We're Back and Better than Ever!

Why, you may ask? Because of this cute guy! Meet Camden!! He is our newest addition--and we couldn't be more thrilled!! We have been wanting to get a dog for awhile, and now that we are settled into the dorm and I am back from jolly ole' England, we thought it couldn't be a better time...and then we met this little guy. And you could say we fell in love and have been falling ever since. He is loads of fun, loves to run around on the football field, and loves to crawl into our laps when we are grading papers. We brought him home on Saturday and have been playing with him constantly -- and every once in awhile, we catch ourselves staring at him or laughing at him and we think to ourselves, "We are so lucky to have him." It's amazing how a dog can remind you that you have so much love to give. He also reminds us that sometimes love is as simple as spending time with people and being excited when they get home. We love him already.

When we aren't distracted by adorable Camden and being convinced to go on yet another walk, we are loving our students. We are into our 4th week of classes (craziness--it always flies) and so we are beginning to get to know our students' personalities and establish some type of rhythm and focus to our classes. We continue to love teaching not only because of them, but also because it constantly challenges us to keep thinking, keep reading, keep learning so that we can serve our students the best we can. The beauty and the curse of teaching is that you can always do better. We are reminded of that every day.

We are also coaching, which keeps us both energized and exhausted. Clay is in his second year with the 9th and JV football teams, and I am beginning my first season with the varsity cross country team. We both cherish our time with our teams. As a person who loves to run for fitness but who is also not very fast :-), I am amazed at how coaching as improved me as a runner and as a person. In many ways, it comes down to discipline. I am forced to be much more disciplined with my time now that I have practice every afternoon and then Camden to come home to every night--but I am also more disciplined about sleep and diet. I have never really thought of myself as a "runner," but this season might be changing that for me...if you are to do well at running, you must think of yourself as capable of doing well, of running fast and far. You must also be hydrated, well-nourished, and rested. So its lots of energy bars and early-to-beds for Sara Jenney these days--and I couldn't be happier. Love the girls, love the sport, love the challenge.

Ok, there is lots more to tell, but sweet Camden calls :-). We'll try to update this blog twice a week or so--and more pictures will definitely be coming. Hope all of our dear family and friends are doing well--we love you all! Thanks for reading our blog!