It's Over Already?

I can't believe that Christmas has come and gone! Matt and I spent a wonderful 5 days in Kentucky with family and friends. It was fun to stay with his family and celebrate Christmas the Neal way - it's the first Christmas in my life that I haven't been with my family! I really enjoyed watching Daisha and Jamal open their gifts too. We were able to go to our old church on Christmas Eve. It definitely felt weird to be a "visitor" at what we still consider to be our church. They recently opened a new portion of the building, which was amazing! All in all, our trip to Kentucky was refreshing. And we promise it won't be 5 months before we visit again!

We celebrated Christmas in Michigan with my family last night. We opened presents at 5pm and then headed to Muskegon for a Fury hockey game. Going to the Muskegon Fury has become a Christmas tradition for our family. It's always a lot of fun - mostly watching Matt make a goof of himself. We love to watch the fighting (shh...don't tell dad) and the people that attend the event are also quite amusing. I didn't realize hockey was such a "hick" thing!

Enjoy the pictures!

Painting at the Neals

We had the great privilege of having three senior girls over last night to PAINT - Matt's favorite pass time.

It was Emily and Sarah's first time painting and they did a fantastic job!

Hannah on the other hand is an experienced oil painter and experimented with acryllics last night.

As you can see, it was a lot of fun!

Students Raise $1500, Teacher Shaves Head

You know the saying - "Put your money where your mouth is?" Well, you could say that Matt put his head where the money is. The Senior Class at Calvary raised $1500 through their phone-a-thon - and the reward was shaving Mr. Neal's head. Most of you know that Matt was already half way there, so it isn't too big a change.

Never Ending

School, volleybally practice, play practice, school fundraiser, quick homework, bed, school...Does anyone remember their life being this busy in high school? I mean, I guess I ran around non-stop, but I must have blocked it from my memory - because I am shocked at our busy my sisters are. I'm not sure how they do it?

Day three with the sisters

This is just a glimpse of day three with the sisters. My normally organized and neatly arranged guest room has turned into a teen sheol quite rapidly. BUT - this is not to say we're not enjoying them. Because we are. They're lively, extremely busy and way too much like me when I was 17. God help them!

Christmas Recipes

Molasses Sugar Cookie Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 3/4 cup shortening in a sauce pan over low heat. Remove from heat, let cool. Add 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup molasses and 1 egg. Beat well. Sift 2 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. ground cloves, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add wet ingredients to dry. Chill and form into 2" balls. Roll in sugar, press down slightly onto cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on pan for 1 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool entirely.

If you bake them a little longer and allow them to sit out on a plate, they get crispy and are great with coffee!

Parenting the Sisters

We took my parents to the airport yesterday and soon inherited 2 seventeen year olds! How is it that you go from no kids (well, except for Booga and Bwana) to twins teenagers? Seems like a lot of responsibility. But, we're excited to have them around for 10 days. Now, read in my blog then and we'll see what it was really like!

Another Free Day

Matt had a beautiful day off today - a snow day! We got the news a little late, but as they say "better late than never." Too bad the corporate world doesn't have "snow days." I'm only two blocks from work, so I drove in without a problem. And Matt had the chance to study and clean for me! Nice.

BUSY BUSY CHRISTMAS

This week has been my first real taste of the "busyness" of the season - and it smacked me dead in the face! Holiday parties, house guests, Christmas concerts, heavy workload, phone calls, emails, Christmas cards...and more. So, for once, blogging isn't a chore, it's a break. A very nice, much needed time to sit down, take a deep breath and release.

Lots of Snow!

Holy Cow the snow is coming down here! The wind is gusting (is that a word?) and the snow is dropping. I would assume we'll get somewhere between 5-6" today. We had a pretty big storm on Friday too.

You know, living in Michigan, the snow comes and then the cars drive on it and it turns this ugly gray color, kind of like Chicago. So you're almost happy when it snows again - because then it looks a nice white and pretty, instead of muddy fluff on the side of the road.

Home with the Flu

Matt was home from school yesterday with the flu. So, I got to teach one of his classes. It was a nice sneak peek into his world. I felt great yesterday, until last night. That's when I was defeated by the flu. I'm home sick from work today. Thanks heavens we got our internet installed yesterday - and wireless at that. I'm able to monitor my emails at work and still lay on the couch sick. Isn't technology wonderful?

A Whole New World

The Neals have entered a new world - we have internet at home! How have we survived this long without it? Well, it's possible believe it or not. But, with Matt teaching now, he uses so many online resources, not to mention access to email. And now I can update my blog more regularly.

Family Christmas Photo

As promised, here is our family Christmas photo! Oh and a few more of the kids. :) Enjoy!

Christmas In KENTUCKY

We're coming home for Christmas! I'm so excited I can't hardly stand it. We'll be in town December 23-27th. Matt and I are hoping to hang out with friends on the evening of the 26th. So - if you're available that night, email us to find out where and when we're getting together! We hope to see all of you!

*Neal Family Christmas Picture...coming soon!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year - but different. Matt and I usually spend the holiday with his family, instead we spent it with mine. We had the traditional meal at my parents' - and of course we ate way too much! Then Matt and I got up early on Friday to shop! We spent the whole day together, chasing down deals and snagging a few. It was nice to have a study free day - spending quality time together.

ALMOST Thanksgiving

Happy Almost Thanksgiving! Matt and I are spending the holiday with my family this year. I love Thanksgiving - food, family, SHOPPING (the day after)! This year I'm making two pecan pies and a huge veggie tray. YUUUUUUMMY!

My brother got engaged a few weeks back - exciting! So, we're spending our first Thanksgiving with he and his fiance. I think it'll be a fun time for all.

What are you all doing for Thanksgiving?

Making the Switch

So, I upgraded to the new Beta Blogger. Whatever that means. Hopefully it doesn't screw up my blog site. I hardly know what I'm doing on this thing now...let alone making some huge technological switch. Oh well.

Life in Michigan is getting COLDER. It's been in the 30's all week. I keep secretly hoping it's going to get warmer, but then reality sets in and I realize I live in one of the coldest states in the Continental US. I just wish it would snow - then there'd be a reason for the cold.

Last Game

Yesterday was Sarah and Leah's last home game of the season - and by winning, they share the conference title for the Alliance League. They graduate this year, so it was an emotional time for everyone! The newspaper ran a story in today's paper. Click here to read it!

Their team will go to Districts next week and most likely will play for the finals on Friday night. It's a very exciting time for them. And I LOVE being here for it!

*The cookie says "Sarah & Leah, Congrats on a Great Season!"

PISTONS' GAME

History was made on Saturday. My sisters played basketball at the Palace of Auburn Hills - where the Detroit Pistons play! It was awesome! They beat the team (Algoma Christian) 58-18 and Sarah and Leah scored 30 of the 58 points. With 3 minutes left in the game, Coach Stayton told the girls she wanted them to play their hearts out - this was in fact there last 3 minutes to play at the Palace. She also said she wanted to see an NBA 3-point before the game was over. So, Sarah went in and scored TWO NBA-3 pointers before the game was over! Leah played as a scrapper the whole game - stealing the ball left and right. It was awesome to watch them play. What a cool experience during their Senior year of basketball! Any scouters out there?

POOR KITTY

My poor kitty! I picked him up from the vet this morning and he was sooooo grumpy. The lady barely gave me any instructions...she just said read this sheet, but I was late to work, so I didn't have time. She did say not to let him run around or jump on anything. How am I supposed to do that when he's home by himself all day - and he's a cat. That's what cats do! Well, the minute we got home he ran away from me and ripped open his left paw! It was bleeding all over my wood floors. So I quickly picked him up and nursed him. I resorted to locking him in the bathroom with a warm towel, his litter box, some food and water. I went home at lunch to check on him and he was so pathetic. He couldn't even walk straight. Needless to say, I'm going to baby him tonight. Poor kitty!

NO KITTIES/NO CLAWS

Bwana got neutered and declawed today. I was so sad to leave him at the Vet all by himself. He's never been to the Vet - heck, he barely even leaves the house! He sat on the armrest between the two front seats while I drove. Poor guy...he loved the car ride and the whole time all I could think about was the fact that he had no idea what was about to happen to him. His manhood being taken away...his only defense system. Hm...Am I overreacting?

Joining the Church

Matt and I officially became members at Calvary Baptist Church of Holland, Michigan! Well, I think I had become a member two or three times before, but this was his first. Here's our official membership picture.

We are really excited about God's work at Calvary. We will be signing up for a small group come November and can't wait to dive in!

SNOW ALREADY?

Ok, so I'm a little late on this news...because it happened last Thursday, but SNOW! ALREADY? Yeah, it snowed a little bit in Michigan last week. The happy summer/fall time is slowly fading away...and now we're on to the real reason Michigan exists - to TORTURE it's inhabitants with mounds and mounds of snow! Maybe it's not that bad...but the first snow always seems so horrific!

Kids at the Neals

We had 16 high schoolers in our living room last night! Boy are we glad we have a larger house than in Kentucky. Matt and I went to the girls' basketball game and then invited everyone over to our house. We thought it would be a good chance for us to start interacting with the kids ouside of the school setting. It was a lot of fun. We played "Apples to Apples" which was nothing less than chaotic. 16 different conversations, yelling, oh and trying to play an organized game! 11:50pm didn't come soon enough. Mr. Neal retreated to bed around 11:00pm. I was left to entertain and clean once everyone left. Popcorn ground into my area rug...popsicle wrappers littering the floor, empty plastic cups with remnants of Mt. Dew in them? Amazingly it only took me a concentrated 15 minutes to get my home back in order. Needless to say...it was worth it. We both woke up this morning feeling refreshed and good about what had occrred the night before. We could have never imagind that this is what God would have for us. But here we are...and we're loving it!

Back to College?

Matt has been studying quite a bit for his job as Bible teacher. He said this morning, "I feel like I'm getting my Masters in Bible Theology!" Studying is a regular part of our life. I'm typing this blog from September Woods coffee shop on the north side of Holland. They have a wonderful Christian setting and wonderful coffee. White Heather blended to be exact. Reminds us of college.

NEW POST...YEAH!

Ok, so I heard through the grapevine of comments that I needed a new post! (JEN) So here I am writing about our exciting life in Michigan. Actually, I'm having a blast here. Went to my sis's b-ball game last night. They played awesome, even though they lost by 7. They are a small private school and played a class C public school and gave them a real run for their money. But, I must tell you that Mr. Neal's wife is now known as the "screamer." I didn't realize how loud I was at the game. But I get so passionate! It's like life or death out there. I usually sit on the front row and scream at the girls, at the other team, at the refs...etc. And quite often I'm exhausted the next day - like today. I think I could have run a marathon and not felt this tired! :)

Back from Southeast Asia...On to TEACHING!

We arrived home from Southeast Asia on August 20th and hit the ground running on the 21st. Matt started work during those weeks, preparing for his classes and meeting LOTS of new people. And today is his FIRST DAY OF CLASSES! He just called during his break to say "so far so good." I'll get the real story tonight. I'm treating him to a dinner out - mostly so he can get his mind off the first day jitters - and secondly because we need a date!

Also a busy labor day weekend for us...Matt's parents were in town with their two foster kids (Daisha and Jamal) and his sister's family of four. Busy, but lots of fun.

If you get a chance, feel free to email or call us. I'm sure Matt would love some encouragement during his first week.

HOT HOT HOT!

It's is so hot here! The temps have been up in the 90's, but the heat index is over 100 degrees. Matt and I have been staying the nights over at my parents' house (left). (We're getting our AC installed on Monday.) They are in Phoenix for the week, so we have free reign. Each day we go to our house after work to get clothes and are dripping wet by the time we leave. Thank God for parents with AC! Matt started work this week and is already overwhelmed by the amount of preparation he needs to do before school starts. I guess as a first time teacher, that can be pretty intimidating. But he seems to be taking it in stride. He's excited to continue studying the curriculum. He'll hit the ground running when we get back from Malaysia. I'm also enjoying my job. This is my first full week and I've already started quite a few projects. My first priority has been designing an invitation and corresponding documents for our Annual Banquet in October. It's been a lot of fun. I've also been slowly updating the website. Most importantly, the job keeps me busy - which I like. We leave for KY on Monday the 7th and then fly out to Malaysia on the 9th. Be praying for us! We'll return on the 20th and Matt leaves the next morning for a teacher's retreat. He's going to be exhausted and has to give a devotional. Pray that God gives him the strength (adrenaline) to make it through!

And yes, this is our "ketchup and mustard" bathroom. Fortunately, I was able to find a shower curtain that matched perfectly. I don't hate it...but we might try to work with it later on. For those of you that know us...we did so much work on our last house, that we're protesting paint, caulk, flooring, etc. for a long, long time. Hope you enjoy these pictures. Life is going well with us. We're exploring Holland and the surrounding area. We're going to our family cottage tonight for a quick "break" from life. It'll be nice to get away for a day or so. We miss you all and hope that things are well in our "old Kentucky home"!

Our kitchen. It'll do for now - but eventually we will be painting the cabinets white and possibly the rest of the kitchen red. It's definitely bigger than our last kitchen.

Master Bedroom.

Our Living Room.

Well, I'm having problems posting the rest of the pictures right now, so I'll try later. At least you can enjoy the picture of the dining room!

Yeah! We're finally in our new house in Michigan. It was a long and exhausting move...but with lots of help from friends and family, we're finally settled in. I have attached a few pictures of the new home. A big thanks to LEE & CANDACE NORDINE who not only drove all the way to Holland with us, but also helped us hang curtains and move furniture all weekend. We couldn't have asked for better friends. Enjoy the pics.

Our new house! We're busy packing our KY house right now. It's so much work. We finally had to take a break and decided to check mail at the library. Our official move date is Friday and we're starting to get really excited! We have friends from KY that are driving up with us to help us make the 6 hour trip. Isn't that awesome!? Well, as we have time, we'll keep you posted!

I know I don't get to write much on here, mostly because we don't have the internet at home and my only time to update the blog is when I have some down time at work. This is my last week at work and I’m training my replacement, so I have a little down time today.

A new development in our move is that I got a job at the Holland Rescue Mission as their Development Assistant (www.hollandrescue.org), which is only a few blocks from the house we purchased! It's quite a bit like my current job, but with more of a PR focus, which I like. I will be doing all of their events and fundraisers, plus dealing with the media.

I must say that God has been very good to us over the past few months. We have seen his hand working in every step we’ve taken towards this move. It’s not been easy by any means…But, we know that he is faithful in providing for our every need.

Pam, Sheri and I at the Nine Hole Chamber Challenge Golf Outing. This was my last time running a golf outing for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. And it was a beautiful, sunny day!

And finally, here is a picture of Matt and Boogaloo - yes, I said Boogaloo! (He named her too!)

Our new kitty kat - "Bwana" means Mister or Master in African Swahili (Matt named him obviously)

Matt and I at "Casting Crowns"

Life as we know it is about to change...so I thought it might be time to get a blog site. Matt and I will be moving from Ft. Wright, Kentucky to Holland, Michigan in about 4 weeks. He is taking on a new position as Spiritual Formation Director at Calvary Schools of Holland. We're both very excited about the opportunity. Hopefully this blog site will help us to connect the worlds in which we live. Besides, it's easier than sending out mass emails or making phone calls.