Once a month, we young 20 somethings meet with a few of the ladies from church, known lovingly as our "mother group". For the last year or so I would assume, the group has been working through a book called Captivating. Each month the group studies a different chapter of the book.
After the meeting, I had a really nice chat with the lady hosting the the meeting. Somehow we got on the topic of heritage. It turns out that she is Dutch as well! She had all kinds of delftware-a tea set with windmills on them, tiles with people in Dutch costumes, and all kinds of other great Dutchness painted on them. We talked about Tulip Time, pig-in-the-blankets, and family members who spoke in Dutch. Then we moved into her office and started looking through a couple of her Dutch cookbooks. It was so nice to make this type of connection so far from home. God certainly works in mysterious ways!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
A Hot Cocoa Kind of Day
Winter wonderland-that's how one might describe the scene outside of our window. Yesterday afternoon a storm rolled through and dropped a bunch of rain that later turned to little white chunks of hail and finally snow flurries. Last night at after school the kids and I ran to the window and watched as our green and brown world begin to turn white. To be completely honest, I was kind of excited about the snow. This morning we opened the blinds and found a few inches covering everything in sight. The roads are a bit icy as well. Hence the reason Andy is out getting new tires on my car as I write.
In other news, we bought a new love seat!! A reclining one nonetheless! We are so excited!! We finally have somewhere to sit other than on our bed!! Monday night we stayed up quite late rearranging our room. We now have a "living room" space and a "bedroom" space. The place feels so open and inviting. Speaking of inviting, maybe we can finally invite people over because we can have them sit on something other than our bed (which would be pretty awkward)!
Last night we went bowling with our small group from church. Bowling alleys are not as plentiful here as they are in West Michigan. "The Back Bowl" is what one would describe as the 'country club of bowling alleys'. Not only is everything digital, each lane has a couple of couches surrounding a table where you can sit and enjoy a meal. Last night they had a special on burgers. Oh, and in addition to the very comfy seating, the bowling alley also has a nice restaurant in it complete with real china and cloth napkins. Another plus is that the place is smoke free! The only problem with the place is their prices-no 50 cent games here like we enjoyed in Hudsonville on Monday nights. We will definitely be visiting again in the coming months.
Well, I think that's all for now. Have a great week!!
Christine
In other news, we bought a new love seat!! A reclining one nonetheless! We are so excited!! We finally have somewhere to sit other than on our bed!! Monday night we stayed up quite late rearranging our room. We now have a "living room" space and a "bedroom" space. The place feels so open and inviting. Speaking of inviting, maybe we can finally invite people over because we can have them sit on something other than our bed (which would be pretty awkward)!
Last night we went bowling with our small group from church. Bowling alleys are not as plentiful here as they are in West Michigan. "The Back Bowl" is what one would describe as the 'country club of bowling alleys'. Not only is everything digital, each lane has a couple of couches surrounding a table where you can sit and enjoy a meal. Last night they had a special on burgers. Oh, and in addition to the very comfy seating, the bowling alley also has a nice restaurant in it complete with real china and cloth napkins. Another plus is that the place is smoke free! The only problem with the place is their prices-no 50 cent games here like we enjoyed in Hudsonville on Monday nights. We will definitely be visiting again in the coming months.
Well, I think that's all for now. Have a great week!!
Christine
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Classroom=Excitement
There is just something about being in a classroom that makes me feel all excited inside. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy my job as a PE teacher but it is not where my heart lies. It is a foot in the door and a source of great laughs and moments of joy but I still don't completely believe that it is the ultimate position for me. I have been blessed with the opportunity to volunteer a couple of mornings a week in the 1st/2nd grade classroom these last few weeks and I have really enjoyed getting to know the kids a bit better. I am also thrilled with the opportunity to teach excited minds the wonders of Mathematics and the components of the English language. I have also enjoyed partnering with them in their memorization of Bible verses such as I Corinthians 13. I am amazed by the capacity these kids have for memorizing scripture. I also think it is quite adorable when the recite their verses as a class and do all of their motions. I felt particularly invigorated though on Friday as I had the opportunity to sub all day in the third grade classroom. I loved it! Being in front of a classroom full of young minds makes me feel so alive! We had so much fun!(well that is after we got the pesky spelling and Latin tests out of the way) Yesterday was especially fun because we had a plant party in the morning. Each of the students brought a fruit or vegetable from home and shared it with the class. In other words we had a taste testing party! The afternoon was fun as well because after I took them to PE (yes, I doubled yesterday at times as the PE teacher as well) we came back and did math, my favorite subject. The kids were surprised to find out that PE was not my favorite subject and even more surprised when I told them I had never taught PE but had taught 3rd grade before. Someday maybe I will find my way into a classroom of my very own but until then I will take any little opportunity that comes along so long as I am working with kids.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
The things kids say...
Today one of my after school kids made an announcement that really just made me laugh. Here is the conversation that followed:
P: "I'm 4 now!"
C: "I know, that's great!"
P: "Guess what, I'm going to be a big sister!"
C: "Really??"
P: "Yeah, when I'm a little older!"
C: "Like when you are 5?"
P: "Yup!"
C: "Are you going to have a little sister or a little brother?"
P: "A little sister!"
C: "What is her name going to be?"
P: "I don't know, I haven't named her yet."
C: "What will you name her?"
P: "I will name her Watermelon!!"
C: "Watermelon?" (Trying really hard not to laugh)
P: "Yup, watermelon. Watermelon is really good. You spit the seeds out though, you don't swallow them."
P: "I'm 4 now!"
C: "I know, that's great!"
P: "Guess what, I'm going to be a big sister!"
C: "Really??"
P: "Yeah, when I'm a little older!"
C: "Like when you are 5?"
P: "Yup!"
C: "Are you going to have a little sister or a little brother?"
P: "A little sister!"
C: "What is her name going to be?"
P: "I don't know, I haven't named her yet."
C: "What will you name her?"
P: "I will name her Watermelon!!"
C: "Watermelon?" (Trying really hard not to laugh)
P: "Yup, watermelon. Watermelon is really good. You spit the seeds out though, you don't swallow them."
Sunday, October 12, 2008
October Sunshine and Snow
Andy, the sweet guy that he is, rearranged his work schedule this weekend so he could spend my birthday with me. I was so excited! Our original plan for the day was to go on a nice little hike up the mountain a bit. Rain, wind, and cold temps made us think twice about our idea and in the end we decided to go for a drive around Breckenridge instead. Andy had taken the drive a couple of weeks before and was sure that I would love the scenery. Unfortunately, due to thick, low clouds there wasn't much to see but snow. No problem, snow can be quite beautiful in its own right. After driving around in the snow for awhile we decided to stop for lunch a tiny little restaurant in a "blink and you'll miss it" town. We even played a round of pool while we were waiting for our food. Talk about a good time!! :) Later that afternoon we made our way back to Vail and together we prepared a delicious "birthday" cheesecake! Yum!! :)
This morning we woke up to snow of our very own. It was one thing to find snow at 11,000+ feet but another thing to find it outside of your bedroom window. I hope all of you in Michigan are enjoying your nice warm, sunny weather!! The snow is coming!! Enjoy the 80's while they last!! :)
Sadly, as beautiful as the snow can be it can also prove to be quite dangerous. There was a bad accident near the next exit to the east which lead to a 5+ hour traffic back up. On the way home from church I encountered the back up about 10 miles from the accident site. They were diverting traffic around the area but I was able to talk my way through the road block and after only 40 minutes of crawling on the freeway I was finally on my way. By the time I made it upstairs to our apartment though my curiosity had gotten the best of me so I convinced Andy to take a bike ride toward the accident site-about 4 miles up the road. Along the way we saw some magnificent sights! The trees were bright yellow, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, the creek was sparkling in the sunlight, and nothing can beat the sight of snow-capped mountains a few miles in the distance. After riding along the bike path for a few miles we finally came out to a point near the freeway where we saw a couple of truckers talking outside of their trucks. They were not sure what had happened to cause the accident but they had been sitting there on the freeway since 8am, about 5 hours! One of the guys we talked to laughed a bit at the irony of the situation--it seems he had chosen to take this somewhat longer route through Colorado to avoid the 2 feet of snow that had fallen in parts of Wyoming, shutting down the freeways there. What do you do??
Eventually the traffic cleared and we decided that despite the fact that our return route would be mostly downhill that it might be better to take the bus back to our part of town. It was cold out and we were riding into the wind--our hands were practically icicles!
What a great weekend! Great sights, fun memories, and beautiful pictures to remember it all by--who could ask for more??
**Check out the pictures below!! :)
This morning we woke up to snow of our very own. It was one thing to find snow at 11,000+ feet but another thing to find it outside of your bedroom window. I hope all of you in Michigan are enjoying your nice warm, sunny weather!! The snow is coming!! Enjoy the 80's while they last!! :)
Sadly, as beautiful as the snow can be it can also prove to be quite dangerous. There was a bad accident near the next exit to the east which lead to a 5+ hour traffic back up. On the way home from church I encountered the back up about 10 miles from the accident site. They were diverting traffic around the area but I was able to talk my way through the road block and after only 40 minutes of crawling on the freeway I was finally on my way. By the time I made it upstairs to our apartment though my curiosity had gotten the best of me so I convinced Andy to take a bike ride toward the accident site-about 4 miles up the road. Along the way we saw some magnificent sights! The trees were bright yellow, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, the creek was sparkling in the sunlight, and nothing can beat the sight of snow-capped mountains a few miles in the distance. After riding along the bike path for a few miles we finally came out to a point near the freeway where we saw a couple of truckers talking outside of their trucks. They were not sure what had happened to cause the accident but they had been sitting there on the freeway since 8am, about 5 hours! One of the guys we talked to laughed a bit at the irony of the situation--it seems he had chosen to take this somewhat longer route through Colorado to avoid the 2 feet of snow that had fallen in parts of Wyoming, shutting down the freeways there. What do you do??
Eventually the traffic cleared and we decided that despite the fact that our return route would be mostly downhill that it might be better to take the bus back to our part of town. It was cold out and we were riding into the wind--our hands were practically icicles!
What a great weekend! Great sights, fun memories, and beautiful pictures to remember it all by--who could ask for more??
**Check out the pictures below!! :)
The snow finally made its way onto our roof this morning. The light dusting was a bit of a surprise but quite beautiful all the same!
The leaves on the trees lining the road are absolutely beautiful and the blue sky acting as a backdrop is absolutely breathtaking!
Blue sky, yellow trees, and white, snow-capped mountains--we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful bike ride!
More beautiful scenery along the bike path!! :)
Andy really liked how the water in this creek seemed to sparkle in the sunshine!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
So Cute!!!
Kids are so cute when they are asleep. Normally we don't have nap time here in the after school program but thanks to a field trip four of my little ones are fast asleep! They are so cute!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)