JOJO's Journey

i finally did it!

2011-12-29T09:49:00.002-06:00

Morning! where would mornings be without coffee! ha.

so, about 7 months ago a co-worker friend of mine convinced me to join a on line dating site called POF (plenty of fish). this site was free...and it seemed to be a good place to find dates; or so my friend said it had been for her. and since i was NOT having any luck on the 'christian' site i was on nor in the normal dating scene...i decided to give it a whirl. Yes, POF is NOT a christian dating site! the past 7 months on this site has taught me SO MANY things.

lets talk about the good things i've learned first. :) for those of you that know me well know that i have not had a ton of experience with dating. in high school boys were just silly to me. yes, i crushed on some but just didn't find it a big deal to date them. college- i was busy with basketball, school, and yes... crushing on ONE guy the whole dang time. so i missed out big time in college, that i will admit. life after college- i became highly involved in coaching basketball and my social life WAS my job(s). so... i think the biggest thing that POF has taught me is that dating is fun! regardless.... it's fun to get fancied up and go out. the excitement...well, is just that- exciting! to be wined and dined is awesome!!! :) along the way i've also realized (learned) that I am totally 'datable' material! i think since i've had such a lack of it in my life i just convinced my self that i was NOT datable; but to much my surprise, i am datable! and in fact- i seem to be a pretty fun date. awesome- right? it's about time i've realized that! POF has given me a confidence booster- one that i think has been far, far over due. but more importantly than those things i've learned that i want a man that is in LOVE WITH GOD. of course...i've always said that, wanted that, prayed for that and looked for that. but...well, i wont get into the 'but' part. i'll just say that POF has taught me that men that don't love God are NOT for me. i think the past 7 months of dating has narrowed my list of needs (deal-breakers if you will); and with out a doubt a man that is in love with God is at the top. a year ago- i would NOT have not said that...i would have simply said that i wanna find a 'nice' guy- one that can love me like i wanna be loved. well...thanks to POF i've realized that a man cant love me that way i wanna be loved unless he loves God first and for most. It's been an awesome (and yet horrible-) experience just to figure that out! yah, i should have figured that out a LONG time ago- but....sometimes ya gotta learn by living, right?

now for the bad that i've learned. (which maybe is still good things to learn, just in the wrong way; if that makes sense) MEN ARE PIGS... yes, i said it. i love them...and want one all to myself for sure, but they are PIGS. i've never had so many guys say and expect inappropriate things from me! yah, i'll keep it rated PG- but will say that 9 out of 1o of the men that i chatted with on line, chatted with on the phone, or went on a face to face date with wanted/expected sex...or something along those lines. ON THE FIRST FREAKING DATE- ahhhh, are you kidding me? i got real good at saying NO! which, i guess is a good thing to learn! ha- total PIGS. yes, 1 out of 10 were gems. good guys, looking for a good women! and they are what kept me on POF for so long. hoping that in some strange way the 'good guy' or man of God that i was searching for would be on this site! I dated a guy this past summer for 7 weeks...he was a POF guy; one of the good ones. And i learned so much in that small amount of time. How i SHOULD be treated...l learned that i need a man that is NOT selfish... I learned how to break up... i learned how to mend from a broken heart....and I learned to never borrow money to a guy! see...good things to learn- just in an unfortunate way!

i've been thinking the past 2 weeks that i needed to cancel my POF profile. i haven't been on the site much lately and when i do - it only makes me feel 'dirty'; if that makes sense. I've had some moments where i've thought that right thing to do would be to cancel it! but... it's like one of those horrible addictions - just hard to give up! it supplied a need for me, just in the wrong way! fortunately, the last straw happened this morning. i got an email (to my personal email) from a guy that i had a few short conversations with on line about 2 months ago. he seemed like a 'good' one. and i actually think he is a good guy. but, i was not attracted to him and didn't want to continue conversations with him. He seemed to think differently. and this morning i got a very rude email from him; totally out of the blue too...it was sort of like verbal abuse- details not needed! but when i was done i had NO DOUBT IN MY MIND that i needed to cancel my POF profile. i honestly think it was a sign from God...one that was intense enough that i could NOT ignore it! so- i did, i canceled! and to much my surprise, i feel a million and half times better about myself. i think going on dates the past 7 months has been awesome. and i think i will miss it; alot! but i also know that i am WORTHY of something purer than what POF can offer me. I am done! and i feel good. clean! pure! like God is really happy with the things i've learned that the realization i had this morning. I would not change my experience(s)... now it's about finding the right kind of experience. i have NOT given up on dating. I have not written men off; not even close. i still want a 'pig' all to myself. hahaha. i am still on a on line (christian version) dating site, and i still have the energy and excitement to go on dates. i just have a new vision; and i like it. :)

thanks for reading. sorry so long!

2011-12-04T21:10:00.002-06:00

i had one of the busiest weekends in a long time.

Friday- i spent the day at school preparing for a new TRI and new students. I was hoping to be out of there by noon, and instead was there till 4. from there i ran home, showered and changed for a date with guy #1. (no, i wont tell you his name) guy #1 and i have been emailing back and forth for months now. he lives most of his life over seas working, so email was our way of communication. he has become a good friend via email. but, cool enough he was in town this weekend and we got to meet face to face. We, well maybe i should only speak for myself, had a great time. We chatted over sushi...for hours. He bye far is one of the most interesting men i've ever went on a date with. His stories are unbelievable....and amazing. guy # 1 had all my attention from the get go. Not only is he fabulously interesting, but he is very attractive. BUT- he is moving permanently to Africa to work, so there is NO point in dating. we will stay email pals.... and that will be fun! but outside of that- nothing!!!!

Saturday morning- Christmas brunch with my bible study table leaders. We got together, played games, and had good food. it was a chance to get to know the 14 ladies the help lead my thursday night bible study. we laughed, and i totally enjoyed myself.

Saturday afternoon- date with guy #2- i meet him a week ago on a online dating site and we seemed to hit it off right away. we have had more convo's via texting messaging than i've ever had. we headed champs....shared some nacho's, had a drink and just chatted. again...a great way to spend an afternoon. guy #2 is one of the sweetest guys i've ever meet. he is kind, patience, a gentleman, funny, and seems to really dig me- which is a massive bonus! we laughed a lot and i found myself wanting the date TO NOT END...but he got called out to go plow (stupid snow) so we had to cut our date early. but...no worries- we made plans for date #2 on sunday! :)

Saturday night- since working in the infant room at church i've met some great ladies that have become a big part of my life. Aundrea Johnson, i hope, is going to become one of those people. we've only volunteered together for a couple months, but hit it off instantly. She is funny, easy to talk with, a little crazy and has a sense of 'life' to her. We decided we needed to hang outside of the infant room so we got together at her house and had a night full of constant chatter!!!! literally- constant!!!! i've found a new, fast friend and am soooo excited about it. it is hard to find solid, fun single friends your age- and when you do, they are a massive blessing! I cant wait to get to know her more.

Sunday morning- church...which was amazing as always. and...i took the whole month off from volunteering, so i had lots of time to enjoy conversation with people at church that i dont often get to see.

Sunday afternoon- got in my car and drove to guy #2's house. we got take out pizza, watched the viks, hung out with his roommate and his girlfriend and played with his dog floyd! very enjoyable. i am sure that i will see guy #2 again....at least i hope i do. not sure where it is going yet, and am okay with not knowing. going on dates is fun....and it for sure is a great way to get to know someone. i dont have the answers yet, so don't ask me. just know that i am enjoying the process, and i seem to enjoy guy #2 a lot. :)

sunday evening.... home, ate, watched the news, did this blog and am heading to bed- it's 9:26- yip..... i am exhausted. what a great weekend.

NOVERMBERING IS REMEMBERING

2011-11-06T17:31:00.003-06:00

every November my church takes time to remember those we love and have lost. it's always a hard time...but good. today Pastor Dave told us that it's okay to mourn...it's okay to not understand...and it's okay to miss people....and it's okay to take time to remember! as i lit my candle today i had memories of some very special peeps of mine.
Sunil was such a unique man. He was one of my closest friends husband...and i miss him! My first thought of him today while remembering him was when i first went to visit him and mandi (many many many years ago) in NYC. i was nervous to spend a whole week there...and Sunil made me feel comfortable and loved. He painted my finger nails and toe nails blue- so today...i painted my nails blue. I also remember him telling me in a whisper when i visited him in the hospital that he loved me and was thankful for me. And one last memory i had this morning... at his wedding reception to Mandi he told me that i looked beautiful and that deep down in side he thought i was a bad ass. huh- sounds like Sunil. :) miss you.

Grandpa and Grandma Venhuizen..... love them! cant imagine having better grandparents. Grandma Niece was always loving. One memory that i had this morning was when my little brother buzz fell of a piece of equipment and cracked open his head. Grandma was there- and she took amazing care of him, and me. i remembering thinking buzz was going to die and i remember grandma telling me that God would take care of Buzz and that he would be okay! I remember her calm demeanor and her loving hugs that followed after. Grandpa was awesome, and i have to admit that i think i was one of his favorite grandkids. i had him wrapped around my finger. I remember spending countless afternoons in the cow fields with him (and jason), i remember eating dozens of pink peppermints and i remembering knowing with out a doubt that Grandpa would be excited to see me when i showed up. I miss them. but my memories are many and found....and i often smile when i think of them.

oh grandma Shirley. I would say she was the crazy (in a good way) grandma. she was the one that allowed us kids to ride the pigs, and play with the goats, and she always had some sort of animal that needed attention in her house. she allowed me to drive her car when i was to young, and drink pop when i wasn't suppose to, and she always had movies to watch! She got me hooked on soap opera's. and i learned...the hard way...that cigarettes suck! Grandma- you left me way to early...and i miss you!
The last person that i remembered this morning that i unfortunately do not have a good picture of is my aunt Dorothy. She was quiet....and took after her mom (grandma niece). she was love in how she carried herself and how she took care of her boys. she didnt need to say a single word to me for me to KNOW with out a doubt that she cared about me. i remember a long long long time ago that she spent hours with me on a ski slope trying her hardest to teach me how to get down the hill. i fell so many times...and it took forever...and she NEVER gave up on me. and when we reached the bottom she told me good job and that the only way i would get better is if kept on trying. dorothy, like grandma Shirley, left me way to earlier...and i miss her.

yes...i will remember! yes...i will mourn! and yes....i will forever carry these people, and others, in my heart! thanks Open Door for the opportunity to honor them and remember them!

good gone bad

2011-05-06T22:44:00.002-05:00

so i cant even remember the last time i wrote a blog and am really unsure why i am writing in it tonight. i just know that i need to vent- and simply thought this a good place to start.

so, any idea how you are suppose to feel when you try your very, very hardest to bless someone, and in the midst of your best intentions you make an ass out of yourself? well, thats me! and i cant seem to get how crappy i feel about it off my mind. (maybe blogging will help) a week ago yesterday i put a card in the mail. it was simple card. a sympathy card for a really good friend of mine. and inside that card i put some cash....all i wanted to do was allow this friend the means to do something that would cheer her up. and in the midst of my busy week, parent teacher conferences, making sub plans for a whole week i was going to miss at work, and many many other things- i didn't even think twice about putting the cash inside the card, instead of writing a check. i know- i don't need to hear it again... stupid! but i was not thinking that the US postal mailing system is/was corrupt. to say the least- the simple, heart felt card along with a large amount of cash is GONE. my friend knows the card is missing. my friend knows there was money it (not how much), and i am sure my friend is fine with it. she holds no ill will. i, on the other hand, am NOT okay with it. i am trying to convince myself that the person that took the card and cash must have needed it more than my friend...but- it's not really working. it's unfair. it's annoying. and I feel stupid. i feel like an ass. and i feel like i let my friend down...she needed what was in the card- and i didn't deliver. stupid! so- any ideas how i let something like this one go? really--- how?

well that was a first.

2010-12-08T21:54:00.002-06:00

today i've done something that i've never done before....well, sort of. i told a guy (that i only went on 2 dates with) that I wasn't into him. It was a little uncomfortable, but it had to be done. It wasn't as hard as i thought it was going to be...he made it easy; or at least he seemed like he did. he is a super nice guy, we just are not in the same phase of life or feeling the same way about each other. it was very nice to have a guy fall for me right away...it was just a little to fast for me. (i know, crazy right?) i enjoyed our two dates, but am feeling relived about the decision to not continue seeing him. So.... back to square one.

Not sure that my mystery blog reader is still reading, but you (mystery reader) will be happy to hear that i've been on more dates the past 6 months than i have my whole life....well- maybe that is a stretch- but i've sure been playing the field some. Some of the guys are super nice, and are very kind to me but we don't really have a lot in common. We just like to hang out. Than there are some that i know are fun guys....but that i should not be dating them. than there are some guys that i hang out with but fall more into the friend column than the dating column. solid Christian guys are very hard to find; but i will continue to hang tough and wait for a guy that loves Jesus, than falls in love with me. regardless... it has been a fun couple of months. i am still praying for that 'right' connection to happen with that 'right' guy- but till than i am enjoying this stage too. is that bad?

so there ya have it mystery reader....who ever and where ever you are. i have been dating!!!! :) i am a heart breaker....hahahahaha!

Novembering.

2010-11-07T14:23:00.005-06:00

The first Sunday of November at my church does a service called 'Novembering'; today was that day! It is a time to reflect, morn, rejoice, grieve and honor those that we love that have passed on. It is always a time for me to reflect on how much my grandparents mean to me, and how much fun I had with them as a kid, and how i miss them still! But this year was a little more intense than normal for me. I spent a lot of my time thinking about my friend Sunil, who passed away last May...and spent even more time thinking, wondering and praying for Mandi (his wife); my good friend. (picture: Sunil and I at a friends wedding)

I know that i cant say that i know what it feels like to lose a husband; but regardless of that....i can say that i miss Sunil and i am overwhelmingly sad for Mandi! Today Vicky (the lady that spoke) talked about being Hidden in God; and she used Psalm 23: 1-6 as her guide. it is a very common Psalm....but after today it has just a little more meaning than it did before.

Psalm 23: 1-6 " (1) the Lord is my Shepherd,

I shall not be in want. (2) He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, (3) he restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his names sake. (4) even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (5) Your prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. (6) Surly goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

a couple things: that helped me in my thinking, praying and morning for Sunil and Mandi.

#1- the word Shepard is used as a verb...which makes God a God of action...a God at work...no matter when, where and how....He is working! no matter if i see it, feel it, or believer it...He is at work! and i have to believe that he is doing that for Mandi. the Shepard is constantly taking care of his sheep- He is close 24 hours a day....what a comfort to know that again regardless if i am ready to allow God in on my hardship, He is there waiting, caring and staying close; like a Shepard does for his sheep.

#2 -' green pastures and quiet waters'. do these things actually happen during grief? and if they do, what do they look like? maybe they come in the form of a friend affirming us, or a need being met, or a prayer being uttered, or simply when we feel happy; even if only for a moment. I just know that God can and will lead us there...sooner or later.

#3- 'restore my soul' - the word soul means breath. and the word restore means to return to. grief often comes in and steal our very breath and we feel like we can no longer move on in life. God promises that in the midst of that...He will restore our soul.

#4 -' valley'- a reference to spiritual geography....means darkness, w/out order, alone...

#5- 'will fear no' - this is when we allow God to come up under us....in the midst of our 'valley' and provide us with the strength to get up each day....and be Hidden with Him! easier said than down, of course!!! but...knowing that God wants our souls to be restored is pretty cool...and comforting in times of grief!

at the end of the service we got to go light a candle in honor of those we miss. I lit one for Sunil....than i lit one for Mandi! i miss Sunil! but i morn with and for Mandi and i pray that she will be Hidden in God as she continues to do life without her husband.

it was a very cool service. thanks open door for continually pushing me in my faith and my belief in a God thats wants every part of me!!!!

EARLY TO CHURCH....

2010-07-18T15:07:00.003-05:00

I ARRIVED EARLY AT CHURCH TODAY FOR NO REASON...I JUST WAS EARLY! AS I SAT IN MY SEAT (ALONE) WATCHING PEOPLE ENTER... I WAS ENTERTAINED; AND CHALLENGED. MY FRIST OBSERVATION WAS A OLDER MAN (MY GUESS IS MID 50'S) SITTING WITH HIS HEAD BOWED; MY GUESS IS HE WAS PRAYING. AND WHLE I SAT AND WATCHED HIM I THOUGHT TO MYSELF WHY I DONT DO THAT MORE OFTEN...BOW MY HEAD AND PRAY WHEN I HAVE AN EXTRA MINUTE OR SO IN MY DAY. HE LOOKED SO INTENTIONAL..AND SO INTO IT. I OFTEN AM NOT THAT WAY WHEN IT COMES TO PRAYER THESE DAYS! I ALSO NOTICED THAT THIS MAN WAS WEARING BLACK SOCKS WITH WHITE SHOES, AND TAN SHORTS. THAT MADE ME GIGGLE A LITTLE. THE NEXT GROUP I WATCHED WAS A FAMILY THAT SAT RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. MY GUESS IS THE 3 KIDS RANGED FROM 8-15 YEARS OF AGE. I REMEMBER ATTENDING CHURCH WITH MY FAMILY BACK IN ISLE/MORA, AND I REMEMBER MANY SUNDAY'S WHERE I WOULD HAVE GIVEN ANYTHING TO STAY AT HOME AND SLEEP IN. AND I AM SURE, LIKE THE 15 YEAR OLD IN THIS FAMILY, THAT I DIDNT APPRECIATE WHAT CHURCH HAD TO OFFER. AS I SAT AND LISTENED TO THEIR CHATTER I MORNED HOW FREQUENTLY I TAKE CHURCH FOR GRANTED...AND YET HOW THANKFUL I AM FOR PA AND MA VENHUIZEN INSTILLING IN ME THE DISCIPLINE OF ATTENDING CHURCH. THE 3RD PERSON (YEAH- I WAS THAT EARLY....) I WATCHED WAS A YOUNG MAN...MY GUESS IS ABOUT 25-27 YEARS OLD (AND YES, HE WAS A LOOKER). HE WAS ALONE, AND LOOKED SAD; EVEN LIKE HE HAS A LOT ON HIS MIND. WHILE I WATCHED HIM I WONDERED IF THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT ME. IF I LOOK SAD CUZ I SIT ALONE! HUH? I THOUGHTABOUT HOW NICE IT WOULD BE TO HAVE SOMEONE TO ATTENDED CHURCH WITH, TO CHAT WITH ABOUT THE MESSAGE AFTERWARDS AND TO WORSHIP TOGETHER...AND AS I ALLOWED MYSELF TO GET CAUGHT UP IN MY OWN 'LITTLE PITY PARTY' I WAS REMINDED THAT CHURCH ISNT FOR SOCAIL GATHERINGS. YES, A PLACE TO MAKE CONNECTIONS, FIND AND GIVE SUPPORT AND TO FEEL LOVED...BUT IT'S MORE THAN THAT. CHURCH IS ABOUT MAKING A CONNECTION WITH GOD. SO...WATCHING THIS YOUNG MAN REMINDED ME WHY I GO TO CHURCH. ALL IN ALL...MY TIME SPENT WATCHING PEOPLE WAS ALL IN PREPARATION FOR THE MESSAGE; WELL AT LEAST I THINK IT WAS. PASTOR STEVE TALKED TODAY ABOUT HOW OFTEN WE MAKE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD LIKE A LEGAL CONTRACT. WE ASSUME THAT WHEN WE ACT AND DO CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE SHOULD GET SOMETHING BACK FROM GOD. IT WAS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. I EVEN WENT AND TALKED TO PASTOR STEVE ABOUT SOME THINGS HE SAID AFTERWARDS...IT WAS REALLY GOOD. I AM NOT SURE I AM READY TO SPILL HOW GOD CHALLENGED ME TODAY AT CHRUCH, BUT ALL THAT I KNOW IS THAT I MAY NEED TO GET TO CHURCH EARLY MORE OFTEN AND ALLOW MYSELF TIME TO GET PREPARED FOR WHAT HE HAS FOR ME.

JUST THOUGHT I NEEDED TO POST A PIC- IT HAS BEEN AWHILE. THIS IS MY YOUNGEST NEPHEW...TYLER. HE PLAYED OUTSTANDING IN HIS T-BALL GAME!

2010-06-10T20:55:00.002-05:00

I want to tell you about the most productive day ever!

5:30 a.m. - snooze was pushed

5:40 - up...

6:45 - @ work getting a PE final test ready

7:20- 2:00 - worked all day long. took a 13 minute break for lunch to eat....otherwise i was correcting finals, cleaning girls locker room, cutting locks, taking down posters and packing up books. seriously...i did nothing for 13 minutes.

2:00- 3:30 - cleaned out a storage room looking for a shuffle board game; i could not for the life of me find it cuz the room was sooooooo messy. my hands were a different color when i was down. sooooo dirty! the good thing was not only did i find 2 games of shuffle board, but i also found a bocce ball game and some stacking cups...who knew!

3:30-4:30 - cub run and a fleet farm run to buy a yard game for my 6th graders tomorrow.

4:30-5:15- a run....on the treadmill

5:15-6:00- did some laundry while packing for the weekend at the cabin with the girls....(cant wait)

6:00-6:30- pizza in the oven while i went outside and blew up 50 more water balloons.

6:30-7:00- sat down, eat pizza and watched wheel of fortune

7:00-7:30- back outside and did more water balloons while i chatted with my goffy neighbor. he could not believer that i was filling up water balloons for a bunch of 6th graders.

7:30-8:30 - made puppy chow for the weekend, packed up some of the food i am bringing, cleaned the kitchen, did another load of laundry.

8:30-8:45 - did 25 or so more balloons....i think i lost count....and am FINALLY done.

8:45- to current (9:09).....sitting on the couch drinking some sleepy time tea and thinking about how freaking crazy my day was and how much crap i got down. no wonder i feel like i could fall asleep RIGHT NOW.

2010-06-07T19:10:00.003-05:00

today at around 1:25, life was put back into perspective for me. this past week for sure...if not that last couple of months i've been pretty intent on my own selfish thinking. i've been pretty focused on what i 'dont have' and what i 'really want'. and maybe even more intent on focusing on why i don't have it and how unfair it is! anyways....

today as i was walking my 9th grade PE class out to the softball field i asked one of my young male students to walk out with me. He has missed the past 6 days of school, and is one of those kids that you just know has a lot of 'crap' happening in his real world and always seems to be in trouble. he missed running the mile so i told him that he needed to come prepared to make it up tomorrow. he looked at me and said "Ms. V - i've just got to much shit (excuse the language) happening, go ahead an give me a zero. i dont really care." of course i asked him what was going on. he didn't want to comment. i told him that i understand how lifes 'yuck' can get in the way, but that school still needs to be important. i told him that there have been times in my life where i just felt like crap and i didnt wanna come to work. he looked at me shook his head and said "Ms. V- you ever lost a kid?". ahhhh- what? (i was aware of him having a kid.) after digesting his question, i looked at him and said no. he told me that his daughter died 8 days ago from having 2 holes in her lungs. how do you respond to that? how do u expect a kid, who is 16, to actually show up and run the stupid mile. how do you expect him to show up and do anything in school at all. seriously- is school even a thought at all...and should it be? come on- this kid is dealing with adult like stuff and it breaks my heart. of course he should have kept his man(boy) hood in his pants and this would not have happened....but still. after watching him let loose and laugh while we played softball (he hit a home run) we walked back into school and he told me 'thanks for listening...' man.....so this afternoon and even this evening i will not feel bad about my silly 'hard' life, and instead will enter the throne room of God and pray for my student, his heart, his grief and his tragic lose. no more selfish thoughts! life could be worse...way worse!

today

2010-05-16T18:16:00.002-05:00

today i listened to the passion of the christ CD while outside taking a nap in the sun. have you ever just listened to that music...without the movie? it's amazing...!!! i got to the song called the crucifixion and listened to it 4 times over. i was in tears....remembering the pain HE endured for me - the music actually allowed me to feel it more, to picture it, to be thankful for it. is that weird? anyways- my afternoon was filled with sun, naps and some really great reflection on just how important Jesus is! thats the perfect way to spend a sunday afternoon!

sweet.....

chapter 2

2010-05-14T18:25:00.003-05:00

I had to read this chapter two times....cuz i think it's something that i didnt understand well...not until now.

Chapter Title: he's just not that into you if he's not calling you

Main points:

* men know how to use the phone

*men like taking breaks from their generally mundane day (busy or not) just to talk with someone they like; it makes them (men) happy.

*man are cowards and they would rather wait until the end of time than give you bad news. a man who likes you wants to spend time with you. he'll only settle for talking to you on the phone fives times a day when he physically cant get to you.

*actions speak loud

*author quote: "if i like you, i dont forget to call you, ever! dont you want a guy who'll forget about all the other things in his life before he forgets about you?

*you should be dating a man who's at least as good as his word.

*the word busy is a load of crap and is most often used by a--holes. The word busy is the relationship weapon of mass destruction. remember...men are never to busy to get what they want.

*when you notice that a guys behavior starts making you feel bad about yourself - when you start to feel like he's making you suffer than it's time to start facing the facts- he's just not that into you.

what I learned:

*if he's not calling you, it's because you are not on his mind...and you should be!

*dont be with someone who doesn't do what they say they're going to do

*you deserve a f---ing phone call (sorry for the language...just re-stating the author)

*busy is another word for a--hole (again sorry...) and a--hole is another word for the dude you are dating!

application:

so many times i wonder why a dude that i might like, or have crush on, or made a connection with doesn't call (or in my case respond to my e-harmony questions)...well, i guess i need to face the facts. if he isn't calling (or responding), than he's not into me. and thats fine. why waste my time? i want a guy that cant stand NOT talking to me...so game on. no more waiting by the phone. no more wondering why. the truth hurts...but better to know it than continue to wonder about it! :)

"He's just not that into you."

2010-05-11T19:14:00.005-05:00

So last week was really hard. I was in NYC all week mourning the death of my good friend Sunil. Don't really want to get into a lot of detail about that, but while there and sitting in Mandi's (Sunil's wife) living room chatting with my friend Allison about e-harmony and guys she mentioned to me that she thought I should read a book called 'he's just not that into you'. Honestly in that moment I didn't really think I'd go get the book and read it...especially since it's a book written by a non-christian on relationships. anyways. this past saturday I was heading to caribou to meet up with my friend Heather. I was early and noticed a half priced book store right next door and meandered in. I went right to the christian section in hopes to find some Francine Rivers books and while on the way to that section there on display was 'he's just not that into you' book. so- with out hesitation I picked it up and paid a whooping $6.00 for it. Sunday afternoon, since it was fantastic outside, I hit the grass with my new book. I was pumped to get started. with highlighter in hand I opened up the book and was instantly glued to the pages. this book is raw and honest and maybe is something I should have read about 15 years ago. here are some of the thoughts that have stuck in my mind the past couple of days. tell me what you think on them.

1. if a 'sane' guy really likes you, there ain't nothing that's going to get in his way. And if he's not sane, or not asking you out, than why would you want him anyways. stop fretting over him!

2. when a guy is into you, he lets you know it. He calls, he shows up, he wants to meet your friends, he cant keep his eyes and hands off you... men are not complicated. There actions speak loud a clear.

3. a man would rather be trampled by elephants that are on fire than tell you that he's just not that into you...thus all of his excuses!

4. Men find it very satisfying to get what they want, so screw the excuse 'to shy'.

5. (this one is my favorite) when men want you, they do the work. it sounds old school, but when a man likes a women, they ask her out! it's that simple. when they don't ask you out- they just aren't that into you!

6. (this one is my 2nd favorite) and i quote the author "you, the superfox reading this book, YOU ARE WORTH ASKING OUT.'

what do you think? thats enough for today. although i could keep writing al

l that i am learning about guys! good stuff....now, bring on a dude and lets put it into practice. :)

this picture is just of my new hair cut i got while in NY. and the super star sara that did it!

2010-04-24T22:11:00.002-05:00

My last post was done months ago, so you ask... "what have you been up to these months?" ahhhh- not much! but i will try to entertain you regardless.

1. ball season ended on a high note. we won our conference, had a great time winning as one of the under dogs. We hit Indiana for the regional tournament, but lost there. It was a good run, a good season and like always - i learned a lot!

2. i decided about 2 weeks ago to apply for a different teaching job, but still in the same district. it was fun- weird, right? got my resume all updated, had a couple new letters of recommendations written; both of which were super nice. Went to the interview and it actually went really good. Being out of the interview world for 8+ years made me nervous...but i think i nailed it. either way, i didn't really care if i got the job. I am itching for something new but still enjoy the current school i am at. I still feel like i am making an impact there. So i went into the interview with an "if God wants it so be it, and if not...so be it" sort of attitude. I did not get the job, but had a super cool chat with the principal that interviewed me. He noticed just by my answers and my passion for kids that i was a christian, so that was cool. we talked about lovin Jesus for about 10 minutes. that might be cooler than actually getting the job!

3. I finally took the plunge and got a brand new apple computer. walked into the apple store with the intentions of looking and walked out 2 hours later with a new computer in hand and about $1700 poorer! but...i love it. everything is soooooo fast, and it's got some pretty awesome functions that my old timer computer did not have. I dig it!

4. Made my first craig list purchase ever just the other day. Bought a i-pod to replace the one that got stolen from the gym. (yeah - that sucked). i was nervous to go pick up the i-pod so called my friends jen and chad and told them where i was headed just in case the dude was a psycho. no worries...he was just a punk high school kid. all went well and the i-pod works fantastic. a really good deal!

5. supported Linda (the head basketball coach at nwc) in her decision to resign from coaching. there was a lot of talking, thinking and praying. it was hard...but a very good decision for her and her family. with that said, i've also come to the decision of not coaching either. it has been a long process and a hard one too...but i've prayed a lot about it and just feel like there are two other areas of my life that need my attention more than coaching...so starting at the end of this month i will no longer be a coach at nwc. I am excited to see what and how God uses me with soooo much free time. i am sure i will get bored! and i KNOW that i will miss the girls and what the ball program was all about, but deep down inside me i believe this is the right decision ...

6. i went to Vegas with my Momma over spring break. we decided we need to do a trip together. it was a good time...and i enjoyed it being just mom and i. Vegas is insane. And totally not my gig, or my moms. but, we had fun walking around taking in all the buildings...but were very sick of all the gambling by the end of day 3; we stayed for 4 days. it wasn't as warm as we hoped, but we still got some sun, and had a good time together. i hope to make trips like that more often with my momma. she is a good time!

7. today i decided i needed to upgrade my silverware, my coffee marker and replace some of my bath towels. so...i had a good time spending money and than coming home and replacing the old with the new. i cant wait to try out my new coffee marker tomorrow....it should be a fantastic cup of joe (according to the price!) You all are welcome to come on over and join me in a cup of joe; we can sit out on my swing chairs, enjoy the coffee and some convo.

8. went on a date. had a good time. hope, pray and wish there may be many more of those in the near future. so stay tuned for that.... :) my goal is go on at least one date every week. (staring in may) huh....we will see if my resources pan out!

9. finally got my pay raise for finishing up grad school in june - it's been along wait!. so it's been very fun and very rewarding the past 2 pay checks. i like being a 'master'.

10. I've had some pretty intense, crazy, weird, fun dreams lately. One was one of my students throwing apples at my car, had another about a friend of mine dressing up like a clown and than punching another friend in the face, lots of dreams about kissing boys (no details needed there), and one very intense dream were i was being chased. not sure what has caused my dreaming abilities to be heightened as of late...but it's never dual when i hit the pillow!

11. looking forward to a fun filled summer. with lots of visits to friends, family, maybe some part time work as a painter, still doing and training for some Tri-athlons, and maybe will do a couple odd trips to fun places just for kicks and giggles.

*that is it, well at least the stuff i can think of right now! i've been thinking on something that i've been challenged with in bible study so hope to fine tune my thoughts and get them in a blog soon. my friend Jen told me that my blog sucks....so i guess i need to lend it more attention ; I hope to keep it updates more often.

happy dreams. off to bed i go.

2010-03-09T14:11:00.007-06:00

so this morning i was standing in line at the bakery to get coffee, and ONLY coffee, and i notice this lady staring at me. i ignore it for like 5 seconds before she says....'do you know who you look like'.

Me: ....'ahhh, no!'

Lady: 'well i was standing here thinking that you were Gabrielle Reece, i was going to ask you for your autograph.'

Me: 'well thats nice, but nope... i am not her!'

Lady: 'yeah i realized that when I sow your ID tag from work. Are you a teacher?'

Me: i giggle a little and say- 'yeah- but i'd rather be a pro beach volleyball player, part time model married to a surfer dude...that'd be nice!'.

Lady: "that would be nice".

and i leave with coffee in hand and a smile on my face.

Now- some of you (very few of you...) have mentioned to me in the past that i look like Gabrielle, but i really have never believed you all before. Come on...NO WAY DO I LOOK THAT GOOD. and since most of you that have mentioned it to me are either my good friends and/or are related to me....sometimes i just think you are being nice. but hearing it from a complete stranger made me wonder...'huh, do i really look like her?' so i did some research- TAKE A LOOK- THIS IS HER...

LETS COMPARE- THIS IS ME...

NO FREAKING WAY DO I LOOK LIKE HER...AND IF I DID, WHY IN THE HECK AM I NOT MARRIED TO A SURFER AND MAKING BILLIONS OF $ MODELING? it was a great way to start my day, and a nice compliment- but i've come to realize that those of you that tell me i look like her need glasses! :)

New York

2009-12-21T07:56:00.003-06:00

My main goal in coming to NY for 6 days was to be the hands, feet and love of Jesus for Sunil and Mandi. I feel like so far I've been doing a decent job, but I must admit it is hard to remain stable in such a hard time, and in such a crazy city! Sunil is doing okay. I've visited him every day for a couple of hours and since Thursday, when I arrived, I can tell that he is getting stronger. The PT and all the work he has been doing in the hospital is helping; which is a big encouragement. Yesterday was a tough day for both him and Mandi. They spent the day together snuggled on his bed and had lots of emotional stuff come out. They both referenced angels when I arrived around 8:00 p.m. last night. Angels...yes, they are real. Sunil thinks that I am an angel (wow, thats a big role to fill)....here to do their dirty work for them. Man, that in it's self is a praise and worth all the money and time to get here. I am excited that Sunil is open to see the love of Jesus show up in flesh.

I've been reading a book; well actually one chapter in a book about why God allows suffering, and how to decipher what that means. I've been looking for the right moment to read it to him and than talk about the wonders of who God really is. I want so much for his heart to realize just how big God is....even if he doesnt get healed, and even if his current situation is pretty crappy. God shows up in those places regardless...and I want them both (mandi included) to know and believe that. I've also been reading Job and am hoping to find away to get him to read that book...it's insane and full of suffering, frustration, wondering at who God is and why He does the things He does...but i am not sure Sunil is ready for that book yet. but...will pray on it, read it and look for Gods timing.

On a complete different note: this city is nuts! i love being here...but could never do life here. I will give you just a couple of my crazy highlights.

#1- printed off directions to get to IKEA in Brooklyn and realized that to get home i needed a whole different set of directions. so...prayed and went with hit. got myself home, by the grace of God I am sure. but it made me feel like I could conquer the city.

#2- printed off directions for which subway and bus to use to get down town...and made it. but...waited for a bus for 20 minutes and than realized that it wasnt going to show up so had to walk the 7 blocks (and they are super long blocks) instead of take the bus. geezzzzz

#3- locked myself out on the patio at the apartment. I guess the keys you use to get into the apartment are not the same ones you use to get in and out of the patio. i had to through a snow ball up at the neighbors apartment window and hope that they would come let me in. they did..i was nervous though. and the dog was frozen!!!! we were only locked out for about 10 minutes. but was freaked out regardless...

#4- watching NY people try to dig themselves out of 8-10 inches of snow. gosh...thats funny stuff. people here have no idea how to work the snow.

#5 - living with 2 cats and a un-trained dog has been enough to push me over the edge...but, they are all growing on me and probably will end up missing them when i leave. the dog best get trained soon though....or else! :)

well it is currently 9:30. Mandi is at work. Sunil is in PT. so I best get to going as well. I have lots to do here! for those of you that know me...and Sunil- thanks for praying! God is good...all the time. And all the time...God is good!

fights....how many in one day?

2009-11-30T21:23:00.002-06:00

today i was taken aback by how many fights i helped break up at school. I dont get it! i dont understand how 11-15 year old kids get to a point in their day at school that they wanna punch each others lights out. As i was walking to toss my left over taco salad in the trash two 13 year old kids; one boy and one girl, decided that what ever it was they were having issues with needed to be resolved via punching. the chic was out of control insane...she ended up punching the assistant principal in the face. YEAH....are you kidding me? I had to stand up on a table blow my whistle at the top of my lungs so that the rest of the kids in the cafeteria sat down and stayed calm....or we would have an on all out cafe fight. I also helped restrain the girl...i pushed her face up against the wall. there is something really refreshing about showing a 13 year old that she isn't all big of deal! not sure what happened in the end, i just helped retain it!
than my lovely 11 year olds showed up. (6th graders) all was going well. we stretched, we jumped roped and we played a couple of games of dodge ball....all of which lead to a 11 year old girl getting hit in the head on accident by another boy and she decided the only smart thing to do was chase him down, grap his shirt and try to choke him to death! ummmm....yeah- she was also out of control. i had to pick her up and remove her from the gym! what in the heck are these kids learning at home that makes them think that just because they get hit in the head, on accident mind you, that they get to try and 'kill'. revenge is a scary thing. it makes my heart hurt that these kids only know how to fight with fists and nasty nast words!
than in the girls locker room two 12 year old girls were face to face using every single swear word in the book at each other. They did NOT fight, thank God- but my ears hurt horribly after it was over and resolved! some girls really know how to scream and use obscene words! that was my 8 hours at work today; wonder what tomorrow will bring? when can i retire? good times!!!!!

2009-11-20T11:04:00.002-06:00

face book is killing my blog- i am so sorry....i have seem to lost time to blog.

but- here i sit at work on a Friday with NOTHING to do (yeah- that never happens) and thought i'd blog a little. not sure about what...but i think i can come up with something.

since my last blog life hasn't really changed that much; well except that i am busier! basketball season is here (and has been for the past 5 weeks). Every time I resume coaching I get excited about it. I really do enjoy it. but this year i've felt 'pressed down' hard with some things. I've realized (and not just cuz of ball stuff) that life is really tough! And i dont think that realization has come because of my own struggles. I've been a witness to lots of 'tough' stuff that young peeps (and not just my ball players either) have to endure. I remember growing up; i remember being a college kid....and i dont EVER remember struggling with 'life' like some are. It's hard!!! i know from teaching junior highers and seeing their lives daily...that struggling is only going to get worse for the up coming generation. (just found out a 12 year old in my building is prego...yeah- thats what i call tough stuff) I've spent many hours the past couple of months (again- i am NOT just referencing that ball team here) counseling... and i feel very inadequate. I am not a counselor! I am reminded how important it is to be centered....and not just in dealing with life, but being centered in God. Most of the struggles that i have been a witness to has taken me to my knees!!! I am sooooo glad that I have the throne of God to turn to. yeah- it's hard....and emotionally draining! and it does 'press me down', but i am glad that i am in 'this' place of life. I am glad that the young people i am around have someone to turn to. it's hard. and i do feel inadequate, but it also makes me feel like i am worth something and that maybe, just maybe, i am making a difference. so that is where life has been for me the past couple of months.

I am sorry to say that i have zero updates on 'men'. anonymous reader... i did have coffee with Lance Dalbey last weekend and it was nice! still just really good friends, sorry to disappoint you! I've been hit on a couple times by some very random guys (one of which was 5'2). i've been told by many peeps that they cant believe i am still single. and i have about 3 girls on the ball team that are arranging blind-dates...or so they say they are! so....maybe next time i'll have some juicy updates. but for now-.... life is what life is.

2009-10-07T10:49:00.002-05:00

I've totally been ignoring my blog as of late....sorry blog readers! anonymous reader- i am sure you are annoyed at me. maybe you should become my face book friend...you can really keep tabs on me than.

lots going on in my life- but nothing to crazy; or for that matter, blog worthy!

so instead, i will share my challenge for the day with you.

Hebrews 13:15 "Let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise"

You are a great God. Your character is holy. Your truth is absolute. Your strength is unending. Your discipline is fair...Your provisions are abundant for our needs. Your light is adequate for our path. Your grace is sufficient for our sins...You are never early, or never late. You sent your Son in the fullness of time and will return at the consummation of time. You plan is perfect. Bewildering. Puzzling. Troubling. But perfect!

I love that about my God. my challenge is to truly remember that Gods plan for my life is perfect...and perfect doesn't mean easy, and it doesn't always mean its the same plan i have for myself! I also need to remember to praise Him regardless if understand his plan, for it at the time it seems puzzling! His character is HOLY, ABSOLUTE AND UNENDING. what more can a girl want?

The Applause of Heaven

2009-09-01T17:18:00.003-05:00

Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again.

Psalm 51:10

We are thirsty. Not thirsty for fame, possessions, passion, or romance. We've drunk from those pools. They are salt water in a desert. They don't quench- they kill. 'Blessed are those who hunger and thrust for righteousness..." Righteousness....That's what we are thirsty for. We're thirsty for a clean conscience. We crave a clean slate.... We pray for a hand that will enter the dark cavern of our world and do for us the one thing we can't do for ourselves- make us right again!

This was my September 1 verse and thought for the day (it's a little calendar i have sitting by my desk at school)...and it's been in my head all day! I am thirsty for a clean slate. I am thirsty for something the world can't give me. I can't wait for the 'hand' of Christ to come and do His thing in me. I can't do it alone. Create in me oh God....

This year at school I've vowed to keep the drama away. Of course, you can't work in a junior high school and not have drama. i expect drama from my students. But...i hate drama driven by adults. I've vowed I will NOT HAVE IT THIS YEAR. so...God is going to create in me a clean heart, a pure heart...a new slate. I can feel it! I am taking NO DRAMA from the past with me into this year. I am THIRSTY for something different, that is for sure!

Last Summer Fling

2009-08-28T09:39:00.003-05:00

Summer has come and gone...and it never got hot! Whats that all about? My last major summer adventure started last Friday morning at 4:45 a.m. I woke up and hit the club for a quick run to prepare (wake up in other words) myself for the drive to Newburg North Dakota. You ask....why Newburg ND? Well; my good friends Jay and Jen Tonneson live there and I decided I missed them enough to make a trip for a couple of days! They actually live 50 minutes farther north of Newburg at Lake Metaigoshe. The drive there wasnt to bad. I actually enjoy mornings so driving wasnt a big deal for me, plus mornings mean you can drink as much coffee as needed. I made 2 stops at caribou and than another stop at a random coffee shop. PERFECT> And there was about a 45 minute portion on the interstate where a pick-up truck full of guys and i were flirting. They actually honked their horn and scared the crap out of my at first....it was funny! I arrived in Newburg around 2:00. That afternoon Jen took me on the 'farm' tour and we watched Jay and his dad fix some thing on the combine. We drank more coffee...and than had dinner and pie. Joanie ( Jay's mom) got a crazy idea that she wanted to go on a bike ride so the girls laced up and hit the road. We planned on biking 5 miles to a near river and than back...but found out it was more like 8 miles to the river. So it ended up being a bike ride where we eat a lot of bugs cuz the sun set. It was nice to get the legs movin after a long drive. After that we hit the road again and headed to the Lake. Once there I crashed hard.

Saturday- Jen and I laid around the lake for most the afternoon. We went into Bottineau in the morning and got some food, a I-trip (for my trip home), and a movie. We than went to pick some Raspberries. Jen was covered in raspberry juice from walking 'through' the vines instead of around them! Once back we laid out on the grass to tan... half the time I had to cover myself with the blanket...it was a little cold! Jay came home and did fantasy football all evening. Jen cooked, I read. We played guitar hero ( i suck big time) and watched that movie we got.

Sunday- Church...old school. Very different from Open Door, but still good and uplifting! We went out to eat church with a bunch of the church goers. Hit the Lake...Jay had more fantasy football to do, so Jen and I hit the dock and laid out again. We hit the lake and took a long pontoon boat ride. It was great. Monday- went to Minot (50 minute drive) so Jen could get her tooth fixed. While there we did the following: shopped ( i got a new pair of tennis shoes), got some peaches to die for, ate lunch, (and not at 10 on Main- which is co-owned by Josh Duhmal), did some bike shopping for Jay and Jen's bikes (got hit on by the old dude there...he told me there is nothing hotter than a chic using a tire pump....ummm - how do you respond to that?), went to a super fun coffee shop/old book store, and than played the longest session of bingo ever...and lost! got home pretty late. Tuesday- spend the morning reading out on the patio (it was 50 degrees at 6:30 that morning, and by the time Jay and Jen got up it was a blistering 61). Jen and I hit the bike trial for a ride, and than hit the dock for some sun that afternoon. Since it was my last day we decided to hit the farm so i could get the whole ND experience. i rode with Jon (Jay's dad) in the combine for a solid hour- i know there all is to know about them now) and than took a long walk with Joanie. Jay and Jen were at the farm and had some problems....no need to go into detail there!
Went back to the lake and had a fire...and some smores...and chatted! I love fired at the lake..nothing better!
Wednesday- got up at 6:30 and went for a brisk run to wake myself up again for the drive home. yuck! said our goodbye and Jay and Jen left for the farm. I stayed for another hour or so. did some reading - and enjoyed the sight and sounds of the lake before i had to jet. I took a short little stop at albertville at the Nike out let store and....yes, of course i got ANOTHER pair of tennis shoes. man- i am addicted! got home around 6 and headed straight to the Andersons house for dinner with friends. A great way to spend the week. And no matter what Jay and Jen say...I had a riot in ND!

Man of the Month - August!

2009-08-11T22:25:00.003-05:00

I was perusing the web this evening while watching TV and came across another women's blog. She does some sort of 'Monday pick' and talks about some person she thinks deserves being recognized. I've decided to do something along those lines, but less often and of course will be limited to 'men'.

This past weekend was girls weekend and of course Sarah asked me who my top 5 celebrity picks were. They have changed a lot as of late (but paul walker will never lose his #1 position) and I've been stuck at finding a #5. No worries, I've found him. Thus, he wins the 'man of the month- August' award.

For those of you that watch TV he was on ABC tonight doing a tid-bit on how to help control and teach lions to get use to humans. This was filmed in Africa on a park reserve that is meant to give tours. I guess the lions are to dangers and the tours will no longer happen unless the lions can become a little be more tolerable of humans! it was insanely interesting! And...as the hour rolled on; i fell in love! Ok- not really, but.....

Dave Salmoni is a 33 year old, 6'3" Canadian (he might actually resort my hatred for Canadians- thats a whole different story), who majored in zoology and biology. He trains animals in all sort of areas, but has a passion for tigers and lions. This show was about helping a reserve in Africa calm the lions down so tours can be given to see all the wild life! Dave does life for 3 months with these lions and it was awesome. There will be a animal planet show on his adventure, what he learner about the lions, and how he helped them. All I know is that the dirtier and hairier he got, the hotter he got! Anyways...Sarah- here is my #5 and the Man of the Month- August!

i do have to say though...this surfer dude (the one on the far left looking at the camera) might make the list some day, only if i knew who he was! i randomly came across this picture when i was looking up a beach in Australia that i visited 3 summers ago and i couldn't remember the name. This dude came up on my screen! crazy cool.

I need the facts first!

2009-08-07T22:22:00.004-05:00

This blog is for my favorite anonymous commentor. So, if you ARE NOT this person, you dont need to read this. Bye the way- YOU MAKE ME GIGGLE.

I am making sure I have my facts straight.
1. you went to Mora High School (what years?)
2. I know you, and talk to you some at church (not sure if I am right on this one). how often do i see you, and or talk to you?
3. you were a cheerleader

Are those all the hints you've given me? Am i missing any? I am almost postive that i need more information on YOU before I spill all the updates and possibilites that I have had with this 'gym guy'. Until you confirm if the above 3 hints are correct (and if they are not, correct them for me). And give me one more really good hint. Than, and only than, will i update you and all my other readers about the 'gym dude'. So....not only are you keeping yourself from hearing all the gossip, but you are keeping other jojo's journey readers from hearing as well. The pressure is all on you , my funny anonymous commentor. YOU ROCK>

this is just a random picture of me at a wedding i went to. one of my basketball girls took this picture of me holding up our glass of apple juice to toast the bride and groom. just thought i'd share it with the world.

2009-07-18T08:11:00.003-05:00

A couple weekends ago, I went to the Basilica Block Party. Had myself a great time! Mat Kearney is my new all time favorite right now. I cant seem to take his CD out of my car.

Thanks Nicki for inviting me to come. Had a rock star of a time.

I ran into Lance Dalbey and a couple of other friends....so that was also fun. Enjoy the pics, sorry this is so short but I am late for my workout at the club and a chance to see this dude that I have a massive crush on there...so off I go.

Girls Week-Beginning in Kansas City

2009-07-05T21:58:00.003-05:00

Heather, Tammy and I packed up the silver bullet last Sunday morning and headed south towards Kansas City. There we meet up with Kara Lynn for a couple days of 'girls' time. It was great. Heather came up with the idea to keep a journal of what we did, what we said and how things went...so these are Heather insights of our week-beginning!! Along with some fun pictures. Sunday 6/28/09 @ 9:30 a.m. - Missed rest stop exit. Tammy has to pee bad. Next stop is 30 miles...whoops!
@ 11:00 a.m. - called Laura Larrew (she lives in Col..about 5 hrs away) and invited her to come...she said No.

@ 1:49 - Arrive at our hotel (Best Western). Hotel is under construction; great!

@ 3:30ish - (setting at pool) Man at pool comments that we are 'raw' (points to Tammy), medium (points to Kara), medium well (points to Heather) and well done (points to JoAnn)- weird dude! @ 6:24 - Bart calls to tell Tammy that he has to clean up Sh*t (literally). Tammy is laughing and crying at the same time

Monday 6/29/09 @ 9:00 Drive around forever to find a park. There is a park called Big 11 Lake. REALLY...it's a swamp with overgrown grass and tons of blue garbage's. Pass...., head on to downtown to walk by the river instead. Have an arm contest to see who can hold arms above head the longest. (JoAnn and Heather tie...sort of) @ 10:24 - return to hotel...what are we going to do next? POOL! eat chips and salsa, swim, tan and relax. It was really hot. head back to the room by 1:20
@ 7:00- Melting Pot for ladies night. Jo's cousin Clint comes along. Jo orders a dirty Martini and it turns out she really doesn't know what this is, and hates it. Drinks it anyhow...and hates it! Waiter is dumb. We have cheese and chocolate fondue. Jo leaves with Clint. Tuesday 6/30/09 sometime after 8:00 a.m. - Go to the Plaza (shopping area) and get pedicures. Tammy cannot get red; Jo says she gets pink. This is Kara's first pedicure. She doesn't like her toes. JoAnn wants to get red and blue alternating because we are going to the twins game. Her guy says "No it will not look good". She ends up winning the fight and gets her way. Tammy cant understand her girl but does get asked if she wants her eyebrows waxed. @6:00 Get to Kaufman Stadium. Realize we should have tailgated. Kara's car gets dinged by guy nest to us. Go in! Jo talks to old guy named Bob checking her bag. Ends up getting us lower deck tickets instead of our upper deck ones. NICE! Walk around, run into Jo's friend Aaron. Talk for awhile, walk around more. Game is kind of boring. 2-1 Twin win. Stadium is cool. Drunk guys sit behind us, very annoying. Heather goes to get Jo a pretzel with cheese. Decides cheese is too expensive ($1.50) and just brings back pretzel. Tells Jo she is trying to be frugal with her $ even though she owes Jo $20. Kara, Tammy and Heather have Helmet Sundaes, need 6 more helmets so all children can have one. Stay after game looking for helmets. People left. We end up with 17 helmets. Drive home to hotel, watched That 70's show and fall asleep. Wednesday 7/1/09 @ 8:00. Had to pool for our last couple of hours of fun in the sun. 10:15 - Kara leaves...11:15, we leave. 6:00ish- arrive at Heather house. Week-beginning is over!

2009-06-27T17:39:00.002-05:00

INTENSE, DRAMATIC, NON-STOP, ROMANTIC, FUNNY, LOUD, CRAZY COOL, SAD, INSPIRATIONAL, CHALLENGING, SPIRITUAL...AND CANT LEAVE TO PEE GOOD! THOSE ARE THE WORDS I WILL USE TO DESCRIBE TRANSFORMERS: THE RISE OF THE FALLEN. I WENT THIS AFTERNOON (alone) AND WANTED TO STAY FOR THE NEXT SHOWING; DOUBLE DIP IF YOU WILL, BUT DECIDED I BEST GET HOME AND PACK FOR MY TRIP TO KANSAS CITY WITH THE GIRLS. BUT, I WILL TELL YOU THIS. I CRIED, I LAUGHED, I WAS NERVOUS, I CHEERED...AND AS I SIT HERE AND REFLECT ON THE MOVIE (which sounds stupid) I WONDER AT WHAT SORT OF RELATIONSHIPS WOULD SACRIFICE EVERYTHING FOR THE BETTER OF THE OTHER...CUZ THATS WHAT PRIME DID FOR SAM, AND IN TURN SAM DID FOR PRIME. I WONDER AT WHAT SORT OF RELATIONSHIPS DEMAND DEVOTION; DEVOTION THAT REQUIRES TO PUT ON THE OTHER PERSONS NEEDS FIRST, CUZ THATS WHAT BUMBLE BEE HAS FOR SAM - COMPLETE DEVOTION. AND I WONDER AT WHAT KIND OF LOVE WOULD RISK DIEING FOR. HUH, JESUS FULFILLS ALL THOSE THINGS. YEAH, IT SOUNDS GOOFY...BUT I AM REMINDED THAT GOD NEEDS TO BE MY 'PRIME'. LOVED THE MOVIE. GO SEE IT.

OFF TO PACK.

summer motto

2009-06-15T11:59:00.004-05:00

DISCIPLINE SATISFIES: That's my summer motto. It's written on my chalk board hanging in my kitchen, it's written on a note card and taped to my bathroom mirror, and it is placed in strategic places where I will see it and be reminded of how I want, and maybe more than that, need discipline in my life! Please drop me a note any time and check in on how it's going.
Here are the main things I am going to concentrate on:
1. 6:30 a.m. wake up call, with some sort of easy type of exercise. a walk, a short jog, a bike ride...something to get me up and out of the house.
2. thereafter...I am hoping to spend at least an hour reading the BIBLE; outside, over breakfast...on my swing chair with my newly planted flowers. (I did it this morning and it was great. I sort of just got lost in it and spent 3+hours out there)
3. Hit the gym everyday for a hard workout!
4. RECORD RECORD RECORD. I've sort of fallen off the weight watchers band wagon and I am going to start back at it it again...religiously! I've not gained anything back, but haven't lost the last 20 thats waiting.
5. NO CARIBOU- I know, what am I doing to myself, Right? Here's the deal with that one. I can have caribou if I am meeting a friend for coffee, or if someone else wants to buy it for me, or if i brew it myself at home. I just think I need to sort of back off my caribou intake. It's daily, and thats a little much! so- discipline, in this case may not satisfy me, but it sure will satisfy the pocket book. right?
there ya have it! DISCIPLINE SATISFIES! or so we will see!

2009-06-12T16:18:00.003-05:00

Summer has started, although I do not feel like the weather is proving it IS summer. I've been waiting for the sun to come out so I could enjoy planting flowers IN THE SUN and finally gave up on waiting. Today I stopped at Fleet Farm (my favorite place to shop) and got $80 worth of flowers. I spent more money that I should have, but couldn't pass up the super pretty ones! I got home and planted them in the flower planter that mom made for me last year. I will enjoy my morning cups of coffee and reading time out on my swing chairs now since there are pretty flowers to make the scenery better. I just hope that I did a good job and they actually survive. I also planted two tomato plants with hopes that they will actually produce tomatoes. Nice, right? Here is what my $80 bucks and 1.5 hours of my time produced! Kizzy...I know I don't have a garden like you, but...it will have to do.

this is my favorite one flower, the red one.

this is my 2nd favorite one. it's in a hanging bucket and has bright yellow, orange and reddish colors...some of the flowers have mixed colors on them...its pretty cool. it was my most expensive purchase.

I hope these flowers survive...I sort of ran out of dirt. I need to buy another bag.

I love freshly picked tomatoes. When I was a kid I would eat them like an apple. I hope to do that again.

ouch.

2009-06-03T18:29:00.004-05:00

my friend Krissie cant stop talking about how much she loves getting her legs waxed; well- maybe she cant stop talking about how she loves the outcome of getting her legs waxed. So...after a month of growing my leg hair out (yeah, TMI) I got them waxed this afternoon at Juut, after i got a fantastic hair cut done by Hannah (love that girl)! OUCH! that pretty much sums it up. it didn't hurt as bad as i thought it was gonna...but it also really didn't feel pleasant... at all!!!! But i hope, like Krissie, that the outcome is worth the pain!

And Kizzy....if you look super close at the picture you will notice that my toes have been given the proper attention and even some tender lovin care. and yes, they are blue! nice, right?

On a side note....man are my niece and nephews cute!

Guatemala

2009-05-28T18:14:00.004-05:00

I've been in Guatemala and El Salvador with the Northwestern women's girls basketball team the past 10 days on a missions trip and it was great. Our mission was to play basketball games and put on mini-clinics all the while sharing our testimonies and Jesus' love before, during and after our games. It was so good...the girls did fantastic. I was so proud of them. A couple of them had never flown before and or been to another country so watching them take in all the newness of the trip was so fun. And- watching them step out of their comfort zone to share what Jesus has done in their life was so fun and it made me so proud. Here are just a couple things that I was challenged with and will forever remember:

1. preparing.... missions trip take a lot of prep time- i am very thankful for Krissie, my co-leader. she was (and still is) super fantastic

2. On the Run; which is a gas stations where we encountered cross dressing prostitutes and the girls had no idea how to react. it was scary, sad and super hilarious all at the same time.

3. Lake Atilian (not sure i am spelling that right), one of the most beautiful places I've been.

4. Jaime...our leader, translator and faithful friend. He has a wonderful testimony of Gods grace and mercy and how God changed his heart and his life. He was everything we needed in a leader and translator. He brought tears to my eyes and I already miss him.

5. The National teams we played. We were considered the USA team...intense! we lost some, won some and got trampled on once.

6. The refs.

7. Kelseys testimony

8. The skit the girls did...again, it brought tears to my eyes.

9. My time in the word. It was good and re-energized me. I needed that. And am often reminded how important my personal relationship with God is.

10. The laughter at the ocean

11. The El Salvador and Guatemala children...they were so cute. it makes me wanna be a mom super bad. This little 4 month old girl already had a mom, which was a good thing...cuz if she didn't i would have taken her for my own.

12. The laughter in the van rides.

13. How many times i thought we were going to die in the those van rides.

14. the moth that attacked my head

15. spending time at the orphanage with kids that have HIV... and how i sow my team/girls step out and love on them. it was great.

16. Thelma, William and Emil: our other 3 faithful friends and leaders. Thelma is a fantastic cook. William is hilarious. And Emil has a passion for Guatemala like never before.
17. the village: and how little some people have and yet how happy they are. I fell in love with a little boy there and he gave me a red flower when we left. loved it! meetings like that remind me that i NEED to be so thankful for what i have and be more willing to give with a grateful heart. (oh, watching the girls use the bathrooms there was pretty memorable as well.)
*of course there are many other things that i loved about our trip, things that i will remember for a long time and that challenged me in my own walk with God. but...

2009-05-16T23:05:00.003-05:00

i graduated today!!! good stuff. ceremony was fine. there were lots of people that were graduating. sow Mr. Moye there, yeah, he was my high school Principal (or something like that) before he moved to the big city. He still funny as all get out. thanks dad and mom for coming down to support me. and for loving me all the time unconditionally- you rock. and thanks for dinner- it was super good, right? (we went to Axel's Bonfire grill) oh yes, carey....thanks so much for all your support as well. i couldnt have finished up with you!!!! thanks jay and jen for coming to dinner with me. love your support....and like always- YOU ROCK MY FACE OFF.

I AM OUT OF TOWN IN GUATEMALA FOR 10 DAYS. CHECK BLOG FOR UPDATES, THAT IS IF I AM AROUND A COMPUTER. WE WILL SEE. I AM EXCITED TO GET OUT OF THE STATES FOR A SPELL AND AM EVEN MORE EXCITED TO GO WITH THE BALL TEAM AND SPREAD THE LOVE OF JESUS AROUND. OUT-

Thursday Nights are back again!

2009-05-07T20:39:00.003-05:00

i realized something today that made me really smile. i opened my back pack and removed this maroon Concordia folder that has been in my bag for 2 years. it is full of random papers with a bunch of pass words written on the side of it. it has syllabus after syllabus in it and finally i took it out of my back pack NEVER TO BE PUT BACK IN IT. i also realized tonight that for the first time in 2 years i have my Thursday nights free again. seriously, i was so excited to do nothing and everything all at the same time. but instead i had to show up to a new student orientation for school. so, next week i will get to enjoy my first Thursday night off in a super long time. it made me smile a lot to remove my folder. I've been working on my capstone paper the past month and it really hasn't hit me yet the i am finished with my master program... A PAY RAISE IS MY NEAR FUTURE. i am proud to say that i finished it. i am proud to say that i did really well, overall. HONORS STUDENT EVEN (well that is pending my the out come of my capstone paper) but i had to admit this past class writing this paper has taken every single ounce of life right out of me. the past three days I've been fighting something... went to urgent care yesterday and the doc told me that i am fine...clean bill of health. but i CANT seem to stay awake. yesterday i fell asleep in the shower, than in class with students watching me, left work early and slept for a total of 18 hours straight. yeah. i woke up today and felt way better. actually had energy to teach; and teach well. but, i got home today and took a 2 hour nap. and i am guessing the way i feel i will go to bed soon (and it's 8:30). anyways- this master program has been very intense. hard and a ton of work. but - I DID IT! I AM DONE. SUPER COOL, RIGHT? I walk next Saturday the 16th and am excited to celebrate it. today i realized that i really appreciate Thursday nights. and man oh man am i going to enjoy having them back again. sweet; right????

last weekend

2009-05-07T20:07:00.004-05:00

little brother...not so little.these are most of the Venhuizen cousins. missing in action: jason, charlie, tim, clint and josh
these are all the Venhuizens with spouses. notice: me and jeremy dont have spouses yet so we are pretending to be each others spouse!!!!

had a big family get together last weekend to meet Jack. Jack is the newest member to the Venhuizen clan...although he is a McConaghay! Kim, the only female cousin that grew up with me on Venhuizen Road had a super cute baby this past December (i think). they were in town and we decided to have a big family 'baby shower' for them. it was good stuff. lots of food to eat, lots of noise, lots and lots of kids (little and big both) running around, and a super competitive game of steal sticks. if you don't know what steal sticks are than you just didn't grow up on VenhuizenVille road. it's a fantastic game....and easy to play. we had a good time in Steve and Kizzy's back yard playing! the crazy thing is that the batteries in my camera ran out so i didn't get any pictures of Jack....and/or family. just of the crew of Venhuizen cousins.

pics of mandi's visit

2009-04-29T22:25:00.002-05:00

mandi and me. sometimes i can take a really good picture. believe it!

ok, this drink was for 4 peeps...called the volanco- it started on fire.

mandi, me, and nicki. love that we are pals.
cheese!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

random thoughts

2009-04-27T21:19:00.006-05:00

it's been a long time since i've blogged and it is simply cuz i have NO TIME. i've been forcing myself to sit in front of my computer to work on my capstone paper for grad school. let me fill you in. while in Florida on vacation i decided it'd be super smart of me to lose my zip drive that had my paper on it. yes, yes, yes...i know, why didnt i save it onto my hard drive on my computer? about five days before i left for Florida my computer contracted a virus...a bad one. one that cost me $150 big ones to fix. (thanks andrew) so, since the virus i got in the habit of just saving my paper information to my zip drive so it didnt contract a virus like all my other documents. anyways- to make along boring story short...i lost my paper. thus, 2 weeks ago i started over. this Thursday my paper is due. thankfully my professor give me a 2 week extension, but that still doenst make the job any easier. almost every minute of my day is used up doing 1 of 4 things: working, writing and correcting, working out, and than on occasion i find time to do normal everyday sort of things like eat, sleep, shower, clean my house, make a phone call, see my friends and of course....blog! tonight is one of the very few and fleeting moments.

besides being insane: life is life! i hate that it's april 27th and it's 40 degrees out. i cant stand that i have friends that i haven't seen in more than a month. i love that my arms hurt right now...i started a new arm workout and it's kicking my butt...i mean- it kicking my ARMS! i wish that i had 2-3 hours more in a day so that i could do all the things i think about doing, like writing some thank you cards! my students are going nuts...they hate being cooped up in a gym. and if we have to spend any more days inside because of cold weather, i might go completely nuts. i wanna go back to Florida with the girls and forget that my month of may is booked solid. oh, i took a part time job. yeah, life isn't busy enough for me!!! i decided i needed more things to do. i will be the front desk lady at my athletic club (Golds gym) and will be working the 5 -11 a.m. shift. awesome. it will be fantastic for summer. but now- it's super bogus! this Thursday is the last class of grad school. i cant wait!!!! i can smell the pay raise. Saturday i got to spend the morning with my super good friends andrea, kate and vollie (from high school). katie is pregnant and so cute. we cooked up some yummy brunch like food and than went for a super long walk around the lake. i needed that down time with them. the Guatemala missions trip is only 19 days away. man, time flies. the girls are excited. so i am. i just hope we can get prepared and ready so we can do God justice over there. oh yes....i am still on weight watchers but took a month off cuz i swore the last time i was there. sort of decided it was controlling me a little to much and needed a break from it. i will start up again next week. i am almost sure i haven't lost any weight, but also feel like i haven't gained...so thats good. my friend mandi was in town on Friday. we hit psycho suzy's in NE and had a riot. our bill was almost $400 big ones. we met a very random fellow named joe who sort of hit on us all. it was hilarious; his girlfriend was really pisssed. mandi looks fantastic and i love seeing her. but i am mad at her hubby sunil...he seems to think i am a lesbian, but i think he is sort of kidding - but regardless it mad me sad! Saturday night we had the basketball banquet. it was good to talk about ball and see all the girls fancy. krissie is done coaching and i am sad about that too. she will be very missed!!! sunday i got to see Chummer...love that guy. he is one of those friends i wish i had more time to spend with. today i cooked up a great steak and sat down and watched Dancing with the Stars. i want either the bull rider guy (ty) or the country singer (chuck) to win. first night in a very long time that i didnt work on my paper all night long.

ok- is that enough random thoughts? here are some random pics from the past couple of weeks of jo jos journey. sweet.

Florida summary

2009-04-12T21:17:00.004-05:00

so i sort of forgot to blog about our daily adventures in Florida...and Katie took most of the pictures, so i don't have a lot of them to share. but- i do have a lot of memories from our trip. some of the highlights i will note here.

1. Chris and our e-tour - yeah, it blow and was a waste of our time...but we laughed a lot of how stupid he was. and if not for the e-tour we wouldn't have had such a cheap trip.

2. joey our waiter at the rain forest cafe. he was super fun

3. islands of adventure (the theme park). it was awesome. a little on the windy and cold side, but still very fun. the roller coaster rides there were amazing. and some how Shelby worked her magic and got us to the front of a very long line. she seems to have her ways.....and the water ride at island of adventure- we decided to go on that last so we didn't freeze all day long. it was hilarious...and super fun- and we got totally drenched.

4. watching the girls pick grapefruit off the tree in my friend Kara back yard. it's like they never seen a grapfruit tree before.

5. Shelby jumping into the back portion of her car just to save us $3.00 at the beach.

6. the animal wildlife nature drive. we sow lots of birds....and made up lots of imaginary animals to make it more interesting. and we were greeted by a very nice old man with out his teeth that gave us candy, and he had a super funny southern accent.

7. clearwater beach- laying in the hot sand, and swimming in the cold ocean water. it was the perfect day! loved that day. it might be my favorite day!

8. dressing up all fancy and going out to a fun Greek restaurant. (cant remember the name of it).

9. the cockroach in the bathroom. so funny!

10. watching the tar-heels win the NCAA championship game. (yeah Tyler!)

11. sitting in a lawn chair and reading all day on Saturday...

12. Carrabba's bread! (if you are ever in Clairmont Florida, you need to go to that restaurant...fantastic)

13. Nicki tackling the waves for the first time ever. super fun- she loved it. and Hannah losing half her top for a split second in the waves- also super funny.

14. getting tan. and we all burned the tops of our feet the first day at the beach, so the second day we had to cover them up with sand so they didn't burn more!

15. laughing my head off at all the funny things said and done. had a blast!

Florida 09 - Day 1

2009-04-06T08:16:00.003-05:00

love that i am in Florida blogging. let me just say to all you MN'ians- IT'S 9:17 a.m. AND I AM SITTING OUT ON A PATIO, IT'S PARTLY CLOUDY, A LITTLE WINDY, BUT 74 DEGREES OUT. SUCKS TO BE YOU! yesterday it was reached 80 and was super sunny all day long.

so we've been in Florida for a little over 24 hours. the first 3 hours were a little rough. the girls (hannah, katie, shelbs and nicki) pulled into the Orlando airport to pick me up at around 11:00. yes, the girls drove (27 hours) to Orlando, i flew (3 1/2 hrs in the air; total travel time was 6 hrs 45 mins)....sort of like that i am established in life and can afford to fly instead of drive. the girls were tired, smelly and wanted nothing more than to get out of that car. after a little driving, a wrong address route, the wrong keys and room number given (and yes we did walk in on some other peoples room...the dude was in his his underwear), a walk through scary and dirty hallways...we found our room, our beds and some much needed sleep. pretty much our DAY 1 in Florida was laying at the pool, taking a dip when we got hot enough, taking naps and enjoying each others company. seriously - we laid at the pool from 10:30-4:30. yeah- it was fantastic. but us MN'ians don't respond well to sun.... so when we decided we'd had enough and wanted to shower and get ready for a dinner adventure...well, we found that some of us had gotten a little to much sun. most of us aren't badly burnt...just certain spots. katie's face...well maybe katie's whole front side, hannah's belly, shelb's chest, my arms, and nicki's upper (and inner) thighs. yeah- it was a very successful day at the pool. after getting ready for our evening out we made a stop at marshells for new swimsuits, a hat, a shirt, and sun glasses. From there we went to Downtown Disney for dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. it was an 1 1/2 hour wait, but.....Chris (our knight in shining armor- ok, the host guy) told us there wasn't a wait if we wanted to sit on the patio. are you kidding me? that isn't even a choice....so we were seated right away and got to sit outside in the warm weather instead of inside in the air conditioning. Joey- our waiter...he made the night super fun. Katie tried to set Shelbs up on date with him cuz all the girls thought he was 25. i told them he was way older than that. (and he was) so once they found out his age they switched from shelbs to me. it was funny stuff and joey played along really well. all in all- our first full day in Florida was nothing but sun, relaxation, and laughter. good times!

jay and jen

2009-04-06T07:34:00.004-05:00

jay and jen got married this past weekend and it was by far one of the most laid back, but beautifully, weddings I've been apart of. it was awesome to witness and stand up for two fantastic people. two people that desire is to serve God, as individuals, and now as a couple. It is very satisfying (and even serves as a place that i find hope for myself) to see God work and move in a relationship like jay and jens. to say the least i am very happy for them and cant wait to journey with them as they begin their married life.

without getting into a ton of detail and with out posting to many of my favorite pictures...I'll just to a 'quick' run through of the day.

Thursday night - rehearsal dinner. it was easy and the food was good. but more that that it was so good to see jens face permanently fixed with a smile on it. she was so excited for her wedding day.

Friday morning- i worked a half day (til 9:40), than bolted from there to go shop for my shoes. yes, i hadn't gotten shoes for the day yet. i actually wanted to sized up the best man so i could find shoes that didn't make me taller than him. once that was accomplished, i went to get my toes done, cuz the shoes i got were open toed. bolted from there to home and packed up my dress and other this and that things...and than went to jens house with caribou in hand, of course!

Friday afternoon- jen and i had arranged for our make-up and our hair to be done. sharla, jill and beka came with to watch and be our consultants about we were looking good for not. it was a very relaxing way to get ready. this is the first time I've paid for someone else to do my hair and make-up for a wedding and let me just say it was easiest way to get ready. i wasn't nervous about how things were gonna turn out and i didn't have to stress out about if i did a good job on myself or not. these people did a fantastic job! it was awesome! expensive, but awesome. we did lunch in there at some point as well.
Friday night- the wedding was at 7:00. we were at the church by 4:30, and a little bored. so we chatted and just hung out, which i think was good for jen...just to sit and not be rushing around a lot. at around 5:30 jen put her dress on and did a couple last minute touches...and than took some pics of the 'girls' while the boys were locked up. jay did the same with his boys, while us girls were locked up. the time flew bye and soon we were walking down the aisle and jen was getting married. the message was one of the best I've ever heard at a wedding. attention getting, funny, but really really good. it gave jen and jay something to think about and handed them good advice in how to live in and be in a Godly relationship. the service was about 30 minutes....in and out. everything went fine. ben and i did a great job standing up with them. no one fell over, no one screwed up. and jen and jay left the stage with really big smiles on there faces!!!!!

Friday night-night - the reception was again... simple, but super nice. anna did a great job decorating the tables and it looked super cute- just like jen wanted it. we had a small meal and than cheese cake and caribou coffee was served. oh my goodness....i drank coffee straight. how many times do you get to go back for a refill and don't have to pay!!! loved it. overall it was a great night. jay and jen looked great. we all said our goodbyes around 11:30 and i was home in bed by 12:45. it was a great day! loved that i got to be a part of it. jen has been, and will continue to be, one of those friends that doesn't waver or move. she is consistent, trustworthy, is highly aware of the needs of others around her, and wants what God wants. jay is one of those guys that is so kind and caring that you just want to be around him, he is also consistent, funny and loves jen like she should be loved and he wants what God wants. i love that. it was a great day!

Party in the H20

2009-03-22T20:35:00.004-06:00

Jen is 'going to the chapel' in 11 days and this past weekend 8 of her gal pals gathered at The Water Park of America for some 'pure' fun! It was a simple weekend to celebrate Jen's single life, how special she is to all of us, and of course...her soon to be married life to Mr. Tonneson. Jen is great... and I wanted this weekend to be fun and to honor who and what she is all about! We checked in Saturday afternoon at 4... and it was a zoo. After a long while of waiting in line just to check in, we got established in our room, than suited up for the water park. It was insane; full of people! But the water was warm, and the rides were fun. We laughed a lot at each other and got tired quick like form all the 'parting in the h20'. We loved the family raft ride, but of course that was the longest line of all rides! A couple of the crazist girls in the group (you can decide who you think they were) decided to switch swim suit bottoms while in the hot tub- crazy right? 2 of the crazist ones did their tops as well!!!!! good pure fun, right? We had tons of food in the room to eat and of course had some games to play. One of which was an arm wrestling contest! Yes- girls arm wrestling. We also had a moak version of American Idol. The girls were judged on how well they sang, their effort and than how much they made us laugh! yeah...i almost peed my pants a couple different times! super funny. i wish i would have video taped it cuz there could have been some funny you tubes made! Overall the party was super fun. I think Jen left with some very NICE and PURE outfits for her married life. (had that puffy painted on a white tank top, and she also got a white zip-sweatshirt and some white sweatpants to hang out in at the water park)And I think we spent a very fun weekend together celebrating single life and friendship. It took a ton of planning on my part (being the maid of honor and all), but it was worth it. When all was over today at 4:00, I took a long and hard 2 hour nap!!! LOVE YA JEN> you blow my mind! i cant wait to see you all dressed up in whilte april 3rd and how fun it will be to see you committ yourself to jay!!! totally God honoring! love it.

big- bigger- or biggest?

2009-03-12T21:37:00.002-06:00

this tv was big....when i first got it way back in 1995 from my parents. it has been a hard worker and has lived a fine life. it has made it's way to many different homes and been when with many different people. it has view millions of tv shows, shown tons of movies and hasn't caused me ANY problems. currently my 'big' tv has started to make noises! it's 'big' 23 inch screen (or maybe it is a 27 inch) has been a little to small for my old eyes, so even though the 1995 TV has been a long time friend, i had to retire it this evening. THIS WAS IT'S REPLACEMENT.

now, you may think 'yeah, so what...thats not a big TV!'...um, yes it is. This is a much bigger version of what i am use to. plus, it makes no noise and has a fantastic picture. i've up graded, to say the least, to a 37 inch flat screen. thanks to my friend Bill i saved about $350 on this TV and am so pleased. I had to go buy a special screw driver (ok....it was just an extra long Philips that i needed, not really special, but i want to say that it was) to get the base set up. i was nervous about pluggin it in and making sure all the wires were right, but honestly- i had to plug in 2 wires and bam- NCAA basketball in my living room...just like that. i feel like i am actually at the game- live...that's how good it is! and that's how big it is. good stuff.

of course this isn't the biggest TV i could have gotten. Bill offered me a 42 inch for only $100 more than i paid (still a fantastic savings), but i honestly think a 42 or bigger would have over taken my tiny living room and i would have had to move one of my new couches out or something, and that would have made me very sad- cuz i love my couches. i am very happy with my new37' flat screen.

jen is coming over tomorrow night to watch movies...i am excited to see what it does! yeah-

a brand new bunch

2009-03-09T19:37:00.002-06:00

today i got a brand new bunch of 7th graders and coudnt be happier. the last batch was horrible; hell on earth horrible. i've hated my job for the past 11 weeks, and i never hate my job. i have bad days, even bad weeks in a row before- but never have i ever expereinced the 7th graders that i just got done with. so bad- unexplainable bad- scare the crap out of me bad. yeah- so i was so happy to get a new batch! these youngsters seem amazing, perfect even. of course, they arent. and of course i'll still have my bad days and my bad weeks- but i am so looking forward to enjoying my job again. today was a day of introductions and rules...i think i smiled all day long cuz these kids actually listened all day long. i contined to smile as the day ended. smiling has been a lost art for me- and it felt incridable to do it today. i am so excited to wake up tomorrow and actually look forward to work. agian- it's been a long 11 weeks. so glad that i get new students every 12 weeks. NICE>

basketball ended this past Saturday in Chicago. it was a tough game...and we almost pulled it out towards the end, but came up short. we played very average, but had fun doing it. taking the team to Chicago is always fun! we hung/shopped on Michigan Ave for a couple hours, and i spent way to much money at Nike Town. I got some North Carolina t-shirts so i can be a solid supporter...go Heels!!! and i got a new pair of tennis shoes, to no ones surprise. yeah- i really didn't need a new pair, but i got a pair anyway. they are my new running shoes and will be for a couple months. I've decided to just wear them when i am working out. anyways- basketball is over. sad of course to say goodbye to the seniors and to our season, but i am still preparing to take some of the team on a missions trip in a couple months so will stay in contact with most of the players, which is nice. (quick plug, if you want to support my missions trip let me know... i need supports- thanks!)

i have to admit that it will be nice to have my afternoons to myself again and will be able to focus a little more on me again. today after school i got a really good 1 1/2 workout in, instead of getting a short 30 minutes in. i loved it! looking forward to doing more of that again.

other than that i am just really glad to have a new batch of 7th graders...yes!

NWC Ball.

2009-02-15T14:47:00.006-06:00

Ok, so 2 weekends ago was our last regular season travel weekend. we hit up Mankato and New Ulm. the team had a great time and these were some pics of my players that i just couldn't pass up posting. we won both games that weekend, which was really good- and fun!Friday we had a tough lose against Northland, but had a good win on Saturday against St. Scholastic. Saturday was a really fun and special day for our team. We had what we called our 'Pink Zone' Day, which is just a day that we as a team wanted to bring awareness to breast cancer, honor some survivors and those still battling cancer, and than try to raise some money. We all wore pink t-shirts...even the coaching staff,

had some fun give aways. We had four ladies that we honored. one of our players grandma who has been cancer free for years now, another lady who has a very unique and special relationship with 2 of our players who is currently fighting it, and than 2 good friends of Linda. It was fun to honor them, to show them support and to stand firm in praying for them. I think having awareness days like this are so important...and it's super fun to see our players help bring awareness. It was a good day.

And it made Valentines day go faster for me. I am sure valentines day for most people is a fun day to celebrate love and to be all mushy with your special someone, but for me it's a horrible day. i hate it. honestly, i do! I've never had a boyfriend to celebrate v-day with and or do i care to (that is care to celebrate the day...I'd really care to have a boyfriend) i am sure that if i did my opinion would change, but right now it's just a day that seems to be a money maker more than anything. i hope that if i ever do get a boyfriend that we spend every day finding ways to celebrate what ever it is we have, instead of just doing it on Feb 14th. It is hard to just stand bye and watch all my friends make plans and get all excited about that day, and i sit at home alone....bored, with a bad attitude. yeah- that's how i felt last night. but- it was really really good that i had 'Pink Zone' to make the day go faster and to remember that there are bigger and more important things to be aware of and celebrate, besides v-day. so i actually only had a bad attitude from about 8:30p.m til when i feel asleep (11:00). so- whatever. although i did get flowers on Friday, which was a super fun surprise and very uplifting. Megan, who is a NWC Eagle baller grad came in to do devo's on Friday before the game. She is fantastic, and did a great job bringing truth about 'waiting' on the Lord. She makes me proud...not that i impacted her spiritual walk (Jesus is doing that), but it just makes me smile to see how well our players grow up and do life outside of the bubble and confines of NWC. anyways- she left and when she came back to the game she presented me with 2 red roses and told me that she thought i was beautiful and that she wanted to honor that....seriously- super cool of her. i wonder at how much of that was Megan driven or God using Megan as a gift!...cuz i needed something a little uplifting. yeah- cheesy, but so good. T hanks Megan.

2009-02-12T07:19:00.006-06:00

i am a NCU Tar heels fan- and am darn proud of it! yes, I'll admit...I've sort of joined the 'band-wagon' the past 4 years since Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson have joined the squad...but come on, everyone should. I've always been a NCU fan...since Micheal Jordan's time- but the past 2 years I've been sort of a freak about it. i was totally lovin life last night when The Heels beat the Blue Devils. Not only did the best team win, but it was a fantastic game! (and i got a great workout in watching it via elliptical machine) i love basketball! i love good solid competitive basketball. i think there were 5 different times the game was tied, and 4 different times that the leading team changed. I really enjoy watching Tyler (funny, it sounds like we are on a first name basis....i wish) play...it's not pretty or graceful all the time; but he is one of the hardest workers (i think) in college ball today. and the man knows how to get to the free throw line, and he even makes them- every post coaches dream! Yeah- there are many other players like Paulas (Duke's guard) that work super hard and can make a lot happen for his team...but really there is none other than Hansbourgh. And Lawson...holy buckets; last night he actually might have been my favorite players. He took complete control and made things happen for his team. coaches love those sort of players! regardless....i am a Tar heels fans-and i am a Hansbourgh fan- and watching them beat Duke last night was nothing but fun, and caused me to experience a whole lot of joy! and just to clarify (for Linda mostly)...Tyler is a good looking kid- but that is NOT way i like him so much. so there! actually Ellington (his teammate) is way more attractive. :)

light

2009-02-05T15:50:00.002-06:00

i love it when i leave for work and the sky has tiny hints of light in it. i get so tired of waking up in the pitch dark, heading to work in the picth dark and than returning home to the pitch dark. but alas...this morning (granted i left for work 10 minutes later than i usually do), there was light in the sky. yes, it wasnt much- but i could tell that it was there. that must mean THAT SPRING IS IN THE AIR- RIGHT? and...not only is there light in the sky in the morning, but i've been noticing that it has been staying lighter little by little in the evening as well. a couple nights this week i actually left basketball practice and it was still light out. crazy! again, is this another sign that spring is in the air. gosh- i hope so. i am tired of the cold, the dark, the wind, the ice, the blah-blah-blahs. i need sun. maybe i should go tanning!!!! anyways- was happy to see the light this morning! yes.

1-20-1975

2009-01-20T22:20:00.004-06:00

this isn't the best picture of my birthday cake that my bible study group (Anna) made for me this evening. it was fantastic. we (5 of us) ate the whole thing. i think i had 3 servings....it was so good. Jen orchestrated a stupendous dinner as well..... this is my awesome group (minus Justin who came after the prep was done, and Aaron who was absent) cooking up a storm. fresh steamed broccoli and cauliflower, sweet potato fries, and 2 small chickens were served. we all sat at the table like a family, ate, and enjoyed each others company...and the food. it was the perfect way to spend my birthday. with good, solid, fun, lovin friends. after i ate more food than i think I've consumed in the past week combined we sat down to do our bible study. after study we dived into dessert.
Jen and Anna, my 2 all time favorite girls, got me a little gift that i am super pumped to use. a gift certificate to the Buckle. since I've still been losing weight they thought it'd be fun to hook me up with some new jeans. so fun. i just got 2 new pairs about 2 weeks ago cuz my current ones were falling off my body. so...i am going to wait til i lose 6 more lbs (which will = a total of 40) and than go spend my birthday gift. love that Jen and Anna are so aware of my goals with weight lose and celebrated my birthday acknowledging that. they also made most of the food with weight watchers in mind...love that!some of the other super fun things that happened today were:
-i got lots of fun texts messages, voice messages and emails from friends
-i also had 4 signing birthday messages on my phone after work. I've listened to them like 5 times already...they are so cute.
-got a caribou card from Sara....sweet! and i got a free drink this morning from caribou...so i was there two times today. hope i can fall asleep tonight.
-got lots of happy wishes from my students.
-got some brand new fun socks from Krissie
-a grapefruit, my favorite fruit of all, from the ball team

i have nothing to complain about, except that i am 34 years old...yikes, that's old!

day off....

2009-01-19T13:16:00.004-06:00

today is a holiday- Martin Luther King Day- a no work day!!!! but for me it's more than that. today is 'JoAnn's Day'. The day before my birthday. last year at this time i was here.....

in sunny Florida. i went for 6 days..it was fantastic. i just got done reading all my blog entries that i posted while there. i remember spending a lot of time surrounding my expectations, finding solitude, reading my bible, journaling, getting a tan, and hanging with Ashlee. It was great. a super fun trip. This year since i am coaching basketball again a vacation alone is not a possibility. But...today since it's a holiday i treated myself to 2 things i highly enjoy! a hour at caribou- ALONE- reading my bible and drinking coffee; by the fire! it was quiet (except for the dude talking really loudly on his phone) and warm. After that i headed over to Simonsons to get my hour long massage. i don't do these very often cuz they are spendy...but i love them! Gabe, who did the massage- was fantastic! i was a little nervous about a guy doing the massage, but it was great. he knew just how hard to push on those tiny little knots that seem to make there way deep into my shoulders. it was very relaxing. so worth my money! i wasn't as uncomfortable as i thought i would be in a room with a dude with only my underwear on, with dim lights and soft music playing...yikes! the rest of my day off entails basketball practice and than an evening on the town with Joe. He is a good friend from college who frequently likes to take me out. He is super nice and i am excited to spend the evening out! nothing major...just dinner, drinks, and conversation. but regardless...it will be a good time. sweet-

TEARS

2009-01-11T14:54:00.002-06:00

tears don't often find my eyes, but when they do they are often intense tears. for those of you that don't know me, i don't cry very often. I've been told by people that know me well that i am 'too tough' and that i should be more willing to cry. it's not that i don't cry cuz i don't have feelings, trust me- i do. tears just don't make there way out very often. i remember my best friend Jen (growing up) freaking out when i hurt my knee playing high school basketball. I was a junior, she was senior and that was the first time she ever witnessed me cry...she thought i was dying. anyways.
this past week I've cried 3 times, which is not normal. but as i look back at my week - i think my tears were a very good thing. Tuesday i biffed it hard down my stairs, and cried cuz it hurt, and also i think i cried cuz it was sort of funny. i did something to my knee (the one i had re-constructive surgery on) while running the day before. as i was getting ready for work on Tuesday morning i realized that it hurt, but it wasn't a big deal; my knee aches after a hard run most of the time...this i thought was no different. as i went to go down the stairs i put all my weight on my knee it gave out and i biffed it. yeah- it sounds bad...and it made a horrible noise. i had a basket full of laundry in my hands so cloths went flying. i landed on my butt (good source of padding) and just sort of slide all the way down. no major issues came from the fall- except for my knee. it still kills. i have a hard time putting all my body weight on it. tears came that morning cuz of my fall...and cuz it was funny. I cried on Wednesday when i attended a funeral. mostly cuz funerals are sad, but also cuz we sang 2 hymns that were my grandmas favorite...and i miss her! funerals are never easy. but the tears that came in my car on the way home were healing tears...i think. I've had a lot of bottled up emotions concerning a friend and i think they finally made there way out during my drive home; and i think that was a very good thing. than came Friday...yikes! i never ever let my students get the best of me. ever!!!! i remember seeing a teacher in high school cry in front of us and i thought she was a weird-o and was weak...so I've made a pack with myself that I'd never let me students see me cry. but Friday my 7th hour 'hellion's' got the best of me. I've struggled with these 38 students since the beginning of the TRI (beginning of Dec). they are nothing less than horrible. of course, there are about 10 student that do all of the 'helling' (is that a word?) and it broke me. i tossed my book in the air, yelled that i was done teaching...made my way to the phone, called the principal, sat at my desk and cried - right in front of them. the principal got there and was astonished that i was crying, and told me to leave the room. i did. there was another staff member waiting for me in the hallway. she hugged me and reminded me to breath. it sucked. I've seriously never in my life been so at a lose at how to get these students attention, and keep it. it's insane the things they do. it's insane the lack of respect they have. it's scary to hear the things they have to say to me, and to watch their attitudes. i cried; hard! i think i also cried cuz it's not fair to the 20 kids that are in that class that day after day don't get to learn cuz of the 10 that cause havoc. not sure what Monday is going to bring but if you are the praying sort...please pray for me and my 7th hour crew. we are in class from 12:26-1:15. the good that came from my tears was that my principal now understands just how much of a struggle this class is and she has offered her support...so hopefully between her and i, we will find a way to remove so much of the hell i see and replace it with a little heaven! if that makes sense!!!!
tears....they don't often find my eyes, but when they do they are intense. it's been an tense week!

Christmas Celebration and break....

2008-12-27T11:06:00.005-06:00

last Tuesday i was getting ready to head home to Mora for the week for Christmas and decided that i needed a hair dye and cut. Called Jenny, made an appointment, and spent almost four hour there. while there this crazy lady stopped bye to use the bathroom. (first of all, who stops by at a hair studio to use their bathroom?). anyways- this lady decided that i looked bored and plopped herself down in the chair next to me and began to tell Jenny and I all about her husbands bowel movements, or there lack of off. Jenny was trying to hold her chuckles in...but exploded with laughter. i sat in my chair and just starred at this crazy person and wonder at how she felt comfortable talking about her husbands pop. interesting to say the least. My hair turned out super....it's short, and i think i am digging it!

Got to ma and pa's late Tuesday night. From that moment on I promised myself i was going to enjoy the quiet and soak up as much sleep as i could. i slept most mornings til about 9. Dakota (mom's dog-we call her puffers) woke me up every couple hours cuz she wanted to play or was hogging the bed. yeah- when i come home to visit she gets to sleep in my bed. its the only time it is allowed. mom hates it- but i love it, and i think Puffers likes it too. My walking pneumonia is getting way better. and i think most of it is due to sleep....lots and lots of sleep.

Wednesday we hit Christmas Eve service at church. it was good. Mom just joined the praise and worship team so it was fun to see her up front on stage. she did good. the service was good. i sow my super good friend from high school, Lance. it always good to see him. He looks super good! headed home from there as the family was coming up for our traditional 'soup' Christmas Eve celebration. this celebration has gotten smaller as each family is starting up their own traditions. it use to be about 30+ peeps all smashed into mom house...but this time around there was 11 of us. and the amounts of food still could of feed the normal 30. we had Paulette famous chili, moms fantastic wild rice soup, and Bonnie's oyster stew (yuck). plus we had chicken wings, little smokies, dip and chips, crackers, beer, and a ton of cookies. we sat around and played some games and got all tuckered out around 10:00.

Christmas day brought the flu...yeah, it always seems to get someone. 4 years ago- Chris had it. 3 years ago- Chris and i both had it. last year i think we actually stayed healthy. and this year mom got hit hard. i am praying that i dont catch it...cuz i am so sick of being sick. anyways. Christmas was at Chris and Carey's house. lots of food was served, lots of laughter was had, and a ton of coffee was drank, games were played, and kids were everywhere. it was great- except that mom was at home alone vomiting. yikes!

That night she felt well enough that we had our own little family Christmas get together. We decided that the adults weren't going to exchange gifts, except with mom and dad. i scored a sowing machine...i guess mom want me to learn how to fix my own pants. its not the most excited gift, but very piratical. any one wanna teach me how to sow? the kids got a ton of gifts...and were excited. it was fun. since mom wasn't feeling the best the gang didn't hang out long. so it was very uneventful. but thats ok.

currently i am at home again...and it's nice to just spent more time chillin out. i have basketball practice tonight and leave for orange city Iowa on Monday for a tournament. so break as i know it is going to end...which is fine, i am ready to start up normal life again. break was good. Christmas was good. but i am ready to tackle the game of life again; and pray that i dont get the flu.

christmas party

2008-12-20T14:31:00.011-06:00

after the longest week, which seemed like a lifte-time, i had a christmas party at my house for some peeps. it was a small group of good friends. i feed them taco's and puppy chow (ya know - check mix with peanut butter and chocolate). everyone brought a $1.00 gift and we played the dice game, which was a hit. we laughed so hard at how crazy the boys got at stealing gifts from one another. at one point i think schmidty had about 5 gifts and everyone was stealing from him. it was super funny. it was a good time. paul was super excited that he got a princess marker board that i know he is gonna hang on the outside of his bedroom door. anna took the best gifts home, carbiou gifts cards! and brad got the foam shooting gun and continued to shoot everyone all night long. we played catch pharse and mad gap...and at one point i was laughing so hard that i almost peed my pants. i was happy to have people over to enjoy my home (and my new couches...us girls all fit on it), to feed them and enjoy each others company. oh, i got my bible study members a Northwestern College T-shirt for Christmas...but Aaron and Jason werent here to collect their gift, so the last picture is if jen, anna, and justin in their sporty nwc shirts. NICE! as the snow falls and i sit here still in my p.j's (and it's 3:00 p.m.) i am so thankful to have good friends to celebrate Jesus with. and i am even more thankful that i have a safe and warm place to live, cuz it's snowing like crazy outside! here are a couple of the fun captured moments of the evening.

scrooge?

2008-12-09T22:12:00.006-06:00

i had it in my head about a week ago that i wasnt going to put up a tree this year and or decorate my house; just wasnt in the mood. mostly cuz i am never home to enjoy the smell of a tree and or the sight of my decorations, but also cuz i sold my fake tree on my garage sale last summer and i didnt want to buy a new one...and or get a real one. but- Sunday i got a itch to buy a tree and decorate. so i did!!!!!!

Jen came over Sunday evening and helped me figure out how to use the stupid tree stand. i had no idea how since Matt put my tree up last year. anyways- i called Matt two times to try and figure it out and finally my dad told me how to jimmy rig it. so the tree is up and looks great! here are a couple of my favorite tree ornaments. the snow man is from my niece Emma, she made it for me a couple years ago. and the other one is from a student of mine that i taught when i worked in Elk River about 10 years ago. I love it. That same student gave me an angel bulb that must have fell of the tree this morning and was broken when i got up....i was sad!

Monday i got more into the Christmas spirit by going to a 3-D Christmas play at my friend Anna's church. she and her parents were in it. it was cute and funny and got me more in the Christmas mood. good stuff!!!! here is Jay, Jen and i in our 3-D glasses. nice! otherwise, life has been pretty busy for me, thus the lack of blogging. coaching is going ok. we cant seem to win any games, so thats frustrating. teaching is fine. started Trimester 2 a week ago and am ready for new students; already. i have a class of 38 7th graders that are going to challenge my every single nerve for the next 12 weeks! grad school is almost over and i cant wait. i actually should be working on a 3 page paper right now, but choose to 'play' instead. i am so burnt out. church is good. friends are good. family is good. God is good. sweet.

attitude is renewed.

2008-11-24T12:54:00.003-06:00

for those of you that read my last blog will be glad to hear that my attitude has taken a turn for the better and my thoughts are back on the right path; or are at least headed in the right direction. thanks for those of you that commented on my blog, via email ( i love you Judy B....you are a rock!), via phone calls, or in person (Jen Miller....you are solid and i couldn't ask for a better friend!)...thank you! i am very thankful to have friends that stand by and do the hard part of life with me. of course, doing the easy part of life is just that -EASY...- but true friends stick with it when life is hard! so thanks-

I am super excited to tell you all that this past week i lost 5.4 lbs. YES!!!! i have finally attained my 25+ weight lose goal and couldn't be prouder of myself. It was so fun to step on the scale Saturday morning and have Cindy (the lady behind the counter) say "OH MY GOODNESS, you lost 5.4 lbs and have surpassed your 25 lb goal." i was sort of astonished at first. But than was just happy. I feel great. I am doing this weight lose thing for one reason and one reason only....FOR ME! and i feel great physcially and it has been a much needed confidence booster. of course, getting complimented is always nice and i got lots of those this weekend, which only added to how proud i am! chessey?- maybe; but i don't care. This week will be a challenge. Thanksgiving food is crammed packed full of points. but I am determined to enjoy the food provided, but am also determined that i will NOT over due it and will not gain back any of my 28.8 current weight lose. i've also decided that running is way easier the lighter i get...it's been super good on the old knees!!!! i have a goal in mind in how much i want to lose total...but will take it in small steps. so my next big goal is to lose 35 so i can go jeans shopping!!!!! i need new jeans bad. Jen Kendrick can attest to that when she came to visit the other weekend: i stood up and my pants fell off!!! whoops!!!! so- 35 lbs = new jeans!!! sweet!

best of wishes to you all and have a super duper happy thanksgiving. be safe.

when it rains...it most often pours!

2008-11-16T13:06:00.002-06:00

ever just have one of those weeks that NOTHING seems to go the way you want it, or plan it? my past week was similar to that. I don't mean this blog to be an 'attention-getter' or a self pity party sort of blog......just hope to work out some of my issues by writing. I've journal alot this week and am not sure i completely understand my current thought process - so bare with me.
last Monday i started to come down with what i thought was the 'common' cold. started to feel stuffy and a little achy; nothing some black berry brandy wouldn't cure. or so i thought. woke up Tuesday feeling horrible, but decided i could convince myself that i wasn't that sick and that i could go to work. work was insane. i had the worst headache and at mid-point in my day had a low grade fever. no big deal- so i popped a couple pills and continued my day with basketball practice. by Tuesday night i knew i was sick- (the kind of sick that black berry brandy wasn't going to cure). i woke up early Wednesday morning with a 105 temp, and was dieing- or thought so at least. took more pills, put a cold towel on my head and fell back asleep. woke up to my alarm and decided i was a little to sick to go to work, so called in. but, i had to go to work anyways to prepare a lesson plan for the sub. when i left work it took everything in me to not go to the emergency room. fever was back full fledge and i couldn't see out of my right eye. cuz i am Venhuizen i decided the doctor wasn't necessary...i took more pills and went home to sleep it off. later that afternoon i felt better; so left for ball. we had a scrimmage in St. Olaf. we took vans. i felt ok...and the night actually went ok. i couldn't stand without getting super dizzy, but otherwise, things were fine. Thursday, i called in sick again. still was having some vision issues with my right eye. slept it out. got a call that afternoon from a friend that i haven't talked to in a long while that i guess was a little angry at me- so had to work that out. it was completely out of the blue and totally an attack on my heart, my attitude and my self-worth. Thursday night i had grad class and since my prof takes points off our grade if we miss class...i decided to go. that night i found out i got a B+ in my last class...so my current 4.0 went down the drain. i was upset. my friend Scott told me i looked like i was stoned...not something a girl likes to be told. and i found out that i have to re-due an assignment that i guess i did wrong. see - when it rains it often pours. Friday i went back to work to find out that there was an intruder in one of my classes the day before, so admin was mad at me for not leaving better instruction for my sub and why my sub didn't have a current class list. so had to work through some 'am i really a good teacher???' issues!!!! Friday night got here and i just couldn't shake this 'i am a loser' feeling. i have no idea where it came from, but it came fast and it came hard. I've spent many Friday evening sitting at home alone- so i didn't think much of this one, but for some reason i was having a major issue with it. i expended many thoughts on why I'm STILL single, why i don't have peeps to hang with, why i was struggling with my self-esteem, and why i feel like a loser! it was a tough night. emotionally draining if you will. Saturday i woke up with a re-newed attitude (not sure where it came from, but was thankful i had it regardless)....or so i thought. was excited to go to weight watchers and weight in. i thought for sure that I'd lose weight and that would make me feel a little better about myself. but....the rain decided to come regardless. i gained 1.4 pds. not sure how when i hardly eat anything this week. but i also didn't work out- so am guessing my body just was burning up calories like it has been use to. gaining weight is not what this girl needed to deal with. i wanted so bad to reach my 25 pound weight lose goal- but am currently 1.8 pds away. in the grand scheme of life i realize that 1.8 pds is not a big deal, and i have currently recovered from feeling like a loser in that area, but it was yet another thing that required a battle with my thoughts. That morning i decided i needed a little something 'happy'- so i went shopping. i told myself that i wasn't going to buy new jeans until i lost 30 pds, but couldn't help it. i found 2 pairs of dress pants, 3 sweaters, a funky shirt, some socks (i love new socks) at JCpenny - and all for only $75 bucks. so that was fun! but, that afternoon i went to the bank and realized i forgot to deposit my check from a week or so ago, so was over drafted and got stuck with a $30 transfer fee. NICE! also decided i needed to try to get a workout in, so went to the club. i wasn't planning on doing anything major cuz i am still very stuffy and clogged...but thought i needed some exercise. got on the treadmill and started to walk and some random dude came up to me and started up a big old lecture about how i need to take more vitamins and drink protein shakes (he must have heard me coughing)...and that would keep the 'colds' away. he was annoying and totally made me feel like i don't know how to take care of my own health. again- when it rains, it pours! Saturday night was the only highlight of my week. our opening game. we played Hamline. i was excited to be back on the bench coaching after a year off....and was excited for the girls. we played really well, and i had a blast- but we lost. today (Sunday) was another struggle. church was good. but just had this overwhelming sense that i wasn't good enough, especially for the friends that i sat with. not cuz of what the pastor talked about- but cuz my week. talked with my friend Keith very briefly about it and almost started to cry. he talked me down a little and made me feel a bit better, but still feel a little like a loser! so here i sit this afternoon watching the viks and wondering at why i feel the way i do. and to add to the madness, i have an extra free mens gophers basketball ticket and cant find one single person that wants to go. am i that much of a loser that peeps don't want a free ticket to a gophers game? anyway-it's a battle that i am trying to figure out. but like always - i am sure the rain will soon stop, the sun will come out and life will go on. it's just a part of the journey, right?

9 year old girls and basketball.....whoa

2008-11-09T20:35:00.003-06:00

i peeled out super early Saturday morning in time to make it to Emma's basketball games in Mora. She is 9 years old, playing ball with a bunch of other 9 year old girls....man, the insanity of it all. i will say that at some point in my life i am sure i played just like them. Emma did great. She has so much fun playing...i don't think her smile ever left her face. She often cheered for her teammates and got super excited the couple of times they scored. Emma as the potential to be a great player- but has a long way to go. after her first game, i took her aside and told her that sense she was the point guard she needed to dribble right past the girl that was guarding her and go straight to the basket; and the 2nd game she did! She did way better. She took a couple of shots even, all of which didn't go in...but at least she got them off. I was super proud of her. but- i have to say it was painful to sit and watch....coaching college ball makes for a short fuss. cant wait to see her play again.

David Crowder Band, Live in Concert

2008-11-09T20:20:00.003-06:00

This past Thursday night i skipped out of grad class 40 minutes early to make it to David Crowders show. Keith Anderson (see last picture) hooked me up with a couple free tickets. I love connections. See, Bee-Wack (the drummer; and i have no idea if thats his real name) plays risen drums...the drums Keith makes- thus Keith gets free tickets. And Keith is nice enough to hand a couple over to me. David Crowder is a very popular band; mostly praise and worship sort of stuff. Here is a pic of the crowd getting totally into it. Keith has enough tickets for me to invite Anna, a good friend of mine from bible study and her boyfriend Paul came after he was done with work. The evening was fantastic, full of singing, laughing, hand clapping, and loving on Jesus. I haven't had a lot of time to hang with Keith and Allison as of late but totally dig our friendship. They are solid peeps, love Jesus and love life. They have 2 beautiful girls that look so much like their mom. I wish we all had more time to hang like we use to back in the day....but life changes so fast and time seems to be limited. But i will never stop appreciating who Keith and Allison are. Thanks guys for a super fantastic night of praising our God... so glad we have that in common!

i won! and i am sore!

2008-10-26T16:22:00.009-06:00

Friday night we celebrated Jay's 29th birthday (jay is the guy behind the girl in the white jacket). Jen baked a cake and had ice cream with a signing candle on it...i missed that part. i was buying the coolest pair of Jordan basketball shoes ever for only $39.99....and needed to do it before the sale ended, so i missed signing to Jay. But, afterwards we all headed to the bowling alley for some competitive bowling! we made teams of 4. there also was gift cards available (thanks to ben) for the winning team. I guess ben has a multitude of gift cards in his sock drawer to random places and i am not sure why he doesn't use them. but, who cares; cuz my team won. ben was very upset.............see picture not only was ben upset about his team getting stomped on...but he also lost a game to me. we had a little side thing going and ben lost. ok- to be fair he only lost 1 out of the 3 games we played, but the 2nd game was by far the best game ever- cuz i beat ben and that doesnt happen very often. the guy seems to win at every thing, so when he loses - ya gotta rub it in!

since my week was insane and i felt like i could sleep for a year i decided to just let my body sleep til it was done sleeping. so....i woke up at 7:00 a.m. -YEAH...THAT'S NOT SLEEPING IN- cuz i had to pee, but thank goodness i was able to go back to sleep til 8:10 -NOT SURE THAT IS SLEEPING IN EITHER. than, i decided i missed my parents and the country side so i got in my car and headed north. dad was going to be splitting wood all day and i just felt bad thinking that he had to do all that work by himself. plus, dad has a rough back and shoulder (he has had surgery on both) so i thought i'd take my young-body and my full of fire attitude and go help the man split wood. so, i arrived at 10:00 and split wood til 1:00- than took a lunch break and was back at it til 4:30. my wrist and arms are all scratched up from lifting human sized pieces of wood. my knees and shins are bruised from wood falling them and using them to prop up the human sized wood....seriously! but, i got a great work out in and hopefully prevented dad from over using his back. we bonded and laughed and grunted and sweat. totally reminded me of my younger years when splitting wood was one of our many chores. one summer i think we split 40 cords of wood....an insane amount in other words! spent the night and attented church with the family. it was a a short trip, but a good one.

peeps from grad school

2008-10-24T06:47:00.001-05:00

Scott, me, Alissa and Catie (left to right) all went out to celebrate THE END of one of the worst 8 weeks of grad class ever! ok, by 'worst' i mean- way to much work...way to many textbooks (5 of them)...way to may assignments...way to much stress...and not enough application. Scott and Alissa (she is the one in the light shirt) have been my school pals since the our first class way back in spring of 07. these two bring a much needed 'FUN' to class for me. Scott is super into sports, a college tennis coach, a husband, a dad, is super smart, knows how to have a good time and is a well rounded dude. He makes me smile and laugh often and has some pretty fun stories. Allissa is a fire ball, full of life and energy and is a youngster (26). She is a first grade teacher, planning her summer wedding and often surprises me at what comes out of her mouth (oh the stories...). Scott, Alissa and I have pretty much done every group assignment and activity together...so we have spent sometime outside of classes getting to know one another- and i love it! this is one thing that makes grad school doable ...good peeps! Catie has been in our class the whole time as well, and finally decided she'd join us for a outing after class. She is hilarious. She also is a youngster (26), currently looking for a teaching job, always wants to be done with class early, and has made some professors a little upset at her! She seemed to fit right in with our little click.
Anyways- it was fa un way to celebrate the END of a very long 8 weeks. Thanks friends for a good time, fun stories, loads of laughs and your devotion to being a good teacher! sweet-

the past 72 hours.

2008-10-22T21:43:00.004-05:00

so the past 72 hours (3 days...) has been a whirl wind and i thought i'd just share my schedule with you all out there that think you have a bad schedule. compare it and let me know.....:)

Monday Morning:
5:15- alarm went off, i pushed snooze once. had to be at work by 6:15ish to get some lesson plans written, cuz I had no idea what i was going to teach.
6:20-2:30- work
2:30-3:00- ran home to grap my basketball bag, fix my face and hair, grap my bible and some dinner
3:30-4:30- basketball team pictures (thus the fixing my face and hair)
4:30-6:45- practice
7:00-9:00- bible study, and i forgot my dinner sitting on my table at home, thank goodness for Anna and her homemade chicken noddle soup.
9:00-10:30- needed to hang out with jenny for a spell....she needed me, and i missed her.
11:00-5:45a.m. - sleep

Tuesday
5:45- alarm went off, i pushed the snooze once
7:00-12:45- work
1:00-1:40- during my prep hour at work, i got a quick workout in at the club. ( i got hit on....that was fun)
1:50-2:30- quick shower and a quick get ready for conferences
2:30-7:30- parent teacher conferences....i had 15 parents show up, so i actually got a lot done. papers corrected, room cleaned, some grad school work done, some emails sent, and a couple chapters read in a book i so wanted to read
7:00-9:45- basketball practice. yeah, i was late to practice. and man practice was late- and i was crabby. my post players got a verbal lashing for not boxing out...i was so tired!!!!
10:15-10:30- just wanted to sit on my new couch for a short spell...and i watched friends.
10:30-5:45- sleep

Wednesday
6:00- alarm went off...no snooze
7:00-2:00- work
2:00-3:00-quick run at the club
3:30-6:30- basketball practice
7:00-8:45- grad school study group...we have a presentation to give tomorrow night and we needed to prepare- nothing like waiting til the last minute.
9:00- got home...currently just finished up my last touches on my portion of the presentation, and am sitting here forcing my eyes to stay open while i blog.
10:15-5:45- sleep, and i cant push the snooze tomorrow. i have a meeting at 6:45.

i've been at home mostly just to sleep nd that makes me sad cuz i love my new couches so much!!!! i cant wait for tomorrow night to get here. class should be done close to 7...and than i get to spend the rest of the evening at HOME> yes!!!!

what to say....

2008-10-16T08:56:00.007-05:00

i have so many things i could blog about. funny how there are times in life when i barely have anything going on and nothing to share, and than bam....all of the sudden, i could write 2 blogs every day cuz so much is happening. the main reason i haven't had time to share my thoughts is cuz of this ...see picture of table- yeah, my table is 'messed' with a project for grad school that has been consuming my time, energy and mind. i actually took the day off from work on Tuesday to get some of it done. This is what life has mainly been for me for the past 2 weeks. but...TONIGHT AT 4:30 THAT ALL CHANGES. no matter what is left unfinished the project will be handed in- done! no more thinking, writing, or pulling my hair out....done-done-done. cuz it's MEA weekend, i am actually sitting in that chair right now doing last minute touch ups and of course 'putting off' one last assignment. but it is only 9a.m., so i have some time. Also on Tuesday i had 2 fantastic men come over and help me move the old out so the new can come in. Jay-bird and scoobs (Justin) came over quick like to take my old couch and chair out. so since Tuesday afternoon i've had NO furniture in my living room, which is good cuz than i go right to the CHAIR in my kitchen and work on my project - no temptation to watch TV. anyways; my old blue couch...i was thinking about that couch as the guys lifted, turned and wiggled it out of the house. that couch is 20+ yrs old. it was in my parents basement and used and abused by me, my brothers and all our visitors from 1984-1995. from my parents basement it went to my first apartment while i was in college and got abused by me, my roommates and their boyfriends. yeah- never my boyfriends!!!! after 2 years of that it went back to VenhuizenVille to spend a short lived year in my older brothers basement. but it missed me to much and came back when i moved to an apartment in Elk River. here it stayed for another 2 years and was abused mostly by my students that came over to watch movies and eat my food. nice! than- it moved to Fridley. i, and 3 other girls, rented a town house together...but low and behold the couch would not fit in the living room, so off it went back to ma and pas house. it stayed there for a spell....3 years i think. but, than i moved AGAIN...this time to my current home in Brooklyn Park where i have lived for almost 4 years....thus the old blue couch has had a very lively life. from 1984-2008: i'd say it's time for retirement! the cushions dont stay on it anymore, the bottom of it is falling out and it has many stains. but...i am sad! it has been a fantastic couch. super comfy- one of the best places in the world to take a nap. anyways...if you want this beauty, you can sure have it. it is currently in my garage...i am sure it's sad, and cold!!! :)
HOLY BUCKETS THE NEW COUCHES ARE HERE. and man do they take up a lot of space! but i LOVE THEM. sorry blue couch.

the last thing that i have been wanting to share is about basketball - of course! i decided after taking a year off (last year), which was heaven...that i missed it to much and am currently back in the saddle coaching. We had our first practice yesterday and it was good. it was familiar. and it was fun to be back with Linda and Krissie. I missed them! and the girls are super on fire to play hard core ball...which makes coaching so fun. of course, i am very worried about what life is going to look like for me the next 5 month. balance is going to be the key. i dont want to give up my on workout schedule and or my the relationships i have formed in the past year, but have so many things going on: teaching full time, grad school, coaching, church, workouts, social life: come on- where does the list end? ...so it will be a balancing act for sure. i was dreading it (practice) a little the beginning of this week, but am no longer. yesterday was fun. and i am pumped to do it daily. the bummer is that i have grad class every Thursday night and will miss practice every week...but, i guess thats the balancing act i was referencing, right? Linda did devo's last night and i was challenged- i missed being challenged by her! maybe i will share what she challenged me with in a different blog, this one is getting way to long.

out-

2008 School Picture

2008-10-07T18:51:00.003-05:00

place your orders....i only have a few to give away! I'd say this picture is REALLY blue. lots and lots of blue. but i guess- it's just a school picture. it will do! :) out-

I CAN'T WAIT.....

2008-10-05T17:27:00.003-05:00

OH MY, OH MY...I CANT WAIT TIL IT GETS HERE. LAST WEEKEND ON MY WAY HOME FROM FAIRMONT I STOPPED AT A FURNITURE OUTLET STORE AND FOUND THIS (see pic). I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT, BUT WASN'T SURE I SHOULD GET IT. ON BIG PURCHASES LIKE THIS I NEEDED ANOTHER OPINION. SO TODAY, AFTER A SUPER DUPER BIRTHDAY MEAL (for my dad) AT THE TIMBERLODGE- MOM, DAD AND I HEADED SOUTH TO SHOKAPEE TO RE-VISIT THE COUCH AND CHAIR I FELL IN LOVE WITH. OF COURSE- MOM MADE US WALK THOUGH THE WHOLE STORE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING ELSE THEY HAD TO OFFER. WE SPENT ABOUT AN HOUR WALKING AND SITTING AND LAYING ON RANDOM COUCHES AND CHAIRS UNTIL FINALLY I TOLD MOM I WANTED TO GO BACK AND SIT ON 'THE ONE'. WE SAT AND TALKED ABOUT IF IT WOULD FIT IN MY HOUSE, THE COLOR, THE PRICE...AND SO ON. THAN JIM CAME...THE SALES DUDE. BEFORE HE CAME I WAS PRETTY SURE I WAS GOING TO GET IT. BUT THAN- JIM TOLD US THERE WAS A 15% OFF SALE AND FREE FINANCING FOR THE FIRST 6 MONTHS. SUPER COOL. AFTER WE FIGURED WHAT MY MONTHLY PAYMENT WOULD BE I SORT OF GAVE A LITTLE UNSURE LOOK AND JIM STEPPED UP AND OFFERED ME A WHOLE YEAR OF FREE FINANCING- SO...I TOOK THE DEAL. I CANT WAIT FOR IT TO GET HERE. IT MAY TAKE UP TO 2 WEEKS TO GET READY FOR ME AND MY HOUSE- BUT THATS OK CUZ I NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET RID OF MY CURRENT COUCH AND CHAIR. ANY TAKES? DAD LOVED THEM AND MOM LIKED THEM...SHE JUST REALLY WANTED ME TO LOOK OTHER PLACES FIRST...BUT ME- ONCE I FIND SOMETHING I LIKE I HIGHLY DOUBT I'D FIND ANYTHING ELSE THAT COMPARS. SO I PURCHASED A COUCH, A CHAIR AND A HALF (thats what they call it), AND A OTTOMAN- PLUS 6 PILLOWS. I ALSO AM HAVING IT SHIPPED, GOT A 5 YEAR WARRANTY, AND AM GETTING THEM SPRAYED SO THEY DON'T FADE. TOTAL...I SPENT $1541.89. YEAH- THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY. BUT I AM SO EXCITED. CANT WAIT TO GET THEM IN MY HOUSE, RE-ARRANGE MY LIVING ROOM AND THAN HAVE FRIENDS OVER TO SHARE IN THEIR COMFORT. I TOOK THE COUCH FROM MY PARENTS BASEMENT (which was 6 years old already) AND HAVE HAD IT EVER SINCE...SO THAT MAKES MY OLD COUCH ALMOST 20 YEARS OLD, I'D SAY IT'S ABOUT TIME I SPENT SOME HARD EARNED MONEY ON A COMFY COUCH. I CANT WAIT!!!!! this is the chair and a half....it's about a 1/2 foot shorter than a love seat. love it!!!!

1993 class reunion

2008-09-28T18:43:00.007-05:00

man, 1993 seems forever ago - 15 years in fact! we had a little get together this past weekend, it was homecoming. Andrea arranged a get together at the Crystal and it was super fun. Pretty much just hung out and chatted up a storm. I was totally pumped to see Bill Chose, and his wife. I was in there wedding like 9 years ago and have only seen them at past class reunions, so it was good to hug him and catch up with him and his wife. Of course, it is always a joy to see Andrea and Kate- 2 of my closest friends from high school...but i see them regally. Luke Visnor joined in with the live band and sang a song, he is super talented- i never knew that before. And Tim Vedder called via Jason Thompsons phone from Hawaii to say HI. Andy V and his wife (she is from Sweden) totally gets my 'coolest' vote. Andy is a riot and his wife was super nice. Class reunions are funny- sometimes i feel like life stands still and you just pick up with your friends right where you left off...but as time goes by, life changes so much. Most everyone is married with kids, living amidst the state of MN and enjoying life in 2008...which is way different than it was in 1993. Man- seems like forever ago!

andrea, kate and I

bill, me, corey, andrea

ty...oh ty!

jen, andrea, jess, chris, and kate

andy v., me and bill (again)

going to the chapel...

2008-09-21T16:54:00.002-05:00

another one got married...i've been to alot of those as of late and they are so fun. the bride always looks fantastic and so happy and this one was no different. Nicki Doyle - one of my old basketball players expressed her love for Matt Friday night. Sara and I went and enjoyed catching up and watching Doyle be super happy. The wedding was a NWC and the chapel there always looks good. After the wedding vows and the introduction of the couple we headed off to Rudy's in White Bear for the reception. Here we waited for a solid hour for the bride and groom to arrive. At this point in the evening i was out of control hungry. i ate lunch at 10:30 that afternoon and had an apple after school right before my workout- than waited to eat at the reception....food was served close to 9. yikes...i think all the food off my plate was gone in 5 minutes. since dinner was so late - the dance started even later. by that time bed time was long gone and this old lady and i was totally out of it. so, i got one picture of the bride and a couple of the bridesmaids (who i also coached), watched them dance their first dance, wished my 'good luck' to Nicki and her honeymoon and than ditched the party. it was fun...and always makes me smile to see how happy people are when they get married. i enjoy seeing that.

LAST WEEKEND.

2008-09-13T19:32:00.006-05:00

sorry- i've been a slacker at blogging.

last weekend i attending Lisa Thompson's wedding. Lisa, and Sara (her twin),were some students of mine way back when...my first teaching job, at Alliance Christian Academy. They were sophomores my first year there and they sort of became a part of my life. They both spent multiple evenings at my house- they were sort of live in roommates that never paid rent and always ate my food. nice huh. well- their senior year (which was my last year teaching at Alliance) they decided i needed to take them on a trip. so - we did. i convinced my mom to come so we could use the truck, we packed up our bags, got permission form the parents ( i guess they trusted me enough) and headed to Florida over our spring break. We also took Becky with us -who at the time had never been out of the state. nice. this is us- back in 2000, or maybe it was 1999.

from left to right. lisa, me, sara, becky. ( do twins always dress the same????)

well- Sara ended up marring my cousin James- it's a long story, so i see her often. it's sort of still funny to me that she has the same last name as me. and i think i taught her sex ed...weird, weird, weird. anyways- Lisa looked great and it was fun to see all of my students from way back when. Lisa's mom, who lives in Seattle and i think i met 3-4 times total, remembered who i was. that made me feel great- i guess i made a lasting impression, which i think is good. anyways- this is us last weekend... have we changed any?

from left to right. melinda, me, sara, lisa, karla (she also was a teacher) becky and stephanie

well this isn't the best pic i've taken...but it included my cousins...sara and james.

2nd day....

2008-09-03T19:55:00.003-05:00

my first 2 days of school have been memorable...here is why?
*getting up at 5:30 is way different than getting up at 6:00. i will have to get use to it, but i think i like it so far
*ending my school day at 2:00 is way different than ending it at 2:40. i like it!
*one of my lovely 12 year old students told me they thought i looked like a student and were confused when they walked into health class and realized i was their teacher- wow....
*i eat lunch at 10:25, so am pretty much starving by dinner time.
*my legs are not in teaching/standing shape, and my feet hurt
*some of my returning students noticed that i no longer have brown hair and am a (semi-)blond again...they all seem to like it. (not that i am here to get the attention of junior high kids)
*this is my 7th year of teaching in the same building and things are constantly changing
*a student i have 7th hour told me today that i am by far the coolest teacher ever cuz i allow gum chewing in my classroom...the simply things in life, right???
*we assigned lockers in the girl locker room today and one 8th grade girl put her lock on her locker and forgot to take her combo out of her pants pocket first...thus, we had to cut her lock off- on the first day of school. seriously.
*i have a sore throat from talking so much. rules-rules-rules, and more rules.
*a 9th grader came up to me today and said 'hey, i think you got shorter.' my response was 'ummm-'
*i smiled pretty for my school picture. (stay tuned...it will be posted in a couple weeks.)
*i have a class with 43 7th graders....yikes!
*i had a student fall asleep in class...the 2nd day; i must be super boring! and she didn't like it when i dropped my clipboard on her desk to wake her up (that got lots of laughs...)
*i used you tube today to introduce my lesson...what has education come to?
*i realized (after a much needed relaxing summer) that i love my job and i love that God has given me passion, excitement and joy to influence youngsters. sweet.
*my bed time is 9:00....can you say old timer!!!!!!!

that pretty much sums it up. good times at NVJH.

bible study, food and a big pig.

2008-08-28T22:03:00.003-05:00

MY BIBLE STUDY GROUP ALWAYS TAKES A OUTING TO THE STATE FAIR, THIS YEAR OF COURSE WAS NO DIFFERENT. ALTHOUGH- 2 OF OUR MEMBERS COULD NOT JOIN US. AND WE REALLY MISSED DOC NATE- WHO WAS IN OUR GROUP LAST YEAR, BUT HAD TO MOVE TO TEXAS. MOST OF THESE PICS ARE IN HONOR OF HIM. NOTE- COWBOY HATS....CUZ PEEPS IN TEXAS WHERE THEM. AND MAYBE I SHOULD GET A RED HAT...I THINK IT LOOKS GOOD. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
ONE OF MY HIGHLIGHTS ABOUT THE FAIR IS TO GO AND SEE THE LARGEST BORE. YEAH- THIS ONE WAS A LITTLE OVER 1200 POUNDS...SERIOUSLY. THAT'S A LARGE PIG.

AND HERE IS OUR BIBLE STUDY GROUP (MISSING: JEANETTE AND JUSTIN). AND NATE IS ALSO MISSING. AARON, (the one on the far right) PRETTY MUCH CAN EAT AS MUCH AS NATE, SO WE DECIDED HE MIGHT TAKE HIS PLACE. OF COURSE...SOME OF OUR FOOD INTAKE WAS: TURKEY SANDWICH, FRENCH FRIES, CHEESE CURDS (2 ORDERS JUST FOR AARON), 1919 ROOT BEER, GYRO, CORN ON THE COB, MARTHA'S COOKIES, AND A ELEPHANT EAR. THAT'S A LOT OF FOOD FOR JUST 6 PEEPS (oh yeah, paul came along...he is Anna's boyfriend- we allowed him to crash our bible study).

OF COURSE OUR CONVERSATION RANGED FROM FOOTBALL PRACTICE, TAKING VACATIONS, GETTING MARRIED, WHY PEOPLE ARE SO STRANGE, SCHOOL STARTING, HEADACHES AND OLD AGE, MY HAIR COLOR, WHO WAS GOING TO WIN OUR 'WHO KNOWS THE MOST PEOPLE GAME', WEIGHT WATCHERS, SKY DIVING, AND HOW FATING THE FOOD IS AT THE FAIR (that was me mostly), AND THE BIG PIG. OF COURSE- WE CHATTED ABOUT MORE THAN THAT- IT WAS GOOD; SUPER FUN TIMES. AND I LOVE THAT I HAVE A COOL BIBLE STUDY GROUP TO CHILL WITH-

@ the cabin!

2008-08-28T21:14:00.004-05:00

last weekend most of my bible study group and a couple other friends hit up the Persuitti Cabin for some summer fun....before the summer ends. Ben, Jason, Jen and I headed north early Saturday morning. we were all excited for some good weather and some boat fun. when we arrived it was very overcast, super windy...and cold-sweatshirt and sweatpants cold. but- like most Minnesotans- we did our water sports anyway. well, i should say they did their water sports. i enjoyed the nice and dry boat. of course, we had out laughs watching peeps biff it. Paul had the best biff on Saturday- it looked like his spin was twisted all in a knot. Jen had a really good biff too and paid for it by not being able to move her head for a couple of days!!! why do we do things that hurt out bodies so bad!!!! we spent the night in a neighbors hot tub and at the camp fire. it was an evening worthy of a fire. Sunday most peeps slept in, but i was up and at it by 7:15ish....i sat outside wrapped in 2 blankets and read. Mr. Persuitti kept my coffee warm and i had a great morning. Sunday was looking like a much warmer day! we started it off with a long 'speed' walk and than hit the boat. again- i stay in the boat....just am not to into water sports, except swimming!!!! Ben has a major biff after he cleared the wake. we had great eats and great conversation...and it was a great way so spend a late summer weekend! Thanks Persuitti's for always allowing us to come crash your cabin. And Anna- we love you, just cuz you are you, not cuz you have a cabin! you rock my fave off!!!! :)

10 pds....lots more to go.

2008-08-21T12:13:00.002-05:00

some of you that don't see me day to day probably aren't aware that i am currently on a weight lose journey. i joined weight watchers about 5 weeks ago and have currently lost 10.8 pounds. i am excited about it. i feel great. i cant really 'see' that i've lost 10 pounds...but thats ok. feeling great is most of the battle- right?!?!?!?! i have a long term goal in mind as to how much i want to lose and by when, and i am right on track. if i continue the current pace i am at- i should reach my goal. weight watchers, i am learning, is about life changing habits instead of a diet. so i wont call it a diet!!!!!! i am learning that i can control the urge to eat when i am bored and that i can control the amount i eat. of course, it is hard to give up the yummy sort of food - like peanut butter, and candy bars, and butter, and that most often actually eating 1 serving of something does fill you up..if you just let it. i of course also have had to give up Caribou coffee treats, which is probably been the hardest. yes...i still indulge myself oh so often...which is way i like weight watchers- cuz it allows you to do that sort of thing. i have been learning a lot about food and habits, and am liking my journey so far. of course, the more weight i lose the harder the 'habits' get- but thats ok. This week will be a massive, massive challenge as i head to a friends cabin for the weekend. of course there will be cookies, treats and super good eats...most of which i will need to 'watch' what my intake is. than on monday i head to the state fair...oh goodness- i plan to take tiny bits of things, but thats it. than on tuesday i am having a couple girls over for taco night, which aren't bad for you...if you stay away from chips, sour cream, olives and the shell part. so- i will be interested to see how i do come my next weigh in day. I have been praying for lots of discipline in my life and this is just one area in my life that needs a lot of it. i am proud of myself, which is hard to say sometimes...but i am. it's been good.

reading freak.

2008-08-14T21:30:00.003-05:00

way back in july i started a series of books- called 'Redemption', by Karen Kingsbury. I began reading the first book and finished it in 2 days, while in ND celebrating the 4th with Jen and Jay. (started the 2nd while there) Since that weekend i have finished the 'Redemption' series, plus the 'Forever' series-10 books. of course, these books are about the same characters: A Family called the Baxters. I have completley fallen in love with the Baxter family.... it sounds silly, i know, that falling in love with fiction characters could really happen, right? Their just made up characters...well, i've learned a lot of good solid things from this fiction family. First- to TRUST: to trust in God; in all situations, in all seasons of life, in all areas of life, good and bad, when ya want to and when ya dont. Yeah- the book has some pretty cheesey stuff happening, but hey...i am girl- cheesy is what we do. But TRUST is always what keeps the Baxters going. wonder if that whay people think about me? i doubt it! Second- To PRAY: again, in all situations, in all seasons of life, for all areas of life, good and bad, for yourself or others- praying is a must! I have found myself wondering why i am not more like the characters in the books; their first thoughts are always to pray first. ME...well, i pray- and at times i even think i am a consistent prayer. but....man, i can pray way more often and for way more things that at times i think i can deal with myself. Third- To CELEBRATE. there is nothing more important than family and good friends to do life with. As I've read these 10 books i know with out a doubt that i want to celebrate life with my family and friends. Forth- To HOPE. again...these books are cheesey...girly if you will...lots of romance. but...it gives me hope that one day (if i pray more; see #1) romance and the love that i so desire will find it's way to me. I know that there have been a lot of things that i have pondered while reading these ten books the past month +. The kicker is...after the 10th book i thouhgt i'd be finished with the Baxter family, and as the 10th book came to an end i found myself sad. well....low and behold- the Author decided she wasn't ready to finish the Baxter story, so she wrote another series called Sunset; which yes...i am currently on book #2. i actually just bought book 3 and 4 on ebay today. so- there ya have it; I am a reading freak! you should do the same. turn that silly TV off (excpet for the olympics) and read a book. learn something that spurs you on to become a better person. BUT- dont forget to put the book down to read your bible and to go to bed at a decent time...2 things i've sort of forgot to do in my 'Baxter' persuit. SWEET>

girls weekend - 2008

2008-08-10T19:41:00.009-05:00

i feel like i just got done writing about last years girls weekend to the Schwitters Cabin and here it has come and gone again...another summer weekend with the ladies. ...this weekend we celebrate our 10th trip. crazy how time flies. crazy that we have already been out of college for 10 years.

this time around we headed south of the cities about 30 minutes to Northfield, MN where we stayed in a comfy Bed and Breakfast called The Magic Door. it was old, but nice. we drew sticks to see who got to be roommates this time around and i was lucky enough to get the shortest one..thus i got to kick it with Sara (and baby). our room was nice, we had a big old spa bath tub and a super soft bed. Tammy and Heather were upstairs, and they had a huge spa bath tub...I'd even call it a mini pool. so, part of our weekend was spent taking baths. something i don't do very often. it was nice.Friday night we pretty much got there, had subway and hit caribou, watched a little of opening night of the Olympics, and than called it a night. Saturday was spent checking out all the downtown shops. they were very cute. i took a bike ride and almost got taken out by a truck...that wasn't so fun. scared the living life right out of me. we found fun places to eat lunch and dinner and spent lots of time chatting about...well, whatever it is girls chat about. but it always seems that while talking i learn something new about my college friends; it's funny how you think ya know someone and than bam...something new comes up. Sunday I slept in. the moms couldn't sleep past 6:30. later that morning we had a little run in with ants in our breakfast; i wont go into detail- and than went to a super nice spa for the afternoon. i got a fantastic massage and a hair cut. very worth it! (although my skin is still very oily and it's been almost 5 hours since.) so...all in all another very successful weekend with the girls.

we have already talked about what our plans should be for next summer. i am so glad that i have these short little get aways with some of the coolest peeps that came out of NWC. girls....regardless if you think i was mad at you our freshman year for moving my stero, or if i was super intimidating, or if for some odd reason you thought i was to cool for you- well, ...your rock my world- i totally dig you all. sweet!!!!
oh yes..this pic need an explanation. we were had set the timer for a group picture after our dinner at the Tavern...and a dude ran right in front of it. i think that perfect timing- and super funny!!!! we tried again-and got a good one. just thought this one was cooler to post.

The Zoo.

2008-08-01T17:22:00.010-05:00

Hit the Zoo today with my mom, dad and all their grandkids- my niece and nephews. it was sort of a last minute thing, but was great. we took off at 9:30, and stayed til 3:30. it was hot, but fun. the kids loved watching the 'big cats' (thats what tyler called the lions) eat massive bones. we actually sow them attack the bones that were tossed into to them. it was pretty exciting. watched the giraffe pee for like 4 minutes straight. Austin timed it! pretty amazing; my dad got a headache from the smell. weird huh! although nasty when they pee, giraffe's bye far are my favorite animal- just so you all know!watched the sparky show, of course!!! i remember it being way cooler when i was like 10 years old. pretty lame as a 33 year old. had a picnic lunch...which i spent on the phone (sorry family) talking to Doctor Nate. The kids wanted some piggy-back rides...but i gotta say they might be getting to old to host them up on my shoulders and walk around like that. Austin is 9- and heavy!!!! Emma, who is 10 and super tall wanted a try and it took everything in me to get her up on my shoulders. it was funny- everyone was laughing at us! We spent almost a 1/2 hour in the butterfly park; a place that you walk through and watch millions of butterflies fly around with high hopes that one will land on you. Tyler had a beautiful orange one land on his hand, but i wasn't quick enough to snap a photo. bummer! Than hit up a couple of ride- 'us kids' did the tornado, while the adults watched on. But Ty had to ride the train...why are young boys so into trains? he loved it! it was a great afternoon spent with people i totally am in love with. cant really get enough of those kids, and my parents. But was glad to get home and enjoy some air conditioning. Had a evening visitor for a spell...Anna P. showed up just to chill out for while. She just had an itch to come over. i love that. But she left to go eat Pizza with her lovely boyfriend, and i stayed home and whipped up some chicken and rice with steam veggies. yummmm...right?

lunch, coffee and shopping outtings with random friends

2008-07-25T14:47:00.002-05:00

this week has been full of fun outings with friends, lunches, coffee drinking, shopping a little and some very sweet (much needed) conversation. Monday i spent the afternoon with Sara and her dad- we went to the docs office (for her dad) and than shoe shopping for her dad. of course, i had to buy a pair. i cant just go tennis shoe shopping for someone else and not get a pair for me. I have a problem with buying tennis shoes. i think i own 14 pairs. it's a fetish!!!! but i love it.
Tuesday i went to the beach with Sara, Jay and Justin....we laid around and had some good catch up time with one another. did some jet skiing - and i got sunburnt. we than went to the DQ and had a treat. well, they had a treat. i sat and watched. (silly diet i am on does not allow ice-cream)
Wednesday Annette (Leander) Pare showed up at my door (pre-planned) with caribou in hand. we sat on my new glider chairs outside and chatted for almost 3 hours. it was great. Annette is one of those people that i can go months without talking to and pick right up where we left off....totally one of the coolest ladies i know. Besides bringing me coffee, she brought me a book. NICE. Thursday i met Monica (one of my old roommates) and her son Ben for lunch. Her other son Isaiah (who was also my roommate) was not there- i missed seeing him a lot! It was nice to see her and re-connect. Good conversation and good food. Ben was full of pent up energy so we didn't get to chat long. Friday-today- I booked over to south dale mall to meet Heather (old roommate from college) for lunch at The Cheese Cake Factory and had one of the best salads ever. The Luna Salad- its a must try if you ever go there. I, of course, had to ask for no wantons, almonds and nuts, and lite dressing, but it was still awesome! Heather is great; love her. Every time i am with Heather we end up at Macy's shopping for shoes. Today was no exception. NO buys this time....but almost found some cute heels. Conversation with Heather is always easy, natural and fun! She will always be a good friend of mine!!!! Tonight i might try and hook up a bunch of peeps and go to the Dark Night. I am very interested in seeing it. Anyhow- this week was so fun. Seeing friends; having lunch and coffee, is always awesome!!!! good stuff.

summer time....

2008-07-20T19:54:00.006-05:00

when i see people (or talk to them on the phone) they often ask 'what've you been up to?' well, i love my summers cuz i never really know what's up. here is how i've spent some of my summer thus far.

*attending weddings. Hannah got married this past Friday night. Hannah was one of the many basketball players i coached that will be getting married this summer. She looked fantastic! i actually just got another invite for a wedding just today. *been reading...mostly fiction books. i have been reading a series, and just finished this past weekend. i think there were some days were i read from morning til night. so relaxing!!! been trying to read my bible more- works most days...which is super good for me!

*doing some odd jobs here and there. (that part i dont so much like about my summer, but it is a need)

*playing my days by ear and loving that fun stuff comes up at the last minute. did lunch last week with a good freind on a whim. meet up with a couple others within an hour notice for coffee. and have made frequent visits to places i dont ever have time to visit during the year- like the swing set, the parks, the lakes, shops, ya know- where ever the heart many lead.

*went home to Mora for the weekend. Mora County Fair was happening. I did not attend the fair at all....just hung around for the parade and than played with my neice and nephews...arent they super cute. now for some of you my summer may sound boring...but its just what i need. and of course, there are a lot of other things i do to occupy my time, but this is enough for this blog.

i know that this may sound like a boring summer, but its just what i need. of course...this isn't everything that i do- but enough for this blog. out.

Garage Sale!

2008-07-14T15:10:00.002-05:00

had a garage sale last Wednesday through Saturday and it went ok....! it was a lot of work to prepare for it but once it was up and running it was easy- and sort of fun. i sold a total of $188.and some odd change. i think i did well. Jen, Jay and Sara added some of their odds and ends to the sale, which made it bigger- which was nice. my mom came down Thursday to add some stuff and hang out for a couple days. she also added a bunch of stuff to it as well. the fun part was meeting a lot of my neighbors. I've lived at 6515 84th Crt N for over 3 years now and i am just now getting around to meeting some of them. a cute older lady that lives 3 buildings stopped in every day to visit. than met a lady my age that just moved in with her boyfriend last week. and than a dude from across the road- he actually hit on me...so that was fun. a little girl that thought i looked like her mom and offered me some flowers she and her dad picked on the way over here. her dad came back later on to apologize about his daughters behavior and mentioned that her mother recently moved out. so....that was sad. and than the ladies that live below me - Lisa and Susan....got to know them really well. another lady from across the road stopped in and bought $32 dollars of my cloths, and after i bagged them up she only offered my $20 bucks. man- i took it, but was a bit annoyed at her. she tried on a lot of my cloths. so- boxed all the left over stuff up and will be delivering to a near bye church for them to use on their garage sale in august....just want the stuff out of my garage. sweet!! good times. everyone should have their own garage sale for sure.

BEFORE AND AFTER.....

2008-07-11T20:43:00.006-05:00

TODAY (while my garage sale was going on- more on that on my next blog) MY MOM AND I DECIDED WE'D DO A LITTLE RE-SHAPING OF MY SIDE-YARD. I DON'T REALLY HAVE A YARD AT MY TOWNHOUSE, JUST A LITTLE SPACE NEXT TO MY GARAGE. AND BEFORE TODAY IT LOOKED LIKE THIS: OH GOODNESS....I HATE THAT THE METERS SHOW, I HATE THAT ALL I HAVE AS PEOPLE WALK DOWN MY SIDEWALK AND ENTER MY HOME ARE ROCKS- BORING!!!!! SO THE OTHER DAY WHILE I WAS AT FLEET FARM, MY NEW FAVORITE STORE, I FOUND THESE SUPER FUNKY GLIDERS. TWO CHAIRS THAT HOOK TOGETHER WITH A LITTLE TABLE IN BETWEEN THEM- TOTALLY LOVE THEM. SO- I SAID TO MYSELF- 'SELF, YOU SHOULD REALLY GET THESE CHAIRS AND PUT THEM IN YOUR SIDE-YARD.' SO...I WAITED TIL MOM CAME TO VISIT TO MAKE SURE IT WAS A GOOD IDEA (for some reason i need help in picking stuff like that out) AND SHE TOTALLY WAS IN. SO WE GOT THEM. BUT I GOTTA SAY, THEY WERE THE HARDEST PIECES OF FURNITURE TO PUT TOGETHER EVER! WE SPENT 3 HOURS THURSDAY NIGHT AND THAN ALL DAY FRIDAY PUTTING THEM TOGETHER. MAN...TAKE A LOOK.

HAD TO BOLT IN EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF WOOD- AND THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE CHAIRS. AFTER WE ASSEMBLED THE GLIDERS WE MOVED ONTO MAKING A PLANTER TO PUT OUT IN FRONT OF THE METERS. MOM ALWAYS COMES UP WITH CRAZY IDEAS THAT SEEM TO TURN OUT COMPLETELY COOL. AND THIS ONE OF COURSE WAS TOP QUALITY. WE ALSO GOT SOME VERY CHEAP FLOWERS TO USE IN THE PLANTER AND AROUND THE CHAIRS. MAN, AFTER A FULL DAYS WORK IN THE CRAZY HOT HEAT (95 degrees) MY SIDE-YARD WAS COMPLETELY RE-SHAPED. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON ONE OF THOSE RE-MODELING SHOWS ON T.V. ANYWAYS- TO PROLONG IT NO LONGER HERE IS MY NEW SIDE-YARD!

YOU WILL SEE THE CHAIRS IN THE MIDDLE ON A WOOD PLATFORM; THATS MY FAVORITE. I CANT WAIT TO SIT OUT THERE IN THE A.M. AND DRINK MY COFFEE AND READ MY BIBLE WHILE THE CITY AROUND ME WAKES UP. THE PLANTER TO THE RIGHT OF THE CHAIRS IS WHAT MY MOM WORKED ON MOST OF THE AFTERNOON. IF YOU NOTICE IT COVERS UP THE METERS VERY WELL. SUPER HEAVY THOUGH. AND WE TOPPED IT ALL OFF WITH THE FLOWERS WE GOT. I THINK IT TURNED OUT VERY NICE. SUPER HAPPY WITH MY NEW SIDE-YARD. IT HAS HANDLED THE STORM OF THE EVENING AS WELL. MAN- IT'S SO DARK OUT AND THE LIGTHNING IS INSANE. THE FRIST STORM BLOW OVER QUICK LIKE AND THIS IS WHAT THE SKY LOOKED LIKE:
AWESOME HUH!!!!!!!! GOD CREATES SOME PRETTY CRAZY AMAZING STUFF. STORM #2 IS CURRENTLY HERE. THE SKY LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THIS ANYMORE. SUPER DARK! IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL DAY OUTSIDE. I LOVE SPENDING TIME WITH MY MOM- AND WHAT BETTER WAY THAN TO DO SOMETHING SHE LOVES (making wood crafts), MAKING MY HOUSE LOOK SUPER COOL AND ENJOYING EACH OTHERS COMPANY. NICE!!!!!!!

North Dakota

2008-07-09T00:13:00.003-05:00

So last Wednesday Jen and I decided it would be fun to put 1067 miles on the silver bullet (my car), leading us to Lake Metigoshe just outside of Bottineau, North Dakota. Jen's boyfriend Jay has a cabin there and we decided it would be a fun mini vacation over the 4th......it turned out to be fantastic. not sure how to sum up the outing so will do a top 12 list of cool and crazy things that happened...in no certain order!
#1. we carried a massive crate of raspberry bushes from Jens grandparent house to jay parents house and planted them in their yard. good times working on the farm! #2 i didn't shower the whole time i was there...ok, i shampooed my hair twice, but did it in the lake. and i think i got swimmers itch. for those of you that have not heard of that- well it's some sort of parasite that gets under the skin and itches...makes little tiny bumps on the skin. i don't have it bad, or at least i hope i don't!
#3. i got to jet ski when ever i wanted. and i even got to dump Jen and i off tring to do crazy turns.
#4. we eat non-stop. Crazy Joni (Jay's mom) had a non-stop array of goodies- food and drink. i am bummed that we didnt get a picture of the Crazy Cake Joni made. #5. we didn't get to bed before mid-night....jay and Jen i think stayed up til 2 most nights. whoa.... and sleeping was of course an option, i just couldnt get it done. up at and it close to 8 every morning.
#6. I got to read....i think everyone thought i was anti-social...but i just wanted to read. reading on the dock watching the sun come up and enjoying the beauty and comfort of a peaceful lake was pretty awesome. ya just don't get that in the cities!!!!! i read a book and a half. thats me on the end of the dock.#7. I got to get to know and hang with some pretty sweet people. of course- Jen! i love that girl. and Jay- love that guy. but got to meet and greet Jay's parents and his sister and her family. it was very fun. super cool down to earth people. they made me laugh- alot!
#8. watched Nadel beat Federer on Sunday!!!! YES. (that's the only TV we watched all weekend) #9. took in some super fun fire-works on the 4th. we sat in the pontoon boat for at least 2 hours and watched random peeps sat off their own works. some of them were directly above us. at times we thought the sparks we going to light us on fire. they were super close. than on the 5th we drove out watch the 'real' fire-works. we pull up and sat int he back of the truck cuz if we took the boat it would have taken us years to get out of there. i honestly think there we 500 or so boats on the all int he same area at one time. the works were fun! #10. got to see where Ben and Jay grew up. took in their small time life styles and schools. had some fun on the turtle...(see picture) look how small we seem... #11. read the 'Swin Shickleback' Fish book 3 times to Javen and Talia. ( jays neice and nephew). yes....the book was super fun to read and the kids totally digged it. they both sat on my back and loved listening. i think i even had Crazy Joni's attention a couple times.
#12. got to have some good solid conversation with Jen and Jay. it's always enjoyable to do a mini- vacation with people you enjoy and get along with. i really don't think i could ever get enough of Jen....and Jay! we spent time sitting at the fire. something extra fun, yet relaxing about a fire. super fun time. although i will admit that the drive (on the way home) was pretty sucky. and putting 1067 miles on the silver bullet was tough- otherwise.....we might make it a annual outing! is that ok Tonneson's????

last week!!!

2008-06-30T17:01:00.004-05:00

last week i helped Linda coach a basketball camp that was hosted at my church: Open Door. We had 24 kids ranging from 5 years of age to 13. Linda handed off the little dudes to me all week long. I nicknamed them "knee bitters'- and we had a great time...most of the time. I had 8 little guys in my group. One of them was 5 years old and i gotta say he was the best out of the group. well behaved and super fun; and even though he was by far the smallest he was the best shooter of the group. nice! the others were 7 years old. i felt like i was parenting most of the time instead of teaching basketball, but it was still good. i dealt alot with pushing, cheating, tackling when we tired to play, bath room breaks, bumps and bruises, crying, listening to many many stories that had nothing to do with basketball, and of course....wondering when snack was. sort of a form of birth control...i love kids and really want one, but wow....8 knee bitters was overwhelming! today was my last assignment for my masters class for the summer. i am a little over half done. i am so glad that i have 2 months off to do nothing that pertains to studying...i am sick of it. here is a pile of books that i have used over the past year. most of which i hope to sell soon. i am guessing i will never use them again. i think the whole pile of books is worth about $500 bucks. its nuts how much books are. i hope to sell them and get about half of that back. we will see. any ideas what site works best for re-selling books???? ok than. well i just got in from laying out at the pool and need to jump in the shower. sweet. happy summer time- FINALLY!!!!!

Kate's Wedding and High School friends

2008-06-22T22:43:00.005-05:00

Last weekend, which was a long time ago, i had four of my best friends from high school over to my house to celebrate Kate's single life one last time. It was a great time. We looked at old photo albums of our elementary, junior high and high school lives, we talked about boys we had crushes on...and those we still do have crushes on, we talked about something that i cant mention on this rated G blog site, we watched Vollie fall asleep at like 10:00 and laughed at her a little, and of course talked about Kates big wedding day. It was a fantastic evening. As i think back on that night i am just so thankful that i have continued to celebrate life's journey with these 3 ladies. they are solid. of course, we are all in different stages of life- but all still have things to offer one another. I would not be the same person with out having the influences they have had on me. they stayed the night and i really thought about trying to freeze their bra's like we did back in high school, but didn't want them to forget them- so...i didn't. but i did chuckle at myself at the thought of it. Yesterday (Saturday June 21st) was Kate's wedding. It was a perfect day. The wedding was very nice, but very Catholic. I am NOT use to Catholic weddings at all. i was lost most of the time. but it was so Kate and she looked fantastic. We moved quickly out to the Kramschuster Home for the reception. It was so beautiful. A big white tent with well decorated tables. We all drank out of fine wine glasses and had awesome food. Man, it was a great time.
Of course, we just wouldn't be us unless we did something silly and made idiots out of ourselves; note picture above. not sure what it is we are doing. but it was funny- thats for sure. we spent the night dancing, drinking and laughing. there was some pretty fun entertainment there. I swear- Kid Rock was there....

As the night came to a close the bugs came out like crazy. Here Vollie and I are trying to keep them from bitting us- she wrapped up in a table cloth and i in Kate's vail again. funny huh!

Nicki's Wedding Day - June 20, 2008

2008-06-22T21:33:00.006-05:00

Nicki's Wedding day was perfect, well- minus the rain we got for about 45 minutes. But...it was a great day. I so enjoy seeing a good friend like Nicki so happy. She was by far the most calm bride I've ever witnesses, and trust me when i say I've seen a lot. Her hair looked just right for her, but took about 1/2 hour longer than she wanted. no worries....i, being her personal attend, picked her up and when she finished we left for her parents hotel to pick up her dress and things and than were going to hope to have time for lunch before we headed to her hotel to get ready...but due to some traffic and transportation miss-calculations....we got lunch to go. As Nicki eat on the run we came up with a game plan to help her 'getting ready process' to go smooth. Nicki was a calm as ever...like we were going to a movie or something. Once we got checked in she hit the make-up which took like 15 minutes....faster ever. than her dress: the fun part! yes. she was so excited to put it on. it looked great on her and again only took a quick couple minute to get it on. i spent more time under her dress trying to find what was scratching her legs. that was interesting! but all in all- she was super calm. and she looked awesome. Dustin picked her up at their wedding night hotel site- and they got to spend a couple minutes alone admiring one another. fun!
The wedding was held at como park outside by the pond. it was beautiful as you can see. a little hot. pictures went great. no worries. but with about 45 minutes to go before the guests were to arrive the rain came. we stood out in it...and again, Nicki was so calm. she just knew it was gonna pass. so- the first round of it we used the ministers robe to cover Nicki- after it let up for a quick second we jetted for the van. there we hung out for about 20 minutes. Here is were Nicki started to panic just a little. there was talk of calling it and heading over to the reception hall right away and having it there, but as we talked the blue sky re-appeared and bamm...beautiful again. so the wedding happen with no problems at all. the sun was out and all was well.
the reception was super fun and it was great to celebrate Nicki and Dustin with good friends. Mandi and Sunil came all the way from New York. and Jen Hennish was there with her husband and baby. good times had by all. it was a long day, but a good day. full of lots of smiles and so much love between Nicki and Dustin. Days like this i am reminded why i have such a deep desire to get married and share that sort of deep love with someone. As i drove home that night praying that I'd stay awake...i prayed for patience as i continue to wonder at what God has for me. And i thanked God for keeping me pure in my journey...and that he would continue to do so. I love Nicki, and I am glad that Dustin will be apart of my life forever. and, i get the pleasure of getting up and doing this all over again tomorrow for Kate's wedding. YES!!! a double whammie.

the number 5

2008-06-17T09:24:00.003-05:00

15 years ago I graduated from high school and was thinking about what life will be like in college

5 years ago my teaching job changed from part time to full time and i was coaching basketball at northwestern college

5 months ago i was in Floriida celebrating my 33rd birthday, by myself. it was glorious!

5 weeks ago i was so ready for school to be done and for summer to start

5 days ago i was coaching at a post camp at northwestern and getting ready to do a presentation for my grad class- super fun! i aced it.

5 hours ago i was sleeping on Jen's couch

5 minutes ago i was answering the phone at Scandia Chiropractic and making appointments for patients. yes, i am the secretary for the week. NICE.

in 5 mintues i will be answering the phone at Scandia Chiropractic, making appointments and putting vitamins away

in 5 hours i will be eating lunch and sitting on the beach- we get a 3 hour lunch break....sweet.

in 5 weeks i will be getting ready to take part in my first Triathlon of the summer. not ready at all....and the water is going to be so cold!

in 5 months i will be back to work...teaching, and wondering how in the world can i motivate kids! (and wishing i was still the Scandia Chiropratic secretary...)

in 5 years i be returning from a year or 2 of teaching in New Zealand- and maybe, just maybe I will be married.

in 15 years i will be teaching somewhere, living somewhere with my husband, loving life and enjoying the blessings that come with being 48 years old!

Linda - this is for you.

2008-06-01T21:39:00.006-05:00

Linda- see these big 3 bags...yes, these bags are from your garage, i had to use them to pick up all the branches and twigs and leaves that were strued all over your yard. man, you picked a fantastic week to have someone else mow your lawn. no house damage, just a whole lot of branches and leaves that were to thick to mow over, so yes...this girl has to rake your lawn first. that took me about 1 1/2 hour and caused 3 blister on my hands. (i tried to take a picture of my blisters but they didn't turn out). of course came the actually mowing. it's been awhile since I've actually had to push a mower that far and for that long. worked myself up a big sweat. it was fun...ok, not really fun but ya know what i mean. i got sun burnt on my shoulders. the mowing part went pretty fast- only a short hour of pushing. oh yes...had a little accident. hit a big branch and the edge of your sewer drain at the same time and put a little dent on the inside of the bottom of your mower. i had to smack it back out with the hammer- oh wait, i couldn't find a single hammer in your garage- where in the heck do you keep them????? so i used a piece of wood, a screw driver, and my foot to push it back out so the blade wouldn't rub on it. anyways- no damage, just a big scare for this girl that thought she wrecked your lawn mower!!!!! all in all- a good afternoon spent on the lawn. hope no more storms come around while i am in charge of your lawn. seriously- you owe me big time.

Justin graduated on Saturday from Seminary at Bethel and he invited us peeps to attend. i missed the first hour or so of the actual ceremony, but made the end - the most important part- cake, fruit and coffee!!! Very proud of Justin. He is seriously one of the smartest
Bible dudes i know. he digs so deep into each and every single verse and has this sort of passion to keep digging and wanting more. he totally inspires me! love that kid! We went over to his house where his mom cooked for us all. We just hung out and chatted and laughed at each other. it was a good time. it's been a long time since I've got to just chill with ben, justin, jay and jen...so it was a nice way to spend a Saturday evening. plus, celebrating justin's accomplishment was super cool.

Memorial Weekend

2008-05-27T19:50:00.008-05:00

FRIDAY

I TOOK THE DAY OFF FROM WORK TO HELP ALLISON AND KEITH MOVE INTO THEIR NEW HOUSE. IT WAS SO NICE TO BE AWAY FROM JUNIOR HIGHERS FOR A DAY- EVEN IF I WAS WORKING HARD MOVING BOXES AND UNPACKING THINGS THAT DON'T BELONG TO ME. BUT...IT IS ALWAYS FUN AND REWARDING TO HELP OUT GOOD FRIENDS; PLUS AL IS HAVING A BABY GIRL IN A WEEK, SO I THOUGHT THE MORE HELP THAT ARRIVED THE MORE STABLE SHE WOULD STAY. THIS IS MY GOD-SON WILL..HE WAS HELPING UNPACK CLARA'S THINGS AND DECIDED TO PUT THEM ON HIS FEET.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

SATURDAY MORNING I GOT UP AT 7:45 CUZ MY BODY WAS READY TO WAKE UP...EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T WANT TO. HAD LOTS OF ERRANDS TO RUN. AFTER A BUSY MORNING CLEANING, SHOPPING (not for fun stuff), AND GETTING MY OIL CHANGED I RAN OFF TO A 10 YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION FOR THE FIRST SET OF SENIORS I TAUGHT. THEY INVITED ME AND I DECIDED TO MAKE AN APPERANCE. IT WAS FUN TO SEE HOW GROWN UP; WITH HUSBAND/WIFE AND KIDS IN TOW THEY HAVE GOTTEN. MAN, 10 YEARS OF TEACHING- WHO KNEW???

FROM THERE I GOT IN MY CAR AND DROVE NORTH TO SANDSTONE TO HANG AT THE PURSUITTI CABIN; WITH ANNA AND HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IT WAS A HOOT. I LOVE GOING TO HER CABIN, OF COURSE- CUZ CABINS AND PLAYIN IN THE WATER WITH FRIENDS IS FUN, BUT MORE THAN THAT HER FAMILY IS SUPER COOL...THEY MAKE ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING SUPER FUN. WE GOT HIT WITH SOME NASTY WEATHER ON SUNDAY. IT STORMED THAT MORNING TO THE POINT WHERE WE HAD TO FIND TREE COVERAGE FOR OUR CARS IN CASE OF HAIL DAMAGE. THAN AFTER WAITING FOR A COUPLE HOURS THE SUN PEAKED OUT AND OFF TO THE WATER WE WENT. GOT A COUPLE SOLID HOURS OF WAKE BOARDING AND SKIING IN. I WAS THE CHEERLEADER SINCE I DON'T WAKE BOARD AND OR SKI. BUT IT WAS STILL FUN TO JUST BE IN THE BOAT AND PRETEND THAT SUMMER IS HERE. RIGHT BEFORE I HAD TO LEAVE PAUL (anna's boyfriend), BRAD (a new found friend i made) AND I GOT IN THE PADDLE BOAT WITH THE INTENTIONS OF PROTECTING ANNA WHILE SHE WENT FOR A SWIM...BUT SINCE WE HAD 3 PEEPS IN A PADDLE BOAT MADE FOR 2, WE DIDN'T GET FAR...AND MY BUTT GOT REALLY WET! BUT WE LAUGHED A TON...GOOD MEMORIES. FROM THERE I HEADED HOME TO MA AND PA'S HOUSE.

MONDAY

WAS EXCITED TO BE HOME FOR THE DAY. I HAVEN'T BEEN AT HOME WITH MOM AND DAD FOR A LONG TIME. WOKE UP EARLY AND SAT AROUND CHATTING AND DRINKING COFFEE. I AM SO LUCKY TO HAVE COOL PARENTS THAT YOU CAN JUST HANG WITH AND B.S. WITH. LATER THAT MORNING WE DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO GET TO WORK. I WENT OUTSIDE WITH MOM AND HELPED HER PICK ROCK- OH THAT WAS A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE. I REMEMBER PICKING MILLIONS OF ROCK WHEN WE BUILT OUR HOUSE, MADE SOME HEY FIELDS AND WHEN MA WANTED A GARDEN. MAN- PICKING ROCK IS BORING AND TOUGH. AFTER THAT I GOT TO DRIVE THE BOB CAT. CRAZY! HELPED DAD CUT OUT SOME FENCE. I BURNT THE CRAP OUT OF MY ARM WHEN I USED THE CUTTING TORCH; FROM THERE ON OUT I LET DAD DO IT. THE BURN TURNED WHITE AND HAD INSTANT BUBBLES...IT KEPT BURNING SO I HAD TO STICK IT IN A NEAR BY PUDDLE...WHICH I AM SURE WAS SUPER CLEAN! THE THINGS YA DO WHEN YOU'RE ON THE FARM!!!! SPENT THE AFTER NOON WORKING OUTSIDE AND PLAYING WITH THE PUPPY. THAT WAS FUN. THAN GOT IN MY CAR DIRTY AND SMELLY AND HEADED BACK TO THE CITIES. WENT TO THE INDIANA JONES MOVIES WITH JUSTIN- IT WAS OK. I LAUGHED, AND I THINK JUSTIN LAUGHED AT ME! OVERALL IT WAS A GOOD RELAXING MEMORIAL WEEKEND.

ISNT THE NORTH WOODS/FARM PRETTY!!!!

Saturday day Part II - Nicki's getting married!

2008-05-18T17:07:00.008-05:00

oh goodness, another one of my close friends is gonna bite the dust in a month. Nicki is getting married. She is so cute- and so much fun. love her to death. We (Allison, Catina and I) hosted a Bachelorette Party for her and had high hopes of having a bang up time. We all meet at BoneFire Grill on Grand Ave for dinner, gifts, games and conversation. It was fun to just chill with a bunch of Nicki's friends, family and soon to be family members. Nicki got to wear a crown passed down from Allison, she got a wand that had the power to boss anyone around...which i don't think she used much, and of course got some super fun 'personal' items. We had dessert (us hosts made our own) and than packed it up and moved onto Welsch's Big Ten Tavern for Karaoke and drinks. Nicki has a outstanding voice and sings like none other...and is one of her favorite things to do. We stayed and listen to Jim, Nicki, and Nancy take their turns signing....Jim and Nancy were not apart of our group but were 2 other hard core devoted karaoke singers. Anyways- we did a couple group songs- dance a little-and at around 12:45 called it a night. I hope that Nicki felt special, cuz she is. And I pray that her wedding day is everything she has dreamt about and more. It's a good thing to watch your friends fall madly in love and move into their next phase in life. Some day...some day!

Saturday Part I- Hope Rides.

2008-05-18T16:51:00.003-05:00

Vollie and I have been friends since the 6th grade. Her and I met on the play ground one day (which is a long story) and have been pals since. About 2 years ago Vollie approached me and asked me if I'd be on the board of directors for her non-profit organization called 'Hope Rides'. This organization it just getting it's feet wet, but Vollie (and many others involved) have high hopes and big aspiration of things to happen with Hope Rides. To sum up what our mission is: to have a 'horsing' out reach program for the at risk population (which is massive). A place for people to come and learn about horses and life. We have a lot of planning to do and a lot of things to get done, but have seen the hand of God move in more than one way; which is super cool. if you want more information on Hope Rides go to http://www.hoperides.org/ and check us out. We'd love any and all support you can give us.

Ok- that was background information to what happened Saturday Morning. I got up at 5:00ish to get ready for the Horsemanship Horse Clinic held by Hope Rides, it was a fund raiser. 17 riders showed up to learn more about becoming a better rider. Lloyd Anderson did a fantastic job and many of the riders seemed to highly enjoy it. The weather was awesome, and Vollie and I of course had a great time catching up on life. Please take a look at coming out next year to attended the clinic.

I had to leave 4 hours early to get home in time to start round 2 of my Saturday. (see round 2 entry above)

connections... gotta have connections

2008-05-04T22:20:00.012-05:00

i love that i have fun connections that get me places that most people don't get to go; and sometimes for free even. My friend Keith, who makes and sells Risen Drums hooked me and 7 of my friends up with a Meet and Greet pass with Leeland and Casting Crowns last Saturday @ the Excel Energy Center! Of course, we had to pay for the tickets, which we got at a discount rate cuz of Matt who works at NWC and gets discounted tickets. so...the Meet and Greet was interesting to say the least...and fun. The dude in the green t-shirt and blue vest would be Mike. Mike plays Risen Drums for Leeland (you need to get their CD...it's killer) -thus my connection. He is a crazy dude! The picture below is of Jay and I. No Aunt Bonnie, he isn't my boyfriend. But...he is my friend Jenny's boyfriend, thus my connection in getting a hug and picture taken with him. He's a cuttie huh!!!!

After Leeland left this little room that we were in; and let me just say that there were about 50 of us in that room standing in a circle waiting for the 'famous' people to come out. it was weird. This picture is of my group of friends (missing Ben and Dawn), and the lead singer from Casting Crown - Mark, who is right next to me and than the lead gaiter player. (3rd one from your left) The concert was very good. The Excel Energy Center has awesome sound. Keith and Allison and 2 of their friends has row 7 seats. We were off to the side and back about half way- still really good seats. But, of course Keith hooked us up 2 at a time and we got to sit in the 7th row for a while. Again, connections....

doc Nate is moving! so now i have a connection in Texas so when i wanna go visit i have a place to stay. it was said to say good-bye, but i know that he will do so well there. miss ya Nate!
Ok, this connection needs some work. I was invited to Jen's nephews 4th birthday party on Saturday. of course if i didn't know Jen i wouldn't have been invited and than wouldn't have seen all the spider (wo)men who showed up for the party. It's always fun to meet and watch a good-friends family interact.

My last connection was Jill getting Jen and I FREE tickets to the Swarm playoff game, again held at the Excel Energy Center. I haven't been to the Excel Energy Center my whole life- than... bam, 2 Saturdays in a row. crazy. Jill couldn't use the tickets for herself so Jen and decided to go check out what Lacrosse is all about. It was pretty interesting, and super entertaining. I could maybe get hooked on Lacrosse. It is very fast paced, not a dull moment (like hockey) and there are lots of fights! We were seated right behind the players box, row 5; prime time seats- for FREE. Lacrosse also goes really fast. We were in and out in like 2 hours. so it was worth our drive downtown St. Paul and the $10 we had to pay for parking. I highly enjoy my connections...and i love getting free stuff. Good times.

a couple days late.

2008-05-01T08:26:00.003-05:00

happy birthday bonnie. i meant to send you a birthday wish via email and blog site, but...i totally forgot until this morning. what did you do? what did you get? how young are you? looking good!!!! anyways- just wanted to say happy belated birthday, and that you make me smile!!!! love and blessings.

p.s. a picture will be posted of bonnie and i at some point, but i have to find it, scan it and than post it- so who knows when that will actually happen-

yummmmm....smelt.

2008-04-25T18:44:00.002-05:00

as you can tell a smelt fry has been happening in my neighborhood the past couple of days

and i really wanted to go...but i had no one to go with so i chickened out. seeing these signs all over the neighborhood stimulated a memory i have of my childhood. when i was really young...6,7,8 or 9 maybe...my family went smelt hunting, or is it fishing. the crazy thing about smelt hunting is you don't go during the day, you don't fish with pools and it seemed like you never caught a thing. smelt hunting requires nets and the dark- well at least according to my family. I remember heading out to the river in the middle of the night with our nets in tow. I remember being so excited about getting to stay up all night long and play in the water with our rain boots on- but always falling asleep in the car. I remember how cold it was out and how frustrated us kids got when the smelt were not 'running', as my dad would call it. for those of you that don't know 'smelting' at a certain time during early spring swim ('run') up stream to find a shallow warm area to lay all their eggs. and...to catch them you sit around and ever so often put a net, or bucket, in the water and if you catch some...than that means the smelt are running. when that happens- everyone yells 'their running', wakes up all the sleeping kids in the cars and than bam....you've got buckets of smelt just like that. of course the excitement of the smelt running doesn't last to long and back to sleep in the car I'd go. but- i remember it being so much fun. we'd start a camp fire at sometimes and us kids (there was a lot of us) would just play in the water and find something to get dirty in. i remember not really caring so much about the smelt- but that's just me! not really sure if i remember everything and all the fine details...but, i do remember it being fun. i had to call my mom to make sure my memory was right on some things. she found it super funny that i was remember our smelting days! good stuff!!!!!!

Weekend full of Birthdays!

2008-04-14T17:41:00.010-05:00

My sister in law, Jess, had her surprise 30th birthday bash this weekend, which turned out not to be a surprise. She found out a couple weeks ago - but that didn't stop us from having a great time celebrating her. My brother owns a event center and has great access to throw big parties...so a big party is what happened. Jess spent all afternoon cooking for her own party. We - about 50+ peeps - showed up to play. We has some good eats, some good conversation, chased around some kids (there were so many kids), watched a video tribute to Jess, and than the music started. I cant say that i danced at all- well wait, i did a polka with my younger brother and than a waltz with my dad!!! otherwise, i sat around with the cousins and BS'd all night. it was fun. Had a couple drinks and just chilled. Laughed our heads off at each other. My cousin Kizzy is a hoot. man, she makes me laugh. Ya see, Buzz had a bunch of glow rings that the kids were using and us 'older' kids got a hold of them and had some fun with them. Kizzy, of course, was creative in how she used them. Outside of that there was a lot of dancing...good times.

i spent the weekend there cuz on Sunday we had another birthday bash for Tyler- who is Jessie's littlest boy. He turned 3 today. It was a much smaller bash, but still fun. Again, Jess cooked up some good eats for us all and we again talked up a storm. The party was focused around kids- so we had bikes, skate boards, Rollerblades, and balls flying everywhere...lots of screaming-laughing kids. Tyler opened up some fun gifts and seemed to have a riot. He was super tired and really needed a nap, but just didn't seem to wanna stop running around like a crazy kid.

towards the end of Jess's party a band came in to play some live music and low and behold my 11th grade English teacher was the guitar player and back up singer. he asked my brother to come up on stage a sing with him. I didn't talk to him cuz i really didn't like him as a teacher. I remember he made me do a impromptu speech on toilet paper and than he also made me recite poetry from Shakespeare. so....anyway- it was interesting to see him in band. their sound was really good.

On my way back to the cities I was so tired that i almost feel asleep behind the wheel. i blame that on my dad, cuz for the party he made us decaf coffee....so- enough said. I had to call peeps just to stay awake. of course, no one was around their phone. thanks to Matt for returning my message and keeping me awake. When i got home, i laid on the couch and kid you not, was out in seconds and slept for 2 straight hours. i woke up just in time to watch that 70's show, than went to bed.

NONE THE LESS...I AM BIRTHDAY BASHED OUT!

penned up!

2008-04-03T20:57:00.004-06:00

This past Monday night I got a roommate, who will be staying for a whole week. My mom an dad decided on a whim to fly off to sunny Florida, so that means I get to dog-sit the 'puffers'. (that's what my dad calls Dakota and it sort of sticks...). Anyway, I hate when I leave and have to pen her up in her kennel. She always looks so sad. So...with a little convincing from Jen, I decided that enough was of enough of penning up the puffers- so I stayed home today to play with her. (shhhh...don't tell anyone that i wasn't really sick.) We spent all morning playing tag- that's right...tag! Yes, a dog and i played tag. Super funny. She loved it. Jenny came over, with caribou in hand, for the afternoon and cuz it was 52 out today we decided to take a hour long walk. Puffers was covered in mud after the walk and went directly into the tub for a bath. That was interesting! Than we all were tuckered out from the walk and needed a nap, oh how i love naps!!!! Jen did loads upon loads of laundry while she hung out and we got a chance to catch up on life; it's been since Feb 21st since we have hung out one-on-one. Than I had to head to grad school, which was super boring. This was what she looked liked when I was on my way out. Sad!!!!

pics from spring break.

2008-04-03T20:48:00.006-06:00

shelby and I at the ball banquet

nicki and sara
me beating the crap out of Chummer in boxing...the Wii is fantastic!

what did i do?

2008-04-01T11:51:00.002-06:00

spring break has come and gone....what did i do with my time you ask?
(not in chronological order)
-slept til 8 almost every morning
-read a book from cover to cover for grad school
-wrote 4 papers for grad school (worked ahead some)
-went to NWC's Basketball Banquet (i was Shelby's stand in parent)
-did lunch with Doc Nate
-hung out a caribou all Tuesday afternoon with Jay and Justin
-got my teeth cleaned
-went grocery shopping and spent way to much money
-went to church 4 times
-gave a couple swimming lessons to Fawn
-cleaned out my car
-went to IHOP for pancakes with Sara
-spent a night and a couple days at the parents house
-cleaned out a closet at home...i need to have a garage sale!
-had dinner with a past co-worker
-watch a whole lot of NCAA basketball
-spent alot of time @ Children's Hospital with the Anderson family
-had a lot of coffee
-went to NWC bookstore with Matt and bought a book about the TV show Lost...so excited to read it.
-took a 3 hour nap, just once. wish i had done that more
-hung out with my niece
-gave Sara a setting lesson
-wished i was somewhere warm
-went to a bowling birthday party with Sara in Sandstone MN, had the best ice-cream cake ever and played the Wii
-caught up on some emails
-tried to give plasma- but i had a cold...

well for the most part that was my spring break. nothing to exciting. good down time. good time with friends. good time not having a agenda. just wish that spring break meant warmer weather. what is with this stupid snow?

Easter Weekend

2008-03-24T22:41:00.004-06:00

This might be long.....
Good Friday was the beginning of spring break for me and it was also the beginning of a great weekend. Friday afternoon I ventured in the wet late March snow fall to White Bear Lake to meet, greet, hang, eat and laugh with my friend Nate. He always makes my afternoons so worth it!!! That evening i headed to Open Door's Good Friday service. Which is where this painting was done. The service was fantastic, time spent reflecting on the cross and what Jesus' did - and how he 'finished' it for us. Matt- a friend of mine, attended with me and seemed to enjoy it also. Afterwards we ventured to Champs to catch the end of the UNC game (which wasnt even on cuz they were beating the team so badly) and enjoyed some good food, great convo and of course had some good laughs together.
Saturday, again in the wet snow fall, i headed to jens house for a late brunch cooked by Jay-bird. There i enjoyed great company and some fantastic ball games.

Sunday morning i woke up extra early to hit the sunrise Easter service at Open Door before i headed home to Mora for the day. Easter has always been one of my favorite Holidays. the meaning of it always seems to penetrate my heart. remembering what Jesus did and how he suffered is always hard to do and understand. that i, and you, am worth that sort of sacrifice boggles my mind. And than the power that is displayed when he Arises....so cool. love it! love that Jesus' loves me that much! it's a hard concept to grasp; a concept that i have been thinking on a lot the past couple of days. the family gathering was small this year. My younger bro's family is all in Mexico, my older bro and his son were sick, and most of the cousins were out of town. so- 2

aunts, 2 uncles, 2 cousins and their families, mom, dad and me. it was small- but fun. chatted a lot and drank multiple cups of coffee. good times. of course the kids had to have a Easter egg hunt; which is always fun to see how much joy kids can get out of something so simple.

home and ready to enjoy my week off from work. what am i going to do????

61 hours!

2008-03-18T19:26:00.005-06:00

All last week I felt like I was never home. So I tried to go back over my week and figure out how many hours I actually was at home- from Sunday to Sunday. There are 168 hours in a week (right?). Total (remember this is an approximate number), I spent 61 hours at home, and of those 61 hours I spent 45 hours of them sleeping. That means that I spent 16 in my house, awake-...which if you divide 16 by 7 that means I spent 2 hours 28 minutes a day in my house; awake!. Really, is that it? No wonder I feel like I was never home. As I think back I know that Monday I only spent about an hour awake in my house and than on Sunday I spent 4 hours in the afternoon chilling out watching some fantastic NCAA basketball games (side note- Go Tar- heels).... Most mornings I take an hour to get ready for work, but last week I think it was closer to 1/2 hour cuz I woke up tired and always pushed the snooze button. I was in and out of the house for a quick clothes change or to grab something to eat before I headed off to things like bible study, tutoring a kid from school, meeting friends for dinner, grad class, time at the library, working out, and a occasional errand run. I barely had time to do the dishes, and at times didn't do them (which drives me crazy). I really don't like feeling that way. I like my house and I enjoying spending time in it. But I will admit that last week was a good time. Some of my highlights were taking a long walk with my friend Sara. It was actually warm enough to walk without a coat on. Does that mean that spring is finally here? I also went and got adjusted by Doc Nate, and got a ever present headache taken care. Did juicy lucy burgers with friends on Wednesday night and played The Wii, which is sweet. Tennis is super fun! Grad class on Thursday night and than went right to Hannah's house to watch Lost and eat pizza, which was awesome. Friday after work I was home long enough to throw some clothes into my bag, headed to the Library to tutor, and than went straight to Mora. My god-children had a big birthday bash on Saturday that of course I could not miss...also a highlight of my week. No wonder it's now Tuesday night after my crazy week away from home and here I sit with a horrible cold, a low grade fever that wont seem to go away and am exhausted! Spring break arrives on Friday and I am really trying to push out my body- I hate missing work before a long break. I have a feeling tomorrow morning I am going to really have to talk myself into thinking I feel good enough to go to work. But I am a strong believer that if you tell yourself something long enough- you'll soon believe it. So- 'I FEEL FANTASTIC!'. (do ya believe me?)
So 61 hours spent in my house last week. I have every intention of doubling that number this week. Is that possible?

This picture is of my shoe and Emma's shoe. Emma is my 4 year old God-Child. She is super cute and is totally into shoes. So, I (and her god-dad) got her some new funcky shoes...dont ya love em?

pride

2008-03-09T14:33:00.002-06:00

why is it so hard to swallow your pride? i've been wondering at why a conversation i had with a parent this morning at church has challenged my pride so much and why it annoyed me so, and even sort of hurt my feelings. i've been volunteering in the 3 yr old toddler room at church and love it. the kids bring smiles to my face every time i go...but like any sort of volunteering, at times you wonder why you do it. today's message was about giving, but giving without having any expectations of getting anything in return. it was a good reminder!! and this morning i had to put that thought of giving with out getting into practice. a parent, who was very nice about it, reminded me how important it is as a volunteer to make sure the parent picking up their kid shows their ID card to make sure it matches up with their kids ID card. well, after volunteering for 6 months i know pretty much all my kids and their parents and most don't have a issue with the ID card thing - cuz i know who belongs to who. and if someone different comes to pick up a kid, than of course i check ID cards...well, this parent nicely reminded me i need to check cards all the time. at first it really hurt my pride cuz i feel like i do a great job. so after he left i returned to teaching my lesson on sharing and found myself very distracted by my thoughts. it was a pride thing that i really needed to let go of. who am i???? if a parent wants me to check ID cards- i should appreciate their advice and go with it. but, it took me almost the whole hour to let it go and be ok with his advice and his challenge. my pride got in the way today. and i hate when that happens, and like jen (the speaker at church) said in her message- sometimes ya gotta give even when you get hurt...and ya gotta continue to give even when you know your going to be hurt agian at some point! so i will continue to give to my 3 yr old toddler room and take the advice of a caring parent to heart and move on. goodness....the older i get the easier you'd think these sort of lessons would be to learn, but they aren't.....

its super sunny out, but cold...but i think i am going to hit the pavement and go for a quick walk and clear the head.

nothing to new

2008-03-02T16:56:00.004-06:00

it must be the month of February...(even though it is March). I've just not had much to rant and rave about this past month. nothing is happening and for sure nothing worthy of picture taking. so as i sit this fine Sunday afternoon, i wonder at what I've learned this past month. huh....good question?

well first I've learned that puppies don't stay puppies very long. i did head home a couple weekends ago to visit with ma and pa and Dakota is no longer small. she is big...I've learned that patience is a virtue! I've been waiting to hear back from a friend for almost 3 months and finally, after a lot of praying and wondering.....they called back and we got to re-connect. it was so worth the wait. i am continually remind how important communication is when in relationships. and how important forgiving and forgetting and moving forward is.

I've learned that fake finger nails hurt! yes, for some odd reason today i just got this idea in my head to go get fake finger nails, which for those of you that know me know that fake finger nails is not really me. but- that's OK. they hurt. it's hard to type. the dude (yes a dude) that did them was horrible, and it took him almost 2 hours. not sure it was the best experience, but i did get a free tanning session out of the deal. I've learned that when you function and make decision off emotions, well you're usually gonna make a ass out of yourself (excuse the language). i sort of had a run in with my younger brother yesterday and lets just say it didn't make me look good. i had to humble myself, which is always hard to do.

I've learned that coffee is good. since detox, I've tried to cut back and am doing a pretty good job, but gotta say that caribou is fantastic. and of course, caribou with friends is even better.

I've learned that the lady eagles basketball team have accomplished most of their goals. they won the conference and are headed to regionals this weekend. go eagles!

I've learned that good friends are a must. Jen has been gone for 2 weeks in Ethiopia and i miss her. but it's good. it's good to spend time apart. you really realize just how much you appreciate good friends and what they bring to life. I've also gotten to hang more with her boyfriend while she is gone, and that's never a bad deal!!!!! oh baby.

I've learned that God always wants us to 'come home'. i am reminded at how faithful God is to me....regardless at how i treat Him, what i do to Him, and or how mad i am at Him. He always wants me...and will always allow me in his house. church is good...all the time.

I've learned that LOST, with a doubt, is going to drive me insane. i want some answers.

i am sure there is alot more I've learned this past month, but those are what came to mind.

update

2008-02-16T10:42:00.004-06:00

goodness, it has been a long while since i have blogged. sorry to all those out there that check and are disappointed when i dont have a current blog. i've been blogged out the past couple of weeks. and this fine satruday morning i figured i would update it.

detox has been going really well. I am at day 16; with 5 days left! it has been a good haul thus far. I cant say there havent been days where i was totally sick of just eating fruit and vegtables, but for the most part my body has adjusted and it now craves veggies. the other night i got home after working out and my body was craving cabbage, onions, peppers, and mushroom... stir fry style. weird that i was craving cabbage instead of things like chocolate and bread; two things i highly enjoy. i have cheated a couple times. i went to eat a banana a week ago and really needed some peanut butter so put a talbespoon on my banana. it was fantastic. i think the thing i miss the most being on this program is coffee! goodness sakes!!!!! i am growing to love green tea a ton, but coffee will never be replaced! man. i have lost 11 pounds and feel totally healthy. my skin is clear, i have energy galore, and my body is no longer dependent on coffee, carbs and junk food. once i reach day 21 i plan to splurge on a caribou run and maybe eat a peice of pizze with some friends. otherwise, i plan to keep the new habits i have learned to see what happens to my body over a longer period of time. not sure what 'a longer period' of time means. but we will see!

i am so glad that Feburary is half over. bye far this is the worst month to teach. the kids are out of control...they are itching to get outside and use up some of their pent energy! but on a high note, i took 30 of my 7th graders to Feed My Starving Children this past Tuesday and we had a riot. FMSC is a place that bags food for starving children all over the world. My students and i made 7085 bags of food in 1.5 hours. it was super cool. the kids put a scoop of chicken powder full of vitamins, a scoop of dried veggies, a cup full of soy and another cup full of rice. than we seal the bag and place them in a box that will be shipped all over the world. i was very proud of my students and how excited they were to actually feed starving kids. when given the opportunity kids love to step up to the plate and do kind and decent things. i am pursuing a part-time job there for the summer and really hope it pans out. last night i went over to a friends house to help him put in ceiling tiles in his basement. a bunch of us were there and just goffed around and tried to get some work done on his house. working on a friends basment doesnt sound like much fun, but when you throw a bunch of good friends into the mix, it made it really funtomorrow and monday ( i dont have to work) i am heading home to the parents house to visit and hang low. i havent been home since Christmas and am looking forward to seeing Dakota; the puppy i got mom for Christmas. so that should be a good way to end my weekend.

hope you all are well!!!!

grandma and hymns

2008-02-03T12:49:00.000-06:00

i stand amzed in the presence
of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unlcean

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!

For me it was in the garden
He prayed: "Not My will, but Thine."
He had not tears for His own griefs,
But sweat drops of blood for mine.

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!

In pity angels beheld Him,
And came from the world of lights
To comfort Him in the sorrows
He bore for my soul that night.

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!

He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!

When with the ransoned in glory
His face I at last shall see,
Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior's love for me!

21 days!

2008-01-30T21:20:00.001-06:00

who of you reading this thinks that 21 days is a long time? well today, January 30th, i started what my freind jen and i call Detox. it's a pretty intense cleanse for the body. it's not a diet...but should help in shedding some pounds. but more important than that i am doing it to clean out my body, and i am also interested if i can actually do this program for 21 days. so...for the first 10 days all i eat is fruit and vegtables, and than a shake with whay protein in it....and than 21 pills. most of which all are called SP cleanse; thus the cleanse!!!! the pills are nasty. the shake is decent. and as of today eating nothing but fruit and veggies went well. but- i'ts only day 1. not sure what i am going to think at around day 2 or so. the dude that came up with this idea says that first 3-4 days are hell...so i guess, hell it is. after hell passes, my body is suppose to feel like brand new and i am suppose to have tons of energy. we will see. anyhow. day 11 i can start to eat fish and some egg whites. otherwise, more fruit and veggies. so thats what life and the next 21 days looks like. all that i do know is that i peed 9 times so far today, and usually...i pee maybe 3-4 times. whoa- thats a change.

outside of that i am so excited for tomorrow. LOST returns and i cant wait to see what happens. i am actually watching the last show from last season...man oh man!!!! i cant wait. charlie drowns...that part is really sad. but jack told kate that he loves her....so thats really sweet. and, well....i just cant wait to see what they come up with tomorrow.

birthday cake at bible study

2008-01-29T12:38:00.000-06:00

so my bible study usually celebrates each others birthday with some sort of fantastic cake made my Anna...last night was my night. here my bible study, plus Sara and minus Robert, enjoyed some chocolate chip cheese cake, with whip cream. it was awesome!!!! completely awesome. i really wanted to eat 2 pieces....but just couldn't.

us girls couldn't pass up the opportunity to lay on each other. of course, Sara's butt got touched multiple times here...she asked for it laying that way!

i have some pretty cool friends that i am very thankful for. below are some of the fun things that i received from them. the coolest one by far was a picture of trees that fits perfectly on my living room wall. Jen, Anna and Sara were the givers of this fantastic gift. You all should come over and check it out. i love it. the flowers were given to me by Anna at bible study just to make me feel special. and of course, i did. i don't get flowers to often so when i do i cherish them! Jason blessed me with a caribou gift card; oh man...nothing is better in life than getting free caribou coffee. i got a couple cards in the mail; not sure about you all, but i love getting mail. and than the Nike tennis shoes are from me. sometimes i have this problem with buying tennis shoes. this would be my 11 pair...yes, 11....it's pretty insane. but they were so cute and so on sale in Florida that it would have been very sinful to pass them up. nice huh. so...since it is 9 days after my birthday, i guess i should probably stop blogging about it and let it be. there ya have it.