This is very unlike me to write a blog without pictures and cutesy captions, but a lot has been on my mind lately. Seeing that we had one blog post for all of January, I thought it would be appropriate to blog even if its not the most exciting post. Bear with me.
Lately, I have found myself in a very cynical place of thinking, 'this too shall pass.' Rather than dwell on what I hope will "pass", I have found myself journaling more about how these things that seem to be bogging me down are actually blessings. A few of them...
1.) Seminary. The constant daily struggle to understand what Sam is learning and that "reading" is actually considered homework. I fight the battle of, 'why can't you be doing more around the house?' on a daily basis. And I find myself saying afterwards, why are you so mean? Sam is a full time, 40 hour a week, student. That is his job right now, to be student and finish his post- graduate work. When I find myself saying, "this too shall pass", I think about all the wonderful and thoughtful things my husband does on top of being a full time student. I think about this phase of life for us and all the reasons seminary is a blessing. One of the major ones being, my husband and I eat dinner every night together. Which seems increasingly rare for married couples in their careers.
2.) My job. My desire is to teach children. Yet, I have been out of school for 2 years and still continue the grueling application and interview process. It has lead me to be very bitter and angry about my job situation. The school I have been a permanent substitute at the past 2 years is once again laying off teachers due to budget reductions. This is the hardest I have ever work for anything before with no "pay off", still no classroom. But when I look at the past 2 years of permanent subbing, I think about how much I have learned. I think about the amazing support system of teachers that have become such great friends. And most importantly, I think about all the children I have taught and loved on for those short periods of time. Hancock Elementary, has truly been a blessing. And I am confident that God will provide.
3.) Finances. Oh boy. Especially lately, I have felt very worthless. As the "bread winner" in our marriage, it has been a weight of self doubt and discouragement to not be in secure place of employment and providing steadily. Sam is more then wonderful in this area. He has been encouraging and backed me 100% in my choice to return to permanent subbing. However, several times during a day I find myself saying 'this too shall past'. When I walk into Target and see something I want, its hard for me to leave what used to be my favorite store with just the bare essentials. I want so badly not to have to worry about finances. Yet - in the midst of the financial struggle, God is so great. Our parents, grandparents and friends are so great. And even though its a battle, I am thankful for the way God has changed my heart. I no long look to materialistic things to bring me happiness. I see where the need is, and fulfill it. I see where the want is, and I wait on the Lord to fill the desires of my heart. Never in a million years did I think I would walk into Target and be okay walking out with just paper towels. This is a good thing.
As my friends around me secure their careers, buy their first houses and start having children- I find myself coveting in a very unhealthy way. Here we are - stuck in Seminary. Then I reflect on the blessings. The money we can set aside (very slowly) for our future home, the quiet nights and trips with just my sweet husband, our dog that brings us so much joy and the job that I love. I am truly, truly blessed. As much as Satan gets in my head and fills me with self doubt and insecurities, I am rejoicing knowing that God has won the battle. He will bring me through and will fulfill my desires. He is a great God. For this I am sure. I will daily repent of my sinful heart and mind and seek the blessings.
I apologize for the long and boring blog post. In a way, it was venting. In a greater way, I am hoping that you will keep me accountable and help me on the those bitter days to see the blessings. For I am blessed.
Love you all very much.
Katelyn
Monday, February 6, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Meatball.
Last weekend, we dog sat our good friends French Bulldog puppy- Meatball. Oh was it quite the adventure. Not only did we realize we don’t have a real dog, but we completely skipped the puppy stage with our sweet “not dog”, Ethel. Needless to say, Meatball kept us on our toes and playing nonstop. The funniest part of the weekend was when Sam and I would be sitting on the couch watching TV or reading and Meatball would be barking for us to play -as we kept ignoring him, he would realize we weren’t budging and would go down to Ethel’s bed and bark about a half inch away from her face until finally she would get up and play. Needless to say, we were exhausted by the end of the weekend and so was Ethel.
We did enjoy an hour-long walk in Forest Park and the 10 minutes of silent sleeping dogs that followed. We also enjoyed our time in the basement due to tornado warnings with both dogs; Ethel in the corner shaking, Meatball running around the dirty basement finding every piece of dust and guzzling it down (thanks little vacuum cleaner!).
All to say, by the end of the weekend, Ethel and Meatball were best friends. They would lay down together, walk together, and relax together. We’re glad Ethel found her St. Louis buddy.
Update on our lives to come soon…
Love,
Sam, Katelyn & Ethel
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Celebrate.
Dear family & friends,
We have returned to St. Louis after a wonderful visit in Wheaton and Indiana. We got in late on the 21st and celebrated with a few gifts, Krista's 21st birthday (on Dec. 20th). On the 22nd, we enjoyed seeing and visiting with friends. We started our morning off by seeing Kelsey and Tim - it's been too long. The visit was too short, but worth every minute to catch up and give Kelsey lots of hugs. We also enjoyed visiting with the Klobucher girls, the Gerry clan, James Grout and Allie Showalter. It was nice to have a day to see people we don't usually get to see on our short trips home.
Our Christmas celebrations started on Christmas Eve morning. We headed over to the Haist's and enjoyed a delicious breakfast of Eggs Benedict. We had fun visiting, opening gifts and squeezed in one more delicious meal of Rubens for lunch. It was fun to relax and enjoy eachother for the morning. Christmas Eve evening we headed to Blanchard Alliance Church for a beautiful candle lit service with the Dean's and then headed over to Aunt Chrissy & Uncle Len's house for appetizers/dinner and the gift exchange. The house was decorated beautifully, and the food was delicious. We enjoyed visiting with family.
Christmas morning we woke up and excitedly came downstairs to see what Santa brought. He was good to everyone (maybe too good!). We enjoyed opening gifts, and a beautiful breakfast of Egg Casseroles, Laffsa and Mr. Clausen's Danish ring. Delicious! It was fun to have the morning to relax, visit and enjoy each other before heading off to Indiana with the Haist's. Leaving on Christmas Day will probably never get easier for me. However, it was a JOY to spend time with the Sundheimer clan on Christmas evening. We enjoyed visiting and hearing all about little Violet (soon to be born to Molly & Ross). It was fun to celebrate Molly that day too. The Sundheimers are a fun group to be around!
The celebrating didn't stop there! We headed to Warren to Grandma & Grandpa's condo on the 26th to celebrate yet another Christmas with the Haist's. It was wonderful. We had the gift exchange, and enjoyed yummy food and time with family. We were thankful we all got to be there, even Gretchen from London! We missed Peggy and John and their family, but are praying for Jake and a full recovery from a concussion earlier this year.
The night of the 26th we drove back to Wheaton. The next afternoon, Sam and I took a mini getaway downtown Chicago for the night. We decided this year instead of gifts for each other, we would plan a fun trip downtown. We got an awesome deal on Groupon for the Whitehall Hotel and ate at one of our all time favorite restaurants that evening, Rosebud. It was fun to walk around downtown and see the lights, and do a little window shopping. We slept in the next morning and then enjoyed breakfast and a walk to Intelligentsia (of course), where we enjoyed the perfect cappuccino. It was a great way to relax and "debrief" after having five Christmas celebrations in 3 days!
The trip was wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a richer time spent with family, visiting and soaking up the gift of Jesus' birth. We were also overwhelmed with the beautiful gifts we received. We have some great gift-givers on both sides of the family! Every gift was perfect. We are beyond thankful for the gift of family. God is good.
We hope all of you found yourselves enjoying the Christmas season and lavishing in the celebrations of our Savior's birth. C.S. Lewis says it beautifully-
"In the Christian story God descends to reascend. He comes down...down to the very roots and sea-bed of the Nature he has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world us with Him."
Lots of Love.
Katelyn, Sam & Ethel
Ps. - Thank you to everyone who sent us Christmas cards, definitely a highlight of the season for me and I loved opening all of them! Its fun to hear how everyone is doing and see pictures too.
We have returned to St. Louis after a wonderful visit in Wheaton and Indiana. We got in late on the 21st and celebrated with a few gifts, Krista's 21st birthday (on Dec. 20th). On the 22nd, we enjoyed seeing and visiting with friends. We started our morning off by seeing Kelsey and Tim - it's been too long. The visit was too short, but worth every minute to catch up and give Kelsey lots of hugs. We also enjoyed visiting with the Klobucher girls, the Gerry clan, James Grout and Allie Showalter. It was nice to have a day to see people we don't usually get to see on our short trips home.
Our Christmas celebrations started on Christmas Eve morning. We headed over to the Haist's and enjoyed a delicious breakfast of Eggs Benedict. We had fun visiting, opening gifts and squeezed in one more delicious meal of Rubens for lunch. It was fun to relax and enjoy eachother for the morning. Christmas Eve evening we headed to Blanchard Alliance Church for a beautiful candle lit service with the Dean's and then headed over to Aunt Chrissy & Uncle Len's house for appetizers/dinner and the gift exchange. The house was decorated beautifully, and the food was delicious. We enjoyed visiting with family.
Christmas morning we woke up and excitedly came downstairs to see what Santa brought. He was good to everyone (maybe too good!). We enjoyed opening gifts, and a beautiful breakfast of Egg Casseroles, Laffsa and Mr. Clausen's Danish ring. Delicious! It was fun to have the morning to relax, visit and enjoy each other before heading off to Indiana with the Haist's. Leaving on Christmas Day will probably never get easier for me. However, it was a JOY to spend time with the Sundheimer clan on Christmas evening. We enjoyed visiting and hearing all about little Violet (soon to be born to Molly & Ross). It was fun to celebrate Molly that day too. The Sundheimers are a fun group to be around!
The celebrating didn't stop there! We headed to Warren to Grandma & Grandpa's condo on the 26th to celebrate yet another Christmas with the Haist's. It was wonderful. We had the gift exchange, and enjoyed yummy food and time with family. We were thankful we all got to be there, even Gretchen from London! We missed Peggy and John and their family, but are praying for Jake and a full recovery from a concussion earlier this year.
The night of the 26th we drove back to Wheaton. The next afternoon, Sam and I took a mini getaway downtown Chicago for the night. We decided this year instead of gifts for each other, we would plan a fun trip downtown. We got an awesome deal on Groupon for the Whitehall Hotel and ate at one of our all time favorite restaurants that evening, Rosebud. It was fun to walk around downtown and see the lights, and do a little window shopping. We slept in the next morning and then enjoyed breakfast and a walk to Intelligentsia (of course), where we enjoyed the perfect cappuccino. It was a great way to relax and "debrief" after having five Christmas celebrations in 3 days!
The trip was wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a richer time spent with family, visiting and soaking up the gift of Jesus' birth. We were also overwhelmed with the beautiful gifts we received. We have some great gift-givers on both sides of the family! Every gift was perfect. We are beyond thankful for the gift of family. God is good.
We hope all of you found yourselves enjoying the Christmas season and lavishing in the celebrations of our Savior's birth. C.S. Lewis says it beautifully-
"In the Christian story God descends to reascend. He comes down...down to the very roots and sea-bed of the Nature he has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world us with Him."
Lots of Love.
Katelyn, Sam & Ethel
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| 1.) Besties reunited. Breakfast w/ Kels & Tim at Egglectic. |
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| 2.) Delicious breakfast of Eggs Benedict at w/ the Haist's. |
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| Ethel loved her new Christmas sweater from the Haist's! |
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| 3.) Christmas morning, waiting patiently to see what Santa brought! |
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| 4.) Yummy Christmas morning breakfast @ the Dean's. |
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| 5.) The Whitehall Hotel- A fun getaway with my cute husband. |
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Christmas letter.
Dear family & friends,
Per request of my sweet husband, we are writing a Christmas letter. Sam has always enjoyed the letters people send with their Christmas cards, as I have always enjoyed picture cards. Therefore, we sent out our picture cards and have decided to write our letter via our blog. Great compromise.
Sam is continuing to chug away at seminary. 1 1/2 years down, 2 1/2 to go. He is still enjoying everything he is learning, with the occasional distaste for Hebrew. He is taking a three week Hebrew crash course for J-term, which he seems to be dreading. He is also still working part time at Shaw's Coffee Ltd. - still loving it. If you talk to his bosses, they will brag and rant about what a wonderful employee Sam is, and a very talented Barista. He has been busy training new employees, as well as making delicious drinks. The "regulars" at Shaw's think Sam is simply the best as well (I would have to agree). On top of school and work, Sam has also stepped up his responsibilities at church, playing drums almost every Sunday and helping with our youth group on Monday nights. Although I don't enjoy the 7:00am departure time on Sunday mornings, he is very gifted musically and adds a lot to our worship at South City. In the few hours of free time he has, he enjoys listening to vinyl records, combing and care-taking of his new beard, and, of course- reading.
As for me, I've been keeping busy. In the past year, I was hired and left a job that was the most challenging and character- enriching job I've ever had (and that says a lot, seeing that I cleaned toilets for three summers). I was working as a two-year-old teacher for Bright Horizons. Enough said. I stayed at that job for 8 months, before being hired on by Hancock Elementary again to cover maternity leaves in November. Hancock is employing me from November 2011 to May 2012 as a Permanent Substitute. I'm LOVING my first grade class right now and looking forward to covering my next maternity leave in February in 3rd grade. Other then working, I'm babysitting on Saturdays and enjoying being a Nursery Coordinator and teaching Children's Worship once a month at church. In my free time, I'm cleaning, doing laundry and snuggling with my dog.
Speaking of dog, could we have a cuter pup? We love Ethel. She brings us so much joy. Her excitement when we get home, her funny quirks, and the strange things she is terrified of. She has such a funny personality. We rescued her last March from a shelter downtown St. Louis and she has made almost a complete transformation from the scared dog we brought home that day to the dog that won't leave our side. LOVE her.
Sam and I are loving being married. There is nothing sweeter then waking up next to your best friend every morning. I so appreciate the little things my husband does and will probably always see a million more things he could do :) but even the little arguments are well worth it. We are loving St. Louis little by little as we learn more about the city and explore new parts. We especially love our church and feel so blessed and challenged by our church family.
That's about it. We hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus. Considering the fact that God actually came into our world as a real, live, baby, lived a perfect life on our behalf, took our sins on the cross, and rose again to give us new life and the hope of resurrection, it is an understatement to say the birth of Jesus is the most important event in all of history. It deserves a party!
Love,
The Haists
Per request of my sweet husband, we are writing a Christmas letter. Sam has always enjoyed the letters people send with their Christmas cards, as I have always enjoyed picture cards. Therefore, we sent out our picture cards and have decided to write our letter via our blog. Great compromise.
Sam is continuing to chug away at seminary. 1 1/2 years down, 2 1/2 to go. He is still enjoying everything he is learning, with the occasional distaste for Hebrew. He is taking a three week Hebrew crash course for J-term, which he seems to be dreading. He is also still working part time at Shaw's Coffee Ltd. - still loving it. If you talk to his bosses, they will brag and rant about what a wonderful employee Sam is, and a very talented Barista. He has been busy training new employees, as well as making delicious drinks. The "regulars" at Shaw's think Sam is simply the best as well (I would have to agree). On top of school and work, Sam has also stepped up his responsibilities at church, playing drums almost every Sunday and helping with our youth group on Monday nights. Although I don't enjoy the 7:00am departure time on Sunday mornings, he is very gifted musically and adds a lot to our worship at South City. In the few hours of free time he has, he enjoys listening to vinyl records, combing and care-taking of his new beard, and, of course- reading.
As for me, I've been keeping busy. In the past year, I was hired and left a job that was the most challenging and character- enriching job I've ever had (and that says a lot, seeing that I cleaned toilets for three summers). I was working as a two-year-old teacher for Bright Horizons. Enough said. I stayed at that job for 8 months, before being hired on by Hancock Elementary again to cover maternity leaves in November. Hancock is employing me from November 2011 to May 2012 as a Permanent Substitute. I'm LOVING my first grade class right now and looking forward to covering my next maternity leave in February in 3rd grade. Other then working, I'm babysitting on Saturdays and enjoying being a Nursery Coordinator and teaching Children's Worship once a month at church. In my free time, I'm cleaning, doing laundry and snuggling with my dog.
Speaking of dog, could we have a cuter pup? We love Ethel. She brings us so much joy. Her excitement when we get home, her funny quirks, and the strange things she is terrified of. She has such a funny personality. We rescued her last March from a shelter downtown St. Louis and she has made almost a complete transformation from the scared dog we brought home that day to the dog that won't leave our side. LOVE her.
Sam and I are loving being married. There is nothing sweeter then waking up next to your best friend every morning. I so appreciate the little things my husband does and will probably always see a million more things he could do :) but even the little arguments are well worth it. We are loving St. Louis little by little as we learn more about the city and explore new parts. We especially love our church and feel so blessed and challenged by our church family.
That's about it. We hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus. Considering the fact that God actually came into our world as a real, live, baby, lived a perfect life on our behalf, took our sins on the cross, and rose again to give us new life and the hope of resurrection, it is an understatement to say the birth of Jesus is the most important event in all of history. It deserves a party!
Love,
The Haists
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| Merry Christmas, 2011! (Photo by Amber Duncan) |
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tis' the season.
Christmas decorations have exploded at our apartment. Tis' the season. I love Christmas lights, the smell of Evergreen candles, crazy shopping crowds and the anticipation of Christmas. We are all decked out. Saturday, we put the final touches on the outdoor lights and finished the last of the wrapping. Heading to Wheaton on the 21st and looking forward to a week of visiting with family and celebrating the birth of our Savior. Yay! Here are a few pictures of our apartment!
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| Christmas wreath. |
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| Christmas tree. |
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| Evergreen candle. |
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| Stockings. |
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| Our sweet pup. |
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Very thankful.
Sunday, we returned home from a wonderful visit with family. We traveled home to Wheaton last Wednesday and enjoyed a time of feasting, catching up, basketball, and Black Friday deals.
We spent Thanksgiving day with the Dean's this year. Mama J made a delicious feast, enjoyed by everyone. We arrived in town just in time to whip up the Cranberry relish. Other then that, we can't take credit for the beautiful festive tables, decorations and delicious food. Thank you Dean's for making our Thanksgiving so special. We also enjoyed visiting with Grandma Dean who drove in from Decatur and watching the Jess man dominate in WN basketball. And of course- BLACK FRIDAY! We hit Yorktown Mall around 5:30am, Dunkin Donuts coffee in hand. I love this tradition. The only downside is- the rest of mankind loves it too. The crowds were crazy. We also enjoyed getting to hang a few ornaments on the tree Saturday before we headed out.
Saturday we headed over to the Haist's for some Christmas decorating! Listened to Christmas music, drank delicious lattes and ate about a hundred of Gaye's delicious homemade oatmeal cookies. It was fun to jump into the spirit of Christmas. We enjoyed a little family game night of Taboo on Saturday and church at Gary United Methodist on Sunday. It was also fun to see and catch up with Ben, the movie star!
Sunday we headed back to St. Louis. We had fun carpooling on this trip with our new friends, Kyle & Christy! It made the 7 hour drive (1 1/2 hrs spent in traffic), much more bearable. We got back and after finishing my progress reports right around 11pm, we headed to bed. Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty exhausted and looking forward to Friday. Sam is cranking away at his sermon he preaches for class tomorrow- prayers appreciated!
We have so very much to be thankful for. Jesus. Our marriage. Our sweet dog, Ethel. Jobs we enjoy. Friends. South City Church. St. Louis (only October-May!). Our home. Wonderful parents. Fun and supportive siblings. Amazing extended family. Oh the list could go on forever.
Much love,
Sam, Katelyn & Ethel
We spent Thanksgiving day with the Dean's this year. Mama J made a delicious feast, enjoyed by everyone. We arrived in town just in time to whip up the Cranberry relish. Other then that, we can't take credit for the beautiful festive tables, decorations and delicious food. Thank you Dean's for making our Thanksgiving so special. We also enjoyed visiting with Grandma Dean who drove in from Decatur and watching the Jess man dominate in WN basketball. And of course- BLACK FRIDAY! We hit Yorktown Mall around 5:30am, Dunkin Donuts coffee in hand. I love this tradition. The only downside is- the rest of mankind loves it too. The crowds were crazy. We also enjoyed getting to hang a few ornaments on the tree Saturday before we headed out.
Saturday we headed over to the Haist's for some Christmas decorating! Listened to Christmas music, drank delicious lattes and ate about a hundred of Gaye's delicious homemade oatmeal cookies. It was fun to jump into the spirit of Christmas. We enjoyed a little family game night of Taboo on Saturday and church at Gary United Methodist on Sunday. It was also fun to see and catch up with Ben, the movie star!
Sunday we headed back to St. Louis. We had fun carpooling on this trip with our new friends, Kyle & Christy! It made the 7 hour drive (1 1/2 hrs spent in traffic), much more bearable. We got back and after finishing my progress reports right around 11pm, we headed to bed. Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty exhausted and looking forward to Friday. Sam is cranking away at his sermon he preaches for class tomorrow- prayers appreciated!
We have so very much to be thankful for. Jesus. Our marriage. Our sweet dog, Ethel. Jobs we enjoy. Friends. South City Church. St. Louis (only October-May!). Our home. Wonderful parents. Fun and supportive siblings. Amazing extended family. Oh the list could go on forever.
Much love,
Sam, Katelyn & Ethel
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| Thanksgiving 2011 |
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Baby Alex visits St. Louis
On Saturday - Robyn, Justin and baby Alex came to visit! This was our first time meeting baby Alex and let me tell you, he could not be any cuter. I got lots of snuggle time in Saturday night (I was kind of a baby hog) while Sam and I watched Alex as Robyn and Justin hit up the Blues hockey game. We felt honored to babysit little Alex and hope they all come back soon to visit us. It was great visiting and catching up with Robyn and Justin too. We've missed them. I'm having snuggle withdrawals, but look forward to Christmas time when we get more Alex slobber kisses. Until then, baby Alex- you are very loved. Just look at this face ...
Lots of love,
Katelyn & Sam
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| those cheeks! |
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| snuggle time - I was in heaven. |
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| Sam got in some snuggle time at Alex's first trip to Pappy's BBQ! |
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| We love you little Alex! |
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| Mommy Robyn and Daddy Justin with Alex at Pappy's! |
Lots of love,
Katelyn & Sam
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