Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Praise Jesus!
GREAT NEWS: we sold our car AND our motorcycle yesterday! It was such a great feeling, and we definitely feel very blessed. Still praying about the house and truck...but it'll happen!
Monday, June 29, 2009
The real me...ugh!
Today, I am SO STRESSED OUT! You know when you get so physically and emotionally exhausted that even the little things become huge and stressful? I'm definitely there. :) My dogs pooped on our new carpet this morning...nothing difficult to clean up, but I just about hyperventilated. And it's funny, because it's the good things that are stressing us out!
We had someone call about our car yesterday, so we FRANTICALLY and HARD-CORE cleaned it, and showed it at 11:30. And, the dad saw the motorcycle and came BACK to take it on a little ride! They were interested in both, so we're tentatively hoping. Who knows though, still waiting to hear....
Then today we have a house showing at 12:30! The problem is, we still have the "necessities of life" here, but ALL our furniture (we have a bed, a card table, a small couch and a chair still in the house!) is gone. So, lots of stuff with nowhere to put it. That's what I'm doing this morning, and for some reason it's STRESSFUL!
So, I'm trying to remember that these are great things, and WE PRAYED FOR THIS! The jury is still out on whether or not my reminders will take. :)
*We got to meet up with a couple from Kansas that are also heading to Woodstock this summer! We had supper and had a really nice time...it felt SO good to meet them, and we felt much calmer about things after talking with them. They haven't sold their cars yet either, and didn't have a renter yet for their house...so, maybe we're not alone!
**My brother-in-law called me with an observation about my profile information...the first sentence starts with "I am currently ending my life...." Have no fear, it's not as it sounds!
Okay, deep breath. Here I go!
We had someone call about our car yesterday, so we FRANTICALLY and HARD-CORE cleaned it, and showed it at 11:30. And, the dad saw the motorcycle and came BACK to take it on a little ride! They were interested in both, so we're tentatively hoping. Who knows though, still waiting to hear....
Then today we have a house showing at 12:30! The problem is, we still have the "necessities of life" here, but ALL our furniture (we have a bed, a card table, a small couch and a chair still in the house!) is gone. So, lots of stuff with nowhere to put it. That's what I'm doing this morning, and for some reason it's STRESSFUL!
So, I'm trying to remember that these are great things, and WE PRAYED FOR THIS! The jury is still out on whether or not my reminders will take. :)
*We got to meet up with a couple from Kansas that are also heading to Woodstock this summer! We had supper and had a really nice time...it felt SO good to meet them, and we felt much calmer about things after talking with them. They haven't sold their cars yet either, and didn't have a renter yet for their house...so, maybe we're not alone!
**My brother-in-law called me with an observation about my profile information...the first sentence starts with "I am currently ending my life...." Have no fear, it's not as it sounds!
Okay, deep breath. Here I go!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Grandma: my hero
"We laid in bed giggling about stupid things we would accidentally say and dumb things we'd done...and she kept saying, 'Life is beautiful'. 'Man, life sure is beautiful'."
I spent yesterday and this morning with my grandma, and I'm kind of overwhelmed. She's not doing well physically, so we had lots of down time to just talk. She has been one of the strongest influences in my life (other than, of course, my immediate family and Chris), and these last couple of days I gained a strong appreciation of what has molded her into the woman that has so strongly influenced my life.
Grandma is a consistent example of unrelenting love and persistent joy in my life and so many others. She's currently entering what are probably the first stages of dementia, and has suffered several small strokes, leaving her with severe headaches and trouble walking. She's 98 pounds and getting smaller...and yet she's as feisty as ever. :) She forgets words and laughs about it. She almost tips over and makes a joke about her clumsiness. And, she always smiles...always ALWAYS smiles.
Lord, let me be a strong example of your unrelenting love and overflowing joy. Thank you for sending a physical example of that love in grandma. Please bless her and encourage her, and let her know that she's not alone, and is so loved by so many.
Baby's boat's a silver moon, sailing in the sky.
Sailing on a sea of dreams, while the clouds roll by.
Sail baby, sail, far across the sea.
Only, don't forget to sail back again to me.
I love you grams. :)
You're my hero.
I spent yesterday and this morning with my grandma, and I'm kind of overwhelmed. She's not doing well physically, so we had lots of down time to just talk. She has been one of the strongest influences in my life (other than, of course, my immediate family and Chris), and these last couple of days I gained a strong appreciation of what has molded her into the woman that has so strongly influenced my life.
Grandma is a consistent example of unrelenting love and persistent joy in my life and so many others. She's currently entering what are probably the first stages of dementia, and has suffered several small strokes, leaving her with severe headaches and trouble walking. She's 98 pounds and getting smaller...and yet she's as feisty as ever. :) She forgets words and laughs about it. She almost tips over and makes a joke about her clumsiness. And, she always smiles...always ALWAYS smiles.
Lord, let me be a strong example of your unrelenting love and overflowing joy. Thank you for sending a physical example of that love in grandma. Please bless her and encourage her, and let her know that she's not alone, and is so loved by so many.
This is the lullaby she sang to me for years and years...and we sang it together again this weekend. It felt especially sweet since Chris and I are going overseas. As you can imagine, my eyes didn't stay dry much on this trip.
Baby's boat's a silver moon, sailing in the sky.
Sailing on a sea of dreams, while the clouds roll by.
Sail baby, sail, far across the sea.
Only, don't forget to sail back again to me.
I love you grams. :)
You're my hero.Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Colors of India
I typed in "Colors of India" to get inspiration for my official "India background", and this is what came up. I'm so excited...
Great Weekend!
This last weekend was a GREAT weekend, and we definitely needed it! It ended up that the weekend was "bookended" by some rather stressful situations...but the weekend itself was WONDERFUL! In the words of Monk, "Here's what happened!"
1. Camping trip with our small group! We went to Lake Cornelia on Friday night, and spend that night and Saturday at the campground. Unfortunately, all our "comfort" camping items were packed away for India, so we just brought our sleeping bags and 4-person tent. This is what we looked like at 3:30 AM...
We ended up GETTING IN THE CAR and DRIVING 40 minutes home at 3:30 Saturday morning, because we couldn't sleep! It was pretty miserable, but we had a great adventure!
We also had a GREAT time out on the lake. The small group has three collective boats with knee boards, tubes, skiis, you name it! Chris rocked it on the water, and I sat out so I wouldn't rip out my nose ring. :)
My favorite parts were just sitting around the campfire, eating and grilling and talking. We will DEFINITELY miss our small group so much, and have been so blessed by our time here with them! They will be lifelong friends.
2. I got to see Katie! Katie and Eli came back for a wedding on Saturday, so I left early Saturday morning for Ames to go spend time with them. We ended up meeting her parents and Eli's parents at a coffee shop, and just sat around and chatted for two hours. It was WONDERFUL, and it felt so good to be able to see them again before we left.
3. On Sunday I headed up to Minnesota with my mom to visit my grandma and grandpa Stellmaker. Grandma's been really sick, so we were going up to assess the situation, but she had a GREAT day! She was the grandma I've always known and loved...check out the fun video. :) I love you two!
1. Camping trip with our small group! We went to Lake Cornelia on Friday night, and spend that night and Saturday at the campground. Unfortunately, all our "comfort" camping items were packed away for India, so we just brought our sleeping bags and 4-person tent. This is what we looked like at 3:30 AM...
We ended up GETTING IN THE CAR and DRIVING 40 minutes home at 3:30 Saturday morning, because we couldn't sleep! It was pretty miserable, but we had a great adventure!
We also had a GREAT time out on the lake. The small group has three collective boats with knee boards, tubes, skiis, you name it! Chris rocked it on the water, and I sat out so I wouldn't rip out my nose ring. :)
My favorite parts were just sitting around the campfire, eating and grilling and talking. We will DEFINITELY miss our small group so much, and have been so blessed by our time here with them! They will be lifelong friends.
2. I got to see Katie! Katie and Eli came back for a wedding on Saturday, so I left early Saturday morning for Ames to go spend time with them. We ended up meeting her parents and Eli's parents at a coffee shop, and just sat around and chatted for two hours. It was WONDERFUL, and it felt so good to be able to see them again before we left.
3. On Sunday I headed up to Minnesota with my mom to visit my grandma and grandpa Stellmaker. Grandma's been really sick, so we were going up to assess the situation, but she had a GREAT day! She was the grandma I've always known and loved...check out the fun video. :) I love you two!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Abe says HUSTLE!
We've all heard the saying, "Good things come to those who wait." As I'm noticing my tendency toward impatience I've often quoted that to myself lately, as we wait for the house to sell or put off buying something as we wait for a better deal. Apparently, though, this quote has suffered some Americanization over time. The official quote is...
"Good things come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle."
Interesting how we change things to meet our needs, huh? I decided I'm just going to claim the quote I need to hear at the moment. Impatient? Version 1. Lazy? Version 2. :)
Now go hustle!
"Good things come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle."
Interesting how we change things to meet our needs, huh? I decided I'm just going to claim the quote I need to hear at the moment. Impatient? Version 1. Lazy? Version 2. :)
Now go hustle!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Not worst-case scenario, but pretty close!
So, I had a rough morning. This morning I backed our car into our truck. Can I just say, at the time it seemed like the ABSOLUTE worst-case scenario! We're moving to India in exactly 4 weeks from tomorrow....we were planning to post pictures of both vehicles on craigslist tonight.... we've made up fliers we were going to post around town...and now, there's a big dent in both our vehicles!
But since this morning, I've come to realize (via the wonderful support of my husband), that this is NOT the worst-case scenario. I guess I hit ourself (is that good grammar?!) in a good spot! The truck will be covered with insurance, I didn't run over a dog, and no one's hurt. Both "injuries" are just cosmetic, I didn't burn anything down, and the world is still turning. SO, I guess it ISN'T the worst-case scenario! I'll tell you what though, for about 45 minutes this morning you couldn't have convinced me otherwise.
The thing that finally got me to stop my hysterical sobbing was Chris telling me his personal crash story. I have since then heard 7 crash stories, and have belly-laughed at many of them! So, I'm putting out a plea: SHARE my pain, and post your crash stories! After all, misery loves company. :) Here are some pictures of my current misery...
But since this morning, I've come to realize (via the wonderful support of my husband), that this is NOT the worst-case scenario. I guess I hit ourself (is that good grammar?!) in a good spot! The truck will be covered with insurance, I didn't run over a dog, and no one's hurt. Both "injuries" are just cosmetic, I didn't burn anything down, and the world is still turning. SO, I guess it ISN'T the worst-case scenario! I'll tell you what though, for about 45 minutes this morning you couldn't have convinced me otherwise.
The thing that finally got me to stop my hysterical sobbing was Chris telling me his personal crash story. I have since then heard 7 crash stories, and have belly-laughed at many of them! So, I'm putting out a plea: SHARE my pain, and post your crash stories! After all, misery loves company. :) Here are some pictures of my current misery...
Monday, June 15, 2009
I can pack WHAT?!
We decided to officially start packing this weekend, so we're off and running! We have to pack for India first so we don't accidentally pack something away that we want to take with us. We are restricted to 2 carry-ons, each one can be 50 pounds and 62 linear inches. If you're wondering, that's approximately...
THIS BIG!
Pathetic story of the week: Chris and I found these tupperware containers for $15 each, and were SO excited! We just walked up and down Wal-Mart exclaiming our excitement...we even had one lady comment, "that's when you know you're an adult, when you get that excited about tupperware!" I know, pathetic. BUT, in our defense: they're 1/2 inch off our target size, and were $80 cheaper than the ones we thought wew ere going to have to get! WAHOO!
Now the rough part is actually getting things into them! I spent all day today packing, and thought I'd share my favorite moment.
This is Chris's reaction when he realized how much he was going to have to downsize in the tool department. He's holding his entire India tool supply in his hand. :) I spent a good half hour giggling about it!
A quick prayer request: we got a written offer/earnest money on our house today! However, they're very verbal about the fact that it might be difficult for them to get financing due to some employment/past issues. So, we're just asking that people would pray for a great opportunity to come up that would meet both our needs. Either way, we're seeing how faithful God is. :)
Now the rough part is actually getting things into them! I spent all day today packing, and thought I'd share my favorite moment.
This is Chris's reaction when he realized how much he was going to have to downsize in the tool department. He's holding his entire India tool supply in his hand. :) I spent a good half hour giggling about it!
A quick prayer request: we got a written offer/earnest money on our house today! However, they're very verbal about the fact that it might be difficult for them to get financing due to some employment/past issues. So, we're just asking that people would pray for a great opportunity to come up that would meet both our needs. Either way, we're seeing how faithful God is. :)
Sunday, June 14, 2009
I love my...
Sister-in-law! Rachel is my sister-in-law that I love DEARLY. We've had some really fun times lately, so this blog is dedicated to the good times of Rachel and Nicole.
Last weekend we had a father's day celebration for Chris' dad, so we were all together. Naturally we spent time playing fetch with the three big dogs (Shelby, Lexi, and Sam), and the dog's ball ended up in the Farley's pond. Have no fear...Rachel is here!
Note the shocked expressions: I don't think Tom and Yvonne really knew how crazy Rachel can be when she puts her mind to it!
Smile pretty...now go take a shower!
Last weekend we had a father's day celebration for Chris' dad, so we were all together. Naturally we spent time playing fetch with the three big dogs (Shelby, Lexi, and Sam), and the dog's ball ended up in the Farley's pond. Have no fear...Rachel is here!
As you can see, the water is DISGUSTING! I was a camp counselor for three years, and was still shocked that she got in.
Note the shocked expressions: I don't think Tom and Yvonne really knew how crazy Rachel can be when she puts her mind to it!
Smile pretty...now go take a shower!And THEN, this weekend we had a FULL day of Rachel/Nicole fun. Here was our schedule:
9:00 AM --- Pedicures!
10:00 AM --- Head to GAP for some SWEET deals on clothing for India. I got a pair of dark gray, light gray, and khaki pants for $19.99 each. Usually I would think it was kind of silly to blog about a pair of pants, but these are THE PERFECT pants....and have ultimately solved my problem of what to wear to work in India! Truly, my heart felt eased. :)
11:30 AM --- To Panera to have breakfast with Bekah, Ava, and Jessica. FUN!
12:30 PM --- NOSE-PIERCING! Still can't believe I did it...Rachel held my hand the whole time. She took all the pictures, I'm sure they'll be on her blog some time soon. :)
2:00 PM --- We went to see Mamma Mia! It was really good...
Rach, you're a stud and I love you. Thanks for such a great day, and happy 2-year anniversary!
9:00 AM --- Pedicures!
10:00 AM --- Head to GAP for some SWEET deals on clothing for India. I got a pair of dark gray, light gray, and khaki pants for $19.99 each. Usually I would think it was kind of silly to blog about a pair of pants, but these are THE PERFECT pants....and have ultimately solved my problem of what to wear to work in India! Truly, my heart felt eased. :)
11:30 AM --- To Panera to have breakfast with Bekah, Ava, and Jessica. FUN!
12:30 PM --- NOSE-PIERCING! Still can't believe I did it...Rachel held my hand the whole time. She took all the pictures, I'm sure they'll be on her blog some time soon. :)
2:00 PM --- We went to see Mamma Mia! It was really good...
Rach, you're a stud and I love you. Thanks for such a great day, and happy 2-year anniversary!Friday, June 12, 2009
I'm procrastinating...
It's true. I don't want to pack! Don't get me wrong, I'm SO excited about being in India...but I'm NOT excited about the mayhem that will inevitably precede our time in India. So, our house is still completely in tact, and I'm still putting everything off. :)
Here's a few updates...in my procrastination, I've been VERY busy with non-essential activities like coffee dates with students and scrapbook days with friends. Very, very busy!
1. Still haven't officially sold the house. We have a great offer and are hoping to have the offer officially "offered" by Monday. However, this guy will most likely have difficulties getting financing, so if you're a prayer, PRAY BABY PRAY! We did have another guy look today, so that was nice.
2. We got our work Visas back! So even if everything else falls through, we can go to and work in India.
3. I'm ALMOST totally current in my scrapbooking. If you're not a scrapbooker just continue to #4. If you are a scrapbooker, you'll hoot and holler because you know how exciting this is!
4. We've already made some India friends! Cookie and Dave are friends of Chris' aunt and uncle. They've already worked at Woodstock for four years (back in the 90's), and are going back this year. It's been so much fun talking to them and sharing this time...they're SO helpful. We just chose our seats next to each other on the plane too...ahh, new friends!
5. I'm starting to feel very panicky lately. Chris and I are definitely different...fortunately (or maybe unfortunately?!) in this life transition we're having a tendency to freak out about different things. He freaks out about the overseas part (being in India, the housing, transitions) and I freak out about the home part (selling the house and cars, all the packing and arrangements). So, one of us is always "freaking out". On one hand we can help calm each other down instead of egging each other on...on the other hand, we're never normal together. :)
Here's a few updates...in my procrastination, I've been VERY busy with non-essential activities like coffee dates with students and scrapbook days with friends. Very, very busy!
1. Still haven't officially sold the house. We have a great offer and are hoping to have the offer officially "offered" by Monday. However, this guy will most likely have difficulties getting financing, so if you're a prayer, PRAY BABY PRAY! We did have another guy look today, so that was nice.
2. We got our work Visas back! So even if everything else falls through, we can go to and work in India.
3. I'm ALMOST totally current in my scrapbooking. If you're not a scrapbooker just continue to #4. If you are a scrapbooker, you'll hoot and holler because you know how exciting this is!
4. We've already made some India friends! Cookie and Dave are friends of Chris' aunt and uncle. They've already worked at Woodstock for four years (back in the 90's), and are going back this year. It's been so much fun talking to them and sharing this time...they're SO helpful. We just chose our seats next to each other on the plane too...ahh, new friends!
5. I'm starting to feel very panicky lately. Chris and I are definitely different...fortunately (or maybe unfortunately?!) in this life transition we're having a tendency to freak out about different things. He freaks out about the overseas part (being in India, the housing, transitions) and I freak out about the home part (selling the house and cars, all the packing and arrangements). So, one of us is always "freaking out". On one hand we can help calm each other down instead of egging each other on...on the other hand, we're never normal together. :)
The end
Thursday, June 04, 2009
My Special Poem
A while ago I wrote about a poem that one of my Special Ed. girls gave me. I wrote one of my favorite sentences in a previous blog, but I definitely think it's best in context. Some is so SO sweet, and will always touch my heart. And other parts are so SO funny, and will always make me laugh hysterically. :) Ah, the unexpected...
Mrs. Farley
Mrs. Farley is the best teacher ever. She is #1 friend I ever known. She is always there for me when I am down and she helps me to smile. I don't know what to do with out her. She is nice, sweet, fun, pretty, and good at music. She is the coolest teacher to hang out with. She is the one famous music teacher ever. I never want to forget her because she is the one famous person I ever known. You are the Queen Of The Wind because you are so beautiful. You make my day. You always put a smile on my face and you help through. I will miss you and I love you Mrs. Farley.
Have fun through these days.
Yep. Precious. Didn't know I was the Queen Of The Wind, did ya.
Have fun through these days.
Yep. Precious. Didn't know I was the Queen Of The Wind, did ya.
Emotion of the Day: PUMPED!
I've been EXTREMELY hormonal lately...my poor husband has never experienced the true power of estrogen until these last few weeks. Each day I experience a new emotion to it's fullest: anxiety, excitement, depression, grief, hyperness (an emotion?), giddyness, the list goes on and on. Today I had the pleasure of experiencing a new emotion: I am thoroughly PUMPED!
Simply put, today was a great day. I started the day with some work on our scrapbooks (I'm ALMOST totally caught up!), and then met a student who graduated this year for coffee. We brought our traveling scrapbooks, and just talked and talked about where we've been and the people we've met, and how traveling totally changes your perspectives and challenges ideals. She gave me some REALLY fun tips for planning our week in Switzerland next summer, and I basically just got SO excited for this next year in our life! India...Hong Kong...Mainland China...(maybe!) Thailand...back to India...Ireland...Switzerland. I feel like I'm doing the things I always saw myself doing...it's really happening!!
Then I came home, had a great lunch with hubby, and had some VERY productive voice lessons. Made some great progress!
And then, it was off to the gym. Just a note: I'm trying to get in shape for India. Apparently walking around campus is the equivalent of being on a constant stair-master...in really high elevation. :) The last time I ran I couldn't even make it a mile, and I was so sore I could barely walk for three days. Today, I ran for 2 miles straight, stretched, and then rode the bike for 12 minutes! PROGRESS!
And then, it was off to "Up" with my good friend Christa and her kids Lexi and Clay. Great movie, especially when you watch it with a 7 and 4 year old. Everything is much funnier!
And THEN (can you tell the day is progressively becoming more and more SWEET?!), I called Chris on the way home and he told me that we have an offer on our house...for FULL asking price! The guy is faxing it to Chris' office tomorrow, and hopefully we can get things signed no later than Saturday. Can we get a PRAISE THE LOAD! (that's praise the Lord exclaimed excitedly in a southern accent).
In all, I feel so content. God has been teaching me that obedience is NOT about feelings. It's about choosing to talk yourself down from feeling anxious about a house, and letting God know that you desire to trust Him to provide for your needs. It's choosing to give God credit for the things He's obviously done.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring...all I know is that today was been a GREAT day. :)
Simply put, today was a great day. I started the day with some work on our scrapbooks (I'm ALMOST totally caught up!), and then met a student who graduated this year for coffee. We brought our traveling scrapbooks, and just talked and talked about where we've been and the people we've met, and how traveling totally changes your perspectives and challenges ideals. She gave me some REALLY fun tips for planning our week in Switzerland next summer, and I basically just got SO excited for this next year in our life! India...Hong Kong...Mainland China...(maybe!) Thailand...back to India...Ireland...Switzerland. I feel like I'm doing the things I always saw myself doing...it's really happening!!
Then I came home, had a great lunch with hubby, and had some VERY productive voice lessons. Made some great progress!
And then, it was off to the gym. Just a note: I'm trying to get in shape for India. Apparently walking around campus is the equivalent of being on a constant stair-master...in really high elevation. :) The last time I ran I couldn't even make it a mile, and I was so sore I could barely walk for three days. Today, I ran for 2 miles straight, stretched, and then rode the bike for 12 minutes! PROGRESS!
And then, it was off to "Up" with my good friend Christa and her kids Lexi and Clay. Great movie, especially when you watch it with a 7 and 4 year old. Everything is much funnier!
And THEN (can you tell the day is progressively becoming more and more SWEET?!), I called Chris on the way home and he told me that we have an offer on our house...for FULL asking price! The guy is faxing it to Chris' office tomorrow, and hopefully we can get things signed no later than Saturday. Can we get a PRAISE THE LOAD! (that's praise the Lord exclaimed excitedly in a southern accent).
In all, I feel so content. God has been teaching me that obedience is NOT about feelings. It's about choosing to talk yourself down from feeling anxious about a house, and letting God know that you desire to trust Him to provide for your needs. It's choosing to give God credit for the things He's obviously done.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring...all I know is that today was been a GREAT day. :)
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