My Head is Swimming!

I guess it's about time I make another entry on this blog....I can only sum up everything that I'm feeling and doing right now as CRAZY!!

I have been running non-stop for the past few weeks and am way behind in everything that I should be ahead in! We've been planning a youth service, going to Barrie, looking at apartments/houses, going to bank appointments, trying to get all Dave's placement stuff finished, trying to decide what we're going to do and how, and through all that I've been trying to teach and keep my class under control!

Not surprising I'm sure to many, through all this I have gotten run-down and am yet again sick with a cold. This is (seriously) the eighth cold that I have had since November. I'm not sure how much more I can take!

Thankfully Dave's placement is done and he's back at work! We've made one decision, to move to my parents June 1st to save a couple months rent before we head up to Barrie. The Youth Service will be finished Sunday night around eight, which will be an enormous relief. And everything else on the list we're still working on.

I spring weather, but it's making my class insane! They are doing inexplicably mean things that have never been acceptable and thinking that they're just fine. Not to mention it's Christian Education week, during which they dress up as something different everyday and they're loaded up with sugar from the bake sale. Combine all these factors and I'm becoming more and more thankful that I'm going down to only 50% in just a week and a half.....

Barrie

Steph and I are debating the question of whether to buy or rent when we move to Barrie this summer... We've been told by the bank that we can 'afford' a pretty sizable mortgage (that can at least get us into a first-time buyer's home in Barrie). The question is still whether or not we can 'really afford' it. Steph and I are hesitant about buying - knowing that we have a sizable portion of debt from school to pay off as well.

This weekend we travelled to Barrie, and visited with Stevin and Katrina, and took a look at an apartment advertised at $800/month. We'd prefer to rent for a little while, but if this apartment was ANY indication of what's available to rent, then we'll be buying.

Another Week

Another week has gone by, AND I only have another week until I'm finished my last teaching placement!

It's amazing that sooo much can happen in one week, and nothing at all happens the next week, isn't it? Nothing too exciting is going on out here...

I cleaned out my barbecue and found out the heat shield was held together only by rust. So today I'm buying a new heat shield.

So Steph and I are having trouble deciding what to do...

You know... buy, rent?

If we do either option, should we move out of this present apartment and try to save our rent money for 1, 2, or 3 months?

It's all up in the air right now.

The only thing that isn't up in the air is the fact that I never did finish my marking from a week before... So guess what I'm doing THIS weekend...! (yippee)

BUSY!!!!

Wow! Time has flown by US in the last couple weeks! It's been crazy nuts! I don't really know where we should begin...
Steph didn't get the job she had wanted in Woodstock. Unfortunately, c'est la vie.
So we suffered for a little while, wondering what to do next, and in the meantime, just plugged away at our work.
Teaching grades 5 and 6 has stretched me and really pushed me to be a better teacher. My classroom management is good. But my ability to mark assignments quickly is absolutely non-existent. So, now I've got a full week and a half of marking to catch up on this weekend!
BUT I've got a season-ending hockey tournament I MUST go to. So marking is still going to take a back seat to life.
Okay, that's all boring stuff to write about. Here's something interesting!
Martin and Emily have bought a house.
Stevin and Katrina are moving away from Barrie.

And Steph and I are moving TO Barrie.

Steph recieved a phone call on Tuesday, asking for an interview on Wednesday, and was offered the job on Thursday! Ca c'est tres vite!

And then I had a job interview in London on Thursday afternoon... (which I'll have to reject in favour of going to Barrie next year).

It's funny how, just when you lose hope, God picks you up and sets you on your feet again!

So Steph will be teaching a grade 7 class at Timothy Christian School next year!

Next Steps

Well, we had a pretty disappointing week here. We found out that I did not get the job in Woodstock. It was given to someone who has worked there in the past. I knew that my chances of getting the job were pretty slim if someone applied that had worked there, but I was led to believe that no one fitting those criteria had applied. So nevertheless it was very disappointing since we had thought that we had an extremely good chance and we've had to spend the last month (since my interview) thinking about it and becoming more confident.

So now to the next steps. We have no idea what those might be. We currently have no other leads in the Christian schools, although we have a few more resumes out there. We're looking into the public school, but aren't really sure what area we should go for. Lots of people have suggested international teaching....so who knows?!?! We're trying to be optimistic but it's a tough and very stressful spot to be in! We're trying to trust, but at the same time can't sit around and wait for it, so we're doing what we can.

So please keep us in your prayers! And if you hear anything about job openings, fill us in!

I Hope Steph Likes Her Purse!

There's a lot of weird purses in the world. I realized that when I was tricked into purse-shopping not once, but twice, in the past week, by Stephanie. I used to think that women who spend endless hours going from store to store looking for a purse was a little vain. But who would have known that it was actually done out of necessity more than anything else?

I can honestly say, that I don't want to do it again...

Spring is on its way!

Ahhh, the long awaited March Break is here! Nevermind that I have more work to do than I can shake a stick at, it's just nice to be off and relaxed! And I'm loving how it's been warmer outside this week, I cannot wait for spring! A couple weeks ago I suddenly decided that I'm sick of all this snow and coldness! So as the thermometer rises and the snow is melting and the birds are singing, I'm starting to get really excited!

Life here is just as crazy as always, we're still on the job hunt. I'm taking consolation in the fact that most school are on March Break and that's why we haven't gotten any phone calls! It's really hard playing the waiting the game! I've had one interview in Woodstock and we are really praying that I get this one! It's a very stable school and I know a lot of people there, it would just be great! But they're not making a decision until the beginning of April, which is really hard to take when I had my interview on March 3rd. But they have a 2-week March Break (another fabulous reason to get a job there!) so I just have to be patient.

Dave just started placement #2 yesterday. It's a 5/6 split with a teacher who has thrown him right into teaching. He came home yesterday and said that she told him he had to teach three classes on his second day and threw a bunch of textbooks at him! I suspect it has something to do with her report cards being due soon, so she's thinking she can get some quality work time in! But we spent a good couple hours last night trying to plan his lessons. He's supposed to teach division, but none of the textbooks she gave him have a unit on division. So we made something up for today (it turns out I'm now more useful than just for making supper, since I have some resources!) and he's going to have to talk to her about it to get an idea of where he's supposed to go with it.

Anyways, that's all that's going on here....I guess I should get some work done! I mean it's already lunch time and I haven't done anything! Oh how I love March Break!