A Full Happy Tank!

Can I just say, the last couple of weeks have just been amazing, refreshing, joyful, smiling, (insert any positive adjective). I'm just plain happy. I find myself smiling at random points of the day. I don't know what's gotten into me, but I love it! I haven't felt like this in a long time. After a rough year+ of various things, I feel like I'm becoming me again.

A list reflecting on the good things in life lately:

1. Admittedly, I had been thinking for the past few months of making a move to St. Louis to be closer to home. Very few people knew that because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it unless it was happening for sure. I had started looking into school districts and applying for jobs. But, I have decided not to move, at least this year. I realized things are going too well here and there's too many opportunities going for me. So, I'm here in Dallas to stay!

2. I know I've mentioned it before, and I can't tell you how much I love my job. It's a big reason I'm staying here. It's a perfect fit for me.

3. I'm going to grad school! I'm going to be getting my Master's in Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a literacy emphasis through the University of Texas - Arlington. That's a mouthful! :) I've been thinking about it for awhile and have decided it's time. The bonus is that my school district will pay for it! woo hoo! Disclaimer: going to a University of Texas system school in no way, shape or form makes me a Longhorn!

4. Without going into details, I got up the nerve to have a difficult conversation with someone this past week. While there was some sadness there, I can now get back on track to living a life glorifying to God, something I was having trouble doing the past year.

5. Friends - oh my, I think this is what has helped me smile the most. I went through a weird time last fall where I felt disconnected socially. Many of my closer friends were in different places, I left my long-time singles group at church because I didn't feel like I "fit" and I was finding myself lonely. This past month I have had such meaningful times with friends, whether it's a concert, girl time, conversations, and Sunday lunch. It's been a huge help!

6. Exercise - I'm now halfway through bootcamp and surviving! I've also successfully avoided fast food for two weeks now! While I'm not totally eating healthy yet, I'm making small changes one step at a time that will hopefully lead to bigger changes down the road.

Ran out of time! In the meantime, I'm :) :) :) :)