jules' jewels

Spring Break Highlights

2010-04-13T20:17:00.011-05:00

being a teacher has it's perks! i was able to enjoy a spring break this year - and really, it couldn't have come at a better time! it was time for a break from my monsters:) lol!

here are some pictures that highlighted my break:

serena and kaden smiling through the sunshine in IA :)

horak family

jason and julia with baby on the way in may!

jessica and me

grandma holding the happiest serena the world ever knew:)

sisters!

hiking in AZ

gorgeous weather, and amazing views!

eric and i at the top of our "mountain" hike (4 miles)

refreshment!

2010-02-27T19:43:00.002-06:00

"a friend loves at all times..."

my best friend jessica visited me for 2 weeks! it was very refreshing to have her here - to have someone to share days with, have girl chats, go shopping, eat out, watch tv/movies, cook/bake, and to share in weekend days off. one of the biggest blessings of having her here was to have her help me transition into a 1st grade classroom. she helped me not only clean and organize the room, but to be an extra hand in the first few days i was teaching. thanks girl, miss you and love you!

a day of fun...

2010-02-17T20:51:00.009-06:00

...and a lifetime of memories. i love my little sister so much! there isn't a closer bond than what sisters share, and i am so blessed to have her in my family. whenever i am home, we always plan to have a sister date. it is just something we do that doesn't get put on the back burner:) today she turned 23, and i will admit i'm very sad to be hundreds of miles away, missing out on her birthday wishes, birthday song, birthday cake, and birthday presents! (yes, i say birthday presents because i used to "take over" her gifts, lol... like big sisters should) hehee...:) i love you jessica, and hope your day was very memorable! happy birthday!!!

pictures from "julie and jessica's 'day of fun!'" lol! for 4 days over christmastime, southern MN had snow relentlessly dumped! by the time it was all said and done, we had gotten at least 2.5 feet in about 2 days. needless to say, we had SO MUCH FUN getting rid of the drifts (ok, and playing in it, too!)

snowy sister shot!

jess working on our snowman (with super cool hay-hair!)

jess making a snow angel and josie climbing around on her because jess kept squealing getting josie all worked up:) lol!

jess and josie were running back up to the garage and tripped in the deep snow in a laughing heep!

jess playing when she was supposed to be working ;) hehee... josie kind of begs for attention at times though, so hard to resist the puppy eyes:)

to have a bff

2010-02-16T20:37:00.001-06:00

some people just know how to be there for you through the thick and through the thin. jessica and i met in january 2005 in college as roommates by being fellow transfers. we were blessed with a close bond in just 3.5 years of being roommates. after we graduated in May 2008, we continued (and continue) to keep in touch even though we have moved across the country from each other and lead separate lives. she is one of my dearest friends, and i feel like i've known her forever:)

she flew in last week to visit, as we were both dying to spend time together again! little did we know that God had a plan in her being here (besides for her to enjoy the beautiful 60º weather!) hahaa:) i found out the day after she got here that i would be taking over a 1st grade class the coming week (which is already tomorrow!). it seemed like perfect timing that her visit would include my big transition into yet another room. we worked in my new room from 7:30 this morning until 5 tonight and it is soooo transformed!!! (pictures to follow soon!) the custodians worked a "mary poppins miracle" in the cleaning and arranging of the room, and jessica followed close behind with that as she organized, put up bulletin board papers and posters, and did her own fair share of cleaning. i never heard a discouraging word out of her mouth during our long day... what an encouraging friend! i am so blessed to feel the sunshine she spreads and i know i would have never gotten the room ready for tomorrow without her help all day today! THANKS JESSICA!!! LOVE YOU:)

why blog?

2010-02-12T07:52:00.001-06:00

...to share fun news!!! maybe this post will catch your eye if my others haven't as of recent ;) this news is definitely worthy of your time to read (although i do not have any pictures yet but there will be some to come hopefully early next week!) because i need your support and prayers in this.

i was asked yesterday after school to assume a 1st grade teaching position for the rest of the school year! i have quite a large mix of emotions... i am definitely excited for the opportunity and class of my own! however, there are some sad feelings in leaving my job as interventionist with level 2-3 low or struggling readers. i have built relationships with nearly 55 students in 3rd-5th grade and worked with them for about 6 months to overcome challenges and apply strategies in their reading. it will be quite a mental switch to go from that focus to 1st graders:)

today is my lesson planning day - i will be catching up on where the other 5 current 1st grade classes are in their curriculum, and writing lessons for "my class" for next week! i will also be planning out procedures, discipline routines, class rules, enforcement ideas, organizational ideas, along with those plans. sunday-tuesday (monday we have off as it's a holiday, and tuesday they will put a sub with my 1st graders so i can work on our room) will be days that i can be free to move into my new room (room #3 for me this school year, lol!) and rearrange, set things up, do bulletin boards, and just prep. i am very thankful at God's timing in allowing my bff jessica to be here visiting for a week:) she will be a huge help in getting everything set and good company in this possibly stressful amount of time i have to get ready!

i start teaching my 1st grade class on wednesday!! i would appreciate prayers and any encouraging words you might have for me and i do thank you so much for that! the class especially struggles in areas of discipline which has hindered their learning. i know that anything is possible with God and that by following His path for me, He is leading me to a new, challenging, although exciting place in my career.

happy friday all! :) *and long weekend for me, woohoo!*

room update!

2010-02-02T23:22:00.001-06:00

so back in the end of october, i was asked to move my "classroom/office space" outside to a portable (see my october post). i had a lot of furniture to move around, and of course things to get up on the bare walls, and things to fill the empty shelves. here are updated pictures from back in november:

looking to the right when walking in the front door

looking straight ahead when walking in the front door

all my fun children's books!!! (my favorite thing to collect!)

the left side of my "space" in the portable is storage - so i didn't include pictures:) ...it's just a bunch of stacked up desks/tables, etc.

bright colors

2010-01-29T23:37:00.000-06:00

i do love bright colors! back in december i visited hobby lobby and got some cool plates and bottles to go along with my color scheme of green, black, and white in my kitchen. i also made the trek down to Austin to the IKEA store to find something to hang above my kitchen sink and found a really cool, shallow, metal bowl and hung it.

saying goodbye to 2009

2010-01-27T20:53:00.002-06:00

i love my little sister jessca!

jason, julia, and kaden

jordan, jennifer, serena, and macy :)

my boyfriend eric got to visit/meet my family over new year's

grandma with her grandkids:) LOVE this picture!!

family pictures

kaden & aunt julie

aunt julie holding serena

during my break in MN, i was able to meet up with some great "old" friends... the VOP...

...met up with beth over coffee in minneapolis

...'breakfast' for supper with laura & kasee!!!

celebrated my 25th birthday with mom and jess <3

sister picture - so fun to spend my winter break together!!

christmas*blizzard

2009-12-26T17:48:00.000-06:00

jess & i enjoying the snow storm... may as well since we were snowed in for 3.5 days!!

we shoveled LOTS of snow...

...for 2 days!

josie enjoyed the snow too:)

snowin' like crazy!!!

pretty snow-covered pine trees in the back yard

jess & i made a snow man/pyramid ;) hehee!!

kitchen progress

2009-12-21T20:35:00.009-06:00

goodbye wallpaper, and hello fresh coat of paint! mom and jess have worked hard to rid the kitchen wall of the 12-yr old wallpaper, and mom got the primer on over last week. sunday we decided to start right in to painting and we finished up that night! YAY!! it looks so nice, we are really loving the change:)

i did the roller

and mom did cutting in with the paintbrush

below are a few snapshots around the room:

...i will post the finished product when we have it all back to normal and organized!

quick little visit :)

2009-12-17T21:13:00.012-06:00

i was SOOO lucky to have part of my family visiting texas!! :) julia and kaden are spending some "holiday time" with her mom over the weekend, and decided to make the trek up to killeen for an afternoon visit! we had a nice lunch at wendys, and kaden was in rare form - had julia and i laughing so hard with all his silly facial expressions! then, i took them on a quick walk through of my apartment and back to school for a tour and some "showing off" of my nephew, of course! we spent quite awhile in my portable/classroom, too (so sweet of julia to stay for awhile!). kaden was adorable and kept picking books off my book display and bringing them over to me... then proceeded to climb up on my lap for story time. i loved that and will never forget that special time.

kaden enjoying his lunch with julia and i in TEXAS:)

snapshots of his cuteness...

laughing with mommy while hanging out in my classroom

sitting with me at my desk. thanks for the visit (and 'smile') kaden! and thanks julia - i love you guys SO much!!!

spreading christmas cheer!

2009-12-10T21:08:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas to one and all!

my aqua and silver tree - MY FAVORITE :)

some fun decor - i found that i am very attached to and love all sorts of mini trees:) they are such cute, happy little things!

other decor on my side table

counting blessings

2009-11-28T23:40:00.000-06:00

there is so much to be thankful for in this past year. a lot has changed when i look back a year ago today... i am just amazed as well as grateful at how God has guided my path so exactly. i am thankful for a supportive family, sweet friends, a wonderful job, great co-workers, a beautiful place to live, and being able to be home over the holidays. i love my family so much, i am happy to have spent time with all of you over Thanksgiving!!

spending thanksgiving with my sweet family - missed jordy, jen and serena!

one of the very special blessings in my life!

and yes, that is my brother ;) lol

happy belated birthday to jason!

...so we decorated for christmas, AND i got to see snow! YAY!!!

me putting up the tree

jess putting up the tree!

kaden and i - he is looks like such a big boy!

i love this picture - serena was so smiley!

us sisters :)

our family (minus jordan) at church with grandma

girl cousins on the gonigam side

it was wonderful being with cousins, aunts, and uncles again!!

i finally get to hold my little niece, what a dolly!

jess and i at carly and mike's wedding

my new space!

2009-10-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

I was asked to move! Yes, that's right - my 10th week into school - thankfully on a lovely 75º day - I was asked to pack up my stuff, take down my decor, and switch to a new space so they could use my current room for future testing. SO :) I ended up having time today to pack up cart-full after cart-full and roll it out to the portable. It was a gorgeous day for the task... and as you can see, there is still a lot of work to be down out there before it will be Julie-ized:) Here are some pictures:

my new "classroom/office" space - outside the back of the school in a portable!

Looking across the way back toward the school (see the ac units by that basketball pole? The one in the middle is where my old space used to be inside the school).

All of my stuff I had to bring over from my other room - 4 carts full :)

Me - super duper excited about moving and setting up my stuff agian ;) lol

I have 4 windows in this room - which is VERY fun!! (My other room didn't have any windows.) This is the view out one of my front windows looking back toward the school/recess area.

Coming in the door, looking to the right side...

Coming in the room looking to the left (most of this stuff is supposed to be taken out of there... the portable was being used for storage before I was asked to move in there, thus the "mess" of furniture).

Miss Ra?? how do you say it again? :)

2009-09-24T17:40:00.007-05:00

there has been some interesting days now that i am running around from room to room all day everyday :) i would say one of the funniest things to get used to is kids yelling out my name: HI MISS RA.....!!!! hahaa they mean well, and i know it is not easy to figure out how to say my last name -- i appreciate their tries. you know - all the normal ones: raaaaaaab, ravee, rab (long /a/, no /e/ at the end)... hehee :) most of my fellow staff have it down, and i am patient to take time out to help them figure it out: "it's miss r a b EEEE" - and sometimes i add - "it sounds like the disease" HAHAA :D hey, it helps!

i've got my room all set up and decorated, so i'll share pictures here:) i am doing mostly inclusion work in the student's classrooms right now, and will do more pullouts as state testing nears. so, for right now, my classroom is my office where i spend about an hour total of my whole day! my school day looks like this:

7am - hope to be headed out the door IF i want to stop at starbucks on my way :) this is either a favorite monday or friday thing to do to get all "PUMPED UP" to face either the week or weekend, lol.

7:25 - arrive at school, smile and wave at all the "quiet" 1st-2nd graders watching tv in my hall as i walk in the side doors of the school. i spend time checking my email, unloading my bag, and prepping for the day.

7:45 - i walk up to the front doors and walk pre-K and K students to their classes, and after the 8 o'clock tardy bell rings, get them late slips :( and walk them to class.

8:10-8:45 - enrichment time! during this time, the teachers select students out of their rooms to tutor, while all the aides and specials teachers step in (1-2 per classroom) and teach a mini lesson to the rest of the class. i do enrichment M(3rd grade)W(3rd grade)Th(2nd grade)F(1st grade). it's really a pretty fun time, and i get to teach a whole class for a little bit nearly every morning of the week :)

8:50 - my schedule begins. i am in 4 to 5 classrooms by the time 11:45 LUNCHTIME hits :) i have lunch til 12:15 in the teacher's lounge, then have conferencing or planning time in my room or in the office until 1.

1pm - my schedule starts back up and i have 3 more classrooms to hit before i head down to the back doors to organize bus lines. we are always hoping buses are loaded by 3:45, and on a good day - they are! i head home anywhere between 4:10 and 5... depending on how long buses take, what i had going on that afternoon/logging, or what is coming up for the next day to prep.

i am loving my job! this week has proved to be challenging with running my schedule past the teachers and being patient as they are working me into their classtime to pull chidren aside for extra help. i can't believe tomorrow begins our last weekend in september. parent/teacher conferences are right around the corner october 1st. wow!

i am so grateful for how God has blessed me. i am feeling quite content and happy here in Texas. continue to pray that i find a good church and make some new friends - and i don't mind adding "and that it'll happen SOONER THAN SOON" :):) hahaa! thanks! i am SOOO eager for a break to go see family and friends. 57 days until i'm in the midwest for carly's wedding and the THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY!!!! :D

2 wks in Texas

2009-08-20T00:11:00.005-05:00

yes, that's right. this post comes to you from the land of cactus, cowboys, trucks, dust, and heat:) sadly, i am not going to upload pictures for this post because: 1) i am using my macbook which has no pictures saved on it, and 2) my dell (which has my pictures on it) won't connect to my apartment's internet that i just got ERRR :\ anyway! i can give an update in writing:)

as i look back on these past 2 weeks, i first of all start thinking - it's only been 2 weeks? it really does seem like it's been a lot longer than that!! it seems so long ago that i said my WI goodbyes, saw my family, packed up, said MN/IA goodbyes, drove clear down here, got things set up at my apartment, started finding my way around the city, and of course beginning my JOB! :) i know i owe much thanks to God for how smoothly everything has been going. i have had no problems (besides normal, tiny "snags") in the whole moving process, and even throughout these past 2 weeks - only smooth, happy days (don't get me wrong, sometimes it feels quite lonely!). but the matter of the fact is, i have felt blessed beyond what my expectations were to be living down here... i know this is a great, new direction.

one big thing that i have to get used to is the weather! it has rained one time in the 2 wks i've been here (and the total 16 days i've been in the south). that is crazy:) it is strange to not wake up in the morning wondering if it's going to be sunny or cloudy. it has always been sunny:) part of me feels like since it doesn't rain, the sun just FRIES everything! maybe it's just because i'm a minnesota girl - but the sun just penetrates everything, even my WHITE car. hahaa! is that a good way to explain it? hotttttt...:)

another thing i like to look back on is my first step into my new home/apartment - i moved down with my car full, and my mom drove a van full. most everything in our vehicles was house-hold items. the only furniture i brought was a chair, bookcase, and bed stand. while mom and jess were here with the van, i was able to find a futon, side table, tv, and tv stand :) we had fun, and i am so grateful to have found some things to fill up all the WHITE in my apartment. my apartment is starting to look like home, and hopefully within the coming month, i'll have new pictures to share.

my new job is going great so far! although school hasn't started yet (it starts monday), i sure can tell it's coming:) i have been through a week and a half of induction/inservice into the ISD here, and let me tell you, i'd better be prepared after sitting through all those sessions 8-4 everyday! ;) and, the past 2-3 days, i have put in many extra hours at the school, media center, and then home cutting/prepping displays/curriculum for my room. today was a teacher workday, and my room made a little progress, so i hope that by monday i can have it all SET! 'meet the teacher' is tomorrow night (thursday) - THAT will be SO exciting:) we will actually see the children!

the city here is BUSTLING. it seems to ALWAYS be stuffed with traffic and people:) there's something about the "busy-ness" in madison/milwaukee areas... but... then there's the "busy-ness" of HERE! and O MY, there is a difference:) it seems like no matter where i'm at, there are MANY people, like almost uncomfortably, too many (with the exception of office max, where i only saw maybe 12? LOL). another everyday occurrence here as opposed to where i lived in MN/WI, is to see military men/women in every other car/truck i see, or in every store/restaurant i am in! it is really neat, though, to see first hand how the town is impacted by, and works with, supports, loves, and honors these troops everyday. what a neat thing to be more directly apart of now, with fort hood only 2-3 miles away.

hopefully that gives you some insight into my two weeks here:) thank you for your prayers and support. i know it is through amazing grace that i am sitting in texas - excited, happy, and content...

my sweet little niece

2009-08-03T11:22:00.006-05:00

my little niece serena kay was born to my sister jennifer and her husband jordan on july 31st, at 10:42am. she weighed 7.3lbs, and was 19 1/2 inches long. she is perfect and healthy in every way:) here are some pictures!!!

my turn to hold her!SOOOO pretty in pink!!mom, dad, and babygirl - happy new little family!

spring highlights, 2009

2009-06-04T22:10:00.000-05:00

the last time i blogged, i was hoping we were moving on from all the winter teasers... and at this point in the spring, i am happy to say that i am far from posting about more snow:) however, i do feel bad it has taken me that long to get to posting again. interesting to think i was the one in our family that started the blogging, and i'm one of the worst at getting to it these days. of course between the last post (in march) and this post, i have taken over 700 more pictures, i will not come even close to posting them all. but i will post some, so here are some highlights since then, and hopefully there will be more to come soon:)

my nephew kaden, soon to get a cousin, and just the cutest little guy you'll ever see!!!

what a colorful picture. i love my sisters!

us girls with mom, grandma took the picture.. it was a gorgeous evening!

kaden loved watching the ducks and fish while we waited for our food...

at the lake/channel inn for supper! me and my little sister! <3

wish we all lived closer...

out with my EC college girlfriends - misty and megan, LOVE THEM!

good to see these friends again, and to have my sister travel with me to IN!!

my visit to go see kasee over memorial day weekend - kasee, mady, me.

uncle jordy with little kade - chillin

all the girls, we had such a fun day together at the fest!

sisters, together at the tulip festival

tulips at the tulip festival we went to in IA!

me and my older sister jennifer - pregnant and due july 22!

laura and i at a brewers game together! so GREAT having them live so close to me!

beth and i at her bridal shower

moving on yet?

2009-03-08T19:45:00.007-05:00

as i post this, i'm thinking of jason and julia who are lucky enough to be on vacation in TX! and here i sit, posting about our unfortinate snowfall once again in the midwest:) hahaa!
so, for a couple weeks now, our weather has proven to be true "wisconsin" weather! since the end of february and now into the beginning of march, we have had quite a few nice "teasers" weather-wise. for a couple days in a row, we'll have a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid 40's to 50's! and then, a day will hit (like the weekend mom and jess came to madison for a weekend) and we'll get like 6 inches of snow!!! well, it happened again - for the last three days, it was gorgeous - in the 50's and so nice and sunny! THEN! the weekend hits, and we get cold rain DUMPED on us, and by the afternoon, our rain turned to snow... take a look:)

a picture of mom's car from our weekend in madison - burried in a couple inches of snow! i had to trudge through about 6 inches in my heels sunday morning to clean it off!

yup, i trudged through it - threw my purse in the car and was like - i HAVE to get a picture of this:) it's CRAZY! it was like 45 degrees yesterday! lol

and then, here i am today - drove to and from milwaukee in pouring rain (what a mess!) and got back this afternoon just in time to look out the window and see huge flakes coming down!

SO -- are we moving on yet?? tomorrow they say sunny and 40's again! hmmm;) now i'm a little skeptical!

so far in 09

2009-03-01T15:17:00.035-06:00

i can't believe i skipped a whole month of blogging. wow, to think i used to be so dedicated! i guess now that i'm not in college i don't take as many pictures as i used to, SAD! but so far 2009 has kept me busy, and given me some highlights to blog about:)

first of all, the end of january, my family all met up in des moines at joje's for a weekend. that was my first time seeing their new house. we had a lot of fun:

jess and i :)

jen & jess

me playing with kaden while we waited for some lunch at cracker barrel

such a handsome little man in a suit!

alright, jess and i were laughing SO hard - my feet were FREEZING on our way to church in my heels, so i used jess's gloves:) lol

goofing off at the house with the color app on jess's cam:)

jason trying to make my face (above) ?? who knows:) he was a busy painter in jen's kitchen all weekend.. what a sweet brother!

to keep avoid the paint fumes at joje's house, we spent time walking the mall with my favorite little man of all time:) i heart him!!!!

a tradition with jessica - we guess gum colors at the 25 cents machines everytime we see them:)

see what i mean? he is a serious shopper!!!

simply adorable! we can't pull these off, but he sure can... when isn't he the coolest???

serious about this look apparently:)

my precious little boy:)

kaden and dad playing at the paint shop while jen picked kitchen paint colors - he had so much fun with those stacking cups. he loved dad stacking them and him getting to knock them over!

my car buddy on the way from cedar rapids to des moines:) he was such a giggler that trip!!

THEN! jessica came to visit me from NH to WI for a WHOLE WEEK mid-february!!! we had such a great time, and i am thankful beyond words that this worked out:) SO - here are highlights from that week:

together again, it made me SO happy:)

shopping and movie day with my jessicas!!

happy birthday to my little 22 yr-old sister:) she's the best little one i could ask for;)

AND -- lastly -- for awhile anyway, although hopefully not a whole nother month of NO BLOG -- mom, jess, and i spent a week in madison together!!! it was interesting for the fact that WI has had normal cold weather, but not a lot of snow recently. however! the weekend that they come visit ends up being the weekend with the most snow we've gotten in months!! anyway, we were going to explore madison - but, we stuck to enjoying our hotel, the hot tub, and the mall across the street:) we tried on some fun dresses while we were shopping..:)

wroo wrooooo! she's just beautiful of course:)

was so fun spending time somewhere WARM when it was a blizzard right outside the window:)

always having fun with her!

us with M.O.M. :)

christmastime smiles!

2009-01-19T19:34:00.009-06:00

being home with family over the holidays was more than i could have ever wished for this year, mostly because i didn't expect it to happen with being in wisconsin with my job situation! it meant so much to be together, and to have more than a 2-day weekend together. we had a great time as always, and i left my time in minnesota counting many many blessings!

such a big, happy boy... growing up so fast!

jason, julia, and kaden with his new "clippity-clop" pony from grandma and aunt jessica:)

jennifer, jordan, macy, AND!!!!!!!!!! - baby:) eeee!

the cute boys relaxing together on sunday afternoon! they are ADORABLE!!!

my sisters, i love them!

me hanging out with my snuggly nephew:)

my wonderful family, together again - christmas 2008. i am so blessed!

party time in IA

2008-12-29T18:32:00.000-06:00

to celebrate kaden's 1st birthday, most of our family was able to meet up at jason and julia's house! julia made some beautiful cakes, great food, and of course kaden provided great entertainment! the party was full of all-you-can-eat cake and ice cream, presents, and many laughs! here are some pictures of the birthday festivities:the birthday boy and his parents

the great cakes julia made!

happy birthday to kaden, happy birthday to YOU!

he LOVED the cake :) SCORE!!

such a busy boy opening all his birthday presents!

opening some more!reading the book aunt julie gave him:)sitting around with his new toys, presently playing with the wrapping paper, lolhim and i taking turns! what a fun new toy;)

seems like yesterday...

2008-12-22T23:05:00.000-06:00

...i was holding this brand new bundle of joy :) today, he celebrated his 1st birthday! it's hard to believe that time has passed us by so quickly, but as each day (or i should say month, since i usually only see him once a month maybe) goes by, i love observing and capturing each and every change, expression, accomplishment, and ANYTHING and EVERYTHING cute about this little boy, my nephew, kaden dean. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a very special boy!

december 22, 2007

i will love you forever ~ aunt julie

thanksgiving blessings

2008-12-10T22:25:00.000-06:00

for thanksgiving, most of my family (minus jen and jordan) were able to meet up at grandma's house in IL to celebrate the holiday together! it was a wonderful, encouraging time - great to catch up, and share laughs, memories, and fun times :) kaden was adorable the entire weekend - i cannot get enough of him!!! and, as an added bonus to the weekend getaway - matt and jess were up near chicago all the way from SC to visit some of his family... and being the amazing friends they are, stopped by and spent all day saturday with us! here are some pictures that highlight our weekend events:dad and kaden - so happy, nice and full of grandma's delicious thanksgiving feast!

friday night, we met up with uncles and aunts...

... AND COUSINS! :) it was great seeing everyone again! (missed you jen, jordan, and ash!)
and, as i mentioned above, look who is up in the midwest?!?!?!! words can't explain how long i've waited to spend an afternoon with my best friend again - we got a pedi/manicure and went to a coffee shop for a girl-chat :) i love her!

saturday night had us all standing in line and eventually thoroughly enjoying our time eating at RIP'S famous chicken... mmm! here's jaju! awwww :)

mom and julia @ RIP'S

jess & her husband matt went with us!

me with my two favorite jessicas!

kaden being cute (as always) while we waited in line for the best chicken ever :)

kaden dude and i hanging out together while everyone was packing their cars before church...

the fam with gram @ church sunday :)...parting shot...

I am truly blessed by all these people, thank you Lord.

to be an auntie AGAIN!

2008-12-03T18:00:00.006-06:00

God has blessed me once again with some EXCITING NEWS that i canNOT wait to share with you -- jennifer is expecting a baby in july!!! she told our family the wonderful news on sunday night after we all braved the snow storm to meet up with her and jordy in cedar rapids. i am SO excited, and very happy for them both! They will be great parents - loving and committed to helping this baby grow physically and spiritually. SO, i am eagerly awaiting the arrival of baby horak in july! and i can hardly wait :)

the happy parents-to-be! my sister jennifer and her husband jordan

(she's had a lot of practice already with our nephew kaden... he sticks to her like velcro whenever she's around him ;) hahaa!)

before & after

2008-11-09T22:45:00.000-06:00

i have LOVED every minute of my "blonder" days... however, i figured now it's fall, and i'm ready for some change :) after a summer of highlights lightening up in the hot, glaring sunshine and getting blonder and blonder... i decided now to try something more near my natural color... take a look :)this summer - splashy fun highlights!

this fall - new color! dark brunette :)

another "before" shot, from this summer...more shots of my new color, as of saturday!from the side...
what do you think?? HOPE YOU LIKE IT :)

friends reunite!

2008-11-05T21:04:00.006-06:00

God often refreshes our spirit through the love and comfort of friendships. i have seen this more than once already this fall when it worked out for me to have a day with 2 very dear friends kasee and laura in chicago :) again, God blessed me 2 weeks ago with being able to see some more "old" friends. it was long overdue - had been over a year and a half since i'd seen either!on october 25th, joleen was in town with her husband paul, and i was able to meet up with them for a while in watertown. it was wonderful to be with both her and stephanie for a little bit - reminds me of when we all first were at maranatha together, back when we were single, younger, and neither steph or joleen had been dorm sups! WOW :) just average girls that had fun hanging out. i have missed her!me with joleen. SO great to see her lovely smile again :)

then, that afternoon, i drove up to green bay to visit my dear friend rachel. we picked up right where we left off, reminiscing stories from freshmen year when we were inseparable! we had the best times, and were the best of friends when it really counted :) she also shared her wedding pictures from last december, and i loved hearing the details of her special day. i value my friendship with her, and am so thankful how the Lord worked things out for us to meet up for a couple hours.

the reason rachel was staying in green bay is because she had her baby boy!!! her and ryan welcomed bradyn into their lives a week before i visited, and he was nearly 2 months premature. he was SO tiny when i saw him, almost unbelieveable!! rachel spent a couple weeks in the hospital with him as he gained strength. God worked things out for me to come meet this precious little miracle, and see some dear friends.

hALLoWeEn fun :)

2008-10-31T18:50:00.000-05:00

my ADORABLE class in halloween costumes! (minus 2, who were sick) and i went a little crazy myself and got somewhat into the "dress-up spirit" - i guess my coworkers said i looked like i was a punk rocker... hmmm:) anyway, i got the purple hair and some crazy sparkly-long eyelashes and a crazy light-up shirt... it was fun! and when we were at mcdonalds today, i kept thinking everyone was looking at me so funny, and then i'd remember that i had the crazy hair on, lol!

SO CUTE!!!!!! couldn't get enough of them all day :)

our "costume parade" down the street to mcdonalds for lunch!

some of the halloween crafts we've been doing in class...

...spider webs we made

my class in the spider hats we made, awwww :)

jessica's october visit

2008-10-13T21:25:00.017-05:00

Jessica came early early Friday morning to join me and 9 of my 3 year olds on a field trip to Ebert's Pumpkin Patch. It was SO enjoyable, and I loved having her apart of it all even in her extremely tired state.

the beautiful mums @ the farm

me with my kids

the pumpkin patch!

Saturday morning found us up by 8:15 getting ready for a sister date in Milwaukee! We headed out and our first stop was Cheesecake Factory because Jessica had never ever been there (unbelieveable! it's a must for EVERYONE!)... then headed to two of Milwaukee's malls to see the clothing "sites" (mostly ghetto, because, come on, it's Milwaukee!), and also got our nails done (our tradition)

On Sunday, we headed to church and then went out for lunch at Applebees, just the two of us!

Afterwards, we drove out to Delafield and had a lot of fun in Target trying on stuff and shopping through the different departments. Then, we headed to Coldstone to get some icecream and smoothies to befriend us on our walk through Naga-waukee Park (and no, I didn't make the name up!)

We visited Mrs. ONeil before heading to the evening service, and then spent the rest of our evening talking and watching a movie. This morning we got up and Jessica came to my preschool! It was so great having her in my classroom all morning. We went out for my lunch break, which is also when we parted ways :( It was a WONDERFUL weekend, hopefully refreshing for her as much as it was for me! LOVE YOU JESS!!!!!!!

girls day in chicago!

2008-10-03T18:23:00.014-05:00

the Lord blessed me in a perfectly-timed, wonderfully-wonderful way: meeting up with 2 of my best friends! :) last friday, i found myself leaving work at 5:30, headed for the beautiful city of chicago. there, i met up with laura!!!!! it seems like it's been forever since we've seen each other, but thankfully we've kept in touch monthly over the phone. we spent the evening talking and laughing just like old times! we were able to stay overnight in a super 8 and had a relaxing, unhurried saturday morning there to get ready for the day of F U N ! kasee met us there around 10! and the THREE of us FRIENDS hit up dunkin donuts before making our way out to the famous navy pier. here is a "photo journal" of our day together :)

laura and i on the riverwalk of lake michigan!

there's navy pier in the distance!!! (excitement is building!)

walking onto navy pier! :)

the three of us, and o, how i've missed these girls!!!!

we found someone to take our picture so we could catch the city in the background!

looking back down the pier to the city in the background, it really was breathtakingly beautiful! and so was the WHOLE day :)

looking out across the water!

us 3 friends on at the end of the pier, i love them!

walking down through the also famous: michigan ave.

laura and kasee on one of the busy street corners

leaving downtown - headed back up toward the riverwalk and our car

what a wonderful day, one i'll not soon forget. it was my first time to navy pier and michigan ave. and now i know what all the hype is about it! it's a super place to walk and walk and walk and see some beautiful sites and stores ;)

just for you, kiddd :)

2008-09-25T22:06:00.001-05:00

HI!!! here's some pictures

i have no idea why my head is tilted the same way in all the pics, what in the world, hahaa!

i love you so much, kiddd! thanks for the phone call tonight, it was special to me! xo

apple theme!

2008-09-25T21:39:00.003-05:00

for the month of september, the school year with my preschoolers began with a dressing/clothing theme, centered around weather and responsibilities. now, since the middle of september, the 2nd theme has been apples! we've been having a lot of fun with all sorts of crafts to do with real apples, painting apple pictures with eyedroppers and sponges, and working on the letter "A" sound. here's the 2nd themed bulletin board that i have done and it goes with our new theme!

dependence

2008-09-11T22:13:00.005-05:00

As I've been in WI, adjusting to a new job, different schedule, and being around different people (not my family :( i miss them!)... God has been teaching me a lot! And it was tonight, that I felt compelled to share what He has been teaching me. The verses I'm sharing have meant a lot to me, and it's hard to even share all that goes through my mind when I put some of my thoughts into words, but hopefully these verses and thoughts will be a "light" to you as well!
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105
Ever have days where you wonder what the future holds? How do I know if my current path is right? Am I following in the footsteps that God has walked before me? I am so thankful for God's Word. Isn't it true that when we are not consistently reading the Bible, seeking it's truth in decisions, and following God's commands we can never see the life God has planned for us? How can I possibly understand what God has for me if I'm not reading and taking to heart what He has written for me? He has laid out truth and promises that have gone down through the generations! What was truth and comfort to those in the "Hall of Faith" in Bible times AND also to my grandparents/parents can also be truth and comfort for me - God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! What a great promise!

"My flesh and my heart fails: but GOD is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26.
There are days (especially when working with little children!) that I feel like I could easily fail others, or myself, or have failed. Days when I don't make time to read my Bible and commune with God... then I sit there wondering why my patience, confidence, or emotions run thin. It is so true that God can make a difference in my everyday life. I was reminded tonight by one of my dear friends that everyday surrendering of my tasks and my burdens is something that God desires of me! (I Peter 5:7) He doesn't expect me to do everything on my own!

"And the peace of GOD, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
I am so thankful for my Pastor back home! Every Sunday after his closing prayer, he gives a benediction that comforts and strengthens my heart, and part of it is this verse (above). God's peace, and not my own ways to find peace or even comfort (in relationships, outlets of "fun," or talking to earthly friends) will ultimately keep my heart and mind on that which is true, satisfying, and strengthening! I love it that the verse mentions a peace that passes my understanding! It's something so wonderful and overwhelming, I can't even comprehend how it comes to be so encompassing!

school n stuff

2008-09-08T21:05:00.007-05:00

i know it might seem disappointing that i don't have many pictures from my new job. however, it's all going fantastic, to let you know! i really do love working with these little kiddies, and enjoy my job each morning. we are using mother goose curriculum, and my preschoolers seem to like the lessons and activities that fit into our day a lot. my typical "work day" runs from 8:45 to almost 6. i begin teaching at 9, and we continue until about noon. after lunch, the children have rest time, and that takes a good chunk of the afternoon, so i can get some prep work done! when they wake up, it is pure, wonderful chaos :) it sure keeps me and the other teachers/workers on our toes! in the afternoons we have childcare for nearly 35 kids, ranging in age from 2 through 1st grade. my fall bulletin board :)

some of my kids dressed up in animal costumes!

my labor day weekend

2008-09-04T20:48:00.002-05:00

i was so happy to go home for labor day weekend! what an exciting day friday was to finish up my 2nd week at kiddie kollege, and know that i was heading HOME for an extra long weekend. i am so thankful that i was able to spend time with just mom. it's been since last summer that it was just 'her and me.' we had some mother-daughter talks (as always, late every night ;)), shopped! (at a fun teacher store and penny's), sat in church together, went out to eat, had a movie and brownie night, and just had fun laughing and being together. she is always so happy to have me home, and that is so special to me because i love being home, too. thanks for the great weekend, mom! i love you so much :)

mom & i on sunday

on monday, i headed back to WI. (i left mid-morning so i could be back in the late afternoon to spend time with doug. he was in northern MN for the entire week helping a mutual friend of our's build log cabins and i missed him SO much and was quite eager and excited to see him again!) well, on my way back to WI, i met up with jess since she was heading back to MN from her family visit to IA. we stopped in albert lea to have a sister-chat over some coffee and a giant cinnamon roll :) mmm! i was happy to hear about her fun IA weekend, and tell her the details of my weekend with mom, plus my new job in WI, etc. i miss you jessca, thanks for meeting up with me for a couple hours! it was fun :)

the cute lakeside cafe jess found down in albert lea where we ate and talked

we sat outside while we ate, it was a beautiful view on such a beautiful day!

and here we are (looking a little tired from our weekends, but happy to be together at least, for a quick, too-short couple of hours!)

remembering this...

2008-08-31T21:06:00.002-05:00

sometimes when i don't have any new pictures to share, i like to look back through old pictures that are still on my computer. so, i took some time reminiscing through all that has been going on in the last 2 years or so, and picked out just a few of the many favorites that caught my eye and made me think back... so, here's a post just for fun:we went to a hockey game in milwaukee (spring of 2006)

when jordan had hair... (dec. 2007)see, because now he doesn't! ;) every summer...

when kaden dean was "brand new" (dec. 22, 2007)

jason picked this out for kaden before he was born (sept. 2007)

these girlfriends were engaged last fall and sat in my chapel row (oct. 2007), now were all married this summer :)

we were roommates for 3 years (taken dec. 2007)

friend-filled night!

2008-08-23T23:24:00.003-05:00

today i got in touch with some newly-wedded friends for some fun! we met up around 5 and headed out towards the oconomowoc/hartland area for mini golf, dinner @ seesters, and a walk on a beach as the sun set. what a great way to end my first weekend back in WI!!

misty & stevewe enjoyed all the funny little things out on the course...sooooo good to see her again! (do you like how we coordinated with jeans & pink ttops? :) ha!)a little snapshot of the putt putt courseTHEN! it was dinner @ seesters, a yummy mexican place right on the lakefront!
....so we took pictures while we waited!!misty & steve outside - it was such a fun atmosphere eating outside watching the pretty sunset across the road over the lake...ooooo! it was just soooo beautiful tonight!
such pretty colors with this sunset!mmmm!
just soaking in the artistic colors as we walked along the sandy beach :)
on our way back across the road to go home, what a happy night to look back on :)

the blessing of friends

2008-08-21T19:54:00.006-05:00

did any of you feel like you "grew up" too fast? i know i'm nowhere near being a "real grown-up" and i say that for some of you who are, say, 30+ ;) but, last sunday, i found myself with friends i "grew up with" during highschool years... and they're both married - one's a mom, the other is a mom-to-be. it's all so very exciting, yet at times i can't believe this is us! the girls who used to have slumber parties til all hours of the night (or should i say morning!), used to sing every chance we got, went on random & frequent picnics and outings, saw each other almost every other day... you know :) all that! practically sisters! i was talking with christa after church on sunday and we were laughing about how it seems like charity is only holding josiah (but really is now holding her own baby boy), and christa just is gaining a lot of weight (but is now expecting! hahaa!). it was a good laugh, but in my mind it takes time to soak in all the goodness of the last couple years. and what i mean by goodness is all the ways the Lord has not only changed our lives, but blessed us in the process. jessica is in good health once again, and is working hard towards a nursing degree; charity is a full-time mom, and a great home-maker for her new little family; christa traveled with her husband all summer serving the Lord, and is now expecting a baby! what i love is hearing how each of us keeps up with each other, stays busy in our every-day life, yet all find ways to let God use us - how wonderful that each one of us continues to stay close to our heavenly Father. i'm realizing how much of an encouragement that is. life gets busy, the miles grow - and although we are far apart, my friends will always be close to my heart.

jess and i with our married friends!charity, the already-a-mom & jess

christa, the mom-to-be & me

a full "sister weekend!"

2008-08-17T00:02:00.003-05:00

my last day of work was thursday, august 14th - and ever since then, i feel like i've been going non-stop! it's been full of fun, and i have loved my long "sister weekend" with jessica very much! here is a short "picture diary" of our 3-day adventure!

THURSDAY: THE MC FAIR

jess & me all ready to head out to the martin county fair!

we found mel and had dinner with him @ the 'lutheran kitchen'

we enjoyed hearing some of the oldies from the buckinghams

enjoying ourselves, listening to the concert

finally headed out to the midway for rides and some fair food/snacks!
FRIDAY: TOWN & THE RACES

driving out to clays to feed their animals before heading to fairmont for errands, dinner, and the races!

she calls him carmel :) attachment? nahhhh ;)

he is a cute kitten!

packed out for the races! it was so much fun to go again :) only my 2nd time this summer!
SATURDAY: THE LAKE!

the beauty of the day on the lake... a GREAT way to spend our last afternoon :)

it was a sunny, balmy 90 degrees today! mhmmm, LOVED IT!

thanks for all the fun, jess! a lot of fantastic memories made together in a just a couple days... but i know that God has blessed me the whole summer to be able to spend so much time with you!
i love you :)

july 26th weekend...continued

2008-08-06T23:44:00.020-05:00

so after tiffany and tim's wedding, other celebrations began :) we went back to grandma's house and celebrated mom's birthday early. sunday we all went to church together and ate out for lunch before everyone parted ways. grandma, mom, me, and jess all went to the mall in la salle to goof off :) we found an indoor black-light mini golf, so enjoyed that A LOT! we had such a fun weekend in IL!

happy birthday to our pretty mom!
mom & her 4 j's

classic jason face - really!

the whole fam at grandma's church

mom with jason, awww!

i just love kaden's face here, not to mention the pretty ladies, too :)

the girls & little k

what a boy :)

cute little smirk :)

jess hugging her favorite comic character :)

my lil sis :)

grandma & i

grandma & jess

jess & i in the black-light mini golf place - ooooo, ahhhhhh!

it was SO fun!!!! i'm glad we found it!

grandma and jess all ready to play!

mankato sister date!

2008-08-02T17:18:00.002-05:00

today, we both have the DAY OFF! jess off of school, and me off of work! so, we are in mankato on a sister date. we stopped in at panera for a little time online - chatting with each other even though we're right across the table and checking fb and blogging ;) now it's off to the mall to seek out clearance deals and looking forward to supper and a sister talk later tonight.

i just LOVE this kidddd :) now that i'm all "grown up" with a "real job," i have to leave my cute little sister. it's hard to express the feelings that well up inside me when i think of leaving home again... i know i'll greatly miss mom and jess, as well as our awesome church family and my town friends. the Lord blessed me with all of that this summer, and has now answered my prayers in providing a job. but, i want you to know, jess, that you'll be in my prayers as you work hard toward your nursing degree this coming school year... you can do it! i'm so proud of you :) i am already looking forward to my weekend visits to see everyone! xo

exciting week!!!

2008-08-02T16:46:00.016-05:00

after a crazy summer full of applying to many schools and sending resumes out every week, i am proud to announce that i have a teaching job lined up for the fall! i'll be teaching preschoolers! :) what a great find since i have an ec degree :) most likely, i'll be moving to WI sometime around the 15th of august. so the events of one week have been very exciting! A WEDDING of my cousin tiffany, where we also got to see much of our family! AND a JOB!!!

*here are the pictures from the wedding and reception! (with another post soon to come of the rest of the events of the weekend!)uncle tim walking tiffany down the aisle

the ceremonymr & mrs tim doubek!walking happily through the "just married" bubbles :)my favorite picture, they're soooo happy together :)getaway car!
jen & jordy at the reception

julia, kaden, & jason at the receptionawww! he was such a trooper with how long the day was!
mom & jess, they're so cute!one with our "maginog" cousins ;) (minus ashley, christa, tiffany & tim, though)
and here's our family - growing! (we didn't get aunt carla, christa, tiffany or tim, though - they were busy having fun dancing, and ashley who couldn't come)

WI weekend fun :)

2008-08-02T16:25:00.012-05:00

since my last post, much has happened, and i know there still more to come before i officially say goodbye to summer!

over the july 19th weekend, i was able to visit in WI - i sang in megan & ted's wedding over by milwaukee... such a pretty wedding!the wedding party

the happy couple! :) me & one of my favoritest girls :) such a beautiful bride!

mid-summer update

2008-07-14T18:04:00.018-05:00

family picture!!! wow, it's been awhile :)

where does the time go? how can it already be the middle of july? before i know it, summer will be over! we've already packed quite a bit into our schedules, and still plan to get a bunch more in with family and friends! i can't wait... still have a couple weddings coming up to go to, and family get-togethers, too!
i'm still praying for a teaching job for the fall. i had an interview in la crosse this past weekend, and will not be making a decision regarding it for a couple weeks. in the meantime, i continue applying to southwestern WI, hoping to hear from some public schools, and have even started applying to a couple in milwaukee. please pray with me that God's leading would be evident in my decisions and that if it's His will, i would hear from some of these public schools soon!
for now, i'm sharing a couple photos from the events of june to the beginning of july. time flies when you're having fun, and we have certainly had some fun times!!

the jason rabe family :)

do we look like twins? everyone says we sound alike :)

texas roadhouse with family, mmmmm!

we flew some kites on a sunday afternoon that jajuk & joje came to visit :)

he's so happy!

yup, we definitely have a soft spot in our hearts for this cute little kaden dean!!!

he's sooooo loved :) hahaa! just look at his precious face!

the happy bride & groom - andrew & laura kimbrough

all the beautiful bridesmaids

us girls with the bride-to-be at her rehearsal dinner

hanging out @ laura's bachelorette party

highlights, spring 2008

2008-06-15T16:18:00.012-05:00

"touring" the madison med-flight helicopter with my kindergarteners!

spending jason's first father's day in IA with jaju & k!

surprising jessica in greenville in february!

being home with jessica this summer!!!

spring break - seeing friends from home!!!

college girlfriends = movie nights and eating out!

my COLLEGE graduation!

2008-06-15T15:09:00.008-05:00

my family ALL came to see me receive my diploma :)

me & kaden, my adorable nephew!

me & jessica - roommate for 3 years - we did it!!!

on may 2, 2008 i graduated from college with a BS in elementary education and an early childhood minor! finally - after 5 years, NO MORE classes or finals and i am so excited to have a teaching license :) many thanks goes out to each of my family members and my friends, i couldn't have done it without your support and encouragement!!

my 4K kids

2008-05-10T12:12:00.006-05:00

here are pictures of my 4K students :) we had a great time together for the month of april. my favorite week with them BY FAR was when i helped them learn all about the circus. i planned to have time to play with a parachute (which resembles the feeling of being under a "big top"). we also took time to make costumes and dress up to act out different circus shows! they enjoyed it so much and were soooo cute! i have tons of pictures, but i chose just a few to share with you.

my 5th graders

2008-04-06T15:39:00.004-05:00

it's hard to believe where the last 2 months have gone! "my kids" are pictured above (minus 2). these boys and girls and i have had such a fun, memorable learning experience together :) i remember the anticipation building up to walking into this classroom, and now looking back, it seemed to go so smoothly (i know that is because of the Lord's strength). my supervising teacher was very encouraging and extremely helpful throughout my stay in her classroom. the students kept me smiling always! i absolutely LOVED teaching them! my supervising teacher told me on thursday "you have graduated from 5th grade all over again!" ...and now i'm on to preK special ed each morning, and K4 in the afternoon for the month of april. thanks for all the prayers and encouragement -- they are greatly appreciated!

SC surprise visit!

2008-03-01T14:24:00.010-06:00

saturday morning - together again!

their apartment

the general splendor of the day :) just beautiful out!out to eat at the macaroni grill! mmmm!the road down to their apartment - notice the pretty mountains in the distance!

these pictures are from my surprise visit to south carolina last weekend! matt told me he wanted to surprise jessica, and i was definitely all for it! i'm so happy it worked out, she had NO idea i was in SC until i walked inside their apartment in greenville!! we had a great weekend together - enjoying the 70 degree weather, sunshine, catching up, and just being together again! her and matt are so happy, thanks for the fun weekend you two!!!

7:30-3:30 weekdays

2008-02-21T18:34:00.001-06:00

my day starts at 5:45 when i wake up every morning, and get ready to leave by 6:55 for juneau. it is about a half hour drive, and it definitely has taken that long lately with all our crazy snowy weather! teachers and, yes, even student teachers are required to be at school monday through friday from 7:30 til at least 3:30. i get home ususally around 4.
this week has been so short! here is an overview:

monday was a normal school day, except that we had a snow storm all morning with lots of blowing snow. by 12 noon, we found out we'd have an early release day. so, at 1:30, we got to leave! that was a fun day, it seemed like a nice break.
tuesday, mrs. zastrow ended up calling me at 6:30 telling me her daughter was really sick, and she wouldn't be coming in to school to teach so that she could take her in to the doctor. well, i took down all her notes for the day, and she let me know we'd have a sub in our class to do some of the teaching that i wasn't covering yet. so i left a little early and got to school at 7:20, and started to find mrs. zastrow's things to organize them for the sub. then, the sub got there and we conferred about the day. then, she taught math, and after that, the school administrator came down and asked me if i was comfortable letting the sub go down to teach in 1st grade since they didn't have a teacher today. i really didn't care either way, although that means i'd have the 5th graders all to myself from 9 until 3:30!!! wow! the administrator came down to sit in the classroom while i taught. surprisingly, it went so smoothly, and my favorite part of the day was teaching science, which i had no prep for! we talked about the importance of the sun, earth and moon. we also got into a huge discussion on lunar eclipses, since one was happening wednesday night! that was a great day even after the surprise of teaching the entire day minus math! the adminstrator gave mrs. zastrow a good report about the day, so that made me relieved and happy that it will actually be possible to teach all the subjects in another week or two!
wednesday brought a busy schedule as mrs. zastrow was back, and trying to catch up with all the work we got done yesterday in her absence. then, we had a whole hour and a half taken out of our day with the new counter-act program starting with the local police department. they came in and talked to the children about being a good influence.
today was the last day of the week already since tomorrow is a teacher's convention. it is nice to be sitting here in a coffee shop, with nothing in the forefront of my mind on student teaching! i'm going to enjoy the weekend, i LOVE long weekends :)

so, as you can imagine, on tuesday after i finished teaching from 9-3:30, i got on the phone with my mom right away because i was so excited i was actually able to TEACH 5th GRADE all by myself and i'm only on week 4!!! :) it felt like i reached a milestone, it was such an accomplishment! i know that i could not be doing any of this without the faithful prayers of my friends and family, and i thank you all!!!

and now just for mom since she misses seeing my face -- here's a picture of me :) just from last night when i was on the phone with you. i know i could not do any type of teaching without your encouragement and example. i love you soooo much. thank you for everything!

little getaway

2008-02-09T20:30:00.000-06:00

this weekend, i made a somewhat last-minute decision to come visit jaju and kaden in iowa! i'm so glad it all worked out! my car got out of the shop friday morning, so mom and jessica drove it down here to meet me here on friday night. we are all enjoying the cozy weekend relaxation as it snows and blows around us outside... and of course i couldn't say a word without leaving some pictures of the cutest nephew on here :)
my second week of student teaching is now behind me! i can't believe how fast the time is going! i taught reading as my first subject this past week. the 5th graders did awesome as we covered a brand new theme in reading entitled Voices of the Revolution. this week, we read through a story on Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. I also taught them about author's viewpoint and the steps to writing a character sketch. so, on tuesday, when their sketches are due, we'll find out how well that went ;) i've thoroughly enjoyed this past week of teaching! mrs. zastrow (my supervising teacher) has been so encouraging and helpful, i have loved being under her mentoring. starting this monday, i'll add another subject along with reading: language arts/grammar. here's a picture of the school, and some of my classroom including the bulletin board i did with a February theme (which also has pictures of my students!) hopefully there will be more pictures of my students to come (eventually!)

an update!

2008-01-30T11:50:00.000-06:00

well, i'm all moved in and already started into my student teaching placement. so far, i'm loving it all! my apartment is coming along great, and we finally added some furniture to it, thanks to some very kind friends! it's a great place to come home to, especially with the cold weather!
i'm enjoying my first week at dodgeland a lot! 5th grade will definitely keep me on my toes, but the kids are great! there's 21 5th graders in my classroom with a ratio of 14 boys to 7 girls, so you can imagine it gets chaotic at times! this week i have been observing, but did get to do their reading lesson on my first day (my teacher must have a lot of faith in me, i had no prep and no idea i was going to do it!). i love it all so far! i am eager and a little nervous to start teaching my first subject next week... mostly because they have a crazy schedule that gives maybe 30 minutes per subject, but sometimes less, then off to something else... it all makes me wonder how i'll ever know the schedule by heart :) it changes every single day.
my teacher, mrs zastrow, is SO MUCH FUN! what a bubble of joy to be around. she has a lot of energy and cares so much for these kids. she's taught for 10 years, and multiple grades at that. she has a lot of experience, which helps to make her easy going yet very committed to helping these students learn. to all of these children, she is like their 2nd mom. i have already told her i admire her abilities and hope i can be the same type of teacher that she is...
thanks for your prayers, and keep them up! this is only the beginning. i'm sure there will be both easy and tough times ahead, there's still months to come! for today, i'm going to enjoy my "day off" ...i love snow days :)

i'm an auntie!

2007-12-22T23:59:00.000-06:00

a very happy aunt julie holding baby kaden! i LOVE him :)

family picture!

snuggling in daddy's arms

getting all cleaned up and cozy

newborn snapshot

My little nephew - Kaden Dean - was born this morning at 11:08. He weighs 9 lbs and is 21 inches long. He is just darling and such a cute little snuggler! It's been so fun to be here in IA with Jason and Julia and their precious new little bundle! What a sweet Christmas present!

COME SEE! virtual tour!

2007-12-11T21:50:00.000-06:00

welcome to my cozy little apartment on spring street! next semester, the Lord has provided a place for me to stay here in WI for while i am student teaching. i'll be rooming with a former classmate, amanda - a senior this year, and we are so thankful for this wonderful little living space we are renting for the next 5 months... come on in and take a look around - be careful not to slip on our fresh snow... it has really accumulated throughout the day!

jessica is standing at our front door. you walk in from the porch into the dining area.

this here is what you see when you walk in through the front door... a newly remodeled kitchen!

looking over the counter-top peninsula, you can see into the living room. the door on the right is a closet, the door straight ahead is our bathroom, and then to the left is the bedroom.

walking straight ahead now, here we have the bathroom. once again, it is newly remodeled. there is a full shower behind the door (opposite of the sink).

and now for the last room -- the bedroom. it has two windows. the one on the right in the picture faces out onto the porch, the other toward the street. this picture is taken from the corner where you walk in - you can see our closet space.

and this picture is where we end... looking out into the bedroom from inside of the closet. hi jessica! ;)and there you go! hope you've enjoyed your little stop. (mom! i hope you love it too and are happy to see the pictures!) i am very eager for my whole family to come see it in person - hopefully soon, but definitely in may when they come for my COLLEGE GRADUATION!!! some very generous friends are lending me a bed, table & chairs, and kitchen utensils to help furnish the apartment. the Lord has been so good in even these little details for a comfortable living space, i can't stop thanking Him for how this has worked out!

we got dumped

2007-12-11T21:20:00.000-06:00

well, here we are! we just got dumped on ALL day long. the snow was SO beautiful coming down all day in such huge flakes - millions upon millions of snowflakes were coming down which made everything soooo white out! here are some pictures to give you a feel of the snow accumulation we have gotten here in mid-Wisconsin in just 5 days - AND we got 7 more inches by the time it stopped today. will it ever end? i guess they won't be worrying about a white Christmas around here! ;) cracker has enjoyed it - he was COVERED - this is already the 3rd time i've had to clean off my poor car within 5 days, burried so deep. stephanie, jessica, and i had lunch together and snapped a picture quick before heading off to study for more finals!

snowyfun*

2007-12-08T23:30:00.000-06:00

jessica, julie, chelsea, dani, and kelli

here's just a series of snowy room 208 pictures we took this morning. it was a lot of fun climbing around on the snowy "mountains" we have in our melford parking lot! each of us couldn't believe how long it's taken us to get pictures together - but as soon as we got all of these snow days upon snow days, we definitely wanted pictures in the snow!

rAnDoM SeMeStEr PiCs

2007-12-02T00:20:00.000-06:00

these are just pictures from this fall semester. it's gone so fast, but here are some of the pictures in all the randomness that i want to share with you all. they are in no particular order :)

our whole rabe clan is extremely excited to see our family growing! i will be an aunt within THIS very month -- julia's due december 31st!!! jason & her are so excited! check out their blog to see progress on the nursery and her baby shower bounty :)

the first weekend in november, jen & jordan got to swing down to milwaukee to pick up a group from the airport to bring back up to northland. so, jen called me and i was able to drive over there for the evening. we went shopping, and had such a fun time just talking and laughing together. it was a highlight since this is only the second time they've been down this way in wisconsin since i've been going to school at mbbc!

One of the biggest blessings that this fall has brought me is being able to buy this car in september. it is a 1998 chevy monte carlo - and i LOVE it!!!

this is the timeline project that my group (megan, misty & i) made for our social studies class. we had to come up with an educational topic and design a timeline for it. and, for whatever reason - i thought up "the transcontinental railroad" and the "gold spike."
this picture comes from jessica's visit to wisconsin rapids for a weekend in the beginning of october. it was eventful - about 95 degrees that saturday and our van broke down at walmart, and then, sunday afternoon, we got to go shooting out at a farm - she showed off her sweet skills to her boyfriend... just some of the memories from her time with us :)
that sunday when she was up at our church extension, we took a picture together... makes me miss summer (even though this picture was taken in october - it was SUCH a warm weekend!)

my grandma passed through watertown the end of september on her way to stay with jen & jordan for a couple days. so, of course she came to see me and i got to give her a ride in "cracker" for the first time -- we drove to supper together @ perkins.

i love this picture! these are two of my very good friends -- megan & teddy. they got engaged the day after this picture was taken. he flew in to get permission from her parents AND ask her to marry him in the same weekend - brave boy :) so sweet. (this is also the girl i work with every week day at the daycare).

merry christmas from room 208! as of tonight we have our door decorated for christmas. we got our first big snow tonight, so we had plenty of time to do all the hw and projects that are due for next week as well as get the door all festive! it's weird to think this is the last time i'll put door decor up in the dorm - because i won't be here next semester! i love it though - you can give the credit to jess for putting the cool greens together to make up the tree :)

and look who came for a visit over this very snowy weekend?! helaine rozelle stopped in at maranatha for a couple tournament basketball games - although i think those were just her excuse to get down here and visit friends as well :) (she loves and misses you jessca!!!)

emiley sat with us in chapel on friday.

my jessicas

2007-11-29T00:45:00.000-06:00

Please remember to keep my little sister in your prayers. She is still battling some serious health issues, although God has recently blessed her with some encouraging test results from her most recent leukemia tests. We are praying for the doctors to make wise decisions and that Jessica's body will be strong once again soon. I praise God how He has been her strong tower and loving comforter. And, I thank Him for her positive attitude and will-power to reach for her goals. I love her with all my heart!
And this Jessica is getting MARRIED! Yes, that's right -- January 5th is her special day. She is marrying Matt, whom she met at Camp Ironwood in CA 2 summers ago. They are both dear friends of mine... and although I'm going to miss the close friendship that Jessica and I were "spoiled" with for 3 years as roommates, I am SO excited for her upcoming marriage and life with Matt.

Thanksgiving weekend

2007-11-29T00:38:00.000-06:00

I am always happy to spend extra time with my mom over my short but memorable breaks at home. I'm convinced that she's simply the best there is!
With our Gonigam cousins during our IL visit :) SO fun to see everyone again!

Jason & Julia on Thanksgiving Day - only a month and 2 days away from a little boy in their arms!!! :)

Mom, Jessica & I in Tampico IL @ President Reagan's birthplace. It was really fun to spend the afternoon with them and our Grandma - good idea Jessica!

Thanksgiving found most of our family joined together in Illinois. We always get to spend time with my mom's 3 brothers and their families. The fun part is that the family keeps growing - Tiffany and Tim recently got engaged, and it was great to finally meet him. We do miss the cousins that can't make it to every get-together anymore due to work, distance, or married life ;) Our family stays with Grandma and we spend Thanksgiving day with her, recalling God's goodness & blessing over the past year over a delicious meal. It was a wonderful break!

kevin charles

2007-11-12T19:30:00.000-06:00

My friend Charity had her baby boy last Sunday, November 4th, and was able to post pictures today! God has taken care of this precious little life, and I am soooo happy for my friends Seth & Charity! Congratulations! :)

birthday bash!

2007-11-09T08:30:00.000-06:00

we had the birthday bash of the year last night with a bunch of our friends - and look who came all the way from SC just for jessica's birthday weekend!!!!!! :) jessica and jason both share the same birthday, so last night we headed to red robin in madison for some laughs and food - and steve made an awesome cake to accompany the meal! all in all - a SUPER fun night with some great memories! (i'll add that my throat's a little sore this morning, too ;))

engaged friends!

2007-10-12T00:07:00.000-05:00

my two girlfriends are both engaged now! these are the girls that i sit with in chapel everyday. (misty usually sits with us, too, and is engaged as well, but she is a junior, so was not with us for the picture...) anyway -- jessica got engaged may 26th in chicago to matt, and megan just got engaged on september 17th in delafield WI to ted. (i'll try to post a picture of all the rings sometime soon - SO beautiful and sparkly!) i love each couple and am happy to be apart of their special days! (jessica & matt - january 5th in NH and megan & ted - july 19th in WI). this picture was taken last week during spirit week - the seniors color was black :) but our smiles made up for the "dark" look, don't you think?

she's my cutie!

2007-10-11T22:55:00.000-05:00

i have the great piviledge to go on a church extension up in Wisconsin Rapids about 2 and a half hours north of watertown each weekend. i really LOVE it, the time is so encouraging every weekend - staying in family's houses, getting involved in church-sponsored activities, doing things with the northland extension group, and the awesome philippians 2 Bible study we've been doing for sunday school. the pastor's family is so sweet and caring - and their son is dating my little sister! she came up to visit last weekend, and that's been my FAVORITE weekend of all :) i thought i'd include a cute new picture.

door decor

2007-10-11T22:45:00.000-05:00

finally, we got our door decorated! it's really personalized to each of us - we designed our own "get to know you" cards and added a picture. notice we even have our fishy up there - "arghh" :) hope you can kinda see what it looks like by the pictures i added...

meet room 208

2007-09-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

Dani Houmes

from CA

Kelli Hillmann
from WI

Chelsea Gross
from PA

Jessica Aucoin
from NH

these are my last roommates! :) they're sweet!

around friends again...

2007-09-06T23:58:00.000-05:00

it's fun being around my friends again (pictured - me, megan & ashleigh after church)

it's been a very busy last 2 weeks with the pace picking up in schoolwork now. i'm feeling the routine, and things don't seem so large and overwhelming at this point - and IT'S MY LAST SEMESTER OF THIS INSANITY! :)

i have a job at kiddie kollege in jefferson that keeps me occupied every afternoon from 2 til 6:30 - so basically when i'm not busy in classes, i'm working with little children! it's a great experience, and keeps me relying on the Lord! homework fits in the short evenings that i have and i find myself trying to cram much in to just a few hours!

this weekend i am going away!!! i am so excited to just leave for awhile and come back refocused - after visiting some family first of course :) we'll miss jen & jordan, though - but look forward to making a trip to see you next!!

i'm back!

2007-08-23T22:20:00.000-05:00

i'm back at school and i think i'm ready for it! i can't believe it's my last semester at maranatha. in january i will be student teaching (place to be announced, stay tuned!)

the summer was wonderful. i can't believe i'm saying that ;) i will admit it was definitely not wonderful 2 weeks into my jobs. but, honestly -- God truly helped me through and i know it was totally HIM! thanks to everyone who prayed for me, what a blessing :) now it's all behind me, and i can't believe how fast it went!

i got here wednesday night around 5:30 and sort of settled in! (i'm still in the process... this is a little break for me ;)) mom and jess left me around 9pm - getting home @ 2:30 in the morning! today we had leadership sessions most of the day and i already had to make a trip to walmart! o my. tomorrow we get our new/transfer students, and i'm supposed be getting 3 new girls! update to come :) jessica aucoin comes in sunday afternoon!!

sooooo --

mom and jess are home. jessica will be going to presentation college for nursing this fall in fairmont back home. i hope they plan many trips to come and visit!!

i've been tagged :)

2007-06-09T20:35:00.000-05:00

jennifer tagged me on her blog a couple days ago, and i finally found some time to fulfill this little game of tag :)
the rules are that i am supposed to tell 8 facts about myself, and then tag 8 other people to do so as well. here it goes:

1. My mom is one of the hardest working people I know and you will never hear her complain. She is consistent in every area of her life no matter how tired, over-worked, or overwhelmed she is with everyday life. She is always so giving of every extra moment she has, and loves to enjoy the highlights of life :) She is such a role model to me, and I hope to be just like her even when life doesn’t go exactly as I pictured it would…
2. I love adding jewelry to what I wear. It dresses up anything and always shows personality. Those of you who know me well know I just love BIG rings!
3. I really am addicted to the sun :) I would spend every summer day doing something outside if it were ever possible!
4. After this summer at MarketLink – I am sure I will always hold a new empathy & kindness in my heart for telemarketers. They are people with feelings just like you and me, just doing their job!
5. When I’m at school, I crave dove chocolates AND eat them like none other! But, when I’m home I’ll skip the store-bought nuggets – for some reason my cravings are gone.
6. Who would have thought that now that I’m in college one of my “must do’s” before leaving any mall would be to find a bookstore and search out my favorite children’s books??
7. Something I consistently need and am constantly looking for are nail clippers & a nail file. You’d think by now I would stick them in every bag and drawer I own!
8. I enjoy capturing photogenic moments and then giving pictures to my friends & family. Snail mail is rarely sent or received anymore – but I love getting the perfect card, printing the perfect pictures, and decorating the envelopes! Who doesn’t like to get a card in the mail from an old friend and see pictures to help them catch up on life?

i am tagging jessica aucoin, sarah corbin, anneke toliver, helaine rozelle, liz hangen, stephanie davis, carla mallory, and jessica rabe :)

*also find this note on my facebook!

My Junior Field Work Scrapbook

2007-04-21T12:55:00.000-05:00

northland memories

2007-04-17T22:32:00.001-05:00

anneke & me (SHE HAS A BLOG NOW!) :) :)

melanie & me

ursula & me

klarissa & me (she was always in our room -- we had the funniest times whenever she stopped in! :) i miss her so! - she's all grown up and married now!)

these are my sweet girlfriends from my year and a half at northland - klarissa, ursula, amy, & helaine - I MISS YOU ALL! (juli was supposed to be in the picture, too - but she missed it because she got stuck talking to some boy ;) hmmm, i wonder who that was, lol!)

my fondest northland college memory: my roommates in room 305. anneke, melanie, ursula, and me had the best times together!!! :) we were roommates my first-semester-sophomore year - my favorite semester of college EVER (it ended up being my last semester there because i switched from music to early childhood ed. to get my teaching license). i love you girls! thank you so much for your friendship - all of our late night talks (and many many laughs) are not soon-to-be-forgotten. you were more encouraging to me than you'll ever know. God really used you to lead me closer to Himself during that time.

our easter service

2007-04-13T17:17:00.000-05:00

Pastor & Josiah F.

Pastor & Josiah (his son) again, what a precious moment.

Pastor & Josiah (his son)

Victoria & Pastor

Warren & Pastor

Luke & Pastor

Opal & Pastor

on easter sunday, we had our traditional early service. it was exciting to witness 6 baptisms! After that time, the men in the church had prepared a nice, large easter breakfast - i love that tradition - it's always SO good! :) i got to sing in the choir for both services, i just love my home church!!! it is always so good to fellowship with people who really love and genuinely care about each other. it is a wonderful circle of relationships based on the common ground we share in Christ Jesus. We only share salvation because HE died for each person in the world, shed HIS innocent blood, and then rose again, and is now living - which is what baptism symbolizes. He is now preparing a place for those who believe on HIM in heaven :) what a glorious day that will be when we all meet HIM there!!!!

spring break picture journal

2007-04-13T16:59:00.001-05:00

a couple weeks ago now, we had our spring break. it found both jessica and i at home for a whole 5 days together! AND, our whole family was able to be together for the last 3 days of the break in IA. i know these pictures are long overdue, and most of you have probably seen most of them on jen & jordan's/jason & julia's blog, but here you go anyway :) from MY camera... (start from the bottom and scroll up to catch our pics in order!)

parting shot... jessica and i before going our separate ways.

jason and julia - so sweet to host us for about 3 days :) I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

me and jason. what a cutie brother.

and then came sunday - when we all had to part ways :( it's always so hard to say goodbye, but now i can't believe how fast the time has gone already since then!! just about 3 more weeks and we'll see everyone all over again! here's a snapshot of jess & jason (awwwww).

jason and julia didn't make it to the horak's until later saturday night because they had a bank function to attend. but we were SO happy when they finally showed up and then it REALLY got fun ;) look! it's a family picture!!!

when we went to IA, uncle bruce (mom's oldest brother) met us there! he spent almost the whole day on saturday hanging out with us :) it was SO fun to have him around - and he also brought pictures of courtney & kurt's wedding for us to see, and a picture of his new puppy. here's a picture of us on saturday night when we went to the horaks. i like going over there, it's always so much fun!

kisses from my doggie... jess had to take a million and 2 of these because josie was sooooo excited that she wouldn't stay sitting. hahaaa! (even in the picture i posted, you can see that she's about ready to jump up and "hug" me -- and i'm pretty sure she did!) :)

it starts here... i always want a picture with mom, but would you believe it is one of the hardest fighting ordeals we ever encounter together?! of course most of the fighting is full of laughter and mom's relentless clawing, but hey - here's the best i could do to get a picture with her :)

mmmmm

2007-04-04T17:14:00.001-05:00

here's my M & M :) i love chocolate...

(have i said that before?!)

she's lucky

2007-03-30T19:20:00.001-05:00

so here i am, on a friday night, with projects to do, but i'd rather not :)

instead i thought it'd be fun to blog!!! well, look here - this is the only picture from spring break that loaded tonight :( lucky doggie! say HI to josie - another "j" in our family!

(i'll try again later. i just wanted you to know why i haven't been blogging in awhile - pictures just don't really load anymore. *sniffle...)

where i'm going. who i'll see.

2007-03-15T22:50:00.001-05:00

i love spring break!!!!! even in minnesota, hahaaa :) break starts tomorrow and goes through sunday night, the 25th. even though tonight i'm just dragging my feet because i'm so tired, i am actually excited to see my clock at 5:20 tomorrow morning :) i have classes until 1:30, then work... and as soon as mom, jess, & laura can get here, i'll finally be on my way home! it will be a fun, busy "break," and i know the time will fly by, but each moment we have together means soooo much to me, and right now, i can hardly wait! :)

fun visit!

2007-03-11T16:07:00.003-05:00

stephanie came to visit friends on campus almost a month ago, and let me tell you -- it was SO fun to see my dear friend again :)

we got to go out for ice cream together and she told me all about how her student teaching experience is going. she had such funny stories to tell, as well as burdens for the school she was placed in. it was so encouraging to hear how things are going for her up in minong.

she was in chapel on that friday, and i happened to bring my camera with me for once ;) so we snapped a cute picture (carla & stephanie). i can't wait to see her again!

cousins and other stuff

2007-03-07T20:42:00.000-06:00

this past thursday, jessica's cousin katie came to visit! she is 18, and a lot of fun! those two are quite alike in their own "aucoin" ways... i enjoyed so much being able to hang out with them. it was so fun to have her here!
she got in thursday night a little late, hungry, and upset after losing her luggage due to canceled flights/weather. we went to perkins, and headed back to the dorm for a good night's sleep. friday she attended classes with jess, and we went to johnson creek - braving a blizzard, which is where the last post comes in - when i fell, lol :) saturday we slept way in, went to a coffee shop, and then ended up in madison for the day to shop and just be together and have fun! sunday was church, and we took her back to milwaukee so she could fly home, then we waited for morgan's flight, and got to hear all about her AL trip to see curtis. amanda got back from FL with a pretty nice sun-kissed look on monday night, so we have our roommates back after being without them for a whole week!

my long big fat funny friday

2007-03-02T22:32:00.000-06:00

this is what i did today:

got up at 5:45.

had math at 7:20.

government with quiz at 8:20.

chapel at 9:20 and jessica's cousin katie is here, too!

baptist heritage with quiz at 10:20.

administration and class workday on designing our child care facilities at 11:20.

lunch at 12:20 with carla and amy.

studied for my essay test.

language acquisition essay test at 1:30 [i ended up getting a 97!!! amazing - points for mrs. h!]

i worked at 2:30.

was going to go to madison with jessica and katie at 5, but the weather only allowed us to get to johnson creek without too much of a scare, so we thought ourselves lucky enough to make it there in the crazy snow storm... so we shopped in maurices!

we got sooo hungry, so decided to go back to watertown and stopped to eat at the yummy italian bistro at 7.

on our way back to the dorm, i asked if we could stop at shopko and fashion bug. well, there was a nice 6-inch high, 3 feet wide little drift in front of the door. so, i decided to pave the way inside for the girls - giving them some nice footprints to follow in so they wouldn't get their shoes wet (awww, i'm so nice). well, i gave a nice lunging "hop" over the snow drift in front of shopko/fashion bug and landed on one foot, which slipped out from under me, which landed me on my you know what... ouchy.... i got the wind knocked out of me and definitely couldn't stop laughing for at least 7 minutes outside the store in the blowing, swirly snow! (and for the rest of our browsing experience inside the store - poor ladies working there must have been so curious - i told her that they should rewind their security video to watch it - it would be so worth their time, lol!)

SO FUNNY! :)

and now, being that the week has been way too full to include sufficient, healthful sleep into my schedule, and i have been a laughing mess all day... ;) hahaa... i am going to bed.

what a funny friday i've had! :)

i still love snow :)

2007-02-27T23:08:00.001-06:00

yes it is the end of february... but i still loved all the snow we got this past weekend! :) it was so fun to see the large flakes, and even to watch everyone playing in it like my kindergarteners! ;) there are huge piles of snow everywhere from the plowing and shoveling! it made me think back to when we were little and used to go sledding off of all the snow Dad would plow into a HUGE pile - those were rather dangerously steep - and so exciting! :) hahaa.. anyway, jessica and i went out and got some pictures around the snow piles (they are well over our heads -- in the black & white picture, the pile was about 2 feet taller than the tops of our heads if you could see the whole pile!). only 2 days before we were walking around without coats because it was near 45 degrees! well -- welcome back to the winter wonderland :)

northland weekend

2007-02-24T23:17:00.003-06:00

jess with her favorite boys :)

on monday morning we all went to the grind before heading to chapel

julia & jess

jess & jason

jess & jenn

my little birthday sister

SISTERS! i love them :)

laura and megan came to help celebrate! (emily was there too, just not in this pic)

jessica's 20th birthday wish...

here are the "j" kids!! it was so fun to be ALL together!!laura and megan were watching the game with us, too :)

helaine and me at the northland guy's jr. varsity volleyball game

i got to northland last friday night around 12:40 pm and crashed jessica's birthday slumber party with her friends :) but that's ok because she loved the surprise! jason and julia came through watertown to pick me up and we all headed up there. we stayed with jen and jordan in their cute apartment, and the weekend consisted of games, halo parties, cooking & eating, the grind, the norway church, pizza hut, movies, and all sorts of fun + lack of sleep, which = a GREAT time :) we had fun... enjoy the pictures - thank you for patiently waiting for them! :)

happy birthday!

2007-02-19T21:25:00.001-06:00

my little sister turned 20 on saturday the 17th! i was able to go up to northland over the weekend to surprise her!

(more pictures to come...!)

love?

2007-02-15T14:11:00.002-06:00

today while i was with my kindergarteners in lincoln elementary, i overheard a conversation about love. it is really interesting listening to what these young children think that love is. after hearing a couple different ideas, one youngster said "love starts in yourself."
and although i think that many people in the world agree with that, i know that love could definitely never start in me. it brought to my mind some verses i had gone over yesterday since it was valentines day... i had actually asked myself this same question, and answered it in verses for a little study.
Lord, what is love?
"God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God" I Jn 4:16
"This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you." Jn 15:12
so, love starts in God. without God, i can never possess a heart that will love unconditionally. without God, love could not start in my sinful heart. God loves me... and through His love - that forgives my every sin, that passes my understanding, that calls me His child... i am able to share His love with others.

jessica

2007-02-12T21:45:00.000-06:00

she is just the cutest and cracks me up like no other! this girl finds amazing ways to write things down to the exact laughing detail :) i love it when she blogs... go have a laugh - i mean look - for yourself! (thanks jess! xo)

THE big game

2007-02-07T21:50:00.002-06:00

my northland girls came to watch!!!!! :) (the game was on tuesday night) (ida, helaine, amy (us 3 were friends freshmen/sophomore year at northland), me & jessica)

and here it is - some of the action during the big game between northland and maranatha. it was a close game, but northland managed to pull ahead with some good 3 pointers and a nice dunk at the end, winning by 11 points.

the best part about northland playing maranatha - seeing my little sister jessica :)

me and my sweet friend helaine (she is always such an encouragement to me, as our lives have been touched by some of the same trials).

amy and me - we were freshmen at northland together at northland.

so fun to have jessica here to meet so many of my maranatha friends that have been so excited to meet her and are keeping her in their prayers. (pictured: ashleigh, jessica, me, and jessica)

here was another try for a picture during the crazy game -- we were pretty much falling backwards :)

i finally met jessica's roommate april! what cute girls!

i grew up with laura - she's one of my best friends. her, jessica and i always had some of the funnest and funniest times together growing up! (cupcakes, 4-wheeler hide & seek, lura lake, life & hot chocolate, camper, rollerblading, and how could we forget about piano lessons and barbies?! lol :))

chicago weekend

2007-02-05T19:51:00.001-06:00

this past weekend was a lot of fun! jessica's boyfriend matt was here from SC from thursday afternoon until sunday evening... so she was very happy. they spent from friday-sunday in chicago with matt's grandparents and aunt & uncle. :) i went home with my friend megan on friday night to do a developmental test with her 1 year old cousin katie. i don't have any of those pictures because i forgot my camera :( so they are only on my phone. anyway - the test went well, and it was fun to babysit katie and spend time with megan's family in their beautiful house. on saturday, we got up early to babysit again, and then headed back to watertown to meet up with the andersons (here all the way from colorado to visit their 3 boys in school). they drove us to chicago to see ted's basketball game, which is where we met up with jessica and matt. maranatha didn't win the game - but it was SO close!! the rest of the weekend, i spent in tinley park ILL (chicago suburb) with jessica, matt, and some of his family extended family (listed above earlier). so, despite the -10 degree weather of the weekend, we visited a dunkin' donuts late at night (YUM!), watched a scary movie in the DARK (LOL! - poor jess and matt had to listen to me get freaked out every 5 minutes), went to church with his grandparents, and his aunt and uncle took us out to eat at a really nice restaurant! it was a good time, and i was thankful to be invited along to spend more time with my friends :)

roommates 201

2007-02-01T23:10:00.001-06:00

here we are - melford 201. i don't even know if i have been able to post more than one picture of us as a room! (that is terrible considering we've been living here together since the end of august!) so - here's amanda (from south bend IN), jessica (from henniker NH), me (you'd better know me well enough to know where i'm from ;) haha), and morgan (from long view WA). jessica and morgan are dating: jessica-matt from SC, and morgan-curtis from AL. so, after a long day, they stay busy on the phone all night, and amanda and i have fun laughing at them, i mean doing hw and stuff, trying not to listen (riiiiiiiiiiight) ;) we have had many good times together this year... i would have to say that my favorite so far is our wednesday night "room bonding time" - playing anything from ultimate spoons or cooties to sharing burdens on our heart and favorite Bible verses, these sweet roommates are a great source of fun and encouragement to me.