a little of this, a little of that

Hasn't the weather been so much better lately?? I have loved the cool breezes on my morning walks with Tucker and the lower temperatures throughout the day. The nicer weather is REALLY making me excited for football season!! On Friday night, we had our first taste of football. Craig and I went to the JCS game. We started slow but ended up playing well and winning. It was fun, and I'm looking forward to having a high school team to watch. This is a new experience for me. I have never been at a school (in 20+years) with a football team. Crazy, I know. I'm even more excited for college football to start and for my defending National Champions to have another amazing season. ROLL TIDE!!

Saturday was a busy day at JCS. We had our Back to School Rodeo Saturday night but spent a couple of hours setting up before the big event. It was great evening, and I was glad Craig was able to go to meet some of my students, their families, and my wonderful co-workers. After the rodeo, Craig and I both talked about how blessed I am to be a part of an incredible school with so many great people.
On Sunday morning, I left Craig in Jackson and went to Nashville for a few hours. WHY?? I had to see my sister, even if it was only for 5 hours. I try to take advantage of every chance I get since she is living in Miami now. :( Hopefully, with the help of some of her friends, our plan will work to get her back in Nashville by next August. I enjoyed spending the day with Bethany, my parents, Luke, Laura, and so many cousins!! For lunch, some of my cousins (Krista, Paige, and Katie) on my dad's side of the family joined us. I always enjoy catching up with them!! I'm glad they are at Lipscomb and that we get to hang out on some of my visits. After lunch, we went to Luke and Laura's condo for a little while before meeting my cousins on my mom's side of the family. It was great to see all of them, and I always enjoy seeing Elsie, Lucy, Sophie, and Lola. They always make me laugh with their funny stories and sweet smiles. It was another great weekend!!
This weekend, I have a special trip planned with my Grandma while Craig is on call Friday and Sunday. I will be sure to blog about our trip next week. Hope you all have a wonderful week and a safe Labor Day!!

More Visitors...Yes, Please

Craig and I had a relaxing weekend in Jackson. On Friday, we had a nice surprise visit from my aunt, uncle, and two of my cousins from California. I was so glad they went a little out of their way to see us. We don't see them that often, so it was nice to catch up with them. They came over to our house after touring Freed's campus and stayed for an hour. Hopefully, we will be seeing them more since their oldest daughter is at Lipscomb. After their visit, we grabbed a quick dinner before going to the ballpark. Yes, you're right, I don't like baseball. However, I was very excited about the game on Friday night.

Jackson has a minor league team, the Diamond Jaxx. Craig has been begging me to go to a game with him all summer. As you guessed, I was not very interested in attending. My attitude changed a couple of weeks ago. Adam sent me a text one day informing me that a guy from San Antonio had been called up to Jackson. Anthony, was in the youth group at Northside, where I interned for two summers. I was very close to his sister and really enjoyed getting to know his family. I immediately sent him a message on Facebook letting him know we lived in Jackson and would love to watch him pitch if he would give us his schedule. Well, he started on Friday night, so we went to the game. It was so fun to see him play and to talk with him after the game. He came over for dinner tonight, and we were able to catch up a little more. He's a great guy, and I know the Lord will continue to use him for HIS kingdom. Hopefully, we'll get to see him pitch again before the season is over.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!! Hope you have a great week!!

Back to School

Wednesday, August 4: My first day as a 4th Grade Teacher

I was very nervous prior to Wednesday. I was so excited about being at JCS and about my co-workers, but I was still unsure about teaching 4th Grade. However,the day was great!! After meeting my amazing 19 students, my fears were calmed. I have a wonderful group of children, and I'm so pumped about the year. I still LOVE teaching Kindergarten, but I am learning to LOVE a lot about 4th Grade. I love the independence of the students. I love being able to go deeper and challenge their minds with our lessons. I love their ability to sit quietly and work without being told 5000 times what to do. I'm sure the year will hold a variety of emotions, but as of now, I am so happy and excited about teaching 4th Grade at JCS. Thanks for all your prayers and support!!

Visitors

Over the past week, lots of people have come to visit us in Jackson. From Sunday until Thursday of last week, my cousins, David, Beth, and two month old Lola, stayed with us while David had work in Jackson. We enjoyed spending time with them! Mom brought Grandma and Charlotte to Jackson on Thursday night to see the house as well as David, Beth, and Lola. Charlotte brought lots of fresh corn and a huge watermelon from her garden. YUM!! On Saturday night, Craig's parents, Granny, Uncle Charlie, and Aunt Mary came over for a cook out. It was fun to hang out with all of them. Craig was on call last night, so my sister came to keep me company. I had a scare late Thursday night (passed out, terrible pains, etc.). I did not want to be alone last night, so I was glad Sissy was here. We had a typical girls night: eating lots of food, watching movies, catching up, running errands, staying up late. I was sad to see her leave today (and so was Tucker). Later this week, my sister-in-law, Ashley, my nephew, Gentry, and my mother-in-law are coming to visit. It's been so much fun entertaining in our new house and having lots of company. We would love to have more visitors, so come see us!!

Oh, how we've missed you...

Muddy's Bake Shop

Craig says my face lights up when I talk about this place. I am like a little kid on Christmas morning, when I enter the bakery. I love the smell of fresh baked cookies, cupcakes, and pies. When we lived in Memphis, we visited Muddy's at least twice a week and usually more times. Oh, how we miss that wonderful place!! Well, to celebrate my new job, of course, we drove to Memphis to savor some amazing goodies by Kat Gordon. Thanks to Craig for the wonderful idea and for driving!! Luckily, we brought some Muddy's home to hold us over until our next visit.

The Job Search is Over

I got a job. I got a job. I got a job. Hey! Hey! Hey!

Last night, I told Craig that I would not be teaching this year and needed to start applying for other jobs. I have been praying a lot about a new job and for God's plan to be evident. I applied with two county systems and sent resumes to every school. Over the past month, my interviews were minimal. However, my spirits were not down. I fully trusted that God was in control and would provide the perfect job. I interviewed at Jackson Christian on July 2 after hearing about an opening only two days before. Everyone was out of town last week, so I did not think I would hear anything until yesterday at the earliest. Well, this morning, I received the call from the principal offering me the 4th Grade position. Yes, you heard me right. 4th Grade. It's a big jump from Kindergarten. I am taking a BIG leap of faith and trusting that God will lead me throughout this year. I have heard wonderful things about the school, and everyone has been so nice. I am very excited about this opportunity. Thanks for all the prayers, and please keep lifting them up.

Summer Reading

Finally, I finished. I know I am several years behind, but I just finished the last Harry Potter book. I was against these books and was not interested. My mom, sister, brother, and several friends tried to get me hooked, but I refused. Last summer, I needed a good read at the beach. Craig convinced me to give Harry Potter a try. So, I read the first four books last summer. However, during the school year, I was so busy, that I did not keep reading. In May, I read book 5 at the beach. I read book 6 while at the Keys and started book 7 last week. I have stayed up REALLY late reading, because I could not put these books down. If you have not read them, you must. I promise you will not be disappointed. They are very easy reads but are so well written. Now, I need another good book to read...