How We Celebrated

After a busy holiday season full of travel, we spent New Year's Day at home unwinding and recuperating. Hubby heads back to work today so we needed the down time. We enjoyed a home-cooked meal that may seem more traditional for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it was perfect for us. Since we spent Thanksgiving in Chicago and Christmas at Disney World this was our chance to have our favorite holiday food: fried turkey.

Here is hubby getting the bird in the frier.



My mom also whipped up some of our other favorites including dressing, noodles, peas in cream sauce, cranberry sauce (that was from a can, but it's still one of my favorites), and a fruit salad.  She also made the best part, candy bar pie for dessert.  Yummy!  No ham or black-eyed peas for us, but perfect just the same.

Here is our spread.



The afternoon was spent on lesson plans and football for hubby.  I did my lesson plans, caught up of Facebook and some blogs, and of course had to get my Pinterest fix.

It didn't seem like New Year's Day without the Rose Parade and bowl games, but I 'll get to enjoy those today.  I don't have to head back to work until Wednesday so I have a couple more days off to enjoy.  Tomorrow I'll head back to NWA and begin tackling the Christmas decorations.  Wish me luck!

Looking Ahead

I have been very sporadic about posting on the old bloggy and I ask myself why.  I think it's because I have been trying to figure out what kind of blog I wanted it to be.

Did I want it to be about the daily happenings in our life?

Did I want it to be about the thoughts swirling in my head?

Did I want to write stuff that would get readers?

Did I want to talk about our travels?

Did I want to write about the fun, new recipes I tried out?

The answer to all of those questions is yes.  I have been so busy worried about what kind of posts I wanted to include that I just pretty much quit posting altogether.  I have come to realize that my blog isn't going to be just like any of the blogs I read.  I'm not just like any of those people.  I tried to hide who I was to be like others.  That shouldn't be my goal.

I am a wife, daughter, teacher, traveler, foodie.  Most of the blogs I read are by mothers.  That's fantastic!  I can't wait to be a mother, but that's not who I am yet.  I love reading about their experiences because I know it offers me insight to things I will be encountering in the future (hopefully, not too far off).  In the meantime, I want to make this blog what the title says it is: a journal.  Journals can include all sorts of things.  It can be about what's going on in our life.  It can be about my thoughts, hopes, dreams, sadnesses. It can be about where I have been or where I am going.

I am going to stop trying to pigeon-hole this blog and make it mine in this new year.

Speaking of new year, my resolution for the new year is: TRUST!

I'm not talking about trust in humans, I want to fully put all my trust in God.  I want to slow down and listen to what he is telling me and guiding me to do.  I think this path will relieve a lot of the stress and worries that I put on myself.  This trust will hopefully lead me to a more peaceful and serene life.

I hope everyone has a blessed 2012!

Looking Back

Sitting here tonight reflecting on 2011 I am content.  I haven't been able to use that word a lot, but lately I have really been making the effort to be content in the moment.  We are not out living it up tonight, instead are spending a quiet evening at home together.  I could give a lot of excuses for why we aren't out ringing in the new year, but the true reason is that it just isn't our style.

I'm excited about 2012!  It has taken us a lot to get to this point, but we are finally almost at the place we have been trying to be: settled.  Just one more semester and then hubby will graduate with his master's and his teaching license!  Hopefully, just one more semester and we will be living and working in the same area again!  There is light at the end of this tunnel of hard work and sacrifice.

While I am excited about 2012, 2011 wasn't all that shabby.  We got to do a lot of traveling and spending time together as a family.  We have been to Dallas, Chicago, Savannah/Tybee Island, and just got home today from a week at Disney World.  We have been to lots of Razorback sporting events and other sights around Arkansas.  We really have experienced a lot over this past year in spite of work and school commitments.

I have truly been more blessed than I have any right to be so I am enjoying the calm pace of this New Year's Eve and am enjoying reflecting on this past and am looking forward with anticipation with what 2012 holds for our family!

Bittersweet Blessing

This past month has been very busy with a lot of changes.  The huge blessing in our lives was that hubby got a job.  Well, he already had a job, but he got a real teaching job that almost doubles his salary.  Wow!  Talk about an answer to our prayers.  Starting in January, he has to start his internship so that he can graduate with his Master's in May.  We had been praying over what we were going to do next semester.  He couldn't keep his current job as an instructional assistant because he had to be in the classroom.  We had resigned ourselves to the fact that he would have to do his internship during the day and get a night/weekend job.  We had come to peace with that after he was unable to find a teaching job.  It is very hard to get a school to hire you before you have completed your degree and have a standard license.

First and foremost, we consider this a blessing, but it does come at a price.  What price?  The new teaching job is 2 1/2 hours from my job.  I am staying in NWA and hubby has gone back to Central Arkansas to work at this small charter school.  This job came out of nowhere and so we saw it as a sign from God that this is what we should be doing now.  Hopefully, next year he can find a job back up here with me.  We are apart during the week, but we spend every weekend together.  We had Thanksgiving break together and will have Christmas together, too.

We know we can make this work, but would appreciate prayers that these next few months will go smoothly.  I am constantly giving thanks for the lessons that will be learned from this experience.

I'm Still Here

I know you all must be thinking that I have fallen off the face of the planet, but I'm still here.  There have been some major changes in our lives over the past several weeks.  I hope to have several posts soon letting you in on everything that's been happening.  Tomorrow is my final class of the semester and I am so excited to have a few weeks from having to worry about class.  Welcome to the Christmas season!

I hope you all are enjoying this special season with your loved ones!