A Great Yet Busy Weekend!

This was a great weekend!  It started out with my mother-in-law and father-in-law arriving for their weekend visit.  Since we hadn't seen them since August first, we had been really looking forward to seeing them!  It was so nice just to hang out and visit.  Faith and Griffin got special grandpa and grandma time Friday night as Vaughn and I went to our life group.

Saturday morning I got up REALLY early to meet a teacher friend in Eugene so we could travel to Portland together and attend the C-GEO conference.  This was a conference to support Oregon teachers who teach geography.  It was great!  There were workshops to choose from and I received a lot of resources to help me in the classroom.  I was disappointed to not be home and continuing to visit with my in-laws, but I was glad that Vaughn and the kids had time with them even though I wasn't there.

Today was church - which was great to have them in service with us and then Sunday dinner together before they made the long drive.  At least the fog had burned off, and it was sunny and beautiful with the autumn colors all around. 

Thanks for coming Bob and Lois!  We loved having you here!

As they drove away today, I realized that I didn't get any pictures of them! 
This is one from their visit in June.

Mom and Dad Come For a Visit

There's nothing like having Mom and Dad visit to bring comfort when comfort is needed.*  After all, they were the first ones who would hug me and tell me everything was going to be okay.  Fast forward a great number of years and we get to Thursday, October 3rd through the 6th, 2013.  Mom and Dad come for a visit bringing their love, hugs, and encouragement to boost my weary self. 

As many of you know, my job is tough.  The first month I seriously questioned whether I would make it through the school year.  My calling is not babysitting middle schoolers or running a detention program.  I was doing very little teaching. Now after six weeks I can truthfully say it's getting better.  Each day I get encouraging glimpses of what this school year can become. 

So with that said, having my parents come was wonderful - not just for me, but for my family.  Griffin got lots of "grandpa" time which made both of them happy.  Mom and I talked recipes.  Faith spent less time on her ipod.  Vaughn got advice on home repairs.  We even squeezed in a breakfast at Tolly's.

It's never easy to say good-bye, especially when we probably won't see them until Christmas, but I'm still glad they made the trek to Sutherlin.  Thanks Mom and Dad!

*I want to clarify that the love and support of my husband, kids and even church family are AWESOME!  It's just that sometimes I go back to that little girl who needs her mommy and daddy.