ABBA

Who doesn't love them some ABBA!!!??

I am putting all my music on my computer and came across my ABBA GOLD- greatest hits CD.

I don't think in high school I had ever heard of them-- but in college-- we rocked it out!

Funny story:
So I went to a medium sized Christian college (Calvin) and we had hours when boys had to be out of our rooms. I think it was midnight. So one day we were listening to ABBA and decided...
"Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" WINS!

" Half past twelve
And I'm watching the late show in my flat all alone
How I hate to spend the evening on my own
Autumn winds
Blowing outside my window as I look around the room
And it makes me so depressed to see the gloom
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer

Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day

Movie stars
Find the end of the rainbow, with a fortune to win
It's so different from the world I'm living in
Tired of T.V.
I open the window and I gaze into the night
But there's nothing there to see, no one in sight
There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer

Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day

Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight...

There's not a soul out there
No one to hear my prayer

Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away
Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight
Take me through the darkness to the break of the day"

So I hope you have a good laugh about this!!
ck

Sick of WINTER!!!!

I'm grouchy. Blah. Cold. and just all around sick of WINTER!!

Stop Snowing!!!

Half & prayers needed please!

HALF OF WHAT? Half.com -- my new place to help me simplify our lives. I will just say it this way-- we have a lot of "stuff"- it's sad to me how much we have aquired in our short 30+ years of life. Between both of us we have held onto things that we just don't need.

Last time we moved I still was not healthy--so while i went through all of our stuff and donated a LOT (or so I thought) to Goodwill... there seems to be more.

They say you grow into what ever space you have and love it or leave it-- in our house now we have a basement-- which we have "put to good use"--- meaning we are on our way to filling it. Mind out we both have a "work area" down there- and the laundry room and storage room is down there- but between the basement and the guest room we have two perfect places to help us "forget" about how much stuff we have.

Sooooo-- again (see I told you I was going to be really good this year about new years resolutions) we are trying to simplify. So off to half.com to sell our books (mostly my youth ministry books), DVD's/VHS tapes, CD's. We will see how this goes-- I might venture to ebay and see what they have to offer. (Don't worry Dad- I am not getting rid of your books that we have). I figure that even if we don't get a lot for the books- it's more than what we get from them sitting in our basement.


What I don't need half of is your prayers-- I need all of them. Please pray for my grandma (Mimi) who is recovering in the hospital from pneumonia (discovered accidently when she went in cause she fell- they discovered she had double pneumonia). Just as it seemed to be getting better her heart started to go into fibrillation (she doesn't have a healthy heart to begin with and she is 90 years old). She is a gift to our family and we pray for a quick recovery. We love you Mimi- get better fast- we are praying for you!

An answer to prayer is that my grandpa (dad's side) is doing well after a scare last Sunday when he passed out in church and couldn't be revived. The Dr's weren't able to find any reason to why it happened-- his heart seems to be doing ok-- but we have some questions about what caused it still-- continued prayers for them through this tough time as well!! We love you guys.

That's life in a nutshell right now. Busy- crazy- and attempting to be simplified.

ck

Date night

At the begining of the year Ryan and I commited to do a few things... one of them was to have regular date nights. And well, we are dorks and we like to bowl-- no neither of us are good at it (in fact I think only one game did we get over 100, but it's fun). So last night we ventured out to bowl for a date night.

Yes, he puts up with me while I like to take cheesy pictures. Now that I have a point and shoot again- I can take pictures of us and random things we do. Cause it's just a pain to pull my big camera out every where we go.... but I do like those pictures better. I think that this picture of Ry and I is one of the first ones in a long time (like almost 3 years- since we got married) that I like of us. So I think it's a good start.

Today was back to the normal grind, making meals for the week (yummy chicken enchilada soup w/ extra beans) and 2 hours chipping ice and snow off the driveway and trying to find drains on our street so that we wouldn't have a flood... we didn't find any drains, the flood remains. It's been raining all day-- super icy out and we are expecting, yep, you got it, another storm!!

So more than the ache in my hands, and back.... but the pure joy of not having to scrape my car in the morning, makes me smile. Presidents day! Joy! I would be even more excited if I got paid for it as well, but instead I will revel in the joy that I don't have to trudge through the snow I get to stay home and check things off a list a mile long of things I need to get done!

Hope you are all healthy and safe. I hope someone out there reading this is having sunshine. If you have some sun, please send it our way!

ck

Are you kidding me???? What happened to simplicity?

Disclaimer: I am not a dog lover-- nor do I understand things like that described below.

So today I am walking through meijer... pass an end cap by the animal section and what is there-- Doggy diapers!! Now I will say (as noted above) I am not a dog lover. I would be frustrated if I had a dog and it peed on my carpet, or something else. But let's face it-- it happens!! If you have a pet you better believe it will happen at least once. It's like if you have a kid you are going to get awakened in the middle of the night.

Is our society so "solution" oriented that we take the easy way out instead of taking the path to get it done right. Weight surgery instead of working out and eating right. heck, we can't even make our own pb & j we buy them from the freezer section!! I must say I am guilty of instant gratification on many things as well. However somehow I think we are shorting ourselves by not taking the time to do things that are "everyday" things-- take the dog for a walk. Make a meal. Pack a lunch. Work out. I think I've discovered these things give me room in my day to breath. Room to be me-- focus. So while you are going through this week-- think about things that you used to do when life was more "simple" - what made it "simple"? Focus on doing one thing different to get there-- and see if you discover a little more of yourself in that simplicity.

seriously God?

Dear God,


I was wondering if you could clue me into why you feel we need more snow? Another storm? Seriously? I was thinking we could maybe talk about this and "work it out".

I appreciate you expediting summer in a timely manner-- aka- the sooner the better!

I still love you though.
ck

Snowdaze!

We just got sent home from work due to the intense snow storm happening here! CRAZY! They were like be sure and call the 1800 hotline to check and see if the complex will be open tomorrow. We are expecting 15-19 inches!!!

Seriously!! I don't think this is necessary-- but at least the last 9 inches we had melted 2 days ago when it was 40! Ugh-- weather!

Superwoman

Today I celebrate someone special. Someone who I has helped shape me, and love me into who I am today.

Today I celebrate Superwoman... otherwise known as my mom!

It's her birthday today, and they say that as you get older you have a different appreciation for your parents and grandparents. Over the last few years my appreciation for my parents has grown immensely. While life has brought many ups and downs in the past few years.... my mom has been a voice of optimism & faith. "We will get through this"- "It doesn't make sense- but I believe God knows what He's doing". I am sure there has been nagging in there too-- but for her heart and spirit I am grateful.

They say that your life is a gift from God, and how you live it is your gift to Him. Today mom, I say you have taught, loved, believed, prayed, hoped, persisted, cared for, laughed, smiled, hugged, encouraged, cleaned up after, planned for, organized and built a life that is honorable. Yes, some days get the better of you, and that's what makes you human. Thank you for being a role model. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for believing I could when no one else thought it could ever happen. Thank you for picking me up when I needed to laugh. Thank you for being an amazing woman. I hope that in my life I can be half the gift you have been to me!

You deserve to be celebrated! I love you!!

maybe sheltered isnt' the right word

Sounds like I just had a "craftier" childhood than most. If you are a boy and wish not to think about having a "crafty" childhood-- you can go back to the previous verbage.

I am all organized up-- I have all my scrap stuff ready to go on a "voyage" this weekend- hopefully it will not return but will be turned into money that will then be returned.

I don't have much to say today.
Working on marketing stuff.

Ohhhh Ohhhh Ohhh! I just booked a wedding for a very special sweet girl who was in my first youth group I led at the first church I worked at. I still keep in contact with her family and am super excited to capture their beautiful day! And of all things... she is marrying her prom date!! AWE!!

Off to get some dinner going and veg on the couch!

Fess up!!!

I just discovered that my husband had a sheltered childhood!! Here is how the devistating realization occured.

I was in the basement going through my stuff and getting stuff ready for a scrap sale this weekend. When I stumbled upon a purchase I had made, who knows when (let's just say at least 4 years ago). Shrinky Dinks!! I shouted to Ryan as I ran up the basement stairs--- "I just found some shrinky dinks!!" "Shrinky Dinks???" he says with much confusion and skeptisizm, followed by, "What are shrinky dinks?" Oh, geez!! "You don't know what shrinky dinks are?" "no." (big sigh on my behalf-- my husband missed out on one of my greatest joys as a child!)

Soooo-- for those of you who know what they are-- I need to know I am not alone! For those of you who don't know what they are.... it's a heavy sheet of "semi- translucent paper" that either has a pre-printed picture, or you can draw/color on it (with colored pencils).
When you are ready-- you cut out around the picture and stick it in the oven (on a low temp- as instructed on the package). The picture shrinks and becomes a hard plastic. You can make magnets, key chains, jewelry (kid type). Oh so much fun

Fess up if you know what I am talking about-- if you think I am freak-- fess up then too!! :)