Changes

Here are some pictures of the new furniture that now resides in my living room! It is amazing and I love it...plus, I really love not sitting on the floor anymore. As I blog, Jack is sleeping at the end of the couch and I am laying completely sprawled out in comfortable bliss. :)

I have been very bored with my hair lately. This is no surprise; it happens every now and again. Usually when this happens, I go to the salon and get my color freshened up or get a trim, then I'm good again. This time, I did something drastic. Drastic for me that is. I chopped and cut and slashed my hair. My hair is shorter than it has ever been (at least since I was like 10). My hair is full of layers and my hair is darker than it has ever been (ever!). I love it! It is very cute, very fun and just the change I needed to not be bored anymore. Below are some pictures for your enjoyment! :)

Little Jack Bear and I are still loving the new house. Slowly but surely it is becoming what I envision in my mind. It will get to the point where it is perfect soon enough. Until then, we will continue to fall more in love with it each and every day. :)

Little Jack Bear sleeping on the new couch. :)

God is spending a little more time on me these days

I knew my time would come. A time when I would look around and have accomplished some of my major goals. A time when I would look around and not want for anything. A time when I would be completely happy, content and satisfied with the direction my life was taking. That time has come. :)

It's interviewing season...
So, I have officially begun interviewing for jobs in the local area. I had one interview a few days ago and am waiting to hear back on my verdict (do they want to hire me or not?). I also have a BIG interview on Monday. I say "BIG" because this is the important one to me. I have faith that God will lead me to where He wants me to go, so I'm not too worried about any of my interviews. All I can do is my best and wait to see what happens.

Grad school is going by so quickly...
I have been evaluating where my master's degree is taking me. I have been talking with my graduate advisor A LOT about what the next few years will hold for me. She is absolutely brilliant and I am so lucky to have her as a mentor. She knows my intentions of getting a PhD and is going above and beyond to help me accomplish this goal. I will be taking 12 hours of master's classes this summer plus beginning a research project and tutoring a few students in reading and writing. Sounds like a good summer, right? Then, in the fall, I will continue working on my research for credit as an independent study. These are the kinds of opportunities I have been wanting and they are finally happening. These opportunities will help give me the skills I need to help students in the future as I continue my PhD (which I will be starting in Fall 2011!).

The house is amazing...
Jack and I are loving the new house! We have been having many friends over for dinners, movies and studying, and so far, everyone else loves the house as well. I have begun to hang pictures and decorations on the walls and it is really beginning to feel more like me and more like home. I was able to quickly sell the old furniture in my living room and bought some great new couches and tables (that will be here next week!). Little by little the house is coming together. It will take a little more time to make it completely the way I want it, but that's ok with me.

Jack is growing so fast...
He is up to 4 pounds now (he weighed only 2 pounds when I got him one month ago). He is about to be 3 months old and is learning so quickly. Potty training is going ok...but he still has a lot to learn, sadly. He has mastered "sit" and we are working on "here", "stay" and leash training now. He is also getting very good at fetch! He is so sweet and I've found the best reward for him is to go crazy when he does something good. I tell him how good he is being and hug him and pet him and he LOVES it! Hopefully, he will be potty trained soon. :)

Everything else in life is going great as well. I am almost done with my first official semester of grad school and feel like I've done well. A job is in my near future (I can feel it). Jack is great company and such a joy to have around. Marathon training is going well and I'm planning to run my first 5K in about a week. Wish me luck. There should be many changes in my life in the next few months...can't wait to see what God has in store for me.

-Tracey

I'm coming home...

I AM A HOME OWNER!! WHOOP!

Ok, now that I have that out of my system, I can discuss this historic event in my life. I have purchased a house! :) Wow, this is such a big step. My family was so wonderful and helped me move in to my new house over Easter weekend. Now, I'm just trying to get settled, unpack my stuff and make the house feel like "me". I'm contemplating purchasing some new furniture for the living room and can't wait to add my personality touches to the house. Pictures will be coming soon, don't worry.

Besides the excitement of the house, I have been enjoying being a puppy parent to my sweet little guy, Jack. He will officially be moving to the new house this weekend and I could not be more excited to have him here. He is such a sweet little guy and makes me so happy to have him around. Right now, he's a great snuggler. We enjoy watching movies, reading or taking naps together. :)

The next few things on my agenda are interviews for a job, saving money, finishing my graduate classes for this semester and gearing up for a summer full of work and school. I have realized that I will be finishing my master's degree next August...meaning I could theoretically start my PhD in the Fall of 2011. Wow, that's so soon and it gives me butterflies to think about.

My family, friends and mentors deserve some thanks for everything they have done to help me the past few weeks. Thanks for the support!

Overall, and as usual, there are so many great things going on in my life that I can't begin to describe them all. All I can do is thank God every day for the blessings and work he continues to do in my life. He is so good and deserves all of the glory.

-Tracey

P.S. Enjoy the picture of my sweet baby with his Easter bunny.

Praying for patience, strength and wisdom

What happens when you feel a void in your life? What happens when you see your faults for what they are and you pray to the Lord to help you overcome those faults? Does he simply take them away?

Right now, I am reminded that the answer to those questions is anything but simple. I have been praying for the past few weeks for several things that I feel are lacking in my life. God has answered my prayers by giving me opportunities to become patient, strong and wise. Now, this is not necessarily what I want and it is certainly not easy. I wish I could say that I am doing well, but instead, I am struggling quite a bit. God is forcing me to pray more and turn to him more to resolve the problems I'm facing.

I am reminded that I must turn to Him for help and trust that He will not let me fail.

Jeremiah 29:11

-Tracey

"Thy drugs are quick"...and I'm a bit out of it

Well, after having my tonsils removed, I now know three things about myself:
1) I have no tolerance for anestthesia
2) I know Romeo and Juliet well
3) I teach high school English

Ok, so I really knew these things before the surgery, but they were validated on the operating table. Why, you ask. It's simple.

I was wheeled into the operating room and placed on the operating table, still completely alert and awake. The nurses began plugging me into a series of machines while telling me what was about to happen. They were trying to nonchalantly chat with me (I suppose to take my mind off the fact that I was about to be a dissection project). Anyway, the anesthesist comes in and begins putting the "good drugs" in my IV. At the same time, the nurse puts a mask on me that is pumping "happy gas" (apparently tonsilectomies are not meant for people over the age of five). As all of these drugs are entering my body, the nurse and doctor continue chatting with me. Finally, the anesthesist asks me how I am feeling. Without skipping a beat, I reply "thy drugs are quick," and the next thing I know I'm begin awakened in the recovery room.

I have no idea what the medical professionals in the operating room said to that but I would imagine it was something like my family's reaction when I told them what had happened: laughter, mockery and a story that will never be forgotten.

-Tracey

April Showers bring May flowers (metaphorically, of course)

Meaning, I am about to experience many changes in my life that will bring many blessings in my future. I'm excited, just a tiny bit anxious, and did I mention excited about these changes! So what are these wonderful changes and blessings?

Well, in two weeks, I will officially be a new homeowner! On April 1st (April Fool's Day, which better not be a bad omen), I close on the house that will make me a permanent resident of College Station. I'm very excited about this next step in life and am really excited about having a place of my VERY own for the first time in my life. I will also take on the responsibilitiies of a landlord, which will be a new and fun adventure for me and my tennants. As soon as the closing is complete, I plan to get right into the house for painting. I'm so excited to decorate the walls with my own colors and style. I will post pictures as soon as the house is somewhat orgranized to my liking.

Secondly, in about three weeks, I will complete my student teaching experience. The only thing past that is to land an actual job, which I'm hoping will happen fairly quickly. This experience has been wonderful and I'm sad for it to end, but I know it has to. I've learned more than I ever could have learned in a classroom and have made connections with some amazing people that I hope will become long-term mentors and friends. These people have influenced, motivated and inspired me beyond belief and I am truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to learn from them.

Thirdly, my graduate classes are coming to their end with the completion of multiple major grades. In one of my classes, I have a major presentation (requiring extensive research) and a term paper (requiring extensive research) due within one week of each other in the middle of April. These two assignments will keep me exceptionally busy for the next month and will consume a great deal of my time. They are both over interesting topics that have caught my interest though, so they should be entertaining to some degree. In addition to these two assignments, I have a major project due in my other graduate class. This project is the culmination of everything we have learned over the semester and will take up another bit of my time to complete. I also have a few more exams to complete, and then I will officially be finished with my first semester as a graduate student. :)

The rest of March and April will be filled with other tasks. I will be beginning my running training schedule (again, it got put on hold due to the surgery), completing district applciations for teacher positions and taking care of my puppy Jack. He has been quite an adventure and is keeping me on my toes. I'm very excited for us to move into our new house and begin all of life's new adventures. :)

Keep posted for all of the excitement.

-Tracey

Books, Books, Books...

So, I finally had my tonsils removed this morning. Since I am in pain and am tired from the surgery, I'm updating my blog rather than enjoying Spring Break on a beach or mountain somewhere.

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to read more books for fun, rather than just for school. I have succeeded in this endeavor so far. The following is a list of books I have read since Christmas (in no particular order because I can't remember exactly).

The Lost Symbol (amazing!)
Pirate Lattitudes (disappointing for Crichton)
Love Story (sad but brilliant)
Olive Kitteredge (under-developed and confusing characters)
Shutter Island (a great mystery, but it still has be trying to figure out the ending)
The Time Traveler's Wife (ok, but I wasn't a fan)
Dear John (typical Nicholas Sparks...so, not my type)
Life of Pi (philosophical and enjoyable)

I try to read a wide range of books from different authors and perspectives. I also read multiple books at a time. Currently I am in the middle of, The Glass Castle, The Princess Bride and The New Jim Crow. Some books are nonfiction, some fiction, some love stories and some mysteries. My interests are varied so my reading choices should be as well. I will share my thoughts on any of the above readings any time, but have decided not to detail them here...at least not right now.

I have also read numerous short stories and Romeo and Juliet for my students, plus several books for my graduate classes and finally, a few random books about education and puppy raising. :)

Any book recommendations are always welcomed and appreciated.

-Tracey