Our Pictures

Blessed

I just wanted to take a minute before we move into yet another week of work to just be thankful for all of the blessings in our life. It seems so easy for Santiago and I to get overwhelmed and stressed out by all of the things we have going on in our lives. We get caught up in the whirlwind around us and we forget that God is in control and even though we face struggles, they are only part of His plan to build our faith and make us stronger. We may not be rich by any means, but we have jobs that pay our bills every month and even leave a little to enjoy life and share our blessings...and there are people all around us struggling to make ends meet. Santiago is able to complete his degree, something he thought he would never be able to do, and it's paid for! I have my own classroom after waiting and hoping and searching for a year. We are actually able to be building our very own house right now...when many people don't have a roof over their heads. We live in a great place that we love...and we enjoy warm sunny weather the majority of the year. We have wonderful family and friends that love and support us in all of our endeavors and hardships. Bottom line...WE ARE SO BLESSED.

A Desert Storm

So last night we got to enjoy something we haven't enjoyed since moving to Arizona last July....A THUNDERSTORM! Now, you might think it's a little crazy to get so excited about something like a thunderstorm, but when you go months without a drop of rain, there is nothing better than lying in bed at night and hearing the rain on the roof and the thunder booming.
Right now we are in the "rainy season" here in the desert, but rain is still a rare occasion. It was so refreshing to just enjoy the peacefulness a thunderstorm brings, and it felt like home. There are a lot of things I don't miss about Indiana: snow, unpredictable weather, cold winters...but I do miss those big Indiana thunderstorms with the lightning flashing and thunder cracking. There is just something so soothing about storms.
Although I do miss thunderstorms, there are plenty of things to enjoy in the desert. I love driving to work every morning with the sun shining, windows down, and the purple mountains in the distance. I love being able to enjoy weekends outdoors all year round. I love the cacti and the palm trees. I love living so close to so many great places. I LOVE being an hour and a half from Sedona, which is my new favorite place to be.
While Indiana will always be my home, Arizona is really growing on me. We will be "back home again in Indiana" at the end of March. I will get my fill of corn fields, GRASS, fresh country air, and of course my family....then it will be back to the desert where I will be glad to get back to warm sunny weather!

The Truth About Life as Newlyweds

Everyone thinks that life as newlyweds is pure bliss 24/7. I must admit, when it comes to our relationship it can't get much better. However the reality is that being young and newly married also means being broke! Santiago and I have recently started to work on a budget that will hopefully allow us to quickly pay off debts, save money, and hopefully furnish our new home as well. That being said...we are going to have to suck it up and avoid all the fun stuff that we love to do. No more weekend getaways, no more concerts, no more shopping, no more pedicures, no more eating out. This is all very challenging for us due to the fact that we live in such a happening city with so many great getaways close by. If we were in boring old Indiana it wouldn't be so hard:) Boooooo. I guess that is just part of "growing up".

The Tevster

Tevez is such a sweet dog...at home. He loves to climb up on the couch and sit on our laps, despite the fact that he weighs 50 lbs. He loves to roll around on the floor with his blanket. He watches the Dog Whisperer with us...and he REALLY watches it. He gives kisses, he always has to be right next to one of us, and he loves to cuddle with us in bed. BUT...
when we try to go out with him...he is BAD. As soon as we are outside our apartment, he thinks he is the boss. He does whatever he wants, and it is as if we aren't even there. We usually go to the dog park about 5-6 times a week so he can run off his energy. We go to the park because we can't take him for walks. He pulls us along, even Santi. We have tried everything, and he even wiggles his way out of his collar sometimes!
I LOVE my dog. I hate taking him out! Today it was a beautiful 80 degree day in the desert, and I hurried out of school to take Tevez to our favorite park. As soon as we arrived at the park, I opened the car door and out he jumped. I grabbed his choker chain, and he squirmed his way right out and took off! At least he never goes toward the parking lot, he just runs straight for the other dogs. When I call his name in the park, it's as if I am not even there.
I can only hope that we can get him under control outside so I can go for walks with him. He is such a loving dog...and we adore him. He is our first baby...and there won't be any others for a LONG time:)

Is It Summer Break Yet?

I am going to go out on a limb and say that no other job requires as much heart and soul as teaching. Some days I wake up and I cannot wait to get into my classroom and see all those rowdy 5th graders ready for a new day. Other days, like today in particular, I am left wondering what in the world I was thinking when I chose this career. My days are full and I never leave work feeling satisfied. I get to school early and I stay late. I often work through lunch. Some days I don't even have a prep period due to another teacher's absence or a meeting. That means no bathroom break all day. In the end I would like to at least have the feeling of having helped one child reach their potential, but every day I feel I am insufficient. My students need so much...and I never have enough to give of myself. I know most people would think I am crazy...that all teachers make a difference. I know, I am sure you would tell me that I have made a difference in one child's life, and that that's enough, but for me it's not. This to me was more than a career, it was a passion. I am starting to feel like that passion is dwindling. I just get so frustrated with students who walk into the classroom with a sense of entitlement...thinking they have earned my respect when they haven't. Yes I want nothing more than to help them learn and have a fighting chance in this world, but when I have to face every day dealing with the repercussions of poor parenting and a bad educational system, it seems like that fighting chance is slipping further and further away. My responsibilities as a teacher grow every day, and my pay shrinks. No matter how many hours I work, I never get ahead. I go home feeling tired, stressed, and hopeless. All I can hope for is the opportunity to transfer to a lower grade next year and catch them BEFORE it's too late.

The Bones of a Home

So...I couldn't resist mentioning that the framing is almost complete on our new home. It is so strange to see it finally take shape after imagining it for so long. We can hardly wait to have the keys in our hands! It is such an exciting experience...I can hardly wait to watch as it continues to develop from dirt to our home!

Our First Blog

Well...this blog is intended to keep family and friends across the country, and the world for that matter, updated on our lives. You know, moving away has been a wonderful experience for us, but being so far away from those we love hasn't been easy. So much has changed since our wedding in June...and we want to feel that although we may be separated by miles, you are all with us on our journey.
So...that being said, what exactly has happened since our absolutely amazing wedding?
For starters, we spent the week after our wedding on a much needed honeymoon in Hawaii. It was the first time experiencing Hawaii for both of us, and it was incredible. We are already hoping to go back one day for an anniversary. Upon returning for the honeymoon, we were in newlywed limbo, living with Santi's parents and not sure what our next move would be. Luckily, after over a year of searching, in mid-July I FINALLY landed a teaching job...and we had a WEEK to move across the country to Arizona!!!!!
The week after accepting the teaching position was a whirlwind. We quickly packed up all of our wedding gifts and the few other things we owned. After a quick search for apartments online and a goodbye to friends and family, we packed up both cars and began our first and biggest newlywed adventure.
After a ridiculously long drive across the United States, punctuated by a torturous last leg through the desert in the blazing sun, we arrived in Phoenix, AZ...and it was 120 degrees outside! One might think we would question our decision at that point, but we were too exhausted to care. Thanks to Santi's parents' help in driving our other car and my parent's help in shipping our things that wouldn't fit in the car...we had made the big move.
Our apartment was nice, minus the fact that our belongings weren't scheduled to arrive for 2 more weeks and we didn't own furniture. I started orientation the very next day after we arrived. While I was caught in a whirlwind of getting ready to begin my first year of teaching 5th grade at Desert Oasis Elementary, poor Santi was stuck in the apartment looking for jobs and sitting on the floor to watch TV.
Finally, after our air mattress popped, we decided it was time to buy some furniture. I had a moment to breath and we went to IKEA (greatest store ever) and picked out some great new digs for our apartment. It was starting to look like home, and Arizona was growing on us.
BUT...what would a home be without a dog? So....you guessed it, after checking out the ads in the local paper, we settled on a beautiful Golden Retriever puppy named Tevez (some may guess he was named after the soccer player, and you are correct). Tevez settled right into our apartment and turned us into a little family. He is a happy-go-lucky guy that has grown from
9 lbs to 50 lbs!!! He loves to chase other dogs at the park, eat Frosty Paws ice cream treats, and pretend he is a lap dog. We adore him.
After a short job search, Santi finally landed a job that he has grown to love. He is working as a sales rep. for Verizon Wireless (anyone need a new phone?). This job has been a challenge, and an exciting one. Despite the sometimes less than convenient hours, he has enjoyed the opportunity to work his way up and make money based on performance...and my favorite part, they are paying for him to finish his degree! So...besides working full time, being a great husband, and chasing the dog around, Santi is working on his marketing degree from the University of Phoenix (not the online one, they actually have a campus).
I am still busy at school...trying to keep up with my street smart 5th grades:) They make me want to scream sometimes, and other times I can't help but laugh at them. Working in my school is a challenge, but it's worth it. My students may be hard to reach, but when you do reach them it makes it that much more special. Next year I will be most likely teaching in an ELD (English Language Development) classroom. A new state law has passed requiring these classrooms for all schools with ELL students. Our school is 50% ELL, therefore we will have approximately 1 ELD classroom per grade level. I am hoping this will give me the opportunity to move down to a lower grade as well.
Our love of Phoenix has grown as the cold temperatures have arrived in the midwest. We have experienced mild weather for most of the days from November-February. We had a little bit of a "cold" spell (40 degrees or so) over Christmas and parts of January...but this week has brought back the sun and some 80 degree temperatures. Mom called this morning and complained about her 12 degree drive to work...we don't miss that...at all.
Another wonderful thing about Phoenix has been our close proximity to some really great new travel spots as well as a variety of entertainment right here. So far we have been to Sedona twice (amazing), the Grand Canyon, and Los Angeles to visit Santi's family. We are about 4 hours from Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Mexico. I am sure we will be enjoying lots of weekend getaways in the next few years! In September we won tickets to see one of our favorite Latin rock bands (Mana), who rarely venture out to the midwest. We also got to experience the craziness of Super Bowl as we played host to the big game right down the road from our apartment. All I can say about that is...TRAFFIC. We didn't even dare go near the stadium on game night, although I am sure it would have been cool to see. I am just glad the Giants won.
This brings me to our most exciting news of the year: we are building a house! Phoenix is a buyer's market right now and with the always increasing property values here in the Valley of the Sun (no one ever retires and goes north), we decided it would be a great investment for us to purchase now and possibly cash in a few years down the road. Plus, rent here is comparable to mortgage payments, and our dog is taking over our tiny apartment. Our house is currently under construction and will be located in a suburb called Goodyear. Goodyear happens to be the 4th fastest growing suburb in the U.S. right now! It is a beautiful, quickly growing city, located just about 20 min. west of Phoenix. Our home is going to be about 1,400 sq. feet and located in a beautiful master planned community. The estimated closing date is May 23rd, but we are anticipating some delay as is typical with new home builds. We are thrilled to move into our first home...and finally be done with musical apartments ( I have lived in 4 apartments in the last 3 years). So...all of you out there who would like to escape the winter weather, come on out!
Well...I don't think I will typically write such long posts, but this being the first one, I had to catch everyone up on what we have been up to these past 8 months. We will keep you all posted on the house, Tevez, work, and school in the upcoming months. We will be home for a visit March 28th-April 5th and hope to see many of you then, however you better warm up the weather before we arrive...our tough Indiana blood has worn thin!