catching up

It has been almost 3 months since my last post, and so much has been going on since then, but I'll start at the beginning...

My last post was right before Spring Break. Alex, my Dad, Whit, Olivia, Georgia, and Mama Thelma and I all went to Tennessee for spring break. My Granny was not feeling well when we left, but we knew if things got bad that we could come home fairly quick. My Dad and I had also spent a lot of time with her the two days before we left and we agreed that we would be ok if something were to happen while we were gone if we could not get back in time. Of course, we did not want this to happen, but so often she has been sick and then has turned right around the next day. So, on we went to the mountains.. This is Alex and I at one of the state parks near Pigeon Forge. Leigh, Erin, and George came on Monday night to join us... we had almost the whole family there!

As things have been going in my family, we got a call first thing Tuesday morning that things had turned very bad for my Granny and she would not live much longer. My Dad, Alex, and I packed up and headed home. We got there about 5 pm and spent all evening with my Granny. She wasn't able to talk to us, but I know that she knew we were there. My Dad spent the night with her and she died early on Wednesday morning. My Granny is probably the most loving person I have ever known. I never heard a harsh word from her and she knew how to make every day one worth living. I miss her more than I ever thought I could but I know that she is with so many of my family members in Heaven. It was not how I planned to spend my Spring Break, but I was thankful for the time off and not having to worry about work at all. Here is a picture of my Granny about six weeks before she died, on her 87th birthday! Sometime soon I hope to post just about her an all the things that I loved about her.

Spring Break ended with Easter, which was very fitting because it was one of my Granny's favorite holidays. She was one of those people that hung plastic eggs outside on her trees and always made little easter baskets for us. Here is George inspecting the eggs before we hid them.

Once I got back to work it took me awhile to get settled into the groove, but about mid-April I had no choice because it was time for annual reviews. This is when we meet on ALL of the special ed students in the district. So, lots of meetings to have and things to do this time of the year on top of what I do on a daily basis.

The weekend after Easter my Dad's cousin invited us to come to Charleston and watch the Blue Angels perform from his boat. We really weren't excited about traveling after everything that had been going on, but decided to go anyway. It turned out to be a really good trip and it was nice to be around family outside of a funeral home. I got some great pictures of the planes and it was an awesome show! I can't believe how close these plans get at such high speeds, sometimes flying upside down.

The end of April brought a little bit of a break with me going to see Bon Jovi!! He is one of my most favorite artists and this was the third concert of his that I had been to. Sarah, a friend of mine that I also work with, went with me. We had a blast and I can't wait for the next tour

May started and with this month came a first birthday for one of my best friend's little boys. Carter turned one and he is such a cute and happy baby!! I am so glad I was able to be a part of his big day!

That brings me to the end of school. I found out from my boss that I would be moving from my middle school to the 9th grade campus next year. I really wasn't given an option so I'm trying to keep a positive outlook on this change. I have enjoyed my middle school and am really going to miss the staff there. However, I think change can be good and I hope to learn a lot and experience some new things at the new school.

It has been really nice being out from work right now. It came at just the right time. I did have to go to a 4 day training this week on nonviolent crisis intervention. I went with two other psychologists and we were trained to be able to come back to our district and train others on how to deal with kids when their behaviors escalate. I learned a lot that I can use at work, but also that I can use in my everyday living.

It is now mid June and I still have a lot to go this summer. I hope to get to go to Charleston with my family. I am definitely looking forward to a mission trip to West Virginia in July with Milestones. Alex and I are both going and I am hoping to get to meet some new people and do some great work for God while I'm at it!

At the end of July I am having eye surgery, which I'm scared about, but really need to have done. I have double vision and contacts are not an option for me right now. I have a prism that is on one side of my glasses that helps me from seeing two of everything, but it will be really nice to get this fixed! It is not a surgery that I HAVE to get done, but it is likely that I will have to keep getting stronger prisms as my eye gets weaker. So, I decided to go ahead with it... I also got a 2nd and 3rd opinion on the surgery and everyone agreed that it would be best for me to do it. It is scheduled for July 23rd and the recovery is not supposed to be bad at all. Say some prayers that it goes well.

That's all for now, hopefully I can post again and it won't be three months from now!