Return of the Blogger

Well, I didn't realize that this many days had passed by since my last post (thanks for reminding me J.D.). The pace of life has definitely picked up since my return to work. No more lazy summer days, sleeping in, flying by the seat of my pants, driving like everyday is a "Sunday", coffee dates with friends in the mornings, relaxing all afternoon in a lawn chair with a good book. Oh, those certainly were the days.....

Now my life is 5:30 a.m. alarms going off (notice how I said alarms, plural...I am the "Snooze Queen". I really don't know how you moms do it!!!! You are AMAZING women!), brown bag lunches, wardrobe planning, ironing clothes, fighting the early morning traffic, "road rage".....Oh to be able to push the calendar back to mid-June (sigh).

I truly LOVE my job (Thank God for that!) but I also value my precious time off! Sometimes I wonder how I get anything done as far as house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, running errands when I am back at work. It really is surprising (although right now my house looks like a tornado went through it right about now. I really NEEEEEEED to de-clutter! Back up the truck 'cause I got lots to get rid of....).

Well, that's all folks! Just thought I'd let you know that I'm still alive and that I haven't deserted the "Blog World".

Peace!

Hands Free

I think I've seen it all now when it comes to multi-tasking....I was on my way to work this past week and was next to a car driven by a lady who was smoking a cigarette and talking on the phone. Not that big of a deal, right??? I personally am not a smoker, but I don't imagine that it's that big of a deal to smoke and talk on the phone while driving. Am I right??

I could not believe my eyes when she reached for her coffee cup and took a big gulp. Let's think about this for a second....we have only 2 hands. One hand was clutching the phone and the other hand was wrapped around the coffee mug....who's got the steering wheel???? No one! Absolutely no one was steering the vehicle for the short amount of time that it took Miss "I can do 4 things at once" to take a swig of her early morning cup o' joe!!! Are you kidding me??? I nearly careened into the concrete barrier on the shoulder of the interstate when I glanced over at her talking on the phone and drinking her coffee all the while managing to keep her cigarette lit!!!! Come on people! Should we even WONDER why there are as many car accidents on the road, especially in the midst of early morning rush hour traffic. Get serious folks. The phone call is not that important. If it is, maybe you should have made the call before getting in your car. Drivers beware - people like this lady really do exist who are coming to a freeway near you.

This gives new meaning to HANDS FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes.......

Arm in arm

This morning I went to Panera to enjoy a cup of hazelnut coffee and a cinammon chip scone. I was sitting outside, enjoying my book, when two little boys hopped out of a gray Honda SUV along with a dad. I don't know if the two boys were brothers or merely good friends. The boys were probably 8 years old and I smiled when they skipped by me on the sidewalk. About 10 minutes later, the two boys and the dad came out of Panera with 2 bags filled with bagels. I glanced over at the boys and they were walking arm and arm with the biggest smiles on their faces. I couldn't help but smile at this picture of friendship - of two little "buddies" hanging out on a sunny Saturday morning! Priceless.....

Jesus Loves you and So Do I

My very first letter arrived yesterday from Francisco (a.k.a. "Frankie")! I cannot tell you how excited I was to receive correspondence from him. I couldn't open the letter fast enough to see what my new "friend" from Brazil had to say. In Francisco's letter, he told me where specifically in Brazil he lives as well as more detailed information about himself (i.e., the names of his family members, the names of his best friends, and a few of his favorite things). One of my favorite parts of the letter was the picture that he drew for me of a house alongside a big tree.

Also included in the letter was a Bible verse (Psalm 100:5 "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."). The Lord is so good for bringing Francisco into my life! I feel blessed that I have had the chance to sponsor Francisco and to be a small part of his walk with the Lord. The best part of Francisco's letter was under the section that was entitled, "Message for my Sponsor". Francisco's message to me was: Jesus loves you and so do I.

God is truly amazing and it is so incredible to me to see all of the ways in which he continues to work in my life day after day. The people that He has put into my life, the opportunities that have opened up for me as well the trials and tribulations that I have had to endure have all brought me closer to God and for that I am so very thankful.

Jesus loves you and so do I!

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!