CHANGES: Hopscotch Edition

I made a blog at this time in our engagement because I knew LOTS of changes were coming and I wanted a space outside of my personal journal to document them.

Last night one of the bigger changes took place.

Yesterday was my last day working at Hopscotch Academy. In August, Jordan and I will get married and move up to Utah, so it is time to say goodbye.

Its been three years since my mom opened the school and asked me to be her assistant.

Its been work. Trying to teach 3 and 4 year olds is quite the task. There have been long days. There have been the "kids, if you keep screaming I'm going to jump off the roof" days. They have provided the best kind of birth control imaginable.

BUT I wouldn't trade it for anything.

If you have spent 5 minutes at Hopscotch then you know we have fun. The kids are HILARIOUS. We talk, we sing, we play, we LEARN. I could write a series longer than Harry Potter about the many adventures at Hopscotch, but I'll spare you. ;)

There is not a day that goes by that I don't have fun. Those 44 kids kids feel like my own. I'm proud of the little things that they do and think about them outside of school often.

Working with my mom has been the best experience ever. We are a great team. She is the good guy, I'm the bad guy. It just works.

It is the dream job.

So with all of that being said, you can probably understand the heart break that was last night, my last graduation.

I'm not emotional, but I knew months ago that this would not be a fun change.

This last week I was waiting for it to "hit me".

I'm not going to lie, it was a long week haha. The kids were crazy and I was feeling a tad burnt out. I remember thinking "I'm actually really grateful that they are being naughty this week, it is making me more eager to leave" haha.

Well, their "naughtiness" didn't work.
It hit me.
The last 2 minutes of our graduation program... in front of over 100 people (loveeeely).
The kids had just finished their last song and the program was ending.
My mom started saying something about me leaving... (oh no!)
My favorite  One of my favorite little boys walked up to me and gave me the prettiest flowers and a little box.

My mom was bawling.
I looked at the mass of people...
They were bawling.
Then, I looked down at the little boy..
he was crying.

que ugly cry.

yes, the girl with no emotions cried.
(my brother was SOOOO proud to have gotten this on camera. After, he was yelling "LOOK! SHE DOES HAVE A SOUL")


I think that cry alone tells you what Hopscotch and those kids have meant to me.

I will SO miss them and my job.

I know its time for me to move on.

Thankfully, these kids and their families have become sincere friends.

It is also nice that every time I visit home I can visit the school and the kids.

So i'm not totally leaving and that makes me happy.



now please no more crying.