one of those days-edited

**EDIT**
Thanks to everyone for your sweet words of encouragement. I appreciate every bit of it!

Like I said...God knows what we need and when we need it, more than we can ever imagine, because TODAY we heard a HUGE answer to prayer.

Last year, when I went back to work full time, I did it because we thought it was the right thing to do at the time. I still believe that going back was the right thing for me to do, because I think I would have always wondered what it would be like to teach and be a mommy, since I'd always just been a teacher. Well, I've learned a lot. The biggest thing that I've learned is that I cannot do both jobs well. If I do school the way it needs to be done, then home suffers (like I have to take a day off work just to get laundry finished!) and if I do home well, then school suffers. It's not fair to either place and I get worn out in the process.

Since probably January, Evan and I have been praying about the possibility of me being able to do something more part-time. We knew the only way we could do this was if Evan found a job that was more full time. In our minds, the whole scenario still just wasn't working. It just seemed like we were wanting too much--not having to take out loans to pay for school, me to be at home more, Evan a full time job--especially being that Evan's skill is not very marketable right now, with the economy in such turmoil. But all we knew to do was to lay out our requests to the Lord, delight ourselves in Him in the process, and see what happened. We knew that God would either work it all out for us, or change our hearts. One afternoon, Evan was looking for a used lawn mower on Craigslist, and decided to just click on the Louisville jobs to see what was out there in his area of expertise. No kidding...he found an ad for a job basically doing the exact same thing he had been doing for the last 7 years. Long story short, Evan went back for the second interview today and was offered the job.

We are beyond thrilled! He can get on here at some point and post more about it if he wants, but it's just one of things that we know without a shadow of a doubt is the right job. And not even just the job, but Evan is checking into the diploma program for people over 30 offered by Southern, that will possibly allow him to finish school faster and end up with his Master's in the process. AND we can apply for federal funding, which quite possibly could be our answer to not taking on massive debt for school. Praise the Lord!!!

As far as what I'm doing is concerned, we aren't really sure at this point. My principal and I have spoken about my desire to be part-time. He is very accommodating and willing to work with anyone for just about anything, so there is a great possibility that I could stay at my school in more of a part-time role. I'm definitely going to talk to him and see what he can offer, if anything. If it doesn't work out for me to stay at Conway, I'm sure that I will be able to find something that will meet our needs above and beyond.

Soooo...I say all that just to say that I think I'm going to make it until June 3!!! I will still appreciate your prayers in the meantime. We will certainly keep you posted!



Does everyone have one of "those" days occasionally? Well, I've had a lot of them lately. I mean A LOT. Without going into a lot of detail or being a real Negative Nancy, sometimes I really think I'm not going to survive until the end of the school year! I have honestly questioned everything in me and wondered if I'm really supposed to be a teacher, if I'm really any good at it, and then just get stuck because I don't know what I would do if I didn't teach. I know that teaching is what I was supposed to do this year. I am so glad that I went back to the classroom and have the experience of teaching in a very urban school, but IT IS SOOOO HARD!!!!! (Yes, I am screaming here!) I mean, I literally have the life sucked out of me every single day by 95 little darlings. Today, no lie...before 8:00 this morning, I had a student that I was trying to redirect/get with us in the classroom because she was completely off task look at me and say, "Why don't you just go ahead and do your thing, and I'll do my thing over here, okay?" And that's not even the half of it. I could fill up endless pages of the ridiculousness that I put up with on a daily basis.

Okay, so I said I wasn't going into a lot of detail, and I'm not, but if you are a praying person--I would be so thankful for your daily prayers for my attitude and heart over the next 37 days. Yes, that is how many we have left. 37. I will be eagerly counting to the end!

I think God just knows when we've really had enough and need our spirits lifted. When I got home, Kendall had a big box on the table from "Nana Ann" with a filled Easter Basket! Kendall racked up with two new swimsuits, bracelets, candy, a BEAUTIFUL Peter Rabbit pop-up book, and more! So sweet! What a joy to spend time this afternoon unwrapping a big box of goodies!

Kendall was most excited about the carton of Goldfish. After playing with the carton for a little while, she said "eat" so I put Kendall in the high chair for a snack. I tried to give her the already opened goldfish, but she would have none of that! She wanted that new box opened!

As I sit and write this post, I'm thinking about how encouragement comes just when I need it the most. I got just enough today, in so many different forms, this gift only being one. I'm so thankful. Maybe tomorrow will be better than today! :)