Exciting times...

Coley is here for the week (to save me from my boredom) and she ran across this great article that gave me the last little "you're doing the right thing" nudge I needed:  11 Things to Know at 25(ish).

Of course it's hard to go to back to school, become jobless, and change careers at 25ish, but apparently I'm not the only one and it just might not be as scary as it seems.

This was my favorite part of the article:

Now is the time to figure out what kind of work you love to do. What are you good at? What makes you feel alive? What do you dream about? You can go back to school now, switch directions entirely. You can work for almost nothing, or live in another country or volunteer long hours for something that moves you. There will be a time when finances and schedules make this a little trickier, so do it now. Try it, apply for it, get up and do it.

Pretty insightful, huh?

Even more exciting than going back to school is the fact that my sister, her husband, and my niece are moving from California to Raleigh in 6 days!  I haven't seen them since Thanksgiving so needless to say, I am ecstatic.  It is going to be bittersweet to see how much my sweet little Zoey has grown and changed over the past 7 months, but I am so happy that I am going to get to be present in her life now.  Not only have I missed my niece terribly, but I've missed my sister more than you could imagine.  It has been so hard to have her so far away through some of the most important times in both of our lives...going off to college, graduation, cheering at college football games, new loves, babies being born, wedding showers, holidays, birthdays, deaths, and all the every day things that you want your family to be a part of.  Even though we couldn't always be together in person because of the distance, there is no doubt our hearts were always together.  I can't wait for all the fun times that will most certainly be had now that my family is back together on the east coast!  





 

Bittersweet...

Tomorrow is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.  I will make that 40 minute drive one more time, pack up my things, and leave my classroom, some of my best friends, and 17 little lives that I hope I've made a difference in.

The way I feel is nothing less than the epitome of bittersweet.  I am happy, relieved, sad, and scared all at once.  I am so sad to leave what I've grown to know the past 3 years.  I am even more sad to leave the amazing friends I've made...Susan, Megan, Keri, and Adrienne.  Without those girls, I couldn't have done it.  I know this isn't goodbye, but I'm sad I won't pass them in the hall or 'live' beside them anymore.  On the other hand, I am so excited to start the next chapter in my life.  I pray for strength, courage, and guidance as I switch from teacher to student.  I pray for the opportunity to learn the things that will lead me to a job that I love.    

With this change, comes many goodbyes.  I hate goodbyes.  I hate saying bye to Clay when he leaves for work. I hate saying bye to my mama when I leave home.  I hate saying goodbye to my sister and my niece when I know I won't see them for another 6 months.  I hate saying goodbye to my girls after an amazing weekend together.  Today, I got a little taste of 'goodbye' as I had to tell one of the sweetest little boys I've ever met goodbye.  This same little boy is going into surgery tomorrow morning to have biopsies taken to confirm the doctor's diagnosis of Crohn's Disease.  As I hugged his mother with tears streaming down both of our faces, trying to console her and tell her that everything will be alright, I looked at that sweet little face beginning to walk down the hall, and thought "THIS is why I became a teacher."  At the same time, I also thought, "this is why I'm going to be a nurse."  What I would give to be the nurse that gets to hold his hand and comfort him as he gets ready for his surgery.  Students like this, and students like my sweet girls from last year are exactly why I did this for three years  I did it for them.  Not for the state department of education, not for the administration, not for anyone but them.

So, it is with a slightly heavy heart that I say goodbye to education and hello to the amazing opportunities that are to come.