New Life in New York

And The Winner Is...

2009-02-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

...well, we may not have come in first place at the cheerleading sectional competition on Sunday, but our team is first place in my eyes and in God's! To say we had a difficult season this year would be an understatement. God allowed several trials to come our way this season, and we came through them with a lot of prayer and a lot of faith. God so tenderly reminded us that He cares about every area of our life...even cheerleading. In addition, we learned that God likes to use every area of our life to bring us closer to Him... even cheerleading. I'm so humbled to have coached these girls for the past three years. They love God with all their heart and desire to glorify Him in all they do...yes, even in cheerleading.

Last minute practice before it's our turn to perform.

The proud coaches stand back and watch!

The girls and I wait for the results.

Webster Christian Cheerleaders (08-09). Coming in fourth place at sectionals.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know what you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23-24

To Be Or Not To Be

2009-02-24T11:46:00.000-08:00

Each of my high school classes are reading one of Shakespeare's plays right now. One project my senior students have come to look forward to do is to recreate the globe theatre. I'm blessed to teach students who are so creative and talented. Take a look for yourself.

A work in progress...

The globe theatre presentations...

Displaying them in the WCS library for all to see...

Will Someone Please Let Me In?

2009-02-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

Gracie has been doing this new thing where she barks until we let her outside. She loves to play in the snow (that's not new), but she doesn't like us to close the door. Since it's 20 degrees outside we can't just leave the door open for her. Today, Will got so tired of her barking he let her outside and shut the door. It took her a while to notice that he'd closed the door, but when she finally realized it she started pouting at me (with a snout full of snow) until I finally gave in and let her in. To no avail, she immediately started barking so she could go outside again. She's ornery but adorable!

P.S I understand that some of you may be tired of us highlighting the minor events in our dog's life... but she's our only baby. Until God blesses us with two legged children, she's all we got. So, please be patient with us. We're so thankful to be sharing our lives with you via this blog!

Whiter Than Snow

2009-02-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

Lately God has been teaching me a lot about love. His love for me, my love for Him, and my love for others. I love the Word of God! I love that sometimes the most obvious topics are the most difficult to walk out in our personal lives. I love that He loves me so much that "while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me"(Romans 5:8). I'm thankful that God not only loves me but He is love. Love is in His character. It's impossible for him to act outside of His love for me...and for you!

I've also been studying the life of David in my small group Bible study. If I've learned anything about David, I've learned that He loved the Lord His God and in response to his love for Him, he worshiped. We are blessed to see some of David's beautifully poetic praises to God in the Psalms. As I was working from my house today, I've been blessed to look outside my window and watch the snow fall. It started this morning and hasn't stopped all day. Just a moment ago I looked outside, reminiscing about how beautiful the fresh snow is, when I was moved to praise God and remember what he's done for me, "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow" (Ps 51:7).

Thank you, Father, for what you've done for me! Beauty for ashes, beloved, beauty for ashes!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T16:05:00.000-08:00

Will & I had a great day. We worked together to make our Valentine's dinner here at home.

Will is almost done with the main course; salmon with a basil pesto sauce.

I was in charge of the veggies and bread.

Gracie ate her favorite meal. Carrots!

Dessert!

Happy Valentine's Day!

1 John 4: 7-20

Busy as a Bee

2009-02-04T13:18:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned in the previous post, I've been pretty busy since the beginning of 2009. Here's just a few things I've been up to...

Preparing for the National Honor Society ceremony...

Teaching...

Coaching...

Going to cheerleading competitions...

Attending school pep rallies and laughing at the sophomore class who preformed an original routine to the Back Street Boy's song..."Bye, Bye, Bye"

Going to school basketball games...

Serving in the children's ministry @WBC

Whew! 2009 is shaping up to be quite a year.

P.S Will and I are on our last days of antibiotics. We are starting to feel more like ourselves again. Thanks for praying for us!

Alive and Well

2009-02-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

For anyone who was worried that Will and I had fallen off the face of the earth...we're checking in and saying hi.

We've had a VERY busy beginning to the New Year. After returning from our fabulous trip home during the Christmas break, I jumped into work with both feet and found myself swamped with things to do. Will and I were only home about two weeks before we were back in Texas for a short trip to Lubbock and El Paso. Thanks to the combination of generous germ sharing from multiple plane rides and flip flopping from sub zero temperatures in NY and the cooler weather in Texas...I've been sick for the past week. I'm almost fully recovered and feeling MUCH better. Will came home last night after spending some time with our families in Denton/Dallas and Mt Pleasant. He's not been feeling very well either and now he has pink eye in both eyes! We're really just pitiful, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, all that aside, we're doing well. I didn't want anyone to think I'd abandoned our blog. Hopefully, we'll be settling into our "normal" routine this week and I'll have more time to regularly post updates. I finally had time today to change the Christmas decor to something a little more fitting for the month of LOVE!

Well, I hear Will calling for me and Gracie is barking so I have to go for now. Talk to y'all soon.

All Things Texas

2008-12-20T15:51:00.001-08:00

Will and I arrived to Texas safely last night around midnight. It's been a really stressful couple of weeks and it's good to be home. We drove to Texas this year. Will and I love road trips and we had lots to talk about. We stayed in Nashville with family on Thursday evening (about half way from Rochester to Texas). We had a wonderful time with cousin Mandy and her sweet family. Will and I look forward to seeing them again on our way home.

Today, my family and I went to a true "Texas/Cowboy" store. It was good to be surrounded with all things Texas.

Will and I will be posting on our blog regularly. We want to capture every moment of our time here. But for now, enjoy our first Texas pictures.

Blog Holiday Makeover

2008-11-29T12:37:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone enjoys our holiday makeover. In addition to the holiday decor, I've learned how to incorporate music into our blog. Now when you visit us at our blog you can listen to music while you read our posts (just make sure your mute button isn't on, unless you mean for it to be on in case your at work or whatever, OR that your volume isn't up as loud as it can possibly go...I'm only warning you from personal experience.) Lastly, I've learned how to post a fun new slide show full of pictures. I hope everyone has a blessed holiday season!

Decorating for Christmas

2008-11-28T16:19:00.001-08:00

Will and I often think about the kinds of holiday traditions we want to establish for our family. One tradition we've started is to go to the Christmas tree farm the day after Thanksgiving. As we decorate the tree we always have one of our favorite Christmas movies playing in the background while we sip on some delicious hot chocolate. We have very little Christmas decorations (which is great because we have very little space to decorate) and even fewer ornaments. We hope our future Christmas tree(s) will be covered with handmade ornaments made by little Meanses. But for now, we are perfectly content with our lights and pine cones.

Our beautiful tree (with lights). You can't see the natural pine cones because they are so small. But trust us, they're in there somewhere.

Our beautiful tree (without lights).

We'll take this one!

Will loves to cut down his own tree.

There it goes.

Yes, we even "decorate" our dog. She loves it! Can't you tell by her expression?

Gracie is ready for Christmas! She's so adorable!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-28T07:35:00.001-08:00

Will and I had a great Thanksgiving. We slept in (which put us WAY behind schedule), had coffee while discussing what we were thankful for this year, and quickly got ready to go over to our friend's house, the Christens, for a late (because we were late) Thanksgiving lunch. But before we could go to their house we had to put the finishing touches on our gingerbread house. After our fabulous meal, we all went to the Bell's for dessert.

Will and I have much to be thankful for this year. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 has come to mean a lot to us this year: "Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus." We are thankful!!!

Dessert at the Bells.

The Christens and the Means

Will is telling one of his stories again.

The boys are playing Wii before eating turkey.

What a beautiful (and delicious) Thanksgiving meal.

Turkey Time!

Putting the finishing touches on our gingerbread house.

So serious...

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

Go Warriors!

2008-11-28T07:15:00.001-08:00

Cheerleading has begun and my schedule is officially bursting at the seams. We've had two full weeks of practice and everything is going well. Sandy, the girls, and I are looking forward to a more relaxed cheerleading season. Our first game is against our rival team, the Finney Falcons, the Friday after Thanksgiving break! Go Warriors!!!

I even jumped in to par take in some of the fun! I was just surprised that I could still do something.

Me and the girls.

It's a good day in the life of a high school girl when you get your cheerleading uniform.

Winter Wonderland....in Novemeber!

2008-11-28T07:07:00.000-08:00

November is turning out to be a winter wonderland. We've had bitter cold temperatures and snow almost everyday. Welcome to upstate NY!

Birthday Fun!

2008-11-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful birthday! Will surprised me at work with a beautiful arrangement of flowers (my favorite) and one of my students bought me my favorite latte from Starbucks. The sophomores and I participated in a murder mystery all day at school. We all played unsuspecting characters working together to solve a mysterious murder. (It's a lot like the game Clue.) It was a blast!!! After work I had Bible study, which is the perfect way to end any day. My favorite thing about my birthday is hearing from everyone I love all in one day. Thank you to everyone who thought about me on my birthday. I love y'all more than you know!!!

Characters for the Murder Mystery (a.k.a Mrs. Means' Sophomore Class)

Thank you Honey for my beautiful flowers!!! (Thanks Mrs. Christen for the delicious cookies (hidden under the foil you see in this picture). The icing was out of this world.)

Thanks Mrs. Bell and Alison for making me such a delicious chocolate cake for my birthday. It was as delicious as it was beautiful!

I posted this picture just for the girls in Bible study. Inside joke :)

Me and the Bible study girls. (and Mrs. Bell who is taking the picture because I forgot how to use the timer on my camera.)

October Snow

2008-11-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

In some parts of the US "October Snow" would be an oxymoron, but not in upstate NY! Two days before my birthday we had snow here in Rochester. Some parts of NY were pounded with large amounts of snow, but we were lucky and only received a small amount. But still...snow in October?!?!?

Quality Time

2008-10-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Now that Will's midterms are done, we were able to spend some quality time together this weekend. Will picked me up from work early Friday afternoon. After stopping by the GMC dealership to pick up some of Will's school books from his truck, we ate a late lunch at Moes. After lunch, we hung out and enjoyed a beautiful fall afternoon. Later that night, we stopped by Nazareth library to see one of Will's classmates. After visiting with everyone that Will knows, which has to be half of the Nazareth school population, he showed me where he spends all of his time studying. Next, we were off to rent a movie and settle down for the evening.

Yesterday we went to Long Acre Farm to pick a couple of pumpkins for our home decor. We also enjoyed some local food for lunch along with some hot apple cider. We perused around the farm and took pleasure in the fall festivities. Will and I wanted so badly to attempt the corn maze. We started at a "beginners" maze. As you can see in some of the pictures we were having a bit of trouble with the easy maze. We also talked to several people who said it took them two hours to make it through the real maze. Will and I decided not the try to conquer the maze that day. But, we'll be back. We both love a good challenge! Last night we ate a nice dinner at Uno Chicago and headed home to relax and watch another movie.

Later today we're going to have lunch at our adoptive family's house, the Christens. WBC is celebrating missions week and the Christens always host a lunch during the missions conference. Will and I usually attend the luncheon and enjoy visiting with the missionaries as well as our large extended family.

Will and I have had a wonderful weekend together. We are so thankful for everyone who is praying for Will. Your prayers have sustained him through his midterms. Will and I are seeing God work everyday! We're so grateful for what God has already done and excited to see what He's going to do this semester.

A Love that Surrounds

2008-10-15T13:09:00.001-07:00

Earlier this afternoon I was finishing up my Bible study over the first and second verses of Psalm 125. I had literally just finished reading the following commentary, ..."God has you surrounded. His presence looms over you from every direction. "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, the Lord surrounds his people now and forever (Ps. 125:2, NIV)." ...when I received the following text message from Will, "my truck tire rolled off of the truck while I was driving. Hold on I'm talking to the police." After asking the Lord for some peace (and thanking Him that although I didn't know many details about the incident, I knew Will was at least able to talk and text message me) I called mama Means, who talked to the policeman. Will was fine and nobody else was involved. He was traveling down a small rural road. He'd noticed something wrong with the tires for several miles so he'd been driving extremely slow. I quickly left school and met Will at the GMC dealership. I wish I could have video taped Will's expression as he explained to me the bizarre feeling of driving and all of sudden watching your front tire roll off about 100 yards in the opposite direction. The whole time Will was summarizing the events of the afternoon, God was speaking to my spirit..."My presence looms over you in every direction." Praise God that He was looking out for Will and nothing serious happened. I know the Word is alive and active in the life of every believer, but lately God's been teaching me how to sow the seed of His Word in every situation in my life and I'm thankful for it! I'm just praying that Psalm 126 doesn't have reason to test us where vehicles are concerned or any other near catastrophe.

Will's truck is the small blue dot at the top of the picture.

"You hem me in---behind and before you have laid your hand upon me." Psalm 139:5

F. A. L. L

2008-10-12T11:20:00.001-07:00

We've been blessed with a beautiful fall weekend here in upstate NY! So much so it inspired me to write an acrostic poem.

F Favorite fall treats at the local farmer's market

A apple cider....apple pie...apples, apples, and more apples

L leaves changing colors

L lots to be thankful for!!!

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100 (NIV)

Welcome to Will's World of PT!

2008-10-08T16:24:00.001-07:00

Tonight I was invited to observe Will at the Nazareth Physical Therapy clinic. The Naz clinic hosts a pediatrics Kids Camp whereby all the DPT students work with kids who need physical therapy. Will's patient is the most adorable little boy who is hearing impaired. It was amazing to see Will in his professional environment. Enjoy the pictures!

Will's Pediatrics PT Professor and Will

Thanks for praying for Will this week. We're so thankful!!!

Attenion all Prayer Warriors!

2008-10-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Will and I are humbly grateful to all the people who are constantly down on their knees in prayer on our behalf. Please know what we feel the covering of your prayers and we see God working everyday!!! We are in need of some specific prayers for this week...

Will has a HUGE test this Tuesday. Well, every test is huge and every class is difficult in its own right, but this test is particularly important. Will has been pouring over his lecture notes and lab practicums for the past week and a half. Please pray that he'll use every moment between now and Tuesday to study and prepare for this test. Pray for clarity as he studies and that the material will make sense to him. Pray for protection against the enemy's distractions, both in mind and in time management. Please pray that he'll go boldly before the throne of God and ask Him for anything and everything he needs...wisdom, clarity, confidence, discernment, time, etc. Pray that God will give Will peaceful and restful sleep both tonight and Monday night. Pray that on Tuesday he'll have excellent recall of the information he's studied and that God will help him communicate well on the short answer portion of the test. Pray that during the lab test, Will will clearly understand both the interpreter and the question being asked and that he'll know exactly what technique he needs to perform for that particular diagnosis scenario. Pray that he'll receive the grade he needs to maintain the GPA required by the DPT program. We're continuously trusting God one test, one project, one quiz...one day at a time. Lastly, Will has another huge test a week after this test on Tuesday. Please pray for a quick recovery and renewed energy for another intense week of preparation and studying.

Again, words cannot express our gratitude for your prayers. We see and experience God working in our lives everyday!!! It's the most wonderful thing Will and I have ever experienced. Please know that we pray with thanksgiving and cover you with God's blessing daily.

Humbly grateful,

Will and Shannon

P.S Will's lecture test is at 8:30 a.m (Eastern Time) and his lab test is at 3:30 p.m (Eastern Time). Thanks again for your prayers. We are so thankful!

WCS is Standing on the Word of God in 2008-09

2008-10-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Homecoming 2008 Recap

2008-10-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

WCS Homecoming 2008 was wonderful! It was so much fun visiting with many of my former students. The sports teams played hard and displayed good sportsmanship. The girl’s soccer team played well but ended up losing by two points. The boy’s soccer team also played well and beat Finney 3-1. Go Warriors!

After the game, Will and I had a date night. Will is so busy with school that we rarely spend quality time together. It was fun to get all dressed up for a night out. We ate a delicious dinner at P. F. Changs. After a nice dinner and even better conversation we burned off some of our dinner by walking around the mall. After arriving home from our fabulous date, I went to bed and Will went back to studying. I praise the Lord and deeply cherish the moments we spend together!

Here's the photo recap of Homecoming Week!

Pep Rally Game: High School students spell out words with their bodies.

Pep Rally Game: Students try to get the hoop from one end of the line to the next without letting go of each others hands.

The boys soccer team came up with a team dance. They had the whole school laughing until our stomachs ached.

The girls soccer team came up with a team chant to pump them up before the big game.

Seniors take a break from making homecoming posters to work on homework.

The sophomores chose a 50's theme for spirit week.

Seniors dress like their favorite superheros!

Freshman dress like hillbillies.

Lastly, Juniors dress like snow bunnies.

Girls are preparing for an intense game against Finney.

Go Warriors!

Senior Girls!

WCS Fans are the best!

Everyone is doing their part to make Homecoming 2008 the best it can be. Mr. Bell (WCS Principal) is making hamburgers and hot dogs for the snack shack.

Kelly and Shannon, 2008 Graduates

WCS Boys Soccer Team 2008

WCS Homecoming 2008

2008-09-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

The students and staff at WCS have had a fun filled Warrior spirit week celebrating Homecoming 2008. Monday kicked off spirit week with “crazy hat” day and we ended the week with “come up with a theme and dress as a class day”. Tonight we had our third annual Homecoming Coffee House. During the Coffee House the kids come to school to play games, eat food, watch movies, and socialize. Tomorrow morning will begin with the traditional athlete’s breakfast and then we’ll enjoy a full day of sports competitions. WCS will play our rival, the Finney Falcons, in volleyball and boys and girls soccer. I love to watch a good volleyball and soccer game, especially against two rival teams. I’m also looking forward to seeing some of my former students. Homecoming is always an exciting event!!! I’ll post pictures of the continued Homecoming festivities tomorrow. But for now…enjoy these funny pictures from spirit week. Good night!

Crazy Hat Day

Freshman dress like Hillbillies

Seniors become their favorite superheroes

Homecoming Coffee House

Seniors 2009

Alexa, Me, and Jade

Senior Sunrise

2008-09-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hello to all our family, friends, and fellow bloggers. My apologies for not posting anything in a while but Will and I have been enjoying the last little bit of our summer all the while gearing up for the fall semester.

Will’s classes started last week and today was my first day of school. This year I am the senior class advisor and its WCS tradition that the senior class meet at the lake to watch the sunrise on the first day of school. So, the senior class and I were up REALLY early this morning to watch the sunrise together. God blessed us with a gorgeous sunrise and a beautiful morning. After the lake, we drove to the school and had a delicious breakfast prepared by parents and volunteers. It was a wonderful way to begin the day.

The rest of the day went very well. It was great to see my students from last year and even more exciting to meet all of the new students that are attending WCS this year. Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved the first day of school. I love everything about it…the school supplies, the first day of school outfit, the new book bag, the start of a new school year…I just genuinely love every part of the first day of school. I’m exited to see what God is going to do this school year at WCS and thankful that I can be a part of it.

I’m ending this post with pictures of the Senior Sunrise this morning! Thank you for praying for us this week. We love you more than you know. (P.S I promise not to let an entire month pass without posting on our blog…so come visit us again soon!)

WCS Senior Class 2009

Senior Sunrise 2008

Anniversary Weekend Celebration

2008-08-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

Will and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary with a weekend trip to Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Boston. We crammed a lot into just two days but we had a blast! We arrived in Cape Cod on Thursday evening and ate dinner at a ridiculously delicious restaurant called the Naked Oyster. We woke up early Friday morning, ate breakfast at a local diner called the Sunnyside, then took a one hour ferry ride to Martha’s Vineyard. The Lord blessed us with an absolutely gorgeous day! We walked all around the Old Bluff’s area on the Vineyard. Friday evening, we took the ferry back to Cape Cod where we stuffed ourselves with lobster, New England clam chowder and rested up for our road trip to Boston the following day. We arrived in Boston Saturday afternoon. During a delicious lunch at a fabulous restraurant downtown, we found ourselves right in the middle of a torrential downpour. Will and I had to borrow trash bags from the kitchen so we could get from the restaurant to our car without having to change our clothes or catch a cold. We were laughing at ourselves all the way to the car…wet heads and all. We thought it was going to be a wash out day. Since the forecast predicted rain all day, we decided to cruise around the three major college campuses; Boston University, Harvard, and MIT. We stayed warm at the Harvard Bookstore for a while. Then the weather looked like it was going to clear up so we decided to stay and eat dinner at Cheers. Will and I had a wonderful weekend. We laughed and ate until our stomachs ached and made many wonderful memories. The best part of the weekend was the road trip from NY to Cape Cod. Will and I reflected on the past three years, talked about the Lord and all the blessings in our lives, and discussed the future. Will and I never want to take for granted this season in our lives. We are thankful for what God is teaching us and are looking forward to the blessings to come.

Celebrating Three Years...Road Trip!

Our faithful companion, Gracie

Dinner at the Naked Oyster, Cape Cod

Welcome to Martha's Vineyard!

Lunch at the Sand Bar & Grille, Martha's Vineyard

Cooling off before walking around Old Bluff on the Vineyard

America's Oldest Carousel

The best ice cream on the island

The Gingerbread Houses on the Vineyard

Dinner at Spanky's Clam Shack on Cape Cod

Lunch in Boston during the torrential downpour

It's raining...it's pouring...downtown Boston

Can you picture now why we'd laugh at ourselves?

MIT Campus

Happy Anniversary...to us

2008-07-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Three years ago today...

Honeymoon in Maui

Fabulous Family Vacation 2008

2008-07-30T07:12:00.001-07:00

Will and I are having a WONDERFUL summer so far! We are quickly moving through our “summer things to do” list. Will and I have been home from our fabulous family vacation for about a week and half.

We had a blast on the cruise. We climbed a water fall and swam with the dolphins in Jamaica, swam with the stingrays and went snorkeling in the Grand Cayman Islands, and went snuba (combo of snorkeling and scuba diving) diving in Cozumel, Mexico. But of course, the BEST part of the week was hanging out with our family! It was a blessing!!!!

It’s been a collaborative effort to collect enough pictures to share on the blog. (I’ll keep adding pictures as I get them. This entry will be a work in progress) Enjoy!

Shannon, Beth, Izzy, Rebekah, Bekah and Anna all ready to board the ship.

All aboard the Carnival Conquest Fun Ship!

Brandon, Thomas, Shannon and Will

Hanging out on the fun ship!

Izzy loved that ice cream

Look at Bekah (in Jamaica)!

Rebekah and Thomas

Will and Thomas in the Grand Cayman Islands

Thomas, Rebekah and Will swimming with the stingrays (there's a reason why they are in the water and I'm on the boat taking the picture :)

The little girls holding a starfish

The big kids holding the starfish

Formal Night on the Carnival Cruise ship...what a good looking group!

Daddy & Mama Means, Mama & Daddy Young

Too cute for words...

...and still too cute for words!

Happy Birthday Will in Cozumel, Mexico

Thomas and Brandon loved the talking Rainbow Parrot in Mexico

Will, Thomas, Brandon and Rebekah all conquered the climbing wall on the water!

Rebekah, Bekah and our fabulous waiter, A.K.A Rambo, dancing the night away!

Holiday Weekend Extravaganza

2008-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Will and I had a wonderful holiday weekend with Thomas and his girlfriend, Alexandria. I don’t have much time to write about our fun filled weekend because we are packing and getting ready to go to Texas tomorrow. I thought pictures would be the perfect way to sum up our 4th of July weekend extravaganza!

Welcome to NY Alexandria and Thomas!

4th of July BBQ!

Bocce Boys

Gracie made a new friend

Dinner before fireworks

Waiting to watch the fireworks show!

Lunch on the Erie Canal

Niagara Falls

Peller Winery, Canada

Niagara on the Lake, Canada

Dinner at Treadwell

Ice Cream for dessert at Brusters (Yummy)

Dinner at Mario’s Italian Restaurant

Happy 4th of July!!!

2008-07-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

Surprise!

2008-07-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I surprised Will with an early (18 days early) birthday party! With family coming into town in a few days and then Will and I leaving to Texas to go on our family cruise the day after they leave, it was the only time I could squeeze in a birthday celebration with just the two of us. It was prefect because he truly was surprised. I made three cheese and spinach ravioli topped with a basil pesto sauce, roasted garlic toast, and salad. After dinner, we ate NY cheesecake topped with berries and opened presents. Happy (really early) Birthday Will!!!!

Gracie wasn't having a good hair day!

Head Above Stressful Waters

2008-06-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry for taking a short hiatus from the blogging world, but I’ve been busy as a bee grading finals (and state exams) to finish up this school year. And I’m done!!! I won't have to grade another English assignment until September. PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Friday night we had our WCS graduation to honor this year’s excellent group of graduates. It was a precious night of praise, fellowship, and celebration. I wasn’t able to take many pictures because I was busy serving punch and refreshments at the reception. Will didn’t take many pictures either because he was busy socializing…of course. The pictures in the sanctuary (where the ceremony took place) came out really dark. But at least we were able to capture a few moments to post on our blog.

Will is almost done with his internship as well. This will be his last week and today was his last day at the Fairport clinic. His patients were so cute…they made him a little “Good Luck” card and all signed it with well wishes for the future. Will has been working diligently on his final project. I know I wouldn’t do it justice to try to explain it so I won’t even try. But I have pictures of it!

Will and I have lots of fun things planned for this summer. Here’s just a few of our plans…

1. family visiting us for the 4th of July weekend
2. going on a family CRUISE!

3. work at Red Wings games
4. plan high school research curriculum with the Liberian
5. cheerleading camp
6. VBS (Vacation Bible School)
7. create a website for the WCS English department
8. LOTS of soaking up the sun and reading by the pool!
9. RELAX, RELAX, and RELAX…

Looks like a pretty good list to me. I can’t wait to get started. Happy Summer!

Reaping the Rewards

2008-06-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

The junior class and I reaped the rewards of our hard work last night at the WCS Junior and Senior Banquet. We’ve been planning and preparing for this event since the first week of school. It was truly a fanciful evening. Everyone was all dressed up and looking good. We ate fabulous food and had fantastic fellowship. We also heard an amazing message from a speaker by the name of Paul Burress. His message revolved around one of my favorite Scriptures, James 1:22-25:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does.”

Paul presented his message with humor, conviction, and encouragement for everyone, but especially for the seniors who are about to begin a new chapter in their lives. And we didn’t know before hand but his wife is an interpreter. What a blessing!!! Enjoy the pictures.

Me and Megan (junior)

Kelly (senior), me and Ashley (junior)

Sarah (junior) and me

The junior class representative and Cindy Smith, the senior class representative

Kelly (senior), me and Kaitlin (WCS graduate 2007)

WCS Junior and Senior Banquet 2008! The whole gang!!!

Thanks again for all your prayers! We love you!!!

Jam Packed Weekend

2008-06-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Will and I had an extremely busy weekend. I already posted pictures of the WSC carnival Friday night. Will is still recovering from the cold water in the dunking booth. It was a lot of fun!

Yesterday morning, Will and I took Gracie to the vet. She’s been really sick this past week. Come to find out, she’s been having anxiety now that Will is working all day and not home with her like she’s use to. The vet said it’s just a transition period and it should pass. Thank goodness. Aren’t dogs funny…as my dear friend Sandy says, “Dogs are like small children that never grow up.” So true…but we love them anyway. Last night, Will and I worked at another Red Wings game to help raise money for the junior class. Once again, we had fun but it made for a LONG day.

Today, I performed for the Kids Stuf (Stuf is actually spelled this way) program at Webster Bible Church. Kids Stuf is an interactive children’s minister. This is WBC’s first year to use the curriculum. Kids Stuf is really a brilliant program and there are plenty of ministry opportunities for people of all ages and talents. I’m part of the skit crew and I play a character named Samantha. The other characters and I do just about anything silly, humorous, outrageous…basically anything over the top in order to get a good laugh from the kids. But of course, the best part is that it’s all relevant to the Bible lessons. I’m including some pictures as well as a couple of links to some skits/videos that I’ve participated in. All you have to do is click on the link and enjoy!

Lightning Man Skit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VozadjUKTkE&feature=related

My Favorite Things Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u_wzLjyv0o

Kids Stuf skit rehearsal

Kids Stuf small groups

Me and Megan Christen (The Christens, along with several other families and volunteers, work tirelessly to ensure Kids Stuf is successful and fun for the kids each and every week.)

After church Will grilled hamburgers for lunch. They were delicious and huge! Will calls his infamous burgers the “Big Mouth Burgers” and every time he makes them they get bigger and bigger. But so long and he’s the one cooking I’m not complaining. Now that I’m completely stuffed from eating one of Will’s big mouth burgers, Gracie and I plan to take our typical Sunday afternoon nap. Is there anything better than a Sunday nap? Can I get an “amen”!?!

One of Will's favorite things to do...cook on the grill!

Will and Gracie. Buddies forever!

Will's big mouth burger! (I told you they're HUGE!)

Later today, we’re going to give Gracie her weekly bath and I’m going to prepare for the upcoming week. Please pray for me this week. The Junior/Senior Banquet is this Friday and there is still MUCH to do before we are completely ready for the event. Please pray that all the details will come together and that it will be a fabulous evening for everyone. Please also pray for Will's midterm evaluation this week. Will is doing his summer internship at ARC of Monroe and thankfully he loves every minute. So far he’s received a lot of praise for his hard work and dedication. We’re so thankful that God continues to confirm that PT is the perfect profession for Will.

Thanks for your prayers and thanks for sharing these experiences with us through our blog.

Carnival Fun, Cotton Candy, and Much More

2008-05-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Will and I attended the annual WCS carnival this evening. We had a blast! We ate barbeque chicken, nibbled on too many sweets, and played all the games. Will even volunteered to be in the dunking booth. He was such a good sport about it. The water was freezing! Don’t worry, I have pictures…

Will is all smiles BEFORE braving the dunking booth.

Going...

Going...

Gone!

Don't worry...this is one activity we didn't do.

But it sure looks like fun!

…Wish you all could be here. We love you!

A Walk Down Memory Lane

2008-05-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

As the school year is beginning to slow down (key word: BEGINNING), I spent some time today reflecting on this past year. I made a scrapblog collage filled with pictures and memories from the 2007-08 school year and of course, I wanted to share it with all of you. I’ve included everything from work my student’s have completed this year, spirit week (the junior class dressed like nerds …we won the spirit competition by the way), to different committees and clubs that I’m in charge of. I stay extremely busy during the school year and have my hand in a little bit of everything at WCS. I'm humbled God chose me to teach and minister to these students each and every day. Some days are easier than others, but at the end of the day the blessings out weigh the struggles and stress.

Dinner with Friends

2008-05-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Will and I had a lovely and delicious dinner at Larry and Kathy’s house. Larry and Will are in a Bible study together and Larry interprets for Will. John and Laura also joined us for dinner along with their sweet and adorable children, Hayden and Hannah. Will and I are humbly grateful for the friendships God continues to bless us with.

Of course, Will is the last person to finish his dinner :)

Waiting for Will to finish his dinner
so we can all eat dessert.

Hayden and Hannah provided
musical entertainment for the evening

Larry, John and Will

Fighting over those huge, delicious brownies….

…I wonder who won?

Thank you Larry and Kathy for a

wonderful evening!

Spring is in Full Bloom

2008-05-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

After a long day at work, Will and I decided to enjoy a beautiful evening at the annual Rochester Lilac Festival. It is a fun festival full of delicious food, fun music, and gorgeous flowers. At the festival spectators walk along a lengthy trail while admiring the many different kinds of flowers. Of course, the lilacs are the main attraction. They are truly beautiful this year and the fragrance is heavenly. We saw lovely white lilacs and every shade of purple. On the way home, we stopped for ice cream and watched the sunset.

"Take Me Out To The Ballgame..."

2008-05-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

Each year the WCS junior class raises money for their senior trip. A big fundraiser for us is working at the dippin' dots booth during the Red Wings baseball games. Last night, Will and I worked at a game and had a blast! At the end of the night we enjoyed an awesome fireworks show.

Red Wings Baseball Field

Some of my students:
Ahsley, Jocelyn, Sarah's Mom and Sarah

Will and Kevin (another student of mine)

Standing in front of a horse made

entirely of baseball gloves

Anyone want some dippin' dots?

Fireworks!

Lights...Camera...Action

2008-05-07T15:47:00.001-07:00

We did it! We (mostly I) survived the play! I haven’t seen the video yet, but from backstage I could hear nothing but positive responses from the audience. Their laughter was confirmation that we accomplished our goal which was to entertain the audience. I’m posting pictures along with a summary of the play written by one of my students.

Getting ready

Last dress rehearsal

Ken comes home from the army

Monica Marshall comes to Fernwood

The proposal

Captain Roberts finds out about the engagement

Clara Jones and Mr. Higbee

Tim Hayden's story is published

The entire cast

Play Summary:
Her Majesty, Miss Jones is a hilarious comedy that takes place in the late 1940’s. Two average citizens, Ed and Alice Robinson live comfortable lives in the small town of Fernwood. However, Monica Marshall, the fabulous TV star, comes to shake things up a bit. Alice’s sister, Clara Jones, is staying with the Robinsons and is experiencing some relationship problems with her landlord, Mr. Higbee. Secretly working on the sidelines, Monica is trying to bring Mr. Higbee and Clara together. Young PFC Ken Robinson, who met Monica briefly at an army camp, has developed a slight crush on Miss Marshall. This makes Helen, Ken’s girlfriend and neighbor; take desperate measures to regain his affection. Ken eventually proposes to Monica, she refuses at first but then accepts hoping to “disillusion” him with her “celebrity” lifestyle hoping that he’d run back into Helen's arms. The confusing, but entertaining situation further develops when Tim Hayden, a reporter for the local newspaper, reports that Monica and Ken are engaged. Things really get interesting when Ken’s commanding officer, Captain Roberts, comes to town and hears that his secret spouse of two months, Monica Marshall, is engaged to another man.

Thanks again for all your prayers.

Home Sweet Home

2008-04-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

Will and I have had several requests from those who have not been able to travel the long journey to visit us, to post pictures of our home. I'm also including some pictures of Nazareth College along with my classroom since we spend just as much time at these places.

Nazareth College

I’d also like to thank everyone for your prayers! Believe me when I tell you that your prayers have certainly sustained me this week. Everything is slowly but surely coming together for the play. God is graciously faithful! One more week to go…please keep praying! I do wish you all could be here to see the play. I will be posting a special blog with information and pictures highlighting the performances. Will has two more finals until the semester is over, one on Tuesday and another on Thursday. Will and I are humbly grateful for the prayer warriors God has placed in our lives. We love you!

Back to Work

2008-04-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it’s officially time to go back to work. I’ve just finished getting my things together for tomorrow, the first day back to school since being off this last week for Spring Break. I’ve had such a wonderful week off…working on this blog, catching up on some reading, staying in my PJ’s until late into the day, and doing absolutely nothing work related. One of the great things about going back to school is knowing that there’s not that many more days until summer. On the other hand, there is much (and I do mean MUCH) to do before I can totally embrace the long, relaxing, summer days soaking up the summer rays (… “days”…“rays” …oh gosh, I’ve been helping my students work on their poetry notebook for far too long.) Speaking of the summer sun, when you live in the north you really have to “soak up the summer sun” since we rarely see the sun from October to late March. However, we did have beautiful summer like weather here this last week. The maintenance men even took off the tarp that covers the pool in our complex. That’s always a good sign that summer is on its way. However, just because the pool tarp is off the pool it doesn’t mean the pool water is ready for swimmers. The water is going to need at least another three weeks to completely defrost. As I’m writing this entry I can’t help but laugh at a memory from last May…Will and I saw that the tarp had been taken off the pool and even though it was barely in the 70’s, we were beside ourselves with excitement! We thought we’d get our swimming gear on and at least put our feet in the water as we sat in the sun. Oh, how we were so wrong…we were literally skipping to the pool with giddiness only to see that it looked more like the South Pole than the summer delight we anticipated. We didn’t make another attempt until the middle of June. Even when the pool defrosts the water is still pretty cold, as you can probably imagine. Did you know that they have to use pool heaters throughout the entire summer just so the water will be bearable to swim in? How crazy is that? Well, Will and I have learned (and are still learning) a lot since we moved to NY. Not just about NY but we’re learning a lot about ourselves as well. Don’t worry I won’t get on that tangent tonight…not enough time.

Now what was I saying… oh yes…much left to do in the school year. If you think to pray for us this week, here are our prayer needs: I’m directing a school play and the performance is in two weeks. Please pray that the students have NOT forgotten their lines and that their hearts/sprits will remain positive as they (we) endure the long hours of practice. Pray that God will be working out all the details and that above all else we’ll put on a fabulous performance that will be glorifying to Him. The performances are on May 2nd and 3rd. I’m also the junior class representative, which means that I’m planning the Jr/Sr Banquet this year (the banquet is basically our prom). In the midst of planning and organizing these extracurricular activities I still have to plan lessons, teach, grade papers, and prepare the juniors for their NY state exam in June, not to mention balancing everything at home as well. Please pray that I’ll have enough energy to accomplish all these things and that I won’t become anxious or overwhelmed. Please pray for Will to have the motivation to finish the semester strong. He has a big presentation this week and two more finals until the end of the semester. His last final is on May 1st.

Thanks in advance for all your prayers, and thanks to Him who listens to the petitions of His children and answers accordingly. I’m so thankful He knows what I need even more than I do. Thanks again for lifting us up in prayer. We would not be the people we are today without all the love and support from YOU! We love you more than you know. Good night.

Happy Birthday Brandon!!!

2008-04-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

We wish we could be with you to celebrate your birthday. If we were there, we'd take you and the whole family to Babe’s for a delicious, stomach bursting, feeling so full you can hardly walk, yummy, Texas, family style dinner. I made this scrapblog birthday card for you (I'm having way too much fun with this blogging stuff). Anyway, your real card and present are on its way. We hope you’re having a GREAT birthday! We love you!!!

Initiation into the world of blogging…

2008-04-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

I’m thrilled to be posting my first blog entry. I’ve only recently been introduced to the blogging world, but have had so much fun reading other people’s blogs I thought I’d try it myself. Having a blog is really the perfect solution for my husband and me since we live so far from our family and friends. Unfortunately, most of you who know me well know that I’m not the best at keeping in touch. So, of course, what could be easier than writing a couple of entries every once in a while on a blog and then sharing them with everyone? Well, if that sounded easy then creating a blog on my own sure didn’t. I’m not the least bit computer savvy; however, I’ll consider this blog a work in progress (but pretty good for a beginner if I do say so myself). As most of you know, Will and I have been living in upstate NY for nearly two years. Since we’ve created this blog to reflect our experiences here, I’d like to start my first blog entry by sharing some of our NY photos from the past two years. Enjoy!

Rebekah and Will went skiing at Bristol Mt. January 2008
(nice ski gear Bek!)

Christmas 2007

Thanksgiving 2007
(the Christen & Bell family...our large extended family)

Hanging out with the girls

Halloween 2007
Will’s pumpkin carving masterpiece
(he was so proud he asked me to post a picture)

The new addition to our family, Gracie

Summer trip to ADK 2007
Will, Rebekah & Thomas
We had the BEST time!

Will’s first PT internship

WCS Junior/Senior Banquet

It sure does get cold up here. What’s all that white stuff?

Thomas & Will at Bristol Mt.

Webster Chrisitan School (this is where I work)

Will cut down our first northern Christmas tree in Vermont. Of course he picked the fattest tree at the Christmas tree farm. When we took it home it reminded me of the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. He was so proud! I was speechless.

Relaxing at Aunt Di & Uncle John's house in Vermont.

Thanksgiving 2006

Aunt Di & Uncle John's house in Vermont

Our first Fall in NY, 2006

Beautiful Niagara on the Lake, 2006

Erie Canal

Niagara Falls, 2006

Of course this is just a few pictures highlighting the last two years. I guess if I plan on becoming an avid blogger, I’m going to have to take more pictures. I hope these will hold you over for now. Will and I are excited to be able to share our lives with y’all through this blog. (What’s that saying… “You can take the girl out of the south but you can’t take the south out of the girl.” So true! Brandon will be relieved. Love you little brother!) We look forward to reading your posts as often as possible. Even though it feels like we live on the other side of the world, we constantly feel your prayers covering us daily. Thank you and we love you!!!