A Great Day - even without SoloCon!

For the past five years, I have not been in Ohio during Memorial Day weekend because I've been at Turkey Run State Park (west of Indianapolis, Indiana) for SoloCon. What's SoloCon? It's a singles' retreat sponsored by the Nazarene church - basically a weekend getaway for single people. I've always had a blast...I play volleyball 'til all hours of the morning, go canoeing, take walks, play softball, hang out with friends (which I've made some great friends due to SoloCon). It's become the "norm" so I was a bit concerned knowing that there wasn't going to be one this year (they've revamped things a bit). However, this weekend was great!

You've already heard a bit about Friday & Saturday in previous posts so I'll just update you starting with yesterday.

When I got out of church, I had a message from Jodi & Lauren checking to see if I'd like to have lunch with them. I had made plans with Traci & Connie, but I knew they would understand so I called Jodi back. I'm so glad I did because when I got there Lauren jumped into my arms & just clung to me. She was really missing me! We were together for over an hour & had a great time. It also was nice to talk to Jodi!

Today found me attending two cook-outs. Jeromy & Traci and Steve & Jenn both invited Matt & I over today. Matt had to work so I went to Jeromy & Traci's by myself for lunch. It was nice to hang out with them, but it was kind of weird because we were all so quite. Traci commented on how strange it was. Typically a get-together with the Sanderson clan is not a quiet affair! :-) After Matt got home from work & got cleaned up, we headed over to Steve & Jenn's house. Her family was over so I got to meet them. We played some volleyball & badminton, and then we played some games (Mad Gab & Taboo). After everyone left, the four of us had a great time talking & laughing. I laughed so much that my cheeks hurt!

Oh, by the way...Matt read the book! :-) And...he actually admitted it was a good book - he enjoyed it. We talked a little about it tonight, but I'm sure it will be talked about more. He said he learned a lot about quality time, and he'll be making some changes. He even said that in front of Steve & Jenn so they're my witnesses! :-)

Well...it's after midnight, and I have to get up for school in the morning so I better be heading to bed. Have a great day!

Job Update

I can't remember how much I've blogged about my job situation in the past so I'll start by giving you a quick overview. Due to HB 66, our district is losing millions of dollars in personal tangible property tax. Therefore, there will be a levy put up this November, but the Board of Education also had to make cuts for next year. The past several months have been up & down with me not knowing where I stood. There were several cut lists that were passed around. I was safe on the first, cut on the second & third, and safe on the fourth. During this entire time, I didn't know what would happen, but I had a constant peace about the situation. I knew that it was out of my control, and that God would help me through no matter what happened.

The official cuts were announced, and I am safe! It's nice to know that I have my job come next year, but there is no promise for the following year. However, I was also granted my tenure (a continuing contract - a good thing for me to get). Unfortunately my friend, Traci, was not so lucky. My heart goes out to her - I just feel terrible!

In the midst of all of this, I was given information about an administrative position I was qualified for. I had mixed emotions about this position, but I felt that if the door was opened I needed to walk through. So...I prepared my administrative resume & cover letter and sent it off to the school not knowing where this might lead. On Thursday, I received an e-mail stating that they had already filled the position. That made me appreciate not being cut even more!

So...as far as I know...I'll be teaching elementary music once again at Starr Elementary for the upcoming school year. If anything changes, I'll be sure to let you know.

A Good Talk

I don't want to get into every detail, but I just wanted to share that Matt & I had a much needed talk tonight. We've been "together", but it feels at times that we're living very separate lives. Tonight, though, we were able to talk about it, and I finally shared my feelings with him. He listened to what I had to say and realized that he's been used to being single for so long that he needs to change his thought process & actions a bit. We had a great conversation, and I sent him home with my copy of "The Five Love Languages for Singles" book...making it very clear that he needed to pay special attention to the chapter on my love language (Quality Time). :-)

If you haven't read any of the books on the five love languages, I would strongly encourage you to read one. There are several books out there that look at it from various aspects of life, but I really think every single person who is starting a new relationship should be required to read it! :-)

The Week in Review

I feel like it's been kind of a busy week, but when I try to think back...I can't remember much of what's happened. :-) That makes me feel a little like my friend, Ralph, who seems to never be able to remember what happened and hour ago - let alone a week ago! :-)

So...I'll start with the softball game. I had my first walk and first good hit...both in the same night (which was nice). The ump ended up calling the game after the top of the 5th because we were 21 runs ahead of the other team. :-) What a night!

Last night was a fun night! Jenn (Matt's friend - you've heard about her & her husband, Steve, in previous posts) called on Monday to see if I'd like to go out for supper sometime. Of course, I was up for it! We ended up going out last night, and the guys stayed home with Eva, their adorable daughter. Jenn & I had a blast! We talked & laughed and found that we have a lot in common. When we got back to her house, we talked to the guys for a bit, and I held Eva. Jenn & I then went in to play the piano. It brought back memories of my days at Bluffton because we played "Heart & Soul". We used to use that as stress relief when we were tired of practicing. Ahhh...the memories! :-)

After school today, I met Matt at Levis Commons where we had supper. We went to Poco Piatti which is a tapas restaurant. It was delicious! Matt's now on his way to hang out with the guys, and I'm home doing some cleaning (and sorting through all of my clothes that no longer fit - big project, but it really needs to be done). With that being said, I need to go check the washer. :-)

Prayers for Marsha & Abigail

Hi everyone! Please keep my sister, Marsha, and my niece, Abigail, in your prayers. Abigail is not due to arrive until July 5th, but she seems to want to come a bit early.

Marsha found out at her doctor's appointment on Monday that she's nearly 3 cm. dilated, and her cervix has already thinned by 75%. The doctor told her to take it easy because they really don't want Abigail to come until late June.

Thanks, in advance, for your prayers! We greatly appreciate them!

The Roller Coaster Called "Life"

Today's one of those days where I have several things going through my head. I feel like it would help to put some of them down in writing (maybe a venting session), but I don't know where to start...I'm feeling a little emotionally overwhelmed.

I guess the best way to describe it would be to say that I've been experiencing a wide range of emotions during the past few weeks. Most of them have been good, but it seems when the "not so good" hit that they throw me for a loop. I kind of feel like I'm on a roller coaster, but I cannot see the track so I don't know what's coming next. Does that make any sense?

A Sigh of Relief

Last night was my final program for this school year - the spring program. It featured my choir (which is absolutely awesome...they are my favorite group of all the groups I've had in my 10 years of teaching) and the 2nd grade (who performed the musical "bugz").

The choir sang four songs, but I wasn't worried about them at all because they consistently perform well. However, the 2nd grade has had me quite scared. :-) Their behavior has be less than perfect (however...you must know that we have 3 weeks of school left & there were more than 100 students on the stage at one time), and they seemed to have forgotten everything we've been practicing in music class. I've been a little stressed this week! But...they blew me away last night! :-) They did such a great job and were so proud of themselves.

The turnout for the program was overwhelming as well! Teresa (our secretary) made 350 copies of the program, and when I went to pick up the extras...there were only 7 left! And...not every person takes a program. Our parents are great! :-)

Updates...Softball & Matt :-)

Hi all! We had our second game of the season tonight. Unfortunately...it didn't go as well as last week. We ended up losing the game by one point (scored in the bottom of the 6th, but we couldn't make anything happen during the top of the 7th). It was a bummer, but we'll move on.

As for Matt...things are going well! I really enjoy spending time with him and feel so comfortable when I'm with him. I still haven't gotten pictures, but I'll work on that (especially for those of you who are unable to meet him at this point). :) I must say that I love being in love!

The "L" Word

Well, Ralph (and the rest of you who read this)...just wanted to let you know that the "L" word was spoken for the first time tonight. Sometime around 8:30 p.m., Matt told me he loved me! :-)

Later he told me just to remember who said it first. I promised him that wouldn't be a problem! :-) This is a moment I don't want to ever forget! :-)

Dense Fog = Yet Another Make Up Day! AHHHH!

So...imagine being 18 days from the end of the school year and getting to a point where you are looking forward to summer vacation. Then all of a sudden...Mother Nature throws you a curve ball. Fog! And not just a little fog but dense fog!

So...today will come and go...and we'll still be 18 days from the end of the school year...still looking forward to a summer vacation that feels like it may never get here (this being yet another make up day means that the students' last day will now be June 6th making teacher work day June 7th - teacher work day was originally scheduled for June 1st).

For it's 1...2...3 strikes you're out......

Well, it's finally here! Last night was our first softball game of the season, and we started the season off with a victory. On top of that...we had a blast! I haven't laughed so hard in such a long time! It's a good thing I went to the bathroom right before the game. :-)

Last night we played a team that hasn't always been nice to us so it made the victory a little nicer (especially since the game was called after the top of the 6th because we were ahead by 12 runs...21-9). :-) In their defense, they were only playing 9 people because they only had 2 girls. According to the league rules, you must have 3 girls in order to play a full team. So...every 10th batter was an automatic out. However, our guys had their bats fired up & did a fabulous job! Way to go boys! :-)

Our next game is Monday, May 14th, at 7:45, and we'll be playing one of the new teams (which happens to have some of my students' parents on the team). I hope we can continue to have as much fun this season as we did last night!

A Great Day!

Today has been a fabulous day...every bit of it! :-) I've been a bit down in the dumps the past couple of days which makes today that much better. It's always nice to have a day like today after have a couple of bad days.

The day started with me waking up early (which seems to be happening more & more lately) which allowed me to take my time getting ready for church. After church, I came home and reviewed tonight's Bible study lesson.

Around 3:00 p.m., Matt came over & picked me up. We then headed to Steve & Jenny's house (good friends of his). They had us over so they could meet me. They were so nice & really made an effort to get to know me. I really appreciated that! We had such a good time there and are looking forward to getting together again.

From there, we headed to Jeromy & Traci's house for small group (MOD Squad). Our group was small tonight, but the lesson went well. We had a nice time of fellowship following the lesson before everyone left.

I'm sitting here now with a happy heart! :-) I like this feeling soooo much!

Our First Concert

For those of you who do not know, I had the opportunity to do some work in the recording studio back in December. Katie Jordan, a junior at Indiana Wesleyan, grew up in my church. I've come to know her family well over the past four years and have worked closely with her dad, Tim, in music ministry at church as well as the care groups (small groups) at church. Katie has been blessed with a beautiful voice and would like to pursue a possible career in music ministry. So...she decided to make a demo CD, and that's where I come in.

Tim asked me to record some of the background vocals for the project (which is scheduled to be released on May 18th). It was an absolute blast! I've sung most of my life...and I've even had the opportunity to do some recording work with Camerata while at Bluffton...but this was my first time in a recording studio to do something like this. I had so much fun!

A few months ago, Tim approached me to see if I'd be interested in doing some touring with him & Katie this summer. I talked to him about some conflicts I'd have, and he agreed to work around those. So...we'll be giving concerts this summer primarily throughout northwest Ohio, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Our first official concert was last night at a banquet at church. Things went really well (although I was nervous & made a few minor mistakes). :-) Our next concert is planned for Friday, May 18th. We'll be opening for a group that will be performing at a large church in Monroe, Michigan.

I've really missed singing & being part of a performance group since I've left college so this seems like such a great opportunity. I'll keep you all updated!

Sick Again

If you think about it, please be praying for Matt. He's sick again and has been sick since Monday. After the last time (while I was on spring break), his specialist ran several tests, and they all came back fine. However, here it is only a few weeks later and he's sick again. You can hear it in his voice when we talk on the phone - I wish there was something I could do. :-( I feel so bad for him!

And...to make matters worse...when he's sick, we don't see each other! I'm missing him.