Two Weeks!

It's been a while since I've posted, but in exactly two weeks, we are leaving for our trip to India! The beginning of this week consisted of both Austin and I getting three shots in our arms, taking our typhoid pills, and getting our prescription for malaria pills (which we don't need to start until right before we leave).

THANK YOU all for your support-- Austin and I met our financial goal quite a while ago and were so blessed by the generosity of our family and friends. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare to leave, and during our time in India from June 5-18th!

In other big news, I (Sara) officially received my Master's diploma from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary on May 10th. Even though I officially finished my degree in January, it was a fun day and it was really special to officially recognize all the hard work I put into seminary. It was also really special because my parents came up from Virginia to celebrate with us. We have no pictures to post due to Austin forgetting the camera. I still love him lots anyway, and just need to learn he'll probably do stuff like this for the next 50 or so years :)

Spring?

While it is offically springtime, it snowed yesterday in Boston. A strange snow/sleet/hail. The only upside was that it didn't last too long! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am more than ready for warm weather.

The other upside-- Austin and I will be in Texas in JUST two weeks for his cousin's wedding, and then staying a few extra days to visit with Erin, Ben, Abby and Claire. I just checked the 10-day forcast for Waco, and the daytime temps are in the 70's and 80's. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins, Oh My

Here are some pictures from our Boston sports experiences to go with the post from a few days ago!

The Infamous Fenway Park

We wouldn't be true Sox fans without our hats; At our second Sox game back in Fall 2006

Curt Schilling's Stats

We definitely had nose-bleed seats at this Boston Celtics game back in March or April of 2006.

With our friends, left to right: Meghan Smith, Me, Sally Wilson, Ian Wilson, and Derrick Smith (Austin must have been the cameraman on this shot).

Right before tip-off. At this point, the Celtics weren't very good, but we got to see Shaquille O'Neal play, which was pretty exciting!

Action shot!

The Celtics and Bruins play in the same arena, so this is the same place, now covered with ice.

Is a fight about to start? (We actually saw a few good ones!)

I somehow didn't realize that an ice hockey game would be cold-- I think I had goosebumps the entire game!


Final Score: 8-2. The Bruins lost. Not a typical score for a hockey game, but it was exciting to see that many goals scored!

Now the only thing left to check off our list is a Patriots game...

My Passport Arrived!

While I (Sara) have extensively travelled around the US (thanks mostly to my parents taking us on amazing camping trips as kids!) I have never travelled oversees. The times I have been to Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas, Passports were not needed, so I just never got around to getting one.

Until a few weeks ago. My Passport arrived in the mail this past Thursday, and while my picture looks slightly mug-shot-like, I was happy to get it.

June 5th-16th Austin and I will be travelling to Bangalore, India (See map above, towards the southern tip of the country)!! We are going with a team of other people from Highrock, our church, to partner with a man named Vikas. Vikas was born and raised in India, came to Boston for school, and became a Christian at Highrock while he was here. A few years ago he went back to India where he runs a shelter for homeless street youth. Our team will be working closely with Vikas to encourage and support him, and to help with the everyday running of his ministry. We also will work with the Evangelical Covenant Church (the denomination Highrock is in, and Austin is pursuing ordination through) in India. I am also really hoping we get to do some orphanage work. Fortunately for the sake of my emotions, Americans are not allowed to adopt Indian babies, or else I might want to bring them all home!

The details about the trip are still pretty vague and up to us as a team to decide. However, we would love your prayers starting now! Austin is going to be the leader of our trip (a role he just found out about last week) so as we prepare we would specifically love prayers for:

-Austin's preparation to pastor this trip

-Both of us spiritually as we prepare

-For fundraising to come easily, as we need to raise a lot of money

We will let you know more as we find out more details!

Boston Sports

In the past two and a half years that Austin and I have lived here, we've made it to two Red Sox games, a Boston Celtics (basketball) game, and this past week went to our first Boston Bruins (ice hockey) game. I bought the Bruins tickets for Austin's birthday, and we had a fun night of dinner in the city followed by the game.

We've decided a few things about Boston fans-- they are often angry and also obsessed with sports. While we both prefer college sports, it's been fun experiencing Boston fans at professional sports. I (Sara) also really enjoyed my first experience at a hockey game. The Bruins ended up losing 8-2 (Wow!) but that meant we saw lots of goals, and a few good fights!

I'll post some pictures later, but our camera batteries need to charge...

PS: Congratulations to the Wilson's on Clemson's win on Sunday... Good game!

Where are you Summer?

Friday morning I woke up to, yet again, MORE snow. The first two winters we spent in Massachusetts were fairly mild, but this winter has been very snowy. In fact, we got 27 inches of snow JUST in December, which was the most snow in December in 41 years! It just keeps coming though, and at times, winter seems to have no end in sight.

This is a familiar sight over the past few months (our Outback, before we dig it out)

Compare this picture of our apartment building with the picture in the first post-- what a difference!

We spent this past weekend in New Hampshire with the college and young adult groups from our church, on a "Relationship" retreat. I (Sara) don't have any pictures, because I often bring our camera places and forget to take pictures. This weekend, I do have an excuse however, because I was sick and spent most of the free time either coughing or sleeping.

The retreat was a fun time to get to know people better, hear our pastor's talks about relationships, and play in the snow (well, Austin did). One of our favorite New England sports is "Broomball" which is basically ice hockey without skates, and brooms instead of hockey sticks. I wish I had pictures, but I slept through the whole thing...

First Post (and here's to many more!)

Welcome to the Calhoun's Blog family and friends!

Austin and I decided to give cave and join the club. Well, I (Sara) wanted to start a Blog because I enjoy reading those our friends have, and Austin hesitantly agreed, as he does to many of my ideas! While we don't have anything too new or too exciting happening in our lives, we thought this would be a nice way to keep those of you who live far away updated on our everyday lives in MA. Please feel free to post any comments, and we'll try to update regularly!

For those of you we haven't spoken to in a while, here's what's going on: In July, we moved from South Hamilton, MA to Arlington, MA which has been great. South Hamilton is where Gordon Conwell's main campus is, and while we miss our friends up there, it's been nice being a more urban setting. We also have a little more space, as our second apartment is a two-bedroom. We chose Arlington because it's the town Highrock (our church) is in, and we were lucky enough to find an apartment that is only a few minutes walk away!

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary-- our home for the first two and a half years of our marriage!

The front of our new apartment building in Arlington, MA. We LOVE visitors, so please come any time!We are both busy, but learning that's just how life goes :) Sara is working full-time at Family Continuity, a non-profit counseling agency. She loves her job, and is excited to be an offical clinician after finishing her Master's in Counseling in January 2008. She is especially enjoying having her nights and weekends homework free!

Austin is busy interning at Highrock, helping mostly with the college group and the M.A.D. (Make a Difference) Social Justice ministry. He also has had the opportunity to preach twice at Highrock, and is gaining a lot of experience through that! At the risk of embarrassing Austin, the sermon he preached in January was great, and if you're interested, you can find a link to listen to it at http://www.highrock.org/. He transferred from Gordon-Conwell's South Hamilton campus to the Boston campus which is a lot more convienient. Boston's campus also emphasizes Urban Ministry, which he is excited about. Austin is also working part-time at Banana Republic in Boston-- not his top choice as he is a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy, but it's been a huge blessing!

Exciting things are also happening in our families. In December, Austin's sister Emily got engaged to her boyfriend David, and they are planning their wedding for this coming winter. We are so excited for them, and honored that they asked us both to be part of their wedding!

Since

I don't have a picture of Emily and David, here's one of Emily and I, taken in DC last Christmas.

Exciting things are also happening on Sara's side of the family! My (Sara's) sister Emily qualified for the Olympic Trials in the Marathon, and will be competing in Boston in April. Sara's parents are also coming up for Sara's dad to run the Boston Marathon, so we'll keep you updated on that. Our brother-in-law Mark came home from Iraq in early December, so it was great that all of us could be together for Christmas this year!!

For Christmas, we went to Texas, to stay with Sara's sister Erin, brother-in-law Ben, and our nieces Abby and Claire. We all travelled to Texas because baby Claire was born on December 18th, so they couldn't travel. We were so excited to welcome another person into our family!!

Baby Claire loves Uncle Austin, and Abby wasn't as scared of him this time as she was when we saw her in June!

My mom, Abby and Austin at the fun Children's Musuem in Waco, TX.


We also realized Abby likes to ham it up for the camera. As soon as you say "Abby, I want to take a picture" she gets a HUGE smile on her face!

Thanks for reading, and we'll post more soon!