God is good

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. I'd give you some excuse about why I haven't updated this blog in over a month, but there is none. I love summer vacation, and while I enjoy the change of pace from "normal" working life, there are very few days that I don't actually have filled with errands or stuff to do at home. Apparently I got behind on a lot of things during the school year. Such is life, I suppose. We've managed to get a lot done this summer. I'm quite pleased.

The first and most exciting thing is that I finally signed a contract for a salaried position at Warwick River Christian School last Thursday! This is a big deal because the last teacher in that position was hourly. I am very happy to have some sick days and personal days---just in case I need them. However, if you know me and my stubborness (Moms and Philip, this is for you), then you'll know that it's hard to get me to take a day off, even with bronchitis.....and even then, it's only A DAY off and then i'm back to work. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing....I guess it's that type-A thing I've got going on. :)

I've also been able to get a lot of stuff done around the house lately. This summer I painted our master bedroom and we got new bedroom furniture, thanks to some wonderful people who gave us money for our wedding! We now feel like big people with our beautiful furniture. We are waiting on one more dresser to be delivered, and then we can hang pictures (and hopefully curtains if I can find any I like). It's all coming together beautifully though.

About a week ago, Philip and I took on another great big task. Philip's brother, James, called not long ago and said he and Laura and the (3) kids would like to come up and visit mid-August, and guess what we did?! We demolished our second bathroom. The tub is still in there, and we'll keep the medicine cabinet and light fixture, but everything, including the floor, is gone. We've already had a plumber come in and fix some leaky fixtures, and the tile has just been finished, and molding is being nailed to the walls as I write. Tomorrow I begin the wonderful task of painting the bathroom. After that, we'll be ready to put in a brand new toilet and hook up the sink and install the new vanity, and seal the floor. We're hoping to have it done by the weekend. Definitely a faster project than the last bathroom---it's good to know people who can do this stuff quickly. It's looking very nice and I can't wait to put the color on the walls! (Laura, we're going to have matching bathrooms soon!)

The other thing I'm proud of this summer is my vegetable garden that I planted (from seeds, mind you) in our back yard this spring. We have had some of the yummiest tomatoes and cucumbers so far this year. On Sunday, I actually made some awesome bruschetta from the tomatoes right out of our garden. We're slowly getting green beans, and I'm waiting on peppers and corn yet. I've got some yellow squash growing too, and it's all very exciting. The less I have to spend on produce the better, not to mention how much better fresh produce is anyway.

Philip has some exciting stuff going on these days too. He's in a summer soccer league and his team is doing quite well. They've only lost one game this season, and they've played many games already. Philip also had a goal and an assist this last weekend. He claims it's because they played the worst team in the league, but I reminded him that if they didn't play them, he'd still be stuck playing keeper, with very slim chances of scoring any kind of goal, with the extra stress of making sure he's not being scored on. (I must say though, that my hubby is quite the goal keeper, and he does an awesome job, even though he'd like to spend some time out on the field.) Another cool thing about this team is that our friend, Aaron Block (who just got back from Iraq) is on Philip's team, so it gives us a good excuse to see Aaron and Emily on a regular basis, which we like.

Philip is also going to take a referee class in August. It's something he's always wanted to do, and it will give him some opportunities to make a little extra money while being around a sport he absolutely LOVES! I'm proud of him! Not only this, but Philip is working on getting into a Masters program at a local university to start working on his masters in computer science. The company he works for will pay a significant amount of his tuition costs each year, so he wants to take advantage of it. He's been talking about this for a while too. In order to get into the program, he has to take (and pass) a test. He's in the process of registering for that test and is very motivated to do well. Again, I'm very proud of him.

God is so good. He is providing for us and is stretching us to do more and work harder and to get out of our comfort zones. I'm sorry for the lack of updates during this past month. I promise I'll work harder to post more often, and if I can figure out how to post pictures with this new/strange computer, I promise I will. There are lots to post. :)