Bittersweet Weekend

This weekend, Chris and I drove up to Seattle to spend the weekend with some dear friends of ours. We hot tubbed, built a bonfire, ate s'mores, wandered Pikes and the Seattle waterfront...and just basically had an awesome time! The weather couldn't have been more perfect! Also, I think we made it into a few tourist pictures :)

Are you starting to wonder where the "bitter" part of the weekend was? Well, it was partly the hole in our air mattress :) I woke up to a "whooshing" sound...I thought it was the air mattress, but it really was just the sprinklers. BUT, when we woke up, we were just a bit closer to the ground then when we started...it seems Chris and I are cursed when it comes to air mattresses. Although this was a sad event, there is an event that pulls at my heartstrings more.

As some of you know, our dear friend Nathan Danger joined the Army around Christmas time...He went through basic and has been back in the area. It has been SO good to have him around again! But, here in a little bit, Nate gets shipped out to serve his country. This weekend was our "see ya later" weekend with him....So, if any of you hear any news about the war, see a soldier, think about the Middle East - PLEASE take a minute to pray for our friend. Pray for his safety - physically, mentally, and spiritually. Pray that our Lord will use him in mighty ways while he is gone. Pray that he grows in the Lord.

So, Nate - we love you. Thank you for serving our country. We will be thinking about you and praying for you. We miss you. And we look forward to seeing you when you return. Love you man!

Too Much!! Too Much!!

So, I've been in training for the last few days. My brain is SCREAMING at me! Looking at data, analyzing the data, setting realistic goals based on the data...did I mention data?? My brain is ready for a break. Although, there were some things that really made me excited to start the school year. Which is good...because I haven't been too excited yet.

We did this really spiffy activity at one of my schools called True Colors. I'll post more on it later when I have the info in front of me. But it was REALLY interesting! Basically, there are five colors and everyone has parts of all of them, but some colors are WAY brighter than others. This activity was designed to help us figure out which color/s were more dominant in us and then how to work with the other colors! It was really fun and super interesting. Like I said, I'll post more on each color later...then maybe you can guess my color ranking..oohh....that would be fun :)

Ok. Now it's time for breakfast before I head off to more training! Hopefully there's not as much data today!! :)

Kiteboarding!

Today, on this beautiful Sunday, Chris and I rode the motorcycle down to Willow Grove. (a local beach on the Columbia River for those of you out of towners!) Chris' cousin Steve lent us a kiteboarding trainer! We were looking for some consistent wind - and we found it! It was the CRAZIEST thing! SOOOOOO much fun... It definitely gave my arms a workout. It was SO nuts how strong the pull of the kite was. There were a few times that I thought it was going to pull me right into the air! BUT - I only crashed it once! YAY!! Thank you Lord for an amazing Sunday worshipping you and enjoying your creation!

Tomorrow starts training for my new job...dum dum dum....

Here are some pics from our day with the kite! Sorry if the quality is poor...we only had our iPhone...

A Picture is Worth...

These are all pictures I've taken in the last year or so...

First Post!!

So, this begins my attempt at blogging! I don't know if I will be consistent or not...but I'm gonna give it a whirl! Be on the lookout for stories about my students this year, pictures I've taken, random stories, etc. My life right now consists of....being an AUNTIE! My little sister had a baby...Taylor Renee! She is completely adorable and a little snugglebug!

I'm also getting ready for my new job! I'll be working at 2 different schools helping students get to grade level. As with any new job, I'm a combination of nervous and excited! School starts in 2 weeks!! I am SO not ready. Ugh.

So here I am, enjoying the last few weeks of summer. This summer, I've learned to wakeboard, I've gotten TAN, I've met new people, I've played a plethora of fun games, I've learned how to play penochle, and I've become an auntie! Just to name a few things...

And away we go!!!!!!