A few end-of-summer reflections

As summer's end approaches, it's funny to think that back at the beginning of this summer, we were dealing with a lot of uncertainty--I was looking for a new job, we had no travel plans (other than Katie's graduation in May), and we were in a holding pattern as far as making any major decisions while we waited to see if I found a new job. Miraculously, by the end of May, I had a new job offer, my previous job had been renewed unexpectedly, and we were able to move on with things, almost as though the previous two or three months of worrying hadn't even happened. Now, I'm one week away from going back to work in the job I've had since we've lived in BG (and I even made some extra money working part time for another language school over the summer!). Whenever I look back at my life with Mark, I'm amazed at God's provision. Things don't always work out the way we hope or expected, but we are also often pleasantly surprised (as was the case with my job situation recently.). When we look ahead to next year, expecting Mark's graduation and praying for him to find a good job, it's important for me to keep everything in perspective! I'm also determined to make the most of what could be our last year in this area. I hope to enjoy my job, my friends, and our small-town life to the fullest!

St. Louis (June)

Back in June, we joined Mark's family in Missouri for the annual visit at Bunker Hill (followed by a couple of days in Arkansas). On our way, we stopped for the night in St. Louis. Since I had expressed interest in seeing the arch up close, Mark planned for us to ride up in the arch and take a river cruise while we were there this year. It was a bit stressful because we arranged to do these things on the same day that we drove in, and our timing was not perfect. We also had serious difficulties finding the right parking structure and navigating the streets downtown, which were under construction. In the end, though, we had time to do both of our pre-scheduled (and pre-paid) activities, and I had a blast. First, we went into the arch visitor center, waited in line for a bit, walked through a display area about the history and design of the arch, then lined up to get in the little elevator system that takes people up to the top.

Our elevator door.

The elevators are like little oval pods that go up. They cram up to five people inside! Notice how Mark's head is tucked right against the side...things were a bit tight in there.

Us inside the elevator pod.

 At the top, it was a zoo of people in another pretty tiny area. It could have been worse, but it definitely wasn't a place we wanted to just hang around forever. So we looked out the windows on both sides, took a few pics, and rode back down (plus, we didn't want to miss our departure for the river cruise).

Various views of St. Louis from the top of the arch.

A bit blurry, but that's us at the top.

Next, it was off to the boats! Mark had taken a similar cruise as a kid, but it was all brand new to me. It was really interesting hearing about the landmarks on either side and a bit of history of the area.  

To take a break from the heat, we moved to the air-conditioned inside area.

Since we had been so rushed on our way to the arch, we took our time (and a few pics) as we walked back to the car. There's really no way for these photos to capture just how big that arch looks when you're standing right there next to it!

I'm not sure if we'll ever do it again, but I'm so glad that we finally made the time to explore this area a bit more closely. It's certainly a different experience than just driving by!

Pittsburgh Trip

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, one of our recent trips was to Pittsburgh, PA to connect with my Grandma and sister who were there with my Great Uncle Jim to visit Great Uncle Bill and Aunt Grace (and their family). Julie and Grandma started their adventure in New Jersey, to see my cousin Nikki graduate from high school. (If you read Julie's blog, she's already written about the trip there...incidentally, I forgot to pack my camera, so all the pics here are Julie's--thanks, sis!).

Mark and I were only there for two nights, but we packed in a few adventures in that time.

Before dinner at Uncle Bill and Aunt Grace's country club. 

After dinner, with more of Uncle Bill & Aunt Grace's family.

Overlooking downtown and the rivers. It was a beautiful day!

The street opposite that great view.

Uncle Bill, Aunt Grace, Uncle Jim, and Grandma. What a great pic!

The guys chatting on the river cruise--my first dinner cruise!

The ladies.

Another view from the cruise.

In addition to the meals and sight seeing, Julie, Mark, Grandma, and I did some shopping at the outlet mall, and various groups of us played Five Crowns to pass some time. It was a good opportunity for Mark and I to connect with part of the family that we don't get to see very often, and Pittsburgh was a beautiful city!

Summer Reading

One thing I have tried to do each summer for the last several years is read more (compared to what I find time for during the school year). Generally, I try to read a few books for professional development (and catch up to newsletters and such from TESOL, the professional organization I belong to). I also, of course, want to read for pleasure, which usually means fiction, though this summer I've read more non-fiction than in the past. I keep a list of books I'd like to read, and I request things regularly from the library. It seems that I often end up with piles of books under the coffee table--I have to be careful that I don't collect/request more than I can read! (I seem to enjoy the process of looking for and bringing home interesting books almost as much as I like reading them!). Lately, I've been wondering if I should also keep a list of books that I have finished reading, as one of my friends once mentioned doing. At least, I've decided to share here, in no particular order, a few that I've enjoyed so far this summer. I'm probably forgetting something interesting, so I may update the list if I think of something else to include.

Professional Development:

• Teaching Listening: Voices from the Field, Ed. Ashcraft & Tran 
• I have a couple of books about pronunciation checked out, but I haven't been reading them. Better pick up the slack before school starts!

Fiction:

• The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
• The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner
• An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
• Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende
• Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
• The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls
• The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall
• Eat Cake by Jeannie Ray

Non-Fiction:

• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
• Mark and Damon also read the copy I checked out from the library! 
• Politics According to the Bible by Wayne Grudem 
• This one's hefty--I haven't finished it yet, but so far it's been very thought provoking, even when I don't agree with the author.
• VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health by Mark Bittman
• Although I don't really plan to follow the diet, I am intriegued by the idea of a middle ground between a carnivorous and a vegetarian/vegan diet. It seems important to focus also on less processed food and more fruits and veggies, as well as possibly less meat and dairy. Perhaps I'll share more ideas on this theme for another post. 
• Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn't Cook from Scratch by Jennifer Reese
• Another interesting book about food--with much more personality than a standard cookbook.

Now...time to get back to reading a book!

This and That

It seems that my desire to present the summer in chronological order is seriously slowing down my updating. So I've decided not to worry about the timeline anymore and just post some stuff! I do intend to post some summaries of our June travels--a family trip with Mark's side to Missouri and Arkansas (I'm still waiting on some photos of that trip), and a trip with my side to Pennsylvania. Stay tuned.

Partly because of how much time we've spent on the road, it seems that this summer is just flying by. I've also been teaching part-time for a language school on campus (separate from the program I teach in during the academic year). I started as a substitute, just filling in for a morning or afternoon here or there, but for the last week and a half, I've been on their schedule for an afternoon class. I'm teaching beginners, which I've never done before, so it's been a fun challenge so far. We've got two full weeks left in this session.

Otherwise, I've been spending a lot of time reading, watching TV/movies, and thinking about food (trying new recipes, working on eating healthier, etc.). Mark and I have also been exercising together. I hope to post a bit more about some of these topics, too. But, as often happens, the day has passed, and I'd better log off for tonight. More to come! (Really!)

The First Month of Summer

I've done it again...let another month slip by without an update! It's a bit hard to believe that one month of the summer has gone by already, too. We've had some ups and downs this month, but I'll stick to the highlights here.

Most notably, we spent a couple of weeks in May travelling, first to ABQ for Mark's sister's graduation from high school, then in the Denver area to spend time with Damon and Diana. In ABQ, most of our activities revolved around the graduation festivities--honors assembly, party, graduation--but we also, as usual, indulged in all of our favorite foods. In addition to the usual (Dion's Weck's, Blake's, we discovered a new place that's now on our must-do list--Chile Rio. If you live in ABQ and haven't been, go--it's great! And, thanks again to Grandma for taking us there!).

We even made two trips to the mountains--we spent Mother's Day with Mark's family in the Jemez Mountains and, another day, took the tram up to Sandia Peak. Oh, how I miss the mountains! We also spent some time with my side of the family--I especially enjoyed an early b-day shopping trip with Grandma, and we were able to see the condo my sister was in the process of buying (now she's moving in--how exciting!). My Dad returned from Uganda a day or two after we got to ABQ, so I got to go with my mom to pick him up at the airport and greet the rest of the team. Even better, the missionaries we work with in Uganda, Reuben and Florence, were in ABQ too, so a big potluck for everyone who has been to Uganda was organized as well. I was so happy to be able to go and reconnect with the people I traveled with (and others!).

Here are a few pictures:

Group photo from the Uganda dinner.

Katie before her graduation party.

Katie's gift from  us--some "money soap"...could be $50 in there!

After graduation.

At Jemez Falls.

I think I told them to "do something cool"...

The men of the family.

Heidi, Hannah, and Zach when we stopped for fry bread.

At Sandia Peak--what a view!

Katie and I hiked over to the rock house, too!

Me and Grandma on Mom & Dad's back patio.

Mom & Julie.

The stained glass window Grandpa Mike made for us--amazing!

In Colorado, we enjoyed more mountains and beautiful scenery, as well as more relaxation. I love being back in ABQ, and it was a treat to be there in May rather than December (for the first time since we moved out to OH), but we are always super busy when we're there. So it was nice to have a few days to just hang out. It turns out that I basically only took pictures of some food there, but I'll only share this one:

One of the tastiest foods we tried--bacon peanut brittle.

Also since I last posted, two major issues in our life have been resolved: my contract at my current job was unexpectedly renewed, which is a huge blessing, and we finally sold our old car, which is such a relief! Not only am I thankful for those things, but I'm also trying to be more thankful on a day-to-day basis. I seem to struggle with getting bent out of shape when things (even relatively minor ones) don't go my way, and I want to cultivate an attitude that instead recognizes God's provision and acknowledges all I have to be thankful for, even in the midst of a struggle. We've got some family and friends who are going through some seriously difficult times, and I want to get better about not taking things for granted. I also want to find ways to offer my support and love to those around me who are working through challenges.

As for the rest of our summer, I know we'll do a bit more travelling, and I've got lots of ideas about what else should be done (reading, cleaning, cooking, etc.) I'll try to take note of some interesting things to post about as I go!

A room with a view

The semester is over, and we're finally having a nice stretch of spring weather--highs in the low 70s and sun in the sky. For the last few days, I've been really enjoying this beautiful view from our balcony: