Christmas with the Grandville Stauch's

So I caved in...we planned to open presents on Friday, December 22, but we decided we would both be too tired after a long, busy day at work (more true for dan than me) so we should open them on Thursday...so we did!


Here are our stockings...hung on the wall with care...in hopes that st. nicholas soon would be there...



Danny - opening season 4 of 24...he says i can't watch the new season until i "catch-up" on the first five! That's a lot of 24 by January!



Emily - opening her big present...a Kitchen Aid Mixer!!! yay!!! I wanted one sooo bad. Danny really hinted that he would get it, but I didn't really believe him!

We don't have a picture of dan opening his big present because we ran out of battery power. Danny got an IPAQ, which he has been playing with since he got home from work today.

Christmas with the elder Stauch's was really fun too. We went to k-zoo on Sunday. Pat cooked us a WONDERFUL Christmas dinner: ham, potatoes, corn, rolls, even Cheesecake! It was yummy!

The plan now is Christmas with Oma and Ahdeshe then Christmas with the Rumley's...what a wonderful time of year!

dan's eyes

At dan's check-up all they did was give him more samples of eye drops. They tried a different kind just to see if they moisturize his eyes better. Basically, that's it! He has another appointment at the end of February, and they say his eyes are healing naturally. I saw the Kendall clan a few nights ago, and Ken told me then that winter is a dry season which makes the eyes heal slower. He said dan should keep taking the moisturizing drops like crazy. So...that's what we're doing! He has one more prescription eye drop to finish taking, and then it's just a matter of time.

funny story: Ken said that the "anatomy of dan's eyes" will make them dryer...translation, "he's got Asian eyes and they are dry so don't expect them to heal fast!" I'm not really sure if that's what he meant by it, but it sounds funny to me!

i forgot to take pictures at our party...sorry! it was really fun though! all the food turned out great! family - i'm bringing some home to see how you like it!

Another LASIK update

Apparently Buzz missed the memo...so for all the rest of you that missed it...(all in good fun, buzz!)

Dan was in a LOT of pain immediately following the surgery, but after the first 4 hours, he felt fine (he was on Vicodin though!). This week sometime, he had significant pain in his left eye at the end of the day. It didn't go away so we called the doctor (read the last post for those details). Pain was gone the next morning. Ever since then the pain has been on and off. It changes from day to day and even from hour to hour sometimes. We go in on Tuesday for our next check-up. I'll let everyone know how that goes!

I had my first candy making experience! It was a pretty good one. I made Buckeyes and Caramels for our Christmas Party on Saturday. The Buckeyes were easy as pie. The only hiccup with those was finding the parafin wax at the store (it's in the detergent aisle!!! what the heck?!??! what about the BAKING aisle?!?). The caramels weren't hard per se, but the were time consuming. It took us and hour and 20 minutes of constant stirring to get them to the right temperature without burning! Dan was a trooper though! He insisted on doing all the stirring. So basically, after the first 10 minutes, I just sat there keeping him company! There are really good, but I do think they need to be a bit thicker...prolly a few more minutes boiling would have done it.

I'm so excited about the rest of the food at the party! I am making Artichoke-Spinach Dip (yummy in the restaurants, we'll see how it turns out!), and a cheese dip called Mediterranean Dip. I WAY excited...

pictures and updates to follow...

Quick LASIK Update

Some of you know about our little scare last night, so I thought I'd give you a quick update...

Dan started having bad pain in his left eye at about 5 last night. It gave him a headache (not a migraine though, thankfully!). When he got home from work, he took some Ibuprofen and ate dinner. We thought that would kick it out (the doctor prescribed over-the-counter pain meds for any discomfort). An hour or two later, the pain had not subsided at all. We called the after-hours operator to see what we should do. The doctor gave us a call a few minutes later. Since Dan didn't have significant vision change, it probably was not thing but some dust, fuzzy, fumes, etc. in the eye that is irritating it. I guess if there was significant damage, Dan wouldn't be able to see at all! We were supposed to get in to see the doctor the next day if the pain was still there. Dan says it hurts a little today, but it is not nearly as bad as yesterday. So we are just waiting until our 2 week appointment unless something else happens. So that's what happened...nothing really, but we were nervous for a few hours!

Christmas Time!

Here's the beginning of our popcorn garland...


















Dan working so diligently...














Ta - Da!!!!!


















MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

LASIK

Dan is officially glasses free!!! He went under the laser Thursday, November 30 at 9:30am. He was in quite a bit of pain during and after the surgery. For some reason both of us thought laser meant no pain...not the case. He was prescribed some Vicodin for pain. He took one then went to bed for 4-5 hours. When he woke up he was free from pain! Yay! He had to keep his eyes closed for the first 4 hours completely, so the flap could heal. He did great obeying the doctor's orders!

We went in for a check-up on Friday, and everything healed just great! Dan is still taking 3 different eyes drops multiple times a day. He will continue until we go in for our 2 week check-up.

Oh - Dan had to wear protective glasses when he slept for the first day so he didn't accidentally bump he eyes while sleeping - the picture is of him "sleeping" with him lovely glasses!

Yay for holidays!

I am eagerly awaiting the first holiday season as a married woman...there are just so many great things going on...

1. Thanksgiving with all the Indiana Rumleys
2. EARLY Christmas shopping on the 24th!!! (Then heading straight to work at 8:30!!)
3. Dan's LASIK surgery on the 30th
4. Young Married's Class Christmas party on dec. 2 (we are really loving our new sunday school class. We are still checking out the rest of the church, but the sunday school class may keep us there.)
5. Holiday Party with our friend on dec. 16
6. Giddings Girls holiday reunion!!!! dec. 17
7. Christmas with oma and odeshe
8. Christmas with Rumleys
9. Christmas with the Stauchs
10. New Years is in there somewhere
11. oh and there's a hockey game party somewhere too
12. prolly an Enterprise party too...

YAY! I love the Holidays!

1st day on the job

I started my new job today as a receptionist at a therapy center here in town. It was a busy day which was good because a lot of quirks came up that I had to learn how to do. Apparently, the girl before me didn't really understand how to use a computer so in her effort to simplify things she made a mess of some of the payments. I was very confused until my manager came to my rescue. The people there are just wonderful. They are so friendly and helpful. It makes me really happy to be working there.

Dan's birthday is this weekend (the 5th!). If you want to wish him a happy birthday. We are having a party here for him on Saturday night. It will be our first party at our own house...hopefully I don't burn anything! (At Meg's party last weekend it took me 3 tries to make the topping on a cheesecake because I kept burning it...darn)

We are going in again on the 15th to redo the tests on Dan's eyes. For those of you who don't know, we are going through the tests to see if he is qualified for LASIK. During his first visit, his eyes didn't cooperate exactly so the tests did not all have the same results. As you can imagine, the tests need to be EXACT for a surgery like this. So we are going in again to make sure the tests are right, then hopefully we will schedule the surgery from there!

I have a job!

So I've given up on this posting pictures thing for the time being. I'm not sure what is wrong. Luke gave me some instructions, but I have neglected to follow them yet. We'll see if I get there or not.

Anyway - I finally have a full time job! I accepted a position as a receptionist at a therapy center very close to our house. I am excited about it. The people who work there are wonderful. I think I will get along great with all of them. It is a small business so I'd better! I start orientation on Tuesday and will spend the next week or two finishing at the Kendall's and starting at VSC. This job is an answer to prayer. Dan and I are so thankful that God put it in our laps (along with 2 other job offers). Isn't God good? We think so.

Dan is still working at ERAC and doing AMAZING at it!

We are still looking for a good church to get plugged into. We have only been here for two weekends, and we canned both of those churches after one visit. Any recommendations?

I went over to Lacey's this morning to make apple pie fillings and applesauce. What fun! We decided to make it an annual thing; however, we will plan a whole day to make the filling and sauces not just a morning. We were too rushed. We also might get into the blueberry and strawberry picking! Yay for being Susie-homemakers!

Honeymoon Pics (Take 3)

Here we go everyone...let's see if they post this time!




This is the view from our room. You are looking at the beautiful Pacific Ocean.



Here is an invisible crab...can you find him?



Awww...aren't we beautiful?

Okay, that's all I'm doing for now. I don't think these are going to work.

Job Searching

For the time being, I have given up on finding a teaching job. I am not even sure I want to teach. I'd like to work, but I only want to work if I like the job. I like school. Maybe a full-time student type position would suit me well...

I did interview for a receptionist position at a counciling center here in town. They Loved me but received more apps. then expected so they are doing more interviews and hiring at the end of the month. I believe I have submitted 7-9 more resumes for various accounting and secretarial positions in the last few days. Most of those positions are through a temp agency which is not so good but at least it is a job!

That's the latest! I'm gonna try to figure out this picture posting thing now...

Honeymoon Pictures

do you see a picture? cuz i don't see a picture...

This is a test...

We're Back!

We are back in the good ole US of A, and we are so glad to be here. Dan and I had a blast in Mexico, but our first thought once we hit the Houston Airport was, "Where can we get some American food?" (By "American" we mean greasy, fatty fast food) We inhaled our dinner at Famiglio's Pizza (like Sabarro). It was FANTASTIC!!! Don't get us wrong - we loved trying all kinds of Mexican, Italian, and exotic seafood dishes, but after a week of it we were ready to get back to normal food!

I'd put pictures of the honeymoon up, but my mother has hidden them from me on my own computer. Notice that our honeymoon pictures are up on HER blog. My mother-in-law currently has our hard copies of the pictures. Sooooo - Dan and I have nothing. Sorry! Complain to the mothers - it's their fault.

While in Mexico, we went kayaking (sp) in the ocean which was sooo fun! Swimming was great all week because the hurricane left behind some phenominal waves! The highlight of the trip was the ATV tour we took (4-wheelers). We drove those bikes all over the Mexican countryside. We went through towns, streams, fields, dirt roads, paved roads...everywhere! It was so much fun! Dan and I decided we really really really want ATVs now. The food really was great down there (contrairy to the tone in the first paragraph). There were five restaurants at our resort, and we liked all but one of them. We went to the bad one for lunch one time and didn't like it at all. We thought the dinner menu might be better, but why waste a perfectly good dinner? We LOVED the mexican restaurant. Roasted cheese is my favorite! I'm going to learn how to make it.

The flight back was much longer than anticipated because of bad weather. We arrived at Houston about 20 minutes early, and we boarded and taxied early. Then it all stopped. Bad weather had prevented earlier flights from leaving so there was a LONG line of planes waiting to take off. We sat in our plane on the runway for 1 1/2 hours. It really wasn't bad at all because we got lots of free stuff to keep us occupied. I didn't mind one bit. The part I did mind was not getting to my parents house until 2am Sunday morning. (Originally we would have been there by 10:30 Saturday night).

So we are back and desperately trying to clean up our apartment. It is a disaster zone right now. We are willing to go on another honeymoon at anytime though!

Technical Difficulties

I have just been informed by the webmaster that the website links do not work if you are using Internet Explorer. If that is you, just download Mozilla Firefox as your internet browser. (It's way better anyway! :) )

www.getfirefox.com

Time Zones

The wedding is in the Central Time zone. So you Michiganders, the wedding begins at 3:00 your time, which is 2:00 Indiana time. If you want to pretend that it starts at 2:00 Michigan time, then you won't have to worry about being late!

More construction updates...and other stuff

If you are coming through Kalamazoo on I-94, leave extra time! Just west of Kalamazoo, westbound traffic is down to one lane for almost 15 miles. I just drove through it last weekend. It wasn't bad, but I went through at 11 at night!

5 days and counting!

I subbed today at PCS for the spanish teacher. I have reaffirmed my decision that I can be a teacher. I was doubting for a long time, but the kids were just wonderful. It really made me want to be teaching in a small, Christian school. (Dad aren't you excited! Too bad it can't be PCS right now!) I really didn't do that much because the teacher was not expecting to not be in school today, but I loved being back in the school setting.

Hotel Update

The computer system at Holiday Inn Express has blocked our wedding. Who knows why???? They are getting in touch with their tech people to try to solve the problem. Therefore, if you need a room, tell them you are with Emily Rumley or Dan Stauch with the room rate of $104. (I'm sorry if this seems steep. There is a Michigan/Notre Dame football game on Saturday and all hotels in the area are booked!) If you have any problems getting a room, call me!

Construction/Directions update

When coming off of I-94 coming to the wedding, you must take the first exit 26, the one going North. At the end of the exit you may turn left or right. (You need to turn left). The south exit is closed; take the north. Make sense?

Getting in and out of Coffee Creek: The easiest way is to use the traffic light by the Hilton Garden Inn and the Toll Road (Gateway Blvd.). Turn in towards the hotel, pass the hotel, and turn left on the road right after the hotel (Village Point Road). When leaving the ceremony, use the same route. Turning left onto 49 in the construction zone is an accident waiting to happen.

If you know anyone who is coming and does not have the internet, pass this information along to them.

Thanks!

2 weeks and 1 day!!!

oh my goodness! I can't believe the wedding is almost here! Only 15 more days to go (are ya gonna make it mom?)! Unfortunately, there are still some major things left to get done. Hopefully, my mom and I can get those done early next week.

Some good things that have gotten done: meeting with the pastor, beginning premarital counciling, finding locations to have the rehearsal dinner, ordering and receiving the favors, finalizing flowers, paying make-up lady, paying photographer, and probably a few more. So I have been getting some things done!

Today was my last day of work for the Kendalls for 3 weeks. That was kind of fun to be done and be heading home, but then I had to realize just how much I have to get done in two weeks...yikes!

Can't wait to see ya'll at the wedding! 2:00pm on the 16th!!!

RSVP Please!!!

We are now in the process of calling all the people who have not RSVP'd. So if you happen to be on that list, please do not be upset at the call. We just need to know for food and seating arrangements who is and is not coming. Please be patient with us!

Only 24 more days! I can hardly believe it! It is coming so soon! Things are falling into place. There are some more items that need to be ordered, but almost everything else is last minute stuff. It kind of stresses me out, but there is nothing else to do but wait.

another job prospect down the drain!

So for those of you who don't know, I interviewed for a position at Allegan High School. I found out yesterday that I did not get the position. Sad, but the drive would have been long so I'm not too disappointed. I have a few more prospects in the works; we'll see how those turn out. If you know of any openings in schools or otherwise, let me know!!!

eh...

So the interview was weird. There were three principals for different high schools, an HR person, and me in the interview. There was no conversation going. I don't know if it was my fault or there's, but no one would talk unless they were asking me a pointed question. The people didn't communicate with each other, and they were so cold acting! I can't really say they were unfriendly but they weren't really friendly either. They just sat there and stared at me. So I have no idea if they liked me or not. I'm not sure if I liked them or not. I'm going to be checking out their schools online and see what I think.

Interview!

I have an interview with Grand Rapids Public Schools tomorrow at 8am! I am not sure how it will go because I will be telling them about the wedding right away. The human resources lady thought the wedding would be no problem at all, but we will see. Please pray that Dan and I would have wisdom about this opportunity, as we are not sure it is a good one.

Cristy's Wedding

Cristy and Daniel's wedding was this past weekend. Here's a picture of us at the rehearsal dinner. The dinner was amazing! It was like a whole reception before the wedding. Daniel's mom put on quite the spread.

Here are Cristy and I while we are waiting for the ceremony to start. Isn't she beautiful?!?


Here's a picture of the new Cristina Griggs with the rest of the Giddings Girls!

 

Danny did it!!!

Great news everyone! Dan is an assisstant manager! He received the call this evening, and he will be moving to the Holland branch, hopefully, August 1. He does have to pass a drug test first though! (there should be no problems there! hehe) We have not decided if we will be staying in GR or moving to Holland at the moment. Dan has suggested we stay in GR so I can be close to my friends. (yes!) We will see how he likes the commute out there though...

Big News!

I have finally joined the technology age...I HAVE A CELL PHONE!!! Danny surprised me last night with it! So if you would like to reach me anytime of the day or night, I will give you my number. If you would not like to reach me anytime of the day or night, I will not give you my number.

We have an officiant!

It took us a while, but we officially have an officiant! (That's the pastor who performs the ceremony) Pastor Steve, Dan's old youth pastor, is going to perform the ceremony.

Dan and I are anxiously awaiting news about interviews for his next promotion. We are praying that he will be able to start his new position August 1, at the latest. I am working on getting my sub application in and jumping through the final hoops to get my teachers certificate. Now the State of Michigan wants my money in order to certify me officially...wonderful!

sorry!

I guess I need to update everyone on my life. Sorry it took so long!

I've been babysitting at the Kendall's since Sunday night. The folks are out of town so I'm here with the kiddies. It's been a fun and eventful week. It began nice with trips to the store and pool. All kids were behaving BEAUTIFULLY...we were really having a good time. Then came the power outage. We were without power for 27 hours! That tested our patience. We tried to stay busy, but there are only so many games to play and only so many stores to go to. We finally went to a movie last night and came back to the power turned on! yay!

Dan and I are going to the tuxedo place to pick out the wedding attire. I am excited to be able to check one more thing off the list.

I have two meetings this weekend with cake people. I met with the florist and picked out our flowers. I'm not sure about one flower though. I will have to bring mom or lacey to look at it and see what you think. I hate these shopping excursions all alone; I need second and third and maybe fourth opinions! Oh, speaking of shopping alone...I bought my rehearsal dinner dress! I was alone though when I bought it so I need to show people and get opinions. I bought shoes too! sooo cute!

I can't post with pictures because I just got the camera back from the shop.

new blog!

Hello everyone! My blog is now the homepage of our wedding website! I will post the happenings of Dan and Emily as well as wedding updates. I intend to post construction updates and such when it gets closer to the wedding.

The invitations are done! Lacey, Erin, Betsey, and I had a blast today making them! Once all the breaks are taken out, I think the process only took us 2-3 hours! We are VERY proud of them. Make sure to ooh and aah over them for us!

Our blog has moved!

This blog has moved to TheStauchs.com.

one more thing...

i told northpointe today that i would love to work there, but with the situation with dan's job I cannot commit to a teaching position for another few weeks. they understood completely and said they would continue to look for other people. the superintedent was so impressed with my resume, interview, East experience, etc. that he said i can use him as a reference if i would ever need to! isn't that amazing! he totally did not need to do that!

my sisters are coming!

yay! i get to see my oldest sisters this weekend! they are coming up on friday, going to dan's softball game (erin may be playing we don't know for sure yet), spending the night at my house, and then spending the day with lacey putting together our (dan and my) wedding invitations! how exciting! i'm so glad they are coming!

i am getting caught up on tons of things at work today. i am just babysitting the airconditioner guys while they install a new air conditioner. what a boring three days! but hey, if they want to pay me to do this then that is fine with me!

Northpointe

So here's the latest scoop. Not only is Northpointe not a full-time job (5/7 being the original offer) but it is not even a half-time job. The current, and official, news is that they have a position open to teach three geometry courses. No prep. That means I would be getting paid 3/7 of a full time position. Not that money is everything, but this situation just keeps getting worse and worse. I am not so excited about working there. I will take it if it is the only thing available, but I think it will be more trouble than it is worth. The teaching experience might be good, but since I would be working another job, that cuts into the time I will be available outside of class. Which in turn means I will not be as effective in the school; or so i think. Please keep us both in your prayers. We don't know what to do at the present moment.

As far as Dan's job opportunities go...he's got tons! There are two positions open in the 'Zoo area which he will be interviewing for in the next two weeks or so. One is good and the other is not as good. Right now I'd love to move so I kind of hope he get it, but we'll see.

I will be calling Northpointe next Wednesday to let them know what I think. I frustrated with their offer. Please pray that I will have wisdom and not make money the deciding factor. Or maybe it should be the deciding factor? dad, pcs is looking better and better as time goes along...

invitations are printed!!!

yesterday, dan and i met luke and lacey in kalamazoo to print our invitations at a friends of their's print shop. it only took us an hour and a half, and they look amazing! i am so impressed with how good they look! the only thing left to do is put them together! (hehe...ONLY...) sisters-get ready for a long weekend of taping and tying!

we have decided on a photographer. we have most of the pictures ready for the slideshow. we have picked out and ordered all the girls dresses. we have priced tuxedos and will have made a decision within the next week. we are 7/8 of the way done with registering.

things are coming together. i am a little stressed because my mom and dad are gone for such a long time, but we will get it all done somehow!

long night

so my future father-in-law was listening to my car last weekend and informed me that my water pump was bad. so dan and i had him buy the part and i went down last night to have him put it on. i got off work early and was there by 5:30. i pulled into the driveway and shut the car off. mike came right out and asked me to bring the car forward so i jump back in the car and turn the key...and the joyful sound that meets my ears startled me a bit. the car was whining or high pitched wirring, something like that. it wouldn't start, let's put it that way. so off comes the started, drive the the parts store, put the starter on (not as easy as one might think), take the water pump off, put the new water pump on, and wha-la! we're done, and it only took 6 hours! yes-sir-ee-bob it only took until 11:30pm to finish! and to top it off i had to drive home (1 hour) then get up at 6 for an interview at northpointe. i'm a lil tired today.

good news - northpointe loves me!!! the commitee i met with todya is recommending me to the board for hire. after the board approves it, they will give me an official job offer, but i have been unofficially told i have the job. bad news - it's not a full time position. it's only 5/7 of a job. pay rate is $24,000 for full time first year teachers. and if you multiply those two numbers together (i can do that see, cuz i'm a math teacher) you get a whopping $17,142! so dan and i are trying to decide what we should do with our lives.

prayer requests -
1. should i take the northpointe job
2. dan needs an assisstant manager position to open soon

goin' to the country club!

so tomorrow when i "babysit", i actually get to babysit! I'm talking the kiddies to the country club and we are going swimming!!! yay! i'm gonna work on my tan. it needs to be perfect by September 16!

just in case anyone hasn't seen it, check out Dan and my website! It's the coolest thing I've ever seen! Our web designer is pretty amazing.

Only 100 days left! So little time and so much to do!

I made it through!

The interview went very well! The superintendent and math department head interviewed me, and the current principal came in for the last 5-10 minutes. I felt like I was able to answer all their questions really well. I wasn't nervous so I didn't stutter or anything.

The unnerving part was when Bob (the math department head) told me he was going to have me teach a little. I wasn't totally taken off guard because that is a common thing to do in interviews nowadays. I had actually been formulating a partial lesson in my head on the car ride there. The part I wasn't expecting was that he told me the topic! He was VERY specific about it too! Praise the Lord! That was the same topic I was thinking of in the car! God is good! I was still slightly nervous, and I couldn't remember 4+2 or how to finish the graph of the parabola. However, they did not know I was having those struggles. I hid them well! yay me! At the end, they both said I did a very good job with no preparation. I just hope they were serious!

There are three more people interviewing for the position. They said I should hear something next week sometime. It is not a full time position, but the guys in the interview never mentioned it! The math head also said he might have me teach a psychology class! That would be exciting! It would be nice to have one class that wasn't a math one.

So, I'm VERY excited about this job opportunity. Please pray that God's will is done. If I am not right for the job, then it is fine with me that I don't get it. Although, I am WAY more excited about this one than Lansing Christian.

Bonus points for me - Uncle Jon married the principal and his wife. Everyone knows it, and they keep mentioning it. So thanks Uncle Jon! I think you are helping me get a job!

interview tomorrow

I have an interview with Northpointe Christian tomorrow at 9:30 Michigan time. (That's 8:30 to you Indianers!) I'm excited, not nervous yet. There are four other people applying for the position. I really want it, but I'm not too confident because of the result of my last interviewing process. That time I was only running against two people! So pray that I do my best and if it is God's will and He knows I'm right for the job that I will get it.

Work is going fine. Some days are long; some days are short.

I looked at tiaras today! I'm taking Lacey and mom to see them on Saturday hopefully. I need some help narrowing it down.

Lacey and I are going to a Wedding Workshop at Andicott's to learn how to make wedding flowers. So I'm pretty sure we will be doing all the flowers ourselves at the wedding. It's more work, but it will save us lots of money. And I've heard that's a good thing right mom? oh do you want to take the class with us, mom?

subbing

Today I am subbing for Mr. Dykstra at East! Yay for getting paid! I'm going to the Kendall's after school so I will be working from 7am-8pm today. I'm gonna be tired tonight!

Funny story: I submitted a resume to Northpointe Christian. I received an email back from the principal asking me to fill out an application. Yay! I am doing that today. In the email he also asks, "Are you Pastor Rumley's daughter? He married my wife Victoria Johnson and I 12 years ago." So I call mom and she tells me that it was Uncle John, and that she went to Cornerstone with Luke. Or something like that-not sure I've got the story straight. Ain't it a small world? So I will hopefully be faxing in that application tonight!

Got to go be a teacher!

what's new...

lacey and i pick out the paper to make the wedding invitations with. that was exciting! at least lacey and i had fun doing it.

buz, you never cease to amaze me! crossing a busy street is really not that bad of a thing...

so i like my new apartment. i don't really like living here by myself at night, but during the day it is great! i still haven't completely unpacked but hey it will get done eventually.

oh! my dress is in! yay! i get to see it on friday (tomorrow)! and i get to get my hair done for the wedding, a trial run.

k, need to go to work!

update schmupdate

geez louise people...i'll give you an update!

i moved into my new apartment on monday. yay! it's really nice having the whole place to myself. i never minded living with roommates, but being on my own is quite nice right now. i get a little scared at night but not too bad! hehe...


ummm...i don't really get why it put my words like a link...we'll see if this turns out. so that my apartment. very small and not all the way unpacked but you get the basic idea!

wedding update - dan and i are meeting with 2 photographers the beginning of next week and we are designing out invitations with luke and lacey's help. those are the next two big things to get done.

k, need to pack for megan's wedding this weekend!

Honors Convocation

Tuesday morning Cornerstone had their Honors Convocation. I received my cords for graduating with a GPA of 4.946, Summa Cum Laude and for being in Alpha Chi. The blue and green cord is Alpha Chi and the gold one if for my GPA. I also got the mathematics division award. It doesn't really have a name, but it is for excellence in mathematics! I was soooo excited because I really didn't think I would get an award at all! Here are some pictures: the second one is me with my roommates and the first is my math award. They gave me six books! I got teaching books for calculus, precalculus, statistics, consumers math, functions, and a book on Escher. Yay! I love books!

It's official!

Dan and I will be tying the knot on September 16, 2006. The time isn't set for sure, but it will probably be 1:00pm. I'm so excited! Please start praying for good weather for us! The ceremony will be outside (no bathrooms...spread the word!) and the reception at our church just down the road. I'm really excited!

Dan and I are going out to start our registry on Thursday night. Yay for shopping! We are way excited! The next big things to book are the caterer, photographer/videographer, and find a wedding gown. Speaking of that...I don't know where my mother is...we are supposed to be going shopping right now...i'll get some phone calls out of the way while i wait for her...

Im Making a Blog

This is my blog. Im writing a blog. I want you all to read and enjoy my blog. Please enjoy my blog as it states everything going on in my life. I like Dan. Or as some of you may know him as, Dan-O. He is great, great like a superhero. So great, he's more like a great warrior. A super warrior. 'Cause Warrior just doesn't quite say it enough.

If you have any questions, comments, or complaints about this, please feel free to drop me a line.

Signing Out!

Godspeed to you all...Isn't "Godspeed" just the coolest close to a conversation? I think so, and Dan's sweetness prolly thinks so too

I'M ENGAGED!!!

It's official!! I'm an Dan Stauch's fiance! Yay! I will soon be Mrs. Dan Stauch! Oh my goodness! What in the world! I'm finally getting married! I'm so excited! I'll let you all know the date when we figure it out!

Love you Dan!!!

my crazy sisters...

so my sisters are taking a trip to Canada this weekend! what in the world! they're not big enough to do that! actually i went to florida with my friends when i was erin's age, but still....they're not big enough!

have fun girls! i can't wait to hear all about it!

bored, bored, bored

so my last post was a sorry attempt to put up all the pictures of my nephew, Caleb Aaron. So please ignore that last post.

this post is because i am bored out of my mind. i am house sitting for the week. the house is beautiful, the dog is great, the cat is the meanest thing i've ever met, i have lots of lesson plans to do, and absolutely no ambition to do it! i could watch tv but that's boring too. luckily, dan got out of work early today so he came over to hang out with me, but he just left and now i have nothing to do. my roommates are coming over for Bible study at about 9 so that will be fun, but i have to get to 9 somehow. i feel a little guilty for not doing lesson plans, but they make me want to puke....maybe i'm not cut out to be a teacher...

i'll job search for a while and see how that goes...

Five Love Languages

I went to Buzz's site and took her test. I already knew the answers, but maybe the rest of you didn't!

The Five Love Languages

My primary love languages are probably
Physical Touch and Quality Time.

Complete set of results

Physical Touch:		9
Quality Time:		9
Words of Affirmation:		5
Acts of Service:		4
Receiving Gifts:		3

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

REJECTED!!!

Read the title of this post like you are a basketball player who just cleanly blocked the other teams only shot at winning the game and you yell to the crowd, "Rejected!" (In other words...I'm not upset!)

I just got my first turn down for a job. I did not get the position at Lansing Christian School. I went into the interview with a positive, prayerful attitude that God would lead me in the right direction. I left the interview knowing I did a good job, but I was not overly excited about the prospect of working there. I knew I could work there if I had to, but it would not be my first choice. Thankfully, a better person for the position came along and they got the job offer! So I'm really glad that I didn't get the position. They were looking for a math/PE teacher. Without knowing that they were looking for that kind of person, I told them in the interview that I would be willing to teach any subject but PE! I'm really glad I didn't know that they were looking for a PE teacher because then I might have tried to make myself want to teach PE just to get a job and that could have put me in a bad position.

So, tomorrow I'm spending at least part of the day getting resumes and cover letters sent out to some area schools. Please keep praying for me that God would lead me in the right direction. I'm so thankful for the guidance He has already provided me with.

thanks guys!

thank you for all of the encouragement! i really needed it this week! i'm so glad this week is over...there's good news though! my teacher was called home at the beginning of third hour and a sub was not brought in so i was there all day by myself. it was wonderful! i just love it when he's gone! here's the better news...i filled out the paperwork so i can get paid for subbing. i got paid $75 today! yay for extra money! i hope it will be happening more often!

oh how these times do try the soul...

i had the longest day in the world yesterday...if you don't want to hear me vent then don't read this post...if you do GREAT! i'd love to share!

1. 5:55 alarm goes off
2. 7:05 off to school
3. 3:30 leave school pick up erika from school and begin work
4. 5:30 leave work run home to make a sandwich for dinner
5. 5:50 arrive at CU for CPR class
6. 6:00-9:00 take BORING cpr/first aid class (a waste of 3 hours if you ask me)
7. 9:05 go to dan's to pick up dvd to show to my class today
8. 9:10 dan is leaving house to pick up his car so i drive him
9. 9:11-9:45 taking dan to and from enterprise where i learn the dvd is not ready for me b/c it wouldn't down load...WONDERFUL!!!
10. 9:30-9:45 on the drive back to dan's i figure out what i'm going to do in the non-video classes today
11. 9:45-10:00 pick up camera and no dvd from dan's
12. 10:00-10:07 drive home
13. 10:08-10:38 looking for a way to download the dvd from the internet without spending a buttload of money
14. 10:39 jamie suggests an alternate movie, i call blockbuster and they have it
15. 10:57 return home to watch movie and make worksheet to go along with it
16. 12:04 go to bed

yes, i'm tired today...and just about every day this week has been or will be like this. YAY! student teaching is so fun!

happy birthday to me!

so today is my 22nd birthday!

i thought a trip down memory lane would be nice for my students. so i took cookies in for all of them. remember in elementary school on your birthday your mom would make cupcakes or something for all your classmates. so i brought in goodies for all of them. my goal was to bring in homemade stuff, but let's be honest...that's way too time consuming.

my roommate, megan, took me out for breakfast this morning. (and she decorated the bathroom for me this morning! what a fun thing to get ready to!) that was really fun. i had to get up early for it, 5:30, but it was well worth it.

i'm going out with dan sometime. not sure when really. might be today and might be tomorrow...we'll see.

so that's the birthday update thus far...

oh, and all my other roommates are celebrating monday night when they get back from florida...oh AND my parents took me out last night for dinner. it was soo fun! i loved it! i love going out for dinner anyways, but how often do i get mom AND dad all to myself! never! it was really fun!

It's almost Friday...

So I made it through the beginning of the week, now just need to finish the week. I was told by my cooperating teacher not to worry about getting prepared for class today because of Keith's death. So I came partially prepared to school today. I would have been totally prepared, but with the car fiasco last night I didn't have any time. Well, Mr. Dykstra tells me that he has to take his daughter on a field trip because his wife isn't doing well so he left halfway through 1st hour! well, teaching unprepared here i come!!! It went fine though. I let the kids all know up front that I was tired, emotionally drained, and that I needed their help and cooperation to get through the day. The kids were wonderful today. I was so thankful for them!

It's my birthday tomorrow! Yay! I'm going to go buy some kind of treat for all my kids...not sure what yet. I'll figure that out later.

Mom, if you're reading this, I'm getting the tires fixed at 3:30 today. I will call you when they are done.

my heart is breaking

Words cannot describe the confusion and hurt I feel right now. I know that what I'm feeling does not even begin to reflect what my aunt, uncle, and cousins are going through right now. Please be praying for all of us. This is a tragic time where Christ's love needs to shine through me and my family. We are all hurting. The next few days are going to be really hard.

First Interview with LCS

I had my first interview for a real-live teaching position today. It went great! The guy who interviewed me was so nice and friendly. I feel like I answered all of his questions well. There weren't any that I didn't know how to answer like the mock interview I went to last night.

At the end of the interview he gave me an application and said if I would like to pursue this job, to fill it out and mail it to him. However, he said I needed to fill that applicaiton out and mail it to him last week. Which at the time I did not see the sense in since I didn't know anything about the job. SO...my application is sitting at his office right now. I'm not sure how he missed it, but i've already filled out the application. I do not know if I want the job, but it looks like a good opportunity. (I've recently heard some negative things about the school, but I do not know whether I should trust the source or not.)

So there's the job search update. As far as student teaching goes, I love it! I had a sub today, because my teacher doesn't like to work on fridays anymore (just kidding! his wife is going through chemo right now and is not doing well). So I had total control of the classroom. My sub was very nice, and she didn't mind that I taught every class. Well, taught is a stretch b/c 3 of the classes had quizzes or tests, but I was in charge the whole time. So yeah...there's my life right now.

i'm so glad it's friday!!!!

not what i expected

so tonight (thursday night) i had a mock interview session at CU. Principals from area schools come and do fake interviews with teacher ed students to prepare them for what it will be like when they do it for real. they look over the resume and give some pointers, ask a few questions, and basically give some advice.

so...lucky me...i get the hardballer. (not sure if that's the right term but read on and you'll see what i mean). the guy that interviewed me was SO blunt. and i mean SO blunt. the first topic of coversation was "how are you going to deal with diversity in your classroom?" because i can see that you have had no diversity experience on your resume (except your current living situation) and you are a little, white girl. you are not going to get respect from the students based on how you look, so what are you going to do. 1st of all-do you not think i 've heard that i'm short and look young all my life???? do you not think i've learned to deal with it???? granted, everything he told me was good information, but holy cow was he harsh!

he did give me some great pointers for classroom management and getting parental support. i did learn a lot. he really didn't like that i went to a majority white school and had all my teaching experience with "smart" kids. (let me tell you that the kids i've tutored have not been "smart", but of course i couldn't think that fast to tell him that)

so i guess he did his job. i was fuming at some points, indignant at others, laughing with him and understanding what he was saying all the way through though. so, it was a humbling experience, but i'm glad i did it. it did help to prepare me for my interview today. well i think i have one today, but i haven't had a confirmation email telling me for sure. so we'll see if i really do have an interview today. (for those of you who don't know friday at 3:00pm i'm interviewing with Lansing Christian School)

so yeah, i do take things too personally, but i have learned a lot this week to just let things roll. (i've had classroom management issues all week.) so just another learning experience!

tata for now!

i shouldn't be allowed to do things on my own...

so i spent hours getting my application ready for lansing christian. i made two trips to CU to print off the application because i kept making mistakes. I finally got it right so I mailed it last friday. sometime friday night while i was walking around Grace College's campus in the FREEZING cold i realized....i didn't include my testimony with my application! what am idiot! prolly the most important part of a christian school application and i forgot it! jeez louise! so i emailed it to them sunday night when i got home and apologized profusely. i got an email back that sounded positive, but we'll see. i could total see them discarding my application for that mistake, but i hope not!

k, i'm at work now so i can't elaborate more about the weekend or anything, BUT it was AMAZING!!! i love my sisters!!! (and my boyfriend! he was pretty amazing this weekend!)

update on the job search

i am applying to lansing christian school and hamilton high school. Hamilton is about 1/2 hour south of Grand Rapids. Not much else is new...I'm just getting the resume and cover letter ready. Talk to you all later!

I DID IT!!!

oh boy! i just emailed someone at lansing christian to ask for more information about the position!!! i''m scared! and excited at the same time! please pray for me that i would make good decisions!

Job Search

I've official started looking for a teaching job. I've been looking at all the sites that Cornerstone gave me to look at, but with little luck. I've found one inner city school in Benton Harbor looking for a math teacher, but I'm not so sure I want to go there. I looked at their school stats and it didn't look good. The school as a whole was below 40% in standardized test results, lower than 30% in math proficiency, and the average ACT score was a 16.6!!! yikes! not so sure i want to go there...but we'll see.

I started looking at ACSI's website, and after about 10 minutes of trying to figure out how to search without paying $75, i found LOTS of Christian schools in need of math teachers. The ones i'm kind of interested in right now are Lansing Christian and Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, MO. Oh another possibility, but i'm sure i'd be working for basically free, is Grace Baptist in Kankakee, IL! Wouldn't that be great if I went to work for our rivals!!! yeah, that wouldn't be too nice. so i've basically ruled that one out.

I feel bad for feeling like this, but I almost don't want to teach at a Christian school right away because I won't make any money. Now, I don't know that for sure, but I want to pay off my school loans asap. so we'll see....that's how things look right now. pray for me while i make important, life-changing decisions!

Valentines Day Flowers

So, my wonderful boyfriend surprised me with flowers. I went the whole school day, worked for the Kendall's, worked out, went to see Dan, and THEN I went home. Much to my surprise there was a beautiful vase of flowers on my desk! What a great surprise! Wanna know what's even better? Dan picked the flowers out himself! Whoa! That's pretty cool! So here's some picks of my flowers...aren't they lovely?

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!


Happy Valentines Day!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

well there it is...a happy valentines day to you in all the fonts of blogger!

bad friday...

so i just wrote the longest post ever, but it got erased because it took too long. ahhh!!! here's the brief summary then

1. i had a sub on friday who couldn't interact with people of teach

2. good thing is i got to teach every hour and it was amazing! i loved it! it made me actually want to be a teacher!

3. she made fun of me in front of the class. sent students out of class to take attendence down to the office. tried to start class before the bell rang EVERY hour. talked to the students during the quiz. mocked me for telling her to stop talking to teh students during the quiz.

4. totally left for 3rd and 4th hour...don't know where she was. don't really care either. it was better without her.

so it was the best and worst day combined.

today, faculty was supposed to wear a hat for a faculty member going through cancer...guess who didn't bring a hat? yep, that's me...so i don't know what i'm goin to do when we all go down to the auditorium to take our picture...should be a great day!

ugg!

my teacher totally ruined my lesson. i was all ready with a graphing calculator activity, and he said, "we'll i've got this really good activity that i made. here why don't you use it." so i looked it over and it looked similar but not quite the same. it wasn't as good at explaining, but i thought the kids might get it. let me just tell you...it was awful! the kids could not understand what the sheet was saying at all! i'm so mad that i took his advice. i was trying really hard at the end of class to be professional and wrap the lesson up. but how do i teach the entire lesson in 5 minutes. supposedly they should've been able to figure the lesson out from the worksheet, but of course that didn't work. so now i'm trying to decide if i totally want to abandon the worksheet for the second class. i think i do. ah! he frustrates me!

Observation #2

well, i did it. my second observation went great! he loved everything i did! he had a few things to suggest to improve my teaching (like making them take notes or write certain things down), but nothing major. he is WAY more positive than my cooperating teacher which is a nice change. i like being told what i am doing well. who doesn't???


I taught the lesson MUCH better the second time. I didn't realize that my students had hardly ever factored before. I assumed they knew way too much the first time I went through it. Come to find out, they have only factored easy equations 3 years ago. Thanks for telling me after the fact! So the second class, hopefully, has a much better grasp of what is going on. Although I'm not sure the better lecture is worth it. The first class always gets more information and harder information, but this last test they did far superior to 6th hour. So maybe too hard isn't such a bad thing!


k, need to go get ready for tomorrow and go to work!

Observation #2

well, i did it. my second observation went great! he loved everything i did! he had a few things to suggest to improve my teaching (like making them take notes or write certain things down), but nothing major. he is WAY more positive than my cooperating teacher which is a nice change. i like being told what i am doing well. who doesn't???


I taught the lesson MUCH better the second time. I didn't realize that my students had hardly ever factored before. I assumed they knew way too much the first time I went through it. Come to find out, they have only factored easy equations 3 years ago. Thanks for telling me after the fact! So the second class, hopefully, has a much better grasp of what is going on. Although I'm not sure the better lecture is worth it. The first class always gets more information and harder information, but this last test they did far superior to 6th hour. So maybe too hard isn't such a bad thing!


k, need to go get ready for tomorrow and go to work!

yay for encouragement!

Thanks to everyone for their encouraging emails and postings about student teaching. It really helps me get through another day. Senora, if you are reading this, thanks! It's nice to have positive comments from an experienced teacher!


So today my students are taking a test over the first complete chapter that I have taught them. The first class did AMAZING!!! I have hopes that I am teaching them something! The second class did not do as well, but they did not do terrible.


That's all for now. I am being observed tomorrow so I need to get everything together.

yay for encouragement!

Thanks to everyone for their encouraging emails and postings about student teaching. It really helps me get through another day. Senora, if you are reading this, thanks! It's nice to have positive comments from an experienced teacher!


So today my students are taking a test over the first complete chapter that I have taught them. The first class did AMAZING!!! I have hopes that I am teaching them something! The second class did not do as well, but they did not do terrible.


That's all for now. I am being observed tomorrow so I need to get everything together.

yay! i found the title setting!

"Tomorrow is another day..."(Scarlet from Gone With the Wind)

Don't worry folks, I am in much better spirits today. I have realized that I can change and correct my faults. It is hard to change, but it will make me a better person in the long run. Going through a difficult day like yesterday makes me lean on my Maker even more. I'm sure He likes that sort of thing. I always try to get through life on my own strength, but eventually it gets too tough and then I realize that I am not relying on God for my strength.

Another day, another lesson learned...

so here's the deal....i don't have the box to make a title. i think i lost it because of the background i chose to use.

student teaching update: i hate it. that's a little strong, but not by much. now i know that i am a perfectionist and i don't like doing things if i can't be the best. so i'm trying to figure that into the situation i'm in. here's what's wrong with my life right now...

1. i struggle remembering high school math. i feel like an idiot when i can't answer student's questions. at least 4 times a week this occurs while i'm lecturing, and about 1-2 times a week this happens in the other classes that i don't teach. i know that i have done the math, and i knew how to do it at one point. i'm just still amazed at how much i've forgotten. (i feel a little better though because the other math student teacher feels the same way)

2. i can't take criticism. my teacher is sitting in the front of the room everytime i teach. he is there to "helpfully" add things i forget, rescue me when i get stuck, and give me feedback on how i did. but let's be honest. the first time i teach the lesson it usually goes terrible. the second time is always better, but i truly think he thinks i'm stupid or dumb. he always tells me different strategies for approaching the next day's lesson, but i either don't know what he is talking about or i would rather figure it out on my own. he basically tells me what to do. and he's always there! he won't leave the room. if he does it's only for 2-4 minutes, but during the time the lesson usually goes better. i feel like i'm being graded and evaluated everyday twice a day. oh, and he no longer says i'm doing "great" or even "fine."

3. i went to a seminar about job searching and how and when to look for a teaching job. but since my student teaching is so wonderful, i don'tknow if i want to be a teacher. so that adds a whole nother pile of stress to my life.

4. i can't find the cords to my IPAQ. i think the ones at the kendall's are mine, but i can't prove it and they think they are there's. (was there enough "theres" there?) that is stressing meout too. i've already lost part of my christmas present.

signing off now before i start crying

ummm...how do i put a title on my blogs? erin, luke...any ideas?

so student teaching is going better. last friday was the best day so far. it made me want to be a teacher. i felt like i actually taught them something they didn't know or couldn't figure out for themselves. i think the students trust me more now which is nice. so i'm still trying to decide if i want to teach or not. my experience has not been bad so far, just not so fun either.


i just got back from a wonderful weekend with my family! happy birthday buz! thanks dad for doing my taxes with me! so silly me thought it would be fun to do the long form for federal taxes. luckily my dad talked me into turbotax. we had to do my state taxes on paper and it took FOREVER! i can't imagine trying to do my federal taxes. i think we'd still be there doing them!

k, that's all for now. i'm monitoring students taking test while i eat my lunch...pb&j is calling my name....

man oh man do i feel professional! i went to target and bought 3-ring binders, dividers, new pens, and little flags to organize my lesson plans! it's definitely the little things that get me all excited! i am now ready to go for my first full week of teaching. (the last three weeks i haven't had to teach every day) we will see how it goes. i feel pretty confident at this point though!

so i was informed last night that i posted a falsehood. dan did not say that blogs are nerdy. i don't know what he would call them, but he doesn't like them. he doesn't want the family to hate him so i said i would correct my mistake. he just doesn't like them.

k, guys...i fixed the settings thing so now everyone can comment! yay for me! i figured it out!

ok guys, i've given in to the pressure...i'm starting my own blog. it's is hard to email everyone everyday (not that i actually do it), but it would be hard if i did do it. since everyone is always asking how student teaching is going, i figured i could write it hear so everyone could see it. so that's the plan...no guarentees it will happen...oh and so you all know, dan strongly dislikes my having a blog. he thinks its nerdy. what does he know?

so student teaching is going alright. i don't hate it and i don't love it. it's just alright. this last week and a half has been extremely boring. this week was finals. so the last half of last week was review and they took tests this week. i was struggling to stay awake. i wonder if they saw me nodding off in the front of the room. cuz that would be really funny if they did...but in my defense, what in the world was i supposed to do? there were no papers to grade. i was working on my lessons for next week, but golly, a body can only take so much staring at a book/computer! so yeah that's about it.

i'm just finishing 5 days of babysitting 24/7...haha, that doesn't quite make sense. i've been babysitting the Kendall's for 5 days now while their parents are on vacation. the kids have been surprisingly good, but i will be glad when today is over. i need the four day weekend.

ta-ta for now!