Struggling

I know that Adam and I have not posted in months, but its due to the fact that I (Emily) have started my first teaching job. I am a 4th grade teacher in a large Lutheran school in Orange, CA. This Call was definitely a blessing to us as Adam was able to stay with his job and we did not have to move. BUT I feel very defeated right now. I know that God will never put me in a situation that I cannot handle, but I feel that I am questioning this every day. I am exhausted, worn down, brain dead, uncomfortable, and again--defeated. Everybody told me how hard this first year was going to be, but I am finding that I am losing my drive to teach, my ability to juggle work, friends, and family, and my time to unwind (I just can't). Things that I love to do, I haven't done in months--work out, cook, read, hangout with friends, etc. Its come to the point where I am scared to read my school email because I am tired and scared to see messages from school and parents.

I am so sorry that I am full of complaints, but I feel that this space is some place where I can say my mind without a ton of people seeing and judging that I am always complaining. I hate that I complain, but I am just not happy. I LOVE the school and the people there, but I do not love what I have become.

*lots of tears and sighs

Family Time

We recently got to see both sides of the family! Both of the times were wonderful!

First we got to see Em's mom, dad, and sister. They came through as they made their final trip out to Georgia. Abby was able to fly down a few days before. We went bowling and hung out with friends. Then  Mom and Dad came with Nina (their Jack Russell Terrier)! Luther (our cat) got to meet a dog for the very first time. It was funny watching Luther pick on Nina. Poor Nina! We got to relax, wonder around Orange Circle, and visit Newport Beach. It was so wonderful to see them before they moved! We can't wait to visit them (plus the rest of the Jordan family) in August!

Then a couple weeks ago, Adam had a job to drive for KC and the Sunshine Band. He had to drive over-night up to Cache Creek Casino (just north of Sacramento), so Em decided to tag along. What a trip! We arrived at the casino early in the morning, took a quick nap, then met up with the Toms' side. Mom, Dad, Cindy, Jenny, Tim, Donovan, and Jayden all came to see us! It was great to have good food and relax/play by the pool. And Adam was able to swim with Donovan in-between work times! The boys are so cute and growing up so quickly!

We miss everybody already! But YAY for Skype!  :D

God Answers Prayers

Well, as most of you know, I (Emily) accepted a teaching position for the Fall of 2010. But it took a lot of prayers and realization on my part that God is in control, not me. I was getting so frustrated that I was not getting interviews, not having many options to stay in So Cal, and not feeling comfortable in the church/school setting that I was getting interviewed for. I needed to step back, believe, and let God handle it.

Well..... he did. Last Monday I had an interview for a K-4 teaching position at St. Paul's Lutheran School in Orange, CA (http://www.stpaulsorange.org). I thought the interview went okay. I had a bad cold, ripped my hose on the way to the interview, and talked way too fast. But overall, I must have had good answers and as they said, "was very enthusiastic" about my teaching passion.

Then on that Thursday, I got a call from one of the board members, telling me that they would like to extend a designation to me (which is kind of like an engagement, I am only talking to them and I don't do any other interviews as we move forward to a Call). I had 48 hours to accept the offer. It definitely did not take that long for me to talk to Adam, my parents, pray, and decided that this was where God wanted me to be.

So, I am on my way to be one of the three 4th grade teachers at St. Paul's Lutheran School! I will have two other teachers to help me along during the first (rough) couple of years of my teaching career. And I know quite a few of the other teachers who went through the credential program with me at CUI. It is such a great opportunity! Oh! did I mention that St. Paul's was a 2009 National Blue Ribbon School? Excellent!

Anyways, I will keep everyone posted as things progress. Adam and I are so happy that we will be able to stay near family and friends, and Adam can keep his job.

The Ellen Show!

So for the past couple of months, I had been trying to get tickets to go on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Since I am home most of the time in the late afternoon now, I watch her almost daily. Finally, at the beginning of March, I got a call saying I won 4 tickets to the show! The tickets were for the taping on April 21st for the April 22nd show on Earth Day.

So I invited my friends Jamie, Bridget, and Allison, and yesterday, we headed to Warner Brother Studios in Burbank, CA to see Ellen!

We knew that it was going to be a special show because it was her Earth Day show. I thought we might get a free tote bag or something like that in honor of the day. But we got so much much more!

It started with the wonderful guests.... Wanda Sykes; Even Lysacek and his partner from Dancing with the Stars, Anna; a contestant from last season's American Idol, Jason Castro; and as a surprise, Russell Crowe. What a great line up!

Then the amazing surprises came (and I still cannot believe it).... First we were given the new album from Jason Castro (cool!). Then, in honor of Earth Day, Ellen gave us a dvd of Avatar (great!). But, she wondered whether or not we had a TV to watch it on..... so she gave us a 32'' Insignia, flat screen, 1080p, HD TV (holy cow!!!). I thought I was going to cry. Finally, at the very end of the show, Ellen wanted to promote "green" living in all areas of our homes. So she gave us organic sheets and a duvet set (awesome!)...... and just in case we didn't have a bed to use those sheets with...... A NEW BED (AHHHH!!!!)! We got a "green" king bed!!! I still cannot believe it!!

So, go watch The Ellen Show today!! You will be able to see me (and my friends). I have an end seat and Ellen comes to dance near me.

I have not posted the giveaways on Facebook yet. I was going to wait until after the show aired. But I couldn't hold it in any longer and had to blog about it :D

What a great day with friends and Ellen!!!

Emails

Hi everybody! So to keep everybody posted, we had our blog linked to our email. So you should have gotten an email with our latest post on our blog. If you would not like to receive these emails, please let us know and we will take you off the list. We will not be hurt! Love to all!

Kindle

I (Emily) have to say I LOVE my Kindle! If you don't have one, you should seriously think about saving up the money to get one. I have read so many books since Christmas! Its so easy to carry around and the books are cheaper that what you would get at the bookstore. A brand new book still in hard cover is only $9.99 (and there are cheaper ones too). I know this sounds like an advertisement (haha), but I just love this piece of technology.

Anyways, the weather has been beautiful here. Eighty degree weather is really nice. Bring on Spring! I have already spent many hours outside on our porch and by the pool reading my Kindle. Even though it is very relaxing, I still struggle with the fact that I only have a part-time job right now and I feel lazy. I have had two interviews for a teaching position in the Fall and I have an interview for a Spring/Summer job next week. It is for the rec program in the city of Orange. Hopefully things will come together quickly.

What's Been Happening

Well, since our last post, a big announcement was made by Emily's parents: they are moving to Atlanta. Her dad was offered a Call at Rivercliff Lutheran Church in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the church where her aunt, uncle, and cousin attend. Its also 3 hours away from her grandparents. We are very excited for them as they go off on this new adventure, but also sad as the easy holidays with both families are now no more. BUT new traditions will arise, as we are able to see Emily's close extended family a lot more. Emily went up last week to help her family pack and say goodbye to the house. Her parents had a great offer on the house only after it being on the market for a few days and will be moving out by March 31st. Wow! Things happen so fast!

Things are moving along in So Cal too. Adam is helping Lu High to get a new shop for their theater, where he will be working and helping to build sets there then bring them over to the school. It sounds like its a great opportunity for the school and all the guys.

Emily is still on her job hunt. She has her second interview with Hephatha today! She is very excited and praying that this is what God has planned. She and Adam really need to stay where they are for a little while longer before venturing outside their contacts, family, and friends.

God's plans are being revealed every day. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

January

So it is now February, and an update for January is needed. January was filled with beginnings and endings. Adam was offered (and accepted) a full-time job at Orange Lutheran High School as master carpenter for the theater. His schedule is a little more solid now and the health benefits are always nice. Emily completed a huge process in her schooling.... she is done with student teaching! It was great yet sad leaving her little first graders, but a new chapter is to come. Now is just waiting time for the credential and the call. We are hoping to stay in southern California, but it all depends where God want us (updates will be given).

Otherwise, January was pretty quiet compared to December. Will write more soon!

Our First Christmas

This Christmas was our first Christmas as husband and wife. We each had 2 weeks off of work and had a whirl wind of a vacation.

First, we went back to our home town of Rocklin, CA to celebrate the holiday with both of our families. We are very blessed that both side live so close to each other and are such great friends. We did have to figure out who to stay with when, but we think it worked. Christmas was wonderful as we spent Christmas Eve night at the Toms' and opened presents on Christmas morning before church. Then we went to the Jordans' to open presents after church. Finally we ALL ended up back at the Toms' for a wonderful Christmas meal. It was so great to see our parents, siblings, and nephews!

The day after Christmas we left Rocklin for Escondido. There we both were in the wedding of our wonderful friends, Freddy and Ashley (now Mr. and Mrs. Robles :) ). The wedding was absolutely gorgeous and it was so nice to see and hang out with so many of our best friends.

Our next adventure on our vacation took us to Sedona, AZ. Good friends, the Molles, invited us to their grandmother's time share for a couple of days of fun and relaxation. Well, for the most part.... On the day we left, Emily was not feeling well. We think she had the stomach flu. But the next day it had gotten worse. So we ended up visiting the wonderful people at the Sedona Emergency Room. Turns out Em just had some nasty side effects from being so sick. After all that excitement, the 5 of us (Adam, Em, Todd, Bridget, and Ava) went to the Grand Canyon. This was the first visit for Em, Bridget, and Ava. It was so beautiful and GRAND! Ha ha! We were also able to celebrate the turning of the new year before heading back to sunny California.

BUT before we thought about going home, we decided to make one more stop in....... Vegas! We had never been there before, so we decided to take a peek on our way back. On our way to Nevada, Em saw the Hoover dam for the first time (many firsts on this vacation). Once we got to Vegas we parked at New York New York and wondered the strip. Adam was able to see Nine Fine Irishmen and Em gambled for the very first time. We stuffed our selves silly at the MGM Grand buffet, gambled away some money (which was kind of hard for Em to get over), and Em discovered free drinks! Plans for another trip + show will be in the works.

What a wonderful Christmas vacation we had with family and friends! It went by so quickly and now back to reality : D

Our New Blog

So I (Em) decided to give this a go. I don't know how much Adam and I will be on this thing, but I thought it would be fun! More to come soon!!