House Hunting

Last Tuesday Derek and I decided to buy a house. We had no intentions of doing so and had actually already signed papers for another lease (even though we were early). Yet for some reason we decided it was time to buy. We feel like we are meant to stay in Louisville and hope that this will be the best place for Derek to get a job once he finishes his MBA. So everything worked out to leave our apartment, we have talked with a banker, and have a real estate agent. We are so excited!

We have looked at probably a hundred houses online. After a while they look the same and we know it is hard to tell a lot from pictures with bad camera angles. So we begin our official search this Thursday. We really want to find a house in a few weeks. It is amazing how many concerns and questions you have when thinking of buying a house. Hopefully all will go well and we will be homeowners soon. I know Marty is also really excited. He wants a yard to play in :)

Trust

We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice, or we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you. - Psalm 33:20-23

Derek and I are reading the Bible in a year with our church group. It has been such a great experience so far. We read a portion of various books of the Bible each day and we meet to dicuss our weekly readings each week. I have been keeping a notebook full of my questions and thoughts on what I have read. That really seems to help me understand everything more. I felt so unfamiliar with many parts of the Bible before (which was totally my fault). I am learning more everyday and I hope to be able to share that with others in some way.

Through this experience so far I have learned a great deal about myself. Reading through some of the Old Testament I wondered about the faith of these people who had God in their very presense. How could they not obey God when he was right there speaking to them? Then I thought about my life. I often wonder when God is really speaking to me. Since God is not speaking to me directly as we read about in the Old Testament, it becomes much easier for me to not listen to what God is trying to tell me. I also realized that I act just like those in the OT.
We praise God for the good, yet wondering where He is the rest of the time when life feels uncertain. I believe we can all look back on periods of life where we felt lost. I certainly can and it was terrible. Yet now being able to look back and compare where I am now in life has allowed me to see how God used that time in my life to bring me closer to Him. It allowed me to realize just how much I needed him and that my life was a mess when I alone had the reigns.

So after lots of rambling, my point is that I am trying very hard to listen for God. That I am trying very hard to remember that God's calling for my life may not be easy, or traditional, or something I can plan for. I am trying to alwasy trust and put my hope in Him :)

It's Been a While

Well I decided to begin blogging in the summer when things were calm and boring. I was waiting and praying for a teaching job to open up. Thankfully one did and I got a job on my first interview in which they called me at 3 to schedule and just asked me "how soon could I get there." I think I was to frazzled to get nervous and therefore, it went really well. So I have been MIA in a lot of ways for the past 7 months because I have been educating fifth graders and working on my KTIP (Kentucky Teacher Intern Program) aka: lots of extra work for 1st year teachers. :)

Things are finally settling down. Boy, I never knew just how busy things were going to be as a teacher. Don't get me wrong, I knew that it would be time consuming but I never dreamed it would be THAT time consuming. The first 2-3 months I was working over 60 hour weeks trying so hard to get into a routine and mentality for creating and developing lessons and managing a classroom. Then finally one day, it all clicked. I knew how to handle things in a more time efficient manner and it made the world of difference in my life. So slowly I've made my way through the year feeling confident as a teacher and finally am finally able to see the light at the end of my first year of teaching tunnel. I really enjoy the school where I work and love all of the other teachers there. I really feel like God was looking out for me and knew I would fit right in here. Being a new teacher is really hard. You can not truly learn to be a teacher through college courses. College definitely prepared me to be in the right frame of mind to teach and how to set up my classroom. Yet at the same time I felt like I learned more about being a teacher in the first 2 weeks of beginning my job that I ever had before. As a teacher you really do wear many hats.

So, as I have regained my identity again beyond my job I am trying to expand my activities elsewhere. Hence the reason I am beginning to blog again.

The Birds!

Nope, not Alfred Hitchcock's version, but rather my own. It all started earlier this past week when I would take Marty outside. The birds have been particular loud lately, chirping or squawking directly at us. That is annoying enough because these particular birds do not have a pleasant song to sing. So then I started noticing that the birds seemed to be following us from our apartment to the grass across from our parking lot. They fly from tree to tree scoping us out. Creepy, right? Well it gets worse, the birds have now started swooping at us! That's right flying from tree to tree diving at my poor doggy and myself! These birds play dirty too, they don't ever come at us to our faces. They come from behind and scare us half to death. They seem to aim for Marty much more often and have actually nipped him with their beaks from behind! He gets freaked out every time he has to "go potty". He can not go in peace at all. So needless to say I was always freaked out by the movie "The Birds" and now I feel like they are going to come after me and my doggy.

Poor Marty :(

So, here is the funny part. I told my dad that this was happening and he told me it was because they were nesting. Ok, that makes sense. Just mommy birds trying to watch out for their babies. He also said he had seem birds do this with cats. So I figure, maybe they think Marty is a cat, I mean he is about the same size. Then as i was telling Derek about the incidents he informs me that it is probably because one day when he took Marty out, he noticed him chewing on something. Upon closer inspection this was not the usual bit of mulch or pebbles that Marty usually likes to gnaw on. This in fact was a birds egg that had fallen from a tree! So the birds definitely do hate Marty. No wonder, but in all fairness Marty chews on everything and I'm sure this egg was particularly appealing.

One of the most beautiful words in the English language

SUMMER! I know that it is not officially summer yet, but it definitely feels like it. The weather is hot, the pools are opening, and the stores are filled with brightly colored dining sets for your outdoor dining enjoyment. I mean really, how can you not love summer? I will agree that the heat can sometimes be too much, but for me it is still better than my limbs freezing and my ears burning from the cold wind. I am a firm believer that the seasons affect my mood and outlook. I just feel so much more alive in the summer.

When you ask most children what their favorite season is they almost always all say summer. Winter is just too busy with school. Summer is full of fun sports like baseball and soccer. Kids get out of school (and teachers!) and enjoy free time, camps, and sunshine. I have to admit that my great weakness that has developed over the past few years is my passion for traveling. My family always loved the beach, but always Myrtle Beach. Then I began to babysit in the summers and I traveled with the family everywhere they went and they LOVED to travel! Sometimes we would take 3 or 4 trips a summer. It was definitely go, go, go but I loved every second of it. Now I just want to travel all the time! Sadly, my wallet nor Derek's schedule this summer will allow for any travel time. We figured that this would happen because Derek would be starting graduate school so we decided to take a trip back in March: A cruise! Ever since my first cruise I have been a huge fan. Being on a trip that allows you to visit several amazing places in one trip and all the food you could want seems ideal. Plus the price tag is pretty appealing when you come across great deals last minute.

Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

We had such a nice time!

So today, and for the rest of my summer I think I will back on our cruise and all the other summer vacations that I wish I could be on. Now this situation is not terrible as Im sure I will be a frequent visitor of the pool at our apartment complex with book in hand. Now all I need to do is create a summer reading list and go to town!

Out with the Old...

...And in with the new. Its been a busy time lately for Derek and I. We moved from our very first place together to a new apartment in Louisville. I love living so close to stores and convenience. Downtown was not my favorite location. I'm so looking forward to spending a summer by the pool here reading books all day! One of the perks of becoming a teacher. That is definitely my idea of a perfect summer. Now, there was also one other little reason that I was so excited to move. Derek and I are now the proud owners of a puggle puppy, Marty! 

How can you not love those wrinkles?

We got him when he was a little over 3 months old and now he is 18 weeks. He is such a cutie. :) Now I had forgotten how much work this little puppy would be. Thank goodness he is pretty much housebroken. He really hasn't had many "accidents" and for that I am thankful. The only things about little Marty is that he absolutely goes wild when we leave. Marty never makes a peep until we put him safely in his crate with treats and toys. As soon as we shut the door he starts whining, barking, and howling! That would be the beagle in him. I think he is getting better now though. At first I bought him this cute little portable canvas crate from Walmart:

At first I though Marty was doing really well with it and I thought he would not destroy it. Oh but Marty figured out how to unzip BOTH zippers on the top and bottom of the crate. So I tied them up so he could not get out. I definitely do not want him running around like a crazy dog loose while we are gone. Then one day Derek and I came home to find this:

Marty had chewed through his crate door! He has at least resigned to the crate after 3 weeks, so I will never figure out why he decided to bust out on that day. Oh well, so although discouraged off I went to Feeder's Supply to upgrade Marty to what Derek calls maximum security for dogs. In other words, Marty now has the traditional metal crate or kennel. Its loaded down with blankets and he seems to have taken to it well. I do not think he will be chewing through it any time soon. :)

Keeping Up With The Joneses

I have become intrigued by the blogging world. After reading different posts by various bloggers I found several aspects appealing:

1. It serves as a creative outlet. I love the wide variety of colors and photos I have seen other bloggers use. It's like having an online scrapbook!

2. I have read posts that were inspirational, useful, funny, and serious. What a great way to tell about great tips for the household, good books or movies, best buys, recipes, travel destinations,and uplifting stories.

3. I love the idea of documenting the things going on in life. Time goes by so quickly and it is easy to forget the events of day to day life. I used to journal but this seems like such a fun way to express yourself and keep in touch with friends and family.

So, the bottom line is, I want to use this blog as a way to keep a written history as Derek and I continue our lives together. I decided to use "Keeping Up With The Joneses" not in anyway as a reference to a benchmark in material accumulation, but rather as a common catchphrase that fits my desire to document our lives. I want to express myself through the things I love most in life: God, family, friends, traveling, cooking, and crafting. Hopefully along the way someone will find my blogs useful, but until then I will be content to post our journey through life. As time passes I will enjoy looking back on the memories Ive been able to record and that is what means the most. So for now, Im going to enjoy this beautiful spring day. :)