A New Year

It's Saturday, and the last 48 hours have held a slew of surprises. I went to substitute teacher orientation in Williamson County Schools (TN) on Thursday morning at 8 am. By 10:15 I was talking to a high school principal on the phone, setting up an interview for - oh, when are you available?

"Wide open today!"

OK, how about 11:00?

Interviewed with the principal and English Department Chair at Brentwood High School, and at 8:05 the next morning, I had the job. Yay, me, right? Huge honor to even be considered by this school - they're the best around here. Seriously. It's part-time - I'll be teaching two Honors I (freshmen) and one Honors III (juniors). My mom even said, before she could think about how it sounded, "I can't believe they hired you for honors!" Yeah, me neither. I start Monday.
That's right.
You read that right.
Monday.
As in day after tomorrow.
I just thought I was in Nashville for some New Year's Parties and to go to an orientation.
I'm scared and excited. It's exciting and different and the things I'll get to teach are WONDERFUL. That part will be fun. I just want to be good at it - I want to do a great job and I want them to like me enough to work for me but also to respect me even though I'm a dork. A tough order with high school students.

I'm having to put aside right now my angst over being homeless. My "just-for-the-month-til-I-get-on-my-feet" housing with a friend fell through. Very unexpectedly. I'm a gullible, believe-the-best kind of person - I'm learning that is a good thing to be - God whispered to me this morning as I was drivin' and cryin' that I'm not stupid - it's not a bad thing to believe that people can change for the better. I don't want to be cynical and bitter towards MYSELF for believing that people will hold true to their word. But the reality is - well, I could go on, but I'll just cut it short to say that right now, I'm living out of my suitcase, sleeping on the couch at my good, good, ridiculously good friends Mitch and Jeanne's house. I am more thankful than I can articulate to have friends who care for me so selflessly, especially when I am at my weakest. And I HATE depending on other people. Pride issues are plentiful in my heart. Humbled is the word to best define my time since L.A., really.
I'm ready for that to end. It's just going to take a little bit more time to get me to that place. I'm praying for God's provision - an affordable, safe place to live, roommates or no, where I can live. Just live, you know?

Bittersweet right now - want to rejoice for the job, and focus on being 110% the best me I can. Just needing a bit more stability now.

I'll update you on crazy high school anecdotes soon. Good, fun stories to come. (Right?)


I got totally HOOKED and watched this entire series over the last week (18 episodes.) Amazing writing and acting. Love, love, love. Didn't want it to end. And then I got a job teaching high school students. Maybe this was meant to be part of my training.