I posted a life update in January... a lot has happened since then. Last week, Friday the 19th of May, was the final day of school as a teacher in the LPS district. On Monday, my wife and I went and cleaned out my room after a doctor's appoint for our little girl, and that afternoon I went and played a round of golf. It was nice. I was happy to be out of school, happy that our daughter was healthy and that my wife was progressing normally, and, of course, that I was on a golf course. For about a week now I have been thinking, pondering, and mulling over how crazy the past nine months has been. How I went from a funeral home to a high school, to in the classroom and on the court, to not being a father and now she is almost here, how crazy it has been at times and now it is the new normal. I spoke a little about the funeral home job and how grateful, yes grateful, I am to have worked there. The friendships made there are ones I can cherish and count on for life. The high school, how weird it was being done with school, and being thrown right back in the middle of it, how thankful I am to have this job is truly indescribable. Let me elaborate on these...
Going from the funeral home to teaching, what a transition. I told my family the other day how funny it was that I was "thrown in the fire" at two job fields I had zero previous experience in. I wore a suit the whole first day, worked two funerals which had more flowers than I had ever seen in one place outside of a flower shop, and delivered to people's homes. I saw the room where people were made up and dressed... that absolutely freaked me out. I worked a total of 55 hours my first week there and felt like I just went through fall camp again. Being so worn out, stressed about not knowing what to expect, if I would get a call at 2 a.m. to go pick someone up, it was nuts. After about a week or two, it became normal. Same thing with teaching. I worked my last day at the funeral home, and the very next morning I was thrown into professional development for a whole week and a half preparing for the upcoming school year. Then given one day to breathe before the students arrived on campus. From August 4th, till the 21st of May, I felt like I had been sprinting a marathon. It was insane.
I had the privilege to teach freshman my first year and seeing them all wide-eyed and anxious the first day, it made me smile and remember my first year of high school. How exciting and terrifying it was all at the same time. This was an awesome year and I am thankful to every single one of my students who made this first year an experience. All my teacher friends said I will never forget my first year, and I think they are right. It was demanding, mentally exhausting, yet fulfilling in every since of the word. This class will be one I am excited to watch for the next three years as they grow into young adults and become the next generation of working adults and contributing members of society. They are smart, intelligent, and insightful. They are still teenagers, which means they are moody, stubborn, and unbearable at times... just like I know I was at that age. The relationships I built, some smooth, some began with hesitation, some were simply a hello and goodbye everyday, but they all were meaningful. The coolest part about the teaching side I never saw as a kid was watching them begin to understand what you are teaching them and watching them flourish in a certain area. The coolest for me was watching them be simple writers at the beginning of the year, and then reading their final essays at the end of the year. It was awesome to see their passions and talents they didn't know they had, come out in their work.
The other side of being at MacArthur was the coaching. I learned so much this year from Gagliardi and the rest of the staff. I coached an eighth grade basketball team in Weatherford and looking back, I did a terrible job. The amount of knowledge from being behind a coach who understands the game, his players, and how to give them opportunities to succeed, it is priceless and I am glad to be where I am at. Gagliardi gave me a book about how to formulate a culture and what it takes from a coach. The amount of information I am gaining makes me ready to get back on the court with our team and begin to put it in action. This next year is a big one for me as I will not be doing the public address announcing this
season and will be taking a bigger role as an assistant. I am grateful for an opportunity to expand my coaching knowledge and skills and help our team become the best it can be.
With baby Landry coming in July, I cannot wait to be a father. My wife has been so inspirational the last six months and I am truly blessed to be her husband. I couldn't even think of going through what she is and I already know, and knew, she is going to be an amazing mother! I will do my best to keep up with her. As we get closer, it becomes more real. With everything she has done in the nursery, to the things I have and will put together for our daughter, it is getting more and more exciting, and nerve racking. I know we have an amazing support group, from family to friends, to help us in every aspect, but more importantly, that will love our daughter with everything they have.
This summer I am excited to see where I go as a husband, father, teacher, coach, and content creator. I have began to see the importance of scheduling my content, not just posting at random. I knew how important time management was, but it seems so much more important now more than ever, and I cannot wait to see the results of this in the future! Thank you all so much for your support and I will see you all soon!
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