Lots of new things have been happening in the lives of Ben and Jenn! :) Ben got a new job in Grand Rapids, MI, which is a beautiful city and a great location for us. He is a “Learning and Development Generalist,” which means he basically develops training programs for his employees. He has a lot of responsibility and is in charge of a lot of things, so he’s really excited about it. He has been working there for almost 3 weeks now and is really enjoying it. I will start my 2nd year of Graduate school in about 2 weeks. The first year went by very quickly and I learned a lot, so I’m looking forward to this next year. That’s a quick summary about our lives, but make sure to look at our pictures!! I put A LOT on our website!!! Enjoy!!!! :)

It has been so long since I have written to you. How are you all doing? I remember a year ago when Huangshi turned from winter to spring. It was so beautiful there with the flowers and trees. It is also turning beautiful here in Michigan. The sunshine is out, flowers are blooming, trees are growing their leaves back, and we don’t have to wear coats anymore! **********Ben and I are doing so well together. We are growing together and loving each other more and more. Since we have returned from China, life here has been good, but challenging. Ben is still looking for a good job. While he’s looking we’re both still teaching (but school ends in about 5 weeks) and I am still going to graduate school. Although we would love to move and have Ben get a job, we are trying every day to make the BEST out of our situation and are happy! ********** We are able to spend a lot of time with our friends and doing things that we really enjoy! I love talking with my friends about China and you guys. It was such a fun experience for us, so it’s wonderful to share with them. **********Ben’s brother is now studying Chinese in Shanghai and is really enjoying it. He loves to skateboard (do you know what that is?) and there is a big skate-park in Shanghai. He’s learning lots of Chinese and is able to communicate with the locals there. *********Ben’s birthday is May 11th! He’ll be 25 years old. I’m not sure yet what I should surprise him with, but I’m sure I’ll think of something. ********I hope you all are enjoying yourselves. You all are so special. See Ya!

Sorry that it has been SO long for me to write to you all again. I have been busy with school and work lately. So here is an update about us...Ben and I are both teaching almost every day (filling in for teachers who can't be at school that day. It's amazing how many times teachers miss school here) in either the elementary, middle or high schools. I met a girl who goes to the high school here and she is from Hong Kong. She is living here with a family for just one year to experience this kind of life. When I saw her, it made me miss you all. *********Ben and I enjoy teaching and motivating students but are ready to do something else. Ben has been looking for jobs for a long time now, so it’s hard to be patient and trust God sometimes but we continue to be strong and love each other. ************** School is going well for me. I’m very busy with it, but am really enjoying it! I love learning and working hard. ***********My best friend from high school had a baby on Thursday (March 8, 2007), so we went to the hospital where she was staying. I got to see and hold the baby. He was so little and cute! Also, we’ve been spending some time with friends. We really enjoy our friends and love getting together with them. We consider you all our friends also….and miss spending time with you!!! ******************Ben’s brother is now living in Shanghai and attending Fudan University. He is there learning Chinese, so if you ever get a chance to visit Shanghai maybe you can visit him. His name is Jay Meador and he lives in the international dorm. *******************We hope you all had a wonderful Spring Holiday, visiting your family or whatever else you were doing. We think about you guys a lot!******The weather is warming up here. The sun has been shining for the last few days and all of the snow is starting to melt. I LOVE spring. It always puts me in a good mood. I'll try to upload some pictures for you all to see soon.

I'm so excited to talk with you guys again! Ben and I are doing well. As I am writing this, Ben is having an interview at a company. He's really excited about the possible job opportunity. I just got home from teaching. It was a fun day! **** I have been SO busy lately studying for different exams in my class. This class is taking a lot of my time, but I feel that I am really learning a lot. I am learning about the way people develop and why they behave the way they do. It's very interesting stuff!****** Ben and I have been spending lots of time with friends and really enjoying it. Our friends are wonderful and it is nice to be able to spend time with them. Although we enjoy our friends here, we really miss you all. I always catch myself thinking about China and you. It was such a cool year for us. I wish we could spend time together whenever we wanted to!******* So, Ben's brother named Jon has decided to go to China to study at Fudan University in Shanghai to study Chinese. He's really excited about it and leaves in about 20 days. Maybe if Ben and I have enough money we will visit him and then possibly be able to visit Huanghsi again!****** This Sunday we are getting together with a bunch of our friends to watch the Superbowl (do you know what that is?). The Superbowl is HUGE in America. It's the final football (American football) game of the season. So Ben and I are getting together with a lot of our friends to watch it on t.v. That will be fun! I have posted a few more FUN pictures of Ben and me. I hope you enjoy! By the way, you can click on the picture to make it bigger if you want to. Lots of Love!

There was a huge ice storm that FROZE everything outside!!! It rained and then the temperature fell below freezing. It was beautiful but dangerous. About 20,000 homes were without electricity because of it. I uploaded a few pictures for you to see! ********************* I'm so glad you all like our blog! That makes us so happy. Thanks for all of your comments. It's great to hear from you guys! This is such a BUSY time for you with exams! Good Luck. We're thinking about you all. I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Spring Festival! That's such a fun and important time for you. I hope you're able to enjoy it and relax!! Lots of love to you all in China from us in America!