So this isn't a photo of the actual event - but - the Belle (a beloved historical steamboat used as a tourist attraction here in Louisville) crashed into a barge. In our part of the Ohio, we see a great many barges sailing up & down the river. Every great once in awhile, the barges will bump into one of our bridges...causing massive traffic delays. You see...they have to close the bridge that was hit & check it over so it doesn't COME CRASHING DOWN AROUND US. yikes. Guess that is almost worth sitting on an alternate highway for an extra hour to drive like 17 miles. I think this is the 1st time I've heard of a run-in with another boat though. The paper stated a gust of wind as the reason for the Belle floating into the barge. I wonder if the 300 passengers had any qualms with their captain allowing the boat close enough that a "gust of wind" could shove it into a barge? The wheel was cracked & 8 or so people injured...nothing too major + no traffic problems. whew!

Matthew spoke at the teaching conference a couple weekends ago. He, of course, did wonderfully & was praised by his peers on his Where's Waldo Lesson. I wish I could've been there to see his animated speaking voice in front of like 200 other teachers with similar senses of humor! I'm sure he had them in stitches. That same weekend we also got to spend some time with Sarah, Tom, Jenn, & that side of the family :) . We did the harvest homecoming thing & spent Saturday night making calzones / hanging out with our little cuz, Ella. We had a really fun night with everyone! I really love my cousins....we are blessed.

Last weekend we got a chance to host 2 of our very favorite people & a couple new ones too. Our friend, Heather, came thru town to attend a conference in New Albany. She & her pals are studying Environmental Science. They were learning about clean water for developing countries. Their conference sounded REALLY interesting! Matt & I got to talk with Heather in the evenings after work & after her conference hours. It was so nice having her here! AND we've had Kel in town for over a week off and on. She is a great house guest. We absolutely love her :) and chatting with her about her adventures being a nanny in New York City. Catching up sessions. sigh. Again, we are blessed. And I am blessed to have a husband who is totally happy to share our home.

Work has been ...still nuts...but increasingly better. I have been told I'm coming off as "over stressed" by friends. I guess that makes sense but all should know that it is slowly becoming a better situation. I'm getting the hang of some things, delegating more, and taking my tasks one at a time. I'm going to have a full but constant schedule for Nov. which promises to be even a step more stable than Oct. By the new year, I think I will feel less scattered and more focused.
Matt is even caught up right now on grading and school work of all kinds. Sweet! This means we get to have an awesome weekend pumpkin carving at a party & then hosting a little dinner party of our own! Fun.

Peace, friends!

For the prayer lists...some things going on at church lately. Nothing I care to elaborate on...but I think Matt & I both need some sort of assurance that we are still in a healthy, growing, Jesus-like community.

Wow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWhTXlwYczI


Where do people find the time for this sort of thing? I think I'm going to take the whole day tomorrow and just try random stuff to see if I can do it....then I'll post my own video. muhahaha.

October

The month of September was surprisingly chaotic for Matthew & I. October is looking a bit more in check, but still there is much to do!
Matthew's work-load has evened out now that he is about half way thru this 1st semester. He has some good kids this year & his enthusiasm is thru the roof :) He came home last week to tell me he had told the entire tale of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" dressed in a helmet, green suit, & using a character voice. I'm not sure his students know what to make of him sometimes...goofy goofy guy. The thing is, they will not soon forget that day in class OR the story he taught.
My professional life has felt like a mess lately. I must admit I lost heart a little throughout last month. I don't do well when I'm not on a schedule. I sleep poorly, I get sick easily b/c my body is all screwed up. I need some kind of consistency to stay sane. Long story short - it is getting better. I have the next 3wks scheduled all the same. It feels great. MDS has also been given the green light to look for a facility in Southern IN...which will make my life easier in so many ways. No more living out of my car, driving 50miles a day or whatever.

This weekend has been really nice. Matt & I spent Friday working on our house + setting up for a small attempt at a yardsale Sat. morning. We didn't sell much...but we had fun just sitting outisde talking to each other. We borrowed my Dad's truck that day also & picked up our new to us patio set. We are so thankful to have family & friends who help us meet our needs. Thanks to Lynn for thinking of us when she wanted to get rid of her patio furnitire!

Last night, we attended our friends, Sara & Nick's wedding. It was at Yew Dell Gardens in Crestwood, Ky. Their wedding was like being in a movie. The guest entered the gardens thru a big red barn darned in white Christmas lights. We walked a garden path thru trees & flowers to a clearing lined with trees. The guests sat in white folding chairs & the ceremony took place simply before us there on a grassy hill. Afterwards, we followed a trail to an area with a small castle-like building. There was a band playing - a bass, steel guitar, banjo, etc - folky music in the grass. There were tables tied with green ribbon to stand at & the crew passed out Ball jars of spiced rum in cider. SO delicious. After some time, we were guided to a big white tent where there was dinner & later dancing. Sara looked beautiful, of course :), and it really was just perfect for them. As for the guest list...so many old friends all together for the evening. It was a lot of fun.

And here we are at Sunday. I've taken the whole morning to get things in order for the week. Matthew is working on a story line for our murder mystery dinner party! We are thinking this should be a fun way to get people together around halloween. I hope it all works out!
I also need to get to the store at some point. I want to try Sarah's recipie for potato soup either today or tomorrow! The weather here in Southern IN has been PERFECT in my opinion. Sunny, with big white fluffy clouds & a chill to the air that only fall can produce. I love this time of year. I love that we can have our windows open and be comfortable all day long. I find so much joy in the colors on the trees. Even the smell of the pumpkin spice candles that I HAVE to use in October make me happier than most other homey things. :)

Ok...time to get back to life.