It's a Blizzard out there!

Words can't describe what we see out our windows! I'll attempt to post pictures, but even then I don't know if anyone will really understand how much snow we have! I think I've lost track of the amount. From the huge storm that came in this weekend, the the weather warnings for blizzard like conditions now, I just don't know anymore. I know we have at least 3 feet, probably more. The snow was supposed to stop sometime today, but now the winds are picking up..20-30 mph winds with gusts up to 40+mph! I tried to let Porter out this morning to go to the bathroom and he would have nothing to do with it. School has been called off for the entire week. The gym is closed today, our bank, the doctor's office where Drew works has even closed today. We continue to praise God though for a home and heat that keeps us safe. The pictures are from Sunday. I'll try to get additional ones up, but I don't think I'll venture out to take any today!

Meet Alfred

My car died. You all know the one I'm talking about. My white Grand Am that my parents surprised me with when I was 16...it died. God answered our prayers though. Drew and I consistently prayed that it would last until he got through with school. It certainly did. We figured out that it was done on the day he graduated! We were blessed by a family to borrow their car to get home for Christmas and then we began the car search. After much searching, reading reviews, test driving and praying we, or shall I say Drew, finally came to a decision.

One Friday evening Drew called and say he'd be late coming home from work. When he finally arrived, he asked me if I wanted to take Porter out for a walk with him. When we did, he opened the front door and there set a new (well used, but new to us) car with a big red bow on it! I couldn't believe it! Drew surprised me by choosing one of the cars we were seriously looking at and putting it in front of our house. We were both very excited and praised God for now having a reliable car that was a great deal.

Alfred? you ask. Well, in the past few weeks of driving it, Drew views the car, with it's sleek black look, to be kind of like a butler or chauffer; therefore, he named him Alfred.

A 3 Month Update

So, I'm not doing quite as well keeping up with my blog as I originally planned. But, the start of a new year is on the horizon, so maybe things will change. This fall brought us many exciting adventures! September came and went and another school year brought new faces to my classroom, new hearts for me to love, and new challenges to be reached. My parents, uncle and great aunt came to visit me for my birthday and we spent the day touring the beautiful sites of D.C. The White House tour was my favorite. Drew continued with rotations, learning so much at each one. The leaves changed and October came. Along with a new month, came a surprise visit for me. One of my best friends from college and her husband (Beth and Zach) worked behind my back with Drew and flew out to surprise me for a long weekend visit! It was amazing! Shopping, visiting wineries, making dinners, hiking, make-overs, and more, the four of us just truly enjoyed our time together! A few weeks after the Middleton's visit, Drew and I moved into a new house! God has given us a beautiful little home for a while. Everything happened so fast, but our brother and some of our best friends came to our rescue and quickly came to be our moving crew! Two months later we are mostly settled. We feel so blessed to have this home and pray God uses it to open it to others. In November Drew began to coach basketball with a good friend, Chris. Chris kindly allowed Drew to assist him with the 8th Grade boys basketball team. Although it created a lot of stress at time, it also was a stress reliever for Drew as he was able to help kids learn a game that he loves so much. At the end of the month, we took a fast trip home to celebrate Thanksgiving wtih the family. December came with so much planned. Besides painting the new home, decorating, and Christmas shopping, we were preparing for Drew's graduation at towards the middle of the month! Drew passed his Packrat test, our families flew out, he graduated & earned the Outstanding Graduate Award, we celebrated with a party, our family and friends got snowed in our home with 2 feet of snow, our car broke down, God sent us an amazing family that helped us get home, and then we finally got back to IL after a 15+ hour drive! It was crazy, to say the least, but we can say that God has truly blessed us in many ways.

Back to school!

Well, school has officially begun! Like every year, this year will provide new challenges in my classroom as I have a wide variety of students! However, even though it's only been 8 days, I have already fallen in love with them! Although there are crazy days and the long hours devoted to planning, I still feel blessed to have a job where I hopefully am making a difference in students lives each day. I know I may not ever see if I have an impact on them, but all I can do is pray that God will use me to bless their lives in someway.

Summer Nights

Summer is coming to a close. Before the all the craziness of school starts for me and a new rotation begins for Drew, we decided to take Sunday evening and spend some quality time together. One of our favorite things that we like to do in the summer is play tennis. Drew is much better than I am, but I have to say, last night I had at least shown some improvement since the previous time we had played! As the sun was setting we put on our game faces and headed out in the Jeep to play a couple matches of tennis. Of course, Porter came along. He enjoyed himself so much as he had ample opportunities to retrieve tennis balls! After our game we headed to do another of our favorite summer events: eat ice cream! We enjoyed a cool treat and enjoyed the remainder of the evening. As I will head back to work tomorrow, I will miss the freedom of the simple, wonderful summer nights!

POLO

For over a month, Drew has been talking about attending a Polo match in a nearby city. So, to celebrate his birthday, this past weekend we rounded up some great friends, some coolers full of food, and went for an evening outing! We weren't sure what to expect, as none of us had ever attended such an event, but we were quite satisfied by the end of the evening. What a neat atmosphere it was: picnic blankets, food, people dressed up both young and old. Polo surprised me at what an intense game it can be. If we got the opportunity, I know we'd love to go again!

IRONMAN

I have always admired my husband’s strong will, determination, and vast amount of strength that he puts into almost everything he does. Well, last weekend, I was able to observe that in a physical setting, and to watch it was amazing.
Last weekend Drew and I traveled to Benton Harbor, MI so that he could participate in his first triathlon event: and Ironman 70.3. When we first arrived in Michigan, we met up with Jake and Deb. Drew and Jake attended Taylor University together, which made training for marathons, including the Boston Marathon, much more convenient and enjoyable. Now however, these two friends can only use phone calls to encourage one another and hold one another accountable to their training schedules. So how though, they did it.
The Ironman took place on Saturday morning. I tell you, my husband is not a morning person, but he sure was out of bed quick that morning! I don’t believe any of us slept due to how nervous and excited we were. Jake finally got Drew out of the door by 5:00 a.m. and they were off. The fan crew, Vic, Vicki, Jakes two brothers, Mr. and Mrs. Gates, Deb and I all met up with them a few hours later as we waited on the shore of Lake Michigan for them to complete the first leg of their race. It’s awesome to see how they challenge and encourage one another. The anticipation grew as they grew closer to the finish line and we could finally pick out which swimming cap they were (it wasn’t too hard, for they were one of the few ones that we not wearing wet suits). They ran out of the water and up to the transition station with smiles on their faces. As they prepared for the biking portion, we were able to catch a few words with them and could tell they were still nervous, but excited and also glad that first part was finished.
During the biking and running events, we drove our car around to encourage them and cheer them on. Shaking our cow bells, blowing our horns, making human tunnels and shouting with loud voices definitely made us the most enthusiastic cheering squad! Amazingly, 6 hours and 33 seconds later, they crossed the finish line! We were so proud of them!
Throughout the entire event, I was amazed at Drew’s strength and determination. As we processed the experience when we drove home the next day, he stated how it was hard, but he was so happy that he did it and that he didn’t quit, even at the moments that he really wanted to. He also commented how he couldn’t have completed the race without Jake and how it wouldn’t have been as much fun without him. With these conclusions, it led us to praising God for giving Drew the abilities to do something so challenging and for giving him the friend to experience it with.
Some might wonder… What’s up next for Drew? Well, I asked him that very question. His reply: “I want to now do a full Ironman, and I want to qualify for the event in Hawaii.” There is no doubt in my mind, that if God continues to bless him with a strong will and great determination, and a friend that challenges him, that someday he will do just that.