Blessed Beyond Measure

We have been blessed beyond measure. As I sit here reflecting on all the great things that have happened over the past two years, I feel a little over-emotional. If you're a guy, you probably don't want to read much more. If you're a , well, you know where I'm coming from.

Recently, we had the wonderful news that 3 of our friends are expecting their first child, and 3 of our other friends have recently given birth to healthy, beautiful children (one was named Jennifer - nice to know the name hasn't gone out of style). This is all such exciting news, as 3 years ago everyone was getting engaged and married, and now everyone is starting to have children. All of these couples are strong Christian believers who have given control of their pregnancies over to God. It is so fun to hear about that first pair of pants that won't fit anymore, the crazy food cravings (or foods they can no longer even stand the smell of!), and the first baby gift. What's even funnier is the way the husbands turn to mush when they talk about their wives and future child.

One of our good South African friends has had her art work displayed at the Ritz hotel, which is quite a big deal down here! We went to the grand opening last Tuesday night, and all the big artists were there, and it was so fun to see our friend with them now that she is one too! Her husband is also the one who just finished his Masters Study. So we are all so proud of them! They will be leaving the Caymans this summer as well, as they are heading off to Malaysia.

So there are only 31 days of school left . . . it makes me sad and happy at the same time. It's been so fun teaching my first two years down here - I have so many good memories, and so many interesting memories . . . I've survived six throw-ups, 4 "bathroom s," 3 cuts that needed immediate attention, 8 field trips (one to the beach - tell me that's not scary!), 1 missing child, countless disagreements, and what makes it all worthwhile? The million hugs, the "light-bulb" moments, making a kid believe they can do better next time (and they do), being a comforter to a crying child, having a box full of drawings and colorings with the words, "To Mrs. Fher" (because none of them can spell my name!), and being the first and most important person in the world to tell that they lost a tooth, got a haircut, caught a frog, scraped their leg, fell off their bed and hit their head, or scored a goal over the weekend. The blessings continue on, as I have had such a supportive and Christ-centered staff to rely on through my first two years of teaching, which are supposed to be the hardest ones. It will be hard to say goodbye to all these wonderful people!

Even as we think about my job situation, truly that was God's blessing as well. When I went home for Christmas last year, I dropped of resumes at several schools. I thoroughly enjoyed all the schools I visited, but one school really stood out in my mind, and low and behold, it was the only school to contact me back for an interview. So I had the interview, and it apparently went well because they offered me the job! So, what are the chances that the one school I had a great feeling about is the one I get offered a job at? Totally God's planning! Kelly is looking for a job, but there are no shortage of CA jobs (another blessing!) in Calgary, so we are not worried. We know the right job will pop up eventually.

I've also been very blessed to have such a great husband that is able to take care of all the things that I'm not good at . . . booking plane tickets, rental cars, planning a trip, thinking about all the things we need when we move back (VISA's, car, house, drivers licenses, insurance, transferring our money back to Canada, etc). I am completely hopeless when it comes to that kind of stuff, so I am grateful that my husband is not only great at that stuff, but he actually enjoys it (must be an accountant thing - organizing and pre-planning). So for those couples who are complete opposites (as we are), there is hope that it is all for the best. Also, we celebrated our 2 year anniversary last weekend at a fancy Italian restaurant named Ragazzi (the date was actually a Monday, but who wants to celebrate on a Monday?) and I'm marveled at how fast they have gone by and how enjoyable they've been. I've learned so many things about marriage, friendship, love, and of course, Kelly, and it's only been two years! I am looking forward to the rest!

Anyways, that's about enough for now - it's been a while since I posted, so what can you expect? Have a great weekend!