Catching Up in the New Year!

Well, it has been a long time since I have posted anything. A lot has been going on, though! Here's a quick summary to catch everyone up on what's been going on, and then hopefully I'll do better on keeping up with this. We'll see.... :)

First of all, we moved to Virginia! We got here around the beginning of November and we are loving it!!! Our house is great, all of our stuff is unpacked, and there's lots of stuff to do in the area. We got a really warm welcome from our squadron here and are already making some great friends. Dan got settled into the squadron and is working on his Mission Qualification Training.

Here we are in front of our new house:

After we got settled in, we were lucky enough to be able to take a vacation. We went on a cruise to the Bahamas and had a lot of fun. We had never been on a cruise before, so it was a new experience. We didn't get seasick, spent lots of time together, and caught up on all of our relaxation :)
After we got back, Dan's parents came up to our house to celebrate Thanksgiving. I successfully cooked my first turkey, which felt like quite an accomplishment! I know all you do is stick it in the oven for a few hours, but still, I was proud.
For Christmas, we went to my parents' house in Lilburn. We got to spend a lot of time with my family, and I got to see most of my closest friends from home (minus Anna). We were really thankful to have time off over the holidays. We stopped by Dan's parents for a couple days on the way home, then made our way back to Newport News to spend New Year's Eve with friends from the squadron here. It was a lot of fun!

And that about catches you up to now! The latest news it, I got a job teaching elementary school!!! I am so excited, and honestly, surprised. I had been looking forward to having my own class so much, and praying for the right job to come along, but after the holidays came and went with no luck I pretty much assumed no one would be hiring until the next school year. But then, out of nowhere, I saw that a school had listed a first grade position on one of the district's websites. I ended up getting an interview, and the next day they called to offer me the job!

So, in approximately 10 days I will be teaching a first grade class of my own :) I am a little (or maybe a lot) scared to just jump into the class so soon, and in the middle of the year, but I really feel like this job is a blessing. Its exactly the grade I would want, and its in a small school where the principals and other teachers seem really supportive, so I think it will be a great place to start. Wish me luck!!! Oh, and if you don't hear from me for a while, its probably because I'm up to my ears in lesson plans.... :)

Happy New Year everyone!