My life is a vacation!

How do you choose to spend your time?

I ask this because I am still, after an entire week, surrounded by the clutter that is currently my life.  There are still boxes stacked in the living room where we watch the Olympics from vinyl beach chairs.  I have to hop over totes to get to the bathroom from my bed and my daughter has been navigating around boxes all week.  You might be wondering why I haven't accomplished more in my week at my new home.  After spending the first three or four days stressing out about the awful mess and trying to figure out how I could possibly organize it all, I remembered to live!

After coming to my realization, I left my mess right where it was with full knowledge that it would be waiting for me later.  Then, I headed out to Broadway at the Beach and spent the day watching the love of my life enjoy some carnival rides with her godfather.  I headed out to dinner at an awesome Brazilian steakhouse and slept in the next day!  When I woke up, the mess was still there!  Another day mess, perhaps a rainy one, I'm headed out to the water park!

Living with Less

I am astounded at the amount of clutter that my husband and I have acquired since our marriage and the birth of our daughter.  Before our cohabitation began, I was living alone in a tiny little one bedroom apartment in White Plains, NY.  I managed to fit everything that I owned neatly in that tiny little apartment...

Yet today I stand surrounded by boxes in our substantially larger, though not that large, temporary home wondering how on Earth I'm supposed to get this place organized in the two short weeks before I start working.  This leaves me pondering about the things that one actually needs for survival.  I have been teaching second graders about food, water and shelter for the past five years.  So, why am I surrounded by kitchen gadgets, keurig machines, cappuccino makers, for God sake all the toys, and a mountain of clothing that I will probably NEVER wear again considering I've moved a substantially warmer climate.  Despite the complete chaos of my living situation at the moment, I am grateful for the opportunity to reside in a small apartment once again before moving in to my new home.  It reminds me that all of this "STUFF" in my life is merely clutter.  It encourages me to consider the things truly important and necessary in my life.

I feel blessed today and everyday to have everything that I need in my life!

I also feel encouraged to list the heaping piles of crap on ebay and craigslist...why not capitalize on this revelation!

The path less traveled

In the past two days I have have been privileged to interview for two teaching positions.  The first position that I interviewed for was at a school classified as "Title 1."  Schools are classified based on the socioeconomic status of the population of students that attend the school.  The second position was at a school considered one of the top three in the district. This "good school" is rated highly and has impressive test scores.   

My first interview at the Title 1 school lasted over an hour and was very professional in nature.  At the end of the initial interview, the principal requested telephone numbers for my references and informed me that he would be following up.  The principal contacted me several hours after the interview requesting that I return to the school to speak with him.  At my second visit to the Title 1 school, the principal led me on a guided tour of the school and spoke about all of the great things that his school had to offer its students and community.  He was aware of my upcoming interview with the school considered a "great school."  He was gracious enough to afford me the opportunity to interview with the second school before making a final decision but requested that I make my decision quickly.

My first interview with the "great school" lasted twenty-five minutes.  The panel of administrators, coaches, and teachers that interviewed me for the position asked less questions than the panel at the "Title 1" school.  When asked if I had any questions for the panel, I asked "What is great about working at your school?"  I was perplexed that no one on the panel was able to honestly answer that question without really thinking.  At the end of that interview, the principal informed me that he would need to make a decision swiftly and that he would get back to me either way.  I received a call less than a half-hour later from the principal offering me the position.  

I graciously declined the position at the "good school."  

Outside of the comfort zone

The last few days have been a whirlwind.  After booking airline tickets to travel to our new home in Myrtle Beach this upcoming Wednesday, I received phone calls from two separate principals requesting my presence at interviews on Monday and Tuesday of this week.  Thinking that I had an entire week to pack, run errands, and bid farewell to friends and family, I was caught completely off guard.  In what seemed like a marathon, I was thankfully able to change my travel arrangements and pack the majority of my belongings.  The cost to make changes to our flight itinerary was incredibly expensive and I was no longer able to get a direct flight from New York to Myrtle Beach.  Traveling with a two-year old is complicated enough on a direct flight but beggars can't be choosers.  Things got even more challenging upon arrival at LaGuardia where the representatives for the airline were rude and disorganized.  It seemed that nothing would go my way.  We barely made it through security with enough time to board our flight before take off.

Alas, all is well.  I often stress about things that are out of my control, but in retrospect the day turned out awesome.  My two-year old was an angel that sat in her car seat for both flights.  Our connecting flight was delayed allowing extra time for her to run around and eat lunch between flights.  We did arrive at our final destination safely!  Airline attendants in Myrtle Beach were welcoming and friendly!  We were reunited with my husband and the weather was beautiful.  We arrived at our new apartment excited for our fresh start...and we immediately jumped into the pool!

A Leap of Faith

My husband and I have recently decided to take a leap of faith and head south in hopes for a better quality of life for our young family.  We've been living in the tri-state area for most of our adult lives and are privileged to have experienced the wealth of culture that the area has to offer.  

The past few months have been a challenge and have tested our patience and ability to persevere when the going gets tough.  Not all have been cheerleaders in our campaign.  Our ears have fallen victim to countless lectures about leaving "great jobs in a tough economy," "leaving behind your network of family and friends," "making huge financial mistakes."  Blah Blah Blah....the list goes on and on.

I have come to understand that there will always be those who stand in our way throughout life.  I believe that it is how we deal with our critics that truly defines our character.  I am relatively fearless when it comes to change and welcome a little chaos every now and again.  There are no absolutes in this life,therefore, we must view each day as an opportunity to live life to its fullest.  I could exist in the day to day life that I was living, happily enough, working like a dog and spending much of my day in traffic, or I could take a risk.  Off to the beach I go with a positive mindset, without a job, and with incredible excitement for what lies ahead. 

Home Sweet Home in 2 more days!

Positivity...Pass it on!

Working in the ever evolving field of elementary education, I have spent a tremendous amount of time in the company of other teachers with a wide range of personalities.  Change is often a difficult thing for many to come to terms with and along with the demands of such change we often find ourselves frustrated with the chaos that this change can cause in our day to day lives.  To be frank, I found myself engulfed in a complaining culture and the negative thinking was beginning to alter my perspective on work and life in general.  Thus, Brandi's Positivity Project has emerged in an effort to promote positive thinking to all of my friends and loved ones and to help me remain focused on the good in daily life.  My goal is to find something positive to blog about each day and to look for the positive light in the most difficult of situations.  I challenge everyone to welcome a positive perspective into their lives!

A special thanks to Diana Schutt who is my former colleague at the Solomon Schechter School of Westchester.  She ALWAYS has a positive outlook on life and has been an inspiration.