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!

Zorbas and more

Our free lunch at Zorba's was delicious yesterday. 10 of us enjoyed a flavorful meal at the Greek-style restaurant. Most of us had never been there before, but I had high expectations after Sarah and I had enjoyed a dinner there several weeks back. I had the lamb platter, which came with potatoes, rice, and veggies. My favorite part about the restaurant is their slow-cooked, juicy meat. Every piece I've tried has been so tender and flavorful! And it's three blocks from Sarah's new apartment...what could be better?

After lunch, Libby, Seth F, Meredith, and I walked off some of the calories by spending some time by the Water Works Restaurant next to the Art Museum and the Schuylkill River. While I neglected to pull out my camera at Zorba's, I managed to remember in time while we were out there. See the pictures here.

Sarah and I had a great date last night, too. We rode bikes through Center City and grabbed some cheap food/drinks at Mission Grill, El Vez, and, of course, Wendy's. (you can't beat beautiful appetizers for $1!)

We went to My Best Friend, courtesy of the free tickets I won at Bastille Day (review? I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10). I'm pretty sure it was the first film I've watched that was completely in another language! It took some getting used to, and I was afraid to turn my head from the screen since I wouldn't be able to catch up with my ears. Living in a foreign country that speaks another language suddenly became more intimidating than ever! I found myself admiring people like Sarah who spent a whole semester of Hope in a foreign land. Will I ever have that chance? Perhaps more importantly, do I have the language skills to do something like that?