Professor Breach!

It has been an exciting week for me so far. On Monday, two days before my 35th birthday, I started my absolute lifetime dream job, as a full time college faculty! I am so excited to be teaching at College of Western Idaho and excited to continue to interact and inspire my students.

Between inservice meetings I have been decorating my new office.

Granted, my new office is a cubicle, but that cubicle is only 11 minutes from my house. I could have had an office in Boise, 45 minutes from my house, but the Nampa cubicle won hands down. I had such fun over the weekend crafting some decor to help make my cube feel like home.

I am so very excited to begin this phase of my life! Excited to teach, to work with the community, to interact with my colleagues, and to pick up my kids from school EVERY DAY!! Whoo hoo!!

Dear Internet ...

Dear Internet,

It is 10:59 on the last night of Christmas break. Sigh. I found the last bit of hidden Christmas candy (pretzel M&Ms, sorry Jeff!) and am munching away and uploading a few photos. My little space heater is working away keeping my feet toasty warm. Next to me is a stack of textbooks. I am quite excited to start my new position at the college in one week (1/10/11) ... it is just the week between now and then that makes me want to break out in hives. I have two online courses to finish (AKA start) developing (hence the reason I am at the computer instead of tucked into bed reading the Outlander series, sigh).

This week has some mixed emotions as I will be finalizing all my work with Youth Court and wrapping everything up there (the reason for the hives!!). It isn't so much that I am sad to say goodbye to Youth Court, I enjoyed my time working there and had a great experience, and feel ready to move on. I feel like I am saying goodbye to more than just Youth Court, but to a phase of my life that is ending. The phase where I was a mom with babies. My babies aren't so baby anymore.

{Yes, I realize that Blake is sitting in the ottoman. He's a strange one.}

I am in the process of giving away the baby stuff. Soon there won't be a swing, an exersaucer, or a bouncy seat shoved into the closets. Soon my baby won't be in diapers anymore. It is a strange feeling. I really feel like we are entering into a new stage of our lives. And it is strange.

Looking Back. Looking Forward.

2010 was really a wonderful year for our family! Jeff tested for and received his Black Belt in Kenpo. We went to Disneyland with the Ritchies and Mylie got to meet her favorite princess. Blake started and finished speech therapy and is a completely different little boy now. I was hired to my dream job, a full time Criminal Justice (and also the program head) for Criminal Justice at College of Western Idaho. Mylie started Kindergarten and Blake started preschool. We travelled, we played and watched soccer, we watched lots of movies, we laughed (and laughed some more). We were grateful for our families and friends and enjoyed all the time we were able to spend with them. We were busy.

My word for 2010 was EXAMPLE. I have been thinking about it the last week, trying to gauge how I did. I tried ... does that count for something? I feel like I have tried to be calmer with my kids, to be a better example of handling emotions. I try to be an example of a good person with all people I come into contact with. I believe that this word is something that I should always work on.

And for 2011 ...

There are so many things I want to SIMPLIFY - my priorities, my house (major purging), my diet, my finances. I believe that a lot of how complicated life is depends on how complicated we make it. This is the year I turn 35. I have so much to be grateful for, we have so many wonderful things in my life. I want to slow down and appreciate all those things, not always worrying about the next thing.

I feel optimistic that this is going to be a great year for me and a great year for our family. Happy New Year!!