Highlights of 2015!

What a year! I knew there were several big events that took place in our lives this year, but looking through old photos throughout the year, I realized that some pretty awesome small stuff took place too. We added another dog to our home, I started my teaching career, we went on 3 trips this summer, and had lots of celebrations. Instead of just sharing the big stuff, I want to celebrate all that took place throughout 2015. Last year around this time I posted highlights of 2014, and tried to share that even with having a heartache for things I desired, I could see how God was blessing many different areas of my life. This year was no different, and I feel like it was a HUGE blessing of a year. I never want to take for granted what I have been given, so follow along as I share the highlights of 2015. :)

We started the year by seeing Garth Brooks in Concert in Tulsa, OK.

I discovered the wonderful world of grocery shopping at Aldi

I bawled my way through the last episode of Parenthood. What a show!

I shot my first gun.

I studied to get ESL certified and passed!

Jearen cut off his beard in the ugliest of ways and made us go to church like that.

We had a Dallas BIG scavenger hunt for Valentine's Day.

We played in the snow & went sledding.

I got to be a bridesmaid in my friend Lindsay's wedding. 

I joined Jearen on his work trip to Vegas.

We said goodbye to a wonderful man, Grandaddy

We lounged around the house & taught Maggie to say Cheese!

I realized my love for Randy Rogers Band

We attended my in laws Kentucky Derby Party.

We cheered on the Rangers.

We witnessed Jearen's brother graduate high school.

We spent time with family around the table.

Jearen ran his first 5K under his goal time.

I got to spend time with my siblings for my birthday. caption

We celebrated my birthday/4th of July with friends.

We took a trip to Hawaii.

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary on a Catamaran in Hawaii.

I went with Jearen on a work trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

We toured Boston in 2 hours on our way home from a work trip.

We took a trip to Belize.

We celebrated Jearen's birthday with friends.

I was offered a teaching position on the last day of our Belize trip.

We brought Crosby, our new labradoodle home.

We survived the Blue Bell Famine of 2015.

I attended the Women of Faith Conference with Jearen's Mom.

I caught up with my high school Bestie in our hometown for a weekend.

Spent time with family at our Hansen Oktoberfest.

Went to the State Fair with these pretty girls (and our husbands).

Hosted a game night with Friends.

                                                         Jearen completed our patio.

We came members at a new church.

We had Thanksgiving in Stephenville.

We had our 12 Dates of Christmas.

I have no clue what all will unfold in 2016, but I am always thankful to enter into the new year with my handsome husband by my side. Praying for peace, love, and joy as we all enter into this new season. Blessings to you & yours!

Becky

Becoming a Certified Teacher: My Experience Using An Alternative Program

Disclaimer: The following are my opinions of using an alternative program to become a certified teacher in Texas. The program I used, Texas Teachers, is not paying or endorsing me in any way to say any of the following. My opinions do not affiliate with the program’s opinions, and this post is ONLY to encourage those who may be thinking of getting certified to teach using an alternative program. This post has been written as a way to answer any questions that you may have about alternative teaching programs, and is also part of my testimony. For more information about Texas Teachers, please check out their website directly for the specifics and details that I may have missed.

I wanted to share my experience using Texas Teachers, because over the past few days, so many people have reached out to me to ask about the program. I want to share as many details as I can to help those who may need more information about the program that isn’t mentioned on their website.

My Story:

When I decided that I wanted to become a teacher, I was a junior in college majoring in Communications, and had no plans on changing my major. My plan was to get certified after college using an Alternative Certification program. Sometimes plans take a long time to actually happen. That was my reality.  Case in point, I graduated, moved to the DFW area, gained a job at a preschool (no certification required), and got married. Then, in the first year of marriage, all the talk of me becoming a certified teacher was blurred through fears, doubt, laziness, and lack of motivation. I was a newlywed enjoying my marital bliss, content with my job, my life, etc. But really, underneath the positive lens that my eyes and heart sees things, I knew I wasn’t fulfilling all that I was called to do. The weight of knowing that I was capable of so much more grew on me, and eventually, finally, I made the decision to get the ball rolling. I decided to sign up for Texas Teachers to get my alternative certification because I had two friends that were going through the program, and they recommended it. That was really the only information I had. I didn’t spend hours researching different programs, and just sort of jumped into what was being presented to me through my friends. My journey will probably look different than others, but I did not complete the program as fast as I would have originally planned. My dream to become a certified teacher started almost 7 years ago, and I am just now living out those dreams. I’m going to share my thoughts, opinions, and the timeline that it took me to complete Texas Teachers. Hopefully this helps answer any questions you may have about getting certified to teach through an alternative program.

The People:

There are two kinds of people in this program, at least that I encountered. There are the ones who are super organized, take their generalists test a few weeks into the program, and already have interviews lined up. They are the first ones to speak up when asked a question, have the perfect resumes already filled out, and have been subbing for a while. These people unintentionally made me feel SO inadequate. I felt so behind, not together, and lacking in so many ways. Despite my feelings that I had to conquer, these people are necessary. They somehow push you to do more, even if they do slightly get on your nerves (lol, just trying to be honest here).

Then there are the people who join the program after working in the business world for 20 plus years, and have more experience working in the real world than you have in your little pinky. They are ready for a career change, and you find yourself sitting next to some pretty diverse people. They are necessary because they remind you it’s never too late to chase a dream, change your career, or start a career without any previous experience in it.

 I felt like I fell into the middle of those two groups. I wasn’t fresh out of college, having worked at a preschool for at least two years at this point, but I also didn’t have an awesome resume built up with countless contacts and experience in a middle school classroom. Whoever you encounter in the program, don’t compare yourself to them. Yes, they may have been in a school district building contacts and experience, but that doesn’t mean you are any less. And yes, you may have to sit next to the person that has a lifetime of knowledge, but remind yourself that if they can do something new, so can you. The right opportunity to teach will open up for you. You are needed. You matter! Despite your age, background, experience, or timeline.

The Time Frame:

Texas Teachers does not have a strict time frame. I began the program in April of 2012. During that time, I had to complete online training, reading, quizzes, and assignments. I became certified (passing my Generalist 4-8 test) in August of 2014. I was hired in August of 2015 at the school I teach at now (Praise the Lamb!). Once my first year is complete, I will be officially done with the program. Ideally, you take the trainings, take your generalist exam (and pass), then begin looking for a job. Once you find a job, you fill out an application on the Texas Teachers website, and then begin Intern Projects throughout your first year. Hopefully, you’re timeframe will go by much faster than mine did, since the MAIN reason it took me so long was because of fear. I will address more about fear at the end of this post!

The Cost:

When you sign up, you have to pay $300 as a deposit. The program itself is roughly under $4,000, and you do not have to pay that until you begin your first year of teaching. If for some reason you pay the $300 initial fee, take the trainings, and then decide not to go through with getting certified, you are not obligated to repay the $4K. Your repayment does not begin until you begin teaching. So in my case, I paid the $300 in April of 2012, took the trainings, waited a year to take my test (more on that later), and then waited another year before getting hired on to teach. Now, in 2015, I am just now paying back the program fee (they take it directly from my paycheck during the first year until it is paid back), and that’s it.

The Training:

There are two options when it comes to training. Option 1 is that you can do the entire training online, at your own time. There is not a deadline that the online training has to be completed by. Option 2 is that you can do half of the training online on your own time, and the other half of the training face to face at a designated time and place. I went with Option 2, knowing that I am more of a hands on learner. If I remember correctly, I had 6 Saturday trainings that lasted from 8am-3pm in Arlington. Yes, it was a sacrifice to give up my Saturdays for two months, but I was encouraged through the speakers, the activities in the training, and the people.

The Exams:

I chose to take the Generalist 4-8 exam. I have always been drawn to this age group, and spent time serving students in these grades in a church. Taking your generalist exam is one of the most important factors in becoming a certified teacher (duh!), but for some people, the test is not so easy. I managed to pass the first time I took the test, but if you are in a time crunch, I would suggest taking the test as soon as possible. It cost around $150 (more or less), and this charge is not covered by Texas Teachers. If you fail it the first time, you may take it again, but you will have to pay the full price again, so I would make sure you have studied before re-taking this. Sidenote: I used certifyteacher.com as a study guide. I think the cost there is $60 for the online study material, and it helped a lot. I also bought the Generalist 4-8 Study book at Half Price Books for $30. The next exam I took was the ESL test. This is also $150. Again, I would find good study material before taking the exam. I am thankful that I had a parent in the district I was working in let me borrow some ESL study material for free. The PPR exam is the last test you will need to take. Going through Texas Teachers, you cannot take this exam until you have begun teaching on a Probationary Certificate (you are on probation until your first year is complete). I have not taken this test yet, but will in the spring.

The Support:

Texas Teachers does a fabulous job in offering support. They have online help, personal to answer phone calls, and representatives that you can speak with face to face. During my training, I didn’t have a lot of questions, so I didn’t utilize any of the help they offered. If you have questions, concerns, or just want more information, they are there to give you all of that! Being in my first year of teaching, I have been assigned a Mentor through the program. This person visits you in your classroom three times throughout your first year to provide feedback, direction, and offer help. They also host a Teacher Job Fair exclusively for Texas Teacher Interns (you’re considered an intern as soon as you join the program). I attended this in July, and I am so thankful I did. I had never been to a job fair before, but I knew to dress professionally, bring multiple resumes (I had 30), and sell yourself. I spoke with several school districts, and was even offered an interview that afternoon at the fair. The district I work for now was one of the last districts I spoke with that afternoon. When you attend a job fair, especially a teacher job fair, be sure to apply online to as many districts as you can (very time consuming) ahead of the fair. Most representatives asked first if you have already applied, and if you hadn’t, they will direct you to do that first. Also, be open minded. I had never considered the district I am in now, until I saw them at the fair and realized that they met several of the criteria that I was looking for. Remember, you are selling yourself just as much as the district is selling himself. Schools need YOU just as much as you need THEM!

Your First Year:

During your first year of teaching, your assigned Mentor will come to your room to observe you three times. I have already been observed twice, and both times went really well. Don’t be nervous about someone coming to observe you teach. You already took the training, gave your time, energy, and effort to teach. Now is the time to show off your hard work. Be open minded to criticism, because being a first year teacher is not a walk in the park. You need the support of a mentor to help walk you through areas that need improvement, as well as areas that deserve a pat on the back. My mentor is completely lovely, and I always look forward to seeing her. She makes me feel awesome about the work I am doing so far, and provides me with great ideas on ways I can enhance my teaching methods. During your first year, you will have to complete some projects online, as well as take a few quizzes. Again, the time in which you want to do this is up to you, but it must be completed before the year is over. The last and final step of the program is taking the PPR exam. Like I mentioned earlier, I will be taking this test in the spring.

Final Thoughts:

If you are considering getting certified to teach, do it! Don’t let fear keep you from obtaining what you have been called to do. Let my story of becoming a certified teacher encourage you. Yes, it took me WAY longer than necessary to become a certified teacher, but I am thankful that God makes all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). If you have the desire, believe that you will be equipped for this! I posted on Instagram a few weeks ago, but I wanted to share this again on here. “All fear I ever had towards this job has dwindled. Fear was the biggest reason it took me so long to jump into teaching: fear of failure, fear of not being liked, fear of doing a bad job, etc. I have had nothing but good reports, observations, and encouragement. Praise the Lord! Everyone was right, God would put me in the school I am supposed to be in. I totally believe that. All of this to say…He is faithful!” I hope I have answered any questions you may have about the program. Let me know if you have any other questions, and I would be happy to help. Also, feel free to share this with someone you know who may need a boost of encouragement in wanting to teach. Living out my dreams of being a teacher was definitely worth every tear, hour, and sacrifice it took to go through with getting certified through an alternative teaching program. 

-Becky

5 Year Anniversary w/ Jearbear!

Our journey together has been so unique, with ups and downs, good days and bad days, joy and pain, and yet, The Lord has directed every step for us. We have never gone without. We have never been left alone. We have never given up. We have been given so much love from God for each other. Here is a look at the last 5 years:

5 Years Ago
The anticipation of the big day had arrived, and we were so ready to be married. We had a simple ceremony with our loved ones around, and thanked God for allowing us to become one. We drove off for our honeymoon, and the nervousness of entering "intimacy" for the first time had me as a blushing bride. We laughed through our honeymoon, making memories and enjoying our new life together. We set up our home together in Hurst in the best apartment I could have ever asked for, and shortly after became dog owners to a pup named Cooper that didn't stay with us long. We shared our car, learned all about budgeting and finances together, and stayed up late watching hours of Friday Night Lights. I cried over being away from the familiar, and we served together in a church. We were young, in love, and had so much to learn about life.

4 Years Ago
We celebrated our One Year Anniversary in Dallas at the Adolphus Hotel (the story about this night is priceless..Jearen scared the tar out of me!). We looked back at what all happened in our first year as husband and wife, and had so much to be thankful for. We celebrated holidays together, went to multiple Ranger's Games, established new friendships in the metroplex (which was huge for me), and took 6 students to youth camp as we served as youth pastors for a few months. We thought about leaving the metroplex and moving to my hometown, and I learned so much about myself and about my husband.

3 Years Ago
We celebrated our 2 Year Anniversary by going to the doctor, after Jearen thought he tore his MCL on the lake. I drove us to Dallas that evening to have dinner, and J had to use crutches. We were two weeks away from moving into our first house that we purchased, and I couldn't have been more excited. Little did we know that our house was going to flood in the first 3 hours of moving in, and that God would have to hold us during a difficult day. I became a lead teacher in a preschool class, and Jearen started a new job back in March. I decided to start getting my butt in gear to become a certified teacher, and we started our 12 Dates of Christmas in December.

2 Years Ago
We celebrated our 3 Year Anniversary w/ a staycation in the metroplex & John Mayer concert. Earlier in the year we went to Vegas for the first time (for a work trip) and then Jearen surprised me with an overnight trip to the Grand Canyon. We brought home our new dog, Maggie, and began helping with a jr. high ministry at our church. Jearen became a licensed minister, took us to a Cowboys Game for Thanksgiving, and we had our 2nd Annual 12 Dates of Christmas. At the end of the year, we found out we were pregnant, and celebrated/prayed over our gift everyday.

1 Year Ago
I was with the youth from our church at camp, and Jearen was in New Hampshire for a work trip. He sent me a huge bouquet of flowers to my camp, and we celebrated the next week by going to my favorite place for a date night. At the beginning of the year, we lost our baby & I had to endure an emergency surgery. We took our 2nd annual trip to Vegas, visited family at the beach, took a day trip to Memphis, and bought a new car. We endured so much pain & heartbreak month after month, and had to rely on God's strength, love, and joy to bring healing to our hearts and minds. We went on a mission trip to Estes Park, CO, I took my generalist teaching exam & passed, and we had our 3rd annual 12 Dates of Christmas.

Today

We are currently on Waikiki Beach in Oahu. Throughout this year, we attended a Garth Brooks Concert, went on a Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt in Dallas, and went to Vegas again. I took my ESL test & passed, and now I'm waiting for the new school year to roll around so I can teach at a middle school.

Being married to my best friend has been nothing but a blessing. I never knew how much love I could have for someone until I met Jearen. He has allowed me to be my goofy, sensitive, sappy, quiet self, and has loved me more than I ever thought was possible. He is the man who protects, provides, and cares for me and I am so thankful for all he does day in and day out. God has been good to me, and I am beyond grateful for the gift my husband is to me. My prayer is to make his life fun, encourage him, love him, make him feel safe, and provide a home that he can relax in, all while being a witness of what God wants to do in his life. He is my best friend. The man I love. My forever date. My sweetest gift.  I love you, Jearbear! xoxo

Love The Home You Have

I can't remember the exact day or where I found this article, but somehow I stumbled across a blog that addressed just what the title of this post says: Love The Home You Have. I'm pretty sure there is a book that just came out talking about this subject, and just the title alone caught my eye. Being one who LOVES decorating my home, I started to wonder, do I really love the home I have? Well, I love that I have a home. And I love whom I share it with. And I love that I can mix & match my stuff to somehow create something worthy of a like or comment on social media over. But the more I thought about it, I started to realize that so much of what I do in my home is for others, not for myself and my husband. I don't mean necessarily that my house is made of glass, and all I want is for people to look in and ohh and aww over. I am not perfect, nor do I have the perfect marriage or perfect house. But even through all of my imperfections, I honestly believe that if something is on my heart that the Lord is helping me through, then maybe I can encourage someone else who may be in the same boat. You know, we will overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and the words of our testimony. Yes, when I see the word testimony, I think of when Jesus changed my life, but I also think about the lessons and daily reminders that He teaches me through all the little things I come across. Like being a home maker. So stick with me as I try to find the words to share from my heart, in hopes that I am not alone in this.

I once had some friends over for dinner, and we were in the dining room eating when someone mentioned a sign I had on my wall. It was a little white farmhouse style sign that said Fresh Eggs. I mentioned how I bought it at goodwill (yay for thrifting) and then words spilled out of my mouth..."I figured someone would think it was cute." Someone, meaning not me. I could have said "Oh, I just thought it was so cute!" But I didn't. Instead, I saw a tiny glimpse of something deep inside my heart that was leaking out. For the very first time, I caught myself doing something for my home for the approval of others. Mind you, I have come to know this about myself a long time ago with needing/wanting approval. I read Joyce Myers' book Approval Addiction back in college, and it was eye opening. But never had I thought about it in terms of how I decorated my house. I was embarrassed.

A year later, I was in a major purge of all of my house stuff. Thanks to Pinterest, I had read so many articles about being more minimalist, that I wanted to literally get rid of everything (ok, maybe not everything) and live in a fresh, clean, bare house. Reality set in pretty quick into my declutter frenzy, and I realized I liked so many different things in my home. Most of my stuff I will gladly tell you how I thrifted it for cheap. Some things I own were gifted to me. Very rarely do I outdo myself and buy expensive items just so my house looks good. But regardless of the price of an item in my house, I realized I was holding onto things that I didn't care for or love, all because I had this thought in the back of my mind, that someone else would probably like it, so I should keep it. Silly me! I ended up selling that little Fresh Eggs sign for a few bucks, and felt relieved that I could be free to get rid of things that weren't "me."

These past few weeks, I've had another idea run through my head. I kept seeing homes online that had that whole eclectic thing down. I am so not one to hoard stuff, and I can't stand the sight of clutter, but something I kept noticing in the houses that have so much style, patterns, colors, etc. was that it was all stuff they LOVED. And as much as I want to have a minimalist house that is always clean and catches the attention of anyone and everyone who sees it, if it isn't filled with things I love, then what's the point. So here I am struggling between wanting to be more minimalist, and wanting to display every. single. photo. I own because I love the people in them, I found what I really wanted.
What I really want, more than likes & comments on social media, more than a picture perfect home, is a place for my husband and I to retreat to. A place where friends can come over & make themselves at home. A place where it's ok to be silly, sad, joyful, and where the Holy Spirit can dwell. I want my home to be all that it can be, right now. I don't need the high dollar decor. I don't need to perfect color of paint on the walls. I don't need this or that. I already have. I have a place to rest my head. I have running water, A/C, electricity. I have photos displayed throughout the house because they make me happy. I have a bright colored kitchen w/ M's over the cabinets. I have much to be thankful for.

In saying all of that, I hope you are encouraged. As lovely as every house is on HGTV, Pinterest, and in the Magazines, what makes a house a home is more that just paint & decor. It's the love you put in it. It's the memories made. It's laughing around the dinner table with friends. It's crying on the couch at a sad movie (I'm a sap!). It's sitting on your porch (as big or as small as it may be) to enjoy the air outside. Your home is so much more that the material items inside. My prayer is that now that my eyes have been opened to just how much approval I wanted from others on how cute my home is, that I will shift my focus onto the things that matter, like creating an environment of love, peace, patience, kindness, etc. inside of my walls where I call home. Regardless if your married, single, with children or not, the environment you set in your home & the memories made there will be what is remembered, not if you had the cutest mantel or perfect shabby chic living room.

Let's stop waiting to have everything on our wishlist for the perfect home, and start loving the home you have, imperfections & all! Some days may be easier that others, but we are in this together!

Becky

Vegas 2015

If you read my last post, you know what the weather was like from Texas to Vegas. Snowing and school cancellations, to sunny skies in the desert. Once I arrived off of the plane in Vegas, Jearen picked me up and we drove out to the race track where he was working. I dropped him off, drove to get lunch, made a pit stop at Wal Mart, and made my way to the hotel. People usually assume that because we go to Vegas, that our hotel is one the strip. That is not the case. The racetrack is about 30 minutes away from the strip, and so we usually stay at a Holiday Inn Express for the week. Nothing fancy over here :). I had been trying to think of things for us to do for what felt like forever (because I like to plan), but I just wasn't set on anything in particular. Usually, our schedule includes Jearen working all day at the track while I hang out with him, then change into different clothes, and drive over to the strip to get a bite to eat, and for entertainment. Here are some of the highlights of our trip:

Dinner at Gallager's in New York, New York..

Food was great. I would go back.

Walking around New York, New York and Monte Carlo Hotels.

Biggest game of connect four we've ever seen.

Freemont Street (that we were only at for an hour to get cheaper tickets for some shows). The highlight was one guy doing improv as people were walking by. He basically was making celebrity look a like jokes, which was super funny!

The Neon Museum.

Illusions Magic Show & The Laugh Factory.

The carpets in The Tropicana hotel. Kind of over the top, but matched my dress, so it was a win. Ha!

They upgraded our seats for free & I was so nervous that one of us was going to be called up on stage. Thank goodness that didn't happen.

Cute little restaurant in the Tropicana that we ate at in between shows. Unfortunately, the food was bland and I wouldn't return here for dinner. 

Again, we were put in the very front. The show was funny and the comedians were great, and just by our luck, we never were the butt of any jokes (unlike several couples around us).

Pink Overload. Yikes! At least my date was hot!

At the racetrack while my sweetie works.

Thank you selfie stick for this great photo!

Please don't mind the grown adult in the background who ruined this photo for me, hahaha!

On the drive back to Texas, we were able to stop in Arizona to have lunch with my oldest brother. It was a great pit stop, especially when family is involved!

Always a good time with Jearbear. I'm glad I get the opportunity to go on this trip with him! 

xoxo-

becky