Joy!!!

Wow.  Life is good. 

It really is.  

I am amazed. 

Happy. 

Thrilled.

Which...as you all know... means I am also a bit nervous... waiting for the rug to be pulled out... but... am trying to really just enjoy it... accept it... be grateful for it... 

A new job... check! 

A new place to live... Check! 

Happiness... CHECK! 

That's a pretty darn good list.  

The new job is going well.  I am spending a lot of time at my new school... more than I need to, more than I am contracted to... but I am happy to be there... today I started looking through student information...looking for kids who are struggling...have had behavior issues...and figuring out who I need to touch base with before the school year starts.  I met a really cool lady today... she is one of the social workers and I like her a lot already... I also got to meet a woman who is my cousin's wife's aunt!  (An aunt of the woman who married my cousin who is the son of my father's sister! In case you were confused!)  She is a cool lady too and made me feel even better about where I am.  

The principal has been doing a great job at helping me understand things in my new district.  He has invited me to a couple of meetings that I am not required to go to, but gives me a chance to meet more people from the district.  (A side note... one of the other administrators is someone I had taken a class with at one point... it's funny... you never really know what people think of you... I always assumed he thought I was a non athletic person... and after seeing him we chatted a bit...and he sent an email to me and to another person in the district suggesting that I join their track team! An adult league... apparently they need shot putters!  Ha! That may be a fun way to meet some new people.)  

I have also done something to spoil myself... I am buying a painting... 

It's a painting I saw when I was on an artwalk  a long time ago.  I found the artist facebook and she accepted my friend request so I could see even more of her work... 

One night a few of my friends and I had gone out to eat at a vegetarian restaurant... and I walked in and on the walls were several paintings by this artist, including the one I love! I sat myself right across from it and admit that during dinner I lost track of the conversation at times because i was lost in the painting... At the end of dinner, after giving my credit card to the waitress, she came back and held up the card and asked which one of us was Kimberlee... I told her it was me... afraid that for some reason my card had not gong through... she said that she was excited to meet me because she was the artist, Angela Ferrari!  OH MY GOSH!  I was so excited to meet her and talk with her.  Since first seeing her work I have emailed her from time to time inquiring about the paintings availability and price and have not been able to justify spending the money for the painting... and the other night I sent her another message and asked her if it was still available... and it was... AND she offered to give me an AMAZING deal... because, she said, I have supported her and her work for so long now... so THIS is going to be MY painting...

It's a painting that can not be given justice in a picture.  The way the shading is done in the piece it looks illuminated... I am soooooooo excited!  Now, I am going to have to figure out how to use it to decorate my new place.  I want it to be a focal point... and will need to figure out ways to accentuate it... I do not want my place to become beach/ocean themed... but... I do want to incorporate the colors somehow... the walls at my new place are white, very white... and this is going to pop!  I am so excited.  

It is the first piece of art, real piece of art that I will own.  

I f can see myself being happy for a long time... 

LOVING LIFE!!!