Summer Update!

Tuesday, 10 July 2007

Hello and Happy Summer!!Wow, it's been a while since Matt or I updated this site. Sorry for the delay! A lot has happened, so let me quickly catch you up to speed!

Matt is still working for the BLM and coaching a 13-15-year-old baseball team in Meeker. He is enjoying the chance to get out and coach and his team is doing pretty well this year! I'm sure it's because of the stellar coaching staff (Matt and his boss, Brian)! Work seems to be going well; long, hot, sunny Colorado summer days sure take their toll and zap energy like crazy! Matt's gotten quite acclimated to being in the heat all day long - definitely a trait that will prove helpful in our near future! Shortly, Matt and his crew will start spotlighting to find the objects of their affection: black-footed ferrets. He's also doing a great job of holding down the fort and taking care of business while I'm in Missoula.

School is going really well for me and I'm in the 4th week of classes. All of the classes are very interesting and I'm having a great time learning and studying. So far, I've taken Critical Thinking and Learning, Acting, Digital Photography, A Sense of Place in Teaching and Learning, Bodily-Kinesthetic Inteligence, African Drumming, and Symbol Systems. The last two are my current classes for this week. Between the reading and group work, I have been able to sneak away to do some hiking and exploring. Last Sunday, I took a day-trip up to Glacier and enjoyed a day hiking on a few favorite trails. It was really nice to be back there and really took me back to our Whitefish days! Boy, has the Flathead Valley changed and sprawled out...

Speaking of past places we've lived, Craig will be added to that list very soon because we're moving to Carbondale, IL! After we get back from Alaska, Matt and I are packing up and heading to a new place. Making a long(ish) story short and sweet, Matt accepted a position as a graduate student at Southern Illinois University studying white tail deer. I am extremely proud of Matt and we are both very happy that this all came to be. As an added bonus, we'll only be 3.5 hours away from Uncle Ryan and Aunt Lori! Anyway, for those of you who are wondering about logistics, we'll be arranging a place to live sight-unseen (a tad scary!) and yes, I had to quit my job at Moffat County. I have applied for a few positions in IL and MO and will hopefully find a teaching job for the fall. Matt's job in the next few weeks is to collect boxes and I'll be busy filling them after we get back from Alaska. Matt's start date at SIU is August 20th and if I land a teaching job, we'll have to be out there even earlier. Our gracious moving team offered to assist, so Mom and Dad will be thankfully helping us make the transition. We sure are dragging them all over the United States! If you could please say a prayer for a smooth transition, we would definitely appreciate it!

This weekend, Matt and I are flying back to MN for his younger sister's wedding. Though it will be a fast and furious trip, I'm looking forward to seeing our family! We'll be in MN for Kathy's wedding in October and also for the Christmas holiday, so we'd love to see you then! Have a great summer! God Bless!