The OK Adventures of Peppersloth and Annie

I really wasn’t planning on doing a five month update, but a lot has happened within the last few weeks, so I feel like I should!

                Work: I have been working as a Guest Teacher (PC term for sub) in a school district outside of OKC. For those of you in Ohio, think of subbing for New Albany, as opposed to Columbus City. That is the difference. Subbing has gone well. I have gotten to sub for an English class, as well as a drama class. These are the subjects that I am working towards certification in, so it worked out well to get to sub for them. But I have spent the majority of my time in special education classrooms covering for TAs. I have really enjoyed it, especially the pre-k room. I’m a sucker for cute kids, just ask my nieces and nephews! I have also been working as a library aid. Both jobs are very physically demanding, so Amazon prepared me well. My favorite part of working at the library is when I get to walk the stacks and see all of the books that I will never own. And, even if I do own them, I will never be able to read all of them!

Church: I still don’t have a church. I cannot decide if it’s anxiety and fear from the really terrible experience at the church that is under NO circumstances a real church…I digress…or if it’s from not wanting to let go of the amazing church that Church in the Wild is. Either way, finding a church just isn’t happening right now. I have tried a few, and they are…fine. Not great, not terrible, just fine. I don’t want fine. I want home. So, I guess I’m waiting until God points me in the right direction. He usually does in his time.

Friends: I have AWESOME friends out here! They are wonderful, and trustworthy. Definitely not the kind that would manipulate me, or try to make me feel like an awful person for setting boundaries. They are the kind that blows up my phone with texts while I’m working. They are the kind that encourages me in my faith, in my social life, and in my adult life. One of them even saved my life, after I accidently tried to kill us both! They are the good ones. They are the kind that makes everything okay. They are OK friends!

Life in General: This is the longest I have gone without going back to Ohio since I moved. I haven’t been home since August, and I’m starting to feel it. I feel it when I see how much my new nephew is changing. I feel it when I see how much the other four are growing up. And I definitely felt it when I dreamed my family had Thanksgiving without me! But, even though I miss my family (not Ohio OR Newark!), I have definitely been settling in the last few months. And that is a good thing. Oklahoma is becoming home, and I am very OK with that!

SURPRISE: A school offered me a full time job! I wasn’t look for this, or expecting it. I was just doing my normal sub thing. I subbed in the pre-k special education room. These kids are the cutest and the sweetest! They are also fully aware of how cute and sweet they are, so you have to watch them! They will kiss your mask, while plotting how they are going to distract you from making them do school work! I subbed in there on a Monday, and the other TA asked if I had any interest in filling the position. I kind of brushed it off, but continued to mull it over while I was home for four days during the ice storm. When I came back the following week, I said something to the lead teacher about it. She said she had been planning on asking me to apply! She sent me down to the Assistant Principal’s office, and we scheduled an interview. There were five other people applying for the position, and I knew I wasn’t the most qualified. I was very honest in my interview and said that, even if they didn’t hire me, I would still come back and sub. But they called me today, and offered me the position!

Full Circle Life: Ten years ago (am I really THAT old??), I dropped out of the special education program at Ohio State because of a math class that I didn’t do well in. I walked away from it, and was determined to never look back. I don’t like failing, so I would rather walk away, than try again. My best friend looked at me and said ‘You’ll come back to this. You will, and you’ll be great. And then I will say I told you so!’ And she has spent the last ten years asking me if I’m ready to go back to teaching and special education. When she found out that I was accepted into Oklahoma’s teaching program, she asked if she could say it yet. I told her ‘Nope! Not yet!’ When she found out I was subbing, she asked if she could say it yet. I told her ‘Nope! Not yet!’ And when I told her that I had interviewed for this TA position, she asked if she could say it yet. I told her ‘Nope! Not yet!’ So, with this blog, I am happy to say…Say it, Abby! It’s all OK!