Tagged

what was i doing ten years ago??
i was 15 (almost 16).  not a fun time in my life.  in a word - rebellion.  moving right along...

5 things on my "to-do" list...

• the bane of my existence (aka laundry)
• clean the house
• a few grocery items to get
• plan our anniversary day away
• make a dentist appointment (fyi - this never gets done, therefore is a permanent fixture on the to do list)

snacks i enjoy
i'm baring my soul here...

• little debbie snack cakes (thus the reason i'm still 10 pounds behind on the baby weight loss)
• cereal
• baby carrotts
• candy - all kinds
• elephant ears - did i mention its Tulip Time here?

five things i'd do if i were a billionaire...

• tithe to the church
  
• give to the rescue mission
• give to the school
• buy a new house
• quit work

my 5 bad habits... (mine are eerily similar to cydney's)

• laziness
  
• tv watching
  
• diarrhea of the mouth
  
• forgetfulness
  
• eating junk food
  

places i've lived...

• saginaw, michigan
• holland, michigan
• banska bystrica, slovakia
• chicago, illinois
• jarabacoa, dominican republic
• crescent springs, kentucky
• fort wright, kentucky

five jobs i've had...

• holland rescue mission thrift store - cashier
• good earth bagels - shift manager/barista
• moody bible institute - human resource assistant
• nanny
• northern kentucky chamber of commerce - special events assistant
• holland rescue mission - development associate

who's next????

• cousin pam
• stacy pauls
• janelle spence
• melissa talbert
• katie nuelsen

Debate

Matt and I have a healthy debate going.  He thinks (at times) that our blog is a wasted site.  Cute for the few people that read it, but useless none-the-less.  I keep telling him that there are lots of people that read our blog that we don't even know about.  So, to help me WIN the debate, if you read our blog, please comment with your name, like so.

Ex: Rachael Neal

I'll be interested to see who actually reads this - and of course, to prove my husband WRONG!

Jen Beat Me...But Only By 3!

19

Being a Mom

Mother's Day is just around the corner - and will be the first time I get to celebrate it as an active participant.  I must say, motherhood is the most rewarding job I've ever had.  Recently I stumbled upon a blog post that said something like "Motherhood is definitely the hardest job I've ever had." I totally disagree!  Is motherhood difficult at times...yes.  But, I can't say it's the hardest job I've ever had.  

Let's assume that Annelise is my boss (going along with the "job" comparison)...

• I never feel like I need to perform well for her to approve of me.  She accepts me as I am - and loves me regardless of my mistakes.
• I never feel like if I do a bad job, she could replace me with someone more qualified - or a machine for that matter.
• I don't have to get dressed up for her - she prefers me in my sweats with no make-up.
• I can disregard the schedule for a day, without severe consequence - other than the ramifications of missing a nap. :)

These are just a few of the reasons why I love being a mom - and DON'T find it difficult.  Its the most natural, rewarding task I've ever had - even if I'm not perfect at it!

Pierced Ears

We went to the mall tonight to run a few errands that we have been putting off for a few months now.  I didn't intend to get Annelise's ears pierced, but we wandered past the Piercing Pagoda - and I thought I'd just inquire about the service.  Well, before I knew it, we were sitting in the chair, marking spots for her new earings!  Daddy couldn't stand to watch, so he took a short walk while we did it.  Boy, does she look adorable!  And the best part...she only shed a few tears that lasted just a few minutes.  

She Made the Web

As many of you know, you're hardly in your right mind in the days following the birth of your child.  Which is probably why I vaguely remember this reporter's article - or the story he recorded - about Annelise's birth.  I realized today (yes, 3 months after that wonderful, but traumatizing experience we call "labor") that Annelise made the web!

Check it out!

Rolling Over

Talking

A PLEA FOR HELP...LEE NORDINE

Lee - I recently saw a picture of you with a Mac at your house.  So, I assume you can help?

I have a problem.  I have a Samsung video recorder that records on SD memory cards and mini DVR's.  I also have a MacBook Pro.  I video taped Annelise rolling over this morning, with hopes of uploading the video to my blog.  I recorded it on the DVR.  I can't get my Mac to recognize the video recorder when I plug it into the USB drive.  There is no disk (I knew that would be the next question).  My Mac won't take mini DVR's.  Can you help?

And if you're not Lee Nordine....I still welcome the help.

Lots New

Its been a while since I posted something.  Matt's been home almost a week now.  It's so nice to have my best friend back!  Trips like this are always good for our marriage.  They make us appreciate one another more.  The weather here is beautiful!  We hit 70 degrees yesterday - and both Annelise and I enjoyed a walk today.  Our tulips are coming up in the front yard, which always excited me for Tulip Time.  If you've never experienced this annual festival in Holland, you MUST come stay with us and check it out.  We live in the heart of Holland, which means we have access to all the festivities.  During the two weeks that the festival is taking place, we'll get out the stroller and walk to watch Dutch dancers (nearly 600 downtown), eat Elephant ears, watch parades and more!  So, anybody in the mood for a May road trip?  Come see us!

Oh, I should mention that we have one guest room.  So, this limited time offer is limited to ONE couple.  Unless you want to get cozy.

Daddy is home...

...safe and sound.  More on his trip soon!

Zambia Update

Matt's trip to Zambia is quickly coming to a close.  They are six hours ahead of us - and enjoying their last day of ministry as a team.  Tomorrow, they head to Victoria Falls to spend the day site seeing and curio shopping.  Then, they are flying home!  Here is an update on their trip.  Thanks for praying!

Greetings from Choma, Zambia. Or should I say - Mwalibihabuti. 
 
It's Wednesday afternoon and I'm sitting in the World Hope office writing this email while the students are outside playing "futbol" with the neighborhood kids- and thoroughly enjoying it. That would be, I think, the theme of a lot of this trip so far - we're enjoying it thoroughly. It's been wonderful to watch each student "soak in" the new culture, new sights, new people, new language all around them. We've packed each day full - we've worked on rebuilding homes, put on a youth rally, visited people in their homes, prayed for them, played with kids, and just generally seen God and His people and their struggles on another side of the world.
 
We praise God for a healthy team - that's been great. And we've had safe travels in all of our bumping along dusty roads into villages, etc. We also praise God for effective ministry too. For Monday and Tuesday we worked closely with students in the village of Siachetema. The students were able to build strong, authentic relationships and love on the many children the follow us wherever we go. The students put on a youth rally for the Siachetema students - complete with a wonderful skit, testimonies, and even "preaching" by our senior guys! It's been wonderful to watch each student step up to whatever task placed in front of them - no matter how uncomfortable - and do it well. They've definitely not been able to stay in their comfort zones.
 
Today is officially our last day in Choma - where we have been centered. Tomorrow we will travel 1 1/2 hours to Zimba where we will tour a mission hospital. We'll then help them with work projects, and spend the night at a nearby guest house. Then on Friday we'll get up early, visit Victoria Falls, and fly out. Many of the students, when they realized that today was our last day in Choma, expressed how fast this time has gone. And, truly, I believe they are leaving a bit of their hearts in this beautiful place. 
 
Thank you so much for your prayers during this time. We have faced great things and also tough things and we have seen God work. Please keep praying as we continue with this trip. Pray for safe travels, pray for discernment and compassionate hearts for all of us, and pray that God will be glorified in everything we do. 

Mouse Away - Cats Play

I can't resist myself.  Every time Matt goes away for an extended period of time, I have this urge to get my hair done.  Weird?  It's like I realize how awful my do is when he's gone.  So, I spent a few hours at the salon the other night and now feel like a new woman.  (At least until the next time he goes away and I realize how awful I look.  And so the cycle goes.)

The NEW Leah

So, my sister Leah has been staying with me for a week and tonight she decided to cut her hair off!  Here's the before and after pictures.  She hasn't had her hair cut since 7th grade!  Doesn't she look hot?

Bling Baby & Rock Star

"Grandma Sue" bought these shirts for Wyatt and Annelise.  Thanks!

Update from Zambia

Here is an update I received from Matt and his team.  Thanks for praying!

Things are going great over here. We've had a full weekend. On Saturday we worked on several houses. We demolished a house that was half down, moved brick and poured a cement floor. Needless to say,  we were pretty tired that night. The team is healthy and enjoying the people here and playing with kids as well as  experiencing a  unique worship-style at church. I had the opportunity to preach in church yesterday. 

All the students are soaking in the culture and enjoying one another. Continue to pray for strength and endurance as we go to a remote village and hold a youth rally. Painting and futbol are on the agenda as well. Give all the parents our greetings and love.

~ Matt, for the team

Day Four

Since Daddy's been gone, Annelise has progressed by leaps and bounds!  Here's a few new things she's doing lately...

• She found her fist and now loves to "eat" it constantly!
• She is a TV junkie.  Someone please help me.  The child loves the boob tube.
• She can play with toys!!!  We bought a new swing and a carseat toy - both of which she can reach out and touch the toys.  We sometimes here a giggle from the back seat.
• She sleeps through the night.  I had to blog about this one, because Matt will never believe it.  She slept 10 hours the night he left and another 10 the next night.  Since, she's been sleeping at least 7 hours at a time.  Mommy loves it!

We also went to visit my Aunt Sue and cousin Angie this weekend.  It was a lot of fun seeing cousins Ty and Wyatt.  We'll hopefully post pictures soon (when Ang emails them to me *hint hint*).

Day One

Daddy's gone and Anne slept through the night last night!  Let's pray she keeps this up.  Mommy might experience the best nights of sleep in nearly 3 months - all while daddy is half way around the world!

Keep praying for Matt and his team.  United Airlines cancelled 52 flights out of Chicago last night - one of which was supposed to take our Zambia team to London!  Fortunately, they got all 8 travelers on another airline.  I won't hear until later this weekend whether or not they made it. But, as always, no news is good news.

We'll keep you posted!