God is Good all the time, All the Time God is Good.

Today was a beautiful day of blessing. Many of you read my post from awhile back about being homesick and missing the changing seasons. Well today, I was blessed beyong belief! Today after school i walked into the teachers lounge where we pick up our mail and on the table were three packages addressed to me. It is exciting to get mail, other then bills!

Well, the first package was a box filled with pine cones from my Aunt Joanie! Thank you! A Scent of home! I saved a few at school for the kids and they will be so excited, but i brought the rest home to put into a basket i am now going to find, to decorate for the holiday season.

The next two packages were from two amazing woman, Sarah and Janet. I worked with both at the Washtucna School, and i was actually Sarahs full time sub when she went on maternity leave. The first package was filled with delicious goodies, candy, smore makings, tea, kettle corn, caramel dip and hot cocoa. What a great way to bring the fall season to me.

The other package was filled with letters and drawings from my 3rd and 4th graders from Washtucna. Not only was it fun to get so many letters, but a cry of relief. I actually sat at the dinning table crying as i read each letter. Not sad tears but tears because they all ment so much. THANK YOU SARAH and JANET! You have no idea what it meant to me to receive such wonderful packages! You have truely made my week and made my home ready for fall.

After school today. Mark and I also went shopping and found a few things for our home, including a painting, all for a total of $20. Our apartment is now beginning to fill like a home.

One of the notes (written by Janet) on the leaves.


New Futon, THANK YOU RUSS and KANAE! Our apartment is getting cozier by the minute.

Painting in the hallway.

Notes on Leaves from Washtucna, made into a fall wrieth.


All the beautiful letters...


The goodies... Yay for Fall, and Thank you!

A walk through history...

This past Sunday Mark and I were joined by some friends from church for a afternoon hike. It was also our last hike with our friend David. David spent 18 years on Saipan working at a Christain Broadcasting station. It was a great last hike with him. In a total of about 4 hours we hit up some hidden and beautiful historical points.

This was our hiking group at the very beginning: Dean, Me, Mark, David, Tammy, A new friend, Owen, John, Bev and Irene. On our way to an old Japanese hospital built into the caves...

Midway through the hike. You know are local when you climb into the back of a truck!

A true Tarzan... not a vine but an actual root to a tree. It was awesome!

Old Japanese writing etched into a rock near the hospital.

At an old Shinto Shrine hidden back into the jungle.

Old Man by the Sea

A few weekends back, Mark and I were spending a lazy Monday (Columbus Day) at home, and after about an hour of sitting on the couch, we decided enough was enough and we had to go do something. So i asked Mark to take me a part of the island I had never been. So we packed up our back, got our hiking clothes on and hopped into the booney hoppin 4-runner and off we went. Our destination: Old Man by the Sea... You'll see why they call it that by the pictures below. It was a beautiful 30 minute hike both ways, sunny and mostly covered in shade... and a breath taking scene when we got there. Totally worth the walk =).


]Just about to head down the mountains side.

First view when we came to the clearing.

Kissing the old man.

Mark being Quite rude to the old man.

A Lovely day.

Reading Buddies...

I feel like I am leaving Mark and his students out of these blog updates, but it is hard for me to get photos of his kids when we are both at work... So here is another update on my kids. 

Every Friday afternoon my third graders head to the kindergarten class where we take about 45 minutes where I read both grades a story and the my third graders get a chance to read and color a story with their kindergarten reading buddy... Here are some photos of Mrs. Dickerman's and my kiddos together =)

Enjoy!

Jayson & Michael

Min & I 

Joseph & Jose

Sophia & Kamil

Nicole & Tiara

Yun Pyo & Vinson

Ryosei & Jason

Isaac, Derek & Joo Young

Just a Taste of Heaven...

This past weekend, Mark and I were blessed with an opportunity to hang out the two of us, and simply relax. This gift was from a couple, Russ and Kanae, who's home we meet at every Monday for Bible Study. Kanae works at the Pacific Island Club (PIC) on island and was able to give us a days free at the resort's waterpark and buffet... If you know Mark, you know which part he enjoyed the most. But for those of you who dont know him, it starts with Buff and ends with et.

As Mark and I were lounging around the pool and the lazy river, we were amazed... we live only 2 miles from here.. It also felt like a mini honeymoon, except polar opposite of our actual honeymoon. For our honeymoon we decided to celebrate the season of Cold, and hit up Banff Canada in the dead of winter... it was beautiful however... So needless to say this day at the PIC was our mini warm weather honeymoon...


Mark enjoying the lazy river.

Childrens waterpark... Every boys dream... even at the age of 25 =) (Mark is standing on the "Pirate" Ship.

Life in the Third Grade...

Life in the third grade definatly keeps a teacher busy! This past week however i lost two students. One who transferred to another school and one who went back to Korea. So I now have 12 boys and 3 girls... Poor Girls.

We have also had many visitors lately, that are small and green. =) Here is shot of one of our visitors right outside my classroom door. We also had another visitor this last week inside the classroom. One of my boys, Nael, was brave enough, grabbed the little sucker by its tale and chucked it outside, all boy. And then sweetly asked if he could go to the restroom and wash his hands =).

Right now in Social Studies, we are learning about communities, etc... and one part of it was we were learning about how every community has a history and a timeline. So needless to say, the evil Mrs. Sawyer had each student create a timeline of their 8-9 year life span =). And then present them...

Nael. He thought he was so cool because the stool made him taller. He comes up to my hips!

Sophia, one out of my three brave girls. =)

Isaac... the picture says it all. I also tutor him twice a week. Please pray for me =).

Abbas... he looks sweet... he actually is.

"Take a Hike"

A few Sunday's back, Mark and I and three other guys from our church took a Sunday afternoon hike to Talifofo Falls. A water Fall on the island that is about a 15 minute hike from a main road and that not a lot of people know about or go to. This Waterfall has its deep spots and used to allow you to swim in it... That was until they found in the water diseases cause from animal urine, mostly rats... wonderful... so needless to say, we didnt go swimming, but it was fun to see.

Talifofo Falls.

Our Group = Russ, Me, David, Mark and John who was kindly enough taking the photo.