Once upon a time there was an old (AKA veteran) educator who, after living in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale land for a while, decided to move back to the Lone Star State and the land of the Texas Education Agency.
She and her Viking had been 5000 miles away from their little grand-princess for the first 7 months of her precious life, so they decided that their priority was to move to a place that put them as close to her as possible. Even though the old educator received a few job offers in towns "close by" (according to Texas standards) to the grand-princess, the couple decided that they would be patient and trust that there would be a place where the old educator's skills, experience, and passion could be utilized AND they could be only minutes away from the little princess.
And then it happened.
A wise man named Flip Flippen had recently brought in a team of educators from many different kingdoms around the country and started a district of charter schools called Arrow Academy designed to meet the needs of at-risk kiddoes who were falling through the cracks in the traditional public school system. Most of the schools in Mr. Flippen's project were in the foreign land called Houston, but one of these magical schools was located in..... yes, you guessed it.... BRYAN, TEXAS, the kingdom where the grand-princess and her momma and daddy lived.
And even better, this campus had an opening for a new Principal! So one night in early April the old educator politely declined the other offers in the far away kingdoms and accepted the principal & site director position at Arrow Academy in Bryan, Texas. That night, after she formally joined the Arrow team of other passionate, kid-focused educational leaders, she went to bed with peace in her heart and a smile on her face.
This adventure would be like none she had really experienced before in her career, but it felt like the adventure that her 20 years of experience had been preparing her for all along.
Within 6 days of arrival to her new kingdom of Bryan, Texas, she had already met her new staff, her students, several of their parents, and her new team of other administrators, and it should be noted that she is still going to bed each night with peace in her heart and a smile on her face because she knows that she is right where she is supposed to be.
17 May 2013
Time for a new adventure
14 May 2013
Miles to go before I sleep......
The words of Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" were heavy on my mind last Thursday morning as I hugged my Viking good-bye, turned Albert, Hermione, and Lebowski over to the KLM baggage rep, and then boarded that Boeing 737 in Billund, Denmark.
I was headed to Amsterdam for a quick stop (and a chance for Albert and the cats to visit the Schipol Pet Hotel) before heading across the Atlantic toward the place I used to call home.
It was a very bittersweet journey leading up to last Thursday morning because in order to go toward something, you have to leave something else behind. Although I will never admit to liking the Danish weather or the sometimes less than convenient way of life in Denmark, I did not say goodbye to Denmark, but rather VI SES.
And that is because on Thursday, May 9, 2013 I realized that I am truly a gal with two homes.
Honestly.
Two homes.
Yes, my address has now changed from Herning, Denmark to Bryan, Texas and my attire has drastically changed from hats, gloves and jackets to tank tops, sunglasses, and flip flops, but that's just geography and climate.
On June 17, 2008, I left my HOME in Texas and traveled to that unknown little land across the Atlantic and at that point, I think I felt a little homeless. But over time I learned to love the place I was living and the people with whom I was sharing my daily life and somewhere between June 17, 2008 and May 13, 2013, somewhere during the 1,787 days I was gone from Texas, Denmark became my home. It did not happen overnight or even at a point that I can actually remember, but somehow, over time, Denmark became my home.
But not because it is Mads' home.
Denmark became my home because I MADE IT MY HOME.
So now I am back in Texas, waiting on the arrival of my Viking, and anticipating his journey through the same process that I went through. I cannot wait until the day that he can wake up and say the same thing....that he is a man with two homes. Because it is a pretty amazing feeling.
I know I left "en lille smule" of myself in Denmark..... and more importantly, I know I brought back more than "en lille smule" of Denmark with me to Texas. Now let the next chapter begin!
Coming up next:
Our new home
My new job
and being in same time zone as my girls....Corrie, Jess, and Mom.
Life.Is.Good.
No. Actually Life is Pretty Freaking Great.
02 May 2013
Mads + Texas =
