Bring on the fair!!!

Bring it on!

Tom Thumb donuts, elephant ears, funnel cakes, sirloin tips, corn dogs, pretzels, pizza, Nelson's, pork burgers, taco salad, swiss & rye on a stick, tenderloins, ice cream, fried rice & egg rolls.....

What's on your list?

Tears of Joy...

Katie just got back from church camp last night and she had a great time. She was talking non-stop all the way home about all the things that they did and about her counselor and the girls in her cabin. I always loved church camp so I was really excited and happy for her that she had such a great experience.

This morning I got on the middle school website and was browsing through all the pictures that they posted from camp. I came across this picture and it brought tears to my eyes. I see my daughter holding on to her friend and rejoicing in the moment, raising her hands to God and it was completely overwhelming for me. This is what it's about. I'm so thankful that she has friends that she can express her faith with. I don't remember having this when I was her age and looking at these kids and how open and vulnerable they become when they are together like this is just amazing.

God was at work here and I'm glad that my daughter was a part of it!!!

Getting ready...

The fair is almost here! I'm counting down the days to no more whining about washing animals, feeding animals, cleaning pens, walking animals, etc.... For the last 2-3 months I've been asking myself over and over again why I continue to do this to myself. I was always in 4-H when I was growing up and I thought that it would be a great experience for my kids. Don was not a 4-H kid so when I proposed this idea to him he told me up front that he would not be a part of it. Why did I think that I could take this on myself?

The kids have pigs and dairy feeder calves. Since we live in town there's no way to keep them at our house so we have to go back and forth between my parents and my aunt's place to do the chores. I'm very thankful that they allow us to house our animals there and many, many times they end up doing the chores for us because of my work schedule and the kids sports schedules. What would I do without them?

Still, as we are near the end of another 4-H season I'm thinking that this will be the last because it doesn't get easier year after year it gets harder because the kids keep getting involved in more and more things. Where does the madness end?

See you at the fair!!!

American Girl....

Keri's birthday. I'm a bit behind on my posting so let me catch you up. Keri's birthday was at the end of May but because of our trip to Arizona/Nevada we celebrated her birthday after our vacation. She turned 9.

She reminded me several months ago that when Katie turned 9 that I took her on the train to Chicago and bought her an American Girl doll. She decided that this was what she wanted me to do for her as well.

Train tickets $21.50, brunch at American Girl Cafe $76, American Girl doll $90, the day with my daughter....priceless!!!

If you're a Mom and you've never done this with your daughter you really need to do it sometime. It's a girl's fantasy land! All dolls, all pink, all girl! Even Katie still enjoys going to American Girl and she's getting a little old to be playing with dolls. I seriously saw adult women buying dolls for themselves and having lunch with their doll in the cafe. It's completely crazy! Keri had asked her relatives to give her money for her birthday so she could buy clothes and accessories for her doll and she spent every bit of it at this store.

We rode the South Shore into Chicago in the morning and we walked the 5 or so blocks to the store and spent the entire day shopping and eating. We got back into South Bend from the train around 7pm and we were exhausted!

Happy Birthday Keri! I'm glad that you wanted to spend a day with me doing "girl" things!

Arizona/Nevada

We recently took a trip to Arizona and Nevada to see relatives and just have some fun family vacation time. This was the first time that my daughters had ever flown. They were really excited and nervous about it.



We landed in Phoenix, rented a car and followed our Mapquest directions to Jon & Brandie's apartment. We stayed at Jon & Brandie Yoder's while we were in Arizona. They moved to Scottsdale a year or so ago and we had never been out to see them. They were planning on moving home next spring/summer but Jon was offered a job back in Indiana and he took it so he wasn't even in Arizona when we went. Thankfully Brandie was still there otherwise we would have been looking for a hotel!

We did the normal touristy things while we were in Arizona. We went shopping, drove go karts, rode bumper boats, and played mini golf. The kids were in heaven. I have another cousin, Barry Anglemyer, that lives in Chandler, Arizona so the second day there we went over to his house to visit with him and his family. They have a pool so the kids spent the day swimming and we had a great time just being together and catching up. Barry's kids are so cute and growing so fast! We had a cookout for dinner and then we all went out for ice cream.

We really enjoyed our short stay in Arizona and we would love to go back and spend more time there.

On Memorial Day we made the drive from Arizona to the Grand Canyon and then on to Las Vegas. The drive to the canyon was really scenic. We drove through Sedona to see the Red Rock Mountains and the girls were really impressed by them. Again, if we would have had more time it would have been nice to spend the day there and see the sites!

Once we got to the canyon we were all ready to be out of the car and stretch our legs! The canyon was really spectacular. I honestly didn't think that I would react to it the way that I did. It really amazed me that God had created something so amazing! It was so much more breathtaking than I had imagined it would be. If you haven't seen the canyon in person you need to add it to your list of things to do. (your bucket list)

Onward to Vegas! What an exhausting day of riding in the car! This is something that I would not really want to do again. Although it was beautiful scenery I was getting tired of looking at mountains and the winding roads were making me car sick.

We spent three nights in Vegas (but we didn't get there unti after 9pm the first night) and crammed in as much sightseeing as we could during our two days there. The kids were exhausted, we were exhausted, and by the time we got home we needed a vacation from our vacation! Ever felt like that? Now I'm looking forward to our next adventure with the kids. It really is fun to see their reactions to things.

Almost a whole month....

I can't believe how busy this month has been! I also can't believe that my last post was on May 1st. The spring/summer insanity is just beginning!

Last week I went to Vancouver for work. Keri had a softball game on Monday night and we didn't get home until aroud 9:30pm. Then I continued to do laundry and pack my suitcase. Don drove me to the airport Tuesday morning at 5:00 am. While I was gone he managed to get the kids off to school each day and cart them to their softball games, shop for a birthday present for my niece, and go to a birthday party. He also picked me up from the airport on Sunday night. My flight didn't get in until 10:50 pm! Now he has a little bit of a taste of what I go through everyday with the kids' schedules.

This week I have mounds and mounds of laundry to contend with in the evenings, softball games, basketball practices, etc. We leave Saturday morning for our family vacation to Arizona/Nevada so I've got to re-pack the luggage, clean up the house, finish the laundry, go to the ball games, etc. On top of all that I am in charge of our 20 year class reunion and I still have invitations that need to get mailed out and a few have come back to me with the wrong addresses. I'm feeling quite stressed!!!

So that's how the month of May has been going for me. I have to consult the calendar every morning to see what the game plan is for the evening! There's never enough hours in a day. Good thing I'm a night owl and I can get by on 4-5 hours of sleep! I don't anticipate June to be much better so don't expect any great blogs!!!

Find your verse....

Several weeks ago I challenged my small group of 8th grade girls to find a verse that they could carry with them over the next few years. We've been talking recently about setting our own personal standards and sexual purity.

I really thought that this would be a tough subject to talk to them about. What I wasn't prepared for was their honesty and vulnerability to come out as we had our discussion. We shared tears and testimonies, laughed at ourselves and each other, and had a remarkable bonding experience. It will be a night that I won't forget.

A few of the girls have actually received purity rings from their parents and have made their vow to God to save themselves for marriage. Wow! I can honestly say that I don't remember having any of those types of conversations with either of my parents at this age. Things are happening so much earlier these days. It's really scary!

Wednesday night a few of the girls remembered our talk about finding their verse and this is what they shared....



Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".


Proverbs 4:23

Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.


1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."


Deuteronomy 31:8

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."


Acts 2:21

And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.


If you have a life verse or a verse that has special meaning to you please share it with me so that I can pass it on to these girls. It's been a real blessing to me to be able to spend this time with them and they all hold a very special place in my heart. It would be great to have the same group again next year!