i choose us.

{Finally... all the details for those that have been waiting.}

I am a small town city girl. I grew up in town. I loved living in town. I've always pictured myself living in town.
Corey is a farm boy. He grew up on the farm. He loved living on the farm. He always pictured himself living on a farm.
We knew that this would be an issue when we got married. We actually included it in our wedding vows, "Whether it's on the farm or in the city, I will make the most of our life together."
We came to our little town here right after college. I have loved this little town.
I love our house. I love our neighborhood. I love my job. I love my friends. I love our daycare. So many, many things. I could have lived in this little town forever.

"The Family Man" with Nicolas Cage is one of my all-time favorite movies. I love it. This is my favorite clip from the whole movie. You can probably figure out why...


A few years ago, I started praying that God would change one of our hearts.
And He did. He changed mine.
Not in the way that I thought he would... but He changed things.

We've talked for a couple years now about "Someday."
Someday we would move back to the farm. Someday we would build a house at the farm. Someday...

So this spring, I started asking around, made a new resume, and applied to my old hometown school district. Our two hometowns are about 14 miles apart, and the farm is right in the middle of them. My plan was to apply to both and see what happened. There weren't really any openings and both districts can be hard to get in to. There just isn't a lot of turnover. Kind of one of those "you take whatever grade level you can get and hope to change in a few years" situations. But my heart was set on 1st grade.

Long story short... two openings came up. Both districts. Both of them 1st grade. I found out about both of them at the exact same time. Literally. I had applied to one district, but not the other. (The district I hadn't applied to yet had hard questions like "How do you feel teachers are viewed in society today?" and "If you couldn't teach, what would you do?" Questions that required a lot of thought and since it was the last two weeks of school, my brain was pretty occupied with that. So that application was on my list, but it hadn't happened yet. But that was the district that was moving on things first.

It was 8 days total. 8 days from the time I found out about the opening until they offered me the job. There were several phone calls with the principal... a 5:00 interview after school one day... lots of praying... lots and lots of talking/texting/phone calls with a variety of people... more praying.

I am a planner. I always have been. I remember being so stressed at the end of college. Just the unknown... where would we be living in a month? It drove me crazy not knowing and not being able to plan. So you would imagine that last week would have been crazy stressful for me, right? But here's the thing... it wasn't.

Never have I been so sure of a decision. So sure that this was God's plan for us. It's an amazing feeling.

Before my interview, as I was driving into town, I told God that I was trusting Him. Whatever His plan was, whatever His will was... just make it clear to me. I asked for clarity... for a sense of peace and for doors to be opened and other doors to be closed. I asked, and He delivered.

So this fall, I am going to be teaching at a little country school in the district Corey grew up in. There is only one of each grade level and I got my wish... 1st grade. Sophie and Lawson will be there with me. Sophie will make student #10 in her class. Lawson is #16. (Somehow I still ended up with 20. But that's okay. I can do 20.)

It's going to be a different world, that's for sure. But I'm ready. A year ago, I would not have been ready. A year ago, just the thought of moving made me teary. But this year...  I have felt nothing but calm and peace and assurance about the whole situation. And if you've known me for long, you know that this is not a situation when I would normally be feeling any of those things. The only time I've gotten teary this year is when other people have cried. (And there have been a few...) I can't be around crying people without getting teary myself. The tears will come, though, I know. There are a handful of people that I simply do.not. want to say good-bye to.

My relaxing summer has flown out the window and my summer list now consist of 4 main things:
1) selling our house
2) finding a house (we will build eventually at the farm, but will rent something in town for awhile)
3) finding a new job for Corey
4) finding new daycare for Gretchen

Just a few minor things. =)
Any and all prayers would be greatly appreciated. There is so much to be done in the next two months. We are TRUSTING HIM that this is all going to work out and everything will happen just like it's supposed to.

A year ago, I was teary at the thought of moving.
A year ago, it stressed me out to think about it too much.
A year ago, I was only in it for the new farmhouse.
A year ago, I thought "someday" was a few years away.

But now that "someday" is here...
I'm not teary.
I'm not stressed out.
I'm still kind of in it for a new farmhouse (just being honest).
But I'm mainly in it for my farm loving husband.
I love this town. I love our house. I love our neighborhood. I love my job. I love my friends. I love our daycare.
But I love him more.

And I choose us. 

end of year gifts.

I gave these to my students on the last day of school, along with a sweet poem and a picture I took of them on our field trip to the park. I realized later that goldfish crackers would have been cheaper than Swedish Fish. Maybe next year. =) 

We repeated our idea from last year and made these little Tin Can Treats for the kids teachers. One of the things I like most about them is that you can fill them with whatever candy the teacher likes best! One has Twizzlers, one has peanut M&M's, and the one for Jessi (daycare) has Swedish Fish. So fun!

I also made this for Lawson's teacher. Just because I love her and I've loved having Lawson in her class this year. It was extra special having him next door to me this year. (I am seriously going to miss my little 1st grade team next year!)

changes.

I hadn't really planned on posting anything about this until after the weekend. But word travels fast on the Internet. And this is as close as I can get to telling some of you "in person." 

I quit my job yesterday. And accepted a new job. (not quite in that order, though.) 

So sometime this summer, we are leaving here... 

And heading here...

More details to come. It's a really good story.
And it's an absolute God-thing. No doubt.

In the meantime... anyone want to buy a house? =)

last day.

173 days with these little people... 

I've loved it.
Such a fun and sweet group of kids.
But wow... it was time for summer.

polka pots.

Remember when I said that someone really likes dressing herself lately? 

She also really likes polka dots... 

I think she gets that from her momma. =)

grouchy eyes.

I had all my little 1st graders gathered on the floor the other day.

One little girl keeps messing around with this little piece of paper in her pocket. 

She could not leave it alone. 

So I made my grouchy teacher eyes at her and held out my hand for her to give it to me. 

 

Dang. 

random.

Just some randomness from the last couple weeks. I am really behind on blogging pictures and am feeling overwhelmed by a few different things in life right now. So randomness is all you get. 

I kept kicking my children outside last weekend. My big kids, anyway. They spent a couple hours playing Legos on the front porch.

When I get overwhelmed and stressed, I either get really productive, or crazy un-productive. Right now I'm in un-productive mode. That's not really good. I really just want to ignore all this mess around me and enjoy my couch and DVR. 

I'm trying to change that feeling by getting a few things crossed off my list. I love that feeling. I hadn't even made a list for almost 2 weeks. You know I must be feeling out of sorts.

Meet Phil. This little guy was a wedding gift. He was bushy little hedgehog for you to wipe your shoes on. He sat outside the door in our little apartment in Emporia. He hasn't had any bristles on him for a few years now, but we keep him around anyway because of happy memories. Maybe I should spray paint him or something...

I'm getting really bummed reading all my friend's "last day of school" posts on blogs and Facebook. We have a week left. But the kids have been checked out for a couple weeks now. I think it's because spring started so early this year. And we never really had a winter.  4 days with kids and a teacher workday. Surely I can make it through that, right?

We had to move Lawson's laundry basket away from Gretchen's crib. Someone's sneaky little raccoon hands kept stealing dirty clothes at night. We would put her to bed in cute jammies and she would wake up in dirty t-shirts and boxer shorts. Good thing she's cute.

I probably have 8 loads of laundry to get caught up on. Started out all ambitious and threw in a load as soon as I got up this morning. It's halfway done and still sitting in a washer full of soapy water. There's a switch that hasn't been catching on the washer lid and I can.not. get it to catch today. It's really slowing down my laundry progress.

These kids love to paint. Pretty sure they would paint every day if I would let them. Paintboards (aka: canvases) are their favorite. I bought a pack for a project a couple months ago and finally gave in and let them use them instead. Too many projects on my list. And nothing getting crossed off my list.

I'm almost through October 2011 in my blog book. But I skipped over June and July. I'm going to have to do 2 books again to get it all to fit. And I really liked my School Year/Summer books from last year. That's just kind of how our lives work right now. Once school is out I really want to get back in the groove and get these books DONE!

Our happy new artwork in the toyroom/breakfast nook/mudroom. The random stripes were done by Lawson in 2009 and the flowers by Sophie at the same time. They make me smile.

My newest Plane Jane necklace. The happy little daisy. My mom actually bought it for herself, but decided to give it to me for my birthday after I said how much I loved it. So now I think of her every time I wear it. And Gretchen tells me "Nama gave you dat pretty flower" every time I wear it, too.

I love these little blonde pigtails. She'll ask for piggies in her hair now. She also asks if she can give Marley bones. She loves to do that. And she's started doing these deep shoulder shrugs and big sighs if we tell her she has to do something she doesn't really want to do.

I love our driveway. That sounds really silly, but I do. It's so perfect for bikes and strollers and now roller skates. (There are some great roller skating pictures coming soon...)

I do. An awful lot.

She loves washing her hands. Multiple times a day. She also loves dressing herself.

Okay. Random blog post can now be crossed off my list.
I should have put "feed kids" on my list, too. Darn hungry kids thinking they need lunch.
Although I just realized that I never ate breakfast today. So I should probably feed myself something, too.
Wishing again that I was one of those people that loses weight when they are stressed/overwhelmed.
I would be getting skinnier by the minute!
Also wishing God had email. Or a cell phone. Or some clear way of communicating.
I like clear communication.

sweet gifts.

{Just because it was sweet and I always want to remember}

Lawson made this little book for me after school last week... 

Yellow is for how much the sun loves you. 

Brown is for how much dad loves you. 

Red is for how much I love you. 

Green is for how much God loves you. 

(He told me that he didn't know how to draw God, because he's not sure what He looks like.)  =) 

These were the happy little gifts our 1st graders took home to their moms. Just tiny little pots from Dollar Tree (3/$1) and grass seed. A fun little lesson about plants and a colorful happy little gift.

And my goodness... what momma wouldn't love this card? 

You are the thoughtfullest person ever!

p.s. If I like you will you like me? 

I'm pretty sure she already does like you, kid. =)

mother's day.

Some of my new favorite pictures... 

(Just wish Sophie's hair wasn't across the middle of her face...)

Oh, how I love these little people of mine. So very blessed to be their momma.

It was a perfect weekend. Olive Garden with my mom and dad...

(This is how Gretchen looked when my mom got her up from her nap on Saturday. 

She had reached her sneaky little hands through her crib slats and in to Lawson's dirty laundry.)

A new Adirondack chair and ottoman from Corey... just like this but red! (He got himself an ottoman, too.) 

Daisies from my sweet sister-in-law and brother-in-law and this fun flower purse from my mother-in-law. Do they know me well or what? =)

baby birds.