Looking Ahead

The pups are fine and have transitioned into having a sibling in the house. Daisy seems to love it out here. She has plenty of things and people to bark at outside. While she still loves going outside, she loves coming inside, too. The neighbor's dog loves barking, and has Daisy feeling a little sheepish to keep up. I'm happy she's taken a backseat to having that talent, but I wish she'd go nuts some day when other people are trying to sleep so our neighbor would know how much it stinks listening to someone else's dog go crazy.

Work has been great. While progress is slow, and sometimes seems nonexistant, I can tell my students are comprehending more of what they read and becoming more independent to complete their work. I don't know if they're making the connection with the relevance of their work, but I haven't lost hope yet.

I'm starting to fall in love with this village and the people in it. I can't tell you how much I enjoy hearing one of the lunch ladies call me "smiley" every day. She may not know my first name, but I'm glad she acknowledges my smile every day. But then again, why wouldn't she notice a smile, she's feeding me! In addition to the nice people, I'm starting to love the sunshine that peaks over the horizon in the morning, and sets a little later each day. It's a sign of hope that the one year we thought would be the most difficult for us as individuals and as a couple, is halfway over, and we survived. We're stroger than we thought, which is a pretty empowering feeling.

With that said, Brandon and I have agreed to sign another contract with Southwest Region School District if one's given. We're looking forward to the close of this year, and the new year approaching. As for the summer, we'll be flying home on May 20th to spend the summer with the likes of you. It's nice having something to look forward to on a daily basis. The first half of the summer, we'll be living with Jim and Dee in Ankeny. Brandon will be working from home for the summer so we can maximize the time we have with each side of the family. The second half of the summer, we'll be living in Wisconsin, to enjoy the time we have with my parents and siblings.

Meanwhile, we're doing fine and sending our thoughts and prayers to Bryce, Andrea and Kalee, as Andrea and Bryce overcome a scary, sickfilled weekend. Our love to you three and a half! We'll see you in May!

Brie