"Something BIG done happened to me and I gotta tell the world about it!" Mary Mary

First, let me start by saying that if you haven't read my last post (or last few), maybe you should! It will give you some background information!

Over the last two weeks I have been having revelations about situations I am going through. I am positive it is God letting me know WHY I had to go through those situations! I understand that several people do not get those answers a lot of the time and for that, I feel blessed! He has pretty much validated to me why I went through all these bad things/obstacles! I am excited to share all this with you! So bare with me, it may be LONG!

Less than a month ago something terrible happened to me while I was working at the gas station. I mentioned this in my July 14 post-Trials and Tribulations. This thing had the power to affect my whole life! It could've affected my career in a negative way which is my means, my dream and it made me feel HORRIBLE. I am still not ready to go too much into it. (I know I promised I would but I am not sure I should.) Anyway, when this happened I felt horrible and my whole live became one big question mark. I had to realize what was wrong in my life and I am a big believer in Karma. You get what you deserve! I was trying to find out what it was I did wrong. I realized I had been telling God for a year that if He allowed me to not work on Sundays then I would go to church. Well I hadn't worked a Sunday for a month and never once went. Hindsight 20/20... he was making a path for me. He knew that the only way I would finally leave that gas station was to have something bad happen to me there to give me a "bad taste in my mouth" about it. He knows how stubborn I am. He wasn't punishing me, he was HELPING me!

Let me give you a timeline of my path:
**Friday, July 12, 2013- This is the day the bad event happened and I felt horrible. On that day I realized this was a trial and tribulation that God was giving me to guide me to where He wants me! I had been praying for God to help build our relationship and He gave me Trials and Tribulations so I would trust Him! It worked!
**Sunday, July 14, 2013- My first time going to church here in Florida. Amazing experience. That sermon was JUST FOR ME!
**Sunday, July 21,2013- I was reading a daily devotional on my phone (free app) and praying a lot! Just having faith in Him!
**Friday, July 26, 2013- I heard God speak to me and tell me to, "Be patient." I praised Him hard and I was SO happy to get a message!!
**Tuesday, July 30, 2013- This was an important day I had been waiting for all month. It came and God did not fail me although I did not have the answers I wanted THAT DAY. He delivered later! I went out that day and bought a daily devotional that my friend had recommended it! (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young)
**Wednesday July 31,2013- When I prayed to God on this morning and was talking with Him about wanting a teaching job this year He told me to send emails to Principals and mention my ESL experience. It turns out that all my praying and emailing the Principals worked because an hour later I had a hit for an interview that coming Friday! (That ended up being the job I got!) Later this day at church I had revelation/epiphany about why things were happening the way they were for me. This is when I came to the realization that the reason that bad event happened at the gas station was to get me out of the gas station. God wanted me to have a "bad taste in my mouth" about going back for several reasons! 1. So we could continue our great and growing relationship. Because if I went back to working there again I would surely be working 15 hour Sundays again in no time. 2. Because He already had this teaching job lined up for me. I am sure there are several more reasons I just do not know yet!
**Thursday August 1, 2013- I had another hit on my emails. I set up another interview for Friday morning! I was beyond elated!
**Monday August 5, 2013- I got my job offer at Northwood Elementary in Crestview!! This was the principal that responded to me RIGHT after I felt that God told me to email the principals! As soon as I accepted this job I got a call about the thing I did not get answers to on July 30! This is when He delivered later!!! And boy, did He deliver! He answered all my prayers! I was still worried about one little thing and continued to pray about it!
**Wednesday August 7, 2013- He answered that one little thing I prayed about!! I also signed my teaching contract this day!!!!

Today I had a HUGE revelation into God's plan... and it brought me to tears! As soon as it happened I called my mom to tell her! I had to tell someone and I knew she would share my excitement and enthusiasm and understand me!

This is what I told her in a nutshell:
I told her I realized today that I was meant to get that classroom assistant job at Silver Sands (which I really LOVED) because it made me meet a lady named Nora (and several other AWESOME people). I worked with Nora this summer and at the end of this summer about a week after this bad event happened to me- her husband started working at my old gas station (He kind of took my place.) And Bud LOVES him! When I talked to Bud last night he asked me for my key to the store back! Some of y'all should know how happy this makes me! It finally closed that chapter! I know God wanted me out of there to fulfill my purpose elsewhere. And it makes me feel AMAZING to think I am apart of something bigger! What if I never met Nora or her husband never went to work for Bud? What if I didn't take that bad event as a sign from God? What if I didn't listen to God when He was talking to me? Would I have been patient or would I have given up? Would I have emailed that principal? Would I have gotten this AWESOME 4th grade teaching job?!?! And what purpose do I have for being at this school, in this grade? I am excited to find out!! And I trust that in His time God will reveal it to me! Or maybe he won't but either way I WILL trust Him!

During this wonderful chat with my mom she helped me realize several things... in no particular order!

• It is always easy to take the nicely paved road that has several water stops along the way. But when you take the road less traveled you go uphill, downhill, come across rocks, holes, jutting branches, big trees in the way! But you must trust that God will be there to guide you when you feel you cannot go on, guide you when you don't know what to do or to just guide you because there is a better way. The road less traveled is A LOT harder but it is SOOOOOOO worth it once you get there!
• I am a lot more blessed that I give myself credit for. I, and my mom agrees, am blessed with intuition that a lot of people do not have! I am just really finding out how great it is!
• I am also blessed that God has just laid a clear path for me. When I accepted this job in Crestview (30 minutes in the opposite direction of Dustin's work) (We share a car.) I wasn't worried because I KNEW God would make a way for us and he did! The day I accepted the job him and another guy decided they would be carpooling together! All I have to do is drop Dustin off at his house in the morning! How awesome is that?!
• My mom and I have ALWAYS had someone to take us under their wing, to guide and help us when we needed it the most! I had several people growing up and even now! So blessed and thankful!! 

Praising Him like NO tomorrow!! So grateful, humbled, blessed and impressed!


P.S. If you want to know this even I will share it with you, I have no problem with that. But I did not want to put it on here.

"Learn to appreciate what you have, before time makes you appreciate what you had."

I received some REALLY sad/bad news last night. Then I heard it straight from the source tonight.

There are several harsh realities in life... things far more important than difficult times, disappointments, failures, etc. What I am talking about is sicknesses- such as cancer. Cancer is not something you choose but rather something that chooses you. The dreadful thing about this sickness is that there is no cure and new forms of cancer are found daily.

Over the last few years I have seen and heard of people who have cancer, people who have beat cancer and people who have lost their battle. It is sad. Both of my grandfathers have died from different forms of cancer. It is heartbreaking the amount of people and their families fighting this illness. Everyone knows someone or of someone touched by the big "C".

The point of this post it to let people know that life is short. As you know, once you are out of school and in the working world TIME FLIES. Make the best of it. Tell your loved ones that you love them and let them know how important they really are. Treat your family members with love and respect- just because they are here today does not necessarily mean they will be here tomorrow.

I know this sounds cliche but I had to let out what I have been feeling. Do not put off phone calls or cards.... pick up the phone and take those 10-20 minutes out of your busy day to let someone know you were thinking of them. Use the $ .32 or $ .42 stamps (however much they are now) to send a card or letter just to let someone know you were thinking of them. After all, it is the small gestures that REALLY mean the most. It is those small gestures that people will remember.

Regrets. I know you don't want a loved one to pass on without you telling them how you feel. So take the time NOW to do the things you want to do but are too busy to do.... or THINK you are too busy to do. Otherwise, you will be wasting a lot more time than it would have taken with regrets. (Trust me, I know a lot about regrets and you do NOT want to be stuck with  "what if's"!)

What the teacher is, is more important than what (s)he teaches. ~Karl Menninger

In the last 2 weeks I have had a substitute job everyday! I have been to a few different Elementary schools, and a school for kids with special needs. Those students are from the ages of 4-23! When these students get their certificate they go to Pyramid! For just about 2 weeks I worked at this one school subbing for several teachers! It was fun, rewarding and trying all rolled into one. I have a few more jobs lined up this month and April for teachers in this school.

I have subbed for a Kindergarten class and WOW is all I can say! They are SO full of energy! They have a little LESS structure than what I like BUT I had a blast with them. I learned real fast that: 1. Members of the same family should NOT be in the same class. 2. Kindergarteners tattle on EVERYTHING. 3. Three boys going to the bathroom at one time is a MISTAKE! 4. Kindergarteners are so sensitive and sweet! But I loved every minute of it! (I also saw a student get picked up in a hearse which I thought was interesting!)

I worked with 5th grade Science and loved it as well. The subject area for 5th graders is fun and interesting to me!! The behaviors were a little outrageous especially since the day before I worked with Kindergarteners but it was still enjoyable! I heard a 5th grader say "She's got more cushion for the pushin'!" I thought to myself "WHAT THE HECK DID HE JUST SAY?!" LOL Never a dull day in substituting!!

I subbed for a 5th grade class this week at the Ballet school again. I felt confident teaching everything but when I saw the Math I thought, "Fractions, Decimals and Factors, OH MY!" LOL Luckily I had the book to refresh my memory and Math went without a hitch! I even helped a student and had an "AH HAH" moment! It made my day!!! I love 5th grade and fractions REALLY aren't that bad! I actually kinda liked it!! I really wouldn't mind a 5th grade position at all!!

When I was shopping in Wal-Mart today with Dustin I felt a little kid hug me. I turn to see who it is and it was a Kindergartener I had earlier this week. She ran up and hugged me! It was SOOOOOO stinking cute! My heart melted and I walked around the rest of the day with a big ol' cheesy grin on my face! I cant believe she remembered me! (I know it was this week but still.)

I noticed I have been getting calls daily and from some of the schools that I have been subbing more frequently! Hope they keep coming! It makes me feel good, makes me feel like I am getting really close to my dream of having my own classroom! I can feel it! It is SO close! Keep praying for me y'all!

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!

"Don't be embarrassed of who you are, they're gonna judge you no matter what you do." — Melina Kanakaredes

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." — Dr. Seuss

Everyone has been in a situation where they do not "fit in" with the "it" crowd. Children go through it growing up, teens in high school and to me, in college, it didn't seem to be a HUGE issue. But even as an adult there are these same issues where people don't "fit in" and whether one admits it or not... it still hurts.
Now, I know that as you grow up it gets easier and you don't let yourself get affected by it as much. But I want to point out some things to y'all. I am a single girl (unmarried) and I have no kids, however, I would still like to be asked to hang out if you go to the park and then lunch with friends who also have kids. Just because I am not married and do not have kids does not mean I can not relate nor does it mean that I do not want to hang out just because there will be kids there. Just because I do not have a child of my own does not mean I do not understand you. Basically, what I am saying is; If you have a child and/or are married DO NOT ignore your single friends. We want to hang out to.
On to another thing that irks me... I hate when people ignore me. (I am talking about friends and even my family.) If I text, call, email, Facebook, etc. you and you don't respond after a certain number of times I will get the hint. But you cannot think that I am going to forget (easily) all the failed attempts when I tried to communicate with you. The audacity of some people calling for favors after I have been trying to get a hold of you for months just to talk, hang out or check in with you! (Not to ask you for anything) But me, being me, WAY too nice always offer the helping hand. That is not the only reason I keep doing those nice things.... In the Bible it says, "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15
And also in Luke 6:35-36. "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
People, you have to know that when you burn your bridges there is a chance you will get stuck on the island. You have to think about what's REALLY going on. Remember to treat people the way YOU want to be treated. It is not fair to expect someone to go over and beyond for you when you constantly refuse to meet them in the middle.
I want to finish out saying that I am grateful for the few close friends I have, I love and appreciate them dearly. They know who they are.