A Girl and Her Dog

Josie is lucky cause I'd never in a million years get her a dog, but my parents have one. She loves him, I'm guessing he will grow on me too.

Josie's Last Day of School

On Josie's last day of school she was princess as she was the ONLY girl all day! She loved her school and we will miss it a lot! I am going to keep her at home with me next year and hopefully I won't screw her up to much =)

One Crazy Year

A year ago I finished my first year of teaching. A year ago Jeff found out his company was doing away with his job and he moved him to second shift. Then in Sept he was laid off completely, proving to me that no one is safe in their job! He became a stay-at-home dad. In November we had to move out of our rental because the owner sold it. In December Jeff started a new job in Wichita (a good job) thank you God and Josie started at my private school in the pre-pre-school (such a blessing to have her close by). In January Jeff was flown out to Colorado Springs to have a third interview for a job he really wanted. In February he got it and by March 1st he was in Colorado permanently. March-May was tough balancing teaching, coaching soccer, coaching competitive cheer, getting a new coach ready to take over my school cheer team and being a good mom to a crazy brand new three-year-old. Joise and I missed Jeff but we sure had a great time just us, those months. I got to watch a 7th grader step up and help me out with Joise more than I could have imaged, what would I have done with out her. She is greatly missed!! Josie spent some amazing time with her Wichita grandparents. We had so much fun during the time we had together, now I know how important time with her is. Last week we said goodbye to all kinds of people, it was hard and sad. Things here in Wichita were good, and easy. Now we are moving our stuff to Colorado Springs ready to be there for a while, a long while I hope! I don't have a job, not a single job and that gives me panic attacks. I like to work, but I have decide I will NOT even look at full-time jobs for an entire year. I have a few coaching jobs in the works so we will see how that pans out. Right now I am looking froward to a summer of fun with Josie, my mom and my little bro who will go off to college next year. We are planning on living with my parents (oh man, I left for college never looked back and now here I am 30 and living with my parents) we are planning on gutting it, turning it into our own and buying it from them in a year or two, freeing them up to retire, travel, whatever. Should be interesting. I tear up when I think about my students, my soccer girls, my cheerleaders but I get so excited to think I will get to teach Josie so much next year and for the first time make my family my number on priority! Thank you God for providing for us what and when you do!

Saing Goodbye

I'm used to it, I moved 13 times in my first 18 years of life. This time is been the hardest. I have a job I love (ok 3 jobs I love) friends, family and over 100 kids in my life who are like my own. An 8th grader told this to his mom who then emailed it to me, and suddenly it feels ok to say goodbye to Wichita for now.

I feel like God brought Mrs. Jackson to Wichita and into my life to get me involved in cheerleading, the only positve thing to get me though a negitive year. Now I need to let God take her to Colorado to help someone else!

I am so honored that someone at only 14 years-old can say that about me! You don't always get to see that what you have done makes a difference. I am very blessed to see it this time.

So onto new things, people and plans God has for me and my family.

Old Town Wichita, Our Part of Town

We live in loft in down town Wichita and this evening Josie and I took a walk. I brought the camera and she has a blast posing! I'm not photographer and my camera is not top notch but we had so much fun together. We will miss Wichita!

This is the fire escape at our loft, their is a guy who lives below us who is always out on his paito playing gutiar and singing. Josie loves to go out and dance along!

I can do that mommy, because I am a big three-year-old!

My little cutie turned 3 on March 25th. We were in CO and off of school so we had a crazy fun day! Grandpa got us doughnuts which we ate while we watched a gymnastics meet on t.v.! Josie's choice =) Then we took the dog for a walk, a very short walk, its a really big dog and Josie had to run to keep up! She loves Dodge, her buddy! We went to Target to get some supplies for nail painting (which she can do now because she is a "big three-year-old") and left with this Tangled toy. I have never let her just pick out a toy at the store, but how could I resist on her birthday.

Then birthday lunch with mommy at our favorite place!

She wanted a pink guitar to sing songs and grandpa came through big time!

What she did when I told her we were going to see Tangled at the dollar theater! It was so much fun!

We went roller skating. This is a before pic! She didn't really like it =) oh well!

Tangled birthday cake at great grandma's house!

Annual KU picture of Jeff and Jos. Jeff wants to do this every year until she goes to school there =)

Fun day! We love our little Josie, she is just perfect! Learning and growing everyday. Not a single day goes by that she doesn't amaze me. Thank you God for letting me get to be a mom to this little girl!

On our move to Colorado Springs

We got married in December of 2004 and talked about living in Colorado. Jeff had jokingly looked in to working at a ski resort and we laughed. October of 2005 that really happened. We lived in the Mountains for about 2 years before getting pregnant and Jeff getting his first "real after finishing his Masters job" in Wichita. We moved back, had a baby, found a church, I stayed home for a while with Josie, found a job, then another one and then just one more. Still we talked about wanting to live in CO. Jeff just needed some more experience in his field and a job to open up. In September last year he was laid off. This was it! He took Josie and they went to CO for weeks at a time to find a job. HA! He got one in Wichita! We were satisfied. We have a great place to live, his job was a good one, my job is my dream, we have a good church and friends. So CO was just gonna have to wait. Then the week before Christmas he gets a call, and now he is in CO working at Compassion International and Jos and I are finishing our school year here in Wichita and planning our move. It seems nuts, I can't believe its really happening. Now we have to decide where to live, where will I work, should I work, how long will it take to find to a church, friends? I'm not too worried I really feel like this is God's plan, but sometimes those thought become overwhelming when Josie is in bed and I am alone. I will miss my teaching job, my coaching jobs, my friends, but I think I am mostly excited for something new.

Next post my amazing little baby turns 3!