http://web.me.com/atebbe/Site/Blog/Blog.html iWeb 2.0.3 http://web.me.com/atebbe/Site/Blog/Entries/2009/6/18_Fun_with_the_Nieces.html 2122299b-e0ce-4a6c-8d6f-855b0955b429 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:04:00 -0500 It’s always great to see my nieces. Recently I spent an evening hanging out with Dan and Michelle and their girls. Dan and Michelle traveled back to Germany the next day, so I spent the night to help drive to the airport in the morning. http://web.me.com/atebbe/Site/Blog/Entries/2009/6/18_BFA_Graduation.html 1478a5cf-fa96-4623-89f9-1ad7eb047bd9 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:43:54 -0500 Every year at BFA we say goodbye to our seniors in a touching, and highly personal, graduation ceremony. Because the senior class is small in comparison to most, our director says a personal word about each graduate. The ceremony ends with the theme from Gettysburg, by far the best music I’ve heard for that kind of occasion. It’s so triumphant! The ceremony is followed by lots of goodbyes and a reception, where most of the above pictures were taken. Seniors of BFA, especially HBR, I’m proud of all of you and was blessed to be a part of your life for two years! I’ll miss you all! http://web.me.com/atebbe/Site/Blog/Entries/2009/6/18_Sausenberg_Camping.html 4afb081b-98de-4bef-b445-189fb3a7bd0b Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:18:23 -0500 Deep in the hills of the Black Forest near the Kandern area lies an old castle. Not much remains of it, apart from a few old walls and a tower. The castle is a popular day-time hiking destination and a local favorite for campouts. It has an excellent fire pit, complete with benches, and best of all one can climb to the top of the tower and sleep under the stars, away from bugs and mischievous teenagers. It has been my goal for two years to camp up there with some of my students, and the weekend before graduation I finally accomplished it! Brandon and I took the entire senior class of HBR (thirteen of us altogether) up there one night. We enjoyed a roaring campfire, various kinds of wurst and the exciting chaos of trying to find everyone a sleeping spot at the top of the tower. Falling asleep under the stars will be one of the most vivid memories of my two years at BFA. Most of our kids haven’t been camping very much, and I’m not sure the experience endeared them to glories of the great outdoors. It was one of the coldest, and certainly one of the windiest, nights I’ve ever spent outside. The wind howled and roared and at times in the night, in my sleepy delirium, it felt like it was lifting me off the ground. All the same, I loved the wildness of it all - I loved feeling ‘washed’ by the wind all night. As it turns out, only one of us slept well that night - everyone else was kept awake shivering. One of my students confessed to praying that God would tell Brandon and me, in the middle of the night, to wake everyone up and return to HBR. Brandon thoughtfully stated that it might have been the worst night’s sleep he’s ever had in his life. Good times! http://web.me.com/atebbe/Site/Blog/Entries/2009/6/18_Entry_1.html 851b4a73-2d2b-48f6-b4cf-999b19427ba0 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:50:54 -0500 Every year, at the end of the year, BFA throws a nice dinner for its staff. The purpose is to appreciate the staff at BFA, and the night is aptly named Staff Appreciation Dinner. The main events of the evening occur when they haul up everyone who’s been at BFA for 2, 5, 10, 15, etc... years and shower them with accolades. They also call up everyone who’s leaving and thank them for their service. Throughout the night there are door prizes. Several of us were in the process of complaining that we never win any of these things when my name was called! Ten Swiss francs to Starbucks. Mmmm.... As with any of these things, the key to enjoying the evening is to sit with your friends. Meeting new people is always good, but it’s always good to have at least one good friend at your table. I was able to sit with Brandon, Lizzy and Rachel, and we had a good time together. Everyone was given paper and pencils and asked to draw a portrait of Tim Shuman, the director, over the course of the meal. Brandon and I enthusiastically put a lot of work into the assignment. The results are pictured above. http://web.me.com/atebbe/Site/Blog/Entries/2009/6/18_End_of_the_Year.html d566800f-dca7-405b-b5c6-81b4e35a862e Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:23:03 -0500 Well, it’s been forever since I last updated this blog. The end of the year at BFA was very full and basically demanded my full attention. Needless to say, there’s lots to report and there will be several entries in a row. Let’s start with Laura and Mark’s graduation this last May. I was able to fly back to the U.S. to surprise Laura. She was, of course, very beautiful in her graduation dress. Right now she’s in Germany finishing up some credits on a Wheaton in Germany program. I’m so proud of all her hard work and of the way she persevered to the end!