Why I Work

     As summer is quickly coming to a close, I am beginning to mentally prepare to go back to school. Every year, the summer ends and every year I grumble. It’s what teachers do. Some because they hate their jobs and are miserable all year. Most of us just because summer has been way too short and our “to do” lists are still way too long. This year is no different for me, but there is something I am looking forward to tomorrow.

     I work with the most amazing group of people. The whole faculty at West is great, but the teachers of the 200 building are the reason I want to come to school every day. Three years ago, West started a Freshmen Academy and we were all thrown together in weekly meetings and 20 minutes daily cramped around the tiny workroom lunch table. Most of us were complete strangers; several of us were new to West and teaching in general. It took a while to really get to know everyone, but when we clicked, we became the envy of the entire school. Of course, no one has ever said that to us, but we feel sure we are.

     All kidding aside, I could not have picked better colleagues to spend my day with. When I got engaged in my classroom, one of the best things about the excitement was getting to share it with some of my dearest friends. When Skip was looking for a job and we were buying a house and planning a wedding and I was really worried about how we were going to pay for it all, my co-workers offered encouraging words and prayers for my peace of mind. When the kids are on my nerves and there is no workday in sight, I still work with great teachers. When kids seem to need more help every year and requirements seem to get tougher, I am not alone in the struggle. I’ve got friends to commiserate with and celebrate with and enjoy life with and even cry with sometimes.

Bring on 7am.

Happy Birthday to Skip

     Today is Skip's 30th birthday.  I think I've always gotten more excited about his birthday than he has his own.  When we lived in different states, birthdays usually meant a visit, which was pretty much what I lived for during those years.  Now that we're married, I just love making a fuss over him.  He is so appreciative of any and everything done for him.  We're still really new to this marriage thing, but I love learning stuff I didn't already know about him.  Here's a few things about Skip that not everyone knows.

- His feet are extremely ticklish!  He sqwirms like crazy when I even get near them.

- His favorite food is steak, second favorite... peanut butter and jelly.

- He often helps pay bills for others who can't pay them for themselves.

- When he borrowed Nanny's car last month while hers was in the shop, he replaced her broken seatbeat fastener and never mentioned it to either of us.

- When he was on the road the first months of our relationship, he wrote mushy love notes and brought them home to me.

- After 9pm, he falls asleep standing up.

- He almost died when he was less than a year old.  (Ask MawMaw for the details)

- The first time he came to Kannapolis, he thought, "I never want to live here."

- He asked me if I wanted to go look at rings on our 3rd date!

- He once introduced me to a large group of girls as his "girfriend, Kristen."

 

In Between

I wrote this about a month before our wedding.  I guess this is really where I got the name for the blog.
 
   There is a place just past Blowing Rock on 321 heading down the mountain that holds a special memory for me. When I was in college and would head home for a long holiday or a quick weekend visit, I had this worship ritual as I drove along the curvy peaks. It was around the same spot each trip that I would feel the undeniable desire to worship my Savior. Although the view was often breathtaking, it had nothing to do with the scenery. It was the knowledge of where I was heading and what was just behind me that compelled me to offer praise. In Boone, I had made the most amazing friends in a group of Bible study girls and continued a friendship that is now going on 17 years with my very best girl friend. At home, I had a Mama and Nanny that knew all about me and loved me anyway. On that journey home, around the same spot each time, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. I had the best of both worlds- roots and wings- and they both fit perfectly.

     When we bought our house in March and Skip moved in, I began spending many evenings around 9pm on the roads that connect my first real house to the home of my youth. Although the drive is much shorter, the feelings have been much the same as those long drives from Boone to Kannapolis. I kissed the man of my dreams goodnight and drove home in time to end the day talking with my closest confidant. How can one person be so lucky? How can I not offer my praise for the blessings I’ve been given? I embraced the changes and excitement that our marriage is going to bring on the dark drive “home” from Bunker Ct. I’ve felt an overwhelming peace about our new life together and mama’s empty nest. I’ve prayed for jobs, friends, and finances, and I’ve praised His name for answering in His time.
      If there is one thing that I’ve learned through my journey between the blessings in my life is that I don’t have to choose. And that being in between, just me and God, is a pretty awesome place to be.

Take One

     I'm new at this blogging thing, but I have been a writer forever.  When I helped my Nanny move into new furniture a few months back, we ran across little notes that I'd written her over 15 years ago.  Some to say, "I love you," and others to try and con her into picking me up early from school.  My love of the written word helped me choose my profession. My old journals from college help me remember those intimate times I spent with the Lord on the mountain.  That "husband list" I created when I was 18 confirmed my suspicions that Skip was really "the one."  I have been able to express my love and appreciation for family and friendships that I could never have done out loud in between the folds of hallmark cards.  I am a writer.
     When the blog craze began, I didn't really understand it.  When a girl in a grad class shared her blog about her home improvements, I thought it was the silliest thing I'd ever read. And then, I started to read my mother-in-law's blog "Confessions of an Erdmom" and it almost always made me cry.  Then, my college roomate Ashley Eller started "Red Barstools," a blog about her busy kitchen and running The Sweetie Pie, her organic bakery.  It was official; I was jealous.  I wanted a place to share my moments. I wanted a blog, but who would read it?
     I told Skip that I was thinking about starting a blog and he was very encouraging (as usual).  "But, who will read it?" I whined.  "Whoever you want to," he said.  And then I realized that I don't care so much who reads it.  Ultimately, I hope that some friends and family will find some time to laugh with me and at me and even cry when it's appropriate, but I've taught my kids for years that writing for the sake of writing is ok, even if you're only writing for yourself.  I'm going to take my own advice on this one.  But, Thank You for reading .