For My Fellow Reds Fan

This is Tom's fault!!! I blame him for everything!!!!

People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own 6 weird things as well as stating this rule clearly! Three people need to be tagged and their names listed. Finally a comment needs to be left on each tagged person’s blog…

So here it goes...

1. I, like Tom, eat peanut butter from the jar. Great source of protein!!!

2. I hate germs but LOVE playing in the dirt and hate cleaning.

3. I’m a little OCD. If something is out of place, I have to fix it right away, force myself not to look at it or leave the room.

4. All of my CDs, DVDs, videos, books, vegetables and just about everything in my apartment is alphabetized.

5. I don’t like sitting in the back of cars because there are smaller windows.

6. Little things in life make me really excited.

That was kind of hard to think of things. I know I can be really weird but to actually list them is a different story. They don’t seem weird to me, just normal! Okay…three people…hmmm….

Stephanie Lancione, Ashley Davison and Lindsay Wasik, it is your turn!!!

Things I love...

Things I love…

Warm weather
Knowing spring break is only four school days away
An amazing cup of coffee with a friend
Getting paid $75 for one short concert
Seeing people step out in faith that God will provide
Connecting with new people and building new friendships
Being tackled by one of my best friends
Knowing that people are praying for you
Friendships that continue to grow even when you can’t spend lots of time together
Reading a good book in the park
Eating a great meal with a friend
JESUS!!!!!

Frustrating...

Sometimes life is just frustrating. Receiving news that two profs from Bethel have passed away is not enjoyable. Finding out ALL of your exciting plans for spring break have fallen apart. Suddenly spring break doesn’t seem all that exciting anymore. Yesterday, I was talking with one of the girls I use to mentor at Bethel and I got so angry at all the lies Satan had been feeding her and how much pain she has been going through the last several months. I hurt for her. Sometime Satan just ticks me off!

On a brighter note it looks like there may be some very good things in the works for the future. I’m trying to not get too excited because you never know what will happen. I also got a pretty good gig for this Saturday night. There isn’t much time to learn the music but I’ve played this Requiem once before. Let’s hope I get to play the same part!!! I won’t be able to go on our little road trip any more, but I know plenty of bills that would love to be paid!

I can’t wait for summer…minus the no paycheck bit!

Lies...

I am so sick and tired of Satan, his stupid lies and how he destroys peoples' lives. I can't begin to tell you how angry it makes me! I want to punch something right now!

Trip Home

This weekend I went home to see my parents and get a dress altered for an upcoming wedding. Before my mom and I went shopping for a wedding gift, we went over to visit my brother and his family. A couple weeks ago they received two foster children. Their names are Gwen and Agnes or Aggie as she calls herself. They are cute little girls. Aggie is 3 ½ and Gwen is just over a year old. It is possible that Gwen is a crack baby, which is very sad. We don’t know how long they’ll be there but they are already healthier than what they were when they came. If you have a minute, pray for all of them. It is a big change for Taylor and Logan and there will be lot of rough times I’m sure. And of course it has to be hard for the girls to be taken from the life they know, even if it wasn’t a safe place.


We played Hide’n’Seek, rolled each other up like hotdogs, read books and became our own choo-choo train. All the kids seem to play together really well. Taylor and Logan have welcomed them and seem to be adjusting, at least for now. My refrigerator is nicely decorated with pictures Taylor and Logan made. I wanted to scan Taylor’s and include it in this post but I have no way to do that. It is a beautiful picture of the whole family, with Aggie and Gwen.

I love that girl. She is sooooo caring. You can see God all over her. She is always telling me things about things that make Jesus happy and asking me to read her stories from her Bible. I just hope and pray that excitment for Jesus keeps growing. Sometimes she puts me in my place!!


For those of you who know Logan’s story, he is doing very well. He still can’t eat much and has some breathing problems but he has plenty of energy and is growing quickly. That kid is a riot. He can tell you anything you want to know about Thomas the tank engine! I love that kid! I'm such a lucky aunt.

Hitting Deer, Take 2

Last fall I hit a massive buck head-on and almost totaled my car. Since then I’ve been a little more on edge while driving through wooded areas. Last week when it started getting warmer, I thought about how awful it would be if I hit another deer. Guess what I did on Thrusday!

That’s right I hit another deer…well sort of. As I was driving on US 12 in Niles, to my right a deer leaped off the ground. I was really surprised to see him. He was small and dark and blended in very well with his surroundings. I immediately thought oh now there are more. I looked to the left and sure enough there are two deer. The one in the back started turning the other direction. The first one did not. She came running right at me. I instantly prayed, “God don’t let the airbags go off. I can’t afford that.” Then I realize she is going to run into the side of the car not the front. And as quickly as I realized that, I realized it wouldn’t be the front side of my car it was going to be the driver’s side window. Yes this deer was going to go through my window and hit me in the face. Oh no I thought as I prepare for the impact…BUT…at the very last second she leaps. Yes, she jumped over my car. Her hooves hit the top of my car and the only mark she left were some scratches on my windshield! It was crazy!!! What are the chances of that happening again? She was a beautiful deer and I hope she was okay. She was the darkest deer I’ve ever seen. She was almost black. I was VERY thankful nothing was damaged and that I’m not sore like the last deer encounter.

That was my last encounter with deer for the weekend. On my way home last night I saw over 35 deer in the 30 minute stretch across M-46. Some were far too close for comfort but not close enough to have to avoid hitting. On my trip, I also saw several squirrels, one black, a few raccoons and a collie that literally stood and looked both ways before crossing the street. It is a good thing I love nature and animals, otherwise I think I would have gone crazy. Seriously, the deer population is out of control here in Michigan. Where did they all come from?!

Woah!

Woah is about all I can say about the last week. Last week had some major blows. The type where you feel the effects for months. However, this weekend was a blast.

My friends, Tony and Betsey, got married on Saturday. Some of my favorite people and best friends, Michael and Jeannette, were in town for the wedding. I went out to dessert with them after the rehearsal dinner. Michael, Jeannette, Jeffrey and I grabbed coffee in between the wedding and the reception. Between coffee and sitting together at the reception we had tons of time to catch up and visit. I love my friends!

I am loving the weather this week. I'm not loving the allergy problems that come with it though. Yesterday I was so anxious to go outside I found chalk and made a huge grand staff by the playground. I made huge sharp and flat signs for each student and we took our instruments outside and did a little theory. We talked about the major scale pattern and chords. I loved it but I'm not so sure about the students. Next outdoor project: giant number line for adding integers.

Speaking of school...I'm off to grade more papers and write more lesson plans.

Effects of sin...

I just had an amazing cup of coffee and even more amazing discussion with a great friend of mine. We talked about all sorts of things but one thing really stood out to me, the effects of sin. We discussed how the choices we make affect everyone around us, even if we don’t realize it. I don’t think we always realize how pick the ripples are from the choices we make. As this friend was sharing, I was amazed at how much the decision one person made changed the lives of so many people. And the more I listened, the number of people affected got larger and larger.

This week I was reminded of something my friend Jason said in a message, “Sometimes sin is so pervasive; it doesn’t have to be yours to destroy your life.” (Well, it was something like that.) When he said that, I remember being blown away by the truth of it and wondered why I had never heard anyone say that before.

I don’t understand why people do things, knowing it will hurt or even completely destroy someone else’s life. I can’t wrap my brain around that. How do we get so selfish and think we can justify those things? How can we think our instant gratification is worth the cost? My heart aches from the stories we shared today. And my heart aches because I know I can be just as selfish as the individuals that made such horrible decisions years ago. Too many people get hurt everyday purely from someone else’s selfishness.

I can’t even begin to articulate my thoughts and feelings. All I can say is thatn my heart is broken.

Comfort in friends...

Yesterday was a horrible day. One of the worst days, I’ve had in months. My drive home from Granger seemed like an eternity. I got home and plopped down on the couch, only to find I had absolutely no energy to get up…too much of everything. It was one of those days were you can’t sleep, your mind is consumed with so many thoughts and you have this nagging feeling of loneliness.

When it was time to get up this morning, I had maybe slept a total of two hours. I looked at the clock and said, “God, not today. I’m not sure I can do it all again today.” I made it to school…late. My morning classes didn’t go so well. I had to send a kid to the office during 6th grade music. My 7th graders are falling farther and farther behind. My juniors have had a few rough days, but they sure did make me laugh today. I was quick to thank God for that relief.

I had the last two periods off today because of a doctor’s appointment. It was a hard one but it went well. Sometimes it’s hard knowing there are several obstacles still on the path in front of me. I’m sure the next few months are going to have some really tough times, but I’ll make it. How? I’m not really sure, but I know a few things that are going to help.

For one, something I’ve learned in the last 48 hours is that God puts things in your path ONLY when you are ready to face it. He’ll never do it before your ready. Even better, He’ll never put it there and walk away. That alone brings a lot of comfort. There are reasons why I’m facing these challenges know and not two years ago.

And secondly, God surrounds you with faithful friends. At the spotlight dinner Monday night I was reminded of something in one of the videos. Mark said in one of his messages that, “No one is immune to pain. Surround yourself with people who pray.” I remember writing that in my journal and being thankful I was blessed to have friends like that. And on days like this, I am even more thankful.

I just spent some time hanging out with Jeffrey and Kelli. As we were sitting here laughing at old pictures and talking about life and all of the sudden I knew I would make it through because I have amazing friends that will walk with me and pray. Just the comfort of their company was encouraging. It makes me so sad to think that some people out there haven’t found friends like that and I pray God will put some in their paths quickly.

God help me be that friend. Teach me how to sit in the mud with those around me. Help me recognize those that are hurting and help me show them your love so they can understand how much they matter. Teach me to be like Jesus.

Here we go again...

Unfortunately the medication didn’t work as well as we would have liked. In fact Saturday night, I took my earplug out and found blood on it. An ear bleeding is never a good thing and for my ear it is a huge red flag. So tomorrow I’ll start taking a steroid that will hopefully get things rolling. I haven’t seen any more traces of blood, and I’m very thankful. I just really wish the pain would go away and I could start hearing more again. It is frustrating and pretty scary.

There are so many things I have wanted to write about to get some of your thoughts, but there is never enough time. Last week was crazy busy and this week will be as well.

When is Spring Break again?