I can safely say that things are looking up. We signed the contract for the house this past weekend, and we only have two forms to give the lender guy before we get this thing rolling. The house is being ordered and put into production now, and the lender is about to send in our loan application.
We are so friggin' excited.
With that behind us, I can also say that I'm finally enjoying my job. There are some really nice people at my school, and the kids and I get along fine now for the most part.
Now that I know I'll have a place to live near my job within just a few months, and I like my job, I'm feeling MUCH better about the new location. I have always said my heart is in the city I was born, but the truth is, I never really fit in there. The new town is more diverse and more of a mix of people and incomes. It's a beautiful area, and we're going to live near a lake park with mountain views. Sure, you don't see the mountains as much as in my parents' town, but you don't have to drive far to get the view. There's also an incredible across-the-horizon view of the mountains on the way home every day, which is beautiful.
Charlie is saying more words now, and he is known as the "clown" at the babysitters. This is a compliment from them. She thinks he's going to be a happy kid. She also thinks he is the silliest kid she has ever had. She said that! Haha. So, we're in for it. He's going to be a goof. You know what, though? I am so happy that he loves his little life right now. I'm so happy with his name. I'm so happy with who he is becoming. He's such a trip, and it's true, he's happy most of the time.
I have a ton of papers to grade and a test to write tonight, so hopefully I won't be up too late. It's Thursday tomorrow, which makes it almost Friday!
Ciao :)
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Four Weeks in and Living with the 'Rents
We are now four weeks into the school year, and we've got two weeks under our belts living with my parents. What in the world has happened since the last time I wrote? Well, here are just a few things:
Our house miraculously sold in THREE days. We spent all summer getting it ready. Basically, we didn't have a summer at all. We prepped and cleaned, moved items to storage and packed a ton of boxes. It was insane. We listed our house on a Saturday, I think. On Sunday, we were on our way out the door to go bowling when Patti called to see if we could do a showing. The house wasn't ready at all, so we spent about forty-five minutes of hell trying to get it to look (and smell) nice. We decided to do the best we could, but we figured it wasn't a serious showing. After he saw the house, we got a call saying that he loved it and they were thinking of doing an offer. Sunday evening comes along and we were given word that he would indeed be giving us an offer, and he wanted to know the lowest price we would take. By Monday, we had a secured offer, and we accepted.
Insane. Oh, and did I mention this?
It was a full-cash offer, and he didn't want a home inspection or ANYTHING. All we had to do was a bug check. Insane. Insane!
All cleared and our house, within three more weeks, was suddenly changed over from our home to his investment. We found out that he plans to rent the house.
We tried looking into a rental, but it was just too much work. The house was large and it needed some upkeep, and I was worried about the heating and cooling bills. We couldn't find a nice small place with the time we had. So, we went to plan B: moving in with my parents.
I called friends to get help moving, and we took one day two Saturdays ago to move the rest of our stuff (some is in J's grandparents' basement) to a storage unit in the town we are now working in. Insane.
To say I've thought a lot about our old house would be a lie. I'm purposefully not thinking about it because of how emotional it was to move. I was fine until the night before our move (a Friday night) when our two friends J and L came to help us pack the truck. I walked to the back yard to take a picture, and suddenly all the memories from our home came flooding over me. I thought of our cookouts, our walks with a little baby, our summer afternoons pre-baby with Real Simple magazines and feet up, our lights shining out of the windows, our music coming from the kitchen door, our red umbrella covering the sun, our incredible trees hugging us each day, and our walks under the moon when we were first home owners. I saw it all, and the tears started forming.
After I got rid of my thoughts, I was fine until the next day. J and I finished everything up, and we had to run back to the house to clean and leave the keys for the next owner. We sat in our living room, looking up at our ceiling. I thought about the night we first moved in, completely in awe that we finally had our home--our house--the house I said I had to have before even thinking about having a baby. I remember the lights were out and we were exhausted from the move. We didn't even have furniture to fill the house yet, but we were so, so happy. It was our house, and it felt so big, and it was beautiful. I couldn't wait to decorate it. Suddenly, here we were, only three-and-a-half years later, sitting in an empty living room, imagining what the next person would do, or if they would keep the golden-yellow wall I spent so much time deciding on.
And we were moving into the upstairs of my parents' house.
With that said, it's been going fine so far. It's only been two weeks, but we have our own space, and it's a pretty large space, and we are all so busy, there's not much time to think about the situation. We are extremely grateful because this means we'll be able to build a house.
So, on to the good news: we have a lot, and we're building! We found a builder to help us with the cost while building, so we are able to pick everything out and build a little, sweet house on a 2-acre lot. We cannot wait. It'll be a while, but it's a modular, so it's quicker than stick-built. We are moving to a neighborhood we looked at ages ago when we first explored the Culpeper area for possible "future" homes. Little did we know we'd be moving in a matter of months. We loved the neighborhood then, and we love it now. There are more houses going up, which is nice, but everyone has at least two acres, so there is some separation. The neighborhood started with an HOA and other regulations, but the home builder went bankrupt, so the bank now owns many of the lots. Because of this, the neighborhood is beautiful, but there is no HOA! We are looking forward to it so much.
We've picked everything out to the exterior roof color. It's been crazy. And it takes much longer than we anticipated. Now, we are preparing to sign the contract this week and get the house ordered. Then we just watch and wait!
Something keeping me joyous in all of this is Charlie. He has been an absolute joy in my life; it just keeps getting better and better. I love that he has a personality now, and he's hysterical. Even the new babysitter says he could easily be a class clown one day because he's so goofy and he laughs at himself all the time. I totally see it. He is such an incredible little guy. He's 16 months, and each month I love him more than the last. He's starting to talk more now, and he will, at times, repeat what we say. He babbles constantly, but he seems to have actual babble conversations with us now. You can tell Charlie understands what we say because of his facial expressions, but then he'll babble back. It doesn't make much sense, but you can tell he has a sense of what we're discussing, and he thinks he's saying something right back. It's hysterical.
He sometimes cries when I walk away, so that's new. I don't mind it because it's not often, and it shows me that he really does know that I'm his mom, even though I'm away at work all the time.
Sometimes he walks like a little old man with his hands held behind his back. It is adorable. He walks and babbles as if he is contemplating the world.
He loves eating, and he'll eat just about anything that's put in front of him. We have no trouble in this area whatsoever!
There are so many new, wonderful things about Charlie these days, but I'm not going to remember them all. He is just my blessing, and I'd be lost without him.
As far as my job goes, it's going. It's a different world, but it's a good one. It's new and different. I look forward to the day I know more teachers and students because I'll feel more "at home." Right now it's still early enough that I yearn for the love of my old students and old friends. One day...
That should get us caught up for now. This is probably poorly written because of my cold, and because I'm trying to write as much as possible without forgetting. I'm sitting upstairs now, on my mom's little couch, watching J play a game, excited for our future. There's definitely a little anxiety mixed in, but it'll work out. "Everything will be all right."
Our house miraculously sold in THREE days. We spent all summer getting it ready. Basically, we didn't have a summer at all. We prepped and cleaned, moved items to storage and packed a ton of boxes. It was insane. We listed our house on a Saturday, I think. On Sunday, we were on our way out the door to go bowling when Patti called to see if we could do a showing. The house wasn't ready at all, so we spent about forty-five minutes of hell trying to get it to look (and smell) nice. We decided to do the best we could, but we figured it wasn't a serious showing. After he saw the house, we got a call saying that he loved it and they were thinking of doing an offer. Sunday evening comes along and we were given word that he would indeed be giving us an offer, and he wanted to know the lowest price we would take. By Monday, we had a secured offer, and we accepted.
Insane. Oh, and did I mention this?
It was a full-cash offer, and he didn't want a home inspection or ANYTHING. All we had to do was a bug check. Insane. Insane!
All cleared and our house, within three more weeks, was suddenly changed over from our home to his investment. We found out that he plans to rent the house.
We tried looking into a rental, but it was just too much work. The house was large and it needed some upkeep, and I was worried about the heating and cooling bills. We couldn't find a nice small place with the time we had. So, we went to plan B: moving in with my parents.
I called friends to get help moving, and we took one day two Saturdays ago to move the rest of our stuff (some is in J's grandparents' basement) to a storage unit in the town we are now working in. Insane.
To say I've thought a lot about our old house would be a lie. I'm purposefully not thinking about it because of how emotional it was to move. I was fine until the night before our move (a Friday night) when our two friends J and L came to help us pack the truck. I walked to the back yard to take a picture, and suddenly all the memories from our home came flooding over me. I thought of our cookouts, our walks with a little baby, our summer afternoons pre-baby with Real Simple magazines and feet up, our lights shining out of the windows, our music coming from the kitchen door, our red umbrella covering the sun, our incredible trees hugging us each day, and our walks under the moon when we were first home owners. I saw it all, and the tears started forming.
After I got rid of my thoughts, I was fine until the next day. J and I finished everything up, and we had to run back to the house to clean and leave the keys for the next owner. We sat in our living room, looking up at our ceiling. I thought about the night we first moved in, completely in awe that we finally had our home--our house--the house I said I had to have before even thinking about having a baby. I remember the lights were out and we were exhausted from the move. We didn't even have furniture to fill the house yet, but we were so, so happy. It was our house, and it felt so big, and it was beautiful. I couldn't wait to decorate it. Suddenly, here we were, only three-and-a-half years later, sitting in an empty living room, imagining what the next person would do, or if they would keep the golden-yellow wall I spent so much time deciding on.
And we were moving into the upstairs of my parents' house.
With that said, it's been going fine so far. It's only been two weeks, but we have our own space, and it's a pretty large space, and we are all so busy, there's not much time to think about the situation. We are extremely grateful because this means we'll be able to build a house.
So, on to the good news: we have a lot, and we're building! We found a builder to help us with the cost while building, so we are able to pick everything out and build a little, sweet house on a 2-acre lot. We cannot wait. It'll be a while, but it's a modular, so it's quicker than stick-built. We are moving to a neighborhood we looked at ages ago when we first explored the Culpeper area for possible "future" homes. Little did we know we'd be moving in a matter of months. We loved the neighborhood then, and we love it now. There are more houses going up, which is nice, but everyone has at least two acres, so there is some separation. The neighborhood started with an HOA and other regulations, but the home builder went bankrupt, so the bank now owns many of the lots. Because of this, the neighborhood is beautiful, but there is no HOA! We are looking forward to it so much.
We've picked everything out to the exterior roof color. It's been crazy. And it takes much longer than we anticipated. Now, we are preparing to sign the contract this week and get the house ordered. Then we just watch and wait!
Something keeping me joyous in all of this is Charlie. He has been an absolute joy in my life; it just keeps getting better and better. I love that he has a personality now, and he's hysterical. Even the new babysitter says he could easily be a class clown one day because he's so goofy and he laughs at himself all the time. I totally see it. He is such an incredible little guy. He's 16 months, and each month I love him more than the last. He's starting to talk more now, and he will, at times, repeat what we say. He babbles constantly, but he seems to have actual babble conversations with us now. You can tell Charlie understands what we say because of his facial expressions, but then he'll babble back. It doesn't make much sense, but you can tell he has a sense of what we're discussing, and he thinks he's saying something right back. It's hysterical.
He sometimes cries when I walk away, so that's new. I don't mind it because it's not often, and it shows me that he really does know that I'm his mom, even though I'm away at work all the time.
Sometimes he walks like a little old man with his hands held behind his back. It is adorable. He walks and babbles as if he is contemplating the world.
He loves eating, and he'll eat just about anything that's put in front of him. We have no trouble in this area whatsoever!
There are so many new, wonderful things about Charlie these days, but I'm not going to remember them all. He is just my blessing, and I'd be lost without him.
As far as my job goes, it's going. It's a different world, but it's a good one. It's new and different. I look forward to the day I know more teachers and students because I'll feel more "at home." Right now it's still early enough that I yearn for the love of my old students and old friends. One day...
That should get us caught up for now. This is probably poorly written because of my cold, and because I'm trying to write as much as possible without forgetting. I'm sitting upstairs now, on my mom's little couch, watching J play a game, excited for our future. There's definitely a little anxiety mixed in, but it'll work out. "Everything will be all right."
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Can't Get Enough of the Cuddles
Charlie has really started showing some love in the past couple of months. Today I played a mini hide-and-seek game with him (I was out in the open), and when I stopped turning to say "here I am!" I heard him waddling over to me. He started breathing louder and louder, and next thing I know, I feel his little hands on my leg and he's leaning on me. I turn and see him with his head turned, leaning into my thigh, like a pillow. He was hugging my leg, basically. It was so, so sweet. He was making sweet little noises and cooing away.
He's also started talking more, and it's hilarious. He doesn't SAY anything, really, but he babbles like he's telling the best story in the world. He also dramatically lifts his hand and motions it back and forth as if he is showing us the scene in the air.
Amazing. This kid is amazing.
Back to summer school tomorrow! It's a very short summer, but at least I get time with my baby.
He's also started talking more, and it's hilarious. He doesn't SAY anything, really, but he babbles like he's telling the best story in the world. He also dramatically lifts his hand and motions it back and forth as if he is showing us the scene in the air.
Amazing. This kid is amazing.
Back to summer school tomorrow! It's a very short summer, but at least I get time with my baby.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Change
More has happened in the last few weeks than I ever imagined.
I got a new job.
What!?
Yes, I did. It's unreal. I will be working in the same county as J, and I'll be teaching 10 pre AP and 11. Wow. No more 9th. That hurts my heart a little bit, but I'm also excited.
So let's back up.
J has wanted me to be in his county since he decided he liked it there. I've always tried to get him to come to my county. We live closer to my county, but my school is much smaller with fewer opportunities. He tried to get me to apply to his county last year, and I decided against it. I knew he wanted me to this year, but I wanted to wait until I had five years under my belt at my current school, so I didn't think I would.
Well, we got a call one morning to ask if I was going to be interested in the jobs at one of the schools. Turns out, J had talked to a friend and said I might be interested, so she was checking in. It put me on the spot that morning around 6:30 a.m., so I said no.
Later that morning, I told my friend about the opportunity. He then told me that he had looked into another job, even though he had previously thought he would be staying, and that he would probably take it.
This was going to be my fourth friend leaving the school (with another soon to come), and I realized the timing was meant to be. I quickly sent J a text telling him I would be interested, so he let his friend know. This was Thursday or Friday, I think.
I turned in my contract for my current county Tuesday morning. I got a call Tuesday afternoon asking me to interview (talk about stressful timing!), so I set it up on Thursday afternoon. I was nervous all week. I hadn't interviewed in four years, so I felt out of practice. I've never been good at them. J and I studied together the night before to help me out. He asked me about 50 questions, and we typed up my answers. We printed it off at the end for me to review them. Little did I know, only one question would be asked from that list (and not even the same variation), but it did help me feel more confident and prepared.
I left at 2:45, and my two friends said they were called for a reference survey before the day was over, which means they must have called right after I left.
The next morning, Friday at 10:30 a.m., I got the call that they wanted to hire me. I won't go into detail, but this sent me into a crazy frenzy for a good two hours. This was a huge decision. I knew I had to get out of my current contract, and I also knew the offer was for 10th pre AP and 11th grade, not 9th and 10th, which is what I was used to. It was all happening so fast, and I knew I needed to figure things out before the weekend; otherwise, I'd have to sit on it and stress for the next two days.
I went to the school board to ask permission to get out of my contract, and it was granted. They were so nice about it that I got in my car and started crying. The county I attended high school in, and taught in for four years, was being so nice when I was asking to leave. It suddenly reminded me of all the great things about that school and county.
In the same breath, I knew I was a creature of habit, and if I didn't take this job, I would probably stay in the same county for years and years, only looking back to regret not trying something different. I also knew I would want adventure throughout my life, and although it stresses me out, it also keeps things interesting and exciting, so this seemed to be the right adventure to take.
I took the job.
I didn't expect it to happen, and I still have moments where I wonder what it will be like, how difficult it will be, and how things will be different. Change is scary and new, but it's good for me. I will learn from this experience and become a stronger teacher. I can always go back to my home county after some experience elsewhere, but for now, this is a good opportunity. We will also save a ton in health insurance, and I'll make a little bit more. J and I will ride together most days, which could be a good or bad thing.
The hardest part of this life change is having my friends and I all going on to new adventures at one time. I take a while to get to know people and trust them, all due to my past experiences, so when I finally see someone as a friend, I love them dearly as my friend, and to see them go breaks me a little.
It's also terribly difficult to say goodbye to my sweet students. I love them so much, more than they know--all of them, really--and it breaks me to leave them. My husband reminds me that I'll find and love students in my new county, but it's hard to believe it. I know he's right, and I'm looking forward to new kids.
All in all, though, it's getting easier to think of a new place with new people and a new environment.
Four out of six English teachers are leaving.
Five of my friends are leaving.
It will be my fifth year of teaching.
I had the right connections.
It's my time to go.
Wish me luck!
I got a new job.
What!?
Yes, I did. It's unreal. I will be working in the same county as J, and I'll be teaching 10 pre AP and 11. Wow. No more 9th. That hurts my heart a little bit, but I'm also excited.
So let's back up.
J has wanted me to be in his county since he decided he liked it there. I've always tried to get him to come to my county. We live closer to my county, but my school is much smaller with fewer opportunities. He tried to get me to apply to his county last year, and I decided against it. I knew he wanted me to this year, but I wanted to wait until I had five years under my belt at my current school, so I didn't think I would.
Well, we got a call one morning to ask if I was going to be interested in the jobs at one of the schools. Turns out, J had talked to a friend and said I might be interested, so she was checking in. It put me on the spot that morning around 6:30 a.m., so I said no.
Later that morning, I told my friend about the opportunity. He then told me that he had looked into another job, even though he had previously thought he would be staying, and that he would probably take it.
This was going to be my fourth friend leaving the school (with another soon to come), and I realized the timing was meant to be. I quickly sent J a text telling him I would be interested, so he let his friend know. This was Thursday or Friday, I think.
I turned in my contract for my current county Tuesday morning. I got a call Tuesday afternoon asking me to interview (talk about stressful timing!), so I set it up on Thursday afternoon. I was nervous all week. I hadn't interviewed in four years, so I felt out of practice. I've never been good at them. J and I studied together the night before to help me out. He asked me about 50 questions, and we typed up my answers. We printed it off at the end for me to review them. Little did I know, only one question would be asked from that list (and not even the same variation), but it did help me feel more confident and prepared.
I left at 2:45, and my two friends said they were called for a reference survey before the day was over, which means they must have called right after I left.
The next morning, Friday at 10:30 a.m., I got the call that they wanted to hire me. I won't go into detail, but this sent me into a crazy frenzy for a good two hours. This was a huge decision. I knew I had to get out of my current contract, and I also knew the offer was for 10th pre AP and 11th grade, not 9th and 10th, which is what I was used to. It was all happening so fast, and I knew I needed to figure things out before the weekend; otherwise, I'd have to sit on it and stress for the next two days.
I went to the school board to ask permission to get out of my contract, and it was granted. They were so nice about it that I got in my car and started crying. The county I attended high school in, and taught in for four years, was being so nice when I was asking to leave. It suddenly reminded me of all the great things about that school and county.
In the same breath, I knew I was a creature of habit, and if I didn't take this job, I would probably stay in the same county for years and years, only looking back to regret not trying something different. I also knew I would want adventure throughout my life, and although it stresses me out, it also keeps things interesting and exciting, so this seemed to be the right adventure to take.
I took the job.
I didn't expect it to happen, and I still have moments where I wonder what it will be like, how difficult it will be, and how things will be different. Change is scary and new, but it's good for me. I will learn from this experience and become a stronger teacher. I can always go back to my home county after some experience elsewhere, but for now, this is a good opportunity. We will also save a ton in health insurance, and I'll make a little bit more. J and I will ride together most days, which could be a good or bad thing.
The hardest part of this life change is having my friends and I all going on to new adventures at one time. I take a while to get to know people and trust them, all due to my past experiences, so when I finally see someone as a friend, I love them dearly as my friend, and to see them go breaks me a little.
It's also terribly difficult to say goodbye to my sweet students. I love them so much, more than they know--all of them, really--and it breaks me to leave them. My husband reminds me that I'll find and love students in my new county, but it's hard to believe it. I know he's right, and I'm looking forward to new kids.
All in all, though, it's getting easier to think of a new place with new people and a new environment.
Four out of six English teachers are leaving.
Five of my friends are leaving.
It will be my fifth year of teaching.
I had the right connections.
It's my time to go.
Wish me luck!
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