Gettin' my stuff...

Well, here I am, back in the US for good! At least, for now. :) Among a myriad of other details related to my transition back to the states, I had to make a plan for shipping all my things from Vienna to Chicago....not a cheap endeavor, let me tell you!
I looked into many options, and the direct shipping prices were, in short, through the roof. I was overwhelmed with the potential cost, and considered just selling all my books, clothes, etc. and buying new ones in the states! Thankfully, a missionary family that has their kids at VCS put me in contact with a couple who was moving back to the states from Austria after many years of church planting. To make a long story short, I was able to share the container they were using to ship their belongings back, for much less than any other option. Praise the Lord!
The only problem was that they lived two hours south of Vienna and were moving to Colorado. Hmmm...
God continued to provide what I needed: the parents of one of my students lent me their minivan to drive my boxes to the container, and wouldn't even take money for the gas!
Then one of my good friends from Vienna, Becca, has moved back to the states and grew up in Colorado. So I drove down to her place in Missouri and we drove my parents' van out to Colorado together. It was such a blessing to have that time with her to catch up after a year!
Plus, we got to see a couple other VCS teachers, Amanda and Carrie, who live in the area. We went hiking at the Garden of the Gods outside Colorado Springs. Lots of red rocks around there!


It was a wonderful trip, even though I had to drive so far. :) And now all my possessions are in one place! (Well, at least in one state.....)

My brother is hitched!

Well, it's done...my little brother is married! This past Saturday Seth married Laura Black, whom he has been dating since last June. Both Seth and I have known Laura for many years, as an acquaintance through Bible quizzing that we were involved with during middle school and high school. Since I was in Vienna throughout their dating relationship and engagement, I was very thankful to know her at least a little bit, instead of having my brother engaged to someone I had never met! It's been such a blessing to be home for the past month, and to have the opportunity to be involved in some of the wedding plans and get to know Laura a little better. I can now officially say that I have a sister now - a nice addition to my two brothers! They are currently on their honeymoon in Montreal, but they are returning before I leave for Vienna, thankfully. I look forward to watching them grow together, in their relationship with each other and in their relationship with their Father in Heaven. I know that God will do great things through them.

Chicago Bears

Go BEARS!!! Check out this video to get yourself pumped up for the Superbowl!

A Life of Insanity

Well, if there's anyone who reads this blog, you're probably wondering if I'm still alive...after all, it's been nearly 3 months since my last entry - why else would I take that much time to connect with all you wonderful people????
My only excuse is this: my life has been the epitome of insanity for the past 2 and a half months. Hopefully that's enough to excuse my tardiness in writing. :)

Let's just break down my summer here, in a nutshell, Kay?

May: the last month of school was awesome, but pretty crazy-busy, with end-of-the-year programs and report cards, and then packing up my room for the summer.
June: When June hit, I had to have my apartment packed so that my things could be moved to my new apartment - of course God had a sense of humor in that arena; in one week I had to pack my whole classroom AND my whole apartment! I don't think I slept that whole week! Somehow God gave me the endurance to finish that exciting task. But my things were being stored in an interim place because I couldn't move them into my apartment yet...mid-June was the big move. Can I just say, the people I work and minister with are amazing! They not only helped me move into my new apartment, but they helped me move my stuff (or parts of my stuff) 3 times! Kind-of insane, but I appreciate them SO much!
End of June: things in new apartment, but still living in old place till July...kinda felt like I had one foot in each world for a while there. That's when my wonderful friends decided to pay me a visit, from all the way across that big blue pond. Andy, Greg, and Jenni came to Vienna for a few days to see my life here and the fabulous city I call home - it was so great to spend time with people that have known me basically forever. :)
Jenni and I toured Italy for a few days (Venice and Rome!!!) and met up with the guys in Ireland. It was a whirlwind tour of Europe in 2 weeks, but unforgettable as well. I'll add some pics on here of some of the places we saw. :)
July: My fabulous friends left to go home, and so did I - back to Vienna that is. The next week and a half brought the major organizing of my apartment (which my roommate Elizabeth was wonderul about helping me with! We've had tons of fun setting our place up). It's finally looking like a home now. :) I've been busy taking a German class as well - 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. Pretty intense, but I'm learning alot. I tell you what, it's HARD to learn a new language! Especially one that has about 10 different words for "the"! German is definitely an adventure!
August: I'm planning to be involved with helping the new staff get acclimated to Vienna before school starts, so the first couple weeks of August will be taken up with that. Then we'll start our Orientation and get our classrooms set up; all the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed students will arrive on August 23rd to start the new year of learning. :)

So that's my summer in a nutshell...busier than most any other summer (except maybe the last one!) but so rewarding. I'm looking forward to what God's got planned for the Fall! I'm sure He'll keep me on my toes....