Half Way There

As of yesterday, I am half way done with my student teaching. This means that I only have a half of a semester until I am a college graduate. This is incredibly exciting, but somewhat surreal! I can't believe I've made it this far and that I'm almost done with college. It's just crazy!

You may wonder how my first student teaching placement went for me. Well, for those of you who are wondering, I'm about to answer that question...

My first placement, if I haven't mentioned before, was teaching 5th and 6th grades in a Christian school. Overall, the experience was great and I definitely learned a lot throughout it.

I do have to say that initially I was intimidated at the thought of teaching 6th graders. In my head, they were going to have an "I don't care" attitude and were all gonna be tough guys. Once I got in the classroom I was proven wrong. Not all of them had an attitude and not one of them was a real tough guy. The class did present it's challenges, but working with my co-op and through a lot of prayer we overcame those challenges.

Looking back on the past seven and a half weeks, I can see one re-occuring theme and that theme is growth. Whether in the students or in myself, there has been a tremendous amount of growth. I've seen the students change so much over the time that I was there. God's been really working in their hearts and lives and it's quite evident. It's such a praise as well! I've also seen myself grow over this time. On the days when things seemed impossible, I've learned to rely more on Him. God's shown me that there's no way that I can do this on my own. I need His strength. I also feel that I've grown as a teacher. I've tried to take the advice of my co-op and supervisor and implement it into my life to make me a better teacher. It's so great to see how God's has helped all of us to grow over this time.

It is definitely somewhat surreal to be done with this placement. It was weird walking out of the classroom yesterday and knowing that I wouldn't be walking back into it ever again as a student teacher. It's weird to know that on Monday I'll be starting my second placement with a whole new group of kids and a whole new set of lives to pour into. It's definitely a joy and priviledge - and a tremendous responsibility- to be able to teach these students and invest in their lives.

So, looking back on this first half I guess the theme of it would be learning and growing. God's taught all of us so much and helped us all to grow in numerous ways. It's been a truly wonderful experience and I am so incredibly thankful for it!

- Jenn

Our Story... Part 5 (From Jenn's Point of View)

So the planning began. I was so thankful during those nine months that I had a wonderful, supportive fiance who was willing to help me with all of the wedding plans and details. I was also thankful for supportive and helpful family and friends. Planning a wedding was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. By January, we had already signed a photography contract, signed a reception contract, spoke with our pastor, and had a lot of little details planned. Things were going very smoothly and I was very happy with our progress.

One fun part about being engaged, besides planning the wedding and knowing I was going to marry my best friend soon, was getting our engagement pictures done. A friend of ours, Eddie, was willing to take our engagement pictures for us. So, one cold February day we headed out to Long's Park in Lancaster to get our pictures done. That was a lot of fun for me, even though both Josh and Eddie complained that it was too cold the whole time.

The months flew by as I prepared for the wedding. Bridesmaids got their dresses, I got my dress, tuxes got picked out, limo contracts got signed, flowers got ordered, and lots of other little details got completed. I will admit that while planning this wedding at times my head began to spin. But, I quickly remembered not to stress over things,as this was supposed to be a fun time and not a stressful time. Wedding planning didn't always go smoothly. There were several bumps along the way - like being scammed by a flower company, finding out my sister was going to be eight months pregnant at our wedding after we had already bought her bridesmaids dress, realizing that my dress didn't quite fit right, and a few others. But those bumps were straightened out and things came together in the end.

I was blessed with two bridal showers during that time - one down near Lancaster and one in my hometown. Bridal showers were so exciting. As I got gifts for our new house, the whole marriage thing became more of a reality. I couldn't wait to decorate our new place and to start my life with Josh. As time went by during our engagement, marriage became more of a reality and I became more and more excited about it beginning...

Random Ramblings

I'm home sick from school today. I acquired a nasty cold courtesy of my students and have also been having weird stomach pains. After much persuasion on the part of my husband, I decided to stay home today to rest. I'm hoping that I feel a little bit better by tomorrow. As of right now I feel like a truck ran me over and then put itself into reverse and ran me over again.

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Student teaching is going well. Today actually marks the halfway point at my first placement. It's hard to believe that it's already halfway over. I've been enjoying it so much, and in a way I don't want to move on to a new placement. I'm definitely going to miss my students a lot, but I'm sure that God has great things in store for me next placement as well.

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Our kitten, Titan, is as feisty and active as ever. I don't think I actually mentioned him on my blog before. But over the summer we found a kitten along the road who was in horrible condition. His eyes were caked shut with dirt and manore and he was horribly malnourished. We took him in, cleaned him up, and fed him. By then we were attached to him and decided to keep him. His eyes were in terrible shape at first and looked badly infected. We knew he was going to be blind. We took him to a vet, who was very pessimistic and wanted to remove his eyes first thing. We didn't like that idea and thought that there was hope for Titan's eyes so we took him to another vet. The second vet was optimistic and wanted to give his eyes time to see what happened. Now, almost two months after that vet saw him, his eyes are almost all cleared up. He's still blind but his eyes look SO much better than before. Maybe sometime I'll post some before and after pictures of him. Anyways, by watching him you would never know that he was blind. He's as active and mischeivous as any other kitten. He gets around the house in a flash and climbs stairs well too. He's definitely adapted to being blind. We love the little guy to pieces!

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Last weekend was a great time (up until I got sick). On Saturday we went to Hershey Park with my sister, my niece, my nephew, a friend of my sister's, and her daughter. It was a whole lot of fun. It was so nice to see them after we hadn't seen them in over a month and a half! My nephew, who recently celebrated his first birthday, is getting so big! Kids grow up way too fast!

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I guess that's enough of my random ramblings for now. I guess much randomness comes when your home sick and bored. But, I'll write more later.

- Jenn

Full Swing

Well student teaching is officially in full swing (well I guess it's officially been in full swing for the past two weeks). I am loving my first placement so far! The students can, at times, be challenging but I still love them. I love the upper elementary grades and it's been so much fun teaching them. So far I've picked up teaching two subjects - 6th grade math and 5th grade science. Next week I'll be picking up 6th grade science as well. It's really been fun getting to know the students and to see how they learn best and how I can change my teaching to best fit their needs. Student teaching is definitely a very rewarding experience, despite the huge workload. It's hard to believe that I've already completed two weeks worth of it and I only have 5 1/2 weeks left in this placement. Please pray for me that I continue to do well and continue to effectively teach the students in my class. Also pray for my students, that God will continue working in each of their lives. Thanks!

Aside from student teaching, not a whole lot else is going on. That's pretty much taken up a good chunk of my time. It's been challenging trying to balance my time and to assure that my school work is done, but that I also get to spend quality time with Josh. Some nights I feel like I get back from school, sit for a few minutes, and then the rest of my night is spent preparing for the next school day. Nights like this have made me realize that I really need to get things done as early as possible so that I have time to spend with my husband. That's my biggest struggle right now, so if you think of it, can you pray for me in that area? Thanks!

I guess that's all for now. Sorry it's not a whole lot more exciting. I guess I should go now and try to get some lesson plans done. God bless you!

- Jenn

Time Flies!

Goodness, it's hard to believe how fast times goes by! It's been almost three weeks since I posted last and now summer has come to an end. I started student teaching orientation on Thursday and it concluded on Friday. On Monday, I'll be starting my first student teaching placement. I will be teaching fifth and sixth graders for the next seven weeks. I am really excited about it, but at the same time I'm also nervous. I'm sure I'll be fine once I get into the swing of things, but for now it's nerve wracking. I'd appreciate any prayers for me, my students, and all others involved as I begin this journey. I'll try to keep updates on here about how my student teaching experience is going as well.

It seems like just yesterday that I started college, but now it's coming to a close. I'm in my final semester and the end is near! I can hardly believe that in 3 1/2 months I'll be walking across stage to receive my diploma. It's one of the things that I've always dreamed of happening and I'm so close to achieving it. I've learned so much during my college career and grown a lot. I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend a Bible college and to be trained among other believers.

There's not a whole lot more to say at the moment. We're currently enjoying our last weekend of freedom before student teaching begins. It's nice to be able to relax a little bit! But, I guess that's it for now. I'll post more later - perhaps some summer pictures.

- Jenn

Hard to Believe

It's hard to believe that this past Sunday (8/9/09) marked our one year anniversary! The year has truly flown by, but it sure has been a wonderful blessing. Both of us have learned a lot throughout this year and have grown closer to each other and our love for each other has grown.

It seems like just yesterday though, that we just met...

... but at the same time, it seems like we've known each other and been together forever.

It also seems like just yesterday that I was going to my first Marine Corps Ball...

... and was surprised as Josh "popped the big question". But then again, it seems like forever ago at times as well.

Then, it also seems like just yesterday that we said our "I do's" and became Mr. and Mrs....

... but, yet, that was over a year ago now.

The saying goes "time flies when you're having fun" and boy is it right. This past year of married life sure has flown by, but it's been a lot of fun. I can honestly say that being married to my best friend was always something that I dreamed of, and it has gone way past my hopes and dreams and been better than I could have ever imagined.

All that I can say now is I look forward to many more years of happiness together (Lord willing) and many more anniversaries celebrated with Josh!

- Jenn

Happy Birthday Mr. President

Glenn Beck says it all perfectly...



... I love that man (Glenn Beck that is).

- Jenn