The End

This will be the last post I make on this blog. I started this with the purpose of keeping family and friends updated on our family happenings. While it has worked well over the last couple of years, I am finding that less and less people are visiting the site. Now that Facebook is so popular, friends and family can keep in contact with me through that social network. If you have been a regular reader or even an occational reader, thank you for your interest.

In case you are wondering, I am not totally giving up blogging. I am in the process of starting a new blog with a different focus. This new blog will be called Teachable Moments for Preschoolers. My goal is to help parents and teachers provide their children with learning activities using common household materials. Each activity or tip that I offer will be tried and true and child approved (either by my grandkids or the kids in my preschool class). I hope my new blog is helpful for anyone who cares for children, especially those ages 2-5 years old. If you have little ones, I would love to have you visit my new blog. I would also appreciate it if you would let your friends with kids know about Teachable Moments for Preschoolers.

A Visit To Oncology

It is October and I'm sure you have noticed pink showing up everywhere. It is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the perfect time for me to have my four year anniversary check-up for breast cancer. After having my blood work done locally, Jeff and I headed back to Iowa for my appointment with Dr. Otteman. We love my doctor, clinic, and hospital in Ames and have decided that as long as I remain healthy and we have family living in Iowa, we will continue to make the trip for check-ups periodically.

Any how, my appointment went well and the doctor saw nothing to be concerned about with the mammogram results, lab work or my exam. We were pleased to find that my ferritin levels (this is stored iron in the body) are continuing to rise. After 3 1/2 years of taking iron pills, my level is about half way to where the doctor would like to see it (he thought it would take 6 months to a year). I also got a flu shot while there. Not the most exciting thing, but since I work with 20 nose-picking, cough-without-covering, sneeze-in-my-face, oops-I-forgot-to-wash-my-hands-after-using-the-toilet preschool kids... (Well, you get the idea.)

I will go back for another appointment in April and then again next October. The really exciting news for me is that once I reach 5 years after my particular diagnoses, my chances of recurrence will be the same as any other woman. God has been so good to me. Not only did I have great medical care, but a wonderful and patient husband who cared for me through my treatments and years of re-adjusting to a new normal. My boys have been supportive and I have my own personal prayer team in my family and friends. God has truly blessed me!

Como Park Zoo

About an hour after we got Josh home from the hospital, Zach's family arrived for a weekend visit. I'm very thankful that they were willing to put up with all the boxes piled around the house and that we weren't in the apartment anymore. We had great weather and a great visit. On Saturday, we decided to go into St. Paul to the Como Park Zoo. This isn't a big zoo, but there are lots of animals and they are easy to see through the glass windows. Even Josh was feeling well enough to join us. The best part of the zoo was when we were standing at the window looking at the orangutans. We had pushed Khloe's stroller right up to the window so she could see. Then one of the orangutans came right to the other side of the window looking at Khloe. They were probably only 18 inches apart with just the glass in between. It was so cute!

Sunday we just took it easy. We had BBQ ribs on the grill and football on T.V. followed by a nap for everyone. Once we were all awake, we took a walk to the park to play on the playground. Monday morning I headed off to work and Jeff said goodbye to the kids. I am so thankful for such great husband, kids and grand kids. God is good!

Our Busy Week

Well, we survived a very busy week. We closed on our house one week ago and moved the same day. We were thankful to have many of our church family help us with different aspects of the move. Also, our youngest son, Josh, used his day off to help us get moved. Unfortunately, he ended up at the doctor less than 12 hours later with a hernia. It seems that he has been having problems with pain after lifting for the last year or so and just never made a connection until Wednesday morning when it got bad enough.

Friday, he had surgery to fix the hernia. Jeff was with him before hand and I was able to get off of work after lunch so that I could be with him afterward. He came back to our house for a couple of days to recover. He is back at his own house now and is doing well. He has vacation this week so he will be able to rest up. It is going to drive him nuts not being able to lift more than 10 pounds for the next month. I'm betting that he won't follow those instructions!

Consumed

The last few weeks have been really crazy for me. I seem to be consumed by two things: my new job and the purchase of our home. In my spare time I'm trying to fix meals and pack.

The new job is going pretty well. I'm not totally comfortable with it yet; there is just so much to learn. The kids are settling in to our classroom routine and the four teachers are adjusting to working with each other and figuring out who's responsible for what. I will feel a little more prepared once I can get all my teaching stuff out of storage and have access to it.

I wish that I could say that the whole home purchasing thing was progressing smoothly, but I'd be lying if I did. It seems like it's been an uphill battle from the beginning. The type of loan we got requires that all household income be reported. I wasn't working when we starting the buying process, but once I got a paycheck, it had to be reported to the mortgage company. So of course we had to re-do that paper work. Then, since I had been added to the loan, I had to be added to the purchase agreement; more paperwork. Our closing date was originally for the 21st. Then it got move to the 24th. Now it will be the 28th.

This will be a crazy week as we close Tuesday morning before I go to work. By the time I get off, friends will already be at our apartment loading up the truck. I will just meet them at the new house. Then, just 72 hours later, Zach and his family will arrive for a visit. Since I work all week, my evenings will be very busy trying to get unpacked enough for two preschoolers and a crawling baby to be in my house! Pray for me as we make this move and get settled in.

My New Job

If you didn't already know, I recently was hired to work at Head Start, a nation-wide, federally funded preschool program for children near or below poverty level. Head Start programs promote school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, social and other services to enrolled children and families.

I am a teacher in the Buffalo Extended Care Site. Traditionally, Head Start was a half day program, but over the years it has evolved to fit the needs of working families. Our site is open from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Today we had some trainings in the morning: Bus Safety, Mandatory Reporter for Child Abuse, and SRAS (forms we have to fill out during home visits). This was followed by a catered lunch for all of Wright County United Way employees and board members, a short program, time to socialize, and door prizes. I actually won a certificate for 4 hours of paid time off!

I enjoyed getting to meet the other teacher, assistant, and aide that will be working at my site. On Monday, we will start working on getting our room set up, lesson planning, and home visits. We also have two more days coming up of trainings. The kids first regular day will be on September 14th.

I am really excited to take all the ideas floating around in my head, combine it with what I have learned in past classrooms and in college to be the very best teacher that I can be. Now reality... I will probably hate my job for the first month or two and then not be sure how much I like it for several more months. That is just the way I am. It takes me forever to really get settled it. I truly hope that the other staff and I can work together like a team because the people you work with can make all the difference.

Ladies Night Out

Tonight I went out for the evening with 14 other ladies (9 from our church). We went to an Ethiopian restaurant in Minneapolis called The Blue Nile. The lady that organized this outing has a two year old son that they adopted from Ethiopia.

The waitress started by bringing hot, wet, towels for each person to use to clean their hands. Then she brought out platters with piles of different types of food and baskets of some kind of flat bread. I'm not exactly sure what all the foods were, but some of the piles were chunks of meat in sauce, cooked cabbage, and legumes. Some of the food was spicy and some very mild. There wasn't any dishes or silverware; everyone used their hands and ate right off the platter. We tore off a piece of bread and picked up the food with the bread. It was a very fun experience and I think that I will take Jeff there sometime. I think he would enjoy trying something new.

While eating out was a lot of fun, it was great to spend some down time with the ladies. The few minutes to visit before and after church just isn't enough time to really get to know each other. It was nice to get to know these church friends better and get to meet some new friend, too.

God Bless Our Home

This is the home that we have under contract in Montrose. It is a 3 bedroom/2 bath home with a big family room downstairs, a big deck off the kitchen, and is on a 1/3 acre lot.



Jeff has been in Watertown for 6 months now and it’s been 3 months for me. During the time I have been here, we have been house hunting and I have been looking for a job. It just seemed like nothing was happening with either one of those things. Recently, Jeff and I decided to take a step in faith in an area of our lives, knowing that we would probably have to make sacrifices and there would be consequences. Why do we always think the worst? All we could think about was what we might have to give up by being obedient to God, yet God was just waiting to heap blessings on us.

Just a few days after we took this faith step, I got a phone call from Head Start and was offered a position as Head Teacher. This was a job that I really wanted to begin with. I had sent them a resume back in May even though they didn’t have any openings at the time. (I will blog about my job in a few weeks once I know more about it.) I was so excited when I got off the phone that I was literally shaking. That is not the end of our week though.

That very same day, we got an email from our realtor with another house that came on the market. We drove past it that evening and because it was empty, we got out of the car and walked around it and peeked in the windows. We loved it and were a little surprised that the price was in our range. Two days later we got to walk through it. Sunday, we walked through it again as well as a couple of other houses. We decided that it was exactly what we were looking for and that it fits our needs perfectly. That evening, we wrote up an offer and within 24 hours they accepted our bid!!

I don’t think that it is coincidence that during that week after Jeff and I decided to step out in faith and to be obedient to God that I was offered a job and we bought a house. God was just waiting for us, not because what we can do for Him is so awesome that no one else can do it, but because he wants our obedience and for us to trust Him completely. He was just waiting to reward us for being faithful. Hmmm, maybe sometimes the misery that we wallow in is of our own making.

Grand Babies Come to Visit

Just 36 hours after I got home from my vacation to Pennsylvania, Jeff and I drove to Iowa for a doctor's appointment. We met Zach and Andrea while we were there and picked up our two oldest grandchildren. Bryce is 4 1/2 and Hailey is 2 1/2. They came back to Minnesota and spent seven days visiting us. We had a good time while they were here and enjoyed a trip to the beach, several parks, a very short boat ride, story time at the library, a parade, and a church picnic. We did not keep Khloe this time. I decided that with a baby, it wouldn't be as easy to do all the activities we had planned. Maybe we will take her another time.

I miss Zach and Andrea, but I especially miss the grand kids. It has probably been the hardest part about us moving to Minnesota. I don't want the kids to think of us as the old people that spoil them rotten every few months. I want to make a difference in their lives. I remember the special times that I had with my Grandma and Grandpa who lived just a few blocks from me when I was a kid. My parents were great loving parents and provided for me above and beyond the necessities, but grandparents give something that parents just can't give. It's hard to explain.

Somehow, I need to figure out how to be a grandma more than just a few days or weeks of each year. If anyone is in a similar situation, I would appreciate some feed back as to how you keep up with your relationship with your grand kids.

Family Vacation

Me attempting to get a campfire started.


A couple of years ago when I was visiting my parents and doing some genealogy research on my dad's side of the family in Michigan, we started talking about making a trip to Pennsylvania to research my mom's side. Life got busy and not much more was said about it until early this summer. Mom and Dad started planning a trip and it was perfect timing for me since I'm not working right now.

A few weeks ago, I drove down to Chicago area where I left my car and joined my parents and one of my sisters (who is laid off for the summer) and traveled to the area west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was a very LONG trip that included my traveling in 7 states for more than 40 hours and over 2000 miles...most of which was in the backseat of a pick-up truck!

We spent most of our time walking through cemeteries looking for the graves of several generations of my family. We were thankful for the help of my grandpa's younger sister who still lives in the area. My parents took their Fifth-wheel and we camped at a state park while we were there. I haven't camped in more than 20 years! That area of the state is very hilly and mountainous, at least to a mid-western girl. We all came home with sore muscles in our legs from walking up and down the hills everywhere we went - including the bathrooms!

I enjoyed the trip with my family very much. It is hard to be so far away from family so I treasure the times that I get to spend with them. Thanks for the memories Mom, Dad, and Julie!

Quick Update

Sorry that I haven't blogged lately. I will give you a quick update on all that is happening. I am still looking for a job. I've had a couple of interviews, but nothing has come of that so far. I have another interview this week. I'm helping Jeff with some projects at church as long as I have the time.

Jeff is also keeping busy. Summer is slower than the rest of the year and he is enjoying the warm weather. He is building relationships with guys from church as he golfs and fishes with them.

Josh recently got an award at work for going above and beyond in customer service. He is also the top sales person in his store and one of the top in his district. He is still trying to get into the military. We'll see what happens with that.

Jeff and I recently drove back to Iowa to visit Zach's family. They are enjoying the warmer weather, too. They spend a lot of time at parks on Zach's days off. Zach has even taken Bryce fishing. I hope they can come up and visit soon, otherwise, I might have to kidnap the kids for a few days.

Teaching Troubles

Now that I'm back in Minnesota, I am looking for a job. I would really like to get back into the teaching field, especially since I am in an area where there are many more teaching opportunities than what there was in Boone. My Minnesota teaching license is due to expire the end of this month. Unfortunately, it is not going to be a simple process to renew it. In order to renew my license, I have to have either 8 additional credit hours of college courses in my field or 125 professional development hours approved by a local school district's licensing committee. I don't have either one.

While in Iowa, I turned down the teaching job that I was hired for at a Lutheran School because of my cancer diagnoses. When I did go back to the education field, I was a director of a daycare, which left me without a school district to work through. I really only have one option. I will be getting my short-term substitute license. This will at least give me an active license.

Now I need to find a school district that is willing to work with me. I need to be able to attend their trainings and professional development meetings so that I can re-apply for my Birth-3rd grade teaching license. I would love to find a job as a paraprofessional in a school. This would automatically give me the "in" that I need to work with a district. On top of all of that, I need a job for the summer as well. Please keep me in your prayers that I will find the right job(s) and connections.

Emergency Trip to Boone

On Wednesday morning I made an emergency trip back to Boone. Zach called Tuesday evening while driving himself to the E.R. He was having an asthma attack and couldn't get it under control. He was bad enough that not only did they admit him, but they put him in I.C.U. I went down to help out with the grand kids so that Andrea could be at the hospital with him. Thankfully, he was able to come home on Friday. He is off work until at least next Wednesday and it is a good thing since walking through the house or picking up the baby leaves him totally breathless.

I'm sorry that Zach was sick, but it was a good excuse for me to see Bryce, Hailey, and Khloe. It's been a month since I moved to Minnesota and I was really missing them. I took the kids twice a day up to the hospital to see Daddy. They weren't to sure about all the wires and tubes at first, but they adjusted pretty quickly. We also spent a lot of time playing outside. I'm not used to having three kids to care for. Somehow, adding one more child feels like adding two or three instead. I was definitely tired by bedtime and thankful that Khloe sleeps through the night. I'm so glad that I was able to help my kids out.

Friends Are Friends Forever

Jeff and I had the pleasure of driving to Northern Minnesota for a couple of days away this week. I have a girlfriend who lives a half hour or so northwest of Bemidji with her family. It has been 5 years since I last saw her, so it was a trip that I looked forward to.

Sue and I have been friend for just about forever. Her family lived across the street from my grandparents and our families went to the same church in Wheaton, Illinois when we were born (just 12 days apart). We went to school and church together for most of our first 19 years of life. We were inseparable in high school and we were roommates in college. We were, and still are, like sisters.

After we both married and had families, physical distance has separated us throughout the years. We have become busy with our own lives and have not been able to enjoy the closeness that we had as kids. I am thankful for the times that we have been able to visit each other and for social technology such as email, facebook, and texting that has allowed us to always stay in touch.

I am amazed that after not seeing each other for so long, that we are always so comfortable with each other. We are able to pick up like we just saw each other last week. Sue is a forever friend that God has given me.

Josh's Apartment

Jeff and I are empty-nesters once again. Josh moved out of our apartment about 3 days before I moved up from Boone. This wasn't a big surprise. He thought is was a little embarrassing to tell people he still lived with his parents. More practically, though, was that he had a 35 minute drive to work - longer when traffic was bad. He wanted to live closer to work (and to his girlfriend). He is now about 10 minutes from work and about the same to Katie's house.

Today I finally got the opportunity to see Josh's apartment. I took him a couple of boxes of stuff for his apartment and he fixed me lunch. His roommate, Tyler, is a friend that Josh went to Crown College with last year. This picture is Tyler and Josh standing in their living room. It's kind of weird to think that both my boys are on their own now.

The Big Move

So here I am living in Minnesota again. The move went very smoothly. Jeff and I spent the beginning of the week getting all packed up. Wednesday evening, we had 12-15 people from Cornerstone Church help us get everything loaded into the U-Haul. We spent the night on an air mattress at the empty house and finished cleaning and signing papers before we pulled out on Thursday morning. Thursday night about 10 people from River's Edge Church helped us to unload on this end.

I'm focusing on getting the kitchen in order first since I need to be able to fix meals. I have it just about done except for the box that has my pots and pans, crock pot, and toaster; that would be the box that we can't find. It's in the storage unit someplace, but even after digging some tonight we still couldn't find it. I'll have to live without it until we can get back in the storage unit and spend several hours dragging everything out and then re-stacking it all.

I'm sure some of you are wondering how I did with saying goodbye and leaving Zach, Andrea, and the kids behind. I could have gotten pretty emotional the last week or two, but I just keep trying not to think about it. The last two days have been pretty busy with moving and unpacking, but I know that at some point I will have to deal with my feelings. I can tell you right now that I will miss them like crazy!

My Hair Cut

Okay, it's not really a cut, but a trim. I had my mom cut a couple of inches off the ends of my hair yesterday when she was visiting. I haven't had it cut or even trimmed up in more than 2 years. At first I just didn't want to cut any length off. I was very happy to have my hair long after not having hair. But for the last few months, I've known that it needed trimmed up; the ends were really starting to be uneven and ragged. Then I kept thinking how busy I was and that I didn't have time.

The truth is, I just couldn't bear to cut my hair even though it was looking bad. I guess being bald for so long during chemo really affected my thoughts about my hair. (I'm just happy to have some no matter how bad it looks!) Yes, my hair is different today than before cancer. It used to be very thick and now it isn't. It came back very curly, but now the curl is gone and it just has a lot of body, which is similar to before cancer.

I must admit that it looks much better now. I should have had it trimmed a long time ago.

My Baby and His Baby

This is a picture of my oldest son, Zach, and his youngest daughter, Khloe. Khloe is 3 1/2 months old and as you can see, she is very healthy! There is no one to blame for her chubbiness except for Zach's side of the family. Both Zach and Josh (especially Josh) were very plump when they were babies. Apparently, Zach passed that trait on to Khloe. She is a very happy baby that adores her big brother and sister. She recently learned to roll from her back to her front and within a few day was able to roll on to her back again. She is so cuddly and fun to play with. I love her so much!

Zach has been working overnights at Woodward Academy for the last 15 months or so. It has been tough on him and the family for him to work those hours. Trying to sleep during the day with kids running around playing in the next room has left him sleep deprived more time than he can remember. A few weeks ago he got the call he has been anxiously waiting for: He has been moved to the evening shift! Last night was his first day on the new shift. I think he is going to like his new assignment.

Free Things on Craigslist

The other day I was telling Jeff that I wish that I could get a sandbox for Bryce and Hailey. They live in a duplex where they have some yard space and I thought it would be fun for them this summer. Later that night, Jeff was looking on craigslist at the items that are for free (something he regularly does) and there it was: a Step-One Crab Sandbox for free. Twenty-four hours later, we were the proud owner of a little red sandbox - one that would have cost about $70 brand new.

Jeff brought it down with him when he came on Sunday. We got it set up for the kids with 300 lbs. of sand and some sand toys. They are so excited. Bryce went to preschool and told his teacher and friends all about his new sandbox. Hailey was barefooted the first day and when I put her in the sandbox, she screamed when her feet touched the sand and then she refused to let her feet get in it again. By the second day, she would touch her feet to the sand, pull them out, then jump up and down giggling. It won't be long before they are getting totally covered in sand!

Praise the Lord!!

THE HOUSE HAS SOLD!!

Friday afternoon while I was at work, my realtor called to let me know that someone would be walking through our house. Just a few hours later they put in an offer. After a counter-offer from each side, we accepted! This evening Jeff will come back to Iowa so we can meet with our realtor to do some paperwork.

This is great news. We were just a couple of day from putting up a garage in hopes that it would draw more buyers. Had we done that, this couple might not have been able to afford to buy it. God is so good and his timing is always perfect (even if we can't see it). We had already planned for me to join Jeff permanently in Minnesota by the end of April even if the house was still on the market.

Thank you to everyone for praying for our house to sell and for Jeff and I during this separation. It is great to have friends and family that we can count on.

What A Deal!

Jeff and I went Sunday and purchased a small freezer. Hy-Vee had a great sale; buy a freezer for $199 and get $200 in coupons for free grocery products. I couldn't fit one in my car to bring it up from Iowa, so we found a store about an hour in a half from Watertown that still had one. The freezer is quite small, only 5 cubic feet, but it is perfect for Jeff and I in this small apartment. We have a big, upright freezer in Boone that we decided to sell with the house. It is way too big for us now that the boys are grown.

It was pretty cool walking out of the store with a cart full of groceries and it was mostly free. We picked up about half of the food for Jeff and Josh to use here in Minnesota. The rest I will pick up in Boone. Most of the food is stuff that we would normally buy anyhow, such as ice cream, bread, juice concentrate, veggies, pizza, hash browns, sausage, and chicken strips. There are some great deals out there if you keep your eyes open.

Family Fun

Friday afternoon my youngest sister, Leslie, and my three nieces came to visit for the weekend from the Chicago area. Erika is 8 1/2, Meghan is 6, and Rebekah is 3 1/2. It was so good to have them visit and Leslie and I sat up until almost 3:00 a.m. talking. This maybe wasn't so smart, though, since the kids were up at 6:45 Saturday morning! I picked up Bryce (4), Hailey (2), and Khloe (2 mo.) for the day so that the cousins could play together. Zach and Andrea came for dinner later that evening so that they could visit with Leslie and kids, too.

My family had to leave right after church on Sunday morning because they had school on Monday. It was a bittersweet visit. I loved having them here, but I know that once I am up in Minnesota, the distance will prohibit them from visiting as often as they have been while in Iowa. It's hard not seeing family as often as I'd like. Even after all these years of not living near my family, I still sometimes struggle with not seeing them at holidays, family gatherings, or in times of need. I am thankful for computers and phones to keep in touch, as well as those times when I'm able to visit them or they come to see me.

Sorry that there are not any pictures. My camera was not feeling well. :(

God Is Good

Jeff came back to Boone for a couple of days this week so that he could go to a doctor's appointment and some testing with me. I was very thankful to have him here even though everything turned out to be okay.

While he was here, he decided to load up his truck with all of his books that was in storage. He was a little shocked to get there and discover that there is about an inch of water throughout the storage unit. Of course, all of our boxes stored in there are cardboard. He has at least 3 boxes that were totally soaked. We are not sure how much damage has been done to the books yet; he will take a better look when he gets back to Minnesota.

In the process of sorting through boxes, he jarred a pile of boxes that had a metal filing cabinet stacked at the top. It came loose and slid down the pile of boxes and hit Jeff on the head. The impact was hard enough that he blacked out. The whole incident was very scary because he was by himself at the time. Thankfully, his injury was only a goose egg on his head and some scrapes that will heal quickly. It could have been so much worse. If he had not had on his ball cap, he probably would've needed stitches. Who knows, something like that could have even killed him. While I'm not happy about wet books, I can still thank Him in this situation that Jeff was not seriously injured. It's funny how quickly we can change our perspective.

Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)




This past weekend I took Zach, Andrea, and the kids to Minnesota with me to see Jeff and Josh. It was a good (but exhausting) few days. All three kids travelled great without any tears or fighting. I think everyone had fun and I'm glad that it worked out for them to make the trip. Of course, not everything went as planned. You may not know this about me, but I like to make plans and follow them as closely as possible. I do not like getting off schedule or unexpected "surprises".

I had planned that we would get on the road by 10 a.m. on Saturday and stop for lunch at a fast-food place with a playland half way there so the kids could get out and run off some energy. That would put us in Minnesota mid-afternoon, in time for me to run to the store to shop so I could make dinner.

Unfortunately, lunch time found us sitting at Pat Clemons Auto Dealer's service center (yes, still in Boone) getting new brake pads and rotors (This would explain the funny noise I started hearing on the way to Zach's to pick them up.) We made the trip straight through without a break for the kids and got to Minnesota at dinner time. A few hours later we discovered that Hailey's blankie got left at home. This of course led to a rough bedtime. It seems like the rest of the weekend continued in a similar manner.

I was a little discouraged and slightly frustrated that all of my plans for the weekend had completely crumbled, but the Lord brought Proverbs 16:9 to my mind continuously through out the weekend. Maybe things didn't go exactly as I had planned, but we still got there and back safely and had a good time. God sometimes has his own agenda and we need to be willing to be his tool - even if it means we have to change our own idea of how things should be. Are you willing to be flexible in order to allow God to use you?

Winter

I'm not a big poetry person, but when I saw this one at work I knew it was perfect.

Winter

It's winter in Iowa
And the gentle breezes blow
Seventy miles an hour
At thirty-five below.

Oh, how I love Iowa
When the snow's up to your butt
Your take a breath of winter
And your nose gets frozen shut.

Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I'll hang around
I could never leave Iowa
I'm frozen to the ground!

My Minnesota Home

I am so excited to be able to be in Minnesota this weekend. I came up on Thursday and will head back to Boone on Monday. Thursday night, Jeff and I had dinner with two families from church. On Friday we made a Walmart run to purchase some items for the house and went to dinner with Josh and Katie. Today we spent a lot of time rearranging furniture and trying to get the house in livable order. Then we went to the grocery store so I could fix my man a home cooked meal. I know that our weekend probably doesn't sound all that exciting, but I am totally content to be with my husband no matter what we are doing.

I'm looking forward to going to church tomorrow morning...but not as excited to work on taxes in the afternoon. Monday, I'll leave for Boone and hope the snow down there doesn't cause any problems with my traveling. It's going to be hard to leave, but I won't be gone long. On Saturday, I will head back to Minnesota with Zach, Andrea, and the kids so they can see where we will be living.

Watch This News Report

Click on this link to find a short news report about Jeff and what he is doing at Watermark Church in Watertown, MN.

http://www.waconiapatriot.com/web_tv/?evpvid=9812

Reliable Transportation

As Jeff and I have been preparing to move to Minnesota, one of our concerns has been leaving Zach and his family behind. Zach's car has not been too reliable this winter and he finally had to junk it in January. This has left him without a car or reliable transportation to and from work. Jeff, Josh, and I have been taking him to work every night and going back to pick him up in the morning. (This is an hour drive round trip on country roads or longer if the roads are bad.) Now that Jeff and Josh are gone, the responsibility has fallen on me. Thankfully, he has been able to find rides for the days when we are out of town or when a winter storm keeps me off the road.

God blessed Zach with a very nice tax check this year (thanks to a few extra deductions). One of the things Zach was able to do was to purchase a new vehicle. Today, Zach bought a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan. I haven't seen it since he can't pick it up until Friday, but it will look much like the one in the picture above. It is even white like the picture. This will be a very good car for Zach's family with plenty of room for three car seats and still have room for groceries or luggage when they travel to Minnesota to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

I am thankful for one more way that God is showing us that he will take care of us (and our family) if we are willing to take a step of faith and follow his will. I know it is human nature to doubt God and his love and care for us when he asks us to do something that doesn't make sense by the worlds standards. It's okay, the important thing is to still do what we know is right. This is called faith.

Goodbye Service at Cornerstone Church

Sunday was Jeff's last Sunday at Cornerstone Church. After the second service, there was a potluck in our honor. Several people presented Jeff with gifts. These included a Minnesota Vikings T-shirt from the youth group, one last meal of chicken and

noodles, as well as a framed collage of memorable events during our 3 1/2 years here in Boone. There was also a money tree that people could clip money to the branches
to help us with moving costs. The day ended with the elders laying hands on Jeff and

praying for him and his next ministry.


It was a bittersweet time for us. It was good to see so many people come to wish
us farewell. We reminisced about all the things that have

happened at Cornerstone during our time here. We have made so many good friends in Boone that it is very hard to say goodbye and to move onto the next ministry. I believe that everything that happens in life will change a person.

We will forever be changed for the better because of the people and our ministry
in Boone. We love you friends from Cornerstone Church and thank you for all you have done for us!!

Josh's Job

Ever since last spring when Josh came home from college, he has been looking for a full-time job in the Minneapolis area. After all this time, we are proud to announce that he has finally got a great job. He has been hired as an assistant store director at Brookstone (a gift and gadget store) at Ridgedale Center Mall in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

This job will be a big step for Josh as he has not had much management experience, although it definately suits his personality. He will be working nine hours a day, five days a week. His schedule will rotate all days of the week and either day or evening shift. The store is located about 25 minutes from our apartment in Watertown, so he will continue to live at home for a while. The coolest thing is that Josh will start his job the Monday after Jeff moves into the apartment, so we will move them both at the same time.

Congratulations Josh, we are so proud of you!!

House Painting

We have been working on our house for the last couple of months getting it ready to sell. We got most of the outside work done this fall and are now working on the inside.

The biggest project that we have taken on has been painting. Every room in the house needed painted, either because it was a really funky color, had wallpaper, or because it had holes and dings that needed patched. We hired a guy from church to help us out and that has worked out really well. It is getting done much faster and we aren't as overwhelmed with the work.

However, I will still be extremely happy to have all the painting done. We have a few other projects to do, then it is time to de-clutter (**gag**) and stage the different rooms...and keep them spotlessly neat :(

Welcome to Khloe Nicole Lawson

I would like to introduce everyone to my new grand baby, Khloe Nicole Lawson, daughter of Zach and Andrea Lawson. She was born on Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 9:36 a.m. She was 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well.