Grace Like Rain

Back to School!

2008-08-17T14:02:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I officially begin my career as a teacher. Yikes...

We had open house on Friday, and the question I was dreading all week long came from the very first mother who showed up in my room: "How long have you been teaching?" She asked me this as she got out a notebook to take notes!!! I had prepared an answer that was hopefully going to deter any further probing, but no, it did not work. So, she knows that I am a very new teacher and I think she is scared for her child. Other than that, the day was great! And, I was able to use my Spanish to comfort a few parents. I think I definitely earned points in their eyes, so that was a bonus.

Anyway, look forward to more reports from the front row!!!

The One Where We Got Married

2008-07-17T20:55:00.002-05:00

I know this is ridiculously out-of-date, but again, better late than never. It seems to be just a collection of milestones. Maybe I will try to do better?!?! I don't even know if anyone reads this anymore. Oh well, this is one of our wedding pictures, obviously. We have been married for two months now! Time is just whizzing by us. Okay, enough for now. Tal vez en un ano, voy a anadir mas a esta pagina del web.

Dia de la Independencia

2007-09-14T15:15:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, September 15th, is Costa Rica's independence day. Today at school, during our morning break, the little kids had a desfile (parade) and the adults walked in it too. Heath and I bought the wrong thing because they had run out of what we needed. We looked super cool.

Also, this morning, we experienced our first tremor of an earthquake. Heath didn't really notice it because of the construction at his house, but I was snoozing with my alarm clock and was certain that someone had come in and jumped on my bed. It was very cool.

Hope you are all doing well!

Buenos Tardes de Costa Rica!

2007-09-03T14:56:00.000-05:00

We are thoroughly enjoying the rainy season here in San Jose, Costa Rica. We arrived last Monday and have finished our orientation at the language school. We begin classes tomorrow morning at 7:30. We are looking forward to learning and studying here with our new friends and our Tican families. It is going well so far. We will keep you posted as things progress.

Speaking of things progressing...Heath proposed on Saturday night and we are engaged! Here is a picture for you to enjoy :)

Better Late than Never

2007-07-06T11:47:00.000-05:00

I realize this is late, but here is my graduation photo. Lots of exciting things going on here. Going to Costa Rica in August to attend Spanish language school. Be back in December. I will probably try to stay up to date with the blog because I won't have a phone for 4 months. Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

Wicked

2007-03-06T19:18:00.000-06:00

New York Baby!

2007-03-06T17:21:00.000-06:00

Violated Again

2007-02-28T21:11:00.000-06:00

My poor Black Beauty. She was violated again this past weekend while I was in New York. I got back to her on Monday night around 12:15 am. I went to charge my cell phone and noticed that my charger was gone. So was the face to my practically brand new CD player. Awesome. And my favorite brown sunglasses. Yes, those are gone too. And they made off with some Post-It notes as well. I mean seriously, who needs Post-Its besides me??? Absolutely ridiculous.

Pictures from the Big Apple to follow shortly...

Pictures

2007-02-08T18:55:00.000-06:00

Kenyan Scientist

2006-11-29T07:03:00.000-06:00

For my science methods class, we had to research a scientist of our choice, create a PowerPoint about him or her, create an integrated lesson plan, and then post it to the web. It isn't the most amazing website in the world, but hey, it's mine.

Check it out!

Wangari Maathai

And Some More...

2006-11-03T21:22:00.000-06:00

These are from today's Community School field trip to Shedd Aquarium. I haven't been there since I was in 5th grade. Fun times were had by all.

More Picture Updates

2006-11-03T21:11:00.000-06:00

I don't know what happened but I had to split all of these up...

Picture Updates

2006-11-03T20:51:00.000-06:00

The past month has been crazy! However, I am falling in love all over again, this time with 1st graders. Here are a few pictures of my 5th graders and my 1st graders, plus a few other randomly fun times.

Happy November!

Weekend Updates

2006-09-24T22:59:00.000-05:00

Well, it was an interesting weekend. I spent Friday night with Sammy and Emily and got to catch up with Wendy. I enjoyed an ultimate grilled cheese sandwich at Culver's and we baked some very yummy chocolate chip cookies at the house. On Saturday, we walked in the "Walk for Autism" Picnic at the Park. It was an interesting day to say the least. See photo below :)

Got to hang out with Abby and see her wedding plans. I am so pumped! It will be another spring/summer filled with weddings. There are already two set in stone; who knows what else might come up! See photo below :)

All in all, it was a fun weekend. Good food, good friends, good times. I am glad to be back though...I am starting to get into a routine here. Tomorrow, however, we will break the routine for a field trip downtown! We are taking the entire 5th grade to see Ant Bully at the IMAX at Navy Pier. How fun is that??!?! Then, on Wednesday, I am participating in an urban education panel discussion at ISU. They are actually asking each of us (3) to speak for 6 minutes about our preparations at ISU for teaching in an urban environment. I have no clue what I will say. I am sure it will be fine, though.

Then, next weekend, it is back to the homestead! Sunday is Ethan's 9th birthday and the next Saturday is Andrew's 1st birthday! I wish I could be there for both, but we all know that Andrew won't have any recollections of that day. Ethan, however, will. I need a creative gift for him...any suggestions? Being the nerd I am, I kind of wanted to get him a book or something educational. Is that corny? Anyway, there will be some great food, two soccer games, and a fabulous birthday party for a fantastic boy. I am so excited! Plus, I will finally be able to get some of my much-needed things from home. The week will be over before I know it!

Back in Business

2006-09-20T23:49:00.000-05:00

Almost...

A very nice man came to my house on Saturday morning and replaced my window. Supposedly, he vacuumed the millions of glass remnants from my seat and floor, but I keep finding more of it.

They are still in the process of finding/replacing my stereo. All in due time. I am not really in any hurry to have another one; I don't really want to go through this again.

My insurance folks have been incredibly nice to me. Ed, from Indiana, has called me several times to make sure I am doing okay. He also knows that I am student teaching right now and he has been randomly encouraging about it. He used to teach in Chicago and keeps telling me that it is worth it and to press on. How neat it is to have connections like that.

I ventured to a White Sox game tonight. My friend Maureen had extra tickets, so 4 of us took a drive and eventually hopped a fence and made it to U.S. Cellular Field(which is rather impressive if I do say so myself). I enjoyed a lot of peanuts, a delicious hot dog, and some expensive but delicious hot chocolate. It was FREEZING! I had on 5 shirts and was still cold. I guess it just adds to the experience.

I am heading back to the twin cities this weekend for adventures in babysitting Sammy. It will be a fun one! We are participating in a "Walk for Autism" deal. I hear there might be some good eats there :)

And break.

All of my peanut shells. I was obnoxious and stomped on them a whole bunch.

The crew: Maureen, Kristy, me, and Jayme

The Honeymoon is Over

2006-09-13T18:56:00.000-05:00

Well, the rain wasn't the only damper to my day...

But, on the bright side, I was asked to go to a conference next February for a panel discussion about the program I am in. The best part about this conference is that it is free...and it's in NEW YORK CITY!!!!

So, my day wasn't too bad after all.

ECSTATIC!

2006-09-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

We F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. have internet at our house. Praise the Lord. We have an excellent wireless signal and it is not bootlegged. Joe from Comcast saved us. I think we may have scared him a bit...

Anyway, this is one of the best days! I also got a power cord so I now have a printer too.

Hope everyone else is having as much fun as I am :)

Pictures

2006-09-09T16:40:00.000-05:00

The view from the L, winding into the loop.

My borrowed Cubs shirt

The Ladies of "The Millard" (the name we have given our house)

9 of the 12 Little Village Interns. This is my new "family" in Chicago.

Bulletin board with "I Am Poems"

Another bulletin board...

School Daze Revisited

2006-09-09T15:35:00.000-05:00

I just made an entire post and blogger lost it. Arrgghhh...

Well, we made it through our first week of student teaching. It was one long week, but it was a lot of fun too. Yesterday was the only day all week that I made it home before 4 pm. I walked in the door at 3, had a snack and put on comfy clothes, and by 4 I was fast asleep. I didn't wake up until after 10! I was so tired. I knew going into this that it would be hard and that the days would be long, but I had no idea I would be that exhausted. This is going to take some getting used to.

I can already tell that I am going to crave my Saturdays. I have already gotten so much accomplished today. Looking ahead at the calendar I can already tell this is going to be one crazy busy semester. I know it will be good and that the benefits will far outweigh the stress and anxiety, so I will just have to keep reminding myself that this is going to be great. Who am I kidding, it is already great!

Yesterday, I shared my first read aloud with my students. Seeing as it is the beginning of a new school year and the beginning of a lot of changes for all of us, my mentor teacher included, I decided to read Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess. It is one of my all time favorite books. My friend, Sarah, and I shared it with our fellow classmates at graduation four years ago. I wanted to encourage the kids and let them know that there are great things in store for all of us this year. I told them that I have faith in them that we will make it through the hang-ups and bang-ups and that we will make it out of the land of the Slump together. I hope they enjoyed it and that they heard at least part of the message hidden between the silly words and crazy pictures.

Wednesday night we went to the Cubs game. It was a lot of fun to hang out with the other interns for a while. There were nine of us altogether, plus some of the liaisons from ISU and the Little Village community center. By no means at all am I a sports enthusiast, but I don't really like the Cubs. Not that my cheering counts for anything, but my loyalty lies with the Cardinals. A friend of mine was worried that I wouldn't fit in with my roommates if I showed up in a Cardinals shirt or in anything but some form of Cubs attire. So, he loaded me a t-shirt and I succumbed. I wore it just so I wouldn't get the snot beat out of me by some of those defensive Cubs fans, including one of my roommates. We spent over two hours commuting to and from the game, but it was well worth it. We all had a great time, but it sure made getting up on Thursday morning very difficult.

Here are a few pictures from the week. Hope you enjoy!

School Daze

2006-09-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

Two down...lots more to go!

School started yesterday. What a whirlwind. I went at 7 am both days and stayed until 4 yesterday! I am still trying to find the best shoes for the job, which I have striked out twice now. I have blisters all over, but it's kind of exciting! I did my first lesson yesterday and it went fairly well, considering that one of my students speaks no English whatsoever and a few others know very little English. Today, a few of the boys in my class looked mortified when they found out I can speak some Spanish. It was a fun moment.

Tonight, ISU is treating us to a Cubs game! We are leaving here around 5:30 for the evening's festivities. I am so pumped. I don't really care too much about baseball, but if I had to pick sides, I would definitely choose the Cardinals. But, I have never experienced a game at Wrigley, so this will still be grand. I might even humor a friend of mine and wear a Cubs shirt he insisted that I wear. Our house is divided between the Sox and Cubs, so that makes for entertaining conversation as well.

I can't wait to get to know the kids in my class more. They are just adorable and so sweet. I hope that we can help our little monolingual friend to become more bilingual by the end of the year. Her name is Yessica. How fun is that!?!?

Okay, time to do homework. Will update soon.

I'm in Love

2006-08-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

It's official: I am obsessed with living in Chicago.

It has only been a few days, but I am already loving this. Our house is so much fun, we are moments from the L, my neighborhood is rich with culture, and there are just so many cool things to do around here.

I met my mentor teacher today and she is great. I got to help set-up the classroom, including labeling textbooks, making some bulletin boards, sorting library books, and covering bookshelves. Could it BE more exciting?!?!

We have class tomorrow and then we are off to the Mexican Fine Arts Museum in Pilsen. Friday will be spent getting the room ready as well. On Tuesday, I meet my students! There are 25 of them so far, and we might get more still as the week goes on.

Our landlord hasn't rigged up our wireless internet, nor do we have cable yet. However, my laptop made a sound earlier informing me that it detected an available wireless connection. God bless those who don't secure their internet so poor college students like us can bootleg it.

And to all, a good night!

Hit the Ground Running

2006-08-21T14:24:00.000-05:00

I am back from my trip to Haiti. Lucky for me, I got sick...not malaria, but a stupid ear/sinus infection. It is awesome. Waiting for some meds. Also, I was probably supposed to be in Chicago TODAY. Oops. Oh well, can't do anything about it now. I will probably go tomorrow, then drive back home, then go back on Thursday for good. It is getting a little crazy around here. I think they have forgotten that I don't live in the suburbs like everyone else and I can't just drop everything and take a quick drive over to the neighborhood. Again, nothing much I can do about that.

The trip was great. Tons of laughs. Tons of memories. Tons of beautiful children, two in particular that I really wanted to bring home with me. I will now share a few photos. I will try to get more later.

Out like Trout

2006-08-11T09:16:00.000-05:00

We depart for Miami in seven hours. For those of you who don't already know, I am going to Haiti for the next eight days. Nothing like cutting it close before moving to Chicago. We are leaving for STL at 11:30 and will stay the night in Miami. Then, we have a 7:30 am flight to Port-Au-Prince. With the new security measures, we will probably have to be there before 5 am. That's going to be a little painful! I think we will have a great time and hopefully do some great work. Please be praying for the seven of us going. Pray for safety as we travel, health while we stay, and opportunities to minister to the children and families of the churches and to our missionaries as well. Hope you have a great week!

Small Obsessions

2006-08-02T13:34:00.000-05:00

So in case you haven't noticed, I have this small, but obvious obsession with all things Africa. Last night, I got an email update from Relevant Magazine. The store was having a special sale for a new book entitled Hope in the Dark. It is a collection of photographs and reflections from this guy's consecutive trips to South Africa and Kenya. It has already shipped and I can't wait! Plus, I got an Africa t-shirt with the deal as well. Check out the book at www.hopeinthedark.com. Also, funds from the book and shirt go to support AIDS awareness in Africa. I was able to download a sample chapter from the book and the photos are just amazing. I just can't wait! I think it will be a great resource and it helps support a good cause at the same time. Make sure you check it out!

Vacation Pictures

2006-08-02T13:07:00.000-05:00

I just love these little guys. This was Andrew's first time to experience a swimming pool. He was a little skeptical at first, but really ended up liking it. Isaac mainly enjoyed walking around the pool and throwing all of his toys in for us to collect for him. However, we started practicing his counting and jumping skills. Austin loved floating in his tube and laying on the rafts. I couldn't get Ethan's pictures to post, but he and Chris tried lots of different stunts in the pool. Ethan also transformed to a small Middle Eastern child...his skin was ridiculously dark by the end of the week. We had a great time on vacation. Those boys are just too much fun!

Fancy Countdown Deal

2006-07-31T01:20:00.000-05:00

Get your own countdown at BlingyBlob.com

Okay, so I thought this was kind of fun. Crazy how time flies...

A Change Will Do You Good

2006-07-29T20:28:00.000-05:00

It's about time to mix things up.

Because I lacked the technical skills to edit my own links, I decided to switch to a template that already had them built in for me! It's about time...

Any suggestions?

Let the Sun Shine

2006-07-04T16:02:00.000-05:00

Family vacations rock.

I am sitting by the pool right now. The sun has finally shown herself for the day. It has been super overcast all day, but right now the sun is blazing and it feels great. There is also some country bumpkin band playing in the background for the resort's 4th of July festivities. One of their members sounds like a "screech owl" as Kim put it. She is reading in the pool right now and I am about to join her.

Again, family vacations rock.

Grand Entrance

2006-06-19T20:03:00.000-05:00

They are here. They are finally here. All six of them.

I met my parents and Grandma at church on Friday IMMEDIATELY following a lovely week at church camp. We hopped in the "Navy Naz" as Lacey and I call it and drove to St. Louis. We also took our van because of the awaited cargo. We got to the airport a little before 4 and waited for about 30 minutes to see all of them.

And there they were :)

Kelly toting Andrew in her arms, Chris carrying numerous bags while pushing Isaac in a stroller, and Ethan and Austin carrying their own little backpacks.

Ethan has lost several teeth, Austin is a whole hand now, Isaac jabbers in the cutest, squeakiest voice ever, and Andrew is one of the most adorable chunky babies I have ever seen. (Side note: He isn't really that chunky, but he does have a great double chin.) They are all sun-kissed and looking wonderful. I just love them so much.

I have some pictures, but most of them are on my phone and I haven't quite figured out how to transfer those to the computer. I think I have to buy an additional cable, and at this point in my checkbook, there will be no such purchases.

I will try to get some up here soon. I am too busy "working" and spending time with them.

One Down, One to Go

2006-06-10T22:15:00.000-05:00

I returned yesterday from a crazy week at camp. Kim did a fantastic job and the week was great. She was super organized and the theme was wonderful. There was rock wall climbing, swimming, very fun worship, a faculty hunt, memorable camp fire moments, and a baptism on Thursday. My family had some of the "trouble makers" in it, but they were still adorable. They tested my patience a few times, but mostly, they broke my heart with some of their stories. One of my favorites (I know we aren't supposed to have those, but get over it) was a little guy named Josh. He had the cutest raspy voice but seemed to be drawn to mischief like a moth to a flame. By the end of the week though, he was begging me to sit with him and to save him seats. Probably because I HAD to sit with him for behavior reasons the rest of the time. Still, we found out on Wednesday that he takes Ridilin and that his dad told him to leave it at home and his mom wanted him to take it. Long story short: it didn't make it to camp with him. He was really struggling without it so it was delivered to camp on Thursday. Such a cute kid. I nearly cried when he kept getting in trouble.

Aside from some of the craziness, we had a great week. The kids loved it (all but the 3 who left due to homesickness) and the faculty had a great time too.

I turn around and leave tomorrow for a week with the junior high kids. Our theme last week was "Treasure Island" and this week it is "Magnetic." Both are great themes. Great content and very integrated into the weeks.

In less than 6 days, I will meet not-so-little Andrew and be reunited with my family. I can't WAIT!!!

Pictures will follow shortly...

May, May, go away, bring June to us in ONE MORE DAY!

2006-05-30T22:26:00.000-05:00

Ahh...home at last. I am not completely unpacked, but quite frankly, there is no room for me here. I have accumulated so much cool stuff while living in an apartment that my stuff kind of consumes my bedroom and most of the basement. Ask my parents, they will agree.

I am getting ready to go on a retreat tomorrow. I am so excited about it. Not sure what to expect, but really excited. We are going to Eminence, MO to Discovery Ministries. There will be rock climbing (and not the LaMoine camp rock wall), rapelling, caving, and swimming. It shall be grand!

Another friend is getting married this weekend. I am going to a bridal bruncheon on Saturday, then the wedding is at 3. I have a graduation party to go to between 2-5, then there are lawn games and a dinner reception at 6 pm here in town. It will be a fun day.

I will also spend two weeks at LaMoine this summer. I am teaching for the first week and I am a bit nervous about that, but it should be fine. I might be recruiting a friend to help me. The second week won't have too much pressure, so that is nice.

After the second week of camp, I will be driving with my family to St. Louis to pick up the McMichael 1/2 dozen. We are all so excited. My grandma has been cleaning and making room for all of them at her house. We, on the other, tore apart our back room and bathroom last night and have stripped all of the wallpaper off the walls. It's a bit crazy in there, but hopefully it will be painted by the 16th.

Then, the next week I will celebrate another friend's wedding and marriage with a whole bunch of festivities, including a shower and bachelorette party on my birthday.

Fam Fest begins on the 25th and I think I am helping with worship for that. "Heroes Unmasked" is the theme and it promises to be great!

When that is over, July will be here and we will spend the first week in Branson doing nothing but swimming, boating, laying out, and eating. I can.not.wait.

So, pretty much, my summer is already half over. That schedule doesn't include my "jobs" for the summer, all of the birthdays we have coming up in my family, nor does it include my summer booklist or the preparations I need to make for my internship in Chicago. Man, oh man, it's going to be a good one!

*Quick update: The Honda is in fact broken. She has several problems, the biggest being the broken condensor or evaporator. The cost to fix the A/C is more than half of what the car is still worth in her old age of 13 years and 242,000+ miles. It's going to be one hot summer...

Hope you enjoy June! It will be here and gone before we know it!

The End Is Near

2006-04-27T14:04:00.000-05:00

Ahhh...only a few more things to do. Then I am out of here. Forever. No more ISU. Well, technically, I have another year, but it won't be spent here.

Let's recap:

-Printer died two weeks ago. Epson printers are not my friends. This is my 5th printer in 2 years. Apparently, there is a class action lawsuit being filed against them. I might get some cash out of that deal.
-Air conditioning in the Honda also died. I have no freon in my car. There are holes or cracks of some sort. Estimated cost to fix it: $839.40. Hmmm...I will be making another really hot drive to Quincy next weekend for the Nobis-Mitchell shindig.
-Computer crashed. Apparently my hard drive was corrupted. No idea what that means, but the good news is that my dad, the IT super hero, was able to recover everything. All of my documents, music, and most importantly, my pictures, have been backed up in at least 3 places now.
-Moving out is still up in the air. I need a moving truck. Anyone have any suggestions?
-Wedding season is upon us. I have some very busy weekend coming up.
-I only have a few more weeks with Sammy. We have been having a great week. Despite the fact that he had a really hard day at school yesterday, we had a blast last night. He is just so creative. I will really miss them, but it will be nice to have the summer off.
-Applying for a house in Chicago. Keep those fingers crossed.
-My brother is graduating from U of I on Mother's Day. I am so proud of him. I got to see him for a little while last weekend. He is so grown up...moving to Chicago, has a fancy-pants job. What a life.
-No final exams. Only a few more papers to go. Praise God.
-My family will be arriving from Nairobi on June 16th. WOO HOO!!!
-Another big wedding in June. Sarah and Nick are getting married on the 23rd.
-Church camps, rock climbing excursions, vacations, babysitting, learning to play Midnight Cheerios...so many fun things to look forward to!
-Meeting up with some other friends from Nairobi in July. Good times ahead.

That's about it. Looking forward to seeing some good friends very soon.

Been tagged?

2006-03-06T13:19:00.000-06:00

I am playing hooky. Well, actually, not playing, but taking advantage of a day off. I was attacked by the flu on Saturday night. I NEVER get the flu. Oh well, I didn't go to class today and I am not working either. So, instead I am watching Friends and cleaning everything in our apartment. However, I sat and took a break at the computer. While I was perusing blogs, I read Kim's most recent post of facts about herself. I then saw that she tagged some folks, my name included. I am not sure if I am the Erin she intended to tag, but I decided to respond anyway.

Four jobs I've had:
-Professional lawn mower (thank you Deby)
-Babysitter extraordinaire (I added the extraordinaire to make it sound fancy)
-Administrative Assistant
-LCC student rep

Four places I've lived:
-Quincy, IL
-Lincoln, IL
-Normal, IL
-Nairobi, Kenya (over 6 weeks counts, right?)

Four TV shows I love:
-Friends
-Smallville
-LOST
-Gilmore Girls

Four places I've vacationed:
-Branson, MO (John would be proud)
-Siesta Keys, FL
-Amboseli, Kenya (Ol Tukai Lodge for my 21st birthday safari soiree)
-Italy and Greece (technically, that was a "study tour" but I like to pretend it was a vacation too)

Four of my favorite dishes:
-My mom's macaroni and cheese; I just can't get it to be perfect like hers
-Shrimp
-Can cake be a dish? I say it is, so my grandma's cake
-The best chicken ever

Four places I'd rather be right now:
-I won't say working, but I would rather not be sick right now
-I will also copy Kim and say my hot tub
-Kenya
-On a warm beach with the sun as my blanket

Four sites I've visited today:
-Google
-MSN (Academy Awards articles)
-Hotmail
-Blogs

People I'm tagging:
-Anyone who wants!

Okay, I need to go hit the laundry room. Not only is being sick a pain, but it is costing me valuable laundry money!

It's All or Nothing

2006-03-04T16:36:00.000-06:00

It's official. Come August, I will be a resident of Chicago's south side.

I have switched programs and will now do my year long PDS (Professional Development School) in Chicago. I am very, VERY excited to see what comes from this experience. God came through (as always). Everything fell into place at the right time. I have a place to live...actually, two options now. Housing was the only thing holding me back and now I have choices. It is going to be a great year, I can just feel it. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

2006-02-28T20:53:00.000-06:00

A little shadowy, but he is smiling!

2006-02-28T20:48:00.000-06:00

Flying on the whale, or as Sammy calls it, the prop-plane. I was very close to being stuck.

2006-02-28T20:45:00.000-06:00

Sammy and Emily @ the park on Friday...it was FREEZING. We thought it was super nice outside, but then the wind hit us...we had a good time though. Don't they have great smiles??!!

2006-02-28T20:40:00.000-06:00

Sammy's tap dance in his mom's shoes. He really wants to wear them to school...dad said NO.

This and That

2006-02-23T12:46:00.000-06:00

Haven't posted for a while...here are a few tidbits to catch everyone up.

-Spent the day in Chicago yesterday; enjoyed a 5 hour drive home...there was a major accident and all lanes on 55 were blocked. Took a detour and was a bit confused, but I made it just fine and felt quite grown up.
-In the midst of making some decisions right now; trying to trust God but be wise and practical at the same time. How do you balance that?
-Enjoying the YMCA; I have been inspired by Angie's and Ricki's workout stories. Perhaps I will share some of those someday. They include creepy staring guys and sorority girls.
-Really enjoying the light class load this semester. Come on, art in the el. ed. classroom?! I know it might be tough to jump back in again next fall, but this is just grand.
-Got a lot going on in the next few months. Trying to figure out some scheduling issues and that lovely 3 hour drive back to Quincy.
-Summer plans are well under way; some may have to be altered, but we'll see.
-Completely addicted to the show LOST right now. My roommate and I have almost polished off the entire first season. You must know that we just started it on Sunday...
-Got a new job here babysitting for an infant. He is adorable. Quite the contrast from my time with Sammy. Don't get me wrong, Sammy is adorable, but the experiences are quite the extremes.
-Missing some long distant friends and family. Counting the days until the gap is smaller.
-God is good. God is faithful. Trying to lean on those truths.

Do you now feel caught up and in the know? Sorry it has been so long!

Overheard Part 2

2006-01-23T22:50:00.000-06:00

Because Sammy says some very funny stuff to me, I have started to write these things down while I am at his house so I don't forget his little "isms." We got home from school today and as he took off his sweatshirt, leaving just a white t-shirt, this is what he said:

"I'm an airbag. Because I have on a white shirt, I am an airbag. A driver's side airbag--exploding on you!" (Now picture him running across the room to "deploy" on me.)

While that moment was quite hilarious, our afternoon went downhill from there, but at least we started our day off with humor...

Overheard

2006-01-21T18:02:00.000-06:00

Sammy: Come on (grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the basement). We're going downstairs because she (referring to his sister) is talking too much. Make sure you close the door.

2006-01-20T13:23:00.000-06:00

The Christmas present-they had a Christmas night camping experience.

2006-01-20T13:21:00.000-06:00

Isaac has a miniature tent.

2006-01-20T13:20:00.000-06:00

Another snapshot

2006-01-20T13:18:00.000-06:00

Christmas pictures of the boys

2005-12-02T21:58:00.000-06:00

Andrew John starting to take on more McMichael characteristics. I just want to squeeze him! He is so adorable!

2005-12-02T21:57:00.000-06:00

Ethan and Andrew. Look how long Andrew is...he will be 2 months old on the 7th! Ethan turned 8 on October 1st.

2005-12-02T21:56:00.001-06:00

Isaac likes to help comfort little Andrew when he is crying. Kelly said he goes over to him, touches his head and says, "Enough, Aru, enough." I can just hear him saying that!

2005-12-02T21:56:00.000-06:00

So precious. Isaac is a big brother now!

Thought this was interesting...

2005-10-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

Your Birthdate: June 21

Being born on the 21st day of the month (3 energy) is likely to add a good bit of vitality to your life.
The energy of 3 allows you bounce back rapidly from setbacks, physical or mental.
There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, "couldn't care less" attitude.

You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression.
Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing.
You are energetic and always a good conversationalist.

You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too may superficial matters.
Your mind is practical and rational despite this tendency to jump about.
You are affectionate and loving, but very sensitive.
You are subject to rapid ups and downs.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

2005-10-26T19:39:00.000-05:00

Just so you can see what we did for Krista. Come on, that's pretty funny stuff, right? I am so happy she was chosen as an LCC poster child. This is one of my favorite pictures and she has it hanging up on her refrigerator.

2005-10-26T19:38:00.000-05:00

In the foyer at MPCC, there was a huge LCC 3-panel banner deal and this is none other than my lovely roommate, Tina. Jess and I took fun pictures like this last year with Krista, so I thought it was only appropriate for me to take one with Tina as well. Pretty fun stuff.

2005-10-26T19:37:00.000-05:00

Allea May, the cutest little girl ever. Okay, she wasn't so thrilled about taking this picture, but she has the biggest blue eyes and the best facial expressions.

2005-10-26T19:36:00.001-05:00

Tyler and I enjoying the game near some very angry OSU fans.

2005-10-26T19:36:00.000-05:00

Jennie and I after the game. She is such a soccer stud. She had an amazing assist in this game against Oklahoma State.

2005-10-26T19:35:00.000-05:00

Jennie is a superstar.

2005-10-26T19:34:00.000-05:00

Jess, the beautiful bride, and me

2005-10-26T19:33:00.000-05:00

Jessica and I at Kristy's reception.

Weddings, Mizzou, Sammy-isms, QHS, MPCC, PDS and LCC

2005-10-26T19:12:00.000-05:00

So, basically this is a hodge-podge of news, or various updates. In no particular order:

-Before I forget, Sammy has again told me some funny stuff. Today, we were quietly playing with some magnetic letters, you know, spelling words like motor, engine, bus, tape recorder, etc. Then, he started doing other things with the letters, like making "D" doors and "O" doors, and "U" doors...you get the picture. Then, he just stopped all of the sudden and said "No more. It's time for the INTERNET! Come on Erin, take me to the Internet. It is much faster and so much more efficient." I have no idea where this kid learned the word efficient. It was pretty funny how it just rolled right off of his tongue. Also, I have learned that Sammy has a major fear of inflatables. I have no idea why because he loves to pretend to deflate me or inflate me. That boy is just crazy. Apparently, during one of his community days with his class, they went to some Halloween store and there were inflatables hanging up around the whole place. He freaked out and wouldn't go near them and then was distracted for the rest of the day...seriously, inflatables? Who knew?!?

-I visited Lincoln today and got to touch base with lots of fun friends. First, I talked with a very dear friend, Lindsay, for the 30 minute drive to Lincoln. She, too, was in the car on her way home. She is such an encouragement to me. Then, I enjoyed a lovely little lunch at First Wok with Kim, Lacey and Lauren? I can't remember her name, but she is from Indy and is in their intensive class. Then, it was back to campus where I ran into a whole slew of fun people: Mama Sheri, MK, Mandy, the Chief (aka Nathan), Jordan (who made my favorite drink ever: a Snicker's frappe without the frappe, or as Nathan calls it, a liquified Snicker's bar), Noah, Jackaway, Tad Blacketer, Cindy, GT, and Doug. It is so nice to see those friends again! Then, on the way back to Bloomington, I took advantage of some free cell-to-cell minutes and talked with Shawna for about 15 minutes. We got to talk on Sunday night too for almost 45 minutes. I love that girl and miss her a lot, so being able to talk this much in three days was awesome!

-This past weekend was Octoberfest at QHS and the Missions Fair at MPCC. I attended both. I was able to see the parade on Saturday and enjoyed a great conversation with a girl I knew in high school. She is a few years old and has a kindergarten position in Rockwood, just outside of St. Louis. It was very encouraging and somewhat exciting! I also met her dog, Sammy, a HUGE Mastiff. He was awesome. I also attended the Missions Fair, representing my family in Kenya. It was a lot of fun. The new foyer/atrium is amazing and serves its purpose well. The Missions team was very creative and had this whole airport theme for the fair. There were close to 30 missions/ministries represented. It was great fun. I also got to speak in Junior Worship about Chris and Kelly, but my slideshow didn't work. I was majorly bummed out about that, but oh well. Some of the kids were able to see it at the fair.

-I have been to a lot of weddings lately. I just saw pictures from the latest, Kristy's wedding. She looked gorgeous and the pictures are super fun. Congratulations are in order.

-I went to Mizzou a few weeks ago to see Jennie tear up the field. She is one of the most amazing soccer players ever. I just love her to pieces. The road trip there and back was interesting to say the least, but no need for details.

-Now for the icing on the cake. I have recently made a rather large decision about my life. Well, I guess it isn't that huge, but in some ways, it is. I have decided to postpone my traditional student teaching in order to do a year-long Professional Development School (PDS). I had to pull myself out of my traditional placement and apply at the last minute for a position here in Normal or in Springfield. There were a few glitches in the system and I almost did not get accepted, but because of some persistence and some assertiveness, I am in! I just found out today that it is a done deal. Next semester I will now take 9 hours, the smallest load I have ever taken. I don't really know what I will do with all of my time...maybe read a bunch of books or do a lot of running. Who knows. I am really excited about this change though. I was really starting to dread this whole teaching thing...I even looked at med schools to apply to. But now, I have some renewed faith and excitement.

-Interstate 55 is OPEN! It is now three lanes and no longer do we have to go 55 mph at all times. What a glorious day!

-Maddisyn and I finally figured out that we go to the same church, Eastview. Not only is she from a Christian home, but she goes to the same church that I go to! Now that just might have God all over it. We have had a really great week together. She is really growing and doing really well with her reading and writing. I am so excited!

Okay, I think that might be a lot of updates to take in all at once. Pictures to come shortly!

2005-10-24T15:31:00.000-05:00

He has changed so much in just 2 weeks. I think he is absolutely beautiful, but I might be a bit biased. He has great coloring too!

2005-10-24T15:27:00.000-05:00

Another proud big brother. Aren't they adorable?

2005-10-24T15:26:00.000-05:00

Big brother Isaac. He is so proud of "Aru."

2005-10-24T15:10:00.000-05:00

I am pretty sure that we have this same picture of each of the boys.

2005-10-15T01:25:00.000-05:00

Kelly also had a couple of perfect roses in her yard. I just had so much fun taking pictures of flowers!

2005-10-15T01:24:00.001-05:00

They have this really cool tree in their yard. They call it the bottle-brush tree. Isn't it neat?

2005-10-15T01:24:00.000-05:00

We made Shrinky Dinks one day. Have you ever done that before? It is SO COOL. Seriously, you should give it a try. I was mesmerized. It is a modern-day phenomenon. I had a blast working on them!

2005-10-15T01:22:00.000-05:00

Ethan wasn't too impressed with the giraffes. He walked around a lot!

2005-10-15T01:21:00.001-05:00

My other favorite giraffe picture. Okay, so I have lots of favorites.

2005-10-15T01:21:00.000-05:00

Austin kept looking for food on the ground of the platform. He did a pretty good job of it.

2005-10-15T01:20:00.000-05:00

A little giraffe staying away from the commotion.

2005-10-15T01:19:00.002-05:00

We are friends as long as I have some food!

2005-10-15T01:19:00.001-05:00

See, they have some crazy long tongues.

2005-10-15T01:19:00.000-05:00

I was not a huge fan of their coarse, yet super slimy tongues. Some people put the food IN their mouths and then let the giraffes lick it out. It was DISGUSTING!

2005-10-15T01:18:00.000-05:00

YEAH! Feeding giraffes!

2005-10-15T01:17:00.001-05:00

A little lizard guy

2005-10-15T01:17:00.000-05:00

Kelly, Isaac and Austin. Ethan wasn't a huge fan of the giraffes, but Austin and Isaac had a blast!

2005-10-15T01:11:00.001-05:00

Finally, the giraffe center!

2005-10-15T01:11:00.000-05:00

Some warthogs

2005-10-15T01:10:00.001-05:00

A mulberry...I got to make some yummy mulberry muffins; they tasted just like Betty Crocker's blueberry muffins from a box.

2005-10-15T01:10:00.000-05:00

Prepping ourselves for the real-life giraffes to come...

2005-10-15T01:09:00.000-05:00

Flower #7 (looks like orange ribbon)

2005-10-15T01:08:00.001-05:00

Flower #6

2005-10-15T01:08:00.000-05:00

Flower #5 (kind of looks like Easy Mac)

2005-10-15T01:07:00.000-05:00

Flower #4

2005-10-15T01:06:00.002-05:00

Flower #3

2005-10-15T01:06:00.001-05:00

Flower #2

2005-10-15T01:06:00.000-05:00

Flower #1

2005-10-15T01:05:00.001-05:00

Isaac led the way

2005-10-15T01:05:00.000-05:00

The library. These facilities were really nice. That is Kelly standing by the steps. I stayed outside with the boys for a while walking around in a huge garden.

2005-10-15T01:03:00.000-05:00

Austin and Nathanael were playing with those plastics handcuffs one day and lost the key. They were stuck. Paul, little Isaac's dad, had to borrow some bobby pins from me to bust it open. It was fun to watch.

2005-10-15T01:02:00.000-05:00

I realize you might not be able to see this, but Isaac often went to bed, but then moved his pillow out to the hallway, sat on the floor, and just talked to us downstairs. We, unfortunately, had to ignore him. One night, though, I ran upstairs, turned the corner and this is what I almost stepped on. Priceless picture. Absolutely priceless.

2005-10-15T00:48:00.000-05:00

Ethan, Nathanael and Austin representing their variety of Tigger shirts.

2005-10-15T00:47:00.000-05:00

Me and my horse, Witch. Seriously, who wants to ride a horse with the name Witch? He/she was a bit finnicky. I have no idea how to spell that.

2005-10-15T00:46:00.000-05:00

Do I look like a pro or what?!?

2005-10-15T00:45:00.000-05:00

Erin, horse jockey, soldier, or ridiculous looking person with helmet on.

2005-10-15T00:43:00.001-05:00

Trevor Maxwell, the principal of WNS. I got to interview him for my Internet class. He is a swell guy with a clever little British accent.

2005-10-15T00:43:00.000-05:00

Josh and Josie. Two little kids adopted from Kenya and living with a family from the States. They are both in kindergarten and they are both precious.

2005-10-15T00:42:00.000-05:00

Sugar cookies with egg yolk paint. What a fun day!

2005-10-15T00:41:00.000-05:00

Ethan and I on the WNS bus; they came to pick all of us up every morning and then took us home before lunch. It was a pretty nice bus, too.

2005-10-15T00:40:00.000-05:00

Project #2: Mickey Mouse pancakes