Month: August 2020

What a week!

August 30, 2020 / kristen / 2 Comments

We made it through…but *whew* that was exhausting! Thanks for those of you who still check on the blog and read even though I’m not getting a post up every night. I made it through the first week and now this week we get to see what Middle School is like! (I can’t believe I have a Middle Schooler!)

I’m trying to be creative with my classes this year, and keep it engaging despite being a zoom class. When I am in the classroom, I always try to have “Film Friday.” Students really look forward to Fridays, and they learn to love David Attenborough almost as much as I do. So for our first “Film Friday” I did something special for the class. The discussion post this week was for the class to tell us all about their favorite place. I went and found photos online of all of the favorite places and this is what it looks like! I really love seeing the places that others love – and learning about why!

Hymn of comfort is back tomorrow! I’ve already got it set and ready to go!!!

Lesson Plans

August 26, 2020 / kristen / 2 Comments

Today was my first day of classes. This semester I’m teaching Ecology and Global Health. I love teaching these classes. I love that I still have things to learn, even in my 21st year! When I teach ecology, I love seeing students develop a love of creation. Most students will not become ecologists, but most do start to understand and appreciate how beautifully complex this world is.

My Global Health students are so passionate about others. They are so excited to learn and truly desire to understand what it means to love their neighbor. But they also genuinely want to explore the brokenness of social systems that keep these neighbors sick and/or hungry. I always learn to hope in new ways by hearing the new ways that students think about these problems. I’m excited for the semester and what we will learn together!

Micah 6:8 is one of my favorite verses and informs how I teach both of these courses.

But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
    what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
    be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
    take God seriously.

My mom set this verse as a choral anthem, and this past weekend, Wren played an arrangement of the anthem for church. Here is the video!

Flight!

August 22, 2020 / kristen / 1 Comment

One of the best parts of our camping trip was the birding! There were so many birds! The pelicans and shorebirds were amazing! We camped close to two national Wildlife Refuges. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hats with ornamental bird feathers.

library of congress digital ID:
cph 3b08931 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3b08931

This is the same period when the idea of public lands and preservation was developing. Yellowstone was established in 1872 as the first national park. Most Americans thought of “public land” in a consumptive way – what resources could be taken, for example. Yellowstone was protected for its geologic and thermal features, but the wildlife of the park were also considered worth protecting. In fact, the original Park Rangers were in the military and they protected wildlife from poaching. The idea of National Wildlife Refuges came out of the desire of bird lovers to protect birds from plume hunters and the desire of sportsmen to protect habitat for game animals. Pelican Island was the first National Wildlife Refuge and it was established by President Roosevelt in 1903. Many of these lands are managed for wading birds – by adjusting the water levels. We visited Chataqua and Emiquon National Wildlife Refuges along the Illinois River. Here are some of my favorite shots:

Semi-palmated plovers, sandpipers, killdeer, pelicans, great egrets…

Hymn of Comfort

Light Shows!

August 18, 2020 / kristen / 2 Comments

One of the best parts of our weekend were all of the different light shows! The sunsets were spectacular!

We had lots of fun around the campfire!

Every night we went out to watch the stars! I loved this (admittedly as much as birding!) – especially the opportunity to work on my night sky photography!

Wren recorded For the Beauty of the Earth while we were camping – we couldn’t think of a more appropriate hymn for our weekend!

A Much Needed Break

August 17, 2020 / kristen / 1 Comment

It’s a really busy season for teachers, and this season is unlike any I’ve ever experienced. Recently, we haven’t been able to post as often as we would like. We try for every-other-day, but it’s been hard to get it done. We hope that some of you who visit us on the blog will forgive us for our recent This past weekend, we took a wonderful break. We love to camp, and we did have a wonderful night on a friend’s farm…but we have missed the longer camping trips that we normally have each summer. Being limited to travel within Illinois actually forced me to learn more about natural areas close to home! We found an amazing place. We were able to enjoy birding, hiking, star-gazing and music-making! I’ll blog about it all week. Here are a few highlights…but more (including music) coming tomorrow.

The camp site was full of really old Pines!

This might not look like much at first look, but there were 1000s of birds and so many species!!

not much to look at, but listen for the whip-poor-will!

Not Your Average Friend!

August 12, 2020 / kristen / 2 Comments

This guy really endures a lot!

But he is the most faithful friend a girl could have!!!

He has a new skateboard and helmet:

the “skateboard” is made from scrap wood and matchbox cars, the helmet is a used mask

He gets dressed up as his archenemy, Jazz the chameleon!

But he also gets the best seat for watching squirrels,

trained humans who constantly throw his ball (much to our dismay), and…

…as much love and as many belly rubs that can fit in a day!

Not to mention a lot of music – which happens to be his favorite thing!

Difficult Times

August 9, 2020 / kristen / 2 Comments

I found this shirt for Wren… I thought it was perfect for our summer!

These are difficult times, but we are extraordinarily blessed. We have what we need. We have beautiful places to walk and explore, we have our health and each other. So difficult, yes, but we are happy! Of course, messy, chocolaty milkshakes also help us through difficult times!

Wren and Nonnie put this special hymn of comfort together for you! Enjoy!

Prelude

August 5, 2020 / kristen / 2 Comments

Every cellist looks forward to the day that they learn the Prelude to the first Bach Cello Suite. The time has come for my cellist to play this. It is a life’s work. There is always something to learn with Bach. Always a way to improve. This is the prelude as of today! We hope you find some peace as you listen!

He’s Got the Whole World…

August 2, 2020 / kristen / 2 Comments

Isn’t it nice to know that we are in God’s hands? What a mess we’ve made of this world, but He still holds us in his hands! The sermon last night was based on this, and I really was blessed to hear it. I’ve been thinking about it all day. I’m going to try to remember from now on. Wren played the hymn for me tonight!