The Year in Review

My last blog post was in July.  Not for lack of things to say, or even from lack of time, but because I’ve chosen to do other things.  The good news is I’ve got lots of free time for the next few days and plenty to talk about! 
Since end of the year is rapidly approaching, I’ve been reflecting on some of the changes in my life.  Here’s part 1:

A Year of Loss

1. My job – This was a rough year for educators.  As our district considered the best way to reduce expenses, my name was put on the bottom of the “might be moved to a new campus” list.  I felt very confident that I would stay in the district and pretty certain that I was one of the last on the list to go from our school.  Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.  I won’t go into the sordid details, but I was told that I would be moving to a new campus.  I would miss seeing my kiddos from previous years, but even more I would deeply miss my grade level team.  Our cohesiveness was very rare in the education world.  There’s more to this story, so stay tuned.

2. My financial safety net – On the same day that I found out that I would be moving to a new school, I went to a last minute dentist appointment to see what was going on with a continual toothache.  Guess what – root canals and crowns are expensive!! This just happened to be in the midst of conflict with my apartment complex over an obscene rent hike.  I juggled some money around, tightened up the budget, and got ready for a year of more rice & beans and less eating out with friends.

3. My free time – Who knew that writing a thesis would take so much time and effort???  I’ve pulled some late nights and cram writing sessions this semester that are reminiscent of undergrad days.  I probably SHOULD be analyzing data right now, but I’m giving myself a little vacation!

4. My church community – I jumped full swing into the young professional group at my church as soon as I moved to Austin 6 years ago.  It’s been a rocky ride.  I’ve seen people come and go, numbers swing drastically for the better or worse, and experienced some amazing friendships.  Over the last year or so, a lot has changed with the group.  It’s not bad change, but things are different.  And I’m finding that I just don’t seem to fit anymore.  A lot of it has to do with grad school eating up my Wednesday nights and weekend free time, but it’s more than that.  It was unexpected in the midst of a chaotic year.  I’m sure a lot of it had to do with loss #5.

5. My friends – I’ve had many wonderful friendships in my time here in Austin, but nothing really compares to my friendships with Rachel, Allison, & Laura.  I’m not really sure why, but we just seemed to mesh well.  We met at church and we bonded through favorite restaurants, movies, Rock Band, road trips, and lots of laughter.  This year, God had big plans for them.  Amazing opportunities opened up and they each moved on to new jobs and new adventures.  But seriously, did they all need to move out of the STATE?!?! 

I know this list is super depressing, but I feel that it is essential to what is shaping me right now.  I was telling a friend the other day that God seems to have opened up a lot of space in my life.  I’m looking forward to seeing what He has in store for me next year. 

But wait, there’s more! Stick around and I’ll share some of the great things that have happened in my life this year.