I told you when school started back it would be harder to blog as much as I want to. So much has happened in my life here recently I just don't know where to begin!
As many of you know, I was training over the past few months to go to workshop and audition to become a Jazzercise instructor. So, I'll start there. Friday, September 11th I made my way to Nashville, TN (with Chris) for my audition that started at 7:30 that night! I had allllllll day to think about it and get anxious about it. I have to say that I have heard people before say that they have physically "felt" prayer. I think for the first time in my life I actually felt it. I'm not sure how many, or how often people were praying but I felt it. I had put my audition in the prayer requests at Hope, all of my friends and family and co-workers and I felt them all. The reason why I know I felt it is because about an hour before the audition I got really emotional. Not emotional like I was worried I wouldn't make it, I just got emotional because of how I felt. I felt everyone had my back no matter what the outcome was. To those of you who prayed for me...I greatly appreciate it!!!!
Anyway, let's fast forward to the audition. I got there, met the other girls who were auditioning with me (10 including me) and realized it was going to be a looooong night. We got started about 7:45 and each auditioner had to teach two routines at random (out of the ones we had been rehearsing) while the other auditioners acted as your students. Now think about the challenge of this...10 people auditioning, 2 routines a piece...that's a totally of 20 high intensity cardio routines that we would be doing. Not only that, but when you were acting as a student we were practicing those routines completely opposite of how we had learned them with our "Jazzercise Right." I was so hoping that I wasn't chosen to go last, because after doing 18 routines, I knew I'd be exhausted. We drew numbers....I got number 2. The best number I think possible because I definitely didn't want to go first, but I didn't want to go last either. When it was my turn to audition I we selected to do probably the two routines I felt strongest in. I was scared when I got on that stage, but once I started it all went away. So, everyone auditioned, the person making the decision went back into a back room and made her decisions. She came out about 10 minutes later with envelopes for each of us. She explained that inside would be a sheet that would be marked "acceptable" or "unacceptable" as well as areas that would be check for improvement. I got my envelope...opened it...and saw that check mark that said "ACCEPTABLE!" I was soooooooo excited. I had no areas of improvement checked. I was absolutely thrilled! 7 out of the 10 of us made it, and I was so proud to be one of them. I couldn't wait to get to the car, tell Chris, and call the long list of people who I knew were praying for me. We went back to the hotel it was about 10 oclock and I took a shower and figured I would have the best nights sleep of my life....WRONG. I kept waking up and thinking about the routines, and how I did and how everyone else did. Maybe I was still on a Jazzercise High or something. I eventually fell asleep and had to get up for what would be one of the hardest workouts of my LIFE.
So Saturday we had to be back at the Jazz center at 11. Chris and I took it easy, got breakfast and headed over there. When we got there we met the trainer that would be working with us on our movement. Well, boy did we ever work. We broke down each Jazzercise move, and fixed anything that we could possibly be doing wrong with it. I think we broke it down and figured we spent about 6 hours total of high intensity work. Come lunch time it was all I could do to lift a sandwich up to my mouth. Ha. Now, here's a little aside...while we were at lunch, I checked my phone and had a text message from my principal saying that we were having a mandatory urgent meeting at work on Monday and that I needed to contact my grade level to tell them to come. Well, reading this text sort of worried me, I knew our enrollment was down and surplussing was highly likely. I couldn't deal with it then. I had to stay completely focused on what I was doing. So I went back finished up the day at workshop and Chris picked me up. We went back to the hotel and me and my SORE self got ready and we went to his mom's house for dinner (she lives in Nashville). While I was getting ready, I called my principal because I needed to call my grade level and I was missing one of their numbers. While we were on the phone she sounded really sad. I asked her if everything was ok. She told me that we were loosing staff and then she said to me, "Katie, I'm going to do everything I can to keep you here." That hit me like a ton of bricks. How could in one weekend I get such awesome and bad news at the same time. I didn't want to face it. I knew I still had one more day to go with my Jazzercise workshop, and I was fixing to leave to go to Chris's mom's house to meet ALL of his mom's side of the family for the first time. I had to pull it together and plaster on a smile. On the way there, I called my co-workers and told them about the meeting, all the time having to hold in what I already knew. So we went to his Mom's, had a blast. Wound up staying until nearly midnight. We had a yummy dinner and just sat and talked. It was really great and to be honest, I forgot about the bad news I just had gotten. So we went back to the hotel to go to bed...and again, you would have thought I would have gotten the best nights sleep because of all the working out. Wrong again, I had a new worry on my mind.
So Sunday came early, had to be there at 8 am for meetings (THANK GOODNESS NO WORKOUTS). We spent the day learning about the business side of Jazzercise. Jeanne was such a great informer about all of this overwhelming stuff. We went to lunch as a group, and finished out the day. Chris was waiting for me, had checked out of the hotel, and said we were going back to his Mom's again because his little sister didn't get to meet me the night before and she was begging him to bring me back. So we headed back, they fixed us dinner again, and I got to meet his sister. Ah, to be 17 again. She's so spunky and full of life. They all truly are so wonderful. I can't wait to go back with Chris in November when his brother is getting married. Chris is the best man! So after dinner we headed back to Memphis, the news about work really sunk in then. I got emotional....gosh again! I knew that tomorrow morning at work it would not be pleasant....I didn't know what I was going to face. We made it home around 9:30....went straight to bed. I slept, but not that great.
Monday morning rolled around, I got dressed and went to work for the meeting. We found out that we had to loose 3 teachers based on our enrollment. I found out that I was safe, but only because I am a Reading First teacher that has been through some pretty expensive training on Memphis City School's dime. I was very glad that I was safe, but I was also very sad that we lost 3 great teachers. The good news is that they all got jobs, and are really happy where they are at now! That day was horrible. I went from scared to death, to feeling safe, then scared again because I almost got moved to fourth grade. Luckily my degree is only through third grade so I couldn't be moved. But, that meant one of the other second grade teachers had to go. I didn't want to see that happen. So one left, we all got new students. I'm at 18 now which is a good number, and the ones I got seem to be meshing well with my others. So, it all worked out, God took care of me, and my co-workers. He always does. I learned more about prayer in that weekend then I had in my whole life.
So where does that put me now? Still in a classroom with no air and a jacked up room, but hey....I'm still employed!
I taught a free preview Jazzercise class at my mom's work. Had a great turn out and it really helped boost my confidence. I now have signed on with a new Jazzercise center in Bartlett to teach Tuesday nights at 6 oclock and then in November Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7! I'm super excited. You can check out Bartlett Jazzercise's blogspot here: http://bartlettjazz.blogspot.com/2009/09/meet-our-instructors.html and they have a facebook page as well http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bartlett-TN/Bartlett-Jazzercise/144819188932?ref=ts Check them out and come join to come to classes out there. Also I am looking at adding a couple of classes at the YMCA so WATCH out! I'm about to get busy. It's overwhelming, but I'm managing. I taught for Ann this morning at the Y because she had to go to a Jazzercise meeting. It went well! The only thing is I have been battling a cold and I didn't feel all that hot. I know if I was feeling better I would have felt better about my subbing job!
S0 now today I have been laying low...just trying to feel better and relax. My life has been petal to the metal lately and I'm really enjoying just relaxing. So, now that I have caught you up, go check out Bartlett Jazzercise's pages and come see me out there. Stay tuned for the latest and greatest! Happy Saturday!
Happy Blogging!
