the many adventures of me

plus point five...

2012-02-06T19:30:00.006-06:00

the month was november and christmas was fast approaching. i made my list and checked it twice. near the top was something i expect made an appearance on many a christmas wish list...an eye exam. it's true. these are the things i wish for. and my mom was kind enough to entertain my wish come christmas morning.

while i've never had need for an optical apparatus in the past, i'd recently noticed a small bit of eye strain after an evening in front of the computer. since i hadn't been to an eye doctor in over ten years (when i last had vision insurance) i figured it was time. i patiently waited as they blew annoying puffs of air into my eyes, fully expecting to pass with flying colors. instead, i was prescribed very low strength reading glasses. plus point five to be exact. the comical thing is that while reading glasses are readily available at drugstores and dollar generals, my eyes are too good for those options. it's impossible to find anything lower than plus one 'off the rack' so order them i did. i went with the two pair deal, since it is ironically much cheaper than just one, and here's what i ended up with...

pair number one

pair number two

the jury's still out on a favorite. today i'm leaning towards number one, though pair number two has a surprise greenish-yellow color on the inside that is rather delightful.

the harvesters half party...

2012-01-18T16:50:00.001-06:00

about a year ago i discovered something really fun...harvesters (our local food bank) hosts birthday parties! the idea is genius. you invite your friends, volunteer together for a couple hours and then head over to the party room for cake. all for free! and pretty much everyone knows i love free.

i was so excited to throw myself a bash but alas, they were all booked up for the month of july. luckily i'm pretty into celebrating my half birthday as well, so that's what we did.

to start off, we mixed in with a group from a local lions club and packed bags of food for the backsnack program. basically kids from low income families get a small bag of food to take home each weekend. kim actually has some students in her class that benefit from this program, which made it extra fun. a few of us worked on the assembly line filling the bags while the rest were in charge of keeping the table stocked and breaking down boxes.

once our work time was up we headed over to the party room to enjoy my delicious lemon half cake, compliments of missy.

the party people

sarah . joy . joshua . shelly . missy . kim

the airport pictures i've been waiting for...

2012-01-12T11:18:00.001-06:00

i've been hoping and praying for these pictures for awhile and i smile from ear to ear every time i look at them. they combine two things i have come to love...adoption and blogs.

when i was younger (side note: it actually pained me to write that phrase) i often said i would one day adopt a kid from africa. i didn't really know what i was saying. i think my thought process went something like this: i love kids. african kids are terribly cute. this must be a good idea. i've since given the idea some actual grown-up thought and adoption is still something i'd like to pursue someday.

the pictures above are of the via family. their daughter alethia came home yesterday. it was a beautiful day. it's been a long, hard road for them. not as long as some, but long just the same. i met this family through my second new love...blogs.

the via's and i are what i like to call 2nd degree friends. not in a black belt kind of way, but in a 6 degrees of kevin bacon kind of way. they went to seminary with my friend lindsey and i got to know them through their blog. we've actually e-mailed back and forth a bit (she was my original cvs resource) and are kind of like real friends now.

i remember when i first heard that someone i knew was writing a blog. i thought they were nuts. why on earth would you want to type out your personal thoughts and memories for the world to see? i would never do that. well, as a wise lad once said...never say never.

originally i used blogs solely as a way to keep up with my 1st degree friends. (aka people i actually know) i've always loved knowing what everyday life looks for others, even before facebook and social media put it at my fingertips. i started writing a blog on a whim, and i'm oh-so-glad i did. it wasn't until recently that i realized this, but i'm not just sharing my life with others, i'm gradually writing my life story. (which sounds very lifetime movie-ish) i've come to love reading other blogs that reason...i love life stories. i've always been a fan of biographies, specifically ones with a good storyline. there have been multiples times in the recent past that i've come across a good blog and proceeded to read it from beginning to end. (or technically from end to beginning...that is a major drawback) at first i felt a little guilty about it being a time-waster, but then i realized it's really just an online biography. and i love them. it's my new hobby.

in case you're in the market for a good read, let me direct you to one of my favorites...jen hatmaker. i'm guessing we're probably 2nd or 3rd degree friends, though i can't prove it just yet. the woman is hilarious. and real. and makes you think. which are my three favorite qualities in a blogger.

jumpin' jayhawks...

2011-12-31T11:35:00.000-06:00

it's been a rock chalk year at our house. not only did we get tickets to the ku homecoming game this fall, i can now say i've experienced the phenomena that is kansas basketball at allen fieldhouse. we got there plenty early so as not to miss any of the excitement and i have to say, even with the students gone for christmas break it was a pretty great atmosphere. the game itself wasn't exactly a nail biter (ku beat howard 89-34) but it was a good time.

kim and i before the game

sarah . shelly . kim . mallory

an ozark mountain christmas...

2011-12-11T21:25:00.002-06:00

my mom and i have been making our annual christmas pilgrimage to branson for fourteen years. you'd think we'd be getting tired of it by now, but somehow, it never gets old. while we like to throw in a healthy mix of shows for variety, there are two mainstays we cannot do without. it just wouldn't be christmas without the haygoods and silver dollar city. here's what we did this year....

1: we got quackers. my friend jen and her son collin joined us for our first ever ride the ducks adventure. we were by far the four most spirited patrons...and we got the most mileage out of our complimentary quackers.

2: the haygoods. i don't know what it is about this family...i just can't get enough. okay actually, i do kind of know what it is about them. i think i like the fact that the oldest brothers are about my age. every year i spend two hours living vicariously through them and imagining my own career in the song and dance biz. plus they're just flat out entertaining. best version of 'seven bridges road' i ever did hear. this year they added an improv comedian to entertain us before the show and during intermission...he was hilarious.

3: silver dollar city. i love christmas and i love lights, so there is pretty much no better place to be than a park covered in four million of the twinkling things. but aside from the obvious christmas cheer, sdc puts on some seriously good shows.

the frontier fa-la-la follies: this saloon show is good ol' fashioned knee slappin' comedy...always good for a laugh.
for unto us a child is born: focusing on who we're really celebrating at christmas is one of the things branson does really well and this living nativity includes a particularly fabulous song. the only downfall is that i miss the big black guy who was the narrator until last year...the dude had some serious pipes.
a dickens christmas carol: words cannot describe how great this adaptation is. you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll leave inspired. it's broadway worthy...and i'm not just saying that.

4: the best surprise of the year...GREG BRADY! i almost passed out when i saw the billboard. a brady brunch starring none other than barry williams? yes please. the only bummer was that i didn't have my dvd box sets with me for the autograph line!

thanksvember: week four...

2011-11-30T20:45:00.002-06:00

i am thankful for...

day 22: friends to live life with...when it's good and when it's hard

day 23: a night of side splitting laughter with the ladies from nawlins (and a couple of husbands)

day 24: a family i enjoy...especially my uncle, who will be thrilled to get a special mention on the blog

day 25: always having a place to call home

day 26: spending the day with my mom and having one less closet to paint

day 27: calvary church...where friends really do become family

day 28: getting in on the tradition of picking out trees and eating ted drewes with my mom and the taylors

day 29: getting to work at a school i love with people i enjoy

day 30: the twinkling lights on our christmas tree

"every legitimate pleasure in the world becomes a blood-bought

evidence of Christ's love, and an occasion of boasting in the cross."

john piper

black wednesday...

2011-11-24T21:24:00.000-06:00

i've never been a black friday shopper. the turnoff for me is that no matter how good the deals may be, you still have to fork over some cold hard cash to get the goods. not so at cvs. they will hand you oodles of treasure for next to nothing. case in point: i went to cvs at midnight and gave them this...

and i took home this...

plus i came into the store with $7.67 of magical cvs money, and i left with $14.55. it's almost criminal. i did encounter a bit of a line, which was a new development. and i had to circle around and stand in line again for every one of my five transactions. inconvenient? yes. worth it? yes again.

thanksvember: week three...

2011-11-22T11:22:00.001-06:00

i am thankful for...

day 15: a new sidewalk to walk and bike on...and a lovely afternoon to enjoy it

day 16: the privilege of praying for the via's adoption...and sharing their unwavering faith in the midst of seemingly insurmountable circumstances

day 17: apple-passion-mango juice and chocolate pudding from a box

day 18: sleepovers with sophie

day 19: taking a stroll in the park with a friend

day 20: a surprise visitor at church this morning

day 21: the first of many free meals at chick-fil-a

"...every legitimate pleasure in the world becomes a blood-bought

evidence of Christ's love, and an occasion of boasting in the cross."

john piper

thanksvember: week two...

2011-11-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

i am thankful for...

day 8: my friend dia...and the hilarious memories of our life in a nursing home

day 9: having my number called at the chick-fil-a first 100

day 10: sleep...which i forget to appreciate until i have to go without

day 11: the freedom and opportunities that come with being an american

day 12: friends that let me show up to their house in my pajamas and lay on their couch while they make me dinner

day 13: the good word at church this morning

day 14: a roommate to go to the movies with

"...every legitimate pleasure in the world becomes a blood-bought

evidence of Christ's love, and an occasion of boasting in the cross."

john piper

eat mor chikin...

2011-11-10T21:16:00.005-06:00

last night i slept in a parking lot. with 99 other people.

i love chick-fil-a. really, who doesn't? they not only make an excellent chicken sandwich, this company does everything well and with integrity. they have stellar customer service and it's always their pleasure to serve. one of the fun things they do for their loyal fans is the first 100 event. i've wanted to be a part of one of these for years but it hasn't ever worked out...until now.

here's what went down. i showed up in the parking lot of the new blue springs store about 5:45 on wednesday morning. at 6am there were over 100 people (105 to be exact) so a raffle was required. they counted us into lines and handed each of us a ticket. numbers were drawn one at a time to give participants a guaranteed spot in the first 100. the 77th number called was my lucky number. i was given a wrist band, officially registered and then it was camping time!

the rule is that you must remain on the parking lot for the entire 24 hour period until the store officially opens on thursday morning. there's a short grace period where you can unload your stuff from the car and then you're locked in. (figuratively...not literally) as a first timer i was in the minority, but i did my research and came prepared. parking spots were claimed, tents went up and a small city was born, complete with all the necessities like tables, chairs, sleeping bags, air mattresses, computers and games. it wasn't exactly the warmest day of the year, so i packed a healthy amount of foot warmers and extra layers. the whole thing is kind of hilarious...like an overnight tailgate. go team cow.

our periodic line checks throughout the day usually came with free food. they fed us breakfast, lunch, dinner and an evening snack. i was a little worried about being bored all day, since i was camping on my own, but it wasn't a problem at all. i made friends with some fellow sbu-ers in the tent next door and we played tripoley on and off all day long. (incidentally sbu was well represented...even the store owner was a bearcat) plus i ended up having some fun visitors which helped as well. (thanks for coming marilyn, donald, jake, mitch and rylee!) the staff also offered some entertainment in the form of games and some great tunes for a parking lot dance party.

after the last line check of the night i burrowed into my sleeping bag and stayed toasty warm until the 5am wake up call forced me into the frigid morning. during our final line check we were given 'i heart chick-fil-a' t-shirts and paper hats to wear for our grand entrance. the owner, the mayor and a cow cut the ribbon and we were in. team members serenaded us with cheers, cow bells and the banging of pots and pans as we filed past the counter and picked up our nugget boxes of goodness. free chick-fil-a for a year.

cold and all, i would do it again in a heartbeat. i love chick-fil-a!

thanksvember: week one...

2011-11-08T09:26:00.001-06:00

i have so many things to be thankful for. really, i feel like i've gotten more than my fair share. most days i remember this, but every now and then i get all self absorbed and forget to be grateful. so every month i write in my 'good things book' and remind myself of all the good things i've been blessed with.

in honor of thanksgiving, (and due to the inspiration of facebook) i am declaring this month to be 'thanksvember' and i'm going to pick one thing to be thankful for each day. this might even be a new tradition. so this month, in november of 2011, i am thankful for...

day 1: the kind lady at the car place who not only pointed out the dings on my windshield, but offered to contact my insurance and get them fixed for free

day 2: a drizzly, rainy day

day 3: new friends

day 4: not needing a full time job, but always having enough work

day 5: that feeling of total relaxation just after a hot bath

day 6: the unique and creative celebration of all saints day at church

day 7: my zumba instructor...because the good ones are hard to find!

"...every legitimate pleasure in the world becomes a blood-bought

evidence of Christ's love, and an occasion of boasting in the cross."

john piper

tara in kc...

2011-11-05T11:25:00.001-05:00

last weekend, one of my dreams came true...one of my very best friends came to visit.

tara and i are like two peas in a pod. we have the same organizational tendencies, we think alike and we just 'get' each other. which is part of the reason i often seek her advice. we met my freshman year of college on a mission trip to croatia. our friendship started with an adventure and we've been having them ever since.

i've been able to make quite a few visits to the arden family over the years, but this was the first time tara's been able to come visit me. matt graciously offered to take on the roll of single dad for five whole days to give his wife some time away and make my dream come true.

the preparations

the first couple of days of our visit were pretty relaxing. tara's only request was that she could stay in her bed as late as she wanted. and she took that pretty seriously. we went out to eat with the birthday coupons i scored for her, walked around the neighborhood, had a girls night out with missy and kim. it also just so happened that there were some very important baseball games being played on those days and she graciously spent the evenings cheering on the cardinals with me.

missy, tara and shelly @ mccormick and schmick's for the end of

game six...note my white rally napkin on the left side of the photo

saturday we ignored the staying in bed rule and woke up bright and early for a road trip down to bolivar to relive the glory days. it just so happened to be homecoming weekend at sbu so we got in on some of the festivities. we watched the parade and strolled around campus, telling stories and reminiscing before heading over to jackie and clint's for a mini reunion of sorts. we ate dinner, had a bonfire and proceeded to play mafia until 3:30 in the morning. it was just like college...except for the little kids sleeping all over the house.

@ the sbu alumni soccer game

we managed to squeeze in lunch with tara's family in springfield before heading back to kc for our last night. along with some good conversation, our evening consisted of tara helping me light the ear candles she brought me...during which time we may or may not have accidentally lit the carpet on fire just a little.

it was a fabulous weekend. i can't even explain how thankful i am for her visit and for our friendship. i really don't know what i'd do without her!

bearcats forever...

2011-10-29T09:00:00.002-05:00

when i was a kid i always thought it made adults sound so old when they would talk about how they couldn't believe how long it had been since they had done/been in/been to ____________. i would roll my eyes and think how i would never be like that. but guess what...it's happening.

seriously though...ten years? i haven't been an sbu student in ten years. my high school reunion was one thing, but this is another thing entirely. wasn't i just living in the dorm like two semesters ago? a couple of weeks ago i was filling out a reunion questionnaire for homecoming and decided it was high time for a little trip down memory lane. i pulled out the scrapbook and found some great stuff. memories came rushing back as i looked at the faces and thought of the people i came to know and love during my four years as a bearcat. the funny thing is that when i think about the fact that these memories are from ten years ago (which actually means fourteen, since that's when i started college) i think, no way. but then i look at these pictures and they seem to be from the dark ages. when did those clothes and hairstyles become so outdated? there's the c.k.g., the crazy ladies of leslie third south, hours of sand volleyball, the killer bees and the 'group'. mission trips, card games, spring break road trips, late night chats, lifelong friends and a whole lot of pranks...which i mostly participated in as an 'innocent observer'. in an effort to preserve these memories in cyberspace, and share a bit of the love, here's a little timeline of some of the important people and places of my college career.

. the ckg .

we were almost inseparable the first few years...these were my homies

zach . stacey . justin . christina . chris

. the rock hoppin' sandal mommas .

croatia: the first of many mission trips...and the beginning of a life long friendship

julie . shelly . jana . nicky . tara

. the killer bees .

flag football champions...two years in a row

winkle . shelly . miriam . leann . pistol . tara . katie . stacey . megan . rene

. the group .

the discipleship group val started...i learned a lot in the two years we were together

becca . shelly . jackie . brian . josh . kristen . erin . val . sarah . candace . gabe . chris . kevin

. midnight breakfast .

my last meal at meller's

winkle . cline . jackie . shelly . ali . kris . connie . shannon . matthew

. the girls of maple tree lane .

emily . tonya . heather . ami . holly . kris . shelly . jackie . kim . kim

. tp road trip .

technically this one is after i graduated...but it still counts!

ali . nicole . lindsey . shelly

bayou bound...

2011-10-25T19:35:00.001-05:00

though it's been six years since hurricane katrina swept through new orleans, the recovery effort still marches on. in some areas of the city there are no obvious signs of the destruction caused by the storm, but in other areas the scars are still very evident. in the span of a block you will see many well cared for homes with fresh coats of paint, but sprinkled between are abandoned homes with overgrown lawns that have yet to be salvaged from the storm. the large X's that search crews used to mark the homes when checking for survivors are still visible all across the city. there is still work to be done.

my mom and i went down to louisiana with a team from calvary to work with an organization called touch global. they have been there since the beginning and are committed to continue serving the community, long after most of the other relief agencies have moved out. the majority of the people still needing assistance have similar stories. they hired contractors to rebuild their homes with the money received from insurance settlements, government assistance, etc., but instead of completing the needed repairs on the homes these contractors skipped town, money in hand. touch global has a waiting list of people still needing help so we headed down to serve wherever we were needed.

our team of seven ladies spent the week working at jj's house. the overall goal was to make some progress on scraping, sanding and priming the house...but we also caulked, weeded and removed a chain link fence. since our touch global site supervisor was in charge of multiple work sites, i put my habitat skills to work and became our job foreman. while we did get some work accomplished, my favorite part of this trip by far was our team. we had a ton of fun listening to heidi's stories, dancing on the sidewalk and enjoying each others company. it was a 24-7 laugh fest.

after our work week was over my mom, heidi and i stayed an extra day to explore new orleans and soak up the cajun culture. we had beignets at cafe du monde, walked along the riverfront, rode the streetcars, strolled through tulane university, listened to live music and experienced a night on bourbon street.

you can click here for more pictures of our week and our adventure in the city.

college game day...

2011-10-01T21:45:00.011-05:00

thanks to some family friends of the twogoods, kim and i scored some great tickets to the ku homecoming football game. though i'm not a dedicated, die-hard jayhawk fan like kim, i was pretty excited at the prospect of a real college game...real being a synonym for "not sbu". but i wasn't just looking for a game, i was looking for the entire college football experience. thankfully joy, one of my bible study buddies and lawrence native, invited us to join her for some classic tailgating festivities. their tent boasted ladder ball, corn hole, lots of food and jayhawk plastic ware. it was top notch.

after i dominated corn hole, we headed into memorial stadium with time to spare...mostly because i didn't want to miss the dancing girls. (the pre-game and halftime shows tend to be the highlight for me) not only did we get free jayhawk flags, we were delighted to find that our bleacher seats had been equipped with those comfy chair backs. it was like we were royalty.

the first quarter was super fun. we were sitting near the ku end zone and they scored three unanswered touchdowns. just minutes before the first quarter ended the score was 20-0. we were waving the wheat and even made it on tv. but we won't talk about what happened the rest of the game.

while this wasn't the specific school listed when i made my goal to attend a college football game, and though i don't bleed crimson and blue, i did have a great day with the jayhawks. rock chalk.

vegas in pictures...

2011-09-15T14:00:00.002-05:00

kim and i decided there is no better way to say farewell to summer than a quick trip to vegas. the first event of the weekend was lunch with maddie and mal at hash house a go go. i really wanted to love this place but they were struggling that day...at least we had good company!

at night we headed to the jubilee theatre for an old school vegas showgirl revue with lots of sequins and feathers

after a breakfast of dunkin donuts and some quality time at the pool kim and i headed to the strip for lunch and some more of that vegas sunshine

then we got all fancy for our last night on the town...

a day in the life...

2011-09-09T13:00:00.002-05:00

there's a certain rhythm of life we encounter in honduras. this being my third visit to project manuelito, i know the pattern of the days. it's an amusing balance of a predictable schedule, coupled with the necessary flexibility needed when encountering the latin american culture. a culture where plans are virtually unnecessary, due to the fact that they often tend to change on a minute by minute basis. but even so, this is a fairly accurate glimpse of a day in the life of the manuelito family...

1: the big white bus that gets us to and from teguc for the week

2: we wake up to this glorious honduran sky...the sky is SOOO big here!

3: the kids get dressed in their school uniforms and we all eat breakfast together

4: manuelito now has it's own school on the property, the kids are in classes between breakfast and lunch (which is a typical school day here)

5: when the kids go to school, we go to work...this almost always involves the mixer and bags of cement

6: my first job was bending two hundred pieces of pencil rod into rectangles

7: then everyone else used metal wire to tie them to the rebar to make 'baskets'

8: then the baskets were laid on top of the walls to create the header...this was later filled with concrete

9: once school lets out, we usually end up with a few eager helpers

10: in the afternoon the kids have different chores to do like sorting beans or cutting grass with machetes...that one is not fun, i tried it

11: and of course there is never a shortage of laundry to be done

12: these guys are often wandering by and like to 'help' with the laundry...and by 'help' i mean they eat the clothes off the line when no one is looking

13: usually the kids have some homework to do...there was a lot of cursive letter practice going on last week

14: there is also time in the afternoon and evening to just play...soccer is usually the most popular option

15: once we're done working for the day we get to play too

16: electricity at the project can be sketchy. we went without for about thirty hours in a row this time...a record for our particular group. this is what no electricity looks like. no electricity means no running water. no running water means bucket showers and bucket flushes.

a few more pictures can be found in the facebook album.

the mouse in the house...

2011-09-06T21:41:00.000-05:00

i have an irrational fear.

a highly irrational fear.

what scary monster gets me shakin' in my boots? mice. ick. while this is not necessarily unusual for someone of the female persuasion, i have the gift of taking this fear to new heights. normally, a mouse sighting would constitute squealing and standing on chairs. this seems only natural. but when there's a mouse in my house...it's a whole different story.

we recently had the unfortunate experience of just such a thing. it's life. it happens. but when it does, i cannot contain myself. when a mouse is heard or spotted on a different level of the house than the one i am currently occupying, my immediate response is to curl up into the fetal position on a chair and cover my head while repeating "mouse get out of the house". (the rhyme does make me feel a teeny bit better) but if said mouse is in close proximity on the same level, well then my insides start to shake and sheer panic sets in.

the extreme level of emotion that follows is not a normal occurrence, although my mom could make a case for my dramatic nature. i'm glad i don't have to wonder if she'll still love me when my crazy comes out. plus, she should get some kind of medal for being the only one who has to deal with it most of the time.

the 'incident' occurred when i came home alone one afternoon. after giving myself a pep-talk on being brave, a lot of banging, a very slow open of the front door and many shouts of "mouse, mouse get out of this house", i ran up the stairs thinking i was home free. instead, as i rounded the top of the staircase, i was met with an unwelcome surprise. after a few moments of near hyperventilation on my bed, i quickly ended up on top of the file cabinet in my closet, where i remained until i was rescued about thirty minutes later. (shout out to kim's dad and aunt for their kindness and patience)

see what i mean? irrational. thankfully, said mouse has now permanently vacated the premises, and i couldn't be happier. i know i'm bigger than they are, but i just don't want a mouse in the house.

creeper trail tails...

2011-08-26T17:20:00.000-05:00

when jenn talton has visitors, she doesn't mess around. she is the hostess with the mostess. there is never a dull moment in the a-jenn-da o' fun...plus the food is amazing.

jacob, nickie and i got off to a bit of a rough start, airline wise, but we finally made it to north carolina. the first order of business was some time at the lake house. always a crowd pleaser. we played cards, kayaked in the rain, water skied (i slalomed successfully for the first time!), jumped off a rock and ate low country boil. it was a splendid time.

the slalom and the boil

then we got really serious. sunday's adventure was a thirty four mile bike ride on the virginia creeper trail. and an adventure it was. here's what we were looking at going into the day: you park your car at a bike shop at the end of the trail. the bike shop shuttles you to the top (about a one hour drive) and off you go. we knew the first half would involve a lot of coasting, with the second half becoming a bit more strenuous as the trail flattens out.

the first seventeen miles were indeed delightful. since we were riding down the mountain there was a gentle slope the whole way. i think i used the pedals about five times in that first half. the scenery was beautiful and we were loving life. we even happened upon an all male a cappella group practicing in a nearby house, which was a fun surprise. at the halfway point, we found a little cafe to have lunch in and relaxed for a short bit. then back to the trail we went.

that's when the real adventure began. less than a mile into our second seventeen, the heavens opened and the rain came down. and i mean it came. down. i couldn't see due to the waterfalls coming off of my eyelashes and my shoes quickly became individual swimming pools for my feet. at one point jenn said, "i could get off my bike and go jump in the river and i would not be as wet as i am right now"...and she was right. it was hilarious. we pressed on, not knowing how long the rain would last, but knowing we had no other options since our car was at the end of the trail. the incessant rainfall ended up lasting for about the next three miles, though at the time it felt a little bit like eternity. while grateful for the clear skies, we were now pedaling one hundred percent of the time, and my muscles (which were already sore from water skiing) began to protest. but we persevered and made it out alive. all in all it was a great day of memories, and i was able to check something off my list. our end of the trail pictures don't really do justice to the wet, the sweat and the mud we encountered, but if you look closely you can spot the creeper trail tail on the back of my shirt...

it's all about the water, eh...

2011-08-11T23:55:00.000-05:00

if this most recent mother/daughter road trip had a theme, it would be...water. i know. our destination was niagara falls. just call me captain obvious. but i'm not just referring to the thirty five million gallons of water that flow over the falls every minute of the day. we encountered water at many of our stops...spraying in our faces, falling on our heads, and as part of a delicious treat.

stop one: as previously mentioned, our first stop was in louisville to visit pauline. (okay, technically our first stop was at my aunt and uncle's house to pick up a rubix cube) these stops were water free.

stop two: the creation museum just outside of cincinnati. i can't remember where i originally heard about this place, but i'd wanted to visit for years. it was a good stop on the journey, with interesting and well done exhibits and films. especially the one where you're watching a movie with two guys explaining science and the bible and you suddenly get sprayed in the face with water. (it was an opportune time in the story line, but definitely took us by surprise)

stop three: after an overnight in erie, pa and a lunch of buffalo wings in buffalo, ny we crossed the border into canada where, sadly, i did not receive a stamp in my passport. i hate that. we grabbed an adventure pass, like all good tourists do, and started visiting attractions. we were presented with complimentary ponchos in three different locations. the most amusing was the time we thought we were going to a nice, calm movie about the formation of the falls, but instead we stood on a floor shaking like we were having an earthquake while being rained and snowed upon. good times.

at this same stop we also spent some time exploring the town of niagara-on-the-lake, where our bed and breakfast was located. we strolled the streets, spent an afternoon in the park and i rode a borrowed bike around town.

before heading out we spent a morning on the american side of the falls, for a different perspective. the actual falls area is a bit less commercialized and more nature-ish than its canadian counterpart, but still boasts similar up close and personal attractions. plus i got to see the hotel from jim and pam's wedding.

stop four: following a quick detour to the house from 'a christmas story' in cleveland, we were onto our final scheduled stop...rita's. what delightful treat does dear rita sell? water ice. it's delicious. and a fine way to end our water themed road trip.

for photos, complete with commentary, click here.

my bolivar grandma...

2011-08-05T14:30:00.001-05:00

i didn't get the pleasure of having grandparents around for a lot of my life. my grandpa harry (who was quite a hoot) was my last living grandparent, and he passed away when i was eight. needless to say, by the time i went to college, i had been in a grandparent drought for quite some time.

when i arrived at sbu i heard about an organization with an adopt-a-grandparent program. and since i was in the market for one or two of those, i signed right up. the actual process of pairing up with someone was kind of sketchy. basically i was given an index card with the name and phone number of an oblivious senior citizen in town. i would then call and ask the unsuspecting person(s) if it would be alright if i came to their home for an hour a week to visit. calling strangers and inviting ourselves over...that's how we roll in small towns in the midwest. the first woman i called was a widow. she, understandably, was not interested in having an unknown person in her home. so onto the next index card i went, where i discovered some delightful new friends.

lee and pauline must have decided i did not sound like a robber or an axe murderer and said to come on over. we started with weekly one hour visits, but that didn't last long. soon we were playing hand and foot all afternoon and even having a few adventures.

since i left bolivar we've kept in touch and i visited often. lee passed away in 2005 and a few years later pauline moved to louisville to be near her daughter. we haven't been able to see each other since the move so when my mom and i were planning our road trip to canada i lobbied for a detour. pauline had a plate of cookies waiting for me, like any good grandma would, and we spent an afternoon playing games and chatting...just like old times.

my mexican birthday...

2011-07-25T13:30:00.002-05:00

our first full day in mexico just happened to fall on what i consider to be a very special day. i woke up to a house full of birthday signs, hung by my very favorite mom. after breakfast we got to work and spent the day on some projects at the wgm guest house in saltillo. my mom and i constructed some window screens, then helped out the painting crew. and that night i was given a super fun birthday cake.

the rest of our week was spent at one of my favorite kinds of places...camp. since my affinity for summer camp is no secret, it seemed quite fitting that this is where we were able to work for the week. the camp is located up in the mountains, about an hour away from the city. we were helping to prepare for family camp, which meant cleaning, building bunk beds, pouring a sidewalk, deconstructing a fallen retaining wall, replacing a water heater and a bunch of other odd jobs i've already forgotten. of course we also managed to squeeze in some necessary mexican culture...specifically churros and fried corn. they were delicious.

for more photos and info from the week, visit our facebook page calvary church missions: saltillo, mexico or click here for my photo album.

my favorite week of the year...

2011-07-04T14:44:00.013-05:00

last week i checked another item off my list when i came out of retirement and reclaimed my original role of counselor at kids camp. i hadn't had a cabin for the past few years and i was ready to get back in the mix. (although i did miss the nightly laughs and conversation at the "pub") i had a really fun group of fourth grade girls and almost no drama. i'm not sure if i got lucky or if i'm just that good.

aside from the girls themselves, my favorite thing this year was the music...hands down. dave milliken also came out of retirement and graced us with songs from camps gone by. it was a great trip down memory lane and i loved every minute of it. especially the time he broke out "grandma's in the cellar" at the campfire. gooberdinky's and all.

these are my cute girls

fun story. one day during cabin devotions the topic was having a peaceful heart. we talked about things we're afraid of and how God is always with us and can help us when we're afraid. after the discussion the girls all got a blank pillowcase and some fabric markers to decorate it with. the instructions were simply to draw or write things that would remind them that God will be with them when they are afraid. about ten minutes later gracie (who sat on the inflatables for the whole hour that morning because she was afraid of the fish in the lake) came back with this little gem...

it says: i ain't afraid of no fish. i will jump in very happily next year. i will not sit on the inflatables the whole time next year. how great is that? i wish it were next year already...i'm having withdrawals!

it all started with a fruit crisp...

2011-06-13T14:08:00.000-05:00

some people live to eat. i eat to live. i'm not very picky and will tend to eat anything given to me. emphasis on the word given. i was never one to get overly excited about food and certainly never spent time thinking and talking about food that was eaten more than ten minutes earlier. then i had this fruit crisp...

it was the calvary classics cruise. the first night in the dining room someone at our table ordered the fruit crisp, and that was it. i never wanted to eat another dessert for the rest of my life. (or at least the rest of the week) i can't explain why it was so good, but it was. everyone agreed.

then a caramel apple fell from heaven. this time i was visiting lindsey in georgia and a friend from church dropped a few homemade caramel apples by the house. i'm not usually a fan, so i didn't get excited. lindsey cut one up and said i really needed to try it. she was right. it blew my mind. i followed the children around and as soon as they set down their bowls indicating they were finished, i snatched up the rest of their apples too. don't judge. i promise you would have reacted the same way.

and last, but definitely not least, there was the banana cake. this brilliant baked good showed up on the snack table at the salem camp reunion. when i first discovered it, there was a good three quarters of the cake still in the pan. i had a piece (okay, three) and headed outside. not five minutes later i come in for round two and said cake is now in the kitchen surrounded by vultures. and approximately one eighth remains. there were five or six of us frantically 'squaring off' slices and corners in an attempt to enjoy as much banana cake as humanly possible before it disappeared. we were quite a sight.

now it's summer and i'm ready to indulge in more than a few visits to the shaved ice shack, if only i could find it...

salem camp reunion...

2011-06-01T23:00:00.002-05:00

ahhh camp. there's nothing quite like it. i have been consistently going to camp for the past twenty two years of my life and have no plans to stop anytime soon. for me, salem camp is where it all began.

this past weekend we had a reunion to re-create and celebrate the amazingness that was salem's multi-generational family camp. we brought back several old standards: the talent show (via video flashback), morning watch, softball (i may have played the best game of my life), the odd ball olympics, rest time, the songs ('hey, hey mon' anyone?), the official, the bonfire, and everyones favorite...the square dance. that's right. we brought in a caller and danced the night away, just like old times.

i've always been really grateful for my camp memories and the great experiences i had growing up. this weekend reminded me how grateful i am for the specific people i got to share camp with...they are a hoot.

my mom and i watching the odd ball olympics...

...where it is completely normal to be spitting koolaid

the square dance

shelly and jen

(missy...it wasn't the same without you!)

tour de missouri...

2011-05-27T08:20:00.001-05:00

in an effort to conserve gasoline, for the benefit of both the environment and my checking account, i am combining a number of fun summer activities and venturing forth on a tour of the great state of missouri. because i'm sure there are people out there who are dying to know...here's a map of the route and an explanation of said activities:

A: the start {lee's summit}

B: salem camp reunion {high hill}

i have a million memories of growing up at salem church. i love that place. while i don't know if i could actually pick a favorite memory, i know what would be pretty darn close to the top of the list. camp. i lived for camp. literally. one year i made a countdown when there were still like eighty five days to go. i cried every year when i got home because i wanted it to last forever. i didn't realize it at the time, but salem did camp in a special way. everyone went together, and i mean everyone. if you were six months old, you went. if you were thirteen, you went. if you were forty-seven, you went. if you were eighty-two, you went. everyone, all together, all week long. and it was awesome. i didn't even know that was unique until i was halfway through high school. so in honor of the church's 125th anniversary this year, they're bringing camp back. i'm actually getting pretty excited about it.

C: mom's house {st. charles}

sometimes i like being at home for no particular reason. while i don't have a specific agenda, i am looking forward to spending a day with some friends i've known almost forever. also, i'm pretty confident i will be drafted into spending more than a few hours at church helping with vbs preparations. i might even get a little ambitious and try to paint a few closets at my mom's house in an effort to check something off my list.

D: float trip {richland}

need i say more? we're celebrating my friend erica's birthday by floating down the gasconade river. this makes me exceedingly happy. i can think of no better way to celebrate anything.

E: the grob's house {lake of the ozarks}

i like to consider this my personal resort. there are comfortable accommodations, the hammock is delightful, i am fed home cooked meals approximately every two hours and boat rides are included. the best part is they don't even charge me! i'm meeting missy and sophie there and we have a long list of things to do: lounge around, eat, play games, color, eat, ride on the boat, watch the bbc version of pride and prejudice (another list item) and then we'll probably eat.

F: the finish {lee's summit}

i love my mom because...

2011-05-09T09:48:00.002-05:00

my mom is my favorite person in the whole world. i love her a lot. really a lot. in honor of mother's day (and her birthday) i requested some assistance and asked her friends and family to tell me what words came to mind when they thought of her. here is what we came up with...

happy mother's day!

a glimpse of life...

2011-05-04T16:16:00.004-05:00

awhile back my friend joy documented a week of her life in photos. i loved seeing the 'everyday' bits and pieces of her life and thought it was a fabulous idea. i wanted to do it myself, but naturally i stressed about how to select a week...since no two ever look the same. then i had an epiphany and decided that i could take the idea and give it a twist...just a glimpse of life, no matter the week. so here is a little of what it looks like to be me...

...and you can click here to visit the facebook album, which has captions and everything.

the 30 after 30 list...

2011-04-28T09:11:00.014-05:00

i love lists. i love to make them. i love to read them. i also like goals, though i don't take the time to come up with them very often. but when i saw my friend mimi's recent post i was inspired to create a list of my own. (though i may have copied a few entries) so here is a list, in no particular order, of some things i would like to do in the relatively near future...

go camping

participate in a 5k

take a 'real' trip by myself

buy at least one fresh fruit and vegetable every week

write to my pretend grandma every month

take an all day (or longer) bike trip [august 2011]

visit the creation museum [august 2011]

make a secret surprise for my mom [may 2011]

go to a mizzou football game in columbia [october 2011...sorta]

write in my 'good things book' every month

send someone flowers [august 2011]

have a birthday party at harvesters [january 2012]

listen to music in the jazz district

convince tara to come visit me [october 2011]

make a 'glimpse of life' photo album [may 2011]

learn how to enjoy every day

take a road trip to niagara falls with my mom [august 2011]

convert all our family movies to dvd

read through the bible alphabetically

go to the missouri state fair

pick some grace spots

visit the holocaust museum in st. louis

paint all the closets at my mom's house

watch the bbc version of pride & prejudice with missy at the lake [june 2011]

come out of retirement and return to my original role of counselor at kids camp [june 2011]

take a trip with some fun friends (pullens, taltons & mims...i've got my eye on you)

participate in the first 100 at chick-fil-a [november 2011]

sled on art hill (stl) or at raintree lake (kc)

have a dinner party

rent a boat at james a. reed

i'd love some company...who's with me?!?

the trolley run...

2011-04-22T17:50:00.002-05:00

for the vast majority of my life i have maintained a strict anti-running policy. i have never taken pleasure in the type of exercise that leaves me gasping for breath, grabbing my side and anticipating the explosion of my heart. i was always puzzled by the people who seemed to enjoy this sort of torture. i generally wrote off their insanity by explaining to myself that some people are just more prone to athleticism than i am, and left it at that. but in the past few years i have noticed a strange phenomenon as fellow anti-runners began to change their tune. friends who had loathed running just as much as me started running on a regular basis and participating in 5k's. my curiosity got the best of me and i decided to find out what all the fuss was about. i began pondering the possibility of participating in the four mile trolley run and when i saw the t-shirt design i was hooked. (it totally reminds me of the mystery machine) so i coerced some fellow teachers into joining me and off we went. seeing as how i had not trained for this race, my goal was simple...i wanted to survive. i also added a bonus goal of finishing in less than an hour. i am proud to say that i am, indeed, still alive and i crossed the finish line at 57:09. mission accomplished.

my official gear

before the race...back when they still wanted to be friends with me
kasie . kristin . margaret . shelly

my jubilant finish

two friends for the price of one...

2011-04-13T15:08:00.000-05:00

i just got back from a long weekend in georgia with some of my favorite people. lindsey & fred have lived in macon for awhile and connie & adam moved there about eight months ago...so now i get a great two for one deal!

getting to see my friends and have time to hang out together is definitely the best part of trips like this. i love playing with their kids, i love opening one eye in the morning and seeing their cute little faces standing by my bed waiting for me to get up and i love staying up late and having good 'grown-up' conversation. the people were definitely the best part...but if i had to pick some other highlights i would have to mention that i also ate the most amazing caramel apples on the planet (seriously...there aren't words to describe their amazing-ness) and i took great joy in successfully conquering all thirty two levels of talking gina.

joshua . anna bell . miss shelly . caleb

fred . lindsey . shelly . connie . adam

a thought and a book recommendation...

2011-04-07T14:02:00.001-05:00

there are many people in this world who could benefit from spending a little more time planning, organizing and generally being productive. then there are people like me, who could really stand to cut back a little on the planning, organizing and productivity.

there were a couple of days this week that i had hoped to get jobs, but didn't...which isn't a huge deal. i'll survive. what troubled me is that when i woke up to a new day, free of responsibilities, i didn't set out to just enjoy it. instead, i racked my brain for 'productive' things i could do. mind you, my to-do list is pretty short at the moment, so i wasn't really needing a day of productivity. i finally got myself out of the house to go for a walk one afternoon and was thinking about how i want to enjoy each day more, and not just look at a new day as an opportunity to be productive. then i came across this quote by my good friend tom as i was preparing for bible study...

[Jesus] wasn't always looking ahead anxiously, making the present moment count only because of what might come next. no: he seems to have had the skill of living totally in the present, giving attention totally to the present task, celebrating the goodness of God here and now. if that's not a recipe for happiness, i don't know what is.

that's what i'm looking for. the skill of living totally in the present. but i'm not always sure what that looks like. sometimes it comes so easily, i don't even realize it's happening. for example, when i spend this weekend in georgia with the broomes and the browns, i doubt i will have any trouble enjoying exactly where i am and who i'm with. but in other, everyday life situations, it's not so easy to enjoy what is right in front of you. i'd be glad to hear any thoughts/suggestions/advice on the subject!

now for the book recommendation.

this is the book. i think you should read it. i tried to write an explanation of the main points, but it sounded terrible and i don't think the author would have been pleased. so i'm just going to let you read it for yourself. while the topic obviously applies to everyone, (who doesn't have decisions to make) the focus is on my generation. and even more specifically, those of us who have a hard time making decisions. (ahem) so go ahead...read it.

mission accomplished...

2011-03-28T20:00:00.004-05:00

i did it! i worked everyday as a full time teacher for almost three whole months. yes, that does include ten snow days, as well as a week of spring break and a week off for the cruise...but who's counting? i'm still proud.

i really, really liked it. if i were making a pros and cons list there would be a whole bunch of pros and only a few itty bitty cons. i haven't discovered a new life calling or anything...i'm not on a quest to become a real teacher, but i'd love to be able to do something like this again. unfortunately, because of budget issues, it's very unlikely that this program will exist next year so we shall see.

in order to end my class on a strong note, and solidify my position as my student's favorite teacher (i may be putting words into their mouths), i created a super awesome, amazing review game for our last day together. so go ahead...test your seventh grade language arts knowledge and prepare to be impressed. it even has sound effects.

*editor's note* i just spend way too much time trying to figure out how to get the powerpoint slideshow into blogger with the audio and without messing up the formatting...but to no avail. some of the words are going to look a little funny...but you'll get the point.

Who Wants to Win Candy

the cruise report...

2011-03-07T19:08:00.003-06:00

old people are great. not only are they entertaining to be around (you never know what they'll say next) they are also good for your self-esteem. they were always telling me how nice i looked at dinner and how much fun i am. plus they laughed at all my jokes. i've never felt better about myself. the only drawback is the fact that 99% of all conversations end up on the topic of medication. but hey...nothings perfect. we had a wonderful time. ate a ton, went on some adventures and laughed a lot. here's a quick rundown of the highlights:

day one:

i imposed a "mandatory" tour of the entire ship for my mom, bonnie, gary and myself (which i know jenn is proud of)
discovered the best dessert of the week: fruit crisp. i know it sounds simple, but it was stinkin' amazing. we ate it every day.
began our nightly card playing ritual

day two: @ sea

relaxed in the sun
met my favorite towel animal of the week...elmer

day three: grand turk

went kayaking and 'hiking'...and even brought my mom along
starred in a cruise ship tv show (slight exaggeration: i just kept walking back and forth behind the cruise director as he filmed the daily bulletin for the next day, but i was on tv all day long!)

day four: san juan

flew through the rain forest on a zip line
visited the bar that invented the pina colada

day five: st. thomas

underwater sea helmet trek...definitely the most unique adventure of the trip

day six: @ sea

played cards by the pool
dressed up for formal night
found out i won the oscar ballot contest...i had a gift bag of goodies and a bottle of champagne waiting for me in our room

day seven: half moon cay

read in a hammock on the beach and floated in the ocean
went jet skiing with gary
ate the final fruit crisp of the week...sadly
found a five dollar casino chip. put it on red. doubled the money.

more pictures and commentary for your viewing pleasure in the facebook album

the absence of the countdown chain...

2011-02-24T13:32:00.000-06:00

i love countdown chains. love. them. unfortunately, i have to exert some self control and save them for major events. because if you had a countdown chain for just every little thing, they'd lose their magic.

one of the first things i got excited about after taking this teaching job was the prospect of a glorious countdown chain. i figured that since the cruise was so close to the end of the quarter, i'd just make a chain to countdown to the trip. i was tempted to make it right away, but decided to hold off. my goal was to make it past the 'honeymoon' stage of the job, and bring in the chain when things started feeling dull. but all those silly snow days kept me from needing extra motivation and alas, i waited too long.

cruisin' with the classics...

2011-02-19T10:16:00.000-06:00

one short week from today i'll be setting sail for a week in the carribbean, where it is a lovely eighty degrees. just me, my mom and a rousing group that is essentially made up of senior citizens.

a few months ago my mom started talking about wanting to go on a cruise with the classics from church. (read: the sixty and over crowd) she asked around to see if any of her friends would be interested and/or available to go and when they weren't, i got the nod to be her roommate. score one for me. i immediately went to work convincing our friends bonnie and gary to come along as well.

i envision a lot of laying in the sun, reading, playing games (bonnie LOVES games) and most importantly...eating. i am so looking forward to multiples meals of real food every day. we're sailing from ft. lauderdale on a holland america ship and will be porting in grand turk, san juan, st. thomas and half moon cay. we've looked into shore excursions and i'm holding out hope that we might even get my mom into a kayak.

the ninth on the ninth...

2011-02-09T09:12:00.001-06:00

it is 9:12 in the morning. right about now i should be inspiring my students with examples of cause and effect words and other such riveting subjects. but i am not. instead, i am at home sitting in a chair, because we are having a snow day. our ninth snow day. ninth. the most snow days in the history of the world.

when this teaching opportunity first came along, i was hesitant about a few things. one of which was the full time nature of the job. lucky for me, full time has been a relative term this quarter. we have had exactly one full week of school. ironically, due to holidays and teacher work days, the next opportunity for a full week of school happens to fall on the week i will be on a large ship, sailing through the caribbean. (more on that later)

in the few and far between days i have actually been at school, i've discovered i sort of like having a job. maybe not so much that i need to have one all the time, but it has actually been kinda fun. i love my cart, which i've already mentioned, but it bears repeating. i love the organizational side of being a teacher, specifically entering grades into the grade book. it's heavenly. i like having co-workers and immensely enjoy the four minutes we have every hour to stand in the hallway and talk. (when i'm not busy running students over with said cart) i even like my students. especially my fifth hour, they're my favorite. i'm not sure if you're supposed to have a favorite, but i do. i like going to the same place every day and having something to do. i love checking things off my to-do list.

of course there are also my not-so-favorite things. i'm not especially fond of my alarm clock and the fact that it wakes me up every day at 6:20am. lesson planning is still a challenge, but i haven't had a repeat of my near nervous breakdown from my first major lesson planning session, so i'd say i'm improving. i don't especially like it when i have to teach a b-o-r-i-n-g lesson for forty seven minutes, six times in a row. those days are dull.

thankfully, my 'likes' are outweighing my 'dislikes' at the moment, so snow days and all...it'd say it's a pretty good gig.

(#36) i'm a bachelor 'til the rapture...

2011-01-27T16:06:00.005-06:00

in a previous post, i mentioned this hilarious guy named jonathan acuff. i read his blog every day. today i was reading it during third hour (shhh...don't tell anyone) and he referenced an older post about surviving church as a single person. i was literally covering my mouth to hold in the laughter. the ones that made me laugh the hardest are the ones that are really true...and there's a lot of them.

The Surviving Church as a Single Scorecard
1. Your church doesn’t have a singles ministry. = + 1 point
2. Your church has a singles ministry but it’s combined with the college ministry which creates opportunities for conversations like this:
Student: “My roommate bought a microwave for our dorm room. I love being a Freshman!”

Single: “My 401K is underperforming.” = +2 points
3. Your church has a singles ministry but it’s a triad that combines college, single adults and divorce recovery. = + 3 points
4. Your church has a singles ministry but it’s the dreaded quad, combining college, single adults, divorce recovery and retired widowers that refuse to move to Florida. = +4 points
5. Someone pays you the world’s most backhanded compliment, “I just don’t understand how someone as great as you isn’t married yet.” = +1 point
6. Someone told you, “If you stop looking for love you’ll find it.” 2 points for each time you’ve heard that.
7. At church, people give you weird looks if you refuse to sit in the “singles” section of the sanctuary. = +1 point
8. When people introduce you, they say, “This is Matt, my single friend.” = +2 points
9. When people introduce you they feel compelled to list out your accomplishments, “This is Sally, my single friend who owns her own home, drives a luxury sedan and has a very, very stable job.” = +3 points
10. Your friends that have been married for 15 minutes act like they suddenly don’t remember anything about dating and therefore can’t give you any advice. “It’s been so long since I dated, things have changed so much. I’m just out of that whole scene.” + 2 points
11. People are constantly volunteering you for things because, “you’re single, you’ve got so much free time.” = +1 point
12. People at church act a little surprised when they ask you, “How are you doing?” and you respond with, “Things are great right now. I love my life!” = +1 point
13. Married friends try to live vicariously through you, asking questions like, “What did you do this weekend? Road trip? I bet you went on some crazy cool, singles road trip, right?” = +2 points
14. Someone you just met for the first time said a sentence like this to you, “If you want to get married, you need to ______.” = +2 points
15. Whenever married friends call you at noon on a Saturday, they start the conversation by saying, “Did I just wake you up?” = +3 points
16. You assume that if you don’t get engaged by final exams of your senior year in college you’ll never get married. = -2 points
17. You’ve secretly always wanted your own cat but are afraid that ownership of a single kitten will become some sort of gateway drug to becoming “the cat lady.” = – 2 points
18. You’ve ever given an impassioned, enraged monologue on the injustice that men who are single get to age gracefully and be considered “bachelors” while women are instantly judged as “crazy cat ladies.” = – 3 points
19. You’ve got a “don’t perpetuate the cat lady stereotype,” monologue locked and loaded at all times and have already stopped reading this post so you can put it in the comments section. = – 5 points
20. Someone has quoted the “it’s not good for man to be alone” Bible verse to you. = +2 points.
21. When friends invite you to their church they start the invite by listing both the quantity and hotness of the singles that go there. = +1 point
22. That friend was named Jon Acuff and he said, “No one in Atlanta should ever involuntarily remain single with so many awesome single people at North Point Community Church.” (I’ve said this a lot. My bad.) = + 3 points
23. Your married friends tip toe around you during February because they think you’re too delicate to handle the completely made up holiday, Valentine’s Day. = +1 point
24. You are too delicate to handle Valentine’s Day and have been known to describe it with a rich tapestry of words no Christian should even know exist, never mind actually say out loud. = + 1 point
25. The person that leads the singles ministry at your church got married in 1964. = +10 points for each decade they’ve been married.
26. Someone told you, “Maybe you need to focus on being more like a Proverbs 31 woman.” = 2 points for each time it wasn’t sincere encouragement.
27. You didn’t know you were supposed to be unhappy as a single adult until you went to church and found the singles ministry to be akin to a support group. = +3 points
28. Upon hearing that you went on a first date with someone, your single friends at church stop inviting you to the single events because “you’re in a relationship already.” = +2 points
29. Upon hearing that you went on two dates, your married friends at church start telling you, “I’ll be praying that this is the one!” = + 3 points
30. Your best friend of 15 years gets married and then suddenly acts like a magical gap has opened up between you and decides that until you get married too you can’t be close again because you just don’t understand each other anymore. = +3 points
31. To justify giving a four week marriage sermon series to a congregation that is 60% single, the pastor throws out one blanket statement like this at the beginning of the series, “And you single people listen up to this too, this well serve you well when you get married too.” = +2 points
32. You set your alarm to “not going to church today” after the first week of the marriage sermon series. = – 2 points
33. The only time your married friends invite you over is when they need a babysitter. = +3 points
34. Someone throws the “Paul was never married” card on you. = +2 points
35. Friends assume that the only qualification that matters to you when it comes to finding a date is that she’s available and set you up with people you have nothing in common with. = +2 points
36. You’ve ever said the rhyme, “I’m a bachelor til’ the rapture.” = – 1 point
37. During a prayer at church celebrating wedding anniversaries, the person praying says a special prayer for all the people that are still single and lonely. (True story) = +1 point
38. You have a friend that feels like creating a dating profile on eHarmony is a sign that you might not be trusting God enough to provide a soul mate. = + 1 point
39. You’ve developed highly sensitive, “They’re about to throw the bouquet” radar and know exactly when to leave a wedding. = +2 points
40. Instead of saying that you’re “single” your friends describe you as “Not married yet.” = +2 points

a hotel slumber party...

2011-01-17T18:38:00.007-06:00

despite the fact that last week consisted of three snow days and one work day, (meaning i only saw my students for one day) it was kind of a rough week school-wise. the majority of my stress was directly related to lesson plan writing, which i have discovered is definitely the hardest part for me. (i'm hoping it stays that way...i don't want to find something harder in a week or two!) so after spending all day friday working on plans, that i kept having to change, i was spent. i was going into my three day weekend feeling very overwhelmed and i had no fun plans to look forward to.

enter my wonderful mother.

we were talking on saturday and decided that we could take an impromptu trip and meet in columbia! so sunday after church i headed east, she headed west, and a hotel slumber party ensued. we ate at shakespeare's pizza, played games, ate cake, (it was also my half birthday, which i love to celebrate) swam and explored the town. also, as evidenced in the photo below, i apparently acquired lion hair. it was just want i needed. (the trip, not so much the hair) thanks mom!!!

meet paul...

2011-01-07T21:00:00.002-06:00

my main squeeze. his full name is paul mccartney. get it? paul mcCARTney. incredibly clever, i know. and he's dreamy to look at. all that organization.

i am proud to say i have completed my first week as a teacher completely tear free. i didn't cry once! that seems promising. i'm a little hesitant to say this, lest the sky fall down on me, but i feel like i'm in the groove. i have an organizational plan of attack. i know where my classes are. i can name 95% of my students, as long as they don't change seats. i can probably name 50% if they do. i even know where to go if there's a fire or tornado. i struggled a little with running out of lesson plans before the end of class, but i improvised and so far it's all worked out.

pretty soon i'm going to get tired of the whole 'every day' part of the job, but if other grownups can do it, i probably can too.

the first day of school...

2011-01-04T19:10:00.000-06:00

so far i'm surviving. i've made it through one day with my little darlings. it's obviously only been one day since i'm still calling them darlings. we'll see how long that lasts.

the biggest challenge at the moment is muscling my massive cart in and out of classrooms and through hallways filled with crazed middle schoolers every hour. i'm thinking of inventing some sort of extreme sport based on my experiences in the hallways of plms. it could be big.

but even for the pain it is, my cart is also one of my favorite parts of the job thus far. i'm sure it will come as no surprise that i took great pleasure organizing it and making every detail just right. in fact...i think i should give it a name. any suggestions?

we'll (forget to) leave the light on for ya...

2010-12-19T14:08:00.004-06:00

i have been quite excited about the arrival of some house guests that were here over the weekend. (i LOVE house guests...hint, hint) my mom and the behr parentals road tripped to kc to watch matthew wrestle in the lee's summit holiday invitational. because i can't think of a better way to celebrate the christmas season than spending two days watching a bunch of scantily clad high school boys roll around on top of each other.

we love those vikings!

i never thought i'd say this, but...

2010-12-14T22:05:00.000-06:00

in an unusual and somewhat shocking turn of events, i have found myself employed as a full time teacher for two months. not a substitute, but a real kind of teacher with my own class and my own district provided laptop. the kind where i have to come up with lesson plans and inspire the next generation.

last friday afternoon i was minding my own business as a sub at my favorite school, when i was called into the principal's office. she assured me i hadn't done anything wrong, but they were actually offering me a position as a tiger quest teacher for third quarter. there had been four teachers lined up for some time, but one had to back out at the last minute. training was scheduled for monday, tuesday and wednesday...so basically they were desperate. i reminded her i am not certified, nor do i have any kind of education in education, but evidently desperate times call for desperate measures.

i was overwhelmed at the thought of it, to say the least, but agreed to think about the offer over the weekend. after consulting with my board of advisers, and some chatting with the Chairman, i decided to go for it.

the class starts after christmas break and runs through spring break...ten weeks. (can we say countdown chain?!?) it's a class they have created to help students with skills needed to improve their scores on the missouri standardized test and it's funded by a grant. i'll be teaching seventh grade language arts, which is great because my best friend in the building is a seventh grade language arts genius and she's promised to help me through. (although i'm willing to bet she may eventually regret making that offer)

i've been 'training' for two days and my head is swimming in a sea of abbreviations and education lingo i do not understand. this will be an adventure, no doubt. and when i get overwhelmed i will stare at my workbook, click my heels three times and remember there's no place like home.

a shopping extravaganza...

2010-11-26T19:11:00.000-06:00

i'm not really a black friday shopper but i do love a good deal. so as the clock struck midnight to start thanksgiving day, i was heading to cvs with lindsey, her mom and her sisters. the whole outing was kind of hilarious. only two of us were seasoned cvs-ers so we were showing the ropes to the four newbies.

we had a very detailed plan of attack that was a bit thrown off by two missing items, so at one point we all plopped down in an aisle to regroup. we amusued a few of our fellow shoppers...one lady even said she thought we were having some sort of prayer meeting. hahaha!!

i think we also provided some entertainment for the employees...this is us with our new friends al and habib.

thanks for the family bonding prosser girls!!

for the inquiring minds:

i went in with $7 of ecb's...spent an additional $1.73...and left with $12.71 of ecb's, along with all of this...

100 birthdays for picklepuss...

2010-11-23T23:53:00.005-06:00

my friend edith turned 100 today. she is hilarious. and kind of feisty. i kept pointing out the fact that she is now 100 (because really, how often does that happen?) and she kept pointing out the fact that she is now older than dirt. during her birthday dinner, she paused to sing us the star spangled banner. just because she loves living in america. she told lots of stories, the most memorable being the one about how when she was younger she was given the nickname picklepuss at work...because there was also another edith that worked at the casket making company and it was too confusing. true story.

so happy birthday edith...you're definitely a special one.

marilyn . shelly . edith . edna

actions speak louder...

2010-11-09T21:51:00.000-06:00

recently i watched a couple documentaries about the lost boys of sudan. i have learned a lot about what has happened in the country of sudan and to its people in the past twenty five years. i've also watched the journey unfold for a few of the boys and seen the experience through their eyes.

i have to admit...while i am affected by their stories, i feel powerless to help. i'm so far away...what can i really do? it was interesting to see that many of the boys who were relocated to the united states felt the same way at times. they longed to help the family they left behind in africa, but were unsure how to do that in the midst of learning to survive and support themselves in a new and very different culture and place.

a few years ago some friends of mine started an organization called his voice for sudan to partner with and support a local sudanese church and their desire to care for orphans. there are currently three orphanages providing homes for children and jobs for the indigenous staff and plans are in place for a fourth. my favorite thing about his voice is that along with raising the funds for the actual building, they also raise enough to purchase a truck that will COMPLETELY SUSTAIN the orphanage financially. it's genius. there's a song coming out on itunes next week and 100% of the proceeds will go towards the cost of the next orphanage. so if you like music and you'd like to help build an orphanage...this song is for you!

nobody puts jesus in a corner...

2010-11-01T18:00:00.008-05:00

yep...that was a dirty dancing reference with jesus thrown in. no i cannot take credit for the hilarious-ness of it. that belongs to one of my new favorite people...jonathan acuff. seriously, whatever it is...he's got it. he just got hired by dave ramsey (another of my favorite people) which is how i found out about him. i immediately checked out his book from the library and promptly laughed my head off. it's a quick read and pokes some hilarous fun at the church and the things we crazy christians think, say and do. a few of my favs from the book and his blog:

on married people trying to get single people married off as soon as possible:
never, ever tell a single person that marriage can be difficult...whenever they ask...say marriage is awesome. it is perfect. it's easy and fun and and is kind of like rolling around in a field of flowers and kit kats and pillows stuffed with rainbows 100% of the time.

on the new skecher shoe called BOBS, which look exactly like TOMS:

if changing TOMS to BOBS becomes a trend, would it be odd if i became a christian musician named, 'chris boblin' instead of of chris tomlin? my first song would be titled, 'how greater is our God.'

on christian tracts that look like money:

is there anyone that picks up what appears to be a ten dollar bill, flips it over, finds out it's actually a message about the bible and says, "phew, i thought this was free money for a second. let's see what this john 3:16 is all about instead?"

mrs. marni morales...

2010-10-22T20:45:00.001-05:00

leanna, shelly, marni and jen...celebrating the big day!

just another israelite...

2010-10-13T15:42:00.002-05:00

the israelites. possibly the most forgetful people group in history. and they were really, really good at complaining.

here's basically what went down...the israelites are God's chosen people. this is a good start for them. life is good for while, but then there is a famine and everyone ends up in egypt. fast forward four hundred years and the israelites actually become slaves to the egyptians. big bummer. but, lucky for them, God hasn't forgotten them or the promises He made to them. so He puts on a pretty good show (lots of frogs and hail, parting a sea, etc.) and breaks the israelites out of bondage. they should be thrilled, right? wrong. what is their response to this amazing turn of events? to the fact that God continues to show up day after day to lead them and feed them? they start complaining. umm...hello!?! did you forget what just happened?

sometimes i just shake my head and feel sorry for them. it's like they couldn't see past the end of their noses. or remember the great things God did for them in their recent past. and then i realize...i'm just like them. God did something cool for me on monday (this is a true story) and now, forty eight hours later, i am fighting the urge to whine and complain because i haven't seen any progress on this subject in two days.

two. days.

have i lost my mind? am i potentially even more forgetful than the israelites? i am hoping that the Lord decides to heap on the grace and mercy and not decide that i need forty years in the proverbial desert to get my head on straight. the goal for today? to remember and be thankful. and to work on my patience.

tiny little dancers...

2010-10-09T09:00:00.016-05:00

marni and i have been friends since way back in the day. we graduated from kindergarten together at weldon spring school (which we will love evermore) and graduated from francis howell together thirteen years later. as you can imagine, we made quite a few memories over the years.

class parties . balloon day . girl scout camp outs . brownies . dance class . field trips . new kids on the block . slumber parties . six flags . our birthday parties (or maybe not) . francis howell show choir . pizza man videos . lip syncs . rock-a-thons . the flute . bagel bites . dr pepper . ice cream cake . the taco bell dresses . curlers on the way to school . couple skates . and many, many more

and a week from today we'll be making new memories on her wedding day!

a day @ the zoo in the lou...

2010-09-19T19:00:00.008-05:00

missy, sophie and i took a quick road trip to st. louis last week to go to the zoo and introduce sophie to the joys of my vintage collection of my little ponies, complete with the dream castle. we had a great day with our long-time friends...the big ones and the little ones!

jen . shelly . missy

sophie . shelly . jonah

honduran happiness...

2010-09-07T22:50:00.005-05:00

i read a good article the other day about finding happiness, here's a bit of what it said:

"...one of the keys to happiness is strong relationships with other people. so when you're deciding how to spend your money, consider whether the purchase will strengthen your relationships. if you're trying to choose between spending money on a train ticket to visit a friend or on a new pair of boots, the visit to your friend will bring more happiness in the long run. experiences tend to make us happier than stuff..."

while i think this is a good rule for life in general, i realized that it's also a great description for short term missions. this past week i felt like i learned so much about the ministries in honduras and especially the people. this was the second year my mom and i had gone with calvary to this same project. since we already had a foundation of friendship, we were able to get to know people better and see their hearts for this ministry.

on our last night jorge pinto, who is a honduran pastor and the 'father' of project manuelito, was talking to our team about how some people only want to send money to support the project. while this is an obvious need, he talked about how important it is to come and meet the children face to face. sending money and helping in other ways is great...but nothing can compare to becoming friends with both the kids and the staff and being a part of their lives.

during the week we spent time working in talanga painting the new school, enlarging the tool shed and other random projects. we took a trip to el sembrador, which is an impressive farm school for underprivileged boys. (this was a highlight for me...it really gave us a vision of what manuelio could be like in another forty or fifty years) but the best, and most important part, was the time we spent playing with the kids and struggling through our spanglish with our honduran friends. i really like them.

to see some photos of the week you can click here, and for a more detailed account of the trip you can check out rick's blog here.

weekend o' fun...

2010-08-26T12:10:00.000-05:00

last summer i traveled to the carolinas for jenn's wedding and while i was there i met some great new friends, who just happen to live in kc too. we've had a lot of fun outings together this past year and last weekend jacob, nickie and i headed back to north carolina to visit jenn and tyler (and hershey).

there is never a dull moment when you're with jenn...which is one of the (many) reasons i like her so much! she loves playing games and is full of fun outing ideas. plus she's pretty good at planning them.

we managed to fit in some mini-golf, tubing and skiing at the lake, a fierce guys vs. girls trivial pursuit game, bumper boats, a hike in hanging rock state park, some serious games of wizard and a jack johnson concert...which was a dream come true for me!

the trip was a blast...thanks jacob and nickie for being my travel buddies, and thanks jenn and tyler for having us!

nickie, shelly & jenn before jack

the whole gang...even hershey

golden beaver fever continued...

2010-08-15T17:00:00.003-05:00

the number of road trip participants tripled for phase two. we were joined by the arden family, some of my favorite friends of all time. tara and i met at sbu when we were both on the croatia mission team and her husband matt is also a fellow bearcat. she is definitely what you would call a kindred spirit...sometimes we're so alike it's scary. they have welcomed me as an honorary member of the arden family and i couldn't be more pleased. along with them came two of my favorite little people, sophia and tori. the six of us piled in and the fun began. we...

ate picnic lunches by rivers and on beaches
celebrated sophia turning the big number four
hiked the lady bird johnson trail at redwood national park
explored a lot of beaches with some really cool sand
listened to our pal dave through our awesome sound system
took a sand dune buggy ride through the oregon dunes national recreation area
visited the world's largest sea lion cave
sang 'hey soul sister' more times than we could count
played on the beach with our sand pails
stayed in some fun hotel rooms, our favorite being the one with a loft, fireplace and an ocean front balcony
laughed at tori walking like a monkey
visited the oregon coast aquarium and saw some amazing jellyfish
ate a lot of 'fresh off the boat' seafood
watched movies in our 'drive in' theatre
made some comic book shop stops for matt
ate at a fun fifties diner in eugene

the whole trip was a really fun adventure...to check out the pictures click here

golden beaver fever...

2010-08-07T14:48:00.003-05:00

phase one (the mother-daughter portion) of the golden beaver fever road trip is now complete. we flew into sacramento, california and drove south along the sierra nevada mountains. here's the highlight reel from the week:

visited the jelly belly factory
ate at in-n-out
took a barefoot stroll through sequoia national park and visited the general sherman tree
ate dinner at a fancy restaurant overlooking the kaweah river
climbed on the rocks in the kaweah river
drove across yosemite national park...and saw a bear
rolled our eyes every time garmina recalculated
overlooked yosemite valley (el capitan, half dome, bridalveil fall)
hiked (and i do mean hiked) to the devil's postpile national monument and rainbow falls at mammoth mountain
sat in the hot tub
went on a bike ride around the base of mammoth mountain (my mom opted out of that one)
breathed a lot of fresh, thin mountain air
took a scenic drive around june lake, mono lake and mammoth lakes
lunched on the south shore of lake tahoe

anyone want to take a guess about the meaning behind the name 'golden beaver fever'? first person to correctly answer may win a prize! (sorry missy, you're not eligible)

livin' the life...

2010-07-29T14:30:00.003-05:00

i haven't been out of town in over three weeks, if you can even believe it. in an effort to enjoy this time of year to the fullest, i have been spending much of my time here...

and the rest watching this piece of television genius...

man i love summer

ode to kids camp...

2010-07-09T22:17:00.002-05:00

calvary kids camp is the bomb,

i even get to bring my mom;

there's crafts and games and so much fun,

and swimming in the summer sun;

we learn a lot and make new friends,

i wish that it would never end;

the best is when we dance and sing,

to celebrate the risen King!

first she was one...

2010-06-29T09:00:00.004-05:00

...then she was two...

...and now the big girl is three...

happy birthday sophie!

love, aunt shelly

the timothys...

2010-06-23T17:30:00.000-05:00

for the majority of the time i've lived in kansas city, i've been a part of a really great bible study. we're kind of a random group, but i love it just the same. our game plan is simple, pick a book of the bible and study it in chapters and/or chunks until we're done. we usually jump around from old testament to new testament to keep things interesting. every time we finish one my friend joy comes up with an amazing acrostic to summarize what we've learned. (we're now on a mission to finish the whole thing so she can publish a book of them!) she's inspired me to make an effort to keep track of the things i've learned in our study and discussions.

we just finished up both first and second timothy and as we talked through it together it reminded us of things we had learned last summer studying ecclesiastes. that christianity isn't as hard as we try to make it sometimes with our lists of dos and don'ts. it's as simple as being who you are, wherever the lord puts you, and letting people see jesus in you.

paul is encouraging timothy to simply live his life in front of others. to show jesus to others by who he is. but following that instruction doesn't mean we have to have it all together first. it's okay to let people see all of us; the good, the bad and the ugly. our failures are part of the gospel story. after all, if we had any chance of being "good enough" on our own, what need would we have of a savior?

at the end of first timothy paul tells us to "go after God...to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous". which is simple, and not-so-simple, all at once. but it encourages me to know that i don't have to worry about saying or doing just the right thing at just the right time to share the most important thing in my life with the people around me. i can just be me. if i'm following jesus, people are going to get to know him when they get to know me.

and that's what i learned from the timothys.

the family i love...

2010-06-18T22:00:00.001-05:00

this was the year for the fourth bi-annual meinhardt clan family reunion...and it was good times. in telling other people about this reunion of ours, i've realized how special it is that we both want and are able to spend a weekend together at the lake, just because. the 'elder' generation started with six cousins (one of them being my mom) and at this point we are adding members to the family on a pretty regular basis. we are all quite different, quite the same and somewhat amazed at how much we still like each other!

lest you think we are a boring bunch, i'll have you know that though we do spend a fair amount of time just talking and laughing together, we can get pretty serious about our fun. not only did i really enjoy the splash ball fight in the pool, but i participated in the most intense marshmallow fight i've ever experienced. the little kids brought their single shooters, but my uncle would not be outdone. he brought out his rapid fire marshmallow gun and really let them have it. you can just see the intensity on his face (and all the marshmallows on the floor) even though you can't see the gun.

so many good things...

2010-06-01T20:56:00.005-05:00

long summer weekend . bolivar . new friends . old friends

forever families . good times

simplicity...

2010-05-17T20:45:00.000-05:00

i am a nerd. not the steve urkel kind, but the kind that likes budgeting and loves to read about personal finances. i know…sounds thrilling doesn't it. so i often find myself reading financial books and blogs for entertainment. the other day at school i came across a book about retiring early and since i had nothing better to do while babysitting teenagers (aka substitute teaching), i skimmed through it.

now i am definitely a saver, not a spender. but even though i have "financial peace" i sometimes start to wonder if the life i've chosen might not be the wisest financial decision. (i'm sure there are some other people who think that sometimes too-ha!) these wonderings started again as i read through this book and started feeling very behind in saving for a house, retirement, etc. i started to think that maybe i should just suck it up and get a 'real' job for awhile, then i could save more money.

but later that night as i was getting ready for bible study and i was reminded that i already have all i need. 1 timothy 6:8 says "if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough"...and i do. good reminder. i entered the world penniless, and i'll leave the same way. i think the adventures are worth a little less money in the bank.

happy mothers day...

2010-05-09T22:49:00.007-05:00

i love my mom SO much, i made her a 'new' laundry room for mother's day! actually, it was one of my goals for the year, and it just so happened that i was able to finish it on mother's day weekend. i completely forgot to take before pictures (can you believe it!) but here's the finished product...

pure genius...

2010-05-06T12:47:00.008-05:00

story on the st. louis news...

white castle introduces burger-scented candles

for cravers who have found themselves relaxing at home wishing their room could be filled with the steam-grilled-on-a-bed-of-onions scent of beef, white castle has answered the call. to celebrate its 18th annual national hamburger month, the 89-year-old chain is offering up a candle that smells like a slider. and to really make it sell, white castle says all proceeds from the $10 candles will benefit autism speaks. the candles are packaged in a ceramic holder resembling the signature cardboard sleeve of the white castle slider. they're available in select white castle restaurants and on whitecastle.com.

me gusta mexico mucho...

2010-04-27T16:55:00.012-05:00

i have returned from a great week in the land of sombreros...complete with guacamole, churros and an infinite number of trips to the super chico for be-light.

we did quite a bit of manual labor at the orphanage...the main projects were:

painting, moving and installing a playground for the kids (which involved, among other things, lots of hole digging and the risk of being impaled by rebar)
cleaning up the property, removing thorny brush and shoveling rock
putting the finishing touches on the new bedrooms and bathrooms for the kids (resulting in "the incident" - daryl and i accidentally getting high on some serious paint fumes...now that's what i call a memory)

we accomplished much more than we thought would be possible in one short week, but the highlight was most definitely the kids. they are fun, loving and pretty hilarious...listening to them laugh is one of my favorite things. i don't know how to accurately describe how great they are with words, so i'm attempting to let you fall in love with them through pictures...

you can also click here to see more pictures of the week.

open window days...

2010-04-15T15:16:00.000-05:00

i love, love, love it when i can finally throw open the windows. spring makes me want to sleep outside, drive with the windows down, listen to oldies and do things like this...

and take pictures of my cute little friends, like ellie...

there are some new photos on flickr so check them out!

to mexico i go...

2010-04-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

a week from today i'll be heading back to the 'house of joy' orphanage in san pedro mexico. i was there last october just two weeks after they officially opened their doors. on that trip our team of five helped make their new house a home by painting the interior and having fun playing with the seven kids who lived there. we also heard some sweet stories about our new friends ruby and lizeth, and spent a lot of time cracking up at little aneth's laugh.

our team has grown to nine and it sounds like the orphanage has grown to seventeen! the plan this time is to install ceiling fans in the interior, build a playground outside and create a fire-pit with a seating area on the property. we're excited to see how the building has progressed in the six months since we've seen it, but we're even more excited to see our friends again! (one can only hope that our drunk friend will pay us another visit)

after our last trip, heidi (our fearless leader) made a two thousand ten calendar with pictures from our visit and sent it to the kids. our april trip was already marked and terry (the missionary) tells us the kids are counting down the days! here they are looking at the photos and anticipating our arrival...

although, if i'm honest, i do have to say that one of the driving forces behind my desire to go on this trip has to do with the guys that sell fried dough out of their pickup trucks...it's mmm mmm good...

spring break: part deux

2010-04-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

kim's spring break was this week so i made the sacrifice and went on a second spring break trip, because that's what friends do. if anyone else needs me to be their friend, i'm available.

we flew to kim's favorite place on earth (aka las vegas) to visit the dyers and gamble away our life savings (kidding!). we took mallory to the golden nugget for a girls night and spent the rest of the days hanging out, playing with maddie and shopping (i watched). then at night we headed out on the town. thanks for letting us visit you dyer family...it was fab!

more pictures are here

just the eleven of us...

2010-03-21T19:45:00.001-05:00

one of the (many) reasons i was sad for college to end was the thought that i would never have the opportunity to go on another genuine spring break trip again. the kind where you pile into a caravan with a bunch of friends and head somewhere fun, usually the beach, to play in the sun.

luckily i was wrong.

we just spent a great week hanging at the beach with some fabulous friends who feel like family. here are the key players of the "spring break extravaganza two thousand ten"...

the williams family: my mom and i
the behr family: chris, kim, matthew, jacob and gracie - we have gone to church with this family for years...before they were even a family, way back in the salem church days
the schneider family: john and joanie - the parents of kim...who also went to salem (trivia fact - my mom, john and joanie even went to grade school and high school together)
the taylor family: gary and bonnie - also salem-ites...and the parents of my friend jen who lives in colorado, i've known them since i was two!

you can check out more pictures from the week here...

sledding is super...

2010-02-26T20:56:00.005-06:00

i love sledding. i love it a lot. unfortunately it seems harder to get some actual sledding in as an adult. luckily i recently discovered that snow creek has a tubing hill. it took some effort to actually get there, but my pal susan was up for the adventure!

we filled our shoes with hand warmers and had four fun hours of riding up the 'magic carpet' and sliding down the hill.

word to the tithe...

2010-02-16T17:22:00.005-06:00

i mean really, this is some serious sunday morning entertainment...

the wisdom of jimmy johns...

2010-02-04T19:00:00.000-06:00

have you ever read all those little signs on the walls at jimmy johns? some are hilarious, and some are kind of inspired. when i read this one i got real excited, because i so agree. ..and it's a good reminder that i already have everything i need.

parable of the mexican fisherman

a fishing boat docked in a tiny coastal village in mexico. an american tourist complimented the mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"not very long," answered the mexican.

"but then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the american.

the mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

the american asked, "but what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"i sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. in the evenings, i stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar and sing a few songs ... i have a full life."

the american interrupted, "i have an mba from harvard and i can help you! you should start by fishing longer every day. you can then sell the extra fish you catch. with the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.

"and after that?" asked the mexican.

with the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. then you can leave this little village and move to mexico city, los angeles, or even new york city! from there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"how long would that take?" asked the mexican.

"ten, perhaps twenty years," replied the american.

"and after that?" the mexican asked.

"afterwards? that's when it gets really interesting," answered the american, laughing. "when your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"millions? really? and after that?"

"after that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings enjoying your friends."

the puzzle master...

2010-01-26T16:02:00.000-06:00

this is mostly for my mom's benefit, but go ahead...be impressed.

p.s. that's a twelve inch ruler for perspective

i have the greatest friends...

2010-01-16T20:24:00.011-06:00

not only are my friends just super people in general, they are often kind enough to entertain me and my unusual ideas. one such idea is my insistence to celebrate half birthdays. i know it's kind of silly and doesn't really deserve much fanfare, but i just get excited when it's january 16th. last year my co-workers had a little celebration and this year did not disappoint. missy made me some special chocolate covered strawberries and my mom provided the bubbly. a little serenade from tori and sophia and the day was complete...thanks friends!!

sophie and i with my play-doh cupcake...

...and us blowing out the candle

little gtb...

2010-01-12T14:22:00.001-06:00

it was quite an eventful visit when i got to meet g.t. for the first time. it just so happened that the day i was in bolivar we found out that he had something called pyloric stenosis and would have to have surgery in springfield the next morning. he was a champ and did a super job, despite not being fed for twenty hours or so. everything went well, he's all better and sweet as ever!

me and gt just before he got the iv

cashed out after the surgery with his little incision

georgie...when you get to be three, i'm taking you out for ice cream as a treat for being such a brave boy!

it's a new year...

2010-01-01T16:03:00.006-06:00

i've made a list of some noteworthy events of my 2009. it's not an exhaustive list, but kind of sums up the year...

finally made it to africa...and i loved it
celebrated turning thirty in great ways with great friends
spend a lot of time serving and traveling with my mom in st. louis, honduras, mexico and africa
enjoyed a "no work, all play" summer...and it has spoiled me
visited lots of friends all over the country
met two of my favorite friends...jacob and nickie
celebrated the arrival of little g.t. bass

i've never been much of a goal-maker (although i do love making lists), but due to the inspiration of my friends mimi and michelle, i've decided to come up with a few tangible goals for two thousand ten (i had to spell out the year because people saying "twenty-ten" irks the tar out of me)...

finish the 100 pushup challenge (already finished week two - though admittedly i am doing girl pushups)
write in my "good things book" at least once a month
stop biting my nails
make a 'new' laundary room for my mom
read through the bible
take a solo trip
find a sustainable way to get exercise in my everyday life

here's to a happy new year.

the accordion on christmas...

2009-12-28T15:52:00.009-06:00

shelly trivia: i own and play an accordion, but i only play one day a year.

that day my friends, is christmas day. the most wonderful day of the year. last year i gave a glimpse into the fabulousness that is our christmas sing-a-long, and this year i'm doing the same. you may notice my playing seems to be getting worse instead of better...but i guess that's what happens when you only practice once every 365 days. my uncle mick is the dashing gentleman heading up the percussion section with his washboard and the new addition of a kazoo. my cousin heather is on the piano with the daunting job of trying make what we're doing sound like something resembling music. prepare to be impressed...

this never, ever gets old...

2009-12-05T00:26:00.000-06:00

i could watch this for hours. it always makes me laugh. and in honor of her special day, i have invited kim to join in the dancing. happy birthday friend.

2009-12-05T00:23:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

the things i'm thankful for...

2009-11-26T21:00:00.002-06:00

in honor of my 99th blog post, and the national day of thanks, here are 99 things i love and am thankful for (in random order):

camping . sharpies . vanilla steamers . sbu . the beatles . missions . egg nog . elf . bike rides . cupcake sandwiches . settlers . my mom . laptops . exploring . flowers . the cosby show . sunshine . quick trip . popcorn on the stove . the office . flip flops . Jesus . planet sub . blogs . my family . mix cd's . christmas . my piano . stars .dancing . my friend's kids . travel . gene kelly musicals . rain . christmas sing-a-longs with my family . free food . free anything . the library . weddings . smoothies . snow . riding the train . memories . toffee . getting the mail . leftovers . the beach boys . organizing . knee high socks . the tv show friends . cheese balls . records . being outside . the haygoods . puzzles . bible study . maps . my friends . skim milk . coupons . back to the beach . grace . live musical theatre . history . public transportation . chick lit . saint louis . giving . trips with friends . countdown chains . outdoor movies . ozzie smith . the smell of sunscreen . hyvee . old people . float trips . the olympics . white castles . london . birthdays (whole and half) . kids camp . adventures . hammocks . the empty tomb . reusable shopping bags . water parks . iced sugar cookies . opportunities to serve . boat rides . fluffy down comforters . the beach . balancing my checkbook . my funny uncle . hand-me-downs . potatoes . chapstick . sleeping with the window open . bingo . grandpa's red plaid christmas pants

i can't wait to meet my newest little friend...

2009-11-23T22:01:00.001-06:00

his name is g.t. and he's coming soon!

welcome to the family...

2009-11-14T23:12:00.006-06:00

my 'cousin' matt with his new wife lindsay

christy . matt . shelly

the meinhardt delegation
jackie . bob . paula . donna . rich . marilyn . mick . linda

what makes a little girl smile...

2009-10-28T12:20:00.000-05:00

this is lizeth, she is eight years old. i met lizeth and her two younger sisters a few weeks ago on a trip to mexico.

lizeth is a serious little girl. before coming to live at casa hogar de gozo she had a lot of responsibilities. her mom went to work very early in the morning and did not come home until very late at night, so lizeth was in charge of taking care of herself and her sisters most of the time. she made sure they were dressed and fed, if there was food to be had that day. recently the three girls were invited to come live at the orphanage run by a couple named pedro and zoila.

during our visit, we noticed that lizeth and her sisters had pretty bad cases of head lice. so when we went shopping to get some toothbrushes, toothpaste and some other items to leave for the kids, we picked up some lice shampoo as well. to be honest, i wondered if it would even make a difference, knowing that it would be difficult to get rid of the lice altogether. before we left, we made sure zoila knew what the shampoo was for and we said our goodbyes.

yesterday our team received an e-mail from the missionary we traveled with. he wanted to tell us this story. last friday lizeth was looking in the mirror with a smile on her face as zoila fixed her hair for school. zoila asked her why she was smiling so big and lizeth said, "this is the first time in my life i do not have any head lice and the kids can't tease me anymore!"

it doesn't take much to make a little girl smile.

on that same trip i also met ruby. she is eighteen. when we were visiting i had a very hard time getting ruby to let me take her picture...and now i know why. ruby has a bad front tooth and recently told zoila that she is really embarassed about her appearance and smile. it will cost $950 american dollars for two years of braces to fix her teeth. to me, that's a lot of money...but to ruby, it's unthinkable. i want to help change ruby's life, and maybe you will too.

the behrs and the vikings...

2009-10-16T19:00:00.002-05:00

matthew and jacob have the distinct privilege of playing football for the francis howell vikings. i have the distinct privilege of showing up at their games and embarrassing them to no end. it is quite enjoyable. sometimes their teammates tease them, but i know they're just jealous that no one has brought a large sign with their name on it. i mean really...what's better than that?

matthew . shelly . the sign

jacob . shelly . the homecoming game

i also took some matthew.jacob.gracie photos
and this is one of my favorites.
click on it to see more!

una semana en mexico...

2009-10-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

our small but mightily hilarious team of five just returned from a week in san pedro mexico. (which is outside hermosillo for those of you with stellar mexican geography skills) there is an orphanage there called casa hogar de gozo which just opened two weeks before our arrival. right now there are seven children (from three families) living there so we spent the week helping them make their new house a home. we painted all the interior rooms with fun, bright colors and gave the doors and windows a fresh coat of paint. there is still work to be done, but eventually they hope to house fifty to sixty children here.

this is lizeth, the mexican jumping bean.
you can see more picture of the kids by clicking here.

this trip also provided one of the funniest mexican experiences ever. one evening we were sitting on the porch chatting and laughing while the kids played around us, when a man in a cowboy hat appeared out of nowhere and joined the group. he joined right in the festivities and started singing to us. at first we assumed he must be friends of the couple that runs the orphanage, but we soon realized he was just a random drunk man who wandered through the gate and onto the property. he was the friendly sort, though we didn't understand a word he said. he entertained us for about twenty minutes until the police came and kindly offered him a place to stay for the night. here is a bit of his little song...

the finale...

2009-10-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

yes it's true...the summer of fun is officially coming to an end. i realize it's a bit of a stretch to refer to the early days of october as part of summer...but that's the way it goes.

it's been a fabulous few months. i spent a lot of time with people i love and i enjoyed them immensely. i often found myself talking with a friend and being a bit overwhelmed at how glad i am that we met. i have some fun, inspiring and lovable friends for sure!

one thing i wanted to do this summer was to simply be available and be generous with my time. sometimes that meant just spending time with someone, and other times it meant helping out with work, kids or other tasks. the summer finale is that kind of opportunity. tomorrow my mom and i are heading to mexico with three other people from calvary. we'll be helping some missionaries there who are working to transform a facility that has been used for summer camps in the past into a full time home for kids.

i think people often wonder what the point it to short term mission trips. why not just send the money directly to the missionary or project and let them use it to buy materials, hire workers, etc? it's a good question, and one i ask myself on occasion, but i do think there is a reason! part of it is for our own benefit, so we can be a part of something bigger than ourselves. like this cademon's call song says...

he doesn't need us, but he lets us put our hands in
so we can see, his love is bigger than you and me

it's also because people are people, not just numbers. you can send money, but money can't give a kid a hug, and sometimes that's what they need. our last night in honduras the kids did a drama to a song called 'child of the street'. here's the chorus...

i don't need money, i don't need compassion.
what i need is love, i am a child of the street.

when you travel somewhere, whether across the world or down the street, you're showing people that someone cares for them, and they are not forgotten.

mr. and mrs. carr...

2009-09-29T09:12:00.001-05:00

this past weekend i had the privilege of coordinating owen and susan's wedding in champaign, illinois. since i love weddings, organizing and sometimes telling people what to do...i had a great time! i also took a few photos for them when i wasn't busy doing something else. you can see more images by clicking here.

owen and susan...thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your special day!

shelly and the terrible horrible no good very bad day...

2009-09-24T20:37:00.005-05:00

i was robbed. i don't think i've ever been robbed before. it is no fun.

wednesday morning i went to church as usual for our weekly meeting. i also hooked up the bike rack on my trunk and brought along my bike so i could stop for a ride on my way home. i was trying to be wise and combine trips. before i left church i safely stowed my wallet in the console and the church laptop in my trunk. out of sight, out of mind.

so i went to my biking destination and had a nice ride. as i came back up to my car i noticed the bottom straps of my bike rack were hanging loose. weird. it's not like they can just fall off on their own. so i hooked them back up and put my bike on. then i walked to the front of the car and saw that my drivers window had been smashed. my mind started racing as i calculated what had happened. i hurried to unlock the back seat so i could look in the trunk...no laptop. opened the console...no wallet. by this time i am crying. and by crying, i mean sobbing and wailing. this nice man stopped to see what was wrong and offered to stay with me until the police came. he even gave me a hug, which i was really needing at that point.

thus began my terrible horrible no good very bad day. i cried a lot. i lost my own stuff...but even worse, i lost a lot of the church's stuff.

thursday was a much better day. i got a call from a policeman in the morning saying he had recovered my wallet. there was no license, money or credit cards but there were other things left in it. i was elated as i drove to meet him. a woman had come across it laying in a driveway that morning and had called the police. almost everything was there (including my check register!) but he told me where it was found in case i wanted to go look around and see if there was anything else there. so i drove up and down the street scanning the grass for anything interesting. i spotted a card sized object and jumped out to inspect it further and what do i find...my drivers license! i was dancing in the street. i walked around some more and found a few other things that were mine...it was better than an easter egg hunt.

there's still a lot missing...many files and photos. but i'm okay, and as someone said 'stuff can be replaced, shelly cannot'.

i think i've found my calling...

2009-09-22T10:13:00.005-05:00

can you make a living doing this? i sure hope so. at the very least, participating in a dancing flash mob has officially made 'the list'.

i've posted my all time favorite before, but if you want to see it again (and i think you should) click here.

health awareness month...

2009-09-19T14:11:00.005-05:00

due to the inspiration of my friend tara, i have declared the month of september to be 'heath awareness month'. initially i was curious to see if drinking the recommended amount of water a day would really make a difference in how i look and/or feel. considering my current liquid consumption was approximately 2oz. per day, i figured if there were results to be seen, i'd see them. but i went ahead and added a few other stipulations to make it interesting. here are the requirements:

drink 64oz. of water per day
eat at least one fruit or vegetable every day
ride my bike three time a week
only eat dessert on the weekends

i'm halfway through and so far have not drown, but i have yet to discover any visible benefits to drinking so much water. i'm starting to doubt those 'experts'.

fun flight facts...

2009-09-15T08:00:00.007-05:00

total air miles traveled from june 2009 to present: 30,080

most surprising inflight movie selection: summer catch (starring jessica biel and freddie prinze jr.)

best airport food find: nathan's corn dog nuggest for $2.50

annoying airline that doesn't give you a snack even when you're flying across the country: united/u.s. air

most exciting airport for landing: tegucigalpa, honduras

for honduras pictures...

2009-09-10T10:10:00.002-05:00

...click here