First spring break in the empty nest

A year ago this week, I came home from spring break having just accepted a new job offer to work as a teacher in a very unique type of ministry on a 100 acre hidden paradise, 1000 miles from home. It was a no-brainer that God called us, while also a hard decision emotionally. 

And now here I am, a year later, having lived here in Columbus eight full months, here in my house for six full months. What a year it's been. When I first moved here, I'd hoped that I could go back and visit over spring break, but David's accident kinda changed all my best-laid mental and financial plans. He didn't get to come to Indiana for his spring break either because he needed to take an extra class in his attempts to catch up and make up for the time he lost at school due to his accident and long recovery period. Juan hates the country life, so I already knew it would be a battle to get him to come this way, but he at least has an interest in seeing our house when it's done. Here's to hoping we'll see him this summer. 

So as this spring break approached with no plans other than family visiting last weekend from Warsaw, I really didn't know how to anticipate the break. In my community group last week, we ended in small groups, and the two ladies with me asked how they could be praying for me. I asked that I would use my time wisely over my first break as an empty nester because I didn't want to just let the break slip away. I'd say that God answered that prayer for me by giving me opportunities to form deeper connections with the people around me, including those two ladies! My niece and I continue to form a really neat bond that started with a couple visits here and now is growing by sweet text messages she and I sent back and forth on her birthday this week. A new friend from church (who also moved here about a year ago) invited us over for dinner to the farmhouse they are living in and renovating that was built in 1900 (38 years BEFORE my house). Oh, did it feel good to see someone else living so similarly--and to know that it didn't stop her from opening her home. I then opened my own home the next morning to have coffee (actually chai) with someone I work with that I have not had a chance to get to know more personally. God really, really blessed that time we spent together and gave us a much deeper respect for one another. I also successfully made banana bread and muffins in my toaster oven! I can't begin to tell you how happy that made me. 

That night I was able to babysit some of my favorite little people, our houseparents' (from New Song) three young boys so they could go out on a much-needed date while they had a week of evenings free without the New Song boys. Mike joined me after the littles went to bed, and we got to have coffee together while we waited for them to get home. Then Friday Mike and I were able to enjoy a lunch date at a little Mexican restaurant, and in the evening, we met up with another friend from church and her husband to try some Irish-inspired drinks for St. Patrick's Day at a really cool coffee shop I hadn't been to yet. While there, we ran into two more friends from church, one from our Community Group and one I'd grown close to in the ladies' Bible study.  I also went to storage and brought home pretty much my whole kitchen. I still don't have cabinet doors, but I got tired of not having my own stuff, so my open cabinet shelves are full now. :) And all my blue heart dishes are home with me.

 

One of Mike's aunts passed away early in the week, so we went up to Warsaw yesterday with his brother and sister-in-law to join the rest of the family for her funeral. The last time they had all gathered together like that was for Mike's dad's funeral just 15 months ago, the funeral I didn't make it to. Another one of his dad's siblings also passed away recently, but his Memorial service is still another month away. I'm thankful that we are close enough for Mike to be able to be with his family through a hard year of losses. 

I can't believe we're down to 9 weeks of school left. I'm 3/4 of the way through the year with Jaylen, the student I had online the first semester, but for the other boys that started with me in January, we're only half way through! Definitely the most unique year ever. But I sure do love the life-on-life model that we have at New Song with these boys because of the relationships we can build with them. And I most certainly love teaching them daily about salvation and about life in the Spirit. 

As soon as school lets out, New Song will stay busy every other week all summer long with a foster parent retreat and then four camps. And hopefully we'll see some girls' houseparents move in so we can add some girls to the mix next year. Praying for God to bring just the right couple to complete our amazing team. 

Birthday parties and family visits

We thought my mother-in-law was coming to visit for the weekend, but at the last minute, she changed her plans and decided to come the following weekend with my brother-in-law and both of his kids. Our home isn't quite set up for more than one or two guests at a time just yet, but we managed. Two slept in the guest room, while two more slept out on the recliners. I sure do look forward to the day when I have a second, private bathroom to use on those occasions.

However, we made the best of it and enjoyed time with family.

I took my mother-in-law and niece out to my favorite tea shop in Nashville. We tried to go one other time they were here together, but we found out it closed early that day right before we got there. So I promised my niece that I'd take her the next time she came. This time she came right before her birthday, so I made sure to honor my promise to her to celebrate her birthday. I love the sweet relationship I've been able to build with her in the short time that I've been here (and few times I've been able to see her). I love her dearly and count it a privilege to be more involved in her life now. 

Mike had a lot of fun taking the boys on a little ride around the property. And then his mom! She's braver than me. Or maybe just more interested in outdoor fun. I prefer to walk or ride my bike.

We noticed an old swingset/playset literally buried in the vines and brush at the front of our property that we have just ignored until this last weekend. Since Mike and his brothers were already out and about with chainsaws and axes to clear trails and cut down trees, they started whacking away at all the vines and finally uncovered the whole thing. I had no idea how big it actually is, with a whole backside to it! Now I have something for kids to do at my house outside besides play with legos inside. We have a large amount of games, too, but most of them are still in storage. Plus I'm also starting to build up a resorvoir of indoor and outdoor toys, balls, etc. I still don't feel like my house is anywhere near hosting ready, but I'm finding out quickly that the Alspaugh's don't really care. They will plop down anywhere and make the most of it. An attitude I could probably learn from. 

Reese and Jaxon and their dad. 

A last minute surprise party for Reese. 

And she was indeed surprised, despite the fact that she was in the store with us when her Grandma bought all of the party decorations!

I found out over Christmas that she likes arts and crafts a lot, so I made sure to bring home my craft bin with all of my supplies. Neither of us had any interest in the muddy, trucking, four-wheeling activities going on outside, so we went to the Dollar Tree and picked out some crafts to do together.  Much to our surprise, her little brother, Jaxon, got into the crafting with us, too. 

We were completely floored at how well he did with the stencils on his canvas. 

Unfortunately the stencils didn't turn out very good with paints, so we improvised and painted over everything to make our own designs. 

Reese got super creative with colors. I just turned mine over and used colored pencils after I saw how well Jaxon's turned out with colored pencils. 

Then after they left, I painted over the other side and then used a marker with the stencils. 

Later that night, Reese and Jaxon got creative on the lego table and built two 2-car 2-story garages. I was pretty impressed. That lego table has sure come in handy whenever my niece and nephews come over!

Before they left on Sunday, we stopped over at Matt's house to meet the new baby goats that they got for 4-H this year. Aren't they precious?

Now, I won't get into the more unpleasant parts of the weekend like when a tree fell onto the power line and knocked out our power for the night. Or the inconvenience of trying to get up and ready for church in a one bathroom house, without power to make coffee, breakfast, etc., in a home that's already not set up well for guests yet. All I can say is thank goodness for donuts. 

 

Learning FLEXIBILITY

I love my job here at New Song. There's truly not much that tops being able to teach kids about what it means to follow Christ, and being able to work with a small group in a beautiful, spacious, nature-filled setting just makes it all even better. I still have days that make me stop and remind myself that it's all real, that I really do have a job where I get to do this every day. Then add onto that all the friendships and opportunities that my new church has offered, and I am overwhelmed with how much God pursues me and really does give me the desires of my heart when I delight in Him. 

But back to school. So this week started with a field trip planned for Friday that the kids didn't know about. So we started out on Monday with the idea that we all needed to be flexible this week, allowing things to change around on our schedule in order to make room for fun things later in the week. Little did I know that I was going to need that reminder to be flexible and know that God was changing things around on our schedule in order to make room for exciting things later in the week.

Monday went well, and so did Tuesday, though my teammate expressed that her mom woke up really sick that morning (she lives with her parents) and Bob, my boss, was sick and would be working from home. Tuesday afternoon we had a quick meeting after school with plans for a Together Tuesday activity with the kids at 4:00. Our meeting ran a little late, so I got to Together Tuesday at about 4:15, only to find Jacob (the boys' houseparent) sitting on a bench, saying he fell and had hurt himself. He pushed through the pain, though, through our outdoor game time, but you could tell he was really hurting. After our activity, they got the bikes out, and I rode around for a little bit with the boys. I stayed an extra 10-15 minutes just to ride a little longer with Kayden and Zayden, embracing the opportunity to bond with them through an activity that I really enjoy. They really enjoyed hanging out with me that way, too. I had been praying for extra ways to connect with the kids because I am the only one that doesn't go out and do fun activities with them that aren't school related.

Well, I left at dinner time and went home to cook a quick meal and eat with Mike. As we were eating, I got a phonecall from Nicky, Jacob's wife, saying that Jacob had to go to the ER because he was still in so much pain, and she had already committed to taking the boys into town that evening. She asked if I could come watch her own 3 little boys and put them to bed at their normal bedtime around 7. So I finished eating, washed the dishes, and drove back to New Song to babysit their sweet little boys. It definitely wasn't what I had planned for the evening, but it was nice to spend that time with them and to enjoy a little peace and quiet after putting them to bed, with a cup of decaf coffee and a book while I waited for her to get back. The New Song boys were super happy I could babysit, and I could tell that it meant a lot to them when I came back over just an hour after leaving. I love how we all operate like a big family. Jacob ended up at the ER until around 11:00, and thankfully he didn't have any major damage, just a lot of bruising. 

While our team kept texting each other the whole time about Jacob, my teammate also texted to tell me that her parents had tested positive for COVID, meaning she herself could not come in to school the rest of the week out of precaution. So that meant shifting people around to help cover in the classroom and also during an outdoor break so I could have time to prepare to teach my teammate's afternoon Bible class. We also already had switched around our Friday multicultural cooking activity from Friday to Wednesday due to the field trip that the kids still didn't know about, the field trip that my teammate had done all the planning for and who was supposed to drive us. 

My teammate usually takes the boys to a park or something on Wednesdays after school, so Lisa ended up taking them instead. I got home around 4:30, at a quick dinner, and realized I had about a half hour before we had to leave for our Community Group at church. It was nice outside, so I decided to go on a walk. As I walked past my neighbor's house, she met me just as I was passing her mailbox and told me she'd just met Lisa while at the park playing with her boys. They happened to strike up a conversation while her boys played with our three New Song boys and found out they both had ME in common in their lives. So it gave me a chance to connect with my neighbor in a new way, all because Lisa happened to be at the park with the boys, covering for someone else. God is definitely in the details. 

Thursday morning I got a text saying that our oldest student, Kayden, had been throwing up (one of the last to get this stomach virus that we've been passing around for about 3 weeks) and would not be in to school for the day. With just two kids, I was on my own for most of the day with them (which I actually really enjoyed), and we did a school store in the afternoon and then I kept them for Math Club for an hour after school. All while trying to prepare report cards, newsletters, and leadership awards to send home with the kids on Friday. Oh, and a last minute notice that they wanted us to do a deep clean of the classroom before break and change out the decor for spring. Long day, for sure. With one sick, I hesitated telling them any details of our field trip on Friday, just in case the other two came down sick the next day. Plus I wasn't sure yet who was going to go with me on the trip since my teammate couldn't come. 

I got home late on Thursday and immediately started to work on cleaning out and vacuuming my car in preparation to drive to Indianapolis for our field trip the next day. Then we ate a late dinner together before I went to bed early. I was so excited, though, when I found out that they'd arranged for Olivia, the office manager, who I go to church with and have a very close relationship with, to join us on our field trip. :) 

Friday morning finally came, and all three boys were feeling well, so after I went over their report cards and leadership awards with them, and they did their contributions (weekly jobs) with an extra deep clean, Olivia and I left with them to drive to Indianapolis to enjoy the Children's Museum with them. What a great day we had together with the boys, and then after dropping them off with their families for spring break, she and I stopped for coffee and ended up sitting in the parking lot beside her car just talking for another half hour. Turned out to be a great day. 

But then I had to hurry home to finish any last minute prep before my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew arrived from Warsaw that evening to spend the weekend with us. 

Here are some pics of our day! Definitely an answer to prayer over wanting more ways to connect with the boys outside of the classroom.