Moving!!

Well we finally know the next six months of our future!! Erik found out today that his internship for Mechanical Engineering will be at Boeing in Portland. This is great news for both of us. He is very excited as he will be doing more of the manufacturing and designing aspect of the company. He does not know full details but will find out soon. He receives benefits and paid time off. Praise God!

Tomorrow is my last day teaching my work sample, which is required to become a teacher in Oregon. It is a long process and becomes a 90-100 page book. Yikes.

Another high point of this week is that I found out that I passed my Praxis test for my ESOL endorsement. This means that I can teach kids who do not speak English as their first language. YAHOO!!!

We are reminded this week of God's faithfulness and blessings...

This weekend we will be going to search for the perfect apartment. I have to find a student teaching placement in Gresham or Fairview. It will be interesting!!

My Life in Weeks...Week 3

Our terms at OSU are divided by weeks. We know when is due what week, what tests are what week, etc. This is week three, we are almost 1/3 done! (Yes that does not seem like much, but believe me, it is a milestone!)

I decided to post today because today is the first day at physical therapy since surgery that I made it through without a tear! YAHOO!!! Hopefully I only have three more weeks of physical therapy (this is week 6). I just had to tell you all the good news, because I have been so down about it lately. There is even some muscle contraction in my quads... (you would think there would be after SIX WEEKS!) Anyways, that is all good news...

My days are insane! I feel like I run around most of the day like a chicken with my head cut off! I run to spend mornings with the third graders, grab some sort of a lunch, take Erik to school and sit at the library, go to physical therapy or chiropractor, back to the library (where I am right now NEEDING to be doing lesson plans), get Erik, make dinner, then do homework as late as I can stand! Then I go to bed but most nights don't sleep well (I hear that most teachers have trouble with this in the beginning :) ).

Anyways, compared to last term things are already improving. Erik is happy that I am becoming more myself and am able to actually do things. I often think of myself (selfishly) and then think of others like Bill who have such a long road of recovery, but still have a great attitude. I have struggled with letting it all go and giving it to the Lord, but when I FINALLY do everything seems so much more simple and there is WAY less heartache!

Be blessed this week!

Winter Term

I realized that I have not posted for nearly a month! So here are the updates....

We are going into our second week of Winter term. Erik is taking all mechanical engineering classes once again. Although his classes are very challenging he does not have class on Tuesdays and only two hours of class on Thursday. He is able to spend those days doing homework and studying...

He was accepted into an internship program which consists of two six-month internships in different locations around Oregon. The first one starts the end of March. We find out where we will move (or stay) the middle of February. Most likely we will move to the Portland area. Hopefully, I will find a new student teaching placement for the Spring term (my LAST term of COLLEGE!!)

My classes are also crazy. I remember the great days of being a freshman. I am in a third grade classroom this term. It is a bilingual class (Spanish) so I am only there when they speak mostly in English. Most of the kids are below the poverty line... you can imagine. It is very challenging but I am reminded daily of the rewards. Although it is more work I have ever done in my life, my heart gravitates to the kids.

Job fairs for me start next month (AHHH!). I have not decided what to do next year, as Erik will have another internship next spring. I want to move with him and not break a contract. Hard position to be in but something will work out, it always does.

We went to Bend for two weeks. It was so fun to see family and friends. I was in a good friend's wedding and Erik got to spend a lot of time with his good buddies Robby and Scott.

We are very happy to be back home, not so happy about school... : )

My knee is doing great. I am still in physical therapy two times per week, but I am seeing so many improvements and so much less pain. Praise God! Now the pain is in the recovery, not the previous pain before surgery. YES! I am still going to a chiropractor and massage therapy every week. Although it is a lot of time, I know it will be worth it in the end.

Well that is enough blabbering for now, my posts do not even compare with Tarah's or Katie's!!

Swollen Toes... : )

Surgery is over! The picture is of my fat little toes (well, fat BIG toes). I am in a considerable amount of pain today. Taking pain pills every four hours.

Anyway, it went well and hopefully I will be back to normal within a few months. I will find out more next Wednesday at my post-op appointment.

Okay I'll post again when I am feeling a bit better.

Thanks for the prayers, I appreciate it!

Prayer Request...

Hi All,

I (Becca) am having surgery on Thursday, and was wondering if any of you could please pray for me!! I am not sure who knows and who does not know, but I was in an accident the beginning of October... I was riding my bike home from class and was hit by a car. My knee is still having problems and they are not sure what they will find.... There is for sure cartilidge damage, so they will fix all that. The recovery could be anywhere from three weeks to three months, depending on what they do... My meniscus, ACL, another ligament are all things they are going to fix.

I would really appreciate any prayers! I feel so fortunate that I am able to get fixed, and am praying for God's peace to surround me.

That's all! : ) Thanks!!!!!

--Becca

Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving was very very good. My mom, sister, her boyfriend, Debbie, Chuck, and Lisa all made the trek from Bend on Thursday. We had a great few days eating good food and having good company.

Erik and I made:

Turkey
Green bean casserole
sweet potatoes
mashed potatoes
homemade rolls
stuffing
jello with fruit in it
berry punch

I am so thankful for all of my wonderful and amazing family. I feel so incredibly blessed. Erik and I were a great team. : )

Hope everyone had a wonderful time with family and friends!

Home to Bend for the Weekend

Hi All,

We went to Bend this weekend and had a great time. I had a orthodontics appt. on Saturday. I have only had my braces on for three months and he said they are about ready to come off! YAY~ I am in a wedding the first weekend of January, so I really hope they will be off by then.

We had so much fun spending time with my mom and Erik's family. We went to Outback (YUMMMMM!) on Saturday night for dinner...

Halloween was not as interesting as the "Blue's Clue's Family" : ) I ended up falling asleep at 8:45!!! That is the record for me.

We only have four more weeks of classes, then one week of finals and then a very deserved four weeks off... I cannot wait to be done with this term and do NOTHING over Christmas.

Tonight we are putting up our Christmas decorations, so I will have to post those pictures. I know, it is really early...BUT we will end up taking them down mid-December to bring them back to Bend. I think I might be a little more excited than Erik, but he is a trooper. (even if he is pretending to be overjoyed just to make me happy!) : )

This begins my favorite time of year... Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Have a great week! : )

Becca