may :: according to my iphone pictures {part 1}

May truly was a H.A.P.P.Y. and sort of life changing month!! There was SO much that happened that I am going to split it into 2 posts and I completely don't blame you if you are just here to look at the pictures. haha

First of all, I experienced my first Teacher Appreciation Week and two of my students even brought me little yellow flowers and notes. It seriously made my whole week!!! Thursday during the first week of May was also my last day of college for my undergraduate degree. It was completely bittersweet. You can read more about it here. I definitely can say I am walking away from my college experience a changed person from the day I started. I feel stronger and somehow more brave.

My last week of school was also the same week I interviewed for my very first teaching position. I can't even tell you how many hours I spent considering every possible question they could ask me, which was completely crazy because interview questions aren't always something you can anticipate. And if that doesn't tell you how much I wanted this, I put on my shiniest pair of black heels, a lace peplum top, and a blazer {which is a piece of clothing I don't even own} and went out the door as prepared and confident as one could be for a job interview. I interviewed with three panels of principals, four to five principals on each panel, and the director of elementary education at the end. When I was called into the first room, I seriously could feel my body convulsing it was shaking so hard. I'm pretty sure they were probably concerned I'd have a seizure right there on my seat. In that moment I was thinking to myself... "Oh good, what a fantastic first impression!" haha But somehow when they asked me my first question, despite my body shaking uncontrollably, my voice was surprisingly smooth and calm as I delivered my first answer. A gift that could only be described as directly from heaven above! My first two interview panels went fabulous. I could not have walked out of them more confident. At this point, I had only one left and as I sat outside the room waiting, I could feel a new kind of nerves creep in. These were no longer "I'm excited that I'm finally to this point" nerves. Instead, they were anxiety ridden nerves because inside this room were some principals I knew had openings in the grades I really desired to teach and I DID NOT want to screw it up. I can barely remember the answers I gave... all I remember is that it did not go as well as the first two. No one even cracked a smile. I simply breathed a sigh of relief that it was over when the door closed behind me and I knew that I had done the very best I could and I left it at that.

A week later, I received a phone call on a Tuesday evening. I knew from the moment she told me her name that she was a principal from the third panel I met with. My throat grew tighter as I listened for what she was about to say. And I can not even explain the amount of joy I experienced in that moment when she told me that she had called to offer me my first teaching position in the third grade at her elementary school!! Talk about a dream come true! Nic and I celebrated with cheesecake fantasy ice cream from Coldstone's the very next day and toasted to the new future we have ahead of us and man, does it feel bright!

And as if that weren't enough excitement for one month... My mom came to visit for my graduation weekend and for Mother's Day. I hadn't seen her since January so it was amazing to have her here! We got our new shelves up just in time for her arrival {mostly done}. We had a graduation dinner at Red Lobster {yum} and saw The Host which made me want to go back and read the book for a second time. There was a lot I had forgotten. I also discovered we my mom and I are watch twins. She has such great taste. ;) You can read more about Mother's Day here and our new Ballard inspired shelves here.

I have finally found time to read for fun again and devoured the Matched Trilogy in 2 days! I did a book review on it here. Rue tried watermelon for the first time and just like any other food, she was super skeptical at first {sounds like someone else I know.. ahem NIC} but then LOVED it. Now she feels the need to climb into the fridge any time someone opens the door! You never know what kind of yummy bunny treats you might find in there. ;)

Part 2 of May according to my iphone pictures coming your way tomorrow!
Hope you have a great day! :)