There is beauty all around...

Wow. Thanks friends, for the comments on my last post. I felt really good about it, and hearing from you made it even better! :)

Well, I just completed my first week of school this year! YAY! Everything went really, really well. I'm so excited about this group of students, and they are just marvelous!

Today, I began, in earnest, the move-out process, and I was reminded how much I LOATHE moving! Luckily, I have a wonderful roommate/landlord who said I could take my time moving out, especially since I've already started school, so I have one - two days a week I can actually work on it. But still, it's such a long, exhausting process. And I realized, once again, how much stuff I have, and I'm wondering how I'm going to fit it all into the slightly smaller space I'm moving into. "Meh," says my inner-procrastinator, "worry about that tomorrow... or the next day... or never!"

Ha! Oh well, I do what I can, when I can, always keeping in touch with my blue personality, which causes me to drop everything when I have the opportunity for human interaction. Just such an opportunity arose today when I arrived at my new apartment and was able to meet my new roommate for the first time. Having had negative roommate experiences in the past, I was SO nervous, and, it turned out, so was she. But we hit it off remarkably well! :) We just sat aroudn and talked for an hour or so, and while that didn't help me get my junk moved in any faster, it was so worthwhile because we quickly became friends and made plans for this coming semester, and many of my fears about moving were laid to rest.

And, although moving isn't fun, and starting a new school year is always busy, I find myself inexplicably excited for this next year. Ok, maybe it's not so inexplicable to me, but, the reasons are so personal that sending them out into the void just doesn't seem particularly appropriate. So, excuse me, dear void, if I keep the reasons to myself. But, rest assured that I am content, and happy, and excited for the opportunities I have this year to become a better teacher, a better friend, and to build new relationships and have new experiences. This, my friend, is quite the accomplishment for me, as I usually shrink in the face of change. But this time, I feel like good things are coming, and I am ready to meet them head-on, without fear.

Goals Update: Some of you seemed pretty interested in my goals list last post, so, here's the update - I have received my first two Independent Study classes, which I've started, and am enjoying. Once I'm settled in my new apartment I'll set a regular schedule for working on these classes, and my Reading Endorsement classes that start September 2nd. I'm doing pretty well staying caught up on my planning for school, which is helping me dedicate my time appropriately when I'm at home. I received my green laser pointer, and I take it just about everywhere with me. Slowly but surely I'm getting better at identifying things in the sky, and I LOVE it! I'm getting better with my finances, but any real progress on that is going to have to wait until the end of September when I'm finally making full salary - huzzah!

Other things I'm looking forward to in the (very) near future: Friends returning for Fall semester, the first BYU football game of the season next Saturday. The first BYU Women's Soccer game in the new stadium also next Saturday, a 3 day weekend!, and YELLOWSTONE the following weekend. So many great things are happening in the next two weeks, plus, I get along with my new roommate. Really, how can I be anything but happy?!