New Life in CO

I would think that with my new found freedom of time, free from school, student teaching and portfolio, that I would have figured this blog thing out already. Like rule #1 - Post at least once a month, otherwise your news is outdated. But alas, I have yet to understand and abide by rule #1.  But I'm trying....that counts right? Anyways, life since moving to Colorado has been full of excitement. We have met so many gracious people from our new church family who have helped us tremendously! When we first moved they met us and the moving truck, by bringing meals the first few days, taking us around town and inviting us into their homes and lives. We have been very moved by their outpouring of love and joy that we are here; we couldn't be happier to be part of a church family that is so inviting to anyone that walks through the doors.

Since it has taken me so long to update our lives I'll try to recap for you all of the major happenings so far. After a great road trip from New Ulm, MN to Colorado Springs, CO three vehicles, five adults, five children(one in utero), and one dog arrived safely at our new house. We drove up to meet 9 men from FOL ready to unload the truck for us. It took us 1 1/2 days to load it but only took them about an hour to completely empty it. We were thrilled for their help. Then we walked into the kitchen to find the fridge, freezer, and the pantry stocked for us. We were absolutely floored by our welcome committee.
While my mom and our friends, Katrina and Phil and their family were still in town we were able to arrange most of the furniture, hang wall pictures, get the bedrooms settled and the kitchen ready for living in. Jason and I couldn't have moved in without all of their help, especially because I realized that the altitude made me very tired on top of being 13 weeks pregnant.

Installation Sunday was the next big day. It was great to met and greet all of the members at the cake reception following the service and also have them meet our friends and family that were able to be there. The day before Jason's mom and dad had flown in to be there for his installation which was a huge surprise considering that none of us knew they were coming. After an exciting morning we all went back home and were able to just relax before Katrina, Phil and their family had to start driving back home. The next day my mom and Jason's parents also headed home. Having everyone leave was bittersweet especially now that we're so far from our friends and family we were unsure how long it would be again before we saw them. But it was a great experience to have so many people with us who supported us in this huge new chapter of our lives, it made the transition much easier.

All of Our News

Life has been overwhelming lately...great, fabulous, awesome but overwhelming. Graduation week started off our whirlwind Christmas adventure. The night before graduation we had our rehearsal and we were told about any possible calls. Jason and I are extremely blessed to be given the opportunity to spread God's word in a new environment. The congregation at Fount of Life Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs called Jason to be the Staff Minister of Youth and Adult Discipleship. The Pastor wrote about Jason and I getting the call in his church blog if you want more details or want to check out our new church. http://www.fountoflife.com/great-news-weve-got-a-staff-minister

Between graduating, having a few family Christmas celebrations and gearing up for this change in our lives we've been trying to pack up our house. Even though we don't have much having minimal time to pack it in has presented some challenges but we have amazing friends and family members who have been a huge help to us. We begin our trek to Colorado next week with the help of my mom and friends who want to drive there with us and help us move in. Once we get there it will be non-stop moving with getting settled in our new place, getting acquainted with the area and meeting our new church family.

The day after we found out about the call I graduated…a day I thought would never come. My husband, all of our parents and some of my siblings were able to make the day truly amazing! And, I finally received my diploma in the mail, it is completely official now. The whole graduation day was jam packed with activities which included our first ultrasound and prenatal appointment. Jason and I are proud to announce that we’re expecting our first baby! Mom and baby have been very healthy and have been blessed with an easy pregnancy so far. We are about 12 weeks along, our little Spud is the size of a plum and our due date is July 12.

Our Spud at 10 weeks

With the gift of this growing new life, completing my studies and getting my degree, getting a call and getting the chance to move to Colorado AND being able to celebrate Christ’s birth with all of our families this Christmas season has been amazing. God has given us quite a few gifts this past year that have humbled us in His glory; we realize everyday how truly blessed we are!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Time Passes Quickly

I was sure it hadn't been that long since I updated our life....well I was wrong. Trying to start a blog as I started student teaching was just a bit over-my-head. At least it was a learning experience :) Student teaching has been busy with long days, short nights, lots of lesson planning, portfolio planning, graduation/call day anticipation, different children and schedules to learn, field trips to go on and Thanksgiving and Christmas to get ready for. On top of my hectic schedule Jason is working 3 jobs with an equally hectic schedule. Even with all of this craziness in our lives there is one thing we can be very grateful for, that our days at school are at the same place. We get to see each other periodically throughout the day and at lunch which is always a highlight!

With all of these things going on it is very hard to believe that graduation and call day are about 3 weeks away which puts my portfolio presentation in about 2 weeks. I need to pass my presentation as a requirement for graduation which puts more pressure on for assembling a great portfolio. I feel ready for the actually presentation because thankfully I know the professor who is reviewing my presentation, which makes the idea of talking about my knowledge of teaching and myself for 30 minutes that much easier.

Thankfulness

Wow, what can I be thankful for today? 'Today' is way too broad....what about this second? I can be thankful that God has given me the chance to teach, especially in the lives of His little lambs. I have completed my first week of student teaching...it was more challenging then I thought it would be BUT it was also more rewarding than I thought it would be. I get to experience first hand how caring teachers can help a child, I get to see first hand how vitally important family is, and most importantly I get to see first hand how faith is growing in their hearts.
What else can I be thankful for this second? My husband, he is the man God put on earth for me. He is God-fearing, a leader, supportive, caring, talented, loving, smart, thoughtful, Faithful, and encouraging. Student teaching is time consuming in such a way that I am not able to work but my amazing husband is shouldering the burden of working and being here for me. I have so many things to be thankful for in this second!

There is a time for everything

There certainly is a time for everything. The time for us now is blogging and student teaching. First off this is a new challenge for us to have a blog. We realized how useful a blog would be in sharing our lives with our family from miles away but neither of us have created much online except emailing - very different from a blog. The second thing is student teaching. I am privileged to be assigned to three amazing schools for my student teaching semester. I will get class experience with infants, pre-primary children and kindergartners before my final portfolio evaluation and finally graduation. I start tomorrow and the anticipation, nerves and excitement are continuing to grow every second. Will the children like me, will I be able to help them, will I be the type of teaching that can help them grow? All of these questions are rattling around my head but I am comforted because...'There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. He has made everything beautiful in its time' Ecclesiastes 3:1,11