Summer Update!

Soooooo…It’s has been WAY to long since I have posted on here! Life got a little crazy! Let me try to fill you all in on what has been happening in my life since March!

April was a VERY exciting month! As most of you know, Steve proposed to me on April 5th and of course I said yes! ☺ If you want to read more about that story, check out my note on facebook! It’s a pretty cute story if I do say so myself! The rest of April was filled with starting the wedding planning and getting all those little initial things taken care of! My mom flew down for a visit the last weekend of April! Me and Becky and my mom then set out on a whirlwind of a weekend wedding dress shopping! We managed to pick out bridesmaids dresses, find my mom’s dress, AND I found my dress all in 1 day! Shopping has always been one of me and my mom’s greatest talents! ;)

May was another crazy month filled will all kinds of fun things! The drama club that Becky and I led put on the musical Aladdin Jr. It turned in to quite the production! We had sets, and costumes, and props, and choreography, and let’s just say we were in a little over or heads! BUT…the kids did WONDERFUL! It turned out great, and everyone seemed to enjoy! I must say though that I will not be taking that on next year! The day after the performance of the musical, I flew home for a quick weekend in MN to watch my little brother graduate! It was a quick weekend, but a very fun one! I got to see lots of friends and relatives at his open house so it was good to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in quite a while!

June brought the ending of my first school year as a teacher! I felt very accomplished to say the least! As I reflect back on the school year, and I realize what a great year it was! I LOVED my class! They were the perfect group of kids to have for a first class, and I can honestly say that I will miss each and every one of them next year! I made them all promise that they would come back and visit! On June 11th, Steve and I flew to MN for about 6 days! While we were there we got lots of wedding planning done, and enjoyed relaxing and golfing with my family! It was wonderful to be home for longer then just a weekend, and to have Steve come with me made it even better! After our time in MN came to an end, we flew to MI for 6 days. I got to meet Steve’s family and some of his friends! It was so nice to meet them, and spend some time with all of them! We had a great time in MI too, but then it was back to AZ, and back to work for Steve! Krystal and Kim surprised me with a visit at the end of June! It was so much fun! I am so glad they came and I was able to show them around a little bit! They also helped me get the wedding invitations done, and I am very grateful for that! ☺

Now we’ve reached July! Let’s see….July has brought with it a few ups, and a few downs. Steve and I got the keys to our first house which was a very exciting day!! It is the most perfect wonderful house! We absolutely love it! The kitchen is gorgeous, and the rest of the house is just as nice! It has 4 bedroom and 2 bath, so it is bigger then what we need, but we got quite the deal on it, so I guess we’ll just live with all the extra space! Steve was scheduled to move in August 1st, and I am moving in in October after the wedding. We did run into a little speed bump with the house though. Last Saturday, July 9, Steve and I went to the house and found smoke and flames. We called 911, and the fire department came, and took care of everything. They told us we were very fortunate as the house was so well built that they fire actually put itself out because it could not get enough oxygen. The firemen are still a little unsure of how the fire started, but they think it was the thermostat. They said with the high temperatures down here that really anything is possible of starting on fire if it gets hot enough. The extent of the damage is as follows: We will need new carpet in most of the house, the dry wall around the thermostat will needs to be replaced, and the whole house from ceiling to floor needs to be cleaned as there is ash EVERYWHERE and in EVERYTHING. It is absolutely disgusting. We had brand new couches delivered 2 days before the fire started, and they are ruined because of the ash. Luckily for us, the insurance company has been awesome, and everything is covered, and will be taken care. So basically, the fire just set us back like a month, and Steve will now move in September 1st. We feel so very fortunate though that the whole house did not just go up in flames, and that neither of us were there at the time of the fire!

So that is the last 4 months in a nutshell! I am now preparing for school to start back up again! Spalding training starts back up on Monday, July 18, and goes for 2 weeks. Then one week of school training, and then the kiddos come on August 8th! Crazy how fast the summer has gone! It has been a good one though! God has definitely shown his faithfulness to me time and time again!

Hope that I didn’t bore you all too badly! Love to all!
Ashley

Where has 2011 gone?

As I sit here writing this, I can not believe that it is already March 5th. Where has 2011 gone? I feel like I just started back up at work again after Christmas break, and now it is already time for spring conferences! Crazy!

Life has been good though! Nothing to out of the ordinary happening! Still loving my job, and realizing more and more how much I am going to miss my class next year! I know I will get a great new group of kids next year, but I just really really love my class this year! They are the most perfect first class you could ever ask for! :)

We went on our field trip to the Tucson Zoo last week, and it was a ton of fun! It was a beautiful sunny day, and the kids loved seeing all the animals! My class and Becky's shared a bus for the hour and 15 minute trek, and it was hilariously fun! We taught the kids how to do the semi honk, so we spent the entire trip trying to get semis to honk! It was adorable! Every time we would get one to honk, the whole bus would go NUTS with cheering! So cute!

Drama club is well...still drama club! It's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of fun! We are starting to prepare for the musical Aladdin that we will be performing in May! The kids are doing a great job so far, and I think it is going to turn out really well! Only time will tell though! Hopefully Becky and I will not have to do as much as the set work this time!

Life outside of work is really good! The weather has warmed up, and I am enjoying the beautiful sunshine! I got to lay outside by the pool today for a few hours and it was glorious! It feels a little bit like every weekend is summer vacation, and I love that! Steve and I are good! Having lots of fun as usual, and enjoying one another more and more each day! Our schedules right now are really compatible so that is nice because we get to spend a lot of time together! :)

So as you can see, things are pretty good right now! Me and Becky both received Teacher of the Month at our school for March, so that was exciting! We are known as the MN Twins at our school, so they thought it fitting that we win together! :) So work is good, drama club is good, and my life outside of school is good! Overall, I am loving AZ, and I am loving teaching! :)

Thanks for all the prayers and support! Miss you all and love to everyone!

Calm, Cool, and Collected

So it is now January, and I have not written in awhile! Where does the time go!

Our 100th day of school is this Friday! WAHOO! Everyone keeps talking about how the kids have made it 100 days, but I am considering it an accomplishment that I have survived my first 100 days of teaching! :) The kids are pretty pumped about it, and so am I!!

Teaching feels a lot more natural now than it did at the beginning! I feel like I am in the swing of things and like my kids are actually learning something! :) I don't go in so incredibly early every morning anymore, and I am actually able to leave at a decent time in the afternoon! To put it in to simpler terms, I actually have a life now!:)

The weather is 70 and sunny usually every day, and while you might think that it would get old...it doesn't! :) Steve and I are still doing good :) We have our weekly Wednesday Starbucks dates, and find time to do all different kinds of fun things! Museums, movies, dinners! I love being able to just sit and relax with him, and tell him all the funny things my kids say and do! And the wonderful guy that he is, he sits and listens and comments on all of them! :)

So all in all, I guess you could say life is pretty good! Nothing too exciting, just the same old same old! Hope you are all doing well!

Peace out!

CHRISTMAS IS HERE!!!!

So I am sitting on the airplane on my way home to Minnesota!!! It will be my first time home since moving to AZ and I am very very excited!!!

I can't believe how fast the last 5 months have gone! I remember sitting in training, thinking that I was never going to catch on to Spalding, and moving everything in to my classroom, and wondering what my kids were going to be like!!! Now half the school year is done, Spalding is like breathing to me, and I could tell you something special about each one of my 25 students!!! I feel so fortunate to have acclimated into my new life so quickly, and smoothly! Life just fell into place for me, and it's all kind of crazy!! God is definitely good, and I know he had his hand in all of it!

We had our Christmas party at school, and I got the kids all good and sugared up and then sent them home to their moms and dads! :) I love my kids, but I am definitely ready for a break! It has been a busy last month, hence the reason I have not written in awhile!

Me and Becky are in charge of our Drama Club at school, so it's us 2, and almost 60 kids!! CRAZY!! Fun though!! We put on How the Grinch Stole Christmas last Wednesday, and it turned out really well! The little Whos all looked adorable, and our Grinch was amazing!! It was a lot of fun, and I felt really accomplished when it was done!!

I am very excited to get home! It will be so fun to see all my relatives, and friends that I have not seen for a long time! Should be a wonderful 11 days! I'm not sure about the cold though...we'll see how I do with that!

Hmmmmm...let's see, what else is new in the life of Ashley...I haven't written forever, but I don't feel like life has been super exciting! Basically just working, spending time with Steve, and hanging out with friends (aka. Becky, the Lights, and the small group!)

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and find yourself very blessed in the New Year!! Love to all!

Sooooo, now there's a boy...

Hello out there my friends!

So it has been awhile since I have blogged! Life has gotten a little crazy, and while I was feeling pretty much on top of everything, I am starting to again feel a little behind! I think it has to do with the fact that I have really gotten comfortable with my class and my role as a teacher. I don't spend nearly as much time preparing, and worrying about lessons as I did at the beginning of the school year. So in a way, maybe the lack of preparedness is a good thing, and shows that I am finally starting to get the hang of being a teacher! :)

Life has been really good though! I am now at 25 students, and I am loving them! I've decided that I really enjoy first grade! Their enthusiasm for life, and the small things is really contagious! And I love the honesty, except when it comes in form of tattling! :) They keep me busy that's for sure, but i really do love it!

Me and Becky also are now in charge of 1st-8th drama club. I'm not really sure we know what we are getting ourselves into yet! We have 64 kids signed up, so it could be interesting! We are planning on performing "How the Grinch Stole Christmas...yay, I'll let you know how that one turns out!

I had some MN visitors come over Fall Break which was absolutely wonderful! Heidi, Joyel and Kim came down for about 4 days to stay with us and it was awesome! It was very refreshing to see them, and gave me a taste of home! I love those girls, and am so thankful that I got to spend some time with them!

My family is coming down to visit me over Thanksgiving, and I could not be more thrilled! It wll have been about 4 months since I've seen them! 1/3 OF A YEAR!! That is the longest I have ever gone without them, and it has been hard! So I am very much looking forward to that! I know my mom is too, she keeps asking me about the weather, I'm not sure if she's more excited to see me, or the sun! Speaking of weather, it has been gorgeous here! Mornings are around 65, and it usually gets up to anymore between 85-95! It is absolutely perfect!!




So now to tell you all what you have been wondering about since my recent facebook change about 3 weeks ago! I have met a boy! :) His name is Steve, and we met at church. We go to the same small group, and started talking about a month and half ago! He is a cop down here, but is originally from Michigan! We started dating on Sunday, October 17, and things are going wonderfully! He is a great guy, and I am really enjoying getting to know him more and more every day! We have done some pretty fun stuff like pumpkin carving, haunted houses, glow in the dark golf, bowling and much more! We really compliment each other, as he is a great listener, and well I never shut up! :) I am having a lot of fun with him, and something just seems to work really well!! Right now he is in MI visiting his family for 2 weeks, and I miss him a lot! It's crazy how attached to a person you can become in such a short time!

So as you can see, life is going really well right now! I thank you all for your prayers, and support! I miss you all!

Love, Ashley

Fall Break is here!

WAHOO!! I have survived and made it to Fall Break! I am so excited to have a week off! I plan to do absolutely NOTHING!!! School is still going good! I am starting to feel like I actually have the hang of all of this! I love my kiddos, and now that they are in the routine of things, it is even better! I survived Parent Teacher Conferences which was super overwhelming! I am really glad we only have them every once in awhile!

I feel like I should have lots to blog about cause I haven't written in awhile, but I don't. Life is pretty normal right now which I guess is refreshing since life hasn't really felt normal for awhile now! My family is getting settled into their new house which is exciting! I am really excited to see it at Christmas time! Mom, Dad, and Ty are all coming down to visit me around Thanksgiving which I am super pumped about! I can not wait to see them all!

Let's see, what else can I tell you all...hmmm...I am getting a new student on the Monday after Fall Break! That is kind of exciting I guess! Heidi and Joyel are coming to visit me in 2 days! I can not wait to see them! YAY! I am super excited about that! I have no idea what we are going to do, but I know with those two, it will be a great time even if we did absolutely nothing!

I am so thankful fo the love that Christ has shown me in giving me so many new friends down here in AZ! There are tons of nice people at school, and a certain few that me and Becky hang out with a lot! We also have made a lot of great friends at church in our small group! I love hanging out with those people too! God truly has shown me that when you really feel like you have nothing, and you feel kind of lost that he will always provide. I can't believe that like 4 months ago, I had no idea where life was going to take me, where I was going to be working, who I would be living with, etc. Now, life seems so normal, and I love where God has taken me! I wouldn't trade it for anything right now!

Well I hope you are all doing well friends! I miss and love you all! Hasta La Vista!

Sunshine, Grading, Mexican Food, More Grading, Pool, and Still More Grading

Hi Friends,

So I have officially survived Grading Period 1 and Legacy Traditional School in the first grade! WAHOO! School has been in session for one month, and boy what a month is has been! I have dealt with more behavior issues, then I ever thought possibly, I have had quite a few kids have "accidents", and I have gotten more hugs than I know what to do with!! I love my kids! Each one of them is such a unique little person! Sometimes it is hard to have patience with them, but when I really sit down and think about the little things they do that annoy me, I have to laugh! I feel really petty sometime, I get sick of their stories, and their owies, and the tattling. But then I have to remind myself that they are 5, 6 and 7 years old, and they really don't know any better! God has definitely been teaching me how to have patience, and I have learned a lot in the last month! I have had days when I really question if this is where God wants me, but every night as I lay in bed and think about my day, I feel more and more confident that I am in the right place, and that I have a definite purpose here right now!

Life outside of school has been good too! Me and Becky found a church that we really like, and we attended our first small group meeting the other night. It was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed it! We also have made a lot of friends at school that we really enjoy hanging out with! I am definitely a social person, and it is nice to have people to hang out with on a regular basis!

I got some sad news from my dad the other day, my kitty Kiki died. This was really hard for me to take. I already missed my kitty since I hadn't seen her since July, and now to think that I won't have a chance to see her again makes me really sad! I loved my kitty very much! My parents think that with the tornado and all the construction she went through this summer, it was just too much for her to handle, and she had a heart attack. I have not experienced a lot of loss in my life, and even though she was just a kitty, she was a big part of my life, and I will miss her very much!

To end on a happier note though, I would have to say that life overall is really good! It has been super hot and sunny here still, we get to enjoy the pool often still, and we found a great mexican restaurant named Eva's that has AWESOME food!

Hope you are all doing well! I miss you all very much! Love, Ashley

Things are Looking Up

Hello friends!

It's been awhile since I've written, but life has been super crazy! School is going MUCH better! I have a super challenging class, but I am learning to handle them! I have lots of little stinkers, but I really do enjoy each and every one of them! They make me laugh so hard sometimes! Today we had a great conversation about forests! I got to tell them all about what a forest is, because they've never seen them before! It's so cute that none of them know what an Oak true is...maybe a little scary too, but oh well!

So school is definitely on the upswing, and I am feeling more and more confident in my ability as a teacher. I feel like I am gaining so much experience from all of this, and it is an awesome feeling!

I actually had time to have a little fun this last weekend too! Me and Becky, and our friends the Light family went to Irvine, CA for Labor Day weekend! Marvin and Stacy, their daughters Lexi (7) and Reese (4), and me and Becky all piled into their big truck and made the 6 hour drive out to CA! It was an awesome weekend! We laid by the pool, swam, got grading done, ate good food, went to Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, and did some shopping! It was an awesome trip! Super hot, and super relaxing! Me and Becky love playing with the girls too! They are so cute, and tons of fun!!!

It is hard to be away from home though! My parents just bought a house, which is really exciting for them! I wish I could be there to help with the move, and decorate and stuff! It will be so wonderful for them to be out of the rental house! I love it here, but talking to my family, and friends from Crown makes me wish that I could be there too! I really wish I could be in two places at once! Oh well though, I am loving life down here, and God has been teaching me soooo much through everything! It amazes me to think that less than two months ago, I had no idea where I was going to be living or working, and life seemed really uncertain and scary! God was right beside me through it all, and he definitely provided, and for that I am so thankful!!

I do miss you all though, so don't be a stranger! I love getting texts, fbook messages, and calls! I am not always the best responder, but thank you for all your kind words and support!!!!

Whirlwind Week One

I have managed to survive week 1! Wahoo! I feel like that is a success in and of itself! It was quite the week!

The first three days were AWFUL! I wanted to quit, and never be a teacher ever again! I have a very challenging class. Don't get me wrong, most of them are AWESOME, but there are quite a few that are going to test my patients on many levels this year. The second two days of school were much better. Some behavior issues were taken care of, and my whole classes attitude kind of shifted! I really enjoyed Thursday and Friday of school! My class was awesome, and I had so much fun with them! I hope the rest of the school year, can keep on the upswing!

I am loving the school though! My colleagues are great, and I have made lots of friends! I have so many wonderful kids in my class too! There are a lot of hard workers, and a lot of little smarty pants! No matter how much they talk, don't listen, cry, and so on. All the hugs that I get, and the little voices saying, "Miss Fix you're the best teacher! I never want to go back to my old school!", make everything worth it at the end of the day!

I am looking forward to week 2! But right now, I am relaxing and enjoying the weekend! I get to go play broom ball tonight with all my colleagues for a "Back to School Bash"! I am pretty stoked about it! I love broom ball, and there are a lot of people from the midwest on my team, so hopefully we will dominate! :) That's all for now!

Here goes nothing!

So tomorrow is the first day of school! CRAZY! I met most of my students, and their families last Friday night. It was a crazy night! So many people, and so much energy! It was a lot of fun, but a little bit overwhelming. I'm not sure that I have any way of making myself feel ready for tomorrow. I think I just have to go for it, and hope and pray for the best. All of my student teaching experience, and scholastic training I know have been preparing me for this, but for some reason, I feel totally unprepared. I feel like I have no idea what I am doing, and that they are all just going to stare at me! AWWWWW! I know that won't happen, its just something that keeps popping into my mind when I think about the first day!

I think I am all ready though! I have been working my tail of the past week trying to get my classroom ready, and getting everything in place. I am bruised, tired, overwhelmed, excited, and nervous all at the same time! My emotions are running like crazy! I think excitement is the main feeling though! This is something that I have been working towards for 4 years now, and I can't believe it is finally here!

I love the school I am working at! It is an absolutely gorgeous facility, and my classroom is more than I could have ever imagined! Cherrywood cupboards, and lots of them, granite countertops, and 4 huge windows! It's awesome! The people I am working with are so great! I have made so many new friends, and I feel very supported there which is great!

So I guess here goes nothing! I'll let you know how the first day goes! :)

Eeeek School Starts SOOOON

Greetings friends!

So, I have almost completed my two weeks of training! WAHOO! The Spalding final is tomorrow, and then we are DONE!!! It has been a looooong two weeks, but good too. I have met so many nice people, and everyone I work with is super sweet! Spalding is a pain in my rear, and there have been a couple long sessions, but other than that! I have really been enjoying myself!

It is so crazy to think that in less than two weeks, I will have students walking in to my classroom! YIKES! It is starting to feel more and more real! We get to move into the new campus next Tuesday, so that is really exciting! I got my class list today, 29 1st graders! YIKES! I can't wait to meet them all! I have gone shopping one to many times to get stuff for my classroom, and I can't wait to start decorating it! I have gotten so much cute stuff! For my classroom jobs board, I decided to call it "Miss Fix's Pit Crew"! So each student has a name on a little person, and then when it is their turn to be a specific job, there little person gets to drive the little car. The different jobs are Driver (line leader), Taillight (line backer), Speedy Delivery (messenger), Clean-up Crew, and Paper Passers! I am really excited about it! :)

I really haven't done much outside of training here in AZ! Me and Becky did go to Phoenix last weekend so we could pick up some supplies at Lakeshore, so we got to see a little of the area! As far as Casa Grande goes, I know where Target, Wal-Mart, the mall and Coldstone are! What else do you need? ;) We've also got to use the pool a bit which has been really nice especially on the really hot days! Overall though, weather has been pretty good! I guess there was record rain-faill for the area last Saturday, maybe I brought it all with me from Minnesota! :)

So overall life is good! Crazy, but good! I am really enjoying preparing for my first year of teaching, and I think God has big things to teach me this year! He has already blessed me immensely , and I feel like there is still more in store!

I will keep you posted as the start of school gets a little closer! That's all for now!

Hola from Arizona!!!

I'm HERE!!!!! Crazy!!! We arrived about 11:30 am on Saturday...signed our lease at 11:40 am...started unloading the uhaul and cars...finished that around 3:30 (soooooooo hot unloading!)...got everything arranged in the apartment by about 4:00 on Sunday (we are very task oriented and organized people if you can't tell:)...started training Monday morning at 7:30 for my first REAL LIVE TEACHING JOB...and now it is Tuesday night and I sit at Starbucks writing this, and it all feels like a whirlwind!

The apartment is great! I love it! It's nice and new and big, and you can ask Tyler about the pool as it is where he spent most of his time when he was here for the past few days! I love Casa Grande! It as everything I could want, and way more restaurants then I will ever eat at! Starbucks is a block away from the apartment, and everything else I will need is within a mile!! SO GREAT!

Training has been a little long, but it has been fun too! We have Spalding training for 4.5 hours every morning, and I honestly thought I was going to die today! I didn't learn phonics growing up, so it is all kind of foreign to me, but all the 37 other people in the class seem to be in the same boat so I don't feel so bad! :) The rest of training has been a lot of fun! It has been awesome to meet all the other teachers from the three campuses! Between all three there is about a total of 165 teachers, so lots of new faces! Everyone is super nice, and probably about 75% of all of us are all new to Legacy, or first year teachers! It is a comforting feeling to know you are in the same boat as a lot of people!

One cool thing is that Becky got switched to first grade, so now we even teach the same grade! So fun! There are two other first grade teachers at the Casa Grande campus, and they are both really nice! I think the four of us will have a lot of fun! We have learned a lot about the school, curriculum, and mission which has been really cool! Training goes for the rest of this week, and all of next week. Then we have a week to decorate and set up or classroom :), meet the teacher night is the 13th, and school starts on the 16th! I am soooo excited!

Life still feels a little crazy, and it still feels surreal that I am actual a teacher in Arizona, and I have my own apartment, but God is good, and I know he is with me every step of the way! I have felt his comfort many times over the last few days when saying goodbye to my mom in MN, starting Spalding training and feeling really overwhelmed, and then saying goodbye to my dad and brother last night when they headed back to MN! I know this is where God wants me right now, and I feel a definite peace about! I appreciate all your prayers as I continue on the journey he has planned for me!

Adios Amigos!

The countdown is on...

So it's four days until moving day, and I think it is hitting me more and more that I am actually moving across the country. Today was my last day at my church in Wadena, it was the last time I'll see my grandparents until Christmas, and the last time I will see my very bestest friend Krystal for awhile! I've decided I don't like to think about all the "lasts". Instead, I am going to think about all the "firsts". Like my first night in my new apartment, and my first day with my students! Those thing make me really excited in the midst of the sadness of the "lasts".

On another note, my and my dad watched "The Book of Eli" tonight, and it really made me think! (if you haven't seen it yet, you should! It's an AWESOME movie!) Anyway, I kind of feel a bit like Eli, I am definitely walking by faith, not by sight in this "big move". I have no idea what God has in store for me, but I know Casa Grande is where he wants me, so that is where I am going! Crazy stuff! I am a planner, and this is definitley not the way I saw my life going even just 6 short months ago...scratch that...1 month ago. But God works in mysterious ways, and I know that his hand is working in all of this!

Well, that's all for tonight! Whew, feels good to get those thoughts out on "paper"! As moving day approaches, I find my mind just whirling and whirling with nervousness, excitement, any other emotion that you can think of!

Signing off,
Ashley

So here's the story...

Hi friends!
So life has gotten a little crazy this summer, and I feel like I have been horrible at keeping in contact with all of you! Hence why I created this blog...to keep you all informed! This summer, I have been living down in Waconia with Becky Parkinson and her family! It has been so much fun living with them, and I am sad to leave them! I have been nannying for a family in EP with three little boys! They are little balls of energy, and I love every minute with them (most of the time)! Most of my summer has also been spent in Wadena helping my family clean up our house after it was hit by a tornado on June 17. It has been a very draining summer, but God has taught us all immense amounts through it!

And now to tell you all what this whole blog is all about! So as most of you know, I graduated from Crown in May with a BS in Elementary Education! I have been searching all spring and summer for a teaching job, and the results were rather fruitless for awhile. I then decided to start looking outside the state of Minnesota, and this is where the adventure begins! I ended up being offered and accepting a 1st grade teaching position at Legacy Traditional School in Casa Grande, AZ! It's a charter school, and has a lot to offer! I am so super excited about this opportunity, and I know God has big plans for me! The other exciting part is that Becky Parkinson also got a position at the same school and she is moving down with me! We are going to rent an apartment, and join in on this new adventure together! I am a little nervous...and there is still a lot of stuff to figure out, but I know God has big plans for me, and I can't wait to see how He uses this adventure to shape and mold me for his purpose!!!

I will try to keep you all updated about life and let you know how everything is going! I would appreciate your prayers, and I hope to stay in contact with everyone! If you ever want to come visit just let me know! We will have an extra bedroom in our apartment, and come January, unlike MN, we will have no snow!! :)