"I get by with a little help from my friends"

God's so cool. The people He uses are so cool, too! Yesterday at church, a friend named Sarah Braud asked me how things were going with my school prep. She inquired further and specifically asked about bulletin boards, which are otherwise known as the bane of my teaching existence. Not only did she say that she missed doing them as a teacher, but she offered to do one for me before school started! So, I told her what I was thinking for a hallway one using Psalm 1 for our classroom verse this year. This afternoon, she and her two kids came over and put one up with me! They brought all the supplies and enthusiasm...I basically just had to stand back and say wow! It was really encouraging and inspiring to see how God worked it all out. How often is it that someone offers to do something you really don't like to do, and do it with excellence? Here's a photo:

Sarah's new phone and shoes

Within 24 hours, Sarah got a new phone and new running sneakers for free. The phone because it had been more than two years since she had purchased one, and the sneakers because she does Students Run Philly Style! I also received running shoes, but I forgot to take a picture of mine.


Tomorrow evening, Sarah, other folks from Liberti, and I are heading up to the Kinaard farm to camp overnight. We'll be joined by floods of other church friends and have a day of playing outdoors. Can't wait!

Camp Geneva video

Camp Geneva posted a new video on their website. *sigh* I miss this place.

Bikin' in Center City

I didn't even touch my car today. What a beautiful thing!

Sarah and I went for a bike ride into Center City yesterday evening and did something pretty extraordinary: picked out a new cell phone. Sarah's had "Big Red"--a bulky, durable, candy bar phone--since her senior year of high school. After much coaxing from friends and her boyfriend, she went out and got a new free phone. Surprisingly, their options of free phones weren't too impressive. I had hoped the Kantana would be available for $20-30 (I got mine for $20), but they were going to charge her $100 for one! I'm glad I snagged mine when I did. Anyway, after some feeling out some of the phones, she decided on one that wasn't too bad. Apparently it warmed up on her, and she remarked later in the night, "I really like my new phone!" Hopefully I'll remember to take a picture and post it soon.

Mercy triumphs over judgement

Around the beginning of January, I received a parking ticket for parking between two two-hour parking signs where there wasn't a meter. I didn't think I deserved a ticket, so I protested with a letter. A few weeks later, I received a letter from the Philadelphia Parking Associasion saying they received my protest and would check into the matter for me. That was the last I heard from them. This JUNE, I suddenly received a letter saying that because I hadn't paid my ticket, the cost was going to triple to over $75! I requested a traffic hearing, which I had yesterday. After hearing my story, the guy told me the rule: in a metered parking zone, you must park next to a paid meter. He told me not to do it again and dismissed my ticket! Woo hoo!!!

I felt better about my classroom at Spruce Hill yesterday too. No, I didn't plan massive units or anything, but I did feel a better sense of ownership about the place. I threw a bunch of stuff away, which is usually hard for me. Here's hoping it only continues as I attempt to move in and make the place my own.

Last night I watched the Bears/Colts Super Bowl rematch on Monday Night Football with Nate Frazier. We had a great time consuming large amounts of chips and salsa while watching the Bears eek out a 27-24 victory. Rain fell on Philadelphia all day yesterday, and when combined with the 60-degree temperatures and football, made me feel like we were in the middle of October! I really liked it; fall is a fun season for me, filled with memories of playoff baseball, apple picking, apple cider, donuts, and bonfires. Still, I'm excited to have more summer left before moving on to the next season.

More visitors

This weekend, Sarah and I got to play host/hostess to more guests: Liz Irvine and Dan/Krista Carter! Liz drove the 7+ hours from Rochester, NY, and the Carter family drove in from Princeton to visit. We had a slew of adventures--most notably attending a jazz concert at Penn's Landing that turned into a rain storm!
Fortunately, we were already sitting on the Delaware River underneath a shelter when the wind picked up and the heavens opened. Soon the whole shelter area was packed with people. After that, we headed to Franklin Fountain for some ice cream. John Jackson was still a little hungry, so we stopped by SoHo Pizza and ended up all eating more delicious food before calling it a night.



Saturday morning, Dan and Krista joined our running team in running 8.5 miles in the loop around Kelly Drive and the Schuylkill River. Krista hadn't run more than 4 in months, yet she did an exceptional job of keeping her mental focus and finished strong. I'd have to say that it seemed like the shortest 8.5 miles I've ever run--they're a blast to run with!

I introduced all of them to frisbee golf...Philly style. We grabbed some celebratory water ice afterwards before snagging some pizza from Pizza Rustica in University City. Altogether, a grand time!

Liz stayed until this afternoon. One of her goals for the trip was to have a Philly cheese steak, which we accomplished after church. She liked them! Maybe not every day, but they're nice to have on special occasions. I've now had each of the Big Three cheese steak places--Jim's, Pat's, and Geno's. I'd have to say that I like Pat's the best thus far.

Looking back, it was great to spend time with friends this weekend. The timing was great too: right before school kicked into higher gear for me. I hope to do a bunch of work this week on curriculum planning for the first week. Maybe after that I can branch into long-term planning for the rest of the year. One day at a time!

Too much sharing

I woke up yesterday to a rotten head cold that I think I picked up from Seth. Spending extended periods of time in an enclosed area will do that, I guess! Armed with Airborne and Tylenol Sinus, I'm attacking the bug. Thankfully it hasn't kept me from my training at Spruce Hill (from where I'm writing today, actually!).

Regarding the training, I'm learning quite a bit and hoping to keep things mostly straightened out in my head before I lose it all as school starts. I've been realizing how much more emotionally involved I'm going to be this year. Before my technology specialist job, I usually thought about school a great deal--while going to sleep, during down time, as I woke up, etc. Last year I didn't really feel that, and I think it's because I didn't know my students very well. Perhaps this year will be different as I'll be with 20 of them the whole year instead! I have a lot of feelings going on right now about school: excitement, anxiety, anticipation, insecurity. I've been praying for peace, and I feel more today than I did yesterday.

Brotherly love on the road

Road trip complete! Seth and I had a fabulous time on our travels to Hanover, PA, Ohio, and Holland, MI. At first We traveled over 1600 miles as we both went to each other's home towns for the first time. I always enjoy seeing someone's home and family in their own environment...there are few better ways to get to know where they come from.

Will and Lydia's wedding was beautiful. The wedding itself was quite simple while the celebration to follow was extravagant! They certainly didn't follow all the rules (they opted for home made, grandma's recipe cinnamon rolls instead of wedding cake!), and I think that's good. May they live happily ever after!

Some other highlights include seeing Chris and Becky Marlink's new son Gibson, visiting friends at Camp Geneva, sharing flank steak and cowboy cookies with my family, running into old friends at Hope, savoring a Tommy Turtle at Captain Sundae's, eating at Boatwerks Restaurant on the lake, playing a rousing round of Loaded Questions with the Bordenkirchers/Maria/Mulder, and frisbee golfing with Louis, Brian, and Seth. It was a whirlwind tour of my favorite places/food/people/memories in Holland!






Want to see the rest of the pictures? Check them out here.

Why Don't We Do It In Our Sleeves?

My Aunt Sally showed this to me. How does your sneeze rate?

Lake Michigan

Seth and I have been having a blast on our road trip so far. We leave tomorrow for a 13-hour drive back to Philly through Hanover (Seth's home town, where Murphy is waiting for us to pick him up). Yesterday we went to Camp Geneva, where we took some pictures and swam around in the BEAUTIFUL water of Lake Michigan. We'll have more pictures and stories when we get back.

Jason and Desiree come to Philly

Single tear...

Jason and Desiree just came and visited Sarah and me. They left about an hour ago...and I'm still saddened. They're such a great couple! If anyone gets the chance, make sure you have them visit you. They were a joy to host and walk around Philly with. We saw Love Park, artwork, the Art Museum stairs, Logan's Circle, and the giant clothespin. We walked a lot, we talked a lot, and we ate a lot. What could be better? As an added bonus, we went bowling at North Bowl, where Sarah and I both had at least 150 points! (and two consecutive strikes!) It was a night for the ages. Somehow, we also had the DJ giving out free beer to lanes that would get a strike within 2 minutes. Well, we didn't get one like a few other lanes did, but he gave our lane a free one anyway, calling it a "pity pitcher." I still don't know why he picked ours, since there were several other lanes that didn't get anything! Maybe it was because we had two cute girls at ours...I don't know for sure. Anyway, we ended up giving some of ours away to the guys next to us who couldn't believe we'd give away beer. They were pretty happy though! Amazing how surprised people can get at a simple gift.

Speaking of surprises, Jason and Des decided to SURPRISE the world by GETTING ENGAGED THIS WEEK! They said they'd release more information as they got back from vacation, but they were keeping the information from Facebook and swearing everyone to secrecy to make sure that we and the Carters didn't find out. Well, the secret's out now, so it's public information to all. What a joyous time of celebration!

Here are some pictures of us around Philly. If you want to see the whole album, click here.

Returning to Michigan

At the tail end of my road trip this week, I'll be in Michigan on Sunday and Monday. It'll be a whirlwind, but it'll be fun. Hope to see some of you!

Recent art events...for free!

Saturday night John, Angie, Pricilla, Sarah, and I saw a production of Romeo and Juliette in the park! I had never seen the play before, and despite the tragic ending, it was a wonderful show. The bowl-shaped park provided an excellent venue for it, and the weather was perfect for the evening's events.

Tonight our Students Run race was canceled due to the excessive heat. It ended up working out well, however, because Sarah and I went to a free concert at World Cafe Live. We got to hear two artists--one from Philly and another from Miami. The Miami guy, Jacob Miller, was great--Sarah even bought his CD! Good timing: I could use some new music before embarking on a 12-hour road trip to Michigan!

Earn $10 from Google

According to their website, Google is now asking for volunteers (or "independent contractors) to go to local businesses and get their information: business hours, phone number, and take a few digital pictures of it. Google will pay you $2 for the info, then another $8 when the business confirms it! Google will use the information and use it to improve their local search.

Take a little off the top

Yesterday Sarah and I ran a bunch of errands--about 5 hours worth, to be exact. We went everywhere from Philadelphia Runner (and experienced more quality customer service there, by the way) to Target to IKEA to the Dollar Store to Chick-Fil-A to the Jefferson book store. One of our other stops was the Chop Shop where I usually get my hair cut. Well, when the "chopper" asked me how I'd like my hair done, I said to take off about 6 weeks worth, which I thought was a conservative amount, seeing how it's been about 8 weeks since my last cut. Either she thought my hair grows really fast or her definition of "6 weeks" is a little aggressive, because she lopped off a lot of my hair! I walked out to find Sarah, and she didn't recognize me at first!

The good news about the hair cut is that it might be a new source of extra cash: I've already had three different companies e-mail me asking if they can advertise with the large amount of space I now have on my forehead! (just kidding)

In all seriousness, it's not too bad. I like the cool feeling, and it'll be a nice breezy way to end the summer. Here's a picture:


You might note the large stack of books on the right; that's my pile of 5th grade books to read before school starts!

Great American road trip

Seth, Dave, and I leave Thursday for a road trip! We're heading to Seth's home in Handover, Lydia and Will's wedding in Ohio (Seth was invited...and he asked me to go as his "date"), then finish up with a trip out to my parents' house in Michigan! Road trips are a blast, and I'm pretty excited about sharing some of my Holland life with someone from Philadelphia, while Seth gets to share some Handover life with me!

Students run has a race tonight. A 10K (6.2 miles). Let's hope the 95-degree heat holds off... Thankfully my new sweatband will be on my head to protect me. =)

In lue of the Twin Cities bridge collapse, some interesting information has surfaced regarding cell phone usage in times of crisis. Namely, how cell phone companies may realize a crisis has occurred earlier than TV networks! Tip of the day: if your call is blocked in an emergency situation, use a text message; it almost always gets through. (I also noticed in the article that Sprint's network didn't go down...perhaps because not as many people have it!)

E-mail updates

Over the weekend, I added an e-mail updates section to my blog. So, if you're interested in getting updates e-mailed to you, feel free to sign up!

My 5th grade class...ONLINE!

I'm writing right now from my NEW 5TH GRADE CLASSROOM in West Philadelphia. I finished a workshop this week on a classroom management framework called the Responsive Classroom. The workshop succeeded in getting me excited for the year, developing me professionally, teaching me a boat-load of new games, brainstorming how to problem solve difficult situations, and many other helpful tips and strategies to have a successful year.

So, here I sit in my room, staring at blank walls and loads of second-hand books. Where do I start with all this? I had hoped to meet the teacher from last year, but she's sick today. I've been making progress on my book list for the year, and I guess I'll keep churning through them. Fortunately, I still have over a month before our first day.

My shameless self-promotional piece is that I started a blog/website for my classroom today. Feel free to visit as often as you'd like! I plan on putting pictures, videos, homework, and various projects up for parents and students to visit. Thanks to a website called Engrade, I think I'll allow parents to check out their students' grades online (password protected, of course). Obviously, there isn't much there now, but I hope to send out a parent letter or postcard in a week or three to let them know about it and start harvesting e-mail addresses. Here we go!

News website

I saw a brand-new news website today that I really like--excellent use of images and quick-loading articles. Newser.com...check it out.

Faith losing value

Recent research on religious doctors shows that they will offer service to patients with little or no health insurance just as much as doctors from no religious affiliation. As a member of a religion that is called to clothe the cold, take care of the sick, and visit those in prison. Sarah said she wasn't surprised by the information...and I doubt the numbers would be much different if you applied them to other professions. To me, it seems like being a "Christian" has come to mean a whole lot less than it should, and the difference has become much more marginal. At least here in the states...

Catch up

The last few days have gone quickly...and without any blog postings! Let me catch you up to speed with what's been happening in my life recently.

Saturday I ran 8 miles with my students in Valley Forge. The heat and humidity--even in the early morning--were pretty rough. It made me feel like I was there as long as Washington was with his troops! The scenery was neat; I had to pinch myself as I was running by things like "Washington Memorial Chapel" and all these monuments to realize it was real! There is such rich American history out here; sometimes it seems too good to be true.

Saturday afternoon I drove up to Princeton, NJ to visit my good friends Dan and Krista Carter for the day. We played a lovely round of frisbee golf before consuming delicious home made popcorn, pasta, and, of course, IBCs. They're such a lovely couple, and they've become even more beautiful in their marriage. I treasure time with them.

Sunday was more laid back for once. Sarah and I enjoyed some scrumptious french toast/syrup with two new couples in our church. Both of them recently moved from North Carolina, and we spent the afternoon chatting over our dinner table. Again, a great time of friendship!

This week has been filled with the Responsive Classroom for me. Basically, it's a classroom management training for Spruce Hill. Spruce Hill adapted the philosophy as a whole school two or three years ago, and they say it's changed their school. Thankfully, my background of Jim Fay's Love and Logic at Jamestown Elementary in Hudsonville is very similar (when I posed a question of differences to the lead presenter, she hemmed and hawed before giving me a minuscule detail difference). I'm really enjoyed the training--mostly due to the excellent teamwork in our group, first six weeks tips, and free food. The training is in the suburbs west of Philly right near Sarah's current hospital, which actually allowed us to car pool out there one day this week!