Spring Break!

So...spring break has finally arrived for me! I thought it would never get here. After a LONG week of parent/teacher conferences and wild students, I am ready to RELAX! I also found out some good news before we left for our break. I will be teaching first grade ELD (English Language Development) next year which is exactly what I wanted. No more 5th graders for me!
I started my spring break today by shopping and spending quality time with Santiago who also had the day off. I got some "spring clothes" if you can call them that since it is always warm here. I also enjoyed a much deserved pedicure.
We also took poor little Tevez to get neutered this morning. He was a much calmer version of the dog we know when we picked him up this evening. He has been whining since we got home, which I hope is only because we made him go to his crate so he wouldn't jump around.
Well, tomorrow I plan on laying by the pool and getting a tan. Next week I have ELD training and then it's off to Indiana. I will post again after we return!

Getting Anxious

As the house starts to look more and more like a house, Santi and I are getting excited, and a little anxious. We are so ready to be able to stretch out in our house and get out of this cramped apartment. It is going to be so wonderful to finally have a place to call our own. We can't wait to paint and work in the backyard. I think the best part will be knowing we can finally stay put in one place for longer than a year! These past 4 years, between the two of us, we have lived in 7 different places! Knowing we won't have to pack up again for awhile will be such a relief. We can finally get comfortable in a place of our own, and finally have somewhere to call home.
Even though we are thrilled that our closing is just around the corner, it is also a very stressful thing. Buying a house is a BIG deal, especially your first house. I feel like we are so clueless sometimes. This is all so new to us, and that makes it scary. Even though I know we will be fine, the thought of a mortgage payment scares me!

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!