Small town, hole in the wall weekend

This weekend I went home!!!  It was a much needed getaway to get things done for the wedding, celebrate Daddy's birthday and to just simply relax with the family!

Our first hole in the wall was the Mexican restaurant in Oskaloosa.  We celebrated Daddy's birthday with margaritas, chips and salsa, great food and good conversation.  And a birthday song in Spanish!  :)

Saturday, Mom and I headed into town to finalize flowers for the wedding.  It had been a little while since I have talked to Mom about so much and we talked the whole day!  The flowers are all set to go and it is becoming more and more real that I am getting married!!!  :)  We then headed to Ottumwa to do a little shopping after stopping at our favorite hole in the wall for a Canteen!  My belly was soooooo happy!  :)  After a little shopping, we stopped at our other favorite hole in the wall for some ice cream at Grahm's!  Oh, my belly was pretty close to heaven at that point!  Mom and I continued to talk and laugh until we got home.  Basically the minute we walked in the door, we turned on the country music and got to cooking in the kitchen for Dad's birthday supper with everyone coming over.  Those are the best afternoons it feels like.  Soon, Dad finally had time to take me out to see my new baby calf!  Cinnamon had a baby girl on Thursday afternoon.  I named her Clarabelle after the Mickey Mouse character.  She's a little sweetheart with a pretty protective mother.  Ruby was tied up during this and she barked the WHOLE time she was so jealous!

Everyone came over for supper and I got to talk to Blake about being my ring bearer and wearing boots and a flower like the big boys.  He is going to be the cutest!  There was so much laughter ringing through the house as we ate good fish...even my grandmother ate Dustin's fish again!  Once the crowd thinned, the cards came out.  there was even more laughter and rib poking as we played some cut throat Oh, Heck!  We then went with Karen and Michael to another hole in the wall place that was a bar where they did some karaoke!  Dustin even sang with me!  We sang 'Jackson' by Johnny and June.  It was so much fun!

Today was so good!  It is always so refreshing to go 'home' to Lancaster for church.  I have so many people that genuinely ask about me that have really missed me being home.  We sang 'Sanctuary' that brought tears to my eyes thinking about my homesickness for camp.  We also sang 'How Great Thou Art!' which is one of my favorite hymns of all time.  It also brought tears flooding out of my eyes.  God is just so good!  After service, Dustin and I went to the front of the church to talk about things for the wedding.  It's crazy how real it is all becoming!  After a quick lunch with Mom and Peyton, we headed in to the bowling alley with the church.  It was a blast!  I stunk it up, but it was fun and filled with laughter anyway!  All too soon, it was time to head back north.  But no worries, just a couple of weeks, and I will be back and ready to see my baby Clarabelle again!  :)

96 days

Lately, I have been a very inconsistent blogger.  Adulthood has come on a little stronger than I expected, but I feel like I'm keeping up on the need to things.

Work has been crazy, but amazing at the same time!  Two more weeks and Cindy will be gone to join her husband in Ohio.  She will be sorely missed by everyone.  She is an incredible person and an incredible mentor.  I have laughed and learned so much in the months we've worked together.  Not even a year since my interview process, I was helping to interview for someone to take Cindy's spot.  It was a very strange feeling that I could really be that old and capable to be sitting there, interviewing someone and be prepared to offer or deny a job.  The kids are getting just as antsy as us adults without being able to go outside.  They are so wonderful and they've come so far since I met them all in August.  We've had 2 of 3 IEP meetings that involve transitions.  It's so sad to think about having kids leave my classroom already to go to 5th grade, but it's happening and I really am happy for them!

Wedding planning is going just swimmingly!  I already have my dress in my closet!  Invitations are here, I ordered my boots the other night, hair appointment is set, the girls are getting their dresses in, and I am keeping my something blue a secret because it is AWESOME!  Since Lu Bird will not be able to be with me that day, I put her in charge of my something blue and she hit it right on the head!  I'm so excited for it!  :)  There is 96 days until the big, busy day of my wedding!  I am getting very excited for it and so far I have only had a couple of super stressful situations involving booking the reception hall, but we're all good now!  :)  I'm just so looking forward to living out a dream I've had since I was little of getting married to the man of my dreams in my home church at Lancaster.

I've been busy trying to get Dustin to help me clean his house now rather than trying to clean while we have a bunch of new things and my things in the way.  It's quite the process and has caused a few arguments, but also some quality bonding time and laughter.  It will be an adjustment to both of us.  He has been living by himself for 5 years.  I haven't lived in one place for more than a few months in about 4 years.  We'll be having a garage sale this summer!  We took some time and put adulthood aside and played in the snow yesterday.  We threw snowballs, tackled each other and tried to see who could run farthest through snow drifts before falling over.  It was so much fun and I think we fell in love all over!  :)

I went home over the weekend for the first time in about a month.  It was so refreshing to be home!  I got to play with my Ruby, get new mud boots, hay cows with Dad, play cards with everyone, meet Peyton's new girl, and worship with my church family.  It's like I get my own homecoming ceremony every time!  It's so wonderful to be asked about and fussed over, hugged, and laughed with.  We also sang some of my favorite hymns in church on Sunday.  I managed to get my new car stuck in Gramps' driveway.  He blew right around my car with his 4 wheel drive truck, but he later helped me dig it out and changed my plates for me.  He's a good man!  I also very excitedly found out that I will be an aunt for the third time this October!  :)  Congratulations to Abbey and Tim, and please hold out until the 28th?  ;)

Even with all the whirlwind of activities that are going on in this season of my life, I am reminded that no matter what goes on, we don't have to worry.  God is always watching over us.

I sing because I’m happy,

I sing because I’m free,

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me

Harvest Rides

Home for the weekend.

I was excitedly telling of my plans all week long and I was bouncing around with a quick stop at Dustin's before getting started for home.  I all but jumped out of a still moving car when we pulled in the drive.  Ruby and I were both pretty excited to see each other!  It's safe to say that I missed my pup dearly!  When we walked in the door I hugged Momma and Daddy before sitting down to chili, which I had been craving all week.  My brother joined and Momma said it was like it used to be with us both interrupting each other for a chance to tell a story.  We played our typical game of Rummy before wrapping it up for the night.

Today I woke up to dad banging around in the kitchen (the other side of the couch) and I knew he was ready to get busy in the fields.  Mom and I ran to Ottumwa to watch some volleyball action that my niece was in and do a little shopping...like paint to repaint my brother and I's rooms since we are now both gone.  As soon as we got back I headed to Gramps & Grammy's to ride in the combine.  

Running across the field I saw a rather big smile spreading across Gramps' face knowing that I was coming to ride with him.  It truly is one of my favorite things to do.  We rode and talked and dumped a hopper or two.  He told me stories of when he was a boy and caught me up on the neighborhood.  I told him of my classroom and about the Hawkeye game Dustin and I are going to next week.  It's soothing to ride and watch all that corn get gobbled up and spit out and chat about everything with him.  I don't get a chance to do it enough.  Too soon he was done with that field.  

Supper tonight will involve all of the people helping tonight.  And we will laugh, eat, talk, and then probably play a round of cards or two!  :)

June 2013

In a way, I'm thankful that this month is over.  I spent most of the month living out of a suitcase, which in case you have been missing the underlying theme of some of my blogs, I'm sick of living out of a suitcase!  Don't get me wrong, I have LOVED each and every adventure I have packed my suitcase for!

Low:

• Grammy has been under the weather a little often this month.  She's doing better now, but she's sick of going to the doctor.
• I wasn't able to get my car into the shop until just last week.  There have been some hot days with no AC!
• I didn't play with Ruby for a few days because she found a skunk.
• I'm starting to get a cold...I'm not a fan.

High:

• I finished out a school year!  I was so thankful for the opportunity to sub!
• I've spent so many wonderful summer days at home!  This has included sleeping in, playing with Ruby, reading for afternoons at a time, horseback riding, fishing, playing with Ruby, hunting up kitten litters, going to Gramps and Grammy's, and beginning to go through and pack up my belongings to move again.
• I spent Whit's birthday weekend with her!  We had a double-date to the drive-in, finished Caleb's quilt, watched movies, and just had some quality best friend time!
• I spent a lot of time at the Historical Society quilting with Grammy and her friends!  Such sweet days! :)
• Dustin, Rach, and I went to Country Night!  It was so much fun to be stomping around that dance floor in my boots again!
• I went to camp!!!!!  I was reunited with some of my best friends, had some WONDERFUL campers and had an all around great week in the Valley!  :)

• I got a sweet new library card.  I am now up to date!
• Dustin came down for the weekend and we spent most of the time outside!  Fishing, horseback riding, painting at Grammy's.  He even got Grammy to eat some fish!  

This month has also been monumental in the fact that I have found my theme for the year.  Last year, God taught me a lot about forgiveness and who I needed to forgive for past grievances.  This year, God is teaching me to recognize.  I will blog about that realization soon.  

This month has flown and the year is half over.  How can this be?!  I'm looking forward to next month with apartment searches, moving, classroom set up, berry picking, and so much more!

  

Favorite picture of the month!  :)

Broken and Beautiful

Today's church service hit hard and heavy.  The topic?  Death.  I've been affected by death just as much as the next person.  I've often compared that hurt to a bruise that never goes away.  Sure, it gets better with time, and then suddenly, it gets poked again and it hurts real bad.  As the service went on, I thought about the deaths that I had experienced.  I thought about that pain that comes with the sad realization.  I thought about that punch in the gut feeling when saying goodbye.  And then, I also thought about the wonderful experiences that happened in the time after.  I thought about the lessons God was teaching me through those deaths of my loved ones.

During sophomore year of high school, I was feeling pretty great.  Here I was on the verge of being an upperclassman, had tons of friends, I was active in youth group, involved in many things, and I had a job.  Not bad for 16, right?  January came and Errol passed away.  I've talked about it before, so I won't talk much more on this.  I was a mess.  I was at rock bottom suddenly.  My world had just been turned upside down.  I didn't know how to get myself back to 'normal.'  At this point in my walk with Christ, I had prayed the prayer, went to youth group and church, and I think I was just playing the part pretty good.  I hadn't had that moment where I felt in true need of Christ.  That was until I heard the Gospel again about a month later. That was when I realized just how broken I was.  That was when I realized how much I needed God.

Six months later, Tyler died.  Tyler was my classmate.  While we weren't the closest of friends, he was still a classmate and a friend.  I was so in shock that June afternoon.  I was in shock probably that whole week.  This time, though, I knew what to do.  I wasn't going to hold it in.  I was going to give it to God right away.  The growth I had made in the last 6 months made it easier to grieve.  I learned how to talk about it.  I knew that I wasn't going to go back to that place I was in 6 months before.  Just knowing that God was there to provide comfort and healing gave me all the truth and strength I needed.

Grandpa Goudy died right before my senior year of high school.  I was headed to the Iowa State Fair to be a grandstand usher days after his death.  During those 10 days at the fair, I spent a lot of time by myself.  I spent a lot of time working on embroidery, reading my Bible and praying.  It was during that time that I discovered my life verse.

As the deer pants for streams of water,

    so my soul pants for you, my God.

Psalm 42:1

The most recent death that has proved a punch in the gut was Papu.  Papu was Whit's grandpa who I had only been around a handful of times.  He told me that I was just like another granddaughter to him all the same.  He was funny, caring, could tell great stories, and always lit up a room with his smile.  That phone call when Whit told me of his death was not one I wanted to hear.  I hated being so far away form her as this was going on.  They headed back to Ohio for the funeral, and I was headed to camp for 4State.  On Saturday, I was feeling anxious.  I had told Whit that I would call her, and she didn't answer.  I knew she was probably busy and with family, but I was just looking for some confirmation.  I was feeling antsy and introverted.  I finally walked behind the Lodge to the crick.  I sat on a bench and let it all out.  I cried and prayed.  Prayed and cried.  I was a mess.  I wanted to be with Whit and her family so bad, but that wasn't in the plans.  I was at camp and all I could do was pray.  I sat there until I could sing It Is Well With My Soul and actually sing it with confidence.

Naturally, that is how we would end today's service.  It is hands down, my favorite hymn.  I was nearly in tears as that peace washed over me.

It is well, (it is well),

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

October 2012

Can it really be Halloween already?  Am I really 22?  This month has FLOWN by and we are on the verge of November, people!  This month has been FANTASTIC with a few bumps like every other month.

Low:

• Right away on the 1st, I started my Phase 2.  The only downside was the HUG+E adjustment to an early bedtime with an early rising to follow.  I'm finally on a better schedule and now I go to bed super early and get called a grandma.  No big.
• The state decided to change/add to some rules for lincensure and now I have to take 2 Praxis 2 tests instead of one.  EXPENSIVE!  These are both 2 1/2 hours long, and not fun at all.  Not looking forward to actually taking these things...
• For 2 weeks of this month, I was driving my father's car because mine needed lots of love.  I really need my baby to last just a little while longer.  It needs to get me through student teaching and a bit longer if possible!
• Naturally, on my birthday I would break a contact.  Because I don't wear disposables, I had to order a new one and get it sent to me.  All I have are my crooked glasses that practically fall off my face.  Can't wait until my appointment over break!
• I had everything for teaching today EXCEPT the lesson plan and the main activity.  Yep, this Wednesday felt more like a Monday.  Luckily, my mentor teacher is AWESOME and was a tremendous help and I got through.  Note to self, don't forget that sort of thing again!

High:

• My Phase 2 experience has been WONDERFUL!  I absolutely love what I am doing and I really enjoy teaching at the junior high level.  My students are a blast and I have a wonderful mentor teacher.  Last week, I got to teach the students how to make Blueberry pancakes!  :)
• Momma & I hit up the World's Largest Garage Sale and I came back with quite the load of books!  :)

• My friend, Rach came back into town for the night and we got all the girls together for a night at Carlos o' Kelly's!  Such a wonderful time with some wonderful ladies!  :)

• I got to go home for 2 amazing weekends!  I love going home!  It's the best!  :)  One night involved a football game.  The other weekend was harvest and my birthday!  :)
• Camp.  Love camp, especially when it is 4 State time!  :)  Celebration of October birthdays also took place with Tums, Alison, and I!  What fun it was!

• Level 3 was last week.  What an exhausting, exciting week!  I learned so much and it was completely wonderful!  The best I ate all week was conference nights when there was food brought in.  :)
• My birthday was wonderful!  I got to hang out with my family and friends and was reunited with my bestie for the afternoon!  Love her!  :)

• I SCORED REALLY WELL ON A PRAXIS!!!  One down, one left!  :)

Seriously, this has been a wonderful month and I am only 5 1/2 weeks from graduation!!  :)  Life is so good, and I am so thankful!

This would probably have to be my favorite picture of the month!  :)

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

-Ephesians 3:12

Buddy Seats & Birthday Parties

Thankfully, I was able to go home on Thursday night and spend 3 days at home.  I didn't get home until about 9 on Thursday, so I was only able to unload my car and catch up with Momma before burrowing under the covers of my own bed!  :)

Friday was all about me.  I was the only one home and it was DELIGHTFUL!  I attempted to try a new cookie recipe, but I FAIL at chocolate chip cookies.  Thankfully though, my grammy has a hard time with them to, so I don't feel shame.  I was also going to try to make ear warmers, but didn't want to make a pattern.  In short, I got a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing done at the same time.

Saturday I got the Daddy Wake-Up Call at 7 am.  We were headed to the Hunter's Breakfast at the Fire Station!  :)  This is one thing that I look forward to on my birthday weekend.  I love pancakes and I love seeing a lot of people that I don't usually get to see.  I ran into my high school math teacher, and lots of other familiar faces.  Of course, I got many questions about school and gave repeated answers with joy because I know these people care about me.  The rest of the morning was spent with Dad.  We rode back to move the cows and it was a beautiful sight!  The frost was still covering everything and the sun was still climbing.  Simply stunning!  Ruby was having a hay day until I had to hold her so she wouldn't chase the cows.  Honestly, it felt like I had a noisy baby in a church.  She needed to be quiet, but wouldn't be.  We also got into the last field of corn.  What a beautiful day it turned out to be and to be in the field, no less.  After lunch and a quick run to Ottumwa, I rode out to the field with Grammy riding on the buddy seat.  That thing is not made for extended rides!  Then I climbed up in the combine with Gramps.  Seriously, I swear that cab has gotten smaller!  We used to squeeze Gramps and at least 3 grandkids in there.  Now, it barely seems to fit both of us!  I love these rides.  Gramps shares so many stories and we have lots of good conversation as we travel down the neatly planted rows.  When I got back to the house, Momma had my favorite meal on the table.  I seriously love meatloaf!  Yes, I might be the only one you know who feels that way, but it is true!  :) I love nights that end with a big bowl of popcorn too!

Sunday I woke up to the smell of Jiffy muffins wafting through the house!  Since it was my birthday, I also got to drink out of the famed Happy Birthday mug!  Milk of course, this girl doesn't do coffee!  I got a couple of wonderful calls from close friends and I do appreciate all the wonderful wishes on Facebook that I received!  God has blessed me an awful lot!  :)  We headed to Tasos' for lunch with everyone.  Such a wonderful time with some of my favorite people!  :)

All too soon, though, it was time to leave and head back to Cedar Falls.  On the plus side, I did come back to 2 wonderful birthday cards in the mail!  :)  I can't wait to see what all is awaiting me on the 22 side of the fence!  :)

South of I-80

I was excited all week to go home.  I hadn't been home in weeks, and I was getting desperate for my winter coat.  It's kind of known that UNI has one of the windiest campuses in the nation, and it's no lie!  It was quite brisk this week!

When I got home Friday, Ruby was delighted to see me!  The feelings were mutual! I missed that dog!  We went for a walk to the pond and the smell was incredible as the wind picked up the hot dirt and bean dust mix.  That is fall!  :)  When we ventured to the pond, I wasn't expecting what I saw.  The pond is low.  The new shore line is a good 6-8 feet from where it should be.  We finally turned back and I took a trip to Gramps & Grammy's.  They were busy getting things ready for the winter.  I helped with the fences and holding gates.  There is still a terrible smell coming from their bin from the fire over 3 weeks ago.  I got Gramps talked into going to the football game with me.  It had been a while since I'd been able to go to one, and I wanted to go to one where I knew they wouldn't get murdered.  As much as I love my Cobras, everyone with any sense knows that they are going to get KILLED next week at Regina.  This was the lowest attended football gams I've been to in a VERY long time, and it was even Senior Night!  None the less, it was a blast!  Great job on scoring within the first 5 minutes!!  I naturally had to make my rounds and see who I could see.  I ran into Driscoll, Mrs. Webb, Julie Tremmel, and Mousel.  Julie and I joked about living North of I-80 and why anyone in their right mind would want to do that because it gets so stinking cold!  I told her I had layered up for the game and planned on taking plenty of clothes back with me.  Honestly, I can't even tell you how the game ended because with 7 minutes left of the 3rd quarter, the Cobras were winning 50-7 and the cold wind had picked up.  Gramps and I called ahead for popcorn and it was good to share a bowl with the grandparents.

Saturday brought rain, and thankfully, lots of it!  :)  By the end of the weekend it was right about 2 inches.  I got Dad talked into going to the top of the garage for some of my books and stuffed animals.  While I didn't find the books I wanted, I did find a lot of great treasures, including 3 of my FAVORITE stuffed animals as a kid!  :)

Sadly, I don't think Simba will ever talk again because of the whole battery corrosion thing that comes with sitting in the garage for a good 10 years or more.  I didn't know they were going to get put away for so long!  Naturally, I had to bring them back to CF!  :)  Saturday also brought time, lots of time, with my niece and nephew.  Bryan and Sonya came to lunch and then Alex and Blake spent the night.  This is where I should apologize on behalf of my very mature older brother for the obnoxious statuses yesterday that didn't sound at all like me.  That's what brothers are for, right?  He also tried to scare me by showing me a trailer for a movie and telling me all the sneaky things Blake does.  It was actually a very good afternoon.  It had been so long since I'd seen them!  Why would Blake want to take a nap when he was spending time with me?  Because of the whole lack of nap thing, he practically fell asleep at supper, but then was a stinker when it came time to rock to sleep.  After getting a sleepy Alex from the couch to the bed, it was time for me to crawl under the covers too.

Blake likes to play opossum as I found out this morning.  He can also now crawl out of the playpen.  We headed to church and he had a great time in the nursery with Audra and Meredith!  :)  I love coming home and going to church.  I love being back home with my church family who have supported me through the years.  I love them all dearly, and it is always good to be welcomed back!  :)  On the way back home, we slipped by Gramps & Grammy's because she had made me some goodies as usual.  :)  Finally though, it was time to give the kids back, load up a car, and hit the long road back to the city.  The big difference this time was the car.  I left in Dad's car because mine needs work bad and I don't have to time to leave it anywhere.  I really need my car to work well for a little while longer.  Hopefully, in the next 2 weeks, I won't lose the car because I forget that I drive it now, and I hope that college isn't too hard on it since it is usually babied in the garage.  Welcome to the C lot!  :)

I love weekends no matter how many layers, inches, or diapers they involve!  :)

Best Friendship

Just thought I'd start off this blog with a good ol' throwback picture of mine and Whit's first year at camp and the summer that we truly became best friends.

There we were, friends at youth group, occasionally saying, "Hey," to each other in the halls at school, a Junior and a Sophomore in high school, and on different sides of the fence.

We were headed to a new camp, Village Creek Bible Camp.  Matt & Emily hadn't even been our leaders for a year when we found out.  At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about this.  For months, I faked excitement for them.  VCBC is where they met as they worked summers.  They were excited to take us there and experience VCBC for ourselves.

I didn't want to go.

I had them fooled though.  I faked excitement on the bus ride there and all through the first day of camp.  "God, what am I doing here?  I just want to go home.  I don't even want to be here."

Monday, God showed me why I was there.

We were all standing and singing during worship.  There we were in the front row.  Whit suddenly changed places so she could sit next to me.  I noticed, but didn't pay too much attention.  Eventually, I realized that she was crying.  Really, she was BAWLING!  For a minute I tried to calm her and figure out what was going on.  Through the sobs I heard her ask me to help her accept Christ into her life.

ME!?  Really?  That started the waterworks.  No lie.  When Whit and I get to crying, we get to crying!  I know many people can attest to that sight!  I know I stumbled through some sort of prayer before Whit asked Christ to live in her and we went on with chapel.  What a night!

Throughout the rest of the week, we had many talks and truly became best friends that week.  Later, when sharing in church, I remember her saying that before camp, she always noticed that I had something that she was missing out on, but wanted to have.  I don't consider my years before that summer to be a bright, burning flame for Christ, but somehow, He was shining through.

Since the prayer that started a new life in Whit, I have witnessed so much in her life.  She has become an accountability partner for so many, changed the face of our youth group until graduation, continued to push me in my walk, worked at VCBC, worked in youth groups in Pella, gone to Africa on a missions trip, and so much more.  This isn't to glorify all she's done, but what she has done because of this life change in her.  She still has her downs (don't we all?), but she takes it to God in prayer.

It all begins with a prayer.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

-Proverbs 27:17

5 More Green Checks

I know I've said it many, many times already and I'm only ending my third week, but this is my last semester!!  Today, I had my Student Teaching Interview.

All dressed up for my interview!

One thing I had to bring was my progress report, which is simply a checklist of all my required classes and tests needed for a teaching license.  I only have 5 more green checks to get!

Can this really be happening?  The path that I got on in high school has brought me so far!  From bus rides to  13 weeks left before student teaching.  I can only look back and laugh at how it all began during my senior year of high school.

There I was, a senior in high school and I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.  I had plenty of ideas, sure, but nothing that was really sticking out as the "it" thing in my life.  I thought about going to Indian Hills in Centerville for something in Agriculture since I had taken about every Ag class I could and because that was what I knew.  One day, though, Tresa from Vennard came and had a table at school.  Vennard was the Bible college about a half hour away.  I knew many people from there including my head pastor at the time.  I actually had the application all but filled out thinking that I would go there and God would show me what I was supposed to do with my life.  Seriously, I was a couple of days away from sending in the application when it closed.  Yes, Vennard closed its doors.  It was so sad, and then I was all sorts of confused.  Obviously, this was a closed door, but I also couldn't see any open ones.  I worried about it for a couple of weeks before finally surrendering the situation to God.  What a relief.  The questions still came as to what I was going to do, but I felt a little more confident in my, "I have no idea," answer.

For quite a while, I had bounced around the thought of Special Education.  Back then, it was just a passing thought, but then one day, that thought stuck.  I was talking to my good friend, Racheal, she's one of the best, let me tell you!  She was getting so excited to go to UNI for Elementary Ed.  She was showing me everything on the website and telling me about campus.  She was the first person I told about this Special Education idea.

Sometimes, I get an idea and I just run with it.  I don't always sit around puzzling and planning over it.  I'm just determined to somehow make it work.

I got all things figured out with my guidance counselor, and told my parents.  They have been very supportive of my decision.  I ended up going to a community college before coming up to UNI.  One of the best things that I did in preparation was praying for future friendships and my classmates.  I constantly emphasize this when I give my testimony at camp.  I met some wonderful girls and one of them is actually at UNI too!  These girls were all off-campus students just like me and they all love Jesus.  It was a wonderful group and that is something that I will forever treasure.

Since being at UNI, I've prayed for friendships, and God has blessed me with many!  I've been able to get plugged into a Bible study with a woman that I look up to very much.  She is always there to encourage us and challenge us to continue to dig deeper in our faith.  I love ending our times holding hands and praying together.

I've also prayed over my placements when it is time to have experiences in the field.  God has blessed me in that area as well.  I've had amazing mentor teachers and have met so many kids.  Some of these kids have such hard lives and they need to be shown so much love.  During the spring, I had an experience that lasted 8 weeks.  My mentor teacher is a Christian and I wish I would have had more conversations with her about things other than our experience.  She had a lanyard with a verse on it, and she liked to read things like, Crazy Love.  She had mentioned that she taught in a children's hospital for a while and I thought that was really neat.  I started to dwell on the idea towards the end of the experience, but didn't talk to her about it.  During the first week of camp, there was a camper who had been diagnosed with a brain tumor a few years back.  He started telling me his story and got to just after he told me about his teacher that came to the hospital and how wonderful she was and the impact she made on his life.  WOW!  Then I really started thinking about it and praying about it.  I also took a chance and e-mailed that mentor teacher.  Her response?

First off, faith and daily communion with Jesus is essential for working with children in a hospital setting!

WOW!  It was so cool to have her back me up like that and encourage me to pray every day without us really knowing each others' story, but knowing that each other is a follower of Christ.

God has just been continuing to answer prayers with this whole school thing.  I can hardly believe that it is almost over, but I'm still praying about the teaching in a children's hospital aspect.  I don't have a closed door yet, but I'm also not sure if it's open.  I will continue to pray about it,but not dwell on it.  I know that God has it and will open the door when the time is right.

August 2012

What a whirlwind of a month!  Can it really be the last day in August?  So much has happened in the last month!  I have been incredibly mobile.  I'm finding this to be a theme of my 20's.  I'm not sure how I feel about that, but hopefully, by this time next year, I will be staying in one place for a while.  So much has happened in the blur of 4 weeks.  Mostly it was my final weeks at camp, 1 week at home, and the past 2 at school.

Low:

·         I had to leave camp.  I didn't cry last year, but this year, the tears streamed.  I was also sick my last day.

·         Couldn't eat anything at The Skinny Dip because of said sickness.

·         My poor car had to spend 2 days in the shop. 

·         The whole mice incident at LAKESIDE.  That was the only thing that I hated about staying up there, granted that it was mostly my fault...

·         I shot milk out my nose during a chugging contest with Alison.

·         I thought it would be cool to play Banana on a trip to LAX with Brock.  Clearly, it ended well.

·         After said trip to LAX, I managed to leave my Wal-Mart stuff in Brock's truck.  He headed back to Texas that night.  Glad you enjoyed my Oreos.

·         Ruby knew when I was leaving for school.  She missed me a lot and it was hard to leave her again.

·         The noise of the Horseshoe that begins rather early.  Thank you, Bartlett Construction Crew...

High:

·         My grandparents celebrated their 60th anniversary!  :)

·         My last weeks at camp were incredible and fun and so many other adjectives!

·         I got to ride the horses with Dad and without a helmet!  I missed that so much over the summer.

·         Moving to school was actually a great experience.  I remembered my ID this year and the only thing I forgot was a filter for my Brita pitcher!  The girls from upstairs helped me move in and I had a great weekend hanging out with friends from camp and going to Scratch and stuff.

·         4-way-Skype was achieved with my best friends from camp!  :)

·         Pray! Shirt Friday!

·         I got 3 mini-snow globes for my collection!  One from Lu from Yellowstone, one from Kentucky, and one from Daytona Beach, both from Bryan and Sonya.

·         I have an amazing schedule that allows for lots of free time and I love my classes.  October might sound different because that is when I will actually get busy.

·         IT'S MY LAST SEMESTER!  It's crazy and almost hard to believe that next semester I will be living with the Abrahamson's and completing my student teaching!

·         Meeting up with Rose for a 4 Queens adventure, and Aaron on his way back to Texas for a Scratch adventure.  Could my life get any sweeter?  :)

·         Hanging out at Lu's was quite the adventure.  Who knew people decorated their flower beds with a giant T-Rex?!

·         I was able to see one of my campers from the first week of camp!  She was surprised to say the least!  Her brother was in Connor's cabin, so we made a short video to send to him!

·         BASIC started up again, and with that starts small-group Bible Study!  I'm back with Jenny for one last semester and it is going to be awesome!  We started on Tuesday and spent our time getting to know each other and what we will be studying.  We're doing the book/DVD series of The Mingling of Souls.  It's all about relationships and not just the guy/girl kind.

·         God has answered so many prayers this month about so many things.  I'll start writing about some of those and share a new one every Friday as part of the Pray! Shirt Friday movement.  Not only has He answered many, but I can see the beginnings of answers to prayer unfolding. 

August, you have been good!  You always seem to bring a lot of good with the last fun weeks of camp, home, and the start of school.  This is my last August at UNI, and it is wonderful!  God has really been on the move in my life this month and it has been extraordinary to move with him.  I want to continue to feel myself stretching and growing in my faith like I have felt in the past month.  September's looking good too!  :)

"If you're not dead, you're not done."

Good & Green

What a WONDERFUL Mother's Day weekend!  I was so glad to go home yet again!  I got up and headed for home as soon as I was up and around on Friday morning.  I stopped at Scratch (go figure!), and I got backed into when I was ready to get out.  I'm so grateful that it didn't cause any damage and that no one got hurt.  My baby has gone through a lot since I got her 4 years ago!  The drive home was filled with Jesus tunes.  Always a good way to travel!  Ruby is always happy to see me, and within seconds, I am covered in blonde hair and doggie slobbers!  :)  Later in the afternoon, I headed to the field.  I love riding in the tractor with my Gramps.  I swear that the tractor cab has gotten smaller!  It was hard to squeeze both of our butts on the seat and armrest!  Once we got the harrow all figured out and jimmy-rigged to the disc, we were on our way!  I told him all about school, the summer ahead, and about some of the past retreats.  He caught me up on some of the elderly couples of the church, Mac & Mary, and other small town talk.  He also talked a lot about his time in Korea, and how he was a plumber's assistant after he came back.  I did not know that before!  Friday nights are one of the best nights to eat popcorn for supper.  My belly is so happy after a big bowl full!  :)  I went out to play with Ruby, and when I put her away, I played with the kittens too.  They are so cute and still just a little timid.  Mom says I sound like a 5 year old when I come running into the house exclaiming that I caught a kitten!  :)

Aren't they just darling?

Saturday proved rather productive!  I was up in good time, contrary to everyone's thoughts on my sleeping habits, and got started on things right away.  My Mother's Day tradition is to buy Momma flowers to put in her planters.  I headed to the FFA plant sale.  It was entertaining to see Driscoll again!  I hopefully got flowers that Ruby will not dig up!  I got some homework done and then it was lunchtime.  I got my Disney movies in the mail that I ordered about a week ago!  I was really obnoxiously excited about them!  :)  Momma and I headed to Ottumwa to go see Dark Shadows.  I was kind of on the fence about it.  I'm not a big vampire freak, and I don't particularly care for Johnny Depp.  This movie was good.  It was entertaining, and Momma got into a conversation with some people at Wal-Mart about the show that was on in the late 60's by the same name.  On our way home, we stopped at Ghram's.  There are just some times when a plain vanilla cone just hits the spot!  :)  When we got home, I played around outside, and then went to town for pizza.  On the way into town, I stopped by and talked to Margaret for a quick minute.  We don't see too much activity around Donna & Errol's since they passed away, so when we do see someone, we make sure to stop and say hi.  Margaret was invited to come to our house for Mother's Day lunch.  We watched UP, and cracked up so much! 

I love Sundays.  I really do.  There's just something different about the way the sun shines!  Last week, everyone was asking me about how school was and what I was doing for the summer.  I decided to clear things up and got up and told everyone.  This was my last Sunday at my church until August.  I am also going to try to video blog every week to keep them updated with praises, prayer requests and great moments from the week.  I'm excited for this new adventure!  :)  Lunch was wonderful.  Our menu of hamburgers, potato salad, and lemonade made it seem more like the 4th of July instead of Mother's Day, but either way, we ate in the company of family, had great conversations, and made our bellies happy.

I always hate to leave home, but at least I will be going to camp on Friday!  The promise of going home or to camp always makes going back to school a little bit easier!

Happy Sunday, everyone!  :)

March 2012

What a month!  This month has had plenty of lions as well as lambs.  I have been busy and have done so much this month!  I'm looking forward to next month though, when things will slow down...a lot!

Lows:

• Along with Spring Break just being too short, Whitney, Caleb, and Kelly were unable to venture with us to Matt & Emily's.
• I found out last weekend that my cow, Cinnamon, won't calve until sometime in December.  The good news is she is still likely to calve, but I was really banking on her popping a calf out real soon, and now, I have to wait another 7-8 months.
• I did not get my first placement for student teaching, and with the placement I received, I won't be able to live at home.
• I had an incident with a sticker on my butt last week.  It was pointed out by one of my 4th graders.  It had been there for about an hour.

• One of my 4th graders asked if I had ever seen Jaws.  I never have. 
• I went into the local Pizza Ranch, and the lady at the counter didn't know who I was.  That doesn't happen very often to me in my hometown. 

Highs:

• Right away, I was supposed to have a weekend stuck in the classroom all day, but luckily, it got canceled and we don't have to make up that time!  Only one more night of Tuesday night class!
• I got the chance to meet up with my friend Rose not only once, but twice!  The first time was right before Spring Break.  The second was on her birthday this week.  We scored some deals at Panera!  It's always good to see her and catch up on each others' lives and to fondly think back over the summer we both worked for CEF.
• Spring Break was pretty great!  It was too short, but full of all sorts of adventure!
• When I went to camp at the tail end of Spring Break, one of my JUMP girls from last summer delivered cookies to camp for me!  They were WONDERFUL!

• I read so much more than usual this month!  I reread A Long Way From Chicago which is one of my favorites!  I also read Caddie Woodlawn.  I sort of jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon, but I'm not one to finish it in a few hours.  My momma and I are both working on it right now.
• I was finally able to not only have one weekend at home, but I will end up having 4 weekends in a row at home by the middle of April!  I love it!  Last weekend involved a couple hours of fishing, and this weekend involved horseback riding to move the cows.  No doubt that I will be saddle sore tomorrow after not riding since last fall.  I've also been able to get some quilting done!

Alex "caught almost all of those!"

• We had our bi-annual Strupp/Sellers Family Dinner.  I won both games of cards I played which NEVER happens to me!

• Grammy also spilled a secret!  All you single ladies better listen up!  

Dress in red and yellow catch a fellow

Dress in black and white hold him tight

• One of my best friends, Lindsay Lu, came to visit me.  We had fun!  We HAD TO go to Scratch and showed up about 5 minutes before the place closed and got two choices of cupcakes.  I met some AGWSR people, and met a couple of my future neighbors for next semester.  We also decided to pop DUMBO in at 10:30.
• I know where I will live in May, and I'm excited to see what that month will bring.  I'm also currently in the process of narrowing down the weeks that I will work at camp!
• Last night, I was able to go to an event for CEF.  I was able to tell how CEF impacted my life.  I got to see Shane and Cheyanne and Jill.  Small world, Shane and Cheyanne are in Caleb and Whitney's small groups!  How cool is that?  :)

March, you brought beautiful weather, and a lot of fun.  I'm glad that Rach and I were able to start walking again!  I'm excited to send out the month by eating steak on the grill!

Floyd Homer Strupp

Today is my Grandpa Strupp's 80th birthday.  My grandpa makes me laugh so much.  I love his predictability.  I ALWAYS know how our phone conversations will go.  Usually, he doesn't say good-bye either.  Typically, he just hangs up the phone.

Whenever I go into their house, he will either be on the phone, taking a nap, playing cards, or watching TV with either the volume really high or muted.  I don't know if that TV has ever emitted a happy medium volume.  Whenever FFA comes up in a conversation, he always tells me of things that happened when he went to conventions.  Those stories are never short of entertaining.

My grandpa has worked hard all his life in the same town.  He is not the sitting around type, even though we often tease him about sleeping in and taking naps.

How often does it happen anymore that 3 generations play football at the same school?

My grandpa has taught me a lot.  He's taught me how to play Oh Heck, Dominoes, Solitaire, taught me about my family history, taught me about working hard, and has given me another marriage to look up to.  He has been married to my grandma for almost 60 years.  

A while back in Bible Study, I was talking about Grandpa.  They asked what his name was and I said, "Floyd."  They broke out in a smile and one said, "That is the perfect grandpa name!"  Yeah, it is.  It's one of the best!  :)

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!  :)

Down the Road

Sometimes, the simplest thing can take me back.  Today, it was a bag of California oranges at Wal-Mart.

Donna and Errol always bought their oranges like this.  It's just one of the many things that I remember about them.  We went to their house almost every other Saturday for all of my childhood and into my teen years.  They loved watching us and we loved being at their house.  It was always filled with love and laughter.  We never knew what we would end up doing at their house.  In the summer, we were usually in the garden or drawing with chalk.

In the winter, we went sledding or made a snowman.

They never slowed down.  They were always working in the garden, going to visit their daughters or coming to support Peyton and I in whatever we were doing.  Donna was usually in the kitchen or at work and Errol was in his shop or in the timber.  Every time we had snack, we usually woke Errol up from his nap with the scent of cookies!

God blessed me so much by having this amazing couple just down the road from me.  They adopted us as their grandchildren, and we adopted them as our grandparents.  Seriously, how many kids get lucky enough to have 3 sets of grandparents?  If my future husband and I are half as happy and in love as these two were, I'll be the happiest girl in the world!

I miss you both so much!

Floyd and Jean

Oh, my grandparents.  They make me giggle so much.  I called to talk to Grammy about Grandpa's birthday present and about disappointment about not being able to come home for his surprise 80th birthday party.

My dear grandmother can talk an ear off a horse!  I always know how our conversations will go.  She will catch me up in just a few minutes about her day to day and then promptly say, "I guess I just don't know anything else."  Sometimes, up to 45 minutes later, she is still talking!  :)

My dear grandfather is another story entirely!  Our phone conversations are over in mere minutes.  He usually answers the phone, asks some questions, I ask him some questions, small pause, "Well, do you want to talk to your grandmother?"  I giggle every time, mostly because I know that is it coming!

Birthday month is coming up for both of them.  Grandpa will be 80 and Grandma isn't that far behind him.  I'm so blessed to have such wonderful grandparents in my life!

A Bus Ride Can Change Everything

Today in my Lit Methods class, we had to do a quick write about who or what inspired us to be a teacher.  Yeah, this question has been asked and answered 100 different times in 3 years.

Kaitlin Glandon.  Basically everyone in Sigourney knows this young girl that has a big heart.  She used to sit with me almost every day on the short bus ride to school.  She would always say hi to me when we saw each other.  I was given the opportunity to go back to her classroom for some experience when I was taking a class at Hills.

I remembered writing a note about one very special day with Kaitlin.  This is from April 24, 2009.


So this morning, I did my normal routine, and got dressed in a yellow SICL champs shirt from a while ago. I REALLY wanted to wear my new black headband and was looking at myself in the mirror, and decided that my outfit just didn't look quite right. I looked through the other shirts waded up on my floor, and found last years black homecoming shirt. I get to school and walk into the cafiteria and scan the crowd. I find my friends and wade in. I gaze around the crowd some more, and I see Kaitlin Glandon. She looks up and smiles at me and I say hi. As soon as she sees what shirt I'm wearing she unzips her coat and shows me her shirt...the exact same one! She was SO excited that I was wearing the same shirt that throughout the day whenever she saw me she would immediately point to her shirt. It was fun to really connect with Kaitlin today even if it was just simply because of a shirt. I think God made my first outfit not as becoming as the second because He had something special for me to do today. Oh, the little blessings God sends our way! Thank Him for EVERYTHING...even if it's just a simple change of clothes!! :D

One of the best things about this sweet girl?  She always has a smile on her face!  :)

Oh, Shafranek!

Today, I decided that it was time to head into town and visit Shafranek.  I hadn't been in to see my former Ag. teacher in a long time and I had a finished FFA scrapbook to show him.  I was glad I asked if he was in the same room as usual, because he wasn't and now has a room mate.  I honestly don't think he'll ever leave that place.  They feed him too well for him to leave!

He was jolly as ever.  We chatted for about 2 hours about EVERYTHING!  Farming, FFA, hunting, dogs, school, teaching, and rivalries were topics hit.  That man sure can talk!  I talk a lot, but he sure did outdo me!

Naturally, I was anticipating the "Shafranek, I have to pee" story to come up and it did.  I'm glad that story still makes him laugh hard.  He enjoys telling it to just about everyone. 

One thing that he said was, "If I couldn't give those kids all my energy, I didn't want to be there any more."  What a great statement for when it's time to get out of teaching.

I had a good time visiting with that old man.  I pulled so much stuff in his classes.  There was never a dull moment in that shop!