Sunday, May 7

I'VE MOVED

nick and i have updated our website and will both be blogging on it. all our pictures will be on there as well. i'm saying so long to this blog and hello to a new one. i've had it for over a year, so i suppose it's time to upgrade :) all my old entries have transfered over and i will soon have the links to my friend's blogs on that one as well. it's still a work in progress and the format may be changing a bit, but that's the place to go for the updates on my life CLICK HERE: nicknrachel.com

Friday, May 5

tada!!

here i am, just moments before walking the line. i guess i should say hours :)

the amigas celebrating a cinco de mayo graduation. yay for my highly decorated friends. i missed graduating with honors by .10!!! geez.

it's offical!

i now have graduated from college! woo. the ceremony wasn't quite as boring as i anticipated. the student speaker was so-so, but the actual speaker was short and funny - yet inspiring. excellent choice if i say so myself. afterwards nick and i celebrated at the melting pot downtown. too bad brooke was working a banquet room or we could have maybe had her for a server. we realized we haven't been there in exactly a year! we'd gone for chris's birthday this week last year when he was in town for nick's graduation. but it was worth the wait. now i face the "real world". who knows what direction i'll go in next. for now i do know i will be a nanny in the afternoons for the rest of the month.

Thursday, May 4

one down...

heard back from the teaching job at the charter school. it's a no. i'm still working on applying to some other districts, but because i want middle school there just isn't much open around here. i still don't know about the job at north central and they don't even know how long it will be until they make a decision. but just incase it doesn't work out, i need something else. graduation practice today. and it's supposed to take an hour and a half?! holy hannah! i'm dreading sitting through the ceremony tomorrow. i will be so bored. honestly that's the reason i didn't want to walk with everyone. the "bore factor" of graduation is extremly high. after that it's a target run and a search for black close-toed shoes to wear for the ceremony. if i don't find some i won't be walking. what a stupid rule! and during the spring season when those types of shoes aren't even out in stores anymore! that's gonna be so fun!

Tuesday, May 2

lady in waiting

last night was the long awaited portfolio night when i presented my precious portfolio to a committee of NCU faculty and staff. i was so dang proud of my portfolio and how much time and effort i put into it. before i went into the room, i stood outside and could hear them. i heard them tear it apart and make smart comments about it! ok, i should be fair... i only heard one of them - not sure what the others said. but it was enough to bring me down. after the interview process (which i had no confidence for after what i heard before entering), they told me what i did well and needed to improve on for both the interview and the portfolio itself. i left feeling like crap. they were SO opinionated!! after a long talk with nick last night i finally let it go and realized the situation we were in last night was NOT like a real interview and that i didn't screw up in my interview last week. now i wait for a job. i should hear back from the charter school i applied to any day now. i check my phone and email constantly - which is probably not helping. today i interviewed for an assitant director position in the academic tutoring center on campus at NCU. i'm keeping my options wide open. this afternoon my goal is to get my resume out to a few more schools. i'll take my chances in applying for a long term or part time position even. i don't need benefits b/c i have nick so i can try something different. job searching is a bit scary. especially with a teaching degree in the minneapolis area. but before i began this process God told me to trust him. not sure what situation i'm supposed to trust him in, but he'll open and close all the right doors. i'll just wait.

Saturday, April 29

the end is near

monday i turn in my portfolio and have a mock interview with professors and community teachers. then all i have to do is walk the line friday afternoon and it's official - i will be a college grad. still seems unreal. hasn't really hit me yet. maybe it's because i'm having a hard time with the whole thing. my girlfriends from high school mostly finished on time so they're out in the real world already. i also feel like i hardly know anyone graduating. it's not like high school when i could put a face with every name in the program. i've become so alienated from campus the past two years that i only know a handful of people. also, i think it's kind of hard knowing i won't have any family here on the big day. i understand it's expensive to make the trip and i didn't think it would bother me, but as it approaches, it gets tougher. on a happier note, i am waiting to hear back about my interview. i was proud of myself for using my portfolio (what i had done at the time) and for feeling comfortable. well...i was comfortable a few questions after i totally answered a question wrong!!! hehe. i was nervous and didn't understand what they were asking so i talked about cooperative learning. come to find out they ment collaboration with teachers. but i had things in my portfolio to show for both of them. other than that, i felt like it was a good interview, but you just never know.

Friday, April 28

baccalaureate

Saturday, April 22

just a little behind

my life has been one bunch of craziness. after a relaxing spring break it got right back into being action packed. let's recap shall we? 1. i taught the 27 kindergarteners full time for two weeks. they progressively got worse until i created a new management plan for my last day. every day i woke up and fought back tears because i disliked it so much. 2. i sent out resumes and applied for real jobs!!! i have my first interview on monday for dakota academy which is a brand new charter school grades 6-12. i really want it too! 3. i'm trying to finish my portfolio quickly (a week early) so i can have it for my interview. today i think i spent a total of 9 hours on it! 4. i had my first meeting for my missions trip to argentina this week. i met my team for the first time and i can't wait to get to know them even better. 5. i'm actually going to graduate! it seems so unreal right now. it hasn't hit me even though my cap and gown are lying on the floor next to me right now. i haven't even taken them out of the bag. i wish i could be excited about it. well...that will do for now. i'm sick of the computer i need another break.