Respect

Respect is a hard concept for many kids to understand. Every year I talk about what it means to be respectful. It's always one of the rules we have in my classroom because it encompasses so many things from not hitting, to not taking other people's property, to taking care of your desk because it belongs to the school, etc. Well, this weekend I learned that there are some adults who are unsure of the meaning of the word respect.

This weekend, we went camping at Mississenewa Lake. It is so beautiful down there with many things to do. We played corn hole, went on a hike, went swimming, took a boat ride, and of course had lots of yummy food. Camping isn't camping without yummy food.

We also had some very disrepectful neighbors who stayed up until all hours talking, laughing, using choice words, etc. I found myself praying that first night that they would just go to sleep so I could go to sleep. Getting angrier and angrier by the minute because they were being so disrepectful to everyone around them. Then the more I prayed, the more I had the feeling to not pray about them, but to pray for them. It seemed to me that they probably did not know Jesus, so I prayed that they might come to know Him and they would then find joy in Him rather than drinking and cursing. Now of course this was no magic button and the next night was more of the same. I was still angry at them for ruining my peaceful camping experience, but I also realized how blessed I am to come home to a quiet house! :)

The Fair

MMMMMMM...it's that time of year again. The only time one can actually enjoy animal smells and fried food smells at the same time! :) The Elkhart County 4-H Fair! As a youngster this was always one of my favorite weeks in the summer (probably because I didn't have animals and have to be stuck there all week! :)). Now as an adult, I pretty much go for the food and concerts. Saturday, Matt and I went to the fair to work in the pork building as a fundraiser for our Sunday School class. It is definitely one of the best fundraisers ever! You work for about 4 hours and get a free meal and fellowship time with classmates. Then last night we went to the Little Big Town concert. They put on a great show and even though I knew just a few songs, I had a great time! Below are some pictures (I would've put more on, but getting these two to upload took about 5 minutes!)

Picture Perfect

After a long day of working in the basement, cleaning everything from walls to floors, what could be better than taking a bath? I don't remember the last time I took time to take a bath, but I thought with a brand new tub, I better try it out! It was awesome. God is so amazing. Picture this, the sun is setting, candles are flickering, the jets are pumping, and the bubbles are flowing. And just when I thought, "It doesn't get any better than this," Matt yells to look out the window because a deer is grazing in our backyard. WOW! Praise God for everyday moments that remind you of His awesome creation!! :) Have a great day everybody!!

We're back and in!

After a crazy few weeks, we have returned from Utah and moved into our new house!
We had a really nice time in Utah visiting with friends and hiking around the mountains. It really is beautiful out there.
But we were really excited to get home because we knew we'd be moving into our new house. We got back from the airport around 3:45 a.m. on Monday morning so we slept for a little while and mom came over to the house to let the carpet cleaner in. When we got here we cleaned and brought in a few boxes. On Tuesday was the big move, we called in wonderful friends to help us move furniture and boxes. Thanks to Wes, Jamie, Dave, Amos, John, Jessica, Jenn, Jess, Rex, Liz, and all our parents we are now moved in! :) Since then we've been cleaning each room and trying to organize everything. We still have lots of boxes, but it is beginning to feel more like home!
And as soon as I find the cord to our camera and have about 3 hours (gotta love dial-up!), I'll post some pictures of the trip. Until then, check out Jess's collage on her site.

This is it!

Well, today is the day we no longer own the house at 28745 CR 42. It seems surreal because we've been here for almost 6 years. We've had a lot of wonderful memories here and I'm sure we'll create many more at our new house. We'll be out of town until July 6th and then begin the move in process. If you need to get a hold of Matt or me, the best way would be our home number (which will stay the same). A bad part about moving we found is that the cell phone reception is horrible and we cannot get high speed internet (at least until we find a cheap enough deal!) :( So for now we'll have to stay connected the old fashioned way! We are now the official owners of 23525 CR 38 in Goshen!! YEAH!

Below are some pictures of fun times we've had at our "old" house! :)

Softball Picnic '07
Snowstorm '07
Mom's birthday '05
Kristina's bridal shower '06

Halloween '07
Matt and Grace '07
Bears/Colts Super Bowl '07

Christmas '07
Us '07
Christmas '05

Halloween '06

Christmas '06

Halloween '05
Fondue Party '07

Not to mention the years '02-04 which I couldn't find any digital pictures of since we didn't have our current camera! :) Thanks for the memories!