Time is what we want most, but... what we use worst. ~Willaim Penn

Wow... So my last post was 2 months ago!!! Since we have moved to Florida time is passing by so fast. I cannot believe I am 27 years old. I am so close to 30 it scares me. I haven't even accomplished close to all the things I plan to do by 30. Because I see time ticking by so quickly, now you better believe I will be knocking those things off my list at a rapid rate!

2011 is coming to a close. I can say that this year was pretty good to me, definitely better than 2010 but I am looking forward to the new year of 2012!

I had my first teaching interview in Florida today. It went well. During the interview they asked me a question about Fluency and for a split second I forgot what it was. I was so nervous.... but I recovered. I am hoping I receive a good call next week. It is for a 3rd grade position and the school seems absolutely amazing, all the staff are nice. It was just a great experience and I want to work there! I have all my paperwork turned in for 2 counties now so I am hoping I hear something soon. I put packets in for teaching and/or substitute teaching in both counties and have been praying hard for one or the other!

Dustin started his new job on October 18. He loves it so far and it's good pay. It is pretty much a tie between his electrical background and Papa Johns driving background because he delivers electrical supplies all over the panhandle and Alabama area. I am glad he likes it! He is also looking into going to school to pursue a degree so he can be a park ranger! I think that is a good choice, he loves the outdoors so he would be GREAT at it.

I am still working at the gas station for the time being but I picked up another job on October 19 (my birthday). I work at a "school" for disabled adults. I give mad props to everyone who works there. It is NO walk in the park. I have had to see/hear/do things that are not pretty. My heart aches for some of these people. In the 3 weeks I have been there, I realized that this is not something I can do for much longer. I would have quit but I was taught never to 'burn your bridges' and I just cannot being myself to quit after only 3 weeks. So I am in a dilemma. Like I said, I admire everyone in any "care-giving" field. It is just not something I can handle.

The time change has got me all messed up. Here in Florida it is bright at 6:30am and getting dark by 4:30pm and it is CRAZY!! LOL I guess we will get used to it! Still, I love it here in the "Sunshine State!"

Unless I get this teaching job, we will be going home or to our hometown as Brandon would say, for Thanksgiving! (Because Florida is our new home!)  Also, Dustin's best friend is getting married and he is the Best Man. :-D I know I am excited to see some friends and family! Oh and my kitties!! :-D

Well, that is about all that is going on here. I guess I will get off here and finish this Bears vs. Eagles game with my boo! Go Bears! (Only time you will ever here me root for them is when they're not playing the Packers!)

P.S I wanted to share this link. It is Awesome!

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can." ~Danny Kaye

     Today was an eventful day. We got Directv installed and I didn't even have to call and hassle them about why they were late or when they were coming and it felt GREAT! Unlike the issues I had with Century Link, Directv called me at 7:30am (Yes, a little early- especially since me and Tiff didn't get back from watching The Help till Late) to tell me they would be at our house right at 8am! I was impressed. Not only did they call to announce themselves but they were on time with what we were scheduled 2 1/2 weeks ago! Century Link missed an appointment on one day and was almost 2 hours late to the second one. (Calling ahead would behoove them.)
     Of course I was excited for internet (which we got last week) because were not living in the dark ages anymore! Dustin, on the other hand has been DYING for cable. He has been EXTREMELY excited about the NFL package we got because not he can watch football 24/7. (God help me!) Luckily we have more than one TV and room in our house! LOL This was Dustin as we were given the instructions to the remote.

 

     As you can see- he is ridiculously excited! You can imagine what he did for the next few hours! I can honestly say that I am excited we got cable now too because I was sick and tired of watching movies. For example, yesterday we watched "Into the Wild" which was a great movie by the way. Then we watched "Priest" (another good movie...kinda) . THHHHEEEENNN we watched ANOTHER movie "Dylan Dog"... which I didn't like at all. I know it was trying to spoof zombie movies but I didn't find it funny. If those movies weren't enough I went to see "The Help" with my Best Friend Tiffany. It was an amazing movie, as was the book.

     Speaking of books. I have read 56 this year! Moving right along... but I need to get as serious as I was before on it! I have kinda been lacking on reading as much as I used to. (Probably because I have other distractions like internet! And Facebook, and games, and True Blood on DVD.)

     After Dustin was fed up of watching TV for a few hours we went on a date... only dinner but that's more than what we have done since we moved down here. Next time I will talk him into going to Destin to go to watch a live band play. We went to Chili's and colored while we ate. Service was good but we were surrounded by kids (which I don't have a problem with) but these kids were bad. The parents spanked the kid at the table twice in which the kid started screaming BLOODY MURDER, twice! And the kid was just obnoxious. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at them, I kinda felt bad for them. But while we ate and talked we colored these and in turn donated to St. Judes Hospital.

Here is my Chili...

And here is Dustin's, of course his is better! He is way better in the art stuff. He even has the St. Jude symbol.

On the way home tonight the sun was setting and it was gorgeous. I took it with my crappy phone camera so it doesn't look nearly as nice as it did in person but you get the idea!

    

     All in all, I love Florida. I am so glad we moved down here. Things are coming together for us. House is coming together nicely and I must say that I LOVE living on my own! The weather is getting cooler so it is SO BEAUTIFUL here. Seeing the bear occasionally is a little frightening but its okay. Living 6 minutes from my best friend and my niece and nephews is GREAT! I love the Friday game nights we have. I love seeing the kids grow up and being a part of their daily lives.  Looking forward to several FUN years to come!

We're in FLORIDA!

OK. So I know it has been awhile since I have posted BUT we're living in the dark ages with NO FREAKING internet. It is horrible, I definitely do NOT recommend it, at all.

We are getting settled into our 2 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment nicely. I like it a lot! I REALLY love having my own place to come home to and do whatever it is that I want. It was a long time coming- moving out of my mom's house. Things are coming together- we got a couch and loveseat for $80. We got a FREE washer and dryer! We get stuff little by little with each paycheck! We are planning to get cable and internet after rent is due next week. :-D

Dustin and I both have jobs. He is working at a restaurant and is already training to get into management. I am working at a gas station where paychecks are hard to come by and hours get lessened by the week. I am hoping to hear something back from a teaching job SOON. I am not holding my breath but it would make everything a lot better. Over these last couple of weeks I have learned that I REALLY want to teach. I thought I would be OK with just waiting a year or so but I'm NOT! Teaching is what I am suppose to do, at least I feel like that's where God wants me to be. It is an act of Congress down here to do anything with teaching.... more so than North Cakalak. It is AMAZING to me how they need teachers but they make "highly qualified" ones jump through hoops and swim across the Atlantic Ocean....

I am very thankful to the Falletta's for helping us out with everything. They let us stay in their house while we got jobs and looked for apartments, helped us find jobs and apartments, gave us the lay of the town, delivered our furniture and been our friends through it all! Thanks Brandon, Tiffany, Aiden, Sophia and Carter :-D Love you all!

Well just wanted to update quickly... got to get back to searching for a job.

Single Digits... 9 days till our BIG move!

"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
— Joseph Campbell

When I heard this quote tonight it really hit me! I LOVED it! It just spoke to me especially with the big move and all.

We have 9 days till we leave. I am getting nervous and scared. Several questions going through my mind like... What is something happens to my mom and sister and they need me? I am going to miss them. I am going to miss the kitties. What if we need something, we are so far away, etc. I know this is all normal and we NEED this move but I am still scared. What if we don't find jobs? What if we have trouble finding a place? Will our families ever come visit?

Finally got my lien in the mail yesterday and went to the License Plate Agency. You'll never believe what they said? That I could sell the car WITHOUT the title and that the dealership might take my car without it as long as I have proof the car is paid car off... UGH! This would have been nice to know LAST WEEKEND.

On another note I work the next 3 days from 6am-2:30.... Wish I could be done with work now with so much left to do BUT we need the extra paycheck.

It is getting real.

A hundred hearts would be too few to carry all my love for you. -Author Unknown

I am pleased to announce that I am happy in love with my husband! :-D Words cannot express what he means to me nor the happiness we have had. We have been together for 3 years but "marriage" puts a new perspective on things, believe it or not. You can no longer make decisions for yourself. You make them as a team. This is something that is truly important. One cannot make a big decision without the other.
As most couples.... especially couples where one is a man and the other is a woman, communication can be complicated. Dustin and I have been reading a book together (he is going to kill me if he finds out I am telling you ;-) )called Crossing the Tracks for Love by Ruby Payne and it is interesting to see how two people can see or hear something then both have two complete different views on it. I am happy to say we are starting to see "eye to eye" and understand each other more!
I have started the dreadful process of changing my name and such... its not NEARLY as bad as I thought it would be! LOL Went to the courthouse and got 2 copies of the marriage license (just in case). The went to the social security office... I will be getting my new social security card soon. And tomorrow I will be going to the DMV to change my license. The rest, I hope, will be a breeze!
5 1/2 days till school is out and I cannot say that I am sad about it! I will miss several of my students BUT I am looking forward to moving to FLA.
Speaking of Florida... Dustin and I have decided that we will be leaving for Florida on July 7-8!!! YAY! We have a date set that were leaving! I am glad about that! There is so much to do between now and then! On another note, I am hoping that Hurricane season is not as bad as the news is saying it might be, as it started yesterday!
Today is our 3 week wedding anniversary!!!
Until next time!

UPDATE...

So... I have not died. I am very much alive. I started this a few years ago and forgot about it... Here I am again... starting over. Well, since my last post a lot has changed....
1. Circuit City has closed.
2. I finished my certification in Elementary Education.
3. I found a job in teaching. ESL- Not my favorite job BUT a job nonetheless.
4. I am engaged now. :-D
5. Dustin and I are planning to move to Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

That is it in a nutshell. I cannot say that I miss working at Circuit City even though it holds 6 years on my resume. Miss the people, NOT the place. I am proud to be a teacher. I love teaching in fact, I even love teaching ESL, and however, I hate the whole NOT having a classroom thing. I have also realized by teaching ESL that I love the high school level. That being said I will probably be looking into getting my License in Secondary English... (Teaching High School English).

I knew coming into the year 2011 that this was going to be my year. I plan on owning it. Life is all about being the best YOU! That is what I am going to do. I am coming up on the end of my first year teaching. It has been such a learning experience but I am excited to see what the next few years bring and PRAY that I can find a job in Florida. I made a personal goal to see how many books I could read by the end of the year. Right now I am at 24 books. I don't have A LOT of time for reading but I drive more than an average person in society and I am in the boonies so the only thing left for me to do is audio books. That is how I get the majority of my reading done. I hope to be in the process of moving to Florida by July, which is another goal I am setting for myself. The whole wedding planning thing is still up in the air. I am not sure what we are going to do yet. Guess we will play that by ear... if nothing happens by December of this year then I am aiming for July 2012.

I am excited for the upcoming events and CANNOT wait for what the future holds....

Until next time...