Marcus's School Experience

Updates

2007-05-09T04:30:00.000-07:00

Hello, helloooo!

Well...as you may have heard, yesterday Marcus was offered an administrative position at Trinity, our Alma Mater. He will be working in the REACH to Teach program, which offers teaching certification for adults who want to change out of the field where they currently work. He is very excited about this job as he looks forward to being back in an academic setting (didn't he just graduate??) and also enjoys set hours and finally...NO WEEKENDS! We are not sure how the guitar building and repairing fits into things at this point, but for now it will remain a hobby and a goal. The main thing right now is to earn money (novel concept) and save it for his own business, maybe occurring in a few years. As we repeatedly learn, our plans are not always God's, and I am very proud of Marcus as he continually leaves himself open to where he needs to be for NOW. We are grateful for this opportunity and hope it goes well. It is also close enough for him to ride his bike, which is a great plus.

In other news, we went on a retreat with our Sunday school class this past weekend to Lake Geneva, which was a lot of fun. We enjoyed getting to know new people and also recreating out in the wind on the lake. We enjoyed some football, volleyball, and a teeny amount of biking.

We also successfully completed our vegetable garden the weekend before that, which we planted at our friends, Rob and Tricia's, house. It is sure to bring us great delight throughout the summer and fall. We are eager for the crops to produce! :) A 10 minute bike ride or a 5 minute drive brings us quickly to our friends' home where we can share in the earth together.

Hope you are all doing splendidly and I will leave with this thought: 21 DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT! :)

Marcus tilling the ground...

Olivia, Rob and Tricia's youngest daughter, sowing her seeds.

Tricia and Cheyenne working hard while Marcus relaxes and I play photographer.

New news

2007-04-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Well...since last writing, Marcus has quit Home Depot. :) hehe. Though we were very tahnkful for the opportunity, it just wasn't working out. That's alright though, he is still repairing guitars at Great Lake Music and is also applying for other work. Have a great Easter, everyone!

Updates

2007-03-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

Hello all! It's been awhile! Things are going well and it's great having Marcus back! He is currently working as a guitar repair technician at Great Lake Music way up in Mundelein (so much for our hopes of moving toward the city!) which we are very thankful for. Also, after turning down jobs at Performance Bikes and Barnes and Noble he has finally settled on Home Depot in Deerfield for his other part-time job. We are confident these are the places where he is supposed to be working and also enjoy how well the jobs complement each other. We are thankful for the many ways God has provided for us during this transitional time. We are officially staying in Deerfield for another year. Thank you for your continuous prayer and support as we seek God's will for our lives. :)

Guess who's home...

2007-02-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

Alrighty...here are the pics you've all been waiting for. Unfortunately, this blog put them all in a random order and I am too lazy to put them back into the correct order. You can figure it out. :)

Job possibilities

2007-02-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

Hello!!! Well...the weekend is here and it is only 4 days until Marcus comes home! He will be departing Big Rapids, MI around 4PM Tuesday and will hopefully be here around 8! YAY!! Please be praying for the job possibilities that are out there. He currently has meetings set up with three companies, two of which are on his top 3 list of places he'd love to work. Only time will tell...thanks for reading! :)

13 days left!

2007-02-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

Hello! Marcus is finishing up his acoustic this week. He spent today in the spray booth which he says is one of his favorite parts of guitar making. He told me today how affirmed he is feeling that he has really learned so much and is retaining it and using it. He is loving what he's doing but is definitely ready to come home. Well, good thing there's only 13 days left! :)

Homesick

2007-02-05T15:56:00.000-08:00

Hello! I've been talking to Marcus and he is very homesick! Pray that these next 3 weeks fly by. He is doing very well. Lately he has been working on the neck of his acoustic. He is pretty excited about how it is looking so far. He also reports that it has pretty much been nonstop snowing for the past two weeks. Although our windchill here in Deerfield has hit -27 today, he's up there sweatin' it in the 10 degree weather with over a foot of snow. One exciting bit if news, that we don't want to count on but are encouraged by, is that one place Marcus wants to work at in Chicago has contacted him saying they want to meet him to discuss employment. We'll see! :)

Me again...

2007-01-31T15:32:00.000-08:00

I'm back, so soon, I know. Marcus just called...today he started working on the fretboard, making it out of ebony. He also informed me that the man who takes him to the train station cannot take him to the station the next two weekends. :( Which therefore means that we won't get to see each other anymore until he's back unless something crazy happens! Thankfully, time is flying by and we're already at 27 days left. So...I guess we'll all just have to wait to see those pictures! :)

Answer to Prayer!

2007-01-31T13:05:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have been following this blog, I wanted to update you and thank for praying for us about our lease and moving, etc. I know a few of you who have specifically told me you were praying and I appreciate it! Today I got an email from our landlord saying we could let him know in April what our plans in May will be. I felt the biggest weight lifted when I got that email!

Marcus's acoustic is coming along great, so I hear. He is very excited. He said that the body is done and now comes the detailing and everything else. We should be finding out today when he's coming home next...

Until next time...

Another weekend apart...

2007-01-27T21:24:00.000-08:00

Hello all! Marcus is up in Michigan and we are apart for yet another weekend. I guess it is really out of our hands when we depend on someone else to take to and from a train station that can get him to Chicago. Hopefully next weekend he will be home for the Super Bowl! (Go Bears! haha- I act as if I care :)

This has been a great week for Marcus, who, despite having sanded "off his fingertips", is making good progress on his acoustic. I told him skip the acoustic, go steal something while he has no fingerprints! :) The "box" part of the guitar is done, meaning the back and front are connected by sides...as far as I can understand. I hope he can come home soon to upload his pics onto the site!

In other news, we just found out we have to inform our landlord by March 1st whether or not we are signing on for another year...and considering Marcus gets home February 27th, that really leaves us no time to figure out where he will be working and therefore where we should live. We will be praying for guidance in that.

Hope you all are doing well, and for anyone else who is counting down...31 days left! :)

Quick Update

2007-01-24T19:41:00.000-08:00

As another week winds down I wanted to apologize for the lack of pictures. Marcus hasn't been home to upload them onto our computer...and sadly, he won't be home again for another few weeks. We aren't really sure when he'll be home. But, he is doing great and his acoustic is coming along well. He has suffered a few minor injuries and is building up those calluses as well as the muscles it takes to use the tools and machinery there at school. Also, to clear up any miscommunication (or to encourage more communication) I wanted to state that although he does not have internet there, Marcus does receive snail mail and also has his cell phone, which, when he has service, is his main means of communicating with friends and family. I know he gets somewhat bored and lonesome in the evenings after class, so feel free to give him a call! :) Until next time...

"Maxed Out"

2007-01-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

When asked if he had made any new friends this week, Marcus replied, "I've met everyone, I'm pretty much...like...maxed out." hahaha, gotta love him.

For any of you who know a thing or two about guitars, I was informed tonight that as far as his acoustic, Marcus has "joined the back and sides"...I don't really know what that means, but my context clues abilities are helping me out.

In other news, he got a good grade on his bass, which he is not allowing me to broadcast. He also got an A on his first quiz. He is well on his way to success! Here, here!

Home for the Weekend

2007-01-13T13:41:00.000-08:00

After his first two weeks of classes, Marcus is home for the weekend with pictures to share! Take a look...

His work bench is in the front on the left

The bass with some base coats of lacquer

The headstock with his initials (looks good, don't you think?)
The body after spraying on the color and wet sanding
Pick guard and electronics in place...
Almost done! He'll finish when he gets back...

A cool angle (Marcus wanted to point out that someone's "tooshie" is there too)

First Week Over!

2007-01-05T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hello all of you/any of you who read this blog!

Good news! Marcus has finished his first week of classes and is doing great. He tells me daily how much he LOVES being there and everything he is learning. His teacher says he is doing great and he feels like he picking things up pretty fast. He is already a good way through his electric. He tells me they go through that pretty quickly so most of the time can be spent on the acoustic, which is more difficult. He spent the afternoon in the spray booth coating the electric. He is having so much fun and of course, LOVES Michigan, which is nothing new. :) Thanks to all of our friends and family for your support while we are apart and for helping me by keeping me occupied! :)

First Day Jitters...

2007-01-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

Well...we dropped Marcus off at the Galloup School of Lutherie yesterday in Big Rapids, Michigan. However, we did not get there without some mishaps! First of all, we miscalculated the time change and arrived to orientation about 25 minutes late. Oops! Then, as we were driving the four hour trip, we realized that we forgot his tuition check sitting on our desk back at home...and we didn't have the checkbook either! Everything worked out okay and we got permission to send in the check late.

Now he is there, safe and sound. Things were sad for us, but he is doing well. We got his room all set up, met his housemates, and hung around Big Rapids for a few hours. After a tearful good-bye and a 4 hour drive back to Deerfield, I got a great report from Marcus, already getting acclimated to his new surroundings. His housemates, he found out, are both Christians, which is an answer to prayer because we were a little nervous about who he would be living with. They both have cars too, which helps out since Marcus is stranded up there with no vehicle!

His first day of class was today, and he called me often telling me how happy he is to be there, how excited he is, and how much he has already learned. I love hearing the good reports, it makes the separation easier! :) He has the assurance he was praying for in regards to whether or not he was making the right choice in going.

If you want to visit the site of the school, go to: http://www.galloupguitars.com/school/index.htm

I am posting a few pictures of us getting him settled in. I will be able to post more pictures after we get to see each other again because he's got the camera. If you want to call him, email me for his phone number if you don't have it. You can also write him through snail-mail at:

Marcus Anderson
22534 11 Mile Road
Big Rapids, MI
49307


At a rest stop when we got to Michigan Outside his house His room... The two of us... and his room from another view...