Blessings This Week

Starting this blog has made me real concentrate on different things that occur in my life, especially my blessings. The beginning of this week started out fairly normal with me trying to find time to clean, study for the Praxis, get information for my new job, and spend time with my little bundle of joy. However, I felt like I wasn't getting any quality time with my husband. On Wednesday Joseph stayed home and played with Jonah and I in the morning, then he took me on a lunch date (with Jonah), kept Jonah while I went to the university for a couple of hours, and then spent the evening cuddling with Jonah and I on the couch. (I rewarded him by telling him I didn't mind him hunting all of the next day, I just minded that it woke Jonah up at 4 that morning. This is supposed to be about blessings though.) This week I've had a headache most nights (I think I haven't been sleeping enough and drinking enough water). Last night when my husband came in from hunting, he offered to clean the kitchen while I bathed Jonah. It was so good not to have to rush bath time so that I can run back to the kitchen. Jonah loved being able to splash around in the bigger part of his little tub. Tonight my husband is taking me to the movies, so I get another date with him!!!!!!
* Let me not forget my little man. I love when he reaches for my fingers while I nurse him. He is becoming much more alert and watches his daddy and I when we leave the room and come back. You can now really tell that he knows who we are.

Great Opportunities

I feel like in my life I have been given many great opportunities to better myself and help others. These range from teaching elementary, being an EFY counselor, a daughter and sister to my wonderful parents and siblings, a wife and mother to my favorite two men in the whole world, and being a member of Christ's church. I have been so grateful for each opportunity and learned many lessons from each experience.
A week before Christmas, a lady from my ward who works as a counselor in one of the local middle schools called to tell me about an adjunct teaching position at Delta State University she had heard about and thought I would be perfect for. When I got off the phone with Sis. Buckley, I called the lady at DSU for more information. After discussing the details with Joseph, we decided I should apply for the position. I am now the newest faculty member at DSU. I will teach two sections of Science Methods for Elementary Education majors. It pays $1000 a semester hour, and I get one free graduate level course for every course I teach. I guess that means I'll be starting on my specialty or doctorate come summer. I'm a little sad to leave my baby, but it is just for six hours a week. I set my schedule as a Monday night course and a Tuesday/ Thursday morning class. Right now between my husband and in-laws, Jonah will not have to go to a babysitter. Once planting season starts, we'll have to talk about what we are going to do for childcare. I don't want to leave my baby, but as a family we felt that this was to good of an opportunity for us to pass up. Plus it will give me a little adult interaction that I miss sometimes (not that I would change being a stay at home mom for anything in the world and still consider myself one.) How thankful I am for the wonderful blessings in my life and the opportunities I have to grow and become a better person and hopefully help others as well.

New Years Traditions

Not only does my family have Christmas traditions for the holiday season, but we also have New Years traditions. I was not able to kiss my loved ones at midnight due to my two favorite men falling asleep earlier in the night. (Joseph made it till about eleven, but Jonah had only had a nap of about thirty minutes. He crashed at 8:30.) I'm pretty sure my love with them will continue through this next year. My parents and sister came down about one o'clock today and brought a combination of greens with them. I had some purple hull peas in my freezer that we substituted for the black eyed peas. I also had some ham frozen in the freezer that one of Dean Partnerships business suppliers had given us. With the help of my mom, we had our traditional New Years food. For those of you not from the South or Southners who don't have deep family roots, this is a traditional Southern New Years meal. The black eye peas are to bring good luck (supposedly each one eaten equals one day of good luck.) The greens that are eaten bring wealth. The pork that is eaten brings forward prosperity. I remember my first year in Utah I had to go back on New Year's Eve. I went out the next day and bought these foods and made all of my friends and roommates eat them so we would all have good luck, wealth, and prosperity. Whatever you ate today I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed mine and that your food brings you everything you need.