Year One in Review

Back in April, after returning from a wonderful spring break road trip (I’m still hoping to make an epic video but my aging Macbook is having some software update issues…), Emil and I were skyping with the in-laws when I excitedly stated that we were just 6 weeks away from the end of the school year. My father-in-law chuckled and said along the lines of: “Isn’t it interesting how you spent your entire college career looking forward to finally teaching, and here you are, wishing the school year away?”

Boom. Truth Bomb. That man always has a way of keeping things in perspective.

So here are a few things I learned as a brandy-new teacher and thought of as I spent the final 6 weeks soaking up every moment of year one:

Field Day 2015

·      There are going to be days when all you want to do is stay locked up in your classroom, lights off, behind your desk, avoiding human interaction.

·      Teaching at the same school as your husband makes 9 out of 10 conversations school related, including those minutes before bed despite being a “school free zone”.

·      The P.E. curriculum makes every lesson sound delightfully exciting and educational, when in reality, you’ll spend half the class practicing the station rotation or how to properly tag a classmate without pushing them.

·      The lunchroom is the perfect spot to decompress but can too easily become a complaint center.

·      Flexibility comes in handy both when you’re demonstrating the day’s stunt and tumble but also when you get kicked out of your gym, classroom, or field without notice. Also handy when half your health class is absent on trip and with no mention.

·      Writing Incident Reports and Pink Slips (for poor behavior) becomes less daunting and more effective, knowing that you’ve done all in your “toolbox” throughout the class period.

·      You will eventually learn every students’ name but still mix up the multitudes of Emma’s and Ava’s and siblings that are in adjacent grades who look exactly alike.

·      That high school students, when approached carefully, are more than willing to chat about abstinence or alcohol use and will find ways to make you think more deeply about waiting for “the one” than you ever knew possible.

·      Asking if/when/why you don’t have your own children is a perfectly reasonable question to most elementary students.

·      Students need love more than knowledge at any age and any day.

 Lord Willing, Emil and I look forward to serving at Joshua Springs Christian School for the 2015/16 school year!

By Faith...

This past Friday I had the privilege of leading our school staff in morning devotions. As I reflected on the school year thus far, some promptings in my personal devotional time, and looked forward into the coming school year, I landed on 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.  For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

These Friday staff devotions tend to involve some personal insight on the staff member and how the Lord is currently working in them so I shared a little bit about my life thus far, emphasizing that I have always lived “comfortably.” And by comfortable, I mean that I have always had a nice cushion of family, friends, and familiarity surrounding me.

A Joshua Tree in bloom with Emil's classroom in the background

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” had been a pretty easy verse for me to live by. By faith I went on several mission trips, by faith I was the first graduating class of a brand new high school, by faith I attended college half way across the country in a familiar farming town, by faith I married the love of my life before graduating college, and by faith, Emil and I accepted jobs in a school completely across the country from our homes without ever visiting.

Then all of the sudden I found myself in this completely unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar climate, landscape and people. Whoa there, where did all my cushion go?!

Our first month or two was tough going. Not only was I adjusting to a new neighborhood, house, community but a new role as teacher. Gym/field management, last minute facility changes, the HEAT, and then making it to the weekend filled with no friends, no nearby college activities, no family parties was depressing.

To add to it, Emil and I flew back to NJ for my cousin’s wedding. That whirlwind weekend ‘home’ left me questioning: Why did I choose to leave all of this? Why in the world did I follow this calling leading me to the opposite coast of my wonderful family? Why am I so far from my brothers who are changing and growing by the day?

As I sat in Newark International waiting for our flight to LAX and sobbing, the familiar arms of my husband wrapped around me and I was reminded of OUR family. Just the two of us and how much we had grown in the 2 hard months we had spent traveling to and living on the West Coast.

I was reminded of the excitement of pulling into our new town, of seeing the school for the first time, and of our first day as music and PE teachers. I was reminded of this dream God had given us to travel and live someplace completely unfamiliar. I was reminded of all God had blessed us with. I was reminded that I need to “walk by faith and not by sight” and not necessarily surrounded with “comfort”.

Without all the comforts of family and friends and familiarity, I returned from that quick trip to realize more than ever that all I need is my Father and to remember I am His child and that’s all the family I need - my brothers and sisters in Christ here at Joshua Springs.

Exploring the rocks near Barker Dam

If you’re a control freak like myself, you understand that life without foresight can be daunting. Thankfully, there’s one who can guide and direct our every step for His will and His purpose and when we do, transforming challenges and unimaginable blessings await us.

I shared with the staff about a post-it note written at the start of the school year by one of my fourth grade students. Their teacher had directed them in a first-PE-class-debrief. The post-it reads: “I wonder if our PE teacher will be here next year.” I have this stuck in a prominent place on my desk and whenever I am tempted to toss in the towel; face in hands, I see this reminder knowing that I must “fix my eyes on Him until the race is finished.”

So by faith, our school will be undergoing some major changes going into 2015-2016. Starting next school year, families will be able to send their children to our school paying no tuition. Rather they will be able to provide a Christian education by tithing 10% of their take home pay and by volunteering in one area of our church. You can watch the presentation here.

I concluded our time of devotion with the Getty hymn “By Faith”. May this be a blessing to you as you strive to walk by faith today and everyday.

Birthday Visitors

Now that high school basketball season has ended, I have the time and energy to write about my parents' visit to SoCal! You'll have to ask them but I think we have some snow birds in the making...

Our school had a 3-day weekend to remember MLK Jr which happens to fall near my birthday, so Dad and Mom came and took advantage of the long weekend to celebrate my 24th birthday. They flew in Thursday night and had the SoCal experience by staying in Newport Beach before heading out to the desert Friday morning. They were even able to watch me coach a basketball game that evening.

We spent our Saturday taking the aerial tram to Mount San Jacinto, window shopping in downtown Palm Springs, visiting the Palm Springs Air Museum, mini-golfing, and dining outdoors complete with live music.

This is only my parents' second time visiting us since we've been married so it was fun to see them "kid free" and in vacation mode; a side of Jeff and Tracy I have never really witnessed!

All in all, their entire visit was the perfect mix of sightseeing and relaxation with so much catching up throughout! The guys even did some home improvement things while us ladies were actually able to go out with shopping companions! Emil and I can only look forward to a future visit :)

Here are just a few snapshots of their sunny visit:

From 800 to 8,400ft we go!

We convinced them to do some great scrambling - worth the view!

Checking out the Coachella Valley and Salton Sea

Pioneertown

The Arch - Joshua Tree National Park

We couldn't keep the guys off the rocks!

SO happy to be reunited!!!

Taking in the "Mars-like" scenery

Cholla Cactus Garden - JTNP

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (A Fall Semester Reflection)

(For this post, we've decided to take a D. Talen approach and provide you with an informative and hopefully entertaining dialogue.)

Karisa: Emil, can you believe we’re sitting here on the couch sipping hot chocolate while snow falls outside?

Emil: It sure makes California feel like the winter we’re used to back East!

K: Right? Christmas break wouldn’t be complete without a little snow.

E: Well we did already see a little snow when we visited Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear last week. 

K: This Christmas break has been so relaxing. Can you believe it’s almost 2015? We’ve been residents of California for almost 5 months!

E: [Counts on fingers, then re-counts]

K: That means we have been “grownup” teachers for almost 5 months too. My goodness, think of all the things we have learned that they didn’t teach us back in college?!

E: Like what to do when a student places their booger in your hand in the middle of class, or when a student comes down off the risers in the middle of your first Christmas performance to hand you a tooth they just lost!?

 

K: Teaching is turning out to be anything but boring, that’s for sure. Remember that time a student insisted that we had children just because we are married? Or that other student who demanded you be called Mrs. Talen?

E: They seem to need more than one man in the elementary school… Now you have had an interesting time figuring out whether or not you can be in the gym, your classroom, on the field, or anywhere else on campus including my classroom.

K: Let’s just say I didn’t get the Gumby Award for nothing! It’s the beauty of a church-school relationship and I’m happy to negotiate :) . Emil, we’re trying to write a blogpost for our poor readers who haven’t seen an entry in over 2 months, enough with the ukulele.

E: But it’s just so fun to play and it’s been great learning new songs together over this low-key 2 week break.

K: I’m afraid your ukulele abilities have surpassed my own since you began playing every day at school.

E: Well YouTube tutorials have definitely helped me out since you’re always at basketball practice after school.

K: Who knew 10-12 hour days on campus could be so enjoyable? You know how much I love my high school girls! Are you ready for all of them to invade our little house for a homemade pizza night later this week?

E: As ready as I can be to make a few pizzas and be completely outnumbered. Then again, maybe I’ll just go out to the garage to work on another woodworking project.

K: You really are enjoying your space out there to create all kinds of neat things. Thanks for the new coat rack!

E: Anytime, my darling. The house needs to be presentable before your parents visit too.

K: YAY!!! It’s almost the New Year, which means it’s almost January, which means it’s almost my birthday month, which means my Dad and Mom are coming to California!

E: …are you excited? Because I can’t tell with that giant smile on your face.

K: You were equally excited when your parents visited back during American Thanksgiving. Talk about a great time!

E: We did so much over that short amount of time: Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree NP, hiking, the aerial tram in Palm Springs, and more. I can’t wait to show your parents some of the area.

K: Me too. For now though, let’s enjoy the odd winter scene outside and the remaining 5 days of break!

E: Do you wanna build a snowman?

Tarantula

Oh, if you wanted to see a video of the tarantula here it is.

Our Home

Karisa here, and I'm equally if not more excited about our new camera! It's been so sad not being able to take pictures of the past month (first world problems!) so here are some long overdo shots of our rental here in California. It is definitely still a work in progress but most certainly feels like mine and Emil's home :)

(You Facebookers have probably already seen these outside shots)

Backyard

Entry with washer on opposite side

It may not look a guest bedroom YET, but in under a month, our first visitors - Emil's parents - will lodge here!

Master bedroom has a ways to go

Living/Dining area. Love our tall ceilings!

There you have it, a tour of our cozy home. Again, we love hosting and having visitors so if you're visiting Southern California, Arizona, or Vegas, we're not too far! There's room for 2, or more if you don't mind tenting in our temperate climate :)

Some Pictures of God’s Magnificent Creation

“FINALLY!” we both exclaimed as our new camera was unboxed and marveled at, "we can take pictures again, our blogposts will be more numerous and prettier!"

We took so many pictures in the last two days because of our new camera and we want to show you some of what we did!

Pronounced Choy-ya, these things look like teddy bears, but are something you definitely do not want to touch, as evidenced in the next picture.

As Karisa was trying to take close up pictures of these cuddly plants, one tried to hug her foot!

This is a desert wood rat's nest, basically just old cholla bits and pieces scattered around so larger predators don't try to get them, snakes however aren't deterred by them.

This is what the inside of the trunk of the Cholla looks like when the "bark" has fallen off.

Another picture letting you see God's engineering side come out.

And they're hollow

These things are big too!

They have flowers as well. The natives in older times would take sticks to get the flowers off the plants, then they would steam and eat them.

They were everywhere!

Pinto Mountian off on the horizon

A very cool rock formation, known as the Arch

A 360 view of behind the Arch

The shadows were fun to play with!

Some neat bright green, something we aren't used to anymore!

The next few pictures are of these

Miniature effect on the camera is neat

On the way home we saw this fun creature crawling across the road! That is a water bottle next to it for size comparison.

 

So, these are just a few of the pictures from yesterday I hope you enjoy them.