My Year in a Nutshell

2012 has been a beautiful year for me, and these are just a few highlights from every month! God has been doing awesome things with me-- I'm just along for the ride!

January

• Spent three and a half week in San Francisco, CA -- loved (almost) every minute of it! I worked in a 4th & 5th grade classroom with some absolutely wonderful kids!



We biked the Golden Gate Bridge! So fun!

Our lovely group on our first day!

• Took a weekend with some dear friends (Caty, Cory, Lynne, and Erin) to go stay at Devin's house in Napa Valley! We went wine tasting, played LOTS of Up and Down the River, watched movies, ate hummus, and just loved being together!

February

• Student teaching began! That is about all I have to speak of. 

March

• Anna got engaged!

The lovely newly engaged Anna and Andrew!

• Whitworth was on Spring Break -- I was not -- which meant I spent a lot of time with Caty and Liz at their house (who were also not on spring break!). 

April

• I took my spring break to go stay with Anna in New York for 5 days, as well as head up to Providence, RI to spend a day with Erik at Brown. It was such a sweet time of relaxation. wedding planning, sight seeing, and quiet time! Even in the midst of the Big Apple, I was able to have some wonderful Starbucks-across-from-Central-Park afternoons by myself.
• This was also the month where I made the final decision to spend the next school year teaching abroad in Ghana! I got to start talking specifics with Autumn and got the ball rolling!

May

• I had to say goodbye to my little kindergarten munchkins... I loved my student teaching kids, and I learned so much from them!
• I graduated! I was blessed (and lucky!) to complete my BA from Whitworth with degrees in Elementary and Special Education (as well as endorsements in Reading Instruction and Early Childhood Special Education) in just four years -- thank you, Betty Williams, for a solid 4-year plan!

  

  I did it!

• I moved out of the Burrow :( After two wonderful years spent in this house, it was finally time for us to sort through our ridiculous amount of things, decide which things didn't even belong to people who lived in the house anymore, and move out!
• I started subbing in the Federal Way School District, which is two districts away from where I grew up going to school. I was fortunate to be able to start working there just a week after graduation!
• High of this experience: The day when the teacher told me we had art class (for an hour and a half), the art teacher never came, and we all survived the day anyway! Also, I had a job that lasted 3 days and it was fun to get comfortable with the students and feel a little more competent by the end (as this was my first week!).
• Low of this experience: Day 1. Half-day. Horrible. Student threw a pair of scissors. Pretty much, things could only go up from here!

June

• I moved into an apartment in Seattle for a month and a half! I got lucky -- Alison had 2 leases to fill for the month and only one of herself, so Caty and I got to share a room in her apartment right next to the University of Washington.

• Pros: Live with my best friend. Live right next to the place where I want to go for grad school. End up having awesome neighbors. Live a 10 minute walk from Alyssa and Karl, who were planning their wedding. Live a 20 minute bike ride from work. Not live at my parents' house (sorry mom and dad).
• Cons: None! It was great.
•  I also started working for Seattle Park and Rec for the summer! I worked with their specialized youth programs for kids with disabilities as a counselor for their day and overnight camps. I was blessed with a wonderful co-counselor, awesome campers whom I miss all the time, and a fun staff! It was such a great summer job and I am so thankful it all worked out!

My co-counselor Ashley, with Anna in the background!

Not that I have favorites... but if I did, it would be Gracie!

July

• Alyssa and Karl got married!! It was such an honor to be able help these two prepare for their wedding, be a part of their special day, and get to hear about their life after the wedding as well! Alyssa has been such a special friend since my freshman year of high school and I could not be happier or more proud for/of her! And I guess Karl's pretty great too :)

The lovely couple!

• Anna came home from a month-long stint in Ghana/Germany/New York, and wedding planning mania began (in the best way possible)!!

August

• Work ended, which meant that prep for Ghana really began!
• I got to take a few days to go visit college friends in Spokane and say some hard "See you soon!"'s
• Caty lived at my parents' house for about a week with me, which was just pretty entertaining all in itself!
• Anna's bachelorette party, despite my great deal of stressing about it, was a success!

Along with the best view of the city, given to us by the random lady in the left of the picture, we also got champagne thrown on us! If only we had actually planned this, instead of it just happening... But we'll take it!

September

• Andrew came into town and Anna and Andy got MARRIED! It was a beautiful, perfect, low-key, FUN and joyous day! I was blessed to get to stand there next to Anna and have such a fun part in this great day! I love you two and am so happy and excited for your adventurous German life together!!

  

  The Wedding Party! Copyright Brianna Dose.

• I moved to Ghana! Craziest, scariest, BEST thing I've ever done in my life! I live and work with City of Refuge Ministries, where we have both a school and an orphanage (technically a foster home) on campus. Our school is open to both our kids as well as kids in the villages that surround us. Life here is so different, so hard, and so great.



This was my second day in Ghana, when we opened up a new children's home... I was still trying to figure out what in the world was going on around me!!
















• With 24 hours notice (the day before school started), I got asked to teach 2nd grade instead of special ed... Sure, why not?!?! It only lasted for three weeks (thankfully), but it was HARD!

October

• My classroom was finally ready to be in use by the end of the month! I started working with some of our new children that had just come to live with us this summer, most of whom had never been to school before.
• I had my first stuck-in-the-mud-and-we-can't-get-out driving adventure on our way to a Girl's Day! No, I was not the one driving, but it sure was a bonding experience with our two new volunteers who had just arrived the day before!

 November

• I celebrated my first Thanksgiving (including going to school on Thanksgiving) away from Washington! It was, surprisingly, not at all hard to be away... Just really weird to have a 90 degree turkey day!
• I baked my first pumpkin pie while listening to Michael Buble Christmas music in the Omorefe kitched... It was the first time that it felt even remotely close to the holiday season!!



Thanksgiving dinner! So good!

• I finally started working with the students (age ~8-16) that I will be with for the rest of the year! The month was spent trying to organize my room with Holly, help take things out of Autumn's office and give them a home, and figure out how the heck to run a resource room!! Easier said than done. I am most definitely still trying to keep my head above water!!

 December

• Finals. Gross.
• Said good-bye to Holly, as she left City of Refuge "for good" to return home and finish school. She went out with a bang as we spent an afternoon with the Beebe family at a "nearby" river, jumping off rope swings and out of trees!

Jumping off the rope swing!

• Said "see you soon" to all my little ones there as I headed back to the States for a month!
• I was able to spend 6 wonderful days in Spokane, being loved on by my friends there and getting to break the news to Tricia that I would be coming to her && Jesse's wedding! It was such a beautiful time and so, so needed for my heart!!

Reunited with my roommates!

• I have spent all month complaining about the cold... But a 60 degree difference is just killer!!

Overall, God has been SO faithful and powerful this year! He has led me 7,000 miles away from my friends and family, but right into His open arms. There has been joy and festivity in every month of this year, as well as travel in many of the months, and I am so grateful! I pray that this holiday season is finding you with rest, love, and peace as we enter this new year!