Where has the summer gone?

It is July 31. Unbelievable!!
Tomorrow is August 1 and that means school is just around the corner.

Today I want to wish a
Happy Anniversary
to my "little brother" Chad and his wonderful wife Jennifer. They were married on this day just two years ago -- they are still newly weds!! Of course, I love them both with all of my heart, but it is especially nice to have a sister. Jennifer is a wonderful sister-in-law. She is thoughtful, intelligent, diligent and a wonderful wife to Chad. She puts me to shame, because she goes fishing, hiking, camping. . . (you name it) with Chad. My hat goes off to her (and doesn't she look cute in her hat!) -- she is always a good sport! Chad and Jen love the great outdoors. Well, whatever you guys are doing today, I hope you have fun. We have fond memories of your wedding -- what a beautiful day it was!!

Having Fun!!!

Wow! The response from this new blog is overwhelming! I just saw Sara's new post announcing the debut of our blog. I am honored if any of her loyal following actually check us out!!

I am hoping the older MBBC grads of my era (1985-1989) will get on board. I think you '90s grads are doing a great job! It just takes us "old foggies" a little while longer to figure out this "new-fangled" technology!! I have already heard from Tammy Weniger(Tammy and I went to high school and college together)Adrienne (Macdonald) Farnham, Lesli (Farnham) Nichols and Angela (Brown) Morris. So the word is spreading!! I can't wait for you to see what we looked like in college in the '80s!!

Maybe some of you pros can encourage the new bloggers that it isn't as hard as it seems!

Thanks for the encouragement!

I just figured out the color and font editing options!!

This is soooo fun!!

So far so good!!

Have a fantastic day!!

Posting Plans

Well, now that we are up and "performing" on this site, I've been thinking about how to arrange everything we have to say. Considering my life as a stage, I have subdivided the acts in the following ways:

1. My relationship with God
2. My relationships with my family
3. My relationships with my friends
4. My relationships with my students

While these relationships definitely overlap, I want to reflect, remember and recommit to all of them as I communicate through this medium. I will mention the day to day, but will endeavor to rotate comments through these four important acts of my life.

Unfortunately, my camera is on the blink, and so I'm not able to show current photos. (This picture is from a couple of years ago when I was directing "You Can't Take It With You.") However, I don't think this necessarily a negative. It will give me a chance to catch up with the happenings and memories of the rich relationships in my life. I'm looking forward to the journey!!

God is Good!

I would like to thank the Lord for His goodness! Not just for the good things He has done for me, but also for the trials.

Last year in English class we did an entire unit studying C.S. Lewis. What an inspiring writer! Although his writing is philosophical and deep, it is also practical and understandable. After studying his life, each student chose one of Lewis' works to read followed by an oral presentation of the lessons learned. We concluded the unit by watching Shadowlands starring Anthony Hopkins as Lewis. What a rich, enlightening journey for the entire class!

We heard a preacher speak on Sunday who had gone through the great tragedy of losing his 8 month old daughter. I sat spellbound listening as the man emotionally, yet calmly shared his heart. I couldn't help but be impressed that this man knows what it means to go through the "Valley of the Shadow of Death" and is still praising God. My prayer is that through the disappointments and setbacks in my life God will continue to make me stronger and allow me to encourage others. C.S. Lewis wrote A Grief Observed in which he describes the pain of losing his wife. Through Christ there is victory!

Lights, Camera, Action

Well, I have spent the summer getting my life under control (if there is such a thing). I'm back to wearing contacts, sticking to an eating and exercise plan, spending more time reading, and learning about the world of online communication.

As I've been busy trying to survive as a college professor and a high school teacher for the past few years, I did not realize that many family members, college friends, camp friends, former students and the rest of the world was spending their time blogging. Wow! Have my eyes been opened this summer! I have learned more about the bloggers in these groups than I have known about them in the past 10 years.

My excuse for not blogging was that I was too busy. However, I now realize "busyness" will not be an excuse years from now when I haven't kept in touch. So, here I am. I have always loved the stage -- thus the title for my blog will be "Life's a Stage!" I am excited to reconnect with so many dear friends and have more frequent contact with my wonderful family.

Now, I'm not in competition with my incredibly artistic and creative cousin Sara Mincy, but I'll do my best!! Hope to hear from many friends!!