Return to Holland

My plane safely touched down in Grand Rapids' Gerald R. Ford International Airport this afternoon at 4:40pm. (hint: do your holiday traveling a week ahead of everyone else...it makes for a much more relaxed airport experience!) I'm in Holland until Thursday morning. Maria, Mom, Dad, and I went to 84 East to visit Jordan at work at eat some dinner. We also made a few stops on the way home for Christmas gifts. It felt like I haven't really left!

Our house has become a home for technology! My dad snagged a GPS for our Corolla, so now family members don't have any excuse for finding their destinations. Also, he and my brother recently purchased brand new computers. Yes, it makes some technology drool start to come out...but it's fun to see/experience new stuff. I'm considering a new laptop myself, and this isn't helping me. =)

I have to sleep on a couch for the week, but that's my own fault for moving my bed to Philly. Looks like the start of a nice, relaxing week in Holland. Woo hoo!

Soccer champions!!!

Tonight Laura (4th grade teacher) and I went to our school's championship soccer game. We were playing the team that had one the previous four years, and WE WON!!! A 1-0 shutout, no less. The kids got pretty into the game, and it was encouraging to see how unified they became in pursuing a common goal. We even made signs during some free time in class today. Here's a video I made of the night's festivities:

Too bad this doesn't happen more often

I tell ya what, if you want to bring a smile to someone's face, just tell them you got engaged this past weekend! I've really enjoyed watching others' reactions to the news of my engagement with Sarah. Responses have ranged from loud shrieks to quiet tears to logical questions to thankful praises. It almost makes me want to do it more often! Well, maybe not. =)

I'm working on a website for our wedding plans. More info on that to come when school stuff slows down.

Report cards go home with students today. I'm not terribly excited about them--I find myself analyzing each number much more deeply than needed. After getting engaged this weekend, I was in no mood to do them! However, I did finally hunker down and finish them yesterday evening. There was much rejoicing! (well, from me at least...we'll have to see if my students are rejoicing after their parents see them tonight)

Our engagement--the pictures

Interested in seeing the pictures? Click here!

Our engagement--the video

We're engaged!!!

Yep, we sure are. This morning, I asked Sarah Elizabeth Gardner to marry me, and she said yes! (the exact quote, through a clenched hug, was “of course I will marry you!”) More details, pictures, videos, websites and plans to come. But for now, we’re reveling in the excitement. After all, we now know the who, what, and why...how much harder can the when, where, and how be?

Christmas shopping tip

Before I buy anything online, I make sure to check StealDeals.net to make sure there aren't any coupons. I usually check the website twice a day for the latest deals from companies--including free product promotions like Arby's free milkshake.