An old married couple!

So this weekend as Jason and I are pulling into Sears we realize what an old married couple we've become in less than a year...Here we are on Memorial Day going shopping for an appliance (more on that later) and we are dressed alike...Red Tech T shirts, shorts (mine denim, his gray) and black flip-flops! We totally cracked up!

This past weekend we shared another "married first" as I like to think of it...We bought our first married appliance together! We have decided to save more money and stay in our apartment for another year, and then hopefully move into a house next summer. This year we've been renting a washer and dryer because last summer was so hectic to buy one, so we took on the Memorial Days Sales, and with the promise of possible savings of tax on a washer set off to find a new washer and dryer!

I never possibly knew that selecting a washer and dryer could be so complicated...We went through the major question of top load or front load...Of course we both drooled over those gorgeous red front load sets, but thankfully reality and sanity set in and we begin to look at other options!

We found an incredibly helpful guy at Home Depot who explained the ins and outs of front loading washer dryers to us...We have been energy conscious with our light bulbs and have saved a good amount of money this year so far by doing so, so we were open minded about the savings in water and electricity that we could see in the long run. They tell you that you can save $200 a year in your electric and water bills...We went home and crunched the numbers using our water and electric bill, and even considering increased loads of laundry with kids (someday) we figured we would save about $150-$200 over about 7 years...and with plans to buy a house within the next year and all that comes with that we decided to stick with a top loader. We figure by the time we need a new one, there may be only front loaders, and even those will be cheaper! We got a good deal, because Home Depot does price matching with Sears and we got a $100 rebate for buying 2 GE Appliances, and 10% off...

So, drum roll please, our new washer and dryer...to debut in the Metz residence on June 10th!!!

New Job!!!

It's official! I have a new job! Next year, I will be an Assistant Drill Team Director! I am so excited! I will be the director of a JV Drill Team, the assistant director for a Varsity Drill Team, teach PE Dance, Child Development, and Nutrition. I originally applied for this job last year, but God had other plans for me. And although it has been an incredibly challenging year, I have learned so much where I am at in my first year of teaching, and am thankful for the experience. I know it has made me a stronger, better teacher. I was approached again about this job, and after much thought and prayer, felt through many doors that God has opened, he is leading me in this direction...When I decided my freshman year in college that I wanted to teach it was because of my high school drill team instructor and the difference she made in the my life, and that of my teammates. I hope that I can make such a difference in my students lives as well this coming year! I am excited about using my passion again!

I went to meet my teams for the second time today, and my JV team threw me a surprise party...It was so neat, and I was honored! The Varsity put together a basket, and gave me my first team t-shirt with my name on it! It was very thoughtful, and made me feel so welcome!

Mandy's Graduation!

I wanted to post a few pictures from Mandy's Graduation Party last weekend. I am so happy for her that she is done with school, and proud of her! She has overcome so much! She is truly my hero, and an inspiration of strength, courage, and determination, to me each day! Also, for those of you that are still keeping her in your prayers, they were able to take the fixator off today, and she is pretty much done with surgeries for awhile now, and will be able to slowly move on with her life! I am thankful for this day, and for God's tender love and care that has been and will be continuing to watch over her!

My cousin, best friend and "sister"!

The proud parents with their guns up!

Mandy's Graduation Cake!!!

Decorations for the party!

Jackson and Kaytlyn love Aunt Mandy so much!!!

Tribute to Mom

So this is a little late, but I wrote it before Mother's Day for my mom and still wanted to post it...

I was listening to the radio Friday night before Mother’s Day and people were calling in to share stories and anecdotes about their moms. One caller was asked to name the most important lesson she had learned from her mom…That got me thinking…What was the most important thing I have learned from my mom? There have been so many!

Most of the things I’ve learned from my mom have been through observation by the example she has given me in the life she leads. One of the things that stands out most about my mother is how she loves the people in her life with God’s love. And by God’s love I mean an agape type of love. A love that is unconditional and never ending. She is a true servant to all of those around her. One way I saw this growing up was in the time, effort, and dedication that my mom gave of herself and her family to take care of my grandparents. My grandmother suddenly passed away when I was seven years old of cancer. For the next six years my mother took care of my grandfather. He was in and out of the hospital sometimes multiple time each year, and she remained steadfast in her dedication to him to be able to continue to live in his home until he passed away. Many times this involved spending days, weeks, and even months in the hospital at his bedside and then in rehab. Each time he came home, we would go to stay with him until he was able to stay on his own again, and then she would go check on him each day. I do not know of another daughter who so greatly sacrificed herself for the sake of her father’s independence and quality of life. Through all of this however she continued to serve her husband as a loving wife, and be there in every way for me as a mom. My mom always made me feel like I was the most important thing in the world to her. She stayed home with me when I was young and then chose a change in career path in order to devote time to me during holidays and summers. She always supported me and encouraged me in school and is a big reason that I was blessed to achieve the accomplishments that I did academically. She also supported me in dance and helped me to develop a passion which has lead me to career I am pursuing today. I hope to be able to be the kind of mom that she was and is to me today to my future children. I hope to be the mom that encourages and inspires her children to be all they can be and more. I hope to be the kind of mom that teaches her children unconditional love, truth, forgiveness, integrity, and faith by example. And in my first year of marriage I have realized how much my mother taught me about being a wife. My mom has always built up my father in my eyes. She always respected him and taught me to respect him as well. She always encouraged my dad and supported him as the head of the household. She loved him and loved his family with the same love that she did her own. Through her I have learned to encourage my own husband and that marriage is a partnership which is held together by unconditional love and deep respect regardless of the circumstances of life. The phrase, “Actions speaks louder than words” truly represents my mother’s love and the legacy that she has past on to me. My mother has truly lived her life as a servant to God and those around her, just as Jesus once instructed, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”

I got my mom this Willow Tree Angel for Mother's Day...It stands for Courage, but the inscription was for someone who has a triumphant spirit, shows courage, and is an inspiration through their daily life...I hope this is a reminder to my mom how inspirational she is to me and many others!

Wonderful Weekend! Beautiful Wedding!

Jason and I had a fabulous time this weekend getting away and spending time with our loved ones!

Mr. and Mrs. Defranco!


Newlyweds!
Wedding Party!

Jason and I were very blessed to have been friends with Brad and Krystal. Jason, Brad, and Krystal went to high school together, and Jason and Brad were roommates in college. Brad and Krystal were married this past Saturday at the Botanical Gardens in San Antonio. It was such a beautiful, intimate ceremony. The weather was perfect. It was warm and sunny with a slight breeze and the flowers were blooming all around. They were married under an arbor covered in greenery. And sitting there seeing Brad and Krystal recite their vows to one another and unite as one, it made me think of God uniting Adam and Eve as one in the Garden. How peaceful and joyous it was, as it must have been then as well!

They also had a sweet moment during their ceremony where friends and family shared their blessings, wishes, and hopes with the couple. What a precious time this was to see their friends and family sharing their love and encouragement! I feel blessed to have shared in this special occasion in their life! Krystal and Brad's wedding truly represented what a wedding is a should be...The uniting of a two people as one in the Kingdom Of God, surrounded by fellow believers who pledge to love and support this couple.

Quick Update

It's been awhile since I wrote last...We are headed to San Antonio and Austin this weekend. Brad and Krystal are getting married in San Antonio at the Botanical Gardens on April 26th! We are so excited to share in the joy of their big day! I'm sure it will be beautiful...I will post pictures when we get back! Then we are headed back up to Austin to visit my cousins Jill and Scott, who just built a beautiful new home! Yea! Jason and I are excited to get away for a weekend!

We also decided that we are going to be going back to San Antonio later in the summer for our first anniversary for several days. We were debating between taking another big trip or staying closer to home. We decided to stay closer to home this year, because we are planning on buying a washer and dryer this summer, and are still saving to buy a house next summer! We think we are going to stay at the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk and try to get a room with a view of the Alamo. We stayed in a Hyatt here in Dallas on our wedding night and on part of our honeymoon in New York, and enjoyed amazing rooms both times! We have both been to San Antonio many times, but I've been looking for some ideas of different things to do there...and a nice, romantic restaurant to go to the night of our anniversary! Anybody have any suggestions???

Jason and I were talking tonight about eating the top of our wedding cake on our anniversary! I am somewhat leary as to how good something a year old will taste, but the people who made our cakes make a separate top, and package it especially so that you can freeze it, and it's supposed to be good a year later...I'm excited and hopeful! If anybody is getting married soon or needs a fancy cake I highly recommend The Cake Guys. They were awesome!

Also, I would really appreciate everyone's prayers this coming Monday...I can't really go into much more detail now, but they would be greatly appreciated!

Well, that is all for now...Any suggestions for San Antonio would be greatly welcomed, as well as any stories of first anniversary cake topper stories! :-)

We Must All Show Up

It has been awhile since my last post...I have been super busy! I took my students to the Texas Association of Future Educators State Conference this weekend. They did really well, and won a whole bunch of awards. I was very proud of them! I am still recovering though from the stress and lack of sleep that go along with taking an overnight trip (2 nights!) with kids...It's exhausting! Anyways, here is a picture from the conference...While at the conference, I got to here the National Teacher of the Year speak, and she was incredibly inspirational! Education has changed alot over the years, even since I was in school. Today we focus so much on test scores and measuring success, that sometimes we lose the most important component...The relationships we must form with our students in order to figure out how we can help them reach their goals and dreams. One thing that struck me most was a story about her dad who was also a teacher. Some one had told her about a student that her dad had in class that had had alot of issues and was very close to dropping out of school, but his parent moved him to a new school. In this new school, the student was placed in her dad's woodworking class. The student was so imspired by her dad that he went on not only to graduate from high school, but also receive a college degree in civil engineering. The amazing thing about her story was that when she told her dad, he was just as shocked. His response was that this student was not one of those that you see immediate success in during the year while you are teaching him. Her dad had felt like he wasn't sure if he had done enough to help this kid graduate or make it in life. One great point she made was that all too often teachers do not see the difference they are making in student's lives down the line. I have found this to be very true this year. I often work with students who I do not always feel/know if I am doing the right things, but I do the best job I can for them, and hope that in the long run, somewhere down the way I have planted a seed that they can develop and grow.

I have been very blessed to have a few of those cherished moments this year though when I have seen or been told the difference that I have made, and those are definitely the ones that keep me going on my hardest days.

Last semester I lost a student from my Ready, Set, Teach program who was a senior. She passed away suddenly over the weekend due to a long term heart condition. It was very difficult. The week before I had just seen her teach a lesson to the third grade class she worked in and she had done an amazing job preparing her lesson and interacting witht he kids. For you teachers out there she hit almost every part of the lesson cycle, which is a feat for a high school student in my book. Watching her I was so proud of her, and I felt like I could finally see that I had been able to give a student something that they could take with them and use to be successful in life. A week later when she passed away I struggled with the loss of a young life and future teacher who had the ability to impact so many lives.

Over the next few weeks, God revealed many truths to my aching heart...With the outpour of love and sympathy from her friends and classmates at her school and at the school she worked atI realized that my student didn't need to go to college and get a degree and have heer own classroom to make a difference. She made a huge difference in so many of her friends, classmates, and students lives already that you wouldn't believe it. It wasn't about a loss of potential impact...It was about doing what you are called to do by God when He calls you to do it...It was about showing up and being obedient. That lesson the week before and semester she worked in the classroom was the opportunity and the time God had given her to fulfill her dream of being a teacher and make a difference in others' lives. And she did it to the utmost of her ability. And without me even realizing it, I had been called to plant and nurture that seed in her. I am honored and thankful to have had her as a student and to learn that lesson early on...

As teachers we never know how or when our students are going to use the knowledge, skills, and life lessons that we pass on to them, but we can plant the seed, nurture it, and do what we have been called to do in our student's lives, to have the privilege of making a difference in the lives of many others and helping them to achieve their dreams and in turn inspire others.

This is a message to all of us...We only have a limited time on this Earth to do what our God put us here to do...We have opportunities and we make choices as we walk with Him. We must prepare as he leads us, even for the unknown, and show up each time He calls us to, because we never know what difference he has for us to make or what purpose he has for us to fulfill in His kingdom at any given time.