Happy Birthday!

Today is a good day for a birthday. My big brother, Shane, turned 35 today. I looked around on my computer, but couldn't find any photos that were too embarrassing. Here is one from this summer. Shane is the brother on the left with his little girl, Kelli (Wade is the brother on the right with his little girl Kyrstin). Happy Birthday, Shane, I am proud of you!

It is also my buddy from Japan, Keiko's Birthday today. Happy Birthday Keiko-chan! I miss you and can't wait to see again.

A Visit From Mom and Dad

Surprise! Mom called last Thursday to tell us that they were coming on Sunday. Dad had doctor appointments in Washington DC last week. He had developed a rash that the medical team was concerned about and they wanted to see him back in a week. Instead of going all the way home to Alaska they flew to Seattle for a few days with Shane's family. Sunday night they flew to Boise to see us for a few days. It has been a lot of fun to have them here. The kids and grandparents have been eating it up. Here are a few photos of the fun thanks to Misty.

Photography Plans

About a year and a half ago I decided to quit my job and move to Boise. Part of that choice was that I wanted to be a part of my sister's life as she was having twins. When I left Alaska I was asked many times if I was going to go back to school or look for a different type job. My response... "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up." Nearly two years later I think I know what I want to be when I grow up. Well, at least for this next stage of my life. I want to go into photography. I am not sure what type or what that will look like, but I am making plans.

In doing some research last winter I came across Rocky Mountain School of Photography. I was intrigued and discovered that they had weekend workshops throughout the spring. So I talked Misty into going to a weekend workshop in Oregon in January. Then RMSP came to Boise in April for a digital focused weekend workshop. The weekend in April provided an opportunity to talk to other photographers who attended RMSP's Summer Intensive career training program. I heard great things about the program. At that point I decided that unless something major came up, I would try to attend the Summer Intensive 2008 program. This program begins in June and will finish in October. When I am finished I should be a professional photographer with skills and knowledge enough to start my own business.

I fully expect that the summer will be very intense, with classes 6 days a week. But I am so excited about all the experiences and knowledge that the school will offer. I will keep you posted as my plans progress.

Thoughts for Today

It was fun to read everyone's comments about my haircut. But I was looking through some old photos last night and had the realization that I think I have had this haircut before. I wore it curly today and sure enough I could go back 5 years or so and that was the same hair. Not really what I had hoped for, but I suppose that the older you get the more times that you tend to repeat.

Mom and Dad are coming to visit. They arrive tonight and Misty and I were laughing about how much concentrated cleaning can get done when your parents are coming to visit. I am happy to report that their bed has clean sheets and the camper is ready and waiting.

The big news is that I have ordered a new lens for my camera. I am quite excited about the Canon 50mm prime lens. All the research I have done has pointed to prime lenses. This will be my first. I will let you how it goes.

A Haircut

I had a great friend that used to cut my hair in Alaska. When I went to have my hair cut it was partly for the great cut and partly for catching up with a friend. Then I moved away. It is hard to work up the nerve to trust someone new with your hair and the awkward silences that come with someone new in your personal space. So when I moved here I avoided getting my hair cut at all for about 9 months-- with the exception of chopping my own bangs. The first thing I did when I went back to Alaska for a visit was to go see my friend for a haircut. It has now been another 6 months and my hair has been driving me crazy. So this afternoon I went into a salon nearby and hoped for the best. I wanted a new style and much shorter. Here were the results. Not too bad, I think. It will take a little getting used to because I have had much longer hair for the last few years. And I typically wear it curly, but they wanted to straighten it for the cut. It looks pretty good straight. I just don't think I will take the time on most days.

Family Photo

Two weeks ago Misty and I got the opportunity to take Casey and Rhonda's family photos. This is one of my favorite snapshots. Probably not the one that will be on everyone's Christmas cards, but one of my favorites.

The Challenge

Two weeks ago my good friend, Kim, issued me a challenge: to blog with her every day for the month of November. I thought it quite a stiff challenge, but one that I couldn't pass up. So you should have something new on my blog every day this month. And don't forget to check out Kim's blog for something new every day.

Kim lives in Japan and thus had to start this challenge a few hours (15) head of me. So in reading her first blog I discovered that this isn't just us. There is a NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) and there are thousands of people out there stepping up to this same challenge. They even have a web site that I am now an official member. Who knew these people were out there?!

Enjoy the posts and snapshots of my journey for November 2007.

This picture was taken a year and a half ago when my friend Lorrie and I visited Kim in Japan. Some very sweet Japanese ladies fed us some delicious traditional food. Kim is at the head of the table.

October

The kids are a lot of fun these days. Katie and Joe are trying to talk. In the last week Katie has learned to say, "No! No! No! Mine!," and run away. We are pretty sure she learned this from Lizzy. Joe feels that my breakfast is his second breakfast. I usually eat about 30 minutes after the kids and Joe hurries right over to climb on my lap for some bites of mine. We like to call Lizzy the cruise director because she is always trying to tell us what we are to do next. All in all they make us laugh quite a lot.

This weekend Peter, Misty and the kids went to Oregon to visit friends. I had the weekend entirely to myself. It has been awhile since I had that much time alone. But it was very good to be quiet, read, hike, drive, take pictures and enjoy a beautiful fall weekend.

Here are a few of my favorites

Some Favorites

This fall has been on the cold side. There have been a few nice days. A couple of weeks ago I wondered through Kathryn Albertson park that is a couple of blocks from the house. Here are a few of my favorites.

My Automotive Saga

I promised in my last blog that I would fill you in on the fun that is my car. I purchased my little ghetto car, as I like to call it, last August. When I bought it the salesman told me that it would need a new clutch eventually. I bought it anyway (and have regretted it more than once in the last year). Now my little car has taken me a lot of miles. Last October it took me nearly 7,000 miles across the US from Idaho to Tennessee, Kansas to Minnesota and all the states in between. It did fine and never failed me along the way.

What do I regret about my car? That I hastily bought a stick shift. It was a bit of a nostalgic buy. I have had two stick shifts in my past. One I shared with my brother in high school. The second was a little silver VW Rabbit that I took to my freshman year of college. As some of you might remember, it had an untimely demise when it went bumper to bumper with a 1972 Cadillac. I really liked that little car. But it couldn't be revived after that collision. Now, having driven an automatic for nearly 15 years, I have become lazy and get irritated with having to shift and think about driving. This was especially true as my clutch got worse and worse.

One year after I bought my car I decided that it was time to fix that clutch that was looming over my head. I had nightmares that it was going to strand me somewhere. So I took it in to a reputable shop that supports Young Life. A week later and a very large bill... larger than I anticipated, I have to admit... I had my car back in working order. One always tends to just take the hit on a repair like that and then shrug it off knowing that you won't have to spend that kind of money on your car again for sometime. A hasty assumption.

About two weeks later I was excited that my good buddy, Lorrie, was coming to town. I stopped to have the air checked in my tires because they seemed low. They were and the tire shop quickly aired them up. But then my car refused to start. That had never happened before. My car always started. The tire guys were helpful and tried to hook up a battery pack, but it didn't work. I was in a hurry, so remember my stick shift in high school and all my experience with a nearly dead battery for over a month. I asked the guys to push me so I could pop the clutch. The one very nice thing about a clutch. So it started up and I didn't think twice about it. I should have known that it foretold more car fun.

Lorrie and I hung out in Boise for a day. That day I took the time to get the oil changed in my car. Then we loaded up and headed for the mountains. We were excited about exploring. The first morning there we jumped in my car and headed to town to find a tasty breakfast. About 5 miles from our cabin there was an unnerving sound and then the sinking realization that I have a flat tire. This feeling tends to herald a bad day and I have to admit I struggled to have a good attitude for the next few days. So what do two out of town girls do when you are on the side of the road with a flat tire? Call your sister, of course. Misty got me a phone number for the roadside assistance in the area, but also told me to just do it myself. Right... I have seen tires changed before, but have no desire to change one myself. If I was forced to, I am sure I could. But all other avenues had not been explored.

When our handsome rescuer came to change our tire (thanks Lorrie for documenting) it took him almost 20 minutes just to get the donut out of the trunk. It seems water had leaked in and rusted the bolt that held the donut on. He finally got the bolt to move by clamping onto it with his bolt cutters. --side note... see there was no way I would have been able to do that, so it was good that I called in the cavalry first, instead of last-- So the tire finally came off and this is what we found. One tire ruined... fantastic (note the large nail and three holes in the sidewall).

So we drove the 20 minutes to the nearest town with a tire shop. They informed me that because I have all wheel drive and had worn down the tread a certain amount, I had to buy 4 new tires. Talk about pouring salt into the wound. There was no way around it... we even called parents to confirm this suspicious information. Sigh. At this point we had totally missed breakfast and there was nothing to do but have new tires put on my car and go have french fries. Regret number two on hastily buying my car. Never again will I buy an all wheel drive. And you can all hold me to that.

After picking up the car we finally got around to that exploring part of our weekend. It was good for my spirits to get out in the woods and focus on some fall foliage rather than the fact that I had just spent more than half the entire cost of my original purchase in two weeks worth of car related expenses.

But wait, it doesn't end here. On the way home my car started randomly not starting again. I knew I couldn't ignore that. I can ignore funny sounds, but not silence. So back to the shop again. I explained to my mechanic all that had happened, all the funny sounds, and that my car really needed to start. A week later and more money, I had my car back. The crank shaft sensor was going out. Then they explored the other noises and claimed that it was a heat shield that was loose. I smiled and paid the money. But the wierd noise is still there and I can't spend any more money on this saga. So I can live with the noises.

How many ways can you spend money on a car in three weeks time? Clutch $$$$, Oil Change $$, New Tires $$$, Roadside Assistance $$$, Crankshaft sensor and other noises $$$. I just hope I only have to pay for gas for another year.

Lorrie and the Mountains

Last October I had the awesome opportunity to go on a month long road trip. I was able to visit many family and friends across the US. One of those stops was to see my college roommate Lorrie in Jefferson City, MO. This year Lorrie came to visit me. It was great to have someone make to trip out here. I had to work a little. (Follow up from the golf tournament... which went very well, by the way) But I was also able to borrow a cabin in the mountains for the weekend. So Lorrie and I drove north to Donnelly. We hung out in front of the fireplace eating chocolate, watching girl movies, and catching up on life. We drove around soaking in the scenery (when the car cooperated) It started raining on Friday afternoon and by Saturday morning we woke up to the mountain peaks around us dusted with snow. Winter is well on its way in the mountains of Idaho. I brought my camera along and here are a few of the fun photos from our adventure.

Poor Lorrie. Be warned that if you ever go with me when I am hunting a good shot, you may end up as Lorrie did. Sitting and contemplating trees while I crawl around in the forest or spend quality time with a flower, leaf or pond. Thanks, Lorrie!

PS Stay tuned for another post on the saga that is my car and the fun Lorrie and I had with it while adventuring.

Golf & Fall

Golf has been the main topic of my world. I never thought golf or golf tournaments would be a part of my experience. But next Monday Young Life has one of our biggest fundraisers - a golf tournament. I know very little about golf and even less about golf tournaments. So it has been quite a learning experience to say the least.

Fall has arrived with its cool days and even colder nights. This week has been below normal and I am really hoping for some warmer days next week. My good friend Lorrie is coming to visit me for a few days next week. It will be a good break after the craziness of the golf tournament. I was hoping to mke it up to the mountains for a little photo shoot, but I am not sure that I can fit it in this weekend.

Thank you to all who have been asking about my dad and praying for him. He started his latest treatement trial this week. You can read more about it on their blog.

Labor Day Weekend

Last weekend I ventured back to Wildhorse Canyon in Oregon for a Young Life leader weekend. This was a retreat for leaders, volunteers, and staff of the Idaho and Seattle regions.


The best part of the weekend was the surpise of having an unexpected friend there! I had a blast renewing a frienship with Leslie. We met about 4 years ago as mutual friends of Joani Kroon Curtis. Leslie is a Young Life leader in Seattle. I hung out in the afternoons with her and her fellow leaders from Seattle. We had a lot of fun taking advantage of the zip lines, climbing walls, giant swing (in which they wench 3 people up on a giant swing about 50 feet in the air and you pull a rip cord... quite an adrenaline rush) and pool. The weather was perfect! Sitting on the deck of of the Sassy (the Sasparilla is the snack bar) with your feet up and visiting with friends... it doesn't get much better than that. We also had some seminars and club meetings about ministry and all aspects of Young Life. It was really a very fun and relaxing weekend.

Twilight Criterium

The Twilight Criterium is a bicycle race in downtown Boise in July. The women's race starts around 6:30pm and they make 50 laps around a marked course in downtown (about 6 blocks, I think). The men's race follows with 80 laps. As I sat on the curb I estimated that every 3 minutes the racers would whiz by again. I spent several hours walking around practicing my photography. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the evening. (note the 'Do Not Walk' signal in the first photo)

Another Post!

It's like Christmas! Two posts in one day.

The month of July sped by so quickly. Pam Kroon came down to Boise to visit Teagan and we had a lot of fun catching up, checking out the Saturday Market and floating the Boise River. It was so good to see faces from home. The last weekend of July my friend Janelle invited me up to McCall for the weekend with her family. Her mom has a ranch up there and they go for the weekend quite often. It was a very relaxing weekend of hiking, reading and just being still. Here are a few pictures from that weekend. Little Elliott has been my model since he arrived a few months ago. Once a month we set up a photo shoot. It has been good for me to practice my photography. I got a few good shots dispite the smoke from the forest fires.

The end of July I was asked to go to a middle school camp because they really needed leaders. It really wouldn't be a complete summer if I didn't spend at least part of it with a group of crazy teenagers. I left August 7th and came home the 11th. My first Young Life camping experience and I must say that I am quite impressed. It was an amazing week with a great group of kids. It just felt right pouring into kids and speaking truth into thier lives. I have missed that. I will probably end up working with this group of middle schoolers during the school year this year. Which is very exciting to me... I know call me crazy.

In other news, I lived with some friends for two months this summer and because they lived so far away from my jobs, I was spending a lot of money on gas. So I am officially back in the camper in Misty and Peter's back yard. We'll have to wait and see where God lands me next in this journey.

PS for those of you who have been keeping up with my family, Dad's cancer has gotten worse. They have started a blog if you would like to read about the details. Click here for their blog.

Here I am again

Greetings to all of my faithful followers. I must appologize again for neglecting my blog. Many of you have told me that you keep checking and there is nothing. Sorry about that. I just haven't taken the time to write much of anything lately... not even emails. So I am going to make an August resolution... something like a new year's resolution... that I will work on taking the time to write.

I can't believe the last post was in June. So much has happened this summer. I am getting married... haha just checking to see if you were paying attention. Nope, haven't even had a date. So that should answer aboug 50% of everyone's questions.

Over the week of the 4th of July I had a blast being with my family in South Dakota for reunions. It is amazing to think about the fact that 7 years ago our family was just 6 and now we have nearly tripled in number and the 8 neices and nephews nearly out number us. I had so much fun loving on the kids and being super auntie.

Blogging

There have been numerous times over the last month that I have thought to myself, “I should blog about that”. But alas, it has not happened… until now. I will attempt to catch you up on all the blog-worthy items in my life.

1) Misty, Peter and I took the kids camping. This was quite a monumental task and one that was worth it. One morning two weeks ago we loaded up the suburban (with A LOT of stuff), buckled the kids in and headed into the mountains. We made several discoveries on this little adventure. First of all, the babies seem to get car sick. This is note worthy as to all the stuff we had to clean up when we made it home and because they have a rather long road trip ahead of them the end of this month. So Misty is hoping that baby Dramamine is an option. Secondly, the kids LOVE being outdoors. They enjoyed the little walks around the campground and playing in the stream that was nearby. Thirdly, Misty and Pete don’t get much sleep when Joe screams in the night until they put him in bed with them and then no one sleeps much. All in all, it was a lot of fun to take the kiddos on a little adventure and to get away from town for a couple of days.

2) I finished up house sitting. I had a great place for 6 months and the owner was coming home. About a month ago a couple that I had met through Young Life asked if I would be interested in renting the upstairs of their large house. So last weekend I packed up and moved into their house. Wendy and Eric are really great people and I am looking forward to spending time with them. One of the interesting things about the house is that it is located out in the country in a fancy sub division/community. It is nice but more than doubles my commute to work. But at the same time it is a beautiful drive. I will try to snap a picture of Wendy and Eric for you one of these days.

3) Young Life has been busy with summer camp fundraising. I have also begun to work on some grant writing for them. I am actually quite excited about this new challenge. I know I can write so it will be fun to try this new skill. I have to say that it is very different to work for a non-profit and have to be very aware of where your money is coming from. And things are very tight right now so we are moving on faith that the summer months will not take us into deficit and reduced salaries. If you think of it, pray that the funds for our ministry will be provided for.

Well, I think that about says it all. Thanks to my faithful readers who keep checking to find out if I have actually updated this crazy journal. Maybe one day I will get back into a more consistent routine.

PS I wrote this blog on the 14th. Since that time the twins had their first birthday party. Keep watching the Neisen Times for some great photos.

Happy Birthday to Me

It was so wonderful to be back up in Alaska again. I couldn’t help but smile at each glimpse of the magnificent mountains that are everywhere up there. And I couldn’t help but feel loved as each hug from a dear friend. The high light of my trip was the time spent with my good friends in sweet conversation and laughter. I love you guys!

The first few days were non-stop catching up with all of my dear friends. There were so many new babies to meet and happenings to catch up on. My Bunko friends even postponed their normal bunko night so that I could celebrate my birthday with them. I was also able to hang out with ‘my girls’ (the high school girls I have been privileged to lead since they were little 6th graders). It is so strange to have them all driving! I was able to go to church and hug more people. But one of the best events of the trip was my dad's retirement from the military. They even gave me flowers for being there. It was a special event to get to be apart of... I am proud of you dad!

The weather was a bit chilly. Spring had just arrived as the ice went off the lakes just days before I arrived and the trees were budding out the week I was there. Summer will be exploding in Alaska any day now.

Over all it was a great trip and definitely a blessed way to spend my birthday. It is hard to believe that I have been gone nearly a year now. And just as hard to believe the life that has started forming here. I am not sure what I was expecting—or even if I had expectations… but it is good.

And I was able to get a little shooting in... here is one of my favorites of the old tug boat at Knik Lake.

Studing for the ACT

The last couple of weeks I have been studying for the ACT test... I know, I know. I never thought I would have to take it again. After all, I have already graduated from college and I am not planning to go back (well not yet anyway). The reason for taking the college entrance exams at this point in my life... money. The tutoring center I work part time for offers test prep tutoring and to qualify to tutor the ACT's (and get paid a little more for it) I had to pass above a 27 (out of 36). I took the Reading and English on Thurday evening. And I am happy to report that I passed! It is quite a relief to know that my college education was not in vain.

Last weekend Misty and I were able to go to another photography weekend workshop put on my Rocky Mountain School of Photography (in Boise this time). This workshop was a digital weekend and I learned so much about working with digtal photography. I am exited about all the photo possibilities that are ahead of me. The only bummer about learning so much about photography is that it makes me want new and better equipment. So I am working on my photo wish list if anyone wants to donate to my favorite hobby.

I am heading up to Alaska this week. My birthday present to myself this year is to go home to my beloved Alaska and the wonderful friends I have there. And as a bonus, I will get to help Mom with Dad's retirement party and be home for mother's day. I am sure the days will be very full.

I will fill you all in on my adventures soon!

Oklahoma in Moscow

Last weekend I got the opportunity to go up to the University of Idaho to see my friend Teagan Kroon in Oklahoma! He had an awesome perfomance as Will Parker. Not only was his performace great, but I got to see my good friends Joani and Mark Curtis (Teagan's cousin) who flew over for the weekend. It was good to get out of town, have a little road trip and hang out with awesome people.

For an excellent description of the performance see Joani's blog.

PS Anita this one's for you

April

It is hard to believe that it is April already and that Easter has come and gone. Friday and Saturday of Easter weekend were in the 70's. It was awesome! Misty and I weeded her garden, prep'ed it, and planted some seeds. It has been a long time since I did a vegetable garden. But it was fun and Lizzy had a blast playing in the dirt. We took Lizzy to an Easter Egg scramble (the same one as last year... boy has she grown up). This is her studying the competition.

The twins are getting big (10 months now). They are both crawling. Joe has 5 teeth and Katie none. They are good babies, but keep mom hopping when Lizzy is demonstrating that she is 2 and a half.

I am doing well. Young Life is lots of fun and keeps me on my toes. It is a little bit different type of ministry than I have done in the past, but it is great what they do for kids.

My tutoring job fits nicely in the evenings. I have mostly been tutoring jr high and high school students that are struggling. They are fun kids and it is neat to watch them improve. I feel blessed that I was able to find two jobs that work so well together and still allow me the flexiblity to help Misty when she needs an extra hand.

Next weekend I head up to Moscow, ID for Teagan Kroon's theater performance of Oklahoma and to hang out with Mark and Joani (Kroon) Curtis. I am looking forward to that drive through central Idaho mountains and the Kroon time I will get to enjoy. Hopefully I will be able to post a picture of Teag in his white fur chaps and cowboy boots with taps on them... I can't wait!

Signs of Spring

I know I have been negligent in my blog. My apologies.

Thing have been busy in the last few weeks. Young Life had their big banquet fundraiser last weekend. It was my first banquet and I was quite busy the week before and after. It was a great turnout and we were totally blessed by the response. The awesome ministy of Young Life will be able to continue here in Boise.

The second reason I have for not writing much is the Spring-like weather. I have officially started wearing my flip flops every day and pulled out my capris. We have had at least 5 days of 70+ degree weather. The daffidils are blooming and my neighbors have started mowing their lawn. I love spring!

And I got to see good friend Teagan Kroon last weekend. Fun to see a friend from home.

The best news of the day is that I get to go to Alaska for my birthday! I bought my tickets today and I am so excited to see all those I love!