Last day of class

Monday was our last day of teaching Financial Literacy at the IRC. What a sad day! We have LOVED teaching our refugee friends every Monday. This month they were recently arrived from Burundi.

Every group of students seems to start at a different level, but with our last class we had to start with the basics--like "This is a nickel. Let's practice saying nickel." We also taught them about US banking, how to get a good credit score, etc, but I really think they were just a little overwhelmed.

We are going to miss teaching this class. The refugees are such a refreshing group to spend time with. They remind us to love life despite its obstacles, and to appreciate our blessings.

Hopefully we can find a similar place to volunteer in Chicago.

Ode to boxes

Yes, this is our home office.

You know, it's funny. Everyone that I tell we're packing up says the same thing: "Oh man, I hate moving." And I keep thinking, "okay, could at least try to be positive!" But the truth is, I've never done a real move before. I've moved a few boxes around while in college (I never really had that much stuff). And when we got married I just moved my few boxes into Mike's place. So I've never really done the "I have a lot of nice stuff that I don't want to get scratched" move. Until now. Mike and I are getting ready to move (Wednesday is the big day), and we are slowly realizing it will be a bit more painful than we originally imagined. Luckily, we have awesome people to help out (thanks all you that are helping). I just hope and pray that it all goes smoothly. Wish us luck! I'll post some sweet Chicago pictures soon (once we actually get there)...

CFA news

Mike spent all spring studying for the level 1 CFA test (Chartered Financial Analyst). He just found out today that he passed! Congrats to Mike! We just went to lunch to celebrate.

Happy Birthday Mike!

Since Mike is the most wonderfully perfect husband in the whole world, I took him rock climbing for his birthday. It was a blast. Although after 3 hours I was so sore that my arms felt like jello.

...and planned a superstar bithday dinner.

"Wow check out this sweet strawberry pie!"

I know it may sound funny to want a pie instead of birthday cake, but that's what Mike wanted. So attempted to make it for him. Keep in mind that it was the first time in my entire life I had ever made a strawberry rhubarb pie...growing up in California we didn't eat pies a whole lot. It was a fun adventure. Miraculously, it actually turned out pretty good!

Mike helped me plan the

dinner menu:

bruschetta

steamed asparagus with roasted garlic aioli

campanelli with asparagus, basil, and balsamic glaze

strawberry rhubarb pie, a la mode

And then...I took Mike to see Transformers.

You may be thinking (unless you're a guy): "Out of all the movies, that is the one movie he wanted to see most??" The answer is yes.

Surprisingly, I liked it too. I think it helped that he warned me that there probably wouldn't be much of a plot, just a lot of explosions.

Happy bithday Mike. I just adore you.