Life Lately

I can't say that I have anything profound or life-changing to say this week. It has been a good week. I turned 22 on Tuesday, and I had a wonderful birthday. My parents got to come up last weekend to celebrate with me, and I also celebrated with Andrew's parents later in the week. On my actual birthday, Andrew and I went out to dinner and then met up with some friends later in the evening. Every year on my birthday, someone (usually my brother, if no one else) inevitably asks me, "So how does it feel to be ___ (years old) now?" And every year, my answer is the same: "No different than it felt to be ___ (years old)."

On Friday, I went to the Oklahoma City Zoo with one of the autism classes at Roosevelt Elementary, where I will be teaching. I will not have any of the students that went on the field trip because I will be getting all new students in the fall, but I did get to meet the other teacher who will be working with me, as well as some of the parents with whom I will be interacting. I am getting more excited about the job with every opportunity I get to spend with Roosevelt. I do worry sometimes that parents will not take me seriously- after all, if I was a parent of a student with autism, I probably would be skeptical of entrusting my child to the care of a 22-year-old girl straight out of college. But all in all, I am SO thankful to have a job for next year. I do not think I fully realized the state of the economy until after I had already taken this job. Lately, though, I have been hearing of more and more teachers losing their jobs, and I know that most of the education majors in my graduation class have not found jobs yet. Yikes. Even if I end up hating my job (and I feel sure that that will not be the case), I will be so thankful that I have one because I realize that many people have not been so blessed. You know the economy is in bad shape when TEACHERS are having trouble finding jobs.

Other highlights of the week:
-Andrew got a raise! His bosses were very appreciate of his hard work, and his review came a couple of months early, which was a pleasant surprise. More than the money, it is just a blessing to have a husband who puts everything into his work, even though he doesn't always enjoy the job.
-Our friends, Ashley and Josh, got married yesterday. The wedding was lovely, and we got to travel to Tulsa for it with Katherine and Mitchell. Ashley and Josh will be in the OKC area in the future, so we are looking forward to spending more time with them. Also, all of my old roommates were at the wedding, so it was great to see them.
-Sundays are the best. Today, we went to church, had lunch with some friends, took a long nap, went to bible study, went for a run, and are now sitting down blogging and reading. God definitely knew that we needed a day of rest when he created the world!

I thought I would also make you all aware of an awesome website which we have found recently. For those who love to read, Paperback Swap is worth your time. After you are finished reading a book (it can be hardback or paperback), just post it on the website. When someone wants your book, you ship it to them and receive one credit when they receive it. You can then find a book you want and get it with your credit. All you pay for is shipping the book to the other person- they pay for shipping the book you want to you. (And the shipping is Media Mail, so it's really inexpensive anyway.) I have actually been shocked (in a good way) by the honesty of people who participate in the trade. I have gotten credits for all of the books I have mailed to people. Anyway, check it out if you're a reader.

That's about it from the Fenrick house for now.

In Christ alone,
Mary Rachel