How I Got My New Teaching Job

When I stayed at my Grandma's place on my way up to Washington I got a phone call from a high school in Washington where I had applied to work. They wanted an interview. At first, I hesitated. I hadn't really wanted to apply for the job because teaching high school seemed less appealing to me than teaching junior high. I figured that since I'd applied, though, and that I didn't have a job lined-up for me yet, that I should probably agree to come in. So I did. I happened to be arriving in Washington the night before the day they were interviewing, so it worked out perfectly.

Several weeks before all of this took place, I interviewed over Skype for a job teaching at a middle school in Washington. For some reason, when I set-up the interview for the job, I felt like I shouldn't accept it if the ended up offering it, which was strange because it was where I thought I wanted to be. In the end, the middle school told me that they weren't interested. Though I was disappointed, I simultaneously felt relief because I didn't have to stress over whether or not my bad feelings about the position were from the Holy Ghost because I shouldn't take the job, or from my own feelings of inadequacy and being afraid of doing something new.

The way I felt hanging up after setting-up my interview with the high school was the exact opposite. Even though I had been wondering moments before in the middle of the phone conversation if I should even agree to interview because I didn't really want to teach in a high school, the moment I hung-up the phone, I felt really good about the job.

Fast-forward a few days, and that good feeling I'd received enabled me to perform with confidence in my interview. Three days later, they called me back and offered me the job. I said, "Yes!"

It was a stressful summer, applying for many Washington teaching jobs and feeling like nothing was happening and that I would be doomed to a boring job at McDonald's upon arriving there, but the Lord had a plan for me. He knew I would love teaching where I'm now at because of the wonderful staff and the good kids. I didn't know that though, and so it was frustrating at times. Part of me wonders if He purposefully waited for this job to be posted until the very end of summer so that He could try my faith and patience to see if I would keep searching and trying and praying and hoping even when it felt like I should give-up.

It's wonderful now, on those days when teaching is hard, to remember that I'm where the Lord wants me. I feel like since He helped me get here, He'll also help me make it through. More than that--He'll help me be successful, learn, and come out on top. Things that go according to His plan always go better than things that go according to my plan. I'm grateful to know that the Lord has a plan for my life and I know that I'm the happiest when I seek to know what it is and to follow it.

My Visit with Grandma, Grandpa, and Janet

After graduation, I left Jon behind in Provo and started making my way up to Washington. Instead of going the whole way all at once, however, I decided to make a stop in Boise, Idaho for a few days to visit my grandparents and my Aunt Janet. Since Kate had been at graduation and was making the same journey, she was able to join us! Over the few days we spent there, we played cards, ate yummy food, crocheted, watched "Mom's Night Out," went on a walk, and made some crafts.

One of the highlights for me was having Grandpa help me make a birthday board out in his shop. I loved it because it saved me so much money (he has every tool imaginable in his shop), but even more because I have one more thing to help me think of my grandpa when I look at it.

I love time with family! The older I get, the more I realize that family's what it's all about. I'm grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with such an amazing family.

Our Surprise Goodbye Party

The past month has been full of blessings for Jon and I! As my last post said, in mid-August both he and I officially graduated from BYU. Marking that off our bucketlist created a chain of new and exciting things in our lives.

Last winter, with Jon's graduation in sight, he figured he might as well try applying for jobs to see if he could get anything. If he didn't, it was fine because I was planning on staying to teach at the school I was interning with at the time and Jon figured he would wait until December to graduate and get a business minor. After what felt like an unpromising phone interview, Jon was surprised when he got called back to schedule a skype interview with a trucking company. He did the interview, and once again we were surprised when they called to offer him a job! It wasn't what we had been planning on, but after talking and praying about it, we decided to accept the offer. This new job set us off to Tacoma, Washington!

And so the past few weeks have been filled with all the fun and craziness of relocating and beginning a life somewhere new. There's so much to say about what has happened throughout these weeks, so rather than posting about it all at once, I'm going to break the events into individual posts and post about them over the next few days.

First, to see us off some of our good friends held a surprise going away party! We had planned a date night with our very good friends, Rylin and Shayla, and they decided to surprise us by inviting many of our good friends to join them in saying goodbye. We spent the time by playing minute to win it games (I think Jon beat me at every one) and playing cards. They even all signed a huge poster for us! It felt so awesome to know that we were loved and would be missed by the friends we were leaving behind in Provo. I'm so grateful to each of them for their love and for being a part of our lives!

Jon and Jacob (Jon's roommate):

Jess (Jon's FHE sister and someone I used to visit teach) and Joseph (Jon's roommate):

What happens when Jacob gets your camera:

Jon beating me at a minute-to-win-it game:

Shayla trying to win a game (I'm pretty sure she did win this one):

Shayla (a friend from Campus Plaza) and I:

Rylin and Shayla (the couple we hung out with more than anyone else once we were married), Jon, and I:

Thanks again, everyone!

Graduation

Last week Jon and I walked in our graduation ceremonies. 

WHOO-WHO! We made it!

Actually, it's kinda' anti-climatic for me. The last time I took what I consider to be a "real" class at BYU was about a year-and-a-half ago; it's just taken me until now to get the diploma because I had to finish my internship. But after a full year of being on the other side of the desk, it was a little strange being the student again. Luckily, I didn't have to take any tests or write any papers. I was fortunate enough, however, to get to sit through several BYU devotional-esc speeches during the ceremonies. 

Listening to these speeches reminded me of all the other talks and speeches I listened to during my time at the Y. When I was in college it was always wonderful, amid the craziness of classes and working part-time and homework and life, to take some time to be reminded of the bigger picture by attending the weekly devotionals. 

President Worthen speaking at graduation. His speech was my favorite!

And that's what the speeches given at graduation did for me too! They reminded me that education is the means, not the end. The means to work hard. The means to create. The means to self-discover. The means to serve. The means to become more like our Heavenly Father. The means to happiness. 

Overall, the ceremonies were pretty good. Having worked for two-and-a-half years in an advisement center while at BYU, I've sat through my fair share of graduations because running them was part of my job! For that reason, I made sure that when Jon and I were choosing when to walk for graduation, that we chose August. It's about half as long as the April graduation and there's only so many times that you can hear "Pomp and Circumstance" before you go a bit senile. 

The guy totally said my name wrong, though. "Lindzzaa Maureen Self..." he read, and I almost did a double take at the guy. Who misreads "Lindsey"? And I made sure to write it in really nice letters. Five minutes later, another "Lindsey" walked across the stage, and he read her name right, so I'm sure it was just a stumble on words. 

My mom took pictures of the screen when Jon and I received our diploma cases (they send the real thing in the mail). It was cool because one of Jon's favorite professors, Dr. Eide, handed them to us!

The best part of the whole dealio, however, was the time with family. Both Jon's and my family came into town for the event. Thursday morning before the ceremony we hiked Battle Creek Falls in Layton with my family, and that evening both families went to Jon's aunt and uncle's place for dinner. Friday after our ceremony in the morning, we went with Jon's family to Chuck O' Rama for lunch, hung out with them for a bit, and then that evening both families' went to my aunt and uncle's place for dinner. Good thing we have aunts and uncles in town! 

Battle Creek Falls:

The dinner at my Aunt Martha's house:

Cousins Nick and Michael

The Self gang!

Kate with Jordan photobombing in the background

At Graduation:

Family is what it's all about, and I was glad I could share the day with them. I was especially glad that my mom was there. Even though the whole finishing college thing seemed a little out of place, when I hugged my mom all the memories I had of calling her and talking to her on that campus when I was stressed or lonely or happy or bored or upset and every other thing in between came back to me for a moment, and suddenly, it didn't feel like it was just me graduating any more. Instead, it almost felt like it was me and everyone who helped me make it--my mom in particular--that was graduating that day. And then as I looked heavenward and thought of all the divine help I'd received as well, my heart swell with gratitude. What a tender reminder that no accomplishment is every achieved alone.