Year One

Wow... what a year it has been! From a new life with my husband Adam to a new job this year has brought a lot of changes into my life. Adam and I spent a weekend away this past weekend and enjoyed slowing down together and simply enjoying each other's company. The most exciting part of the trip was realizing that I have reached a point in my life that I am completely comfortable with. Of course that means that a shake-up is probably on the way. God is good at making sure you are never comfortable for long. However, right now I am so grateful that God has given me a few months of solitude and comfort. I am so excited to see where this next year is going to bring!

Married Life

So after 9 months of marriage I am beginning to understand what it means to be a wife. I don't pretend to have it "all together" because I have about 70 more years to figure that out. (God willing.) :) What I do know is that it was not what I expected. Growing up marriage is made to be a fantasy. It is this great experience where everything is happy all the time. I feel like society has created a fantasy environment for girls to believe that their "prince" is coming. In my short-lived experience I now know that this is NOT the case. :-) Don't get me wrong. I love Adam to DEATH but I am not happy all the time. I feel like I was unprepared for the way marriage actually is. I was expecting this "perfect" guy that would know exactly what I needed and was there to serve my every waking desire. The crazy thing is, I never considered the fact that a guy would be searching for a girl to do the same thing. When these two get married there is a lot of chance for disappointment, because they are both expecting the same. Adam and I have done a lot of learning these past few months. We have learned how to love, have patience, take care of each other, but yet have our needs met. It has been a struggle. It has been tough. But we are learning how to love each other and bless each other. It has been a blessing!

No more religion!?

Ok. So I am going to admit something quite shocking here. :) I LOVE the news. I am always flipping from news channel to websites. I think it is all my dads fault. Whenever he was home there was always a news channel on. Normally the news brings sad news but today the headline at foxnews.com was actually depressing. It said that a national study found that we are less religious than ever. I know that we live in an area that is saturated with religion, but really??? Less religion than ever!? I can't believe not knowing that there is a reason for being here. I wonder what people think their lives are for!? When I read this article today I thought of all the people i have come into contact recently who are dealing with health issues. From a baby in the hospital only days old, to a high school senior who were blessed with a new heart, to the parents and families of these two. What are they supposed to hope in? The doctors? The medicine? I am so grateful to have a better hope than that. So, to all the news channels claiming there is no more religion left. You better come talk to the people in West Michigan. We may be a "minority" in the rest of the country, but we are here. And we have hope in something that is more powerful than anything on earth.

Its the little things...

So I was getting groceries today. A normal accurance in the afternoon on Thursdays. I kept running into this mom and her three kids. (We seemed to be heading up and down the aisles opposite each other.) On our third pass I heard the sweetest thing that confirmed my passion for being a teacher. The oldest child in the cart (who was probably in kindergarten) singing a little ditty that he knew. It was about rhyming words and how they sound the same. It was SO cute. His mom said, thats a fun song did you learn it at school. He proceeded to tell her about their rhyming lesson that day. It was such a conformation for me. Teaching 5 year olds, I sometimes wonder how much of a difference I am making. I know that the students "like" coming to school, but I want to feel like I am actually TEACHING them. Seeing this little boy tell his mom about what they learned made me realize that there are probably conversations like that happening all over after school is done. It was very encouraging. :)

Happy New Year!

Normally this is a time for resolutions and fake promises. This is the first year in while that I have not made a "resolution". Instead, I have been doing a lot of life-processing. I have been trying to figure out what it means to be a really supportive and loving wife, I have been trying to figure out how to be a great teacher, and I have been trying to keep myself sane... Phew... :) I am promising myself that this year will be about learning how to fill all these roles. I don't expect to have all the answers but I expect to embark on a mission of learning. I guess thats a resolution that I can't fail on. :)

Christmas

It is amazing to me how quickly a month can speed by. Adam and I had a fabulous Christmas together. It is funny to think that we have been together for 3 Christmases already.
We spent Christmas Eve with my family in Michigan enjoying fondue and family. We also played a "spirited" game of richer and poorer. Adam learned that if his financial state was based off this game... well... lets just say it wouldn't be good. :) On Christmas day we traveled to Ohio where we spent 3 days with Adam's extended family. While we were in Ohio we enjoyed our traditional bowling day in the most disgusting bowling alley in the world. (Seriously, it has become a fun tradition even if it is amazing it is still open.) We also we to Montgomery Inn in Montgomery Ohio. This place is famous for their ribs and let me tell you... they were GREAT! :)
From Ohio we took a mini trip to Indiana where we spent one non-planned night with Adam's friend Adam (confusing) in Batesville. We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and then back to his friends house to play Wii for a while. While in Indiana we stayed at his parents house... which is the most AMAZING home I have ever had the pleasure of sleeping in. We had a great time, but I was ready to come home for sure. All in all... Christmas was a whirl wind.

Dad's new sawhorses

Adam and his massage chair

Jenn by the tree

Opening gifts at Adam's grandparents house

Granny's Tree. Complete with a pickle. Seriously!

The whole crew in our annual picture

The aMaZiNg house we stayed in while in Batesville