A Summer to be Thankful for

Well here I am, the eve of the first day of school. As usual, summer has flown by. A few months ago I had totally intended to work though the summer so as to save money for the purchase of a home. I was shocked to learn that not only would I not be able to work at preschool for the summer, but I was getting the summer off from tutoring as well. I was bummed because I could have saved a lot of money but I trusted that the Lord knew better than I. How thankful I am for the time off. It allowed me to enjoy the summer completely with no stress. Jest relaxation and adventure. Here are a few things I am particularly thankful for.

Number 1- CHINA!!!
Of course! I am sure this one needs no explanation as I have blogged about it all summer. China has changed my life. I still think about it daily. I am so thankful that God gave me the chance to go on such a trip. God taught me how to truly serve with my hands and my heart. I have learned that words are not always needed to serve the Lord which was a good lesson for me to learn. I met some of the most amazing people from around the country and I know they are friendships that are going to last for a long time. The children touched my heart in a way that no one else has before and I hope that one day God will use me to make a huge difference in the life of many orphans. While I desperately desire to go again next year I do not know what this next year will hold. I will trust God and pray earnestly about weather or not I should make the trip again next year. But you better believe that if I do end up going, I am going to be doing some recruiting (Chad, Jenn, others :) )

Number 2- Time with my husband
How thankful I am for time with my husband. As most of you know Chad does not have a normal Saturday and Sunday off. It's hard but we make it work. It was so much fun to spend time with him during the week when he did have days off. We also got to take a fun trip to Vegas and LA which was a blast. This is probably the hardest part about returning back to work, not getting to spend a full two days with my husband. But luckily he is my husband and I get to share the rest of my life with him. I know we have a lot to look forward to.

Number 3- Time with family
This summer I got to spend time with family that I do not see very often. Pretty quickly after I returned from China, me, Chad, and Chad's dad took a trip to Riverbank to visit with some of Chads family. We spent the day at Chad's Uncles house and I was able to meet an Aunt and Uncle of Chads that I had never met before. Combine that with Chad's Grandma, Chad's other Aunt and Uncle, and a few cousins we were able to make a group of 14 Floyd's. It was quite a day. We had a blast watching some ride on dirt bike and others (like myself) rode on the four wheel. It was a great day filled with lots of laughs. Let's just say Floyd's know how to have fun :)
Exactly a week later, my sister came into town with her husband and four kids. We met them over at Santa Cruz and had a great day together. We talked and laughed all day on the beach. I had not seen them since our wedding two years ago and it was nice to catch up and see how life is treating them in Minnesota. Chad did some digging in the sand with my nephews while me, my sister and my niece did some girl talk. We ended the day with a fantastic dinner at Armadillo Willies. I think we all walked away from that day sunburned but with big smiles on our faces. Oh how I wish they lived closer to me.
We also took a trip to Victorville to spend time with Chad's other side of the family. We had a great time with them as well, going to the Angels game and having a BBQ. Both of Chad's cousins have had babies and we got to meet them for the first time. They were lots of fun and we can't wait to see them again, hopefully sooner than later :)




Number 4- Working out
Prior to leaving for China I set a goal to work out more with the intentions of doing a triathlon somewhere in the near future. I joined a gym so I could have pool and treadmill access and have been riding my bike multiple times a week. I am feeling great and have dropped a few pounds. Since I came home from China I have biked 174.5 miles. Today's bike ride was a record one day ride of 16 miles. Some may not think this is huge, but for me it is. My hopes are to try and do a triathlon at the end of September, but we will see how training goes with me working and trying to buy a house. No matter what the outcome is, I am feeling better and doing things I never thought I would do.

Number 5- Time to work on buying a house
Well we are working, with no results yet. As of today we have looked at 31 houses and have thrown down I think 7 offers. We have been denied 2 so far and are awaiting the results of the other ones. We know when the time is right God will make a way for the perfect house. I cant wait to see what the results are.

Number 6-Time to rest
I got to sleep...A LOT... it was amazing

Tomorrow is the first day of school. It has been hard to get back in the grove but I am excited. I have a new classroom and it looks fantastic! Probably the best a classroom of mine has ever looked. I have new kids and am looking forward to a new year of teaching them how to read, do math, and love the Lord. Please pray for me as a lot of you know I have a hard time finding the energy that I need everyday. I know that the Lord does give me the strength to get through each day but I am praying for even more energy this year. God is good and I cannot wait to see what he does with me and my new Kindergarten class.
So for now goodbye summer, see you again next year :)
Vanessa