San Antonio-Bound

This week has been both relaxing and stressful, restful and chaotic. But, it's been a very good week.

I drove down to San Antonio on Monday because I needed a break from the boredom that is Abilene, and I wanted to help out my parents with a garage sale they're having tomorrow (and make a little money in the process). Brendan had two days off from work in a row, so he came down to visit on Wednesday and Thursday. We'd been waiting (not so patiently) to hear whether or not his transfer at work had been approved, and we were basically in moving limbo until we knew where in town he would be working. Happily, he got the call on Thursday morning that he would be working at a store about 20 minutes away from the school I'll be teaching at, which is an ideal location.

Since Brendan was driving home that afternoon, and his start date was set for July 26, we had to find an apartment as quickly as possible. So, we spent the morning frantically calling apartment locaters and searching for a location that would be convenient for both of us. Around mid-afternoon, we found the perfect place; it's practically equidistant from my school and his store. Even though we weren't able to do our research and take our time, I feel really good about our new place; it just feels right. And if you've seen our current duplex, it feels like a palace in comparison; we'll actually have a dishwasher!

God is good, and He answers prayers; it was so fortuitous that Brendan received the news about his transfer when he was in San Antonio, and that we were able to sign a lease for a great place so quickly. Everything is finally coming together.

Away We Go

Well, it's official: I have a job! A few hours after my interview on Monday, the principle called and offered me a job teaching Sophomore English. I didn't expect any job offers this soon, but when he offered me the position I didn't feel like I could turn it down in this job market. So San Antonio, here we come.

As thrilled as I am to have a job, and to know where we'll be living, it feels kind of weird to be moving back home; we never planned on moving to San Antonio, and I certainly never thought I'd be teaching at my old high school. But that's the way the cards fell, and sometimes wonderful blessings can arise out of something unexpected.

Next on the agenda: getting Brendan a transfer to a store in San Antonio. I'm hoping he gets one very soon, in part because we can't technically do any planning/moving until he has a job. I can't wait to start apartment hunting!

Home, Sweet Abilene

Brendan and I returned from D.C. on Sunday evening, which marks the official end to the Super-Vacation. I had a great time, and I'll post about that trip very soon. But, the most exciting news of the week is...

I have a job interview at my old high school on Monday. I had been (and still am) a little antsy about not hearing anything from school districts, so I decided to e-mail my cover letter to a couple of principals from my old school district. I figured that I wouldn't hear anything back from them, or at the very most receive a "thanks, but no thanks" reply, but it was worth a shot. Surprisingly, one of them responded that he'd like to interview me. I guess the lesson to be learned is, never underestimate the power of pestering the person who has the ability to hire you.

I'm not crazy about moving back to San Antonio because I'd rather move somewhere new and have an adventure, but I certainly won't turn down anything; in this economy, I just want a job. So, if you feel like it, please send happy thoughts and prayers my way on Monday morning.

Catching My Breath

Brendan and I arrived back in town late, late last night from our wonderful trip to Washington State to visit Clay and Heather. I had so much fun, and updates from that trip will be posted soon. I'm so glad to be home and sleep in my own bed, but we're leaving again tomorrow evening for our vacation to D.C. Craziness.

One totally awesome thing about our trip to D.C.: we're getting a tour of the White House! Brendan e-mailed our senator around Christmastime to see if we could book tours of some of the more exclusive spots in D.C., like the Supreme Court and the Bureau of Engraving (where the government prints the money). I knew that we wouldn't find out if we got the tours until a few weeks before our trip, but when we didn't hear anything by late May I assumed that we didn't get them. Lo and behold, last week we got an e-mail from our senator saying that we were signed up for every tour we requested. I'm beyond excited, especially to see the White House.

Noooo!

America got it wrong on American Idol tonight. It should have been Adam. Grrr.

Trying to cheer me up after the show, Brendan said: "Well, even though Adam didn't win, Barack Obama still won the presidency. That should make you happy."

Very true, and I'd obviously pick Obama if I had to choose between him winning the presidency and Adam winning American Idol. But Adam so deserved to win over Jason-Mraz-lite.

Super-Vacation

My summer officially began on Tuesday when I turned in my English 107 grades, which was a wonderful moment for so many reasons. I've been delightfully lazy for the past week, sleeping in, watching numerous backlogged episodes of CSI on DVR, and reading copiously. My laziness won't last long, though: we're about to embark upon our super-vacation.

Brendan and I will be gone for the next two weeks visiting my brother and his wife in Washington State, and then vacationing in D.C. Since our trip is so lengthy, and we'll be hitting up both Washingtons, I've dubbed it the super-vacation. We are flying to Washington on Sunday and will arrive back in town on Thursday, and then we head to D.C. on Monday and return on Saturday. (Whew. It makes me a little exhausted, but excited, just thinking about our crazy itinerary.) We didn't plan our trips to be back-to-back, but that's the way Brendan's work schedule fell.

I'm really excited about both trips, and they'll be special for different reasons; I can't wait to see Heather and Clay, and the trip to D.C. will be our very first married vacation. Washingtons, here we come.

Graduation Celebration

I graduated from grad school on Saturday, the thought of which is still a little surreal for me. It was a crazy, chaotic weekend with all of my family in town, but I had a great time. My parents and grandmother drove in on Friday night, and it was nice to get some alone-time with them. The next day, Brendan's parents, my uncle, and my other grandmother arrived in time for my graduation ceremony. It wasn't very hot that day (of which I'm thankful, because polyester robes don't exactly breathe very well), so I was able to hang out in the mall area with the M.A. grads and some English professors. My whole family ate at the Home Place that night, and the food was delicious as usual. Overall it was a great weekend, and I'm glad that so many people I love could be there.

It still hasn't sunk in that I'm finished with grad school. I'm sure it will soon, but for the mean time I keep thinking that there's something I need to be doing; I'm not used to having free time. The first thing on my summer to-do list: read Neil Gaiman's YA lit book Coraline. Everyone I've spoken to who's read it says it's downright terrifying, so I'm looking forward to starting it. I'll be able to do a whole lot of pleasure reading thus summer since I won't have a job, so I've already started a summer reading list (which makes my heart happy).

Here are a few pictures of graduation day. Some of them are a little washed out, but you'll get the gist.

The four of us started our Master's at the same time.
I'm going to miss these wonderful women

Me with Dr. Carroll, who was my Comps chair.
I want to be like her when I grow up.

The four M.A. graduates with the some of the English profs.

Brendan, me, and my folks