Journeying

The past 4 months have been some of the most intense and poignant months I have ever experienced. There were many tears, prayers, conversations, and moments wondering if the right decision was being made.

The sweetest part was that I got to journey right alongside Marty.

Knowing that we wanted something new when we got married, Marty started the job hunting process way back at the beginning of spring. The guy watched every school district in Colorado closely to see if a math opening would be available for the fall. He applied over and over again not letting the fact that this is THE most difficult job market for teachers in the history of... teachers. I supported him in any way that I could and eagerly awaited news of an upcoming interview.

Windsor High School (in Northern Colorado) interviewed Marty and offered him a job in mid-April. My first reaction was "we're moving to Fort Collins!" Marty's first reaction was anything but. His heart was completely on edge about the entire thing and he felt no peace about the job. So, after much deliberation, we decided to turn it down.

It was then that the toughest parts of the journey began. We had so many conversations about where we wanted to live (we even thought of moving to Seattle for something really new), what our goals were, and what we wanted our marriage to look like. Neither of us wanted to cause the other person to sacrifice a lot, but we also didn't want to settle. We had a few great conversations with our counselor and friends, and their wisdom and guidance helped us to realize what was truly important to us. We knew we wanted to be in Colorado. We knew that I would start school as soon as possible to get my teaching license. We knew we wanted a story to tell.

A few weeks ago, Marty applied at Niwot High School. It wasn't a school he had heard a lot about, but he applied anyway. Right before we left St. Louis for Colorado to spend Memorial Day with family, he got a call from the high school's interview team. They wanted to talk to him on the Thursday that we were driving to Colorado, so Marty interviewed in the car while we headed west on I-70. After the interview, we were both pretty sure that we wouldn't hear back from them.

A few days later, however, Marty got an email from Niwot's principal. He wanted to talk to him again! After that meeting, Marty became Niwot High School's newest math teacher! We both love the area (mountains, trees, open space, and friendly people) and are really looking forward to starting live just north of Boulder.

I'm thankful for the journey. It's just beginning! Even though what we went through was hard, it was refining, and I truly believe that the Lord used that time to ask us to trust Him more and more. We learned so much about each other, about ourselves, and about life - and we are truly thankful for His hand in all of it.

If you prayed for us, thank you. If you thought of us, thank you. If you asked us about our journey, thank you. This isn't the end... we're just getting started. Life together isn't always going to be easy, but it is going to be good.