Meet Makwa

Daniel and I would like to introduce you to our newest family member! Makwa, whose name means "Bear" in Ojibwe (a Native American Language), is a six year old Boxer. Daniel's brother, Jonathan, and his wife, Rachel, adopted Makwa as a puppy from a shelter in Minneapolis. He had been rescued from an abusive home. They don't know much about his life before the shelter, except that he was kept in a small cage and it appears as though the cartilege in his right ear had been broken. Makwa is a very loyal and loveable dog. Jonathan, Rachel, and their daughter, Miriam, will be leaving for the mission field soon and are unable to take Makwa with them. They asked us if we would be willing to take him. Of course we said "yes"! Daniel and Makwa have been good buddies from the beginning and Makwa and I became fast friends. We are very excited that he's come to live with us!

Our Anniversary Weekend

Daniel and I spent our second anniversary in Burlington, VT. Daniel was scheduled to attend a training for work over our anniversary so it was easy to decide where to go. We've been to Burlington several times, but never had a chance to explore outside of the city. Since the training was a week and a half, we had a whole weekend to visit new places. On Saturday morning we drove across the islands of Lake Champlain. We stopped at a state park on North Hero Island, where we found a trail in the woods to hike. We continued up through the rest of the islands and made our way back to the mainland, just a few miles from the border with Quebec. We stopped at an ice cream stand along the road for a little treat before making our way back to Burlington.

We set out for a sunset cruise on Lake Champlain that evening. It was a 2 1/2 hour cruise on perfectly calm waters with views of the Adirondack Mountains. The sunset was spectacular! On Sunday morning, Daniel and I drove up into the mountains to visit the tourist town of Stowe. We wandered through the town and played a round of miniature golf. Daniel beat me by just a few strokes. We continued up the road to the base of Mt. Mansfield, which is the highest peak in Vermont. We rode a gondola up to the top of the mountain, where we were met with phenomenal views of the surrounding mountains and valley below. Daniel found a mountain trail that he wanted to climb, so we hiked up part of the rocky trail. It went all the way to the summit, but we didn't go that far. We returned to the base of the mountain in the gondola and took the scenic route through the mountains back to our hotel in Burlington. It was a fabulous weekend celebrating our anniversary.

Back to Work

It's been a long time coming, but I finally got a job! In fact, I was offered two jobs in one week! I had once again began the process of job hunting, in hopes of finding some sort of teaching job this year. I started by applying at two Christian schools in the area. A friend of ours, who taught at Covenant Christian Academy, told me there were positions available, so I sent in my resume. Our neighbor, who teaches at Beacon Christian Academy, suggested I submit my resume there, as there was a chance they would be hiring as well. I interviewed at Covenant on Tuesday for an assistant teacher position in Pre-K. The principal offered me the job at the end of the interview. I told her I needed to think about it, as it was only part-time. I also knew that I had an interview with Beacon on Wednesday as an administrative assistant. The job was offered to me that morning. Now I had a dilemma. After a year and a half of not working, I suddenly had to choose between two very different jobs! Daniel and I spent a few days discussing and praying about where I should be. In the end, I chose to work at Beacon Christian Academy. It isn't a classroom job, but I will have constant interaction with students and I'll be gaining new experience. I'm thankful to finally have a job and I look forward to starting in two weeks!

Fourth of July

Daniel's Birthday

Yesterday was Daniel's 31st birthday. I've been planning for his birthday for a couple of weeks. My mom and I found a great picnic basket on sale while I was in Bemidji. It's a traditional looking basket with an insulated inner lining, which can be zipped closed. It also has a plastic place setting for four with plates, goblets and utinsels. I decided to take Daniel to the beach for a picnic to celebrate his birthday. I wanted to surprise him with the basket, since we like to go on picnics often. My parents shipped the basket to me and UPS confirmed that it would arrive before Wednesday. I spent much of the day baking Daniel's birthday cake and preparing chicken salad sandwiches and a pesto pasta salad for our picnic dinner. The whole time I was anxiously waiting for my package to arrive. I decided it would be good to have a plan B in case the basket didn't arrive in time, so I figured if it hadn't come by 5pm, I'd just use a cooler and give Daniel the basket when it came. Shortly after 4pm, the UPS truck stopped in front of our house! I was so happy it came in time! I quickly unpacked the basket from the box, washed the dishes, packed our dinner and loaded it into the trunk of the car. There was just one more glitch to the plan - it started to rain! The weatherman had said the rain wouldn't move in until after dark. How wrong they were! Daniel came home just then and I had to make a decision quickly. Do we wait and see if the rain stops? Or do I have to move to plan C? It looked like the rain wasn't going to stop so I changed plans. Again. So, while Daniel went to change clothes, I got the picnic basket and blanket out of the car and set up our picnic on the deck, out of the rain. Daniel and I really enjoyed the picnic, even though we weren't on the water's edge. And he was excited to have a real picnic basket.

Minnesota Trip: Part 2

While Daniel and I were in Minneapolis, we stayed with Daniel's brother, Jonathan, and his family. We enjoyed spending time with them and soaked in every moment with them as they will be leaving soon for the mission field. We went to our first Twins game in the new stadium and had a few family gatherings. I remained in Minneapolis a few days longer than Daniel and stayed with my cousins. I was also able to spend time with some of my friends. It was great to see everyone while we were home.

Minnesota Trip: Part 1

Daniel and I recently traveled to Minnesota to visit with family and friends. I was in Minnesota for two weeks, Daniel for five days. I flew into Minneapolis on Saturday, May 22nd. My sister, Tara, picked me up at the airport and drove me up to Bemidji. I had a wonderful time with my family! My mom let me borrow her car during my trip (thanks, Mom!), so I drove back to Minneapolis on Thursday to meet up with Daniel, who had flown in that morning. I made two stops on my way to visit friends. Here are a few pictures of my time "up north".