Happy Birthday Amber!

We love you and think you're the greatest sister ever! Hope you have a great day!!!

Recap of the end of summer

Hi everyone! Sorry it has been so long since I last posted but with all that has been going on in the past few weeks, life has been pretty great and busy too. Over the past weeks since my last post, we have had more company come to visit us than I've ever had visit me in my life. Some of our friends came from Hope, some from home, and some were family. My dear friend Abbie Rockwood has been staying with us a lot this summer and has been like a sister to me. While she was here, Joe Turbessi came to visit us first and brought some momentos from Holland with him including the new Chapel Choir CD. I was so excited to see him and it was great to visit before he goes back to Boston for his last year of grad school. Next, Aunt Wanda and Bob came to visit and Kyle and I went with them to see the Cleveland Browns play the Detriot Lions. Needless to say, the Browns lost but the fans sure do have spirit! Then, our friend Matt Schwabauer came through on his long journey from Washington state to Boston for his new job at Gordon College. The school sounds a lot like Hope and we were so happy to see him, since we hadn't seen him at all since our wedding. Next, Mom and Dad Cox came through on their way back to NY from Michigan and got to spend some time with us. Finally, my friend Michelle passed through for a short visit on her way from her physical therapy internship in Connecticut back to Omaha. It was so great to see everyone and reconnect, if only for a short while.

This past week, my students started back to school and I love my new schedule. I am now teaching choirs grades 6-8 as well as 6th grade general music and beginning band. These classes are so much fun because the kids truly want to be there and I am sure this is going to be a great year. Also, I started my first class towards my master's degree in music education this week at Cleveland State University and although this class seems to entail a great deal of research and papers, I am hoping that it will be a good experience and make me a better teacher. In a nutshell, this summer has been restful and has really allowed us to open up our home to our friends. That has been the best part!

Now, we are in NY visiting Kyle's family and the weather here has been so great! Yesterday, we returned to Green Lake State Park and walked around the lake. This place is beautiful and I love coming here. Riley also loves running around the yard here and playing with Rudy. I really think that they like each other a lot and the get along great. I will post some pictures soon. So, this is our life: visiting, laughing, traveling, learning, and just plain having fun. What a great summer we've been blessed with!