Adventures Down the Red Dirt Road: It has been awhile

Wow...I just realized that it has been a long time since I have written. I feel like a lot has happened since then. The biggest thing is that I graduated a few weeks ago with my Elementary Education degree. It is the strangest thing to consider myself a teacher now. I have known I have wanted to teach since I was five years old, but it was always a far off dream. Now it is here. Crazy. But I am so excited that it is here and that soon I will hopefully be doing what I have always dreamed of. The past several months I have been spending the majority of my time filling out applications for teaching positions in Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, and now possibly West Virginia. I am really open to going anywhere as long as I am teaching. Also, I would love to not be totally alone. It would be great to live at home or with some Taylor friends for a year or two to get some teaching experience in. During that time of learning, I want to pay my school loans off so that I can be out of debt. Then, if God is still leading me in the direction He is now, I plan on teaching overseas or starting some type of teaching ministry. Only God knows. I am thankful that He does and that is all that matters. To be honest, the past few weeks at home have been difficult and full of doubt in my heart. I have not only been applying to teaching positions but also to summer jobs. I have never been more broke in my life and now I currently do not have health insurance since I graduated. I feel like each day I hear the clock ticking and more and more of my friends are getting teaching jobs. I have been reminding myself the past few days who gave me this passion for teaching. Why worry when the Lord has directed my steps for twenty-two years. He won't stop now. So, I am excited to see where "next" is for me. Until then, I am enjoying spending time with my family and some extra time with my grandparents. Yesterday I was visiting them and thinking how blessed I am to have grandparents still that love me so much and that I can see whenever I want. I don't want to take this for granted.

Well, besides all of that....our swimming pool is almost ready for jumping in! Today we can see the bottom of the deep end. I am always like a little kid when it comes to the pool. We are hoping that Lexie (our 125lb. dog) doesn't try swimming too. This is her first summer with us, so she is still trying to figure out why we are now outside so much and looking at this cement pond. It ought to be interesting. :)

Here are some pictures of the last days while at Taylor.