Category Archives: musings

Long time, no see! It’s been such a busy summer and Tim and I have tried to live in the present moment as much as we can. We’ve had one of the best summer’s of our lives (well, as good as it can get while being safe and considerate in the middle of world-wide pandemic).Continue reading “let’s catch up!”

Hello, welcome! I thought I’d write another introduction post since it’s been awhile. A lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same. Call me Josie. I’m currently living in Pristina, Kosovo with my husband, Tim. Most people don’t know where that is, so here’s a brief overlook of the country and a picture. I’mContinue reading “allow me to introduce myself”

I’m a planner. We had talked through every particular, minuscule feature to make sure our day was perfect. I even knew what day Tim was going to propose to me, because we talked about it. I don’t like surprises. I didn’t even want an engagement ring because I wanted to break away from old, patriarchalContinue reading “our wedding”

Wow. What crazy times we are living in. Many lives have changed significantly and many lives have been lost. These are terrible and trying times. And, while all of the new events that have recently happened in the midst of COVID, I’m just starting to catch up and process everything from the past two months.Continue reading “updates”

I’ve been here for 5 weeks now! The time has flown by. I feel so comfortable in my classroom. I start teaching full-time this week, though I’ve been nearly full-time teaching already. I took up responsibility pretty quickly in my classroom because that’s just what felt natural. Some days are overwhelming, but most are amazing!Continue reading “school days”

Relationships have always been a big part of my life. It has defined me. Looking back at myself, I find the relationships I’ve been in remind me of the values, maturity, and position I was in at particular points in time of life. For example, just a few years ago I thought I had myContinue reading “relationships”

School has finally started and just like that the first week is already over! I feel so comfortable in my classroom and love the children that I’m working with. And although I was skeptical about the collaborative classroom model, but now I have fallen in love with it. Noise is hardly a problem, even thoughContinue reading “school starts & a weekend away”

The new school year in New Zealand is about to begin! This past week I’ve attending professional development at my school, Waipahihi-A-Tia. The first moment I walked into the Waipahihi, a new teacher, named Monique, swooped in. She is beautiful, calm, and was to be professional flutist for 15 years. She has helped me surviveContinue reading “a big first week!”

I’m so happy and privileged to be here. Again the flight was grueling. I don’t sleep well on planes, so I got about 2 hours sleep within 48 hours. I got in Taupo about noon on Sunday and went to bed at 9:30pm to get accustomed to the 19 hour time change as quickly asContinue reading “settled in”

I haven’t flown alone in a long time, I forgot how beautiful it feels. It is a surge of independent feelings. My flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco, then San Francisco to Auckland, NZ, then Auckland to Taupo, NZ totals 19 hours and a full 24 hours with layovers. It’s been grueling. Even just goingContinue reading “19 hours in the air”