Well, I'm down to the last school day of the year...2 weeks off. I love it. In the mean time, Eric and I have been preparing for our trip tonight. We have to clean the house before we leave because we're not coming back until the 31st. And...we're having a New Year's Eve party, so we're not exactly gonna have lots of time to clean that afternoon/evening. I've also been baking cookies for my students. I actually had a student tell me today that my cookies were better than his mom's. I'm not sure how to take that.
Tomorrow night, Eric, Katie, Brad Hamilton, Laura Hamilton and I are going to Crossroad's Christmas production. Andrea wrote/arranged the music for it, and it looks like it's gonna be awesome, so we're excited.
So yeah...that's what's happening right now.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
A Quitter????!!!
Recently, my parents were very open and honest about their thoughts on my blogging skills. Namely, they think I'm not very good at keep it up. While this is very true, I am not prepared to give up, as my parents (jokingly) suggested. I am not a quitter. So, I'm going to forge ahead. Give it my best shot.
As I type this, I'm listening to Bud Selig give a press conference in response to the Mitchell report which was finally released today. I have to be honest and say I don't really care about this. I do in that I wish steroids weren't a part of baseball, I think it's something that needs to be dealt with, and all that jazz. But, I'm not sure that this report means anything to baseball. I'm surprised at the lack of "stars" on the list, but also surprised that Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were on it. I'm breathing a sigh of relief that people like Albert Pujols weren't on the list, because I really like him and I hope that his image will never be tarnished in that manner (although if he is on something I think he should be tarnished). But, in reality, this report I don't think will serve any purpose. I don't think there's a whole lot of substance to the report in truth. It's all a lot of "well, I think he might have" "I think I remember him saying something about..." and things like that. Not a whole lot of hard evidence. I guess we'll see.
Eric and I made a rather large life decision last night. We've been rather ticked off with Verizon lately, and frustrated that we can't ever get cell phone service in our apartment. So, we went out to see what AT&T could offer us. We had no intention of actually switching last night, given the fact that our Verizon contract wasn't up until April or something. But, we got such and amazing deal, that I was so hard to pass up. We got a phone that normally retails for over $400 (that's if you're not signing a contract...if you are, it's normally like $200) for $150 buy one get one free. In other words, we got $800 worth of phone for $150. And the phones are freakin sweet.
Our phones: mine is a redish color, Eric's is black.
We both spent quite a bit of time playing around with them last night, and I'm sure we'll do the same tonight. It's quite exciting to get reception in our apartment, and to have a "cool" phone (instead of the one everyone gets for signing a contract).
Let's see, what else...we're both really ready for Christmas break. We've decided this is going to be the best Christmas ever. We're getting an XBox 360, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero III, and Rock Band. Which is freakin amazing. We're so pumped about that. And, we're getting a new car, because my is about ready to die (so we're gonna give it to my brother).
It will be another whirlwind trip. We'll leave next Friday morning (the 21st), and drive to Illinois to spend a few days with my family. Then the morning of the 26th we'll fly into Oklahoma City, spend the rest of the morning/afternoon car shopping, and then do Christmas with the Ankenmans that night. Spend a few days there, and then drive back after church on the 30th to Illinois. We'll spend the night there, and then drive home the morning of the 31st, getting back just in time to throw our own New Year's party to share our new Christmas presents :).
And then, I'll go back to work on the 2nd. I'm secretly already praying for a snow day that day :)
So, yeah. I think that's about all the news I have for right now. I'm really gonna try to update more often...
As I type this, I'm listening to Bud Selig give a press conference in response to the Mitchell report which was finally released today. I have to be honest and say I don't really care about this. I do in that I wish steroids weren't a part of baseball, I think it's something that needs to be dealt with, and all that jazz. But, I'm not sure that this report means anything to baseball. I'm surprised at the lack of "stars" on the list, but also surprised that Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were on it. I'm breathing a sigh of relief that people like Albert Pujols weren't on the list, because I really like him and I hope that his image will never be tarnished in that manner (although if he is on something I think he should be tarnished). But, in reality, this report I don't think will serve any purpose. I don't think there's a whole lot of substance to the report in truth. It's all a lot of "well, I think he might have" "I think I remember him saying something about..." and things like that. Not a whole lot of hard evidence. I guess we'll see.
Eric and I made a rather large life decision last night. We've been rather ticked off with Verizon lately, and frustrated that we can't ever get cell phone service in our apartment. So, we went out to see what AT&T could offer us. We had no intention of actually switching last night, given the fact that our Verizon contract wasn't up until April or something. But, we got such and amazing deal, that I was so hard to pass up. We got a phone that normally retails for over $400 (that's if you're not signing a contract...if you are, it's normally like $200) for $150 buy one get one free. In other words, we got $800 worth of phone for $150. And the phones are freakin sweet.
Our phones: mine is a redish color, Eric's is black.
We both spent quite a bit of time playing around with them last night, and I'm sure we'll do the same tonight. It's quite exciting to get reception in our apartment, and to have a "cool" phone (instead of the one everyone gets for signing a contract).
Let's see, what else...we're both really ready for Christmas break. We've decided this is going to be the best Christmas ever. We're getting an XBox 360, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero III, and Rock Band. Which is freakin amazing. We're so pumped about that. And, we're getting a new car, because my is about ready to die (so we're gonna give it to my brother).
It will be another whirlwind trip. We'll leave next Friday morning (the 21st), and drive to Illinois to spend a few days with my family. Then the morning of the 26th we'll fly into Oklahoma City, spend the rest of the morning/afternoon car shopping, and then do Christmas with the Ankenmans that night. Spend a few days there, and then drive back after church on the 30th to Illinois. We'll spend the night there, and then drive home the morning of the 31st, getting back just in time to throw our own New Year's party to share our new Christmas presents :).
And then, I'll go back to work on the 2nd. I'm secretly already praying for a snow day that day :)
So, yeah. I think that's about all the news I have for right now. I'm really gonna try to update more often...
Friday, November 30, 2007
Man I Stink at This
Sorry. Long time no post. And to be honest I don't really have the time right now to put one up. So, I'll just say that Eric and I are going to see Rob Bell speak tonight in Indy, which we're very excited about. And I promise to put up an update sometime this weekend. Scout's honor!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Camping Tragedy...
I promised to put some funny stories on here about camping and have yet to do so. So, here they are. I really only have 4, so I'll go in chronological order.
On Saturday night, a group of students from Miami showed up (because we were camping at a place only 5-10 miles from the University). There seriously had to be about 16 of them in 6 tents with 6 cars on a site not too much bigger than the one we were on. They were both frustrating and hysterical at the same time. They could be quite loud at times, including when they went to the bathrooms which weren't too far from where we were camping. So we heard some of the prissiest girls talking about pooping while they were pooping. Quite funny. When they went to get firewood, no joke, one of the guys came back with a large portion of a tree. So large that he had to pull it, rather than carry it. It was amazing.
That same day, some time in the early afternoon, we were sitting around the fire (which incidentally we did the entire day--12 hours sitting around a fire, picking at it, throwing stuff in it, yeah....) when all of a sudden, all four of us stopped talking. We all heard the same sound at the same time. It sounded something like, "tink, tink, tink, tink, tink...." and on and on. We all turned to look at a campsite across a little cul de sac of sorts at another camp site. There we saw the camper that had come the previous night...um....rocking...shall I say...well, you know. It lasted all of about 2 minutes (literally) and then ended. About 10-15 minutes later a couple came out. Needless to say, there were endless jokes about that the rest of the weekend.
Dinner that night was supposed to be sausage. I say supposed to be because the wire hot dog cooker we were using had other plans. Here I am, standing over the fire with this wire cage that's used to cook hot dogs, attempting to cook the sausage we were all looking forward to. As I go to turn it over, the cage decided it had had enough sausage and promptly spit it out--right into the fire and ash. I felt pretty terrible. Thankfully my friends are good natured and told me it was ok...then made fun of me the rest of the weekend. I gotta admit, that was pretty funny.
And last but not least, the losing track of time story. All good campsites are well out of reach of cell phone service, because isn't the point of camping to kind of get away from the world for a while??? This one is no different. Andrea and Tye informed us that last weekend was Daylight Savings Time. Normally, people talk about that enough before hand that I'm usually aware. I wondered why I hadn't, but Tye and Andrea seemed so confident that I just figured somehow I had missed it. So, needless to say, we factored that into our sleeping habits for Saturday night...we didn't figure out we were wrong until we left the campsite. We missed church, but no harm no foul...
As a small side note, I suffered a fatality from the fire...it melted the sole of my tennis shoes away from the shoe. So today I attempted to get new shoes. I forget how much I hate shoe shopping until I have to do it. I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening trying to find shoes that I liked that weren't $100. But, I'll keep looking tomorrow. Ugh....
On Saturday night, a group of students from Miami showed up (because we were camping at a place only 5-10 miles from the University). There seriously had to be about 16 of them in 6 tents with 6 cars on a site not too much bigger than the one we were on. They were both frustrating and hysterical at the same time. They could be quite loud at times, including when they went to the bathrooms which weren't too far from where we were camping. So we heard some of the prissiest girls talking about pooping while they were pooping. Quite funny. When they went to get firewood, no joke, one of the guys came back with a large portion of a tree. So large that he had to pull it, rather than carry it. It was amazing.
That same day, some time in the early afternoon, we were sitting around the fire (which incidentally we did the entire day--12 hours sitting around a fire, picking at it, throwing stuff in it, yeah....) when all of a sudden, all four of us stopped talking. We all heard the same sound at the same time. It sounded something like, "tink, tink, tink, tink, tink...." and on and on. We all turned to look at a campsite across a little cul de sac of sorts at another camp site. There we saw the camper that had come the previous night...um....rocking...shall I say...well, you know. It lasted all of about 2 minutes (literally) and then ended. About 10-15 minutes later a couple came out. Needless to say, there were endless jokes about that the rest of the weekend.
Dinner that night was supposed to be sausage. I say supposed to be because the wire hot dog cooker we were using had other plans. Here I am, standing over the fire with this wire cage that's used to cook hot dogs, attempting to cook the sausage we were all looking forward to. As I go to turn it over, the cage decided it had had enough sausage and promptly spit it out--right into the fire and ash. I felt pretty terrible. Thankfully my friends are good natured and told me it was ok...then made fun of me the rest of the weekend. I gotta admit, that was pretty funny.
And last but not least, the losing track of time story. All good campsites are well out of reach of cell phone service, because isn't the point of camping to kind of get away from the world for a while??? This one is no different. Andrea and Tye informed us that last weekend was Daylight Savings Time. Normally, people talk about that enough before hand that I'm usually aware. I wondered why I hadn't, but Tye and Andrea seemed so confident that I just figured somehow I had missed it. So, needless to say, we factored that into our sleeping habits for Saturday night...we didn't figure out we were wrong until we left the campsite. We missed church, but no harm no foul...
As a small side note, I suffered a fatality from the fire...it melted the sole of my tennis shoes away from the shoe. So today I attempted to get new shoes. I forget how much I hate shoe shopping until I have to do it. I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening trying to find shoes that I liked that weren't $100. But, I'll keep looking tomorrow. Ugh....
Monday, October 29, 2007
Camping...
Eric and I went camping with Tye and Andrea this weekend for Tye's birthday. We had a blast. At times it was quite cold, but with Tye as the fire Nazi, he kept it blazing and kept us warm. It was awesome. I would love to go camping more often. Perhaps today or tomorrow I will put some more in depth stories on here.
As a side note, the Red Sox won the World Series last night. I have to admit, I did not watch any of it. For some reason, it just didn't really appeal to me this year, and seeing as how I was not at home most of the 4 nights it was on, I didn't see any of the games. But, I woke up this morning to the disturbing news that A-Rod has opted out of the rest of his contract with the Yankees. Don't get me wrong, I like A-Rod. He does some bone-headed things some times, and can be arrogant sometimes, but for the most part I like him. He's a great ballplayer. But, I call it disturbing because he couldn't even wait one more day to announce it so that the Red Sox could celebrate their victory without fighting with him and the Yankees once again. Some are saying it wasn't his decision, that it was Scott Boras' (His agent). Still. What a jerky thing to do. Sometimes people are idiots.
As a side note, the Red Sox won the World Series last night. I have to admit, I did not watch any of it. For some reason, it just didn't really appeal to me this year, and seeing as how I was not at home most of the 4 nights it was on, I didn't see any of the games. But, I woke up this morning to the disturbing news that A-Rod has opted out of the rest of his contract with the Yankees. Don't get me wrong, I like A-Rod. He does some bone-headed things some times, and can be arrogant sometimes, but for the most part I like him. He's a great ballplayer. But, I call it disturbing because he couldn't even wait one more day to announce it so that the Red Sox could celebrate their victory without fighting with him and the Yankees once again. Some are saying it wasn't his decision, that it was Scott Boras' (His agent). Still. What a jerky thing to do. Sometimes people are idiots.
Friday, October 19, 2007
First Quarter Down
Well, today marks the final day of the first quarter of my school-year. I gotta say I feel like we're only now getting into a groove with this whole tutoring thing. But, starting next week, I will only be dealing with math, which I'm excited about. I remember now why I loved math so much in high school (so much that I considered being a math teacher). I still don't think I would want that to be my main subject area, but I am beginning to consider maybe trying to get my math certification. At the very least it would make me more marketable. I gotta check into it some more first. It may be financially not possible right now.
But, at the very least, hopefully only teaching math will make me enjoy my job a little more. Language arts just really isn't for me.
Eric and I applied for car and renter's insurance this week. So sarting next week, we'll no longer be dependent on our parents for that part of our life. Kinda of a weird feeling. I really feel like I'm continually having those moments of "adulthood." I know that's a good thing, but it's weird. Sometimes I wish we didn't have to grow up, just because responsibility can be a scary thing, but it's also freeing. I'm ready to have a salaried job...that would help a lot too. Someday, I know.
I just found out my mom is going to start her own business again--bookkeeping. So, pray for that. I hope she gets a lot of business. That would be awesome. And if you know anyone in the St. Louis area who needs bookkeeping or payroll services, tell them to look her up.
But, at the very least, hopefully only teaching math will make me enjoy my job a little more. Language arts just really isn't for me.
Eric and I applied for car and renter's insurance this week. So sarting next week, we'll no longer be dependent on our parents for that part of our life. Kinda of a weird feeling. I really feel like I'm continually having those moments of "adulthood." I know that's a good thing, but it's weird. Sometimes I wish we didn't have to grow up, just because responsibility can be a scary thing, but it's also freeing. I'm ready to have a salaried job...that would help a lot too. Someday, I know.
I just found out my mom is going to start her own business again--bookkeeping. So, pray for that. I hope she gets a lot of business. That would be awesome. And if you know anyone in the St. Louis area who needs bookkeeping or payroll services, tell them to look her up.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Delayed Update
To those of you who check this for updates with any regularity, I apologize for not keeping it up. It's been kinda busy around here lately.
My work's starting to get a little bit better. We're getting ready to start units on math, which I'm pretty sure I will enjoy teaching much more than language arts (reading). Once we're done with that unit, we're actually going to split up our classes into 2 groups: a language arts group that Glenn will teach, and a math group that I will teach. So, if that works out, I will be teaching math at least until the end of the semester.
The free dinner thing at Miami is still going well. We've had one kid that's been there every week (Zack), and a couple of others who have been there almost every time. Zack is in a band, and they have started using our building to practice. We were pretty encouraged by the fact that he felt comfortable enough to ask us.
Today, Eric and I finally got both the titles for our cars transferred over into our names. That's kind of a weird feeling. I jut keep having those moments of grown-up-ness (I'm pretty sure I just made up a new word). It's just weird. Add onto that the fact that we now have Ohio plates on our cars...weird. Good weird...but still weird. Now if we can just figure out where we're gonna get our car insurance from, we'll be doing good.
Be back later with other updates :)
My work's starting to get a little bit better. We're getting ready to start units on math, which I'm pretty sure I will enjoy teaching much more than language arts (reading). Once we're done with that unit, we're actually going to split up our classes into 2 groups: a language arts group that Glenn will teach, and a math group that I will teach. So, if that works out, I will be teaching math at least until the end of the semester.
The free dinner thing at Miami is still going well. We've had one kid that's been there every week (Zack), and a couple of others who have been there almost every time. Zack is in a band, and they have started using our building to practice. We were pretty encouraged by the fact that he felt comfortable enough to ask us.
Today, Eric and I finally got both the titles for our cars transferred over into our names. That's kind of a weird feeling. I jut keep having those moments of grown-up-ness (I'm pretty sure I just made up a new word). It's just weird. Add onto that the fact that we now have Ohio plates on our cars...weird. Good weird...but still weird. Now if we can just figure out where we're gonna get our car insurance from, we'll be doing good.
Be back later with other updates :)
Sunday, September 30, 2007
A New Car
No, we didn't buy a new car...or a used car for that matter. We ended up deciding that not only did we not really have the desire to go to the used car dealership, but also that it was probably better that we didn't. Test driving new cars would not only make us want a new car even more than we already do but may be just a little more tempting than we are ready to deal with. So, we slept in on Saturday, had a little breakfast at Panera, went grocery shopping, and then relaxed at home all afternoon.
Today we both had to be at church at 7am. That is fun. I had to get up at the same time this morning that I usually do on workdays. But that's life. And at least it was for a good cause. Then we ended up taking a 3 hour nap this afternoon. That's always fun. Although I always end up feeling worse after the nap than I did before. Plus, we'll see if I can actually sleep tonight. Oh well.
Today we both had to be at church at 7am. That is fun. I had to get up at the same time this morning that I usually do on workdays. But that's life. And at least it was for a good cause. Then we ended up taking a 3 hour nap this afternoon. That's always fun. Although I always end up feeling worse after the nap than I did before. Plus, we'll see if I can actually sleep tonight. Oh well.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Weekends
I am so ready for the weekend. I get to sleep in on Saturday (which is amazing...). We'll probably watch some college football. Maybe some baseball. Go to Crossroads for church on Saturday night (because Andrea plays there and because their services are pretty cool). Go to Lifepoint on Sunday (because that's our home church...yay for community). Watch some NFL on Sunday. MMMmmm...I love the weekends.
Eric and I got this thing in the mail earlier this week where you could scratch off a portion to reveal a number. If the number on the front matches the number on the back, you win something. Well, we won. What we won is still up in the air. It's for a huge used car dealership not too far from our house. The prizes and chances of winning them are:
42-inch flatscreen tv: 1 in 71,552
$500 cash : 1 in 71,552
$Portable DVD Player : 1 in 71,552
$50 Wal-mart Gift Card: 1 in 71,552
Orange Stadium Blanket: 71,548 in 71,552
In other words--we'll probably be getting another blanket. But, since we're in the market for a used car, and we'd like to buy one at the end of the year, we figured what the heck. We might as well go over there, test drive some cars, and maybe get a free tv or $500 out of the deal. Even if we only walk away with a blanket, we're at least still doing something productive with our evening--narrowing down our selection of cars.
So, that's what our evening looks like. Yay for Friday nights! What's yours look like?
Eric and I got this thing in the mail earlier this week where you could scratch off a portion to reveal a number. If the number on the front matches the number on the back, you win something. Well, we won. What we won is still up in the air. It's for a huge used car dealership not too far from our house. The prizes and chances of winning them are:
42-inch flatscreen tv: 1 in 71,552
$500 cash : 1 in 71,552
$Portable DVD Player : 1 in 71,552
$50 Wal-mart Gift Card: 1 in 71,552
Orange Stadium Blanket: 71,548 in 71,552
In other words--we'll probably be getting another blanket. But, since we're in the market for a used car, and we'd like to buy one at the end of the year, we figured what the heck. We might as well go over there, test drive some cars, and maybe get a free tv or $500 out of the deal. Even if we only walk away with a blanket, we're at least still doing something productive with our evening--narrowing down our selection of cars.
So, that's what our evening looks like. Yay for Friday nights! What's yours look like?
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
To Do Lists
I'm quickly learning that I am so much more productive during the day when I have a to do list. There's some strange gratification that comes from crossing off that last item on a to do list, crumpling the list up, and throwing it in the trash can. Plus, I think that when there's a tangible list of things to do, I'm much more likely to get off my fat butt and do something rather than simply sitting around and thinking about all the things I need to do :)
I'm definitely going to try to get into the habit of making these lists both for myself and for Eric. He does an amazing job of being productive during the day, but it seems like he gets a lot done except the things that he actually needs to do. He, like me, can be forgetful. And when I have something written down, it's much harder to forget.
My only fear is that the older I get (and especially when kids come) I will start to have so many things to do that I will lay awake at night visualizing that to do list and all the things I did not get done. For now, though, I thankfully do not have that problem. And maybe because of my to-do lists I will not get to that place. Who knows.
I'm definitely going to try to get into the habit of making these lists both for myself and for Eric. He does an amazing job of being productive during the day, but it seems like he gets a lot done except the things that he actually needs to do. He, like me, can be forgetful. And when I have something written down, it's much harder to forget.
My only fear is that the older I get (and especially when kids come) I will start to have so many things to do that I will lay awake at night visualizing that to do list and all the things I did not get done. For now, though, I thankfully do not have that problem. And maybe because of my to-do lists I will not get to that place. Who knows.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
A Year of Living Biblically
I was surfing the internet this morning when I woke up, and I stumbled across this article from Newsweek.
I have to admit that when I read the title, I instantly assumed that this was some writers crazy idea that would never work. In fact, I wondered whether he would just kind of choose the 10 Commandments and call that following every rule in the Bible. However, I was presently surprised when I read it. So much so that it makes me want to find his book.
I loved what he said at the beginning of the article: "I miss my sin-free life, but I guess I was never sin free." He talked about choices and how we think we want choices; in reality, there's a lot of freedom in not having to choose. Ultimately, there's still the choice (do I lie/do I not lie), but having the rule at least makes it clear what we should do. I hate that we live in a world where rules are seen as burdensome. Obviously, there are moments when every individual wants to break the rules because to do so would me some form of happiness or gratification. But, in the end we usually realize that although that momentary pleasure was great, it really wasn't worth the trouble and hardship caused from breaking rules.
I look back on my childhood, remember how cumbersome rules were to me at that point, and I really am thankful I chose not to break most of them. The rules are meant to save us from heartache, trouble, and pain. Just look at the world around us. But this guy seems to have realized the truth in that, or at least part of it.
As a small side note, here are some of my other favorite quotes:
"And I love the Sabbath. There’s something I really like about a forced day of rest."
"Also, during the experiment I wore a lot of white clothes, because Ecclesiastes says let your garments always be white, and I loved it, so I look like Tom Wolfe now. Wearing white just made me happier. I couldn’t be in a bad mood walking down the street looking like I was about to play in the semifinals at Wimbledon. One thing I learned is that the outside affects the inside, your behavior shapes your thoughts."
I have to admit that when I read the title, I instantly assumed that this was some writers crazy idea that would never work. In fact, I wondered whether he would just kind of choose the 10 Commandments and call that following every rule in the Bible. However, I was presently surprised when I read it. So much so that it makes me want to find his book.
I loved what he said at the beginning of the article: "I miss my sin-free life, but I guess I was never sin free." He talked about choices and how we think we want choices; in reality, there's a lot of freedom in not having to choose. Ultimately, there's still the choice (do I lie/do I not lie), but having the rule at least makes it clear what we should do. I hate that we live in a world where rules are seen as burdensome. Obviously, there are moments when every individual wants to break the rules because to do so would me some form of happiness or gratification. But, in the end we usually realize that although that momentary pleasure was great, it really wasn't worth the trouble and hardship caused from breaking rules.
I look back on my childhood, remember how cumbersome rules were to me at that point, and I really am thankful I chose not to break most of them. The rules are meant to save us from heartache, trouble, and pain. Just look at the world around us. But this guy seems to have realized the truth in that, or at least part of it.
As a small side note, here are some of my other favorite quotes:
"And I love the Sabbath. There’s something I really like about a forced day of rest."
"Also, during the experiment I wore a lot of white clothes, because Ecclesiastes says let your garments always be white, and I loved it, so I look like Tom Wolfe now. Wearing white just made me happier. I couldn’t be in a bad mood walking down the street looking like I was about to play in the semifinals at Wimbledon. One thing I learned is that the outside affects the inside, your behavior shapes your thoughts."
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Always Tired
Or at least it seems that way. I realized this morning on my way to work at 7 in the morning, that for the first time in our marriage Eric is consistently getting more sleep during the night than I am (not including weekends...praise the Lord for weekends). What's ironic about this is that before we got married, I was consistently frustrated by the little amount of time Eric spent sleeping (somewhere between 5 and 7 hours). It worried me that after we got married, I would go to bed and he would stay up multiple hours after. We even got into a couple of fights about this because for me, one of the great perks of getting married was to have someone to lay in bed next to me when I went to sleep. So, the thought of him staying up just irritated me. And now, after all those discussions, I am the one who gets fewer hours of sleep. Don't get me wrong, we go to bed at the same time, but I unfortunately get up somewhere between an hour and 2 hours before he does. Really, with the exception of one morning since I started teaching, I've been gone before he even gets up.
Why on earth I had to choose one of the professions that require an extremely early wake-up call...
So, I now get somewhere between 6 and 7 hours on average a night. Which when I type it out doesn't seem all that bad. But, I honestly believe, and have heard many people agree with me (teachers and non-teachers alike) that teaching is one of the most exhausting jobs. I pretty much entertain all day--or at least that's what the kids expect. So, I'm constantly trying to bring kids back from the netherworld of their minds all day, or keep them from talking/being distracted, or explain to them why my class is important... I come home bushed every single day.
I cannot wait to have my own class, to be teaching history/social studies, to be working with all kids not just the struggling kids (which incidentally has given me an even greater respect for special ed. teachers--and I already had a large amount of respect for them to begin with).
Anyway, I'll quit complaining now.
Eric has recently gotten me addicted to Halo. Halo is an xbox game--first person shooter--that revolves around destroying an alien civilization (among many other things). I had tried to play it before, but had always been playing in competition with Eric. Needless to say, I always got my hind parts handed to me, and after a while I stopped playing. Last week, though, he told me that we could actually play together, through the actual story line of the game, so that at least if I was getting killed it wasn't by him. And I loved it. So between Thursday and Sunday, we defeated the entire first game. And now, we're on to Halo 2. It shouldn't take us too much longer to beat it. Unfortunately, while Halo 3 comes out next Tuesday, it is only on Xbox 360--which we don't have yet. Hopefully we can go to Ben's and play it there. We'll see though.
And...the Cardinals are officially out of post season contention. Ok, not officially, but they might as well be. With only 14 games left in the season, the Cards are 7 games out of first place--and nowhere near contention for the wild card (one of the pitfalls of playing in the worst division in baseball - the NL Central). It would take a collapse of historic proportions by the likes of both the Cubs and the Brewers simultaneously, and a winning streak unprecendented in this season by the Cardinals for them to make it to the playoffs. Somehow, I just don't think that's going to happen (although as I write this the Cards are up 3-1 in their game, while the Cubs are down 4-2 in theirs). So, I must decide who to root for in post-season. It's going to take a lot of prayer and consideration...
Tomorrow is another Wednesday night dinner at Radius, so be praying that the same people who were there last week decide to come back and that new people come.
Ok, I'm going to stop rambling now...
Why on earth I had to choose one of the professions that require an extremely early wake-up call...
So, I now get somewhere between 6 and 7 hours on average a night. Which when I type it out doesn't seem all that bad. But, I honestly believe, and have heard many people agree with me (teachers and non-teachers alike) that teaching is one of the most exhausting jobs. I pretty much entertain all day--or at least that's what the kids expect. So, I'm constantly trying to bring kids back from the netherworld of their minds all day, or keep them from talking/being distracted, or explain to them why my class is important... I come home bushed every single day.
I cannot wait to have my own class, to be teaching history/social studies, to be working with all kids not just the struggling kids (which incidentally has given me an even greater respect for special ed. teachers--and I already had a large amount of respect for them to begin with).
Anyway, I'll quit complaining now.
Eric has recently gotten me addicted to Halo. Halo is an xbox game--first person shooter--that revolves around destroying an alien civilization (among many other things). I had tried to play it before, but had always been playing in competition with Eric. Needless to say, I always got my hind parts handed to me, and after a while I stopped playing. Last week, though, he told me that we could actually play together, through the actual story line of the game, so that at least if I was getting killed it wasn't by him. And I loved it. So between Thursday and Sunday, we defeated the entire first game. And now, we're on to Halo 2. It shouldn't take us too much longer to beat it. Unfortunately, while Halo 3 comes out next Tuesday, it is only on Xbox 360--which we don't have yet. Hopefully we can go to Ben's and play it there. We'll see though.
And...the Cardinals are officially out of post season contention. Ok, not officially, but they might as well be. With only 14 games left in the season, the Cards are 7 games out of first place--and nowhere near contention for the wild card (one of the pitfalls of playing in the worst division in baseball - the NL Central). It would take a collapse of historic proportions by the likes of both the Cubs and the Brewers simultaneously, and a winning streak unprecendented in this season by the Cardinals for them to make it to the playoffs. Somehow, I just don't think that's going to happen (although as I write this the Cards are up 3-1 in their game, while the Cubs are down 4-2 in theirs). So, I must decide who to root for in post-season. It's going to take a lot of prayer and consideration...
Tomorrow is another Wednesday night dinner at Radius, so be praying that the same people who were there last week decide to come back and that new people come.
Ok, I'm going to stop rambling now...
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Oklahoma v. Texas?
Ok, I understand that sports rivalries are exciting and great for sports, but I'm not sure that this doesn't take it a little too far. Recognize that I greatly respect the great people in Oklahoma (I married into a Sooner family), and I myself and growing to love the Oklahoma Sooner's football team. However, I'm just not sure that it needs to be this big of a deal...
Also, I think there is some real irony in the professions of the two men in question, but that's just me.
"Wearing Texas T-Shirt = Castration???"
Also, I think there is some real irony in the professions of the two men in question, but that's just me.
"Wearing Texas T-Shirt = Castration???"
progress? we shall see...
First of all, I would like to say something to my beautiful wife: THBBBBPPPPPPPPPTTTTTTT!!!!!!!! That's just about enough of the sass on the blog, thank you very much.
With that said, I think we just might have some good news regarding Wednesday nights. As Kerri mentioned in a previous post, we only had 3 people last week in addition to the two of us and Trey, the grad student who has been involved in past years and is helping us out this year. Needless to say, I was a bit frustrated--both because I didn't feel like we were really reaching anyone new, and also at myself because of my impatience and unwillingness to trust God.
Fast forward to yesterday--we already knew going into yesterday that it was going to be hectic. The Cincinnati Museum Center is currently doing an exhibit on real Pirates, which Kerri and I had both really wanted to go to. Well, yesterday they had a special day for teachers ($5 admission), so we could get in really cheap. Unfortunately, the only time that we could go was at 4 yesterday afternoon. So we went to the exhibit, got done and left downtown Cincy about 5:45 and headed up to Miami. We got there about 6:45, which left us roughly an hour and a half to get everything cooked and ready to go--not a problem. Until Kerri realized (on the way up, actually), that we didn't have any pots. Grrrrrr....cue a trip to Wal-Mart. I get back at 7:20 or so with pots and other assorted things, and we begin cooking. I start getting the room ready while Kerri is cooking, until she informs me that the meat that I had planned on using for a meat sauce is expired and possibly bad. Grrrr....food poisoning sucks, so there goes the meat. Back to getting the room ready (with me becoming increasingly frustrated and stressed and Kerri putting up with my grumpiness like a champ) until 7:50, when Kerri informs me that we have no butter or oil (the only cooking oil in the kitchen expired in '06) to put on the noodles to keep them from getting sticky. Grrrrr....I run to the gas station and CVS--no luck on both. Looks like it's sticky noodles. By this time I am completely frustrated.
Interestingly enough, it is at the moment when I am the most frustrated and sure that things aren't working that God shows up. (I shouldn't be surprised--that seems to be how it usually works.) In walks a new girl--Hannah--whom we had met at Mega Fair a couple of weeks ago. She was on her way home and just stopped in to see what we were all about. No sooner had she left than Daniel (a friend of Trey's who has come for the last two weeks) comes in, closely followed by Jessica and Matt, another pair that we had met at Mega Fair. And to top it all off, no more than five minutes later, our other two regulars Zach and Ashley came in.
So as I step back and think about last night, a few things come to mind. First of all, God is (despite my frustrations at the frequency) continuing to bring new people--Hannah, Jessica, and Matt all were interested in who we are, what we do, and so on. (Pray that we will have more opportunity to connect with them.) Second, I think it is really cool that in spite of the fact that Trey was not there last night (due to feeling sick), Daniel came anyway--it is encouraging that a guy who has absolutely nothing in common with us likes being here enough to come even when his friend doesn't. Finally, I have to take heart in the fact that the two most involved students we have are ones that I had nothing to do with attracting (Zach just happened to be riding by on our first week, and he brought Ashley the following week) and who do not (to my estimation) have a significant relationship with God. Yet they are the ones wanting to bring friends, call others to come when they get here, and even help cook and plan. Yes it is just a meal, but it definitely says that God is doing something when people who aren't yet Christ followers are wanting to be more involved.
So keep us in your prayers, but more importantly keep THEM in your prayers. Pray that God will bring them back, that He will provide opportunities for deeper conversations, and that they will continue to bring others.
Well, that's all for now....
With that said, I think we just might have some good news regarding Wednesday nights. As Kerri mentioned in a previous post, we only had 3 people last week in addition to the two of us and Trey, the grad student who has been involved in past years and is helping us out this year. Needless to say, I was a bit frustrated--both because I didn't feel like we were really reaching anyone new, and also at myself because of my impatience and unwillingness to trust God.
Fast forward to yesterday--we already knew going into yesterday that it was going to be hectic. The Cincinnati Museum Center is currently doing an exhibit on real Pirates, which Kerri and I had both really wanted to go to. Well, yesterday they had a special day for teachers ($5 admission), so we could get in really cheap. Unfortunately, the only time that we could go was at 4 yesterday afternoon. So we went to the exhibit, got done and left downtown Cincy about 5:45 and headed up to Miami. We got there about 6:45, which left us roughly an hour and a half to get everything cooked and ready to go--not a problem. Until Kerri realized (on the way up, actually), that we didn't have any pots. Grrrrrr....cue a trip to Wal-Mart. I get back at 7:20 or so with pots and other assorted things, and we begin cooking. I start getting the room ready while Kerri is cooking, until she informs me that the meat that I had planned on using for a meat sauce is expired and possibly bad. Grrrr....food poisoning sucks, so there goes the meat. Back to getting the room ready (with me becoming increasingly frustrated and stressed and Kerri putting up with my grumpiness like a champ) until 7:50, when Kerri informs me that we have no butter or oil (the only cooking oil in the kitchen expired in '06) to put on the noodles to keep them from getting sticky. Grrrrr....I run to the gas station and CVS--no luck on both. Looks like it's sticky noodles. By this time I am completely frustrated.
Interestingly enough, it is at the moment when I am the most frustrated and sure that things aren't working that God shows up. (I shouldn't be surprised--that seems to be how it usually works.) In walks a new girl--Hannah--whom we had met at Mega Fair a couple of weeks ago. She was on her way home and just stopped in to see what we were all about. No sooner had she left than Daniel (a friend of Trey's who has come for the last two weeks) comes in, closely followed by Jessica and Matt, another pair that we had met at Mega Fair. And to top it all off, no more than five minutes later, our other two regulars Zach and Ashley came in.
So as I step back and think about last night, a few things come to mind. First of all, God is (despite my frustrations at the frequency) continuing to bring new people--Hannah, Jessica, and Matt all were interested in who we are, what we do, and so on. (Pray that we will have more opportunity to connect with them.) Second, I think it is really cool that in spite of the fact that Trey was not there last night (due to feeling sick), Daniel came anyway--it is encouraging that a guy who has absolutely nothing in common with us likes being here enough to come even when his friend doesn't. Finally, I have to take heart in the fact that the two most involved students we have are ones that I had nothing to do with attracting (Zach just happened to be riding by on our first week, and he brought Ashley the following week) and who do not (to my estimation) have a significant relationship with God. Yet they are the ones wanting to bring friends, call others to come when they get here, and even help cook and plan. Yes it is just a meal, but it definitely says that God is doing something when people who aren't yet Christ followers are wanting to be more involved.
So keep us in your prayers, but more importantly keep THEM in your prayers. Pray that God will bring them back, that He will provide opportunities for deeper conversations, and that they will continue to bring others.
Well, that's all for now....
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Another week gone...
First of all, to my wonderful husband, who for some reason thinks he has nothing to put on here, this is a reminder that you need to PUT SOMETHING ON HERE!!!
Ok, with that out of the way, I will do my best to recap yet another week gone by. I'm sorry that I've been so derelict on my blogging duties, but I like every other adult I know, just don't seem to have the time (or the energy) sometimes to do this. But, I've got it now, so here goes...
You'd think that with last Monday being a holiday, the week would have been a little easier...not so much. I was just as exhausted by Friday as I am in any other week. The last month or so have served as an excellent reminder of why God commands us to take a Sabbath. Unfortunately, I don't know too many people that are very good at saying "no" enough to allow themselves to have one. I'm going to try to make it a priority in my marriage and family to have at least one weekend every month where we're not busy all from Friday night to Sunday night. Who knows how that will work once we have kids, but just by virtue of the way I feel right now, at 25, I'm pretty confident that if I don't have some time to relax, I'll die. Eric and I literally planned a day off on Saturday this weekend, just to make sure that we get some rest.
Last Wednesday, we only had two students show up for free dinner. But, we're starting to be very thankful for those two people. We really now just want to make sure they keep coming and that we can be an influence on them (as scary as that feels sometimes). Still, we'd obviously like to have more students coming. So, send a little message up to God when you think about it.
This last weekend, one of my good friends, Becky Read, got married. She's now Becky Smyth. She and Dan, her husband, put together a very simple yet very romantic ceremony. They seem to be an excellent match for each other; I'm sure they're going to do awesome things.
Every time I go to a wedding, I find myself second guessing the wedding I had. Don't get me wrong, I loved our wedding. But, I see some of the things my friends have done and I think, "Man, I wish I'd thought of that." I think ultimately, I really just wish that we had hired a different photographer, and that we had actually hired someone to do to video. But, that's life, and I'm thankful for what we did have.
The Cardinals are stinking it up right now...just for what that's worth. But, we're playing Cincinnati tonight, so hopefully we can remedy our losing streak.
Hmmmm....what else to say...yeah, I got nothing.
My advice for the day: nothing beats a clean apartment. It's a great feeling. And someday I'd like to train myself to keep mine clean :)
Ok, with that out of the way, I will do my best to recap yet another week gone by. I'm sorry that I've been so derelict on my blogging duties, but I like every other adult I know, just don't seem to have the time (or the energy) sometimes to do this. But, I've got it now, so here goes...
You'd think that with last Monday being a holiday, the week would have been a little easier...not so much. I was just as exhausted by Friday as I am in any other week. The last month or so have served as an excellent reminder of why God commands us to take a Sabbath. Unfortunately, I don't know too many people that are very good at saying "no" enough to allow themselves to have one. I'm going to try to make it a priority in my marriage and family to have at least one weekend every month where we're not busy all from Friday night to Sunday night. Who knows how that will work once we have kids, but just by virtue of the way I feel right now, at 25, I'm pretty confident that if I don't have some time to relax, I'll die. Eric and I literally planned a day off on Saturday this weekend, just to make sure that we get some rest.
Last Wednesday, we only had two students show up for free dinner. But, we're starting to be very thankful for those two people. We really now just want to make sure they keep coming and that we can be an influence on them (as scary as that feels sometimes). Still, we'd obviously like to have more students coming. So, send a little message up to God when you think about it.
This last weekend, one of my good friends, Becky Read, got married. She's now Becky Smyth. She and Dan, her husband, put together a very simple yet very romantic ceremony. They seem to be an excellent match for each other; I'm sure they're going to do awesome things.
Every time I go to a wedding, I find myself second guessing the wedding I had. Don't get me wrong, I loved our wedding. But, I see some of the things my friends have done and I think, "Man, I wish I'd thought of that." I think ultimately, I really just wish that we had hired a different photographer, and that we had actually hired someone to do to video. But, that's life, and I'm thankful for what we did have.
The Cardinals are stinking it up right now...just for what that's worth. But, we're playing Cincinnati tonight, so hopefully we can remedy our losing streak.
Hmmmm....what else to say...yeah, I got nothing.
My advice for the day: nothing beats a clean apartment. It's a great feeling. And someday I'd like to train myself to keep mine clean :)
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Welcome Home
Well, our whirlwind trip of the weekend went well. Our flights went smoothly, and the weekend itself was a very good time. We got to hang out with both sets of family actually (due to our 3 hour layover in STL), and we were there to see Paul ordained. Eric, actually, was involved, and his name is on the ordination certificate which is pretty cool if you ask me.
I'm pretty excited because Eric let me get the last month's worth of games from MLB extra innings, so hopefully I can watch every single freakin cardinals game for the rest of the season. I'm really hoping they can eke out a playoff spot, but we'll see. Regardless, I'm stoked that I can actually watch them now.
I suppose that's all I really have to say for now. Peace :)
I'm pretty excited because Eric let me get the last month's worth of games from MLB extra innings, so hopefully I can watch every single freakin cardinals game for the rest of the season. I'm really hoping they can eke out a playoff spot, but we'll see. Regardless, I'm stoked that I can actually watch them now.
I suppose that's all I really have to say for now. Peace :)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Weekend Trip to Oklahoma anyone???
Ok, once again, I've got a lot to post, so bear with me...
Last night was free dinner night at [radius] (the campus ministry). We've sort of decided to take a different tactic than what we originally thought we were going to. Obviously, like most other ministries, we planned on doing worship services, small groups, etc. The problem with those (or at least it's a problem for us) is that they require people--which we currently do not have. For the opening worship night, we only had three people show up. So we ended up just hanging out. And decided that's what we should do for a while--just eat and hang out. So our plan now is to simply have free dinner and fellowship no strings attached. We won't be doing a devotion or worship, no pressuring to come to worship, just fellowship. The hope is that as people come for food they will build relationships. From relationships will come things like small groups and worship. Or at least that's our goal.
So Sunday was Miami's freshman activities fair. We had a booth, gave out cookies, put ourselves out there, and touted our FREE DINNERS. We had 60 some people sign up for more information, and many more who just took fliers. Monday, Eric emailed everyone who wanted information.
We hoped maybe even a fourth of those people would show up for free dinner last night...they didn't. We again had 3. Don't get me wrong, we're thankful for those three people. But it was very hard for us to fight the discouragement last night. And I've seen it's effects on Eric today.
I think that may be one of the hardest parts about this process so far--keeping Eric encouraged. I'm doing the best that I can, but because he wants so badly for this ministry to be a success, he gets discouraged quite easily. I don't blame him. In fact I think one of the only things (besides the grace of God) that is keeping me from being discouraged is knowing that I need to keep him encouraged...but I just keep telling God how much I want this thing to take off. And seriously...free food? It doesn't get much better than that.
We'll keep praying for next week.
In happier news, as is eluded to in the title of the blog, Eric and I are making a weekend trip to Oklahoma City. Apparently, Paul (Eric's dad) is being ordained on Sunday. Today I got an email from my mother-in-law Judy that mentioned the ordination, which we felt like we should be there for. And shortly thereafter Judy and I plunged into the world of online airline tickets hoping for a good deal. We found something we could live with (although we probably could have done better had we planned ahead), so tomorrow at 7:30 we fly out of Louisville. It should be a lot of fun!!!
Last night was free dinner night at [radius] (the campus ministry). We've sort of decided to take a different tactic than what we originally thought we were going to. Obviously, like most other ministries, we planned on doing worship services, small groups, etc. The problem with those (or at least it's a problem for us) is that they require people--which we currently do not have. For the opening worship night, we only had three people show up. So we ended up just hanging out. And decided that's what we should do for a while--just eat and hang out. So our plan now is to simply have free dinner and fellowship no strings attached. We won't be doing a devotion or worship, no pressuring to come to worship, just fellowship. The hope is that as people come for food they will build relationships. From relationships will come things like small groups and worship. Or at least that's our goal.
So Sunday was Miami's freshman activities fair. We had a booth, gave out cookies, put ourselves out there, and touted our FREE DINNERS. We had 60 some people sign up for more information, and many more who just took fliers. Monday, Eric emailed everyone who wanted information.
We hoped maybe even a fourth of those people would show up for free dinner last night...they didn't. We again had 3. Don't get me wrong, we're thankful for those three people. But it was very hard for us to fight the discouragement last night. And I've seen it's effects on Eric today.
I think that may be one of the hardest parts about this process so far--keeping Eric encouraged. I'm doing the best that I can, but because he wants so badly for this ministry to be a success, he gets discouraged quite easily. I don't blame him. In fact I think one of the only things (besides the grace of God) that is keeping me from being discouraged is knowing that I need to keep him encouraged...but I just keep telling God how much I want this thing to take off. And seriously...free food? It doesn't get much better than that.
We'll keep praying for next week.
In happier news, as is eluded to in the title of the blog, Eric and I are making a weekend trip to Oklahoma City. Apparently, Paul (Eric's dad) is being ordained on Sunday. Today I got an email from my mother-in-law Judy that mentioned the ordination, which we felt like we should be there for. And shortly thereafter Judy and I plunged into the world of online airline tickets hoping for a good deal. We found something we could live with (although we probably could have done better had we planned ahead), so tomorrow at 7:30 we fly out of Louisville. It should be a lot of fun!!!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Miss South Carolina
A friend of ours discovered this particular video on youtube. Really, I think the video speaks for itself, but as an educator it just makes me shake my head. I'd like to think I can usually figure out what people are trying to say, even when they're not speaking very clearly, but on this one...I'm clueless (as it appears she is as well). National television, and she's so nervous she can't even come up with something coherent to say. I feel really bad for her...
Just click on the title of this post, and it should take you to the video...Good luck!
Just click on the title of this post, and it should take you to the video...Good luck!
Friday, August 24, 2007
A very long week
This week was absolutely crazy here in the Ankenman household...I'll try to give you a day by day breakdown...
Monday:
The week started off slowly in that Eric spent a great part of the day at Miami painting and decorating, while I had inservice training and then had a going away get together/party with some friends for Jen and Drew who moved to NYC. So far so good, right???
Tuesday:
Another inservice day for me, and another long day at Miami for Eric. We pretty much crossed paths as he got home around 7 but I went out with Andrea, Rene, and Jen for a send off dinner. We didn't got to bed until 12ish, which meant that...
Wednesday:
We were both tired having stayed up late (or later than we should have) the night before. I was up by 5:45 to go to my first day of school. Quite the long day. Hot as all get out here in Cincinnati, and my school doesn't have air conditioning. Eric on the other hand was up to Miami by 8 that morning to start painting and putting the finishing touches on the ministry. As soon as I finished school, I went up to Miami and help Eric to continue to prepare.
All in all, we had 3 students stop by, and Eric left encouraged, but making some important realizations about how the ministry will work (which I think will be much different than any ministry I've ever heard of before)--but I'll let him tell you all about it in another blog (I'll try to get him to do that soon).
Unfortunately, being up there for the kick-off meant we didn't get back here until 12:30 or 1 ish.
Thursday:
So, I was absolutely exhausted on Thursday. Up at 5:45 again, although the kids were only in school until 12:30 because of the heat advisories. But I had to work until 3; thankfully there are select rooms (like the library and conference rooms) that are air conditioned--needless to say that's where all the teachers were after classes let out. Eric slept in some, and then was back up at Miami.
After work for both of us, we went down to Sebastian's for dinner (the great Greek gyro place we loved from CCU) and then to visit Brenda Lang in the hospital. She went in for emergency surgery on Monday night. Apparently some scar tissue she had wrapped itself around her bowels. She was about 5 hours from the bowels being completely constricted, which would have meant they eventually burst, and well...things would have ended quite sadly. But, she is doing awesome now. Incredibly she's in very little pain (considering) and has only been on Tylenols since the surgery...incredible to me (I'd be asking for all the morphine I could get).
Friday:
Same ole same ole with work (although again my kids were let out at 12:30). Tonight, Eric and I took a nap (well, in the afternoon), and we've been just relaxing since then. I finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That was an intense series of books I'll just say that. But they were really good. I'm glad I waited until they were all out to read them. Now I don't know what I'll read, but I'm sure I'll find something :)
So yeah, I'll try to get on tomorrow and update how the job is actually going. But for now I'll just say that I think I'll enjoy it, but it will definitely be a test in patience...
Night all!
Monday:
The week started off slowly in that Eric spent a great part of the day at Miami painting and decorating, while I had inservice training and then had a going away get together/party with some friends for Jen and Drew who moved to NYC. So far so good, right???
Tuesday:
Another inservice day for me, and another long day at Miami for Eric. We pretty much crossed paths as he got home around 7 but I went out with Andrea, Rene, and Jen for a send off dinner. We didn't got to bed until 12ish, which meant that...
Wednesday:
We were both tired having stayed up late (or later than we should have) the night before. I was up by 5:45 to go to my first day of school. Quite the long day. Hot as all get out here in Cincinnati, and my school doesn't have air conditioning. Eric on the other hand was up to Miami by 8 that morning to start painting and putting the finishing touches on the ministry. As soon as I finished school, I went up to Miami and help Eric to continue to prepare.
All in all, we had 3 students stop by, and Eric left encouraged, but making some important realizations about how the ministry will work (which I think will be much different than any ministry I've ever heard of before)--but I'll let him tell you all about it in another blog (I'll try to get him to do that soon).
Unfortunately, being up there for the kick-off meant we didn't get back here until 12:30 or 1 ish.
Thursday:
So, I was absolutely exhausted on Thursday. Up at 5:45 again, although the kids were only in school until 12:30 because of the heat advisories. But I had to work until 3; thankfully there are select rooms (like the library and conference rooms) that are air conditioned--needless to say that's where all the teachers were after classes let out. Eric slept in some, and then was back up at Miami.
After work for both of us, we went down to Sebastian's for dinner (the great Greek gyro place we loved from CCU) and then to visit Brenda Lang in the hospital. She went in for emergency surgery on Monday night. Apparently some scar tissue she had wrapped itself around her bowels. She was about 5 hours from the bowels being completely constricted, which would have meant they eventually burst, and well...things would have ended quite sadly. But, she is doing awesome now. Incredibly she's in very little pain (considering) and has only been on Tylenols since the surgery...incredible to me (I'd be asking for all the morphine I could get).
Friday:
Same ole same ole with work (although again my kids were let out at 12:30). Tonight, Eric and I took a nap (well, in the afternoon), and we've been just relaxing since then. I finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That was an intense series of books I'll just say that. But they were really good. I'm glad I waited until they were all out to read them. Now I don't know what I'll read, but I'm sure I'll find something :)
So yeah, I'll try to get on tomorrow and update how the job is actually going. But for now I'll just say that I think I'll enjoy it, but it will definitely be a test in patience...
Night all!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
taking a day off (sort of...)
Hey everyone--since Kerri has done all of the posting on here, it seemed like I ought to chip in a bit as well. As she mentioned, Thursday was Freshman Move-In, and it was hot. Blazingly, incredibly hot. (Of course, I would expect nothing less.) Friday and Saturday were spent painting and redecorating inside the campus ministry building; as Kerri mentioned, we are attempting to make this place look a bit less like a Junior High youth room (the assumption being that such an environment is not appealing to the average college student).
So, needless to say, I am tired. I had originally thought about going back up again today to try and get more painting done, but I decided that (since I probably won't get much of a break for the next few weeks) it would probably be a good idea to take a little bit of a day off.
It is interesting how God is constantly teaching me to trust Him; although it is mildly frustrating that He seems intent on teaching this lesson by simply putting things completely out of my control and forcing me to come to Him. Needless to say, it is not an easy lesson, but one that I am slowly learning.
Pray for us over this next week--I have no idea how many people will show up on Wednesday. Pray that God will not only bring people, but that He will bring the right people and that He will help me not to worry. Talk to you all soon...
So, needless to say, I am tired. I had originally thought about going back up again today to try and get more painting done, but I decided that (since I probably won't get much of a break for the next few weeks) it would probably be a good idea to take a little bit of a day off.
It is interesting how God is constantly teaching me to trust Him; although it is mildly frustrating that He seems intent on teaching this lesson by simply putting things completely out of my control and forcing me to come to Him. Needless to say, it is not an easy lesson, but one that I am slowly learning.
Pray for us over this next week--I have no idea how many people will show up on Wednesday. Pray that God will not only bring people, but that He will bring the right people and that He will help me not to worry. Talk to you all soon...
Friday, August 17, 2007
Welcome to college...freshmen
Yesterday was hot...very hot. And because it was so hot, we decided to do what any good American would do on such a stifling midwest day: we stayed inside in the air conditioning. Almost. No, actually, yesterday was freshman orientation day at Oxford. Eric and I went up there and helped the kids move into their dorms for the first time. And, yes, it was quite hot. I don't sweat very much, but I was drenched yesterday. Thanksfully, Katie came out and helped some, and a couple of guys from the Liberty church came in the afternoon. It was a lot of hard work, but very good to go help out some and get our name out there a little.
Today, we were up at Oxford again, this time painting our ministry building. It's starting to look less like a jr. high youth group room, and more like a college campus ministry. Hopefully we can get it all done by Wednesday.
I also remembered that I never wrote on here about Eric preaching last Sunday in Liberty, IN. That church contributes to the ministry, so we were invited to come out and introduce ourselves. I have to say, I was a little nervous about how Eric would do. The last (and only) time I've heard him preach he didn't do a very good job (something he would tell you). But, he actually did awesome on Sunday. He was funny, captured people's attention, and then delivered a very interesting sermon. I was pretty impressed.
So, anyway, tomorrow we're back up to the ministry to do more painting/decorating...
Today, we were up at Oxford again, this time painting our ministry building. It's starting to look less like a jr. high youth group room, and more like a college campus ministry. Hopefully we can get it all done by Wednesday.
I also remembered that I never wrote on here about Eric preaching last Sunday in Liberty, IN. That church contributes to the ministry, so we were invited to come out and introduce ourselves. I have to say, I was a little nervous about how Eric would do. The last (and only) time I've heard him preach he didn't do a very good job (something he would tell you). But, he actually did awesome on Sunday. He was funny, captured people's attention, and then delivered a very interesting sermon. I was pretty impressed.
So, anyway, tomorrow we're back up to the ministry to do more painting/decorating...
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Job Training
First of all, I just want to say that maybe after things are quite so hectic with the campus ministry I will be able to convince my husband to write something on here....maybe (I make no promises...even after a snide comment he still hasn't...).
I had training today for my position at Colerain. This is definitely not going to be an easy job. I will have kids in my class every period (with the exception of my lunch period and my planning...which are technically one period, just split into two halves). I'll be working with another guy, who thankfully did this last year, so he knows the ropes and all that stuff. For the most part we'll be teaching reading and math, but the interesting thing about it is that the school stuggled the most on Ohio testing in the areas of social studies and science (which I'm not really surprised, I think that's actually pretty common). So, what that means is that for some of these kids, in tutoring them to read, I will also have to work in social studies and science stuff to help them pass their OGT (Ohio Graduation Test) and OAT (Ohio Achievement Test--this is the one that affects the school's national standing--think No Child Left Behind). I'm pretty excited about that (the social studies part).
So, I'm feeling a lot better about this job. I'd still like to have a real teaching job, but this I think is as close to a real teaching job as you can get without actually having one.
I had training today for my position at Colerain. This is definitely not going to be an easy job. I will have kids in my class every period (with the exception of my lunch period and my planning...which are technically one period, just split into two halves). I'll be working with another guy, who thankfully did this last year, so he knows the ropes and all that stuff. For the most part we'll be teaching reading and math, but the interesting thing about it is that the school stuggled the most on Ohio testing in the areas of social studies and science (which I'm not really surprised, I think that's actually pretty common). So, what that means is that for some of these kids, in tutoring them to read, I will also have to work in social studies and science stuff to help them pass their OGT (Ohio Graduation Test) and OAT (Ohio Achievement Test--this is the one that affects the school's national standing--think No Child Left Behind). I'm pretty excited about that (the social studies part).
So, I'm feeling a lot better about this job. I'd still like to have a real teaching job, but this I think is as close to a real teaching job as you can get without actually having one.
Friday, August 10, 2007
2 Things
First of all, I am now officially an employee of Colerain Middle School. I kind of feel like I am a glorified substitute, but perhaps that will change when I actually go to the training and see what my job will be. I am an intervention tutor, and that's about all I know.
Secondly, as if I needed any more reasons to hate and be terrified of snakes, this will do it. CREEPY!!!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20212558?GT1=10252
Secondly, as if I needed any more reasons to hate and be terrified of snakes, this will do it. CREEPY!!!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20212558?GT1=10252
Thursday, August 9, 2007
A new job!!!
Well, I did get the secondary tutor position. I have to go in for training...whatever that means...next Wednesday. It doesn't pay nearly as well as a teacher's salary, and there are no benefits, but it pays a whole lot more than I could make as a sub or working at Bible Bowl. Now, I'll just have to figure out what to do during Christmas Break, fall & summer breaks, etc., since I won't be getting paid then (since I'm paid hourly).
I'll fill in more when I know more about what I'm doing. But hey, I've got a job in a school now!!!
I'll fill in more when I know more about what I'm doing. But hey, I've got a job in a school now!!!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Job Interview
I had a job interview today for a "secondary tutor" position at a local school system. I went into it not really knowing what to expect since the lady who called me didn't really know what the job required either. Basically the job would require me to work with smaller groups of students (5-ish) who are struggling--usually in math or reading. Now...since I'm not licensed to teach either of those subjects, tutoring someone, particularly in math, could be interesting. But I'm up for the challenge.
The didn't offer the job to me, but I get the impression they're still interviewing. So...we'll see.
In other news, a junior high social studies teaching position has been posted in one of the school districts I really want to work it. So, I applied for it. I think I'm gonna call them tomorrow and express more interest and perhaps see if they know when they will start interviewing. I'd really love to actually have a teaching job. But I really just want a job.
Pray for me if you would. Specifically for the teaching job, but really for either job at this point. Thanks!
The didn't offer the job to me, but I get the impression they're still interviewing. So...we'll see.
In other news, a junior high social studies teaching position has been posted in one of the school districts I really want to work it. So, I applied for it. I think I'm gonna call them tomorrow and express more interest and perhaps see if they know when they will start interviewing. I'd really love to actually have a teaching job. But I really just want a job.
Pray for me if you would. Specifically for the teaching job, but really for either job at this point. Thanks!
Monday, August 6, 2007
And I complain about headaches...
There's really not a whole lot to say about this story, I can honestly say it left shaking my head and thinking "wow..." Seriously, 55 years??? That's crazy. Anyway, here it is for your reading pleasure :)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20145219/?GT1=10252
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20145219/?GT1=10252
Friday, August 3, 2007
The Hiccups
I despise the hiccups. They're always really funny at first. Even the person who has them can't help but laugh at the ridiculous sounds coming out. But after a while, they really get annoying. Fortunately for most people this strange affliction only lasts a few moments. As time stretches on, people start to look for those ridiculous cures; you know, drinking from the opposite side of the glass, eating a spoonful of peanut butter or brown sugar, being frightened, holding your breath, etc. What's fascinating (and infuriating) is that no one, not even doctors, really know how to cure them.
In fact, there have been some very extreme cases. See:
http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/long44.html
So...why am I sharing this? Last night, after Eric and I finished watching "The Illusionist" with Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, and Paul Giamatti (interesting movie by the way), I started to hiccup. And, as I said before, at first these are amusing. I don't get them very often, and typically when I do they don't last too long. Unfortunately for me, last night they did. I swear I must have had them for an hour. And they weren't the little annoying hiccups. They were the deep, almost painful ones. Eric, mind you, is still laughing because he said they were the strangest sounding hiccups. Do you have any idea how hard it is to perform ordinary routine activities with the hiccups. I tried to brush my teeth--almost squeezed a huge glop of toothpaste into the sink because my hand jerked when I went to put it on the toothbrush. Needless to say, it was one of the most frustrating hours of my life.
Eventually, I was able to hold my breath and try to force myself to hiccup. Praise the Lord that worked because I was gonna have to start going to extremes to cure them.
In fact, there have been some very extreme cases. See:
http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/long44.html
So...why am I sharing this? Last night, after Eric and I finished watching "The Illusionist" with Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, and Paul Giamatti (interesting movie by the way), I started to hiccup. And, as I said before, at first these are amusing. I don't get them very often, and typically when I do they don't last too long. Unfortunately for me, last night they did. I swear I must have had them for an hour. And they weren't the little annoying hiccups. They were the deep, almost painful ones. Eric, mind you, is still laughing because he said they were the strangest sounding hiccups. Do you have any idea how hard it is to perform ordinary routine activities with the hiccups. I tried to brush my teeth--almost squeezed a huge glop of toothpaste into the sink because my hand jerked when I went to put it on the toothbrush. Needless to say, it was one of the most frustrating hours of my life.
Eventually, I was able to hold my breath and try to force myself to hiccup. Praise the Lord that worked because I was gonna have to start going to extremes to cure them.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Long Day...
I had every intention of posting some pictures on here of our dog and our apartment. But, when I went to take pictures, our camera decided not to work. I think it's probably just that it needs batteries or something, but regardless I can't post pictures that I don't have, and I can't take pictures if the camera doesn't want to work.
In other news...I have a job interview on Tuesday. It's not actually for a teaching position. But, it is pretty much full time at a school, and I'll be working with students. I'm not sure totally what to expect, but I know that the position title is "Secondary Tutor." So, I figure I'll go in and hear what the job will be like, and figure things out from there if they ask me to take the position.
Unfortunately, I did not get the worship ministry position at our church, but I'm not too bummed about it. The minister, Andy, had some really encouraging things to say to me. And he definitely wants me to be very, very involved in worship ministry. But rather than me being the main worship leader, he wants to pursue other candidates, and then ideally he would like whoever gets the job to kind of mentor me and help me grow into a good worship minister. So that's pretty awesome. I'm excited.
But for now, I think I'm gonna go drink my husband's homemade smoothy (Strawberry/banana/raspberry...mmmm), and perhaps watch a movie. Maybe a little Harry Potter 1, the Illusionist, or some other random movie that I can't remember the name of. Peace out!
In other news...I have a job interview on Tuesday. It's not actually for a teaching position. But, it is pretty much full time at a school, and I'll be working with students. I'm not sure totally what to expect, but I know that the position title is "Secondary Tutor." So, I figure I'll go in and hear what the job will be like, and figure things out from there if they ask me to take the position.
Unfortunately, I did not get the worship ministry position at our church, but I'm not too bummed about it. The minister, Andy, had some really encouraging things to say to me. And he definitely wants me to be very, very involved in worship ministry. But rather than me being the main worship leader, he wants to pursue other candidates, and then ideally he would like whoever gets the job to kind of mentor me and help me grow into a good worship minister. So that's pretty awesome. I'm excited.
But for now, I think I'm gonna go drink my husband's homemade smoothy (Strawberry/banana/raspberry...mmmm), and perhaps watch a movie. Maybe a little Harry Potter 1, the Illusionist, or some other random movie that I can't remember the name of. Peace out!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Finally
After much prodding on the part of friends and family, Eric and I have finally decided to get a blog up and running. So, I will try in this first entry to catch everyone up on where we are and what we are doing now.
Eric moved up to Cincinnati in May to finally start at a ministry--something he actually went to college for. He is currently a campus minister at Miami University in Oxford, OH. (See www.radiusmiami.com for that website) He really enjoys what he does, which is in stark contrast to the drudgery of the food service business he toiled at for so long. Now he spends his time reading books, working on sermons, trying to figure out how to reach the brainiac students that come to the "Harvard of the Midwest" as some like to call Miami, and preparing for the freshman move in date on Aug 16. (As a side note, anyone that lives in the Cincinnati area and would be free to help, we'd greatly appreciate it.)
I (Kerri) just graduated with my Masters of Education from Milligan College (TN) and moved back in with my husband on the 20th. We're glad that's over with. As of now, I still do not have a teaching job lined up for this fall. Hopefully, one will come very soon. If not, then I will be working at National Bible Bowl (where I worked all through undergrad) and substitute teaching at local schools to try and get my foot in the door.
We just got an addition to the family- no, no babies yet- a beautiful German Shepherd/Sheltie mix named Sadie. My parents bought her for us as a graduation present. She's amazing. One and a half, house broken, very calm (although quite playful too), etc. We love her.
Other than that, I can't think of much else to say. Hopefully between Eric and I we can update this on a semi-regular basis to keep everyone informed!
Eric moved up to Cincinnati in May to finally start at a ministry--something he actually went to college for. He is currently a campus minister at Miami University in Oxford, OH. (See www.radiusmiami.com for that website) He really enjoys what he does, which is in stark contrast to the drudgery of the food service business he toiled at for so long. Now he spends his time reading books, working on sermons, trying to figure out how to reach the brainiac students that come to the "Harvard of the Midwest" as some like to call Miami, and preparing for the freshman move in date on Aug 16. (As a side note, anyone that lives in the Cincinnati area and would be free to help, we'd greatly appreciate it.)
I (Kerri) just graduated with my Masters of Education from Milligan College (TN) and moved back in with my husband on the 20th. We're glad that's over with. As of now, I still do not have a teaching job lined up for this fall. Hopefully, one will come very soon. If not, then I will be working at National Bible Bowl (where I worked all through undergrad) and substitute teaching at local schools to try and get my foot in the door.
We just got an addition to the family- no, no babies yet- a beautiful German Shepherd/Sheltie mix named Sadie. My parents bought her for us as a graduation present. She's amazing. One and a half, house broken, very calm (although quite playful too), etc. We love her.
Other than that, I can't think of much else to say. Hopefully between Eric and I we can update this on a semi-regular basis to keep everyone informed!
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