White Christmas 2009

Who would have ever thought a SE Texas girl would experience a white Christmas without having to leave the state in search of it? And not just an "Oh look, the angels have dandruff" kind of snow, but actual flakes which look like the traditional snowflakes we draw and cut out of paper for crafts - without having to be put under a microscope before they melt! Mansfield (south of DFW) received about 2 inches of snow Christmas Eve, which stayed on the ground through Christmas day and into the following day when we were loading the car to drive home. The roads and driveways became dangerous and icy on Christmas Eve and many churches and other organizations had to cancel late night Christmas Eve festivities to avoid endangering the congregations and staff because the roads did get so dangerous. I couldn't even take the dog out to potty (not that she would potty in the snow - she kept looking for grass) because the driveway and porches were so icy! Talk about an unexpected Christmas adventure slash fiasco! We had a snowball fight, built small snowmen, and reveled in the abnormal Texas weather while drinking hot cider and sitting by the fire. We pondered the thought of sitting in the hot tub while watching it snow, but (it being December and all) none of us thought to pack our swimsuits.

Mom's family all gathered in Mansfield at my aunt and uncle's home, we had a wonderful holiday. This was the first year that we'd drawn names so each person only had to buy one gift (since money is tight for all of us - and all the kids are finally 'grown'). It was a very memorable and enjoyable holiday.

My cousins, Kris and Angella, and I spent Christmas evening playing "Rabbids Go Home" on his Wii - highly recommended game. If you've played any of the Rabbids games, this one will not disappoint. It's as hilarious and annoying as the other two games, and we had a blast!

I Got My Christmas Wish!!

Most of you, by now, have heard that I am officially employed...or will be, come January 4 when I report to my new campus :) I'll be teaching Content Mastery at Dick Dowling Elementary in Port Arthur. I went to the campus today to see if I could get an idea of the school layout, etc. and ended up eating lunch with the staff...they are great! I felt perfectly at home and am really excited about next semester.

I visited Highland today too, where I did my student teaching. One of my angels got me a gorgeous Christmas gift! They were all so excited to see me - if I hadn't practice holding in my emotions over the past year, I would have definitely cried.

Anyway, these past few weeks have been quite exciting for me. I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping and am looking forward to the new year, while enjoying these next two weeks without worrying about a job! What a blessing indeed. God opened so many doors this year; it's unreal! Some of them felt like He'd slammed them in my face, but it was just me trying to go through the wrong ones. I've definitely learned to sit back and keep my eyes open rather than barrelling ahead and making my own decisions. It's really amazing how the path becomes so clear with faith.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!

Miracle on South 6th Street

It's official!! With mixed emotions and snow-expectant, hyped-up students, I ended my student teaching experience and have moved into the realm of highly-qualified, state-approved Texas educators. My generalist certification is still pending because I had to apply for a "Certification by Examination," but that should be available by Monday. However, the Special Education certification is a done deal. I will desperately miss my kiddos, especially my sign language buddy. It feels like the twelve weeks flew by; it's hard to image that most likely the next classroom I enter will be my own. There is one opening in a neighboring district that I will be applying for which is an elementary special education classroom. Wish me luck!

To top off the monumental transitional day for me, I drove home during a light dusting of southeast Texas-type snow flakes...the kind that look like some of heaven's angels have a bad case of dandruff. It did thicken up over the next few hours, but we received nothing compared to what the Houston area received, or remotely like what we received last December 11, but the spectacle was fun, and I was glad the kids did get to see it snow - I just hope they weren't too disappointed since it didn't compare to last years freaky natural occurrence. However, the ground was frosted this morning when I woke up. I drank my coffee while watching the sun slowly melt the frost off the roof and on the ground and watched a few disappointed birds alight on our bird bath, which was a solid frozen bird-sized ice skating rink.

I can also proudly report that I convinced my mother to let me put up a Christmas tree this year. It took most of the day, due to the fact that Mom's artificial tree had quite a few broken lights due to the rough transport back and forth to the storage building over the years. However, I successfully got all but a small section of the pre-lit tree burning brightly; I just turned the few branches that didn't light to the wall so no one would see them. I single handedly decorated the tree, though I believe my mom stayed away, not because she didn't want the tree or was tired - more likely because my anality and meticulous placing of the ornaments makes it hard for me to play nicely when it comes to decorating. Once we get the rest of the holiday decor up, I'll post some pictures of the tree. I sustained only a few minor scratches and scrapes from the branches and broken bulbs during the process. Probably the fewest injuries I've sustained in a holiday decorating endeavor, though the decorating isn't complete yet.

Well, I suppose I should finish my decorating break here and get back to it...ciao!