Since 2011:
- I have come out to my parents as gay. (Big surprise there, but there is a lot more to be said on this matter since I still have some growing to do in this department when it comes to the rest of my family... unless they are reading this now in which case I guess that part is done now.) I don't go through too great of a length to hide things since I figure they know at this point.
- I have endured some crazy relationships that have really made me re-evaluate what I want out of a partner, and they have all taught me to be a stronger person. This has lead me to find one of the most fulfilling yet wonderfully challenging partners that I have ever dated, and I met him on one of the least expected places... Instagram.
- I have adopted my first dog and he is a three legged Pit Bull with a brain the size of fish tank pebble... but he is fairly well trained except that he has eaten literal chunks out the house and will probably cost me my deposit so....moving on.
- I have moved twice in the past 5 years. Once I left my old house, I moved in with a good friend and after three years of living there, I have moved back into another rental home of my own. I also should note that my boyfriend and his dog also live with me in this spacious rental home. (Sorry to say, but the rental home story isn't exactly sunshine and roses either. Nutshell: Subpar place with crappy landlords, plus one majorly expensive house issue that is finally resolved now. Let's just say that I now know the true meaning of "Don't let the bedbugs bite."
- I have gone from being a charter school special education case manager to a year of what could almost be labeled as hell on earth in a middle school as a special education co-teacher to a fairly stable position as an elementary special education teacher and recently department chairman. Oh, somewhere in the middle of all of this, I finished graduate school and earned my master's degree in special education. (The most recent position sounds wonderful on paper, but when you hear the story behind that you will know what I meant when I said that some of my old sentiments have remained the same.)
- I have re-evaluated my life here in Memphis at least twice and after almost packing up and moving once, I am finally at a point in which I know that I want to leave, so I am actively pursuing my goal of getting the hell out of this city and starting anew with my boyfriend.
- I have decided, after so many years of negative experiences surrounding my career as a special education teacher, that I am going to step out on faith and leave this career behind in order to pursue my happiness in an undetermined field. Barrack Obama and I have something in common in the sense that we are both finishing out our last year in our job. I just don't have a bucket load of money to fall back on like him.
- I have made the commitment to myself to actively pursue what will make me happy, and I have applied this to multiple aspects of my life. (I will most definitely explain this in depth very soon.)
- I have made some changes in myself in terms of my personal aesthetics. I have grown quite fond of tattoos and I have inked myself with several special interest symbols that all incorporate personal mantras and hidden meanings to me. (This will serve as a reminder to post about that in the near future as well.)
Since it is almost 11 pm as I write this, I am going to wrap this entry up for today because if I get into any of the aforementioned points from above, I will be here past midnight. The nature of my work these days coupled with my new found love and appreciation of sleeping (to escape the harsh reality that is my waking life and to dream of anything but going to work) has left me unable to stay conscious past midnight. Until next time.
