Aloha! We just returned from two weeks in Maui. (Scott still thinks it is 2005) It was very relaxing, and a lot of fun! We stayed with our friends Ryan and Stephanie and their nearly three year old, Jonah. (Picture of the boys- Ryan, Scott, and Jonah above left) We also had five nights in a condo right on the beach which was a little bit like a second honeymoon (at least a longer and extended honeymoon!) We enjoyed the warm, tropical climate as we played on the beaches, snorkeled, parasailed, and just relaxed. We also got to spend some time with our friends Jon and Elissa from Colorado Springs that were in Maui at the same time. We went snorkeling with them, and had dinner with Elissa's family.(Picture above )We rented a "ghetto" older model convertable mustang for part of the time we were there which broke down and was replaced with a slightly better convertable mustang plus two more free rental days! We had the opportunity to drive around the entire island. We explored the south/ east side with Steph and Ryan while we drove the "Road to Hana" and camped for two nights near the "Seven Sacred Pools". We hiked past many pools and through a bamboo forest to an amazing 400 foot waterfall where we were refreshed by the cool water falling down the shear cliff.

This is the picture of our campsite to the left. The right is Scott with his snorkel gear outside our condo.

You might be wondering what the "Breakfast Platters" picture is. Scott made sure this was a part of our blog. McDonalds Serves Spam in Hawaii. Hawaiians LOVE spam... so does Scott. He was stoaked to try spam in Maui.

Parasailing was a blast! As they reeled us back into the boat, they dipped our feet into the ocean.

This picture was taken at the "Seven Sacred Pools" Scott and Ryan jumped off the cliffs at the top waterfall... it made Steph and I a bit nervous, but they had a blast. The picture at the bottom is the view from our condo! Two weeks in Maui was a much needed vacation and break for us both! Mahalo Ryan, Steph, and Jonah!! Aloha Maui!!

School is OUT!!!! Today (5-25-06) was the LAST day of School... Not only for the kids, but especially for Scott and I! At Approximately 1 pm we turned in our keys and walked out of the building for the last time. We leave with mixed emotions.... relief that the job is over, but also sadness to leave colleagues we have come to know as good friends. We are So excited to begin new adventures, as neither of us will be returning to teaching next year. The kids that Scott is with are two of our favorites.. they were great boys and we were both priviledged to teach them! The top picture is of Scott with our Vice Principal, Phil. He has been an incredible encouragement for both Scott and I. He is an amazing Godly man and we were blessed to work with him. It has been a whirlwind year with getting married, dealing with crazy students, and struggling with very difficult circumstances at school. Through it all God has been faithful to give us strength to get through. Scott and I were shedding a few tears of joy today thinking about how we both arrived at this school ALONE, and now, a couple years later, we are leaving TOGETHER! God is good! We have really enjoyed driving to school together every morning.. we will miss that greatly! No, the picture is not us in front of a prision... that is our school... see why we were so eager to leave?!! We leave for Maui on the 30th for two weeks.... So we will be updating our blog after that... stay tuned. Love Scott and Jen

We just returned from Michigan where we had a second wedding reception and were able to spend time with family and friends. We are one of the few fortunate couples who are able to wear their wedding day attire twice. We had a photographer capture the day which was a little cooler than our wedding day. Jen's parents were there for the reception as well, and we enjoyed our short visit with them. After the reception Scott's parents took us up to Northern Michigan. We saw Lake Michigan, the Mackinac bridge, Lake Huron, and many other beautiful small lakes throughout the state. The weather was perfect and the days were beautiful! We also traveled south to visit Scott's sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. It made Jen's week when her new nephew, Ian, called her "Aunt Jen" for the first time. On the last Saturday before we came home we had an early Easter celebration at Scott's parent's house, complete with an easter egg hunt for Ian and the neighbor boy. Scott was also able to help his dad with some work in the yard. Our trip was very fun, but we came home very tired. We are counting the weeks left in the school year.

January began with a New Years Eve Eve celebration at our house just a few days after we returned from California. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends in Colorado Springs!! They are all like family to us! The picture on the top right is Jen with Leli and Lauri. We are all in a Bible study every tuesday night. They are wonderful Godly women! The picture on the bottom right is Scott and his former roomates. At the end of January we said goodbye to our wonderful friend Steve Biel (the guy who sang at our wedding, the guy on the right in the picutre) He moved to Louisiana to help with the relief efforts in Baton Rouge. We miss him SO much!!
February was a good month, but very tough at school. Scott and I both told the school we won't be returning next year. Two weeks after our decision was made the school began to experience a lot of turmoil after some careless decisions were made by the Board, much to the chagrin of most of the rest of the staff. It has been very stressful as we try to support our colleages and our principal. However, we are excited to see where God will lead us in our careers. Married life is great and we are continually thankful for what God has done in our lives to bring us together.

We enjoyed spending Christmas with both our parents and Jen's Brothers at Jen's parents new log home in the foothills of Northern California. Scott's parents remained in California for a week after the wedding and they were able to enjoy a warm California Christmas. We had a great time sitting on the deck by the fireplace, playing Texas Hold'em, playing with the Llammas, riding dirt bikes, and starting a Bon Fire in the rain. Scott got Bill and Adam to help him carve "Doberneck" into one of the falled trees along Jen's parent's driveway. We also enjoyed Tri-Tip for Christmas and Jen's dad's famous margaritas. Scott's dad was excited to wear shorts one of the days he was there. We were sad to see Scott's parents head back to Michigan Christmas morning. It was a very special first Christmas together!

We spent our honeymoon at a really beautiful home in Sqaw Valley California (about 10 minutes from Lake Tahoe). We were able to relax after months of planning the wedding and just enjoy the beauty of the mountains. It rained most of the time we were there, but we were able to take advantage of one sunny day to ride on the Tahoe Queen across the lake to see Emerald Bay. It was really a wonderful honeymoon!

We were married on December 17th in Napa Valley, California. IT was an amazing and beautiful wedding. We were surrounded by many family and friends who traveled from all over including Michigan, Colorado, and Virginia. Thank you to all of you who were such a special part of our wedding. It is truly a day we will remember for a lifetime!