Determined!

I am determined to post at least one blog entry before the end of June. How did it go by so fast? Summer is supposed to be slow...but not this summer! So much has happened this month. Matt finished his first semester of teaching highschool history! That was a very big deal because he works at a poverty-impacted school that had such low test scores about 3 years ago that the state threatened to shut it down. So the big focus of the administration was raising the test scores and they were putting a lot of pressure on Matt to "get results". He went into that school with energy, excitement and determination and this year Dudley's History department broke the school record for having the highest test scores that have ever been achieved at Dudley H.S.! I am so proud of Matt and the other teachers on his team and of course all the students! Now, I could get on a soap box about testing because I am not a very big fan...but those results do bring a sense of achievement and success, especially since there were days when Matt came home wondering if he was getting through to his students...but obviously something got through to them!
Now we are enjoying one of the great benefits of teaching- Summer's off! We have loved having Matt at home, but unfortunately it will be very short-lived. He still has 2 more summer classes to take before his Master's degree will be complete! He starts classes on Thursday.
However, summer school is not the biggest time consumer of the summer! The number one project for this summer is our new house. We closed on it almost 2 weeks ago and it has been non-stop demolition ever since we got the keys. We ripped up the floor, tore down the walls, completely demolished one bathroom, and the list goes on and on. Right now it looks very scary. I am just hoping that we can put all back together again before August, because that is when we have to move out of our current rental home! I think Matt is having a lot of fun just demolishing things and so are the boys! I can't believe I (as OCD as I am) let the boys actually enter that bathroom that probably had multiple forms of deadly bacteria and bust up that nasty tile with a sledgehammer. They loved it. I'm just glad to see it go, because that bathroom was just plain gross!
So we are pressed for time and have more projects than hours in the day! Oh, and the entire HVAC system has to be replaced, which we will be forever grateful for Matt's dad, Wayne, who is an HVAC man and has dedicated himself to be our indentured servant for that project! So I have a feeling that this is going to be a MAJOR learning process for us. As we began peeling back the layers in this house we have come across a few surprises, but I think so far we aren't too overwhelmed. At least Matt isn't...and I am trying to tell myself that I'm not. I am determined to stay optimistic about the process.
I am determined about a lot of things lately. I must admit that I have been in a little bit of a funk for the past 2 months with my morning sickness and other pregnancy issues like tiredness and headaches, but I have reached the point where I am actually annoying myself, so I am determined to just suck it up and stop complaining. I am determined to go to bed early, (which I'm not doing very good at). I'm determined to smile and laugh more. I'm determined to be more diligent in seeking God. I'm determined to get off my rear-end and do the dishes (just not tonight). I'm determined to read a book that doesn't involve parenting, homeschooling, childbirth, or marriage. I'm just determined. I don't know how long it will last, but maybe I'll just be determined to stay determined.