First Day of School....

for Ken that is!

It has been a loooong time since Ken has been is this position and I think it will a challenging but very good 10 months for him. Not to mention a life changing 10 months. The girls and I dropped Ken off and went in to get a couple pictures on the first day of school. Many of the other men in his class were arriving at the same time and there was much anticipation and excitement in the air. We are looking forward to seeing God's mighty work in the minds and hearts of these men and their families.

Happenings in Maryland...

Playroom downstairs.

Zoe's room and she is finally in a crib!

Hope's half of the room-with her very own bed.

Gracie's side of the room-with her own bed too!

An unpacked kitchen-thanks Becky M!

So lots has been going on and I think that this is just the beginning of a very busy next 10 months....

After having an earthquake last Tuesday, the rest of the week was filled with reports of Hurricane Irene coming. We even had an automated message from the electric company telling us to prepare for power outages for 2-3 days. So just to be cautious, we did buy some bottled water and candles and tied down some loose things outside. Well, we got our hurricane last night which amounted to some moderate winds and moderate rain. We did spend about an hour cleaning up leaves and branches, but it was mostly anticlimatic here, anyways.

We did get out this week for our first official fieldtrip. We spent a few hours at the Gettysburg battlefields and museums. We all learned a lot and hopefully there will be many more learning fieldtrips this year.

We had some kickoff events for our PC year and I don't think I can describe how cared for we are feeling out here. They have gone way beyond the extra mile. Here is just one of many examples already. We had our orientation yesterday. When we pulled up to the church, they had people waiting to valet park our cars. When we picked them up, every car had been detailed inside and out!

Other events this week included orientation to our new homeschool co-op, a PC ladies luncheon, Hope's handbell choir concert, and introduction of the new PC class to the church.

I posted a couple pictures of our house, in case anyone was interested in seeing where we are living...

We had an earthquake today!

I can chalk this up as an experience we will probably never have in Minnesota. We were all spaced out in the house. Ken was in the basement, Hope was upstairs reading, and Gracie and I were at the table doing math. All of a sudden, the whole house started shaking. The dining room light started swinging and Gracie and I watched a pencil roll across the table. Hope came running downstairs and said a shirt fell off the hanger. Ken just ran up the stairs. The whole thing lasted maybe 20 seconds and we were left wondering what in the world just happened. I wondered out loud if that could have been an earthquake, but seemed unlikely in Maryland. After getting on the internet, we found out it was an earthquake that registered 5.8! Let the adventure begin!

We are settled into our house with much thanks to Becky M. She was able to come out here for a time and is a master organizer. I know I would still have many boxes left to unpack if it were not for her. She was truly a blessing. We are staying in a cute townhouse about a mile from the pastor's college. Everyone we have met seems really nice and the neighborhood is quiet. The girls have met several friends and two of them are their ages a couple houses from us and they school at home as well. God is faithful in even the details!

The hives I have been battling for the past (almost) 2 years have been back with a vengeance since moving out here. I am not sure if it is the stress or something different about the environment or what, but they have been out of control. I have been miserable and nothing seems to help. Yesterday, my eyes were swollen shut. They sap my energy and I feel guilty because I am not functioning well and cannot care well for my family. When they are on my face, I look horrible and feel horrible. I am so incredibly frustrated with them because I feel helpless to do anything about it and my life is planned around the hives. I would appreciate prayers for healing or something that would help and in the meantime grace to endure well this "thorn in my side".

Thankful for you all,
Becky