Long Time No Type

I figured I should write so that you know I am still alive. We are moving this Saturday and man is this all stressful. I have decided I am crazy for moving at this time of year.

I went to my last BCM Impact as a student. It was very surreal. I made myself sit afterwards and journal how I was feeling. I wrote three pages about the BCM and what it means to me. I wanted to make sure that I never forget all that Bob and Deb and the BCM did for me. I also wrote them a long thank you letter. I know they don't get enough of those. Bryce was upstairs after the service also. At one point I went to hug him. We looked at each other and then at the room and we both started to cry. I was glad to not be the only one going to miss that place.

I enjoyed my last week at Woodall Elementary. I am going to miss those kids. I got gifts from several students and my teacher. Also, the students made me a book of what I taught them. I will always cherish that. It was awesome!

We graduated on Saturday. It was nice to have family in town and see us. The ceremony was shorter than I expected which was nice. My favorite part was when the entire crowd stood and clapped for us. I am not proud of myself for a lot of things but graduating is one of them. Going to college was something I always wanted to do and to have finally finished that is an amazing feeling.

Moving is scary and sad but I know God wants us to leave. It is hard to leave a place and people that have been so instrumental in me growing into an adult. I love this town and it will always be special to me. It is scary to move on to something I don't know. I hate not being in control! I don't have a job and we are without a church. But God is in control and I know it will all work out.

I saw on facebook that you were getting packages from home. I know you said that was a problem over there so I am glad they are getting to you. That is awesome about Narine's decision. I will be praying for her and you as you continue to work for His cause.

I miss you and love you!
Tricia

Thanksgiving

Jake and I enjoyed our Thanksgiving. We came to Tulsa on Tuesday and had dinner at Sierra and Jerad's. She is a yummy cook! On Wednesday we went apartment hunting. That is a very overwhelming task in Tulsa. But we think we found it! It's a little townhouse on 65th & Mingo. Not very big but it will do and is for a good price. Moving means we had to pass our kittens on to a new home. His brother took them in. Pet deposits are huge in Tulsa! We are excited about all this but moving is a big task. We looked at how much it costs to rent a U-Haul, just over $100! Yikes! But we need one so we know it will have to happen (stay tuned for more).

Wednesday night we went to his family's place. I sat in the kitchen and talked to his mom and helped her make dinner. I love feeling a part of their family! You can tell she loves having daughters around.

Thursday we drove to Broken Bow (3.5 hours south of Tulsa). My dad's mom lives there. We recently found out she has Parkinson's disease and has been falling a lot. It is scaring the family and making us realize that her time left may be short. So, everyone went down there. It was neat to have everyone together and this was Jake's first chance to get to know everyone. He fit right in and everyone loved him. It was a great and relaxing day.

Remember the U-Haul issue? As we were leaving my aunt gave us $20 for gas money and my Granny slipped us $100 for graduation money. Isn't God awesome? In every little way He has taken care of us. I hate leaving our church but I feel that this is what God wants us to do right now. So, Tulsa here we come!

My Life Lately

It has been a few weeks, so I decided that I needed to post again. 

Jake and I are 99.9% sure that we are moving to Tulsa over Christmas break. We will be looking for apartments (blech) next week. I do not look forward to the actual moving part. But I am excited as to what God will do with us. We haven't really broadcasted anything yet, I am scared to hurt people if anything changes. 

I am loving my internship. I only have two weeks left. That makes me sad. I feel like I am a part of the school and this class. My current teacher has been really good in letting me handle a lot of what is going on in the classroom. I teach all but one subject now. It is fun and stressful :) She was gone for three days last week. So I was the teacher (there was a sub for legal reasons but I was in charge). It was a lot of fun and definitely the most realistic view of teaching that I have had so far. I go tomorrow to fill out paperwork with Tulsa Public. Hopefully I can get on for the spring! That would be a major blessing. 

Jake and I are great. Sometimes it scares me how great we are. Does that make sense? Like this is too good to be true. Just you wait! Jake got Thanksgiving off at Wal-Mart (major blessing) so we will get to see our families. I am excited for the holidays to come. 

Know that I am always reading your blogs. I don't always comment because I don't always know what to say. But I am thinking of you often and praying for you! Love you!

Halloween!

Oh my! Being a teacher involves so much more than I ever realized! Today was Halloween and let me tell you, this school does it big. We haven't really been able to do any work these past two days, but they kids have enjoyed it very much! ALL the teachers dress up (in my building we were referees), there was a school-wide carnival and lots of candy! Let me tell you, the kids were hard to keep calm by the end of the day. We eventually gave up and took them to the playground.

Have I mentioned how much I love my profession? I love watching these kids learn things, accomplish tasks, make friends and make good choices without being told. Of course, there is often a lot of other things in between these like: bad choices, failed spelling tests, CONSTANT limit pushing and attitudes. BUT I LOVE IT ALL! First grade is a lot different from kindergarten. These kids are getting more into their personalities and interests. It is really fun to see that bloom. I can't wait until I have my own classroom!

Jake and I are doing well! I still LOVE living with a boy :) I look forward to our first holiday season as a married couple. Things like decorating our first Christmas tree, going to family dinners and sending our Christmas cards will be a whole lot of fun. I am not looking forward to deciding on our future home. I hate the idea of leaving our church. That is mainly because finding a new one will mean getting out of my box! :\ We are still in the praying phrase.

I am off to do some Halloween things at my pastors house. Yay for fellowship!

I Got a Job Offer!

So, my biggest news is that I just got a job offer with Tulsa Public. I just interviewed with the Director of Human Resources. After I few questions he said, "Well, I am just going to scrap the rest of the normal questions because I already can tell that you are a great teacher"! That felt good to hear. Although, I had to think, "Does he tell everyone that?" I am guaranteed a job for the fall and there is about a 50% chance I could have a job for the spring. I have ten days to accept the offer. It is kind of scary because I have no idea where He wants us. Plus, I haven't even spoken with any other schools yet (though there are no positions available at any schools near Tahlequah). I love Tahlequah but our family is in Tulsa (and Sierra :). I am going to do some serious talking with Him about this.

Other than that, life has just been plugging along. Jake has decided that he wants to be a cop in Tahlequah. Which is kind of random, but Jake is very random. I guess this job offer of mine throws a twist into all of that. :\ Again, lots of talking with Him!

In other news: Ed and Connie Baker, the director of missions for the association have decided to retire. So please lift us up in finding new people for this position. I am very sad, they are such a sweet little couple and they are true servants!

That's all I have!

Miss you!

Fall Break

So, it's fall break and Jake and I traveled to Tulsa. We started off with a visit to Sierra. We were supposed to meet Mabe and Toni at Mardels but they got into an accident. Everyone is ok except the car :) Luckily, we got to meet up with them later. Toni and I were looking for a study to do together. We settled on Believing God by Beth Moore. We are excited.

The rest of the break has been with family. My family is going crazy. My little sister was supposed to get married today but he decided to cheat on her and leave. So, we are going to the aquarium instead. My mom's girlfriend (of almost ten years) has decided to leave my mom so there is a lot of heartbreak going on. I know that both of these relationships were not good, but I hate seeing them in pain. I pray that I can love on them both and show them God's never ending love.

In other news: Chris and Alisha are having a girl! Here name will be Katelyn Elizabeth (I made up that spelling). We are excited for them!

We are off to the aquarium!

To Jaclyn

Dear Butts,

I so enjoyed getting to see you before you left. I especially enjoyed getting to meet and spend time with your man. You guys seem so great together. I can't wait to see what God does between you two in the future.

But I know that right now you are focused on your current task. While you were at the BCM I noticed lots of people not wanting you to go. I didn't feel that way, I wanted you to go! I have watched you go through this process and have seen your passion for these people. I didn't want you to stay here because I know that God made you for this very task! I can't wait to hear all the things He does for and through you while you are over there!

I just want you to know that I will be praying for you and thinking of you often. America will not be the same without you.

Love you!