All Things New

Hello again, blogger world. As you probably have guessed by now, I completely failed at keeping up the "Non-fiction Nanny Diaries." I have so many funny, sweet stories. Maybe I'll write them all down one day. For now, I will just have to condense it into one sentence: the year I spent as a nanny was a wonderful, entertaining, exhausting, beautiful year. Ask me about it some time! Oh, the times they are a'changin! Life has changed completely, in so many ways, for my entire family. Both of my sisters are now engaged, so wedding fever has taken over the Brooks clan. Jacob is off being a freshman at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, playing soccer (and starting as a freshman!!) and being awesome. My Dad has about two more semesters before he graduates with his masters and can start teaching. I am so proud of him! He takes three night classes and works full-time but still manages to make all A's. He's going to make a fabulous teacher one day soon! My mom is a nanny for a second year, still looking after Braden, one of the cutest little boys in the world. And as for me? I bid my nanny days a fond farewell to move to Tuscaloosa and begin graduate school at the University of Alabama. I got accepted and awarded a Teaching Assistantship back in February in the MA-TESOL program (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. THAT was definitely God's doing, as my GRE score was pulled way down (thank you, evil math section) and I barely sent everything in by the deadline. But it happened, and I'm here. Betsy and I have a wonderful apartment that already feels like home. It's definitely been an adjustment! I moved here in early August, about a week before I was scheduled to step foot on campus as a grad student for the first time to attend a week of writing center orientation. Words cannot describe how nervous I was that day. And, of course, I had to get my first cold sore. EVER. a few days before orientation. Oh, but I didn't just get one. I got TWO!!! I barely looked at anyone the first day, afraid to see their eyes drawn to my poor lip. I imagined the thoughts of each person--they were not pretty. It was like I had a bright orange fungus growing on my face. Dramatic, I know. I laugh at myself now. Cold sores, you are evil. But you are common. You will NEVER DEFEAT ME!!!! Moving on. Long story short, I've been in school for a little over a month now, and I love it. I've never had so much work in my academic life, but I'm surviving! I get to co-teach two classes, which is the most rewarding part of the program. I have Chinese and Korean students (and one Canadian!), and they are all wonderful. I've made some good friends, and the Lord led me to a great church and bible study. I'm growing and learning so much daily, and I couldn't be more thankful. End of long update. From now on I will be posting sporadic, short little gems. I have to get a break from academic writing somehow! Brittany, out. **For some reason this only saves as a large, obnoxious block of text. I am perturbed. Brittany, out again.