Christmas Vacation Highlights and New Year!

We were so excited to go home to MI for Christmas this year. Unfortunately, our trip was delayed by a evening because of an ice/snow storm. So, we didn't leave until Saturday morning...4 am! Yup, I will get up early to go home to MI, but not to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. :) Here is the recap for the week.

We got into MI around 12:30pm on Saturday. That meant that I still got to do the annual Saturday shopping with my dad. We go out the Saturday before Christmas to find my mom gifts and maybe pick up a few sweet treats for ourselves. We first get lunch together (this year Joel joined us) and then my dad and I headed downtown Holland and made our annual stops. (Peanut Shop for sea foam and sweet-tarts, The Bridge for a fun free trade gift for my mom, Shaker Messenger for peanut brittle and sour cherry gummy candy, and Treehouse Books.) That night we had my family's Christmas party. It was so much fun to see my siblings and all my nieces and nephews. We all made out pretty good if I do say so myself. (Below is a picture of the girls with their new scarves from my mom and dad. (Susan, Jen, Mariah, Me and Joy)Sunday, we were stuck at my parents' house because of the fierce snow. However, Joel's dad came with the Jeep and we made it to his parent's house eventually. We had a nice dinner and evening with them and Joel's younger brother and sister-in-law who were in MI from Honduras. Due to the snow we spent the night there. (Below is a picture of 3 board Pirateer at the Phillips' house.)
Monday, I got to spend an entire afternoon with my mellons--all 7 of us were there. We figured that this was the first, time that happened in 4 years! It was beautiful! We went to lunch, did Paint-a-Pot, and had dessert at the good Dutch place called Russ'. Joel joined us for part of the afternoon, but also went out with a friend for lunch. Monday night Joel and I relaxed at my parent's and our friend Tim stopped by to say hello. (Below is a picture of the Mellons at Paint a Pot.) Tuesday, we watched my sister's kids in the morning and hung out at the Phillips' in the afternoon. We also got to see my mom's side of the family in the evening. (Below is Joel jumping face first into the snow in his parent's backyard.)Wednesday, we went out for breakfast with my dad. We then took my oldest niece, Mariah, out for lunch. Then my mom made a very nice steak dinner for us, Joel's parents, and my grandparents. We then headed to the Phillips' to open gifts. (JP asks every year to open gifts on Christmas Eve and it never happens, except of course the year he is with his wife's family in Texas. Just needed to rub that in JP!) (Below is a picture of Aren and Leah with the inflatable furniture we gave them.


Christmas, we did church with the Phillips and then headed to Joel's aunt and uncle's home to celebrate with extended family. After that party we headed to my aunt and uncle's home to make it to the Koning Party round 2. :) We had a lot of fun playing Apples to Apples with them. (Below is a picture of Grandma Phillips learning how to play Pass the Pigs.)

Friday, we had a big breakfast with my brother and hung out with friends. Then I had a relaxing afternoon at my parent's home and Joel headed to the beach to see the icebergs with his brother. That night my in-laws took us to a AHL hockey game. Go Griffens! (Below is a picture of Aren by the big iceberg.)


Saturday, we spent the morning at the Phillips and the afternoon at my parent's. We helped both parents set up their new digital picture frames. :) We then headed to our friend's new house! Congrats Tim! (Below is a picture of the group playing Apples to Apples. I love that game.)


Sunday, we went to church with my parents and then headed to church coffee at my grandparents. We then headed back to IA and got home around 7:00pm.

The last three days have been busy packing packing and more packing. Plus moving, moving and more moving. Now the next few days will be unpacking and resorting what goes where. We are now house-sitting for a couple who is in China for 18 months. :)

The moving and packing is probably the worst thing about this Christmas vacation. The best was this though:

Our highlight of our trip was sharing this poem with our families and now we will share it with all of you:

Merry Christmas to all.
We deliver to you,

A precious gift so small.
Whether it is pink or blue,

We are adding a branch to
the big family tree--

Baby Phillips is due
on July Twenty-Three.

Needless to say we are very excited for the year 2009.
Well, Happy New Year to all my blog readers!

I hope the next year brings you much joy and blessings!
Go in God's Grace, Peace and Joy!

Merry Christmas!

Season Greeting's my dear blog readers. Here is the Christmas card that we sent to some family and friends. I wanted to share it with all who read our blog.

Joel took this picture last Christmas in Sagatuck, MI at the beach along Lake Michigan. It was an amazing find. We couldn't believe this was natural--actually we could, because let's face it God is a pretty amazing creator! (If you can't see it...doesn't it look like a nativity scene?!)

Because of this natural occurrence we decided to put one of Abraham Kuyper's more famous quotes on it. (The quote is also one of our favorites.) If you don't know, Abraham Kuyper is a Dutch, Calvinist theologian. If you can't read it, here is the quote:

"There is not one square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'"

We thought this was the perfect quote to describe what Joel found that wintery morning at the beach.

Merry Christmas to all!

I pray that during the holiday season you are filled with God's grace, peace and joy!

Frustration, Prayers Please, and Pumpkin Pie

This isn't a place where I normally vent, but I am so frustrated right now! Okay, so every other month I have to print tenant newsletters. And, every other month our copier gives me a headache when I try to do this. It hasn't ever been this bad, though. It won't even print one. I have to print 400! I wanted to have all of them printed before Friday at 11, when we are suppose to leave for MI. (This way I can mail them out when I get back on the 29th.) Yea, I can tell with our "lovely" copier that isn't going to happen. I was going to propose going through Office Max to print them, but the estimated cost is around $800. Not going to happen.

Have you ever seen the movie Office Space? I totally want to take the copier to an open field and smash it with a sledge hammer like they do to the fax/copier in that movie.

So, my first prayer request is that the copier starts to work effeciently and effectively, so I can print all 400 newsletters by Friday at 11!

My second prayer request is that the weather stays clear and non-icy throughout the midwest (especially 1-80, I-94, and I-96)! I really really want to leave for MI on Friday. They are predicting winter storms starting in IA on Thursday night at 6pm going till Friday morning. Pray that the system stalls or comes earlier so by Friday late morning it is okay to travel.

Okay enough with my venting. Tracy wanted to recipe for the Crustless Pumpkin Pie I made for Thanksgiving, so I am ending with that:

1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
1 can FF evaporated milk (12 oz)
3 egg whites
½ tsp salt
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. splenda

Combine all and beat until smooth. Pour into a sprayed pie plate. Bake at 400 15 minutes or at 325 for 45 minutes.
Put in fridge until cold. Serve cold
Serves 8 1 piece= 1 points

Thanksgiving Recap

I can't believe that Thanksgiving was a week ago! Here are some highlights from our Thanksgiving week/weekend:


Wednesday:

• Joel and I spent most of the day doing some last minute cleaning before visitors came. And, we made all three desserts for the Thanksgiving meal.
• Katie and JP came in around 3 or 4pm. We gave them a tour of our box, oh wait I mean our townhouse.
• The four of us went to church for a very nice Thanksgiving service.
• My parents and Joel's parents came in to Des Moines right after our service and we headed to our home to catch up.

Thursday:

• We slept in!
• Joel prepared the turkey and started it cooking around 9:00am (yes, 9 am is sleeping in!).
• We sat around a little and just relaxed.
• An hour before the turkey was done we started preparing the food.
• We ate around 1 or 2. Here is the menu: Turkey (stuffed with apples, onions, and celery with a little sage and thyme rubbed on the meat), mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, a warm apple dish, corn, and dinner rolls. For dessert: crustless pumpkin pie, strawberry pie and mocha mousse pie.
• After dinner, we all sat, relaxed, and watched some football. Many of us napped.

Friday

• Had breakfast, thanks to Joel's mom who brought bunt cake and pig in the blankets.
• Four of us went shopping around 10am (I am not crazy-no offense--so we didn't get up early. It was nice because the rush was gone--still busy but not awful.) Katie and I hit like ten stores at the mall in about an hour. We were very disciplined shoppers in our time and money. (Funny thing is: we were both looking for our Phillips men. Both our husbands needed athletic pants and long sleeve shirts.)
• The other four (my in-laws, Joel and JP.) went out exploring and hiking.
• Ate left overs for lunch.
• Joel and I went with both sets of parents to the Des Moines Art Center.
• Saw pictures from JP's trip to India
• Went to Drake Diner. (It is a must now when my dad comes due to their amazing shakes and malts.)
• Relaxed by the pool at the hotel and played games.

Saturday:

• Went out to breakfast with everyone at Waveland Cafe (another must for my dad).
• The parents left right after breakfast. Katie, JP, Joel and I headed back to our house and played the game power gird (fun and confusing at the same time) and dinked around.
• Joel manipulated JP and Katie.
• We drove JP and Katie to Omaha.
• Had a nice dinner with JP and Katie in Omaha and were too tired and full to drive back to Des Moines at 10pm, so we spent the night.

Sunday:

• JP and Katie's flight left early in the morning and Joel and I headed back to Des Moines. We made it back in time to go to church.
• We had a wonderful lunch prepared and served by Andy and Laura (friends from church) and then watched a movie with them.
• Got back to our place by 4 and took a two hour nap.
• We then decorated the house for Christmas. We got the tree and the lights up.

Monday: (Still sorta part of the weekend since Joel didn't have school)

• I went to work while Joel wrote a paper for a class and picked up around the house.
• After I got home from work we had a quick supper and then headed out to Target and a movie. We needed some grocery essentials and I needed a wedding shower gift or Tuesday. We saw the movie Four Christmases. It was funny and entertaining. Not the greatest, but good and really good for some laughs. (It was a free movie, due to the fact that I had passes from a SAA friend.)

As you can read, we had a great Thanksgiving. After Monday, it was back to the real world for us. However, it is a short visit to the real world. We head out of IA on the 19th to spend a week in MI for Christmas!! :)

My King

Did you know that today is the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is celebrated in the Christian tradition. It is the season of expectation and hope. In many church's they have an advent wreath. A new candle gets lit each Sunday. Unfortunately, our church did not do an advent wreath this Sunday. If they would have it would have been known as the candle of hope in my denomination. Many people may think that Advent is just about counting down until Christmas day and only celebrates Christ's first coming to the world. However, it is more than that. It is also celebrating the expectation and hope that we have that he is coming back. I haven't truly reflected on today's theme, so I don't have a nice write up by me about what the first Sunday truly means to me. However, I have wanted to post this poem on my blog. The other day I decided to continue adding things to my Thankful List until today. A guest pastor read this in church earlier this fall and it really struck me. I am so thankful that I can call Jesus Christ my Savior. Here is a poem that tells you a little bit about him. I guess you can say this is why I am filled with hope, love, joy, and peace. (These happen to be the four candles for the four Sunday's of advent.)

MY KING

The Bible says my King is a seven-way king.
He is the king of the Jews. That's a mighty king.
He is the king of Israel. That's a national king.
He is the king of righteousness,
he's the king of the ages,
he's the king of heaven,
he's the king of glory, he's the king of kings, and he is the Lord of lords.
That's my King. Well, I wonder, do you know him?
David says, "the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmaments show his handiwork."
My King is a sovereign king;
no means of measure can define his limitless love,
no far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of his shoreless supplies.
No barrier can hinder him from pulling out his blessings.
He's endurably strong,
he's entirely sincere,
he's eternally steadfast,
he's immortally graceful,
he's imperially powerful,
he's impartially merciful.
Do you know him? He's the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world.
He's God's Son,
he's a sinner's savior,
he's a set-piece of civilization,
he stands in the solitude of himself,
he's honest and he's unique,
he's unparalleled,
he's unprecedented,
he's the loftiest idea in literature,
he's the highest personality in philosophy,
he's the supreme problem in higher criticism,
he's the fundamental doctrine of true philosophy,
he is the necessity of spiritual religion,
he's the miracle of the age--yes he is.
He is the superlative of everything good that you choose to call him.
He's the only one qualified to be an all-sufficient Savior.
I wonder if you know him today.

He supplies the weak;
he's available for the tempted and the tired.
He sympathizes and he saves,
he strengthens and sustains,
he guards and he guides,
he heals the sick,
he cleanses the lepers,
he forgives sinners,
he discharges debtors,
he delivers the captives,
he defends the feeble,
he blesses the young,
he serves the unfortunate,
he regards the aged,
he rewards the diligent,
and he beautifies the meager.
I wonder if you know him.

Well, my King he is a king,
he is the key to knowledge,
he's the well-spring of wisdom,
he's the doorway of deliverance,
he's the pathway to peace,
he's the roadway to righteousness,
he's the highway to holiness,
he's the gateway of glory.
Do you know him?

Well, his office is manifold,
his promise is sure,
his light is matchless,
his goodness is limitless,
his mercy is everlasting,
his love never changes,
his word is enough,
his grace is sufficient,
his reign is righteous,
his yoke is easy and his burden is light.
I wish I could describe him to you.
He is indescribable.
He's incomprehensible.
He's irresistible.
Well...you can't get Him out of your mind,
you can't get him off of your hands.
You can't out think Him, you can't outlive Him, you can't outlast Him and you can't live without Him.
The Pharisees couldn't stand him but they finally couldn't stop him, Pilot couldn't find any fault in Him, Death couldn't handle Him,
the grave couldn't hold Him,
and the tomb couldn't keep Him.
That's my King.
Yes, yes you are my King.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever and ever.
How long is that?
Forever and ever and ever and ever.
And when you're through with all the forevers, then AMEN, Good God Almighty,
Thank God Almighty you are my King.
Amen.

Joel

Before going on:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Pictures are in no particular order.











I was waiting till close to the end of November to tell everyone how thankful I am about Joel. Maybe you could say that I am saving the best for last.

Joel is my best friend. I am so blessed to have him in my life. I can't believe I have known him for 8 years. It seems like I have known him forever, but at the same time can't believe how fast the time has gone by either. I have a lot to be thankful for when I think about Joel. He has taught me a lot! He has brought out the best in me. He makes me happy. He is intelligent. He is following God's calling for his life. He is a Christian man and a man of integrity. It is hard me to put into words what he means to me, so I probably won't write much more. I thank God everyday for Joel and what he has brought to my life. I am so incredibly happy that he is the man that God made for me to be my husband. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him. I am excited to see the adventures God has planned for us. I love you, Joel.

A Few Thoughts for the Day

Okay here are some random and perhaps funny thoughts for the day.

First, I was listening to the radio yesterday and they were talking about an upcoming Oprah show. I guess she is going to showcase some of her favorite things. They stated that due to the tanking economy she is going to show only affordable items and items that cost next to nothing. Okay, so my question is what does affordable and next to nothing mean to Oprah!? Lets face it it probably means something completely different than it does to you and me.

Second, I just wanted to mention a weird quirk about myself. I am irrationally afraid of birds. Yes, I know that it is a irrational fear. (I have several--another one is revolving doors.) The other week at work there were hundreds of birds in the trees, on the power lines and just in the sky. I don't know why, but they all were gathered. They were just plain black birds. It was freaky though, because we opened the window and it is all I heard all day. Although, I have never seen the movie and nor do I want to, but it reminded me of why the Alfred Hitchcock movie titled Birds seems so scary. I think the irrational fear started a few years ago when we had a bird in our house. It happened like 3 times. Joel wrote a poem about his experience with the bird. I really should post it. (Huh, maybe I will sometime.) The final time it happened I thought someone had broken into our home, because things were knocked off the shelves and pictures were not hanging straight. I called my dear friend, Canaan, to rescue me that day and she helped tremendously. (Joel was working.) Want to know something else funny about this quirk: I have a mother and a brother who love to go bird watching. Apparently, I didn't get that gene.

Okay, so those are my thoughts for the day. Hope they were entertaining.

Birthdays

I am thankful for birthdays. I thought of this item today, because it is 3 people's birthdays today. All hold a special place in my heart and who I love a ton! First, my dad. He is amazing. I am thankful that he is celebrating another year of life today. Second, my sister. My sister, Susan, is an amazing woman. I love her dearly. I am thankful she is celebrating another year of life. Third, my niece, Sydney, is turning 4 today. She is such a joyful little girl and makes me smile. I am thankful she is celebrating another year of life! (The only sad thing is that I won't get to see any of them today.)

I love birthdays. (I hope I always feel this way about my birthday.) Life is such a miracle and a gift. I love being able to celebrate those things on birthdays.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD, SUSAN, and SYDNEY!!!

Grandparents

I just wanted to say a quick note of thanks to my grandparents. I was fortunate enough to know all four of my grandparents, and two of Joel's. My Grandpa V.F. passed away when I was a freshman in college. My other three grandparents are all still alive. All of them provided me with love and support! I love all of them dearly. I love seeing them when I go to MI.

However, at this point I did want to especially thank my Grandpa K. On Tuesday it was veteran's day. I really should have put veterans on my list that day. But, I will do a general thank you to all veterans right now. My Grandpa K. is a veteran and I thank him for his service to our country.

Short and sweet this time. :)

Anawim Housing and a few thoughts about Vocation

Warning: another long post. :)I am truly thankful for my job. Yes, there are probably days I complain about it, but this means I have a job and I should be thankful for that fact alone! This is the first job I have had over a year. (I had valid reasons for leaving other jobs--graduation and moving!) A few months ago, I told Rebecca I would be sad if I'd have to leave this one, because I do enjoy it. I don't know if I have ever actually told my dear blog readers what I do. I figure this is the best time to do that.

I am the Family Service Coordinator at Anawim Housing. Anawim Housing is a non-profit housing agency. We have two distinct housing programs. First, we are lease units to low income families and individuals. Yes, we are a landlord. Yes, that does mean we have to evict people sometimes. Our units have income restrictions. We receive government and private funding, so we can lease them at affordable rates. (Did you know that affordable housing, means that you shouldn't be paying more than 30% of your income on housing?) Second, we also have a Shelter Plus Care program. This program we rent units throughout Polk County to sub-lease these units to families and individuals who are homeless and have one or a combination of mental health, substance abuse, and/or HIV/AIDs. We provide the shelter, and we partner with other agencies to provide case management for this program. A rule to stay in this program is that they need to have case management. Both of these programs are permanent supportive housing. This means there is no end date that people need to be out by. The word "supportive" is where I come in.

My role is to be the supportive services for our tenants. (Not with the Shelter Plus Care tenants, because they have case management.) Let me bullet my job description for you:

• I am a contact person. If tenants are wondering where to find something in the community, they can call me and I can refer them to an agency.


• I also coordinate our furniture program. We accept donated furniture and household items. I work on that end, but I also am able to let tenants take some of the furniture free of charge within the first 3 months of their tenancy.


• I work with a program called Transport to Health. It is not about getting people transportation to medical appointments. Actually, we get grant money and tenants are allowed to apply for some of the funding to use towards an activity. (Y membership, educational opportunities, concerts, etc...) There is a limit of how much a tenant is eligible for. I think it is an awesome program. The tenant has to volunteer (1-2 hours) or pay a portion (about 10%).


• I put together a tenant newsletter every other month.


• I organize an annual Holiday Party and other tenant events.


• I organize free educational workshops for tenants.


• I work with several tenants on an on going basis if they need more support. This typically happens if they are receiving rental subsidy assistance from us. Yet, another program I monitor. We do have some funding to help people if they are going through a life crisis. It isn't like General Relief. General Relief can only help you once a year--more like a band aid. I can help tenants with a portion of their rent for a longer period--over a course of 3 months. It is our hope if we help tenants with a portion for three months, it will help stabilize them through whatever life crisis they are facing.

(Also, just an update. I think I posted at some point during the summer of one lady who I was working with. She was on the verge of getting terminated from Section 8. She won her appeal! She had a fine to pay, but we were able to help with some of the fine due to the extenuating circumstances. She is paying us back half of what we helped her with. She is a great tenant, so we were so happy for her! This is one reason I like my job and that I am thankful for it!)

I enjoy what I do. And, I thank God for this. I didn't plan on being a social worker when I was first entering Calvin. Actually, I went into college thinking about being a Chemistry major. I took one class and decided that was not something I wanted to do. I didn't want to work in a lab, teach, or work in a medical profession (I have a husband for that...haha). So, I took some general core classes and really enjoyed Psychology. I talked to my Resident Assistant, Abi, and she wondered if I had thought about social work. She said that it seemed to be something I would enjoy, so I took the introductory course and I loved it. God not only used Abi to direct me to my job, but also one of my religion classes. I can't remember the specific class, but I think it was a Bible lit class. We studied the book of Amos. Oh man, Amos is full of God's call for us to be socially just. I felt convicted to do something after learning this. I really felt and still feel like social work is where I fulfill that calling. (Other's can work on social justice issues in other ways--they do not have to be involved in the field of social work!) Frederick Buechner once wrote that "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meets." I love that quote about vocation. And, at this point, I have deep gladness helping low income families and individuals get a roof over their head and become stabilized in all areas of life. :) (Who knows maybe this will change and I think I have more than one area that taps my deep gladness, but I think it is okay for this to be a fluid idea. I also think this could be a completely different post. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this idea as well.)

RIP: Hat Trick

Well, our fish died yesterday. It was really struggling to swim before we left for church. By the time we got home it had died. Is it bad that I am not sad about this? We enjoyed our time we had with him. It was fun to watch him swim in his bowl. Joel did the royal flush last night. He wanted to flush a small Stanley Cup as well. What a funny husband I have.

The Mellons

Just to warn you this is going to be long!

Today, I am especially thankful for my mellons. I want to dedicate this post to my best friends--the mellons. I am so thankful for all of them. They have provided me with love and support. They have provided me with lots of laughter and memories.

First, you may ask yourself the question "What does she mean by mellons?" That is a legitimate question. (One of you, if I am wrong please correct me!) It happened one day while we were hanging out at the beach. One of us was reading Lord of the Rings. I think it may have been me, but as they can tell you I don't have the best memory. In Lord of the Rings the group has come upon a door that they needed to open. It had elvish writing on it. Tolkien decided to use the word Mellon for the elvish word for friend. So, who ever was reading it said that, and it has stuck with us ever since. I know we are nerds! Some of us have been friends since birth. Others have been friends since high school. We stayed close through out college--I truly believe the friendships were cemented the summer after freshman year in college due to the Bible Study Erin helped organize. Ever since then: we do a weekly email check in. We share our thanksgivings/praises, our prayer requests, and a story from the week. Mondays are not everyone's favorite day of the week, but there is a time on Monday does bring me great joy. I open up my email and see check-in's from my best friends.

Okay, so let me tell you something special about each friend:

1. Rebecca G./Meerlings--Rebecca and I grew up together. We went to the same church and have basically been friends since birth (we are only a few weeks apart in age). Rebecca is my go-to person when I need a nurse to talk to. Rebecca helped me a lot when Joel was studying in Honduras. I remember going to Brookside CRC with her on Sundays. She is an amazing person and has so much strength and love to give! Rebecca and I went to preschool together and graduated from Calvin College together!
2. Stephanie/Mungo--I talk to her almost weekly on the phone, sometimes more than that. She is the fellow social worker in the group. She will tell you about one time I didn't want her to come to my house when we were little, (I have known Steph since preschool), and my older brother made me play with her. I am so sorry for that. I can truly be myself around her. Mungo was a nickname that some other girl's came up with at school and it has stuck. She likes to have fun and get crazy, which I think the nickname Mungo captures and why it stuck. I have laughed so hard with her that my stomach hurts.
3. Melanie--I love Mel! She is another friend I have known since kindergarten. Melanie is probably the quiet one in our group. But, don't let that fool you. She loves to have fun. She enjoys the outdoors and hosts us at her parent's cottage. :) Her family has donkeys, which I think is awesome! Melanie is so insightful and she is so cute! One thing I remember about Melanie is that she put the idea of me and Joel being more than friends in my head. During our sophomore year chemistry class she predicted Joel and I would be married someday and that we'd be really cute together.
4. Bethany--Bethany and I became friends throughout high school, especially while working on the Echo, our high school newspaper. We'd spend hours after school working on layout. We were co-editors-in-chief during our senior year. Bethany is so intelligent. She is going to get her PhD and be famous in her field--I can feel it. (She may not all the time, but that is why she has us.) Did you know that Bethany dated Joel before me? Yup, and I still love her! Actually, Bethany is how Joel and I got reacquainted after our sophomore chemistry class. Thanks Beth!
5. Rebecca M. (wait--it is now B.) or as we like to call her G--G is so much fun. I became friends with her during high school. We were Dutch Dance partners. We had a lot of fun during those practices. (Maybe too much sometimes.) I will never forget making G a dream coat and singing "Go Go Go Garkus, you know what they say..." Yes, G is a shortened form of Garkus a name that stuck after Joel said it only once. She puts up with us very well for calling her that. :)
6. Erin--Like I mentioned a few days ago, Erin and I became friends during high school biology. We are both pretty certain that Dr. VanderKooy tried to sit us together--maybe not the first time, but totally the second time when we changed seats. We lived pretty close to each other, so often times when one of us needed to talk we would rush over to each other's house. We also did an astronomy project together for physics. I remember having fun with her when I spent the night at her house for this project. We drove all over Holland to measure the things in the sky. We have had some great conversations over the years!

I treasure these women with all my heart. They are women of faith. I admire who they have become since we first met.

Zephaniah 3:17 is a verse that we often share with each other during the good and the bad times. We found it during our Bible study. It has become one of my favorite Bible verses--not only because it is the Word, but also because it reminds me of how much God has blessed me through life with these incredible women.

"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love,

He will rejoice over you with singing."

To end here are some pictures of us through the years (they are in no particular order):

Aren, Me, Mungo, Mel, Meerlings, Dustin, G, and Joel playing dress up and no this wasn't Halloween.
Meerlings playing Apples to Apples
Mungo and Me.
Girl's Weekend in Chicago. (Meerlings, Beth, Erin, Mungo, Me, and Mel)
Girl's weekend in Chicago (Meerlings, Erin, Mungo, and Beth)
A fuzzy but fun picture of Beth and I.
My dutch dance partner, G, and I smelling the tulips.
Girl's Weekend in Baltimore (Erin, G, Mel, Mungo, Me and Meerlings)
Mel, Meerlings, and G. A fun picture of me, Meerlings, Mungo and Dustin. (We have this framed.)

Croquet. (Me, Meerlings, Mel, G, and Erin.)

I could say so much more about each of you and how you enriched my life, but this post is long enough. I love you girls! I wouldn't know what to do without you!

The Right to Vote

Hey all! I just wanted to post a picture that shows what I am thankful for today. (Not the most flattering picture of me--oh well.) Just so you know: we have an American Flag, but it is not hanging up. Puerto Rico was the closest we could come to an American Flag for a backdrop. Also, I was very disappointed that my polling place didn't have stickers. Therefore, my co-worker, Genevieve, made one for me.

To end: I respect everyone who voted today. I especially respect people who prayed and researched their decision. I respect who you voted for even if it wasn't the same person I voted for. And, I would ask the same of all of you.

My New Side List

I decided that since we are closing in on Thanksgiving (probably my favorite Holiday) I am going to make a list of things I am thankful for. So, each day I will add something to my list that is on the side of my blog. I hope this reminds you to also think about the things you are thankful for.

I won't do this each day, but today I need to explain who I am thankful for.

Erin has been one of my dearest friends since we sat next to each other in biology class at Holland Christian. (Dr. VanderKooy I thank you for this!) I still call her one of my best friends. We don't talk often, but I get a weekly email check-in from her( and my other best friends). I want to send a huge hug and my love to Erin, her husband Matt, and their new little baby girl.

They welcomed Lucy Ann into the world today. She was born around 10 am (EST). She weighed 7 lbs, 5 oz and was 20 inches long. I can not wait to meet the newest member of the Ehinger family and the Mellons. (I am sad that it won't be until Christmas). I am also happy to report that the email I received from Matt stated that mom and baby are doing well.

I love you, Erin, Matt, and Lucy!!

Vote

Joel and Julie are voting tomorrow. You should too!

Hat Trick: Miraculous Recovery or Hockey Season?

If you remember a while ago I stated that Hat Trick was on a diet, because he had gotten fat. Well, come to find out he wasn't fat. He was sick. He had a bacterial infection that caused him to bloat. He looked like he had a balloon growing in him. It was tempting to take a pin to it and see if he popped. But, I didn't do that, don't worry. It was also very translucent, so when the sun hit it, it would shine through. (We don't have any great pictures, but I hope you can imagine this). Once we found out that he was sick, he decided to feed him again. However, we read that it was unlikely that he would recover. Therefore, we were waiting for him to die. Is there Hospice care for fish?

But, the story of our fish has not ended. It seems like Hat Trick is getting better. The bulge has shrunken. Now, I have two theories. First, it is probably good that we started feeding him again and that we started changing the water more often. That is probably the more realistic reason. However, I would like to believe he rallied back to life and good health because the Red Wings needed him! He started getting better around the same time Hockey season kicked into full gear. I think he was just depressed that there wasn't any hockey happening over the summer. Now, he is almost back to himself. (Hopefully.)

Fall Happenings

Here are some pictures from our fall this far. Sorry, I haven't been great about updating. I have gotten busy.

Apple Picking!

Making Apple Dumplings! They may not look pretty, but they tasted good!! We also made apple pie, but I didn't get a picture of this.

Dog sitting for Mo and Justin. Hapa is his name. We enjoyed a nice walk in the fall weather while dogsitting.Getting my craft on! I got Joel's scarf done! We decorated for fall and I have more pictures of different crafts, but I cannot put them up here until after Christmas! Also, I am now knitting leg warmers for a friend that lives in Florida. Who would have thought someone in FL would need leg warmers.

Free Handbag

So, I told Joel the other day that I wanted to get a fashionable purse/handbag. Then I read Christia's blog about a free giveway contest from Handbag Planet. Here is the link: http://www.handbagplanet.com. They are giving a free hand bag away ever hour on their launch day. How cool is that!

A Joy-Filled Heart

Above are my sister's kids. Nick is a model--the minute I got the camera out he posed for me. Elizabeth never really stops moving. Nate was the lucky one that got to go to the parade with Grandpa, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Jeff.

Below are my brother's youngest two girls. Peyton is in the pictures on the top and Sydney is the one pictured in the bottom row. Sydney is going through a princess stage. She was wearing a blue tutu/princess skirt over top of her pants and a crown each time I saw her during the weekend. David even said that she sleeps with her crown on. Funny! Nate and Syd got a lot of candy at the parade, so she is showing me and protecting her pile in the bottom left picture. :)


This past weekend I got the opportunity to go home to Zeeland, MI. It was so needed. My pastor and his wife, Winnie, have a daughter who lives in Holland, MI (right next door to Zeeland). Heidi, their daughter, was getting installed as a pastor at a local church. So, Winnie went to that and I got to ride to MI with her. (Joel had to stay in Des Moines to study for a big test he had on Monday.) We had an enjoyable ride there and back. It was the first time I ever listened to any audio books while traveling. It was wonderful. I always thought I would fall asleep, but the story kept me awake and it made the time go fast. (We listened to some of my favorite series--The Chronicles of Narnia: Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Horse and his Boy and we made it 1/3 of the way into The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.)

I didn't do a whole lot all weekend, which is just what I needed. I just got to spend lots of time with my family. Including seeing all of my nieces and nephews. The only one I didn't get a picture of is Mariah. I had fun at the Pumpkin Parade with them and eating pizza with all of them afterwards. I also got to spend some time with my Grandma VanFarowe and my Grandpa and Grandma Koning. It was just a good time to see my family and spend a little quality time with them.

Tagged: 6 Quirks

Melanie tagged me. I guess I have to share with everyone 6 unspectacular quirks about myself. Here we go:


1. After praying and before eating the first bite of dinner I have to have a drink of water (or whatever we are drinking that evening).


2. I either need to read or talk to Joel before I fall asleep. It is a way for me to calm down and not think about the day I just had or will have the next day.


3. I don't like to fly. The first flight I ever went on was to Spain. Before I went Joel gave me a teddy bear, because he knew I was scared of flying. So, now whenever I fly (which doesn't happen a lot) I take Louis--that's what we named my bear. In the meantime I keep Louis in a little compartment behind my side of the bed.


4. I don't like my feet being touched.


5. I was allergic to dairy products when I was younger. I have grown out of that allergy, but still do not drink milk even with my cereal! So, I eat cereal dry and with a spoon, which is what Joel thinks is so funny.


6. I like to wear my stocking cap inside during the winter months. Sometimes, I am even tempted to sleep with it on, because to save money on utilities we try to keep the temperature in our house very low and I can't not sleep with my head under the covers (maybe that is a 7th quirk, I'm not sure.)

Who to tag? Steph, Amanda, Amy, and Christia.

Time Flies

Did you know that Joel and I have been together for 8 years today. Yes, September 30, 2000 was our very first date. I realized this fact when someone recently asked how long Joel and I have been together--dating and married. 8 years seems like such a long time, but really they have gone very fast. Time really does fly when you are having fun! I can't imagine my life without Joel.

The Farmers' Market

One of my favorite things to do in Des Moines is going to the downtown Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings. We had the pleasure of taking both sets of parents downtown to experience this as well. My parent's came out in May and went with us and a few weeks ago we brought Joel's parents. Below are some pictures from the Farmers' Market. When we went with Joel's parents peaches were in season. They were sooo good! We decided to do breakfast at the Farmers' Market, so Joel's mom and I each got a breakfast burrito (yummy!) and Joel and Joel's dad got El Salvadoran Papusas. We all enjoyed are selections immensly. The downtown Farmers' market is very large 7 blocks total!

The Neil Smith Wildlife Refuge

I have now been to the wildlife refuge three times in the past 6 months. I thought I would share with you three pictures to show you how the landscape changed over those months. I kind of wish I would have gone there once each month to see it change a little more gradually. But, these pictures are good none-the-less and I had fun each time I went. (This last time, Joel and I went with his parents. His parents visited last weekend.)

April

End of MaySeptember

Wildflowers

On our way to church last Sunday, I told Joel that I thought we needed to pick some wildflowers to put in our home. So, later that afternoon we went for a walk with a specific purpose. Here are some pictures of what we found on our walk.




Joel calls the one below: Ode to Van Gogh.