Shiny

Just as soon as I decided I would most likely wait until the end of winter to buy a car, here she is. Not quite an impulsive decision, I've been looking online and I saw this one a few weeks ago. Since it was at a dealership in Sheboygan, and I was home for Thanksgiving, my sister and I went for a test drive. And when I got back from the test drive we talked about numbers a bit, and then I was signing papers.

She's a good car. 2003 Mazda Protege5. The previous owner was a furniture salesperson, and the bumper of this car shows it. There are also a few dings on the side doors, but luckily, the dealership agreed to pay to have those taken out (which certainly affected my decision in buying). But if you step back and don't scrutinize over the little scratches, she's a pretty sharp looking car. I rationalize the scratches it comes with too --- this way the first bruise I inflict won't be the car's first minor injury, and perhaps I won't cry... as much.

Aside from the exterior imperfections, the car is in very good condition. Not a huge engine, but it's not a huge car, so it is able to do like the comercial says (zoom, zoom, zoom...)

It looks as though Buddy likes the car too... or he just likes the spotlight attention.

I intend to enjoy my new vehicle. If you ever need a ride, maybe you can enjoy it too :)

Jason's success (with help from dad)

I'm not going to say it's cheating, I suppose it's very similar to the way guys do "deer drives." The little bro Jason had a very successful deer season - a doe on Thursday and a buck on Friday, both nearing the hours of sunset. Dad helped-- he's been having combine troubles, and as a result some of the corn hadn't been harvested before this weekend. Since the deer like to roam about the corn fields (lots of food and great camoflauge), Jason sat in the woods just beyond the edge of the corn field, waiting for the combine to scare the deer out of the corn rows. He had success both times, Dad chased a good-sized doe out on Thursday afternoon and a 10-point buck on Friday. The picture is of the buck (obviously), and I apologize to anyone who doesn't like looking at dead animals.



In other news, Jason's dog Buddy had some eye troubles in the past month. You can see from the picture that his eye hasn't fully recovered, but believe me, it looks much better. 2 weeks ago when I was home his inner eyelid was sewn shut to help the healing process. But don't be deceived, through it all, he's remained as energetic and happy as any year-old golden retriever ever has been.

Weddings, weddings, weddings

One more post for today, and it is about yet another wedding.

Liza Ann Semph is the next to take the leap into married life. Enjoy a few photos of the preparation period :)



Liza and Colin, the adorable fiances.

Bridal Shower time.

And again with the group photo.

Erin Otte-Meyer

Another "Sheboygan Falls Girl" is off and married. My tribute to Erin, who met Justin when we were still at Sheb Falls High School.



Eating at the Cheesecake Factory in Milwaukee as a las hoorah with "the girls" (or were we in Waukesha...?). Erin's cheesecake came specially decorated.



Then came the wedding. October 28th, a beautiful fall day. The ceremony was at Camp Y-Koda, reception at none other than Rangeline Inn. If you're a Sheb Falls native, these places sound so very familiar and homey :)




And what would a wedding be if the "Falls Girls" of the class of 2001 didn't pose for a group picture?

Only 3 months later...

I'm obviously behind on the blogging. Here's some pictures of my family at the County Fair back in September.Drill Team -- My baby sister Jolene is riding the 4th horse from the right in this pinwheel.


More Drill Team. They are an impressive group of riders.


Jolene and Dapper doing their best to be quick around the barrels.


My cousin Andrea showing in the "Farmer Bud" -- a just-for-fun show for kids 8 years old and younger. Jason is helping "lead" the calf around.


Jason and Becky all schnazzy with the cows getting ready to go in for the futurity show. (For those of you who aren't in the cow showing world-- these are cows we entered for this show when they were calves in 2003. They are 3 year-old cows, in their second year of producing milk. The idea is to be able to pick out calves in your herd who will be show quality after halving had 2 calves of their own.)


Becky on the halter. She's leading a good cow - nice milk producer - but not the fancy type of show cow you hope for. She received 22nd place out of 28 or so. Not bad when you saw all the nice looking animals in the ring.


This is the real beauty (and Jason's pretty handsome, too). 9th place. Even if you don't know cows, I bet you can tell she's a real looker. :)

oh my

It's been a while since I've posted, so to get things started again here are some tidbits of information I saw in "the Skinny" of the Wisconsin State Journal.

BAE, a Brittish weapons manufacturer, has begun planning a new range of "environmentally friendly" weapons, including lead-free bullets because lead "can harm the environment and pose a threat to people." The company also aims to make "quieter" warheads to cut noise pollution and "eco-friendly" rockets.

Brittish Department of Education announces plan to teach Shakespeare in text messaging so children can better to it.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

things that change

I realized the other day, that my freshmen students were between the ages of 9 and 10 when the WTC towers were attacked 5 years ago. That isn't very old... 4th grade. Granted, I was just freshly 19 on the day of the attack, but it happened at such a crucial time in my life and definitely had a huge impact on who I became during my college years. For me, living in a time of war is a new development, though I do have vague memories of watching news reports from operation dessert storm. But for my students, being a country at war has been the reality for about 1/3 of their lives, and it doesn't seem like we'll be able to get out any time soon.

It just makes me think -- the attacks of 9/11 changed me. But my students? The world around them changed while they were in the early stages of becoming who they will be. Even now, as freshmen in high school, they are still a few years (or more) away from being rooted into an identity. While I wittnessed a culture and world change, it may almost seem like the world has always been this way to them. Just like I remember the Berlin Wall coming down when I was in elementary school, I don't really remember what the world was like while the wall still stood. Or before George Bush Sr. was president. Or name any other thing that happened in the late 80s.

It's interesting, I think. Enough that I thought it was worth writing about.

so am I young or old?

Interesting stage of life that I'm in. I'm old enough that my body is starting to wear out, yet I still get those occasional breakouts that are oh so familiar to teenagers.

My chiropractor tells me that if it hurts to sit cross-legged, then I shouldn't sit cross-legged. It actually doesn't hurt to sit that way -- in fact I find it to be a very comfortable way to sit. It's the uncrossing and standing up that hurts. It's awesome. (note the sarcasm) I feel like my grandma. I have to stand up slowly and endure a little pain as my knees adjust to supporting my body again.

There are actually many ways I'm caught between young and old. Talk with my 14-year-old students: feel old. Talk with my colleagues: feel young. Talk with college students: feel old. Think about starting grad school: ... yeah that one makes me feel old somehow too.

That brings up another interesting topic. Grad school. It's settled that I'll be taking a class this fall, but what that class will be is still up in the air. I need to email some professors. There's another situation where I feel young: interacting with professors. Maybe it's not necessarily 'young,' perhaps naive, uninformed, or out of place. It'll get better. At least that's what I tell myself.

I am going to leave you now to do some reading that is of my own pleasure. The "real" school work starts tomorrow, and I will have to say goodbye to much of the time I have been using to do "my things." I'm glad to be going back, though. I was in the building today for a few hours, and it energizes me in a way. That's always a reassuring sign that you're doing the right thing for this moment in life. (Being in the building also made me realize how much there is to get done in the next couple days, but that comes with the job).

parenthood of a different kind

Being responsible for the care of 2 cats has made me realize how much having pets can make you feel like a parent. It has been very apparent to me this past year that Sophie believes I am her mother, or at least has adopted me as her mother. But it wasn't until recently when I walked into the apartment and was greeted by two furry faces that I realized how much it warmed my heart to be around these two.


And dare I say that I love them? I worry about their health and I enjoy watching them play. I can list off their usual habits and the idiosyncracies that make them each unique. Me... the person who often wants to tell the owner that is pampering a pet, "it's just an animal," and knows the life expectancy of most pet spieces so that when one passes on I can say "it lived a long time."

Now yes, I've always enjoyed the company of animals, and I've even felt quite attached to a few. There's even been a cow that I really missed when she died. Currently, I feel I have a special connection with one of my parents' dogs Comet. But Sophie and Miles bring it to another level. Perhaps it's because they are the first pets I've actually shared living quarters with. Probably more so is the knowledge that I am responsible for these critters.

So, as my sister and I say, I really am a "kitty-mommy" now. Maybe its those maternal instincts sneaking in again, telling me that if I don't have a real kid right now, maybe adopting these furry ones isn't half so bad.


Did I just write another whole post about the cats? Yes, I believe I did. I start real work tomorrow! It's genious how it works out, really. After teaching summer school, I spend about 2-3 weeks out of a real job, which is just enough time for me to get really bored and ready to go back to work!

Another New Baby

Another addition to the parent's farm -- meet Sierra's filly...

basking in the sunlight


sticking close to mom

I now have an internet connection set up in my apartment, so possibly I will post more often. I also don't have a lot going on right now (hence the posts about the recent animal additons to my mom's clan), but school duties begin this coming tuesday!

Amazing, really

I think they may have broken some kind of record.

Sophie and Miles, after only one week of living together, tolerate each other to the point that they will eat next to each other separated by a measly foot of space. They also chase one another around the apartment in a friendly manner with no hissing or scratching.

For two cats who both assumed him/herself to be the king/queen of the world, I'm impressed.

Strange cat

I think the picture speaks for itself.

Mom's new baby

Those of you who know my mother know that she can't resist anything cute and cuddly. This includes babies, young children, and furry critters of all kinds. And if you really know my mother, you know that if that cute and cuddly creature is in need (sick, wounded, or just without a home), mom will do everything in her power to make the situation better. So during my life time we've nursed kittens, puppies, birds, goats, calves, guinea pigs, rabbits, and a rodent I still don't know the name of back to health. We've also adopted animals of all types to live on our farm, and more recently, to live in our house.

The newest addition to the family is a pocket-sized puppy. She's a mix of a few small dogs, and as a result, she looks like a miniature beagle with a long body. Adorable? Why yes, yes she is. But go ahead and check her out for yourself--

Leaving the cockroaches behind

Moving time has finally arrived. I'm transferring my belongings from my roach-filled apartment to my new, sunny, spacious 3-bedroom in a quiet Madison neighborhood. Doing my best to make sure no stowe-aways come with me, but I've already spotted (and annihilated) 2 of the nasty little bugs in my new room. My new landlord is going to spray the apartment, so hopefully any of them that manage to transfer with me won't have time to reproduce.

Other exciting things that accompany this move -- Miles the cat! My friends Tim and Jessica are leaving for Israel this Saturday. They will be there for a year as Tim attends school in Jerusalem on a scholarship (he is a graduate student in Hebrew Bible). Since Miles couldn't go with them, he's spending the year with me and Sophie. How are the kitties getting along, you ask? Well, they are choosing not to. The apartment is big enough that they have been able to avoid seeing each other. Miles is still unsure of the place, so he spends most of his time under furniture. Sophie, being the princess that she is, made herself at home as soon as we walked in the door. She's enjoying running around the large rooms and sitting in the window watching people, birds, squirrels and sunshine. We've only been in the apartment since Saturday, so the cats still need more time to get acquainted. Sophie seems like she would like to play with Miles, but currently he has no intention of coming out from under my dresser.

Speaking of furniture, I'm excited about my new desk. I found it at a garage sale for $5. It had been a child's desk, so I had some sticker-peeling and crayon sanding to do, but after painting it like my dresser, I'd say it looks pretty dern schnazzy. You can decide for yourself :)

Casas por Cristo - Juarez, Mexico

This past June 10-17 I went with 40 other people from Blackhawk Church to Juarez, Mexico. We left at about 6am on Saturday, June 10, and rode on a coach bus for about 30 hours to a hotel in El Paso, Texas. There we got to rest in air conditioning, enjoy nice showers and comfortable beds, and take a dip in the pool.

The next morning (Monday) we loaded up vans that we rented with supplies we had brought with us from Wisconsin and some that we purchased in El Paso. We drove accross the border and unloaded our things into a church that we stayed at for the week. Then it was off to pick up our tools from the Casas' headquarters and our two teams each went to their work sites to begin the build. One team built a 3-room house for a family of 5, and the team I was on built a Sunday school building for a church.

Monday's work consisted of evening out the ground of the build site, building a frame for the concrete slab, and mixing and pouring the concrete (all by hand). We had an electric cement mixer, but shortly after starting to pour cement, it broke. We were able to rig it up in such a way that it continued to work, but for fear of it breaking again we were only mixing half-size loads. This, as you can imagine, was taking much longer than it should have. So a few of us began mixing cement by hand in a wheelbarrow to speed the process along. At about 10:30pm, we were finally done pouring our slab and headed back to the church in Juarez to shower and sleep.

Tuesday's work was to build the wall and roof frames. The day's work was hindered by a tempermental generator that decided not to run at all for the day, so 2x4's all needed to be cut to length with hand saws. But, by lunch/siesta time the wall frames were assembled and up, after siesta we attached blackboard to the exterior of the building while others insulated the interior, and in the dusk the last nails were pounded to attach the roof frames.Wednesday was the day we hoped to have the building completed. Plywood, tarpaper, and a thick green roofing paper went on the roof. We nailed chicken wire to the blackboard so that the stucco had something to hold to. Sheetrock went onto the interior walls and ceiling. Some of the electrical work was completed. And into the evening hours we applied stucco to the outside of the building. We left at about 9:30pm with just a little more to complete the next morning.
Thursday morning we put finishing touches on the sheetrock, electrical, and cleaned up the site. Around 11am we had a dedication with the pastor of the church, his family, and a few of the congregation members. A boy that had been hanging around the site all week named Benito became a friend of mine, even though we were mostly unable to verbally communicate. He was sad to see us go, and he exchanged his metal bracelet for my 'ONE' bracelet (see picture of us). We didn't get to interact with the mexican people much during our stay, but those that we did spend time with were truly amazing and have a special place in my heart.

Thursday afternoon we went to a market. It was basically a tourist market, but I purchased a nice wool blanket. That evening the church we stayed in held a special service for us. Lucky for us, one of our team members is fluent in spanish and translated so we were able to overcome the language barrier. Music, however, went untranslated and we experienced the unity of the church across cultures as those around us sang words we did not understand, but we felt the presence of the spirit and worshipped with them just the same.

Friday morning we packed up the vans and headed back across the border. We borded the bus again in El Paso, and 30 hours later (Saturday afternoon) we were back in Madison and headed to our own showers and beds.

The trip was so short, yet so worth it. We built two buildings, and had our souls refueled by the service of our hands, the community within our group, and the people of Juarez we met.

Starting this up again

Greetings to those who are reading this blog. I haven't posted anything for a year, and I came to realize I do have a few interesting things from this summer that would be worth writing about. The next few posts will all have the same date or dates within a few days, but they are about the things that have happened in the past couple months. Enjoy and thanks for reading :)