Lori's prattle

I can do...

2009-02-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

I remember my former boss saying to me one time in a casual conversation that she could do anything for 3 months. I now use that same concept every morning when I workout only I say to myself, I can do anything for 5 minutes, I set the machine at 60 minutes then when I get to a point were I think I can't go anymore I tell myself ..I am not a quitter, I can do anything for 5 minutes, then say it again for the next 5 minutes and so on. A simple conversation along time ago. Who knew?

Lisa

2009-01-19T15:43:00.000-08:00

here she is, my sister Lisa before during and after chemo and radiation treatments, she has come along way . You are amazing

love you !

ok, i can't seem to place the pictures in the order i want, the one with the blue turtleneck sweater is the most recent.

Remebering Rachel

2008-12-26T16:20:00.000-08:00

A few snapshots of Rachel at family gatherings.... I can't remember a time when she did not give a hug. I know with all my heart her story is not done, her legacy of love will continue to reach the hearts of the lost because of what she believed and how she lived her life.

Leazenby, Rachel Ort

View/Sign Guest Book
Aug. 21, 1981 - Dec. 24, 2008NILES - Rachesl Ort Leazenby, 27, of Sunrise Lane, died at 9:14 p.m. Wednesday, December 24, 2008, in Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital, Dowagiac, Michigan from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. She was born on August 21, 1981, in Berrien Center, MI, to Eugene Michael and Mary Linda (Noggle) Ort. She graduated from Brandywine High School in 2000, attended Lake Michigan College and graduated from Bethel College in 2005. Rachel was a teacher at Grissom Middle School in Penn-Harris School System, South Bend, where she volunteered directing a dance team. Rachel attended First Baptist Church, Niles, where she sang with the worship team. She also attended Granger Community Church, where she volunteered at the Oasis. She enjoyed photography and had her own business Vineyard Photography. On November 25, 2005 in Wesley United Methodist Church, Niles, she married Jonathan Edward Lea Zenby, who survives. Rachel is also survived by her parents, Gene and Mary Ort; Jon's parents, Kevin and Margie Leazenby; grandparents, Theresa Leazenby, all of Niles, Margaret and George Rankel of Mishawaka; sister, Leah (Jeff) Banicki of Niles; brother, Josh (Jennifer) Ort of Albany, NY; nieces and nephews, Emma Banicki, Madison and Kennedy Ort, Krickett Dickinson, and Shelby Vernon; sister-in-law, Rachel A. Leazenby of Niles and several aunts uncles and cousins. Funeral Services for Rachel Ort Leazenby will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Granger Community Church, with Dr. Bob Laurent Bethel College, and Pastor Jim Wing of First Baptist Church, Niles officiating. Interment will follow at Silverbrook Cemetery, Niles. The family will receive relatives and friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday in the Halbritter Funeral Home, Niles. Contributions in memory of Rachel may be made to Kids Alive.

Eddie Bear

2008-11-29T17:33:00.001-08:00

This is Eddie, a Jack Russell Terrier. He is Joshua's and Alyssa's dog. I can't believe how stinkin adorable this little bundle of energy is, and yup I fell big time! What can I say? P. S. Bob likes him too :)

My new boss Greg

2008-11-17T15:43:00.000-08:00

This is my new boss Greg Martin and his bride of 29 years Diane. You can learn more about Greg here

http://garmartin.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!!

The 90's

2008-11-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

Yikes!! Check out these pictures of Bob and me taken back in 1990, scary I know! Glad those fat days are gone not to mention the hair and clothes.

Marbled orb weaver spider

2008-10-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

This is a marbled orb weaver spider. I took the first 2 not so good pictures at Madaline Bertrand County Park and then googled when we got home and found the better picture of the bunch. I had never seen one before today and don't care if I ever see one again.

FIVE!

2008-09-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

I did it!! I am so stoked, I decided this morning that I was going to try and run five miles. I have not been running very much because I did something to me knee, I have been doing low impact workouts. My knee still hurts a bit but is much improved so on the treadmill I went. Ok, so it took me a 57 minutes but I did it, actually with a cool down it was a grand total of 5.3 miles in 62 minutes at a 4% incline the entire time. For me this is quite the accomplishment. I have been flying high all day, endorphins are my friend, wheeeeeh !

Certain songs remind me of certain people...

2008-09-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

For instants this morning while I was at the gym I had my Ipod on while I worked out. The song " You alone" came on, as I was singing along in my head and came to the words "I'm alive" that repeats several times , I thought about a gal that used to sing those words at our mid-week service. Her name is Kristin Davis, I always enjoyed watching Kristin as she had great stage presence and a beautiful voice. Kristin moved away a few years ago but as I was singing along I just kept thinking about her, I remembered her birthday is December 8th and that I should see if I could find her email when that time a year roles around and wish her a happy one.

Later that day Bob and I went to lunch and then decided to go walk the mall ( go figure! ) instead of going home and be tempted to loaf around the house. As we are walking and talking about to turn into a store Bob recognized a friend from church that was at the mall too. He said " hey there's Elizabeth", she spotted us at the same time, as we got closer to stop and chat I couldn't believe it, with Elizabeth was none other than Kristin!!!, I said to her you are not gonna believe this but I was just thinking about you this morning, I told her how I was reminded of her through that song and even brought up when her birthday is, kinda cool, hey?

Ummmmmmm- do you think I like cheese?

2008-08-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Generally Sunday evenings if we don't dine out with our friends we just grab whatever we choose for dinner. Tonight I decide I wanted a piece of bread and cheese, cottage cheese and cheese potato chips!! Good thing it was reduced calorie cheese, non-fat cottage cheese and baked Lay's potato chips. So where are my vegetables? eeh, I will double up tomorrow.

I saved the little birds life...I hope

2008-07-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

I stepped out into the garage today and noticed a female hummingbird flying around. She was trying to find her way out but seemed to be staying near the ceiling. I went and got a leaf rake and made several attempts to help the gal out. We came close a few time as I had opened the back service door thinking she might head towards the light. She actually landed on the rake a couple of times and I would go to lower it so I could release her but she would fly off and land on a ledge at the top of the door. She was getting tired I am sure but I wouldn't give up, at last I trapped her just so on the rake and lowered it out the door and off she flew, now lets hope she didn't go have a heart attack!!!

Milestones

2008-07-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

I have been going to the gym now faithfully for about a year and a half or better. I like to set goals for my workout each time, generally I workout on the elliptical machine or the treadmill. When I workout on the treadmill I set the incline as high as it will go, set my time for 40 minutes at a fast pace, every once in awhile I will bump up my speed to a jog keeping the machine at the highest incline and jog for 5, 10 or 15 minute interval, believe me this is not easy for the princess that I am :) . I have been wondering if I could run for an entire workout so the other day I decided to try it, so I hopped on and took off jogging without any incline, I did it!!! I was so excited, that was on Friday, yesterday then I went back to walking fast and jogging at intervals at the highest incline, today I decided again to try and see if I could jog the whole time, I walked for about 3 minutes and then took off only this time I set it at half the incline. I did it again, both times I jogged 4 miles but setting it on an inclined helped me to burn about 100 more calories. It's something I would have never thought I would be able to do but with perseverance, faithfulness and hard work I did it!! I think I will stick to this goal for awhile and build up stamina for my next goal which to jog 5 miles.

Freak of Nature

2008-07-24T14:02:00.003-07:00

Check this out, I looked out my bedroom window last night and saw this, it is a magnolia tree with a flower on it in the middle of July! Magnolias bloom in April, which it did. This happened last year too, wonder what is up with this tree, anyway I think it is pretty cool!

I have a new favorite snack

2008-07-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

MMMMMMMMMMMM
Quite the tasty little treat!

South Haven Michigan

2008-07-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

Day of fun a few weeks ago in South Haven Michigan , a beautiful day with amazing friends, a pirate Ship, sun, sand, ice cream treats! I love summer.

Flowers

2008-07-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Family fun Easter Sunday

2008-03-23T16:26:00.001-07:00

Before and After

2008-03-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

First picture of Josh is last May 2007

Second picture is Josh March 2008

He has been eating better and has lost a lot of weight, he was a 38 paint size and now can were 34 maybe even 32's. he also is trying to give up smoking and is doing quite well. Way to go Josh!

my sister Lisa

2008-03-23T15:12:00.001-07:00

This is my sister Lisa, she is amazing, she recently found out she has breast cancer, she had a mastectomy about 3 weeks ago and soon will be starting chemo treatments then several rounds of short little radiation treatments. She has put her trust and faith in Jesus, her spirit is amazing. Today was the first time I have seen her since the surgery, she was very candid and open to all my interrogating questions and we even laughed at bit too :) I pray that she will continue to hang on to God's promises as her journey continues and that she comes out even stronger in her faith and that He will be glorified!!!

Way to go Lisa, you are a shining light in a dark world.

Love you!

Good Friday- "How Deep The Father's Love For Us"

2008-03-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

As Good Fridays approaches I reflex on the lyrics to this song

How Deep the Fathers love for us

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

And make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds that mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory
Behold the man upon His cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

E + R = O

2008-03-11T15:18:00.001-07:00

Today at a monthly meeting my boss asked for the next month to think and process this and then come with feedback when we meet in 4 weeks.

E - Event

R - Response

O- Outcome

Wow, three little words that pack a punch. I actually had an event today that made me stop and think E+R= O

My response? I really tried to rationalize and to accommodate.

The outcome? It's all good! and everyone was on the same page at the end.

What if we continually ask our self this in everyday life, whether it is when we are on a mountain top or in a valley our response just may have a huge impact on the outcome.

Hey...how did that happen?

2008-02-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the mall after we pigged out at the "Chinese barffet" as Bob call buffets. We wanted to walk around to help digest all the gross food we just ate ( can you tell I didn't really enjoy the fat fest like I anticipated?)

Well anyway, one day last week I was walking up the stairs to retire for the evening with a pair of jeans I had and taken out of the dryer and folded, a glass of lemonade and the wiener dog in the other arm ( he is old and deaf and blind and can't climb stairs anymore so I was assisting him, aren't I a good mom? ) I was about half the way up when I walked out of one of my slippers and proceeded to fall ( slide ) down the stairs, taking everything with me minus some lemonade that spilled out. The slippers I had on were given to me by my mom because they were to big for her, OK, so I wear a size 8.5 shoe and she wears a size 10.5 , she was gonna get rid of them so I said I would take them, what was I thinking? To big for her but OK for me? Blonde moment I guess. After falling down the steps I got mad and threw the darn things away.

So today when we were leaving Sears I decide to look at slipppers ( perhaps more than I have fallen out of this particular apparel and that is why they are called slippers- I don't know) They had some marked down 50% off plus another 30% off so being the big spender that I am I decided to splurge and purchase them at a whopping $ 5.18.

I payed for them ,we got in the car and came home, as I was cutting the tags off of the slippers I looked down and the bag that the slippers had been placed in and noticed it was a JC Penney bag! What the heck? I had to stop and think for a second about where I actually made the purchase. I wonder what a supervisor would say to that employee if they had seen this happen.

The story doesn't end here, on the receipt was a survey to take so I decided to go ahead and fill it out ( with a chance to win $ 4000 sears gift card- ha ha) and one of the questions was asking about some of Sears competitors, hmmm can't remember if JC Penney's was one of them but I bet they are. All this to say I now have slippers that fit, I bet the wiener dog is thrilled!

Gum

2008-02-17T15:25:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about gum the other day. I like gum. I chew gum during my workout so my mouth doesn't dry out ( I bet there are a few of you that wish it would! ) I chew gum when I get thirsty and don't have something to drink. And I like to chew gum after I eat because I am craving something sweet or should I say still craving sweets. Anyway, I think gum is amazing. My favorite brand is eclispe peppermint. I also wrote a song once about gum, it goes a little like this:

I like to chew gum

I like it a lot.

Does anyone remember the gum in the movie Willy Wonka? wasn't it like eating a meal, the more ya chew the different flavor you would get, it was like a whole meal. Boy wouldn't that be the cats meow.

SMILE

2008-02-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

Like most people I go to the dentist 2 x a year, so six months ago I made my appointment for the next six months. In the mean time, we have a monthly checkpoint meeting that a handful of us meet once a month to work on leadership. The meeting ended up landing at the same time my dentist appointment was so when the dentist office called to remind me that I had a 11:20am appointment I decided to ask if they had any different times available, she said yes we have a 4:00 today, well , we were hosting workshops today so I declined. The more I thought about it the more I thought I should just go ahead and go today so I could attendane the Tuesday meeting. I ran it across my boss and she agreed so I quickly called back and said I would take the 4:00. The gal at the dentist office replied she had a 3:00 so I said I'll take it. Upon arrival I signed in as always, took a seat and proceeded to wait, and wait and wait, finally after sitting there for nearly 35 minutes and watching people that had came in way after I got there, I decided I should inquire and see what the hold up was. I walked up to the counter and notice that on the sign in sheet every name has been crossed off except mine. I asked how much longer it would be until I got called. The gal asked for my name and what time my appointment was for, so I explained to her the changes and she replied oh the 3:00 is for tomorrow, which was not what she said when she said the 4:00 had been filled. I then asked why no one had followed up with the name that was on the sign in sheet that had never been called out or crossed off, the whole time I was asking the gal the question another lady was nodding her head yes in agreement with me. I asked if they would be able to squeeze me in anyway today but they declined. She then asked what I wanted to do. I said well I have to reschedule so she began to look at the calendar and couldn't get me in until March 10th. Without a schedule in front of me I did not want to commit to the date and asked if I can call them. I left frustrated and a bit angry for the lack of better words. Don't get me wrong I realize people make mistake but the fact that not one person chose to call my name was enough to make me go home and change dentist. I did call them back but it wasn't to set the next appointment it was to ask them to transfer my records to my new dentist. AHHH GEEZE!

"It's a blustery day Pooh"

2008-01-20T08:21:00.001-08:00

and I'm not going anywhere today!

Home for sale-take the virtual tour

2008-01-01T06:14:00.000-08:00

http://sbi.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=134878721&s=SBI&t=SBI

scroll down to the bottom of this link and click on the virtual tour link, have fun.

Still

2007-12-09T13:34:00.001-08:00

Still my best friend

Still my lover

Still my confidant

Still the joy of my life

Still the one who makes me laugh

Still more adventure

We celebrate 25 years this Tuesday.

The best 25 years of my life.

I love you Bob!

The boys and Meg

2007-11-30T15:55:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving day at my sister in laws house. They were bowling on the Nintendo Wii game and stopped so I could take this picture of the three of them. From left to right, Meg ( Adam's girlfriend she's a sweetheart and so cute) Adam and Josh.

I tried one time to bowl but didn't quite get the hang of the control but really wasn't in the mood either, oh well they had fun.

The end

You decide

2007-11-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

Me and my sister on Thanksgiving day. I think we look like twins.

The top ten things I am thankful for

2007-11-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

Jesus as my Lord and Savior

My husband and best friend Bob

My two boys, Adam and Josh (both will be with us for Thanksgiving :) ) and of course our the rest of our immediate family.

Our dear friends Richard and Reta and Dixie, we love you guys.

A wonderful church

A wonderful job, a loving boss, the most amazing facility team on the planet, and of course the hallway girls at work.

Pippi my blind and deaf wiener dog

Anytime fitness and the girls that cheer me on (especially you Jeanna! )

Advocare ( vitamins and mineral supplements and spark energy drink- yippy! )

All the comforts of home

What are you thankful for?

The Grand Canyon

2007-11-14T16:52:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures of the Grand Canyon.

Spectacular!!

Guess who else went to Vegas?

2007-11-14T15:43:00.000-08:00

That's right, I was standing in line at the check in counter at the airline when I turned around and who did I see but our one and only Kathy Seller and her husband Tom, on the same plane no less. I squealed with delight, took their picture and never saw them again. Hope they had a great time.

Gadgets

2007-11-08T07:48:00.002-08:00

I was so sad this morning when I could not get my IPod to shut off, I love my IPod, it is my hiding place, it is were I connect and think, so needless to say when it doesn't turn off well, it runs the battery down. I plugged it in to charge it when I got home from the gym this morning thinking maybe that would help but no luck, so I decided to log onto Apple and browse for some support. I found help and it walked me through the steps to reset the thing, I was delighted.

A different kind of screen saver .......

2007-11-04T12:57:00.000-08:00

If anyone knows me they know I am always cold. So this morning Bob and I went to workout and then we went to Panera for breakfast ( big surprise there) anyway, when we got there I spotted an empty table by the fireplace so I told Bob I was going to go grab it. Well just having a table by the fireplace wasn't good enough for me so while Bob sat in a chair at the table like a normal person I chose to sit right on the ledge of the fireplace. I settled in quit nicely, I finished my bagel and relaxed against the screen of the fireplace and was toasty warm. Seriously I stayed there until I needed to use the restroom and when I started to get up I thought my hoodie jacket was hooked onto something because I could pull it away, nope it wasn't caught on anything, it was actually melting onto the fireplace screen. I have the screen marks on my jacket to prove it. So silly.

Team retreat

2007-11-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the great Campus Operations team at Granger Community Church enjoying an overnight stay in Union Pier Michigan. We celebrated who we are and what we have accomplished this year for ministry at Granger. What a joy and privilege to serve along side all these fine peeps.
We hung out all evening in one cottage ( we rented 5) eating, playing cards, eating, working on a very complicated puzzle and eating some more until about 12:00pm midnight. The next morning a few of us got up and went for a brisk walk before the sun came up. Some created and enjoyed a large breakfast, some chose to sleep in a bit,and some relaxed in a hot tub, then again we all congregated to one cottage and worked on the puzzle, watched TV and drank coffee right up until it was time to check out. Then we headed to New Buffalo were my husband Bob (who also works at Granger and has the same boss as me) joined the team for some shopping and lunch, and of course we ended the day with ice cream. I believe we all had a wonderful retreat. I know I did. One more thing, I did not get a picture of Tom, who was also there but he had to leave for a few hours and take the shuttle back to church because the other shuttle broke down and a ministry needed a shuttle for Saturday so off he went back to Granger to drop off the shuttle and get his vehicle and come back, he did this and never complained or batted an eye, Tom has such a great heart.

South Haven Michigan

2007-09-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Bob and I spent the day in South Haven Michigan with our good friends Richard and Reta. We walked down to the beach and as I was walking down the trail of steps something caught my eye. I couldn't believe it. It was about 12 feet away from us in the tall grass that grows in the sand. I was talking to it and it just stopped and looked at us for a few minutes. We all kept trying to decide if it was really a fox or not. It was kinda scrappy looking but I kept insisting it was a fox, saying that wild animals aren't plump and well fed like our domesticated monsters we call pets. I decided to Google red fox and this is what I found, I showed it to Bob and he agreed that indeed it was a fox we seen yesterday. I get so excited when I experience this kind of stuff, I mean there we were just feet away from something you just don't see everyday. Hmmmm, a few months ago I seen an owl, yesterday a fox, can't wait to see whats next, lions, tigers or bears? OH MY!

Clarity

2007-09-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today there was none. I don't like days like that. I feel frustrated, disappointed, angry and hurt.
Anxiety sets in and still there is none. What do I do? What do I say? What am I supposed to think?

Lead me Lord, show me clarity, guide my thoughts and my words, grant me wisdom, affirm me with the truth, pierce my heart for the things that are true and good.

Random vacation stuff on our journey to the Mall of America

2007-07-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

I forgot deodorant and eyeliner,silly me, yes I used Bobs so that I didn't stink.

We were in Guess Clothing Store when I looked down and hollered money! I picked up a balled up mess of 3 singles and started to reach for another single and a dime still remaining on the floor but because of my big announcement some girl reached down picked up the single looked at me and so I said you can have that one and she kept looking at me so I said is this yours and she said yes so I just handed it to her and left. Bob and I are both convinced that the way she was looking over the bill she picked up that it wasn't really hers, but hey I don't know that for sure but I do know it wasn't mine to begin with either, oh well.

I see a owl sitting on a road sign which I think is way cool. I don't think I have ever seen an owl before, well maybe a stuffed one.

We were at the old navy store at the Mall of America and Bob looked up and said " hey there's Tanya from church" yup, we ran into someone we know, it is a small world.

Friday morning I was getting cleaned up and the fire alarm in our room went off. See http://blog-of-fbob.blogspot.com/ for more detail on this.

I read Sex God by Rob Bell and In a pit with a Lion on a snowy day by Mark Batterson
I listened to my I pod and took a long nap.
I reflected....... a lot!

"Gods very own art show"

2007-07-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Bob and I spent the day with our friends Richard and Reta. We walked the trails at Madeline Bertrand park then headed to St.Joe where the Krasel art show was going on.
We get to St. Joe around 5;30 and Me being the foody I am decided we should eat then walk the art show, so that was the plan. As we are sitting in the restaurant eating I could see some of the artists tents set up. Now keep in mind it is still early in the evening and it doesn't even get dark until 10:00pm, so as I am looking out I am in disbelieve as I watch the vendors close up the tents. Ummmmmm, bummer you could say. So the plans suddenly change and we are going to walk along the Pier after dinner. Well as Reta and I are snapping pictures she stops and says " God is putting on his own art show" my heart smiled, I thanked God for her words and enjoyed the rest of the show.

I gotta day off, I gotta day off

2007-07-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

I had the day off today.......sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!! I slept til 6:40 am, went to tan then came home and got on the norditrack for 20 minutes, oh my gosh, I thought I was gonna puke, I don't quite get it, I go for 45 minutes on the elliptical at the gym and I don't feel like I did this morning, oh well, whatcha gonna do? Then I met my dear friend Dixie for lunch, went to old navy then Wal-marts and back home. I was feeling the love so I ironed 7 shirts for Bob. You see I refuse to iron t-shirts, but ya know the music was on the windows were open and the birds were singing,
side note: ( " a bird does not sing because he wants an answer but because he has a song" how awesome is that! ) so ironing it was , oh is he gonna love me :).
I think I may go wash my car and then we are meeting our good friends Richard and Reta for dinner tonight. We have not seen them for 2 weeks cuz they have been on vacation so I am so stoked to see my friends. So for me, it has been a great day off. Thanks Mel.

Happy Birthday America

2007-07-04T07:37:00.001-07:00

Celebrate the gift of freedom today!

Thanks to all who have served to make this a free country.

Happy 4th of July.

He's Back

2007-07-01T10:51:00.001-07:00

But only for a week. It's been 2 months since Josh left for Florida, we just picked him up at the airport this afternoon, its great to see him, he looks good. he is enjoying school and doing well. Probably won't see much of him this week as he will be hanging with friends. He has already left to go to a friends house for a couple of hours, he will be back soon though, we are meeting Adam and Meg tonight for dinner, looking forward to all of us hanging out.

Ahhhhhhhh the smells of spring

2007-05-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

It's Monday May 21st, I just got home from work and I am beat so I sat down to chill out for a few minutes before I start dinner, work on laundry and all the other stuff that goes with keeping house. It is so delightful outside so I opened my windows to let some of the wonderful fresh spring air in. There is such a wonderful fragrance coming in from the lilac shrubs in front of our dining room window that I just wanted to share with everyone and hope that you will also take a moment to look
( and a sniff) around and enjoy the gift of God's amazing creation.

April 27th, 2007 A day to celebrate

2007-04-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Josh left for college this morning. He is off to Full Sail college in Winter Park Florida. He came to work to say goodbye around 10:30am this morning, I held up until I went back to my desk and my hallway buddies asked me how I was doing with his departure. I started to say "I am fine, just don't talk to me" and, well..... the flood gates opened and the meltdowns began. Although I am so excited for Josh and his new adventure in life, I am still a mom and it was tough watching him drive away. I pray Josh pursues this with desire and passion to learn and excel in the talents God has gifted him with. So I celebrate this day with Josh, a new beginning, his dreams, his heart, his life, his future.

My Mom turns 76 this Saturday April 7th

2007-04-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

My Mom turns 76 this Saturday. I love her, she is a great Mom and I am glad she's mine. She is an inspiration to me, her Mom died when she was only 14 years old, so she became the Mom, she did the laundry the cooking and took care of her younger brother Tony. She then met my Dad, they had 5 kids ( I'm the baby ) and she cared for all of us, she took care of Dad when he had a heart attach before I was even thought of, and then again when he was 59. Dad did not survive long after the last heart attach. Mom herself has a heart condition, only 40% of her heart actually works, she has suffered a heartache herself. She has had 2 corneal transplant in the same eye (yuck) and a knee replacement. Her younger brother Tony never married and is severely crippled with arthritis. Shortly after Dad died both Mom and Uncle Tony sold their homes and moved in together. Once again with all her psychical conditions Mom is caring for uncle Tony. Bottom line, she is a nurturer, a blessing, a inspiration and a gift from God.
Happy Birthday Ter-Ter, you are loved.

Are you a foody?

2007-03-27T15:18:00.001-07:00

My boss has coined the phrase " food is our friend" I love that. I love food. Last Sunday, Our friends Richard, Reta and Bob and I set out to go out to dinner at the Mongolian barbecue in Kalamazoo Michigan http://www.gomongo.com/ Now I am telling you if you like food and fun this is the place to go. You choose your meat, veggies, sauces and spices, then take it up to the bar and the cooks take it and throw it on this grill that they stand at. They work on as many as 8 -10 meals as they rotate around the grill with two long blades. It's a hoot to watch and interact with them, when your meal is almost finished they toss on the sauces and spices to add the final touches to your very own creation. But that's not all, oh my gosh do they have wonderful desserts too, and yes my eyes were bigger than my stomach, I couldn't finish it but I sure gave it the old college try.

I call her my 2 Corinthians girl.

2007-03-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Lavon, I call her my 2 Corinthians girl . Her story is amazing. From the time she was a little girl she has had some hard knocks in life.Yet though it all, she has learned from her experiences and uses them to love and help people. I am honored that she is my dear friend. I love her, I laugh with her, I cry with her, I confide in her, I appreciate her probably more than she can imagine. She is a shining star to all who her and she is my friend. Someday she may even write a book. If you know her you are blessed, if you don't, you should.

2 Corinthians 4:8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. yup that's my girl..........

Anytime buddies

2007-03-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Renee and Clarissa all dressed up, this is what happens when you tell them they are getting their picture taken in the morning, silly girls!

Hanz (AKA Kem )
http://kemmeyer.typepad.com
Check out Kem' s blog about anytime fitness, her post inspired me to take picture and post to represent the girls at the gym. WE ROCK!

Clarissa sporting her Mr.T starter package ( this is what she tells me :) )
Kem looking tough!

Franz, Hanz side kick

These are my "anytime buddies"
What a fun bunch of girls just trying to dump the plump.

A day with 3 of my best friends

2007-03-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

we began the day by hopping in the car and heading to the light house mall in Michigan city. we left our house at 11:00am and were on our way, we got there around lunch time so we decided to stop in at the newly rebuilt hacienda and pig out on some chips and salsa ( everyone but Reta, she has more will power than the rest of us) so we ate and off we went. we split up once we arrived, and we were off. Bob and I found a few bargains, Richard bought a new pair of Nike tennis shoes (size 14! ah big foot! ). We met up with them and Reta used her honing skill for smelling chocolate and a cup of coffee to navigate our way to the South Bend Chocolate Cafe. Then it was off to Lake Michigan to walk along the pier and take a few snap shots of the ice shelves. It was a beautiful day to walk and get some fresh air.