One year later...

I stumbled across this blog tonight and was amazed and ashamed to find that it has been over a year since I last posted. To all my followers (joke :) I apologize. This blog is for me anyway, so there.

In all honesty though, thinking about all that has happened in the last year brings feelings of excitement and wonder and a sense of overwhelming blessing.

Since my last post, I finished my junior year at Anderson. I moved out of my apartment. I traveled to Europe for the first time. I fell in love with Romania. I crossed the Danube in Budapest, and I met some incredible people. I worked an incredibly stressful job filled with giant highs and terrifying lows. I connected with high school students who operate in an entirely different reality than I do. I discovered my own ability to get angry and act in the face of injustice and wrongdoing. I spent an incredibly fun day at Cedar Point with my dad. I took a group of 95 students to Washington DC. I pulled a fire alarm in a crowded church building (oops!) to get my kids out. I opened the eyes of isolated children to the roots of the civil liberties they enjoy. I went on a tour of the Capitol building. I met people in a way I never have before. I spent 4 days at a lake with people I love dearly. I went to Europe again and bonded with my mom as a woman. I discovered the wonder of Italy and the splendour of Greece and the confusement of Slovakia (?) and the history of Venice and the beauty of Switzerland and the solidarity in Belgium and the stylings of Paris. I found both my love of travel and my longing for home on that trip. I moved to CHICAGO. I started teaching. I said goodbye to my grandmother. I treaded the waters of my extended family. I fell in love with a group of little people. I confirmed my calling. I discovered the city and rode public transportation and got proposed to on the bus with a stolen ring. I got the swine flu, because children are NASTY. I got a dear puppy with my brothers, a little guy we named Mowglie. I longed for Christmas vacation and cried terribly when I said goodbye to my little friends. I went on a ski trip with dear friends and family. I moved into an amazing apartment. I met my new, slightly-larger little friends. I endured 2 months of no teaching and test-preparation. I planned my units and got excited about instruction. I became incredibly comfortable with my roommates. I decided to stay in Chicago and start looking for condos to buy (!?!). I went to Colorado for a wonderful vacation with people who really get it. I started to teach in a way that feels comfortable and right. I worried about jobs in the future. (Scratch that- I WORRY about jobs in the future).

I am... incredibly blessed.