Change is good, right?! It can be hard, but I really think change is a good thing. After almost 10 years of teaching at the same school I decided to make a change. No, not because I didn't like my school. No, not because I didn't like the administration. No, not because I didn't like the rest of the staff. I made a change because I wanted some new experiences in a new role, a new challenge. I really miss my "old" job, but I really feel great about the change I made! Instead of just working at one school with one group of teachers and students, I now work with four schools and all those teachers and students. I get to help masterful teachers integrate technology with what they're teaching! Yes, this change has been good to me!
My last few days at my school were hard, but there was a lot of great moments too. Including the cards from some of my first grade students. Here's a few you might enjoy!
"You are the best teacher in the world. You are pretty. I like your glasses."
"You are best [love the spelling on this one!]. You are nice. I love you. Look on the back." (a cute picture was drawn on back)
"I'm hoping you have a great time at your new school." (The words "District Office" don't really compute with a first grader!)
We've made a few changes to our little birdhouse since I've last posted. Apparently my getting an iPhone last year means no more posting on our blog! Instagram and all my other apps make it so easy to just post a quick photo and move on. However, I have missed my little birdhouse blog. :)
Right after the new year we replaced our 5 remaining single-pane windows with new energy efficient ones. The only window we didn't have to replace was our kitchen window because we had that one installed before we moved in- day 10 of our crazy remodel to be exact! We brought Jeff Wright back to install these five windows since he did such a great job the first time. He started with the two downstairs windows first and they were a huge pain to get out.
Look at the difference between the two! New on the left and old on the right!
We could tell right away how crappy our 30 year old windows really were once the first new one was installed. Feeling the window sill in front of the new window it was nice and cool. The sill in front of the old window - super hot! After Jeff finished installing all the windows we had a little work to do on the inside and outside of our place. Inside, we re-caulked to seal everything. After everything was dry on the inside we re-installed our blinds. On the outside David had to caulk and then paint the new trim pieces that Jeff installed on our upstairs windows. My job at that point was to throw things up to David on the tall ladder when we needed them- blue tape, rag, etc. So fun!
Mid-September we finally had our stair railing installed and replaced (for the only place it still existed). Funny thing- we took down the wall railing and upstairs piece 3 years ago! We intended to get this done long ago, but other things came up that we wanted/needed to do first. Wow, what a difference!
The first picture shows the old white metal railing that was probably original to our place. This picture actually is from one of the first days we looked at our birdhouse before we decided to put in an offer! The second picture is the same old railing, but after we painted and installed new flooring (among other things!).
The day we had the new railings installed was a weekday so David worked from home and I got to come home surprised! David was in charge of taking photos- yes, I reminded him of this before I left. :)
We still have a few things to do to finish up, but they're installed and only three years in the making! Next up is figuring out if we want to stain them (and how dark to go) or just do a clear coat (matte vs. gloss) instead. Decisions, decisions!
And, actually these photos don't even show the 12 foot handrail that hangs the length of the stairs. Guess you'll have to either trust us that it's there or come over for a peek at the real deal!
