My 26th birthday will definitely be one that I remember. I came down with a nasty cold on Wednesday. I was able to push through on Thursday, but I stayed home of Friday. I’m really glad that I got everything ready for a sub before I left Thursday because even if I felt better, I would not have been mentally able to go to work.

Ryan was laid off from his job on Thursday. This did not come as a complete shock, but you can never fully prepare yourself for that reality. His company laid off several people, including his boss.  We definitely need your prayers. In this market and economy, a job is hard to find.

Many people are saying, “We’ll at least Brooke got a raise with her teaching job.” I just want to clear the air. I am bringing home the same (if not less) now than I did before. This is due to the fact that I will only actually work 71 out of the 193 days in the school year. They adjusted my salary accordingly. I also have a lengthy commute now (thank goodness for the temporary low gas prices).

So, 26 was a sucky birthday. I’m hoping and praying that next year will be better, and that the perfect job for Ryan is right around the corner.

Oh, I also put week seven up earlier this week, but I forgot to let you know.

2-16-09

How does your garden grow? By bulbs that were planted by the previous house owner.

2-17-09

First day of teaching. I’m officially Mrs. O’Toole, Kindergarten Teacher

2-18-09

We’ll just call this the before picture.

2-19-09

I will never enjoy this part of my new job.

2-20-09

Dinner with the girls. It’s so great to have such an awesome support group! I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

2-21-09

Jonathan and I had a shared Wii bowling birthday party. It was tons of fun. I’ll post about it soon.

2-22-09

This was the sweetest present I have received. My mother in law went to US Toy with my nephew Daniel, who is in kindergarten. Together, they picked out a ton of toys to create a treasure box for my class. It is the best gift.

Wednesday was a bad day. I cried. I thought that I would never return to the madness that is DISD. It all escalated out of panic. I had a boy run out of the classroom and down the hall past where I could even see him anymore. My mind raced. I do not have a phone in my room, and how would I get help without leaving my class? Thankfully a friend I had made stopped by right at that time.

My adrenaline was already going though, and I lost it.  I had training Wednesday morning, and apparently the sub that was in my room was AWEFUL! Thursday was better, but I spent most of the day at training. Friday was good, and today was even better. My room is starting to look more like me, and I also get to order $300 worth of stuff for my kiddos!

I definitely have challenging personalities in my class, but it’s only a matter of time before they fall in line. My team is really not that great. I won’t go into details, but I have permission to go down my own path and do what I feel the kids need to get caught up.

I think I’m going to make it. I was talking to the assistant principal at Vega Friday night, and she said, “If you can teach in Dallas, then you can teach anywhere!” Hopefully she will have a spot for me next year!

Today was my first official day as a Dallas ISD employee. It was a little heartbreaking when I first went into my room. There was nothing on the walls or in the classroom. I can’t see how they had class in there. I felt so bad for the kids.

I was also a little shocked by the curriculum. It is so very different from both McKinney and Plano. I definitely know that I ‘m going to be able to make a big difference here. I even got hugs today from some kids, and the parents showed relief to find out that I was the permanent teacher.

This class has never had a permanent teacher. It has just been one substitute after another. The first few weeks are going to be hard, but I’m up for it.

is up…well most of it.

2-9-09

Did it snow? Nope that’s dog hair. The puppies are much cooler and stylish now.

2-10-09

I was hired today to teach kindergarten in Dallas ISD. What a day! We had to celebrate with our BFFs, Jenn and Jon, at the Cheesecake Factory.  Blessings abound!

2-11-09

Miss Aubree is one week old today. She is such a sweet baby. I’m a little sad that I’m not going to see her on a daily basis.

2-12-09

(picture not available yet due to a slacking friend, LOL)

Jenn was in a car accident. A Jeep hit her on the driver side. Everyone was okay, but the Toaster did not fair as well. The irony is that I had just dropped my car off at the dealership when she called. The window regulator went out (can’t believe that such a small part can cost $450 to replace).  We went to Cristina’s for dinner, and Jenn ordered a large margarita! She deserved it.

2-13-09

Do you think she might be part dalmation? We always forget about all of her spots until we shave her.

2-14-09

We had the most perfect day. Lunch with my grandparents, shopping for teacher stuff with Jenn, and a late dinner together at Love & War in Texas. Ryan and I also made these treats for out moms and Nick. They were yummy! I’ll share the recipe later.

2-15-09

Ryan and I teach four year olds at church every Sunday. We have brought in playdough for the kids to use. Someone had used our playdough since last Sunday and…… they mixed all the colors together. Who does that? One of the kids said, “They did not follow the rules.” These are some of the kids showing how sad they are about the playdough.

January was a very tough month for Ryan and me. One night, as I was crying my eyes out, I said to Ryan, “There has got to be something good coming. It’s just too hard and bad right now for a blessing to not be on its way.”

The devil will do whatever is necessary to steal your joy and pull you from God. I stand today with a teaching job and the good news that I passed my ESL test. My faith is renewed and strengthened.

My hope is that those who are finding themselves in the middle of an attack (sickness, unemployment, family drama, etc), stay faithful and lean on God. It too is just a season. Your difficulties could just be the devil trying to break you down before God blesses your socks off!

is finally up!

2-2-09

Leftovers never tasted so good!

2-3-09

I’m in love with this bush. So are the bees. Does anyone know what kind of plant this is?

2-4-09

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Baby Aubree was supposed to be born via c-section on Friday, but the doctor decided that her birthday would be today.  What a happy family!

2-5-09

Do not go to bed with wet hair.

2-6-09

I made this sweet boy cry today while teaching at Vega. He said shut up to one of the girls in the class. When I asked him about he said, “You’re not going to tell my dad, are you?” Then he started crying. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his head in my stomach and cried. He stayed like that for 10 minutes (even though I kept telling him that he was not in trouble).

2-7-09

Sleepover time! Faith started to run a fever, so she had to go home. Liz and Caitlyn made her some Valentine’s Day cookies.

2-8-09

Man this girl can eat! She had two whole chicken legs, fries, and mac-n-cheese.

So I’m a little behind on my Project 365 pics. I have a good excuse, really!

I taught yesterday at Vega for the 100th day of school. It honestly left me completely pooped out. My eternal clock was trying to tell me to go to bed at 8pm.

I also had to study for my ESL test. I took it today, and I think I did okay. We’ll see. I should get the results in a week or so.

Then I got a call this afternoon for an interview at Dallas ISD. I had emailed my resume to the principal this morning just for giggles. She called and asked when I could come in for an interview. I said, “How about today.” So I immediately started changing into professional gear and makeup. Then out the door I went for my 4pm interview.

The interview went awesome. The principal is a great Christian woman with a very calm demeanor. At the end of my interview…….she offered me the job!!!! Yes interwebs….I have been offered a kindergarten teaching position and could start as early as Monday. All I have to do is wait until the paperwork goes through.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been with me through this process. I know that your prayers have kept my spirits high. It feels good to have a new beginning and closure to a longing in my heart.

In church this past Sunday, I was reflecting on this whole process, and I had a revelation. I kept thinking about why God lays out our lives the way He does and why I did not get the job with Jenn this past fall. I realized that maybe it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the girl that got the job. She would not have done very well in an unfamiliar school, and she needed people around her that she knew to lift her up. Just maybe God was taking care of her, knowing that I would be okay (and moving the pieces together for the perfect place for me).