Is it mid-July already? What an interesting summer I've had so far.
I can see why God gave me the word PRESENT this year because I have to remind myself to soak in the present moment as I live yet another summer in between new chapters and stages of life. I turned in my key at New Song Mission and jumped right in to new trainings and preparations for a new job, teaching in a building I've never taught in, working for a district I've never worked for, and teaching a grade I've never taught (at least with a self-contained class).
On my first day of a district training, I walked in and realized that I didn't recognize a soul. I haven't been the new girl/teacher in a public school in over 20 years. I sat down at the wrong table without knowing it, and I picked up a sticker in front of me. It said: "I can do all things who Christ who strengthens me." A nice little "note" from God. Then I took my new sticker with me and moved to the right table with my new grade level and felt very comfortable with the teacher sitting there. Later I found out that she goes to my church, and we've since connected at church. We got up for a break, and I found one person that I did recognize--my pastor's wife. She and I connected over texting that evening regarding the training content, as well as other district resources she connected me with. I also met another one of my neighbors there! Yes, God made it very clear that I am on the path He has chosen for me, and He is right beside me. The next day, I met three more people from my school and even went out to lunch with them. It was not a mandatory training, but I'm so glad I went!
I'm also working super hard to prepare for a certification test that I never took classes to prepare me for. I definitely have a much better understanding now of the history of Spain and all 21 Spanish-speaking countries. (The Department of Education made an exception for me by allowing me to take the Spanish World Language certification test in order to give me the ability to teach upper elementary grades in a Dual Language program. I had the option to teach lower elementary with the certification I already have or to jump through a few hoops to be able to teach upper elementary. The first option would have made for a smooth summer and transition, but I chose to pursue the second option because it's a good opportunity to be more versatile as a teacher.) Thankfully, learning all things Spanish has always been my passion, so I've actually enjoyed learning lots of things I never knew about the history of the Spanish language. Next week, I'll find out if I prepared enough or if I'll have to prep a bit more and take it again. Pray for me!
My empty next is no longer empty (again), and David seems to be settling in quite comfortably. He's working with Mike and Matt (his uncle) with Tipton Home Services for now until he "figures out what he's going to do with his life", while he occasionally takes some time off each week to work on resumes and job applications in his field of business financial analysis. Then in the evenings and weekends, he's usually helping Mike out with our house remodeling projects or working on his car or truck. I think he's really enjoying working with Mike and Matt for now (despite being out in the heat a lot or coming home sore from hard manual labor), so I don't think he's in a big hurry to land that first major job. Mike and I are enjoying his company and his help, so we're not trying to push him out the door either. I think all three of us know that once he finds that job and moves to wherever it may be, that will be it. No more coming home to us. And considering we moved away from the only home he ever knew, I'm thankful that this can be home to him for at least a short while. I asked him how it felt to see me getting ready to go back to school soon and to realize he's not, and he said it feels very strange. Let's just say we're all just savoring our time and experiences together right now.
Juan continues to work for PoolWerx in the DFW area. I miss him like crazy, but we've thankfully stayed in touch pretty often this summer as he's been helping me reimmerse myself in Spanish. All of our conversations, phonecalls, and texts have gone back to Spanish, and I think that has actually brought us a little closer. I feel like our conversations are a little more authentic and vulnerable, at least on his side. :) I asked how he felt about his family moving so far away, and he said that he knows he has a family, and that's what matters. With the CopaAmerica going on this summer and Colombia advancing all the way to the finals, he's been watching a lot of soccer! He even had the chance to watch Colombia play one of their games in person in Houston, which he said was a really great experience. One of our friends from Colombia was also visiting in Dallas and got to watch one of the Colombia games with him.
Mike and David are working hard on finishing our latest big house project where we turned a small. third, pink-paneled bedroom into a master bath and closet that now extend out of the master bedroom. As they (Mike and Matt) started tearing the pink-paneled room apart, they quickly realized that this was going to be a much bigger, more complicated project than they bargained for. Thus why we pulled the door shut and let it sit for the last year. But finally they tore up the floor, took out the existing joists, and started digging out the crawlspace back in the end of March. Little by little, one step at a time, a new floor went in, ceilings were raised, windows were replaced, walls went up, and the electric and plumbing were set up. A few weeks ago, we finally got a second toilet in this house, and the vanity hooked up to the plumbing. Then the bathtub went in, they put up the tiles, installed the faucet, and hooked up the plumbing! Just a few days ago, I finally took my first bath in my house. It was lovely! And the closet is so nice to finally have all of my clothes in one space! It's been a huge job, and as impatient as I've been tempted to be (can I just decorate already?), it really has made me value all of my husband's skills as I've watched how long each step has taken. It's also made me value David's work ethic that Mike instilled in him because he just jumped right in to help however and whenever he can. Not once has he complained about not having more free time. Here are some pics of their progress. It's much closer to being done now, but I'll wait on a current pic until it's a bit more fine polished.
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