I got involved in so many "mommy" groups and we had so many play dates and adventures in TN! We made the best friends anyone could have! I will forever hold dear my Franklin mommas, My Hermitage/Nashville moms, My Mommy Fit Camp ladies, and my Hike it Baby Crew. We had a playdate every single day of the week. We went to the library like book addicts. That time will be forever treasured in my heart. I feel so very privileged to be able to take a year and spend every second with my baby.
I also read a massive amount of books this year, because I joined 3 or 4 different book clubs. I'm still trying to keep up with what they are reading. I am grateful for meeting those bookworm friends as well.
My husband and I are very spontaneous people, and we like it that way. We want to live life to the fullest, so before we even went to Korea, we were contemplating the idea of moving to Atlanta, GA. We went there a lot to go grocery shopping for Korean food. We both miss Korea so badly. When we were in Korea we were thinking of all these scenarios of how we could move back to Korea. None of those ideas were great because the nursing profession in Korea is not like nursing in the U.S. You have to work a lot more hours and get paid way less. We thought about working on an American military base.
My husband has worked every single weekend for 3 1/2 years and did overtime at the same position in the same hospital. He was never able to go to weekend parties or events with me. I would have to go visit my relatives and friends by myself. He was getting really burnt out. We were both ready for a change in scenery and just a change in life, in general. We felt as if we had taken all that Nashville really had to offer for us. I cut all my hair off in Korea. My hair is the shortest it has ever been, and I love it!
When we got to the airport to leave Korea, we realized we did not pack Changhee's green card??!! They would not allow him to fly back to the states without it. Changhee had to stay in Korea another week while I shipped him his green card to the states at the fastest rate. I have been to 31 different countries (not to brag, okay, maybe a little), and that flight with my almost 1-year-old, by myself, was the worst flight of my entire life! I was wedged against a window with a sometimes screaming child, trying to breastfeed, sitting beside a couple and they had a dog! So I guess babies and dogs go in the same cargo category, and they have to sit together on the plane??! I wanted to murder that Korean lady. If I ever go back to Korea, I will find her, and I will kill her. jk.
As soon as I got back to the states, I became proactive. I started applying to every teaching job in Fulton and Gwinnett County. I was so surprised at how many interviews I got! And, I got offered every single position I interviewed for! In TN, it took me 1 1/2 years to even get an interview. I took a job because the principal looked like Meryl Streep's daughter. (She really does) Just kidding, I took the job, because she seemed so amazing, and the location of the school was amazing, and it seemed like a marvelous fit for me with the most diverse population of children. I wanted everything to be totally different. I am now teaching 4th grade, which I have never taught, so I knew it would be a learning experience for me.
So now I teach 4th grade, which is an amazing fit for me. I love going to school every single day to teach and see them learn all of this advanced material that I don't think I learned until the 8th grade, but the 4th-grade content is so interesting and very fun to teach. I want to stay in 4th grade for a very long time. I will cry if I have to move grade levels anytime soon. I also still teach for one of my online companies. They have been so good to me. The students are Chinese, and they have asked if I would go to China, but my regular teaching job wouldn't allow for that. So I got my fingers crossed for this next summer. I would love to visit Shanghai.
Changhee decided to be a stay at home dad for a while, but one of the main reasons we moved to GA is so Wilson could have more Korean culture in his life, and because I am very adamant on the issue of him reading, writing, and speaking Korean. His grandparents only speak Korean. (My husband is a terrible teacher) We soon found him an amazing Korean Daycare. They only speak Korean, and they do so many fascinating things with them. Every activity you can think to be done with a one-year-old, they do. They even do massage!
It was really great coming home from work, and my house would be clean, and my dinner would be ready for me, on the table. Let's be real, though, a teaching salary cannot support a "house daddy" forever. I am very proud of Changhee, he supported me while I stayed at home, and I would gladly do the same for him for a little while. I am also proud of him because he finally finished his bachelor's by taking that one speech class that he was too afraid to take. (He gets anxiety when speaking in front of a group) Changhee is now working part-time for a home healthcare company, in which he takes care of children who are on life support, other breathing machines, and things like that. He also just had an interview yesterday for a nursing management job, which I think he would be perfect for, and they will work around Wilson's daycare schedule! (fingers crossed)
I adore living near Atlanta. It is the perfect place to live. We have the most delicious food in the world everywhere we go. There are so many restaurants, we could try something new every day of the year. There are gorgeous parks and hiking trails all around. To me, it's like TN on crack! There are still mountains and waterfalls, but Atlanta has so much more than Nashville. I swear I walk around or drive around every day and think to myself, "I love it here. I am never moving anywhere else." My coworkers are so wonderful where I work. They also inspire me every day. Some of them are quickly becoming some of my best friends. Atlanta is also perfect for us because it is only a 3 1/2 hour drive to visit my parents. I can still visit my best friends in TN, and they can visit me anytime!! (hint, hint) One of my best friends from high school came to visit last week actually. It was great.
We have put in an offer on a short sale townhome.It is in a great location, half-way between Wilson's daycare and my job. It's a gorgeous 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, with stone siding, a two-car garage, and a back deck. Because it is a short sale, it will take the bank forever to close. We are shooting for an April closing date. If we get it, it will be the perfect size at an awesome price. I am really hoping we get it. I'm ready to put my decorating hat back on and get to work making something that is mine beautiful. I've already been pinning away ideas on Pinterest. Plus, it is extremely hard to go back to living in an apartment. after having your own house for 3 years. I am more than ready to have our house and be settled here.
I'm proud of myself for 2 things lately. I started working out again. Being surrounded by all this delicious food has been really bad for my body. Ha! I finally joined the gym in December. Some of the best things about my gym are that it is 7 minutes from my house, it has a pool, sauna, group classes, every piece of exercise machinery you can think of, but the most amazing thing is they have daycare. It's $10 extra a month, and worth every penny! The other thing is that I am very proud of is that I stuck to my guns, and I breastfed my baby right up until 18 months. Then I weaned him within a couple of days. I think that is worth bragging about.
My 2016 Resolutions:
1. I resolve to be happier than ever! I think happiness is a state of mind. I am going to get a good night's sleep every night, exercise, drink lots of water, and eat well. I am going to stay positive and keep going no matter what happens.
2. I resolve to exercise every day that I am physically able. I am going to have a bikini body this summer if it kills me, damn it!
3. I am going to potty train Wilson this year.
4. We are going to get a house, and I am going to make it beautiful.
5. My husband and I are going to work on our relationship. We are going to have a date night every week or so and do something amazing downtown, go to cooking, dance classes, or little adventures.
6. This is going to be the year that I get into sports. I've never really cared about sports, but this year, I resolve to become a big sports fan in all the sports. I am going to research and pick teams. lol (That way I can contribute to conversations at social gatherings in GA. I feel like Joey on friends when he buys that one Encyclopedia)
7. I am going to become more of an artisan this year and create more. I am going to crochet things again, learn new art skills, and do more DIY projects.
8. I am going to learn how to use and utilize every piece of technology I can get my hands on.
9. I always resolve to read and write more, so I'll stick to that one.
10. I want to spend more time reflecting on things that matter and not material items.
11. I want to keep my job(s) and improve as a teacher daily. (Always reading the latest professional development books and articles) I want to start working on my masters again by next school year. My ultimate goal is to get my doctorate in the next 5 years.
Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful New Year's! 2016 is going to be the best ever!
