experience we had with the construction of the duplex in Alabama, I'm not in the mood to have plenty of good weather days (like we have been seeing) pass us by. I'm really ready to see concrete, hammers/nails and wood, if you know what I mean, instead of dirt and pipe.

I will survive!

Whew! I made it through my first official week of school! Yeah! I do have to say, I haven't been this tired in a while! I feel like I could go to sleep now and sleep for 24 hours!! ( Just kidding!)

I do have to say, working for a huge school district is so nice, already! There are plenty of perks that go along with the job. They have fed us every day for lunch. We got our laptops today. Pretty nice.

Now I will go and rest!

update, etc.....

Well, I just found out that my younger sister, Missy, just landed in Managua, Nicaragua. She will come back next Saturday, just in time to start school. Please keep her in your prayers this week.

Stephen and I just got back from E. Texas. I got a call Friday afternoon that my dad had been in a car accident. Praise the Lord, he is ok! He was leaving work about 12:30 Fri afternoon and a young kid ran a red light and hit his county truck that he was driving. The kid was probably doing about 70 miles per hour and never even tried to stop! There were no skid marks. He claimed his brakes failed but the police officer got in the car and said the brakes were working fine. Dad's truck faired pretty good but the poor kid's car didn't fair so good! He was really sore and went to the hospital to get everything checked out. Today he was doing much better.

God is good!

Fun, fun, fun....

I have started working on my classroom. It is very hot for the moment!! They won't turn the air on until right before school starts. It must be something all the big schools do here. My sister is in Frisco and it is the same way there. There is still so much to do but I'm taking it one step at a time. As the old saying goes, you can eat an elephant, one bite at a time!! :) Next week, mom, my other sister and my niece and nephew are coming and they will help me.

Not this Saturday but next, my younger sister, Missy, will be going on a mission trip to Nicaragua. Please keep her in your prayers. From what I understand, it is a medical mission trip. In order to receive free medical care and dental care, they must attend a worship service. While the parents are in worship service, the kids will have like a children's church, which is where Missy comes in. I believe that is what she'll do. She has had to take so many vaccinations. It is a little scary going into a 3rd world country!! But, the Lord sent her on this trip and He'll protect her too! He has made every way for her to go.

Stephen is getting the true meaning of the words teacher's husband!! Never since we have been married has he had to live with me while I'm teaching full time. This could be interesting!! He told me yesterday that he wouldn't mind if I just stayed about 30 min after school to get my stuff done so that I wouldn't have to bring it home!!!!!! HA!!! I didn't break it to him that I might still have to do some work beyond 3:30, but he'll soon learn!! :)

here we go!

We got the approval for the loan so here we go! I'm very excited!

we finally pull the trigger....

After being married 4 years and finally feel settled, we have pulled the trigger today to be homeowners. Pretty scary!! We signed a contract today to build a house!! Yikes!! But, it will definitely be worth it and we are to close on the house sometime around Thanksgiving. Now the fun begins with picking out colors etc. The waiting will be the worst part I believe! But, we are extremely excited!!

They say we will be doing 2 of life's biggest things all at the same time. I will be starting a new job and we will be building a house.

By the way, Stephen is very excited because the study will also be the "Mississippi State" room. Also, the gameroom will be the "sports" room!! Don't think I got left off....one of the bedrooms will be my craft/scrapbook room!! I do believe there might be purple walls (Go Jacks!). :-)

It's really official now!!

I can breathe a sigh of relief! I signed my contract today with Richardson ISD! I had my little orientation and learned tons of new stuff. I was so eager this morning that I left 1 1/2 hours before it was to begin and I got there and I was the only one in the parking lot. So, I went to eat breakfast. (it only took me 30 minutes to get there! :) )

Now I can't wait to get into my classroom and get busy!

ethanpowell.com

Most of you probably have never heard about this little boy. I don't even know him, but one day I ran across this (I can't even remember how!) and I would like for you to visit this site (click here)
and pray for this little boy. I believe he just received a bone marrow transplant from his daddy and he is in a medically induced coma so that his little body can take this cells into his body. If you want to see someone with faith, just read some of the daddy's updates. It is awesome! The way the updates are posted, the most recent are at the top, so to get a good feel for what they have been through, start at the bottom. Through all of their trials and triumphs, this family BELIEVES in prayer and you will see that all throughout the updates. God is good!! This little boy needs His healing hands!

Ahhh! Rest for the moment.

Funny how life works this way, but sometimes it seems like life imitates art (or in my case, song). For the last month or so, it's pretty much been like Stacey's previous post, "On the Road Again", and I almost ended up doing that again.

Yet, considering I had to been gone four consecutive weekends, I had finally decided to stay put. OTOH, my lovely bride took off for East Texas again. I guess you have that kind of energy when you have three months off, but I don't. I guess next weekend will be full of the honey-do list of things that I didn't even attempt to get done this weekend. I think I'll enjoy the rest while I can...next weekend may be a doozy!

our family vacation

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfaalum2000/

Our family took a vacation together over the 4th of July holidays. We had a blast!! Here are some pics! We rented a cabin in Arkansas on the lake.

Rain!

I'm not sure if it will ever stop raining here. We have had our fair share. If it keeps it up, we'll have to build an ark!

On the road again....

This time we're DRIVING!! :) We are headed out of town this weekend to see some friends. No, we never really do stay home! :)

Not too much other than traveling is going on here. I have my new teacher orientation coming up in July, as well as a family vacation with my parents, sisters, niece and nephew. We are going to Arkansas. Later in July, Stephen's parents are coming to TX for a visit. We are excited about that.

Stephen is having severe allergy problems. We have had so much rain.

Our Alabama Trip...

This weekend we went to visit Stephen's mom and dad in Alabama. We flew in Friday night and returned home today. We had a good visit and of course our time was too short. Of course I got to hear Stephen grumble about the Bulldogs' quick exit at the College World Series.

We were able to see Stephen's friends, Chris and Katy. It was really good to be able to see them. Plus, we ate some good ol' Alabama BBQ at the famous Big Bob Gibson's.

The fun part came today on our flight home. You know it's going to be a bad flight when the pilot comes over the speakers after take-off and tells the flight attendants to stay seated and not begin beverage service. We didn't know how bad it would really get. At one point I closed my eyes and started to sing "Lord I'm Coming Home". That was the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. The whole plane was shaking really bad and we dropped so much altitude. I almost vomited. I never get sick on planes but today was definitely an exception.

Alabama is praying for rain and we're praying for no more rain. There were some really bad floods today, which is really sad. Several people lost their lives. Everyone in Alabama wanted us to bring rain with us. We would have gladly obliged them if we could have!!

Have a good week. This day has worn me out, time to retire and get some sleep!! :)

It's Official!!

I am going to be teaching 3rd Grade at Richardson ISD! I was offered the job Monday and I accepted. I am very excited! I am happy to be back home with Stephen! We won't know what to think....we will both be working full time and live in the same house. In our 4 years of being married, this will be a first. We celebrate our 4th anniversary next Thursday, June 14th.

It's Sunday...

and I don't have to leave home to go to Nac.! :) What an awesome feeling. It is good to be back home. We are still trying to get all of my "stuff" settled in here. It is amazing how much stuff you accumulate!! We have officially filled up 2 5'x10' storage units. That is so sad!!

We were able to attend Prestonwood Baptist Church today. It is so awesome every time we get to go there!! The worship experience is indescribable!!

I am waiting to hear from an interview I had Thursday. It went really well so we'll see. It's all in God's hands right now. I am having to learn to be patience and have faith which is something I struggle with daily. I want everything done in my timing and God has taught me so many lessons about that. I just pray that He gives me the desires of my heart. Please keep me in your prayers until that happens. Thank you so much!!

Whew!!!

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I have posted. I have been so busy! Things finally seem to be settling down for once. My last week of school was something else!! Awards ceremony, field day, LUAU! Wow! That was a lot of fun! We didn't roast a pig but I felt like I was roasted! :) We had limbo, games, food, music....and fun! I had to say goodbye to the kids and I was sad. But, I am glad to be back home.

Still waiting to hear from a job. I'll let you know as soon as I hear something.

Aloha, Alto!

As of 1PM, Friday May 25th, Stacey will complete her classroom duties at Alto Elementary. It is an exciting, yet stressful, time for us. While there is a degree of sadness for Stacey leaving behind a class she loved and the friends she has known for years, there is a nervous anticipation of what the future holds. Today, she held a luau for her class as a way for everyone to say goodbye. I'm sure once she gets settled back into the metroplex, she may even share stories of it. Through the ups and downs of it, I'm glad Alto offered Stacey the chance to get back into teaching after the two years of not being able to get a job in Alabama and allowed her to do something she enjoys.

This weekend will be the second straight weekend of me going to E. Texas to bring a car load of supplies home (okay, storage unit). So far, our second 5X10 storage unit is not ready to burst, but that'll probably change after the weekend.

While we continue to receive inquiries from interested schools, none have yet to make an offer for the 2007-08 school year. We are praying that we will hear something soon, but we are fully aware that we will wait on God's timing. Yet, it is time to enjoy the holiday and hopefully, be back on the trail come Tuesday.

We appreciate your prayers while we await the next direction we go.

The countdown continues...

If you talk to Stacey, you'll know that the end of school countdown has begun. Not that she is looking forward to saying goodbye to her class, because she is not, but she is looking forward to being home for the summer. Likewise, it is the same for me. After spending a large part of the last 2 years splitting time between our respective job locations, I'm getting excited over the prospects of having her home everyday. Stacey's class did well on the TAKS with both sections scoring in the 80th and 90th percentile. I guess I had better enjoy this weekend since it'll be my last one in Lewisville until the month of June due to the arduous task of bringing in all Stacey's school supplies and having them removed from the school by the 26th of May.

Meanwhile, we continue to get lots of storms. Two sleepless nights this week interrupted by overnight thunderstorms with intense lightning displays. We managed to see the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays play between storms over the past weekend and that was a good time with pleasant weather. As for me, work has been really busy and stressful trying to nail down a solution to a longstanding problem. I have been visiting grad school programs at TCU and UT-Arlington checking out MBA options and have started reading a riveting book by John MacArthur called Hard to Believe.

Not a lot to report on the job front for Stacey, but she has had some interviews that seem fairly positive. Regardless, it's in God's hands now. Once again, His mercy came to us today when we were trying to stretch my paycheck over three weekends and we received a dividend check from our insurance company. He's provided for us all along, I have no reason to doubt Him now.

I think I'll call in sick tomorrow....

Nah, just kidding. Although today, would you like fries with that sounded awfully appealing!! It has been one of those weeks!!

Here is a synopsis:
Monday: School goes into lockdown...long story which I won't bore you with!
Tuesday: My sister becomes really ill at school which I get to deal with...
Wednesday: Parent (school) being irrational over something I have no control over...
Thursday: Another parent being irrational....

Spring fever has become an epidemic in my class......need I say more???

Not to mention...the job search is still going on in full force, still with no luck, which is becoming very aggravating......

Pray for me!! I need it!!

Take Cover!

Ahh! Once again, we got hit with bad weather. Tuesday made the third time in less than 2 weeks that we've seen storms, hail and tornadoes. We had a weak tornado go through the adjacent suburb of Flower Mound about 10PM last night, fortunately no one was injured and another went through the town to the north, Denton. Fortunately, we only had to deal with a lot of rain, about 5-8" around here, but the lakes are so low that it's welcome.