Blessings and Friends!

This past weekend was an amazing one--full of many blessings and friends. I went down to Berrien Springs to visit one of my best friends Melanie. It was a spiritually charged weekend and a fun one as well. On Sabbath, my friend Reuben preached. His sermon touched on the fact that it is our God-given commission to make disciples. But in order to make disciples, it is important to know what a disciple is. What are the characteristics of a disciple? He then took us to John 13:35 that says we will know a disciple by one main characteristic--love for one another. That love consists of being willing to give and receive reproof and correction that is intended to build up another person and help them in their quest to be more like Jesus. The motto that we each should have when a person shares with us our faults is to say, "Thank you for caring enough to share." It may not always be easy to take, but if it means having a character more like Christ's than it is more than worth it!

After church we had a young people's potluck during which I found a little bat drowning in the toilet! Poor thing! He was more than grateful to be rescued. (To say the least, he shocked me a great deal. That is not what you expect to find in the toilet!) Then after visiting and singing to several individuals in the community, we went to the beach to have sundown worship. It was amazing!! I miss the beach so much. Here are a few pictures...


Melanie and I. Melanie is one of the most awesome friends you could ask for! Thanks for letting me spend the weekend with you!



There were some awesome dunes that you could jump from. Here Melanie and I are trying pair jumping. Kyle says that we are so good we are on our way to Beijing for the Olympics. I do think our landing needs a bit more work!











Crazy friends are the best. Do we win the prize for cheeziness?



I had no idea Melanie was making a funny face and she had no idea I was. Well, here is the result. Great minds think alike!



On my way down! Thankfully Reuben caught me.













This is how people from Tennessee wear their pants. Or maybe it is how they keep their neck warm. We are still trying to figure it out. Maybe Kyle can help us understand the mind of a Tennessean...











Kyle's prized catch--fillet of sole.









These next four pictures are the artistic talent of Melanie. I think they are awesome and wanted to share them...

Great Bear Tips!

Today I was doing some research on the internet to learn more about my new home in Lillooet British Columbia. I came across a website for the District of Lillooet British Columbia that has tons of information about its history, things to do, places to see, etc. One of the sections had pictures of wildlife that live in the area including mountain goats, big horn sheep, cougars, and of course, bears. I was especially amused by the caption under the picture of the bear.

Wear small bells to warn bears you're coming and carry pepper spray. Black Bears are in the area if you see 'scat' with berries and rabbit fur in it. Grizzly Bears are in the area if you see 'scat' that smells like pepper and has small bells in it.

Wow! That's one important informational tip! I will have to remember that when I get to Canada. I think I'd rather look out for the bells though considering I don't treasure the thought of sniffing bear 'scat'! I'll let you know if I come across any when I am up there.

Musings About Brussel Sprouts

I have been doing a lot of serious thinking today...about brussel sprouts. (Ok, please don't laugh. I have been submerged up to my eyeballs in Algebra 1 preparation for next school year so I needed something a little less "brainy" to think about!) So if you care to know my deepest thoughts about brussel sprouts, then read on...

I can vividly remember my childhood exposure to those little round green things that my mom tried to convince me were little cabbages. All her prodding and coaxing never convinced me of that fact. Granted, I liked cabbage, but those little “look-a-likes”? Ugh, I just despised them. But none the less, my mom always insisted I had to eat at least one or two every time she served them. (She said they were good for me. Hmmm. Do all good things have to taste that bad?) No matter what I drowned them in—salt, salad dressing, etc.—I could never escape that unique brussel sprout flavor. It permeated through everything.

Well that was during my childhood. Thankfully now, mom doesn’t make me eat them. But they still frequent the dinner table. Especially in the last four months or so, my mom and sister have been having major cravings for brussel sprouts. (I know, I am still in shock and disbelief.) From what they have told me, they eat them at least once or more a week. But thankfully I haven’t been living at home to experience this latest craze at the Osterman house. But just in the nine days I have been home, they have already appeared on the table twice. Well, today, was one of those days. I decided to be brave and actually see if my childhood dislike has somehow morphed into at least a tolerance for the little “cabbages.” I had some leftover Italian dressing in my salad bowl, and thought that maybe it would help to at least drown out that brussel sprout flavor and make it somewhat tolerable. After making sure they were well drenched, I bravely faced the taste test. The result? Even after all that dressing, that pungent flavor still screamed at me—“I am a brussel sprout. You can’t get rid of me no matter how hard you try!” As I choked down the rest of the sprout in my bowl, the text came to mind, “Can a leopard change his spots or a brussel sprout its flavor.” (quoted from the Textus Autumnus)

My sister chided me and said that I should congratulate that sprout for maintaining its true identity and not letting anything change what it really is deep down inside. Well, I guess from that point of view, I will just have to concede that once a brussel sprout always a brussel sprout and I will just have to refrain from eating them.

Whirlwind!

Life has been a whirlwind since I got back from Broadview Academy on June 7th. I left for Ann Arbor on the 8th for my friend's wedding. I was there till the 11th. I then spent two days in Troy visiting my Bible study contacts. I came home on the 13th to unpack, do laundry, and then repack to go to campmeeting on the 14th. We just got back Sunday night and I immediately started sorting through all my belongings trying to decide what I will be taking to Canada. In addition, I have been on the phone a lot with the principal at Fountainview Academy trying to work out next years course schedule, finalizing what classes I will be teaching, looking over all the course outlines, objectives, etc. of the classes I will be taking over from other teachers, reviewing the provincial requirements for the courses I will be teaching, and getting all the immigration stuff squared away. Whew! I think I could use a summer break in the midst of all of this!

But somehow, I have been able to snatch a few minutes to post some long overdue entries! So here is another one of my time at campmeeting.

It was a wonderful week and a half of spiritual upliftment, Christian fellowship, and challenging messages. I went to a series on the Old and New Covenants by Skip McCarty. It was a wonderful, insightful lecture that takes a look at this issue from a whole new perspective. Although I spent a great deal of time studying this topic when I was in Troy (since that seemed to be the big topic with a lot of my contacts), I liked the new insights I learned in these lectures. If you ever get the chance, pick up McCarty's book titled In Granite or Ingrained. You will enjoy the read!

I also ventured out on a limb this year at campmeeting. For years, Staci has tried to get me involved in some major public speaking endeavors, but for those of you who know me well, that has always frightened me. This year she couldn't be on the Sabbath School panel for campmeeting like she was last year. She asked me to fill her place. My first response, you have got to be kidding! But I promised to pray about it and ask God to give me the courage to do it if I felt he was leading that way. Well, I finally agreed to do it and God blessed so much! Of course I was so nervous at first but God was good. This is a picture of us on the panel before we got started. All the ones of us during the discussion were out of focus.















Both Sabbaths, we were blessed with some great company. The first Sabbath, Diana Santos, Kyle Allen, and Sedric Benson came over for lunch. And the last Sabbath, Kyle and Michael Goetz. It was all so much fun!















And no, it is not the traditional Adventist haystacks. We had Korean food instead!















btw, that is not a worm in Kyle's mouth!















Craziness!















Oh, thanks Michael for the grilling session! Hope your mind is at ease now!

The Joining of Two Lives

On June 10, I had the awesome privilege of being in my friend Joe Lee's wedding. Joe has been a wonderful friend over the last several years. Some of my fond memories with him include hours spent at the registration table at the General Youth Conference, hours spent on the phone at all crazy hours of the night, long talks about his kids and my kids (students at our respective academies), and deep conversations about life, God, our respective plans and goals for the future, and a myriad of other things. When Joe asked me to be a part of his special day, I couldn't have been more excited! I have enjoyed getting to know Shannon through Joe and watch their friendship blossom and grow into a life-long love for one another. I couldn't wish a better partner for Joe. Shannon is wonderful for him.

To see two lives commit to one another is such an incredible event. To think that they will no longer go through life apart, but instead function as one unit with the same goals, thoughts, ideals, and aspirations is an amazing thing. It just shows the beauty of the institution God created in Eden. He saw that two lives knit together as one would be such a powerful, inspiring thing that together they could help one another grow in love, selfliness, and humility.

I remember having a conversation with a friend once and he told me something I don't think I will ever forget. In regards to lifelong singleness, he mentioned that it is one of those things that God calls only a few to take part in. He went on to explain that the development of a Christlike character is easier in a marriage setting because then you have two people rubbing against one another, softening and subduing each other's character and polishing each other's rough edges. But in singleness, you don't have all these encounters. Thus, it could be potentially more difficult to have your character brought to perfection. Thus, lifelong singleness is something that God only calls a few to share because he knows that for most of us, we need the love, affection, and yes, even correction that can be given through a spouse to help us have a character like Christ's. Interesting thought.

So, here are a few photos of my wonderful friends on their wedding day...



















Joe and Shannon. Don't they look happy!



















Joe and I. Joe, you have been such a great friend throughout the years!















Another one of Joe and I.















Shannon and I.















The newlyweds and I. I am so glad that now I have gained a new friend in Shannon. Shannon, I love you so much! You are awesome! I'm glad you married Joe!

And here are some other random pictures of the wedding party...















While the photographer was taking pictures of the bride and groom, we ladies were having fun posing the guys and taking our own photos! We are pretty good photographers, aren't we?
(From left to right: John Lee-Joe's brother and best man, Sebastien Braxton, Justin Prosser, and Albert Kim)















The three stooges--Albert, Sebastien, and Justin... these guys were having too much fun picking on me throughout the weekend! Thanks guys for making me laugh the entire time!















This was the ride in the limo with Shannon's brother, Justin--the mighty marine! Thanks, man, for being a great escort over the weekend! I don't think I have laughed that much in quite awhile!















The entire wedding party. It was such a fun weekend with everyone!



















And then of course, my wonderful sister!

News Break! Bandits break into principal's attic

Earlier this spring, a pair of masked bandits broke into the attic of Randy Siebold, principal of Broadview Academy. After hearing sounds of scurrying feet in the roof above their heads, he and his family decided to investigate. The identity of these masked bandits? A family of raccoons who had taken up residence in their attic. After the live capture and release of the mother, the Siebold's became the proud parents of a few squirming, screaming baby raccoons. Being very young, only one survived. Now a couple of months old, this little survivor has been given to a lady who has been raising another raccoon and will soon be transitioned to the wild.

Here are a few pictures of the little guy!
































Isn't he cute!





























This little guy started getting pretty frisky as he got older! He loved to explore your face with his hands. The bottoms of his feet felt so funny!

Holding this raccoon made me long for heaven when it won't be a novelty to hold a wild creature. Instead, all these wild creatures will be just like house pets! That will be so much fun! I think I might have my own zoo up there!

I still exist....!

**updated on Jun 24**

Hear ye, hear ye, O ye from the outside world! I know it has been forever since I posted, but I have a good excuse for that one! The internet access at Broadview Academy was annoying! Half the time my account didn't work, the other half the time I was connected to the student network which blocked a myriad of different sites including my blogsite, and then spattered somewhere in the middle of that was a crazy schedule that didn't allow for activities such as keeping the outside world up-to-date with the occurrences in the life of Autumn Osterman. And so, lo and behold, here is the latest in my life. I may have to post several along the way to get you all caught up, but at least here is a start...

First, here are a few photos of my students. One of the senior sponsors wasn't able to go with the seniors on their senior trip, so I was elected to fill their spot. It was great fun! We stayed at a really nice lodge at the Adventist camp in Wisconsin. The seniors had a lot of different activities planned for the three-day-get-away. I think the best was the water park! I had such a blast! I also enjoyed the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum there. There were some pretty crazy things in there! Ok, so here are the photos...

Here are just a few other random photos of my Broadview days.

Some of my students

Dr. Siebold (my awesome principal), his wife Brenda, their son Fredy, and myself