Life is a Highway

This week has been a roller coaster of challenges, but at the end of the day I am thankful for all that God has blessed me with.  This week I found out really bad news about my certification from Samford, had an interview in Decatur, and spent the first of many more nights at the lonely/ quiet lake house.  Living on the Lake in the winter is a surreal experience because it is silent.  It was so quiet the other day that I heard a bird digging a hole.  We will have no neighbors for miles.  This is a completely different way of living than I have ever experienced.  The closest grocery store is 15 minutes away, you can count the places to eat out on one hand, and the scenery is very different compared to Birmingham.  I think I might like the country way though, and I definitely will not complain about waking up to the beautiful Smith Lake.  Chad and I are getting used to the life of owning a business and realizing that it takes a lot of work.  Chad is working himself crazy, but that is good news because it means that business is doing well.  We are so fortunate and thankful for what God had done with Skier's Marine North.  We are excited and anxious for the days to come and to see what the Lord has in store for us.  It is scary not knowing where I will have a job, where we will live, etc. but it is all very exciting.  We will be moving to the Smith Lake in a week which will be out first time in marriage living by ourselves. I must say we will miss living with mom and dad; we have enjoyed our basement apartment.  As for my job, everyday is full of excitement and the unknown.  I never know what my kids will do or say next, but I do know that they keep me constantly smiling and cracking up.  I have the job of my dreams. I find teaching students with Autism to be fascinating; my students are full of life and teach me so many things.  My students push me to want to learn more, do more, find out more, and be more.  I pray each day that more answers would be discovered in the Autism world and that we would be able to uncover more information about the fascinating disability.  I also pray that people would become better informed about Autism and all that it encompasses.  After the news that I received from Samford this week, I think it was a true message from God that I am here to teach special education and touch the lives of children with special needs and their families.



One of my students painted this for me today.  When I asked him what it was he replied "farmer."  It is a picture of animals on a farm.  If you look closely there is a chicken, pig, bird, cow, and others.  I thought this was so appropriate for him to give me considering I am moving to the country in a week. I loved it and gladly accepted his gift.