Keeping the old. . .and the new

The expression "out with the old and in with the new" does not always have to apply. While in some cases, this is true (i.e. becoming a Christian--bye bye old self!!), it is not true in my personal opinion when it comes to friends.

Yes, some friends are only in your life for a season. They come in for a chapter or two but then they are gone--not because you "hate each other," but simply because life moves you in different directions.

I know that in moving, I do not feel like I am going to "lose" anything. In a technologically advanced society, it'd be really hard to "fall off the face of the planet." I have friends that I know are those friends that will be in my life "for the rest of my chapters."

If you are reading this as a friend, I'm not dipping out on people--just the location.

:)

All in all, my husband and I have been very blessed with some amazing friends. Not only did all of our friends come together last Saturday to bid us goodbye and God be with you, but my friends from work surprised us last night. . .and many other friends have had us over for dinner, taken us out for dinner, or set aside some of their precious time to spend with us before we leave.

For this, I am so thankful and grateful.

Moving is emotional--we have deep, emotional, God-centered ties with friends here who have seen us through the years. We will not forget.

With the Lord in your heart, there is always more love to give. You can never reach a limit with love; you can never run out of love.

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We had such a great time last night. It was great seeing work friends outside of work. This morning I get to meet with my fav teacher people. It begin long ago as "Three Feisty Teachers" and now we've grown a bit larger. . .FIVE FEISTY TEACHERS! ;)

Cracker Barrel + turkey bacon + friends = a good time. MMMMMMM MMMMMMM.

Tomorrow we have showers and this upcoming week, more packing and more spending time with friends! How exciting! I am going to enjoy my last bit of summer here before the move.

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In other news, we've been approved for an apartment. Two-bedroom, vaulted ceilings, top floor. Super excited to see how all our furniture is going to get to the top floor. I guess all my protein bars will come in handy as the husband and I hoist our ginormous couch over our heads. That thing would never fit in an elevator. Except maybe the elevators at IKEA or Trader Joe's . . .but that isn't going to benefit us. We won't be living in a store.

PI-VOT! PI-VOT! I can see a reenactment of FRIENDS now. I'll give the quote to him though. ;)

That's all my news for now. . .! Off to look at some books. . .like we need more. . .

Last Day

So, it's my official LAST DAY of work here at the school. . . and when I say "work," I mean sitting around looking up stuff on the internet because I am done with everything!

Whew. There are only so many things I can research on the internet and read about. . .it might be time to pull out my book!

My husband and I woke up this morning to a scary sight in the kitchen through some not quite well-made areas. . ."ant invasion 2010." It was not a pretty sight; they were everywhere! We sprayed, squished, and killed lots of the sneaky creatures, and by the time they were all dead, we knew we were running behind schedule!

Crazy way to get going on the last day of work, but as long as they don't greet me when I get home, I'll be just fine and dandy!

Last night we had the blessing of eating out with some dear friends at Cracker Barrel--our cousins have informed us that once we move to the west, we will miss the Crack. The Crack has always been one of my favorite places to eat (even though it hurts my tummy so badly), so I know I'll miss it.

Who knew that I'd get to eat there twice in one week? But Friday's brunch will bring me turkey bacon and eggs, not veggies.

My husband is just the best. Last week, he bought me a movie I had been wanting to watch again after reading the book (Slumdog Millionaire), and inside the movie was a MASSAGE APPOINTMENT. Thus, until Thursday, I will be anxiously awaiting an hour long deep tissue massage. This is very wonderful news to my aching back!

By the way, once you've read the book S.M., you'll be very disappointed in how much the movie is TOTALLY NOT THE SAME as the book. The book is so much better and more intricate. . .and also much more thought-provoking.

I can't wait to go to India.

The children of the world in a multi-colored array are so beautiful to me. A rainbow of mixed ethnicities. . .awesome.

This morning I filled out the application for the awesome apartment we found-super excited to get out there and see it in person. Also super excited to see how our oversized furniture is getting up the stairs to the top floor where we will live. It's not heavy stuff. . .just bulky. But that is a challenge all in itself.

In other news, Trader Joe's is 3 miles from the new place, so my dietary needs will be met close to home. There is also a natural foods store right across the street. Yesterday while at "work" I managed to check out the full area and map out distances to everything we could possibly need. It's looking like it'll be easy to park the car and only use that baby when we road trip to CANADA, PORTLAND, AND CALI!

Before we hit Asia, it seems necessary to see all we can see. I think once we get there the chances of us being anywhere near motivated to return will be extremely slim.

Cambodia, Nepal, India, mainland China, Japan, the whole Asian rim--it's calling. I'm listening. . .hearing the sounds of the city, smelling the smells of the food, feeling the emotional lost burden of the people, and feeling at home whilst doing this.

Sounds good.

I know it's God.

A JOB!

God is good. . .and ever so faithful!

As I type, I am typing to you as a preschool teacher! :)

I am very excited and SO blessed to be moving in a less-stressful direction. I am so glad that the Lord has opened this door. I definitely need a break after the past two years--they have been so hectic!

In addition to this huge blessing, the Lord has opened up an opportunity to live in an apartment complex that appears to be awesome and have ALMOST everything we want (it's only missing a washer and dryer, but I'm willing to compromise). The best part is that my new job is DIRECTLY BEHIND said apartment complex.

I GET TO WALK TO WORK/RIDE MY BIKE TO WORK!

NO MORE TWENTY MINUTE DRIVES~!

THE LORD IS AWESOME!

We are so excited to start this new chapter. . .and I am so excited to live in a more gluten-free friendly location!

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!

The joys of. . ..

Fingerprinting?

Ah, yes. It came down to that. To get a new teaching certificate, I had to jump through some hoops. Getting re-fingerprinted was just the beginning. I am currently waiting for my college folk to write up my program so that I can send off for a temporary WA certificate.

I feel like the Lord has not opened a door yet and called me to a job. . .so I take this as, "Talitha, I may want you to trust me a bit longer with this whole "being a SPED teacher" a little bit longer." So I'm just trying to listen. I am getting my ducks in a line to apply for many special education positions in the surrounding school districts near SCATTLE. There are quite a few openings in about 5 near-enough districts, so we will see what happens. There is one particular district that is standing out a bit more to me; not sure why.

My current job was one of those "I really don't think I want to do this" jobs; but it was exactly what I was supposed to do for the last 2 years. I know I have made a difference; changed a mentality; changed lives.

The Lord had me teach middle school. Scary. He may want me to do that again; He may let me do what I want to do and get back to the younger ones. . .or He may call me to high school or a transition program for those transitioning from high school into the work force, which is actually something I feel very strongly about.

I can teach al day long; but long-term goals are where my head is each time I write an IEP. I want jobs for my kids. I want acceptance, love, justice, understanding, patience, and independence for them.

Maybe my passion and overwhelming need to right the wrongs in the world will once again lead me to another challenge. Another mountain top experience with many peaks and valleys. I'm not sure, but I have to step out in faith and continue to follow God's will.

I've figured out you just can't get away from it. I know what I want. But God hasn't called me to an easy path yet, so maybe that's just not the path for me.

I pray to God in heaven that I will have the strength from above to get through the next several years. . .I need to work with kids with special needs at least 3 more years to avoid paying off some loans. :) I just know that God does not give us gifts to let them lie in a closet. I cannot deny that He desires for me to be obedient, use my gifts, and bless others as much as possible throughout each life experience I have.

The road we are given is not always easy.

The life we need is not our own.

Our experiences build strong character.

Perseverance will prepare me for the future.

The future may bring great persecution, death, and perhaps being stabbed with a machete in a Chinese school. What is up with crazed folks in China stabbing kids and teachers these days? Is that the "in thing" over there?


Dear God. . .give my husband and myself strength, discernment, knowledge, wisdom, patience, trust, and faithfulness as we step out to land on a life boat called "Your Will Be Done."


May I fall with exhaustion at the end of my life for following Your righteous path.


May I love my husband, friends, and enemies.


May Your grace cover my darkness, holes, and heart.


May I not be selfish in my thoughts; please show me Your will.

2 weeks!!

WOW--only 2 weeks left of work now. . .so crazy!

I can't believe how fast the time flies by. We've had a few crazy weeks in a row, but they haven't been bad, boring, or slow. So that is a good thing!

I am at our church now trying to get everything straight for my BFF's next shower. Addresses can be hard to come by, as well as WIFI. I am excited about the availability of WIFI in the northwest. Here, I have to drive 15-25 minutes to reach a friendly internet provider (a friend, our church, or ABC). Soon this will no longer be an issue!

Our world is very dependent on technology. . .so I am too! My iphone can do lots, but not everything yet. Plus, my eyeballs get worn out looking at the tiny screen. It's nice to see LARGE font hollering out at me!

Today we will be spending time with the cousins from Seattle, YAY! We are excited to see them again, even though we are in a much hotter climate now. :/ It will still be a fun time!

I'm still on the job search. . .had more offers, but people want you to "come in and tour" and start ASAP. . .and I can't do that. I guess these limitations may be leading toward a nanny position. I know that if the Lord desires that, He will continue to close doors. Otherwise, He will open a window elsewhere.

Right now I am just waiting. And you know what? I'm having more patience with God and His time frame. Ahh, the things you can learn from a stressful job (stressful but requested by the Lord).

Off I go, home to the husband!