Shainerz blog

Giving it All

2009-06-12T14:38:00.004-05:00

Ever get to the point when you KNOW you need to give it all to God...every circumstance, every thought, every word, every whatever it may be....to fully SURRENDER to Him yet there's a part of you that you CHOOSE to hold on to and have a hard time giving up? I often ask myself why it is so difficult to let God have my life...to do as He wills. Is it because I feel that I am superior and it's best if I take control rather than letting the very One who created me follow through with His awesome and PERFECT plans? I am sometimes fearful to give it all over to God. Why, you ask? I wish I knew the answer to that. Why wouldn't I want to allow Him to take all of my frustrations, bitterness, doubts, fears, insecurities, etc? Seems like it should be a simple thing to do yet I struggle with it so much. It's not that I don't WANT Him to have control. Am I just afraid of what may come about it? That things will change? That I may have to step out of my comfort zone? That I am not skilled or strong enough to take on whatever task HE unfolds for me? But just a simple reminder, self, that God is your Creator and He loves you and only will lead you on the right path when you seek Him with all of your heart. "You will SEEK me and FIND me when you search for me with all of your heart." It's time to fully surrender. "Sweetly Broken...Wholly Surrender"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-02T17:53:00.002-06:00

For some, maybe not so happy...

Summary of my 2008

2008-12-31T11:36:00.003-06:00

Another year coming to a close. It is hard to believe. Is it just me or has every single month in this year flown by? I know it always feels like "time flies" but this year for me really went by like a blur. It seems like just yesterday...

January-

*I brought in the year at a New Year's Eve service held at the church. I really cannot think of a better way of starting the new year than starting it off by worshipping our God and asking Him to bless the new year.

*I celebrated my 21st birthday. I guess you could say it most likely wasn't the typical 21 year old celebration. I worked and then afterwards my parents surprised me with cake and wine. I went all out and had half of a dixie cup! HAHA! I wasn't a huge fan. Needless to say, it was not a wild and crazy day but it was very enjoyable...I think I ended up having 3 different cakes between friends throwing me a party, work, and my parents buying me one. You can never have too much! I wish I could just stay 21. It's been a good year.

*I started leading Sunday School or "Coffee Groups" for the youth group. It was an amazing opportunity to step up a notch and be more involved with the church...I love it.

February-

My family was very excited for our new nephew/grandson to be born! He was due middle of February and was born the 26th. That was the highlight of that month. And what a blessing he is! It's amazing thinking how quickly this (almost) year has gone by for him. From being a little baby who was just passed around and stared at by all, to the stage where he started smiling at everyone, to eventually being able to flip over on his back/tummy, to crawling and now to almost walking....time needs to SLOW DOWN! I love every minute I spend with that bundle of joy...he is such a good kid!!!

March-

Only 9 days after Damian's birth, another baby was born! My cousins Shannon and Jon welcomed another baby girl, Alyse Abigail Bradley. It was fun watching the similarities and differences she had with her big sister Adelyn. They are both sweetie pies and have a way of melting your heart. Alyse is a joy to be around...I think all she does is smile! It was has been fun having both Damian and Alyse together. What a blessing to have two babies enter the world around the same time. :)

April-

All I really recall with April is SNOW! Yes, that's right. Snow. Not the typical April weather!!! 3 out of the 4 weekends were BLIZZARDS. Not just a couple inches, but a downfall. It was rather nice having work be cancelled some of the days because of the bad weather. :) Also it was very interesting going to what was supposed to be a SPRING wedding in late April and having to wear your winter coat, gloves, hat, and scarves and having to skate your way to the church and reception. I felt bad for the couple who was getting married but they didn't seem to mind. What good sports!

May-

May was a time of remembrance for our family. We couldn't believe how quickly a year had gone by (do you see a theme here?) since my grandpa had passed away. And ironically enough, the anniversary of his death was on Memorial Day...that was quite fitting. By that time the weather was a tad nicer and we were able to bring flowers to his and other relatives grave.

June-

The grad parties began. I traveled to WI to watch a good friend graduate and attended her grad party which was conveniently the next day. :) Later on that month I traveled with New Life Church in Sparta, WI to the Desperation Conference held in Kalamazoo, MI. It was a first for a few things. A first to travel to MI and a first to attend one of those conferences. AMAZING!!! Is only one of the adjectives I can think of to describe it. What an awesome time to get away and really focus on who God is and what He wants for our lives. Desperation is quite the fitting title as I and many others left there desperate for MORE! God is good.

July-

I remember July for the extremely hot days. So warm that I actually caved and went swimming. It was just a typical summer month...relaxing.
*Camping trip with a few friends....it was an adventure trying to get up a tent with two of us gals...our nice neighbors came over to help us out, haha!!

August-

Wisconsinites came to visit! Tons of people came over for a bonfire and some outside games, which was a BLAST! End of August I went to the American Idols Live Tour in Minneapolis with some friends. It worked out well because it fell on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend meaning I didn't have to ask for Monday off! Good times. I'm excited for the next season which is starting in less than one month! yahoo! I needed something to fulfill my tv fix since my favorite show 7th Heaven stopped playing new episodes...i'm not one to watch a lot of tv so it's nice to have one show to look forward to throughout the week. :o)

September-

Hmmmm. Thinking...Thinking...Next,

October-

Minnesota Youth Convention in Rochester with the youth group...always a good time!

November-

My first time being able to vote for president!! An honor, I'd say!

*Thanksgiving....it was a FULL HOUSE with relatives visiting. It was a lot of fun. Shannon and Bonnie were brave enough to hit the early morning Black Friday sales, the rest of us slept in and went later morning. :) We still got some really good deals! I was able to buy a guitar for cheap. Now I just need to keep practicing and teaching myself and I'll be a professional in no time...ha!

December-

*A dear neighbor who meant a lot to our family passed away. It was an unexpected death so that always makes the whole situation even harder than it already is. He and his wife were always such a blessing to this family...He will be greatly missed.

*Christmas was realxing and very laid back this year. It was spent with just my immediate family which was very treasurable and memorable since it isn't very often we get together anymore.

And that about sums up my year off the top of my memory. I am certain that I am missing some details, but that should do it for now.

For 2009 I am anticipating...

- The birth of yet another nephew in mid January!

-All that God has in store! Hopefully some changes which will be mentioned in another blog in the near future.

I pray that every person reading this has a year full of blessings in 2009!!!

Stay tuned for 2009's summary...it will go by all too quickly. :)

HAPPY New Year!!

Struck Down but NOT Destroyed

2008-09-28T14:54:00.002-05:00

I've recently purchased one of Joyce Meyer's popular books "Battlefield of the Mind."
I've only started beginning reading the first chapter, but even in those few pages a lot has been revealed. She talks about how satan is the greatest deceiver and that he is good at what he does. She talks about how he is patient and that he is good at pinpointing people's weakness and will jump at any opportunity he can, basically.

This week has had some trials not only for me but to my family. I could cry (and believe me I have) and feel sorry for myself or I could look to My Creator. The One who knows everything about me and knows everything in my life that has and will happen..even before I was born.

Why, I'm asking myself, would I not choose to turn to Him? Why do I sometimes allow myself to take things over and think that I can find the comfort and answer I need without Him?

Jesus says to cast our cares and burdens upon Him...and for that I am thankful. I'm thankful that I don't have to carry this heavy load alone.

The devil can try all he wants to this family. But I will make sure to remind that

Greater is He who is within me than he who is in the world!

He came that we may have life and life to the fullest...

Jesus, I need YOU!!!!!

What's New?

2008-08-28T22:05:00.005-05:00

"What is new?," you ask.

1) I am very very excited for the presidential election stuff to be over with. I have never been one interested in politics and it seems like you can't go anywhere or turn the channel without it being the main headline. Although, I will be sad to not have George W. Bush be our president. Lord, thank you for the time He has served. And be with Him despite what the world tries to throw at Him...
(please don't comment about this...i hate presidential debates! i didn't post it to argue..)

2) I have been waiting for this labor day weekend for a very long time! I am headed to the cities to go to visit friends and family, go to the state fair..and..last but not least, the AMERICAN IDOL TOP TEN FINALISTS TOUR!!!!!!!!!! I bought tickets in May and have eagerly anticipated this day for a long, long time. Pictures to follow!!! And it just so happens, out of all of the tour dates, to fall on this weekend which is quite the blessing, actually. With Monday being the holiday, I didn't have to ask for a day off for it. :)

3) God has been teaching me a lot. He's making me realize it's all about HIM. He is constantly teaching me things and showing me how truly faithful and loving He is. Jesus, I'd be so entirely lost without you.

4) I've been doing lots of traveling this summer. It's been great! But I am kind of looking forward to a relaxing fall, too.

5) My beautiful cousin Stacy was proposed to in July!! They are planning (so far) for a May wedding, and she asked me to be in the bridal party. What an honor to stand up with a woman who has meant so much to me. She and her sister are the sisters I never had. I am very excited for her! Congrats, darlin!

6) I love that God has answered my prayer of having more college-aged girls around here. My dear friend Ruth is now HOME for college. She has started a girls' Bible study and I have made new friendships. The Lord hears our requests. How very faithful He is!!! Thank you Lord.

7) Little Damian is growing up so very quick. He can already roll onto his tummy and realized he has enough arm strength to be able to lift himself off of the ground. Quite soon he will realize he can crawl. He is now 6 months! And as handsome as handsome can be. And quite the chatterbox. :) I love him.

In addition to auntiehood, I will be finding out very soon what the sex is of my brother Brian's baby who is due around my birthday in January! Can't ask for a much better birthday gift, eh? I will officially be an auntie of 4 once he/she arrives. Can't wait!

Anyway, just thought I better give my "fans" some new reading material.
God bless the frequent readers and the new readers, too!
You are loved.

A Weekend with the Relatives!

2008-07-13T16:43:00.004-05:00

Little Miss Alyse

Mr. Damian

Miss Adelyn sure enjoyed those pickles!!

Gettin ready for the parade!!

proudly displaying the red white and blue

All smiles!

Muchin on some cotton candy before the parade:)

The wonderful and beautiful Bradley Family

Adelyn was in the perfect spot for candy. She was surrounded by all adults who also helped her fill the candy bag. Needless to say, she didn't go home empty-handed!

me, Alyse, aunt Bonnie, and my brother Brian

At the petting zoo...

A dwarf horse!! How cute is he???

Adelyn enjoying a pony ride!

Happy Friday!

2008-06-13T14:16:00.002-05:00

That's all this "little" handsome stud does is smile!!!

And i'm sure he's thinking:

"Is that all my auntie does is shine that bright flash in my eyes?"

Make that 4!

2008-06-03T18:31:00.005-05:00

I have 2 nephews and one niece...which makes me an aunt of "3," right?
But that will soon be changing!
I just found out this past week that I will be an aunt yet AGAIN!
My brother Mike welcomed in a child earlier this year, and now my brother Brian will be welcoming a new baby late this year/early next year!

Who's next....??

NOT ME! :D

Chocolate Stars for Grandpa!

2008-05-26T18:05:00.005-05:00

Today's Memorial Day hits home more than past days have as today our family is remembering the one year anniversary of grandpa's death. I remember the night before a bunch of friends and myself were celebrating at Brianna's bachelorette party in the cities. I spent the night at my aunts and woke up to her crying in the room next to me. I thought that since grandpa had been pretty sick for the last couple weeks that it could have to do with him, but hoping that it wasn't for that reason.

It brings a lot of heartache and sadness as he was the last grandparent of mine to pass away, and the one that I had known the best. But it brings so much relief and comfort knowing that his weary body is now not suffering and that he is celebrating with the LORD! He now doesn't have to use his walker as I'm sure he's putting his new heavenly body to use by dancin' with the angels!

Grandpas food groups consisted of: cheetos, sour gummy worms, mt. dew, and chocolate stars! So as I was at Wal-Mart buying flowers to plant by relatives graves today I couldn't pass up the chocolte stars that were in the aisle. I thought they sounded mighty tasty, and I thought I'd bring some to grandpa, too! So now his grave is decorated nicely with bright flowers and I couldn't resist sharing the chocolate stars with him since so often I would sneak into his snack drawer and enjoy a tasty treat every now and then--sorry gramps. :) I owed you.
I put a lot of orange flowers by yours, grandma's and Uncle Dale's graves today as I thought the orange was appropriate by how much you loved to hunt!

I hope you are eating as much junk food as you can there in heaven! I miss you like crazy and I shed a few tears here and there, but really grandpa, as much as it hurts, I am glad you are in heaven enjoying all the junk food you can possibly imagine and dancing and celebrating freely...your body was tired and ready to rest....and Jesus obviously wanted His time with you, too. :) And I love that fact that you aren't separated from your wife and son anymore...I know it hurt you to not have them around, so I am glad they are celebrating with you too! Take good care of them and I'll be sure to try to take care of your loved ones here...

We'll see you again someday! But for now, I am holding the memories so close to my heart.
Only happy tears...

"Shave and a hair cut..two bits!"

"May the Best Man Win"

2008-05-22T21:43:00.003-05:00

Those were the famous words from Paula Abdul on Tuesday night's American Idol episode.
Did the best man win???
That is DEBATABLE!
No offense David Cook fans (yes, i admit he does have a good voice..but), it's just that David Archuleta won me over from the audition!
Even though you are runner up, you'll always be my favorite. :o)
(I had a long written explanation of me really getting into american idol for my first time this year...but then it erased just as I was about to finish...bummer)

See you in August!!!!!!

He Sure is CUTE!

2008-05-16T19:36:00.003-05:00

Call me obsessed...I can't stop taking pictures! Every time he is over (which is quite often) I instantly grab my camera and snap away. The last time he was at my house I ended up taking 51 pictures in about 5 minutes. =) Thank God for digital cameras and memory space! hahaha. Obsessed? Nah, "In Love" is more like it. I am in love with my nephew. He has a way of melting one's heart! He is now at the stage where he is starting to talking jibberish and smile while doing so. Although we don't quite exactly know what he's trying to get across to us, it sure seems like he does. What a sweetie. =) If I have't nmentioned this before...I love being an aunt!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2008-05-12T23:12:00.002-05:00

Cuttin' it close. Only 47 minutes left of your birthday.
Dad, I know you more than likely won't ever read this, but I hope you know how much I adore you and love that you are my dad. I think about the days where you used to drive me to town (you never said no ..no matter how busy you were) and we used to sing our specific songs together every single time. I am so incredibly thankful for you...and I know that God has a specific purpose for your life. That is evident by the way you were so close to dying that horrible November 11 2003 evening, but God had different plans. And for that I am thankful. You'll always be the most important man in my life.

Once again, pictures of the cutest guest! Except he must have been too pooped out from partying at grandma's party last week that he decided to sleep at this one. He's still cute regardless!!! :o)

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-05-05T18:46:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to one of the most important ladies in my life! I'm not really sure what I would do without her. Dedicated, self-less, thoughtful, caring, considerate, helpful, loving, simple (in a good way), and funny, are only some of the words to describe this amazing woman. I love you mucho!!!!

We had some family over to eat some cake tonight and I took some pictures of the cutest guest, little Damian!

"My grandma's HOW old!?" =)

"That is one entertaining ceiling fan!"

He is SO tall for a 2 month old!!! I guess that's what happens when you have a dad who is 6'3".

My Little Buddy

2008-04-26T23:45:00.002-05:00

My nephew Damian is 2 months "old" today! He is getting to be even more handsome of a little (or not-so-little) fella! Unfortunately this past week he had a high fever with some coughing and sneezing but I think his health is returning to normal. Every time I see him he is bigger and bigger! I know no matter how much we wish these precious babies wouldn't grow up so fast, they always do. So I best make the most of each moment and not take them for granted. Little Damian, I am so thankful for you. And as your soon-to-be godmother, you better believe I will take the role seriously. I'm not just going to have the title--I WILL pray for you everyday, I WILL do all that I can do to make sure you grow up knowing Jesus. And I WILL try my hardest to set an example for you. I love you buddy!

Adelyn came to visit last weekend and met her newest cousin for the 1st time--what a sweetheart she is!!

cousins Alyse & Damian who were born only 9 days apart! Would you guess that by the size difference?? =)

Once Upon an April Snow Day...

2008-04-11T09:32:00.004-05:00

...there was a woman named Amber who thought she'd be considerate enough to take pictures of the blizzard to show family and friends far away the joy of living in northern Minnesota. Work was cancelled for the 2nd time this week. (although I can't complain about only working 3 days!...i know, i am a lazy bum)

APRIL 11, 2008

Onto happier thoughts!...
Here are a few recent pictures of my nephew. He is sure getting big. He is 1 1/2 months and already 12 pounds! He has the cutest puffy cheeks. :) My family got to babysit him last night while his mom and dad had a fun evening out. He is such a good little boy!!!

tryin on the new hat grandpa and grandma bought

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2008-04-09T12:37:00.002-05:00

Your first birthday in heaven...i hope you and the angels are celebrating the BIG 88! What better place is there to celebrate it?!? Miss you...

Snow Day

2008-04-07T07:49:00.004-05:00

Spring has arrived! Oh wait...it did for only a couple days but now we have gone back to winter this April 7, 2008 day....the snow decided to bless us with it's presence (hopefully only) one last time this "winter." I thought that it was kind of crazy that I used the snow blower for my first time on APRIL 6, 2008. I went to a women's conference--Bridging the Gap--Friday and Saturday in Spring Lake Park. On the way home, I along with the other ladies, were commenting on how great it was that there was barely any snow on the ground! We spoke too soon. Only about an hour after we arrived home on Saturday night the snow started falling. Little did I know that it would continue all the way until this morning. I think we snow blowed the driveway 2 or 3 times yesterday and shoveled a couple times as well. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to update Shainerz Blog as I am sipping my coffee and sitting here since work has been postponed until 12:30!! So maybe snow is a good thing.

The morning of Sunday APRIIL 6th

This morning...

It literally snowed ALL day yesterday. But we managed to get to church yesterday and also had a special evening service. The roads were so bad that a kind gentleman followed me home to make sure my low-riding car wouldn't get stuck!
This weekend has been full of inspirational speakers for me.

Friday morning I was one of the 12 ladies from Hibbing that rode in the van to the Bridging the Gap women's conference. Lisa Bevere was our speaker for the weekend. She is an AMAZING woman of God. She has a great testimony but doesn't let it hold her down. She is one who walks with confidence in God's truth. She was extremely encouraging and I felt like a burden that was on me for some time was lifted after Friday night's service. We declared VICTORY over our lives and God did some amazing, AMAZING, things. I am so thankful I was able to go! It was great getting to spend time with my friends who I don't get to see as often, too. God is wonderful.

I think it's safe to say that we will be best friends forever... love u girls

We all are wearing a charm bracelet from the conference.
Heart-You are a guardian of the heart
Sword-Wield God's Word to elevate life
Boxing Glove-Strike when the enemy draws near!

Lisa Bevere huddled by some of the ladies at the convention...God thank you for sending her to inspire and influence us this weekend.

And that is it from this end...I am debating on whether or not i get a few more hours of sleep before going to work or if I should make myself useful and do something. =)

Enjoy some pictures from the past few weekends...

I was fortunate enough to head to the cities for Easter to spend time with my wonderful relatives and to meet my new beautiful baby cousin, Alyse Abigail!

Cousin cuddling time...

Adelyn is growing up quickly. So much that she is ready to hit the road at age 1 1/2!

The expression on Adelyn's face may not show it, but she really is happy to be a big sister!=)

My amazing aunt and cousins who I love dearly. They are my second family. I practically lived with them when I was growing up. My aunt is my hero for being consistent in bringing me to church and never giving up. My cousins are practically my sisters. They encourage me, give me advice continuously, and are there for me whenever I need them. These ladies in the picture are BLESSINGS to me!!! I cherish every moment I get with them.

The Williamson daughters along with two of their friends and youth leaders came to visit last weekend!! It was such a fun time showing Rachel and Kendra the historic town of Hibbing and it is always wonderful spending time with the Williamson's who mean so much to me!

It's a girl!

2008-03-06T17:35:00.003-06:00

Yes! Another baby is in the family! Who would have thought 9 days after Damian was born that our family would be welcoming another baby? (Shan wasn't due until the 16th) If you've kept up with my blog you'll remember that a while ago I said that this time of the year there will be a couple new babies to the family.
My cousin Shannon and her husband Jon welcomed another baby girl into their family today...about 4 hours ago! She is yet to be named. And I have yet to see pictures, but I hear she has lots of dark hair. :o)
Congratulations Jon, Shannon, and Adelyn!
Can't wait to meet your precious daughter and sister!

Day 4

2008-03-01T16:46:00.005-06:00

You might as well show them my tonsils, too!

Damian's serious poses

I'm a little yellow...but oh so mellow!

you look familiar...

Damian Michael Shain

2008-02-26T21:34:00.004-06:00

Is finally here!
He arrived at 7:16pm this evening. He weighs 8lbs 12 oz and is 21 1/2 inches long. And of course he is cute as cute can be!
Enjoy the pictures.

So Excited!

2008-02-25T17:46:00.002-06:00

The time is quickly approaching! Doreen is getting induced at 8am tomorrow morning. I am hoping Damian will cooperate and decide to come out as quick as possible. :D
That means tomorrow or the next day I'll have pictures of the new nephew!!!!
Now wouldn't that be something if they ended up having a girl? haha. I think the doctors are pretty certain but I guess you never know!

Love,
Auntie Amber

Lady, Where Did You Go?

2008-02-22T12:52:00.005-06:00

I thought for sure I would just wait for my next post to be a picture post. I thought for sure my nephew would have arrived last week sometime so I thought I'd wait until he was born and then I'd have something to blog about. Well, since he has decided to stay in the warmth of his mother as long as he can so he doesn't have to come out at these frigid temperatues we've been having, I guess I will have to hold until next week to post about him! Doreen has gone into "fake" labor 3 TIMES now!!! And obviously, none of them have been the real deal. We thought for sure last week that he was going to arrive. She was having contraction 2 MINUTES apart...but they eventually stopped and Damian decided he wasn't quite yet ready! So for sure by next Wednesday he'll be here. If Doreen hasn't gone into labor before her doctor's appointment next Monday, they are planning to induce her on Tuesday! We are so excited to see the new addition to the Shain Family! This will be my oldest brother's first child so as you can imagine he is beyond excited! We are excited for them. So I will just have to reserve my next blog posting for the lil' fella!;)

And how does that have to do with the blog title??? It doesn't. Onto my next story---
Our golden retriever/yellow lab, Lady, decided that she was going to go on a tour of the town or perhaps she thought she would get some exercise by running away. We are not sure where her destination was or what she was doing while she was gone, but she escaped all day yesterday. Now it isn't uncommon for her to disappear once in a blue moon. She finds ways to break free from her chain (it is NOT my choice for her to be an outside dog!!!...don't hate me), and usually will roam around for a good half hour or so and then decide that it's time to come back home. Yesterday was a little different. She had either disappeared sometime during the night or very early yesterday morning. I came home for lunch and she was STILL missing. I thought that was kind of unusual, but was hoping and thinking that she'd for SURE be home by the time work was done at 5. I came home, went to the dog house to fine it STILL empty. I was getting pretty nervous. I figured either the K9 Unit got a hold of her or that she was hit by a car.
To make a long story short, she was still gone this morning but then I pulled up in the driveway for lunch and there she was just chillin in the snow bank! I am thankful that she's still alive and decided to come back to the Shain residence. :) Lady, Where DID you go?!?! (too bad dogs can't talk)

A couple weeks ago I talked with a lady who works in the missions center in Missouri about my MAP's application. She talked to me about how long I would like to go to China for. She then told me that there are childrens camps in July and August that last 3-4 weeks. What the volunteers/missionary assitant's do is help teach english as a foreign language! I told her I would be interested in doing something like that (although my Chinese vocabulary is slim...i'm getting there though. Thanks Stacy and Nick for the audio learning tapes:D). So she is passing my application to another lady in the department of missions and she will contact me from there. She is in charge of getting the airfare booked and also in charge of getting my arrangements together in China. I am very very very stoked for this!!! My heart is towards missions and feel that after taking this trip I will know for sure if this is something I want to do with my life. If you remember, would you say a prayer or two(or more!) for me??? Maybe pray that I am able to raise the necessary funds and for safety and protection once I am there. My airline tickets will be a little more expensive than usual due to the Olympics being in China this year...around the time that I will be there so they of course will jack the prices up!! God is in control!

God has been working in my daily life situations left and right. He has been answering my prayers nad just proving to me that He is fully aware of what is best for my life.
I will be working FULL-TIME in March! A total answer to prayer. I asked that if I'm supposed to stay in Hibbing that God would open up a full time job opportunity for me, and only a week or two later (i can't remember specifically) my co-worker told me she was quitting and asked if I would be interested in taking her full time spot! This is a total blessing to me as I hope to earn enough money for China and also am contemplating moving to my own apartment when I am able to. There are so many other situations that God has been working with me through and I can't give Him enough thanks for it!

Life is good. Even through the hard and disappointing times in life, God still is in control. I will keep reminding myself of that!!!

Now if you don't mind..my car is past due for an oil change. :)

It's Wise to Listen to Your Dentist...

2008-01-14T10:08:00.000-06:00

What's new with me?
Read on! I got this from a site off of google. This is what Amber Shain has been dealing with. Sorry it might not be the greatest or most pleasing post but hey, you're the one that came to my page!;)

Gum Recession.

Gum recession is the loss of gum tissue from the base of a tooth with exposure of the root surface.

Recession usually occurs in response to overaggressive brushing but can also result from injury or as the natural progression of thin, delicate gum tissue. Most people have some slight recession.

Recession may make the teeth very sensitive to cold, to sweet foods, or to touch. It may be accompanied by bone loss and may make the teeth more vulnerable to root cavities.

Treatment is needed when the gums or teeth are sensitive or when plaque accumulates and is difficult to remove. Treatment involves a grafting procedure, in which soft tissue is removed from the roof of the mouth or from donor tissues and stitched to the area.

I believe mine is the brushing too hard dilema...and now I have pay for it. The dentist and his assistant's told me that I should brush and floss softer and softer but did I listen??? Hmmm...something tells me that when a PROFESSIONAL tells you to do something u should probably obey he/she!

And that's what's new with Amber....
Have a great week!

Kids Say the Darnest Things

2008-01-06T21:21:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my mom was going through school stuff she saved of her kids and she came across this mini story of mine that I wrote back in the day. If you were to ask me about my family on September 5, 1996, this is what I would have told you!
I will translate since it is kind of hard to read:P

Amber
Sept.5 1996
9/5/96

My Family
My dad goes to work at the mines. My Mom dosen't work but she sits at home waiting for us to come back for suppper. My brother Mike works at MDI he works for 9 hours. My brother Brian works at the Kahlor washing dishes. My brother and I go to Greenhaven Elementary skool. I like going on vacation with my family.

Dad 48 Mom 47 Mike 25 Brian 21 me 9 Josh 8

12 years later I know stay at home moms don't just sit at home all day waiting for the family to come home for dinner(sorry mom!:D), and I know that school is spelled with a "c" and not a "k." Also I'm a little more careful of punctuation and not writing run-on sentences! :D I learned a lot in school!:P

Meet my Niece, Cocoa

2008-01-01T16:46:00.000-06:00

This was my brother Mike's Christmas present!
Isn't she the cutest??? Yeah, I'm going to have to agree!

2007-12-31T00:36:00.000-06:00

I find it so cool and so very amazing the way God works. The ways he uses people to encourage me and to bless me in ways they don't even know they are. I especially love when He is so near to me in times I am feeling down....He always finds a way to lift me back up and to remind me that He is in FULL control!!! I mean granted the times when I'm down in the dumps are NOT fun and I often wonder "why?" but it is so great knowing that I can be prepared for those times...prepared in the fact that I know God is going to be right there and that truly I can learn something from it!

Romans 5:3
"...we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Thank you Jesus for the hope I and every single other person in this world have in You--that when life doesn't always treat us fairly, you are still near and are having us go through it to teach us and to build perseverance, character, and hope. Lord, I truly am AMAZED by You!!!!

the end:)

Merry Christmas Eve!

2007-12-24T13:11:00.000-06:00

Holidays!!! Love 'em. I especially love this holiday as we remember God giving the most amazing, irreplaceable, wonderful gift of all. I think it is great...the joy, the happiness, the holiday cheer (hey if some people are not-so-pleasant all year round..at least they have something to smile about this holiday, right?), family, friends near and far, singing, decorations, gifts, food, fun, snow (yes i said it)....everything about this season is just so wonderful. I dread that it will be over in 2 short days. But for now, I take the time to make the most out of this holiday with my family and friends....I wish you all a very BLESSED Christmas. Sending prayers your way....
This may be so cliche, but so very true....
Remember Jesus IS the reason for the season.
Thank-you God for your Son!!!!!! We didn't deserve Him, yet you chose to give Him. We don't deserve your blessings, graciousness, mercy...yet you choose to give them. May we give you all the praise and adoration You are so very worthy of.

Boo ImageShack!

2007-12-08T10:39:00.000-06:00

My blog is still being funky and not letting me update pictures. Therefore I guess the post will just have to do! Sorry.

2007-11-29T18:31:00.001-06:00

ahhhhhhhhhhhh! pictures aren't working right now and I don't have time to fix it quite yet!
y'all come back now...ya hear?

Thanksgiving

2007-11-29T17:52:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving..one of my favorite holidays! I loved having relatives here. Staying up late, getting up early, laughing, games...everything about this holiday I love. How can I forget..the food, too! I think we all agreed that we had one thing for sure that we were all thankful for this Thanksgiving. This was our first holiday without our grandpa so we definitely are thankful for all the years we got to spend with him! We were joking how my aunt was a lot like grandpa as when we turned the heat down she was always cold and cranked it back up! It was great thinking back on memories..as if he was still here with us.
I have so much to be thankful for. Jesus...My family...My friends...My job...life in general...and so much more!
And now the snow has arrived! The Christmas music is being sung! More and more houses are decorated with lights! Christmas shopping has started!

CHRISTMAS IS ONLY 26 DAYS AWAY!!!!!

Life in the Past Month and a Half

2007-11-18T15:08:00.000-06:00

A lot has been going on this past month and a half since I posted last. Let's see...

The middle of October was our annual MYC(Minnesota Youth Convention) held in Rochester. I went as a leader for my 3rd year in a row and let me tell you it is just as fun going as a leader as it was going as a studente! We had two amazing speakers. Our first one was Michael ...I forget his last name..oops! He is from Ireland. First off he had a really cool accent, and secondly he is an amazing speaker. He talked about we being an army for the Lord. It was a great service and a great time of worship following. The second night our speaker was Nate Ruch. I was fortunate to hear him speak once before. He spoke at our senior teen camp one year..he is great, too! He is just a down to earth guy who has an evident passion for teenagers. He talked about youtube (yes, the actual website!) and how our lives are being played out everyday....what would our video show kind of thing. God did some great things in everyone's lives there. Youth convention is always something the youth look forward to as it is a much needed break from school and a time to visit with friends from other areas and a time to really get refreshed by God.

The end of October I was fortunate to make my way to Wisconsin yet again. Sydney Williamson was in her high school play "Hello Dolly." This has been a trip I've been planning for a while ever since I knew the dates of the play! I went to both the Friday and Saturday performances...both which were phenomenal, seriously! I was able to stay with the Williamsons for 4 nights (thank you once again!) which was a blessing. I am thankful that I have jobs that are lenient for scheduling and that I am able to make those trips every so often...can't stay away from them for too long!!!

Speaking of jobs...after this Tuesday, I will only have one job. Yes, that is right! I have put my two weeks notice in and will be done in two very short days. I guess there was a lot of reasoning put into it and just know that my time at the group home is done. Change is hard, and I will be sad leaving there as it has been a great experience working with people with disabilities...I have enjoyed them so much! It was a very rewarding job and this past year and a half has been wonderful getting to know those four amazing clients....not to mention getting to meet other clients and employees throughout the company. It is a very well ran company and I am sad to go! But trusting God to direct my next steps...
As for now, I will still be working at the eye doctor's office. Anticipating what God has in store!!!

Other than that, I have just been getting ready for Thanksgiving. I love holidays!!! I love spending time with family, the laughter, the games...everything! I especially love Thanksgiving as I really do have a lot to be thankful for. God has been so very faithful to me and although life has it's disappointments and trials, God always prevails and is in control!

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope your weekend is blessed!
Come back for my Christmas post! hahaha j/k. I'll try to post before then. :P

I Just Realized...

2007-10-04T14:34:00.000-05:00

that I never did end up posting pictures of Brianna and Brett's wedding that was (almost) 4 months ago. Talk about being "on the ball." So, here are some pictures that are past due. It truly was an honor standing up in my best friends wedding. Since little girls we dreamed about our wedding day and looked (and still looking)forward to it in much anticipation. Just the reality of a close friend getting married was awesome. It was a beautiful day. Beautiful bride, beautiful ceremony, beautiful start to a future for Mr. and Mrs. Holland!

Bridesmaids before the wedding. (one missing from pic)

One gorgeous bride!!

Olivia, Brianna's niece and the flower girl.

One great role model we three gals will always look up to! (no, i didn't wear the flip flops in the actual ceremony:D)

Jess Williamson took this one of me just before giving the speech. I was incredibly nervous!

Yes, you ARE seeing a new post!

2007-09-02T23:33:00.000-05:00

Greetings my fellow bloggers. Hope I wasn't rejected from the blogging clan for my lack of posting. I find that my prime time of blogging is at night (when i'm most awake..wish that was different) and since I have the WHOLE day off tomorrow (believe it or not!) I thought I better get my butt into gear..

So what's new? Not a lot. I wish I could return with an exciting and thrilling new post but unfortuantely, there's nothing new with me. I believe I fall into the "work-a-holic" category as that is all I ever do. Once in a while I find time to spend with family and friends though! I feel incredibly boring and lame whenever someone asks me "what's new?" And my response every time is "I can't think of anything new...just work." Sad, Sad, Sad!

I have been doing some debating and feel that this whole two job thing is becoming a little too much. I seldomly get full days off. But I also have been praying and know that I need to start becoming less complaintive and more thankful for what I do have. So I guess the positives of having more than one job
1) it keeps me busy--not too much time to just sit around
2) the incomes are definitely a great help.
Sometimes we all can get in that mood where we feel we are the unluckiest people in the world, but really, I have a tremendous life compared to some...so "in everything, give thanks!" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Well, my aunt Bonnie and my cousin Adelyn are here to visit for the weekend! Adelyn is growing like crazy. She has grown so much from the last time we saw her. Her vocabulary is very impressive and she understands most everything anyone asks her now--her reply is usually a big smile with a nod or a regular head shake. :) She's been keeping us entertained with her contagious laugh and her dancing skills she's been showing off! It's truly a treat having her and the Bon-Bon here. I will be sad to have to say farewell once again tomorrow.

OH! One other thing new. No, I'm not enrolled in HCC this semester. Go figure! I am probably one of the most undecisive people ever (i'm not bragging about that...). I have no intentions of going back to school anytime soon. Not until I know it's the right thing for sure or not. Call me crazy! I guess the whole two job thing and schooling didn't sound too appealing to add to my days, either.

That is it for now. Hopefully I'll be back before another month hits!
Take care and enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

BABIES!!!

2007-07-16T23:23:00.000-05:00

Anyone I know expecting a baby in January? If so that would fall right along with two babies in our family that our going to be born in February and one in March of next year! I forgot to add to my "June" blog that I found out that I am going to be an auntie again! The oldest of my brothers and his girlfriend found out that they are expecting a little one in the middle of February. And just recently I heard word of my cousin Shannon and her hubby Jon are expecting their second in March!! Actually the babies are due almost a month apart. Just when I have been saying that Adelyn is growing up way too fast, she is now going to be a big sister! So I am really really REALLY looking forward to the beginning of next year! I LOVE BABIES!

There will be pictures to come, but this was just too exciting- had to share!
Congrats to both Mike & Doreen and Shannon and Jon!!!

June

2007-07-12T12:30:00.000-05:00

Well here is my month of June compiled into one long post! I apologize for the lack of writing. Really, I know it gets old signing on to someone's blog and seeing the same post over..and over..and over. So finally, something new to look at!!

Well, June started off in a semi-sad semi-celabratory way. June 1st we laid grandpa to rest, and celebrated the fact that he is in heaven with the Lord! We couldn't ask for anything better because he lived 87 good years on this earth and his body was ready to take rest. It's been over a month since he has passed and things are going good here. Once in a while when I have too much time and I'm just sitting around I'll think about him and get teary eyed, but then I continually remind myself that he's HAPPY with the Lord, I should be happy he's not in anymore pain! He lived with us for a few years so it is still hard sometimes going into the bedroom he stayed in. We are working on remodeling it right now. My mother has wanted to do that for a very long time so we finally ripped the carpet out and painted the walls and now it is a guest bedroom! Now all we have to do is buy a bed for it. Speaking of which, anyone looking to buy a hospital bed???? :) We are selling one. It's in good shape, too! Spread the word my friends. :D

Then the same weekend I headed to the cities to celebrate Adelyn's 1st birthday! (the song "He gives and takes away" comes to mind here..) She is such a little character! She's walking like a professional and has a pretty good vocabulary for a one year old. I haven't been able to see her since then, but by pictures I've seen on Shannon's blog she's growing up too quick! The Bradley's are hopefully going to make a road trip to Hibbing here soon so I am looking forward to seeing them! Anyway, she got lots and lots of fun gifts and her own personal birthday cake. She wasn't too into eating it though surprisingly! Mom kept trying to give her bites but she wasn't too enthused about it. :) And now at the time I'm writing this post she is already 13 months. WOW!

Then it was time to get things prepared for my good friend Brianna's wedding! I helped her put some treats together for the reception and just hung out as much as we could before she was to become Mrs. Holland. June 16th rolled around and was gone before we knew it. It is fun looking back at the 15+ years or so we've been friends and thinking about all the times we talked about how excited we were to get married someday and would always guess who was going to get married first. So congrats Bri you are the winner! Hope married life (so weird to say still..but fun:D) is going great for you and your husband!

I've been pretty busy working as I now have two part time jobs. I received a call from a local eye doctor's office and was asked if I'd be interested in applying and working there part time. She asked me to bring in a resume and a few days later called for an interview. I just started there this past week and am really liking it so far! Some days I work both jobs and others I work just one, but at least it will keep me busy. Too much time to sit around is nice sometimes, but other times I would rather be out and about doing something. I basically am doing behind the scene work right now. Helping organize, file, and some other office type work... I love it!

I was able to take a trip to Sparta Wisconsin to visit my good friends there! It's so nice being able to catch up with them and see what is going on in there life. From roller coasters to movies to taking strange pictures to going out to eat- it was a fun time!! I am thankful that time allows for me to go there once in a while! I don't like being away from some of my favorite people for too long. So thanks Williamsons for having me! Your family is like a second family to me. You guys go above and beyond and I am BLESSED to have you as my friends. Thanks also to the Brobergs for having me over! Still waiting for the ok to move in! ;)

Well, that pretty muh concludes the month of June! I hope to not leave such a long gap between my next post. Make sure to get on my case if I do!

Love you all and hope you have a great day!

and my pictures don't want to seem to upload to I will have to have a separate picture post to come soon (i promise)

She's One!

2007-06-09T17:15:00.000-05:00

She turned one last Sunday, but since I've been a little behind on things I still wanted to make sure I get in a blog about my cute (2nd) cousin Adelyn! It does not seem like a year has gone by already..that is for sure. It has been so much fun watching her grow up this last year and starting to develop her own little personality. Always bringing a smile to everyone's face, Adelyn is such a little blessing! It's been such a fun year little angel! I'm looking forward to the years ahead with you Addy Baby. Happy 1st birthday!
The Birthday Girl

Her own personal cake

The Life of the party!

Adelyn's friend Brielle thanking her for inviting her to the party!

AhHa!...so that's how you do it

Brielle had to stop her drumming for a phone call. :)

"I'm so glad you called!"

"So where's my cake??"

"Hmmm...can't say I've had anything quite like this before."

Closure

2007-06-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

Well, gramp's funeral was yesterday. It was probably the best funeral I've been to (as good as a funeral can get, right?). Pastor made it so personal. First there were tears, then there was laughing, then more tears, then more laughing. I think my favorite part of it was when he explained how he'd been praying with grandpa these last couple of weeks and he could tell that his heart kept getting softer and softer for God. Last Friday (the day before he died) Pastor asked him 'Archie, do you know where you'd go if you were to die soon?' (or something on the lines of that). Gramps looked at him and said "Yes." And Pastor prayed with him one more time. I am sure that grandpa knew after that conversation that it was okay for him to let go. He died that night in his sleep. I honestly think that he was so assured that he knew Jesus and that he was going to heaven, so he let his weary and tired body go Home to Heaven. When Pastor shared that my heart pretty much melted. That is my desire for all of my family and relatives to know the Lord. To know that grandpa died with knowing Jesus is seriously the best news ever.
Another one of my favorite parts was the very last line Pastor said.
All through the service he'd tell stories of grandpa always being SO cold. We'd open the windows, grandpa would come along and shut them. We'd turn the heat down, gramps would turn it up as far as he could, etc. And how he'd always wear his long underwear--even in the summer. :) The funeral home was ROASTING hot. Everyone was fanning themselves during the service and the last line Pastor said was "And Archie's looking down from heaven saying "GOOD. That's how I wanted it!" Which is so true. :) That's just like gramps. His sense of humor! I will miss him. But it was such a good closure. He looked so peaceful laying in that casket. Family kept comforting each other when we were standing around the casket saying "he's dancing in heaven!" and other encouraging thoughts.
The last time I saw gramps before his death was when he was in so much pain. Every little move he made would hurt. That's all he could think of was how much pain he was in...and to see him lying there without worry or without pain...that comforted me knowing that he's in a new body in heaven! The best place for him.
Thank you to everyone for your prayers and for your thoughts. It's been tough, but I have so many great memories and so many great people to keep me lifted up! God is good.
Thanks again.

In Loving Memory

2007-05-29T09:23:00.000-05:00

This week my family has to say goodbye to a dear relative of ours. This past Saturday my grandpa passed away at the nursing home he has been staying in. He didn't exactly die from any one thing. He did have various things that he was dealing with. Grandpa had a heart problem, diabetes, a blood cancer, and you could even add old age in the bunch. He lived 87 good years! And for the most part, he did live a healthy life. I didn't even know he had blood cancer until about a month ago!! And he's had it for about 10 years. It didn't even really affect him..any way that was visible anyway. His diabetes didn't hold too much on him either as he loved his mountain dew, cheetohs, chocolate stars, and sour gummy worms! If you looked in one of his dresser drawers you were always guaranteed to find some goodies. :)
It's hard saying goodbye to a loved one, but we know he really is in a better place. These past few weeks had been so hard on him. He was in so much pain. Eventually he chose not to take his medications anymore and he was refusing to eat most of his meals. So after all of that pain I am comforted in knowing that even though he's gone, he's not suffering anymore because he's with the Lord! Walking the streets of gold with his wife and son! I'm looking forward to them meeting me at the gate someday!
We miss you lots granpda. But thankfully we have a lot of good memories to hold close to our hearts. We will see you again someday. It's only happy tears!
I was in the cities with my cousins when we found out the news. We were driving around and happened to hear a really fitting song on the radio that we're going to use at the funeral. Here are the lyrics:

When I Get Where I'm Going - Geoff Moore
Genre/Lang. : Christian

When I get where I’m going On the far side of the sky
The first thing that I’m gonna do Is spread my wings and fly
I’m gonna land beside a lion And run my fingers through his mane
Or I might find out what it’s like To ride a drop of rain

Chorus: Yeah, when I get where I’m going There’ll be only happy tears
I will shed the sins and struggles I have carried all these years
And I’ll leave my heart wide open I will love and have no fear
Yeah, when I get where I’m going
Don’t cry for me down here I’m gonna walk with my granddaddy
And he’ll match me step for step
And I’ll tell him how I’ve missed him
Every minute since he left
So much pain and so much darkness
This world we stumble through
All these questions I can’t answer
So much work to do
But when I get where I’m going
And I see my maker’s face
I’ll stand forever in the light
Of His amazing grace

Back to School!

2007-05-18T12:43:00.000-05:00

Kind of a weird title when this is the END of the school year. But I'm going against the odds (of 80 percent of people taking a year off never going back)! Yesterday I registered for some classes to take for the 2007 Fall Semester at HCC. To be honest I always questioned whether I'd really go back or not, even though I told everyone I for sure would. Having a year break was wonderful. It was nice not having to worry about research papers and getting up at a specific time. It was nice being available for a lot of hours at my work place since I had no other schedule. But now I'm ready to go back to school. I am actually very excited about it! I'm going to take as many classes here that would help me with the program I want to go into, so if I do end up moving to go to another college I will have some classes out of the way.
So that is the latest.
This week I'll be preparing for a bachelorette party for Brianna and then it will be almost June--the month of weddings! It's weird that people my age are getting married, but more exciting than weird. :)
Anyway, that's all this Friday afternoon. Have a great weekend!

Pictures!

2007-05-08T22:03:00.000-05:00

So I promised pictures from Easter weekend. And Easter was what? A MONTH ago exactly today. Sorry for leavin' ya hanging with no post. But here 'tis! Pictures of the cutest baby (or not so much a baby anymore) in the world. Adelyn Rae.

finding some goodies in her easter basket!

reading with auntie stacy

My beautiful cousins!

"I want your vote November 4, 2008!"

Dr. Pepper is better upside down

"Uncle Nick is a riot!"

A Breakthrough?

2007-04-11T22:22:00.000-05:00

Perhaps! No, not because I finally posted two posts in ONE week once again. However, my friends, wouldn't it be nice if you came to my blog and didn't have to read sentences on the lines of "I don't know what the future holds for me.....", "I am hoping to know what I'm supposed to do next year!", etc. I bet each time you signed on you could almost guess that I would have said something on that subject! I'd wait a while and then I'd update saying almost the exact same things "what's new?" "well, the same 'ol things!" Finally! A moment WE've all been waiting for! Does Amber know what she wants to do with her life?! I might!

I can't say I was like most kids of having dreams of being a doctor, or a marine biologist (how did people know what that was, anyway? or did it just sound cool? kidding.), or an astrounaut! No, none of those occupations 'caught my eye.' In fact, my first dream job was to work in a bakery decorating cakes! No joke. I have a relative that works in a bakery and does a darn good job at what she does, so I am not belittling that occupation whatsoever. I was just a plain old jane wanting to decorate cakes and thought for sure that was something I'd do. One of my favorite things to do when my parents took me grocery shopping was to go to the bakery section and look through the book of different cake ideas and choose which one I would have for my birthday. I remember excitedly telling my friends that rode the bus with me that I would be that one day.
But eventually, that stage of my life ended.

6th grade. Amber starts having to go to the orthodontist! Yay! What kid doesn't want braces? I always thought it would be so cool to have braces and glasses. Be careful what you wish for, for both of those wishes were granted to me. After many trips to the ortho I grew a liking and interest to teeth. Yes, teeth. I now wanted to be not the orthodontist, but rather the orthondist's assistant! I thought it would be cool being so professional-like and working in an orthodontist's office someday. In fact, for our 6th grade graduation our class put on a skit. In the skit was what everyone wanted to be when they were older. We didn't actually act out the profession, but it was entangled in the skit a little bit like "And billy ended up having to go to the orthodontist and met orthoodontist's assistant Amber Shain...." etc. I had this dream for actually a few years. I don't remember when that thought was put onto the back burner, but it was.

All through high school I was STUMPED as to what I wanted to be. 9th grade. "Don't fret over it now," I thought. "You will have 3 more years after this! Take your time!" 10th grade. People start asking you more and more of what you were thinking about doing after high school. "Who knows, I still have two years to think about it!" 11th grade. It's time to start taking classes that you think may pertain to your future profession. Future profession? WHAT future profession? Even more and more people start asking you "So what do you think you will do with your life?" Yikes...with my LIFE? Good question! I'll get back to you on that one...I still have another YEAR left before I need to decide. 12 grade. December. Time to start filling out college applications! Wait...how do I know what college I want to go to if I don't know what I want to do? Almost everyone you talk to knew years ago what they wanted to do and what college they were going to go to to earn their degree in that profession. And that is when the stress began. I no longer had the excuse of having years left to decide. I needed to know, or have somewhat of an idea of what I wanted to do. "So what do you want to do with your life?" was ALWAYS a question I dreaded. I didn't like having to respond "I don't know...." Because really, I didn't know.

To cut the story short, I went (almost) 2 full years out of high school before I *drum roll please* may know what I want to go to school for!!! As a good friend encouraged me just today (it's what I needed to hear--THANK YOU!) "The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord." I think that is how it goes...or close to. And she also reminded me that sometimes we just have to take a step of faith and if God happens to close the door to that, don't fret! He's got something else planned for us. Be excited!! But for now folks, I decided to take a leap of faith and go with one of my junior high passions. As of right now, I plan to go to school to be not an orthondontist's assistant, but close. I have decided that I would like to do a dental hygienist program! Yeup, indeed that is what I have chosen for my life as of right now. I like teeth. haha! that sounds weird, but for real. I like teeth.

I was talking with another friend of mine last Wednesday and she had been telling me of how the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse is one of her perspective colleges to go to next year. Somehow we got the idea that we would both move to Wisconsin (we know some pretty amazing people in Wisconsin--I LOVE YOU ALL!) and attend college there. I am going to take a leap of faith. Try this program out and see if it is meant for me. It would be another year before I would move there. I have to wait until Molly Flynn graduates before I'd move there. But I'm thinking I will take some courses here at HCC this next fall and then by the time we move to Wisconsin (if it's the Lord's will) I will be able to jump right into the dental hygienist program.

And that's what's new with me!!! I may have an idea, but of course I am still praying and hoping that this is the Lord's doing. I'll keep you updated!!! =)

Pictures from Easter weekend will be posted soon!

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T13:46:00.000-05:00

My Newest Investment!

2007-03-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season for tax returns! And how did I spend some of the money I received back? ON A BIKE! I was at a meeting Tuesday night when one of the ladies from our church was telling how she just bought a bike that day and how she had no one to ride with her. I was talking to her about how I haven't been biking in so long and how I've really been wanting to go but there was just one problem. I was bike-less! It didn't take long for her to talk me into buying a bike. The very next day!!! Yesterday I went to Bikes on Howard and purchased the second bike I have ever owned. It reallly did bring back memories of my first bike. I remember I was with my parents in Pamida (back when Hibbing had a Pamida...sniff, sniff) and I found one that I fell in love with and I remember being so happy when my dad said we could take it home THAT day! It was like heaven on earth for me! So yesterday as I was trying the different bikes and looking around the whole store, it got me even more excited to start my bike riding adventure once again! Past summers I was always disappointed when people would ask me to go on a bike ride with them and I had to decline because, once again, I was bike-less. But now I am fully prepared for the nice biking weather the summer has in store for me! I am hoping to use it as a tool to hopefully lose some weight too before the big day in June--Brianna's wedding!!! The lady told me that it was a good investment, that the bike will last probably 10 years so I am glad I chose to finally buy one. Now I won't have to decline any bike ride offers! Funny how yesterday I rode the bike home in the SPRING-LIKE weather and today I second guessed myself wondering if maybe I should have bought a snowmobile instead...we got POURED on with snow so now I will have to wait until the nice weather decides to grace us with it's presence here soon in order to ride my new Trek! Bike ride, anyone???

See the water bottle? FREE with the bike. :) hahaha. What a deal!!

Not so Sure...

2007-03-13T22:46:00.000-05:00

I got this intelligence quiz from Shannon's blog. I don't really see it too fitting to me, so perhaps I answered a few questions wrong. I dunno..what do you think? It doesn't make up for a regular post, but I needed to post something!
Love you all

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.

You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

2007-02-27T01:23:00.000-06:00

Hola amigos! I do apologize for making everyone wait so long for an update. I don't enjoy leaving you hanging. To be honest with you, ever since I haven't been in school my writing abilities (coming up with semi-interesting things to blog about) have decreased drastically!! What's new since the day of love? Well, as most of you may already know, I am a youth leader now!!! One of our duties (or shall I say PRIVELGES?!) is leading a small group. I have never lead a group before, but I am really thankful for this opportunity! It's been an exciting journey being raised in the church, serving the Lord and now being at this age where my servanthood is taking another leap--leading others. I think back to all of the AMAZING leaders I have had 'back in the day.' All the way from the toddler room, to kids church, to missionettes, to the youth group, and now to my college-age years..the leaders I had in my life have made such an impact. I honestly question where I would be today if I did not have them in my life. They took the time to invest in me, to use their gifts to minister to me. They took the time to love. They took the time to care--making sure my life was on the right track. I am so very grateful for each one of them!!! Every single person. And now I am at the point in my life where God has chosen me to lead. It is very exciting! I pray that the Lord will use me to pour into the youth's lives and to have the same qualities that the leaders I had in my life had. I want to take the time to minister. I want to take the time to love. I want to take the time to care. And I realize that just because I am a leader doesn't mean I don't have room to grow even more spiritually. This is going to be a continued growing process for myself. There are going to be hardships, there are going to be times where my patience runs low, but during the struggles I will look to God who is my stength! Thank you Jesus for giving me this opport unity and many thanks for the wonderful people you have placed in my life, who have made me stronger of a person and who have given me so much encouragement to follow YOUR will.

Happy Day of Love!

2007-02-14T09:16:00.000-06:00

I got a Valentine's Day present!
...From my dentist.
A nice shot of novacaine at 8am! Probably the best gift I've ever received, if I must say so myself.
I am sitting here trying to refrain from drooling all over everything. My tongue feels like the size of a balloon and my lips feel like I just got punched, but all will be over with in a few hours!
Some may be sad without a 'special someone' on this day, but for me, I am content. Whether we're single or taken, we all have a Valentine who loves us with a never-ending love each and every day. JESUS is our true valentine...the lover of our soul. So instead of being sappy, be happy!!! And know that someone loves you not just today but each and every day.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Last year's Valentines Day Party theme:

He has Arrived!!

2007-02-02T16:41:00.000-06:00

Connor Daniel was born at 5:13 this morning. I was able to make a trip to the hospital (since it's oh, so far from my house!) not long ago to visit the cutie! He weighed in at 8lb 4oz and is 20 inches long. Mom said it was WAY worse than expected, but it was definitely rewarding!!
Happy Birthday Connor!
And Happy Birthday to my niece Samantha!

Only 10 hours old!

Happy Birthday Nick!

2007-02-01T13:31:00.000-06:00

Hope you have a fun birthday Nick!
Take some time to enjoy your special day.
Thanks for everything you do for us--we hope that you don't feel like we're using you to do odd jobs around the house when you're here. :) Thanks for being so willing and so helpful! We love you and hope you have the best birthday ever!

And thanks for being so wonderful to my cousin! :)
Happy Birthday

To my Favorite Cousin-in-Law...

2007-01-30T12:34:00.000-06:00

You're the one who's taught me how to punch (non-girlish),
You're the one who cares so much about my family and I, always asking questions and making sure that I'm in 'serious mode' telling you EVERYTHING that's going on. Your caring heart means a lot to us!
You're the one who has remained a faithful "Nick is better than Jessica" fan with me. (We make some pretty awesome home music videos!!)
You're the ONLY one who is a better picture taker than myself....someday that will change. =)
There's a lot I could say about you, favorite cousin-in-law, but I'll end by wishing you a
very HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!!!!

I hope your day is fabulous!

Life is good!

2007-01-24T13:34:00.000-06:00

Heyyyyy everybodyyyyyy!

Just felt the urge to write an update as I sit here in my pajamas at 1:20pm!!! Isn't it wonderful being lazy? Granted, you don't want to make a habbit of it, but everyone deserves a lazy pajama day once in a while. Actually the reason being is I had a NASTY head cold this morning so I took some medication and tried sleeping it off. It seemed to have helped.

Well, I am hoping to have some baby pictures on here soon. My cousin Ashley is due on the 31, but she has an appointment this Friday and if the doctor's feel like it's time, then they will induce her. And if she has it on Saturday it will be on her BIRTHDAY! That'd be one sweet birthday present. Or she could wait til Sunday and give me a birthday present. Either way, we are excited for the baby boy to arrive!!! I hope I am at the top of her babysitters list because I love babies!!!! Let's hope that my next post is a picture post!!!

God is AMAZING!!! I've been asking him to use me in whatever way, shape, or form he wanted. I've been trying to SURRENDER 100% to Him and it's been pretty rewarding. God is showing me through other people of things He's doing in my life and how He's using me to bless others. It's pretty darn sweet that's all I have to say!!! I'm not trying to highly portray myself, I'm just letting you know that God really does use people if you ask for it!!!! I truly believe that me not going to school this year has made my relationship with Him grow even more. So everything happens for a reason my friends!!! God is perfect. His plan is perfect. And that excites me!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Love you all

Oh, What a Beautiful Sight!

2007-01-20T18:02:00.000-06:00

It's nice to finally be able to drive past gas price signs and smile!! :)
Keep on going lower!!

My Weekend Visitors

2007-01-13T15:02:00.000-06:00

It all comes and goes by so quickly. Last night Miss Adelyn Rae came to visit with Grandma Bonnie while mom and dad got to enjoy a holiday party back in Lakeville. This morning Shannon and Jon headed to Brainerd for a hockey tournament where Lakeville PeeWees played against HIBBING's PeeWee team first round. Let's just say that Lakeville kicked our booties! Yes, Jon's team that he coaches beat Hibbing 10-1. Darn cities teams. :) J/K, JON. Anyway, they had to head to Hibbing after the game to pick up their little precious princess and take her over to her GREAT-GREAT grandma's 90th birthday party in Nashwauk. All 5 generations will be at the party!!! Pretty crazy stuff. At least I got to spend some time with both Adelyn and Murphy last night. And Murphy is here until tomorrow! He chose not to go to the tournament (or maybe he wasn't invited?) so he is heading back to the cities tomorrow with grandma Bonnie. Adelyn gave me a (unrequested) wake up call this morning at 6:50AM. While she was eating I gave her a little pep-talk of how FUN it is to sleep in on Saturday mornings and she will someday not take her sleep for granted. :) But she just sat there while laughing at everything I was saying and dancing! She did end up going back to sleep until 9:15 so she must have been listening! :)

I'm normally not up at this late hour!

Adelyn's Famous "I Can't Believe it's not Butter!" expression

If you look close you can see my bottom teeth!

Can't forget about the Murphsterz!

It's been a long day...

I've Been Tagged

2007-01-10T15:44:00.000-06:00

A - Available or taken? available
B - Best friend? (s) Brianna, Stacy, Shannon, Willy's, and many many more!!
C- Cake or pie? cake
D - Drink of choice? Diet Coke w/Splenda
E - Essential item you use every day? Car (thanks Shan!)
F - Favorite color? purple
G - Gummy bears or worms? If I had to choose, I'd pick worms. But I like both!
H - Hometown? Hibbing
I - Indulgence?
J - January or February? January
K - Kids and names? Lady Lyn--half golden retriever, half yellow lab. 11 years old!!
L - Life is incomplete without? God, family, and friends
M - Marriage date? June 7, 2008: 06-07-08! ha....in my dreams! :) OR I'll settle for 12-11-10
N - Number of siblings? 3 brothers--Michael, Brian, and Joshua
O - Oranges or apples? apples
P - Phobias or fears? spiders & dying (even though i shouldn't be scared...)
Q - Favorite quote? Do Unto Others as You'd have Them do Unto You
R - Reason to smile? God is near to all who call upon him. He will never forsake us. That makes me smile!!!! :D
S - Season? spring
T - Tag three or four people. Brooke, Jenni, and Natalie
U - Unknown fact about me? I won an award in 5th grade for having the best handwriting. haha
V - Vegetable you don't like? peas
W - Worst habit? chewing my fingernails and cracking my knuckles
X - X-rays? teeth, appendix, and wrist
Y - Your favorite food? anything pasta--CHICKEN ALFREDO, spaghetti, tortellini......YUMM!!!
Z- Zodiac? Aquarius

Fun in the Sun!

2007-01-04T23:46:00.000-06:00

Literally. Sparta's weather was way better than Hib-towns. Granted, it was kinda rainy and foggy one day, but I would much rather have that than this dreaded white stuff! After driving in Superior, I officially don't like snow. I wasn't that fond of it before...but now I for sure don't like it. :) The day we left Sparta it was SUNNY and nice!!! Anyway, as I've promised. Pictures from one crazy-always-to-be-remembered road trip.
We even came up with our own cheer as our motto for the trip there and back! Unfortunately I am not able to share it due to certain reasons. :)

Resting in Superior. Had to get out of the snow...

LEVI BROBERG! The last time I saw him before this trip was when he was 5 months old. Now he has almost perfected his walking skills!!

At a light show in LaCrosse. Muy bonita! It was sure nice to hang with 'old friends' again.

Brittany, Pastor Aaron (notice what sweatshirt he was wearing!--in honor of the hib-towners), and Sydney. I love this picture.

Mugsy Baby

before heading back to Hib-town.

It was a GREAT weekend!!! Thanks Willy's and Brobergs for everything you did. We love you.

A Road Trip to be Remembered Forever!

2007-01-02T21:59:00.000-06:00

Happy 2007! The ending of 2006 certainly had it's up and it's downs, that's for sure. On Friday three lovely ladies and myself woke up bright and early and hit the road for Sparta! We made an early morning run to Caribou Coffee to load up on the SUGAR before our what we thought was going to be a 5 hour road trip ahead of us. We made a pit stop in Chisholm to pick up another one of our buddies, took off to Hwy 5, then Hwy 37, then finally Hwy 53. All was well thus far! We made it to Duluth with no problems. Weather was AMAZING. Until we hit Wisconsin. The weather in Superior wasn't cooperating with us the best. We ran into a couple little mishaps from Superior to Sparta, but the weather eventually got better and the rest of the trip was smooth sailing....after we found our way back onto the right track. We all were hungry around 12:30pm. We see a sign saying the number of miles until Ashland, so we all agreed we'd wait until that town since we have all heard of that town before. As we were driving I kept noticing signs that were only saying "East" instead of "South." The thought occurred to me that we may be traveling in the wrong direction, but I wasn't going to let the girls know that quite yet. Didn't want them worried. We arrived at a McDonald's and I decided I had better look at the map just because of the 'certain feeling.' Ashland was on the right of my map. Our route was on the left of our map. OOPS!!! I ended up not taking or turning on the wrong Hwy. After I looked at the map in the parking lot and saw that we were lost I said "UH-OH" out loud with the response of my three amigas saying...."Uh-oh what?!" "Are we lost?" "What now?!" I decide I had better call Mrs. Williamson and get this all straightened out. I said something along the line of "Hey Mrs. Willy.... I think we're in a town we're not supposed to be in. I am kind of embarassed to tell you where we are." I saw how far away Ashland was from Sparta on the map and since we were already off schedule, didn't want her to know that we would be even later than expected because we were LOST. She looked on her map and graciously helped me with clear cut directions as to how to get back onto our route. Only took us about an hour to get back on Hwy 53S............but little did we know we had hours to go from there!!!! To make the story short, we were supposed to arrive in Sparta between 1 and 1:30pm. Our gang arrived there around 6ish. Let's just say this weekend was full of firsts for everything! The way there was kind of crazy. But being in Sparta was amazing. It was so wonderful spending time with our wonderful Williamson and Broberg friends!!! Mr. and Mrs. Williamson went above and beyond for us and totally made us feel at home! Of course, the time went by way too quickly. Before we knew it, it was time to repack our bags and hit the road back to Hibbing. But we definitely made a lot of memories and had a GREAT time there! The way back also ended with a bang. Good news--we didn't get lost!!!! It didn't take us 9 hours. We were about a half hour away from Superior when we past that bright shiny police car. Amber knew she was speeding. Unfortunately, Amber didn't see the cop car coming in advance or else she would have slowed down way earlier. Amber slams on her brakes (smart, she knows). Amber drives passed the cop. Amber sees the cop turning in the same direction as her. Amber is worried at this point. Amber sees pretty red, white, and blue lights come on. Amber realizes she is being pulled over. Amber was given a 'stearn warning.' The cop told Amber how much she would have paid if he would have been mean enough to give a ticket. Amber is THANKFUL she just got the warning!!!!
I was only 29 days away from a perfect 4 year "no getting pulled over" streak. Darn. Oh well. We all just laughed at how this road trip turned out. There was definitely a first for a lot of things, but it really added to the trip. What's a road trip without the problems, right?
Pictures coming soon!

So long 2006

2006-12-18T22:45:00.000-06:00

Believe or not. Christmas Eve is only days away!!!
Before we know it we'll be celebrating another new year.
This is an extremely busy time for everyone-- buying last minute gifts, doing lots of wrapping, cleaning, cooking, etc. Sometimes we can get so overwhelmed with preparing for the holiday that we actually forget to take time to CELEBRATE and ENJOY it. As Pastor Dave mentioned yesterday in the service, as you're unwrapping your gifts this year try to take the time to remember all of the gifts that GOD has given to you. And of course, the most important, HIS SON. So as we're all in the hustle n' bustle mode, take the time to remember all God has done for us. He takes the time to bless us, the least we could do is glorify Him and let Him know how important He really is to us!!!! And of course, take some time for yourself and relax. Don't let the stress of making sure everything's under control take over you too much!!!

Well as fast as this month has already gone by, it's going to go even quicker now. Every single day in December has something scheduled in it for me. A majority of this week will contain work and then on Friday already I'll be expecting the relatives (please hurry!!)!! I'll be working the weekend and celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas, obviously. Then after that it's more work and then traveling to SPARTA to visit my friends and celebrate New Year's with them. :)
So if I don't make it back on here before 2007, I hope you all have a BLESSED Christmas and a very Happy New Years!!!
Here's a toast to 2006!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANNON!

2006-12-03T20:41:00.000-06:00

I took advantage of my weekend off and headed to the cities Friday afternoon. I was able to "kill two birds with one stone" by going to David's Bridal on Saturday to try on bridemaids dresses and then to celebrate my cousin's birthday today! It was a GREAT weekend for sure. As always, it went by way too quickly, but it was very well worth the trip. Friday Shannon & Jon had plans to eat out with some friends, so I maintained the household and kept Murphy company until they came back. Not to mention refraining Murphy from biting a pizza salesaman's head off (he's not too fond of strangers:P)!!! Later I watched (key word) Shannon and Jon set up their Christmas tree while enjoying some coffee and taste testing cookies Shannon made for a cookie exchange she had the next day. Aunt Bonnie arrived after she was done with work and we did some more chatting. Around 11:45ish Bon Bon and I headed back to her house for the night. Was in bed by about 12:30. Saturday Bonnie and I headed over to Davids Bridal at about 11:30 and I tried on Brianna's two choices of dresses. I liked the first one A LOT and thought I'd for sure get it, but just wanted to try on the second one to make sure. I ended up LOVING that one, so that's the one I stuck with! It fit perfectly (not exaggerating)!! We were there until noon then spent most of the afternoon SHOPPING at the Southdale Mall for Christmas gifts. Bonnie and I ate dinner at Red Lobster and afterwards went back to her house to get ready for "A Country Christmas" performance at the Celebration Church in Lakeville. It is considered one of the top 100 "must see" performances for touring buses in America!! The Lundstrom family, who are the pastors of the church, started the tradition 10 years ago, and it has been a huge hit ever since. This year they sold 17,000 tickets. They do 3 programs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the next 3 weekends. I highly recommend you all going in the future! After that we stopped at the Bradley's to visit. We let Shannon open her birthday gifts early and we chatted lots and had more cookies that she brought home from the cookie exchange! Stayed up late, once again. This morning we had some Caribou coffee together and then headed over to the Olive Garden, as it was the birthday girls lunch request! Unfortunately, that was the conclusion of my time with them before I came back to snowy Hib-town. I made it home just in time for my show! For all you 7th Heaven fans: Next week is a must see. I am definitely looking forward to it!!!

Enjoying her birthday treat from the Olive Garden! Minus the workers singing to her. :)

gift opening!

"Happy Birthday Mom!" Aren't they the cutest??

If there were three adults standing by the camera making funny faces and noises trying to get your attention you'd be laughing too!!

Never too young for Caribou

"I am even cuter than these snowmen!"

"Can you tell I'm teething?"

A note to Stacy--we really missed you this weekend! Looking forward to spending time with you at Christmas. :)

So I'm Not a Poet

2006-11-26T23:16:00.000-06:00

It's been half of one year since you left here.
Six more months until one full year.
After serving five great years, your time has ended.
I can't honestly say that my heart is completely mended.

You played a large role in my life.
Thanks for being there through the good times,
and also through the strife.

I will never forget the memories we've shared.
And for the countless times you showed me you cared.

To: A couple so willing, so considerate, and true.
These past 6 months have been hard--I really miss you!
I know it's especially hard for you leaving so many you love,
But please don't feel sad
For you are following God's will, my friends, BE GLAD!

God has a new plan for you--
New people to connect with, another communiy to serve.
One step closer to His kingdom, well deserved.

So keep a good attitude and please remember to smile.
If you need a friend, you have a phone you can dial.
Please know that even though we live 6 hours apart,
You will always be here.
Here in my heart.

Things I'm Thankful for--In a Nutshell

2006-11-23T21:36:00.000-06:00

Not in any specific order.

Adelyn Rae.
My aunt--she's the one who started and never stopped bringing me to church!!
My Car. NOT the snow.
7th Heaven--my Sunday night entertainment.
My family.
The Williamsons (including Mr. & Mrs!).
Friends.
Grandpa.
My dog, Lady.
The Brobergs.

I am thankful for much more, but don't have pictures for everything!

Give thanks to the LORD...for he is GOOD.

LET THE SHOPPING BEGIN! Wal-Mart. 5a.m. Be there or be.......SMART. Sleeping.

Bummed.

2006-11-11T22:15:00.000-06:00

Please excuse me while I pretend that I'm the only one who ever reads this blog as I let out my feelings. If you don't care to read, you can click the "x" at the top right hand corner of your computer now.
Brianna is going wedding dress shopping tomorrow and I am extremely sad and jealous that I can't be with her. Perhaps I already failed one of my duties as a maid of honor. Assisting the bride with any decisions that she might need help with, kinda thing. Instead...I'll be working. Don't get me wrong, I am glad I live apart from my friends with the fact that they are following God's will where they are at, but I am saddened (sp?) that I can't always be a part of their everyday life now.
Hopefully I will be more helpful and have convenient scheduling in the upcoming months before the wedding. If not, I think I will be even more upset. I guess that's what life is always about, right? Making sacrifices. Unfortuately, it's not always the most fun and easy thing to do.

Until next time...

There's a First for Everything!

2006-11-07T12:27:00.000-06:00

I will sleep better tonight knowing that my vote counts

No more election commercials! Woohoo!

Been Busy

2006-11-05T23:46:00.000-06:00

I'm not gonna lie. This past week at work has been INSANE!!! Recently, two of our employees got fired, which left only 4 afternoon staff. And when there's 3 afternoon staff working everyday, that means we had to pick up a whole lot of hours until we hire more people. This pay period I have put in over 90 hours (in two weeks)!!! That's not too normal. I still have to question why I'm considered a part time staff when I work more than 40 hours a week, which a full time person is supposed to be guaranteed. It is kind of complicated with our company. In our house alone there are only 2 full-time afternoon spots available. They are currently taken, so that leaves the part time workers that work 40 hours or more jipped a little bit. We're basically full time staff, just with a "part time" title. They don't want to have to offer benefits to too many employees, that's why there are only two full time afternooners. In a way it's a little unfair, but I am not going to complain (too late, right?). After working almost 10 or more days in a row, I finally get tomorrow off. Then I will be working for the next 8 days after that. Don't get me wrong, it gets EXTREMELY tiring when you have to work every single day, sometimes even two shifts a day lately (morning and afternoon), but I guess I will be rewarded by this next paycheck. It is going to be crazily high! Which I'm thankful for.
So if you've been trying to get ahold of me and have failed, that is why.
This is my life as of now:

Wake up.
Shower.
Eat lunch.
Go to work.
Sleep.
Wake up.
Shower.
Eat lunch.
Go to work.
Sleep.

I feel like work is an idol right now. I am spending more time at work than I am reading the Bible, going to church, and spending time with the Lord. Not good.

I knew there had to be a reason as to why I am not attending school this year! Work needs me. I know I've been complaining, but I love my job. I really really do!

Anyway....I'm going to quit rambling. I'm surprised if you made it to the end of this post.

Love you all

Who's ready for halloween??

2006-10-30T23:39:00.000-06:00

Adelyn is!

Going to the Chapel....

2006-10-29T23:43:00.000-06:00

So my best friend Brianna left a voice message on my phone last night asking me to call her right after work. I call her at 11:20p.m. and kind of freak out a little bit (ok, a LOT) because she said she had to show me something. Now, she had been suspecting that her man would pop the big question pretty soon. She just put some clues together and that was her suspicion, she is smart like that! So I BOOK it to her house, thinking that it is a ring. I knock on the door, walk in before anyone answers it and Brianna greets me at the door with her left hand sticking out towards me. There she stands with a BEAUTIFUL diamond ring......yes, on her ring finger!!!!!!!!!!! It's kind of a blur, but I think we squealed a little bit (ok, we squealed a lot) and I gave her a gigantic hug to congratulate her. She explains how it all happened and then she says "I want you to be my maid of honor!" Wow. I told her "yes, of course...I am honored(no pun intended). So that my friends is why I am excited for June to roll around. They hope to get married that month. So we'll have two weddings that summer! Jackie & Ryan's and Brianna & Brett's. :) :) :) :) :)

Crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!............But I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

June's a Good Month.

2006-10-29T00:12:00.000-05:00

CANNOT WAIT UNTIL JUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Favorite Baby in the World

2006-10-16T23:35:00.000-05:00

These past two weekends I have been fortunate enough to be able to hang out with my cousins I don't get to see that often. Last weekend I went to Lakeville for Adelyn's dedication. I got to spend time with everyone for 5 days and my cousin Stacy was able to travel there from South Dakota! The last time I saw her before that was when Adelyn was born in early June.

This weekend Shannon, Jon, and Adelyn took a road trip to the frigid north to visit friends of theirs that they knew from college that moved to Buhl. They spent the night here on Saturday night. It was nice only having to wait 3 days until the next time I saw them again. I'm not sure when the next time will be to see my relatives, but I sure hope it's soon!

Here are some pictures.

Adelyn dressed up for her dedication.
Shhhh...Don't tell mom we snuck the headband on you! :)

She had to stretch a little bit after it was all done and over with

The family

Thanks for letting me borrow your hat, Nick. Go Notre Dame!
(couldn't fix the red eye for some reason)

Free massages!

Hanging out with mom at Barnes and Noble

Chatting with her friend Chloe after story hour

"Hey mom, can you put me down a little bit so I can reach the ice cream?!"

Now we're talkin!

intensely watching tv with dad

Minnesnowta

2006-10-11T17:59:00.000-05:00

To my out of town family and friends:

This is what you are missing out on in Hibbing.

I almost cried after coming home from a beautiful weekend in the cities to this dreaded white fluffy stuff.

GOOD STUFF

2006-10-07T03:11:00.000-05:00

I guess I'll make it a Friday tradition, even though it's technically Saturday, since it is 3AM. But I haven't gone to bed yet, so it's Friday to me. Anywho...I like to share stuff I think is good and meaningful to me. So enjoy and have an awesome weekend!

Isaiah 40: 28-31

"Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary....He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

2 weeks is up

2006-10-02T22:51:00.000-05:00

Well folks, it's been 2 weeks since I started my "Lose 2 Inches in 2 Weeks" dealio. And the result!.....Drum roll please!!!!!!!!!!!.............

I don't even think I lost half of an inch. Now, now. Before you start saying "See..those stupid things never work," I would like to make a confession. The first week I did EXCELLENT. I wouldn't eat one itsy bitsy scrap I wasn't supposed to. I walked 30 minutes (sometimes 60 minutes) every single day for that week, and I completed the exercises I was supposed to do every other day. I was forcing myself to eat the foods that I would rather skip and everything. It was quite a challenge let me tell ya. Now the second week is when it started going downhill. I allowed myself to have different foods that were low in fat and mostly ignored the foods I was supposed to eat. I didn't walk every day like I should have, and I skipped my exercising. I guess after one week of "torture," I let myself slide a little bit (or a lot).

I did, however, get something out of this. I have been better at choosing what kinds of foods I eat and better at eating smaller portions. I find myself getting full quicker! After not having bad foods for a while, I don't even have a desire to eat fast food. Like tonight--I went to McDonald's with a couple people and chose not to order anything even though I had already officially "quit" the program (I hate saying diet). I haven't been eating as often. I find myself wanting to take walks now insted of feeling I have to. So I guess there were some benefits--even if I didn't lose the 2 inches I was hoping for.

We all know the saying.

LIFE GOES ON......

An Encouragement

2006-09-29T01:50:00.000-05:00

I love this passage. It stuck out to me Sunday when I was doing my devotions, and it's been my focus for the week.

Philippians 4: 6-7

(NKJV)
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

TGIF!

ONLY 24 HOURS TO GO!!!

2006-09-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

WOOOHOOO!!!

Just a tad bit excited! Just a tad...

A buncha stuff

2006-09-21T23:50:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to start becoming more and more independent so to start off I've got 2 credits cards, that is, after having been denied about 5 times because I haven't had a opportunity to build credit yet. I didn't specifically want two, but Wells Fargo automatically gives college-aged students that bank with them a credit card to guarantee they start a credit report?? That's my understanding anyway. So as I was in the process of applying for a citicard, the Wells Fargo one arrived in the mail. So having credit cards is the start of my adult-matureness. It's so nice knowing that anytime I need money I can rely on my handy dandy credit cards (which might not be a good thing!). Also, I want to start paying some of my own bills. Instead of having my parents pay for my car insurance, I'm going to. And right now I'm in the process of applying for my own Health Insurance. I don't know if I'll be paying for that on my own (because it can be spendy!), but if I'm able to, I will. I've been following my mom around the house when she cleans finding out what usually gets cleaned in a house that I had no idea about. That sounds extremely dumb, but like the unseen cleaning--if that makes sense. If it doesn't, please contact me and I'll explain. :P I want to start becoming more independent so one day when I have my own place, or share....I guess....I'll be prepared!! End of topic one.

Topic two:
I received a letter in the mail today stating that Charlyn, the girl I sponsor, is not in the LACC (Latin American Child Care) Program anymore, so I won't be able to sponsor her. I guess sometimes when families are so poor, they move away to live with relatives, or move away to receive a better job. I was pretty bummed reading that. I've been sponsoring her for a few months now, and knowing that her family is going through a tough time hurts. I hate having money sitting in the bank account (read on before you say "what?!") and knowing that there are people who would put the money to good use just to LIVE!!!! But, I guess I have to live with that fact and continue giving as much as I can. The program sent me a brochure of a new child I can sponsor. Her name is Katherin. She's from Costa Rica as well. I guess all I can do is pray for Charlyn and her family--hoping they will find the Lord and get out of poverty. :(

Topic three:
I didn't think it was possible to get sunburnt on September 21st. I went for a half hour walk today. I was wearing a t-shirt rather than a sweatshirt in this cold weather (exercising kinda makes you warm, ya know) and when I got back my arms, neck, and face felt like they were burning, and sure enough! I am sunburnt. Kind of odd. But true. I thought I'd share that interesting fact with you all.
P.S. My diet is going pretty well! I have been tempted beyond belief to eat more, but, I've been able to control myself!...thankfully.

Topic four:
7th Heaven starts in 4 days!!!!! I was supposed to work on Monday night, however, one of my co-workers called and asked if I would switch a shift with her. So now I get to watch the first episode of the newest season instead of having to tape it. For some reason, shows, to me, are always better when watching them "live" instead of taped. I don't know. Maybe I'm just weird or something!

But that's all I have to say tonight.

God Bless!

Lose 2 inches in 2 weeks?

2006-09-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

One of my co-workers just had a baby 2 months ago from today and is looking for a way to lose her "baby fat," so she bought a health magazine that had "Lose 2 inches in 2 weeks!" on the cover. She was reading the article at work last night and thought that it sounded like an accurate way to lose weight--with the meals and certain exercising techniques required, etc. And it's supposedly a plan that top doctors in the United States have come up with. We were then on the subject of diets for a while and I made the point that diets are always easier when you have someone to keep you accountable. So finally she says "You should go on it with me and we can keep each other accountable!" I agreed, thinking I wouldn't mind losing a few inches, and in just 2 WEEKS?! Sounds like a plan to me!

So last night I went to the gas station where she bougt the magazine so I could pick myself up a copy. I made a list of the foods it says you can have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and made my way over to Wal-Mart. $67 later (for not even a whole weeks worth!!!!!!!!!), I have started this so-called diet.

Here's how it works: You must walk for 30 minutes everyday, every other day you need to do these 6 certain exercises that are in the magazine. They give you a list of breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals you can choose from. They only give you 3 choices for each meal because I guess it's better to eat the same healthy foods more often rather than have a variety. I thought it was the total opposite--The more variety of foods, the better. Learn something new everyday I guess!

So everyday my co-worker and I are gonna go for a walk and eat lunch together. I started today, but she can't start until tomorrow because she has a full schedule today.

So maybe it will work? Maybe it will be a waste of money. We will see. I took the measurements last night and in two weeks from today I'll let you all know the results! I think the cheerios (without sugar, obviously) with fruit on top for breakfast might get old. The lean cuisines for lunch might get old. And the 3 choices for dinner might get old, but I guess that's the definition of dedication and sacrfice, my friends!

One Good Apple

2006-09-16T21:20:00.000-05:00

Howdy Y'all.

I'm really loving not going to school. I was never really a whiz-kid, so maybe that is why I am enjoying my absence even more. Ever since I haven't been going I've had people throw statistics at me like "Did you know 97% of people who 'take a break' never end up going back??" Yeah, yeah. Statistics Shamistics. If I go back, I go back. If I don't, I'm sure the Lord has an opportunity for me out there somewhere!! On the optimistic side, I've also had people say "That's very wise of you." "Good decision!" I'll have to agree with them. I'm thankful that I'm not taking classes that might not even transfer if I go somewhere or making myself sit through unwanted torture. Unfortunately, I haven't been praying about my future as much as I should be, but that will change very soon. I'm determined to find an answer!!! But not discouraged that I haven't found one yet.

I'm really LOVIN' work. I was even told by one of the people I work with that I'm their favorite staff and by another that "You're one good apple, Amber." hahahahaha =) I get a kick out of them. It warms my heart just to see them smile and helping them make good decisions. I recently became a permanent worker! I was hired in the summer as a temporary, but that changed just a couple weeks ago. I got a raise with the change, so that's always a bonus. I'm starting to feel more comfortable around my co-workers and opening up to them more. I am extremely quiet and shy around people I don't know very well, but now I'm becoming accustomed to everything and forming new friendships!! I want the Lord to use me at my workplace. I don't want another high school repeat with me being quiet and sticking in my own little shell. So yes....that's all I have to say about that. Exciting stuff!!

I don't really have too much more to say. I just haven't posted a serious/meaningful post in a while, so I thought I'd jumble some stuff together for my devoted readers.

Hope all is well!

2006-09-11T00:27:00.000-05:00

If anyone hears when the new 7th Heaven season is supposed to start PLEASE tell me!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the only t.v. show that I actually care about, so, if you hear when it's first episode is suppsoed to be PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me! I've been trying to look for it online but haven't been successful thus far.
Thanks!

2006-09-05T23:28:00.000-05:00

I had a stupendous weekend! Unfortunately, due to extreme laziness, I do not feel like updating about it now. I do, however, want to post a picture of the cutest baby in the world. My beautiful cousin Adelyn just turned 3 months yesterday. My, how time flies!
Come back soon for more!

I took almost 100 pictures of her this weekend. I kid you not!

BYE!

2006-08-30T23:29:00.000-05:00

WoOoO HOoOoO!
5 day vacation comin' right up!
I'm going to the cities tomorrow.
I'll be home Tuesday.
I hope all your guys' Labor Day weekend is awesome!!!
Be safe, please.

COOL!

2006-08-28T23:44:00.000-05:00

As I was doing my devotions this morning, I came across this verse that stuck out to me.
Thought I'd share it with you all.

Jeremiah 32:40 (NIV)
"I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me."

And that's all on this Monday. Peace out!!

A Decision has Been Made

2006-08-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

After some serious pondering, I have decided that I will not be going to college this year. I'm not for sure if I'm going to be taking the whole year off or just the semester. I am going to see how things work out with my job and decide from there. My plan was to hopefully have finished my AA degree by next summer; however, I just feel that a break is necessary in this part of my life!

Jesus, I know you know the plans for my life. May I walk in your footsteps and trust you to lead me...I will go wherever you want me to go! I will do whatever you want me to do!

2006-08-15T19:03:00.000-05:00

Before....

....After

It'll take some gettin' used to, that's fo shiggidy.

A possibility?!

2006-08-14T23:13:00.000-05:00

I might not be going to school this semester and/or year!!!!!

I was talking to my aunt about life in general and she made a good point. "If you hate school so much, you don't have to go. Just take a year off and see how it goes...you can always go back." So yeah..i dunno friends. She also pointed out that if i go when i don't really wanna be there, i'm not gonna try hard anyway. I will barely put any effort in at all. So i've been praying about it and I think I am going to take some time off. Not that I deserve time off, but seeing as how I have NO idea of what I'm going to major in, I think I am going to take some time off to pray about it. I would be working full time and praying hard core. So I dunno...it's a possiibility!!! I know a few people who have taken a break and didn't regret it.

That's the nice thing about having graduated. Do i want to keep going to school? Or do I not?

WHO KNOWS!!

So that's the scoop. My life is always up in the air!

And as for an update: i don't know if I'm going to get my nose pierced or not. It's still an option! I am, however, thinking about getting a perm!
Who knows.

Love you all

Valleyfair/Reunion

2006-08-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was fortunate to have the day off from work and to spend my day at Valleyfair. Youth groups all across MN (and even some Wisconsoners, as well) were there. So me and a few of my older friends decided to use this day as a get together & hang out time, since we don't get to spend too much time together, since life and college has brought us our separate ways.

It was a ton of fun! Granted, it felt like it was 100 degrees and everyone had sweat drippin all over the place, but we tended to push that aside and go on having fun anyway! I only rode 6 rides the whole 7 hours I was there(the Wild Thing taking up two of those 6), but it was nice walking around and chatting with everyone. Not to mention I got to see some of my Sparta friends!!! (I saw Brittany Williamson as well, but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture with her!) Which was wonderful, since I haven't seen or talked to them in a while.

'Twas a great day! Even after only getting 2.5 hours of sleep the night before and getting a nice lobster sun burn!

37-34 years!

2006-08-09T00:11:00.000-05:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to one of the cutest couples in the world-- Jon and Shannon Bradley!!!

3 years ago already? WOW! I remember August 9, 2003 as clear as a bell! 'Twas a lovely day. The joining together of two beautiful and wonderful people. I am happy and thankful to have cousins like you who go out of their way for me and who care so much about others!
You are very much appreciated and loved.
Congratulations to the both of you!
May your day be filled with JOY!!!

Love you both =-)
And miss you very much.
Hope to see you soon!

I'm Taking a Poll

2006-08-07T13:14:00.000-05:00

So one of my co-workers pointed out at dinner the other night that after two of our other gal workers leave in August, I will be the only female worker without my nose pierced. And then she added on to that statement "You should get your nose pierced!!!"

So my friends, after thinking about it I thought "hmmm....maybe I will be spontaneous and get it done?" It's not a for sure thing or anything. I'm just wondering if y'all think I should get it done or not.

You can comment anonymously, but if you're going to say no, PLEASE leave it at that. Please don't put any rude remarks after it! This blog wasn't made to degrade myself or anyone else.

And please note that whatever the majority votes, that may or may not stop me from doing it.

EVERYONE COMMENT!!! Even if you have never left a comment before, if you know who I am, that's all you need to know!!!

Thanks guys.

P.S. PLEASE don't vote more than once if you're going to comment anonymously. :P

I promise it wouldn't look like that.

37 years!

2006-08-02T00:11:00.000-05:00

37 years ago today my mom and dad said their vows and began their new life together.
Just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to the best parents in the world. They go above and beyond the call of duty, and for that I am very thankful! I love you both and wish you many many MANY more years of happiness!!!

2006-07-30T14:58:00.000-05:00

To all of my home dawgs leaving for CAMP tomorrow~

HAVE FUN! Actually...have a BLAST! I'm not sure which one is better =)
I will be praying for you all. And I expect to hear lots and lots of stories, okie dokie?

Love you all!!

2006-07-23T21:31:00.000-05:00

Dearest Brobergs,

I'm not sure of any other way to get ahold of you at the moment. I don't know if you're still living with the parents, or if you have your own house with your own phones yet. I really really really want you guys to call if/when you have the chance. So if you ever check this, please call! If you don't have my # information, please email me at miss_ambie_100@hotmail.com

It has been exactly 59 days since I've talked to you. And in my opinion, that is 59 days too long. I miss you. I love you. I am praying for you.

Love, Amber

Simply the best.

Consider me Shainerz the Chef

2006-07-21T10:42:00.000-05:00

Holy schmolie olie! Sorry for leaving you guys hanging for a week. I actually have an excuse to be busy now! My job occupies a lot of my time. I've been working about 5-6 days a week. I'm not complaining, i'm just explaining. :D Anywho, so I will take advantage of this day off.

Yesterday I decided that I was going to be the one who cooked dinner. I rarely ever (or have never) take over the meal or even help my mom as much as I should. So, I thought since I have to cook meals at work, that I should probably get some practice in. I looked up some recipes online and made my own little recipe book. I decided that we were going to have Beef & Mushroom Stir Fry, and it turned out to be super good!!! My family loved it and I was told that I must make it again soon. YAY! So I have one successful meal down. Hopefully now I am a professional chef that can make any meal any time! --not.

Anywho, there's no point to that story. Except to say that I want to take up cooking as a hobby. Can cooking be a hobby? Well, I just need some practice for work, anyway. I tried making biscuits and gravy for breakfast one of the days and let's just say it didn't turn out. I had to end up throwing it ALL away. I felt bad wasting, but there was no way I was going to make the people I work for eat it. :P So I just made some oatmeal and eggos instead :D

Anyway...that's my story for the day (hopefully not for the week).

HAPPY FRIDAY! WOOHOOO!!!! The best day of the week!!! Especially when you have it off from work :)

I'm going here in September!!!
So Stacy...is it o.k. if I stay at your apartment??? =)

2006-07-14T00:20:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOYUM!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPH MENKE!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONICA!!!

Have a good weekend everyone!

What's New?

2006-07-10T17:42:00.000-05:00

Seeing as how nothing too, too exciting has been happening in my life, I decided I'll share some random things. If that makes sense....no, no it doesn't, but here you go! (not to mention i'm copying Brooke's & Jackie's blog...w/out the numbering :D)

**I've been spending quite a bit of time w/Bobbie, since she is leaving for Texas again in 5 weeks. :( We've had a couple sleepovers and bonding time, which have been wonderful! Don't want to take the time w/her for granted.

**Adelyn turned 1 month (i almost said year...YIKES!...not quite...) on the 4th of July. I loved having her, Jon & Shannon visit for a weekend. She is still a healthy, beautiful baby!!

**As always, still thinking lots about the future. Do I want to take a year off from college and work? Do I want to go on a missions trip somewhere? Do I want to move away for college? or just move away just because? ....Of course, I'm praying about it. I guess I would like to know ASAP, but then again I do realize I do need to be patient and wait for God's perfect timing.

**My brother is in Texas for 10 days! The exclamation point's not because I'm happy that he's gone, but because I am excited for him. He's on a missions trip to Austin & San Antonio. I guess there's a total of about 20,000 kids there. I am hoping he will get a lot out of the trip. They are mostly helping paint and build houses. I hope they are handling the 100 degree (no exaggeration) weather o.k. Thank the Lord for air conditioning!! He will probably be extremely tan when he gets home, which will make his sister extremely jealous.

**Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, I am no longer able to go on the road trip to Colorado I had been anticipating to go on at the end of this month. But that won't stop be from visiting there. It's my goal to travel to each of the 50 states at least once, so I WILL get there. Perhaps next year or something? It's a bummer and a 1/2, but what can you do?

**Work is wonderful. Yes, I will repeat. Work is wonderful. I LOVE IT!!!! This job is incredible and I thank everyone who suggested to me to apply there. I've learned a whole lot more patience and just to love others. I love helping others, and I know this job was definietely for me. My co-workers say they've only heard good things about me from the supervisor, so that's pretty encouraging. I thank the Lord that there was an opening, espeically when they had told me 2 days prior that there were no openings. Definitely the Lord's doing.

**I'm starting to like vegetables. This isn't normal. I have been eating salad, brocolli, radishes, cauliflower, tomatoes (sp?), and a bunch of foods I never used to eat. I am such a picky eater that I'm even surprising myself. I guess it really does help to try new foods, rather than just automatically saying you don't (or won't) like it.

**I'm hoping to be able to go to Sioux Falls in early September to visit Stacy & to go to the Lifelight Festival, which if you didn't read my comments in the previous post, is a FREE weekend w/a bunch of good Christian concerts. Really, REALLY hoping to go to that, seeing as the last time I saw Stacy was when Adelyn was born.

**If you remember, please keep my mom's 3rd cousin (I hate being proper..) ,I'll just say my cousin Addison, in your prayers. He's having surgery tomorrow. It's a one day in and out thing, but it's still surgery, ya know? He's 1 and would prefer running around and being a normal kid rather than having to be lazy and relax...so I hope for a quick recovery for him.

**I'm hoping to go camping at least ONCE before the summer ends. If all else fails, I will resort to setting up a tent in my backyard and having a bonfire. I didn't go camping once last summer and i almost went insane.

**And last but not least, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to CHRIS POPE tomorrow!! He's turning 18!!!
Welcome to adulthood!! I hope your day is wonderful.

Dunno What Else to Post

2006-07-06T09:43:00.000-05:00

Since I don't have much to say, I decided to continue showing off my darling baby cousin. Too cute to pass up.

This is Adelyn & her friend Brielle, who was born only 1 day after her! Brielle is my cousin Stacy's best friend's daughter. Confused, kinda? I actually work w/her dad..kinda cool.

Only 1 month old and they are already models :)

Brielle has hair. Adelyn doesn't. :)

Guess Who's Here to Visit!?

2006-07-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

Our little 4th of July visitor :)

So Get This..

2006-06-28T13:00:00.000-05:00

Hey guys!

I'm lovin' my new job. It is a lot of fun! We can basically do whatever we want. Take 'em to Walmart, go for walks, whatever floats our boat. It'll be nice because it will help me become a better cook (since we make their meals for them, obviously), give me a LOT of patience, and hopefully help me become more aware of the affects of certain disabilities, etc.
(Short & Sweet & To the point!)

Get this:
On Friday I was schedule to work 6am-2pm. And then yesterday at work I was asked if I could work a midnight shift on Thursday. So, to keep our supervisor from any stress, I told her I'd work both. So in other words I'm working from 11pm tomorrow night to 2 pm the next afternoon!!!!!! Crazy, eh? She asked if I thought I'd be able to handle it and I said "Doesn't hurt to try!" So....basically tomorrow I'll be getting all the sleep I can get and loading up on hardcore coffee. Whenever anyone doubles up on a shift, they're allowed to sleep for 4 hours, but I don't know if I will. I'm just afraid something would happen while i'm in deep sleep. And no guarantee that'd I'd wake up in time. Knowing me I'd keep pressing snooze and....that'd not be good. So 15 hour shift......HERE I COME!!!!!!!!

This will be me around 2pm Friday afternoon. (hopefully not any earlier!)

2006-06-23T13:34:00.000-05:00

So as I was wandering through peoples myspaces I came across this ADORABLE picture of Adelyn. Thanks Monica (Jon's sister)!

She's still a "little peanut" I'd say. Nothin' like father and daughter bonding time. Perhaps Murphy was a little jealous? Or he's just watchin' out for his little sister.

There's a chance that the Bradley family is coming to visit for the 4th of July!!!!
I sure hope so. Can't wait to see them again.

Well, just thought i'd share that. Please have a fun weekend!

To One of my Favorite Cousins

2006-06-22T13:03:00.000-05:00

I know I sometimes show favoritism by saying that Stacy & Shannon are my favorite cousins, but it is true. Back in the day I'd spend every minute I could at the gals' (Bonnie, Shannon & Stacy's) house. It was for sure my second home. To be honest w/ya, I think I probably stayed the night there an equal number of times I did at my regular home.
My aunt was the one who started bringing me to church, and for that I am thankful! I do believe that is the reason why I am so close to them. We share a bond that my immediate family members can't share (for the time being....I'm still praying)--a love and passion for Christ.
And so today I'd just like to express my thankfulness and love to my cousin Stacy as she's celebrating her 23rd birthday! Since I was a youngin' I've always looked up to you. I always wanted to be as cool as you and would always try to hang out with you and your friends as much as I could. :P I have looked up to you (and still do) spirituality-wise and personality-wise. You are a wonderful role model as you are kind, caring, dedicated, motivative, and every other good adjective there is out there to describe you!!
I am thankful to have a cousin like you who cares so much about what's going on in my life, and you are always there--especially when i need your advice and help. You go out of your way to show that you care & I appreciate it!

So I wish a VERY Happy Birthday to you and want you to know that I am always praying for you!
After always being with you during our child years, the 7 hour distance apart is kind of tough, but I do appreciate the time we get to email, call each other, and visit each other every so often.

I love you VERYYYYYYYYYY much!!! Thanks for the laughs, the chit-chats, the crazy dances we'd make up (haha), and everything else!!!

Happy Birthday.

And I also wish a Happy Birthday to my very good friend Mark Pearson (a/k/a "Dug")!!!

It's About Time

2006-06-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

I had orientation today.
It went well.
It was kinda boring, but a little on the fun side.
I am officially (or will be after my 1,000,000 hours of orientation training) a Direct Care Specialist for NHS.
I get to start on the job training tomorrow!
I'm looking forward to it!
I think I'm gonna love this job.
Bye!

2006-06-18T13:59:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEANNE!!!!!!

Happy Father's Day to any dads who may be reading this!!

Employed.

2006-06-15T20:21:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!
Just thought I'd tell ya that I got a job! Last Thursday I had a horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE interview at NHS. For real. It was a group interview. My first group interview, and I hope my LAST. I was about as nervous as nervous can be, and to top it off, i had to say all of my dumb answers in front of 4 others plus 3 already employees. I knew it went horribly bad because I couldn't think of smart sounding- well thought of answers.

So they told us that they'd get back to us the next day or the following week and let us know whether or not we got the job. Well, I got a letter the VERY next day (so much for "snail" mail) saying that they didn't have any positions to match my "skills" (or lack of), but they would keep my application on hold until they had an available position. So in other words, the interview was horrible and they didn't want to hire me :)
Funny thing is they called me yeterday (4 days after they sent the "rejection" letter) and asked me if I was still interested. Funny how that goes.

But anyway, all of that just to tell you that I am now employed! Next week I start orientation. For now it's a temporary job, but I guess it will be permanent once fall comes.

Thanks to everyone who was praying for me!!! I GREATLY appreciate it. I was starting to lose hope there for a while.

Love you all.
Have a safe & Happy weekend

WOoOoO HoOoOOOooo!!!!!!!!!

2006-06-14T11:44:00.000-05:00

Amber's current mood: Excited!/Pumped!/Thankful!/Happy!/Joyful!/Ecstatic!

Yes. It's about time. After a few weeks of struggling with connecting the router and dsl modem thingy-ma-jig, the hair pulling, i wanna throw something at the wall, i just wanna collapse and cry attitude is gone. My mother and I had not been successful at trying to set up our wireless internet for our laptop. I know, I know. It's supposed to be sooooo easy. But hey, this family contains a bunch of unknowledgable wannabe computer whizzes. So we finally decided to have someone come and connect it for us. 11:15: computer guy arrives. 11:20: INTERNET IS SET UP!!!! All he did was plug in a couple of cords and said "OK, so are you going to put a security password on this?" And I "said....that's it???? YOU'RE DONE? Are you kidding me?!?!?!" (I honestly said that.) His response was "I'm good at what I do." haha. Then he tops it off with "I'll only charge $50 instead of $75(that's how much house visits cost--remember: we were desperate!) since it was so easy. HAHA! Soooo easy. laugh it up! So now I can access my wirless internet! Woohoo! I must confess something to you all. For the past few weeks since i've had my laptop, I've been "borrowing" my neighbor's internet. :)
Hey, they're the ones who don't require a password! Don't worry though, I didn't do anything bad or anything. Just used it once in a while! :) Pastor Aaron said I should send them an envelope with a couple of dollars in it and say "Thanks for the internet!" haha. At first I felt bad, but I guess I just got accustomed to it and signed on automatically without even thinking about it anymore. But now I don't need to "steal." Now we have our own!!!!!!!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Amos! (the guy that set it up for us)

2006-06-12T12:28:00.000-05:00