Family Visits Indy!

Hi! It's been awhile since I have posted news on the Flamme's. We really haven't had anything newsworthy happen until recently. My parents came to visit Brian and I here in Indianapolis. They arrived on Thursday afternoon. Brian and I met them in baggage claim and it was so exciting to see them. I hadn't seen them since just after our honeymoon at the end of December-about 4 months! After getting their luggage, we drove to the hotel where they would be staying, the Country Inn and Suites. It was close to our apartment which was nice. Brian had a night class so he left and I just hung out alone with my parents. We went to Uno's which has excellent pizza and they liked it. We then made a Target run for some needed items. We finished the night with Survivor in the hotel room.

On Friday, we started the day with Starbucks. It was right by the hotel so who would pass that up?! :) After Starbucks, we headed to our apartment to show my parents where our first home has been made. :) They liked it, how it was decorated, the area, etc. Then we headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where we toured and spent some time. Brian and my dad took a van ride around the entire track while my mom and I stayed in the museum/gift shop area. We looked around the museum and hall of fame then took off to get some lunch downtown! After grabbing a bite to eat, we walked the canal that Indy has downtown. It is just a man made water canal that runs through the city and people often walk, run, bike it during the day. We love it and my parents did as well. We walked a little of downtown, took them to the Circle Center Mall downtown which is HUGE, and saw some wonderful sights! After touring downtown a bit, we went to Texas Roadhouse for some drinks and appetizers. We then attempted to go back downtown to The Rathskeller, a German restaurant. The Biergarten was opening that night and we thought it would be a great experience on a warm evening. Unfortunately, it was packed. There were so many people and it just was not an enjoyable experience so we decided on a different course of action. We were all pretty bummed out that it had to be like that. Brian decided it would be great to take them to the Oaken Barrel, a local brewery here in Indiana. The men had a few beers and the ladies drank some Coke. :)

On Saturday, we started our day again with Starbucks! :) Then we decided to head down to Nashville, IN. It was a last minute thing. We really weren't sure what to do that day, and I thought my mom would like it down there. It is about an hour south of Indianapolis. It just has a lot of unique shops. It is a cute little town! My mom and I did the shopping while my dad and Brian just hung out waiting for us. :) We spent a little time there then headed back to Indianapolis to Margaritas, a Mexican restaurant that Brian and I like. After dinner, we just went back to our apartment to relax and chat.

On Sunday morning we went to church. We went to the church that Brian's dad is a pastor of. There they saw Beverly Ann, John, Paul, and Faith (Brian's family). They talked a little bit before the service started. After the service, we went out for lunch to Stir Crazy, a new restaurant none of us had been to or heard of. It was good Asian food. We enjoyed it. After eating, we took them to the airport where we said some tearful goodbyes. It was hard to see them go, but I am so happy that they came to see us here in Indy. It meant a lot to me to have them here.

Overall, it was a great weekend. I wish it would've lasted longer, time always goes by so fast! It was good to see them and spend a few days together. Hopefully, I can make a trip home to Colorado soon. :) I will try to post some pictures soon. We didn't take many at all, but I will share what we have. Have a blessed day!!!

Love,
Jen

"Then"

"Then" by Brad Paisley

I remember, trying not to stare the night that I first met you.
You had me mesmerized.
And three weeks later in the front porch light, taking forty five minutes to kiss goodnight.
I hadn't told you yet, but I thought I loved you then.

Now you're my whole life, now you're my whole world.
And I just can't believe, the way I feel about you girl.
Like a river meets the sea, stronger than it's ever been.
We've come so far since that day.
And I thought I loved you then.

I remember, taking you back to right where I first met you.
You were so surprised.
There were people around but I didn't care.
I got down on one knee right there.
And once again, I thought I loved you then.

Now you're my whole life, now you're my whole world.
And I just can't believe, the way I feel about you girl.
Like a river meets the sea, stronger than it's ever been.
We've come so far since that day.
And I thought I loved you then.

I can just see you, with a baby on the way.
I can just see you, when your hair is turning grey.
What I can't see is how I'm ever going to love you more.
But I've said that before.

Now you're my whole life, now you're my whole world.
And I just can't believe the way I feel about you girl.
We'll look back someday, at this moment that we're in and I'll look at you and say, "And I thought I loved you then."

And I thought I loved you then.

I just loved this song the first time I heard it, and as I listen to it more and listen to the words I simply fall more and more in love with this song. It is such a sweet, sweet song. It is so true, too. If you have not heard it, please listen to it somehow-maybe on YouTube. It's great! Hope you enjoy! -Jen

Fort Wayne, Indiana Trip

Brian and I had a great trip to Ft. Wayne, Indiana recently. We made the trip in order to participate in the Invitational Campus Visit at Concordia Theological Seminary. We were there for a couple of days, March 19-20.

We arrived early on the 19th to check-in and then apartment hunt before the campus visit started with chapel that evening. Brian and I visited four apartment complexes on Thursday, and found one complex we both loved! We hope to live there when we move. We have contacted them with our interest and now the paperwork, waiting list, etc. begin. We believe God had a hand in pointing out this specific apartment complex to us and we are excited to make the move.
After apartment hunting, we had chapel at 4pm where we were paired up with our campus companion afterwards. Brian's companion was a first year student named Andrew. He was also recently married, about 8 months ago. We had the opportunity to go to dinner with them and talk with them a lot. It was a great experience to meet them and chat with them for awhile. After dinner, Brian and I attended a "fireside chat" where they talked about the curriculum at the seminary. We both found it interesting and then hit the sack because we were exhausted.

We woke up bright and early the next day for 7:30am chapel and breakfast to follow. We then had speakers talk about financial aid, clothing co-op, food co-op, and the seminary in general. We received a lot of valuable information and it was a relief to know there are a lot of resources for each student who attends. The clothing co-op is completely free to students, you can walk in to look for what you need and take what you find! They have clothing items for women, men, children, infants, as well as household items, some appliances, shoes, etc. It is a great resource. They get donations from ALL over the country and then they sort through it before shelving it. The food co-op works in a similar way with each student getting monthly points based on their status (married, children, single, etc). Brian and I will be given 125 points per month to spend in the "store." They have dairy, pasta, sauces, meats, bread donated by Panera Bread, chicken donated by somewhere in Wisconsin, canned goods, paper products, snacks, cereal, etc. It is a little "store" but they say it can provide for 75% of your monthly needs of groceries. It amazed me! The most you "work" for these 125 points is 4 hours a month either at the food or clothing co-op. Just putting stuff away, stocking, etc for up to 4 hours a month and then you get your points to shop and the clothing co-op is free-no points involved. I am so thankful for these resources and more importantly to the people and companies who donate!!! What a privilege, God certainly blesses these students as they study to serve Him.
We took a driving tour of Ft. Wayne. We stopped downtown at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, it is Missouri Synod. It is a church that has been around since the 1800's and it is a beautiful church. I was unable to take pictures of it, but it is certainly something to see if you are ever in Ft. Wayne. Unbelievable in so many ways, breath-taking. Ft. Wayne has a nice downtown with a lot of activities and things to see! It looks like a nice city, it is Indiana's second largest city I believe. It will be a nice place to be for about 4 years or so.

Brian and I had pizza at Oley's before leaving town on Friday. Brian's dad, who went to seminary here, raved about Oley's so we found it and decided to give it a try! It was a small place with friendly people and we loved the pizza. It was cheap, too! We think we will go there for our pizza vs. Pizza Hut, etc. It was a good time. :)

Please take a look, leave a comment, and I hope you enjoyed learning about our trip! It was a great one and we were blessed by God in many ways while there. It was a great experience and we look forward to moving at the end of May. Brian will be starting this summer with a greek course. Please continue to pray for us as we make this transition and new change. Thank you!

Love,
Jen

Date Night

Every Friday evening, Brian and I plan to have a Date Night. We set aside that time to spend together despite how crazy our weeks may be. This week, we went to Dunkin' Donuts and brought it home. We then ate the donuts while watching the movie 'Australia' with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It was an alright movie, but very long. I loved the donuts though-haven't had them since being in Minnesota which was over ten years ago. They are fabulous! As they say, "America runs on Dunkin'!"
If you have any date ideas for us, please feel free to share them. :)

What Do Teachers Make?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.

He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?' He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.'

To emphasize his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?'

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make?

(She paused for a second, then began...)

'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write.

Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America .

I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life. '

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

'Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?'

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

Valentine's Day

My first Valentine's Day with Brian was a great day. I woke up and the first thing Brian did was to give me my gift. He got me chocolate covered cherries from an amazing chocolate place in town-I LOVE THEM!!! He also bought me foot cream that I use all the time from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. :) We proceded to make breakfast together. I made pancakes and shaped them as hearts. We also enjoyed homemade lattes on my Starbucks machine. After breakfast I gave Brian his gift which was The Dark Knight on DVD and he was thrilled. So we sat down to watch it together. Afterwards, we went to the store for some items to make dinner. We also made that together and the menu included Lemon Garlic Tilapia with a baby spinach salad with mushrooms and almonds and a homemade Asian dressing. Brian and I loved it! For dessert, we made chocolate fondue in our fondue pot and it also was good. :)

We simply enjoyed our time together at home. It was perfect.

Back in the Classroom

I have finally begun to substitute teach here in Indiana! This past week I was teaching 4 out of 5 days, and it really felt great to get back in the classroom. I have not really taught since November of 2008 before I got married and then moved to Indiana. I was in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms. I was exhausted at the end of the week, but so thankful that I had the opportunity to work! And to work with kids and teach them is fun so I am thankful to have a job I like. I really look forward to the day where I have my own classroom and my own students, but I am blessed to be able to teach period! We have been praying that I would get calls to teach, and those prayers have now been answered. We now pray that it continues. That's my update for now!

Warmly,
Jen