My Whirlwind

Two years later. Two years have passed and a whirlwind of life events have occurred in such a short time frame; and yet, it has been so long since I have posted.

A few days after I posted my most recent blog, I received a phone call about an assistant band position in Nocona, Texas. I interviewed and was offered the position! It was definitely a meaningful coincidence and I accepted the position. In a matter of days, Miranda and I canceled our plans with the house in Edmond, I hugged my Fuzzy's family goodbye, and we were off to Bowie, Texas with our animals and lives packed tightly in the U-Haul.

That fall, we adopted a blue heeler puppy and named him Benji. He is one of the smartest and happiest dogs I have ever known. His love of "fetch" exceeds any other dog. In February of 2016, Miranda proposed to me at Mallory and Chad's home in Norman, Oklahoma. She placed balloons all over the house and attached pictures of us to them. It was literally a trip down memory lane. In May of 2016, we bought a house in Nocona. We spent many hours scraping popcorn ceilings, painting, and prepping our new home in preparation for move-in day. We spent the rest of the summer working on the house, traveling to New Braunfels, Amarillo, San Antonio, and Houston. We adopted another puppy named Walter. He is a shepherd mix and is one of the most gentle, soulful dogs I have ever known. My cousin Stacy had her first baby! His name is Jake DeWitt. I am very grateful for my rekindled friendship with Stacy and the opportunity to be a part of her son's life.

The school year began with unexpected surprises and trials. Without going into lots of detail, it is safe to say it was quite a challenging year. I assumed my first year of teaching would always top anything that came afterwards, but this year proved me wrong. I am glad it is over; however, the year did end on a positive note. I have been hired as the new head band director for the upcoming school year! I could not be more excited for this opportunity. Ironically, I always said I would not ever accept another head position job teaching high school students; however I feel quite differently about this position. I have been here for two years and I am invested in these students, their parents, and our community. I love it here in Nocona and I embrace the challenge ahead of me. I look forward to digging my feet in and making a name for myself in Nocona and in the state of Texas.

In the midst of a challenging year, we also had to say goodbye to a few loved ones. Miranda's closest family friend, Beth Dryden, passed away in early January. Pa became very sick in early March and passed away about two weeks later. In between these goodbyes, we had to put Miranda's cat, Dudley to sleep. It has been a very trying year.

Now that school is done for the year, we are about to hit the ground running with wedding planning and planning for the upcoming school year. Our wedding will be July 1st and we will be leaving for our honeymoon to Portland, Oregon the next day. With all of the activities and not much down time, I figured it would be best to update now before the next whirlwind of events take over our lives.

I believe it is about time to close for tonight. The events over the past two years have brought me clarity. I have endured bullying, hate, and bigotry from some of my closest friends and family members. I have also welcomed hugs, support, and love during these times as well. At times I feel extremely insecure and other times, I feel like I could take on the world. We must understand that it is in these moments, we discover who we really are. We must push through adversity and take a step back to remember that at the end of the day, we are all just people doing the best we can in this world.

Till next time,
Erin Taylor