My First Blog Post Ever

Hey PartyPeeps!

So being the slacker that I am (see: last semester at Vandy - woops), I just now read through the majority of these blogs. Your entries have further confirmed how freaking incredible you people are - seriously. Although divulging personal details is not my forte (ask anyone who has heard or attempted to hear my ASB LifeMap. strugglebus), I'm gonna give it go for the sake of being a blog reader and contributor :P

Since graduation, I have been home in Gulf Shores, Alabama, spending time with my dysfunctional yet entertaining family. My time has been filled with the following:

• nanny-ing a 4-month old baby named Burbank (I call him Banks and am hoping the nickname will catch on)
• dealing with my 17 year old brother who wants me to go against my parents and sign off for him to get a large tribal symbol tattoo on his right bicep (I'm so not giving in...)
  
• going to the beach with my 10 and 15 year old sisters (handful does not even begin to describe these two)
  
• hearing about my other brother's experiences with YoungLife and girls and drama from his freshman year at Auburn (God works in amazing ways for shizzle)
  

Like I said, NEVER a dull moment at the Corcoran house. Being in Gulf Shores has been great but bad news bears is the oil arrived in our waters and on our beaches today and for my family and friends, shit just got real. With my dad in real estate and friends' parents who own restaurants, condo rental companies, and charter boats, hard times are here. I am so thankful to have had the last few weeks at home and beachweek (obvi) to enjoy the water and beach since our waters here are closed and the smell of oil is apparently just a few days away. Our area definitely needs thoughts and prayers right now because the next few months are going to be a struggle for a lot of families. Oh and did I mention yesterday was the first day of hurricane season? It just keeps getting better...

In other news, I am headed to Houston this upcoming week to start my Teach for America training (Mallory, I'll be thinking and praying for your transition to TFA mode - it's gonna be crazy!). I received my teaching placement last week and will be teaching second grade at KIPP SHINE Prep, a charter school in the southwest area of the city. I could not be more blessed with this placement and have already received so many welcome emails with encouraging words from my principal and fellow staff members. I even get to go to LasVegas in August for a KIPP convention - sweeeet. My best friend from high school is working at my same elementary school - small world! I feel like such an adult and have already chosen the color of my classroom (orange) and picked the college by which my class will be known for this school year (Auburn - it was that or UofTennessee so the choice was obvious :) Although I am super scared about ruining the lives of my young students and feel negatively prepared to be an adult and on my own, I am excited about starting this next chapter in a week. YikesBikes....

Soooo that's my life in a few paragraphs. Be on the lookout for a panicky, "what am I doing in Houston and what does it meant to be a successful teacher?" post soon :)

LOVE,
Courtney aka CoCo