More- Fun With Smalls

There are some things that are just natural comedy. Monkeys, babies laughing, penguins walking/sliding on the ice, squirrels, chipmunks, people getting scared, and this:

Hope this makes you smile like it does us after every bath.

In Other News...

I got to go to a MN Timerwolves game last night with Wayne J., Brandon G., and Josh H. We had a blast! They won an exciting game in overtime. The basketball here is notoriously mediocre so we had to entertain ourselves in other ways. This is not hard to do when you get 15-20,000 people from all walks of life in one place. So here are some of the characters we encountered:

Slappy- the guy who has a front-row, court-side seat, yet squats right next to the out of bounds line and slaps the rolled up program on the hardwood floor. The slapping had no syncronization with exciting events that occured during the game. It was completely random. Slappy also made creepy gestures towrd the T-wolves' cheerleaders. It was fun to watch them react after he turned away.

Doodle Bag- this guy was one of the assistants to the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. DB was a very handsome, tall man with slicked back hair and a sharp suit. Apparently DB's only job was to occasionally write things down. He carried a note pad in one hand and a red Sharpie in the other, and at the appropriate (??) time he wrote stuff down. He also put the chairs back in order after the time outs. Doodle Bag also found a young lady about four seats away that he thought was attractive. The young lady was with another equally handsome guy, yet DB would look at her every 2-4 seconds. He tried to be sneaky about it but wasn't very successful. He literally stole hundreds of looks at her throughout the night. Every time he looked Brandon and I would sond an alarm that sounded like a high-pitched "WOOT!" We were only four rows away from him so we were suprised that he never made the connection between our WOOT's and his peeks.

People are fun to watch. Sometimes, I wonder what people laugh about when they watch me and the people I hang out in public with.

My funny friends!

My friends are so funny. You have to watch closely. One messes with her nose and the other gags herself. This was Christmas eve.

Merry Christmas!!

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring .... yea right! We were over at the Jensen's for Christmas eve and it was anything but quiet. As always there was lots of laughter.

First we started off at church for Christmas eve services. It was really nice the way they did services this year. Worship and then a story geard for the children, but I really liked it. Then a message by Pastor Paul and then the singing of carols.

After Church we headed over to the Jensen's for dinner. Man are Wayne, Jennifer, Heidi Ganz, and Ronnie good cooks. Dinner was delicious! After coming home we did some gift wrapping and then all hit the beds.

This morning began perfectly. We told the kids no presents until 8:00. We moved it back and hour. Cole came down stairs to tell me that deer were in the back yard. I got to stand in the dining room looking out the sliding glass doors watching two deer. Awsome way to start the day. We then got the rest of the kids up and opened gifts.

After that I went right back to bed and slept until 12:00. That was very nice. I needed it. Since waking up I have been listening to Ronnie and the kids play with our new Wii. I love it when everyone is laughing in our house.

Tonight we had some friends over that weren't going home for the holidays. We played the Wii, ate dinner and now everyone is off to the movie theatre.

We hope that each of you are blessed this coming year! That we can remember each and every day (not just today) that Christ is the reason for everything! That we all would stop what we are doing and be thankful for all that we have, for our family, and friends! We are thankful for all of you...even if we don't know you personally... and the part you play in our lives. We wouldn't be who we are or where we are if it wasn't for the people in our lives.

Merry Christmas!

Below are some photos from last night and this morning.

We were teasing Veronica last night that the reason we had to move to South Carolina was because she was having a baby. Doesn't Micah look like he could be her child? Actually this is Brandon and Heidi's little boy.

Veronica, Ebby and Hunter

Veronica and Ebby

Ebby, Heidi and Jennifer

We were praying last night and the mermaid had to join in. Isn't this cute with Hunter, mermaid, and Anna?

Ron and Ebby

Brandon and Heidi

Wayne and JenniferSmalls got an awsome Christmas present from Bethmom and Waltwee. A bigger crate.

Hunter putting together our new Wii.

I, Ebby Ray, have actually found three things that I hate about winter. I know…alert the presses. I really do love winter. I can get warm by bundling up, but I can never seem to get cool enough in the summer.

Here are the three things I hate about winter:

1) I hate it when I am getting in my car when there is snow on the ground. I try to knock off all the snow before I put my feet in. No matter how much I bang my boots together or on the side of the car there always seems to be snow on the floor. I hate this.

2) I hate it when the inside of my windshield freezes over. The INSIDE!! Not the outside. It takes forever for my defroster to work and get the ice off the inside of the window. I hate this.

3) I hate it when I go outside and my nose hairs freeze. I have finally figured out that it doesn’t hurt, but it is irritatingly uncomfortable. I hate this.

So there you go. I actually found things that I don’t like about winter.

Fun With Smalls...The Christmas Sweater

Smalls got an early Christmas present from his dog friends, Sissy and Trouble, from South Carolina. He was totally lovong it...at first...then decided he had had enough. His decision gave us all a good laugh. Hope you laugh at our dog's peril as much as we did. Here you go:

In other news...

I got really sick today. My body was committing serious acts of violence against itself. This is news because I just never get sick. So when I wake up with a migraine and less than an hour later start vomitting, that is news. It was my day off , so I wasn't at work when the violence was happening. Thank God! I will also be taking a sick day on Tuesday to fully recover from and not spread the violence.

Have a super day!

Ron

Friends, Food and Much Laughter

Last night we had dinner over at Wayne and Jennifer's house. Brandon and Heidi were there as well with their two children. There is always much laughter when we all get together. Last night was no different. After dinner some of us made truffles, some of us watched a basketball game, and then we all played a rousing game of Catchphrase. Catchphrase ended with Jennifer doubled over laughing so hard at one of the guesses I made. That is the best part of getting together with these two families. We laugh so much and it is usually at each other. Someone will say something and we will all just run with it.

When I got to there last night I started taking pictures. I eventually ditched my camera so that I could use Mrs. Jensen's non-digital-actual-film-using-camera. I don't know how the pictures will turn out, but when I get the disc from her I may post some of the pictures.

This is Brandon with the youngest member of our group, Micah.

MicahMy girls, Heidi and Jennifer

My lovely husband who I had to make laugh to take a decent non-pursed lips picture.

The middle of the gang...Cole, Megan and Alex Cole and Alex Wayne served up a mean fried turkey last night. Oh my gosh that was the best turkey I have ever had!!

The next to youngest, Anna, and Jennifer

Now when I got home and downloaded the pictures from my camera I found some that I hadn't taken. While I was busy with Jennifer's camera Hunter had taken mine. These two made me smile. I like the first one, but the second one made me ask "Why?"

Where o' where has my Christmas spirit gone...where o' where could it be?

I remember when I was little Christmas was a big celebration. All of my mom’s side of the family would get together a couple of weeks before Christmas Day and celebrate together. My grandmother was one of five girls. The “sisters” and their families would all get together for a day of visiting, good food, and presents.

I remember so many traditions that my Great-Aunt Bog (yes, Bog) would do each year for us kids. There would be a humongous ginger bread house on the kid’s table. We knew not to nibble at it until dinner was over. That was so hard.

Another thing she would do is get each of us kids a silver ornament with our name and the year inscribed on them. We would have to look through the Christmas tree to find it. She would also have an envelope with money in it on the tree that we had to find with our names on it.

The anticipation was horrible. We would sit there and sit there waiting until we could dig into the ginger bread house. Then we would have to sit again and wait until all the presents were passed out and given permission to find our envelope and ornament.

My Uncle Godfather (Bog’s husband who was actually my Great Uncle and godfather) would always take me into the back room and give me the hug and kiss he had been saving for me since the last time he had seen me. This was a special little thing between us that I am sure that he had with all the kids, but made me fell like it was just for me. And NO this is not in any way as perverted as it sounds. My Uncle Godfather was the bomb.

After my grandmother passed away when I was 9 we didn’t go to the Christmas celebrations anymore. We had moved to Colorado with my new stepfamily. After that I don’t really remember celebrating Christmas too much. I am sure that we did, but it just wasn’t the same.

This past year Christmas was wonderful. We spent the night at my mom and Walt’s house and then woke up Christmas morning all together. Love was in the air and an excitement about celebrating Christmas.

This year….blah. Blah, blah, blah. There isn’t a single decoration out of the box much less set out. We still need to get a tree. I still need to go shopping for the kids and Ronnie. I have gotten everything for the rest of the family since I have to mail it on Saturday, but not for those in my house.

Where is my Christmas spirit? Do you think I could find it at the mall? Maybe next time I work at Target I can pick some up. If you find any lying around could you please drop it off to me? I need some. Actually my family needs me to get some. I can always meet you somewhere to pick it up. Thanks in advance.

Tagged!

I was tagged by my good friend , Wendi, who by the way is carrying her second son at the moment, and is down to every two week OB appointments. That has nothing to do with this post, but I just thought that I would throw it out there.

Here are the Rules: go to Your Pictures file go to the 5th folder open up the 5th picture and post it then tag 5 people when you are done.

It is funny that this is the picture. This is our family out at the orchard. Two of them not so happy to be there, one enjoying the dog and one being very sarcastic with his smile, and me taking the picture.

I choose to tag Jenny M., Jennifer J., Sarah C., Jessica W. (if she reads this), and Josh H. I would choose Delilah, but Samson would probably kill me.

Snow Days - Part Three

How many of you knew that there was a “Winter Storm Warning” from 6:00 pm Monday to 6:00 pm Tuesday here in Rochester, MN? Ooo, ooo, I did!! (Picture me jumping up and down waving my arms in the air)

I watched the weather throughout the day yesterday. I was getting so excited about the approaching storm. I love snow. I love the quiet that it brings. Go outside while it is snowing and it is almost silent. Then everything is so white. Makes me think of that song “White As Snow.”

Yesterday I worked from 8:00-5:30 at Olmsted Medical Center and then had to get right over to Target by 5:30. I didn’t think that I was going to make it because the roads were covered and getting slick. I did make it just in time without having to drive dangerously.

My shift ended at 9:30 pm last night. I got my coat on, bundled up in my scarf and mittens. It really snowed while I was at work. I had all of my gear on and was heading across the parking lot. Didn’t I learn anything the other day? Immediately my t-shoes were filled with icy snow. I FORGOT MY BOOTS!

So this morning I thought that I was really on the ball. I got dressed for work and put on my snow boots with my pants tucked in the top of the boots. Pretty smart don’t you think? I was so on it!! I grab my things and headed out the door for work. I got to my car and wiped all of the snow off of my car door and window. See I did learn something from the other day. I sat down in my car and grabbed on to the wheel. It was then that I realized that I only had one mitten on and no coat. Grrrrrrrrrrr!

I got out of the car, went up the steps, went in the house and grabbed my coat and mitten off of the railing. While I was back in the house I yelled at Cole to grab my cell phone (I hadn’t had it for three days and people were asking if I had gotten their messages.) Back out to the car I went and off to work. I got to work and just put the hood of my coat over my head. Thankfully it wasn’t cold out.

This is going to be the last post on my snow adventures. From now on I am going to remember my gear and all the things I am supposed to do for winter driving.

Also, was that really a winter storm last night? It hardly snowed and I was very disappointed.

Snow Days...Part Two (by RR)

Growing up in Southern California, my exposure to snow was limited. I would "go to" the snow up in Big Bear once or twice a year, if at all. My Uncle John taught me how to ski at Snow Summit Ski Area and a couple of years I would go with friends, family, or church groups to a rental cabin and enjoy the cold temeratures and pure white landscape. But still, snow exposure: limited.

Over the past five years of living in Minnesota, we have had plenty of exposure to snow. And I have to say...I LOVE IT!!! I love it when it falls from the sky. I love it when it blankets the ground. I love bundling up to go out in it. I love how quiet it is when you go out at night or early in the morning. I love how when the sun is out and the wind blows, it makes it look like the air is sparkling. I love sitting in front of the living room window with a hot cup of coffee and watching it collect on the trees. I love how it ushers in the holidays and the holiday spirit. I even like driving in it. Snow is amazing.

I will admit that snow does have it's downsides; shovelling it is probably the main one. And by mid-February it has out stayed it's welcome. But overall it is awesome.

Tell me what you like about the snow.

Snow Days

For as long as I can remember I have always deleted from my head any information I needed from my previous address. I am good with phone numbers but once I move and the information changes I figure I don’t need it anymore so I delete it from my mind. This is a pretty bad habit when you are trying to give someone a history of where you have lived (ie. the phone company, elect. co, etc.)

I realized today that I have also deleted from my mind information on what to do on snow days. We moved to North Myrtle Beach, SC in August of 2007, and I didn’t think that we would live in the north again. We moved and I deleted information.

This morning we woke up to about 1½ inches of snow that had fallen over night. Well I was excited. I love snow. I did remember to ask Hunter to go out and start the car. He remembered to turn on all the dials for the defroster, car seat warmer, and back windshield defrost. That is where the remembering stopped.

I walked out the front door with “slip on” shoes that were immediately filled with snow. Ugh…I need boots. So I go down the stairs to my car. I flung open my car door…before scraping off the snow around the top of the door and windows. Plop…my seat was then covered with snow. Ugh….I need a scraper.

After getting the snow off of the seat I got in and pulled out of the driveway. Down the hill I was going. Aaaaaaahhhhhh…I need to pump the breaks on my car when going down hill on a slippery road. I went sliding down the hill, but thankfully stopped before hitting Elton Hills Rd. Remember I didn’t think that we would be moving back to the artic northwest. I bought my car in May of 2007, moved in August of 2007, and didn’t have to drive in snow last winter.

I think after this morning that all the information for snow days in back in my head. I was trying to remember our address in North Myrtle Beach, but that is gone now. Guess the snow info replaced it.

Happy (Belated) Birthday Cole!!

Happy 10th Birthday, Cole!!

I am 2 days late with this. I just didn't remember to put it on the blog. Never-the-less here is our baby boy. Double digets this past Sunday, November 30th.

Photo Programs

Veronica has been goofing around with a photo computer program lately. I think that her pictures are amazing!! She took them all of them except for the ones of English, Hunter and Cole.

Web sites

I am always wondering where to go on the Internet. Where are the cute things? What can I look up? There is a world of information out there. What do I look up?

Well I thought that I would list some of the sites that I like to go to so others can check them out. If you have some favorites, please leave me a note so that I can look at those.

www.sierratradingpost.com (discount…everything)
www.cccrochester.org (my church)
www.etsy.com (handmade items from jewelry, or knitted items, to paintings)
www.originalgood.com
www.sevensmooches.com (adorable stuff)
www.mayoclinic.com (I am a hypochondriac)
www.readmywalls.com (I love these signs)
www.allrecipes.com (even though I don’t like to cook)
www.copykat.com (this is where I got my cheese potato soup recipe from)
www.knitpicks.com (I love yarn)
www.knitty.com (I want to be a great knitter one day)

So there are some of my favorite web sites. Let me know what yours are.

Note to Self: Remember others before self!!

I have been thinking about a friend of mine a lot lately. I don’t really know why, but I have. I do know that I miss her a lot. I miss the special place she had in my life. Always praying for me…even when I didn’t ask her to…some how she just KNEW!

My friend is Kelly. She is the wife of my husband’s cousin (Scott). Unfortunately she passed away almost 5 years ago. The story of her passing is a long one, and I really don’t feel like rehashing it. The one thing I will write about is that the funeral home said that there were more people at her visitation than any other they had ever had (at least that is what one of the workers told me). That was how special she was to so many people.

The weekend that she passed away I rushed to Smith’s Grove, Kentucky from Rochester, MN in record time. They told me to get to the hospital in Nashville, and that there were already a few people there. I made it in time to say good-bye. They took her off of life support the next morning…Good Friday. Her funeral was on Easter Sunday.

My family arrived the day after I did, and we stayed a couple of days after the funeral. Sometime between my arrival and my departure I lost all sense of what is right and what is wrong. One of those days (I really can’t remember which one) I became so stinking self-centered, and started doing things that I shouldn’t have. See I was actually supposed to be visiting Kelly and her family the weekend after she died. I was going to go help her go through her children’s clothes and organize a little. We were going to have a “girls” weekend and just visit, laugh, organize, watch movies, and hang out. It was going to be the first time we were able to spend some time together since we had moved to Minnesota.

Anyway, I went upstairs and started going through the girl’s clothes (Kelly and her husband have 6 children), and putting aside things that they were no longer able to wear. After bagging things up I went on the hunt of what else I could do. Laundry…check…dishes…check…straightening up around all the people in the living room…check!! So so selfish!! Not once did I stop and think about the pain that her husband and children were going through. I was only thinking about myself. That I got there too late. I didn’t get to talk to her or visit with her. That I wasn’t going to ever see her again. Who was going to pray for ME?

Not once did I stop and think that these 6 children had just lost their mother. That Scott had just lost the best wife ever! I didn’t think that they may feel like I was “getting rid of Kelly”. I didn’t stop and think that I could have learned something from Kelly and pray for her 6 family members. Pray that the Lord would hold them tightly and take away some of their pain. Nope! I just thought about ME ME ME!!

I am sorry about how self-centered I was during that time…I really am. What I am most sorry about is that I was so selfish that I didn’t stop and pray. I am going to try and finally learn something from my good friend and pray for people before I get so into myself.

Even though the time was short I am so blessed to have had Kelly in my life. I think that I will pray right now that I never ever forget that!

Poor Veronica!

I will set the scene for you...

Veronica and I laying in my bed watching TV last night. We weren't feeling all that good. Ronnie came down stairs to sit with us for a little bit. As we were talking the phone rang. Unfortunately for Veronica, Ronnie got the phone. After picking up the phone he looked at the caller ID. He then said:

"Special Olympics??"
"Oh, here Veronica. It's for you."


**This is in no way making fun of the Special Olympics ... just our 16 year old daughter.**

Random photos

Good Friends

Last Sunday afternoon our friends Wayne and Jennifer, Brandon and Heidi, and their children all came over to our house for dinner. While we were eating the subject of a Girls Night Out (GNO) came up. We decided that we were going to some how get together this past Friday night. Well it worked out that we were all able to get away from our husbands, children and responsibilities for 2 hours.

I didn't know that my friends had gotten together and decided to surprise me with our destination. We ended up going to a new sushi place here in town called Sushiitto. It was so good! Better than the food was the company. I hadn't realized how much I needed to get out and have a GNO. Not only did we eat good food, but we laughed so hard that Heidi was worried that we were bothering the other diners or we were going to be asked to leave. Jennifer and I didn't care so we kept laughing (by the way so did Heidi).

Thank you ladies...I needed that. Below are the three of us at Sushiitto.

me, Heidi and Jennifer

Jennifer and Heidi

Now I probably shouldn't include this, but I can't help myself. Here is Jennifer with her new Blackberry. I WANT ONE!!

I had such a great time, and can't wait until we can do it again. Knowing that we were moving back here to you and your families help us make our decision to come back to Rochester. Thank you for blessing me with your friendship.

By the way...I have been meaning to ask Heidi if Brandon got fed Friday night? Just curious!

Cool Things...(by RR)

I told you guys I would write again soon. Thankfully, I am on vacation so I have a little time to communicate. Not doing anything or going anywhere special. Just enjoying some relaxation and down time here in Roch.

I also have time to mess around with the video editting program on our computer. I took some video of Hunter playing drums for the main services at our church last weekend. I finally got it editted. So here it is:



Needless to say, we are very proud of Hunter. He did a great job. Lots of people stopped me in the hallways afterward and commented on his talent. I think that if he puts in the time and effort to practice, he'll be better than me pretty soon. No kidding.

Ebby Made Jerky

That's right! My wife made jerky. She got some meat, borrowed the dehydrator, etc, from some friends and turned it all into delicious jerky. I love jerky! Is she amazing or what!? WHAT A WOMAN! She will be making a bunch more in the coming days. It makes our garage smell like hickory/mesquite and...deliciousness.

Vikings Game

Last Sunday Cole and I got invited by Wayne and Alex Jensen to go to the Vikings game. It was a really fun day. It was literally a swarm of purple and yellow jerseys, hats, faces, hair, just to name a few. Professional sports teams really make it into an experience these days, not just a game. There was all kinds of stuff happening outside the stadium before the game; it seemed like there was always something to occupy your attention during the slow parts of the game. The Vikings even have a drumline, which of course won me over. It was a blast.

Well, I suppose that's enough cool things for now. Have a great day.

RR

17 years and we are both still alive

What a quick and busy weekend!

We started out Friday by dropping all the kids at different places so that they could actually go trick or treating with friends, and then Ronnie and I headed over to some friends house for games. We love getting together with Jessica and Raf. They introduced us to one of our favorite games Settlers as well as another new favorite Ticket to Ride.

We hung out with them for a couple of hours and Jessica made us all popcorn. Oh my gosh this was some of the best popcorn I have ever had!! She also fed Ronnie dinner for some reason. Eventually we made it home after we picked up a couple of sugared filled kids.

On Saturday Ronnie spent most of the day outside bagging leaves from our yard and mowing. He was getting ready for a bonfire at our house that night. I had to work from 5:30-10:45 pm, but I did make it home in time to see some of the people that came over.

Sunday morning Ronnie took Veronica to work at 6:00 am. I made a deal with him that since he got to go to a Vikings game on our 17th wedding anniversary he got to get up and take Veronica since I had to be at work at 9:00 am. When he returned home he gave me roses, a card, a zebra hot chocolate, and a cream cheese Danish twist. It was so sweet, but so unfair. Ronnie does the bills now so I don’t have any money. I had nothing to buy him a gift with.

I had to have Hunter to the church by 8:00, which gave me some time to sit and listen to the youth group worship band practice. They were playing in the main sanctuary this weekend, but due to my work schedule I wasn’t going to be able to be at one of the services. I got the next best thing…watching practice. Ronnie and Cole left for the Vikings game at 9:30 and got back around 5:00. They had a great time. The Vikings won!!!

After I got off work at 2:30 I ran home and got Veronica and Hunter and took them different places and then ran home to make dinner. We had friends over (Jensen and Ganz families) for dinner and visiting. It was a great night and so glad that we invited them over to share our anniversary.

Such a busy weekend and it really went by WAY to fast. Thankfully it was beautiful and in the 60’s. No winter gear for trick or treating this year.

Happy 17th Wedding Anniversary to Ronnie and Ebby!!!!

Excellent Day!

What a great day today was. I was able to sleep off and on until 9:52 this morning. I haven't done that in so so long. Cole and I didn't go to church this morning. I finally got up and did some cleaning and went to the grocery store to buy lunch.

After second service Ronnie and the kids came home and were quickly followed by our friends Josh, Phil, and Phil's special girl Ashley. A few minutes later there was a phone call from Veronica's friend Cole (big Cole=BC), and then he came to join us. We had Cheese Potato Soup and Focaccia bread. Yum yum. That was followed by applie pie and vanilla ice cream.

As we were eating lunch we had the blinds pulled back and were watching the snow fall outside. The wind was up to about 35 mph, but the snow was still beautiful to watch. Prefect day!! Food, friends, cold weather, and a football game on the TV.

Now I am going to make my boys happy and make them some hot chocolate. Ok, maybe it will just make me happy, but I am still going to make some.

Hope you all have a great week!!

My eye and hot chocolate

I stopped by the store the other afternoon and got two different kinds of hot chocolate (one with and one without marshmellows). I also picked up some whipped cream. When I got home I quickly heated up some milk and made big glasses of hot chocolate for our family. Ronnie happened to be outside bagging leaves for our neighbor. I took him over a cup of hot chocolate. It was a little chilly out so he drank it quickly. The boys also drank theirs pretty quickly, but I savored mine for a little while. It was so good.

I have made hot chocolate for us a couple of times this week. It has been met with great enthusiasm from Cole. It is quite chilly outside so a nice cup of a warm drink is really nice. Especially since we keep the heat off most of the day, and keep it turned down to 63 degrees. (Please don't ask Veronica if our house is cold. You will get more than you bargained for.)

Now on to my eye. I have gotten back all of my test results. ALL of them were negative. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch! No Lupus and nothing on the CT. The doctor still wants me to take an aspirin a day since he thinks that I did have a little mini-stroke.

I am having trouble today with my right eye. Everything is very blurry and I am finding it hard to focus. I think that I just need to see the eye doctor. My eye site is most likely getting bad and that is all. It is a little scary that it is getting this bad this quick, but I guess that's what happens when you pass 40. I use to have 20/20 vision, but I don't think that is right any more.

So there is my update on all of my tests. For those of you that thought I should go to the doctor, please send money. My doctor bill is going to be huge and I will need help paying it. I thought it was funny and some of you thought I should seen a doctor. I was right....it was just funny. You were wrong....send money.

The forcast is calling for snow this weekend. I look forward to Sunday afternoon...a book, a blanket, cup of hot chocolate, and cold weather outside. Perfect!

Fun With Color! by RR

It has been a long time since I posted anything. So, I thought I would just write a small note.

If you didn't notice, I changed the colors up a bit. I thought I would make things a little more fall-ish.

Things are cruising right along for me/us. I am immersed in my multiple roles at the church. All of which are exciting, fun, and challenging. The singles ministry (which I lead) had a speaker come in for a retreat last weekend and the things he talked about were simple, yet profound. He talked about how we are ALL made in God's image and likeness, and recognizing that everyone I meet and come in contact with is also made in GOd's image and likeness; whether they were nice, mean, happy, sad, whatever.
I know...duh!

He also talked about how as God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10) we were created for good works that God has prepared ahead of time. He challenged us to live our daily lives with the focus on each human intersection that we encounter on a daily basis with the mindset that God may be using me/us in some way in this interaction. Basically looking for the opportunity to love and serve others in each daily situation--moment by moment.

Usually I am too busy focussing on one thing...ME. So shifting the focus to OTHERS is challenging.

Anyway, I hope you are having a SUPER day. I promise I will write again sooner. Ebby is just so good at keeping up on this stuff that I just let her handle it.

Office Halloween Costumes

A friend told me about this article that was in our local paper, The Post Bulletin. It was written by Harvey Mackay.

Halloween costumes bring out the real character hiding behind the gray flannel suits -- male and female. We don't sponsor a costume competition at our company, but I know it's a popular employee activity at many companies.
Wouldn't it be helpful if folks would just wear their costumes all year long, so that you could figure out how best to work with them? Let me give you some examples of common disguises.

First, the shady characters:

• The pirate loves to take your ideas, your lunch, your stapler -- anything of value that can save him time and effort. In the meantime, you've been cheated of your possessions, and occasionally, the credit you are due for your work. Yo-ho-ho -- protect your treasure chest from this co-worker.
• The clown makes a joke of everything. A sense of humor is one thing, but the pranks and pratfalls get old after a while, especially when the boss doesn't think they're funny. Make sure this goof-off knows you take your job seriously, and stay out of tiny cars.
• The ghost is always present and never there. She hovers in the background and makes others nervous. What is she doing? Is she spying on you? Are you in trouble? The creepy presence hinders productivity, spooks workers into second-guessing their abilities and leaves an aura of uncertainty. Don't let this spirit possess you.
• The vampire sucks the life out of any project he's involved in. No matter how well-researched, how thoroughly considered or how obvious, Dracula can sneak up and destroy your project, deflate morale and generally be a pain in the neck. Keep garlic handy to fend off the vampire in your office.
• The wicked witch might not wear a pointy hat, but you can be sure there's something brewing as she cackles at your ideas. Her broom sweeps away all good.
• The caveman refuses to try anything new. He won't update his skills, thinks technology is a passing fad and carries a big club to deal with those who disagree with him. Don't worry about this guy reinventing the wheel -- he's still trying to figure out what a wheel is for.
• The French maid/Chippendale dancer, also known as the office flirt, has been the cause of many involuntary resignations, outright firings and some very messy divorces. If your company has a policy on fraternizing, pay attention. If not, and if your job outlasts your fling, your reputation probably has taken a beating.

On another rack of the costume shop, you'll find where the positive people in your office hang out.

• The police/firefighter comes in to save all kinds of difficult situations. He isn't afraid to put himself on the line to right a wrong. He can put out a fire or make sure the bad guys don't get away. Don't be afraid to ask him for help if you need to be rescued.
• The angel just knows when to offer help, without looking for any credit. This creature brings special skills when miracles seem necessary. She provides moral support when you're ready to give up, stays by your side until you can move forward and then gets out of your way. Angels earn their wings but don't expect any payback.
• The nurse/doctor is a lifesaver who can take an ailing project and restart the heartbeat. She can diagnose a problem and recommend appropriate remedies. Whether the fix is a bandage or major surgery, you want this person on your care team.
• The superhero seems to appear out of nowhere and only uses his powers to do good things. It doesn't take a searchlight in the sky to call for help -- this guy can sniff out trouble. Don't look in a phone booth for your superhero -- he's doing his job quietly and will show up when he sees a bad situation.
• The cowboy might seem to defy all the rules, but he is actually an independent thinker who is willing to take some calculated risks. The cowboy is not reckless, but has good instincts and can depend on old-fashioned horse sense to iron out a mess. Round up a few cowboys when you need to get pulled out of a rut.
• The cheerleader encourages you when you have lost all your enthusiasm. She is as excited about winning as you are and supports your team through thick and thin. She's a good sport.

Office Halloween costumes: They're not just for Oct. 31!

Mackay's Moral: The trick is to treat co-workers (people) well.

The Rays are in the World Series

None of you knew that we all played baseball did you? We will be playing the Phillies in the 2008 Baseball World Series. Of course I am joking, but what a fun coincidence.

I have been finding out that there are so many people that read our blog. It amazes me how many people comment on something that I wrote on here. If you read our blog and have one of you own that isn't listed on the right side, please, please leave me a comment and you blog address so that I can add it to ours. I love reading them and seeing pictures.

Thanks!!

By a girl!!!

Last night at church a lady brought Cole over to me crying. He had a large lump on the outside corner of his eye. I asked him what happened and he said that he ran into someone. I had to keep asking questions to try and find out who it was so I could make sure the other person was ok too. He looked around and finally pointed to someone across the gym from us. I looked and looked.

He said, "mom, it's the girl in the red dress!" I was looking for a big girl in a red dress.

He said, "No! It's the girl right there!"

I looked to where he was pointing and it was a little tiny girl clinging to her moms leg.

We have laughed all morning that he took on a 4 year old girl and she taught him a lesson by giving him a black eye. Can you believe this was caused by bumping heads with a 4 year old? She is perfectly fine. Cole got the short end of the stick and we both think it is funny

My eye and the doctor

I have been asked a lot lately how my eye is doing and if I went to the doctor. My eye is doing good and yes I went to the doctor. This past Monday I had an appointment with a Neurologist. He thinks I had a TIA (is that right), but ordered some tests and sent me to the lab for blood work. I went right down to the lab where they removed 10 gallons of blood. It took a little convincing for the lab tech to listen to me as to where she should stick me, but I finally won. After she poked me in the arm and dug around a little she finally used the back of my hand. Why won’t they listen from the start?

My next test was Tuesday morning in Radiology. I had my first ultrasound on the carotid arteries. I also have a CT scheduled for the 22nd. Lots of fun, right!?

I have gotten back the results for the blood test and the ultrasound. My Lupus Anticoagulant test came back suspicious, therefore, I had to go back today to the lab to have another 10 gallons of blood taken and sent to Mayo for additional tests. My ultrasound showed elevated velocity in the left ECA consistent with stenosis with a peak systolic velocity 241 cm per second. Also, my ESR-Sed Rate was 31H with a reference range of 0-29. Therefore I am guessing that mine is high…but that is just a guess since I don’t know what ESR-Sed Rate even means.

To be honest I have no idea what any of these test results mean. The one thing that I could understand on my ultrasound results was that the blood was flowing in the normal direction. Do people have blood flowing in the wrong direction? The other thing I know is that the doctor is looking at Lupus.
So there you go my friends. Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers. I will let you know what they find after the CT and my most recent blood work.

Kramer

The other day I received an email that said Kramer in the subject line. I opened it up and there was a picture of little Micah. His parents thought he looked like Kramer off of Seinfeld. He is absolutely beyond adorable. Not only is he adorable, but also he lets me sing to him without screaming at the top of his lungs. That makes him even more special to me. Not many people will put up with my singing.

Thanks Heidi and Brandon for sending me this photo. I love your family!

A wedding and a date

A WEDDING:

On Saturday Hunter was invited to a wedding over in Houston, MN, which is about an hour and 15 minutes away. His friends father was getting married and she invited some friends so she would have someone to hang out with for the day.

Doesn't Hunter look so handsome!?!?

This is the driveway up to the farm where the wedding was. It was such a beautiful drive.
A DATE: After dropping Hunter off I thought that Cole and I could have a little date. We decided to take the scenic route back home and drive through the bluff country. Every time I think it will be a good opportunity to take pictures it gets cloudy and grey. The morning started out beautiful...lots of sunshine and perfect picture weather. Right after we dropped Hunter off the clouds rolled in and it was cloudy and grey. Grrrrrr! Even though there were clouds it didn't stop us from having fun or stop Cole from taking 100 pictures of everything on the side of the road. No you are not getting ready to see 100 pictures of everything on the side of the road.

Our first stop was at the Root River Trail Head and Nature Center. We were a little disappointed in the nature center, but the area around the center was beautiful. The picture below is Cole being excited about having a date with me.... As we were driving we went through the town of Rushford. We went up on one of the bluffs and look a little walk.
As we were driving home we decided to play "My Cows", which I totally won. Here are some of the cows that were "mine". This is one of Cole's 100 pictures.

We saw many fields of corn. I love the lines that the rows make. After Rushford our next stop was at this little river.
As we made our way down to the bank of the river we saw fish jumping and trying to make their way up this retaining wall that was in the river and made a water fall. It was really fun to watch Cole watch the fish.

This is just a little picture of Cole's eye. Don't know why we took it....we just did. It was our date after all.