I guess all sorts of interesting things have happened since I wrote last. But let me do something else entirely before I launch into a discussion of things you may want to know (and some you might not. I dunno. I just write this thing).
It was a year ago today that Megan and I were married. In some ways it feels like it's flown by all too quickly and in other ways it feels like we really should be married for more than a year by now. I feel like I've known Megan forever and I can hardly remember what life was like before having her around. I can still vividly remember how excited I was the first time we held hands, the first time we kissed, and when I finally convinced her to marry me. It's all been one amazing ride thus far.
In the past year we've had more than our fair share of trials and hardships. I'm proud to say that during all our trials Megan and I have pulled together rather than apart and we have grown so much closer than we were a year ago. Our first year of marriage has definitely been an interesting one. Megan and I have lost three jobs between us. I've held more callings than I thought one person ever legally could. We've somehow managed to stay afloat financially in difficult times. We have been blessed beyond measure, but we've also been lead to some transitional states and I honestly don't know where we'll end up. It's all been one amazing and frightening roller coaster ride thus far and I'm sure it will continue to be interesting in the years to come.
I am grateful to have Megan in my life. I can't even quantify how much better my life is since she's been in it. She inspires me to be my best self and believes so much in what I can become. I have been told time and time again by various people how lucky I am to have Megan as my wife. I know I'm lucky. She has been an amazing wife. I have been happier in the last year of my life, trials and all, than I have ever been at any other time. I love Megan more than I have power to express. I think if I can hold on to her, no matter what happens in life I'll be ok.
Yesterday we went over to the temple to do some sealings in commemoration of our anniversary. It's always great to be reminded of the covenants we've made and the blessings that come with them. After the temple, we went over to Deseret Book to pick up a picture of Christ to put in our living room. We have pictures of our wedding, and a picture of the temple, but we really wanted to get a picture of Christ. We really wanted to get "O Jerusalem" by Greg Olsen (pictured below)
But they wanted $50 for it and that seemed way too much for a print. We ended up buying this picture, which is a detail from "Christ and the Rich Young Ruler" by Heinrich Hoffman.
I really like this picture and it will look really nice in our living room. As time goes by and we build more and more memories here, this house is really starting to feel like home.
So I got set apart for my fourth calling today. That's right: I currently have four callings. They gave me another one and haven't released me from any of the others. My four callings are 1) Membership Clerk 2) Elder's Quorum Teacher 3) Sunday School teacher for the 14-15 year olds and 4) 1st counselor in the Elder's Quorum. I just got set apart in the Elder's Quorum today. A couple members of the bishopric joked that they might have another few callings for me before all is said and done. At this point I don't know whether I should take them seriously or not.
I'm glad to serve in the callings I have, but I have not sought out these callings at all. This has been the 2nd time in the year that we've been in this ward that I got the "We have a calling for you. Bring your wife" call from the Stake Presidency. I don't mind serving but I don't want to get a reputation as a mover and a shaker. I'd like to get one good calling and stick with it for a while.
When I told the ward clerk about my fourth calling he said, "Yeah, I heard about it in bishopric meeting. I told them that the third calling was funny but the fourth was just cruel." I thought the third was funny and the fourth was scary. The ward clerk all but kicked me out of the clerk's office today telling me I had way too many things to worry about right now and the last thing I need to be doing is figuring out why a new child of record shows up as accountable (I still don't know how I took a left turn in making that record. We might just leave it because he'll be accountable 8 years from now). All I can say is that this is an interesting position to be in.
So I guess I ought to talk a little about being #7 in seminary teaching. I knew going in that this was going to be a hard year. There were 2 guys in my class who were already teaching seminary classes due to some interesting circumstances. So they basically had a semester's head start on the rest of the class. I also knew they were taking fewer student teachers and that I had some pretty stiff competition. Before the evaluations began, my Mom talked to Brother Greer, my old seminary teacher, and he said, "Couldn't James have picked some other year to go into seminary teaching?"
As fate would have it, it has been an extremely difficult year for seminary teaching. There were 5 preservice locations that didn't have any student teachers hired (Arizona was one). Everybody has been surprised by how difficult this year has been for student teachers and prospective student teachers.
When I went in for my interview with Brother Moon, I expected him to tell me how much he enjoyed my teaching, which he did. I expected him to mention how well I bonded with the kids, which he did. Then I expected him to say I was either #2 or #3. I was being realistic and I knew my competition. When he told me I was #7 and that I was the first alternate and would not be teaching next semester unless someone drops out, I was stunned. I thought I would be teaching for sure. Everything in my life had aligned for me to take the classes and all signs were pointing to me student teaching next year. I just couldn't figure out why things didn't work out.
As I've considered my options in moving onward and upward in my life, I can't escape the fact that I have never been as excited to do any job as much as I was to teach seminary. I loved doing it. There are very few things in this world that I have loved as much as I loved my two weeks of teaching. Of course I'm frustrated not to be doing it this year, but there has to be a reason for it.
One reason I am seriously considering is timing. It would be very difficult to get hired if I was student teaching this coming semester. Chances are it will be easier to get hired next year. So I'm not letting go. Of course I'll be applying for other jobs and moving on with my life any which way I can, but there's no reason why I can't go back next year and try it all over again (aside from them telling me I can't, which I haven't explored yet). So there is still hope that maybe someday I might get to teach seminary. Also, as the first alternate, I'll be the first one called if anyone drops out and Brother Moon said he's never had a summer where he didn't have to use the alternate. This could be the first summer where he doesn't. I don't know how it will go. But I'm not giving up on the dream too easily.
Well, I feel like I've written enough. I need to go and spend some more time with the wife now. It is our anniversary after all. I won't make any promises about how often I'll write in the future. I'll only tell you that I'll try.