Hello 2012

Dear World,

Hello again! It has been over 6 months since we've last spoken. 6 months, that is half a year!! Wow. So much has happened in that time, I've become addicted to tea, it is 2012, How I Met Your Mother is the best tv show ever, Tim Tebow is almost as popular as Lady GaGa and N*Sync, and I can make a mean lasagna these days. Here are the highlights of my life that flew by so quickly. :)

I survived the first semester of teaching!! I cannot count the hours I've spent organizing music, cleaning, planning, and immersing myself in music. I've cried tears of joy, frustration, anger, confusion, and just plain stress. But in spite of everything else, or maybe because of it, I have become even more excited about my journey as a teacher. I have learned so much this first semester, and it just makes me so excited to think that I get to spend the rest of my life doing exactly what I love!!

I have been attempting to cook. :) I am making progress, I only make Mac n Cheese about once a week. (and in my defense those are on my most stressful days. :P) So now I can make a mean chicken and rice dish and some classy cheesy potatoes, and don't forget the lasagna!!

I still have my steady beau, Benjamin, and we have been together for 2 years and 3 months. This year has been hard, being apart, but I am so very happy to have him in my life. :)

My life is pretty good. My family is close, my job is challenging but I love it, and I still have my pet cactus to keep me company at home.

So that is my life up-to-date. Here's to more adventures and shenanigans that I'm sure will be heading my way!!

Yours truly,
Kymbre

Greetings

Dear Life,

It has recently come to my attention that today is my birthday. Well, that is false, not the fact that it is my birthday, but the fact that I just realized it. I noticed about two weeks ago how rapidly June was approaching. Nevertheless, it is now June 6th, D-day. I have successfully survived 23 years of life on earth. I've done high school, attacked college, and now I can safely say that I am ready to enter the world as a big girl. Wow, kinda scary. Currently I live at home with my parents, and before you say how lame that is (because let's be honest that is soo LAME) I would like to point out that in 9 days I will be moving out into my own apartment. Shortly thereafter I will start my job. Which I am completely excited for. But look at me, I'm rambling. Anyway, I just wanted to say hello. So that you know I'm on my way, and that you better look out. :)

Sincerely,
Me

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Dear Storms,

While the smell of rain is the most beautiful scent in the entire universe, I have to admit this is a bit extreme. Tornados, 80 MPH gusts of wind, lightning, thunder...it is ridiculous. I just wish it would be sunny! My body does not know what is going on. I wake up at 8, and it feels like it is the middle of the night because it is so dark and cloudy. Not to mention what this does to my moods. Poor Geo, stuck in a house with all girls while all it does is rain. So I'm really asking you for his sake. GO AWAY!!  I'd like a little sun, and how is the pool supposed to be open anyway? You are cheating millons of little children out of their summer! Now is the time for popsicles, life jackets, and way too much sunscreen. And don't even get me started on grilling hot dogs and burgers. Although I probably shouldn't complain too much, since we both know how much I hate the heat. So for now I'll keep my grumbling to a minimum and settle for the occasional sun peeking through the clouds. If you can manage it. :)

Cordially,
me

Four Years Later

Dear Hastings College,

Hello! It's me. Just wanted to say that after a crazy, awesome, sometimes frustrating four year relationship I'm sorry it has to end this way. A letter. Well, at least it is better than a text. Or a voicemail even. That's what I tell myself to make me feel better. But on the other hand, this is on the internet where the entire world can see it if they so choose (though who knows why anyone would be reading my blog anyway), so maybe a text would be more humane. Anway...

While we will no longer be together, I would like to point out that these past four years have been the best of my life. I walk away from all this wearing a snazzy cap and gown, with a fancy little medal from being an awesome music major and some chords from being awesome swinging around my neck, diploma in hand. It is not without joy and sadness that I look back at all our times together. I made some great friends, and have some exceptionally great memories. There are way too many to even try to mention, so I'll just say a few. Crazy music majors, all day marching band fiascos where the best part of the game was the halftime show (of course), great concerts/recitals, late night Amigos runs, falling in love, freaky fast JJ deliveries, printers that NEVER EVER work, Law and Order Marathons, never sitting with less than 12 people at lunch/supper, discovering how awesome librarians are, watching all 7 seasons of House, three years of being an RA in an all girls dorm (enough said),  and the fact that my team is probably the best team ever!! I've met so many great people, and my only regret is that I cannot stay even longer to get to know all my new friends better.

The great thing about life is that it changes, so even though we are breaking up Hastings College, this is not the end. I shall be stalking you, and all my friends, on a regular basis (at least until school starts up again). Then I will be busy oiling valves, picking gum out of clarinets, and pretending to fix flutes when in all reality I have no idea what to do with those crazy instruments. So I'm going to cry these next few days, because I am going to miss you. I'm going to miss the comfort of being safe. At HC I knew what/who I was. I had friends and I was able to do what I loved to do 24/7. I will miss the safety of the professors. I could always count on them to help with whatever I needed. Their guidance, patience, and joy of teaching all us crazy music majors has shaped me into the wonderful teacher I just know has been waiting to emerge.  Over the past four years we have fallen in love, you and I, and it is breaking my heart to have to leave. But I know it is for the best (plus with the cost of tuition I'd have to change my major so I could get a job that would actually pay the bills)!!

"People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime...when you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person"
--Unknown
You , good old HC, have come into my life for a lifetime. It has been an outstanding four years, and I know that I will  continue to be on the fringes of HC for many years to come. The great thing about leaving, is that there are plenty more HC alums out there. I've already met three in my new home, which doesn't sound too impressive, but I was still excited. :) When something this good happens to you, I've learned that it is best to soak it all up and enjoy the ride. So while my ride is technically over, the friends who have become family will stay with me the rest of my life.

So I bid you adieu Hastings College. I will never forget you, and am beyond excited to start my new life in the real world. I hope you remember me, and contine to inspire students for many many many many more years.

all my love,
Kymbre Paige Lytle
Hastings College Graduate 2011 :)

:)

Dear Student Teaching,

Wow. We did it. 15 weeks of long days, no spring breaks, lesson planning until late, staying home, and relearning all the fingerings of each instrument...it is finally the end. This was the fastest sememster of my college career, and I've loved every second of it. The kids were challenging, talented, funny, outrageous, and just plain awesome. I enjoyed working with all 253 kids at Morton. Man, I still can't believe I learned all their names. It is just mind boggling. But we did it. It might not've been pretty, but we certainly did it. Last week was rough, planning and teaching every grade for the entire week. But I survived!

Livetext is finished, and passed!! My presentation is over, so it is all smooth sailing from here. Only three more days at the school and our relationship will be over. It's been great, it's been fun. Thanks for the great times, the awful times, the terrifying moments, and all the hugs and love from my students. It has been one great journey!

Con amor,
me :)

Don't Stop Believin'

Dear Journey,

You are awesome. Don't Stop Believin' is my most favorite song of all times. I sing it all the time, in the shower, at karaoke, in the streets, in my car, whenever/wherever. It doesn't matter, because it is the best song ever.

I find it fitting that one of the most exciting things to happen to me involves this song. But I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's rewind a few days...

Last week after getting rejection letters 7-9 I was feeling particularly blue. Things were looking up because the following Thursday I had an interview in a tiny little Nebraskan town to teach K-12 vocal/instrumental music. So I was excited about that prospect. Then, out of nowhere, I recieve a call from a high school principal. They just opened up their band position and were making it public via the weekend edition of the Omaha World Herald (PS I got this phone call on a Wednesday). They wanted me to interview!! Talk about your picker-uper. :) I hadn't even applied! Surely this was a good sign! So I gathered my credential files and transcripts and off they went. Woohoo!! So now I had two job interviews on one day. Oh boy, was I excited.

Now comes the exciting part. My first job interview went extremely well. I really liked the high school principal and the middle school principal. The job would be for grades 6-12 band. The community is very supportive of the arts. All in all, I walked away from the interview feeling very good about things. It was about 11:30 in the morning, and on my way I continued to my next interview. My interview was scheduled for 3:30 PM, my time. The town is in a different time zone than Hastings, so I tried to make sure I was in the right place at the right time. My phone didn't switch time, like it usually does, so for a few minutes there I wasn't sure exactly what time it was. About then I recieved a phone call. I panicked, thinking that I was late to my interview and they were calling to make sure I was coming. So I answer the phone all flustered and nervous. It was the principal from my first interview. They wanted to hire me!! You cannot believe how ecstatic I was. :) :) :)  So I went to my second interview all high off endorphins and whatnot. The town was small, and the school very neat. I met a lot of cool people. The main draw for me was the chance to work with all grade levels. But I still had to think about the job offer.

So I journeyed the four hours back to Hastings very excited, and thinking about one of the most important decisions of my life. All in all it was a very long day.

After much thought and discussion with my family and Benjamin, today I called back and accepted the job. :) My contract has been signed, and I officially have a job!!! Yay!! It was an important decision, and I was worried that I was rushing into it. After all, it was my first job offer. However, I realized that this was exactly where I was supposed to be. Things just fell into place, and it always amazes me how God works. The icing on the cake was something that happened during my interview. We went for a tour of the band room and walked through the auditorium. The choir was practicing for their concert that night. We are walking through the aisles and I hear the opening verse to Don't Stop Believin' and I couldn't stop myself from smiling. It was absolutely perfect. One day, when a movie is made about my awesome life, this is going to be one of the best scenes. :)

So, thirteen rejection letters and eight weeks later I have finally found my place. Now I just have to find somewhere to live, move all my junk, and start my journey. I am beyond excited.

Sincerely,
a small town girl

Life Plan: Live in my Parent's Basement and Become a Hobo

Dear Job Market,

Hello, it's me again. It's been almost a month since we last visited. Four weeks, three interviews, followed by three non-job offers via phone call, and six rejection letters later and this girl is still jobless. I am quite disappointed. So far nothing is working out, so I am just trying to stay positive. Luckily I have wonderful friends who are very encouraging and supportive, especially Benjamin. I get so sad about these letters, and he tries to keep me positive. Usually he succeeds, I am so grateful that he's so legit.

However, being hopeful doesn't keep me from moving back home and becoming a hobo after graduation. Since it is exactly one month until graduation, the clock is ticking. I am going to find a job if it kills me! (hopefully it won't come to that). Round number two of my job applications has just been put in the mail. So let's keep our fingers crossed and our dreams intact. It hasn't been easy, but I know it's worth it.

Your friend,
a slightly discouraged, but still hopeful job seeker