A B C's

Here is my alphabetical list


A. Attached or single? Single


B. Best friend? Julie (otherwise known as J.B.) - met her while attending St. Norbert College (lives in Minnesota) wish she lived closer (like right next door!). She knows me better than anyone else!



C. Cake or pie? Warm peach pie with juuuuuuust a teeny tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side


D. Day of choice? Any day that I am NOT working.....if I have to choose one, I would go with Saturday.



E. Essential item? clean underwear


F. Favorite color? PURPLE - absolutely LOVE it!

G. Gummy bears or worms? Gummy Bears - preferably the Haribo brand. I was in my 9th grade Spanish class when I was introduced to these delectable chewy treats


H. Hometown? born and raised in Greendale, WI (a suburb outside of Milwaukee). Greendale is referred to as "The Bubble"

I. Indulgence? if we are talking about food/drinks, it would have to be either a turtle sundae or an iced caramel machiatto with extra caramel from Starbucks. Objects - hands down tennis shoes!!!!!!!!! I love them, I love all of the FUN colors that they come in, I love how comfy they are, I love matching my tennis shoes with my outfits. I absolutely LOVE them!


J. January or July? July no question! I really can't believe that I have lived in the state of WI my entire life because I hate cold weather!


K. Kids? None but I LOVE everyone else's


L. Life isn’t complete without? sunshine, a cup of coffee in the morning, a great book, laughter

M. Marriage date? N/A


N. Number of brothers & sisters? 2 brothers and no sisters


O. Oranges or apples? Apples (especially the ones loaded with gooey caramel and nuts). There's nothing like biting into a crisp, tart caramel apple on a gorgeous fall day


P. Phobias? not a big fan of germs (slightly OCD), not a huuuuge fan of bugs and creepy crawly things, a bit scared at times of being in high places, afraid of the dark big time


Q. Quotes? can't think of anything right now...........O.K. I just thought of one but I was hoping to come up with something more philosophical......"There is no I in team". Oh wait, a former colleague of mine had a great one...."Don't do dumb things" Charles Camilli

R. Reasons to smile? hearing the sound of children's laughter, watching the sun go down, spending time with my nephews and my niece, seeing a "cute, little grandma lady" walking down the street


S. Season of choice? Summer....no work, vacations, lazy days, sleeping in, relaxing with a good book, hanging out with friends

T. Tag seven peeps! don't have 7 bloggy friends (sorry)

U. Unknown fact about me? I would love to own an antique car so I could drive in parades and throw candy to kids

V. Vegetable? Sweet buttery corn-on-the-cob dripping with butter and sprinkled with salt

W. Worst habits? Putting off things that I HATE to do for what seems like forever, I am a "pack rat", my inability to get rid of things (especially clothes, the 1 year rule does not apply to me...I'm operating under the 10 year rule!)

X. X-ray or ultrasound? Huh????? I've had both done. Anything else you need to know about them??

Y. Your favorite food? breaded pork chops, cheese pizza from this awesome pizza place in Chicago (I cannot remember the name but I know you know which place I'm talkin' 'bout)


Z. Zodiac Sign: Leo

There you go! Anything else you want to know about me?????? :)

Unconditional Love

This past week I "cat sat" for a friend of mine. She and her family went on a vacation up to Door County (for those of you that have never heard of Door County, it is an hour or so past Green Bay. If you've never heard of Green Bay, then you'll have to consult your nearset atlas). Judy and her family recently rescued 2 cats from an animal shelter. They had to put their other cat down a few months ago. I really don't think that their last cat really was a cat - it more closely resembled a small lion to me. It was a Maine Coone cat. Henry (may he Rest In Peace) was a seriously LARGE cat who, had I not known that he WAS a cat, I would have been getting on the horn to call the zoo to see if one of their lions had escaped! Anyway......I digress! To be completely honest with you, I would not classify myself as an animal lover. I never had any pets growing up so I never had the opportunity to gain a true appreciation for animals and all that they can provide for their owners. As the week went by, I noticed myself becoming more and more attached to these furry critters. I looked forward to stopping by each day to feed them and "visit" with them. I found it harder and harder each day to leave the house. These 2 cats would come by me the minute I opened the door and followed me around the house wherever I went. I can see why people are animal lovers - I could ALMOST become one. The thing that I realized this past week was that the cats were so loving and I had just "met" them. It amazed me to see the love and appreciation that they showed me. As I reflect upon my trip to Guatemala, one of the things that stands out most in my mind was the unconditional love that the children at the school showed to me and the rest of our team. These children were not afraid to reach out a hand our offer us a hug the whole time that we were there. To see that expression of love to a group of strangers was AMAZING to witness!!! Seeing God work in and through these children and the impact that they had on me personally is almost indescribable! As I ponder what to continue writing in this post, the thing that stands out in my mind is that I am truly amazed at the gift of unconditional love. This is somewhat of a foreign concept to me. As a child, I always felt that I had to earn the love of my father by excelling in school, performing well on the volleyball or basketball court or on the softball diamond and flying under the radar/not getting in trouble. Being the youngest of 3 children (and the only girl), I quickly learned what to do and what not to do. I tried to be the PERFECT child. I was by no means perfect but my brother referred to me more than once as "Goody Two Shoes". I equated my actions with love (or lack there of). My father rarely told me that he loved me or that he was proud of me. So often after a sporting competition, I felt that I had disappointed my father because I didn't do EVERYTHING right (my father was my harshest critic, next to myself of course). These experiences have carried over into my adult life which have directly impacted my personal relationships. I am extremely cautious and have a fear of getting too close to people. In the back of my mind, I always wonder whether I am worthy of another person's love. My friends will tell me that they love me but there is always a hint of doubt in my mind.....do they REALLY love me???? If "X,Y or Z" happens, will they STILL love me???? Looking back on my life, I wonder aloud, "Do I love children so much because they show unconditional love?" "Was it so difficult to leave Guatemala related to the fact that these children that I had only met 2 days ago were so willing to show their love and affection to a stranger?" "Am I a "closet" animal lover because they display unconditional love? When I think about my relationship with God, it is so comforting to know that God loves each and every one of us, flaws and all. No matter what I say or do, God's love is unfailing. God knows everything about me and He STILL loves me - imagine that! Psalm 136: 1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, His love endures forever." May you rest in the fact that you are loved by God! (P.S. My apologies for not spacing this post adequately. I have NO idea what is wrong with my "ENTER" key and quite frankly, I don't want to know. It just better work next time that I want to blog! Note to self, pressing down harder on the keys does NOT help with said problem!)

All Good Things......

All good things must come to an end. Every year at this point in summer, the feeling of dismay sets in. Where did the summer go??? How can it be August 19th already??? Didn't I just finish the 2007-08 school year??? What have I spent the last 10 weeks doing????

As I reflect back over the months, week by week, I have been busy yet have managed to find time to rest and relax. It's very easy to get caught up in the busyness of all that summer has to offer.....vacations, Summerfest, ethnic festivals, Brewer games, biking, golfing, going to the beach, concerts in the park, spending time with family and friends, reading, etc..........

What have I done?? Where have I been??? Where has the time gone????

- a week spent in Door County with my family which included: golfing, biking, hiking through Peninsula State Park, shopping, playing with my nephews, reading

- 10 days spent in Guatemala with a short-term mission team from my church: what an incredible, life-changing, memorable, indescribable opportunity of a life-time!

- a weekend spent with my college friends in a condo at Lake Delton (it was surreal to see green grass and dirt where the lake once was!). We spent the time catching up, sharing photos of recent travels, looking at the most recent pics of everyone's kids, canoeing on the Wisconsin River and relaxing

- 4 days spent hanging out with my friend from Pennsylvania and her whole family: cooking out, going to the state fair, talking about "old" times, laughing

- the remaining time was spent enjoying the company of friends over a cup of coffee, lunch or dinner, working outside, reading (surprisingly not as much as I normally do), staying up late every night to watch the Olympics, blogging, doing sudoku (I think I'm addicted to it), going to a few Brewer games and doing my best to avoid the infamous "Favre" drama that captured the football world (ughhhhhhhhh - can we PLEASE move on?????).

All good things must come to an end. Hope you had a great summer!

Blessed

While driving to work today, I saw this license plate: 3XBLSSD. My interpretation of that is "3 times blessed". I'm assuming that the owner of the silver mini van has 3 lovely children. Aforementioned license plate + mini van (dead give away to all of you parents out there)=CHILDREN. Would you agree???? I smiled as I drove by the "soccer mom" and began to think about all of the ways that I have been blessed.

While I do not have children of my own, I think of how much my niece and nephews are a blessing to me. I think also of my friends' kids that I have the pleasure of being around and how much I enjoy playing , laughing and spending time with them . I truly cherish the time that I am able to spend with the children that are in my life!

I absolutely LOVE the sound of a child laughing - it is a sound that I could listen to for hours because it is so contagious. As I think back to my trip to Guatemala, I can't help but think of all those little faces that lit up when we arrived at the school each morning. Every child vied for a spot in front of each one of our cameras so that they would have the chance to see themselves on the tiny little screen. Oh how they loved it when we took picture after picture of them! They would practically knock each other down in order to have their photograph taken. While in Guatemala, it occurred to me that most of those children have probably NEVER seen themselves. I'm guessing that 99.9% of the people in San Benito do not have mirrors in their "homes". I use that term loosely because, for those of you that have never ventured outside of the U.S. or are not accustomed to a dwelling place that doesn't look like a house, a condo or an apartment, the homes in some parts of Guatemala are rather "make shift".

I am blessed to live in a country that allows me certain freedoms: the freedom to speak, live where I want to live, work where I want to work, express my faith in a church with thousands of other Christians....the list is endless. So often we take these things for granted. I am so thankful that I have the choices that I do!

I am blessed to have a family. I am blessed to have friends. I am blessed by the fact that my friends treat me like family. I cherish the time that I spend with all of these individuals and feel blessed by their presence in my life.

I am blessed to have friends in my life that have played an integral part in my walk with the Lord. I am blessed by the encouragement, wisdom and insight that they have provided for me which has helped be grow in my relationship with God.

I AM
BLESSD

N.F.L. : No FAVRE League

I have been a sports fan my ENTIRE life. I have grown up watching and supporting every single professional sports team from the state of Wisconsin: the Milwaukee Bucks, the Milwaukee Brewers and probably a team that alot of you have NEVER heard of, the GREEN BAY PACKERS! (can you detect the sarcasm from me when I mention that last one?).

I am so sick and tired of hearing about what is going to happen with Brett Favre! The world does NOT revolve around one Brett Lorenzo Favre, contrary to what the "Packer faithful" may think. Everyone in "Titletown" has been in an uproar since there were rumblings about Brett wanting to return to football. Will he stay retired, will he get traded, will the Packers pay him $25 million (yeah, that's right, we're going to pay someone $25 million to sit at home and ride on his John Deere tractor - which of course is just one of the many products that he endorses).

This whole situation has been absolutely ludicrous! For those of you out in blog land that don't know me, I was a die hard sports fan (I think I had a megaphone and a copy of the latest sports page in my hand when I came out of the womb). That has changed considerably since the salaries of professional athletes (who may I remind you do nothing on the field or the court or the diamond for the greater good of this world!) sky rocketed to exorbiant amounts of money. Wait a minute, let me step away from my soapbox before I get going on another major rampage about the salaries of professional athletes.......

It was a blessing in so many ways to be away from the U.S. for 10 days so that I could devote time and energy to things that REALLY matter in the world - not to listening to the latest update on what Brett was or wasn't going to do. I don't think I will be going outside to burn my #4 jersey (yet) but enough is enough. Who really cares at this point????

Oh, to think what the world would be like if everyone showed as much interest and enthusiasm for our Creator as they have shown in a gun-slingin' country boy from Mississippi who just happens to play quarterback in the National Football League.

What a wonderful place this would be!!!!

Back in the U.S.A.

It was weird waking up this morning in the United States after spending the last 10 days in Guatemala. The mission trip was an amazing experience - one that I recommend everyone take at some point in his or her lifetime. Whether it be Guatemala, Russia, South Africa, the middle East, wherever, a person will be forever changed. God is AMAZING!

I am having a difficult time trying to find the words to explain what I have seen, what I have experienced, how I have seen God at work through others, as well as myself. Until one is actually involved in an incredible journey such as this, understanding and comprehending the emotions involved is a bit difficult. I have not had much time to process what these last 10 days of my life have been like. Thankfully, I journaled each night so I look forward to going back and reliving each day once the reality of my life here sets in.

We were extremely busy each day so we had very little down time. Our morning devotional time was one of the best parts of my day because it enabled me to really feel God's presence in and among us. The worship, reflection time and prayers were extremely moving for me. I have found myself being brought to tears so often in the last month at church. Guatemala was no different. I have questioned myself as to why I have been so emotional in church and during the devotional time and have realized that it is the Holy Spirit at work within me. It is such an incredible thing and I feel that I have grown closer to God over these past 4-5 weeks. Isn't this what God intends for us to do? He is a faithful God and if we completely put our trust in Him, he will reveal himself to each one of us. God wants us to be totally reliant on Him, even if we feel the need to have control over some parts of our lives.

I saw God working in wonderful and awe-inspiring ways. Thinking about it moves me to tears. The people in Guatemala were wonderful. To see the joy in their hearts in the midst of poverty is indescribable! The love that the children poured out to each and every member of our mission team was a sight to see. The children were truly amazing gifts from God. I am so thankful that God presented this opportunity to me and that he provided for me while I was on this trip. I had many doubts going in, but God proved time and time again that he will provide for our needs. He will provide healing, strength, courage, love, relationships, perserverance and the ability to see others through his eyes if we ALLOW him to do those things.

Regardless of what language a person speaks, a smile or a hug is a universal language of love. I was moved by the children's willingness to reach out to a group of strangers that look nothing like them, that for the most part didn't speak their language and who have no idea what it is to live life in their shoes. The love that they extended to us will be forever etched in my heart. The joy on the childrens' faces was priceless when they saw their own faces on our digital cameras. The kids loved it when we took their pictures. Something so simple, yet so meaningful to a 6 year old child as well as all of the people on our team.

Colossians 3:17
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Thank you God for giving me the courage to say "YES" and for revealing your faithfulness to me throughout this trip to Guatemala.