Check, Check...1,2....

It's really hard for me to grasp that Thanksgiving has come and gone...December is just around the corner...2014 is quickly coming to a close and I've definitely dropped off with this blogging thing.

November has been a super busy month. We've been working on rearranging the tiny apartment to fit two people comfortably. So that translates to us tearing apart the apartment weekend...all in the name of organization. We're getting closer to being finished, I think...I hope. But I imagine when we finally get it to a place we both like, we'll move. We're not actively looking for a new place at the moment, but I know we won't stay here for forever. 500 square feet is perfectly acceptable for a single gal, it doesn't really work as well for two. But we're making it work and it's starting to feel more like home for both of us.

Scott's getting settled into work. I think he likes it...for the most part. I know he doesn't particularly care for the drive, but I think he's getting used to it. He's timed his schedule so he misses the the really heavy commuter traffic and he gets home about the same time I do, which is nice.

Work has been...difficult for me the last month or so. We've been hitting argument writing pretty hard and I think I may have pushed my students a little too much because student behavior has been off the charts nuts. But, that can also be explained by a number of things...the holidays are upon us, shift in the weather, they're teenagers. I've also been bored. I teach the same thing every single class period. That means I teach the same lesson for two days straight with the A/B block schedule. Last year I taught two classes, was on productivity (no planning period every other day), department chair, leadership team, Academic Bowl coach...I was busy. I'm not busy in the same way. And I'm not saying that I want to be that busy again, but I wouldn't mind a little more variety to my day. Hopefully next year I'll be able to add a new class to my schedule.

We've been married for less than two months. It's kind of funny because two months seems like too short, but there will be times when I look at him and think "is he really my husband?" "Am I really married?" It's a bit surreal at times. I imagine that goes away with time, but I hope the little flip I get when I see him never goes away.

Thanksgiving was low key for us this year. We went to Idaho Falls and spent some time with friends and family up there. I made out like a bandit at Book City used bookstore...12 books for $20! Pretty great. He knows how to make this girl happy!

Thanksgiving in Idaho Falls - so grateful for this sweet man!

He experienced Hobby Lobby and was super excited about the Star Wars box...we did not go home with it.

All in the name of "organization"

It turned out pretty well. The books still need to be organized, but that can wait.

Best kind of Black Friday shopping...50% off all books. Umm, yes please!

My loot...(The Moonstone, Gone With the Wind, David Copperfield, Little House on the Prairie, By the Shores of Silver Lake, Trumpet of the Swan, Pamela, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Anne of Ingleside)

Count your blessings...

I am feeling incredibly blessed tonight and I just needed to share it with the interwebs.

• I've finished my first week at my new job teaching high school. There were, of course, some ups and downs but I seriously love what I do. I love working with my students and helping them learn. I love the ridiculous things they say and how silly they are. I love getting to know them, and helping them achieve their goals. I had forgotten how exhausting the start of a new year is. It's a shock to your system - mental and physical. My feet and legs ache at the end of the day, my voice is a little raspy after talking all day, my legs are definitely feeling the three flights of stairs that I take multiple times a day. I'm a little brain dead today. But at the end of it all...I love it. Moving to the high school and leaving behind my security net of friends was a big move for me. I was nervous and unsure I had made the right decision, but after this week, I can say I'm so happy to have made the switch. I have the best job in the world.

• Even though I'm at a new school I still get to see familiar faces. All my students from last year that are 10th graders this year are roaming the halls. They stop me in the halls to say hi. My football players run up to me and give me bone crushing hugs. Girls that gave me attitude all year stop to talk about their day. I think it's a comfort to both of us. We're all starting a new school and, let's be honest, it's a little intimidating. It's good to see friendly faces in the halls...even those students that were a pain in the rear last year. It reminds me why I do what I do.

• I have such amazing friends. With all the ups and downs of the past four-ish months I have had a whole cadre of wonderful and stalwart friends from every part of my life step up to support me and encourage me. Friends are something that I've always struggled with. Historically, it's been difficult for me to make friends. Through school I'd typically have one really close friend and then various acquaintances. Never before in my life have I been surrounded and supported by so many strong, loving, kind, intelligent women. Thank you. You have gotten me through the past three years...most especially the past six months. You all inspire and amaze me with your individual talents and strengths.

• I'm not sure just how to articulate this one...Vlad is...well, he's the best blessing. He's a man that isn't afraid of hard work. He's a man of quiet strength. He works so hard to improve himself and he's constantly, without realizing it most of the time, challenging me to do the same. We've been apart for about a month and a half and it's gone by quickly yet agonizingly slow. The best part of my day is when I get to Skype with him before going to bed. We're still waiting to hear back from his interview last week, but we're definitely feeling hopeful. If he gets the job, he could be here in 2ish weeks!!! How amazing would that be?!?!

• And finally, and most importantly, I am so thankful for the guiding hand of my Heavenly Father in my life the past year. It hasn't been an easy path that's lead me to my current happy situation. There have been lots of ups and downs, and at times I was ready to give up hope. I am so grateful that He never gave up on me. I have seen His hand and His love in my life in ways that are so undeniable it's almost laughable. I am blessed and grateful...so very grateful.