Finally We're Home!

604 Chalmers has never felt so good! This week has been crazy busy, but we are finally home and slowwwwwly getting settled into regular life. We had a great summer, got to do so many things we have never experienced before, got to talk to eachother and dream together, and learned so much about ministry and kids, and what we love to do!

But we're so glad to be home too! Taking a bath in my own bathtub, going to the grocery store, making your own breakfast (or at least having your husband make it for you!) and doing laundry feel so strangely good when you haven't done them in three months.

So we're home! We're home! We're home! Yay!

We look pretty happy about something, don't we???!?!!

A few weekends ago, we got the opportunity to go to Unity Fest in Muskegon with a teen staffer of ours and a resident kid, too! We had a blast!

Melanie and I getting ready for Third Day...I love this girl...and here's the reason!
Melanie will do anything for a middle school girl...She loves them and it shows! Here she is on the human blow-up rubber band game that Michaela just HAD to go on...

And here we are after...

Here's Jason and I relaxing on the lawn, just sitting, eating, and people-watching, while we waited for the next act. It was either Resurrection Band, Phil Keaggy, Big Daddy Weave, or THIRD DAY!! It was a pretty awesome day and was a blast of a summer for sure!

No pictures this week either...

I'm having a hard time taking pictures this week. So there are none to add...plus I'm not on my laptop, so even if there were, there's none on this computer. That's okay though.

I took the job at Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary School. I'll be in room 10 with 5 kids with autism, all age 6-10. So fun! I'm pumped! I even went to the teacher store and bought some brightly colored kiddo posters and stuff. Yay!

I'm almost finished here at Maranatha. It's kind of strange, and kind of exciting all at once. I feel like this summer has been so long and so quick at the same time. I think Jason and I both have grown as leaders, and as people, and I'm excited to get back to a routine and see how our lives change when we return to the "real world" of Flint, MI.

So yeah. Hope all is well. I'm getting ready to go drink coffee with an old friend from high school, so that should be fun. I'll probably drink traverse city cherry coffee with splenda and cream. Yummy.

See ya!

School

So this blog isn't about Maranatha and it isn't about posting pictures. It's about prayer and changing jobs.

I think I'm going to take this new job at GISD, at an outcenter for elementary students with autism. We've been praying about it all week, and making lists of pros and cons and I think it will be a good thing for me. It's a little longer day, but a little more money. It's in a general ed school, which I love, and has a good principal who I'm going to try to meet on Monday...or at least some of the staff there maybe.

It's mostly just hard to think about change. I have a really hard time with that. And knowing to trust God through decisions that are not necessarily easy...because it's not that I don't like my job at the Learning Center with the high schoolers...I'm just feeling this tug towards this school in Flint.

So if you could just say a prayer for wisdom and for peace for me, that would rock. And I would love you all forever.

I have to make the decision by Monday...but I think I already know what I'm going to do.

Coast Guard Festival

This last weekend was the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, which is the cutest little town about 15 minutes from us. We went on Saturday night to walk around, shop a little, people-watch, and see the fireworks!Thursday night at midnight, the city opens up the lawn for people to duck-tape blankets around for the fireworks on Saturday night. Is that ridiculous or what? Needless to say, we didn't have a duck-taped area, so we found a little spot kind of behind a tree to sit and watch. We met this cute couple near us, who let us borrow their blanket and asked us cute questions about being married.

The channel (I don't really know if that's what it's called, but oh well) was FILLED with boats all connected together "saving" their spot on the water for the fireworks. What a funny site to see!

It was a fun night--and we bought a new game called SET. It's really fun and we can't wait to teach all our friends at home to play!

It seems weird that I'll be coming home in two weeks! I can't believe that! But I'm excited to get back to real life and regular routine!
Today's drink of the day is coffee from Stu and Stacy Wininger's big day...Made especially by Mike Thibodeau, sweeted with Splenda and millk my husband had to go to Rite Aid to buy! :)

Week Six Fun!!

This week was a full week! It was a blast--and the large amount of kids always gives the week more energy!! Saturday was our anniversary and we traveled to Grand Rapids to eat at our favorite, Macaroni Grill. Five years! I can't believe it's been that long, but also can't believe I ever lived without Jason...So funny to be married. Jason commented the other day that we've been married longer than I was in college. This is so funny to me!


So anyway--our Staff Appreciation Dinner was that night too...at 11:00pm! It was on the pool deck and was all decorated fancy-like. It was a fun evening...and so nice of them to give us an anniversary party! :) That's what it seemed like anyway!




On Thursday nights we have a bonfire on the beach with worship and a talk, and s'mores and fun! Jason's been doing worship this week since Tyler's gone, and he's been doing great, but I also got some great pictures of him speaking on the beach. The sunsets here at Maranatha are definitely a sight to see!! Every day is a new beautiful surprise, and it never gets old!