What a difference a year can make!

A year ago this month I made a decision that would kick start a chain of events that would change the course of my life...


Even though I had spent four and half years earning a Bachelor's Degree in elementary education and, at that point, had almost finished my Master's Degree in education (which is now complete btw ... yay!) I decided to put in my 30 day resignation notice to the public school where I taught the week before Thanksgiving break. As many may know, even the right decisions are hard to make and scary, which was also true of this one. On one hand it was an easy decision because I was SO over worked and SO stressed that I had been in the ER with unevenly dilated pupils. (Did I mention that I was also finishing my Master's Degree at that time? ... So I was attending two classes a week 50 minutes from home/work.) It was affecting my health, my marriage, and many friendships suffered as well. Teaching encompasses so many things OTHER than actually teaching that I cannot (and will not, for fear of boring you to death) even scratch the surface of my soap box that is the public school system. And on the other hand it was a hard decision because I loved my class and the teaching part of teaching. It was also extremely hard because it was the middle of the school year. Yep, I quit mid year. I have never been so nervous going in the principal's office to tell her this....  but when I told her that I already had thought of all of the ramifications of this decision and although it weighed heavy on my heart, I still had to do it. She had nothing to say which made for an extremely awkward silence... which I broke by just standing up and walking out of her office. 


Fast forward to a week later and unbeknownst to Brandon and I at the time... we got pregnant!!! And so the chain reaction began. The lesson that I learned here can best be summed up with something a professor told me when I was confiding her about my dilemma of quitting teaching. "Shaunna, you will be surprised at how many doors will open when your life is in balance." Balance was something that I completely lacked at that time in my life. And so it is true. Once I began trying to balance time for God, my marriage, myself, and my friends... things began to happen that we had always wanted but in the back of my mind feared would never happen. We got pregnant, I completed my Master's Degree, I've been able to stay home while pregnant and continue to stay home with little man... and we are happy. 

One year ago ... Meadville for Thanksgiving.

One Year Later...

Family of Three

Uncle Brocky & Aunt Andrea

Lots of Love,

Shaunna

The Beginning ...

I was going through pictures the past couple of days trying to get some together for JP's photo book, (one of my favorite things to make, btw) and I stumbled back across some pictures of Brandon and I from WAY back. Way back when we were friends and the thought of us dating, let alone being married with a baby, was never even a remote thought. Whenever I think about how 'we' happened it amazes me at how God was working in our lives unbeknownst to us. There are many details of how we began that I won't delve into, but I will say that we were friends for a long time and saw each other go through a lot, before it ever occurred to us that we may have feelings for one another. This is one of the reasons I think we have such a strong relationship now. A healthy and strong relationship that I never dreamed I would have because of the things I went through and the relationships I had in the past growing up. (Again, God was at work!) Anyways, it just makes my heart happy to see the people we were back then and the people we are growing into today. I think one of the most important things we, as parents, can do for little man is to have a strong and healthy marriage. (Mind you when I say strong and healthy, I don't mean it's always easy.) So in turn for continuing to cultivate this strong relationship for little man, he continues to make us grow as well. As many of you know, being a parent is unlike any other experience on this planet, and causes you to stretch your heart, mind, and soul beyond what you thought you were capable of. Here is a little timeline of pictures of Brandon and I along the way... 

2005

2006

2007 - John Mayer Concert

2008 - Bean Town

2008 - Meadville Trip

Engaged - 2008

Rental House 2009

Wedding - 2009

Homeowners - 2009

Beach Trip - 2010

Pregnant! 2010

Maternity Pics - 2011

He's Here! 2011

The Rushing Family

Beach Trip 2011

Lots of Love,

Shaunna

The First

Well, I finally bit the bullet and activated the blog. I've been meaning to for some time now, but little man has finally gotten on some type of schedule and has given me a few seconds to attempt something new. I hope to keep all of my out of town family and friends updated on the little man and all the new things that we are going through as a family... and maybe offer a little insight into why this northern girl decided to stay south of the Mason Dixon Line. =) 


Lots of love,
Shaunna