Number 1...A New Birth--Meeting Callie Renee

It is only fitting after yesterday’s post in which we mentioned the end of life, to discuss in today’s post the beginning of life. On March 2 of this year, we had a wonderful new addition to our home. Callie Renee Robinson was born! Few events in the annals of one’s life can compare to the birth of their children. Words cannot express how miraculous a birth is, and how wonderful it is to see that new person. For nine months we waited with anticipation. We wondered what she would be like. We read to her, sang to her, and prayed for her. And when the moment finally came, we rejoiced. Without a doubt, the number one event that happened in our lives this year, was a new birth--Meeting Callie Renee Robinson!

And so there you have it. The top ten events that happened in our life this past year. If you missed any of them, be sure to scroll down the sidebar at the right and click on the December blog archive.

Deciding on the top ten was a little difficult. There were many events that happened this past year that had an impact on our lives. A few that that did not make the cut would have been the square foot garden, getting a new gas grill, getting free guitars, solving the Rubik’s cube, selling a car, celebrating Halloween, getting a new driveway, playing on the Praise Team, quitting the Praise Team, stressing over a dog problem, and even the death of Steve Irwin all made some sort of impact on our lives this past year. Of course, there were many other events that I chose not to write about that also made impacts on our lives.

As a final treat, we leave you with a link in which you can see a few random pictures from this past year. I hope the link works for you. Click HERE, then select “view pictures” then select “all” then hit “slideshow” at the top. Happy New Year!

No. 2...Understanding the Brevity of Life

The number two big event in our lives this past year is rather difficult to articulate. We both know what it is, but it is very hard to explain. It is perhaps best illustrated to most as an understanding of the brevity of life. The Bible mentions the following:

13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James chapter 4)

It hit us really hard earlier this year when a good friend of ours died. She was so young, and so full of life. Take a moment to read her story HERE, and also to read our thoughts from a post HERE, after saying goodbye. That event helped us to realize even more that life is not forever, and how important it is to seize every moment. Our children are growing up so fast, and life is flying by at light speed! Whatever we are going to do, we better do it now, because tomorrow will be here way too fast. Life is so very short, and so very precious. The past few days Amy and I have had some time to sit back, relax, and think about these very issues. While going through some boxes from the move, we once again came across the notes and cards we had given each other during high school. In those notes we spoke about how “someday” we would be together forever. You will all think we are crazy, but when we were 14 we were talking to each other in detail about getting married and having children! We thought that day would never come. Well, it is here, and my Dad keeps telling us to enjoy it while it lasts because it all goes by in just a moment. We both understand that, and we are doing the best we can to seize the moment. So “Carpe Diem” folks, it is our Number 2!

No. 3...Cassidy: Baby to a Little Girl

An amazing transformation took place this past year. We watched as our first child turned from a baby into a little girl. Not only did her physical form change, she began to develop her own thoughts and ideas, and began to establishing her own identity. It has been wonderful to watch a little personality in the making. She now picks out her own clothes and dresses herself. She plays games on the computer. She knows her phone number, what street she lives on, and can spell her name. She has learned what stop lights mean, and is beginning to think about abstract ideas. She now has a sense of humor, and tries to make jokes. But with growing up, she also gets her feelings hurt, and knows what sadness is. Her imaginary friend, Puppy Dog, gets talked about less and less. And this year, she made the ultimate, and unconditional graduation from the baby stage to the little girl stage…she gave up the pacifier. Yes, I know, we should have made her give it up a long time ago, but in her defense she used it only at night most of this past year. She felt like she needed it, and it was a really grown up decision that she made herself. Sometimes, with tears in our eyes, Amy and I ask ourselves, “Where did the baby go?” so, Number 3...Cassidy: Baby to A Little Girl.

What Will They Be??????

Well, we are down to the last three. The suspense is mounting!! I bet some of you are wondering what could be more life-changing than what we have mentioned so far! Stay tuned to find out!
Nena wanted to know why I seemed to be taking a break at such a critical time in the posting. Well, besides mourning the death of former President Ford, I was asked to do some work for a friend. Our friend Sarah took a quick trip to Mexico, and needed a little help with some digital editing to record her trip. I ran into some big problems and had to redo it like ten times. It reminded me of why I did not go into that field. I spent today working on my Jeep. It seems like I just worked on the car not too long ago, and now the Jeep has a radiator problem. I’m becoming quite the amateur mechanic these days. So, those things taken together have been keeping me busy. My vacation is going by way too fast!!

No. 4...Moving

Honestly, there is not a lot to say here, other than to say it was a major event in our lives this past year. Moving is a rather stressful event. We extend a great “Thank-You” to all those who helped us, especially to my Dad and Jeannie, and to my sister Angie.
I can say that we really dodged a bullet. We had planned on moving in the Texico area. We had already picked out a house and put earnest money down on it. Texico has a good school district, and it would have been a lot closer to church. However, after a housing inspection, we decided it just wasn’t right for us. We found the place we are at now, and (apart from the dog problem), we could not be happier with this neighborhood. I am not exaggerating when I say this has got to be the best place in Mt. Vernon to live. It really is. We have GREAT neighbors, and the house just really fits us well. The plan is still to remodel the house with the intent of selling and making a profit. But with that said, we are quite content with living here for a while.

No. 5...A Full Year at Orchardville

Number 5 was a big step for us. In fact, this blog was originally created to detail our journey from our previous church to this one (most of you are viewing through a URL address that says, “lookingforagoodchurch”). Part of me would like to take a moment to explain why we left our previous establishment, but in the end I suppose it doesn’t matter. Just know that for some reason God allowed us to go through a major valley. The temptation to quit church was very real. But, we are pleased to announce that at least that particular valley is done! For whatever reason, making it an entire year at Orchardville has been a big step for us. We have made a good attempt to become involved. We attended several events, I taught Sunday School and played on the worship team, and Amy has served in the nursery. I don’t know if Orchardville is where we are supposed to be forever, but it is an AWESOME church and has been a pillar of strength for us when we needed it the most. It is a place where solid biblical teaching is found. It is a growing church, and a place that we feel proud to attend. Although we still have a lot of faults, God is working on us. It is a long drive, but as the cliché says, “A Church That’s Alive is Worth the Drive!” So, Number 5...A Full Year at Orchardville!

Soon....

The New Posts will be here soon... I have been rather side-tracked the last couple of days. Keep watching.. they will be worth it!!

No. 6...Meeting New Friends

Friendship has always been a huge part of our lives. For some reason, Amy and I both feel like we have always had a hard time making and keeping friends. I suppose it is natural for friends to come and go, but this is especially an area in which we struggle. That is why we are proud to say that a big event that has happened in our lives this past year has been the addition of several friends. First, Amy became more involved with a play-group. The group is made mostly of moms that get their children together once a week. It became something that really fulfilled a need not just in the children’s life, but also in Amy’s life. Second, Amy and I both have become good friends with the nursery worker at church, Sarah. She is simply an awesome person! Finally, with our move to the new neighborhood, we are slowly becoming good friends with our neighbors. Tom brought a pie over to us for Christmas, Mr. S lets me borrow his tools, and and Holly and Sam have invited us over. They are all just great people! Number 6--Meeting New Friends!

No. 7...Graduation From EIU (again)

One important event happened over the Summer. I finally completed the Specialist in Education Degree from Eastern Illinois University. This degree will eventually allow me to be a school superintendent if I choose. It is a degree that is half-way from a Master’s to a Doctorate. At this point in my life, I’m not sure if I ever want to be a school superintendent or not. I do know that if I ever wish to make triple digits, this would be the quickest way to that point. Of course, with school administration you give up a big part of your life. There are so many meetings and events to attend. Plus, as a superintendent of a school, you have a tremendous responsibility hanging on your shoulders. So, the number 7 event this year… Graduation from EIU (again)!

8...The Trips We Took

In the Number 10 event, I briefly mentioned the trips. These two trips would be the number 8 big event in our life this past year. The first trip came about when Amy and I were trying to decide just what we should really be doing with our life. We thought that perhaps living here, and teaching here, was not really what we should be doing. I got on to the internet, and to make a really long story short, we found ourselves traveling out to West Virginia to interview for house parents at a home for troubled teens. The people were great, and we were offered the job. The job paid really well, and we would not have had any expenses. But in the end it just didn’t feel right. The trip was really good, however, and we grew closer together as a family.


The second trip was just for me (Ryan). I interviewed for a job in Deltona, Florida. The position was for a Principal at a Christian Academy. The Headmaster was a great guy, and agreed to fly me down there for the interview. Once again, the job just didn’t seem right for me, and both he and I knew it. I was not offered the job, but the experience was well worth the trouble. Sometimes you have to go away to find out how much you appreciate what you have right here. So, Number 8--The Trips We Took!

9...Student Teacher

The countdown continues with the number 9 big event for this year… Having a Student Teacher. This was a totally new experience for me. Many of my coworkers told me about their horrible experiences with student teachers. Because of this, I really didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my teaching career. Paige was awesome! She did great, and the students really liked her. So what did I do during this time? Well, I would like to say that I did absolutely nothing…but you all know me better than that, right? Anyways, Student Teacher for Number 9!

Merry Christmas MVTHS

We wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. You are a GREAT group! This semester we have both worked with some of the more difficult to reach students. By getting to know them, we have started to realize how blessed we truly are. Some of them have only one or two outfits to wear to school. Some of them live in deplorable situations, and deal with problems on a daily basis that we will never face. Over the holiday, I hope we remember to take thought of the small things…to be happy that we have presents, food on the table, friends, family, and a place to call home. In this season of giving, let us be thankful for all that we have been given.

Merry Christmas
Ryan and Amy Robinson

10...Staying Here

We begin the countdown tonight with number 10. The number 10 big event in our life this year was a decision…the decision to stay in
Mt. Vernon. Over the summer I had several job interviews, two of which took me out of the state. I interviewed for a teaching position at Flora, an administrative position at Lewisville, an administrative position in Deltona, Florida, and Amy and I both interviewed for house-parent positions in West Virginia at a home for troubled teens. Although I (we) were offered some of the positions, in the end we decided to stick it out a while longer in hopes that things will get better here. Mt. Vernon is where we both grew up. It is our home town, and we need to know we have given it our best shot at making things better before we call it quits.

Update on Dog Problem

As promised, here is the update. First off, let me thank all of you who voted on what I should do. It looks like most of you suggested I simply go talk to the owner of the dog. So, on Saturday morning (at about 5:30am) I found myself walking through the darkness in the cold, frosty air to pay my neighbor a visit. The dog continued to bark the entire time. As soon as I rang the doorbell, it became apparent that there were multiple dogs inside the house. They went crazy. I figured this would surely send the owner of the dogs to the door to see who in their right mind was disturbing them at such an early hour. But, to my surprise, no one came to the door. I rang the bell a second time. The dogs continued to bark madly, and still no one came to the door. Not wanting to have the police called on me, I decided to go back home, and try again later. However, when I got back home, I noticed the dog was not barking. In fact, it has not barked since. So apparently, the owner was home, realized why I was there, and decided to do something about the dog. At least, that is my hope. We will see.

Top Ten

Greetings. I hope that everyone enjoyed the Happy Hanukkah post. I learned quite a bit while researching that one. Also, if you have not voted about the dog problem, scroll down a bit to vote. Be looking for an update VERY soon with an upcoming post.

Speaking of upcoming posts, we have decided to do a “Top Ten” countdown of the biggest events in our lives for 2006. We will start with number 10, and work our way towards number 1, hopefully ending sometime close to the new year. Most of the posts will be short and to the point. As always, comments are greatly encouraged.

One of our goals for next year will be to make this blog a little better. Adding little things like Today’s Scripture and the AccuWeather forecast at the bottom have been some recent attempts. One goal has been to change the address. For example, Amy and I ran into an old friend from high school tonight. It would have been nice to say, “Hey, check out our website.” But who in the world would recall the URL? Well, if it works, you may now access this site at the following address:

www.ryanandamyrobinson.com

Most of you have this page bookmarked, so it probably won’t affect you. But for us, this is a big step in improving this site. We will, of course, endeavor to offer something more from time to time to keep you coming back. "Holiday Histories" have been an emerging theme this year, and if anyone has other ideas, please let us know! Have a GREAT DAY!!

Happy Hanukkah!

Continuing with my theme of holiday histories, I thought I might write a little bit about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Hanukkah begins tonight at sundown, and runs through sundown December 23.

Also known as the Festival of Lights, this holiday is in remembrance of the rededication of the Jewish temple (the word Hanukkah actually means “rededication“). The Jewish temple had been defiled by a Syrian king, who declared it to be a temple for the Greek god Zeus. Thanks to a bit of guerilla warfare led mainly by Judah Maccabee, the Syrians were eventually thrown out, and the temple was restored and rededicated in 165 BC. A small amount of oil expected to last one day, miraculously burned for the eight days of the feast, hence the eight candles of the menorah (nine if you count the servant candle called the Shamash).

As the centuries progressed, the Jewish people would come to identify more and more with this part of their history as their culture was continually under attack. Tonight, Jews who celebrate the holiday will likely light the first candle of the menorah. Some of them will sing, play the dreidel game, eat latkes, and hand out presents. Happy Hanukkah!

Dog Problem... YOU VOTE -------------->

I have always been a dog lover. However, since moving into town, I have discovered that many people have little respect for their neighbors with regard to man's best friend. For example, several times I have found dog doodo in my front yard. How disrespectful is that? I'm just waiting for the day that I'm watching when someone who is walking their dog allows it to go in my yard without cleaning it up. I'm fairly certain there will be a scene that day.

That said, I have discovered another major problem in this area. Last night I got little sleep due to the excessive barking of my neighbor's dog. At about 5:00am I went outside to yell at the dog, hoping that my neighbor would hear me and take the hint. Unfortunately, I think it only made the problem worse. Many thoughts came to my mind as I lay there awake thinking about how to solve the problem. I came up with three ideas. In hopes of adding a little bit of interest in this, I thought I would give YOU, the reader, a chance to vote on the issue. Please cast your vote to the side, and then see what others are saying about the problem.

The Geminids

Tomorrow night you will have the chance to see the Geminids meteor shower. Don't miss it!

"Mountain of God"

Today Amy and the children went shopping again to Fairview Heights. I spent the day working, mostly on computer stuff. This year is winding down rather quickly. When thinking about this past year, several things come to mind. Our family has went through quite a few changes. We had a baby, moved into a different house, mourned the passing of a friend, and did our best to establish ourselves into a new church. On a more personal note, we have done our best to keep from being discouraged over family issues, and I have fought the good fight against depression and job dissatisfaction. Its been a tough year. Raising children is hard, and sometimes marriage is harder. But we keep pressing on, knowing that (as a popular song says) we must go through the valley to stand upon the mountain. Life is getting better, and the lessons that we learn in the valley will no doubt strengthen us.

"Mountain Of God"
by Third Day

Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

'Til You opened up my eyes
I never knew
That I couldn't ever make it
Without You

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

As I travel on the road
That You have lead me down
You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me
I have need for nothing more
Oh, now that I have found
That You are here with me
Yes, You are here with me

I confess from time to time
I lose my way
But You are always there
To bring me back again

Sometimes I think of where it is I've come from
And the things I've left behind
But of all I've had, what I possessed
Nothing can quite compare
With what's in front of me
With what's in front of me

Celtic Woman

Yesterday was a much better day. In fact it was a really good day. But of course, the full moon had to come, and with it, the disturbances. Today I sent two kids out in the hall, and fought to keep everyone’s attention the entire day. I was ready to come home, and at one point ready to quit. Oh well, waning gibbous tomorrow, so it will be much better.

Tonight we all spent part of the evening watching the annual pledge drive on PBS. Now, before you think we have totally gone off the deep end, if you have never seen Celtic Woman you are really missing out! They are a tremendously talented group. Of course, I didn’t like them enough to make a pledge to PBS, but now that doesn’t matter, does it?

Speaking of PBS, I really do like some of their programming. I grew up watching Sesame Street, The Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact, and Doctor Who (which by the way is back on). Later in life I rediscovered it, and began watching Wishbone, Reading Rainbow, and The Antiques Road Show. Unfortunately, I can’t stand it that my tax money is going to support it! Why can’t public television and radio stations compete in the market place like everyone else? Generally they have a few programs that everyone likes. National Public Radio has Car Talk on Sundays. That’s pretty good. And of course there is (soft whisper) “All Things Considered on NPR News” (YUCK!). Oh well, enough of my soapbox there.

The following is a picture of my mom with the girls. I believe this is the first time she has made an appearance on the blog... "HI MOM!" .... haha...I always wanted to say that.

Down in the Mulligrubs

Today Cassidy was sick for most of the day. That has to be one of the most difficult things to deal with as a parent. At least Cassidy is old enough to tell us what is wrong, but she still looks at us with eyes that say, “Why can’t you fix me?” Fortunately she was feeling much better this evening, and we suspect it was just a flu virus.

Yesterday we took a quick trip over to Fairview Heights. Strangely enough, Amy and I were sitting at home wondering what we could do. Amy was really wanting to go to Old Navy, but I did not want to fight the traffic. Just as we were discussing it, the phone rang. It was our old friends from Christian Student Fellowship at SIUE, Tony and Tammy Jackson. They wondered if we wanted to meet them so they could pass on some home-school items to us. So off we went. The traffic was terrible, but the chance to catch up with some old friends was well worth the drive. Maybe next time we can spend a little more time with them. By the way, we have not yet decided to home school our children. The idea is of interest to us, but we still have a lot of time to make that decision.

The title of our blog here is, “Finding Our Place in Life.” Maybe it was meeting up with our old friends, or becoming more distant with recent ones, but it seems like lately that the goal has kept coming back to our minds. For reasons that elude us it is a most difficult goal to achieve. We often ask ourselves, “What should we be doing,” and “Are we where we are supposed to be?” Finding peace is progressively more difficult these days, and life just doesn’t seem to have the kind of meaning that we want. Maybe it is just the mulligrubs and seasonal depression, but we’ve felt this way for too long now. I’m sure everyone desires to do something great, and at some point in your life you realize that you are not going to be the one to make the sort of difference you had hoped to make in this world. Speaking for myself here, maybe that is what is happening. Maybe we are beginning to understand the “Fall,” and how God had created humans with such great potential. He had created them for so much more, but they (we) blew it. Is that what we feel? Maybe God called us to something and we said, “No.” Maybe He’s trying now, but we are so far away that his voice gets muddled in the noise. Is it that we doubt? Lack of Faith? Uncertainty? Fear? Whatever it is, we both hope it goes away. We need to see a little more clearly, have a little more purpose, and start doing whatever it is that God put us on this planet to do.

Simple Picture of Cassidy

Finally a Night Out

Amy and I finally had the chance to enjoy an evening to ourselves. Our friend Rachel watched the children for us while we went to eat at Applebees and shopping. Nothing major, but it was really nice to have a couple of hours to oursleves.

What else has been going on? Not a lot really. I said goodbye to Paige (my student teacher) and am trying to prepare for the next two final weeks of the regular semester. It always gets really busy about this time. Even now as I write this I'm considering going up to work at the high school. I really don't want to, but I need to at some point this weekend. Those of you who don't teach probably wonder, "Why does he have so much to do?" Its complicated. Something like this: lessons to prepare, papers to grade, papers to copy, tests to make up, grade reports to print of and make comments on, labs to set up, labs to take down, tardy reports to file, parents to call about students being tardy, and special education documentation. Much, much more, but I just got stressed thinking about it. Oh well, in two weeks and three days I will have a couple of weeks off! Yeah!