Mrs. H... Sage Hills Edition

First, I just have to tell you that I have the best job in the world!!!  Most days I just can't believe that I get paid to sing and dance with kids all day.  It is a lot of work, but totally worth it.  I have all grades K-6, and don't have an actual classroom.  The school grew so quickly that they had to add extra grade levels in what was the art and music rooms.  So I have a fancy cart that I push around to the different classrooms.  While I would love to have my own classroom where I could feel a little less crazy, I like being able to walk around all day. 

I also really love my school, and my district.  Things were very hard when I was student teaching.  I felt like I was surrounded by people who had very different philosophies about education.  I now am in a place where I feel people think like me, and it's such a positive place to be.  I actually leave my house extra early every day because I'm so excited to start my day there.  I love being the music teacher.  You can check me out right here:  http://sagehills.alpineschools.org/?page_id=404

I am still working at the bookstore.  I leave the school at 3:00, and work at the bookstore most nights until 7:30.  Greg and I also work there together from 10:00-7:30 on Saturdays.  Greg has a job at the UVU library during the week that he likes pretty well.  He is also doing really well in his classes, and has already received e-mails about job opportunities.  Work and school is our life right now, but it is good. 

We really are so so blessed.  Most days I can't believe how many wonderful things we have, and totally don't deserve.  I have to tell you that January through the end of March was the most miserable time of my life, April through August was better, but I was still on the depressed side.  I really do love the bookstore, but it's not what I want to be doing the rest of my life, nor was it what I spent all of this time and money on in college.  My student teaching experience left some bitterness about teaching in my heart, and I had lost hope of getting a teaching position after months of applying. 

I was feeling pretty down one day, and got thinking about all of that talk about 'The Plan of Happiness'.  Sure, there were so many things to be grateful for in my life, but none of the things that I had worked so hard for, or yearned for were happening.  I decided to fast and pray that I would have guidance about what to do about my work situation.  Three days later I got a call for a job interview.  I had easily put out over 500 applications during the summer, and only had one other interview.  I fasted again that I would be able to give the best interview possible, and had Greg give me a blessing that I would have peace of mind during the interview.  I still can't believe that I got the job, and I am so happy now.  I do believe that we need to go through hard things to grow and become better. I believe that this really can be the plan of happiness.  I am beginning to believe again that certain things are possible, and that life is not just some endless cycle of work, appointments, and need-to-do things.  I guess you could say that I have hope again, and to tell you the truth I didn't even realize that I had lost it.