Recalculating

Anyone who has a GPS knows that when you take a wrong turn, the GPS recalculates until it finds new directions for you to follow. The detour may not be what you expected, but in the end you still get to where you need to go.

I find that God recalculates our lives constantly. We have in our mind the pre-determined destination and we see the clear direction of how we're going to get to that destination, but God often has other plans in mind. He provides barriers and alternate routes, but He still will lead us to that destination. Heck, sometimes He leads us to an entirely different destination; one we had never even thought of!

This has been on my mind lately because something very unexpected just occurred in my life. The job that I had as a Middle School teacher is no longer because of some licensing issues with the school district and the state. To put it plainly, I did not graduate with the necessary requirements to get me a Virginia License in Social Studies. So as far as teaching that subject, I am not qualified due to these lack of classes or credits. If I were in Utah this would not be an issue at all. Virginia is really specific with its requirements and does not budge. Darn Virginia.

It had nothing to do with my skill or my performance as a teacher. As my principal put it "it's something entirely out of the control of the school, which is unfortunate because I hear that you're dynamite."

If you really want to know the nitty gritty details, you can call me, but we can leave it at that right now. I thought it was only fair that my blogger audience know because I announced my job so publicly and you would soon catch on that I am not teaching U.S. History.

What a blow it has been! I cannot express how hard this has been on my optimistic and "God is a God of miracles" soul. But I feel at peace, truly. After much prayer and thought, I know that the Lord is merely recalculating my life. I think my ultimate destination is teaching but I guess the route to get there will be a little more complicated than I had originally planned.

So, I am back to square one. When I find a job that is totally and completely legit, I will inform you.

And yes, God is still a God of miracles. And He will provide another one.

Tourin' Old Town

If you ever come to DC, you have to come to Old Town Alexandria. I only live 15 minutes away and it's a quaint place with oh so much history. Of course I love it! I did some touring of the town yesterday with my roommate, Sarah, (she and I have been a tag team lately) and our friend, Ian (He used to be in the BYU 1st Stake. Small world!).

Here are some of the delightful sights of Old Town.

Cool Buildings...looking colonial and patriotic.

History. Lovin' it.
We went into this tobacco shop and I asked the guy at the front to tell me the history. Basically, he told me the building had been there since the 1700's. Scottish people settled Alexandria and one of the first crops? Tobacco. Of course, tobacco, because then the colonists all died because they planted no food. Bummer.

Indians. Or, I should say Native Americans (with Sarah).


Old Town pride...And in case you wanted to stick Hilary Clinton's head down a toilet, now you can if you buy this toilet brush at one of the tourist shops we saw in Old Town. Haha. (There was also an Osama-bin-Ladin toilet brush too. People are so clever).

Boats. Lots of boats.Check out the wooden door and the pirate flag.

Sarah is awkwardly showing us the sights.

And you gotta get a few glamor shots in...

Ian.
Ian checking out Sarah. I caught him.

Candid laughter.
Trying to be serious.
The three of us. Ahhhhhh cute.

Fun in Old Town=Loving life in the DC area.

Middle School here I come!

I honestly never thought I would be reentering the Dark Ages that I call Middle School, but lo and behold, I am.

I just got a job teaching at Cooper Middle School in Fairfax County, VA. I will be teaching 7th grade U.S. History. Crazy.

(This is the only picture I could find!)

Here's a little factoid...Did you know that Fairfax County is one of the most prestigious school districts in the United States? I can't believe I'm even worthy enough to enter this district, but here I come, nonetheless.

Anyway, so many miracles have occurred with getting this job. I can't even begin to explain. Lets just reiterate this true point of doctrine: GOD IS A GOD OF MIRACLES.

If you want to see a visual of where I live to where I work, this link will provide you with the greater picture:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Arlington,+VA+22206&daddr=977+Balls+Hill+Road+McLean,+VA+22101&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=38.856285,-77.047119&sspn=0.282325,0.570602&ie=UTF8&ll=38.898795,-77.14853&spn=0.282155,0.570602&z=11

And if you're interested in the kind of life I will be leading as a teacher, here's the website.
http://www.fcps.edu/CooperMS/index.htm

Check it! I have a job!

I leaped...and miracles occurred!

Well people, I made the leap. If you recall my blog post, "A Huge Leap of Faith" I discussed my soon-to-be move to Washington DC. And now I am here! I have made the leap of faith and it has turned out better than expected.

I was so nervous that week leading up to the move and the first few days here were hard, but the Lord has provided many miracles for me.

Miracle #1: The miracle of the move.
Holy cow! I can't even begin to explain how many moving miracles have occurred since Tuesday. My friend Jenny who picked me up from the airport totally took me shopping after my arrival so I could get things for the room and food for the belly. I got a free dresser, free bed, a desk and chair for a cheap price. Almost strangers have picked things up for me in distant towns. Jeff and Tiffany took me to Target to get more things for the room and countless people have offered me rides. I feel so blessed.

Miracle #2: The miracle of roommates.
I chose the place to live basically because the Spirit told me to. I had no idea who I would live with, but I figured I would be okay because I can get along with almost anybody. My roommates are awesome. They're hilarious, down-to-earth, and desire to be righteous. What more do I need? They will be a great support to me here.

Miracle #3: The miracle of friends
I had a few good friends out here already, but other friends have come out of the wood work. My good friends have invited me over for outings in the city and such. Other people from the ward have reached out to me and told me how excited they are that I am back. I feel like I will fit in here quite easily. (And I have never felt so popular before! This is new to me.)

Miracle #4: The miracle of a solid job lead
I don't want to get into too many details, because I still don't know if this job will work out, but I do have an interview (tomorrow) and I am really excited about it. But even if it doesn't work out, I feel confident that other opportunities will arise. Here's hoping and praying!

Miracle #5: The miracle of the dinner
My roommate had a friend in town from Utah that she's been hosting. Since she had a date last night she asked if I could be this guy's tour guide. I said I would...heck, I didn't have plans! So we end up walking around all the monuments last night and he ended up treating me for dinner...a really really nice dinner. Dang Gina. Anyway, no romance but good conversation, food, and sights. I am definitely not in Provo anymore.

The future is still unknown and things may no turn out how I would like. However, these miracles have given me hope that things will work out...somehow. The Lord is aware of us and He provides miracles if we just act in faith. I have seen the fruits of that and know that He truly is a God of miracles.

Here's to making the leap!

Better Than Expected

Sometimes I forget how things are often better than expected. Especially when I set my expectations low. In April I had consigned myself to living at home. The theme of my summer (at that time) was "committing social suicide." However, things turned out for the better and here's why:

I lived at home so I saved tons of money, never had to grocery shop, and my mom cooked dinner for me (well, sometimes:).

I went to a single's ward that I really didn't want to go to in the first place. However, I went. I made some friends who reminded me of some essential truths. I taught Gospel Doctrine so I got to strengthen my teaching abilities. My bishopric was amazing and were so supportive of me, though I was only there 3 months.

EFY turned out to be a nice social break. In fact, the sociality it provided compensated for my non-sociality in Cedar Hills.

...Yet, I was still social in Cedar Hills. I hung out some of my Provo friends and volunteered as an ESL tutor. I hung out with peeps, but then got to chat it up with the madre at home.

I got to strengthen my relationship with my siblings. All of them. I visited John and Steve's families and saw them when they came up to Utah. Kathryn was in Utah for 4 weeks and I got to see her and the kiddos. Chrissie and Julie were a hop, skip, and a jump away. I got to get to know my nieces and nephews better and spend some quality Auntie time with them.

Chrissie and I exercised together a lot (well, in May). That was good for me and that was good for her. Overall, it was good for both of us as it improved our sanity!:)

Mom and I became compatible roommates. She colored her humanitarian packets and watched Fox News while I applied for jobs, occasionally watching Fox News. Most importantly, we had some great talks and I am more grateful for her. Sappy. (And I will admit that I am becoming more addicted to Fox News...never thought that would happen!)

I also learned some very valuable lessons, some I have posted on this very blog.

See, living at home was better than expected.

Living in DC (as I am typing) is proving to be better than expected too. More on that later...

God knows what is right, doesn't He?

Ross is my new best friend

I used to despise Ross.

I used to be frustrated at Ross.

I used to have anxiety every time I was in Ross.

I used to make fun of Ross and its commercials, "Do you love it? I love it! I got it at Ross."

But things have changed...

Suddenly Ross and I have bonded.

Why?

The shirts for $9 have definitely played a part.

The shoes for $12 have sure helped out.

And the home decor section may be my new pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Ross and I are tight now.

Ross, thank you for enriching my shopping experience. I will never dis on you again.

Stuck in the Blue Sky

My life is like a puzzle. I am trying to fit the pieces together to make a beautiful, landscaped picture.

The border of my puzzle represents the foundational aspects of my life: the Gospel, my family, the Savior, Heavenly Father, my education, etc...Those pieces are fairly stable.

However, I am trying to put together the blue sky of my life and it's harder to do. There are no edges and no other colors to indicate where the pieces should fit. Even if I follow the picture that comes with my puzzle, I still cannot discern which blue and white piece fits where. Frustration ensues as I think that some blue pieces should fit next to others but as much as I try to force the pieces together, it is not the right piece. So I set aside that piece and try again with a new piece. And another piece. And another piece. Sometimes I work on other parts of the puzzle that I can see more clearly and I put those pieces together. However, I know that I ultimately have to go back to the blue sky. But the angst, anxiety, and frustration continue until, miraculously, I find a piece that fits in my blue sky. Happy, I return to the blue sky with more enthusiasm as I see the picture becoming a little more clear.

At this moment I am stuck in the blue sky and I don't know how my pieces will come together for me. At random times, some of the pieces come together and I am making a little more progress on my puzzle. Optimistically, I carry forward with my puzzle masterpiece, hoping that more pieces will fit as I stay persistent. I have to be careful, though, not to get too overanxious. When I am anxious I try to force pieces together that are not the right fit. At times I forget that these pieces, when they meet their correct match, fit together so nicely and so easily. No effort is necessary in putting the right pieces together. It happens naturally.

Yet, I feel like I am drowning in the sky; not knowing how the pieces will come together and not knowing when the pieces will finally fit. I am looking forward to that time when more of my blue pieces will start to look like the sky and, ultimately, when my life will start to make more sense.

Maybe it will take a few more months, maybe a few more years. Realistically, it will probably take a lifetime or even eternity to construct my blue sky. In the meantime, I have to keep trying to put the blue pieces together.

I can't give up on my blue sky.