Happy Tuesday everyone! I'm very pleased to announce that after last week's depressing post I have good news! Although I've still been sick and it's not all happy-fun-town over here, I'm really glad things are finally starting to look up and get better, (hopefully).
The first big thing is that I FINALLY got a call back from the coordinator at the YMCA and they officially offered me the job as a Group Leader! I will be employed as of Thursday after signing all the necessary paperwork. I'm excited and glad to be starting a new chapter in my work life outside of retail and, even though the money is not terribly great, I know I'll be a lot happier and a lot less stressed here than I would be anywhere else. I've always wanted to use my educational degree towards my job and now I get to do that. It won't be a lot of time, just two days a week, which may or may not kill our finances and drive my husband crazy, but I'm hoping that I can grow with this company and next year move up to a higher paid position for more hours. I'll just be glad to get out of the house and play with kids after school! I'm super pumped and I can sort-of relax for now.
Speaking of my husband, I do feel bad about not pulling my weight around here. It's not that he minds, but I can see how much pressure he's under to provide for us while I've been out of work and I just wanted to take the time to let him know how much I appreciate all of the support he's given me during this difficult time and all the praise he's given me for sticking to it. I have no idea what I would do without him pushing me and reassuring me that everything will be alright. He has been the absolute best and I hope that someday I can repay him for all the kindness he's shown me, but for now I just love him unconditionally like any wife would. I love you Bear:)
Ok, so moving on out of Sapville, I also have some not-so-good news regarding my internship. For the past two months I've been visiting and observing teachers in their natural habitat, looking for a classroom to call my own for next year. It felt a lot like The Bachelor in the sense that I was seeing all these potential matches and looking for one to give my final rose to, not knowing how the other teachers felt about me. Well, it looks like I won't be proposing to anyone yet... Out of the three top teachers I chose to move forward with, NONE of them wanted to pursue a relationship with me. So I'm back to square one, scratching my list and waiting to hear from the internship coordinator about my options. I have no idea who is left to chose from, or if I'll be outsourced to a completely different school district, but I'm so over this process that I just want to be done with it. I spent all that time for nothing and now I don't even know where I'll be. I don't know if anyone will like me, but this time around I will probably do things a little differently. Before I was focusing more on the relationship between me and the teacher and I should have been focusing on what age group I prefer and the area I'd like to be in. I need to put more of an emphasis on the educational aspects and less on the personal aspects in order to get a match and I feel bad that I ruined my chances with mostly everyone already... Hopefully they can find me someone I'll enjoy spending a year with. We shall see, but now I have to wait even longer, until the end of April, to find a match. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it...
That being said, I do have some TV reviews to get to, so strap on your spoiler helmet and let's get cracking. First up is The Amazing Race! I can't say I was sad to see Luke and his mother go, but they did alright. I felt like it was their time to go and better now than further down the road when it gets even more difficult. I think that for someone who is deaf they had a really great communication system, (only flawed by Luke's inability to keep his cool during certain situations). Overall I feel bad for them, but my new favorite team is still in it! The Globetrotters have made this race so much fun for everyone and they just keep bringing the smiles, so I hope they make it to the finale. I would also love to see them get out of the third-world countries sometime in the near future, so hopefully that happens soon.
Once Upon a Time was also new Sunday night and boy am I lost. Rapunzel, although an important fairytale character, just felt kind of shoved in there and the whole thing with Zelena is getting weirder. I was talking with someone last week about how Rumple is back and that must mean someone has his dagger, but I wasn't entirely sure. Now it turns out that Zelena has it, but how did she get it? Why is he spinning gold for her? Where the hell did he go at the end of the episode? Why does Zelena need David's courage sword thingy? Where are all the flying monkeys being held? What does Zelena want with Snow's baby? WHAT'S GOING ON?!? I'm just really confused now and this episode wasn't one of my favorites, but I'm sure the next one will answer at least one of my questions. The whole scene with Regina and Henry was adorable, so I hope he gets his memories back before the end of the season, although I think they might need Rumple for that. Who knows? God knows I don't anymore. This is really an interesting development.
Finally, we're down to I think ONE episode left of How I Met Your Mother and I'M DYING. We FINALLY get to see Barney and Robin's wedding and for a second I really though she would run away with Ted, but now Ted is a wise one and he talked her out of it. Did anyone else think Robin looked stunning in her dress?! Marshmallow and Lily pad made me cry a little, thinking about my own husband and how much like them we really are. I'm sad we won't get to see little Daisy grow up like Marvin, but I'm glad things are getting settled. I love how "the mother" has helped everyone in the group, (except Ted, obviously), find some balance in their own lives. Hopefully I can keep it together next week for the finale... All of this closure has to be bad for you, doesn't it?
One last thing: there is a new trailer for X-Men: Days of Future's Past out now, so if you haven't seen it yet, the video is below. Enjoy! I know I did!
That's it for today. Along with my internship anxiety I also have about half a book to read, a four-page reflection to write and a couple revisions to spit out before the end of the week, so I'll be pretty busy by Thursday. I'll be happy to start my new job soon and get back into the swing of things. I'm not sure if I have a break in April, but I'm kind of hoping I do at this point. After the semester I've had already, I can safely say I'll need a vacation ASAP. If you have thoughts about this weeks TV recap, let me know in the comments below. I'm nearing the end of my March photo challenge with the North East Blogger's Network, so if you're not following me on Instagram yet, now is the time. Also, if you ever want to see me live-tweet The Amazing Race, I do every Sunday, so you can follow me there too. All my links are up at the top! Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
So now that it's almost over, everyone is reminiscing about the past year and the highlights that mean the most to them. As I have had a pretty stellar year, I guess I'll do the same. These are the best moments from my 2013, counting down to the best:)
Substituting has become one of the best decisions I have ever made. Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever become a teacher, but after I got more invested in my degree and experimented with substitute teaching, I grew to love the kids at my school and I will be very sad when I have to leave them for my internship next year. I've become fond of the middle school environment and I'm excited to see where the new year takes me and my career.
I got a chance to go zip-lining with my in-laws this fall and it was a great experience. If you know me at all, I'm terrified of heights, so this was also a huge challenge for me. However, I had a ton of support from my new family and they helped me through it. There were moments where I was more scared than excited, but I would still do it again if given the opportunity and I urge anyone thinking about it to do the same. So much fun!
This year my husband and I got to go to two amazing Comic Conventions in New England. We went to the Boston Comic Con and then the Rhode Island Comic Con, which were both packed with books, celebrities, costumes and more. I had never been to one before, but my husband wants to go into that line of business some day and let me tell you, if he does, I would have absolutely no problem going to any of those with him to support him. They are nice people, the literary works are intricate and the artists are extraordinary, so it's definitely an experience worth having. I'm looking forward to visiting more in 2014.
We moved from Dover to Exeter to Newmarket, NH this year. It was stressful, but totally worth it. We went from living with other people to living with my father to finally living on our own. Sometimes we need to move back home, just for a little while, to get back on your feet and set your affairs in order. For now we're happy in our tiny apartment, but we're patiently waiting for a chance to get a house. You have to start small to move up.
St. Louis was an awesome highlight for my 2013. We went for business, but if you had been there you could barely tell. It was one of the most fun trips I've been on and I would do it again in a heartbeat. So many genuinely nice people in one place, such good food and great sight-seeing made for a great mini vacation. Hopefully I get more chances to travel in 2014.
I graduated in 2013! It doesn't feel like it because I'm still in school for my Masters, but I obtained a Bachelor's degree. It's a great achievement for anyone to finish college, and the fact that I went back for round two is even more great, (and somewhat crazy, according to some people). I am proud of my degree and I will be even more proud when I am officially certified by the state of New Hampshire as a licensed educator. Then I can have my own students and I can finally start my career. I am excited about what's left to come on this journey, including a lot of interviews and starting the internship process next fall, so I guess we'll see where I end up.
(us at Space Mountain for the 4th time)
One of the top moments for me in 2013 was my honeymoon. We are truly kids at heart, so going to Disneyworld was one of the best trips of my life. I've been before loads of times, but this time we were in control, we made the rules and we did whatever we wanted to do. We ate magnificent food, spent some quality time together and made a lot of memories we can share with our kids in the future. My favorite parts were probably everything we did at Epcot and also our trip to Universal Studios on Tom's birthday and going to Harry Potter World:) That made my life complete!
The very best moment for me this year has to be my wedding. It was a long time coming. We've been together for five years now, and the only thing I ever felt that was missing was being his wife. It was the crowning moment on a lifetime of disappointment, hardships and struggling with relationships. I finally found my soul mate and I couldn't have asked for a better man. We are looking forward to the years to come and what the future may hold for us. We are enjoying our married life so far and it feels so great to be Mrs. Lapierre. I love him more than words could ever say.
So that was my year in review for 2013! So many great moments to pick from, it was hard to chose just a few. Otherwise, this would've gone on forever... I had a lot of terrible things happen this year as well, like my health problems, Lupus flares and other things, which I didn't necessarily want to include in here, but they are still a part of my life that I have to live with. Tom takes good care of me, so I'm looking forward to a happier and healthier 2014. There will be lots of changes, many obstacles and hopefully some rewards for all my hard work in the coming months. We'll have to wait and see! Thursday's blog is up in the air as of now, but I'm hoping to have some pictures from tonight for you guys, so stay tuned. If you have an idea for what I should talk about on Thursday, leave it in the comments! Otherwise, I'll think of something. Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
