Yes, we're alive and well....

Wow!  We have gone a couple of weeks now, and neither of us has been in the hospital or Emergency Room.  Praise the Lord!

Dad sitting by his car at the Car Show in Reed City

1977 Chevrolet Malibu Classic

 A week and a half ago, we drove up to Ludington to spend the weekend with Mom and Dad.  On Saturday, Keith took Dad to a car show in Reed City.  They left Ludington quite a bit earlier than Dad is use to getting up and around.  Dad got tired out by about 12:30, so they ended up driving home a little early.

While they did that, Marsha decided it was time for a girls day out with Mom and took her to Muskegon on a shopping trip.  We were able to look around at a couple of stores and Mom was able to find a few good deals, too.

Some of Mom's purchases

My favorite!

When we got back, we had a late dinner and enjoyed the evening together.  Mom had to show off her new purchases.  Everyone was pretty tired out and ready for bed early.

Sunday, Keith took Mom to church while Marsha stayed with Dad.  After church, we had lunch with Uncle Bill, Aunt Dianne, and Aunt Merna at Big Boy.  It was nice to see them and be able to visit with them for a short time.  After dinner, we went for a little ride and then back to the house to pack up the car to prepare to leave town.  We had a busy but nice time.

Keith and Mom just getting back home from church.  

Marsha and Mom next to her huge hydrangea

Preparations for School:

As you can imagine, Keith has been wrapping up his preparations for his class and classroom.  Last night, he met the parents.  This week he has been attending some faculty meetings as well.  School begins on Tuesday.  I'm sure he'll be ready to go!  He's put in much preparation as he anticipates the first day of school.

We are so thankful for the Lord's provision of this job as a long-term sub for this third grade class for 12 weeks.  God is so good.

Jess and Marsha on the Spectrum Butterworth Bridge

CONGRATULATIONS TO JESSICA!!!!!!!

Some of you knew that Jess was up for a promotion at her work this year and some didn't.  She found out the news on Monday that she did indeed receive her promotion to Manager.  A well-deserved promotion it is!  A huge Congratulations to her for all her hard work paying off.  God rewards those who work hard.  God bless you, Jess.  We are SO proud of you and your achievement!  Love, Mom and Dad

Home Sweet Home....and Oh So Easy to Overdo

Praise the Lord, Marsha was discharged from Spectrum Butterworth yesterday afternoon.  About two hours later, her legs began to feel very weird as if they were retaining fluid.  She was also having trouble trying to get a full deep breath.  She called the nurses station on floor 7 North and talked to one of her nurses said for her to elevate her legs and see if that would help.

Today, she worked very sporadically throughout the day and tried to rest when not working.  Tomorrow she has a follow up appointment with her Primary Care Physician.  When she talked to a Priority Health nurse that called, she encouraged her to be seen tomorrow, too.  We hope it's just a reaction to the Prednisone and the IV fluids that she had.  Thankfully, she's beginning to slowly taper the steroids for the next 12 days.

Thank you for your continued prayers for her full recovery.  As for her diet, she's taking things very slow and easy.

Praying for a better night for both Keith and Marsha.

Keith
As you can imagine, Keith is beginning to prepare for his first day of school.  He's been working in the classroom, as he always would each year, making preparations.  It's so exciting to see how excited he is.  Praising the Lord for this awesome opportunity.

Sometimes God Answers our Prayers and Sometimes He Says Wait...

We have many friends and family that have been praying for a full-time teaching position for Keith for fall.  Our hope and prayer for Keith was that God would supply a needed job in order to provide for our family.
For those of you who have thought of and prayed for Keith's interview this morning, he had a very good interview with the teacher and administrator.  At the end of the interview, they offered Keith the job and it was a done deal!  Praise the Lord!  You can only imagine how excited Keith is that he will have a first day of school this year with a group of 19 third graders!  He also found out the job is not for the six weeks that he had originally thought, but for 12 weeks!  They also told him that since he will be doing the lesson planning, and all the preliminary work for the class and grading, he will start out with the regular long-term sub pay instead of the regular sub pay for the first 1-29 days.  This will mean he will be employed up until Thanksgiving holiday.

We are so very thrilled for Keith, even though this is not the job we had all hoped for, God has other plans for him.  We continue to trust him for His plan for Keith's life, not our plan.

PSALM 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.

2.  He also, brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.

3.  He has put a new song in my mouth -- praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.

QUICK UPDATE ON MARSHA

Today, the good news is we found out from lab work that she did not have a Crohn's flare up, but an obstruction of her bowel.  We are thankful the steroids are doing the trick to make things come back to whatever her normal is for now.  We thank the Lord for the provision of knowledgeable physicians who have been taking care of her.  At this time, there will not be any surgery.  However, Dr. Kim, Marsha's colo-rectal surgeon, will be keeping tabs on her if she continues to have these obstructions occur.  This morning, he told Marsha, that he feels she had more or less dodged a bullet from further surgery for the past 10 years or so.  Previously, she had had surgery just about every 10 years from the time she had been first diagnosed with Crohn's (30 years ago).

They have not said when she will be going home, but most likely when she can tolerate regular food, she'll be discharged.  Her diet has been moved up to a low residue tonight, so we'll see.

It was great to see a couple of dear friends pay me a visit today.  What a great surprise!  Thanks, Darlene!  Keith also surprised me today and brought our neighbor, Ilene, up to see me.  I also had a nice walk with my dear friend, Barbara, even though it was not in person, we sure enjoyed a nice phone chat.  Thanks Barbara! 

Something Specific to Pray For....

Last spring, while subbing at Byron Center Charter School, Keith found out there was a teacher taking maternity leave in early Fall 2013.  He had expressed interest in the position.  At the end of the year, he found out they hired another sub that had been there longer than Keith.  After that, there was no reason to even think anymore about it.

Friday, he received a call asking him if he would still be interested in the long-term sub job.  The girl they had previously hired for the position, had accepted a permanent job teaching in their high school.  Now, Keith was next in line for the position.  The lady that called said he came highly recommended by the other teachers on staff.  They want him to come in on Tuesday morning for an interview.  We are both very excited about this.  It's been awhile since he's been this excited about school!

We really covet your prayers for him as he interviews for this position.  God is definitely working!  His timing is ALWAYS PERFECT!  We'll keep you posted.

Aunt Dianne's Blueberry Bars

Yesterday, we were blessed with a gift of blueberries, tomatoes, and some sweet corn.  What else is there to do with some blueberries but to bake some of Aunt Dianne's Blueberry Bars for a treat.

 RECIPE FOR AUNT DIANNE'S BLUEBERRY BARS

1 stick of margarine

2 cups of sugar

4 eggs

Beat above together, then add:

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 3/4 cups of flour

Fold in 1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries.

Bake in a 13 x 9 dish or pan, in a preheated 325 degree oven for 45/50 minutes.

Frost with a thin glaze when you take it out of the oven (while still hot).

Mix the margarine and sugar

Add 4 eggs and almond extract and beat until smooth

Add 1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

Fold 

Pour into a 13" x 9" dish or pan

Put in oven

Bake for 45 minutes

After 45 minutes

Drizzle with a powdered-sugar glaze while still hot

Ready for a tast

Very yummy.....

Good to the last bite!   Mmmm......ENJOY!

Davenport University Career Academy Summer 2013 is Complete

Once again, Keith has completed his three plus weeks facilitating the Davenport University Career Academy in Battle Creek.  He started out with eleven students and ended with nine.  It amazes us that it took from October 2012 until June 2013 to find at least ten people that wanted to find a job and better themselves.  Jim, from Michigan Works told Keith, he had a difficult time "trying to find '10 good people'" to take this program.  The funding had also changed so that hindered the program from starting, too.  If they get kicked out of the program, they most likely lose their benefits.

Keith taught things such as team building, problem solving, critical thinking, communication, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point.

At the end, the students had to fill out evaluations on the class as well as Keith, as a facilitator.  With this class, there was one particular student that caused the stress level in the class to be high everyday.  By the final week, she had really started to cause conflict.  So much so, that Keith finally told her to leave.  After she left, the stress level literally shrunk and everyone seemed very pleased that she was gone, even though there were only a few days left.

With that said, Keith wasn't really expecting very high comments for his evaluation.  Instead, he was pleasantly surprised!  Following is the results of the evaluation of the facilitator:

1. The facilitator was organized and well-prepared.  8 strongly agreed, 1 agreed
2. The facilitator showed interest and enthusiasm toward the subject.  9, strongly agreed
3. The facilitator treated participants fairly and with respect.  9 strongly agreed
4. I would take another session with this facilitator.  7 strongly agreed, 2 agreed

Other comments on written questions:

• The best thing I liked about the session:  the people, discussing the material, Mr. Keith taking the time to make sure we understand, the teacher made us feel like we could do better, the teacher goes out of his way to make sure we understand, everything, very informational - Mr. Keith was an excellent facilitator and I enjoyed the class, Mr. Wittebols is a great instructor and always willing to help and encourage, the facilitator was very thorough, interesting and kept us interacting with one another.  The facilitator made the class fun and outgoing. 

• Was the session length sufficient to deliver the content?  Yes, wish we could have had more time with Mr. Keith, and yes but could have been longer.

Looking ahead:

As the month of August is now upon us, Keith has been keeping his eyes open for teaching positions or long-term sub jobs to become available.  At the present time, if the Lord does not provide a permanent full-time position for him, he will plan to sub in the area elementary schools.  If anyone hears of a teaching position that becomes available keep him posted.  We know God has a plan.  We are patiently waiting for the Lord to answer.  

God amazes us how He continues to provide our needs.  Next week, Marsha has an opportunity to put in a full time work week, as a co-worker is on vacation.  God is good.  

Thanks to all who continue to pray for us.