Mother's Day weekend in NY

Kyle and I decided that it was time to go and visit his family again in New York since we hadn't seen them since Christmas (and that since it was Mother's Day, of course!). We drove up there Friday evening after work and arrived late that evening. Yesterday, we went to 2 different state parks in New York and hiked, ate a picnic, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The first park that we visited was called Green Lake. It is a beautiful natural lake and in its deepest parts, its 195 feet. Its named Green Lake because the water actually looks green/bright blue because of the rarefaction of light due to the depth. We ate a picnic lunch there and hiked around the whole lake. The second park we went to was Chittanango Falls. The waterfall is bautiful and when you hike to the bottom, you can stand on a bridge, get misted, and enjoy the view. We couldn't have asked for better weather than we had this weekend. No rain at all! God has blessed us both with GREAT moms, and we were reminded again at church today the image of God that each of them are in our lives.

Happy Mother's Day

We love you so much, Mom! Thank you for always believing in us, praying for us, and always encouraging us to achieve our dreams! We wish you the happiest on Mother's Day and we are extremely blessed to have you in our lives.

Indians baseball

This past week, Kyle and I got to go and see the Cleveland Indians play baseball with our friends Abbie and Kevin. We sat in the Club Seating section, which means basically the best baseball experience ever! All you can eat food (which they bring you non-stop), amazing seats on the first base line, and an indoor club area with more food and nice bathrooms. We also got to park in the garage attached to the stadium (which is so nice!). Best part of all...the whole thing was FREE! Kyle got tickets from one of his colleagues at work and it was by far the best baseball experience we ever had! Also, please note the lovely Indians jerseys that my friend Lisa Peterson gave us as a wedding gift...we finally got to wear them. The Indians are a winning baseball team and it was so fun to enjoy the game (despite some of the stormy weather). So in other words, come and visit because Cleveland rocks!

adoptable pets

As some of you know, I have a regular habit of looking for a pet dog on the computer. In fact, Kyle laughs at me and says I am addicted. I don't think so, though. I love dogs and if I could have my way, I would adopt many that don't have homes and give them a loving place to live where they could run and romp around a big yard. Nonetheless, I cannot logically have many dogs now nor do I have a big yard. I just wanted to make you aware that is a great place to find a new pet. On this site, you type in your zip code and can search by pet, size, breed and other criteria to find a pet that is waiting to be adopted. I sent this site along to our family friend Ed and his family found and adopted their dog, Domino. I love animals...and I think that this site will make you smile.

officially homeowners

That's right, everyone. We made our down payment and the title is now in our name. We are truly homeowners now! Can you believe that just a year ago, all I knew was that I was getting married and moving to Cleveland...the rest at that time was a question mark. Now we both have good jobs, own a house, and are grown ups. Does it seem kinda crazy to you? We laugh about it all the time. However, when one of my middle schoolers asked if I had an elementary age child, I brought back reality reminding them that I am only 22. God continues to bless us and I continue to be amazed at that each and every day. Come and visit this summer! We move in on June 8.

doctors can really make a difference in their patients' lives

This afternoon, my dad informed me that my pediatrician (who was my doctor since I was born) died unexpectedly in his sleep last week. He was only 52 years old and had no health problems. I was surprised how much hearing this news upset me but it also made me realize what a profound effect people like doctors can have in our lives.

When I was little, I had really bad allergies. I was allergic to anything and everything including cats, bunnies, shedding dogs, dust, pollen, grass...you name it, it probably made me sick. I always felt bad about it, like I was missing out on fun things in life because it made me sick. However, Dr. Pomeranz always made me feel like I was normal, I wasn't wierd or messed up and with the right combination of medicines, I could experience spring and summer the way that every kid wanted to: outside. He remembered everything about me: my orthodontic issues, my violin lessons, soccer, the awkward phase of junior high, and my love of singing to name a few. He never was too busy to ask me about these details when I came in for a visit. In fact, I went to see him a little less than a year ago for a physical before I moved away and got married, and he again remembered everything and showed a profound amount of compassion and care for me, as I am sure he did from all of his patients.

By looking back at my visits to his office, one theme prevails: care. He was one of the most caring people I knew and I am sure that he will leave a legacy for those to follow in his footsteps. So as people like Ryan are graduating from medical school and are entering their lives as physicians, always remember the difference that you are capable of making in the lives of those around you and never take that honor for granted.

oh what a beautiful day

Spring has finally sprung here in Cleveland! Kyle and I drove past our new house today and we were both pleased to see that the grass is green and the lawn looks immaculate! We move in our house June 8 (just 2 days after I finish school) and we are so excited! On Thursday, we officially paid the down payment (which took away a significant amount from our account) and it is good to be this close. The title is now officially in our name and the seller will be renting back from us until we move.

Also, we went to the state park beach today (which is right by our house) and skipped stones and had milkshakes. If that wasn't enough to make the day great, my neighbor brought us over homemade fried chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner unexpectedly and simply made our night. Good weather certainly lifts the spirits, does it not?

my sister-in-law has the coolest blog

Its true. No matter how often I intend to write something interesting on my blog, Amber keeps her's up and does a great job. So many interesting things every day...mine on the other hand, well, just doesn't compare. If you haven't visited her blog, do so! It will make her smile!

The address for her blog is http://www.ambercox.blogspot.com/

yet another laughable moment

Today, I gave my eighth grade students a quiz where they were to choose 2 styles of music that they were very familiar with and list the characteristics of each. As I was grading the quizzes, I noticed that one student listed that the TUBA was found in rap music. Really??? I had a good laugh.

Fun times in Florida

We arrived in Florida on Saturday night and have had a lot of fun so far. We have gone to the Lion Country Safari and I got to feed a giraffe amongst other interesting things. We also got to see all sorts of wild animals there and Kyle got some cool pictures. On Sunday, Norm and Bonnie took us to a Habachi Japanese Steakhouse and it was a very fun and entertaining meal. Norm took a great picture of me trying to catch a zucchini that the chef threw at me. Enjoy that picture.

Yesterday, Norm took Kyle on his first Florida flight over the Everglades, Atlantic Ocean, and over the Lion Country Safari. Kyle loved it and got some cool aerial shots. They even saw some sea turtles swimming from 500 feet above the water! They must be huge if they saw them from that high. Norm let Kyle fly the plane for a while and he said that Kyle was a very good pilot. He explained that oftentimes, when new people try to fly, they overcompensate and are all over the place. Kyle was not that way. We then went to the beach where I preceded to sunburn my legs (BIG time!) and that was fun but a little painful. Then we ate at Houstons on the Intercoastal Waterway and that was so fun. Busy day!

Today we are just relaxing and enjoying the time left here. We just ate at a Mexican Restaurant which was really yummy and now we are kicking back and enjoying a siesta. One more day left in Florida...then back to the cold!

We survived Washington D.C.

Three days, 180 students, 8 teachers, 5 hours of sleep each day, LOTS of sight-seeing. In a nutshell, that sums up the 8th grade trip to D.C. I think I saw more national landmarks in the past 3 days than I have ever seen in my life! Some of the places that we visited inclued: the National Cathedral (where I sang freshman year with Chapel Choir), Arlington National Cemetary, Jefferson Monument, Washington Monument, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, WWII Memorial, Air and Space Museum, Museum of Natural History, Naval Yard (where we toured a battleship), Naval Museum, the White House(only the outside), Gettysburg Battlefield, and my personal favorite, the Capitol Building.

The Capitol Building tour was great because the representative from our district gave us the tour himself. He grew up in Madison and went to our school and let us sit on the House floow and showed us how they vote for bills and let us try it ourselves. I tried to instill what a unique opportunity it was to sit on the floor of the House, since all other visitors only get to go in the gallery. If you have ever seen CSPAN or the State of the Union address given by the President each January, that is where we were (and I actually got to sit in his chair!). Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures of the House floor because of security reasons. I included some pictures of the trip and as you can see, it was a tiring but enjoyable experience. Tomorrow, Kyle and I leave for sunny FLORIDA! Spring break is finally here!

Music galore!

SO, its been a while since I have blogged and for that, I apologize because its been REALLY busy around here. Last week, I attended 3 concerts in 3 days and that was fun. Especially going to my friend Abbie's organ recital at CIM. Abbie and I met on my first day at Hope and have become better friends since. She is a very gifted musician and watching her play the organ gives one the illusion that its easy...but it is really difficult! Kyle and I loved going to her recital and it was in a gorgeous church in downtown Cleveland. Kyle brought his camera along and got some really great pictures. We are so proud of her!

Last Sunday, I went with the other choir director at my school to see the Cleveland Orchestra perform a Beethoven piano concerto and Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique. The Berlioz piece is called a program symphony, which basically means that it tells a story and the audience gets a copy to read during the performance. This work is one of my favorite to listen to and teach because of the large orchestra and the dark twisted story that gracefully accompanies the music. It was a phenomenal concert and I have come to find out that the Cleveland Orchestra is among one of the best in the world. To find out more about the orchestra or the Berliz piece, click here: and .

choir choir choir!

Three concerts down, one more to go! Its hard to believe that I have almost prevailed against the infamous "first year." I am so proud of my students! I gave my sixth grade choir incredibly challenging music in FOUR languages and they were able to rise to the occasion and perform the pieces incredibly well. They sang songs in German, Spanish, Latin and English and wrote their own introductions to each of the pieces and shared those with the audience before each song. We had a crowd of over 800 people in the gym to see the concert and it was very packed.

Kyle was able to come to my school (for the first time EVER) and catch a glimpse of what my day to day activities are there and to see my students perform. I've included a couple of amusing shots. The first is of myself and my cart in my lovely office. I spend the majority of my day teaching general music classes in rooms all over the school and push this cart everywhere (usually brimming with papers that go flying off as I walk through the hallways). The next is of my choir...all 52 of them and just me. Makes for fun times everyday. I was so pleased with how they performed and they way that this program is taking off. My students are a blessing...and their enthusiasm is contagious.

I love ducks!

Yes, its true. I really like where we live now because we live by a small lake that has swans that chase me (literally) and many ducks that also call this place home. Kyle took these pictures about a week and a half ago when the ice was melting (now its gone) and the ducks are so fun. They all follow me around and look like little people. I will have to make some new duck friends when we move to our new house. Enjoy the photos!

Happy Pi Day

Indeed, this is a day worth noting! Did you know that today is Pi day? I remember how much I loved this holiday in high school math class and I was reminded of this same joy by my sixth graders today when they were celebrating after school. After looking it up on Wikipedia, this is what I found. Enjoy!

Pi Day and Pi Approximation Day are two unofficial holidays held to celebrate the mathematical constant π (Pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (3/14 in American date format), due to pi being equal to roughly 3.14. Sometimes it is celebrated on March 14 at 1:59pm (commonly known as 'Pie Minute'); if Pi is rounded out to five decimal places, it becomes 3.14159. Pi Approximation Day may be observed on any of several dates, most often July 22 (22/7 - in European date format - is a popular approximation of π).

March 14 happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday, among others, and it is common to sing "Happy birthday Dear Albert". Massachusetts Institute of Technology often mails out its acceptance letters to be delivered to prospective students on Pi Day

the team

I admit, last night was bit of a disappointment, since soccer season is over and now we have to find something else fun to do. I thought that you would enjoy the team photo...I miss soccer.

warmer days are here again

Today, I went for a walk with Kyle after work and got chased by 2 swans and fed the ducks. It got up to 56 degrees today. I wore my green non-winter jacket and felt happier than ever. I can't wait for the spring weather...and don't forget, spring forward is this weekend!

Florida, Florida here we come

In only 32 days, Kyle and I are going to visit my favorite family friends, Norm and Bonnie Parks. They have been like grandparents to me and they are still like that to this day. It will be so nice to get to Ft. Lauderdale and spend time with them; swimming, laying in the sun, flying along the beach, helicopter lesson, and hopefully going to the Everglades on an airboat to feed some gators! I love them so much and I can't wait for Kyle to meet them!

laughable moments

Today, I had my students write a paragraph about a composer that we have studied of their choice for a quiz. The students were instructed to tell me why they chose that composer, and if given the opportunity, what questions they would ask him or her. One of my favorite responses was "I would ask Beethoven how he felt when he realized he was death." Well, I am sure that one would be tough to answer...hehe. This is just one example of how teaching makes me smile.

a few reasons why I love/miss college

When searching for pictures in Picasa today, I came across a few that brought back such happy memories. They embody the reasons why I love Hope College and all the people I knew there. Some reasons why I feel this way are:

1. Living with other girls was so fun...I miss them and they way that they make me feel loved.
2. Singing with the worship team...still haven't found a place like that here.
3. Dating Kyle...I still love him so much!
4. Nykerk Hall of Music...all the practicing, professors, performances, and most importantly, the people.
5. Chapel Choir. As much as we complained about rehearsing so much, theexperience and the friends I made there are one in a million.
6. Hinkamp and the guys Kyle lived with: priceless friends.
7. Student teaching with Jim De Boer, an amazing mentor to learn from and the HPS students were so sweet.
8. Late night study parties with my music friends...after all that time together, we were practically family.
9. Voice lessons with Dr. Sharp...he always and still believes in me and encouraged me to seek out music as my profession.
10. Everything that is Hope College: the close friends, the people who think they know you but really don't because they see you singing in front of them, President Bultman coming to my recital, wierd traditions, and challenging my faith.

To all the people who helped me grow at this place, I thank you so much.

a victorious season for the Edge-U-Cators

Last night was our last soccer game and we won 11-12. That makes a 4 game winning streak for us, which is quite remarkable since about half of the people on the team had never played soccer before. Kyle came to my game and made some new friends and got so watch a fight take place on the neighboring field (an all-out punching fight between adults!). After the game, my team mates and I enjoyed food, drinks, and fun times. Again, I truly am blessed to work with such wonderful people. How many other co-workers would play soccer together on Friday nights (voluntarily) and love every minute of it? Our cheering section on the bench is just as great as the time on the field. I love the people I work with and my job.

All Things New

Well, to make a long story short, I have been trying to sign in to my blog account for the past 2 weeks and nothing worked. Short of being extremely frustrated and ready to quit blog land forever, after the fifth time I attempted to sign in tonight, it miraculously worked.

Since it has been so long since I have last posted, there is a lot of news in our lived that needs to be shared. Since the last post, I dyed my hair back brown (which turned out to be a MAJOR ordeal and I am never going to make my hair blond again) and Kyle and I have begun the process of buying a house. First, I will share the story about the hair. When I moved to Ohio last summer, I looked for a salon where I could get my hair done and save money at the same time. While searching online, I came across the Aveda Institute which is only about 8 miles from our apartment. So, I tried it out and my first two visits were a very positive experience and cost about half the price of any other salon I have visited in the past. I have wanted to dye my hair back brown since October and finally got enough guts to do it. To make a long story short, the transition back to brown first required my whole entire head to be colored (filled in their terms), dried, and then recolored the darker shade of brown. The girl added some light brown highlights and when all was said and done, I was at the salon for 9 hours, didn't have time to get my hair cut, and left with hair similar to Angelina Jolie. It has taken some getting used to but I really like and I don't plan to color my hair again for a long time after this ordeal.

Within the same week as the hair color, Kyle and I put in an offer on a house. It is a 3 bedroom colonial that is only 3 years old and within a bike ride distance of the state park beach! The only appliances we have to buy are the washer and dryer and after this winter, my car will thank me for a warm home in a garage. I am looking forward to planting flowers and having a yard so much. We are both so excited about the house and are hoping to move in the middle of May. Take a look at some of the pictures and come visit this summer! We love company!

Ohio seems like a great place for us so far and we are so thankful for the way that the Lord continues to bless our lives, over and over again. Now its time to watch some Survivor.