Confession time...

Hey Hey! So it's been a long time since I've posted... but I gotta confess ~ I've lost my "oompf" for blogging. I don't know why, it's not that I don't have the time, now that I'm on my normal work schedule. I guess I just don't feel like I have anything all that exciting to blog about and sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading it since I get so few comments. I've been reconnecting with lots of old friends, and some new ones on facebook - so I've been spending more time there. Don't worry, I'll still try to drop by your blog and say howdy as often as possible. :)

The big highlights today are that I cleaned all the clothing and shoes out of my storage room (7 large garbage bags worth) and honey man will haul them to Goodwill tonight when he drives into town to fuel up his truck for this week's business trip. Also, my employer required me to get a flu shot, so I did that on Friday and now I have a huge red welt on my arm at the injection site. It's hot and tender and is hard underneath. They assure me that it's nothing to be concerned about, but it sure doesn't make me jump up and down about the H1N1 vaccine they want me to get next month. UGH. I also need the second Hep.B shot on Sept. 30th. Oh happy day!!! (NOT)

So anyhoo, there ya have it. I put the "blah" in blogging. SORRY!! :) On a happier note, I hope you're doing fantastic and enjoying this beautiful fall weather.

Blessings~ Jami

Marshall and Kendra's New Baby Boy! - I'm an aunt again!

Hey all... here are some pix of the newest addition to the Hespe family!

The little guy was born to Marshall and Kendra on August 28th around 11:20 p.m. Mama and baby are doin' fine. I'm sure they'll fill you in on the rest of the details very soon. I love the photos with the big brother and sisters... precious!

Transition... and lots of it!!

WOW! It's been forever since I've checked in and it feels good to be still enough to have the time to catch you all up on the craziness that's been our home. Besides training for my new job, it seems like we've either been traveling every weekend or had company for the last 5 weeks. With Luke's business travel schedule that can be kinda brutal - he barely gets home and unpacks his suitcase then repacks it for the weekend. But it's been a good summer. We had a fantastic vacation in California, spent time with Luke's family in Nebraska at the "Brother's Reunion", Wichita for Ciara's 18th birthday celebration, and Salina and Wichita for Ciara's car shopping. I guess you could say that there has been lots of transitioning going on here.

Work transition: It's been 4 years since I've worked outside the home. I've enjoyed the free time earlier this summer after the sale of my soap business. I'm glad I had some quality time with the kids before I started my new job. I went through new employee orientation on August 3rd and then began training after that. My title is "secretary" - and I work in the radiology department at the hospital and at the front desk at the outpatient center where they do mammos, dexas and ultrasounds. I really enjoy the work and so far the people are great. I think I'll like it there... just a little overwhelmed right now with all the training and working so many hours. My normal schedule begins the middle of September after I experience the "baptism by fire" when I fill in for the full time secretary at the outpatient center so she can go on vacation. Pray for me that I can handle it ok? :)

Child/adult transition: Our beautiful daughter is 18! Can you believe that? She is without a doubt transitioning as she's now considered a "legal adult". YIKES. :) She begins college classes at FHSU on Aug. 24th. While she still lives at home (for her freshman year), she is learning about paying her own way. She was rather astonished to learn the price of hair products, cosmetics and other various sundries and personal items. She worked hard this summer as a waitress at Golden Corral and is glad to be done with that strenuous job. She is now working as a staff assistant on campus ad FHSU and likes it so far. I believe this has been a valuable experience for her and has enabled her to appreciate a little help from her parents once in a while. She'll do well in college, high school never really was her thing. This is what she's been working so hard for and I'm really excited for her, though it seems incredibly unbelievable that my baby girl is all grown up!

Car transition: Brandon is driving. AARRRGHH!!! ha ha, he'll do fine I'm sure, just scares momma to put him on interstate 10 miles every day for school. It's good that he is able to drive himself though I guess. Ciara has sold her '95 Chrysler Cirrus to her (big) little brother. He is delighted to have his own set of wheels... best of all those wheels are paid for because of his hard work last summer and the money he was able to stash away. So he won't have to keep up with a work schedule his sophomore year and will just be able to concentrate on his school work. What a relief! We did the car shopping thing with Ciara and after walking in 104 degree weather and 30 mph winds for a whole saturday, she was able to make a sweet deal on a 2005 Sebring convertible. She wasn't really looking for a convertible, but it ended up being a good deal as she talked the sweet Grandpa salesman down $1,500 on the price of the vehicle!! I was proud. A not so pleasant experience with our car shopping was the intoxicated salesman at notorious Wichita dealer. We narrowly escaped the dangers and creepiness of this fellow and moved on. I did call the sales manager there later to report the drunk salesman, and interestingly enough - he had already been "sent home". Weird. So... the kids have transportation for school. I'm so thankful, and... I will be doin' lots of praying for their safety.

Hubby's travel transition: My poor, dear husband has been doing so so much traveling. It's been a bit of an adjustment for us all. Sadly, we are used to him traveling nearly weekly - but it seems he's been gone even more lately and not only car travel - but plane travel as well. He is perpetually exhausted. I seriously don't know how he does what he does and how much longer he can keep up this routine. When he's done working for the day he works some more... and is on his computer sometimes until after 11 p.m. They have lots of new large accounts they're working on that demand his time. He is feelin' it, and we're all just hoping that there will be some relief for him in sight sometime soon! I'm so proud to be married to a man that is willing to do whatever it takes to provide for his family, he really is amazing!

School transition: This year Brandon will be alone at the high school - no more sis looking out for him and taking him everywhere he needs to go. This will be a tough transition for him, yet it gives him an opportunity to stand on his own. Ciara will have to go it alone on the FHSU campus as well. Her closest friends have left for college in towns hours from here and she is facing the inevitable... new friendships when she gets to school in just a few days. I think it's exciting for them both, even though I'm pretty sure they think it's a bit scary. It's gonna be a good school year! I think I'm ready!

Isn't that just about enough change? *smile* Can't do anything but embrace it, right? I think it's all in the perspective and I'll be delighted to see what God's gonna do with all this! To everything there is a season - this should be a fun one.

I'm leaving you with some photos of all I've shared, hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed being part of them all. I'll put together a few California pix soon, there's just so many to sort through and they're ALL my favorites! :)

Stuff, Whatnot & Everything! (oh, and a recipe!)

Hey! Long time no chat. :) It would seem that I'm enjoying my freedom from being a business owner so much, that I am spending more time outdoors and with my family than on the computer. I think that's actually alright, except for that I miss keeping up with everyone. I anticipate being more of a blogging "regular" this fall when the weather is too undesirable to be outside.

Anyway, so I was really excited to post about our fantastic California vacation, but I need to sort through photos so I have some ready to post along with the the story. Just haven't made the time to do that yet. I do need to get through all the pix though soon, otherwise I can't print some for scrap booking - and that sounds FUN! Since the business has officially moved out of my work space here in the basement... it has been turned into a hobby room. I LOVE it! All the scrapbooking and sewing stuff is down here for me, Ciara has her art supplies all stored on the shelves down here... it just looks good! Brandon stained the beautiful photo clock that he made for his dad in woodshop. It was nice that he had a place to come lay out newspapers and work without worrying about ruining something in our living space. I'm really looking forward to the time spent in this room... especially this winter when I make the rag patchwork quilt for my bedroom. It's gonna be so pretty. I love anything that looks raggy or beat up - shabby, distressed, etc. A lot of people don't understand that decorating style, but I just really appreciate the character in these types of items.

This last week was a little tough. After being on vacation and trying to play catch up with laundry and all... I got a call from my Mom last wednesday saying that my Dad was in the Emergency trauma room. He had been electrocuted at work! So scary! Dad and hubby informed me that electrocution =death, but Webster's dictionary defines electrocution as "electrical current passing through your body causing unintentional harm or even death." Whether you call it shock or electrocution - Dad took a 277 amp hit. He was on top of a ladder working on something in the ceiling tile at work (coincidentally he works at the hospital) when this happened and he fell back into the wall and cut himself and gouged his arm pretty good. He actually crawled down the ladder and noticed his arm was bleeding. About that time a co-worker noticed it too and went to get some papertowels - that's when dad collapsed unconscious. Apparently they had a farkle of medical staff surrounding him. They actually called code blue. How scary is that!!? When the emergency team arrived he had already began breathing again. Thank you LORD! They got him into trauma and ran tests, which all looked good. He was incredibly confused and didn't remember anything that had happened. Being in E.R. with him and seeing him like that reminded me how much I still need my dad. It was really hard. Well I believe that God works miracles because wonder of wonders my dad was admitted to the hospital but not kept overnight. (he was insisting he go home) Once they gave him oxygen his mind seemed to clear up. He had a lot of aches and pains, but other than that he was doing alright. Once home, now a week later, he still has a lot of dizziness. Not sure when that will subside. The concern is that he could still have heart or kidney problems, or permanent muscle damage. Dad is really super stubborn and insists on doing what he wants to do and not take it easy, including working outside in 103 degree weather. GRR. He makes me crazy sometimes... but he's' my dad and I love him and believe that God must have something really amazing in store for him since he pulled him through such a dangerous situation. Just praying that he will eventually understand how serious this was, he thinks it's no big deal. Go figure!

What else is going on? Well... Luke left tuesday morning for a business trip to Kansas City and when I went out to do morning animal chores, discovered that one of our precious new baby kitties had died overnite. I loathe having to deal with such things... but husband wasn't here so...

We are car shopping for Ciara. She'll turn 18 on August 2nd and will be looking to purchase then. I think we will make a trip to Wichita for some fun and car shopping.

Brandon hasn't been using sunscreen when he swims and is outdoors for a long time and got his 3rd burn reaction on his nose - so wound up on oral steroids to clear it up. Seems to be doing better - needless to say... he is now using sunscreen. ;)

My hunt for part time work continues. Blech! The truth is I love being home... but due to surrounding circumstances, this is what's necessary. I am weary of this process though, as it's been going on since April. Please pray for me that God will provide just the right thing... whatever that is - I'm ready for it.

Preparing for a trip to Nebraska the weekend of July 24th for the 2nd annual "Brothers Reunion". This is where all the brothers and their families gather with the parents to just enjoy being a family. Isn't that great? We take turns providing the meals and doing activities with the kiddos. Last year those activities included water balloon fights, campfire sing along, scavenger hunt, bubbles, (what else am I forgetting?). :) With one brother in Nebraska, one in western Kansas and the other in Wyoming... this is a much enjoyed time of family fun. I believe there are 24 of us when we get together, soon to be 25 with another baby due to arrive in September. :)

Beginning to think school already. Geesh... how the summer does fly by. Enrollment for Brandon is August 10th and 11th - classes begin on the 20th. Ciara's classes at FHSU begin on the 24th. We are now haggling over all the financial stuff. It's so frustrating and confusing, but I bet I'll know what to do next year!

Well, that's pretty much it. I made strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and home made strawberry cheesecake iceream for my Mom's 60th birthday party here on July 7th. Invited all her brothers and sisters from the area over and we had a fun time. I know what you're thinking... strawberry cheesecake icecream, that sounds delicious! Yup... it was, so here's the recipe for you!

Homemade Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

4 1/2 cups whole milk

3 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 TBSP pure vanilla

1/2 jar of strawberry ice cream topping

1 bag frozen strawberries - thawed and pureed

1 small box instant cheesecake pudding

Whisk all ingredients together in large bowl. Pour into ice cream freezer canister (mine is 4 quarts). If ice cream mix doesn't meet the fill line - pour whole milk to fill line. Follow directions on icecream maker.

Or...

Here's what I do; place filled canister with top on in ice cream maker bucket - attach motor and plug it in so that canister begins spinning. Alternate ice and ice cream salt up to the top of edge of the canister. Check after approximately 15-20 minutes to see if more ice and salt is needed, if so add at this time. Allow to run until machine stops on its own. Remove ice cream from canister and place in freezer, or eat soft right from the ice cream maker. Enjoy! :)

Farewell to the King of Pop

We were in LA when news broke out that Michael Jackson had died. To be more specific, we were at Sea World and saw that the cartoonist had drawn a picture of him and it was captioned, "RIP Michael Jackson". We were like... "what??!!" The whole city seemed to be in disarray. Everywhere we went people were talking about him, every car stereo was blasting his music, only 1 day after his death... already there were street vendors with Michael Jackson T-shirts for sale, commemorating his life. We were in Hollywood on Friday night and walked down Hollywood Boulevard's "walk of fame" We saw stars for Kermit the Frog, Britney Spears, Sandra Bullock, Jackie Chan, Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington and many more. What we were really looking for was Johnny Depp... Ciara was hoping to get her hands on his star. :) as we continued on, we passed people we had never even heard of... it became glaringly evident that something MAJOR was happening up ahead. There were police helicopters, fire trucks, news crews - it was chaos.

We soon realized that people were lined up for probably 2 blocks (I'd guesstimate approx 1000-1500 people) just to get close to Michael Jackson's star. Fans wanted to take pictures, put out flowers... and just somehow feel a little closer to the king of pop. Something I thought was pretty cool, was a street preacher that was in the middle of the line. I've heard of street preachers such as this, but never seen one. He was standing on a box above the crowd saying, "Michael Jackson was the king of pop... but there is a King greater than this, it's Jesus Christ..." What a message!

They were handing out fake money with the gospel message on it and come to find out - it was Living Waters Ministry. (Kirk Cameron's ministry.) Pretty neato!

In jr. high and my freshman year of high school, I was a crazed fan, myself. I loved his appearance, his music and of course his sweet dance moves. I'd stay up half the night just hoping that one of his videos would come on Night Tracks. Remember Night Tracks? :) Little did I know at the time that he was breaking all the rules - becoming the first black man to have his music videos aired on these shows. I was totally crazy about this guy that would soon become the king of pop. My walls were covered with posters of Michael Jackson. I swore that I would marry him one day. ha ha. (uh huh....) :) I recently found some Michael Jackson keepsakes including a gigantic satin silk screened poster of him in white pants and a yellow sweater vest. (This isn't mine, this is a paper poster, but you can see how cute he was!)

He was so handsome then. I also have a book about him that I'm sure (along with the satin poster) will no doubt be worth some bucks eventually.

Having been such a fan in the past, I'm surprised that I wasn't more upset when I learned the news of his death, but I am sad. I'm sad that a man with such incredible God given talent would end up this way. I guess I was naive to the fact that he was taking so much pain medication and that his health was so fragile. When you think about his lifestyle and what he put his body through, physically - performing, and also through the number of reconstructive surgeries... I guess it shouldn't be a surprise. And for all his fame and wealth, he wasn't seemingly a happy man. Just goes to show, fame and fortune don't necessarily = happiness.

I saw this video today, it displays a progression of the changes that Michael Jackson went through over the years. It's astounding! And yes, this too makes me sad. He was beautiful from the beginning, but as a People magazine article mentioned, his father teased him about his big nose. Eventually he did something about it, and while he only admits to 2 nose reconstructions, it's very apparent that much more had taken place. The face changes are incredibly drastic. I was a bit taken back by it. Just thought I'd share this for those of you out there that have ever loved Michael Jackson. Farewell Michael... rest in peace.



I'll be back soon with more to share about our fabulous California vacation!!! :)

California Dreamin'

Santa Monica Beach

I have been dreamin' about a family vacation like this since my kids were too little to even consider taking along on a vacation! When Ciara was young, she carried on about wanting to go to Disney World. We told her that when she was 10 we would go to Disney. Well... we're nearly 8 years past that promise and now her and I both get sick on rides at the amusement park (bummer) - so when the opportunity came up for the kids and I to join Luke on business and mix in a little family fun in the sun... we jumped on it! If we wait much longer, our precious grown up daughter will be too busy living her own life to join us on such a trip. Brandon and Ciara have never flewn on an airplane or seen the ocean... so we're gonna wrap it all up this go around and I can't wait!! Luke's travel schedule has been horrible the last few months. I feel like we've barely seen him. He's been flying all over takin' care of business for his ever growing division. (that's another post all together!) He will attend 2 meetings while we're in California, but we can handle that - there will be things the kids and I can do to occupy our time in sunny California until Big Daddy can join us. :)

We will leave Wed. a.m. (that's tomorrow!!!!) and drive to Denver, Colo. where we'll catch a 3:15 flight into Los Angelos. That would be enough travel for one day, but once we arrive in L.A. we'll take a rental car down Pacific Coast Highway and go on into San Diego where Luke will have a meeting on thursday a.m. Once that's done, it's Sea World. Should be a fantastic time. I checked the show schedule and it looks incredible! We are gonna try to get in some beach time too. Then on Friday a.m. we drive back into L.A. where Luke will drop us off in the Santa Monica Boulevard area to hang out while he gets his meeting there out of the way. I'm sure we'll find plenty to while we wait for him... what with the pier and beach right there and shopping galore! After the meeting we'll hook up for lunch and then spend the day sight seeing. Each of the kids picked one BIG thing that they wanna do. Brandon wants to go to the Getty Villa Museum which is a Greek and Roman Museum, Ciara wants to check out Santee Alley which is supposed to be pretty incredible shopping. Also on the list of things to check out are Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Sign, China Plaza, and Venice Beach. I hope we can squeeze it all into a day! :) Doesn't it sound fun??!! The girls wanted to go on a celebrity home tour - but I don't think the guys will go for it. Maybe we'll get lucky and see a celebrity or 2 out and about on our L.A. exploration. That would just be too cool! Saturday morning we catch an early flight out of L.A. back into Denver - hop into the hespe mobile and head for Larkspur, Colorado where we'll take in a Renaissance Festival. I think the whole family will will be highly entertained by that activity! We'll rest Saturday night in a hotel in Castle Rock then once we're up and about Sunday morning we are homeward bound.

We've never taken a vacation like this before - could be a once in a life time for all 4 of us... so I'm really excited about this precious time together experiencing something new. My cousin is staying at the house with little Shoogsie and taking care of the house and outdoor pets. I'm so thankful! Now we can just enjoy our getaway. Please pray for our safety and with a shutterbug like me... you can count on lots of photos when we get back!! Until next time... PEACE OUT!

Photo Booth Fun With Our German Girl

Wednesday's Walk is FUN! Wanna know more? Click the photo above, ya know ya want to! ;)

So I was thinking about what to share for Wednesday's Walk, then it dawned on me that it was a year ago (yesterday) that our German girl returned home from her 10 month stay with the crazy Hespe family in America. It's hard to believe that a year has already gone by. I think of Tina often and remember the fun times that we had, the hard times, the teaching times (Atheism vs. Christianity) and just everything in between. I took so many pictures during her stay here, but I stumbled upon these and felt like they were the most fun. It reminds me of the laughs we shared. Goodness, there were lots of laughs. She didn't always know the right English word to use and she would say things like, "Christmas Man" for Santa Claus, "Man Chicken" for rooster, "Pomice" for french fries (it's the German word)... then there was the confusion in the feminine hygiene ailse at Wal-mart. It turns out there aren't as many choices in Europe! ha ha. She was a sweet girl. Now I caution you prior to viewing this slideshow.... photos may be creepy/hideous, and certainly hilarious. I always thought of our family as fairly pleasant looking (see photos at the right of this page for "normal" ha ha) - but wow... these photos are doozers. So, without further ado... I give you Photo Booth Fun With Our German Girl ~ enjoy!!! :) Oh... and FYI... Tina is the blonde.

Other posts about our German Girl (click on the title to go read post) : Time Flies , Lots of Excitement , What's Been Going On At The Hespe Home, Tina's Here! , Mother/Son Getaway and a German Girl Named Tina!

Chocolate Fridays

Who wouldn't want FREE chocolate every Friday? I know I could use some chocolate right now!! Oh wait... it's Friday! :) Click on the link to sign up for free chocolate every Friday from the Mars company. My cousin passed this on to me, so I thought I'd share the love with you. :) Happy weekend!! Jami

http://www.realchocolate.com/

"The Whirlwind" - warning: long post

It feels good to be back on blogger!! It's been so long since I've been able to enjoy reading updates on my friends and family and sharing about what our family has been up to. I could have shared so much along the way... but to catch up on everything now would be impossible, too much has happened since my last post (May 14th!) . So... I will share bits and pieces of the whirlwind, but apologize in advance for the length of this update. That's what happens when you go a whole month without posting! :) So.....

Ciara graduated on May 16th and it was a great day! Her reception was really nice and we were blessed to have so much family there to help us celebrate. Here are a few photos of the graduate:

Mama steals a photo with the grad before the ceremony

Diploma in hand... she's a happy girl!

Our family at the reception

Ciara and her cake

Most of our out of town relatives left Sunday afternoon, then on Wednesday night my uncle and cousins from Nebraska came for a visit as they passed through on their way to Colorado. It was fun catching up with them, and I'm so disappointed that I didn't even get a picture of the adorable twins, Parker and Sienna. Guess I was too busy to think about it! ha ha.

Memorial weekend Luke and Brandon went golfing with a couple of my uncles and had a good time. The girls went shopping with Grandma Barbie. Well... Luke was running errands around town and called to announce that "there are the cutest puppies in front of the Orscheln Store." Oh geesh, do we need a puppy? So he tells me all about them and convinces me to go over and look at them. CUTE CUTE CUTE. This litter of pups was an accident and it was obvious that the owner could barely take care of the parents of these pups much less the 10 new arrivals that were 8 weeks old. Blue Heeler/Doberman mix. We chose a female. The thought process on the new pup was that our big outside dog, Trixie (the australian shepherd/border collie) needed a companion. She always looks so lonely and we thought a puppy would bring new meaning to her life and someone to snuggle with and play with. Enter "Snickers".

Just after we brought Snickers home, the big day finally rolled around - the day that I would transfer ownership of my Soap business. On May 27th the new owner came down from Colorado Springs to do some training. We trained Wed, Thurs, and Friday. We really did have a lot of fun. Jessica is a wonderful person and I feel like this was more than a business deal... I made a good friend! :) At the end of the day on Friday we began packing everything up. Digital scale, stick blender, oils, butters, fragrances. WHEW! There was a lot of stuff!! I put in close to 40 hours in 3 days down in the soap shop, but it was worth it. Luke and the kids helped me carry all those boxes up the stairs and into the garage so it would be ready to load when the new owners got here with the U-Haul. We had some fantastic team work going. I packed up the final items from the store room and we hauled it all out. We took a few pix along the way to document this huge life change.


Silly fun in the soap shop - I took this picture of us :)

The new owners pack their first internet order


The family is ready to go!


Going, going, GONE!

I am truly enjoying the freedom of not being the boss and making all the decisions. I find myself more relaxed and my home cleaner. The family is even being fed more organized meals, which I think they're enjoying. :) We turned the soap shop into a hobby room and it looks great. We're looking forward to hours of fun down there scrap booking and whatever else we feel like. Hey, maybe I'll finally get that quilt made for our bed that I bought the fabric for 3 months ago! :)

Back to the Snickers story... it turns out that Trixie didn't view Snickers as a companion, but rather a nuisance. She was jealous that we paid attention to Snickers - and while she did play with (tolerate) the puppy some... she mostly just ran off to do her own thing as usual and left the puppy barking/whining - which of course got the little indoor dog, Sugar, barking and whining. UGH. Things weren't working out. So, we got lucky and were able to move Snickers to the farm with my little cousins. She will be loved there, no doubt and seems to be very happy.

So what's next? I have interviewed for a part time administrative assistant position at FHSU, and should find out in the next few days if I'm employed. :) Luke is performing the wedding ceremony for my cousin and her fiance' this coming Saturday, so we will be at an out of town wedding. It's always fun to be with family, so that should be a good time! What's really special is that Jessica was our little miniature bride at OUR wedding. Oh how the time flies!! Then... on June 24th our family leaves for a MUCH needed vacation. We will drive to Denver and fly into Los Angelos. Spending some time in San Diego and LA... then finishing the trip by taking in the Renaissance Festival in Larkspur, Colorado and staying the nite in Castle Rock, nearby. Sunday we'll drive home and I'll have more to share! Can't wait. But until then... we'll enjoy our new 20 foot above ground pool. I'll leave you with one last photo until next time. Hope you're enjoying your summer too! :)

Full plate... isn't God great?

Ok, so it's 5:19 and I've been awake for about half an hour already. I woke up after having yet another bizarro dream. (this time someone had put their car in the ditch right outside my front door... I saw a guy approaching our home for help but I could see he was afraid of our dog - so I greeted him and immediately realized that there was something unusual about him. About that time - a small glowing open top bus appears in the wheat field across the road, people climb on and it vanishes into thin air.) I was glad to wake up to a shifting puppy so that I didn't have to be beamed up with this guy to some unknown dimension of the universe. ha ha. Please don't judge... I can't help that I dream this ridiculous stuff!! ;) This happens when I am exhausted. UGH... I really hate it. It's like my brain just won't stop.

Luke is, of course, out of town... so I'm lyin' in bed with my little fuzzy baby, Shoogs - and just thinkin' about all the things I need to do, how this will work out, how that will work out... wondering if it will rain Friday so that we can't set up for the reception early, etc. Then come the songs... I'm singing the songs in my head that I've heard the kids practicing for the last several weeks and that they performed last weekend at their dinner show. *sigh* Goodness, I wish I could be still. So then out of nowhere the song shifts, "I love you Lord, and I lift my voice... to worship you... oh my soul, rejoice. Take joy my King - in what you hear... may it be a sweet sweet sound... in your ear." I began to think about how my God is big enough to remove all this anxiety and just began to pray and ask Him to take it all away and to let my mind be still and my body be rested.

Still can't sleep - so here I am!!I open up my computer and realize that I hadn't closed out the last internet page I was on yesterday. I had typed in the search, "how much ham do I need to feed 100 people?" (decided to simplify my life and serve sandwiches at the reception rather than BBQ when we got home - great idea from my parents!!!) So the page displayed on my computer is from a cooking forum and I think, "oh yeah, I never did find the answer to how much ham I would need." I scroll down the page searching... and wouldn't you know that this is what I found:

"My plate may be full, but my cup runneth over"

Isn't that the truth? Someone had put this at the end of their post and it was given to me this morning as a reminder. Thanks, Lord!! :) My cup does run over. If you wanted to pray for me also, that would really be fantastic!

Have a great day everyone... I'm gonna spend mine reminding myself that I'm too blessed to be stressed. ;)

Baby Girl's All Grown Up!

The last couple of months certainly have been a walk down memory lane for me. It all started with the letter I received from the school, asking me for a baby picture, grade school picture, and a senior picture. I had to go dig these up... and well... sit for hours gazing at photos of my precious angel being transformed from a helpless baby to a capable young woman. *sigh* I know I've posted about this before, but these are emotional times. Even though I embrace the new season of life our family is entering into, I can't help but feel just a bit meloncholy. This week I've been preparing for the celebration that will take place on Saturday, and I made a photo board - it's covered in photos from newborn infant to present day Ciara. As I reflected on these, it occurred to me what a joy she has truly been to her dad and me. I can still remember her sweet giggle, bouncy curls, all the "plays" she and her brother performed for us, then into the teen years how she evolved and grew into the woman that she is still becoming. I love that the two of us have always been more than mother and daughter, we've been friends - and I believe that even though she is going out into the world, that friendship will grow even stronger over the next years as she moves out and learns about room-mates, etc.

We are so excited about what the future holds for our girl. She is bright and has earned herself enough scholarships to pay for the first two years of college and part of the last two at FHSU, here in Hays. Scholarships are still rolling in... our girl is smart!! It helps that she scored a 29 on her ACT. She will enter her freshman year of college with 9 college credit hours. She took a virtual course and two classes at EHS for college credit. She's worked hard and will finish the year with a 3.8 or 3.9 GPA!! We are so incredibly proud of this girl!!

This next school year will be an interesting one as we will be merely filling the role of counselor, when over the years we've been teacher and coach. The bible says, "train a child in the way he should go and even when he is old, he will not depart from it." Prov. 22:6. I have to trust God's word on this one. Seriously... all the training is done, now it's up to our daughter to do what she knows is right and true. Even though our baby girl has never been incredibly social... she has never been drunk, isn't promiscuous, etc. We are incredibly blessed to have such a wise daughter - even beyond her years, sometimes. Even though this transition makes me feel just a little sad, and makes me long for my baby once again... I know that God has incredible things in store for her. As the verse on her graduation announcement says, "I will bless you with a future filled with hope... a future of success!" (Jer. 29:11) I believe it. :)

So graduation is the 16th and our company begins rolling in on Friday. We are preparing food, tidying up the house, attending the final programs of the year at at school... things are busy busy around our home right now, but soon this will all be over and Ciara will be officially graduated. She is so excited and we're excited for her! One down, one to go. We've got 3 years before we do this all over again with our man son. Once the graduations are over, I suppose we will be nearing the time that we begin discussing weddings. Oh dear! The other day I freaked Luke out by mentioning that it was probably time to start thinking about opening a wedding account and making deposits into it. He gave me a look that I can't even describe and said, "NO". ha ha. I laughed and told him that he might wanna start trying to wrap his mind around it. Not that it will happen tomorrow, or even in a year or 2... but we were married at age 19 and 20 - so it's not beyond the realm of possibility as Ciara will turn 18 in August. Oh what excitement the future holds for us all!! *smile*

Without further ado... here is the photo "Walk down memory lane" of our sweet daughter, Ciara!



Blue jeans baby


Ciara has always been a good big sister


Little miss piggy tails is turnin' into a toddler


Sunbathing beauty at about age 3


She loves her brother so much - they've always been great friends


Darling curly head. Look at that sweet face!


Little angel is keepin' the tooth fairy busy

Glasses... and her first flowers from a BOY!

Jr. High... still buddies with her little bro

Still puttin' on a show. Ciara and Brandon at their Railairres performance last weekend, oh... and her "little" brother is way taller than her! :)

I love these kids!

Goodness... my baby girl is all grown up!

The graduate!

Best of luck to you my precious girl!! I am and always will be your biggest fan! Mearzy

A Potpourri...

Shoogie had me up at 6:30 a.m. this morning, then I couldn't go back to sleep. So I laid there and thought about everything and after half an hour decided to just get up and get on with my day. I haven't been able to blog lately since things have been so wild around my house, but I've been thinking about you all and wondering what you've been up to! You probably thought I dropped off the face of the planet, but No... I'm still kickin'!! Here's what's been goin' on... it's a varitable potpourri!

April 4th the kids had Prom. They looked stunning! I was proud. :)



April 9th, Brandon is happy because he got a new 16 gb Zune for his 15th birthday. Goodness, my baby's growin' up... where does the time go?



Brandon had his cousin/best buddy Robbie stay the night for his birthday, they always have an awesome time together. They're a little crazy.



This is his handsome/distinguished look. ha ha. and the Strawberry cake he requested.




The next day... the boys saw Ciara doing yoga so they thought they'd give it a try. We nearly wet ourselves laughing at those two. What a couple of nuts!! As you can see they are highly entertaining.





A couple weeks later (April 21st) was my honey man's birthday. It was a fun day. He got a lot of nice gifts from me and the kids... but I think his favorite TOY was the Garmin GPS I got him. He travels a lot and is in new places all the time, so it just seemed like the thing to do. Of course we had to use it that night already and see if it worked. It's a woman's voice... Ciara and I named her Sha nay nay. ha ha. Don'tchya love it?





He really enjoyed his black cherry pie and vanilla ice cream too... as you can see.




After the festivities at home, Sha nay nay helped us find our way to the miniature golf course for a round. Here's daddy and the babies.

There were gorgeous trees in bloom, so Ciara and I stopped for a pic. :) It was an absolutely beautiful day. 88 degrees, then cooled down just enough in the evening. We really soaked it up!

And here we all are in the cave on the 18th hole. Someone always has to do something weird or out of the ordinary when we take pictures, most often it's Brandon.

I loved the reflections in the water at the minature golf course. It was a perfect evening and we all thoroughly enjoyed soakin' up some fresh air and sunshine.

Oh geesh, after minature golf we went to Wal-mart for a few things. I lost the boys, so I hunted them down and here's what I found! :D

The Wal-mart cowboys crossing swords. Too funny!

That night it rained, and into the next day. Then when it finally stopped I saw a rainbow out my bay window. I kinda felt like it was meant for me. Promise.

Does this look like a great spot for labor and delivery or what?! See the box under the counter, right behind the ladder? This is where Bonnie decided she would bring her new babies into the world. Looks like a good spot to me - a box full of shredded cardboard. :)

Whenever one of our Momma's has babies, all the other farm cats need to come by for a visit and check things out. Here is "VanHalen" (Brandon named him, haha) checkin' out the scene. :)

This is Bonnie, the new momma. Isn't she pretty? This is her second litter, she's a really good Mommy.

This is Bonnie's "sister", Calypso. Both girls came from my Grandpa's farm when we found ourselves without any females. Turns out she's a new mommy too, but we haven't found her babies yet. Funny thing... Calypso has babies that look like Bonnie and Bonnie has babies that look like Calypso. Weird.

Here are the precious children. Can't wait to find all the rest! Isn't life sweet? I love these little babies and can't wait to hold every one of them!!

It's been so busy around here, I barely have time to breath. Maybe the end of June I can relax. Upcoming we have Forensics night at school on Monday nite, then our anniversary on the 28th (Luke will be out of town on business), the weekend of May 2nd is state forensics in Wichita, then on May 9th is the kids' Railairres dinner theater at school, Ciara's graduation on the 16th and then on May 24th I will be training the new owner of Jinny Crickets Soap & Stuff. Yup... my business has been sold! It was a total God thing. I've been considering selling for a long time because I'm completely overwhelmed and not able to commit the amount of time and energy it would take to grow my business to its fullest potential, so I felt I should pass it on to someone who has the ambition and desire to do that. I basically emailed a friend and asked if she knew anyone that would be interested. Within a day she responded and said her sister was interested. Just 2 weeks later she came for a visit and signed an intent to purchase agreement. Isn't God amazing? So... transition happens the end of May and I'll be "free" from the stress of owning my own business before the end of the month. *sigh* It's bittersweet. This business has been kind of my baby. I grew it up and it's been an exciting ride, but I feel that this season is over for me. I'm looking forward to what's next and have already begun a new part time job. I am working for a Home repair/remodeling company from home 10-15 hours a week taking care of all the office stuff and building a website for the company. So far I love it! Even though life has been super hectic and I don't know if I'm coming or going most days lately... I am totally blessed and praise God for all he's doing! What a truly awesome God we serve. :)