THANK YOU!

I made these cards to have the boys sign and mail out but let's face it---January is half-way over and I don't know if these will ever be going out!  However, we still wanted to show just how grateful we were to have such an amazing Christmas made possible by all those who generously shopped, packed, and shipped boxes our way!  The boys were stunned Christmas morning with all the presents that piled up under our tree! 

So THANK YOU! Some highlights this year: a guitar (from Grandpa Dale, Angela, and Karly), ALEX Toys coloring books (Pops & Heather), tons of movies (Nana & Papa), rainjackets (Mark & Kristie) and a TON of other toys that I can't even remember.  THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!

Exciting News!!!

Exciting news!!!!...........No, I am not pregnant.

The past few weeks have been exciting, frustrating, and tearful as I had 2 great job offers that begin immediately and one HUGE job to decide on for next fall.  I sat down and made pros, cons, and decision grids for each job.  Finally, it just came down to gut feelings. 

Last week on the way to one job interview, I got offered a job at a different place.  Crazy, right?  I was offered a part-time position to be the Newborn Hearing Screener at Swedish Ballard Medical Center.  It would have been an intense training but would open up a whole new career to me.  The second job, is part-time at Green Bananas Drop Art Care.  It is a small classroom inside a toy-store that allows you to drop your kids off for up to 4 hours at a time and they can do art projects with the staff. I have used this service many times and the boys love it here. I am a teacher, this is my field, and I would be able to take the boys with me, if needed.  Ultimately, I chose the Art Care job.  I start tomorrow.  Whew.

Lastly, January 20th marks my final deadline to decide whether I want to do Teach For America in the fall.  I spoke with my leaders, answered lots of questions, and weighed my options.  Chances are pretty good that I will be teaching elementary school in Federal Way or Renton next year but even that is still not guaranteed. I really don't want to commute to Federal Way next year but it is necessary to start my official career as a teacher.  There is hope that I will get placed in Seattle Public Schools but given the political climate and controversy still surrounding TFA, is not promising.

And as a back-up plan, I applied to the Master's in Teaching program at Seattle University.  I figure my luck has been so good lately, why not?  I miss being in school and this will open up many doors for me if I don't get placed next fall. 

So there you have it.  It is all very exciting but frustrating as I sat on the floor weighing all these options.  I am so excited to start working with Art Care.  It is such an amazing program and will offer me many rewards.  If you are in Seattle, I strongly encourage you to check out Green Bananas for Art Care or the toy store, 99monkeys. 

For those you wondering, I will still be doing my photography.  For my clients who read this blog, this explains any delay on photos, returning emails, or responding to texts.  I have been BUSY!

I am very blessed to have had so many offers thrown my way.  I wanted a chance to contribute to our family's income without spending a fortune on a childcare.  I am incredibly thankful that my prayers were heard! 

Yay!

New Year...

I can't believe it is already 2013.  It seems like just last year I was ringing in 2000 with my little brother....seriously.  It seems like it all happened over night.  Life. Adulthood.  This year, I fell asleep on the couch, waking up just after midnight to a quiet, dark, house.  How old am I, right?

 We never really set resolutions last year.  Just a general plan: more playtime, technology free days, healthy eating, savings, etc.  I am really proud of the great strides our family has made.  We accomplished all of our goals last year.  Hell yeah!  

This year our resolutions, goals, whatever you call them are pretty awesome.  Save money. We just paid off our credit card bill and will now put that money we would have been paying to debt into savings!  Lose weight. We are off to a great start with our new diet, now it is time to add regular exercise.  I am shopping for gyms this week if anyone in Seattle has some good recommendations! Travel. We keep saying we are going to visit family and friends but we never do.  It is happening this year. I promise. I will make it happen. Kiss more. Dale and I have gotten so busy that we sometimes forget to kiss each other out the door. We also just finished reading The 5 Love Languages and I am excited to see how this pays off in our relationship. Play more. I have a hard time sitting down and just playing when I know the dishes and laundry need to be done.  Truth be told, the dishes and laundry will always need to be done but the boys are only young once.  So play hard! Journal.  Getting in front of the computer is next to impossible, so I started a simple journal to keep track of our activities, I even let Kannon and Clark draw photos of our day!

We are going to continue on our new food journey.  Dale thought I was crazy when I first mentioned trying Paleo.  Now, he swears by it.  Dale says he feels lighter, more energetic, and has notice a dramatic difference in his body shape.  He tells everyone at work about it and loves sharing his meal ideas with others.  The man can cook! I think Dale his channeling his inner caveman because his meals are just downright delicious!

Speaking of food, you may have noticed the new frequency of food-related photos on Facebook and Instagram.  I have made it my personal mission to photograph every Paleo meal we eat this year with the goal of putting them together in a cookbook for our family.  I will try and post recipes here but admittedly, I am busy, and it will most likely happen rarely.  If you see something you want the recipe for, feel free to contact me! I am happy to share!  

Happy new year!