Trying something new...

So I've never really understood the whole "blogging craze" that's been going on for the past few years...but now that I'm married, have a full-time job and am settling into a routine, I've realized that I really miss journaling and writing...a lot. Even if no one reads my blog, it will be nice to get these thoughts out of my head and into cyberspace. My wonderful husband, Aaron, is the BEST listener to all of my long, drawn out stories about the goings-on of my day...but I know that sometimes I bog him down with way too many insignificant details and stories during his day at work and when he gets home. So here you go, Love. You can read about my days sometimes instead of listening to me talk for hours :)

I am a full-time childcare provider for a family in Charlotte, NC and absolutely LOVE it. Yes, I went to college for 3 and a half years to get a degree in History...and now I'm a Nanny. I promised myself that I would never be one of those people who hated going to work everyday...and that's what happened with my first job right out of college. I realized 5 months in that the job wasn't a good fit for me. So, with the support of Aaron and my family, I quit. I took the next few months to pray as well as search myself and the career field to figure out what it was that I really wanted to do. I also spent that time planning the Alexander-Fowler wedding :) As much as I hated not having a job because I felt like a complete bum, I really enjoyed having that time to plan the most important day of my life to date. I searched and prayed...prayed and searched...but nothing full-time became available to me. Thanks to all of you at Elevation who kept me busy babysitting because if it wasn't for you, I'm not sure how I would have spent my time and kept sane!

The week before my wedding I was contacted by a lady whose ad I had answered several months before on Craigslist. She and her family were moving from Oklahoma City to Charlotte for her job and she needed someone to take care of her boys during the day. A few days later I met Liz, her husband Mike, and their two boys Toby (who just turned 1 a few weeks ago) and Sam (who will be 4 in December). I was offered the job later that week and I graciously accepted. I started working the week after Aaron and I returned from our honeymoon. After working with the boys for only 5 weeks so far, I feel like I'm already becoming a part of the family. I've made a year commitment to Liz and her family and I can't wait to watch the boys grow and change.

I think it's so important for people, especially young adults just out of college, to take time to search themselves and figure out what it is they really want to do in life. What makes you happy? What's fun for you? More than just figuring out what I wanted to do, I felt it was important to consider what I felt God wanted me to do with this season of my life. I don't have to choose a career path right this second. I didn't have to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life by the time I graduated college. I didn't even have to get a job in the history field just because I majored in it. But I thought I did. After a few months of prayer and reflection, I knew that I needed a job with purpose. A job that makes a difference in the lives of others. A job that makes me happy. A job that will teach me lessons I can look back on for the rest of my life. Raising children is all of these things for me...and I feel so blessed to be where I am today.

Isn't it funny how children teach you things about yourself? They say whatever comes to mind...and oftentimes it's the naked truth. They don't sugarcoat anything. They don't censor what comes out of their mouths. They just say it. And sometimes it stings. That's what I love about kids. You can talk to them so simply. No big words or long explanations. Just talk to them in their language they're more likely to listen and understand you. I might change my mind about the listening part when I take Sam to a birthday party for one of his classmates at Charlotte Jr. Gym in an hour. We'll see.

I promise I won't always be so long-winded. And I won't always be so reflective and serious. My life is a zoo...and you'll read about it soon enough, I'm sure.