Happy Autumn, friends!
Well, it's starting to feel like fall around here. The mountains are splashed with yellow and orange and the pumpkins and apples are plentiful. Also, it's downright chilly. My sweatshirt doesn't cut it anymore--I have to wear a jacket. Autumn had better be careful or winter is going to sneak in and take over before its time.
But anyway, I have some snapshots of October for you (both literal snapshots and the metaphorical sort).
This is the month where:
1. Katie and I realized we are awesome chefs.
It's true. Everything we've made for our girls (from macaroni and cheese to chocolate Nutella scones to vegetable and chicken stir-fry) has been an epic success. If the RA thing doesn't work out, we're going to open a high class restaurant. We just need to make chef hats and then we'll be all set.
2. I embraced Europe and cut my hair short.
Not only did I win major street cred with the students for having awesome hair, but most days I barely have to do anything to my hair in the mornings. Extra sleep time!
3. One of our girls moved out.
Brianne's parents have been in the states for a while, so she's been living in the dorm for the past year. But they're moving back to work at BFA this semester, so she left Palm a couple weeks ago to go live with her family again. We all walked her home across town. I think I finally understand what the word "bittersweet" means. I miss her a lot. We all do, I'm pretty sure.
3. I took a group of girls shopping in a nearby city and I didn't lose any of them!
On Saturday we went shopping in Loerrach. We split up into groups of 2 or more and agreed to meet up at a certain time. There was a moment of "I know these are high schoolers who are familiar with this town, but I feel like I'm sending my children off into the streets of a strange city." But they went, they came back, and we all had fun. It was a good adventure. Always nice to get out of Kandern sometimes.
4. The dorm completed the second jigsaw puzzle of the year.
It was autumn-themed: colorful trees, apples, pumpkins...:) I felt like drinking apple cider every time we worked on it. It was a nice study break for everyone, even though the puzzle turned out to be missing 11 pieces.
5. The stress and realities of classwork and tests started to pile up for my girls.
It's just getting to be that time of year. Days and moods are both getting darker, and the novelty of the semester is wearing off for most. We all covet your prayers as we strive to be joyful and Godly examples as patience gets shorter (for students and staff) and the girls' lists of assignments get longer. We're also praying for inspiration as to how to break the routine and lift the mood of the dorm in these darker months. So if you have any ideas (that are neither illegal nor a safety hazard. :) ), feel free to send them my way.
7. Katie and I made an awesome fort and had a sleepover with the sophomores.
Both the juniors and the seniors had class trips this month. So while 16 of our dorm girls were in Normandy and Rome, those left in the dorm (Katie, me, and our four sophomores) decided to take advantage of their absence and build an awesome fort in the living room. We had popcorn and watched a movie and talked. It's been a while since I was at a sleepover, and it was really fun.
8. We toilet-papered the boys' dorm upstairs.
I'm including a picture. All I have to say is, Palmgarten is AWESOME.
There's a lot more. I wish there was time to tell you about everything that Palm has done this month, but that would be a really long post. But before I sign off, I'll share a couple things that God has been doing.
--God has been teaching me about dependence and teamwork lately. I figured out a while ago that I need to depend on HIM if I wanted my efforts to produce anything valuable. But what he's been showing me is that I really do need other people too. Much as I'd love to be the Lone Ranger (He has that awesome mask thing going for him, after all) I need my staff, I need the friendship of the other RAs, I need the patience of the girls, and I need your prayers. And he's been teaching me the humility to ask for help.
-- I got to have some really good conversations this month: hard ones and sweet ones. (Have I told you how much I LOVE my girls and being a part of their lives? Because I do.) God is building trust and relationships. And he's healing the rifts in those relationships that are broken. Praise Jesus.
Thank you all for your prayers! God has been listening, no doubt about it.
Love,
Amanda
Well, it's starting to feel like fall around here. The mountains are splashed with yellow and orange and the pumpkins and apples are plentiful. Also, it's downright chilly. My sweatshirt doesn't cut it anymore--I have to wear a jacket. Autumn had better be careful or winter is going to sneak in and take over before its time.
But anyway, I have some snapshots of October for you (both literal snapshots and the metaphorical sort).
This is the month where:
1. Katie and I realized we are awesome chefs.
It's true. Everything we've made for our girls (from macaroni and cheese to chocolate Nutella scones to vegetable and chicken stir-fry) has been an epic success. If the RA thing doesn't work out, we're going to open a high class restaurant. We just need to make chef hats and then we'll be all set.
 |
| This is real life. |
2. I embraced Europe and cut my hair short.
Not only did I win major street cred with the students for having awesome hair, but most days I barely have to do anything to my hair in the mornings. Extra sleep time!
3. One of our girls moved out.
Brianne's parents have been in the states for a while, so she's been living in the dorm for the past year. But they're moving back to work at BFA this semester, so she left Palm a couple weeks ago to go live with her family again. We all walked her home across town. I think I finally understand what the word "bittersweet" means. I miss her a lot. We all do, I'm pretty sure.
 |
| Walking Brianne home. |
On Saturday we went shopping in Loerrach. We split up into groups of 2 or more and agreed to meet up at a certain time. There was a moment of "I know these are high schoolers who are familiar with this town, but I feel like I'm sending my children off into the streets of a strange city." But they went, they came back, and we all had fun. It was a good adventure. Always nice to get out of Kandern sometimes.
4. The dorm completed the second jigsaw puzzle of the year.
It was autumn-themed: colorful trees, apples, pumpkins...:) I felt like drinking apple cider every time we worked on it. It was a nice study break for everyone, even though the puzzle turned out to be missing 11 pieces.
5. The stress and realities of classwork and tests started to pile up for my girls.
It's just getting to be that time of year. Days and moods are both getting darker, and the novelty of the semester is wearing off for most. We all covet your prayers as we strive to be joyful and Godly examples as patience gets shorter (for students and staff) and the girls' lists of assignments get longer. We're also praying for inspiration as to how to break the routine and lift the mood of the dorm in these darker months. So if you have any ideas (that are neither illegal nor a safety hazard. :) ), feel free to send them my way.
7. Katie and I made an awesome fort and had a sleepover with the sophomores.
Both the juniors and the seniors had class trips this month. So while 16 of our dorm girls were in Normandy and Rome, those left in the dorm (Katie, me, and our four sophomores) decided to take advantage of their absence and build an awesome fort in the living room. We had popcorn and watched a movie and talked. It's been a while since I was at a sleepover, and it was really fun.
 |
| Sophomore Sleepover in Awesome Arabian Tent! |
8. We toilet-papered the boys' dorm upstairs.
I'm including a picture. All I have to say is, Palmgarten is AWESOME.
 |
| We used over a dozen rolls of TP. Mwahaha. And yes, we did use facepaint, even though no one would see us. |
--God has been teaching me about dependence and teamwork lately. I figured out a while ago that I need to depend on HIM if I wanted my efforts to produce anything valuable. But what he's been showing me is that I really do need other people too. Much as I'd love to be the Lone Ranger (He has that awesome mask thing going for him, after all) I need my staff, I need the friendship of the other RAs, I need the patience of the girls, and I need your prayers. And he's been teaching me the humility to ask for help.
-- I got to have some really good conversations this month: hard ones and sweet ones. (Have I told you how much I LOVE my girls and being a part of their lives? Because I do.) God is building trust and relationships. And he's healing the rifts in those relationships that are broken. Praise Jesus.
Thank you all for your prayers! God has been listening, no doubt about it.
Love,
Amanda
amanda. i LOVE reading this. it's so encouraging to hear that He's working and answering. and also, i love YOU, friend. i will be praying. :)
ReplyDeletestay well! deut 33:12
love,
becca