Merry Christmas!

Home for Christmas

Finally! Chris is home. We didn't think he'd return from his business trip until Christmas eve, and I really, really wanted him to be able to spend all of Christmas with us - both Christmas eve and Christmas day. To my great joy, he was able to come back last night. He actually arrived around 2 AM this morning. I was sleeping, but he woke me up and through my groggy fog I could hardly believe that he was standing there smiling at me. Surely, I thought, this has to be a dream. But it wasn't, and it's not.

He's been traveling constantly for the last month and a half, and I've been missing him so very much. He's been home a couple days here and there, but mostly he's been on the road. I know that what I go through can't begin to compare with what military wives go through, but knowing how blessed I am does not make me miss him less or ease the strain of daily life without him.

And so we go into Christmas with the blessing of having him home a couple days earlier than expected, and the two Reed girls (Willow Grace and myself) could not be happier (or merrier).

Here's Willow Grace getting ready for Christmas.

To Clarify....

I should have explained fully to begin with, but here goes....

My subbing job is different from most, I think. I teach at a private Christian school,Christ Presbyterian Academy, and I'm going to be working with the same people that I've been working with for the past ten years. I'm just going to be helping them out when they need to take personal or sick days, and I'll be working on organizational and administrative tasks. My first year at CPA was a lot like this, except that I didn't know as much about the people and the school as I do now. Most of my sub work will be in the middle school, but I'll venture over to the high school occasionally which is so cool because I'll get to be with some of the student's that I taught before and miss so much. I will be there every day just like I was before; I just have a different job title.

Interesting tidbit of news....

For those of you that don't know, I have been taking this semester off of my teaching job to be with my sweet Willow Grace. I plan to return to work in January, but there have been some "developments." I will not return to teaching English, at least not for this year. Maybe never. I don't know. What I will be doing is subbing full time. I will be there every day filling in wherever I am needed mostly in the middle but a bit in the high school. Just so you know I am THRILLED about this.
1. no take home grading
2. no lesson plans
3. At the end of the school day, I'm done.

The curriculum has moved to primarily teaching writing. While I myself love writing, I do not enjoy teaching it, and, quite frankly, it's not one of my strengths. I love teaching literature; it's the primary reason I choose English Education in college.The head of the middle school English department even told me that she has never met a teacher more gifted at teaching literature. But sadly, over the last few years, I went from being just a literature teacher to teaching mostly grammar and writing. I didn't mind when the curriculum was more balanced between literature and grammar, but that's just not the case anymore.

What will happen after this year? I don't know. I can only see the next few steps in the path that God is preparing for me. But I'm excited. I can't wait to see what He's going to do b/c I trust that He has great plans for me.

Chris and I have some new dreams that we are working on together, things that we are researching and praying through. And, hopefully, soon we will resume work on the novel that we've been writing together.

I know that returning to work will be extremely difficult for me, but at least I have Mom and occasionally Chris's mom to care for my daughter. That, at least, is a great relief. I'll be praying until then that God helps me to make the transition smoothly and with fewer tears than I expect.

What City Do I Belong In?

Here's the result of a little quiz I took.

You Belong in Paris

Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth.

What City Do You Belong In?

I don't think I'd ever want to live in Paris, but I would love to visit it again. I went once when I was a senior in high school, and I think it would be fabulous and oh so romantic to go with Chris.

A Little Bit of Blah

The holiday season is in full swing, but it just hasn't really started for me yet. I love everything about Christmas: the carols, the gift giving, the festivities, the lights.... It just makes me feel an extra measure of delight and puts me in a really good mood. Usually, I put my tree up the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but that just didn't happen this year. Chris wasnt' feeling well, so we decided to put it off for the following Saturday. The problem with that is that he had to go on a business trip. So, it's still not up.

Having my home decorated for Christmas makes me feel like the magic of the season has crept inside the door and is filling the place. Our apartment feels glaringly normal to me right now. Usually I really enjoy seeing other people's homes decorated, and I still do but it's also just reminding me that mine is not. That makes me feel a bit Scroogey. But it's only a few more days. Chris will be home in a couple days, and I'm planning on putting up the tree on Friday.

Today I'm taking Willow Grace to have her picture taken with Santa. We have an appointment at Sears studio. No line. No stress. Different poses and personal time and for the same price as the mall Santa. You can't beat that. I'll be sure to post a pic of her with Santa here.

Hmmm, maybe I'll dig out my Christmas music and start playing it here, and I can put some orange peelings and cinnamon on the stove to simmer. I can start Christmas here in some ways even if the tree is not up.