Note to Self - HAVE FAITH!
"Eventually all things fall into place. Until then laugh at the confusion, live for the moments, and know everything happens for a reason." - Unknown
So it has been a little over a year since I have posted anything on my blog. What a year it has been!
I do not even know where to start. My last post was entitled "Turn Back Time" in June 2013. It was a glimpse into what I hoped would be our future and a look back at the past. If I have learned one thing it is not to look back but only forward and most of all enjoy the now.
We have come a long way in the past year. I had a job that I thought I liked but it turned out I was only fooling myself. The job was taking me away from all things that made me happy, mostly my family. Forcing me to send my daughter off to various family members for the summer and hardly ever with her mom and dad. This was not good for any of us. In January our condo flooded out and forced us to make some quick decisions about where we were. So we regained focus and decided to make the big move quicker than we anticipated. We packed up all of our belongings and pulled the kids out of school and moved to West Virginia! We were scared at first of course. I was mostly worried about the kids and adjusting to new schools in the middle of the year. My daughter going from an elementary school in Virginia and being the top dog to being in Middle School in West Virginia and being the low man on the totem pole. The move made things worse on my job because I was now commuting 50-60 min to work and it was taking me away from my kids and my family even more. This did not last long before I woke up one morning and decided to quit! Note to self - HAVE FAITH!
Okay so now it is February 2014 and we are in a new home, a new state, new schools, new friends, new neighbors, and jobless - at least me. My husband still kept his job, in fact the move brought us closer to his work and lessened his commute. I felt like things were so out of control and happening so fast that I needed to freeze time just to catch up to what was happening. The home we moved to was so beautiful and suited our family perfectly. Lots of room for the kids to play and have time to themselves. A big family room and kitchen for us to entertain. A perfect sized yard that required minimal mowing. And we even lucked out with the best neighbors ever. The development we moved to was fairly new and had everything we needed as far as extra curricular activities and shopping, including a wonderful gym. It was all too good to be true! Could all of the trauma that we just went through over the past month have happened for a reason! I think I have told you all that I have a problem with faith. Well not a problem per say, I just lack it. All of the things that have happened to me over the course of my life - all of it only pointing towards a better future and showing me the good that lies ahead and in front of me. Every time I go through it I promise to have faith for the next time. If the flooding of our condo and the move didn't teach me that I don't know what could have. Note to self - HAVE FAITH!
Well here we are now it is March and we have settled in our new home beautifully. The kids have transitioned to their new schools better than I could have predicted. Their teachers and their friends have all shown such great love towards them. I have been home for a month and I am enjoying every minute of it. Spending time with my little one during the day and being with the family at night. It is everything I wanted. But something was missing. I wish for once I would learn to just fully enjoy what I have. I mean for real. I quit my job so I could be home with the kids and enjoy our new home. My husband has supported me the entire time. We knew it would be hard financially and all but we knew as long as we had each other and continued to communicate in a loving manner we would be alright. But the finances started to wear on me and living paycheck to paycheck gets old fast. So I started looking for jobs, AGAIN. Note to self - HAVE FAITH!
I have held numerous jobs over the past 17 years. I have been a probation officer, guidance counselor, youth education program coordinator, and assistant principal. I have never held a job for a long period of time. So when I am looking for a new job this time I am looking for something that will be the perfect fit for me. Something I would be happy doing day in and day out for at least the next 10 years if not more. I know we will be staying here for the rest of our lives so moving is not a factor any longer. I think back to all of the jobs I had and what jobs worked best for my family and I. The one that stood out and that I enjoyed the most was guidance counseling and working in the public school system. So that is where I start. Sure I applied for other jobs just thinking that we needed something to help us bring in more money but I was hoping for the perfect job, the one I envisioned for the rest of my career. I started getting calls from the jobs I really didn't want but would take. I went on interviews. But in the back of my head something was telling me to stop, not to take these jobs because it was just not right for us. So I turned down the offers and focused mainly on the school system jobs. This was huge for me because I am not one to turn something away. I am very impatient, if you haven't already figured that out. So the month of April I spent every afternoon applying for every job I could find in public education. In May I began to hear back from them. My first interview was with a school district outside of our county in Maryland. It went well and I was hired on the spot for a substitute position. I was so excited and thought this was my way in, I said yes. That same week I received a call from the Pupil Support Supervisor for the county I lived in. She asked if I would be interested in coming to interview for a school counselor position. SERIOUSLY, of course! The interview was a week later. I spent that whole week studying all of my old materials and reading up on the changes that have occurred in education since. The day of the interview I was ready and felt like I hit one out of the park. I would not know for another few days if I got the job or not. So I scheduled some substitute jobs and enjoyed being back in the classroom where I belonged. It was a Friday morning at 9:30 when I finally heard the news. I GOT THE JOB! I would be working at an elementary school 7 minutes from our home. I had to pinch myself. I could not believe it. This would be so perfect for our family and for me. I finished out the year with a few more sub jobs and went to see my new school and meet the students and staff. After what seemed to be for me a gut wrenching and unforeseen job hunt things played out perfectly. Again faith has prevailed and all is well and working out the way they should. Note to self - HAVE FAITH!
It is now June a year after I have written my last post. We have found the perfect place to live. The perfect town in which to raise our kids. We could not be happier. The kids just finished school, with straight A's mind you. I could not be more proud of them. They are so strong! I admire them for all they were able to do and they did it without one complaint. They made great friends and left great impressions. Anya has come a long way with her readings and her love of writing and is even doing well with her flute. Joss has come out of his shell a bit and is starting to show signs of social independence. He frequently goes to his friends houses and spends time playing with kids in the neighborhood. Xander has found a best friend in the boy next door and has become quite the talk of the town with his charm and humor. Brent is so happy with his job and loves being able to come home in a timely manner and relax. We have had many family members come and welcome us to our new home. Things are the best they have ever been. What a difference from a year ago when I felt so depressed and lost with in the chaos and negativity. Note to self - HAVE FAITH!
Tomorrow we leave for our annual family vacation to the Outer Banks, NC. We leave with love in our hearts and the joy of celebration. Thank you God for always being there! Thank you for watching over us and helping to guide us in the direction of FAITH! I love you and always will.
#havefaith
