Traitor or a good career move?. . .you make your decision

Alright people, we've had some BIG things going on in our lives. The baby, our move to Chandler, trying to get through my first year of teaching crazy Jr. High kids, etc. As if it weren't already crazy enough, I got a call a couple of weeks ago from some Safford High School people telling me about a job opening for choir director of Safford High. At first I didn't even consider it. But the calls kept coming. For those of you who don't know, Safford is the town next to the town I grew up in, Thatcher, AZ. I'm a Thatcher boy through and through. I bleed green and white. In fact, it was hard to rival my school spirit! That's why it wasn't even an option in the beginning. But now it looks like. . .

we'll be moving to Safford and I'll be the choir director of Safford High School next year!

Crazy huh? I'm sure I'm going to get lots of shocked responses from close Thatcher friends, but a job is a job. And I'm very excited about it. I've been wanting to teach high school right from the get-go, so this is a great opportunity for me.

I will be SO SAD to leave my 6th and 7th graders behind from last year. Especially those 6th graders. They are going to be AMAZING little performers by the time they're in 8th grade.

When I first interviewed a couple of weeks ago, I was told I didn't get the job. A lady with much more years of experience interviewed, and they hired her based on her credentials. She has since turned down the offer and I was next in line. By this time I had signed my contract with Higley for next year, and I'm still signed at this moment. I have talked to my boss however, and she has told me she's earnestly looking for a replacement for me and the second someone is hired, I will be released from Higley's contract and free to accept Safford's contract. EXCITING. . .eh? We will now be Gila Valley-ites, at least for a little while. We're actually pretty sick of moving places, so hopefully we'll get a substantial number of years put in down there. I can't wait for Ari to feel the fall of Graham County, experience the wondrous surprise snowings that might happen once a year, and feel the incredible spirit of that blessed valley. We're also excited we might be able to be a part of the Gila Valley Temple being built! If you think about it, it truly is a special time for that part of AZ, and a GREAT place to raise a family!

The Safford High Choir program is very good. I went to a concert at the end of the year and was able to work with the kids and I was pleasantly surprised with what I saw there. It's light years beyond what they were doing when I was in high school in Thatcher. Hooray! I can't wait to actually teach kids who will be competitive, and will want to do their VERY best. That will be a whole new experience for me. I was lucky if I could get these middle schoolers to even open their mouths.

The future is looking bright! If you have any housing ideas for us, give us a holler. We bet we'll be planning to move towards the middle to the end of July!

Mt. Graham. . .here we come!