No Internet

Well, I guess I won't be posting as much as I originally thought. We've opted not to add Internet at the new casa, and save the $40 a month it would have cost. Mainly, because we have access through the seminary and through my work. We can part with having Internet at home for the summer.

That said, I'll just check when I can. I'm not sure what that will look like, because I'd rather not fork out $5 at the coffee shop every day just to check e-mail and a few blogs. That would not be helpful to any growing addictions (to caffeine or computers). Maybe sometimes though. :)

Tuesdays are my self-designated "school days" this summer, so I'll get to check a little then. Some "school days" will be spent working from home though. I just spent a few hours working on an F&F unit, which is a term you may start to hear a lot if you hang out with me much. More about the program can be found here. If you lose touch with me next year, I'll blame it on that. J/K, but it is pretty involved. Hopefully, I can get ahead somewhat with summer Tuesdays carved out for school.

On that note, I'm ready to get back home! I'm digging the weather and more time with my husband and at home, among other things.

I'm currently reading a book by Mark Dever - The Gospel and Personal Evangelism. It's short and helpful. Go grab a copy today.

Wish I could talk more about the book, but I seriously need to get out of my classroom. It's stinkin' June! :)

Summer Refreshment for Weary Souls

Jesus Christ is the refreshing center of summer. He is preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:18), including vacations and picnics and softball and long walks and cookouts. He invites us in the summer: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This is serious summer refreshment.

Do we want it? That is the question. Christ gives himself to us in proportion to how much we want his refreshment. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 11:12). One of the reasons to give the Lord special attention in the summer is to say to him “We want all your refreshment. We really want it.”
(from John Piper)

(More from this article here.)

Things I'm Learning

* how to parallel park in tight spaces in 1-2 tries rather than a half dozen
* to wash dishes after EVERY meal... our new sink is really shallow... there's not much grace
* that I'm just like my kids at school - I wiggle, giggle, doodle, yawn and need to use the restroom during lectures (Don't worry; I'm listening.)
* Some weeks you just need lots of Dr. Pepper!
* calling an old friend out of the blue is a really fun thing to do with 30 minutes
* I need personal retreats.
* I need summers.
* churches almost always need SS teachers and nursery workers... get plugged in today
* Open mic night at the local coffee shop is really peculiar... ordinary people will get up and tell stories, read poems, and sing songs... even if no one is there besides the people who work there (and me at the computer)... must be therapeutic, but I don't think I'll try it. :)
* Decaf coffee tastes just like regular coffee. I didn't know that for a long time.
* to take time to read good books
* to consider carefully which people to invest in as you get plugged into a church, a job, a neighborhood, etc. It's better to think through this carefully than to try to be close friends with lots of people.

That's it. My random thoughts and poor grammar...
One more day of training to go! Maybe we'll post some pics of our new place soon!

Lately...

So, since I've written last,
-I finished up that last afternoon of wrapping things up for another school year
-We cleaned the old apartment and moved to the new one across town, with help from sweet friends
-We brought a livable amount of order to the living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, but there is much to be done
-We walked to church for the first time and even made some new friends on the way back home... U of L students from China who are brand-new Christians and looking for a church that's not as far away as the chinese church they have been attending... exciting
-We have met most of our neighbors, but we don't know them very well yet.
-Dustin started Hebrew, and he's diving in. He has flashcards, DVDs and homework... oh my! He's also started working 3 hours an afternoon at the seminary information booth. Feel free to call the school between 3-6 and prank call him. :)
-I started my Foundation and Frameworks training, and we're on day 3 of the 10 days. It's getting really overwhelming, but hopefully we'll survive. It's incredibly detailed "blueprints" (instead of lesson plans) that involve teaching, learning and assessment all in one. You create your own rubrics and long story short... it's very different and potentially very time-consuming. We're all trying to stay positive though!
-Laura and Shaunna both had their babies... yippee
-Our ladies' book study started a new book for the summer... Disciplines of a Godly Family... I recommend it already!
-Still have white legs that haven't seen much sun (which is probably good because of allergies), but I'm counting down the days until there is a true break! Ha!
-Speaking of, I'm going on another retreat soon to regroup and plan out the summer. Should be helpful! I'm looking forward to a day at a coffee shop or somewhere to think, plan, read, etc.

Gotta get back to class!
Tata!