Wow,
To describe an entire year of marriage into a blog...what can I truly say?! Kevin and I are truly happier than we have ever been, that is for sure. We experienced so much in this last year; some good, some bad.
I keep looking back and am trying to remember what we were doing exactly this time last year. As most of you know, we are teachers so going on a "normal" Honeymoon was out of the question. We ended up waiting and going on our Honeymoon during Spring Break. We are doing the same this year in celebrating our 1 year anniversary. We are headed back to the place we first met, the place we shared our first traveling memories, and back to the place we truly call home: Seattle, WA.
I have to say that the first year of marriage is the greatest gift and the greatest challenge. God tests your ability to live with someone else for the first time. Now, I have lived with other females and males throughout college and my first years as a teacher but I have never had to live with someone in the exact same "space" as me. Mainly I mean, my BED! I have to admit, this is the largest challenge. Anyone who knows me, knows I have about ten pillows on my bed and I have this blanket that Kevin now refers to affectionately as "Fort Knox". Basically, it is a queen size down comforter that can swallow me up and surround me in warmth. It is not something I share! He has made so many jokes about this blanket that he now has his own. We have definitely realized that after our first year of marriage, we need a bigger bed! We thought about going old school, a bed for him and a bed for me! But, he is my own personal heater, so I think I will keep him.
We have had a wonderful first year together. There are so many memories and laughs as we moved to our new home and begin sharing it more frequently with friends and family. We had our first New Year's dinner in this house and it went exceptionally well. We have grown together, fallen in love over and over, and can say today that we are happily in love.
I will say truthfully, however, that marriage is not all roses and flowers. We have also had our struggles. There were moments this year where we questioned our ability as husband and wife. God never said marriage was an easy partnership, A woman traditionally was expected to give up her family and life back home, move in with a man and his family, and start anew. Not only does this sound challenging but on top of this, she typically didn't know the man very well before marrying him. You want to talk about challenging. I know Kevin so well and yet I still struggle to connect on certain matters with him.
This year I have found myself on my knees asking God to show me His way. I have fallen, taken twenty steps back, attempted to leap forward, and fallen on my knees back in his embrace. Being married is the greatest gift God has given me so far and while I understand it has only been 1 year, I truly believe the institution of Marriage was designed beautifully by God to embrace and challenge us.
As the Denton's move into our 2nd year of marriage, I ask for prayers and blessings. We have found each other through all the darkness and discouragement of this world. We have fought through this darkness, to continually find the light. We have challenged each other to be better people who follow God with all their hearts. We have accepted God's Grace when we have fallen short.
I thank the Lord every day that I wake up and still have a heartbeat, that I still have the ability to get up and go to work, that I smile every day at my students, and that I share my evenings with a loving Husband. My head is weary sometimes because I am still trying to control certain aspects of my life and being led astray by the darkness but I am grateful for God, who constantly finds a way to shine the light and remind me where my next step is to lead me back home.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Saturday, January 10, 2015
First Week Back
Today was the first week back to school after Christmas Break. You want to talk about a crazy week; this one exemplified all expectations of that. While I love teaching and believe that this gift was from God, I struggled this week with motivation.
It wasn't that I was unmotivated to teach history. If there is one thing I love more than anything in this world, it is History. However, students are always challenging your patience, the use of new technology is overwhelming, and their lack of drive to be educate can be disappointing. History isn't everyone's cup of tea. I understood this as a high school student, just as much as being an educator. The scary/frustrating part for me is that these students don't have any passion for learning.
This week started out pretty good, Mondays are always the hardest. I was exhausted after school and found myself falling asleep while sitting on my couch at 4:30pm. Tuesday proved to be a little more challenging but I thought I survived the day intact as best as possible. The hardship came that afternoon when a student struggling with life took their frustration out on me. I handled it as best as I could and felt I made a difference as this student walked out my door.
It's extremely hard though as a teacher. I find that the only way to be a great educator is to find ways to create personal relationships with my students. I am not just a teacher as I enter those school doors every day. I become a mentor, coach, counselor, parent, advice giver, cheerleader, and so many others. For those that think education is an easy job or a fall back job, they would be wrong. You truly have to have a passion for students and the subject you teach. Without both of these passions, your success as a teacher and for your career every day, will not exist.
My students push me to my limits each day and challenge me constantly to be a better person and educator. I am proud of my students each though I struggle with their quirks and issues every day. Sometimes I have to remind myself that they are not perfect and are students! I must be the one to continuously reminding and encouraging them to be better students and people.
I am blessed with the job I have and couldn't ask for a better one, even though I question my abilities every now and then. God is constantly helping to remind me to have courage and do the job He has given me to the best of my ability. I am nothing without God.
It wasn't that I was unmotivated to teach history. If there is one thing I love more than anything in this world, it is History. However, students are always challenging your patience, the use of new technology is overwhelming, and their lack of drive to be educate can be disappointing. History isn't everyone's cup of tea. I understood this as a high school student, just as much as being an educator. The scary/frustrating part for me is that these students don't have any passion for learning.
This week started out pretty good, Mondays are always the hardest. I was exhausted after school and found myself falling asleep while sitting on my couch at 4:30pm. Tuesday proved to be a little more challenging but I thought I survived the day intact as best as possible. The hardship came that afternoon when a student struggling with life took their frustration out on me. I handled it as best as I could and felt I made a difference as this student walked out my door.
It's extremely hard though as a teacher. I find that the only way to be a great educator is to find ways to create personal relationships with my students. I am not just a teacher as I enter those school doors every day. I become a mentor, coach, counselor, parent, advice giver, cheerleader, and so many others. For those that think education is an easy job or a fall back job, they would be wrong. You truly have to have a passion for students and the subject you teach. Without both of these passions, your success as a teacher and for your career every day, will not exist.
My students push me to my limits each day and challenge me constantly to be a better person and educator. I am proud of my students each though I struggle with their quirks and issues every day. Sometimes I have to remind myself that they are not perfect and are students! I must be the one to continuously reminding and encouraging them to be better students and people.
I am blessed with the job I have and couldn't ask for a better one, even though I question my abilities every now and then. God is constantly helping to remind me to have courage and do the job He has given me to the best of my ability. I am nothing without God.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
New Beginnings
It seems crazy to think that an entire year of marriage has come and gone already. I have heard from many people over the years that the first year of marriage is the hardest and it goes by the fastest. I don't know if I really understood or took that to heart until January of this New Year 2015.
With the start of 2015 and resolutions, what better time then to announce that for an entire year (hopefully), I will be writing from time to time in this new blog. Now, mind you, I have never done something like this before and I am still working out all the kinks. So, please feel free to ridicule and laughing hysterically over the silly mistakes and lack of creativity. I am learning.
With deciding it was time to share my marriage and life in the coming year on an internet page (blog...got to get used to saying that), I am reaching out to those all around me: friend, family, stranger, random clicker, to join me on this new adventure.
So here we go......
This past year I have learned so many incredible things about myself and what it means to be married. I had an idea of what marriage would be like from playing Barbies and watching numerous "Chick Flicks" throughout my life. However, those films and toys never truly prepared me for what I would undertake when I allowed a man to share my space and life.
There were many ups and downs of 2014, crying, laughter, joy, disappointment, and everything else you could possibly imagine in between. When Kevin's and my life merged together we had to attempt to balance ourselves with the other in mind. I had to learn to share (which I am not very good at) and he had to learn to live with all of my weird and quirky habits. I won't speak directly for Kevin but I know that he has learned so much from becoming a husband. He is learning to listen, to express emotions, and to live with someone as crazy and strange as ME!
I think though the biggest moment of 2014 that Kevin and I have done is decide that we would like to begin expanding our family. After settling in the small town of Siletz, Oregon with fewer than 1,200 people and starting our jobs teaching at the small charter school in town, we moved into a four bedroom home and began to build our life.
After many talks, prayers, frustrations, and prayers again; We believed God was telling us that it was time to expand our family and begin trying for a baby. We had simply run out of excuses. We have great jobs in town, we have supportive families, we have a home we can afford and grow into, and we have local daycare less than 10 minutes away. I remember telling Kevin that I was ready to start making and family and I remember him looking at me and simply replying: "Sounds Great!" I was nervous at first wondering if this is something Kevin truly wanted but after seeing him spend more and more time with little ones in school and in our own lives, I knew his heart was feeling the same as mine. We have truly been blessed in 2014 and God had filled our hearts with each other. This year we believe He is asking us to take our love and fill the heart(s) of a new baby and/or little ones.
So, to leave this first blog post short and to the point; As the Denton's begin 2015 we are truly looking forward to the coming year and all the new blessings it will bring. As this new year begins, we ask all of you to keep us in your prayers.
With the start of 2015 and resolutions, what better time then to announce that for an entire year (hopefully), I will be writing from time to time in this new blog. Now, mind you, I have never done something like this before and I am still working out all the kinks. So, please feel free to ridicule and laughing hysterically over the silly mistakes and lack of creativity. I am learning.
With deciding it was time to share my marriage and life in the coming year on an internet page (blog...got to get used to saying that), I am reaching out to those all around me: friend, family, stranger, random clicker, to join me on this new adventure.
So here we go......
This past year I have learned so many incredible things about myself and what it means to be married. I had an idea of what marriage would be like from playing Barbies and watching numerous "Chick Flicks" throughout my life. However, those films and toys never truly prepared me for what I would undertake when I allowed a man to share my space and life.
There were many ups and downs of 2014, crying, laughter, joy, disappointment, and everything else you could possibly imagine in between. When Kevin's and my life merged together we had to attempt to balance ourselves with the other in mind. I had to learn to share (which I am not very good at) and he had to learn to live with all of my weird and quirky habits. I won't speak directly for Kevin but I know that he has learned so much from becoming a husband. He is learning to listen, to express emotions, and to live with someone as crazy and strange as ME!
I think though the biggest moment of 2014 that Kevin and I have done is decide that we would like to begin expanding our family. After settling in the small town of Siletz, Oregon with fewer than 1,200 people and starting our jobs teaching at the small charter school in town, we moved into a four bedroom home and began to build our life.
After many talks, prayers, frustrations, and prayers again; We believed God was telling us that it was time to expand our family and begin trying for a baby. We had simply run out of excuses. We have great jobs in town, we have supportive families, we have a home we can afford and grow into, and we have local daycare less than 10 minutes away. I remember telling Kevin that I was ready to start making and family and I remember him looking at me and simply replying: "Sounds Great!" I was nervous at first wondering if this is something Kevin truly wanted but after seeing him spend more and more time with little ones in school and in our own lives, I knew his heart was feeling the same as mine. We have truly been blessed in 2014 and God had filled our hearts with each other. This year we believe He is asking us to take our love and fill the heart(s) of a new baby and/or little ones.
So, to leave this first blog post short and to the point; As the Denton's begin 2015 we are truly looking forward to the coming year and all the new blessings it will bring. As this new year begins, we ask all of you to keep us in your prayers.
---Jess
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