Just Christa

2012-02-08T11:18:00.002-06:00

Good morning, Ladies! (and gentlemen, if there any of you read my blog?!?)

I've been meaning to blog for awhile now and even have some pictures on my camera to share with you. But I have seriously been so swamped with work that I really can't justify spending any time blogging. (as for Pinterest and Facebook - that's a whole nother story...)

But I read the Choice Gleanings calendar for today and just enjoyed it so much I thought I would pass it on.

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4

"Every dawn is a new morning and a fresh start. It can be a day to please ourselves or to please our Father in heaven. If a child chooses to please his earthly father, he finds a reward of happiness. When our hearts are willing to obey our heavenly Father, we too will enjoy a close and sweet communion with our blessed Lord. May we make today a day to please Him." E. MacLelland

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

2012-01-16T14:04:00.006-06:00

So those of you that know me should know that if I'm posting a recipe, it's gotta be good. And I promise you - this is GOOD.

This is a recipe I found on Pinterest and made it yesterday along with turkey, veggies, etc. Both Hal and I, every time we took a bite, would just stop and stare at each other and say, "I can't believe how good this is."

Enough of the build-up. Here it is:

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole:

5 1/2 cups mashed potatoes (around 6-7 large baking potatoes)

1/2 cup milk

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

8 slices bacon crispy cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Peel, quarter, and boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain potatoes and and beat with a mixer until smooth. Add milk, cream cheese, sour cream, parsley, garlic salt, and nutmeg. Beat at a medium-high speed until nice and creamy. Add salt to taste keeping in mind that the cheese and bacon will add a little salt later.Spoon into a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Top with cheddar cheese and bacon. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serves 12 people. (and I made it for 2 - ha!)

Winter Solstice

2011-12-21T11:27:00.002-06:00

So when I got to work this morning, my judge announced that today is the shortest day of the year. It's winter solstice. How depressing, right? WRONG. I was actually pretty excited. Because to me it means one thing...........the days are starting to get longer!!!!!!

Not that we've had an awful winter or anything.....or that winter has actually even started for that matter. But it just got me kinda excited. So I thought I'd pass it on!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

ps - winter solstice always reminds me of my Grandpa Keith, my only grandpa I never met. he married my grandma on this day because it's the longest night of the year. :) that man was thinking!!! hehe.

December Desktop

2011-12-01T15:40:00.004-06:00

It's December 1st. I've been looking forward to this day for one reason, and one reason only - I get to download a new calendar desktop for my computer. Yes, I agree, I'm a nerd. Smashing Magazine has some really cute ones this month.

Here is the one that I chose for now:

And here is the one that I will probably change it to sometime closer to Christmas (only because I couldn't pick just one.):

Little Project...

2011-11-22T09:54:00.006-06:00

So I've completed my first "major" project in my new house. There have been other major projects completed, but not by me. My amazing dad has replaced my front door (a PAINFUL all-day project) and installed a new garage door opener. And he's not necessarily a Mr. Fix-it either, but he loves me. And he's done an awesome job! I am so grateful! Thanks, Dad!!

Okay, back to my project. I decided to paint my downstairs bathroom. Every room in my house is the same camel color. So I thought I'd spice things up a bit, and I've forever wanted to paint a room gray. So here it is. Before, during and after. Whattya think?

November Desktop Calendars

2011-11-04T10:41:00.004-05:00

I recently stumbled across this site, smashing magazine, that has awesome desktop calendars for free download. There's a ton of options for each month. I found it in the middle of October and didn't feel like changing it in the middle of the month. So I couldn't wait until November to change my desktop.

I'm a dork, so it's so exciting to turn on my computer every morning and see this pretty picture and have a calendar right on my desktop.

Plus if you can't decide on which one you like best, why not change it up a couple times throughout the month! There's some good ones on for November, so I might be making a switch in a couple weeks.

Quick Road Trip

2011-10-24T15:56:00.011-05:00

As promised, here's the update on our weekend in Fargo. Hal and I stayed Friday night with Jared, Jill and the kiddos, although Eddie and Nolan were convinced it was Darby and not Hal. I guess they look similar? After Jill ditched us for her pillow (which was, what, 8:00?), the girls and I played a game of scrabble and made bead necklaces and bracelets until the wee hours of the morning. It was so much fun!

On Saturday morning, Carly, Alyssa and I headed out to the chicken coop to collect us some eggs. It was a little dangerous since they have a killer rooster on their hands. Seriously. But no worries because Carly brought the super soaker.

We managed to get our eggs without anybody getting hurt. After a late french toast breakfast, the girls and I got our work clothes on and headed back out to that chicken coop to give it a good cleaning. After chores, we had a nice relaxing afternoon of playing on haybales watching the trains go by, walking through the cow pasture, exploring down by the lake, getting covered in those prickly things (cockleburrs? - i have no idea. been too long since i've been in the country), jumping on the trampoline and just having a good time playing, laughing and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. I played with the kids, and Hal bonded with Diesel (their bulldog). I'm not sure who had more fun! He wants a dog SO bad. And Diesel loved Hal!

We then said goodbye and headed into Fargo to meet Jalon and Katie at the Fargodome for the NDSU v. Missouri State football game. We both had a blast and the weekend went way too fast. Hopefully we'll be able to make it back up sometime this winter.

Thanks, Jill, for letting us stay and do your chores!! And thanks, Katie and Jalon, for joining us at the game. It was great to see you all again and hang out!

Miss Me?

2011-10-14T10:13:00.000-05:00

Just popping in to say 'hi!'

Don't have a whole lot to say, but just wanted to update my blog since it's been...........a LONG time. Sorry about that. I have been the worst at having my camera with me or even having time to sit down and tell you how incredibly boring my life is. But I'm hoping to start making time to fill you in a little bit better.

My man-friend and I are off for a couple days to the beautiful Fargo/Moorhead area (sense the sarcasm?)! He's never been there before and since his football team has a bye this weekend, we thought how better to spend a free weekend than by - watching some more football! So we're off to visit relatives and catch some great NDSU football. And bonus for him, they play the Missouri State Bears. (He's from Missouri in case some of you didn't know how that could be a bonus for him.)

So hope to have some pictures and an update when we come back. But don't hold your breath.

Going Dark

2011-03-25T14:46:00.002-05:00

So after about the fourth annoying spam comment I decided that it might be a good idea to add a little security to my blogging life. You're probably thinking, "Why? It's not like you ever blog." I get it. But it's still annoying.

So if you're reading this, you made it!! There may be a few others that I know, but that I don't know read my blog. So honestly if you hear of someone complaining that they're not going to know the latest and greatest in my life, you can let me know and I'll "invite" them to the cool club as well.

He's Baaaack...

2011-03-02T11:03:00.008-06:00

..and sporting a new 'do. I guess as long as he's home, it doesn't matter what his hair looks like.

Jordan flew into Duluth from Fayetteville, NC, (previously from Iraq) on Saturday and dad and I were there to meet him. We had a great couple of days hanging out watching dad's Squirt A hockey team whoop up on Duluth and Proctor - mostly Jordan and I just enjoyed the music they played during the whistles. You had to be there! Let's just say Jordan was a little shocked I knew all the words to Ice Ice Baby! We also enjoyed some good food, shopping, and of course, the beautiful view of Lake Superior.

Welcome home, Jordy!!

Day Trip

2010-10-20T12:20:00.003-05:00

On Saturday Hal and I took a little day trip up to Duluth. He wanted to watch the UMD Bulldogs football game since they are the nationally ranked number 1 team in Division II and had won the national championship. They didn't disappoint. In fact, we left the game in the middle of the third quarter when UMD was winning 35-0. It was getting a little boring.

But that gave us time to head down to the shores of Lake Superior! I had never actually been down to Canal Park, and it was so much fun. We just walked around, out on the pier to the lighthouse and just enjoyed the view. It was such a beautiful sunny day. We even got to see a ship going out to sea and going under the lift bridge. I thought Hal would think it's cool, but he just kept saying "haven't you ever seen a boat before?" Men! I thought it was cool.

Crock Pot Hot Ham & Cheese

2010-10-13T18:58:00.002-05:00

I don't think that in all my years of blogging (a whopping three?) I've posted a recipe. But the time has come, ladies and gentlemen. Trust me, it's a good one! Super yummy and super easy!! I can't take the credit, however. My friend Kristi made this one at a football party last year and I just had to have the recipe. So I made it for our Ladies Retreat this past weekend and have been bombarded with recipe requests. So here goes:

3 lbs shaved ham (pieced up)
1/2 brick of cream cheese
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 can of evaporated milk
1lb of Velveeta

Melt last four ingredients in microwave and pour over ham in the crockpot. Heat through.

Warning: it makes a lot, so it's good for big groups or like a youth group dinner or something like that, although the leftovers are just as good. And I'm guessing you could freeze the leftovers and just heat them up in the crockpot again if you have a lot left over!

Enjoy!

Quick Recap

2010-09-01T11:32:00.022-05:00

Where has the time gone? Is it really September 1st? And have I really not blogged since April? What?!?! Well, I'll try my best to do a quick recap and fill you in on what's been going in my life this summer! Here goes:

Bridal shower for my cousin, Katie Ingeman (green dress).

1st Annual Block Cousin Fishing Tournament - SO much fun!!

Jace and his brother Ian came to MN for six weeks!

First stop - Barber Shop!

Sniped myself a rabbit! Woohoo!

My BFF Gina moved home to MN. Jordan came home for a pre-deployment visit. So, along with Darby and Deanna, we all went fishing. The fishing was AWESOME this summer on Lake of the Woods - check out those monsters!! We called them whale-eyes!! haha!

friendly little game of softball at Timbermill Park

Stacy came home for a visit, so I got to spend a day up at Spectacle Lake with her and Brian and their families!

Fourth of July Parade

Days spent at the pool.....

Grandma Jean's "surprise" birthday party - hosted by Jace!

New puppies, a good old-fashioned game of lightening, and a beautiful display of God's promises!

My surprise birthday party! Thanks, Micah - it was awesome!! And I really was surprised!

cousin Katie's beautiful wedding at Morris Point Resort!

And guess who is the newest resident of Minnesota?? It's SO nice to not be in a long distance relationship anymore!! Darby and Deanna came down for a visit a couple weeks ago, and the four of us spent the day up in Taylor's Falls along the shores of the beautiful St. Croix River!

So that's my summer in a nutshell.....and I promise I'll try to be better about blogging.

2010-04-21T20:36:00.004-05:00

Here's the picture you've all been waiting for. I tried all week to convince him to take a trip to the barber shop, but to no avail. Oh well. What's a girl to do?

More pics from Florida to come later.....but I know since you were all dying to see this one, it probably deserved a post of its own.

GO WILD!!

2010-03-28T19:38:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago (almost a month now.....yes, I'm a horrible blogger) I got a free ticket to the Wild v. Florida Panthers game. Yay for relatives in the NHL. I sat with my cute cousins, Katelyn, Karly and Kayla (say that three times fast) who were on their way to Mexico the next morning. We had a great time watching the game and seeing lots of other relatives that came down to watch Keith play. I even ran into my grandma in the stairwell after the game - didn't even know she was there! Good times. Here's some pics for your viewing pleasure. Keith is #2 for the Panthers. (that's the team in white jersies, Naphtali)

Oh, and the Panthers ended up winning 3-2 in a shootout for those actually interested in the hockey game.

North Carolina

2010-03-04T16:08:00.008-06:00

Last Wednesday, mom and I flew out to Fayetteville to see Jordan and to turn his newly purchased house into a home. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

I haven't been a very good picture-taker lately, so there's no "people" pictures. I think mom may have snapped one of Jordan and I on her camera, but that was probably it for the weekend. So, no, there's no photographic evidence of the other boy I got to visit while in North Carolina. But I promise, he does exist and one day we will have a photo taken together. One day.

Back to the work weekend. Here are the before and after pictures of the painting/decorating that we (and by "we" I mean mostly mom) did. It was a fun weekend, with semi-warm weather - warm enough for this Minnesotan to wear flip flops the entire weekend even though I got made fun of. We met a few of Jordan's Army friends that we've been hearing about for the past four years and got together with some that we'd already met. I got to spend a few days with that other boy, and he even came down to Fayetteville and got to partake of mom's homemade taco night, which was a treat for all. Thanks, Jordan, for the great weekend. You now have a beautiful home. As mom would say: Keep it clean now!!

The Chair!

2010-02-23T12:08:00.000-06:00

When I was home over Christmas break, my mom and Grandma Marge recovered an old chair for me. This chair had been in my room back home for almost as long as I can remember. It came from the old bachelor that lived in the one-room cabin that used to sit where our house is now. Mom recovered it back then with just some scrap material and it served its purpose. But I decided to spice it up a bit...........and this is how it turned out. What do ya think? I LOVE it!!

Summer Flashbacks

2010-02-21T22:32:00.002-06:00

Been missing my little Jacey-Poo, so thought I'd post a video of him from this summer. We had so much fun! This is his impression of the famous YouTube video of "Charlie Bit Me." YouTube it to compare - he does a pretty good impression!

2010-01-28T16:55:00.001-06:00

Who's excited right now that it's 5:00 pm and it's still light out? This girl is! Spring is COMING!!

Who's excited right now that it's 5:00 pm and I'm still at work? Not me. I'm outta here!

2010-01-06T09:40:00.003-06:00

I'm sure most of you read the Choice Gleanings calendar this morning. I just really enjoyed today's calendar and wanted to share some of it with you all.

Ps. 5:1 "Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation."

"Prayer takes thought and is never hurried."

"...you are in communion with the Highest."

"...we can know His presence anywhere and He is not looking for long speeches, just sincerity in what we do say."

"O how praying rests the weary! Prayer will change the night to day; So when life seems dark and dreary, Don't forget to pray." - Mary A. Kidder

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2009-12-13T18:19:00.005-06:00

I finally decided to get my Christmas decorations out this year. Better late than never, right? I was contemplating not decorating at all and just avoid the hassle of dragging it all out and then packing it all away again in a couple of weeks. But I was finding that I really wasn't in the Christmas spirit and was way behind on my shopping. Plus my judge told me that not decorating because of the hassle meant that I was really getting old. So I drug everything out, and here's what my house looks like this year.

I've also recently found some evidence that I have some unwanted house guests. So I had to set out some other "decorations" around the house.

The glue traps have been out for a week now, and I haven't caught anything yet and haven't seen anymore droppings. So hopefully they decided I meant business and it wasn't worth their time! I'll keep ya posted.

So NOT Cool

2009-12-12T23:51:00.003-06:00

Especially when this is what the roads look like:

I'm Dreaming.......

2009-12-08T13:09:00.002-06:00

....of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. Come on, everyone join in now!

Just sitting in my office on this cold, snowy afternoon singing this song to myself as I watch the roads get whiter and whiter outside being ever so thankful that I can ride the bus home engrossed in a good book instead of fighting traffic myself, wishing that I was curled up with a blanket and hot chocolate on my couch with either a good book, a good movie, or a nice loooooong nap.

Back to reality. My fingers are freezing. My toes are freezing.

I love winter! Really, I do. I just wish they could crank the heat up at work a little. Or maybe I should have worn socks today.

The Weekend Jenny Got Married.....

2009-12-06T21:50:00.006-06:00

My friend, Jenny, got married back on November 21st, and I had the privilege of having Jerem and Micah and their kids stay with me for the weekend and attend the wedding.

Saturday morning I was responsible for getting the reception location set up and decorated. I had some great help from Dan and Kathy, Julie, Katie, Micah, and even Uncle Rex help put up some lights!

It was a gorgeous wedding, and a wonderful day. At the reception we sat with James, Naphtali and Aidan, and my long lost cousin, Nick and his wife, Alysia. We were told by both the photographers separately that every wedding has a "fun table" and we were by far the "fun table" of the reception. The first time we thought they were kidding, but the second time they said it, we thought it just might be true. Who knew?!

Sunday was Anson's birthday, so we stopped at DQ after church for an ice cream cake, and then had cousins Morgan, Taylor, Jacob and Ellie Meissner and his friend, Aidan, over to play and celebrate his birthday! After some pizza, football, playing outside, cake, and presents, I was back to a quiet household. It was a great weekend. Thanks for the company, Haacks! Come back soon!

The Coach's Daughter

2009-12-01T21:44:00.004-06:00

I know it's been a couple of weeks now, but our Lake of the Woods High School volleyball team was down in St. Paul at the state volleyball tournament.........and took 4th place! Congratulations to my awesome friend and cousin-in-law, Coach Jill Olson, on another state appearance.

I only made it to the final game of the tournament, but was privileged enough to get to sit by Chloe - and we had a blast!

And here's a couple of Coach Olson herself in action!

A Hunting We Will Go.....

2009-11-14T21:16:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we packed up the car (and I mean PACKED) and headed north to kill us some deer. Well, let's just say we didn't come home with any venison, but we sure had a good time!

James, Naphtali and Aidan took the trip up to Baudette with me this year so James could try his hand at hunting and was also looking to fill his freezer before the world ends. We didn't see any deer, but the weather was amazing and it was great to get out in the woods and enjoy the Lord's beautiful creation!

Here's some pics from the weekend!

Okay, so Darby got a couple, but what can I say - it's Darby.

And Naphtali and all her nursing skills came out to identify the organs.....

2009-09-29T15:13:00.005-05:00

The last couple weeks I have been busy getting ready for a garage sale. Naphtali and I pulled one together a couple years ago, and I vowed then I would never do it again. It was just too much work for the piddly amount of money I made. So I've been boxing up clothes and junk and just taking it to the GoodWill.

So I don't know why we thought it was a good idea now. But we did it again. Last Friday and Saturday were the days we had planned for. Friday it rained pretty much all day, so we had very few customers. Saturday was good weather, but not the garage sale crowd we were hoping for, and we still have a bunch of our big stuff left over. We were told that Wednesday is the new day for garage saleing around here, so Naphtali is going to come back up on Wednesday and open the sale all day. So if you're in the area and are looking for some great deals, come on over!!

Here's one of our faithful customers. Thanks, Steph!

Reading all your blogs while waiting for customers Friday in the rain.

Ladies Weekend

2009-09-15T00:22:00.005-05:00

This past weekend I was invited to attend a Ladies Weekend at Living Waters Bible Camp in Westby, WI. Jenn was one of the breakout session speakers, so Naphtali and I tagged along! We all had so much fun. My favorite part of the weekend, besides the amazingly gorgeous creation in southern Minnesota and Wisconsin and the great teaching and fellowship with other believers, was THE AMISH PEOPLE!!!

On Saturday afternoon we had a couple hours of free time, so a bunch of us girls hopped in a van and drove around looking for the Amish. I've been reading some of Beverly Lewis' books, which are novels about the Amish community, so I feel a little bit educated about their lifestyle. But to see them in person was sooo cool for me. I just kept thinking they're actors portraying a time period and this isn't the way they live every day of their lives. I think it would be a great experience to get to live with an Amish family......for maybe a couple weeks.

Unfortunately, my camera decided to run out of batteries, so I didn't get any pictures of the weekend. But thankfully, Naphtali is always ready with hers. So check out her blog for some pictures. I know she's busy, so you might have to keep checking back, but hopefully this post will motivate her to writer her post! Love ya, Napht!!!

We didn't take any pictures of the Amish people that they knew of. It's a sin for them to have their picture taken, so we could only do it when they weren't looking or when they were far enough away. But I think she got some great garden shots of a family's yard where we stopped to purchase some pure maple syrup that they were selling. The grandma sells perennials in the spring time and had amazing gardens! We also stopped at an Amish farmhouse that had a bakery. They sold pies, bread, doughnuts, and much more. I bought a loaf of bread, and it's delicious!! I would have bought a cookbook to try some of their recipes, but I know I don't burn the calories in a day like they do with all their hard work, so I wouldn't dare try to eat the way they do!

The weekend was great though, and if anybody is ever looking for a fun little scenic getaway, this area of the state is absolutely breathtaking!

September 11, 2001

2009-09-11T13:47:00.006-05:00

Remembering the day through photographs. Never Forget!

2009-09-03T14:26:00.004-05:00

I feel like I say this a lot, but once again sorry it's been awhile since I last posted something on here. I sometimes get so caught up reading everyone else's blogs that I forget I have one of my own to update. Also, I've been spending a lot of time here. Don't judge.

But Jill did come for a couple days, and boy did we have fun!! Unfortunately, though, we didn't document our time very well with pictures. This is the only one I got during our time together. Isn't he just ADORABLE!!

We ate, shopped, went to a movie (a really, really late movie) and treated ourselves to the spa and lunch the next day. Oh, and a little more shopping. Our spa facials were amazing, but the pedicures - not so much. They charged us $30 to paint our toenails. And that's it - just a polish - nothing else, not even to sit under the dryer. They sent us out of the salon with their little flip flops and the dividiers still between our toes and told us they would be dry in an hour!! So note to self: only book the facials there next time.

2009-08-15T21:51:00.002-05:00

Guess who's coming to visit me?? This girl. I'm so looking forward to a couple days off work and just hanging out with Jill and Eddie. Shopping, facials, pedicures, movie....sounds like a great couple days to me! One last girls trip for Jill before baby number five arrives in September!

Take me out to the ball game!

2009-08-12T13:54:00.013-05:00

Last night was "District Court Night Out" at the Twins game so game tickets with a picnic dinner beforehand were cheap for all district court employees. I invited Naphtali and Aidan and Stacy and her boys, Jacob and Noah out to the ball game!

Well, it was a bit of a blowout - not in favor of the Twins. But we managed to have a little bit of fun anyway.........even though we ended up leaving after the 5th inning. I don't think I've ever left that early. But seriously, it was 9-1. And by the time we got outside they announced that it was 12-1.

Applying our super-cool Twins tattoos!

Showing off our super-cool Twins tattoos!

Letting the boys handle the cameras. Not too bad.

Found a new friend - Tom - who gave each of the boys a baseball!

Giving TC a high five before the game!

Como Zoo, etc.

2009-07-20T13:23:00.012-05:00

Well, Jace is gone. He has officially left the state of Minnesota and is back on Georgia soil. He was soooo excited to go back! Five weeks is a long time for a little boy.

We tried to make his last weekend as memorable as we could. He came down to the cities on Friday with mom and dad after making a stop in Bemidji to see dad's surgeon. Jace informed the doctor that he took care of his grandpa after his surgery and even gave him some of his own medicine. The doctor shook his hand saying that was a very noble thing to do. So Friday night we went out for pizza at Old Chicago then did some mall walking to wear it off. Jace had a blast running around with grandpa and swinging between mine and grandpa's hands through the mall. When we got home we had some birthday cake and cupcakes that mom had brought down for my birthday. (yum!)

Saturday morning, after climbing a few trees and playing catch in the back yard, we had a date with Naphtali and Aidan to meet at the Como Zoo. So did about 100,000 other people. The zoo was packed. But we made the haul anyways. This was my first time to Como, and I thought it was really cool, especially for being free. The only bummer about it was that it was a pretty cool day, so a lot of the animals were inside. So it was a little difficult at times to keep track of our whole party amongst 100,000 other people and their 50,000 strollers (I'm only exaggerating a little).

After strolling through the conservatory, we saw flamingos, spider monkeys, zebras, giraffes (my fav.), tigers, lions, reindeer, snow leopard, fish, penguins, sea lions -- we even got front row seats to the sea lion show, which was quite impressive -- and orangutans. I think we were all in agreement that the orangutans were the favorite animal of the day! We could have sat and watched them for hours! There was a mom, dad, baby, and a grandparent and they were so entertaining! Jace so badly wanted to go inside the fence and just talk to them, and didn't understand why that wasn't such a good idea. He is such an animal lover. At every exhibit he would ask mom or dad or I, "How do you speak orangutan?" or "How do you speak flamingo?"

After our time in the zoo, we let the kids go to the amusement park part of Como and Naphtali had four tickets for the boys each to use for one ride. So they both chose to "Driving School" where they got to drive the little cars around. Aidan was hilarious and only drove around the same loop over and over and over! So I had to zoom way in to get a shot of him! They had a blast though and were even issued "driver's licenses" on the way out.

What a day! We were pooped by the end of it. And starved! So we met James at Famous Dave's for a nice filling lunch! Thanks, Kahls, for hanging out with us again and coming along to the zoo! What a fun day!

Sunday was church, one final lunch with Jace, and then off to the airport.

Jace

2009-07-17T17:04:00.000-05:00

My nephew, Jace, who is from Georgia, has been in Minnesota with my parents since June 11th. The five weeks have just flown by and he's already flying back to Georgia on Sunday, the 19th.

Mom and dad have been trying to keep him busy between swimming lessons, t-ball, hockey school, learning to ride a bike, fishing, swimming at the pool, swimming at the beach, going to the movie theater, picnics at the park, jumping on the trampoline, playing with all sorts of cousins, running over to visit Gma Marge and all of her guests, bonfires, fireworks. Whew! It's been a whirwind! I made it home for Father's Day weekend in June and then spent a week and a half from the 2nd of July to the 12th helping out mom while dad had his rotator cuff surgery! He's a busy, busy boy, but such a sweetheart (of course, not all the time - he's 5).

I'll just post a few of the many pictures I have from the time I was with him. Hopefully these will be great memories for him as he grows up in the south. He's a smart little boy too - he learned a verse for church every single Sunday. Plus he can read. It was fun to watch him write things trying to sound them out. And he loved when I would write him a note and try to sound out all the words. So fun to watch him learn!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.

2009-07-17T10:25:00.005-05:00

No, there was no crying involved this time, but I can't guarantee that won't happen next year. But since that's a whole year away, let's just not talk about it. Let's just talk about turning 29!!!

Let me start by saying I have the best roommate ever! When I left for work on Tuesday morning there was a bouquet of flowers, a plate of freshly baked cookes, a card and a gift waiting on the table for me!! Yum! So I packed the cookies in a ziplock bag and headed off to work. Well, when I got in my car.......another gift! What a great start to the day.

At work, my boss had brought in bagels for all of us to celebrate my birthday. We had a pretty easy day at work, and I was even able to leave early!! I had made plans to have dinner with Naphtali and Aidan, so we decided to go to Flame. We had an amazing dinner, even though they had taken our favorite salad off the menu. But Naphtali says she tried to recreate it at home and I'm sure it's just as good as theirs!

For my birthday, I got a free chocolate sundae. And I'm glad Aidan was along, because he finished it right off for me.

After dinner James stopped by to pick up Aidan and Naphtali and I headed off to a movie. What a fabulous evening, and in the middle of the week too. Thanks, Napht, for a great birthday!! You're so much fun to hang out with and have been a great friend over the years!

Well, that's not all, folks. I got home from the movie about 10:00 and quietly went to my room only to find ANOTHER gift laying on my bed. A cute little nighty to sleep in!! Thanks, Anna, you're the BEST!!

This and That

2009-06-18T12:30:00.000-05:00

On Memorial Day weekend, which was the weekend after I came home from South Carolina (yes, May was a really busy month for me), I drove home for the weekend to see my cousin Katelyn graduate. Which makes me feel really old since I started babysitting her right after she was born! I didn't actually attend the graduation though. Mom and I were of the select few that stayed behind to get all the food and decorations ready. Man, was there a ton of food. But the party turned out really nice! Congrats, Kate!!

Also that weekend we had a bonfire with the Block cousins. It's so fun to see the kiddos getting so big already! Here's Abby and Greta, who are so cute and such good friends already. Speaking from experience, it's so nice to grow up being close friends with your cousins! Right, Jill? Katie??

The weekend following Memorial Day was another trip "up north" to cousin Steph's wedding. Again, I'm not the best at picture-taking. So my only picture was this - Keith was such a card that day and practically begged to take a picture with me. And, no, I don't know why I'm crouched down the way I am! I'm just weird, okay?

That pretty much sums up the month of May for me, so I think I've pretty much caught you up. Don't worry, there will be more to come. My nephew Jace is spending about five weeks with grandma and grandpa this summer and I'm headed up there this weekend to see everybody! Don't worry, I'll try not to leave you hanging for another month with no blogging.

Catching Up

2009-06-17T20:39:00.022-05:00

I have to apologize to my faithful blog followers. It's been far too long, I know. I didn't realize how far behind I was. So let's get up to date in the life of Christa.

First of all, Happy Anniversary to my blog. In May it was one year. Crazy how time flies, huh?

Also in May, Jenn Rivers and I once again flew south to our favorite conference in Seabrook, SC. But this year we left a day early to visit Brian and Stacy and the boys in their new home, which is only an hour from Seabrook! Jenn took lots of good pictures, so I didn't use my camera much. (I don't think Jenn will mind, so here's a link to view her pictures.) But we spent a day with the Blomquists on base in Beaufort, SC, watching the Blue Angels perform in an air show for military families. I've never been to an air show, and it was AMAZING!!

After this maneuver, Noah (Stacy's youngest), said, "Mom, it was AWESOME that the jets didn't bonk each other." Indeed it was! That was my favorite quote of the day.

After dinner at a cute little restaurant on the water, Jenn and I headed down to Seabrook for the rest of the weekend. The first picture I took was of this sailboat. Later that afternoon I went for a little swim in the ocean and left my camera on my towel and when I came back, the camera had sand in it and the lens wouldn't close. So the next (and last picture of the weekend for me) one is a little dark. The camera is working a little better now, but the lens still doesn't close all the way. It might be time for an upgrade :)

As you may, or may not, notice in the picture, Mike Attwood was the speaker this year. He had some fabulous messages on Levitical offerings and how to really understand the New Testament, one should really have an understanding of the Old Testament. The one drawback of the conference is that none of the messages are taped. I would really have liked to get a set of cd's to bring home and listen to again and again.

Mr. Attwood had just returned from 11 days in Kenya with Scott DeGroff. One of the many interesting stories he told is that they preached the gospel in the village where President Obama's grandfather is from and hundreds professed salvation that day after hearing the Good News!

Getting Personal

2009-05-04T20:19:00.005-05:00

On Friday night we had a bunch of girls over and threw Steph her personal bridal shower. It was a blast! Lots of good food and some funny games for Steph and lots and lots of lingerie!

And I only promised not to post these to Facebook. So sorry, Steph. Hehe.

North Carolina

2009-04-29T21:10:00.014-05:00

Anna and I finally made the long-awaited trip to North Carolina to see Jordan. Only Jordan's in Iraq. We made the best of it though, spending most of the weekend lying on the beach. We both agreed it would have been much more fun if he could have been there to show us around "his area" instead of trying to navigate ourselves. But he left us his sweet truck to drive and some spending money for the weekend since he couldn't be there to treat us himself. What a nice brother, huh?!?!

Anna opening the card Jordan left for us.

This was really fun to drive. Parking it - on the other hand - not so fun.

We flew into Fayetteville on Friday afternoon where one of Jordan's friends picked us up from the airport and brought us back to Jordan's house. Well, it's actually Kelly's house - he's a friend that Jordan met playing hockey at Ft. Bragg and now lives with. So, yes, now I have a fourth brother, and he's awesome!! Anyways, it was really hot, so we got changed into our shorts and tank tops and spent an hour or so laying out in the yard soaking in the sun. Later that evening we went and explored the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville and then tried one of Jordan's favorite restaurants: Logan's Roadhouse. It's much like a Texas Roadhouse, but better (according to Jordan).

An exhibit from the Airborne & Special Ops Museum

Saturday morning we got up and headed out for Wilmington, which is about two hours east of Fayetteville on the coast. Along the way we stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast, Anna's first time. If you can ignore the filth, it's really good food. We made it to Wilmington at about 12:30 and decided to head to the beach since we couldn't check into the hotel until 3:00. Bad idea. It was Saturday afternoon and they were having record-breaking temps for this time of year. We spend two hours trying to get to the beach and once there trying to find a parking spot. We finally headed back to the hotel to lay out at the pool there. Much better. We spent the rest of the day laying by our hotel pool. For supper that evening we walked up the street to a southern BBQ restaurant called Sticky Fingers. It was fabulous!

Anna's first Waffle House experience!

Sunday we beat the crowd to the beach (Wrightsville Beach), got front row parking and a prime spot to lay in the sun. This was probably one of the most relaxing vacations I've had. So nice to just lay on the beach, read a book, and sleep. We headed back to our hotel about 1:00 and then went down to the historic downtown area. We got in on a 45-minute trolley tour that was pretty boring, unless you're really into architecture, got some homemade ice cream, walked the boardwalk along the Cape Fear River, and did a little shopping. Oh and we also happened along the fake storefront from one of our favorite TV shows, One Tree Hill, that is taped in Wilmington.

Anna pretending to be interested in the trolley tour.

The USS North Carolina docked in the Cape Fear River.

Anna and I in front of the "Clothes over Bros" storefront.

Monday was a couple last hours at the beach and then back to Fayetteville to catch our flight back to this cold, rainy, lovely Minnesota weather. I'm not the picture-taker I wish I was, and Anna got all the pictures of the two of us on her camera, so enjoy what's here. I'll try to get some of her pics and post them later. But that pretty much sums up our weekend in North Carolina! Thanks, Jordan, for being the best host from thousands of miles away. We love you!! And thanks to Kelly for letting us crash at your house for the night. You're the best!!

Fishing pier at Wrighsville Beach

A view of the beach.

Are We Related or What?

2009-04-18T11:23:00.004-05:00

When Anna and I get ready for church on Sunday mornings, we usually don't see each other until we're ready to head out the door. A couple weeks ago we met at the door to leave and lo and behold we were wearing the SAME THING! At that point there wasn't much we could except laugh. So we went to church. And then came home and tried to take pictures of ourselves! hehe. It's a little complicated and we're not experts by any means at the timer thing.

Five for Fighting

2009-04-06T22:22:00.004-05:00

Check out this video of my cousin, Keith, fighting Sidney Crosby in a game last night against the Penguins after one of his famous hip checks. Good stuff.

2009-04-06T12:20:00.002-05:00

After considering all of our options, Anna and I have decided to just go ahead with our planned trip to North Carolina, even though Jordan is in Iraq. We'll still manage to have a good time I'm sure. And Jordan is such a sweetie. He's left a surprise treat for us in his truck since he couldn't be there to meet us. Can't wait to get to Fayetteville and see what it is.

We're planning on spending the first night at his house in Fayetteville (his roommate will be out of town for the weekend), and then on Saturday heading to the Wilmington area to explore and relax on the beach until Monday. Only three more weeks!

Vacation? No Vacation?

2009-03-10T10:37:00.002-05:00

Anna and I finally bit the bullet on Saturday and purchased our tickets to Fayeteville, NC. We're going to spend a long weekend in April with my brother, Jordan, at a friend's beach house (for free!) on the coast just north of Wilmington. I was soooo excited.

Until yesterday.

I got a call from Jordan at work asking if it was possible to switch the weekend we were coming. At first I was really irritated thinking he had a hockey tournament or something else going on that weekend. But it turns out he had just received orders 30 minutes prior that he was deploying to Iraq in ten days! TEN DAYS!! Another soldier that was scheduled to deploy got injured and Jordan is being sent to replace him. He'll be gone for approximately five months, so not quite as bad as the 15-month tour he finished just a year ago. But still.

So we're not sure at this point what's going to become of our little vacation weekend. I talked to the airline last night and it's going to cost just about $200 to change anything about our tickets. So possibly we'll still fly into Fayetteville, use Jordan's new truck (that he JUST purchased on Saturday), and spend the weekend at Myrtle Beach.

What a bummer though. So remember to keep Jordan in your prayers. He has a busy ten days -- or nine now -- ahead of him training and getting ready to ship out. He hasn't even worked on the equipment they're sending him over there to use.

And I'll for sure keep you posted on our vacation plans!

Spring ahead!

2009-03-07T20:27:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead tonight. It's already time for Daylight Savings and I can't wait for that extra hour of daylight!! Spring is FINALLY coming! (even though we're supposed to get some snow this week - but we won't talk about that)

Sewing 101

2009-03-05T10:06:00.004-06:00

Here she is in all her glory - my fabulous sewing machine (thanks again, Jordan!). Everyone was oogling over her in my Sewing 101 class that I took on Tuesday evening at Joann Fabrics. I didn't know the difference. But she gets the job done. I'm sure I'll come to appreciate her more as I learn what she can really do.

So far I've only made a couple pillows. There was no official project for our class, we were just told to play around and try sewing seams. But Grandma Marge had some of us granddaughters sew some pillows one year long ago for our moms for Mother's Day, and I remembered the basic gist of it. So this was the final product.

I've heard Walmart has cheap patterns, and this weekend Joann's is having a sale on some of their patterns. So I think I'll pick up a few "easy" ones and see what I can come up with. I might also just sign up for Sewing 201 and get a little more experience. This could be fun!!

Winter Wonderland.............AGAIN!!

2009-02-26T20:25:00.004-06:00

Just after noon today I glanced out my window at work and it was snowing like crazy! And I mean CRAZY! Almost a white out. Yes, it had been in the forecast, but really, it seems like they've been forecasting snowstorms all winter where we only end up getting a dusting. So I wasn't really believing them.

I left work early and had to wait while two buses passed me by that were absolutely packed with people. About an hour and a half later (which was much better than I expected) I finally made it home and decided to start shoveling out the driveway, just to get a head start since it was still snowing. Anna, Steph and I all grabbed a shovel and got the job done in no time at all - there was probably four inches on the ground.

So I came in, had a little supper, and then headed off to the gym. And hour later I get home and the driveway is completely covered again, and it's still snowing and blowing like crazy! What a day! Just yesterday our driveway had no snow in it and the roads were all dry.

Is it just me or does it seem like this winter will never end? That's okay though because Anna and are I planning a little sunny beach vacation getaway, which is sounding better and better every day! I think maybe I'll head over to Orbitz.com now and check out ticket prices. Myrtle Beach, here we come!!

2009-01-27T10:37:00.005-06:00

It's almost February and I still haven't posted any pictures from my Christmas vacation at home. But rather than posting a hundred pictures, I'll just link you to my facebook photo album. Sorry to those of you who are already my friend on facebook and have seen these already - it's nothing new. And I guess that would just leave Jill. (time to get a facebook account already!)

I do have to say I got some great gifts this year. My family is awesome!! My first big surprise (well, I kinda guessed it) was a new hunting rifle. I guess the boys are sick of me begging to use their guns for deer season. Here she is in all her glory, my new Savage .243!!!

Another gift that I'm super excited about is this:

A sewing machine!!! And, yes, it's still in the box. A couple months before Christmas I just thought, "ya know, I'm pushing 30, it's high time I learn to sew." So I asked for a sewing machine for Christmas. I think some people thought it was a joke. My brother Jordan is the one who gave it to me, laughing all the way! But the joke's on him. I'm signing up for Sewing 101 at Joann's and will be sewing him everything I can think of. Aprons, sweatpants.......well, that's all I can think of for now. And who knows, maybe I'll get so good, I'll run Naphtali right out of business! Ya right!

My Mom Made Me Do It

2009-01-06T23:33:00.003-06:00

I've had good intentions. Really. I just got back on Sunday from being home for two whole weeks. And then I had to download all my pictures from my camera to the computer. And then edit them. Plus go to work. And the gym. And the bank. And the mall. And watch my Monday night TV. Then go to work again. And Target. And bible study. And eat and sleep.

And then my mom gets all up in my business about not posting something new on my blog. Like I just have all day to sit around and think about blogging.

So here it is, mother dearest, a new blog post. And a picture of Jace. Just like you asked. And if you could see me, I'm smiling while obeying!

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Traditions

2008-12-23T23:13:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite things about being home for Christmas is the annual alumni hockey game. It's so fun to see all the "old" guys back in their uniforms and having fun on the rink. Here's a few shots after the game tonight.

Darby & Jordan

Block Cousins: Brent, Darby, Derek, Jordan, Jason, Keith

just hanging out

the whole group

I kid, I kid!

2008-12-14T20:56:00.004-06:00

You caught me. The house pictured in the previous post isn't really ours! That's the sight we see through our back window. We call her "Betty Lou Who". (And no, Jill, it's not the "girlie" neighbors) The decorations are crazy on that house - the picture doesn't do it justice at all (I snuck out there in the dark last night and had to hurry so no one saw me). Every year it seems there's a little something more than the year before. A couple years ago I was taking a walk through the neighborhood at night and literally from about a block away could hear the hum of electricity.

Anyways.......I did do some decorating myself so I will share those pictures with you, although it's not nearly as impressive as our neighbors!

Christmas Lights!

2008-12-13T18:21:00.005-06:00

I know it's been quite a while since I've posted anything new, but I've actually been quite busy getting ready for the Christmas season. I've finally finished all my decorating for the year and thought I'd show off the final product.

Now I'm off to bake cookies for our Christmas program at church tomorrow night all while listening to my new Elvis Christmas CD (and of course the hockey game will be on in the background - Go Gophers)! I LOVE this time of year :)

Oops...I did it again....

2008-11-18T10:10:00.003-06:00

...I messed with your heart. Okay, that's enough Britney Spears for one day. But just wanted you to know, in case you're blind, that I changed my background AGAIN! Don't get too used to it though because Christmas is coming up fast, and I know I'll be changing it soon. So enjoy it while it's up. And Happy Thanksgiving!!

Drumroll, please!

2008-10-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

I know you've all been desperately waiting to hear about the Reba/Kelly concert, don't lie!! Well, I must say it was absolutely amazing! Definitely the best concert ever!!

And I wasn't the only one who thought so. I kept hearing these quotes all night: "way good" and "freaking awesome"! You know those weren't my quotes because of the grammatical errors, but don't worry, girls, I'm not naming any names! :)

Change!

2008-10-27T22:45:00.002-05:00

Everyone seems to be talking about change these days.....so I decided to change the look of my blog. Don't know if I like it yet. I might change it again tomorrow - just because I can!!

Happy Birthday...

2008-10-10T10:37:00.002-05:00

To my dear, sweet cousin Jill!! Amazing mother of four beautiful children and an incredible dedicated wife to the hardest working husband around!! Love you, Jill! Hope you have a fabulous day!!

Girls Weekend!

2008-10-06T22:12:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was our 8th annual Ballard Girls Weekend! We've been to St. Cloud twice, Grand Forks twice, Fargo and Bemidji, but for the second year in a row we rented a townhome on Gull Lake up near Brainerd, MN! It's so much fun. There were 13 of us this year and it's nice to all be able to stay in the same house!

The rule is that you can't come to Girls Weekend until you're a senior. So this was Katelyn's rookie year. She's petitioned to come the last couple years after hearing how much fun we had, but the "board" reviewed her application and sent her a rejection letter. Another first this year is that we had t-shirts made. Eight years and we finally thought of t-shirts!!

We played board games, ate a TON of food, watched a movie, went shopping, relaxed, had a bonfire, and of course ate some more. It was a great weekend and fun to catch up with all my aunts and cousins! Can't wait till Ballard Girls Weekend 2009!

In Concert

2008-09-16T09:39:00.003-05:00

Guess who I'm going to see in concert????

REBA AND KELLY!!!

It's not until the end of October, but I'm sooo excited! And we have really good seats!

9-11-01

2008-09-11T12:48:00.006-05:00

I found President Bush's speech from the evening of September 11, 2001, and just wanted to share it with you all again. Gave me chills to read it as I remember hearing it for the first time on that day.

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.

The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong.

A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.

America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.

Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America -- with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.

Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C. to help with local rescue efforts.

Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.

The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight, and will be open for business tomorrow. Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business, as well.

The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts. I've directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.

I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance.

America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism. Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me."

This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.

Thank you. Good night, and God bless America.

Jill, look!

2008-08-24T19:20:00.003-05:00

My African violet is blooming!

Wedding Bells

2008-08-16T14:34:00.005-05:00

Here's some pictures from Kyle and Lacey's wedding last weekend. I meant to get these up earlier, but I've been consumed by the olympics! It's been a struggle just to get to work this week!! GO USA!!

Katie and I

Cousins/Roomates = Cuzmates

The bouquet toss. I tried my best to get it - I was even willing to take some of the girls out, but those younger ones were ruthless. There was even hair pulling and a dive to catch it.

Me and Anna - such a beautiful bridesmaid!

Bull Riding!

2008-07-30T23:15:00.003-05:00

Yes, real bull riding - professional and everything. Okay, so I'll start from the beginning. Last week Anna and I decided to venture out to the Anoka County Fair to take in some bull riding. Something I've always thought would be fun - that or a rodeo - but never thought I would be able to talk someone into going with me. Turns out, Anna has been thinking the same thing. Man, you'd think we're related?!?! (for those reading this blog who don't know us, we actually are related. twice.)

Anyways, it was a blast! So much fun to watch those cowboys try and stay on for eight whole seconds, which turns out is quite a lot longer when you're on a bull. One thing we thought was kind of cool too was they have an organization called "Cowboys for Christ" which the announcer talked a little bit about before everything got under way. And before the event started we saw a sea of cowboy hats across the arena all head back to one of the trailers, gather in a circle and take their hats off to pray. I just thought it was neat to see that at a public event.

Well, here are the pictures I got. Not too many since I was too busy watching and oohing and awwwing after the cowboys would get thrown off and then jump right back up to get out of the bull's way! They've got to be some of the toughest people alive!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-07-25T21:37:00.002-05:00

A belated Happy Anniversary that is. To Derek and Jill! They celebrated their sixth year of marriage while we were camping last weekend. Micah and I surprised them with a cake and a little gift for Jill. Well, for Derek too :) Happy Anniversary, guys! Love you both!!

I've been trying...

2008-07-24T22:25:00.009-05:00

....to blog. Really. Our internet and cable has been out since Monday! Can you believe we've gone three whole days without a tv or internet?!? It can be done, folks, it can be done. Comcast came out this afternoon to save the day though. Poor Steph hasn't been able to do her assignments for her online class! And Anna and I have just been deprived of our browsing of the information superhighway during the evenings.

Anyways, I digress. Last weekend I met my brother, a couple cousins and their wives up in Ely for a little weekend camping trip. It was so much fun! I really like to camp. Not set up the tent or any of that stuff.....but I like to camp. Oh, and only if there's showers! So basically I like the bonding part of it. And the bonfires. And s'mores.

The first night we were there the resort ran out of firewood. So every once in awhile, as we were sitting around our dying fire, Derek would disappear and come back with a bunch of sticks and branches from dead trees in the woods. Well, one time he came back with practically a tree. It was hilarious to see! So Darby and Jerem got out the saw and started hacking away. And we were set for the rest of the night!

On Saturday, Jill had arranged for us to tour the Soudan Mine, which is known as the "Cadillac of mines" and was about a half hour away. It was the one of the coolest things I've done! We got to ride down about 2300 feet underground in an old elevator shaft that the miners used back in the day and then ride a little rail car (which is what they used to use to send the iron out of the mines) a mile and a half into the mine and then take a little tour and a history lesson of the mine! If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it!

The guys thought it was especially cool that they were selling Pasties outside the mine. Pasties are an "Iron Range" classic that's basically a pot pie when you're anywhere else! But for $4 - who could resist?

Thanks, Jill, for planning such a fun excursion and a great weekend!!

SURPRISE!

2008-07-16T23:16:00.007-05:00

Yes, surprise, I'm blogging.

But also, look who surprised me for my birthday on Monday. My parents! They drove six hours down here to take me out for dinner!! They showed up at my sand volleyball game and then took Anna and I to Red Lobster (yum!) afterwards! They also brought a dozen pink beautiful roses, a singing balloon, and a home-made birthday cake! Thanks, mom and dad, you're the BEST!

On Sunday night I had a "black and white" birthday dinner at Bella with friends. Who knew turning 23 could be so exciting! hehe.

Summer's Here!

2008-06-22T23:15:00.003-05:00

I know a new post is always more exciting with pictures. So sorry bout your luck, but I don't have any pictures to post.

Just wanted to say I had the most relaxing perfect summer weekend. That's all. Spent most of the day Saturday at the beach with a friend reading a book and working on that tan. Then spent the evening at the movie theater for my second time at a GREAT movie.

Sunday morning was spent worshipping the Lord, then spent Sunday afternoon relaxing and finishing my book once again on the beach! After the evening meeting tonight I came home and mowed the lawn, weeded the flower garden, and watered all my flowers. Couldn't have planned it better if I tried. Summer is officially here!

2008-06-19T11:51:00.002-05:00

I had this video sent to me in an email and I thought it was pretty funny. Guys are such wimps sometimes!

bonfire!

2008-06-12T09:30:00.002-05:00

Saturday was a gorgeous night after a long day on the boat, so we decided to have a little bonfire! Gina was home for a little vacay from Florida, so her and Jenny and Wade and Lacy all came over for some smores!

Kyle and his Lacey, also came over. And of course, crazy cousin Katelyn! Just kidding, Kate, we don't think you're that crazy! Then later Jay and John Clark showed up! Jay is home on leave from West Point, so he and Jordan compared Army stories.

We tried to keep the flames going as long as we could.....I think we finally gave up and the fire was pretty much out by 1 am. But that was fine by me, we were all pretty wiped!

fishing

2008-06-11T23:11:00.005-05:00

Thought I'd post some pictures for ya'll from my weekend up north. Jordan flew in last Friday morning from Ft. Bragg, so I picked him up from the airport and we headed north. This winter while Jordan was in Iraq, he and Darby decided to go in together and buy a boat - great decision! I love it. It's a 20-foot Skeeter (means nothing to me either, I just think it looks cool) However, they've named it "Skeeter Done". Go figure.

Saturday morning the boys started getting the boat ready, they sent me to buy the bait (?!), and the three of us and mom (dad had a shooting school all day) were on the lake before noon. It was pretty windy, but Darby just calls that a good walleye chop. And he would know! There was a little sun here and there - enough so that both the boys and mom got pretty red. I'm not sure how I missed out on that. But I also missed quite a few fish. I fed about ten or twelve fish my minnows. But for the first time ever I baited my own hook - all day!

Mom, however, put on a fishing clinic for us. She won in all three categories: first fish, biggest fish, and most fish! She was awesome! Darby even started to get a little mad and had to change rods so he could feel the bite better. He started to catch up, but it wasn't enough to beat mom's total of five keepers! Of course I only got a picture of the smallest one.

The boys kept yelling at me when I wanted to take pictures of all the fish. "We're not tourists!" I ended up being the only one without a keeper for the day. I did catch three, but they were all just a little too little. Oh well. It was a great day on the lake! Thanks, boys, for letting girls in your boat!

first things first

2008-06-10T23:39:00.005-05:00

So I have a bit of catching up to do in the way of blogging. But first things first. Most of you know I have a bit of a weakness for bags - I don't know why. But I also just so happen to have an amazingly talented friend who must have a bit of the same weakness as I do......only she can make her own instead of having to save her hard-earned money to buy the one bag she just has to have! Okay, so for me it's usually more than just one.

I say all this because I bought a new bag last week! Surprised? Don't be. I bought one tonight too, but that's a whole nother blog! This one is really cool though because my friend, Naphtali, made it for me!! Here it is in all its glory...

I love it! It's completely functional - I've been carrying it to work for the last week and even took it up north for the weekend. It has tons of room for all my junk (trust me, there's lots of that) plus it's super cute! So go check out the rest of her stuff at www.secondstreetdesigns.etsy.com. And, no, she didn't put me up to this - I just think she's that good!

Testing 1, 2, 3.......

2008-06-04T09:51:00.001-05:00

Just having a little fun with a new layout. Whatdya think?

Sorry.....no pics!

2008-06-03T11:45:00.010-05:00

I know I promised some of you that I would post pictures from our little get-together on Friday night. Well, unforunately the batteries in my camera decided to die at the most inappropriate time. But thankfull Naphtali was there with her amazing photo skills to save the day!! Thanks, Napht! So if you're just dying to see some awesome snapshots of the evening.....click here.

It's just what I do........

2008-05-29T10:06:00.002-05:00

Here's a little technical insight into what I do every day. (when I'm not painting my nails or blogging...)

From the deposition of a neuropsychologist:
A. May I give an example of this?
Q. Sure.
A. Okay. If you look -- and the example is this. Our brains are a miracle. Okay. They're a miracle that needs to be protected. And if you look at the court reporter right now, as an example, okay, this is a miracle in progress happening right before your eyes.

Let me just explain what she needs to do. I am speaking, so the information has to come in through her ear into her temporal lobe, and it has to go log itself into the language center. She has to be able to comprehend what I'm saying. Then it has to get rerouted to the prefrontal cortex where it has to hold -- she has to be able to hold the information, because, you know, I continuously talk so she has to hold it, right? Then she has to analyze it, integrate it and synthesize it. Then it has to go back to the cerebellum and she has to be able to execute this, and she has to be able to then convert my words into those little squiggly marks. Have you ever seen court reporters have little squiggly language things? So she has to convert it into a different language, and the white matter tracks allows her to reroute all of this information simultaneously without effort.

We take our brains for granted. She's sitting here. I'm probably talking too fast for her, but she's able to do this simultaneously. Seamlessly.

No animal on the planet can do this. All right. That's why I believe court reporters will never be replaced. Because no technical -- no technology could replace the beauty of that brain and the miracle of that brain. And that's why your brain should always be protected and you should take care of it.

The Weekend

2008-05-27T22:43:00.005-05:00

Guess I'm a little slow at this blogging business. Sadly, the best time for me to blog is at work, but my computer doesn't have a usb drive for me to upload my pictures easily. And when I'm at home on my computer I usually forget. Anyway...here I am ready to blog about last weekend!

Anna and I got out our green thumbs on Friday night and went to the nursery to pick out flowers! It was so much fun! We filled our two tin barrels - one with pansies (they might be petunias, I get them mixed up) and the other with impatients. And then we put a shepherd's hook with a hanging plant in the middle and then hung another hanging plant on the corner of the roof of the house. I added the flags to border the flower bed - since it was Memorial Day and all and the 4th is soon approaching! Actually the flags will probably stay all summer - I think they're approprite, holidays or not! Our lilacs were blooming too, so we picked some lilacs and some of the blooms from our flowering crab tree. They look nice in our fancy wine glass!

Saturday morning I cleaned and swept out the garage (in case it rains on Friday during our party - we'll have a shelter). Then when Anna got home from work we planted the flowers. I also repainted the railing to the front door and the trim on the front window. Anna did some work on Monday too, transplanted some hostas from the backyard to the front and then planted some tomatoes, onions and red peppers in the backyard. She's more the gardener than I am. I think it all just looks pretty - she actually knows what she's doing! But needless to say, Steph was pretty impressed when she came home from the weekend and saw all the changes!

Office Politics?

2008-05-24T19:27:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday my hilarious officemate, MaryJo, declared that we needed to name our plants. I've had a little plant I've been trying to grow since February that she reminds me daily to water. She thought it would be easier if the plants had names so she could say, "did you water so and so today?" instead of "did you water your plant?" So after thinking for a while I named my plant: Sprout! And I named hers Lurch. You can probably tell by the pictures which one is which. I think the reason Sprout isn't growing much is because Lurch is hogging all the sunlight. We'll see how the summer goes.

But one morning after I had been diligently watering and watering little Sprout I came to work and MaryJo had put the little plastic flower in my pot! I was like, "MaryJo, LOOK!!!" As soon as I said that I realized the flower was fake. She got me good!

And who says work can't be fun!?!

Seabrook

2008-05-20T21:57:00.003-05:00

I'm back! I'm back! Wow, what a fun weekend in the sun! Gorgeous weather, beautiful beach, great ministry from the Word, and fabulous new friends and some old ones too! I won't bore you with details, so if there's something you're dying to know, feel free to ask! We spent three hours on Saturday just lying on the beach soaking in the sun and the amazing view. Jenn and I took a power walk on Sunday afternoon to work up a sweat and then since Jenn was fried from the day before, she covered up and laid on the beach while me and two new friends, Jenny and Kim, walked along the beach in the water!

Paul Bramsen was the speaker for the weekend. He shared a little on he and his wife's ministry in Senegal and then we spent the rest of the weekend in the tabernacle! Great messages! Fabulous weekend!

I caved!!

2008-05-15T11:49:00.000-05:00

I finally succumbed (did I use that word right?) to the pressures of blogging!! I said I would never do it, but here I am. Guess that's what happens when you're THIS bored at work!

So it might take some time for it to look very pretty, but welcome to my blog!

I'm off tomorrow for a weekend of sunshine on Seabrook Island in South Carolina. I'll try to take some pics to post after the weekend. I'll be attending a bible conference held on the island, which is just outside of Charleston. I was there in November and had a fabulous time. The weekend promises to be in the 80's so I'm definitely looking forward to that and of course some great fellowship with other believers! Jenn and I fly out tomorrow morning.......so see you next week! Bon Voyage!!