New in New Jersey

Whats new? 

Well lets start with....my job!

I got a job as a lead pre-school teacher in Brick, NJ (the town right next to ours). Getting the job was pretty unexpected because 1) my internet job searching had turned out to be rather disappointing and 2) I have no prior teaching experience (aside from teaching Sunday school). So, needless to say, there was a lot to take in right away. A lot is expected of me at the school. I write lesson plans, schedule the day, and follow detailed corporate guidelines. It is definitely more than I expected to be responsible for at a preschool job. My co-workers are great. I really have enjoyed getting to know them and I look forward to forming closer relationships with them. This however is not as easy as I hoped. Since I am a lead teacher, I am in my classroom pretty much the entire day, only seeing my co-workers in passing, or on my lunch break. So, even though its not much, it is nice to have social interaction with women my age throughout the day. 

Next...Todd and I!

We are doing really great! Marriage is really fun and it is so nice to have a buddy here in New Jersey to do everything with. He is currently on travel with work in Virginia, so for the first time, I am home alone in New Jersey for a week. It should be an interesting to see what I end up doing with all of my extra time. Last weekend we went into NYC to visit Todd's brother, his girlfriend, and Todd's parents. It was a fun day in the city: perfect weather, lots of exercise (the positive way to say tons of walking!), football (however sad to see Alabama defeat PSU), and cheap chinese food! Though we haven't found a reason to say "We love New Jersey", it is really nice that we are so close to Philadelphia and New York City. I like short trips into cities to do fun things, but then its nice to come back home afterward. The city is definitely too fast paced for me.

Social life..?

Ha. Well Todd and I DO have a few friends here. We are starting to hang out more with a few guys that Todd works with and their girlfriends which has been cool. Its just tough because when we moved to NJ, we left behind a HUGE group of AMAZING friends. Its tough out here in the real world and seeing as neither of us ever had to leave our friends behind for college, this is our first big friend transition.  However, since both have amazing friends from home and are trying to keep connected as much as possible. We miss them a ton! It also definitely helps that we have each other. 

It was so great to get to see so many of them over Labor day weekend for the wonderful Meg-now-Baker and Jeremy-still-Baker wedding! That was a blast! Their wedding was beautiful, the weather was beautiful, the clems was delicious...gosh you just couldn't ask for a better weekend. Though it was just a weekend, and we returned to good ol' Lakewood, NJ, it was definitely refreshing for the both of us to see so many good friends, reconnect, and be back home in State College, a place so familiar and dear to our hearts.

God time

I am finding that I have been bouncing around quite a bit but I have spent some time revisiting Deuteronomy- which I have to say is my favorite book of the Old Testament if not the Bible! I don't know if I would go as far as to say this is a wilderness experience (being without friends in a new unfamiliar place)...hmm well maybe I would...I don't know. Anyway, Deuteronomy has been giving me some great encouragement about why God takes us through times like these. Check out chapter 8! It was so helpful to me while in Kenya last summer. I have also spent sometime in Ephesians 2-3. So many great truths about where God has brought me from, and what he wants me to do in my life as a Christian. It is also helpful in the way that I look at the people around me and grow in my ability to serve and love them.

Welp! That's all folks! Update me on your lives pleasseeeeee! 

sachakeiser@gmail.com

Thanks for reading :)

Sacha