Introducing...

As summer comes to a close, it is time for another update. This time I get to announce a new addition to our family. The picture below shows little Giroux Watson. He is our new 5-month-old Siberian Husky. He is a wonderful, mild-tempered, smart puppy. We love him so much already, and he has quickly jumped into the hearts of our family too. He has even learned to do his business outside and to sit! If you haven't met him, you SHOULD come meet him! 

In addition to getting the home ready for the dog, I have been getting the classroom ready for the students! Ah! They come tomorrow, and I am filled with nervous excitement! I know most of my students pretty well already, and I am so pleased with the class I have been dealt. I'm sure there will be millions of fun updates with stories from my little cherubs. Stay tuned....

Now the sad news, I currently know 3 wonderful, wonderful, fabulous women who are battling cancer. I learned of their battles over the summer, which is a LOT of bad news. The good news is they all believe in a God who is sovereign. I am praying for their healing and peace. Please join me in praying for that as well. 

Until next time....

Summer Fun

Summer is so much fun! Mike and I have been having a fabulous summer. When school was out, we took our honeymoon to Runaway Bay, Jamaica. It was wonderful! There are some pictures below.

This was our first fruity drink of the stay. Delicious.

Spending some time on the beach.

Celebrating Brittany and Brett's marriage! Congrats, y'all!

The view from our room.

Our beach.

We also threw our housewarming party. We were so lucky to have so many friends and family members here to celebrate our new home. My mom and sister even flew in to surprise me! We took them for cheesesteaks and Paulie’s (our favorite local restaurant) while they were here. We also did a few necessary tourist things: Liberty Bell, Art Museum steps (Rocky style). There are pictures below. (Note: Mom also ran the steps, but we forgot to get her picture. L)

I am teaching summer school and tutoring three students right now. I really enjoy tutoring. It really allows you to see what the student accomplishes so closely—a very rewarding experience so far. Summer school is not as fun as tutoring, but I can’t really complain either. It is only three hours long, and my class is great. It is just the “summer” part of it that I don’t enjoy so much. It may become an every-other-year habit. This year, though, it is worth it. I am gaining a ton of experience to carry into my new Middle School I classroom, AND we’re getting new hardwood floors for at least one living room out of it!

Speaking of living room: We just painted our PURPLE! That’s right—GEAUX TIGERS! Only one wall is deep (LSU) purple. The other walls are very pale. There is a picture below. It was a daring move, but I love it. Now, I’m ready to dress it up!

In news other than my own, my brother went to King’s Camp this summer. He had a wonderful time, because it is a fantastic camp! He could not say anything bad about it. He loved every minute. I can’t say I’m surprised. I love it, along with all the people who have ever spent time there, just as much. Zeke even got a special award: Spiritual Growth. If you see him, encourage him and help him stay on a path of spiritual growth!

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” - 1 Th 5:11

School is OVER! I finally finished my first year as a teacher, and I must say that it was not as terrible as everyone warned. Of course, I attribute that last fact to my incredible school. We have wonderful teachers, supportive administrations, and (mostly) terrific students. Everyone works hard to achieve the goals set for them each year, and I appreciate and respect everyone on our little team for it. Next year, I will be teaching MSI (which is like 5^th grade). My new teaching team is awesome, and I can’t wait to brainstorm creative, inspired ideas with them this year. We’re definitely going to rock it!

Before we get to next year, I’ll tell you my summer plans….SUMMER SCHOOL. That’s right, I just can’t get enough! I start a four-week summer school session on June 25^th, and I’ll be teaching a class of all male students. God, send your blessings! I am also waiting on a reply from Holy Family University. I recently interviewed for their doctoral program in Literacy Leadership. Finger crossed!

In addition to teaching at school, I have started tutoring. One-on-one academic interaction with students is really rewarding. You can see their passion, determination, and growth so closely. I’m tutoring three students over the summer: two in language, one in math. It should be interesting, as they are each unique and bring great personalities to the table. Pray that I have an obvious impact on them academically, because I will be working quite hard to so.

In all that we have been working on since January (school, work, new house, new car, etc.), I keep going back to the scriptural story of Abraham and his son Isaac. Genesis 22:1-14 Jesus provides in His time, when we are faithful.

Since school is over, Mike and I are getting ourselves ready for our HONEYMOON! Oh yea! We cannot wait to be on a beach/in a pool in Jamaica sipping something cold and fruity. I’ll update you with pictures and details when we return.

Don’t forget our upcoming housewarming party!

Movin' On Up

Things move fast in the Watson household.

In my last post, I introduced you to our new house, which is quickly becoming a home. In this update I introduce you to our new car.

We traded Mike’s skateboard Saturn in on this beautiful Chevy Cruze. We absolutely LOVE it! It gets great gas mileage and runs like a gem.

Memorial Day came. It was a 4-day weekend for both of us, but it sure seemed short. We enjoyed a birthday party, four BBQs, and a wonderful parade in Yardley. Between spending time with Grandmom and Grandpop and enjoying some relaxing time with friends, the weekend turned out to be quite nice.

We got a few things for the house over the Memorial Day weekend. My favorite is our new doormat. It makes me feel like I'm really arriving at home, before I even open the door.

In other news, I only have a week and 1 day of school left. That’s right, I’ve almost made it through my first year! Although I’m sure 5^th grade will come with its own challenges next year, I am excited that my first-year jitters are under my belt. I’m ready for a homeroom of my own and a classroom to make as Louisiana as I please! Don’t worry, I’ve already picked out some very Cajun/redneck additions!

Lastly, I painted a little masterpiece yesterday. Here is my newest creation:

That’s all for now. Geaux and be merry in the Lord, y’all!

Home Sweet Home

After much persistence from various friend and family members, I am posting about the new house! Yes, we moved in nearly a month ago. We’ve been furiously unpacking since, and we even had the time somewhere to paint the kitchen. In case you didn’t catch the Facebook posts, the color is pistachio green…more about that later though.

First, here is the house. It is a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with a living room and den. These are pictures of the home, unpacked but before renovations!

This is our home.

A little guest bathroom.

A guest room/office, complete with fouton for visitors.

Pre-painting kitchen. Notice Mike already pulled some wall paper.

Living room. This is where you enter the front of the house.

Den: notice the lovely cross with fleur de lis over the fireplace.
Leah Prine crafted that beauty. Enlist her for you home renovation needs!

Our first project was the kitchen. We have painted, and we are working on putting new hardware on the cabinets. 

Pistachio Ice Cream. Finished, except we have to get new baseboards.

There will be more poststo come, I assure you. We have plans upon plans for this little beauty.

Jesus Paid It All

It’s that time of year again, when we celebrate the rising of our Savior. I just finished Heaven is for Real. Whether or not you believe this child really went to Heaven and spent time with Jesus, you have to be in awe of the kindness and love he so innocently explains. If you haven’t read the book, give a shot. It’s a beautiful depiction of who our Jesus is. He is love. He is kind.

Easter is exciting, but I think Good Friday is the most sobering holiday. Passover.  Jesus was our Lamb slain to pay the debt of sinners, like me. My sin, MY SIN, alone would have held Him there on the cross bleeding in my place. Jesus paid it all.

This Easter comes with blessings, as they always have. God first sent His Son, but he hasn’t stopped blessing me since. Mike and I are so excited to wake up Easter morning in our brand new home. Only by God’s grace and unending blessings can we do that. Why He continues to lavish me with love, I will never understand. I will only try to show that love to the world.

We are also blessed to be spending Easter with a whole slew of family. We are lucky to be surrounded by people who love us, and I hope you are able to celebrate the day Jesus ROSE FROM THE GRAVE with those you love as well. We will 100% miss our family in Louisiana and the crawfish they will probably be eating. We love and miss you.

Oh, praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead.

Lent

My how things have changed! Last year, I entered the lent season from a very different place than I will this year. This year I enter with an expecting and thankful heart.

By now I'm sure you are all up-to-date on my Aunt Carla's health. She has ALS (Louis Gehrig's Disease), and there is no cure for it. I say there is "no" cure with such a mocking tone. God alone is our healer, and I fully expect to see a complete miracle in her body. As the rest of our family has been under attack medically, Aunt Carla has stood firm in her faith, and an entire region has been impacted by her amazing faith and unfailing love for Jesus. This lent season brings a new time of prayer and fasting. As Mike and I carefully choose the things we will give up this year, we keep in mind that we are fasting and praying in respect for all Jesus has done for us and all He will do in Aunt Carla I enter this lent season believing in prayer and fasting. I enter believing in the will of the one true God.

In other news, Mike and I have entered into a contract for a new house. We are working on inspections and loans and the like for a wonderful 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in Levittow, Pennsylvania. Throughout our process to find a home for our future family, we prayed that God would drop us into the house that is within His will. We believe that He has done that, and we believe that He will continue to provide a way for us to own it. We had almost given up hope when God threw this little jewel at us. Of course, God has the perfect plan, so this came along in His time, not our own. Continue to pray with us for provision, wisdom, and discernment as we seek to bless God's heart in our real estate decisions. (Pictures will come as soon as possible.)

Couches.

Mike and I have been searching for a house to purchase. We want a house that we can make our home for a long time. A place to raise our family. A place to grow old (or at least older).

We have not been very successful. Of course, this has been a prayerful journey, and we are really seeking God’s will. We put in an offer on a house we really loved. After we put our offer in, we prayed that God would either provide timing and finances or close the door. The agent for the seller kept us on hold for an extra 24 hours, only to tell us that he was taking a better offer. We were so frustrated that our love quickly faded and our interests were completely gone. I’d say God closed that door.

Now, as we wait for God to open the door to the right home, we have decided to purchase new couches. We are currently using my family’s old couches. These are couches that we used at home, Shasta used in college, and I have used in college and now. They’re a little tattered to say the least. We have talked a few times about how it would really stink to get a nice new house and have old furniture, which is pretty inevitable in most cases. However, we were super blessed with a great deal. Jen (Mike’s sister) told us about some couches a friend of hers is selling.

A family bought our future couches in April 2011. After purchasing them, their daughter became really ill. Extended testing and various doctors eventually figured out that the illness was a result of an allergy to the new couches. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The family is in desperate need to get rid of the couches, so we are getting a fantastic deal! (And no, we will not get sick from them. The couches are normal. The daughter just happens to have an allergy to some of the fibers.)

One step at a time. I told Mike that this may be God’s way of rewarding us for seeking Him in our home-buying process. It may also be his way of satisfying our desire to make a home NOW. Either way, He has provided one more little step along our journey to making a home and family.