Too busy for what???

This week's lesson is on our standards and how we can help others understand our standards.  I'm having a really hard time trying to figure out what I want to teach my youth about.  Yes, I follow the standards; I don't drink coffee or tea, I don't use crude language, I don't watch or listen to inappropriate entertainment, I dress modestly.  However, my personal scripture study and prayers have drastically decreased...more like halted!

I've always struggled with these two items of my faith, although I do have a wavering testimony of how important they are.  Tonight, I gave my son a bath, read him a story, and sang a lullaby as I laid him down to sleep for the night.  I came back out to the living room to work on my lesson for tomorrow, when I was hit with a personal revelation.  I've been struggling with my new job and I've been extremely busy, but I should NEVER be too busy for my Heavenly Father. 

He is the one who gave me my beautiful family and my job.  Yes, I'm having a hard time, and yes I question my abilities sometimes...but I KNOW He wouldn't have let me get this position or even pass the certification exam if He didn't believe in me.  Now it's my turn to practice a little self-faith. 

I have wanted to become a teacher my entire life.  I've studied to become a Teacher of the Deaf.  I've got three students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, now it's time to put it all to practice!  I know what I've been taught, I've got all the ideas. I am, however, lacking in some confidence. Let's do this!

Classroom update

The original job I interviewed for, the language - centered Pre-K, had become mine! This teacher also moved up to a district level position and I was the only one with Hearing Impaired certification. I had to test to receive my Pre-K - 3 certification, passed, and have been running my own classroom.

I have a total of 9 students, 3 of them are Deaf/Hard of Hearing. When I am sitting at my computer and can type better, I'll post a full update on my little munchkins.

Through the Storm

I had an uncle come down from Illinois last week and we were planning a big family gathering to introduce the newest members of the clan. On our way south, we made it 20 miles before being stranded on the side of the highway.

I had recently replaced tires on my car and they replaced my serpentine belt as well. It split right in half on the highway. We couldn't get s tire truck and had to turn around at a service entrance to go back. One exit away from our house, my car over heated and gave out! It was 8 o' clock at night and we had to wait until the following morning. We took it in and found out the water pump gave out!

Finally, the car was fixed and we tried again labor day weekend.

As we were packing to leave it started storming and we got caught in the worst of it. Just a little south of where we broke down last weekend, we were driving in the middle lane when lighting struck right next to us across the highway. I can testify that it's cute is purple, and the white surrounds the center of a lightning bolt. It surged our car and gave the hubby an adrenaline rush! It was kinda cool, but I'll be content if it never happens again. Luckily, baby slept right through!

After the storm, both literal and financial, we finally made it home to introduce baby to my grandparents!

Introducing Nicholas Parker

Hi!  I'm Nicholas, and this is my birth story.

Many of you know that I was a little overdue for quite a while.  I went to the doctor on the 8th, being 8 days overdue and we decided that I would come back in that night to start the process of induction.  My cervix was beginning to efface, but I wasn't dilating.  My doctor wanted to put me on Cervadil to help ripen my cervix.  My instructions were simple, I was to call the charge nurse at 5 p.m. and come in at 7 that night.

I called that night from 5 p.m. to 11:30 that night every 2 hours or so.  Every time I called, two more women walked in.  There wasn't enough rooms available for me to come in.  The nurse called my doctor and we rescheduled for the following night.

It is now Wednesday, July 9th.  I called at 4 p.m. and the charge nurse told me to come in!  I started Cervadil around 9 p.m.  When I went in that night, I was 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  My labor nurse was optimistic that I wouldn't need to start pitocin to induce labor.  Boy was she right!  Around 5:40 the next morning my water broke on its own! :)

That's when the contractions REALLY came on!  I immediately decided I wanted an epidural! However, it was shift change and the first anesthesiologist had already gone home and the next one wouldn't be in for another hour. The nurse offered me an IV and it KNOCKED. ME. OUT!!!  One minute I'm trying to talk to Skyler (and seeing double!) and the next thing I knew three nurses came in, rolled me on my side and gave me oxygen.  Nicholas' heart rate had dropped.  I was on oxygen for a few minutes and fell back asleep until the anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural.

He talked me through everything and I didn't really feel it at all.  I was always so scared that it was going to be this major thing, but I'm certainly glad I got it!  About 10-15 minutes into the following contractions, I could still feel everything on the left side of my body.  The anesthesiologist came back to readjust the catheter.  Due to that, my right leg got a double dose! The only side affect I had from the epidural was aggressive shaking in between contractions.  Mom freaked out when she walked in and saw my violently shaking!

I was able to sleep most of the morning and only woke up every once in a while.  Around 10 a.m. I remember feeling an intense amount of pressure and asked my mom to call the nurse in.  She came in, checked me and said I was ready to go!  She called the doctor and told me to wait.

The doctor came up only thinking he was going to check me and see where I was at.  He immediately began getting dressed and set up.  This was it!  I was only in active labor for 5 hours and it was time to push!  15 minutes later...our beautiful baby boy entered the world!

Nicholas Parker Luthi

Born July 10, 2014 at 10:35 a.m.

7 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long

Mrs. Luthi's Classroom

This post is a couple weeks late...I apologize!  Things have been so busy around here trying to finish up my last days of working for the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, preparing last minute items for the baby and getting Skyler moved from his dad's house to working out of our apartment!  

Yep!  He is officially working from home now!   And just in time!  He is working for his dad's drafting company and is starting to enjoy it as well.  He is currently taking Spanish I online and will finish with his AA at the end of the year!  Then he plans to transfer to the University of Florida to start their Construction Management Program.  So this job is getting his whistle wet for this type of work and getting his foot in the door!

Now for the purpose behind this post.  Ever since we knew we were moving to Gainesville, I've been applying for teaching positions in Alachua County.  I had a few interviews at the beginning of the year but nothing came from it.  It's hard being a beginning teacher and coming from an outside county!  I was blessed to receive the job from FSDB and loved working with all my little toddlers and their families!  

However, we have been praying and contemplating on what I needed to do for this upcoming school year.  I loved being a Parent Advisor but I just didn't have enough kids and we've barely been able to make it by on our (BOTH) unsteady income.  I decided to go ahead and apply for positions around the area and we would see what came of them.  I interviewed for three positions (all of them being Hearing Impaired! I'm not sure how I got so lucky!) and received a call from THE PRINCIPAL a few weeks after an interview. 

She is the principal of the only Deaf program in the area.  At the time of my interview with her, she didn't have a Hearing Impaired position available, she just interviewed me to start a language-centered preschool classroom.  However, one of her teachers was moving to the district level and she had this amazing position open up.  She called me persoanlly to see if I would be interested!

Uh....YES!

This was about the second week of June.

She knew I was due at the end of June and wanted to have everything taken care of BEFORE the baby came!  She had already spoken with personnel due to unusual circumstances, the job wasn't officially posted.  In the area, all teaching positions are posted online.  The principals must leave the position up for 5 days and interview at least 3 candidates before offering a suggestion to the school board.  The board then calls the candidate and officially offers the job.  With my due date quickly approaching, she didn't want to have to go through all those motions and potentially lose me because I would be in labor or unable to answer/accept her offer.

She called me at around 10:00 a.m. and explained everything to me.  She told me that, while she couldn't officially offer me the job - the call would come in from personnel, I would be in a classroom with a co-teacher.  There are 7-9 students, 1 Cochlear Implant, 1 BAHA, 1 profoundly deaf student who doesn't use any amplification and the rest use Hearing Aids.  All of the students sign and there are 3 sign language facilitators on campus.  Around 2:30 that afternoon I received the call from personnel and OFFICIALLY became an Alachua County Schools Teacher! :)

My sister-in-law was staying with me that week and I did a little happy dance as I was on the phone with the lady from personnel.  I then had to quickly explain everything to her before calling the family!

The next day I emailed the principal and THANKED HER for offering me the position!  I then asked for any and all information she could give me and she invited me down to the school to take a look at the classroom.  We set a date for the following week.

*A week passes.* I anxiously awaited.

I had set up a time with the principal to go to the school at 10:00 a.m. to see my classroom and bring down some supplies that I've started collecting.  We walked down to my classroom, spoke for a little bit and then she decided she wanted to take me to the room where they were holding summer school.  It was the last day and the teacher that I am replacing and just told her students that morning that she wouldn't be their teacher next year.  Of course, they were upset and wanted to know who the new teacher would be.

In I walk with the principal!  I was able to meet 4 of my students, two of the sign language facilitators, and the teacher I would be replacing.  I was then told that in about 45 minutes they were having a meeting with the county chair for the ESE Department, the school's Audiologist, and a representative from Phonak to discuss updating some of the equipment and asked if I would want to stay.  

I spent 3 hours at the school that morning!  I am so thankful for everything that has been given to us lately and for the outpouring of not only blessings, but the love and support we have received from family and friends!

My due date has officially come and gone (it was yesterday, June 30th) but I am eagerly awaiting my little man's arrival!  I'm hoping to keep everyone updated as I start a family and a new career all at once!  I know there are exciting days to come!

Until next time,

<3 

40 Days & 40 Nights Challenge

It's time for me to admit, I've never fully read the Book of Mormon all the way through on my own. Throughout Seminary, Institute,  Sunday School, Young Womens, etc. I know that I've read the content of it, but never cover to cover.

Once I got pregnant I made the goal to do so before I had the baby. Unfortunately, I would start a routine and quickly fall out of it. I was looking at my I'm Expecting app yesterday and realized, I only had 41 days left until my due date! Thus, the 40 days and 40 nights challenge was accepted!

I knew it existed but never dared to try it before. I'm determined. So far I've completed the first 2 days. It's a lot of reading but I'm hoping to receive a lot of support and personal revelation about some decisions in our near future.

I plan to at least take a picture daily of a scripture that stood out to me and upload it to this blog. If nothing else.  I'd love to be able to briefly comment on the scripture but I'm not making that big of a commitment.

Here are the first 2 pictures of what I've been reading.

Until next time,
Xoxo

Luck, Love & Support

So, the sister missionaries just left my apartment.  After the baby shower this past weekend, Skyler and I decided to set up the nursery and rearrange our apartment for Family Home Evening.  It didn't happen on Monday night because we had things to pick up before we could get everything built and moved.  So we decided tonight we were going to do it.

I only had one appointment this morning and came home with the goal to clean everything and start clearing paths for when Skyler got home.  I can't move anything, so I wanted to make sure it was a little easier on him.  I've been feeling a little beat up lately, I'm not quite sure what it is.  Probably my body just recovering from traveling all weekend.  So I haven't really been able to do too much without getting extremely worn out and my back and feet aching.  I was honestly just thinking about leaving everything to when Skyler got home when I got a knock on my door.

I recognized the knock and knew....the sister missionaries were here!  They were on their bikes and heading past our place when Sister Baxter wondered if I was home.  They turned around and decided to knock on my door.  They came in, helped me clean up and move a few of the smaller things around and even did my dishes for me before they left!

We've had the sisters over countless times for dinner/service/Family Home Evening.  They helped me finish unpacking everything when we first moved in so it wasn't uncommon for them to be at my door.  But I sure am grateful for them today!  I'm so thankful for the support we continue to receive here from my in-laws which are only 40 minutes away and from the members of the ward.  I'm really starting to feel like this is my home now.  I know that Heavenly Father is looking out for me and He sure is blessing me abundantly lately!  Thank you to the sisters! :)

Once we get everything set up and moved around I'll take some new pictures of the nursery and apartment for everyone.