Life is Sweet...

For some reason I have been feeling especially blessed lately. It is sad that I don't feel this way all the time since I am TRULY VERY BLESSED. Yes, I am still looking for a job. Actually, nothing has really changed, except for my attitude. Through this whole job search process God has constantly been reminding me that he is in control and that all things will happen in his timing. Thankfully he has blessed me with a grateful heart in the process. Not that I don't have my moments (or days) when I am impatient and grumpy about the lack of structure, focus, and organization surrounding my future. However, I have been brought to tears daily with the reminder of how blessed I am- of how truly great I have it. I have a wonderful husband who loves me, supports me 200%, and is truly my best friend. I have a beautiful daughter who is the sunshine in my everyday life. Just looking at her for one second reminds me how blessed I am and how much I LOVE my life. I also have such a wonderful and supportive family. They all play their own intricate and irreplaceable role in my life. I hope they know how much they are loved. I also have fabulous friends who always know when to call and see how things are going or know that maybe I just need to hear a funny story. Things are still hard at times, but ahhhhhh......LIFE IS GOOD.

For those who are picture deprived- here are a few pics from just two days ago. I have the most adorable video of Johanna, but I need to load it to the site.

Hmmmmm....

So, life has been a little bit like a major motion picture lately. Although, I don't think anyone would pay money to see the insanity that is ensuing. All it would do is remind them of how crazy their own life is and they would leave the theater feeling frustrated and depressed. Hmmmm..sounds like a box office blockbuster! Maybe I should call Ron Howard or Steven Spielberg and see if they're busy. Who would I want to play me? Someone with depth and insight, but still humorous, fun, and full of energy (all the things I imagine I am, even if I'm really not). Any suggestions?

Okay, so really things are just coming to a head all at once. I graduate in three weeks (YAY and oh-my-gosh at the same time). Student teaching, job search, and college class responsibilities are all a little overwhelming. It feels like I have three full-time jobs with a salary of $0. Wait, it's actually a negative salary because I had to pay over $5000 this semester so that I could never be on campus and teach full time. I am not saying that student teachers should get paid. It has been such a valuable experience on which I could never put a dollar amount. But, I wouldn't be opposed to some tuition remburssment. Let's not get me started on this or the fact that the state of Ohio is changing their licensure grade bands again. That is for another post ;)

There is also some stuff going on outside of school/ work which makes things tough. My mom's best friend and her hubbie (I call them Aunt Lucy and Uncle Tom) have been going through a lot. Uncle Tom got diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor this past fall. He was able to beat the disease through prayer, faith, and intense radiation procedures. However, we recently found out that the cancer is back and is in his spine. Things don't look too good right now which makes me really sad. I know that the Lord is the great physician and that he can heal, but I also know that sometimes that is not part of His plan. Uncle Tom is younger than my own Dad. He and Aunt Lucy have three kids and their youngest (a boy) is only 14. I want to ask everyone who reads this blog to say a prayer (or many prayers!) for this family. No time-line has been given which I think is a good thing. This situation does help to put other life stresses into perspective.

Johanna continues to be my shining sun! She is such a big girl and loves it when I tell her that she is doing a "big girl" thing. She squeals and smiles every time! She is such a sweetie- a real mama's girl too. Although she just delights in her daddy as well. Every time I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I just look at her and all is right with the world. I can't wait to be home for the summer!!

ER- it comes with the territory

So, we just had another initiation into parenthood- our first trip to the ER. I was working out at the Y and Johanna was playing in the babysitting room. All of a sudden, the babysitter brought her into the room crying and then walked back out with her. I immediately followed just thinking that she missed mommy or something. When I got in the room where they were, I could see blood coming out of Johanna's mouth. Let me just tell you that it was the scariest and worst feeling ever. She had fallen and hit her mouth on a floor radiator. Luckily one of the other ladies in my spinning class is an ER nurse. She had followed me into the room and was helping me try to figure out where all the blood was coming from. I ended up taking her to the ER where they couldn't really do anything. She cut her gums and that thing that attaches our top lip to our gums. She also has a really fat lip. We brought her home and gave her a bath. She looked soooooo much better with all the blood washed off her face. Poor little baby. She did so good. She was saying "hi" and "bye" to everyone at the hospital. At that point, I think I was more upset than her.

Praise the Lord that she is okay. Her guardian angel was working a little overtime today (thank you!).

First Haircut

So, many of you know that throughout many months of Johanna's life she was a little....um....., let's just say follicley challenged. I don't know if I spelled that right, but you get the point. Even when she was nine months old, there were newborn babies with more hair than her. It often led people to ask about my little boy, even when she was draped in pink. At about ten months her hair started coming in . The back seems to grow much faster then the front, which seems to be a common baby hair dilemma. By thirteen months (back in March) it had grown enough in the back that she was starting to look like she was sporting a mullet. While we all love a little achy- breaky- heart every now and then, mommy and daddy decided it was time for a haircut. I already had an appointment to get my hair trimmed that next Monday. My fabulous hair stylist was nice enough to fit Johanna in later in the day. Here's how it went...

She was a little scared of the pointy metal object.
But, after we bribed her with a snack, she did just fine!

I think she really enjoyed her cape!! But she especially enjoyed her snack.
Almost done!
So beautiful!!! Thanks Kara!