So this word is the current theme of my life. In the past few weeks and months, I have had major changes in my life. My relationship with Chris ended, we moved out of our house, I bought a new house and the biggest adjustment of all…being single again.

To be honest, being single the is scariest thing for me right now. I am very happy with everything in my life, but the idea of dating again and finding ‘the one’ seems exhausting and depressing at the same time. I have not dated much during in my life and dating again at 25, I assume is harder. I need to step out of my comfort zone and put myself out there…because I never know who could be right there around the corner!

As for Chris and I, we officially moved out the house today, which was the one last thing that was tying us together. Truth be told, I did get emotional about this (big surprise there), as it was official that we have moved our relationship to that of friends. Chris and I have an amicable friendship, which we are both very thankful for. Break ups are hard, but knowing that I have Chris in my group of friends has been a comforting thought.

The house is a scary thing. I still have things in boxes and I am still in shock that it is mine. I still don’t feel like it is my house and I am still waiting for that feeling to kick in. The house is wonderful and it is everything I wanted!

Work has been super stressful with a kinder of mine who is requiring 1:1 support in a small isolated room. This is hard because the student is hard to work with, and it takes me away from my other students. I leave my assistants in the room to run my class, which they are capable of, while I get kick, hit, punched and spit on for the purpose of trying to obtain compliance. Needless to say my mornings are hard, and its hard to go into work knowing that I will be facing another day of this. However, this student is going in for a meds evaluation so hopefully on Monday, behaviors will be better.

So I know this isn’t my typical upbeat post, but its what’s on my mind.

Well, I am officially in my first home. After a long day of packing and moving, I am finally in my house. There are still many tasks to be completed…but I feel that this will always be the case. Moving went very smoothly with the help of so many of my fabulous friends and family. It only took one trip with the Uhaul and a few cars to move my stuff…and within a few short hours my house was mainly unpacked and we were scarfing down on pizza and beer. With so many people helping, this was my smoothest move ever!

Thanks to Leo, Dylan, Susan, Kyle, Shanna, Chris, Micah, Rachel, Brad, Sara, and my mom, dad and sister. I couldn’t have done this without you! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

So today, the Oregon Ducks took on the USC Trojans. And what a game it was. The game kept me on the edge of my seat as the Ducks made amazing plays, but had some plays I think they wish to forget. The experience of going this game was incredible. It has been 41 years since two top ten teams played at Autzen. And today we came out with a win!

Moving day is tomorrow…and I will spend the first night in my new house!

So I was over hanging out with the llamas on a long overdue dinner night, when the girls and I decided to take Susan’s new car to drive to my new house. As we were looking at the house, the seller and the seller’s real estate agent were in the driveway cleaning up. I shouted out of the car that I was just showing my friends the house. To my surprise, the agent said, “Do you want your keys?”. Of course I was over joyed to get my keys. Susan quickly parked the car and we ran towards the agent like little school girls! Rachel, Susan and I went into the house and looked around. Rachel rolled around on my living room carpet, while Susan stated that I needed better curtains (which I agree with). I got their approval and we headed back to eat with the boys. It was very exciting to get into the house and know that it was all mine! So I guess no more procrastination on packing…because I start moving tomorrow!

Well we got the kinks all worked out and my house is fully funded! I get my keys on Thursday to my new house. OMG….so excited!

So I have hit a small bump in the road regarding the funding on my house. There are two items that need to be fixed on the house before they will fund my loan. The first fix is easy….removing rose bushes. I am bummed about this because I love the roses, but they need to be 12 in away from the house. The second fix is finishing the Z-flashing on the side of the house. This one may be a little more complicated. I am having my real estate agent working on taking care of the his. My overall goal is to still get my keys by Friday. So everyone cross your fingers and think good thoughts about my house!

Grrrr….

Well today was a major milestone in my life; I officially bought my first house. I had my final walk through of the house and signed all those silly papers. Owning a house was one thing I wanted to accomplish by the age of 25; and I did it. It feels so good to have accomplished one of my life long goals.

Thanks to all my friends and family who have supported me through this house hunting process!

So I had meeting today about a new student I am getting next week. He is a kindergarten student who is ‘cute as a button’, but is impulsive. The mother took him to the doctor and described the behaviors of her son, which strongly indicated her son has severe ADHD. The parents, like some parents, are against medicating their children. So the doctor told the mother to give her son a Red Bull before school to help him focus. And guess what…it works. The current teacher reports that his behaviors are much better when he has had a Red Bull before coming to class. I’m not sure how I feel about this. Personally, I think the right amount and right medication can be extremely helpful for students, but I realize that Ritalin, Adderal, Stratera and other stimulants are over prescribed. However, I feel that giving a 5 or 6 year old a Red Bull is not healthy for their development. Both are stimulants, but I find it hard to believe the Red Bull is the solution….

Well today was not so much fun. A few big bummers today…

First off, the roommate I thought was going to move in with me is not going too. She would have made the perfect roommate, but I respect her decision as she needs to save money currently. I was really looking forward to this, but I guess it won’t happen. But on the plus side, I made a friend out of the deal.

Secondly, I have had a strong feeling of helplessness at work lately. Although I can’t get into specifics due to confidentiality reason, I am feel helpless when working with one of my students. This student has a lot negative things in his life and it feels like no matter what I do, I am not able to help him or his family. I guess part of working in a helping profession is realizing that I can not always “save the world”. I just feel frustrated when I put so much effort into a student’s education, and I feel like nothing is working. I’m trying to focus on the small successes, but sometimes the bad out weighs the good.

Sigh…..

After spending the last week running around, volunteering and getting house stuff done, I am finally sitting down at home for the evening. My big stressor this week and past weekend was the sorority. As the chapter advisor, I spent quite a bit of time with the sorority helping out with recruitment and making sure things go smoothly. My days and my nights were long, spending most of weekend at the chapter. We ended up having a successful recruitment, but it was a lot on me. Last year I said I would not spend as much time at the chapter during recruitment, but I guess I didn’t learn my lesson…oh well maybe next year.

Work is finally settling down. After having to crack down on some disruptive and unsafe behaviors, my students are thriving and making significant academic and behavioral gains. I feel like an effective teacher and I love going to work. Of course there are still the crazy moments…. like getting spit on and dodging chairs, but things are much better. And of course, just as I get things under control, I have another little kindergartner coming my way. Oh well…

The house process is continuing to go smoothly, which makes me happy. I have the insurance taken care of and the mortgage company has all the necessary paperwork. My agent and I created an addendum to get some of the crawlspace stuff taken care of. All that’s left to do is get a cashier’s check for the down payment. I am signing the papers and doing my final walk through on October 19th, and getting my keys on October 24th. With the move almost two weeks away, I am not finding the motivation to pack and go through my things. I am hoping to get through some of my stuff this weekend, but between Duck games and soccer games, not sure when I will have time. My goal for Sunday night is to go through all my things and decide what I want to keep, sell or donate!