Updates on the year of change

Only a couple of weeks have gone by and this years most anticipated events have occurred! Michael Reid Peterson was brought home last week and is officially one week old today! My nephew is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen! I can't wait to watch him grow up and learn about his personality. I also LOVE taking his picture. How can I not resist is chubby cheeks and wide eyes? If you want to see more pics of him and read Holly and Ben's sweet story of adoption go to holpeterson.blogspot.com. I promise, you will see a bunch more pictures of him-I'm a very proud aunt!

The weekend before Reid was born, Craig and I found out that he was accepted to TCOM, the medical school in Ft. Worth!! What an answer to years and years of prayers! When Craig and I first started "going out" (or whatever we called it in early high school) I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. Through all of these years its stayed the same, he wanted to be a doctor. The only other career he mention was to possibly join the air force. Funny thing is, he joined the Air Force to get through med school! Both of his dreams came true! We are thrilled at the ideal situation of being able to stay close to our family and friends. I could not have planned a better ending to this long waiting period!

Through all that my family has gained in this past week, I can't help but acknowledge the fact that God truly gives his children the desires of their hearts. If you would have found me last year at this time, there is no way I could even imagine the way my life has gone through this year. Who knew I would land my first job, move into an apartment on my own in Dallas, totally reconstruct my personal life to something I denied the previous summer, and hear such heart break and struggle turn into the most precious story of adoption for my sister and brother. The only way to conclude would be to quote...

"I will extol the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and He answered me..."

Psamls 34:1-4

Time for Change

It's amazing to me how life has been changing...I've just recovered from the whole college to "real life" transition and now I'm about to pick up and change again. All good changes, things I've been waiting for what seems like FOREVER!

The closest change at hand would have to be gaining a nephew, My wonderful sister and her husband have decided to adopt and the baby is due any minute. Normally parents have 9 months to prepare, Holly and Ben will have just over 9 days-whew! What a blessing to be waiting for, we just can't wait to hold this little boy in our arms!

Next on the list will be Craig's graduation from A&M and acceptance to Med School. You may wonder why this is such a big change for me, and well, I'm going with him. As much as I love my new job and apartment in Dallas, I'm so ready to live in the same town as him! I'm not going to go into too much detail because his match day is still a week and a half away. Once its all finalized, be prepared to hear about it all!

These changes (as well as a few others I havn't mentioned) seem so close and exciting, but I have to admit, my days are dragging by. The closer we get, the slower time gets. I am just so ready to hold Baby P and not have a long distance relationship. The exciting part about living alone is wearing off fast and is getting lonlier than ever.

On that note, be prepared to hear from me a lot more, I have a feeling that I will have alot to write about in the upcoming months. I'm on the brink of it all, so close to what I've wanted for a very long time-now all I have to do is hurry up and wait.

Diaries of a beginner teacher...I love my students...no, really I think I do

The other day I was talking to another director I work with and we were laughing over how many times we repeat things in our classes.  He said he just wanted to record all of the repeated sayings and just hit play when needed.  

Track 1:  "Tap your toe."

Track 2: " Take a deep breath."

Track 3: "Don't breath through your nose."

Track 4:   "Play the right note." 

Track 5: "Sit up strait..."

Track 31:  "Stay wiht the metronome"

Track 57:  "Fix your embouchure."

Track 82:  "Too much mouthpiece in your mouth."

Track 95: "TAP YOUR TOE"

Track 456:  "SIT UP STRAIT!"

Can I squeeze a "use your brain!" in there?  How about "read music!"  I don't think either of those would be very effective, would they?  I love my students...no, really, I do.  I just get so frustrated by their inability do what I want them to do!  I can hear some of my professors chuckling in the back of my head right now (clue #63 that I'm loosing my mind in this first year of teaching).  

On another note....check this story out.  One of the many reasons I love band.

http://www2.uil.utexas.edu/Leaguer/index.php/news/45-music-news/139-music-director-makes-a-wish-come-true.html

End of a season

Once again, time has flown by!  This past Saturday my band finished their competitive marching season.  We had advanced on from region to area and were one place away from making finals at area.  Never before have I seen my kids so heart broken-as soon as they found out we had not made it the water works began!  But hopefully by now, they can look past that and realize how much they have improved over the year!  So many people commented on how this was one of the best bands from our school they had seen in years-improvement, right? They are already chomping at the bit to start again (I hope that lasts all the way until next October...).  Overall, this marching season had to be one of the most rewarding seasons of my life.  I have never worked so hard, been so frustrated, or loved a group of high school students as much as I have with this one.  

See our website at www.gobigblueband.com

One Month In...

We are now one month into the 2008-2009 school year!  It has flown by!  I can't believe that a month ago I was so uncomfortable and knew so little.  I feel like I am setteling into a routine at work, with kids, and have a much better idea about what I am doing.  There have certainly been some MAJOR ups and downs.  The lowest point is the fact that I already have a threat of getting sued!  Who would have thought that I could cause such a contraversy?  I've been comforted by the support of the other directors, the administration, and a few emergency calls to the ATPE and TMEA lawyers-nothing can really happen, they don't have a leg to stand on.   The high points include those sweet moments when students you don't even expect say the sweetest things.  My favorite moment of teaching has been when one of my students with special needs stopped by to say hi.  

At the beginning of summer band, we had a clinician come in to rehearse the marching band.  Not only did he clinic the band, he taught the directors.  All through rehearsal, when we would begin sitting back and not paying attention, he would come over and ask, "What did you learn?"  We would all try to scramble for something that would really contribute, but he had caught us red handed.  At the end of the day he came over and told me that during every rehearsal or class I teach I should constantly be asking these questions....

-What went well?

-What should be improved?

-What did I learn?

Those questions have stuck with me and at the end of my classes I evaluate how I did by using them.  All I have to say is, what an eye opener!

First day of School

I am official.  I just survived my first day of school as a first year teacher!  Surprisingly, I'm not too tired-but that may be due to the fact that I've been pulling some very long shifts these past couple of weeks.  Oh the wonder of summer marching band and staff development :(.  I feel like I am finally getting to a point that I understand what is expected of me as a staff member, but I still feel extremely anxious about tomorrow.  Everyone kept asking if I was nervous or if I was ready for the first day of school and I could honestly say, "No, I'm not nervous and yes I'm so ready to get into the school year."  Well...I could be honest until about 10pm last night.  Suddenly I became nervous and began to worry myself sick about all of the things I had failed to take care of before today.  I didn't go back over the college text books that told you what to do on your first day, I didn't look very closely at the Standard Operating Procedures of my school, I didn't finish that beginner trombone packet, I forgot to pick up that 5-minute theory book for my beginners...!  It was not a good feeling.  When that alarm went off at 5am I just know that my dream of being the ideal Harry Wong "effective first day teacher" was over.

However, when I arrived at my desk I didn't find Mr. Wong or even my boss shaking their fingers at my supposed failures.  No, it wasn't this place where students were staring up at me as if they were looking for some way to break me.  It was actually empty.  I was the first there.  Taking a seat in my chair all fears disappeared and I simply started my job.  No big deal.  I worked.  That's what I came to do and the rest fell into place.  

My first day as a teacher went like this:  I read the handbook.  No plans or beginner trombone packet necessary.  

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