Truckin' Right Along

Summer is wrapping up and I'm sitting for a moment reflecting on the whirlwind that it has been. A lot of tragedy, a lot of blessings, and a lot of growth have peppered the hot days, and I'm a stronger person because of it.

I really miss my grandmother. She was a stubborn woman, and it was a constant struggle to live up to her standards, but there wasn't a more genuine, service based person on this earth. Shes left behind a lot of fond memories, a tight knit loving family, and a lot to live up to. So far, her passing has been the hardest thing I've had to deal with in a long time.

I am not teaching this year... Again. You know what? I'm not upset, bothered, or bitter about that. It's been a long road in the education field. I had several interviews this summer. Some were ok, some were phenomenal, some were politically stacked, but nothing felt right. After each moment of disappointment passed, I felt relief. Yes, I wanted a job desperately, but none of the schools seemed like a perfect match, and I am so apprehensive at working at another school that I don't fit.

With the struggles of job hunting in the education field I have also had to struggle with the decision of furthering my education. I have some issues with the limitations that Kentucky puts on teachers in what they are allowed to get their masters in, and I feel very cornered into the profession because of it. I do not want to get a degree for a job that I may not have forever. That's a lot of debt that I'm not ready to justify. At the same time, if I don't do it, I lose my teaching certification. It's a rock and a hard place, and has been heavy on mind for two years.

So, I have been grappling with these decisions, while researching and looking into different fields of work that I feel I could co tribute to with my current education. I got a lead from a friend a month or two ago about a job opportunity that I followed up on, and now am currently implied for a company that works with developmentally challenged individuals in making them more independent in the community.

I love my job. I love being able to work with someone one on one and make a direct difference in her life. I love getting to use what I know and have learned in my educational and life experience to benefit her in the different faucets of what we do together. I also love the different doors is job is opening up. I am learning about new career options that were not made known to me before, careers that allow me to do what I love, work with kids, work with people that need me, without the drama, politics, and restrictions of public education. I am very blessed in this, and for once I'm making decent money without taking work home.

Jeff and I have enjoyed our seccon summer. We have gotten to go on some trips, explore new things, and develop a ever strengthening bond with one another. I am so grateful to have a companion who loves me as much as he does, respects me in all things and always makes sure that any disagreement is resolved before going to bed.

I am excited for what the rest of this year has in store. I'm excited to take on new challenges, make new memories, and find time and motivation to appropriately document them.