First Day of School!

I graduated from Howard Payne University in 1998 with a degree in Sociology. I knew I wanted to work with children, but I didn't want to teach because I thought that meant I would be "stuck" in a classroom! After graduation I worked in admissions for two years at Kilgore College and that is when I decided that I wanted to go back to school to get my teaching certification. The summer of 2001 Shelby & I moved to the DFW area and I went through an alternative certification program to get my teaching certification. My first year to teach was 2001. I taught kindergarten in Grand Prairie ISD...and cried every morning! I can remember sitting on the edge of our bed right before it was time to walk out the door crying and telling Shelby, "Don't make me go!" Ha! Kindergarten was NOT for me! The kids were PRECIOUS but I was just very overwhelmed! Shelby & I moved back to Kilgore in June of 2002 so that he could go to graduate school and to get back to the small town where I grew up. Over the course of 8 years I taught one year of kindergarten, 4 years of first grade, one year of 3rd grade and the last two years I taught 6th grade science. All that to say--this is the first year that I'm not going to school on the first day of school...since I started kindergarten! WOW! It feels so strange, but it is SO GOOD! Instead of seeing 100+ hormonal teenagers today, this is what I'm seeing at 9:30 in the morning...sweet Georgia Claire already taking a morning nap!

Thank you, Lord! Thank you that my husband has a great job and can provide for Georgia Claire and me so that I can stay home! Yes, it's already been an adjustment financially, but OH SO WORTH IT! In June we started living on Shelby's salary only and using my entire salary to pay a loan off from the expenses we accumulated from Georgia's adoption. Once again, God provides. Shelby and I have always tithed, it's just how we were raised and what we know is the right thing to do with 10% of our income. Last month I paid the bills and could not believe the amount of money we had left in our account when it was all said and done. I actually calculated it two or three times just to make sure I had not made a mistake!

Malachi 3:10 says "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, says the Lord Almighty, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!" Well, we've tried it, and we have received an incredible blessing!