College Already?

We got an email from some friends of ours today that really made us laugh out loud. The email was from another couple whose home we’ve covered in the past. We know their girls pretty well, so they wanted to share this with us and I thought it was so funny that I decided to share it with all of you.

One of the girls (a second grader) was talking to the housefather and said that she “hates school”. So the housefather innocently asked “so what would you do if you didn’t go to school everyday?”

Expecting the usual sit around, watch TV etc… the girl looks up at him with this look and says “I’d go to college.”

You gotta love it.

Jeanna’s New Ride

Jeanna got a new set of wheels yesterday and while I’m not sure who’s more excited, I can tell you who is more jealous. This bike is totally smokin’ and totally fast. We are going to take our first ride this morning and plan on riding every day this weekend because the weather is supposed to be wonderful. I managed to work the system for a new set of pedals too.

Payment by Chocolate

Ryan and I discovered a hidden secret among elementary homes this past Saturday. We were playing in the rec room with a bunch of rowdy boys watching balls fly through the air and rocket launchers go off, when we were desperately trying to think of something fun and free to do with the boys. The second word is the key word here – FREE. Since we don’t have our own home yet, this means we don’t have a budget for the kids yet. This also means that when we spend a weekend in an elementary home, we have to become very creative in what we decide to do. It must always be free unless we are willing to foot the bill ourselves (and unless it’s under $10 we’re not). We were asking the boys for suggestions when one of them said, “how about we got roller skating at Olympic”. We said, “that sounds like fun, but we need to do something that doesn’t cost money”. His reply, “it doesn’t cost money, we pay with chocolate”. Ryan and I looked at each other puzzled and I’m thinking to myself, these kids say the funniest things – pay with chocolate, huh, this must be some rumor they’ve heard on campus. About this time another kids chimes in, “yeah, let’s go skating – we only need to bring a few pieces of chocolate and we’re in”. Now Ryan and I are thinking, are these kids crazy or is this place for real? I did some investigating and I did, in fact, find a skating rink called Olympic. I called and asked the man who answered, “I’ve heard a wild rumor that you accept chocolate in lieu of payment, is this true?” His quick reply, “absolutely, and if you don’t have any chocolate lying around, just bring the kids and we’ll let you in for nothing”. I tell the man thank you, thank you, thank you, we’ll see you as soon as we can load up the van and get there.
Four dollars and nine chocolate bars later, we’re at the skating rink having a blast. I only wish someone had shared this secret sooner.

Congratulations April Eichholtz!

First, we apologize for not having posted anything in awhile. Things have been very busy for us and we have barely had time to do much of anything. However, we do have some exciting news to share. This past weekend we had the honor of celebrating the marriage of our very dear friend, April Bright. April was married on Saturday, March 13 in Maryville, TN to Stephen Eichholtz. I was even more honored to have the privilege of standing beside April on her special day as her Matron of Honor. It was a beautiful wedding and we are thrilled to have been a part of it.

April and Stephen are now spending their honeymoon on the beach in Mississippi. We’re all thinking of them and know they are having a wonderful time. Congratulations and best wishes as you start your new journey as husband and wife.

Reminiscing

The combination of homesickness and being around kids all the time makes me reminisce quite a bit – which is always something I’ve been fond of. It also helps to keep me focused in my new job because what I do now is create memories. Many of the kids we work with would have had none of the experiences I was fortunate enough to have if it weren’t for coming to this school. Many of them don’t realize it now, but I am certain that as their experiences turn to memories and their brown hair turns gray, they will discover how blessed they have been. Once again, I am the fortunate one because I realize now what a difference I am able to make through them.
There are probably 4 or so computers for every student at this school and a house we were at over the weekend happend to have an Apple ][e. For me, this immediately sparked memories of the first computers coming into schools and, as it turns out, my mom was one of the first computer teachers in our county. She taught basic computer skills to junior high school students and I was proud to know how to program low resolution graphics using AppleSoft BASIC. Most days, though, I would take bus #4 to NJHS and spend time practicing my cursive letters on the blackboard or playing Oregon Trail. In the midst of my reminiscing, I knew that I could find a version of The Oregon Trail that I could play on my PC. I downloaded an Apple ][c emulator and played The Oregon Trail. If you want to do the same, download and extract THIS zip file and then click the multicolored apple to run the emulator. Finally, click on disk drive 1 and load the Oregon Trail disk #1. Click on the multicolored apple again and you should be shopping for your food, ammunition, and wagon wheels in no time. I wouldn’t recommend trying to forge any rivers above 3ft. though. It’s a sure fire way to lose supplies or family members. Have fun reminiscing. I know I am.