graduation in pictures

me & walhof--one more year, buddy!
me & sam
the after party: becca & sarah
grandpa & i (i got some surprise guests on friday afternoon!)
me & chad--ed 267 buddies

lq & i
jeriel, me & b me, heather, & becca
last night as students--sarah, jeriel, me
sv 407 + 1: me, becCA!, smarah, leather hink, nissi, slarah, b
heather & me (why's your diploma shut, h?)
phil & i
dad, trav, tami, mom, & i

the last awesome weekend

sam, andrea, bhaak, & jeriel at tea time
vern with the living sculptures (melissa & becky)

Yes...the last awesome weekend has come and gone, but hopefully it kicks off an equally or more awesome summer! I am now unofficially graduated--my portfolio is turned in, my evaluations are done....the only things I need to do now are save all my G:/ stuff, turn in my mail key, and accept a signed diploma. Oh...and find a grad dress. I'm having issues with that. Whoever designs dresses nowadays does not design them for me. I may have to settle for a half a dress (a skirt).

Yesterday Phil and I were roped into taking lots of pictures of two girls covered in clay...in the name of art (see picture above). Typical Monday.

Josh slaughtered me in tennis today.

The picture-moving within the blog did not work. I don't know why. Grrr.

That is all.

aughhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

I'M DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

do a devil's dance on the highway

Storytime with Larry!

(Title: Paul, what does that mean?)

A few notes:

1. Excellent weekend. Excellent. Beautiful weather and only 3 days left at West Sioux (now only 2!) VERY LOUD, EXCITED SHRIEKING!!!

2. OJK has good lyrics now that I can understand them.

3. Graduation is in 11 days. Um, wow.

4. I like playing catch, except when my muscles hurt from disuse and then lots of use.

5. Spring is a fun time. However, it is not conducive to getting work done.

6. Maybe I will do nothing tonight. That's right, nothing.

7. Nutty bars are tasty, especially when they are free and the school janitor gives them to you because he's friggin' awesome.

8. How the heck do you post pictures in the middle of the text? I can only ever get it to post at the beginning. Me no likey.

9. This list is supposed to be a good diversion. I hope you lasted through it.

something important should go here

• 5 more days. Hoo-ray. And I will feel on top of the world--or at least on top of a roof.
• My nephew turns 6 tomorrow. I feel old.
• Commiserating in the Bean is fun.
• Chocolate really does improve the moods of women.
• Cleaning my bathroom makes me feel competent. And nice-smelling.
• I like pants. Particularly when they star in books.
  

had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view

i love fresh air.

things need changin' everywhere you go

there are problems everywhere. being finished at west sioux will not solve all of my problems because i will face them in lynden as well. i want to stop counting down days and enjoy what i have right now, because life isn't perfect anywhere and i might as well be content whatever the circumstances.
graduation is less than 4 weeks away. it seems so far from now, but i'm always amazed at how quickly time goes. time is a funny thing. i can't believe i've been at west sioux for a month already (although in the same respect, i've been there forever). i think i've grown for the better while there because i've experienced a wide variety of issues i may not have faced in a christian school. but now that i don't have the christian aspect in school, it means so much more on sunday. today in church we remembered the power of easter. easter was last week, but it is by no means over. every day, we have the chance to experience christ's victory over death by accepting his love, grace, and forgiveness.
lord, who am i?

easter weekend

Sarah, Philip, David, myself, & Lauralee count our loot from the Easter egg hunt.

Heather & Becca at their art show opening

You know what's a good tradition? Easter egg hunts. I know they really have nothing to do with Easter, but have you ever seen college students race for chocolate eggs? Hilarious. And delicious! And today's Easter dinner was great. The people we had over were wonderful and easy to talk to...thanks, everybody!

I'm getting excited to move out to Lynden. I am looking forward to re-establishing relationships and getting out on my own. At the moment, I'm working on a couple of people, trying to convince them to move out with me. (Heather? Lauralee? Sarah?) After all, WA is a cool state and cool people should live there with me.

But first, finishing at West Sioux. During today's nap, I had a nightmare about West Sioux. I woke up and tried to be grateful for what it actually is rather than what was portrayed in my dream...

Spring break is agreeing with me. I like breaks. And I don't have to go to school until Tuesday! It's been relaxing--except for the grading I still have to do.

Leftover mashed potatoes!!!

of shoes and ships and ceiling wax

Lynnea, Sarah M, Kelsi, Denise, & Sarah VD race to finish their bottles at the baby shower
BBQ in the alley!
Mmm, we're so carnivorous.

This weekend I attended a baby shower for Rosh and Shannon--I can't believe they're going to be mothers! Heather came down for the shower and the Peasants concert and the Sunday night post-church BBQ which is quickly becoming a tradition. Mmmeat.



Life at West Sioux continues to be frustrating and occasionally good. I feel that it's not helping me learn much about teaching, since my cooperating teacher (what a loosely coined term) doesn't seem to think I'm terribly capable. I can't wait until she has another student teacher who sucks--then she'll miss me. Oh, well. 19 more days. Anyone can survive that, right? RIGHT?

On another note, the weather has again turned bitterly cold. Oh, Iowa.

...six random things

1. I enjoy sinking my feet into thick, flooshy carpet.
2. My favorite part of eating a brownie is when I put a huge chunk in my mouth and I can't even find my tongue.
3. When I wash my hands, I have to wait for the water to get excruciatingly hot before turning it off because hot water makes me feel cozy and happy.
4. When I was two, I crossed the street and fell asleep under my neighbor's tree. My mom didn't even know I was gone until the neighbor rang the doorbell and asked her, "Does this belong to you?"
5. I clean and organize my room for fun.
6. I used to be a fundamentalist; when my kindergarten boyfriend kissed me at school, I told on him.

And...count it!

i'll always be your love if you'll always be mine

I am officially employed for next year--in Lynden! I got my first-choice job at Ebenezer Christian and on Friday, I accepted it. I'm excited to see all the wonderful people I met this winter and spend more time with them. Moving indefinitely is a little scary, because I know I will miss my family. But I also know I have "family" out there, too.

Come rain or come shine....

angel, you were born to fly

Making decisions is difficult.

omahoma

Re-living the Desert Dome experience: Dre and the Lizard of Death!
Josh and Dre cozy up with Phil and his relatives
St. Patrick's Day in Old Market: Andrea & Sheryl
Happy Birthday, Phil!
The most Josh-ish look I've ever seen...and I captured it!
Becca, Dre, Heather, & Andrea at the Omaha Zoo


Fun times in Omaha this weekend...much-needed fun times! Phil, Josh, Heather, Becca, and I drove down to visit Dre and her friends. We hit the zoo, the Joslyn Art Museum, and Old Market (where Scott & Sheryl joined us). Ahh, reunions. They are lovely. Best weekend I've had in a long time!

And I'm in the middle of making tough decisions about where to take a job next year. I'm still hoping for Washington, but we'll see what God has in store. I am doing lots of praying this week.

Quote of the day: If every day is an awakening, you will never grow old. --Gail Sheehy
(Thank you, Dordt planner.)

things i want to do before i die

in no particular order

-own a kickass dog
-name a crayon color
-write a fortune for a Chinese fortune cookie
-fall asleep in a field of grass and wake up in a winter wonderland
-teach in more than one school
-waitress in a small-town diner where everyone's a regular
-visit Jhesica in Bolivia
-learn to develop my own photos
-bake a quiche
-visit Scotland and hear some bagpipes
-become flexible and learn ballet steps
-kiss a man I'm in love with
-sleep under the stars
-get rid of everything except the absolute bare necessities and live ascetically for a week
-direct a play
-build a snow fort
-get up on water skis
-start a fire without matches
-sing and play piano simultaneosly
-conquer the F chord on the guitar
-drive to Montana alone
-sew a skirt
-build a chair
-cut someone's hair without losing a friendship
-create a piece of art I'm so proud of I keep it in my living room in a place of honor
-lay on Vos' happy happy carpet again
-keep a plant alive

i forgot....

...what being angry feels like.

the Lord moves in mysterious ways

Al and I before she left on Sunday. We are definitely sisters.
Our traditional geeky "We're in Canada!" picture

Al and I had a great time in Vancouver/Victoria. I still hurt from contra-dancing, though. Yay for waltzing with a 75-year-old man!

It's the end of things here, for now. I have an interview at an area school tonight...I hope it goes well. I would love to come back. I am already having a hard time saying goodbye to teachers, students, and "family."

I am blessed.

orcas island

A good foreshadowing of the day ahead....
Amidst the wake....
A car eerily appears......


The theme of Al's and my "vacation" so far is "Are you kidding me?"

I'm not sure I can share all the stories, but after an eventful trip from Missoula (see Al's blog), Al arrived safely on Wednesday night around 11. Yesterday I took her to see the Lynden sights, and 20 minutes later, we were on the road. = ) We took a lovely ferry ride from Anacortes out to Orcas Island, and spent 6 interesting hours there. Yes, interesting. We traversed every single road on the island (including the private drives....whoops). For the 6 hours we were on the island, we were in the car for about 5.25 of them.

tangerine...

...is a good book.

I observed 8th graders today. They were big and loud. I'm a little afraid.

Five of my boys wrote me a little note, telling me I had to bring tennis shoes on our next sunny day so that I could join them in a soccer game (they've been persistent for 5 weeks now, so I might give in).

A week from now, I will be traveling the Pacific Northwest with my sister and Ishta, and life will be relaxing.

Tonight I am reading Tangerine. It is riveting.

my soul finds remedy

At the waterfront

Alvin and I
A view from West Seattle

Alvin, Sherry, and I spent the day yesterday in Seattle. And since God is so cool, he allowed Seattle to hit a record high for the day--63 degrees. And sunny. Needless to say, I'm warmer here than all y'all back in the Midwest. I'm soaking it in now so I can share it when I come back in 2 weeks. Eep! I don't think I'm ready to leave...

One of my cooperating teachers invited me over for dinner and fellowship today. Her extended family was there as well, and we ate yummy dessert and played Wizard and joked around and ate leftover Valentine's Day chocolate.

What a super-de-duper weekend.

my cup runneth over

What's with this new blogger crap taking over the world?

So, I don't have a picture to post because teachers don't have time or energy to take pictures. I just completed a full week of teaching 6th graders and it was immensely exhausting and rewarding. I loved it and I feel like I could do just about anything.

Tonight, lots of sleep.
Tomorrow, Seattle!

one more step

A tribute to Lauralee--because I watched Walk the Line last night and couldn't get your dancing out of my head!

My entire college career has been leading up to this...my full-time week of student teaching. But in reality, it's just one more step in a long line of footprints. Thank goodness we aren't expected to leap across an entire ocean; we just have to take the next step in the right direction. So I am taking tomorrow one class at a time.
I have definitely experienced grace in the classroom. I'm amazed that planning can all fly out the window and God can use me anyway. It's very humbling.

just my cup o' tea

Sherry treated us to tea this afternoon at Lynden's Cup O' Tea, which is an atmospheric tea shoppe/store. Not only can you have tea in one of 10 or so semi-private alcoves, but you can also wish you had enough money and suitcase space to buy an elegant tea set.

For me, this afternoon tea was a lovely time to wind down after my supervisor visited my classroom today. The lesson I taught went very well, Dr. Vander Plaats had wonderful things to say, and I began to feel like a more competent teacher. Hooray! (Never mind that I completely blew the Bible lesson I taught at the end of the day....)

Huzzah for raspberry tea and scones with Devonshire cream. I even founde myself slipping into a Britishe accent...

monsieur, lay down your burden

Me on the bridge at Deception Pass (on Whidbey Island)
A view from the top of Mount Erie near Mount Vernon

On Saturday, I drove down to Mount Vernon to spend the day with Jeremy Westra's parents. Sharon drove me around and showed me all the most beautiful sights. We had to brave the Washington sleet, but it was worth it.

Today I procrastinated for half of the afternoon with one of Sharon's books, and tonight I'm scrambling to get my social studies lesson in order. All you elementary ed majors, you would freak out to see me. I've had one English methods class, and that's it. So I'm winging it. But I'm learning a lot about Columbus, Magellan, Juan Ponce de Leon, and Balboa. I'm going to be so smart at the end of this teaching session...

The rain has returned. But it's cozy. Give me three more weeks of it and I may scream, but today it was cozy.

back in the green country

This is a bridesmaid dress that Laura's mom wore for Rod & Vonnie Van Dyken's wedding....tee hee.
Me, Laura, Heather, & Hannah....Dordtites reunite!
Leaving Lynden....
Somewhere near Snoqualmie Pass on I-90

Well, Sunnyside was a little different than I expected. I had a lot of fun with Laura and Heather and Nate and Hannah, and I saw the school and saw my possible classroom and met the superintendent, but I don't really like the climate/scenery. I kinda missed Lynden the whole weekend. I missed the green grass and the snow-capped mountains.

I love driving. I drove across Washington and back by myself this weekend, and this is what I saw:

Whoops, that posted above. Oh, Blogger...I will never figure you out.

Love to all!

on my way to the sunny-side

I get to see Laura and Heather this weekend. That's right, I'm driving to Sunnyside. Yippee! And you can all be jealous now.

*Edit: I took a long walk in Lynden this afternoon and I got to see the sun setting in the snow-covered mountains. And again, you can all be jealous now.

rainy days and mondays usually get me down...

...but today I'm feeling happy in spite of the weather. I'm experiencing vast relief after a month of intense worrying. My host family is wonderful (I finally have a little brother!) and my two cooperating teachers are sweet and kind and generous and friendly and God-loving people. And my students are squirrely (sorry, Heather, there's no better way to describe them!) But it will be a great experience, I can tell. Yay for God's blessings!

I have pictures, but my laptop/internet connection is being stupid. So eventually (maybe when I get back home?) I will post pictures. Hopefully earlier.

Ok...peace, love, and joy from wet Washington!

back home....for a little while

Oops...forgot to rotate. Sarah & I--tour buddies!
Joelle & I at a pretty MN rest area--old tour buddies!
Final lectio--Sam, Andrea, Becca, Rachel, & BHaak
Emo, Ontario--me & Molly, the family dog
Sioux Falls concert--Andrea & Bus Fun!




Choir tour is over, and we all survived. It went by very quickly and was just the right amount of time. I didn't expect Canada to be so cold (yes, that's dumb). -30 C is a little cold. And it just sounds worse than __ F!

Um....so I didn't take a lot of pictures, of which I am ashamed. But I got a few, especially at our final concert in Sioux Falls....see above.

I leave Saturday morning for Lynden. Word on the street is that my host family is very excited for me to come. And my principal sent me a personal letter and a package of info about the school. I'm feeling better about going. And I think it will be good. In fact, I'm pretty sure it will be. I will get to see Heather and Laura and the Westras and Margaret and maybe the Goheens and Al and perhaps even Lauralee! Plus all the great people I'll meet in Lynden....

Hope you all are doing well and enjoying the powdery white stuff (snow, that is).

today's the day...

...to update. I've been having ups and downs, and mostly I just want to get out to Lynden so I can stop thinking about what it will be like and actually experience it.

Tomorrow (today??) we leave for the frozen tundra choir tour. I'm leaving the country again. Looking forward to time with friends and also to singing, because I love it and I missed it. Dreading saying goodbye. But until then, adieu!

sunny days

I feel good. I can do this. And I can enjoy it, too.