Teaching English to Refugees

I really enjoyed this blog post. Here's a preview of it...

"They straggle into the classroom, some early, some right on time, some a few minutes late. I don’t hold it against them. This is not the willful laziness of college. My students haven’t opted to sleep late or chosen to stand outside the door talking with a friend. If they are late it is because of their work or because one of the three buses they take to make it to the school was delayed.

My students have not come to the United States as travelers, but as refugees, as people without a home. They are far, far braver than me. They astound me with their courage. I am amazed that they still laugh, that they bother to ask me how my day was, that they mourn for each other’s losses when their own are at least as great. It is because of this courage, this joy, and this compassion that I spend every Tuesday night in the windowless basement room of a church. It is because I have been given so much in a world where so many are given so little that I do my very best to teach my students the difficult language of a country that perhaps one day they will refer to as home."

Gardening!

So...way back in June I posted a blog about gardening. Three out of my four plants died due to the extreme heat/late planting, but one squash plant survived and is awesome! The first picture of the bucket is my mom's method. It's pretty neat. The red colander was from the dollar store and keeps the dirt moist. You water the plants through the pipe until water comes out of the clear tubes out the bottom. If anyone wants to know the details of how to make them, let me know!

 

 So, funny story. Last week before the veggies started growing, I went outside and saw the following laying underneath the squash plant. I got really excited that a squash was growing, even though it had fallen off and wilted in the hot summer sun! I took it inside and put it on the counter to show Cody when he came home. When he came home, I told him to go in the kitchen and look at something really cool next to the sink. There was dead silence for 30 seconds. Then, Cody said "Umm...Katie...this isn't a squash. When I was taking out the recycling, the PEPPER fell out of the PAPA JOHN'S box, and I didn't have time to pick it up!" Oh my gosh...Cody and I were laughing harder than we ever have. SO FUNNY! I had even texted a picture of it to my mom earlier that day...LOL!

Hiking!

We went hiking to Bear's Den on Sunday. We got up at 8am, and decided to hike and have a husband/wife Bible study and donuts in the mountains. It was a much needed day trip! We have always wanted to become hikers/backpackers, so this was a fun start (PS- if anyone wants to buy me a later birthday gift or early Christmas gift of backpacking gear, I would NOT be opposed!)! After we went hiking, we went to lunch, and spent the afternoon at the city pool (which is AWESOME, by the way! Cody and I went down the slide 50+ times- even during adult swim...hah!).