Date Night

I thought I would let you all know that on Friday night Corey took me to a comedy show at DC Improv. These are the pretty flowers that he showed up with. (My wine bottle vase is finally being used!)The show was my Christmas gift and it was worth the wait. We had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs. We saw John Heffron who was the winner of the second season of Last Comic Standing and we really enjoyed it.

Time Flies

I realized that I have not been doing a great job at keeping up on here. I guess it doesn't seem like I have too much to report. Work is going well and as always it is fun living in the MVS house. I have realized that this year of service is half way through. I have really been enjoying it and now I feel that I need to have a plan in place for next year. Lately I have begun the long and grueling process of applying for jobs. Last Tuesday I went to a job fair for area progressive education schools. It is an interesting concept and one that I need to do more research on. There were some really interesting schools and a few had positions that sounded great. While I am working on following up with them I have also begun completing the application for DC public schools. As you can tell, I am planning on staying in DC (assuming I get a job and am able to afford living here). I have really enjoyed living in this city and I have become an active member at an area church. It is a bit frustrating that I am once again put in the situation where I have no idea where I am going to be a year from now. I am trying really hard to not think about it and instead focus on the here and now. Unless I am able to get certain things accomplished now (like applications and interviews) I will not have as many options.

There are a few verses that keep bouncing around my head these days and I have been using them as a prayer. Psalm 55:22 "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken." And of course Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans you give you hope and a future.'"

Somewhere out there is a teaching position that will suit my strengths and where I will be able to prosper. I have no idea where that is, but God does. It is hard to release my cares and my worries but I have been working on it. There is a difference between ignoring a worry and releasing it - handing it over to God and letting Him take care of it for you. It is an active decision to release a care. I have found that by not worrying about things that I can do nothing about at this point I am able to enjoy the journey. So far this year of service has been great and I think that part of that is due to the fact that I have had minimal to no worries. The nearer the end draws the more difficult it will be for me to not worry about the unknown but God has been preparing me for many challenges and He will not give me more than I can handle. 

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

So today was a very rough day. After not having the greatest night of sleep work was tiring and draining. It was also my night to cook. I am blessed to have very wonderful people in my life and Corey ended up ordering pizza for my house so that I did not have to cook and to top it all off a package was waiting for me when I got in the door. Thank you to all the wonderful people at Kalona Mennonite for putting together an awesome box of goodies. It could not have arrived at a better time. The reminder that there are others out there who care for me and have me in their prayers was a huge help in lifting my spirits and keeping me focused on the bigger picture. Thank you all for the support I have received during the last 6 months.

Caps Game!

So here I am at my first ever NHL game! Corey managed to buy a few tickets off one of his coworkers who has season tickets and so we went to the game tonight. Unfortunately the Toronto Maple Leaves won, but it was a good game and a lot of fun to be there. I realized while at the game that every major sporting event I have ever seen live has been in Washington, DC. MLB = Nats (vs. Cardinals), MLS = DC United, NBA = Wizards, and NHL = Capitals. Two of these firsts have happened in the last month! I feel like a real DC fan even though I had never watched a game with any of those teams before seeing them live. 

Well after a morning run, a full day of work, and then an exciting game I am feeling very exhausted and need to get to bed!