Song of the South...

It makes me so excited to report that last weekend I woke up and, for the first time since leaving California and moving to Tennessee, I felt like myself - my complete self. It wasn't until I felt this comfort in my own skin that I realized how uncomfortable I had been. And, wow, does it feel great!

I am growing a deep love for Tennessee that I knew I would since I visited in April to interview and explore.

One of the most incredible sights that I have seen in my two and a half months of living here is the ever-changing sky. Seriously, it is breathtaking. Whether sunrise, mid-day, or sunset, there really is never a time that doesn't make me stop in my tracks and look in awe.

Here are some pictures to help give you an idea...

But, it's not just the beauty of the sky. I've made some great friends, both at work and away. The two other cheer coaches, Davita and Erica, make my life so fun, which is great because the three of us spend the majority of our time together at practices, games, and just hanging out. Some of the other teachers that I have become friends with have also made this whole transition so much easier (new school, new staff, new students, new everything related to working at a school!). So, here are some photos of them!

Lunch Duty - we always hang out with each other rather than eating alone.

Davita, Erica, Me, and Emily

Cereal Fridays

Me, Krislyn, Deborah, PG, Erica, Davita, and Emily

Cheer Coaches at the first football game!

E, D, and me

Celebrating Davita at her wedding reception!

Me, D, and Emily

Shakespeare in the Park!

Emily, her husband Ryan, Me, Annie, and Matt

My girl, D, and me!

Waiting for the rain to come this past Friday night.

I think I will have the three of us take this photo at nearly every game!

The rains came!

The friends that I have made outside of work are equally as important and fulfilling. 

I have made several friends and acquaintances already, but the two gals that I am getting closest with are two of the sweetest gals I've known. I am blown away by how welcoming and kind they have been to me since the moment I met them. 

I knew that it would be hard to move to a place where no one knew anything about me, and I think I did a pretty good job in preparing myself for the times of loneliness (even when surrounded by a lot of people) and the times when I would have the same surface-level conversation over and over ("Where are you from?" "How long have you been in TN?" "What brought you here?"). 

I don't mind having these conversations, as they are necessary in beginning depth in any relationship, but with these two gals I have really been able to go beyond the surface and into the depths of "real" friendships, and I couldn't be happier about it! Here are a couple pics...

Hannah and I at Bosco's one morning after brunch.

Maria, Hannah, and I last week at Tatziki's for dinner.

Seriously, these girls are wonderful and I am SO thankful for them.

Something about the south that I have experienced (and so excited to have had the chance to) is Homecoming. I didn't realize that in the south, the students make floats! They work on them all week long (teachers have to take shifts to supervise the construction of them) and then pull them in a city-wide parade. Seriously, it was so fun! And so unexpected. Here are some pictures of the floats during the parade to give you an idea...

A view of the outside of our stadium (just so you can see it).

Our Cheer float

"Spartan Pride"

The Freshmen float

"Blast 'em"

The Junior float

"Cage the Coyotes"

The Senior float

"Cook the Coyotes"

And my favorite, the Sophomore float

"Spartan Victory is up, up, & away"

After the parade, there was a huge bonfire. And it was awesome.

To end this post, I will put up pics from my Ma's trip a few weeks ago. It was so needed. 

I had texted her after the first day of school (completely overwhelmed), and literally wept on FaceTime with her for an hour and a half. Everything hit at once, and I was imploding into myself with the stress of it all (new state, new job, new home, new friends, new everything). 

After about thirty minutes of listening to my hysteria, and comforting me between my irrational statements ("I made a huge mistake in moving here." "What have I done?" "This was a huge mistake."), I noticed she was doing something else. She reassured me that she wasn't ignoring me, but rather was looking at flights to come visit me over the long Labor Day weekend. 

And then everything seemed to get a little better. 

It was only two weeks away, and I was homesick. Since I couldn't go home then, she brought home to me! 

Literally, I woke up the day after my huge meltdown refreshed and completely happy with my decision in moving here (hormones also played a huge part in that meltdown). I just needed to get it all out, and there is no one better than my Ma to do that with. I am so thankful for her, and for the trip that we had. 

These pictures only show a glimpse into our weekend, but you should be able to tell how wonderful those few days were!

We "twinned" at our first home game!

We went to Kentucky to visit my friend, Brie's, general store!

I finally got to take my jumping pic in front of the Tennessee state line sign!

And my Ma was there to be the one to take it!

We got to meet my Ma's cousin, Debi, who she met through ancestry.com. So fun!

We toured the Belmont Mansion!

We walked on the Shelby Street Bridge to get the best view of downtown Nashville!

She got to stay in my cute home!

And she helped me re-create a shelf we saw at a furniture store.

And bought it for me for a house-warming gift!

To say the least, having my mom here for the weekend - showing her around, taking her to my work, meeting some of my friends, getting to know the place that I am living my life in - was wonderful. 

I was told by several people before I left California that in moving to a new state, I could be whoever I wanted to be. And I am happy to report that I am still the same me:

Still drinking coffee with too much cream (or Starbucks) every day. 

Still taking too many pics of myself and posting them to my favorite app (Instagram). 

Still playing my radio way too loud, and dancing while I drive down the freeway (they call it the "Interstate" here). 

Still driving a bit too fast...and a bit too slow in the crazy rain.

Still hitting "snooze" for nearly 45 minutes each morning while I try to wake up.

Still afraid of spiders.

Still avoiding my patio until it gets slightly cooler because of those spiders.

Still eating chicken every single day.

Still baking (and eating too much of it).

Still reading (or listening to audio books!) nearly every single day.

Still spending too much money at Target.

Still slightly OCD in organizing my house and classroom.

Still really slow at getting everything graded (because it takes so long to get everything planned).

Still loving being a teacher, and knowing that aside from raising my kids one day, there is nothing else I would rather do.

Still me.

Just living in Tennessee.

And loving it.

Exactly who I want to be.

*Taken for my girl, K-Weg, last week - drinking an iced coffee with half and half in her honor!*

This post is kind of all over the place. 

Until last weekend, I felt like I was, too. 

But I'm seeing the puzzle start to come together, one piece at a time. Right now, I'm in the "find the corner pieces" stage; pretty soon the rest of the edge pieces will come together. I know that there will continue to be hard times, happy times, mundane times, lonely times - all the "times" that will create the middle of the puzzle. And I'm excited to keep watching it put itself together.

Until the next blog, y'all!