Exploring our own backyard: Brooklyn!

Today=Bliss.

No job interviews, no classes, no obligations...so we decided to have some fun!

So we jumped (aka 90 minutes after starting the process of leaving and after several clothing and diaper changes for sweet Will) on the subway and headed down to the Brooklyn Bridge!

Will cracks me up in this picture: he is basically paralyzed from the four layers (the vest was just too cute and he had to wear it, but of course he also needed a coat...) and stroller BundleMe we packed him up in. Sweet thing. He is SUCH a trooper!

Children's playground in forefront. Adult playground in the background :-).

Will's got it all to himself today.

Man, we love family time. Hallelujah for family time.

Will's favorite word right now is "woah!" Picture him saying it right here.

I love this picture. Me and my little man. He looks so grown up all of a sudden, and while I can't believe he turning into a little boy, I have to confess that this age (21 months) might be my favorite so far. He is so interactive, fun, communicative, and happy!

He really is my little buddy, and I thank God every day he is ours.

Clay took this picture, and I love how he captured the whimsy of the carousel alongside the majesty of the Manhattan skyline.

Will loves pointing these days. I find myself identifying objects and people all day long,

and I love it!

Post Brooklyn Bridge and Carousel, we headed to famous Grimaldi's for some super yummy pizza. I meant to take a picture of our pies, but we ate them too quickly!

Happy Weekend!

A Picture Says A Lot of Words

February has been a lot of this:

This month has been the craziest, most exhausting, and most challenging month yet in our adventure. But as always, we stumble upon the most magical moments thanks to our family, friends, and the sweet little guy who always reminds us to focus on the little things :-).

It's late, my computer is about to run out of juice, and there is simply way too much to say, too many lessons I've learned, too many memories to document.

So for now, these gems will have to do.

Welcome to our February

(what happens in between is all job job job search, which is much less exciting and fun).

Sprinting

How cute are these two?

"No, no, Will. We are on our way to story time."

The past three weeks have been INSANE. Gahan Job Search 2012 is in full swing right now, folks, and our emails, Skype log, and frequent flyer miles prove it.

Clay and I have jumped into a joint search, which means that we are both looking for jobs, pursuing all our leads, and seeing where they lead in terms of possibilities for both of us. It's a tricky process, and some moments are more encouraging than others, but in general, we are feeling pretty jazzed about where we are in this first week in February. We are getting lots of referrals through our search agencies, we have engaged in over 14 phone interviews with schools, we have been invited to 6 campuses so far, and we have several schools we are really excited about and keen on staying in close touch with. This past weekend, we travelled to Louisville for a joint interview that we feel like went well, and this weekend Clay is in Atlanta for an on-campus interview and then two days of educator job fair meet-and-greets. He is talking to at least two schools there that we could get really excited about. I head to Atlanta next Tuesday-Wednesday for an interview. I was invited to my dream school in Nashville, but so far we know of no openings there for Clay, so I finally had to excuse myself from the search. There are many ways this job search could work out well for us, and we are starting to have real moments when we think this whole adventure might position us for a great next step, but we also have moments when we very keenly feel that the job market is super competitive right now and it's scary to be unemployed. But we are staying super positive, giving each other lots of high fives and fist bumps, and trying to listen to our hearts and guts in terms of what feels right.

Clay just left for Atlanta until late Saturday night, and it's a little pathetic how much I already miss him. I realized that we have been together pretty much every single day for a year. I have never felt more of a team with my husband than right now. This whole process and experience has challenged us to work together in every possible way (as teachers, as students, as parents, as friends), and the more we do work together, the more we think we might actually prefer working at the same school. And how cool if the school was a Pre-K through 12 and Will could go there too? We could all go to school together! That would be either really cute or a recipe for disaster :-).

Anyways, my dear, dear friends Katie and Deanna are coming TOMORROW for a GIRLS (+Will) WEEKEND in the BIG APPLE and I couldn't be more excited! Three full days of funness. I am not doing any CTY, ant TeenInk, any tutoring, and hopefully not much job stuff while they are here. I have been looking forward to this weekend for a long time, and I couldn't be more excited it is here and now.

Love to you all--and know that we appreciate your prayers and encouragement at this uncertain but exciting time!

xoxo

S, C, and W

Ramdom Thursday Thoughts

1. Clay, Will, and I went to a GPS alumni cocktail party tonight at an uber-nice apartment on W. 81st. Clay had to leave to go tutor (because he is awesome and works hard for us) and Will was super adorable and charming all the ladies...until Mr. Tucker, the headmaster, introduced me. Will decided that was THE moment to run through the crowd of alums and a-l-m-o-s-t knock over a super fancy table and piece of art, all while everyone had just turned to look at me and thus notice how my son was treating this lovely woman's living room like, uh, ours, which actually IS his playroom. I have had many moments this year when I feel like I see or feel things so clearly, and this was one of them: I love GPS, but Will is my life. I opened my arms to him in front of all these women, scooped his smiling self up, and slipped out of the party and back onto the rainy streets of NYC.

2. Went to a 90 minute "My mini school" with Will this morning. The instructor sang "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider" in Mandarin. I had trouble even doing the hand motions.

3. Discovered that the $1.99 Wheat Crisps at Trader Joe's taste EXACTLY like Wheat Thins. This has changed my life. I bought five boxes last night on my way home from tutoring. God Bless Trader Joe's.

4. We've had at least one job phone interview every day this week. We are encouraged.

5. Upon our placement counselors' requests, Clay and I made video statements of ourselves this afternoon while Will was sleeping. If you ever want to see us look incredibly awkward, ask to see these videos (we won't show them to you).

6. Will usually loves yogurt. Today was not one of those days. Today he threw the entire quart of yogurt across the room. Our T.V. now smells like yogurt.

7. I am currently reading Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin and I can't put it down. Except when I put it down.

8. I miss a lot of things (like actual physical object things) that are tucked away in storage for the year, but I weirdly find myself really missing my muffin pan. I think weelicious.com may have a lot to do with it. For the record, I also miss our mattress, bathtubs, Bread Basket's whole wheat sourdough bread, my ob/gyn and Will's pediatrician (is that too much information?), a backyard where Cam can run and play, pictures in actual frames, and driving a car right up to our destination.

9. Will's first and thus favorite words right now are "choo-choo," "dog," and "heyyyyyyyy." He greets us with "heyyyyyyy" pretty much every morning. We eat it up. We are trying to not take it personally that he has a name for Cam before he has names for us.

10. Public libraries might just be THE best things ever. Here is a cute pic from our recent story time jaunt there this week:

Big City, Small World

So far, 2012 has involved a lot of soul-searching and reflection. In a city where there is so much to look at, I find myself withdrawing a bit and purposefully making my world small. I felt guilty and almost foolish about this impulse until a friend of mine reassured me over the phone one night: "Sara, you have total permission to make your world small. Trust your gut and allow yourself this time. You won't be removed for long because your nature is to be outgoing. There is a reason why you are called to this reflection now." With that, I exhaled a bit.

So my world right now is Will and Clay and books and a job search. It's simple and focused and perfect right now. But I stepped outside of this on Saturday when I trekked out to Long Island for the UVA Jefferson Scholars Regional Selection interviews. Suddenly I was immersed in a world of Range Rovers and country clubs, of tea sandwiches and impressive high school seniors with mile-long resumes. I was surrounded by fellow alumni who were all kicking butt in their respective careers and had found places for themselves in NYC. We asked these high school seniors questions like, "How would you contribute to the UVA community?" and "How do you see yourself fulfilling the responsibility to be a leader among your peers?" and I have to confess I had moments when I felt inadequate. How did I get here? Who am I to be among these people and ask these loaded questions? Have I failed in living up to the expectations others have for me--and the ones I have for myself?

But a peace quickly came over me that I am right where I need to be. I am learning so much about humility and purpose and love and foundations right now. I know this experience is making me better. It's making my marriage better and it's making our family stronger. Why? Because in many ways, it's all we've got right now. Our savings account is officially at 0.00 (being honest here), we don't have job security, and we don't know many people up here. But we are investing in what we believe in: our love, the importance of education, and ultimately each other. Sometimes it takes stripping everything else away to fully see the beauty of the foundation.

Who knows what the future has in store for us? But I know I will always look back on this time as one of powerful retreat when my life came into even sharper focus. I know that for those who have been given much, much is expected. I have been overwhelmed with blessings and bounty in my life so far, and this year reminds me that holding onto it for my own benefit is not what we are called to do. Parenting teaches this all the time in the sense that it calls parents to be selfless, and this experience on top of that, and the fact that its happening in huge NYC, solidifies the fact that this life and my work isn't all about developing ME. It's about something much bigger--and at the same time something much smaller:

Here's to retreat and refocus and realizations in 2012. And to really cute naked toddlers. And hopefully a job or two :-).