Call Me Pickles

Happy, happy Easter Sunday! I'm just popping in for a quick survey - one that I know I've completed before - but this one has a couple of added categories. Plus, I'm sure some of my answers have changed, at least a little bit. Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying a beautiful Easter, and have enjoyed a friend- and family-filled weekend! I attended a crawfish boil that my family has been going to for years and years and years, and I'm not sure what it was about yesterday, but I had the most fun I think I've ever had. It was an unexpectedly gorgeous day, I got to catch up with quite a few of my high school friends (Spartans forever), and while I told myself I would stay for only an hour, I stayed for almost three.

One great crew

There's just no place like home.

Four names that people call me (other than my real name):

• Kel
• KT
• KTom
• Pickles

Yeah, that last one is probably causing you to scratch your head. At Bellaire, our tutorial time is during lunch, as we are given a 50-minute lunch period. Often times, even if I’m not holding actual tutorials, I’ll have students just come and say hi or sit with me, or I will use that time to catch up on some grading or organizing. That, and the fact that lunch is at 11:35am, I typically wait until my off period to eat my lunch. The teacher that I hang out with in the English department lounge during that time has taken to calling me pickles, as I have pickles in my salad every single day. I now look forward to the daily, “Morning, Pickles,” with which he greets me.

Four jobs I have had:

• Volleyball scorekeeper
• Resident Assistant
• Volleyball coach
• Teacher

Four favorite TV shows:

• Boy Meets World
• Friday Night Lights
• Full House
• The Office (granted, I've only seen episodes here and there, but it's enough to make me want to binge-watch the entire series)

Four places I have lived:

• Houston, TX
• Austin, TX
• Barcelona, Spain
• Golden, MO (for about five weeks – does that count?)

Tibidabo

Four places I have been:

• Maui, Hawaii
• San Francisco, California
• Orlando, Florida
• London, England

The iconic phone booth

Four places I want to go:

• Ireland
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Alaska

… and then some.

Four things I love to do:

• Run, and exercise in general. No better feeling, in my opinion!
• Curl up with a good book – and no interruptions.
• Bake, using my spiffy KitchenAid. It makes baking things from scratch so much easier.
• Travel. I’d gladly live out of my suitcase if it meant I could travel the world. Well, for a couple of years, anyway. Then I’d probably like to settle down with some sort of routine, if I’m being completely honest.

Four things I’m embarrassed to tell you:

• Sometimes I still enjoy watching shows such as Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide and Zoey 101. Those were some of my absolute favorite shows as a teenager, and I’ll admit that I still enjoy watching them from time to time.
• I'm not necessarily embarrassed by this, but in the spirit of March Madness, I'll share this one. In 7th grade, my basketball team was playing for the district championship. We were down by two points, and I was fouled with two seconds left in the game. I had the chance to tie the game and send us into overtime, but I only made of my two free throws. While it certainly wasn't my fault, I was still embarrassed because the boys A & B, and the girls B team were all there to witness that moment. Free throws win ball games! Oh, and did I mention that it was on my 13th birthday?
• Okay, I'll admit that I read the first 50 Shades book. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. If that's what people think love is, count me out. Totally not worth my time, though I have heard that the second and third books are much better.
• I know I majored in English, and I know I'm a high school English teacher, but poetry is still something that makes me uneasy. I don't understand it, I don't know how to analyze it, but I think I've managed to BS my way through it pretty well thus far!

One place I’d rather be right now:

• I mean, I’m pretty content right where I am, but I’m getting pretty excited to be in San Francisco this time next week with my best gals.

Four things I don’t eat:

• Sushi
• Oysters
• Bologna
• Tuna Fish

To be fair, I’ve actually never tried the first three. But I know myself well enough by now to know that I just wouldn’t like them. And the tuna fish has a funny story. When I went to Wilderness, one of the meals we were expected to eat was tuna fish. And I have never liked tuna fish. But Wilderness has a nutritionist, who strategically plans meals that will give us enough calories, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats to help us to hike the 37 miles that our group hiked. We got a little lost, which is why we went so many miles. Anyway, we were at a campsite on the second day and the meal we were served was tuna fish. I am not kidding when I say that I was literally crying when the guides told me I had to finish my tuna fish sandwich before we continued. I offered to eat extra dessert in place of the tuna (fair bargain, I know), but no can do. It was a traumatic experience, to say the least.

The stop where we ate the tuna. Notice my stance.

Four of my favorite foods:

• Frozen yogurt, of course.
• Grilled chicken salads. I cannot get enough of them.
• Dark chocolate.
• Banana-Oatmeal-Almond Butter Muffin dough. Seriously. I have taken to preparing the dough and not cooking it, and I am obsessed. I often eat it during my 1^st period class, and my kids are so curious about it.

Four random facts about me:

• I have never had a cup of coffee. I've never acquired the taste, and I’d rather not become dependent on it, so there you have it!
• I was voted “Best Personality” of my high school class. My crowning achievement, really.
• Instead of, you know, getting ahead on my health and speech credits, I elected to take woodshop in eighth grade. It was one of my favorite classes, and it made Christmas and birthdays so easy that year!
• My second toe is longer than my big toe, which is actually pretty common, but the official name for this is Morton’s Syndrome.

And I'm off to enjoy this day. In the spirit of this special holiday, check out John 11:25-26. The perfect picture of sacrificial love.

Six Months. Six Lessons.

I have successfully survived six months in the real world with a real job. It's only been six months? How can that be right? I say that, but at the same time, I feel as though time is absolutely flying. Spring break is just one week away - PTL - and after that, we don't have too long until S U M M E R vacation! But because I've hit that six-month mark, I thought I would take a moment to share what I have learned. And I'm certainly not the wisest, and  I don't have all the answers. But I would love to share what I do know, because these six months have been such a learning experience for me.

My second home

1. You will never know everything. And because of that, it's okay to ask for help.
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Heck, I have no shame in stopping to ask for directions. That's not so much necessary anymore with the high-tech iPhone GPS, but I'll be the first to admit that there is so much that I don't know about teaching and coaching. And at first I saw asking for help as a sign of inferiority, but I quickly figured out that it is one of the best learning tools I've got. When I run out of drills at practice? Our varsity coach has binders full of them. When I don't know how to make a lesson interesting, or I'm struggling to organize a lesson? I can guarantee you that at least one of my team members has something up her sleeve. That's how ExposiTORY came about, and it warms my heart when I see my students drawing this stick figure before they begin writing. What's my point in writing all of this? That saying that goes, "You learn something new every day." Absolutely and 100% true.

I learned just how difficult it is to write a formulaic expository essay in only 26 lines

2. Make friends with your co-workers.
At a school like Bellaire, it's near impossible to know every other teacher in the school. And I wish it was possible, but it's just not. That being said, some of my fellow Bellaire teachers are some of the greatest people I have had the pleasure of knowing. I have loved getting to share the victories and struggles of being a first-year teacher with Ms. Paz. I have loved laughing with my English I team at some of the hilarious things our students say, write, and do. Lately, I have gotten to know one of the English III teachers, who has been at Bellaire for 25 years and is 30 years my elder, because we both have 6th period off and we both hang out in the English department lounge. I look forward to our daily conversations. And I've even gotten to know some of the teachers in other departments. History, especially. And who can forget the teacher who took the time to talk to me when I was crying (yes, crying) in the middle of the hallway after learning my classroom had been taken away? Other teachers, coaches, and members of the staff take time to ask me how my day is going, how I'm doing, how I'm liking Bellaire, and how I'm enjoying teaching. And they want to hear my honest answer. And though I'm one of the youngest teachers in the school, I've met some truly dynamite people who help me to survive each day.

3. Bad days will happen.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Bad days will absolutely happen. In fact, I went off on my students just today telling them they're all going to fail the STAAR because they can't get their ish together. Okay, I didn't use those exact words, but sometimes their constant chatter, sassiness, and immaturity just gets to me. Not that all of them are this way. And I understand that they're freshmen. But just because one small part of a day isn't the best, or it sometimes seems as though you're giving so much and not getting anything in return, it doesn't mean that you're not exactly where you're supposed to be. 

Yeah, this really happened

4. It's okay to set aside the work for a night. It will still be there in the morning.
Lately I've found myself feeling guilty for every minute I spend not working. If I'm sitting there talking to my mom or watching an episode of Full House without my laptop in front of me, I feel as though I'm wasting time. And that's not a healthy way to feel. Sometimes I panic when making plans with my friends, because it's precious time wasted. And I said this here, but an evening spent talking and laughing with friends, or a morning spent catching up over brunch, or an afternoon spent walking at the park, is just as important as grading those expository essays. Or making a PowerPoint. I am someone who loves living life ahead - I've always been that way - but I've found that it's best to set aside the work, live in the moment, and take time for the things that bring you life and bring you joy. For me, that's baking and exercise and blogging and reading and spending time with my friends and family. Because I guarantee that stack of short answer responses will still be there in the morning.

5. Technology is a curse, not a blessing.
Bold statement, I know. And I don't say this just because my students are attached to their phones, computers, and tablets. Seriously. I've had several moments where I've laid into my kids about how they are addicted to their cell phones. And I'm one to talk, because I hardly leave the house without it. That being said, though, I had a go-phone my senior year of high school, and the only thing I was checking was Parent Portal. Yeah, I was a huge nerd. But these kids are losing the ability to interact with their fellow students. One of the best days was when my students played hangman in the last few minutes of class, and they put away the phones and got so into the game. I also say this because, call me crazy, but I prefer a white board and Expo marker to all of this fancy technology. SmartBoards? No, thanks. It's great when it works, but when it goes out on you, it's often more trouble than it's worth. And it can leave you scrambling. But document cameras are pretty cool. 

6. Sleep is important.
Yeah, this one deserves to be number one. I had been warned, but teaching makes you drop-dead tired. I know I'm tired when I can sleep until 9:30am on the weekends. Because that just doesn't happen. And though I'm partial to teaching, I know that just about any job will make you drop-dead tired. Adjusting to a reasonable real-world schedule is hard. Because though I wasn't one to stay up super late, and I certainly never pulled an all-nighter, that's just not an option when you have work the next day. There have been a couple of occasions when I've had to say no to hanging out with my friends because staying up past 11:00pm would set me back for days. And going back to the work thing. There have been nights when I told myself I would stay up late and get it all done, only to be playing catch-up for the next couple of nights. And once I start neglecting sleep in favor of crossing things off, my health starts to suffer, and there's really just no time to be sick.

And one more for good measure. Find a job that makes you smile more than it makes you frown. It's gotten real in Ms. Tomlinson's English and Reading classes these past couple of weeks, because you guys maybe know better than my kids do that the STAAR test is just 11 school days away. Holy yikes. And I've made it clear that I won't tolerate any messing around. That being said, we have been reading a piece of drama these past couple of class days. Not only because we anticipate a piece of drama showing up on the STAAR, but also because it relates to the novel we have slowly been reading - Ernest Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying. The death sentence. Uplifting, right? But my kids have been so into it. They have really gotten into the parts, and some of my most reluctant students have asked if they could have a role in the play. They exaggerate their lines and pick up accents and make sound effects and today they asked me if we were going to finish reading the play. And I have found myself laughing and laughing at them, anticipating the start of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, I have hard days. Yes, my students exasperate me to no end sometimes (because why would you come to school without a pencil?). Yes, sometimes I ask myself what in the world I was thinking becoming a teacher. But my students bring a smile to my face each and every day and I'm so grateful for the job that I have. From teaching Reading to coaching volleyball, I'm convinced that I've got the best gig around.

And though I've learned a lot in just six short months, I know I've got miles to go. And I'll always have miles to go. Keeping up with my students is the equivalent of sprinting a marathon. So, whether you've been out in the real world for years, you're like me and you're just getting your toes wet, or you're about to graduate from college, just remember that there's always something to be learned. And that's the beauty of it.

Real World: "Commence"

I apologize for yet another extended absence (although nothing can beat my March - May absence, oops), but I promise this absence was with good reason. As of Saturday, May 17th, I am officially a college graduate! And the University of Texas at Austin is now my alma mater (I may have teared up when President Bill Powers said those words).

Because it is impossible for me to sum up the past four years in a single post (and believe me, I sat down multiple times to try and do so), I will simply say that my four years at UT were truly the best four years of my life, and I am so thankful for the people I met, the friends I made, the opportunities I had, the laughs I shared, and the education I received. I could not have asked for a better college experience, and I will only look back at my time at UT with the fondest of memories. And I think this quote from The Office sums things up pretty well, "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them."

Graduation Weekend

My family arrived in Austin late Friday afternoon, and Dylan and I met them at The Roaring Fork out in North Austin for a 7:30pm dinner. We timed it pretty perfectly in order to see the sunset over the water as we were enjoying a delicious dinner. It came as no surprise to anyone that I ordered the salmon dish (predictable), with an order of asparagus on the side. I intended for the asparagus to be for anyone who wanted it, but I ended up eating most of it all by myself. Oops.

It was wonderful, and it was also great to see my family for the first time since accepting my job!

After dinner, we parted ways for the night, but we reconvened in the morning when they picked me up for a 12:30pm graduation ceremony. 

This was the ceremony in which my name was called out, I walked across the stage, and I received my diploma (or a piece of paper promising my diploma).

Because there were only 117 of us graduating with a degree in English, the ceremony was fairly short, and we processed out around 1:45pm.

We then made our way over to the Tower to take some oh-so-original pictures by the Tower,

before piling back in the car to eat a late lunch at Gloria's in the Domain. I was essentially starving by this point, so I filled up on chips and guacamole (mainly so I wouldn't be drinking my orange mojito on an empty stomach) before my shrimp and chicken salad came.

I still managed to eat every last bite, and I think we were all in agreement that it was more than time for a nap. We headed back to the Clubhouse to relax before the evening festivities began. I was contemplating (not really) skipping my own commencement, thanks to exhaustion and a headache, but I have heard from so many people how rewarding the big commencement ceremony is. And though I was standing outside the PCL for a little under an hour, and it took all of the graduates 45 minutes to process onto the Main Mall, it was absolutely worth every single minute to be a part of the evening's festivities.

Both University President Bill Powers and our student body president spoke before we heard from the star of the show - Admiral William McRaven. He is the commander of the U.S. Special Operations, and he actually led Operation Neptune Spear, which resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden. So, it only made sense that a U-S-A chant broke out among the students. McRaven is a '77 UT grad, and I may be a little biased, but his speech was easily one of the best speeches I have ever heard. I was so inspired that I wished I had a pen and paper to whip out so that I could take notes. Luckily, we are currently living in the 21st century, and a full copy of the speech is available online for your reading pleasure, as is a video recording of the actual speech if you prefer to listen and watch. I HIGHLY recommend that you give it a read and/or listen, because I was left feeling highly motivated to change the world. Because our tagline is "What Starts Here Changes The World," here are Admiral McRaven's 10 ways to change the world:

1. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.

2. If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.

3. If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.

4. If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.

5. If you want to change the world, don't be afraid of the circuses.

6. If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.

7. If you want to change the world, don't back down from the sharks.

8. If you want to change, you must be your very best in the darkest moment.

9. If you want to change the world, start singing when you're up to your neck in mud.

10. If you want to change the world, don't ever, ever ring the bell.

Again, I highly recommend reading through the entire speech, because it was simply amazing, and I guarantee you will finish feeling inspired. So, in the words of Admiral McRaven, 

• Start each day with a task completed.
• Find someone to help you through life.
• Respect everyone.
• Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often, but if you take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up.

After his incredible speech, the dean of each college stood up, said a few words, the Tower was lit up with each corresponding color, and finally, the Tower was lit a beautiful burnt orange while sporting a '14. The grand finale was the fireworks show, which was easily one of the best that I have ever seen.

It was a truly incredible night, and I have to admit that I had goosebumps as I sang "The Eyes of Texas" at the conclusion of the ceremony. I am so proud to be an alum, and an official Texas Ex, of the greatest university in the world, and I absolutely cannot wait to get out there and change the world!

Cheesy, but true. As bittersweet as it is to end this chapter of my life, I could not be more excited for the new chapter that lies ahead. As I mentioned in this post, I will be teaching English at Bellaire High School, and I have also just accepted a position coaching freshman volleyball. A mere 30 minutes after I walked the stage, I received a text message from one of the coaches at Memorial High School asking if I would be interested in coaching at Bellaire. Overwhelmed with all that was happening in that moment, I gave it a few hours before replying with a resounding (as resounding as a text message can be) YES. I can't tell you how much my volleyball years - and my incredible coaches - meant to me, and I look forward to (hopefully) having even half the impact on these players that my coaches had on me. I know that being a first-year teacher is going to be tough enough, only to throw a crazy volleyball schedule on top of that, but I knew I would have regretted saying no to this opportunity. 

I met with the head coach at Bellaire yesterday afternoon, and I went up to Bellaire again this morning to talk specifics, go over the calendar, and learn a little bit about the Bellaire volleyball program. I left the school feeling even more excited than I ever thought I would be, so I'm going to go ahead and say that I made the right choice in saying yes to this opportunity. And I cannot forget to thank the numerous coaches I have had along the way that have been nothing but supportive and helpful throughout my career as a player, and now on my journey to becoming a coach. Y'all are the best, and I cant' wait to see you guys on the (other side of) the court!

And hopefully the regularly scheduled posts will resume starting tomorrow - I'll do my best to make that happen!

*Disclaimer: I typed this post up on Tuesday evening, and am just now getting around to posting it, so I apologize if some of the verb tenses don't make as much sense.

H I R E D

Happy Wednesday to my faithful followers. And what a happy Wednesday it is, because I am officially EMPLOYED. What that means, I'm not entirely sure, but hey, it sure feels good to say! My parents can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that paying for college was certainly worth it. I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that these past four years of stress and chaos were absolutely worth it, and though I had my days of doubting whether or not I was in the right major, ultimately, I can say I picked the right major. My car can breathe a sigh of relief because I will be holding off on the Houston trips for at least a short while, and I don’t think I have stopped smiling since yesterday afternoon.

So, I won’t leave you guys hanging, because I know you are hanging on the edge of your seats with anticipation, but I will be teaching English at Bellaire High School (my mom’s alma mater - talk about the circle of life!) in the Houston Independent School District. Though many of you might stop reading right about now, I will go into the long drawn out story for those of you who want to know.

(Source)

(Source)

I’m not going to lie, Bellaire High School wasn’t really on my radar going into this job search process. Not that I was against going there, I just hadn’t really considered it. Anyway, I received an email from my UTeach professor one day that told me a representative from HISD would be speaking to our class, and there would be time to meet with him afterward if we were at all interested. I knew that I wanted to be back in Houston after I graduated, so I planned on meeting with the representative. It turned out that I was one of the only ones to do so, which certainly worked in my favor. He asked what I knew about HISD, and I admitted that I didn’t know much (he was also a Stratford grad, small world, right?), but that my mom attended Bellaire High School. He asked me if I would be interested in teaching there, and though I hadn’t given it much thought, I kind of liked the sound of that, so I told him that I would love to. He took down my information and told me he would be in touch with me in the coming weeks if he learned of any job openings at Bellaire High School.

Not even a few days later did I receive an email saying there was in fact an open English position at Bellaire High School if I wanted to act on that. I began filling out my HISD application, and the representative told me he would pass on my information, and that he would be at the career fair at the Frank Erwin Center the following week if I had any additional questions. The day of the career fair came, and I found that same representative so that I could thank him for all of his help. It took me by surprise when he told me that the Bellaire principal was actually at the job fair if I wanted to meet him and put a face to the name. I went up and introduced myself, and had an impromptu mini-interview with him. Since we already know the ending to this story, it obviously went well, and I was so excited to get a call about a week later in regards to coming in for an interview. I had actually been in Houston the entire weekend, and returned to Austin on Monday, but on Wednesday, I put on my red heels and made the drive back to Houston. The drive was a breeze, and the hardest part of it all was finding a place to park. I ended up parking my car in one of the surrounding neighborhoods with a note that said I had an interview at Bellaire High School and to PLEASE not tow my car. Praise the Lord that actually worked! I headed inside with enough time to find the main office, where I was then led to the library to complete a preliminary “test,” if you will. I was asked to analyze the theme of a poem, explain how I would use it in the classroom, and take a portion of a released SAT exam. Bellaire certainly meant business!

The sweet view I had driving back to Austin that night, reminding me that I was never alone

That portion of the interview took a little less than an hour, and I was then brought in before a group of five individuals – an assistant principal, the English department head, and three freshman English teachers. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was likely being considered for an English I position. This might sound crazy, but I had a great time in my interview, and I felt as though I really connected with the other teachers in the interview. The school has such a high student success rate, and it was very easy to see why that was. The teachers I spoke with are passionate, enthusiastic, and dedicated. I walked out of that school (trying to remember where I parked my car) knowing that Bellaire had just become one of my top choices. I had a hard time admitting that to people, mainly because I knew getting the job there would be a long shot, and it’s hard for me to be vulnerable when I know that I could be let down, but it was also hard to hide the fact that I really wanted to get the job at Bellaire.

My freshman English class

Last day of freshman year

  

When I didn’t hear anything for about a week or so, I told myself that I probably didn’t get it, and that was okay, because I am about to be fresh out of college with student teaching being my only classroom experience, and hiring a 22-year-old at such an established school is certainly taking a risk. So you can imagine both my surprise and excitement when I received an email from the principal while I was in Washington D.C. asking me to let him know when would be a good time for a follow up phone call with him. Said phone call happened the following Tuesday afternoon, and I was told I would likely hear yes or no within 48 hours. Well, Thursday afternoon (and evening) came and went, and I didn’t hear anything, so I decided it was probably time to hit the road to Houston, as I had an 8am interview the next morning. I was bummed that I hadn’t yet heard anything, but I felt confident that I would be called whether I got the position or not. However, being the overeager person that I am, I emailed the Bellaire principal at 7:15am on Friday morning, hoping I would hear back one way or the other, just to put me out of my misery. Friday came and went, Saturday came and went, and on Sunday I received an email saying the final decisions would be made on Tuesday, and that I would hear back for sure by Tuesday evening.

A little chocolate to calm my nerves - thanks, Dyl (who might have been just as nervous)!

So here we are on Tuesday. I am pretty much doing whatever I can not to think about the fact that the phone call would be coming today, whether I was ready for it or not. Around 1:30pm, my phone started ringing with an unknown 713 number. I knew this was it, so I answered it, ran outside SRD, and proceeded to take the phone call. In all honesty, I can’t tell you a lot of what was told to me (that’s what contracts are for, right?), because I wasn’t sure in which direction we were headed, but at the end of the phone call I was offered a teaching position at Bellaire High School. I am not sure what grade I will be teaching, likely a combination of English I and a reading class, but as soon as I do know that information, I will absolutely pass it on to you guys. I sounded like a complete nerd on the phone as I rambled on before actually accepting the offer, when I was met with a “Welcome to the Bellaire team,” and to say that I have felt total peace about my decision is an understatement. I know I have shocked quite a few people when I tell them that I picked Bellaire before waiting to hear back from Stratford, but it was an offer I couldn’t refuse, and I know that I will be so happy at Bellaire. And I know there will be tough days, and the traffic on 610 might get to me sooner than I think, but I am so excited to see how God writes this next chapter of my life. Many people have told me that “I so deserve this,” and in all honesty, I am so incredibly undeserving, but I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity. I also can’t tell you how great it feels to know that I can walk across that stage in less than two weeks knowing exactly what I will be doing. I feel like I have been one constant ball of stress because though I have attended many career fairs, sent countless emails, and even had a few interviews, nothing was secured, and it feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders, and I can finally relax and truly enjoy these last few weeks of college, because I do not have a worry in the world right now. There are not enough thank-you’s in this world to thank all of the people who have helped me along the way, but I’ll sure try.

 

Believe it or not, this is the exact outfit I wore to my interview

Here’s a big thank you to my parents (froomies!) for not only paying for my college education, which is enough in itself, but for answering every frantic phone call, freaking out about what to do next, for proofreading my resume and cover letters and every single email I ever sent, and most of all, for believing in me every step of the way. Even when I started doubting, they never stopped believing in and encouraging me, and for that, I am so grateful. Here’s to moving back in with them! Thank you to my professors at UT, my cooperating teachers in the UTeach program, and the countless number of former teachers and coaches who truly taught me something new every day, who wrote reference after reference after reference, who put in good words for me, and who inspired me to sign up for what I have just signed up to do. Y’all rock. Thank you to the parents whose sons and daughters will be sitting in my very classroom this fall. You guys probably don't know what you're about to get yourself into (nor do I, really), but I'm excited to begin this journey with your sweet kids. And finally, a huge thank you to my sweet friends who have put up with my weird hours and endless stress, who have shared my excitement and lived every single step with me. I have so many wonderful people in my life, and that made it all the sweeter to share this exciting news. So, here’s to shedding my beloved green and white (though I will always bleed green) for a crisp red and white. Go Cardinals! And real world, I'm finally ready (or maybe not) for ya!