Home Sweet Home!

Well it was a big day in the Taylor household...we closed on our new house this afternoon! I left school earlier than normal so that I could make it to the title company on time. After getting a slight writer's cramp we were done signing the papers and the keys to the house were ours. Don't be fooled by the house buying experience portrayed on "House Hunters"...it takes much longer than they let on!

After an evening of searching for some new bedroom furniture we picked up Tucker and a pizza and headed to the new house. We ate dinner standing at our new bar, but just the fact that it was ALL OURS made it so awesome! Walking in our new house and seeing it so sparkling clean and perfect for the first time made me feel so undeserving. But I quickly remembered that it is just one of the many things I have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! I thank God that we have been so blessed to be able to have the opportunity to do this!

The feeling of it all won't quite set in until we are completely moved in, but it is still an exciting day! December 6th is the big moving day...when the feeling will really set in. Until then, we have lots of boxes to pack and things to take care of! Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are just a few of the pictures Clay took this afternoon...


A cool shot Clay took of the house with the "Sold" sign in the front yard.


View of the house from across the street.


Looking into our kitchen.


The view of our backyard...the best part of the whole thing according to Tucker!

Always Remember 11/18/99

Today marks the 9th anniversary of the Bonfire tragedy. Time really does fly by. I can remember where I was and what I was doing on the exact morning that I found out. I was in the 9th grade and was getting ready to go off to school that morning. The TV was on while I was eating breakfast and one of the major national news channels was reporting that the bonfire had fallen. I had no ties to A&M then, except that my grandfather had attended there for 2 years, but I felt a sense of sadness for everyone involved. I still get chills watching the footage and thinking back on the sadness that must have filled campus, as well as the entire Aggie community. I had no idea, on that day, that 5 years later I would become a part of the Aggie Family. There is no way to begin to explain the sense of connection that all Aggies share. The age old saying really holds true: "From the outside looking in you can't understand it. From the inside looking out you can't explain it." This video that I found on You Tube is a great depiction of the tradition of bonfire and what it means to all Aggies.



On another note...we had an exciting weekend. After picking out appliances for our new house, Clay, Jonathan and I headed to Katy to watch Lockhart play Huntsville in the first round of the playoffs. It was one of the more exciting high school games I've seen with several ties and lead changes, but Lockhart came out on top for their first playoff victory in over 30 years. So this weekend we are headed back to Katy to watch Lockhart play Beaumont Central. Here's hoping this game proves to be as good, if not better, than the last one! Go Lions Go!

24 random things you might not know about me...

My brother posted a blog similar to this on his 21st birthday, so I decided to post one similar...and partially in response...

1: I taught my brother how to ride a bike...(he disputes this FACT)
2: I hate waking up early, but I'm a teacher...go figure
3: I once locked my brother in his room when I was 4 years old.
4: I once sliced my lip open while running with a shopping cart and had to get 3 stiches. I ran with it because my brother told me to.
5: I hate suprises, but I don't want to know what my gift is before I open it.
6: I get nervous about speaking infront of people, but I can teach a classroom of 22 kids.
7: I won almost every art contest I entered as a child.
8: I could eat pizza for almost every meal.
9: My husband is the first and only boy I've ever kissed.
10: I know more about football than the average girl.
11: I can't survive a day without having at least one Dr. Pepper.
12: I once backed into a UPS truck in the parking lot of All Star Grill.
13: I was never allowed to wear shorts to church until I was 13. (The year we moved to Lockhart)
14: I was once pooped on by a sea gull laying out on the beach in Corpus Christi.
15: I am OCD about lining things up and making them straight.
16: I can hear a song 3 times and know most of the words to it.
17: I know the words to songs I don't even like.
18: My dog Tucker was my first real pet. (Besides a beta fish I had for 6 months named Max) I got Tucker when I was 22.
19: I have the largest collection of stuffed animals you've probably ever seen. I can't bring myself to give any of them away.
20: I can count on one hand the number of times I ate in the cafeteria from Kindergarten through Jr. High.
21: I made a 100 on almost every spelling test in elementary and middle school.
22: I have been to 10 states and 3 foreign countries.
23: I am very much directionally challenged! Despite the fact that my father's nickname is Rand McNally...I obviously did not get his directional proficiency.
24: I turned 24 on Nov. 1st.

Wow! What a Weekend!

This weekend was a complete disaster...for me anyway! It all started when I got home from school on Friday. I was feeling like I had a slight sore throat so I decided to take a Zyrtec (thinking it was allergies) so that it would hopefully go away. I went to bed and was feeling chilly even when I was covered up, but I thought nothing of it. The next morning when Clay got up at 4:00 a.m. to go to work I was burning up! I took my temperature and had 100.8 degree fever! I quickly took some Tylenol and tried to go back to sleep. By this time my throat had gotten a little worse. I spent the whole day Saturday with fever...it fluctuated throughout the day. After the game Clay and his mom brought me some dinner from Quiznos. I was starved, so I ate every bit of it. About an hour later it was coming back up again...and again...and again...and again...and again! I threw up 5 times before I went to sleep at 9:30 on Saturday night. The next morning I woke up and threw up again. By this time I was so weak because I had nothing in my stomach because I couldn't keep anything down. I took a bath so that I could go to the doctor. Clay had to help me dry my hair...it was awful! As soon as I got dressed we headed to the doctor. We waited about 30 minutes to actually see the doctor, but when he came in it was all worth it. He diagnosed me quickly with strep throat and sent me on my way with 3 prescriptions. I have been taking them religiously since Sunday and I am feeling tons better! I stayed home from work yesterday so I could get my strength back. I went back today and felt like going back home as soon as I got there, but stuck it out and started feeling much better by lunch time. Needless to say, my weekend was not a restful one! Clay was such a great "nurse" throughout all this and I couldn't have gotten better so quickly without him! :)

This Kid is Awesome!

Check this kid out! His name is Dalton Sherman and he is a 5th grader from Dallas. He did an amazing job!

Wow...what a week!

This has turned out to be quite a week. Last Thursday we were all following hurricane ike wondering where it was going to wreak havoc. After much debate they decided to cancel school last Thursday to let everyone prepare for what was/was not coming. Because of school being cancelled on Friday, the hurricane coming, us living in a 3rd floor apartment, etc. we decided to pack up and go to Lockhart for the weekend. We packed in a hurry so that we could make it to see the Lions play Travis at Burger Center in Austin. Friday night we went to Kyle to hang out and have dinner with Nic and Jo. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and watching the Weather Channel as much as possible. Sunday evening we headed home and I got a call that school was cancelled for Monday because there was no power in Caldwell. Ok, I thought, we will now be 2 days behind in lesson plans...then got another call on Monday that school was cancelled for Tuesday, because there was still no power. Then on Tuesday I got a call that said school was cancelled until further notice. Geez, College Station got hit harder than Caldwell and we have power...what is going on...Well, it turns out that Caldwell is on the same power grid as Beaumont so that pretty much explained it. Caldwell finally got power yesterday afternoon and the teachers reported back today to prepare for tomorrow. It acutally turned out for the best. We lost a week of instruction, but will pick up where we left off on our lesson plans, Friday being our test day. We will definitely be doing some major reviewing before all our tests, because they have lost a week of routine, and I can almost guarantee that they will have to be reminded about everything including how to sharpen their pencil...the first week of school all over again. Thanks to hurricane ike us teachers got a much needed break-one that we will not have to make up!

This weekend...Aggie Football. I pray that we don't get murdered by Miami! I'm very nervous and would almost rather sell my ticket and watch it on TV if it indeed turns out to be brutal. We shall see...Until then Gig'Em Ags! BTHO Miami!

School Days....

Well, school has officially started and I am pretty much back into the swing of things. I had two weeks of teacher inservice, which let me tell you it was definitely not enough time to prepare myself or my classroom for what was coming yesterday! Yesterday was insane! No matter how much I tried to be organized I quickly figured out something was about to throw a kink in my organization.

First thing Monday morning the kids started showing up at 7:30. I got there at 7:20 which definitely was not enough time to get the days things ready, or prepare myself mentally! It was a whirlwind from the second they walked in the door until I left at 5:00. It was crazy! So much to do, so much to explain, take up, pass out, etc....just absolutely crazy! But I survived to do it all over again today! Today was definitely less hectic....MUCH LESS! It was definitely more layed back as far as how much there was to do. After these first two days I must say I am really looking forward to this year! My kids are all well-behaved for the most part. Some of them will have some slip-ups, but for the most part I don't forsee anything major (i.e. referrals). Nothing like what I dealt with last year that is for sure! These kids are practically angels compared to my 4th graders last year! My fellow 3rd grade teachers are awesome also! They are willing to do anything to help me out! Which is so nice...I feel so blessed because I didn't have that luxury last year! And let me tell you it is definitely a luxury! The Reading teachers are planning the first 6 weeks lessons for the other new 3rd grade Reading teacher and me, which is SO nice! It is such a relief to have the weeks lessons handed to you and all the materials that go along with it! After the 1st 6 weeks we will begin planning a portion of the lesson, which will also be nice. I came from working in a horrible environment to this....I feel so blessed! It is an amazing feeling to be able to leave school in a good mood. (and only have to drive 30 minutes to get home!) Most days last year I couldn't say that.

Needless to say, I am really looking forward to this year! I have great 3rd grade teachers to work with (including my partner teacher who's awesome!), well-behaved kids (for the most part), and a supporting administration! All three of those combined should make for a great year! I will definitely keep this up to date on my daily happenings as much as my time allows. Until next time....

Hallelujah...I have a job!!!

Well, it finally happened....I HAVE A JOB!!!! I have gone through 5 interviews and waited all summer, but I finally got one! This is nothing short of God's handy work! In a nutshell here is the story...

I was sitting at home yesterday going between the computer and the TV as I have been doing all summer long when I get a phone call. It was the principal from Caldwell (who called last week to tell me they had filled the position I interviewed for 2 weeks ago) asking me if I had signed a contract anywhere yet. I of course said no, and she proceeded to say they have another opening for a 3rd grade Reading teacher. She said she didn't have a letter of resignation yet, but would probably be calling tomorrow (today) to offer me the job after she checked my references. Needless to say I couldn't express my excitement and gratitude enough on the phone. I was trying to downplay my excitement, but it was a little hard. So I waited by the phone all day today with my mind wandering in a million different directions. Then my phone rang...it was her offering me the job! So, I now have a job! I will be teaching 3rd grade Reading at Caldwell Intermediate School. I will also have a partner that will teach Math, Science, and Social Studies. This will be similar to my student teaching experience, which I enjoyed, but it will of course be 3rd grade and I will focus on Reading. I am not sure who my partner is, but I am nevertheless excited about this year! After I interviewed in Caldwell, I felt like I was supposed to be there. The grade level set-up was ideal for me (having a partner teacher) after what I went through last year. I will also have the opportunity to plan with the rest of the 3rd grade Reading teachers, so that will be so nice. I no longer have to plan for a subject I know little about...i.e. Science! I hope this proves to be a great year! I know I am excited for what God has in store for Clay and me as I am able to teach closer to home, and as he graduates and starts working full-time at 12th Man Productions. God promises that He will take care of us and never leave us, and He has proved that yet again! God is so good! This verse just came to mind, and I think it fits very well here...

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 4:19

So why was I worrying???? :) Until next time....

And the saga continues....

There could be some good news...make that GREAT news on the horizon! I don't want to officially say it and jinx myself, but lets just say God has possibly opened a door for a job. I will probably find out more tomorrow. Until then I pray and wait...

On the same note... as I mentioned in my last entry, I had an interview at a charter school last Thursday. Lets just say that turned out to be a bust. They expected for me to be SUPER TEACHER, which is not exactly possible! I met with the superintendent of the school first who was a mild mannered older lady and very nice. Then she traded me off so that I could meet with the principal and she could meet with another candidate the principal scheduled an interview for at the same time mine was. (Great communication skills!) The principal, however, turned out to be a drill sergeant grilling me with all kinds of questions, some I didn't even have an answer for. So I pretty much would give the answer that was on the top of my head. I sat through 30 grueling minutes of this! It was the worst interview that I have ever had. I have never had a principal interview me like that. I felt so intimidated by him that I couldn't even think straight! As I was in the middle of the interview I just wanted to say "see ya, wouldn't want to be ya!" and walk out. On top of all this he decides to ask me a question such as this: "If I were to walk into your classroom how would I know you have enough knowledge to teach the children." Are you serious right now???!!! I have a teaching degree from one of the best colleges in America and you want to question my level of knowledge!!?? I was appalled, not to mention disgusted! Oh well, I have just chalked it up to another interview and moved on. I almost wanted to laugh in their faces before I left, but I kept my professionalism. Best of all they wanted me to teach in the corner of a room. They were going to convert a corner of the front office/cafeteria into the 4th and 5th grade classroom. Hahahahaha! But I digress....

Anyway..... Clay finished up his last summer session officially today! He got a 79 in his Biology class and will probably get a B in his English. Hallelujah he is done with summer school and almost graduated! 9 more hours to go! Should be a light fall semester of classes, but a busy one with football season! That's about all for now...pray for good news on the job front!

Jobs...ho-hum!

Well....I heard from the Caldwell principal yesterday...another rejection. Which I was preparing myself for already after I saw the position was removed and I hadn't heard back from her since my interview. At least she called. There have been times I haven't even gotten that much. I wanted to ask her point blank what I needed to do to improve....but I ended up just saying "thanks, bye." instead. I have an interview tomorrow with another local charter school. To my knowledge they only have around 100 students in grades K-12. I asked the superintendent what position I would be interviewing for and she said it would be a Language Arts position for multiple grades ranging from 4-8. Boy, that not the ideal position! The development and needs of 4th graders are so much different than 8th graders. How would I be expected to "teach to the test" when I am dealing with 4 different grades. We shall see how the interview goes. I have a list of questions I am prepared to ask in the interview to find out if they are a possibility for me. I feel like they have to be an ideal match for me just like I have to be an ideal match for them. I don't feel like I should take a job if it will be a miserable situation.

I emailed my former principal today updating her on my situation and asking if she would be able to write me a letter of recommendation. She said she would be glad to! So these next couple of weeks I will be in the process of putting together a mini-porfolio with my info in it. I plan on taking the portfolio to any other interviews that I might receive. I'm currently trying to find out any information I can on what to include in the portfolio. I have found a couple of ideas, but some people say include this, while others say don't. So I am going to have to decide what is most important, and especially what is going to make me STAND OUT! I need to find a way to make it cute and creative without being over the top...and without spending a gazillion dollars.

Other than that, we are slowly but surely unpacking boxes and finding special places for things we don't need at the moment. Clay is finishing up his last 3 days of classes until his finals next week. I will be so glad when our nights aren't spent with me watching the Astros (alone) and Clay studying Biology and reading adolescent literature! Until next time...

Moving and such

Well, we are all moved in and in the midst of unpacking the items that are of necessity for the next 5 months. Friday and Saturday proved to be 2 of the longest days of my life, and I can probably speak for the rest of the crew by saying the same for them! We went through many bottles of water and took lots of breaks before the final piece of furniture was moved up 3 flights of stairs and into place! Friday some of the Video Lab crew came to help us with the heavy stuff and their help was soooooo appreciated! We could not have done it without them! Saturday my mom and I spent most of the day cleaning up our townhouse to rid it of dust, dirt, grime, and dog hair! There was entirely too much dog hair! We still didn't get it all clean, so Clay and I will have to go back over there sometime this week, before we turn our keys in, and sweep, mop, and clean the downstairs bathroom. We are still getting adjusted to living in an apartment again and hearing all the noises that go along with it...including these 4 year olds that live on the 1st floor and like to play outside right below our window at 7:30 in the morning! Hopefully we will find all the boxes there own space and we will actually be able to walk across the floor without dodging anything!

On another note...job hunting is still proving fruitless. My interview with the principal at Caldwell last week went really well, or so I thought. She told me she would call me about a second interview, which are supposed to be this week. I have not heard back from her. The job posting was taken off the website on Friday as well. Which could mean they don't want any more applications. But it just doesn't seem promising. I go from 3 interviews within a week to nothing real quick! There is still time, but it is just dwindling fast. It is just not easy to find teaching jobs in this area....which is proving to not be a fun experience. All I can do is continue to pray and ask for God's will to be done, and trust that it will...which is always the hard part.

This is Clay's last week of summer school! Yay! He will have his finals next week and then be done with summer school forever! Hopefully the fall semester flies by and graduation gets here quick! Until then we just wait...

It's been forever....

So it has officially been forever since I last posted. Literally, as you can see, years! I guess blogging took a backseat to school, wedding planning, graduation, and finally teaching. I will try as best as I can to update this as often as possible, but sometimes, frankly, things just get too crazy!

I am currently in the process of multi-tasking in a lot of different areas...First we are moving yet again to another apartment this weekend. It will only be for 5 months, which means we will move again in December. After much deliberation and calling every apartment complex in B/CS we found one that actually does short term leases. We thought this would be the best decision considering I do not have a job yet and at the moment we can only commit to being here until Clay graduates. So, my parents, and Jonathan are coming down this weekend to move us out of our townhome and into our new apartment. I'm sure it will be drastically hot, but hopefully we can survive the heat as well as moving furniture up 3 flights of stairs...yikes!!! Jonathan will also be moving in with us, since a short term lease was all he could commit to as well. It should be a very interesting 5 months to say the least!

Secondly, I will have my third interview in 5 business days tomorrow. My 1st one was last Thursday in Lockhart, my 2nd was yesterday in Navasota, and tomorrow's will be in Caldwell. I have yet to hear back from Lockhart, but received an email from Navasota this morning with a "no" answer. Which was pretty much a bummer...rejection is never easy, but I know that God has a special place for me it's just trusting him and his timing to reveal that! Interviewing has never come easy for me...sometimes it is difficult for me to put my thoughts into words, escpecially when you have 4-5 pairs of eyeball staring back at you awaiting your response. Talk about nerves kicking in. You want so bad to give them the answer they are looking for, but instead end up screwing up your thoughts and falling flat on your face. Oh well....gotta get back up and try again next time! My interview tomorrow is with just the principal, so I expect it to be a little more relaxed. I will be interviewing for a 3rd grade reading position, so hopefully my enjoyment of teaching reading is conveyed through my responses.

Life is continuing to be busy with searching for jobs, interviewing, Summer School for Clay, packing boxes, and moving this weekend! Maybe one of these days everything will slow down...but until then enduring craziness is inevitable!

Sexy Beast!

Not a flexy, but it'll do!!

6 more days of freedom! :(

Today's been alot better than yesterday! Except for the fact that I got awakened at 10:30 because of the carpet cleaners. Hopefully that is the last of the apartment cleaning! No more getting woken up hopefully! It's been pretty uneventful today. Lacey and I went to Walmart and Bed Bath and Beyond to go stock up on some more apartment stuff. So that was cool. Then I went with her to Payless in the mall to look for some new shoes to wear to work. Yeah, she finally got a job at Starbucks! Anyway, that's about it now I'm just waiting on Clay so we can eat some dinner. He had to interview people at football practice again today. Hopefully he'll be here before 8, but what are the odds since it's 7:30 now??!! After dinner, I'll hopefully be able to watch the Astros kick the Padres butts tonight! That's about is. Until next time...

What a day...

Yeah, ok so this morning I get awakened out of my beauty sleep at 9:30 to hear a pounding on my front door. It really freaked me out so I just stayed in my room. Then I figured out it was the maintenance people hear to change the locks on the front door. They just let themselves in and did it then left. It really scared the crap out of me. Then later on I went to the office to go get my new key, and as I was walking out the door, I dropped my phone and it broke. GEEZ! the whole flip part of the phone was hanging by the wires. So I took it to the Sprint Store and I left it with them to fix the hinges and it is going to cost $20. Not bad, considering I could have had to buy a whole other phone. Ahh, what a day and it's not over yet! And oh yeah on top of that after my escapade to the Sprint Store, I came back to the apt. and there are all these strangers cleaning up the apt. I was going what the crap is going on. It really bothers me that these people can just come in any time they want! But whatever... Anyway, so that's my day, and it's still not over yet! What else bad could happen???

AHHHHHHHHHH!

Yeah, well I just got back to College Station yesterday, and Clay and I are already fighting. He drives me up the wall sometimes! I don't understand why he always has to be on that Tex Ags website 24/7 to look at all the new posts. What the crap ever. Everything in his life revolves around sports and it drives me absolutely up the wall! I just don't understand. He talks about sports more than anyone I know, and all I want is for him to understand that there is more to life than just sports. I mean I'm not asking for it to be totally taken out of his life. I'm just asking for it to be of a little less importance. Is that really too much to ask??

Yeah, so we worked it out now, after talking about it for 30 minutes. On top of all that I'm tired and cranky. It's just not a good combination. And also this part of the year is really hard for me to get adjusted to, just because I spent a week with my family, and I miss them already. It was just nice to be home. But if I had to go back to CS, I had to go back. I guess that's about all for me today...

Uneventful couple of days!

Well, not much has been happening these past few days. It's been pretty boring just sitting aroung the house doing nothing! But it is a nice change considering I worked hard all summer with school. 12 hours in the summer is a killer, but it wasn't so bad since I took them at Blinn. I went with my mom to the sports rally last night to see my brother. It was kinda boring, but it was nice to get to see a preview of the cheerleaders. The freshman cheerleaders were horrible! It was a nightmare watching their cheer. They couldn't get one stunt up...a prep. Come on now that is the easiest stunt in cheerleading next to the jr. high thigh stand! LOL! I think they just kinda had to go with what they had, probably since like only 10 girls tried out and 8 make it. Very interesting! I'm sure they'll get a little better as the year goes on, but they need major work! I get to go to hays later today to watch Jonathan's scrimmage. At least it gets me out of the house. I do have a car today, so that's good. I haven't had a mode of transportation all week since I rode up here with Clay. My poor Astros lost again last night! :( So sad! Even with Clemens pitching. He didn't have a very good outing counsidering he gave up 5 runs-4 in one inning. Against the Brewers....come on! They better step it up, their wild card chances are diminishing!

Today I had a doctors appt. for my thyroid. I had to go see another doctor because I didn't like the other one. Anyway, she was really nice but she talked really fast. She was much more thorough than the other doctor. She made me go and have my blood taken. ICK! I hate that, but I'm used to it by now. For about 1 week straight, I was getting stuck alot before they figured out what I had. I felt like a walking blood bank! But she wants me to go see an eye specialist for my graves eye disease. Which I already have a normal eye doctor and he didn't see a problem with my eyes last time I went, but whatever. Just more money to spend! But anyway that's about all for my eventful day.

Dentist Appointments Suck!

Dang I had to go to the dentist today to get my 6 month check-up, and it sucked! I mean like I didn't have any cavities, but that teeth cleaning lady really hurts! She was flossing my teeth, and she was cutting into my gums and I wanted to scream! They swelled all up and started bleeding. I was like dang! Then she kept scraping at my bottom 3 front teeth and I was like ok, there's nothing there, you're going to scrape my enamel off. Geez! Then after all that crap she cleaned my teeth. It only took her like 5 minutes at the most to clean my teeth, but it took her like 20 minutes to pick at my teeth. Good Lord! At least she was half way friendly this time, because last time she didn't say one word to me. But Dr. Burton came in after all that and told me that everything looked good, and that I had no cavities, but that I needed to floss. YUCK...But whatever. I'll probably forget to do it and then he'll tell me the same thing next time. Oh well! That is about all for my very eventful day! Of course it's not over yet, but... Today was Jonathan's first day of school! Ha ha! His last, first day of school. He wasn't torn up about it at all. He was more mad that he had to go to school in the first place. But anyway, I guess I better go call my Mom, because I have to get the meatloaf started for dinner. YUCK!

Summer's Ending :(

Well, I guess this is my first official entry. I don't really have much to say. I am so glad to be done with school for the summer, the only bummer is I have to start back in a couple of weeks. What kind of summer is it when you spend it in the classroom for 4 hours a day, and then spend another 2-4 hours doing homework? Dang! What an exciting summer I've lead, and it is quickly coming to an end. I'm kinda excited about going back to school, and getting to meet my new roommates, but not about taking 15 hours. That is going to be a load! I hope everything this semester goes well. I haven't taken 15 hours before, so I kinda don't know what to expect, but if I want to graduate in a decent amount of time, I have to bust my butt and catch up to make up for the hours I lost by transferring. Oh well, it's all going to work out. Right now I just have to enjoy the college life. Well I guess that is aobut all I have to say. Until next time...