I really can't even begin to believe that July is upon us! This summer has flown by. June was a very busy month for both Luke and I. We were literally gone for part of every week in the month of June. We had family visits, went to Nashville for a conference, and were a part of my brother's wedding. Oh yeah, we have also been working at the school all summer.

It's hard for me to believe that my little brother is a married man right now. His wedding was beautiful and as he was taking his wedding vows, I have to admit, my eyes watered a bit. The girl he married is wonderful and my prayer is that they will have many happy years together. I pray that the Lord would keep them safe in everything they do and that they would have many blessings poured out upon them. I also pray that they would be an example of Christ in all they do and say.

In addition to everything that has been going on, Luke and I are also busy with three of our doctorate courses this summer. The good news is, we have only one more course to take in the fall. One course and dissertation and we will be officially done! Can you tell that I am counting down the days?

Other than that, we just continue to thank God for the many blessings He's poured out upon us and the fact that he has given us another day of life together. As I think about everything in my life, I can't help but be thankful for what God has done. He has truly blessed me with so much more than I could have ever of imagined. A wonderful husband who loves me despite my shortcomings, a beautiful house, a great job despite an economic crisis, the pursuing of a degree that I always wondered whether I could do it or not, two amazing dogs, an amazing family, and so much more. We are truly blessed. God you are so good!

I hope each of you are doing wonderful and when you get a free moment, remember to thank God for the many blessings in your life!

Jen

Yes, it's been some time since I last posted. So, I figured it was time for an update!

Things are well-school is out!! YEA!!! It's always such a great feeling to know that school is over and that you have a nice little 2-month break from the kids. I love the kids-but it's always nice to regroup and refresh.

On Tuesday, Luke and I will find out if indeed our administration jobs will be approved and go into effect. The good news is that we will be working this summer at the school as administrators. If the board approves the budget, then come Tuesday we will be good for the school year also as administrators-Luke as the dean of students and me as the curriculum coordinator. We are keeping our fingers crossed and trusting God.

Another area that I am having to trust God in is the fact that come Monday, I have to have a root canal and then at the end of next week, have surgery in my mouth. Basically, I have an extra tooth (not visible) that I've had since I was a little girl, that is harboring a cyst. Both the cyst and tooth need to come out. As one being who does not like pain and unfortunately, tends to think the worst when it comes to medical things (something I'm still trying to work on), I'm really having to trust God. Basically, I just want to get it over with! I'll keep you updated as the process moves on!

About two weeks ago, Luke and I came back from Tennessee with the seniors from our school. We had the opportunity to chaperone them while on their senior trip. It was quite a trip. Let me share with you some of the highlights:

* Bus broke down on our way to Tennessee. We were stuck at a Steak-n-Shake truck stop for like 6 hours.

* When we finally were on the road again, the bus was pulled over by a cop because the tail lights were not on.

* About 2 hours from the hotel in Georgia that we were supposed to stay at, traffic came to a complete stop due to an accident.

* We ended up having to make new reservations at a hotel that let's just say, would not be my first choice.

* Thursday, we finally make it to Tennessee. As we climbed the mountain in this charter bus, the bus gets stuck and ends up having to be towed down the mountain. Kids and chaperones had to "climb" the mountain with luggage and groceries in hand. Thankfully, cops arrived and the Chief of police helped us lug our luggage up the mountain in the his car.

* Because the bus could not make it up the mountain and because it ended up costing the bus company $1200 to tow the bus back down, needless to say, we had to figure out how we could get kids up and down the mountain each day since we would have no transportation. Luke and I ended up renting a car because that was our only option.

* Our first night there, one of our chaperons gets lost and calls 911 as she is frantically looking for our cabin. A couple of our boys ended up "rescuing" her.

It was quite an eventful trip. Let's just say this-I was happy to get home.

Tomorrow, Luke and I leave for our "in-town" vacation. We can't wait! Since we are working this summer, we had to choose to have in-town vacation. So, because we have free week of timeshare to use, we are staying at a resort that is close to Disney for the week! We can't wait! It's a 2-bedroom room and like 5 minutes from Disney and 15 minutes from work. The good thing about working during the summer is we only work from 8-1:30 Monday through Thursday. So, not only will we have our Friday's off, but we will also have our afternoons off.

OK, so there you have it! The latest and greatest! Hope each of you are doing great! Luke and I have a busy month(s) ahead of us. We leave for Nashville for training in June, my brother is getting married this month, and in July, we have our graduate studies conference to attend at Disney (we get to stay at the Contemporary, something I've wanted to do for a very long time), and we are currently taking 3 classes. Come August, we have one class and our dissertation to complete! So close to being done with this crazy doctorate! All I know is that we can't wait to have a HUGE party to celebrate!!

OK, keep in touch! I'll try to be better about this personal blog deal!

Jen

Well, spring break is over with. I'm so sad! Luke and I went to Charleston, SC with his parents and just had an absolutely wonderful time! It was so hard to come home! We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn near this harbor that was only like 2 minutes from downtown Charleston. This hotel was fabulous! We had a two bedroom suite and let me tell you, they know how to treat you right. Free breakfast everyday, free Internet, and many nights, they had free dinner. It was just wonderful! It was very hard to come home.

Along with that, the prices of houses in that area is absolutely disgusting! You can get a brand new 2500 square foot house for $210,000. Luke and I just couldn't believe it! Anyway, we really like the area and who knows, maybe one day we will move there! We really like the Carolinas. Additionally, I really felt like the light bulb finally went off in my head-I finally have a name to what I want to ultimately do-be an educational consultant! I really felt as though I finally realized how my past experiences, gifts, skills, and talents can be used along with combining my LOVE for coaching! So, I am really excited and believe it or not, my website will be changing shortly in order to focus on this new focus! I already have two students that I am working with!

We are now back into the swing of things-work and doctorate. This upcoming Friday I get to take my Seniors and AP students to see Macbeth on stage! So exciting! Also, in about a week, Luke and I get to take a group of students to a student leadership conference here in Orlando. I am very excited about that being that I LOVE this area of student ministry and work!

In May, Luke and I are also going to Gatlinberg, TN with the seniors for their senior trip. The seniors voted on who they wanted to go with them as chaperones and Luke and I were chosen! So, we are excited! Although, today I received a notice that I have to report for Jury duty on May 5th and basically, I have to be on call all month! YUCK!! So, I'm really hoping that that will not intrude with the senior trip!

Crazy as it may be, Luke and I already have a busy summer. In addition to now working being that we have been promoted, we at the end of May are staying at the Orange Lake resort near Disney for a week because my parents have a time-share and we have a free week to use! Additionally, our school may be sending Luke and I to TN for Kingdom School training. Also, June 28th my brother is getting married in Ft. Meyers. And then in July, Luke and I are staying at the Contemporary resort at Disney for the Nova Conference where we will be attending workshops that deal with our doctorate.

So, we are still going strong! And I don't even think that's all of it! I know I'm forgetting something about the summer that we will be taking part in!!

Lastly, I'm going to really try to do something about this writing I started while I was in seminary. As many of you know, I started writing a small book for high school girls/college girls about what my college years taught me. Well, I am finally going to meet up with someone who will help make corrections (grammar, punctuation, etc.) and will help guide me regarding my strengths and weaknesses. If anything, I may just provide it as an ebook (which has recently become very popular). Who knows, we will see!


Anyway, that's the latest! Keep us in your prayers!! We need it!!

Jen

Check out my latest Blog entry at:

www.coachjenniferbennett.blogspot.com

I'm a day late, but still, this is a powerful video. Make sure to take some time this weekend in not only praising God and who He is, but also thanking Him for allowing His Son to die on the cross so that we may be Saved! Praise God-Jesus Lives!

Well, here it is Tuesday and I'm a tad bit tired! I did not fall asleep last night until 12 am due to a coughing fit that would not stop! Gotta love that! And on top of that, I think someone (one of our neighbors who is never at home) was mowing his grass at 10 pm.

This week, the students have been SAT testing and one of the great things is that I was not a proctor this year. So what that means is that I have enjoyed my mornings free!

This past weekend Luke's family came to visit which was great! We had a great time seeing each other and celebrating Luke's birthday which was on the 5th.

One of the things Luke and I are considering is getting another car. Right now, we have one car and we are doing fine, but at times, it can get a bit rough when one of us needs to be somewhere else. We are looking for a used car that is priced extremely well-basically, we want to pay cash-no car payments. We've been looking now for a couple of weeks but nothing is popping up. What Luke wants, since it would be his car, is a black wagon. Yes, a wagon. But here's the funny thing-wagons are actually not that bad. A wagon in black with tinted windows, actually looks really great! Luke wants a big enough car that will hold us over while we have kids (whenever that might be), along with having enough room for the dogs, his guitar equipment, etc. So, needless to say, we are on the search, but are no hurry. We are looking at a Ford Focus wagon and a Suzuki Forenza wagon. Of course, we REALLY like the Volkswagen Jetta or Passat wagon, but I don't think we can justify the cost. So, if you come across any of these, let us know!

Next week I get to go to Tampa to meet up with some of my Life Purpose Coach friends who are holding a training. I'm looking forward to that-just being able to get into that atmosphere and hopefully, allowing it to be a time of refreshment because Lord knows I need it!

Many days, I still wonder how God is going to use all of this. I do enjoy my job and as I have mentioned before, I have no doubt that the Lord is going to use me in the realm of education. A couple of weeks ago I met with a lady who owns her own educational coaching company. She not only trains educators, but also works with students as they try to figure out life. It was a great dinner meeting and I may actually try to attend her training one day. But with that said, I'm just curious as to how the Lord is going to use everything in my life.

Right now, my heart is REALLY wanting to go to a writer's conference. I was really hoping to go to one last month, but it just didn't happen. I'm really hoping that the Lord will open up a door for me to attend sooner rather than later. I REALLY can't wait to focus on my writing once this doctorate is over with. So, we will see!

Ok, I gotta run. SAT testing is done! Students are coming into my classroom! More Later!

Well, I'm home today. This past week I have not been feeling all that great. Whatever Luke had, I in turn, got it. Yesterday, my voice started leaving me, so needless to say, when I woke up this morning, I just felt it would be best to stay home. No need in going to work and being a grump to my students all day-that just wouldn't be nice.

So, I've spent my day working on an assignment that is due this weekend-one of three. Luke's parents are coming in to town to celebrate his birthday so I figured I'd better get one of the assignments out of way. I've also cleaned the guest room sheets, washed and dried our clothes, and of course, taken a nap. So, it's been a pretty productive day. I've also been in my PJ's all day-gotta love that!

Tonight I'm meeting with Carol Carter, the founder of Lifebound. She actually is doing what I think I would REALLY like to do. She is an educational coach and has had the opportunity to write more than 20 books on helping teenagers discover who they are, their gifts, skills, talents, etc. Along with that, she has also written books on study skills, time management, etc. She is in town today speaking to the faculty at Seminole Community College and after sending me a free copy of each of her books, she asked me if I wanted to get together with her for dinner. So, I'm excited about the contact and looking forward to gaining some valuable information being that this is what my dissertation will be all about and also, she trains coaches to work within the field of education which really, is more of the direction I feel that the Lord is heading me in. Working with schools, faculty, and students in regards to making sure that students graduate knowing who they are, what direction they are walking in, and knowing what to expect when they hit the college campus. Make sure to check out my coaching blog where I specifically talk about this.

Anyway, I better go finish folding laundry and then get in the shower. I'll let you know how the meeting went!