Spring is Coming!

Hello Everyone!

We are just barely beginning to thaw out here in the north east. The past few weeks have brought extremely cold temperatures with wind chills reaching negative 20 at times. The snow is still is here in mounds but this week has high's in the mid 30's, which is wonderful! Joshua and I have been doing well this semester. I am happy to say that this week I officially accepted a position as a teacher-in-residence at a local elementary charter school. I will be co-teaching a first or second grade. It is a very cool program and as time goes on I will be given more and more teaching responsibility in the classroom, all while being mentored by a senior teacher. I am nervous, as always, for a new position but excited to be in a classroom. I am certain I will learn an immense amount of skills and strategies while there. The focus of the school is to give the low-income students the opportunity to attend college and close the achievement gap of higher income vs lower income schools. Joshua has been doing very well in his studies and is enjoying his classes this semester. He was recently awarded a scholarship to go to Israel this summer on an archaeological dig! It will be a very exciting trip for him as he will get the chance to explore Jerusalem and maybe dig up some super old pottery as well! :) We are still working on training for the half marathon, though the frigid temperatures have hindered that at times. Tonight we are spending our evening working on a puzzle we bought this morning. We hope everyone is doing well and are missing our families greatly from here in Connecticut.

Joshua and Alissa

Winter Time

Good Sunday Morning!

I hope everyone is enjoying the heart of winter in their warm homes. We have certainly had our share of winter storms thus far. Through most of January, Joshua and I were beginning to wonder if any snow was going to really come at all and we were both disappointed because Joshua had yet to experience his first real storm. Little did we know, we had no need to worry.Two weeks ago on Tuesday, the weather people were forecasting 20 to 30 inches of snow and high winds. Yale called off school the day before (which is something they hate to do; Yale prides themselves on always being open) because there was a driving ban. The whole city was basically shutting down. I had to go to work on Monday but spent my day calling patients to inform them we were closing early and would not be open the following day. It was an unexpected snow day! The next morning was enjoyable and Joshua and I began a tradition of "snow day cinnamon rolls". I have never made homemade cinnamon rolls before but they turned out pretty yummy. Sadly, we did not get 20 to 30 inches of snow but accumulated about 12-15 probably. It was still fun, however, and when we ventured outside all the neighborhood kids were sledding on the hill by the Divinity School. We had another storm the next Monday which made the roads worse than the first but because of the dud the week before, everyone was reluctant to close. I got stuck on a hill on my way home from work but Joshua came to my rescue and eventually made it out and got home safely. The temperatures have dropped very low at times as well and one morning the lock on our car was frozen and I had trouble getting to work. We are learning by experience what we need to make it; now we have a lighter :). They are predicting another storm coming tonight so we will see what is in store!

Joshua and I have begun training for a half marathon (I need your help Grandpa)! One of my friends asked if I would do it with her and thinking it would be good for my health and a good project I said yes. We have just finished our first week of training. The race date is May 30th. We will just keep pushing away and eventually make it. We are blessed to have a nice park near that has a river and is wooded so that is a nice area to run that is protected from the wind.

Joshua is having a good semester that is much more relaxed than last. The work load is different and he is settling into the Yale school demands. I am still working at the physical therapy office and getting more comfortable with the programs and the insurance. I am also working on starting my masters in Teaching, Elementary Education. I have a few pre reqs that I need to finish first but hopefully that will get underway soon. We have good friends and enjoy the times we get to spend together.
This was the beginning of the snow. The piles are much, much bigger now! We love all of you guys and will try to keep the blog updated a little more! Have a great week!!

Joshua and Alissa

Happy Harris'

Happy Holidays everyone! I know it has been forever since the blog has been updated. Much has happened since last time. Joshua and I have traveled a lot and have gotten the opportunity to see both of our families. Thanksgiving was a wonderful time spent in Ohio at my(Alissa's) parents home. Having planned to leave Wednesday evening after I finished work, we were posed with quite a dilemma when the forecast called for quite a bit of snow on the busiest travel day of the year. We decided we would play it by ear and decide during the day. The physical therapy office I work for closed early because of the weather and we decided to begin our 10 ish hour drive to Ohio. Thankfully we were out of the snow very quickly and made it safely to Ohio early the next morning. We spent Thursday through Saturday with family and enjoying multiple Thanksgiving meals. It was a great refresher to be able to be with family and in a familiar area. We headed back home and Joshua had about two more weeks of school to push through. As the Christmas season was approaching we were able to attend a couple of celebrations here on Yale Campus. The Divinity school hosted an Advent service and nice meal afterward. Joshua and I headed back to our apartment pretty quickly because I had come straight from work and it was getting later. Later we heard the party continued until late into the night and there was some dancing involved. Joshua and I were not disappointed in hearing we missed that but got a laugh in imaging how that went. We were also blessed with the opportunity to take a trip to Battell Chapel to listen to the Advent Concert put on by the Institute of Sacred Music. Unfortunately, because we are still trying to figure out the shuttle schedule, we were a little late and the chapel was completely packed. We thought we were going to have to go back and celebrate Christmas in a different way but the usher informed us there was an empty row upstairs that was reserved but the people never came. To our delight we had gotten probably the best seats in the Chapel! It was a beautiful concert (mostly in German but we had our translation sheets :))

Joshua and I have had a fun time decorating for Christmas around our little apartment and even bought a mini tree and some ornaments to decorate. We put up some lights around our window and just took them down over New Years. It is fun to start with decorations of our own and to think we will be using these same ornaments for years to come.

The weekend of December 13, I flew down to Texas for my college roommates wedding while Joshua stayed home and worked on a paper for Old Testament. It was a really good time down there and I got to see my sister, Sara, who was not able to make it up to Ohio for Thanksgiving. The weather was perfect for the wedding and it was fun to see her as well as many college friends. 

The next Monday after I came home from Texas Joshua went to California. It was a very busy time for us as we went to different airports multiple times within days of each other. I had to stay back in Connecticut to finish out work for the week. Joshua had worked tirelessly and finished his final paper so he would be able to relax in California with his family without having homework on his mind. On Friday I was able to fly out to California and join Joshua for the wedding of his cousin, Jarod. It was a beautiful wedding and a great time with family. We spent the following couple of days in California but unfortunately had to fly back to New Haven on Christmas day so I could work the next day.  Joshua has been working hard this break to get a jump start on next semester which starts next week. Last night we enjoyed ourselves at the Yale ice hockey game. Tromping down through the snow, we managed to have soaking wet feet but had  lot of fun as Yale beat Vermont 3-1. 

Because Joshua is a student we had the option of sitting in the fist four rows which made it even more fun. We are enjoying each other and are already anxiously awaiting the next time we can see family. Our schedules are becoming regular again as we do not have much on the schedule for now. We love all of you and hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! Joshua and Alissa

Veritas

Good Evening. The seasons are quickly changing as most of the leaves have gently fallen and the chill of winter is blowing in. The forecast called for snow flurries Thursday evening, yet the view Friday morning from our window showed none of that white magic. Joshua and I are anticipating the inaugural snowfall of the season: a highly criticized opinion, as most people here are already counting down the days until summer. This past week was filled with various activities and varying degrees of interest. Christmas shopping, babysitting and work filled our days, while the two highlights of the week were the Veritas Forum and Divsgiving. The Veritas Forum is an event done at many different schools all across the nation that feature two speakers (usually one who identifies with the Christian faith and one that does not). This years event at Yale featured Dr. Kagan, a philosophy professor at Yale, and N.T. Wright, a New Testament professor at St. Andrews University in the UK. The discussion is meant to be friendly and they try to avoid the word debate. It was a nice evening and the discussion failed to even reach the anticipated topic, Living Well in the Light of Death, because both the professors were asking many questions of each other. I appreciated the ability of the men to be honest with each other and admit the difficulties within their views. The event took place in Battell Chapel, another beautiful place on campus we had yet to see.

 The following morning Joshua got to have breakfast with N.T. Wright and a small group of students. Last night was Divsgiving, an annual meal with the other Divinity students. I made some challah rolls and we sat and talked with our friend Jonathan. It is nice that we are beginning to really develop friendships among some fellow students. Joshua has one more week of classes then gets to take a week off for Thanksgiving. We will be headed to my parents house on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and spend a couple of days there. We are happy to see everybody and get some time away from New Haven. Work is still a learning experience and I am very grateful to have a job but have decided I do not want to do this for the rest of my life. Hopefully next school year will open up some opportunities for me to get a job in a school again. I am still looking at some schooling programs and trying to decide what I would like to do. Other than that we are having fun and love all of you guys! Love, Joshua and Alissa

Finishing up Fall

Hello All! This past week has gone well as Joshua and I are preparing for the cold that is quickly headed our way. Although we still have pleasant days,many are rather chilly, requiring  full coat and gloves. It is crazy to think that Joshua is almost one fourth of the way through his program already. I do not think he would come to that conclusion quite as quickly as the bulk of the papers that have yet to be written remain on his mind. We are having fun, though, and taking time to spend with people and get to know the wide range of people living near. Today we went on a hike at Sleeping Giant State Park with about 20 other Yale Divinity school students/spouses. It was a very international group consisting of people from Germany, England, Singapore, Hong Kong and Jamaica. It is a fun experience to spend time with such a variety of nationalities. It is funny how some stereotypes prove to be true with those you are with such as the British man wearing a tweed jacket and scarf to go hiking and the Jamaicans wearing a bright smile and bubbly personalities. It was a short hike (1.6 miles each way) that provided great views from the top.

In this picture you can see the Long Island sound in the distance and the city of New Haven is on the right side of the horizon. Sadly, the peak of the leaves has come and gone and many trees lay bare. It was still so nice to get out in nature and have some fun! Last night we had some other friends over to play a board game and eat some pumpkin bread. I really enjoy baking and like to make something sweet when we have people over. We had a lot of fun and most of our friends stayed until past 1 am. These are the only nights me and Joshua are not in bed before ten. This week we have some exciting things coming up. N.T. Wright, a well known Biblical scholar, will be in town on Wednesday and Friday is Divsgiving. The whole Divinity school community gets together and eats a traditional Thanksgiving meal. We are very excited as we will be making our way to Ohio in a few weeks for Thanksgiving then to California for Christmas a few weeks after that. We are very blessed to be able to be making these trips as we know many friends who will not be able to head home for financial reasons or not being able to get off work. We love our families and are sooo sooo sooo excited!

I am still working about 34 hours a week and although I do not love the position, it is a good job and provides for now. I will hopefully get some sort of teaching job next year and am looking into masters of education programs. Joshua is still working away very hard and learning lots and lots of vocab words. We hope that you guys are all doing well and look forward to seeing as many of you as we can in the future. Love, Joshua and Alissa

Breathe

Hello everyone! Change has not ceased to come our way. Change is the driving force of life to some and misery that evokes the greatest fear to others, yet it seems like most of us end up somewhere in the middle. That is exactly where Joshua and I have found ourselves in these past months. We have learned to truly appreciate where others are coming from, yet hold firmly to our convictions. It feels as though we have taken that breath you take when you are first learning to scuba dive and the regulator finally feels comfortable. Underwater, no longer on land, in a new environment, learning to breathe the same oxygen, only you have to be directly hooked up to your life supply. Struggling, feeling anxious and uncomfortable while trying to make things work can only cease when one remembers the oxygen will continue to come through the regulator. The Lord is our oxygen and will continue to sustain us.
As far as our daily life, we have had a lot of fun and continue to really love married life. Joshua had a wonderful birthday! We celebrated with pumpkin cheesecake (two of Joshua's favorite things) and a trip to Olive Garden on the following Sunday.

Reading week commenced this week for Joshua. Yale did well in the naming because it is exactly what it sounds and not much like a break. He has made some really good headway on a paper and reviewed the many different paradigms for his languages. Today Joshua has gone hiking with two of his friends to the northwest corner of Connecticut. I was jealous but had work today, which I am thankful for, though I would rather be hiking. :) I started my job last Monday at 20 hrs a week. It has been a lot of learning but I am making my way and slowly understanding the system better. If you have any questions about insurance and physical therapy don't be afraid to ask me because after this job I will be an expert! This Monday I was very blessed to have my work hours increase to 34 hours a week! This is incredible for us and I was not expecting it at all. I was told there would be a chance my hours would go up in the new year but am very grateful it happened so soon. Last week Joshua and I went to a Yale volleyball game. It was a lot of fun and memories of playing came to mind. 

There was an ebola scare here a little over a week ago. A graduate student was helping put together a computer system or something to do with that in Africa and after his return was showing ebola like symptoms. There were emails sent out to all of campus and quite a bit of commotion. The Yale shuttle I take to work each day had to go off-route because of a press conference being conducted at the medical school. The results from the CDC indicated the man did not have ebola, yet they would keep him and his co-worker in isolation for 21 days. We are thankful there was no ebola, yet it was quite a scare.  We are really looking forward to the holiday season and hope that we have the opportunity to see as much family as we can. My quilt is finished, though very small. I am hoping it will be a good size to swaddle a newborn. The temperature is dropping and most days the highs are in the low 60's or high 50's. It is crazy to think that in just a little over a month Joshua will be a quarter of the way through his master's program. He is doing so well! We are thinking about all of you guys and hope you are doing well. Love you guys! Joshua and Alissa

Big Wins!

Hey guys! Good things have been happening around New Haven for the Harris'. To begin with, I got a job! It is a part time receptionist job at a physical therapy office in downtown New Haven. Although it is only part time, I am encouraged that I have some kind of job and happy that I have found something to fill my days. Because it is only part time, I am still searching for something else that will help us out, so your continued prayers for that would be appreciated. Joshua is also working now! He gets to sit at the entrance of the Divinity school and greet guests while answering any questions that may arise. It is a blessing because he can get some homework done while working and the commute is about 300 ft! :) The weather is cooling here as the leaves are beginning to crunch beneath our feet and change before our eyes. Sleeping Giant, a state park just up the road, may be our host this weekend for a fall foliage hike. Last weekend Joshua and I had the opportunity to go to the Yale vs. Army football game. Expecting Yale to get blown out, we prepared our competitive spirits before hand for disappointment and a rather boring game. This year, however, is the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Yale Bowl. Serving as the model after which the Rose Bowl was built, the Yale Bowl has much history. It was because of the "bowl" shape of this stadium that the big games at the end of the football season are called now bowl games and Yale Bowl even serves as the root of the name of the Super Bowl. Even if one remembers that the game of football was greatly formed at and through Yale, this is still a fun surprise. As we entered the stadium, which seats 60,000, we made our way to the student section. Because we were playing the Army (a.k.a. Westpoint, or the Black Knights, or the Academy) and celebrating this anniversary, the game ball was supposed to be delivered by a parachutist. It was very, very cool. If you squinted your eyes just enough and stared into the sun at just the right angle, you might have been able to make out the four parachutists jump from the helicopter and let their parachutes out.

The inexperienced parachutists, like me, had absolutely no idea how each jumper was going to successfully land on the 50 yd line. One by one they circled around the stadium, making their last turn and seemingly racing towards the ground with much speed, yet at the last second gently put their legs straight and walked right towards the 40 yd line.

 It was very spectacular. Josh and I, along with some friends with us, agreed that, even though we were going to get blown out, coming for the parachutists was worth it.  As the game went on, Yale hung on and showed they are a tough team. The end of the fourth quarter brought overtime and although we had to leave at this point,

Yale went on to win the game! Today is Joshua's birthday and we are looking forward to celebrating tonight. We love all of you guys!

Joshua and Alissa