Admin...

I had a goal of becoming a school administrator before I was 35 years old. Low and behold God granted me the job 2 days before my 35th birthday. I am very thankful that God's plans were in my heart. I worried when I didn't get a job for a while but I have faith that I am at the school I am supposed to be at. Turned out after getting turned down for 4 jobs I was the number one pick for the last two- that was an ego boost!
I shed my Cobra skin last Friday and traded it for the deep waters of the Shark Tank! It was so hard to leave the school and people that I love and have worked with for the last 7 years, they were incredibly generous and made me feel like I was moving away from home! I am really enjoying the new position though I still have to ask about a million questions a day- it is very strange going from being the person with all the answers to the one with all the questions. I pray for strength and a good memory- I feel awful not knowing anyone's name! It is fun dealing with kids differently and meeting their parents. I know it will not all be fun and games but for now I am just both thankful and exhausted!!

Back to reality

Well I am back from a week long conference in San Diego. It was an adventure in so many ways! Plans changed about 20 times before the trip even began and it ended with me riding alone with a colleague in my car instead of 4 of us in my bosses big Yukon. Though the drive was overwhelming I learned a lot- the person I drove with suffers from bi-polar disorder and though he takes meds he still struggles. His insecurities were so pronounced that it was like a mirror into my own. I realize that I need to just take life as it comes, the good, the bad, the ugly, whatever. My license plate says TSALLGD "It's all good" and that is what I must keep in my head- God makes all things good for those who love Him. While in SD I found out that I did not get the job I was hoping for. I had the guts to ask the principal what I could do to improve and he went to lunch with a few of us one day and was very honest. Basically I was too smiley and wasn't difinative enough with my answers- he said it looked like I was searching for the answer. He grilled me and gave me some really good advice so hopefully it will pay off soon. Of course my AP Dave said he called me out as the Joker which made me laugh because really he did! Oh well, I am a smiley person but I learned that I need more confidence- I shouldn't walk in hoping they pick me but I need to walk in knowing they will lose out if they don't pick me. I keep going back to God because I am confident that He will place me where I should be but it is hard not to feel like a complete loser! Sitting in 5 days of meetings with the people who didn't give me a job was a blow to the ego but I also had a chance to get to know other people who someday might give me a job!
San Diego is just beautiful and though I wanted to avoid a few people like the plague (sometimes too much togetherness is NOT a good thing) I still had a good time. Dave was wonderful and would not ditch me even though his family was there- they had a separate vacation and I was so thankful that I had someone that didn't annoy me to hang out with!
Reality starts tomorrow- back to work, I won't go in everyday but tomorrow is the beginning of the end of summer!

Crazy/ Lazy Summer

I am including a few photos from my 2 adventures this summer- one is of the "girls' cruise" that my sister organized and surprised me with a ticket for as a Christmas present. The other is my Intervarsity reunion with dear friends in Flagstaff over the 4th of July.

This summer has been quite interesting, I am the DIT- Dean In Training- for summer school and it is currently running so smoothly that the principal, office manager and myself play Settlers between attendance and the break. When people come to the door we all rush out of the conference room to help them and we rush to the phones when they ring. I refused to play this game for several years now though my friend Mo begged several times. I just knew that once I played it I wouldn't be able to get enough. This morning the principal had to leave campus for a meeting and then when he returned I had to leave campus to go for yet another interview. That meant no Settlers today. I have to say I felt OK about the interview (after I emailed an answer that I knew but forgot the voice) and it was a very good reason to have to forgo the game but the day just wasn't the same. Hopefully tomorrow will get us back on track!

I leave Sunday for another little excursion- this one to San Diego for the AVID conference. Though the coordinator meetings last year were excruciating I am totally looking forward to the trip. It is a great way to get to know other people in the district and from around the country and we always have a great time going out on the town at night! Last year three of us nearly killed a pedicab driver who was on the bike for the first time- he was very ambitious and thought, though he was about 40 lbs., that he could take all three of us up the hill to the Gas Lamp District. Dave had to jump off so the poor little guy didn't keel over! Needless to say we gave him a big tip!

I am so excited to hear from old friends and to know that others are coming back to Vegas!! Woo Hoo!

WOW

Oh my goodness, it has been almost a year since my last posting. Why? My computer was stolen and then I didn't get a new one until recently- I had my blog as a "favorite" and when that was gone so was my desire to write. It was a fun and BUSY school year, I successfully finished my second year as the ELL specialist at my school and I felt more competent this year though MANY things went wrong. I was given the chance to do a ton of leadership this year and I got to help with the master schedule, testing, and all manor of other things that will prepare me for the future. I also finished Leadership (required by our district in order to move into an administrative position) with a 97%. It was tough at times but I really loved the information and the people that I met through the process. I am currently applying for administrative positions and though I have heard from some big wig district people that my name is being thrown around I have yet to get a position. I realize that I am not a great interviewer, I end up babbling if I get nervous and then walk out wanting to kick myself! I am generally so confident when it comes to school but I am not as confident when talking about the Dean's office- I believe I have a general idea of how to handle things because I have volunteered in the Dean's office a lot but the details of it are going to be an on the spot education! I have gone to 3 interviews, one of which I knew I wouldn't get because they needed a person of color (my blond hair and green eyes weren't going to cut it!), I found out yesterday that I principal I greatly admire has a spot open so I will try and get an interview there but it is for a high school and it is even farther from my house. I know it is God's decision, where I go, when I go, if I go. I am struggling with that because not getting a job feels like failure, waiting on God's will puts me in my place and that is difficult. I am not close to God and that makes it all that much more difficult. I have not been to church in a LONG time. My house church broke up when everyone but 2 of us moved away and then my partner in church got married to someone who didn't want to do house church anymore. There are a few churches that I would like to try but of course they are on the other side of town and I can't decide if I can afford to do that. I want to go to a church that I can become a part of and living so far away will not help me to build relationships. I can't afford to live without fellowship so that will have to win out in the end! Going to a new church alone is also intimidating, satan must love that! I have recently gone on two great vacations that I will have to discuss at a later time... My brain is full, my heart is heavy and my hope is overwhelming- God is in control and I think I am ready to listen!!