S T R E S S

This might possibly the most stressed out I've ever been. For 3 reasons:

1. This is the last week of school.
The last week of school is notorious for kids who are DONE. Teachers who are DONE. And parents who are freaking out because they're not sure what to do with their kids for 2 months. This week's tasks include: finish preparing my little dudes for kindergarten, finish the last few parent-teacher conferences, assemble and organize assessment folders, prepare cumulative records, aaaaand this:

This is my classroom. You might be thinking, "Oh wow! What a cute little classroom." While you are correct, you are mis-informed. In about 3 days, this classroom needs to be EMPTY. Toys in storage. Nothing on the walls. Furniture stacked in the corner. Rugs rolled up. Electronics turned in. Normally, this isn't too bad. But this year, my final departure to Nashville depends on how fast this gets done. I am stressed, tired, and sore just thinking about it.


2. We are moving to Nashville this weekend.
This is pretty exciting, but the moving process is pretty un-exciting. I started packing last week. Chris has been home packing all this week. This is what is accomplished:

Poor Chris is almost lost in boxes.

 Now, we do have a LOT of boxes packed, but we're not done yet. Moving is a complicated dance of "How much longer do we need this?" And "Will we need this before Friday?" And "I completely forgot we had this!" And "Oh crap! I already packed that important thing I need right now!"

To be honest, Chris is handling most of the physical labor of the move. Probably because I can't even pick up the medium boxes. And I can't see where I'm going if I help carry furniture. I've been in charge of the business side. Canceling KUB and Comcast. Changing renters insurance and mailing addresses. Renting the moving truck. Finalizing plans with the new apartment. Finalizing plans with the old apartment. Finding things that still need to be changed to my new name....haha.

The fun side of moving:

We must clean out the freezer of foods that won't make it to Nashville. Let's take a tour of what was apparently in our freezer. On the left, we have shoestring french fries. Any surprise I have frozen potatoes in my freezer? No. Moving on to the upper middle, we have popcorn chicken. Again, no surprise. The bottom middle contains popcorn shrimp. Neither of us knew when this was purchased, but it smelled okay. The far right contains 9 bagel bites. We did throw away the hashbrowns that had "Laura" written across it. Mostly because the last time I wrote "Laura" on my frozen food was 2008 when I shared a freezer with 6 other girls, one of them being Leslie and neither of us could write "L" on our food. I'm a little embarrassed by the dinner we ate tonight, but at least it doesn't compare to the bridal shower my bridesmaids threw for me:

Potato skins, candy orange slices, candy corn, Chick-Fil-A nuggets, Swiss Cake rolls, pringles, and cheesecake.

To sum up, moving is no fun. I'm tired of smelling cardboard all the time and not looking forward to carrying all this stuff to and from the truck. Also- this is an all-call to people in Nashville. We need some help!

3. Job Hunting
This has got the be the single most frustrating thing in the entire world. I know I am a good teacher. But that doesn't mean schools have openings. Or that my resume will come flying out of a stack of 500 and smack a principal in the face. (I haven't wished that or anything...) This is what I have been most stressed out about. I need and want a job. I am supporting Chris through grad school. I haven't quite figured out how to do that without having a job. Applying for jobs is time consuming and hard work.

However...I do have some promising leads. The job fair last Saturday gave me the opportunity to meet some great people and hear positive feedback on my resume. I have several people who asked me to e-mail/call them, and I've even received an interview request from someone who gave no feedback at the job fair. Yesterday, a principal asked if I could do a Skype interview today, since I'm too far away to drive in for an interview. I agreed, then quickly tried to create a Skype account and figure out this video chatting business. After some practice with Mark and Mrs. O'B, I learned that my favorite way to look at the camera is upside down from behind the computer, and I have a tendency to stare at everything in the room except the computer. This was going to be a problem when the interview time came. Fortunately, the principal didn't receive his "Skype computer" in time so it became a phone interview. I am very thankful that I've had some interview offers, because when I graduated college, I only received one call ever--the job I'm currently employed in. Apparently, having experience really does make a difference.






So there we go. Between finishing the school, moving, and job hunting/interviewing...all taking place this week...I've been pretty stressed. I'm so thankful God gave me a husband that remains calm at all times, lets me wrap around him when I'm freaking out, and works twice as hard as I do.



Adventures in Cooking: I mean, did you see the picture above? This was our last home-cooked meal until Nashville. The pots and pans are officially packed.

I love Chris because...: He goes to the grocery store with me to buy treats for my little dudes, then goes back out with me because I forgot something on the first trip. :-)

Person I'm Missing Today: Fellow UT Education friend Jessica Greer and our lunch/naptime breaks at Golf Range, and Panera dates to plan our life timelines.

Practicum Teaching Partners LC and Whitney

Bible Verse that Rocks Today:
Matthew 6: 27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"