Honoring a Hero

Brian and I have returned from New York where we celebrated Roy's 60th birthday with a surprise party. I will post more on this later as I get the pictures going. It was a wonderful party and great to see everyone. While we were in Albany, we also got to participate in a memorial 5k that honored Timothy Moshier, a West Point graduate and high school classmate of Brian's that died in combat in Iraq. The Saturday race was a benefit for his infant daughter and funded a scholarship in his honor. A good high school friend of Brian, Erin, spent a lot of time helping put this race together. Brian and I also got to see another of Bri's high school buds, Mark, who was great company for the little-over three mile run. Wa even joined in the act and gave the walkers a run for their money. It was a privilege to run and to say thanks in any way for what Tim gave for our country and our freedom. It was a little overwhelming to put a personal story to all those we hear in the media each day. It is hard to be numb to a grieving widow pushing their infant in a stroller. No doubt he is a hero whose life and legacy will be remembered by many. You can check out his memorial website below. www.timothyjmoshier.com

Eyes to see the Blessings

Being married to Brian is definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have never doubted this for a moment of my existence. Uprooting every year for the past four has been exciting, enriching, but on occasion tough personally. At times it has been hard to see God's hand and purpose in continually making and leaving new friends, in acclimating to new schools and then restarting in new districts year after year, and in living geographically away from every person I call friend. Part of me could view all of this moving as a huge sacrifice and to be honest at times there are parts of me that do. Thankfully, God has not let these weak doubting parts of my character fester very long. I am thankful He is working on me and giving me eyes to see the blessings. Let me elaborate.

When we started our seminary journey I knew that our objective was to progress Brian's career and get him through seminary. All I wanted was to get a job in order to pay the bills. I had no idea I would get a job in what I think is the best school district in the country, receive multitudes of training on the best cutting edge teaching techniques, and forever change my attitude and beliefs on education. I didn't understand the blessing that moving to St. Louis was to me. I could have never left Chicago and taught in an above average suburban district never even knowing what more I could have been experiencing. Now, I almost feel like God intended more for me to be in St. Louis than Brian.

When we got the call to Michigan I didn't have eyes to see the blessings either. Leaving my awesome district in St. Louis, the tough job market in MI, and the challenges I face teaching in Detroit were easy for me to dwell on. You think I would have learned from the St. Louis experience that God always has a plan. Doubt is just so subtle sometimes and can sneak back in so quickly. Luckily, God is starting to change my perspective again. The past few months have been a whirlwind for me professionally and none of them would have happened had I not lived in St. Louis, taught at Maplewood, moved to Detroit, and gotten a job in Macomb County.

In St. Louis I received tremendous experience with a program called Cognitive Tutor Algebra I by Carnegie Learning. It is a new, revolutionary Math curriculum that has a very sophisticated software component, and in my opinion is everything that we need to change the Mathematics achievement gap in our country. The county that I live in is one of four counties in the country to receive a federal grant to conduct a study of the effectiveness of this curriculum. My experience with the actual program, the other training I received at Maplewood, and my connections now made in Macomb County have put me in the position to be the county wide Curriculum Implementation Specialist for Carnegie Learning and train other area teachers on the curriculum.

A daunting task certainly for a 26 year old, but one I could not pass up. I will write more about my recent company training experience in Pittsburgh later, as I'm still processing it. There are just too many events that had to string together to make this opportunity happen for me that I'm certain it's a God thing. I am just thankful for the eyes to see that it is exactly that, a God thing.

Wings Game

One thing we're learning about Detroit-- It is a big sports town!
One thing we're learning about being a part of St. Peter-- The people are very generous, and once they find out you enjoy something they go out of your way to indulge you!

For instance, The Zilinskis are a wonderful new family to St. Peter with two pre-school aged boys and a new baby girl. When they learned of Brian and my interest in sporting events they invited us to go to a Wings game with them. Being that I have never been to a live hockey game I didn't quite know what to expect. However, I like sports and seeing new things, so I'm in. Brian is super excited the whole time. Well, we had an absolute blast! Hockey truly is one sport that TV just doesn't capture. We had great seats and great company in a 1-0 win for the Wings over Anaheim. I even found my self cheering for a fight that erupted at the end of a period and was on the edge of my seat as the Wings stopped numerous Anaheim power plays. Maybe the Wings can be the Detroit team we call our own. After all, we don't have a hockey team yet. I'm not quite sure about this though, my cousin Ginger, an avid Blackhawks fan, might disown me. It was a great night and a generous gift from our new friends the Zilinskis. (I wish we had taken a picture of the four of us to post, but the one of Brian and I will have to do.)

Our Snowy "Spring" Break

I read a great quote in the Wit and Wisdom section of the magazine we subscribe to,The Week."Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of 10 people couldn't start a converstaion." -- Kin Hubbard United Press

Well, I wonder how many conversations were started by the weather this week. It's giving me something to blog about. Actually, Brian and I had a great spring break despite the crazy weather. We got a light dusting of snow in Michigan for Easter and then about 6 inches in Chicago after. We managed to have a great time despite the weather. Besides, we could always jump in the house if we got too cold, and my Mom supplied us with fresh tea and coffee. We were not roughing it. After the initial snowfall, the fish were pretty active and we caught about 12 one evening.

The trip was a great visit with family, but we hope the weather is better next time. In the midwest you learn this next saying all too well. If you don't like the weather, wait a week. Hopefully its wisdom will come to fruition. It has been a long winter...

Spring Break

I am enjoying a nice relaxing spring break week in Chicago. Sleeping in, taking jacuzzi baths, bargain shopping with my Mom, eating good meals of course, and a little fishing with my Dad. I caught the first fish of the season as you can see in the posted picture, though my Dad did have to take it off of the hook. Brian is coming to Chicago tomorrow and hopefully we will catch lots more. Chicago is always fun even though the weather is often from tropical.

Great Visit!

Last weekend we had Wa and Linda in D-Town for a little visit. It was great. They drove in on Thursday and departed on Monday. Brian's day off is Friday, so they got to spend all day together. Friday night we went to my school where I played in a faculty basketball game vs. the junior high teachers. The high school staff did not represent well and we lost. That will probably be my last full court basketball game. The aches in my knee the next day confirmed that I am officially retiring. It was very fun though. Brian and I are also losing our reputation for tiring out our company. Since we have a house and not a tiny apartment, we actually enjoy spending time at home. We had a leisurely Saturday and Sunday with shopping, church, an excellent brunch, dinners at home, and of course participating in the Davies' family tradition of coloring Easter Eggs. It was great! We hope they come back soon.