reflections

As I was driving home one day last week, I was thinking about what I've learned from this experience here in Colorado. The lessons are vast in number. Here is what I can think of.

1. Everyone should move 1,000 miles away from their family and friends at least once in their life. If you think you appreciate those people now, move away from them and you'll never take them for granted again.

2. Research, research, research before you blindly take a job in a place you've never seen before. :)

3. Planning your grocery shopping for an entire week (like can't forget one thing at all) is a difficult job.

4. Planning your grocery shopping for several weeks at a time is VERY difficult when you don't know the next time you'll be able to go into civilization because of snow blizzards.

5. Driving into snow drifts isn't a good idea. It's rather difficult to get out.

6. There is no point in doing your hair when you have 50 mile an hour wind everyday.

7. Being able to drive 5 minutes to Wal-Mart, or any sort of civilization is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

8. Being the only teacher that teaches your grade is very, very difficult and exhausting.

9. Thinking the best of people is always a good thing, but you will often be very, very disappointed.

10. I've learned that I wouldn't trade this year in Colorado for anything. It's possibly been the hardest year of my life (and I think I'll look back on this when I'm old and probably say the same thing) but I've learned more about life, love, teaching, family, friends than I could have ever imagined. I feel like I've gotten about 10 years of life experience in one small year. I'm glad that we moved, but I'm even more glad (you can't imagine!) that we are moving back home. There is no place like home... that's for sure.