Merry Christmas!

I haven't blogged in a long time- I don't even know if anyone checks this thing anymore....(let me know if you do)... but I wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone! I also wanted to share a few recent pictures of our sweet Bekah. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From all of us to all of you- MERRY CHRISTMAS!

At the request of a good friend...

A very good friend of mine asked me to blog today. So, at that friend's request, I am blogging. Many of you have noticed that I haven't been blogging lately, and that I seem "different somehow." I guess for now, I will just ask you all to remember me in your prayers and let's leave it at that. Thanks to everyone who reads so regularly...

Hopefully, I will be able to blog again soon.

Until then,

Conni

TOO CUTE!

This picture was taken in Phoenix this past weekend. How cute are they? It's hard to believe that AJ is 5 and Mia is already 3! Mia likes to call Uncle Jason "doggy." SO CUTE!

sorry...

sorry for the lapse in time since my last post... i am home from vacation (it was awesome!), and there is just a ton going on, so I don't have much time to blog. I will catch up with you all soon!

AHH- Time for a little vaca...

Ah... it's a good life

Jason is living it up tonight.

He said, "It doesn't get much better than this... Imo's pizza, hot wings, Bud Light, the Homerun Derby, and an evening alone with my wife!"

Ah... life is good.

(2 more days until vacation in Tampa- where life is also pretty good!)

It's a small world

Sometimes I am shocked by how small the world we live in actually is. I won't bore you with all of the drawn out details, but here is the short version of the story.

Some time ago, perhaps a year and a half or so, I was on a friend's blog, and I was looking to see if she had any links to blogs of others that I may have also known. Among her list of links, there was a link that said "baby Ira." Snce I love children so much, I clicked on it. On Baby Ira's blog, I read about a very sick little boy. In fact, based on what I read, there were many nights that little Ira was not expected to live through the next 24 hour period. Ira's story, and Ira's family became part of my list of blogs that I read daily. This family also became a regular part of my prayer list, and when they were going through particularly hard times, I asked others to pray for them also. Ira and his family currently live in New York, and Ira has been home from the hospital for some time now. Although he has a lot of medical challenges, and a trache (not sure if that is spelled right), he seems to be an answered prayer.

Today, Jason and I went to St. Louis Bread Company for lunch after church. We were enjoying our meal, when a little girl caught my eye. As I looked over at her, I knew that I had seen her before, but I wasn't sure where. As I continued following my path of vision, I soon saw a daddy, and a little baby boy with a trache. Could it be? Well... yes it could be... and it was.

As they walked past us, I said, "I know you! You don't know me, but I know you... I read your blog!" Before we realized it, we were in a pretty in depth conversation about Ira's continued journey to health, and the power of prayer and having brothers and sisters all over the country (and world) praying for one another.

Who would have ever thought that our paths would have crossed on this side of Heaven?

It was such an awesome blessing to see Ira and his family face to face, to see his smile, to hear Sophia love on her brother, and to see the gratitude in the eyes of his family for our prayers.

I'd like to ask each one of you to add baby Ira and his family to your prayer list. They are a beautiful family, and an encouragement to so many. I know they have encouraged me beyond measure.

Mission Trip!

Please keep our girls, the rest of the youth group, Jimmy, Amber, Jenny H., and Mike H. in your prayers this week as they are leaving today for their mission trip. Please pray for safety, and that they will be given the opportunity to touch at least one person in a way that will encourage them to give their life completly to the Lord.

Have fun, be safe... we love you.

Oh yeah.... and BEHAVE!

Happy Birthday America!!

I hope that you all had a great and safe 4th of July!

God Bless America!

Happy Birthday!

More Birthday Fun

We went out to eat tonight to celebrate Bekah's birthday! She chose Casa (big surprise) and we had a great time. Here are a few pics from tonight!

Now, Bekah is playing with her favorite birthday present... her new iPod...

Happy Birthday Sweetie... we love you and are SO PROUD OF YOU!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday dear BEKAH...

Happy Birthday to you!

We love you!

Freedom Writers

I know I already blogged today... but we just finished watching "Freedom Writers" and I just wanted to take a second to encourage you all to rent it, buy it, watch it over and over. IT IS A FABULOUS MOVIE!

Weekend

This weekend has flown by! It has been busy and fun at the same time. On Saturday morning, we hosted a breakfast at Applebee's on Hanley. It was a fund raiser for the youth group's mission trip. We had a great turn out, and we raised over $500! HOORAY! Most of the kids worked hard, and a good time of food and fellowship was had by all. Here are a few picutres...

Thanks to all who came out to support our teens!

This morning after church, there was much fun to be had by our youth group, as Bekah was surprised with a 14th birthday party with her friends! We had pizza and cake, and a great time! Here are a few pictures:

We are so blessed to be part of such a wonderful church and a wonderful group of friends. Happy Birthday Bekah- and I promise.... no more surprises! (until next year!)

bring our troops home...

Heather Martin - When Are You Coming Home - by Bye2luv

Super Funny Bird Talking

This bird has more talent than a lot of people that I know! Too funny... He is SO smart!

Due Date

How many of you out there are wondering if I am pregnant based on the title of this blog?



Well, I am not!

14 years ago I was very pregnant, and very ready to have my sweet baby! It was June 29, 1993, and I was miserable! I was so ready to have her... but she didn't come on time! Maybe that was an indicator that she would grow into a young woman who was very strong willed and very independent! She liked to do things her way then, and she likes to do things her way now!

The last 14 years have been an amazing journey and a ride full of blessings. It's hard to imagine that she will soon celebrate her 14th birthday!

I will post more over the next few days about what a wonderful soon to be 14 year old we have!

Career

Most of us had an idea of what we wanted to do when we "grew up." Then we went to college, and maybe majored in that subject, or maybe in something totally different. Then we got into the real world and got a job! This job, may or may not be what we wanted to do when we grew up, or what we majored in. Then, while we are working our jobs, we often think.... "I want to switch careers completely!

So, I thought it would be fun to share what our career journeys... So here is mine... I hope that you will share yours with me.

What I wanted to be when I grew up: A MOMMY, and a 1st grade teacher
What I majored in: Bachelor's/ Social Work, Master's/ Counseling (still not finished!)
Present Job: Branch Administrator/ Marketing Director
If I were to switch careers: ???
What my friends say I should be: Florist, Therapist, Attorney

Maybe I should go back to school? Nah.

What about you... ? How would you answer these questions?

Life is like a box of chocolate...

Jennifer just said a very funny thing, and I thought that I would share. So, here it is...

"Life is like a box of chocolate, if you get one with nuts, you might swell up and die!"

How would you complete the sentence....

Life is like a box of chocolates...

Because of You

I LOVE THIS SONG- anyone else like it?

Quote of the day!

Today at work, someone said this and I thought it was too funny! Here is the quote:

"You can't fix stupid."

I guess that is true. You can fix a lot of things, but you can't fix stupid.

Thought for today...

If you can't... then don't.

It is so frustrating to me when people choose to do things that they clearly have no business doing. Now, if they are learning new skills, I believe that they should have the opportunity to try them out, but not in situations that will negatively effect lots of people. When people make a choice to do something that they are not skilled at doing, there is a great potential to cost others a great deal of time, effort, money, and frustrations.

A baker should not pretend to be a computer genius.
A mechanic should not pretend that he can be a great doctor.
A teacher should not pretend to be a fire fighter or a police officer.

If you can't do it- DON'T!

(yes, this was sparked by a particular incident, but it wouldn't be nice to share the name of the person who thinks s/he is an expert about something that s/he knows very little about... although most people know anyway!)

Oh- that is so FRUSTRATING to me! (mmmm.... I bet I have been guilty of this myself too!)

Make it from Scratch!

I was just chatting with someone about making things from scratch, and I thought it might be fun to ask you all what your favorite thing to make (or eat if you don't cook) from scratch?

My favorite 2 things to make from scratch are cinnamon roles and chocolate turtle cheesecake!

What are your favorites?

Question of the day...

White or Wheat?

A Therapist's Nightmare Client...

Veggie Tales Rock!

Serving others by doing something you love...

Our youth minister Jimmy, has really put a strong emphasis on serving others- others in the community, the church, over seas... or whoever we can. I have been thankful for the encouragement that he has offered our girls to serve. I have also been thankful that our girls have been willing to serve in various ways.

Bekah impressed me today with something that she did. She learned today that she had a great opportunity to do something later this summer that is an exciting opportunity. It is something that was a great honor to be asked to do. She was excited, but then she remembered that she had already made a committment to do something else during the same time period. She had the opportunity to "get out of it," but she chose to do what she originally committed to. She said, "Mom, it's a no-brainer... those kids with cancer that I already committed to need me to do what I said I would do." I was so proud.

Now, I know that it sounds like I am bragging on Bekah, (which I guess I am), but I am equally bragging on Jimmy and the lessons that he is teaching our kids. I am thankful for him.

I really said all of that to say this... we are called to serve. When we thinking of "service" or "community service" we often think that it has to be hard- but it doesn't have to be. We think of raking leaves, or cutting down trees, pulling weeds, or working at a soup kitchen. But service can be so much more than that. Service can be babysitting, a hug, working a charity event, being in a play that benefits those with disabilities, singing in funeral, making a meal, talking with someone who needs a friend.... etc. You get the point. Service can be anything! It doesn't always have to be dirty or gross, or even hard. Just find something that you are good at, and that you enjoy, and use it for God's glory by finding a way to serve others with it.

We will always have opportunities for service. I hope we will all keep our eyes open for opportunities to serve. Thanks Jimmy for the lesson, and Bekah for the example!

When Graphic Artists Get Bored

I think I would enjoy being a graphic artist if I got to do stuff like this all day!

A Lesson to be Learned...

Many of you know that I have an aquaintence who recently suffered a complete spinal cord injury. As a result, he is paralyzed from the chest down. After his intensive care stay and spinal fusion he made a statement to his family and friends as he was transferred to rehab. This is paraphrased, but basically this is what he said:

God has a plan, and I don't understand it, but there is a lesson to be learned here. God got my attention and now I need to listen carefully to what He has to say.

Jesse continued with therapy and after about 10 weeks, he was released to go home. Slowly, his spirits started to fade and he became depressed. He still believes that God has a plan, but now his emotional reaction to his loss has taken over his mood. He wants to know what God wants him to learn. He is mad and sad, and hates the idea that others have to help him now, after being independant for so long. He has started questioning God as to why God had to let this happen in order for him to learn whatever lesson it is that he is supposed to be learning.

The more and more I have thought about Jesse and his struggles, and the more and more I have talked with him, the more and more a new way of thinking has made itself known to me.

What if- what if God isn't trying to use his accident to teach Jesse a lesson at all? Maybe if there is in fact a lesson to be learned, it isn't for Jesse. Maybe it is for his family, his friends, his church, or his community? What if the lesson to be learned is a lesson of service? What if it is a lesson about acceptance, flexibility or disarming discrimination? Is it possible that God is using Jesse's accident as an opportunity to teach Jesse's family what true service and committment really look like? This is just a theory of course, it's just a different way to look at it...

When bad things happen, we want to find a reason for what has happened and Jesse feels like he needs a reason to move on. I suppose it is human to think that when anything happens that it surely has to be "all about me," but the reality is that God uses our lives in so many ways that we don't usually think about.

I think Jesse is right... I think that there is a lesson to be learned because of this tragedy- I am just not sure that it is his lesson to learn.

Muffins

This is so stupid... it is funny... anyone else think it is funny?

Working at the YMCA

Today, both of our girls started working at the YMCA! Bekah is working with the theatre day camp, and Jennifer is working with "Mommy Mondays" and Kid Zone. Both girls are really excited and had a great first day. The YMCA is a great place to work, and we are serious when we say that we are committed to building strong kids, strong families and strong communities- and think starting with our own families is a good way to do it.

I am so thrilled that our girls have the opportunity to experience and teach the core values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility by working at the Y this summer!

Random pics.

I was looking through pictures today, and I ran across several that made me smile as I looked remembered when they were taken. Each has a story of its own, but I won't bore the world with all of the details! As I looked through the pics, I was reminded of just how blessed I am.






I love my girls so much- they are awesome- I am so blessed. Can anyone guess where these crazy pictures were taken?

Enough already!

Thanks to all who have sent me emails about my ticket... but the truth is- I CAN PAY THE TICKET- NO PROBLEM! I was just kidding when I said that anyone who wanted to make a donation could email me.

You all are so sweet- but really- we can handle it!

Love you all!

Forever

We live in a world where marriage is so easy to get rid of. We have a fight- we can get a divorce. If a spouse cheats, we can get a divorce. If we have a disagreement we can get a divorce. You don't make enough money, you gain 10 pounds, you go bald, you lose your job, you ask the wrong question, sneeze the wrong way, or wear the wrong outfit- YOU CAN GET A DIVORCE... it is that simple. It is sad... but true!

Sixty years ago today, my grandparents got married. 60 years! They both have passed from this life, and yet their dedication and committment to marriage live on. Things weren't always easy for grandpa and grandma... they raised 5 kids in a 2 bedroom home, and were happy with what they had. They worked through the death of 2 grandchildren, the divorce of all 5 of their children, and living on one salary for the duration of their marriage. Grandma and Grandpa believed that marriage was forever- they believed that it was sacred, godly, and holy.

In a world where marriage is so disposable, I am so thankful that I had grandma and grandpa's example, (and other mentors too), who have shown that God's way truly is the best way for marriage... forever.

Happy 60th Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa! I love and miss you!

BUSTED!

So, after work tonight, I had a quick errand to run over in Webster Groves. I delivered an envelope that needed to be delivered, and headed home. Well, I was talking to Jennifer (who spent a good part of the day with me) and my cell phone rang. It was Jason. So, I was talking with him too, and quite frankly wasn't paying much attention. (BAD CONNI!) That's okay, someone else was paying attention for me! It was Mr. Webster Groves police officer. He was a nice man, in a nice car, who wrote me a nice ticket for going 38 in a 25. GEESH! Well, it was my own fault.

Lesson for today... If you speed and get caught you will get a ticket... if you speed and get caught and don't have your insurance card on you, you better be a sweet talker. (Which apparently I am!) But... regardless, unless you are really, really lucky, you are going to be out about 75 bucks! Bummer... I got busted!

To those who regularly drive the streets of Webster, you can thank me for making my contribution to the regular maintenance and upkeep of the roads.

SLOW DOWN!

(anyone who wants to make a donation to the "pay Conni's ticket fund" please email me!"

We Remember

Happy Memorial Day. May we never forget the sacrifices that have been made for our freedom.

God bless the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and those who are currently serving. My prayer is that not one more life is lost in war. Bring our troops home safely.

Now that was cool!

We have just returned from Bekah's show, and it was great, and fun, and well... interesting. Bekah did a great job playing the Narrator and the Rabbi in her show. It was really fun to watch. Her narrator role was very Twilight Zone like, and she did a great job holding the audience's attention with the opening monologue. She also did a great job as the Rabbi, which was actually quite funny to see. She was able to show her acting skills as she was sarcastic and straight forward to the other characters, and as she died on stage. GREAT JOB BEKAH! WHOO HOO!

Now she is very tired, and hungry...and very happy that she had such a great opportunity with another professional theatre company!

We are so proud of her!

24/7

Last night Bekah auditioned for a new show. We don't know what the show is, or what it will be about, or what character she auditioned for. See, she auditioned for 24/7. This is a theater production that in only 24 hours, auditions are held, scripts are written, and performances are given. She auditioned at 8 o'clock last night, the writer's wrote 7 short shows last night, and Bekah got the call at about 9 this morning telling her that she was cast. Now she is in for a day of 11 hours of rehearsal, and the shows will be performed tonight at 8. We are so excited for her. Way to go Bekah!

Say Goodbye to Middle School!

Today we celebrated Bekah's 8th grade graduation. The LMS Gym was packed with proud parents and grandparents, and although it was long (and hot) it was a nice ceremony. Bekah was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the ceremony, and did a nice job with the other 2 girls in the trio that performed. She also received an award for Drama and a plaque for serving as the Vice President of Choir. After the ceremony, we went to lunch and celebrated some more. Here are a few pictures from our special day.

Bekah wasn't too thrilled about posing for one more picture on the campus of Ladue Middle School. She was ready to say good-bye and move on.

We were thankful that Jimmy was present to share our day with us.

So, now we have one daughter in college and one daughter in high school. When did we get so old?

After the ceremony, we asked the girls what they were going to do now that they both were done with school for the academic year. Both gave the same answer...

SLEEP!

Congratulations Bekah-boo... we love you so much and are so proud of you!

Look out LHS... Here she comes!

More Graduation Pictures

What a wonderful day it has been! Jennifer is done with high school, and we had a great day of activities to enjoy. Jennifer has the camera with the rest of the graduation pictures on it, but here are few from dinner tonight!

Jenn and Boo are great friends, and a lot like sisters.... in so many ways.

Jason and Jen

We were honored that Jimmy and Amber (and "baby T") were able to join us tonight. They are wonderful friends and have been a great influence in Jenn's life over the past few years.


We asked some random guy to take a picture of our entire dinner party. (L-R) Mom, Me, Drew, Amber, Jennifer, Jimmy, Bekah, Jacki, Jason and Mike.

We had a great dinner... and a great time to be together with family!

Graduation 2

Jennifer is done with HIGH SCHOOL! HOORAY!

Now, it is time to head out for our dinner reservation!

More to come...

Thanks to Jimmy for the picture!

HAPPY GRADUATION

... it is Sunday... it is 4 p.m. and we are headed out the door to Ladue High School graduation...
HOORAY!

Stay tuned for pictures and a report of the big evening!

CONGRATULATIONS JENNIFER... WE LOVE YOU AND ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU.

Saturday

Lots of great things to report....

Happy Anniversary to Jason and me! HOORAY for us!

The CFS Golf Tournament was a great success- WAY TO GO MIKE, ROBIN, AND THE REST OF THE STAFF!

Jennifer graduates tomorrow!

Bekah graduates on Thursday!

Spring has sprung and if you look in our backyard, you will find baby bunnies, baby ducks, baby groundhogs, and baby birds. There are so many babies.... and of course there is soon to be baby Kelley, baby Thompson, baby Wimberely, and baby....??? oops... that friend wants to remain anonymous for now.... (BUT IT IS NOT ME!)

Highway 40 Symposium

After several weeks of planning, organizing, stressing out and praying, today was The Highway 40 Symposium sponsored by the YMCA. The idea came after talking with a few of Board Members about how we are going to handle the upcoming Highway 40 closures since our branch is in the middle of Brentwood and most of our members work in Clayton. We figured if we are asking a lot of questions and worrying, other big companies must be worrying as well. WE WERE RIGHT!

We sent invitations to 100 local companies and invited them to come hear speakers from MoDot, The City of Clayton, Missouri Public Transit, and other local experts on traffic and what comapanies are doing about this upcoming issue. We limited attendance to 40 companies... (get it.... 40 companies... highway 40....?) Cheesy I know....

Anyway, we had 40 companies call and RSVP, but since the seminar was FREE, we were not sure that they would actually come. We held the event off-site, served breakfast (donated by Balaban's) and lunch (sold at cost by Applegate's). We had great YMCA materials to share with all of the attendees and gave small leather portfolios with the YMCA logo debossed on them and pen and pencil sets to each company that attended! We were well organized and professional- that made me happy.... and made my boss happy! HOORAY!

So, after we set up and got everything in place, the question still remained.... HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY SHOW UP? I was getting a little nervous...but, would you believe that 40 companies registered and 40 companies SHOWED UP? Wow- God totally answered my prayer! It was great.

The event went very smoothly, and we were VERY excited that Ladue News, the Post-Dispatch and Channel 4 all sent reporters (the Post sent 3!).

I am so thankful that things went so well. I am even more thankful that the YMCA was marketed well, and that we are now viewed as an organization who is a leader in our community who is reaching out to offer solutions to real community issues.

Today was a great day! Praise the Lord!

Congrats!

Congratulations to Jennifer! Today was her very last day of high school! Sunday she will graduate from Ladue, and we are so proud of her... She has come a long way in the last year, and we are thrilled for her. Last night we attended Senior Awards Night at the High School, where Jenn was honored with a Broadcast Journalism Award. Sunday we will watch her as she crosses the stage and receives her diploma... my oh my they grow up so fast. I remember when she was born as if it was yesterday. We love you Jenn!

Congratulations are also in order for Bekah! Bekah will soon graduate from 8th grade and will be headed to High School. She has been selected to sing the National Anthem at the graduation ceremony too... we are pretty excited for her. Also, she learned today that the all-girl Chamber Singers which she sings with received first place among all of the choirs who recently completed at the Middle School Festival. WAY TO GO!

We have been blessed with two beautiful, smart, and talented girls. We are so proud of you both!

Look Alike?

Some people just have a face that is familiar. Some believe that everyone has a twin somewhere in the world. But for my hubby Jason, he hears very often that he looks like a couple of different superstars... For those of you who know Jason, what do you think? Do you think he looks like either of these famous guys?

Joey- From NSYNC

Jeff Supan- Former St. Louis Cardinal

What do YOU think?

Gonna Dance the Night Away...

This week has been an awesome week for our girls. Last Saturday night, Jennifer went to her Senior prom and had a great time. Tonight Bekah went to her 8th grade formal dance and she had a blast too. Both girls looked beautiful for their special events. In fact, they looked so beautiful that a particular daddy that I know and love didn’t really want to let them leave the house without a burlap sack.

Both girls took a digital camera with them, and there were lots of great ones to choose from (including some with a few pretty “cute guys”), but I didn’t want to embarrass anyone TOO much! Here are a few pictures from the dances.

Bekah- leaving the house.

Bekah with a few friends.

Jen leaving the house.

Jen with a few friends.

My, my, they grow up so fast! We have been blessed with two beautiful girls! Oh yeah, and two very EXPENSIVE girls! Do you know how much this stuff costs? Geez… Dresses, shoes, prom ticket, limo ride, jewelry, nails, hair stuff, make-up… and on and on…. Well…. I guess you only graduate from 8th grade, and high school once! They are worth every penny!

We love you Bekah and Jen!

Too Funny

This too funny...

"After12 years of intense therapy, my therapist finally said something life changing, that brought tears to my eyes... He said, "No hablo Ingles!"

Maybe I am the only one in the world who is laughing hysterically, but in my opinion.... that it REALLY funny!

Lemonade

We have all heard the old saying, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade." I thought that this was cool and wanted to share it. Here is a new way to look at an old, familiar saying:

"When life hands you lemons, GOD gives you the opportunity to make lemonade... and if you ask, HE will even provide you with the sugar."

Chicago Pictures

I have a few minutes, and I thought I would post 2 more pictures from Chicago. I had such a great time with my girls! I love you Boo and Jen!

SO SASSY!!!

The Story Behind the Question...

What are your thoughts?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/20/transgender.prom.king.ap/index.html?eref=rss_us

Question

I just read an interesting story, which provoked me to ask you all a question:

Should a girl be able to run for Prom KING?

I know, I know...

I know, I haven't blogged for almost a week. My girls, and a few others have told me that I need to pick up the pace and get to blogging. So, in a few short minutes, let me give you an update:

• I am tired
• Work is going great
• Bekah (aka Rapunzel) is loving theatre and her show closes on Wednesday night
• Jennifer would like you to know that it only 27 days until graduation
• Jason finished the bowling season with a decent average
• The Highway 40 Symposium is coming together nicely
• The bedroom is finally painted and the new furniture will be here Saturday
• My lower back/hip still hurts really badly
• Mikki had the all important surgery and did great
• It is time to start shopping for prom and 8th grade dance dresses
• The plumbing is fixed in the bathroom sink finally
• The cost of gas is insane
• The weather is beautiful
• God continues to bless us

I will try to post pictures soon.

How about you... what are you up to these days?

Say Goodbye Sanjaya- FINALLY!

Ladies and Gentlemen....

He is finally gone! Thank you for voting him off- American Idol is worth watching again!

Girls' Road Trip

The girls and I took a trip to Chicago this weekend. We saw the Sears Tower, the Contemporary Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, Wicked, and a million other random things! I have taken a lot of pictures, and I want to share them, but to be honest, I am just too tired tonight, but here is my favorite of the entire weekend!

I love my girls so much! I will post more pictures and comentary on the weekend as soon as I can. I am thankful that we had a great trip and that we have arrived home safely.