So many bends...so many blessings

Where has the time gone...

There have been so many bends in the road this past year, but with each turn came many blessings. For one, who would have ever thought I would leave Beautiful Southern California and choose to make a life for myself in Oklahoma, a land locked state? I was let go from Mid-America (MACU) 11 months after arriving here. It was a blessing in disguise, I was sad  how everything went down, but I have come to understand that a business is a business and changes have to be made in order for it grow and be successful!

Little did I know MACU was only a stepping stone in order for my dreams to become reality.

I was offered a 1st grade teaching position back in August at a small christian school on the south side.  

I took a huge pay cut and I wasn't making much to begin with, but (we all know) teachers don't go into the world to make a fortune, they go into the world to make a difference.

Teaching has brought me so much joy and happiness and I wouldn't change it for the world. I am so thankful for my education at BIOLA University and the hours I have spent in classrooms observing. I would not have been able to do it without the help of my Macy friends and family.



    My first Day of many Firsts!

P.S. My mom and I made the reading bench and the bean bag in the picture below.
           

             Our reading lounge.



  


Our Calendar            
 

  

Things We are Thankful For
 As you know, this past week we celebrated things we have to be thankful for, here are a few of the things my students are thankful for:
 
This little turkey said she was thankful for time because she can give it...
 and this one said he was thankful for the planets so he can go and travel around the solar system and learn about the planets...


and this little turkey said she was thankful for books so she can learn from them....

and the last little turkey said she was thankful for Miss Good because she is an awesome teacher. 





 
THE LEGENDS BEGIN....

                            The Legend of Deskerella

Deskerella stopped by to visit. (She is the desk fairy and she is always on the hunt for a clean and well organized desk). The kids have created this awesome story, and I have decided to go a long with it. They found a whole in the ceiling and decided that it must be her workshop.  Next thing I know, they are writing her letters and drawing her pictures.  Sure enough, while we were at lunch, she returned the favor. She left one of her top secret notes and the kids freaked! They couldn't believe she wrote them back!! They found some of her fairy dust outside our back door and one of the students  is convinced they saw her wing. Let's just say, the students are on the hunt to find Deskerella!

The Beautiful California Mermaid

Over the weekend, I got my hair cut and colored. The student's didn't recognize me at first, they were a little nervous, but once they did I was swarmed with hugs. They kept saying, "Miss Good, Miss Good you just look so beautiful!" Another student said they loved my hair and that I look really pretty. My favorite comment of all, "Miss Good, did you know you look like a beautiful mermaid from California?" I tried so hard not to laugh, the little girl was so serious. While everyone was complementing me on my new style, one of my students said she hated my hair and bursted into tears. I called her aside and asked her what was wrong and why she was being mean, she said she was sad because she wasn't getting attention. Once again, I tried not to burst out laughing, I guess I am cramping her style. 

 AKA: Miss Good

Friends

I feel as though I am looking out the window of a train and I simply see shapes and outlines. I know what I am looking at because I see them everywhere, but I don't know them by name. My life is just going by a million miles in minute...

So many have been asking how am I doing, and here is what I have to say about that!

I have been here for 5 months now, and this place is really starting to grow on me. I don't think I will ever call it home, but I am definitely enjoying the experience. With that being said, I have had my ups and downs. The last few weeks have been very hard. I miss my friends deeply!

I miss everyone back home very much. My friends are irreplaceable. I may not be able to talk to you everyday, but that doesn't mean I am not thinking about you. As time goes on, I am starting to form very special relationships here and I am so thankful for them.

I am also learning that God puts people and friends in your life for a reason, a season and sometimes a lifetime.

Some of my friends have been placed in my life for a reason, to help guide me, share with me, encourage me, with difficult situations and when their time is up, they are off. This may be because they walk on or they force you to take a stand. What I have come to realize is that their job is done. God placed them in my life for a purpose and when that purpose is fulfilled, their work is done and its time to move on.

There have been some that have come into my life for a season. These friends have shared experiences with me, laughed with me, cried with me and grew with me. I wouldn't have been able to grow had you not invested, shared, and walked with me. But there comes a time when the winds shift and the tides change and the compass is pointing you into another journey.

Lastly, I have friends who will share the rest of our lives together. They will walk alongside me, through the ups and downs. They see me at my best, and they see me at my worst but they choose to hang on. When they see me slipping up, they love me and walk with me through it. They are gracious and compassionate. They are slow to anger and they love me deeply!!

Because of all of you, I am a better person today than I was yesterday and I will be a better person tomorrow than I am today!

The Holidays!

The Holidays!

The holidays are starting to look a lot different than what I was used to. My mom and I now live in a state half way across the nation, which meant we would not be able to make it home for the holidays. In some ways, it was nice and relaxing and in others I missed my home very much! I really missed not being able to watch my kids preform in their Christmas performance, being in the classroom working on the special Christmas projects, spending time with friends, and visiting Disneyland, the most magical place of all especially during the holidays!

So lets see...where do I begin? I guess the beginning is a good start.
My sister came out to visit for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was so excited to see her at Thanksgiving. I waited just out side of security to see her! I would have tried to make my way to the gate but that idea would have lead me to jail. When I saw her, I got all teary eyed (she didn't see of course, or at least I don't think she did). I was soooo excited to see her. It had been 3 months, but it seemed like years, especially considering we were living together before I moved out here. We have gone through a lot of great times, and a lot of hard times together. We are bestest of friends...huh sissy!
Anyways...that is beside the point.

While she was hear, we had a lot of fun! We hung out, reminisced about old memories (the things I used to do to her = priceless), watched a TON of Gilmore Girls. Here are some pictures of her trip from Thanksgiving!

POPS....has every soda you can imagine ROWS and ROWS...FLAVORS upon FLAVORS!

Our little Thanksgiving Dinner....I didn't even get all the delicious food :( It was nice and mellow!


Now for Christmas....we didn't think Nickie was going to be able to make it out. Tickets were upwards of $1,000 and it just didn't seem feasible for such a short amount of time. We were starting to loose hope, but we all pulled our pennies together and found a ticket for half of that! It was a little Christmas miracle for our family! In buying her ticket, we spent all of our money. We didn't have anything left for her visit. We were all seriously going to live off of Top Romin for a week. But we figured, who cares as long as we get to be together. So Nickie was supposed to get here on the 22nd, but her flight was over booked. They asked for people to volunteer their seats and in doing so they gave free mileage to them. However, Nickie wasn't willing, she wanted to make sure she was here for Christmas. But they didn't get enough volunteers so they bumped her and because she wasn't willing, they gave her a check for $1,300. That was almost 3 times the price of her ticket! Because she didn't sell out for less than best, she received something so much great! It was the ultimate Christmas miracle for my sissy, mom and I. We were able to have a Christmas after all with a delicious dinner and presents. God is good!

Here are pictures from her Christmas visit....

Christmas Eve dinner....

What could be better than that?

Driving around and checking out the Christmas trees!



The way they do the lights are
are incredible!

Our Trip to Dallas! In-n- Out was a MUST!!!

YUMMMMMMM!










More updates to come!