Something New

     After six weeks of summer involving traveling all the way up to Vancouver, B.C. and being a bridesmaid in two weddings, I have finally resettled in Holbrook. I must say, I am very happy. If you've read my blogs on a fairly regular basis, you would know that the decision to stay in Holbrook was very difficult to make. I struggle with the desire to have a busy social life, which is not too easy in a town of 5,000. There are not many people my age here, especially men. But, in the mere week I've been back, my life has already turned out to be wonderful.
     I was welcomed back into Holbrook by four friends (two being the pastor and his wife) who offered to help move me in. The process went so quickly as we unloaded the smallest U-Haul available. I often look at my belonging and think to myself that I have WAY too much junk. However, when I can fit all my belongings in a 10-foot U-Haul, I think I'm okay. Saturday through Thursday my parents were here assisting me with moving in. Prior to the trip up here, I made my first visit to IKEA. There, I purchased a bar table and a black tv wall unit. It's perfect, with many modern shelves on which to arrange my trinkets. My dad assisted me in assembling these pieces, as well as getting my internet modem and cable set up.
     Being in this apartment is more than I could have asked for. Over the summer, my landlord called informing me that the renovated unit had become available. It's nearly 700 square feet, which is almost twice the size of my previous place! This apartment has a new refrigerator, central air conditioning/heating, a full-size stove, two bedrooms, and a bathroom with a BATHTUB! I've unloaded everything I own and still have multiple empty shelves and spaces around this place! It's crazy. I love having so much space. Luna (my year-old teenage cat) is adjusting very well. She enjoys having her own room (the only thing I have in there is my desk) and spends the majority of the day watching the world out the living room window. The window faces the courtyard of grass, followed by the fence and road. I'm within walking distance to Safeway, and I even got to ride my bike to Zumba the other night instead of driving!
     I've had two days of training this week so far. I've also had the opportunity to begin working on my classroom. I would say I'm about a third of the way done, and a week and a half out from school starting! My hallway bulletin board is currently in progress. The heading is "Ms. Matheny's First Grade All Stars" and I'm creating an individual baseball card for each student, placed on a star as the background. I plan to photograph each student holding a baseball bat on the first day to complete the card.
     The first grade teaching team at Park Elementary is incredible! There are five of us in all and the other four ladies are incredibly supportive. One even spent a couple hours with my in my classroom helping me sort through my belongings. We met together for a few hours yesterday and completed our general lesson plans through September. These women are on top of it and I am so excited to learn from them and improve as a teacher!
     This morning was the perfect Saturday morning. First of all, Luna and I fell asleep to a thunderstorm last night, which was very relaxing. We woke up to sunshine and a blue sky. Unfortunately, she thinks that sunshine means it is time for me to get up. Therefore, she's been waking me up at around 5:00 every morning. It's okay though, as I will be waking at that time on a regular basis very soon. I spent a while this morning catching up on the news while sipping my espresso and enjoying my multi-grain bagel with strawberry cream cheese. When 8:45 rolled around, I headed to the Holbrook pool where I met my Zumba class for an hour of aqua Zumba! When the class was complete, we remained at the pool for another 45 minutes. We spent the time jumping off the diving board and soaking in the jacuzzi while catching up. One of the ladies in my class is pregnant and we were discussing some plans for her baby shower. While talking to her during class, I found out she lives about half a block away from me. Crazy.
     The remainder of the day was spent working in my classroom. My co-worker had her 3-year old daughter at the school with her while she worked. It was so cute because her daughter asked if she could play in my room. So, for about an hour as I worked, this adorable little girl played with tangrams and colored in my classroom. When it came time to hang up the fabric on the bulletin board, she even helped me hold it.
     Upon my arrival at home, I ate some dinner and soaked in the tub, a luxury I have missed over the past two years. It is such a blessing to be in this apartment and to have the support team I have here in Holbrook. I've already had a couple of friends stop by to visit this week and it is very exciting to get to see everyone again.
     Tomorrow consists of church, followed by the monthly potluck. I'm meeting with a friend for breakfast on Monday, followed by training Tues-Fri. I just found out today that the Holbrook pool opens Mon-Fri at 5:00 am for lap swim/ water aerobics. I'm going to try that out on Monday and see how it goes. It's definitely refreshing to begin the day with a dip in the water.
     The next week and a half are going to be busy as I continue to get ready for the new year, but I do think much good is in store for me here as I am continuously learning and maturing each day I travel through life.