So many changes...

It has been far too long since I last posted a blog, and it is a goal of mine to not let the time get away from me again!

First off, August 17th - I must wish a Happy 34th Anniversary to my parents and a Happy 32nd Birthday to my brother! I love you all so much!!

Alright, now down to business.

Well, as the title suggests, I have had a lot of changes in the past few weeks. And I mean a lot. The first to note would be where I live. Nearly two weeks ago I moved out of my cute Nashville apartment (that I was only living in for July) and moved into a cute little place in Brentwood (one city south of Nashville). I am slowly {but surely} getting everything unpacked, and I have even managed to get some stuff on the walls!

The next major noteworthy change is teaching at a new school. There is so much more to transitioning into a new school than meeting an entire new staff and an entire new group of kids. (Those transitions have been the easiest so far.) What is much more difficult to get used to, and honestly what I didn't even think about in the process of looking to teach in Tennessee and getting hired, is everything else - new rules and expectations in the school and district, new acronyms for everything (state testing, district testing, programs within the school and district), new online grading systems, and so much more. 

Though all of this is difficult and will take some time in getting used to, I am thankful that I have been exposed to change in my career already. Moving from teaching elementary to teaching high school is the closest thing I can compare these changes to, so it's not as overwhelming as it could be. 

I really like my new co-workers (but I miss my friends at San Juan Hills like crazy!), and have already made some really good friends. I'm having my first housewarming dinner on Monday night with a few of them! (My main reason for getting the rest of my stuff unpacked.)

This picture was taken the week before school started (at a nearby high school) during the New Teacher Induction meetings.

First day of school! (Technically second, but my first day with students.)

Me, Erica, and Davita - Summit High School Cheer coaches!

Kacie and I - Summit's soccer coach and Science teacher extraordinaire! 

Not the best photos I've taken, but what can you do? There are several other teacher-friends that I haven't taken pics with yet, but I will at some point, and I will get them documented :)

A third change to note...THE WEATHER! It has been chilly(!) here the past couple of mornings, and I think we may get an early Fall. And I am more than okay with that. Tonight, as I was driving down to Summit for the "Summit Fest" (a way our school reaches out to the community and starts the school year off - our girls were performing at it), Tennessee debuted, in my opinion, one of its most beautiful sunsets yet.

Another change that I've been dealing with, one that is actually the easiest, is going to a new church. I've been going to CrossPoint in Nashville since I got here (and before actually, as I went on the Sunday I was here for Spring Break), and just started greeting last week! I really like it and I'm excited to keep getting involved and getting to know more people.

Though there are so many new changes to living in a new state (we can talk on our cell phones while driving, there are carpool lanes that are designated "carpool" for specific high-traffic times during the day, there are still no seat protectors in restrooms aside from Starbucks, there are frequent rainstorms that don't last for very long but can flash flood areas in a matter of minutes, etc.), I am having the time of my life. Don't get me wrong, I've had my share of hard times, and actual doubts as to whether or not I made the right decision in moving here. But, when it all comes down to it, I am confident that this is where I need to be right now. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know that today holds Tennessee, and I want to make the most of it.

Along the line of making the most of today, I received the worst news that any one could receive yesterday. A former student of mine, Tyler, lost his life two nights ago. I taught him when he was a freshman, and throughout the next three years of his high school career I would see him around the campus, or he would stop by my class to say "hi." From what I could tell, Tyler made an impact on those around him because he was always kind to them. He had a calm demeanor, and you could tell that he was liked by everyone just because of who he was. Nearly every time I would see him, he had a smile on his face because he was a genuinely happy young man. He just graduated high school; his life was ahead of him. I cannot recall a time that he was anything but polite to me. And my heart is absolutely broken.

I've never had a student of mine die, and I pray I never have to hear of another. I know how bad my heart is aching, and I cannot begin to imagine what his family and friends are going through. It is hard knowing that I will not be able to honor his much-too-short life by attending his Memorial Service in California, but I hope that this little blurb is a testimony to his character.

I cannot get out of my mind how short and precious life is. I have a tattoo of Habakkuk 3:17-18 on my left arm, and what a sweet reminder it is daily:

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

Basically, though everything is taken away, I will still rejoice in the Lord and take joy in Him.

Things will not always go the way we want them to, but in the end it is these difficult times that change us and mold us into who we become. Life is not easy, and at times much too short, but each day, each moment, creates us into who we are. And I hope that when I leave this earth one day, my life, with all of its hardships and blessings, will resonate a deep, visible joy that can only come from God.