Reunion

I can't believe it. My 10 year Class Reunion is this summer, and as I sit here I wonder where did those 10 years go? Has it really been that long? Can I really be 28 1/2 (oh so close to 30)?

As I'm sure most people do, I've been thinking a lot about high school memories recently. Actually, when I was home for Christmas, I saw a multitude of classmates, and it was pretty cool to catch up with them. I spoke to people whom I never even talked to in high school, but as we've all grown up and matured, social cliches dodn't matter anymore. I talked to two guys from the "popular" group over break, and I had a great conversation with each of them. I spent more time over Christmas break with them than I ever did in high school, and it was refreshing to be the "real" me.

I for sure am not the same person I was back in high school. I recently had someone ask me what I was like in high school. I chuckled and said I was certainly different than I am now. Even a year ago, I wasn't the same person I am now. Back in the day, I was pretty quiet and shy (believe it or not). I had very little self confidence, so I kind of hid in the background. I was well liked by everyone, but that was because I didn't cause trouble, I didn't talk about anyone, I was kind to everyone and I stayed hidden. Now, watch out! I LOVE who I am, I LOVE to talk, I LOVE to make friends, and I even talk to strangers (NEVER would have done that a year ago).

That is why I am so confident to talk to old classmates now. I am SO looking forward to my reunion. I have some friends who just aren't as excited for our get together because they don't have fond memories of high school. For some, unfortunantly, that is the case. For me, however, I have great memories of high school (which I'm going to blog about next), but I am anxious to see old friends and share about my life over the past 10 years. I am quite proud of what I've accomplished in such a little time (even though it seems like ages). Here's a list of some of my attainments:

-attended University of Oregon on an exchange program for a year
-graduated with a Journalism degree from UNK
-photo editor for my college newspaper
-managed and helped open a restaurant in Kearney
-bar tended at Skeeter Barnes
-moved to Denver to help start a magazine
-wrote, edited and managed a magazine and became a published writer
-changed careers and became a manager at Enterprise, where I was employed for 4 1/2 years
-completed my Master's degree in Education
-changed careers again and am now teaching English and Journalism at a high school
-climbed a 14er
-rode over 700 miles last summer training for the MS150
-became an aunt to four amazing children
-traveled to Warsaw, Poland, with two people from Oregon
-training again for the MS150

All in all, it's been a great 10 years, and I can't wait to see my old friends and share our lives with each other.

In Action

This is me showing off my mad dance skills. I'm dancing with Wyatt, an incredible dancer who sure knows how to spin!

Would You Rather...

WOULD YOU RATHER...

be called hot OR beautiful?
-beautiful

have no kids OR 13 kids?
-13 kids

only fall in love once and live happily ever after OR fall in love several times and have only one work out (which means your heart is broken several times before you find your true love)?
-fall in love once and live happily ever after

be married young OR when you're a bit older?
-when I'm a bit older so I can enjoy my 20s

be asked out on a date via email OR text?
-text because then I can reply right back

meet your special someone at a bar OR on the internet?
-in a bar

try eHarmony to find your special mate OR be single and try your luck naturally?
-try eHarmony to see if it works

date someone who's super skinny OR has some meat on his/her bones?
-duh! of course, someone who has meet on his bones

date someone who is shorter than you OR someone who towers above you?
-someone who towers above me

Now it's your turn. Copy and paste your answers into the comment section.

Getting My Cowgirl On

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a city girl through and through. Yes, I was raised in NE. Yes, we had goats. Yes, we raised and killed our own chickens. Yes, I had to mow the pasture for my dad. However, I am not saying I enjoyed ANY of those things. I was finally at peace when I moved to Denver. Malls everywhere, clothes galore and more shoes than I could possibly ever wear in a lifetime.

With all that being said, I still have a little bit of country in me. My friends and I go to the Grizzly Rose about once every two months. This, of course, is a country bar, and I will say that I've become pretty good at a few dances. I can do the country cha-cha, a few line dances and the two-step and three-step. I've made a new friend there, Wyatt, and when we dance, man does the world spin (quite literally as he loves to twirl me around). Thursday night is ladies night, so ladies drink free. If you know anything about ladies night, you'll also realize that when the ladies are out, so are the men!

Over the past two weeks, the Stock Show has been in Denver, so we ladies knew the men would be thick at the Grizzly Rose. Off we went to check them (I mean IT) out. We went to the Rose two Thursday's in a row. While it's fun during the moment, 5am the next morning sure does come around quickly when I only went to bed three hours before. That's right, we were out until 1am our first Thursday, and by the time we got home and in bed, it was close to 2am. I take the blame for that night, as I was busy having fun meeting a new fellow. Last week, we only stayed until about midnight, and we even snapped some pictures, of course!

Me, Kari, Gretchen and Kit

Gretchen, Me, Kit, Kari and Sonya
Kari, Gretchen and Me

I've already mentioned the Stock Show was in town, so this past Saturday night, Kari, Sonya and I headed to the Rodeo. We had a blast, but we also joked that we definitely looked like city girls, with our clean jeans, cute shirts, and clutches around our wrist (hey, we have to carry our lipgloss somewhere). The Rodeo was a blast, and we even saw the Rodeo clown get rammed by a bull (don't worry, he was in a barrel fully protected). In order not to appear too city-ish, we only took one picture...

This sheep is the reason I don't like animals. They smell! This pretty little lady let out the rankest fart, and we had to quickly walk away.

What Are Angels?

My friend just texted me and asked me how to explain angels to a three year old. She has a son, and while they were saying their night time prayers, he asked what angels were. He's afraid that they are peeking in on him while he sleeps, and that disturbed a little bit.

The problem is: How do you explain something to a three year old that you yourself don't quite understand? Sure, I believe in angels. I always have. It has been engraved in my head since I was little. As the old cliche goes, "I was born and raised in the church." I guess it was such a part of my life that I never really thought about it for myself. I accepted that there were angels watching over me and moved on with my life.

So now a three year old is asking questions and wanting to know. How do you explain faith to a child? How can you explain to him that we believe in a being that is unseen. I've never seen Christ. I've never seen angels. I've never physically felt the touch of Jesus. How do you tell a three year old that you just know He's here. You can feel him on your heart? You can feel his presence when you're down and needing comfort? For my friend, how does she explain to her son that she was given a death sentence of cancer and yet Christ healed her and she's living cancer free because of Jesus' healing touch?

How do you explain something that I myself don't even understand?

My Church

I haven't had much to write about. I've been racking my brain trying to think of an interesting subject, but I'm coming up blank. Not that I haven't had a lot going on in my life, but it just hasn't been exciting enough to write about.

I will tell you, however, that God is good. Yes, I've known this since I was little, but sometimes when life has you down, God steps in and blesses you with something wonderful. That blessing came to me about eight months ago when my friends discovered a wonderful church called Denver Community Church. At the time, I was going to another church, which I enjoyed, but I didn't feel like I was getting much out of it. I started going to DCC with my friends, and it has been a wonderful support and encouragement for me. Shannon and Jeff even started going, and they love it just as much as I do.

There has not been a Sunday that goes by where I leave that church and don't have something to think about. My relationship with Christ has grown in leaps in bounds, and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful community to attend every week. The pastor has such amazing insights and thoughts on the scripture, and he has such a passion for the Denver community. I am blessed to call DCC my home church.

My prayers have changed over the past several months from, "Lord, please bless with this, that or the other," to "Lord, help me be a blessing to others. Not my will but yours be done." It's such an amazing feeling to know that God is working in my life, changing me, molding me, blessing me and loving me no matter what. In return, my life is full of blessings for others.

Resolutions

My students had to write a paper on their New Year's Resolution. Here's an excerpt from one of them...

The Title
When the New Year comes around, people make a goal for themselves called a New Years Resolution. My resolution is not to make one. Yeah, I know, that’s pretty strange, but – WAIT A MINUTE!!! I think that I just failed my resolution!! I wanted to not make a New Years Resolution, but instead I started it like one!! I’m terrible at this!! Ok, I’ll just have to stop thinking about it and I’ll be fine. Hey! That’s a step! I won’t even think about the … New…Years…Resolution!! It’s just so hard. My life will be much better without one. I mean, I could freak out a lot less! Do you know how hard it is to get to a goal? AHHH!!!! I thought about it again!!! This is making me go out of my mind!! There! Now I have no idea what I just wrote about. New Years Resolutions? Nope, never heard of it.

______________________________________________

I had a boy make a resolution to learn 100 offensive jokes this year.

A girl made a resolution to stop swearing so she would sound more intelligent.

These kids crack me up!

Super Bowl

My Steelers did it! They are headed to the Super Bowl!!! I am so excited.

I knew my Steelers earrings were good luck.

Another Reason...

I had a student last semester that will always hold a special place in my heart. He is a good kid, but he failed the semester because he just gave up. He started the semester off on a bad foot by not turning in some major assignments, and by the time he tried to raise his grade, it was too late. I spent a lot of extra time with this student, trying to get him to turn in some homework. Not only did I want him to pass the class, but I also wanted him to try out for the basketball team. He wanted to be on the team so bad, but because of his grades, he couldn't even try out. Being on the team would have been the best thing for him as it would have motivated him and given him something to do.

This student is an only child who lives with his single mom. His mom, in order to pay the bills, works two jobs, so this boy is often home by himself after school and well into the evening. He told me he just goes home and watches TV all night instead of doing his homework. By the end of the semester, he knew he was failing, so he quit coming to class and stopped doing his homework.. He even missed the last day of class, so I wasn't able to say goodbye to him.

I had written him a little note, so I asked Tiffany to give it to him at the start of this semester. I got an email from him this weekend that brought tears to my eyes. He said, "I didn't get to say goodbye to you because I wasn't there but I just wanted to thank you for everything and I'm sorry I didn't try."

I sent him a note back that told him he has huge potential and really encouraged him to work really hard this semester. I told him just because he failed last semester does not mean he can't turn his freshman year around. I told him how much I enjoyed having him in my class and that I was going to miss him. I asked him if Tiffany had given him his letter from me.

He wrote back and said, "Ya I got the letter, thank you. You were my favorite teacher. Shhh, don't tell anyone. ;)"

Just another reason why I love being a teacher. Not because I was his favorite teacher, but because I know I made a difference in his life. I understand that him taking the time to email me is a pretty big deal from a freshman high school student.

Homework Schedule

Here is an explanation of the school homework policy for the average student. Students should not spend more than ninety minutes per night. This time should be budgeted in the following manner if the student desires to achieve moderate to good grades in his/her classes.

15 minutes looking for assignment.

11 minutes calling a friend for the assignment.

23 minutes explaining why the teacher is mean and just does not like children.

8 minutes in the bathroom.

10 minutes getting a snack.

7 minutes checking the TV Guide.

6 minutes telling parents that the teacher never explained the assignment.

10 minutes sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Mom or Dad to do the assignment.

Morning Commute

I've come to realize over the past few weeks that I LOVE my morning commute. It is my most favorite time of the day, and looking back over my five years in Denver, I realize that I've always loved my drive into work. It's the drive home at night that I despise because by that time I'm tired, hungry and just want to get home.

Since becoming a teacher, I have the shortest commute I have ever had while living in Denver. Columbine is about seven minutes from my house. Chatfield is a bit further, and it takes me about 20-25 minutes to get here. Both school are in Littleton, where I also reside. However, I live on the far east border of Littleton. I'm surprised we're even in Littleton. Chatfield, on the other hand, is as far southwest of the city as you can get, so it's a little bit of a trek to get here.

I even got to put my 4WD to use the other morning, which doesn't happen often. As much as people think Denver gets piles and piles of snow (and sometimes we do), it has snowed very little this winter. I think we've had four snow storms so far, but the other morning surprised everyone, even the weather people. Chatfield is uphill since I'm headed toward the foothills, and I got stopped at a light uphill. I had to turn on my 4WD just to get moving again, and I was so excited to be able to use it. That's what I bought the car for!

Anyway, back to my commute...I have a great radio station I listen to: www.alice1059.com. You can stream it from your computer if you don't live in Denver, so check it out. The morning show is great, and they keep me entertained every morning on my drive. Sometimes I get to school and have to sit in my car to finish out their conversation. Then I run inside and start it up on my computer until the bell rings. They are so funny! I drink coffee as I drive, I prepare mentally for my day, and I just enjoy the drive. Sometimes I wish my drive was longer.

The Grapes of Wrath

What was the last book you read that really "moved" you? Caught your attention? Made you think a little bit? Made you a little emotional? I remember reading The Kite Runner a few summer's ago, and it really hit me. It is a great book and highly recommended if you haven't read it.

Currently, I'm reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Yes, I was forced to read it because I'm teaching it to my Honors Sophomore English class, but wow, I get tears in my eyes almost every time I open up the book. It's a sad story of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, the great migration west to California and the Dirty Thirties, as it was nicknamed. It follows the Joad family as they are forced to sell everything they own because they are kicked off their land. Hearing that California is a better way of life and there is work in Cali, the 12 of them pack into a small truck and head from Oklahoma to Cali to find food and work.

Yes, this book is fiction, but it is based on a real time period not too far away from 2009. My grandma, in fact, lived during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and when asked to talk about it, she quickly changes the subject and says she doesn't want to talk about that time because it was not a happy time.

It is a big, long book. There are parts that are boring. It's not the best read I've ever had. But if you want a book that gives you a look into life 80 years ago, then I highly recommend this book. I guarantee it will move you.

The Bachelor

I will admit, I watch The Bachelor. It's pretty entertaining as 25 women search for love from one man. Within six weeks, every single girl will have fallen in love with this one man and all but one will have their hearts broken. I'm not sure how many seasons have aired, but out of maybe 15 seasons, only one couple has ever gotten married. Every single other couple has broken up and called off their wedding.

Let me first say that I would NEVER go on a show like that. It would be super difficult to date a man when there are 24 other girls also dating him. I'm not a jealous person, but that situation would lead me to be jealous, insecure and isolated.

What I find so fascinating is that these women are beautiful. Most of them are normal. Most of them are young (mid-20s or early 30s). Some have been married. Some have kids. Some haven't been on a date in years. Some haven't kissed a man since they were in high school. They come from different walks of life. Some are Christians and hold strong beliefs. Some are crazy and only want to make him fall in love with her. Some are widowed. Some are immature.

What I'm getting at is these are ordinary, normal, everyday type girls who are all searching for the same thing: love. They are ready to fall in love, get married, have children, and live a perfect, happy life together with this man.

It makes me realize that I'm not that different than these girls. I want the same thing, I'm just not willing to go on a TV show to find it. Some are older than me, and some are younger, but it makes me understand that I'm not abnormal for being single at 28. I'm very content with where I am today, and I love being able to do whatever I wish whenever I wish. Rather than complaining about being single, I'm working on thanking God for being single.

What is my job?

Since I was entering another woman's classroom with another woman's students, I wanted to start the new semester out with a "getting to know you" activity. I wanted "my" students to know that I wanted to hear their story. I didn't just want to walk into the classroom and start The Grapes of Wrath. I wanted to know them first.

I sent them on a book writing assignment. They had two days to write a book about themselves. This wasn't an ordinary book. It was a fun book. On the front page, they had to write a title. It could be lyrics from a song, a famous quote, something they lived by or something they made up, but it had to describe them. The second page was the table of contents, where they had to answer a few questions. The third page was a picture of themselves doing what they love to do. For some it was shopping, others listening to music, others snowboarding. Finally, on the last page, they had to write a letter to me telling me all about themselves.

Many of them were optimistic and told me how much they love music, sports, their family, their friends and cooking. However, many of them had a sad story to tell at the young age of 14 and 15 years old. One student told me how her mom left her when she was 10 and gave up custody of her when she was 12. Her mom wanted nothing to do with her. Another told me how her dad died when she was 12, and her family moved to Colorado to start a new life. Another told me how her dad had skin cancer. Yet another told me how her parents divorce about ruined her life.

When I was in high school, my biggest worry was whether Scott or Chris liked me or Rachel better. Has our world changed so much that a 14 year old child has experienced more pain and hurt than he or she should ever experience in a lifetime? Can I as a teacher help ease their pain? Am I allowed to love them, to hurt with them, to cry with them, to pray with them? Or am I only allowed to teach them The Grapes of Wrath?

I believe my sole duty is to love, to pray, to cry, to believe in them. My second duty is to teach English.

To One of the Faithful

My sister's best friend, and a very dear friend of mine, is a faithful follower of my blog. She told me she often checks my blog twice a day, and that's a lot of pressure, Holly! I feel like I need to perform. I, also, am a faithful follower of her blog. She's a very clever, witty person, so she never fails to make me laugh. I miss you, Hols!

Because of that, this blog entry is dedicated to Holly. She's the inspiration, and the entire reason, for this blog. Holly always sends me a gift for my birthday and Christmas; I always look forward to her gifts. Early in December, she sent me an email saying she had ordered my gift online and it would be arriving shortly. A few days later, Shan got her package from Holly. It was Season 3 of The Office. I waited patiently for my present to arrive, thinking it would arrive around the same time as Shannon's. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Weeks went by, and I remembered that her gift hadn't come yet. Shannon contacted Holly, who in turn contacted the website she ordered from, who is turn sent me another package.

Guess what I got? Season 2 of The Office. I must admit, I had never really gotten into the show. When it first started, I thought it looked dumb and had no desire to watch it. I figured it would go off air shortly anways. As the years have gone by, the show has been a major success, and everyone talks about it. A year ago, Allen and I rented Season 1 and watched it together, and my interest was peeked. But as time went along, I was just "too busy" to watch it. Then I got Season 2 from Holly and decided my long, two week Christmas vacation was the perfect time to get into it.

I spent hours upon hours of Christmas break watching Season 2 and 3. I have one more episode of Season 3 to finish, and then I'm going to have to go rent Season 4. I LOVE it!!! I was laughing so hard last night I had tears coming out of my eyes. Shan and Jeff were upstairs watching some episodes (they are behind me), and I could hear them both laughing upstairs. Oh my goodness, it is so funny. If you haven't seen it, go rent it.

Now, thanks to Holly, I have two more seasons to get caught up on. Thanks for the great gift, Holly. For anyone who needs a gift idea, I need Season 4 and 5 now.

Twins

Chatfield has been invaded by twins!!! I have NEVER in my life seen so many twins. Out of five classes that I teach, I have a twin in every single class. In two cases, I teach both of the twins.

In my first hour class, I have a set of twins. Mary and Mack are sister and brother, and while they obviously aren't identical, the look just alike.

In my second hour class, I have identical twins, Ellie and Lora. They look exactely alike, and in fact, Ellie said she often can't tell herself apart from her sister in pictures.

In my fourth hour class, I teach one of a pair of identical twins. He said his brother has longer hair, so I might be able to tell them apart in the hallway, but otherwise they look alike.

In my sixth hour class, I teach one of a pair of identical twins. She said they look exactly alike, and if I happen to say hi to her in the hallway and she gives me a weird look, it's probably her twin sister.

Lastly, in my seventh hour class, I teach one of a pair of a brother/sister combo. The said her twin brother is 5 minutes older than her.

And that's all I know about. Isn't that so crazy?

At Columbine last semester, I taught two different sets of twins, but I only taught one from each pair. Stacie said her twin brother and her do not look anything alike. Liz has an identical twin sister, whom I met in the hallway. They do look alike, but I could tell them apart.

Do you have any twin stories?

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***Update***
I just found out I have another twin in my sixth hour class. He wrote me a letter (as did all my students for their assignment), but he didn't provide any details as to whether they are identical or not. That makes six twins! Wow, I am floored.
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***Second Update***
I just found another twin in my sixth hour. She has an identical twin sister, and she never mentioned the twin because they hate each other. That makes seven twins in my classes. Holy Smokes!!!

Attitude

I've gone over to the dark side. Today I got my Chatfield ID, key, parking sticker and Charger shirt. If only my Columbine students knew.

If it makes them feel any better, these students don't compare to my Columbine students. I know I'm probably not being fair, but it's the truth. I will say, however, that my Chatfield students have proven to be pretty good. Yesterday, a student asked me if I would stay forever because he liked me better than the teacher I'm replacing.

I got a little attitude from a boy today, so I'll have to keep an eye on him. They are testing the waters a little bit, but I am confident I can handle them.

Sorry my week is so boring. No fun, interesting stories yet, but I'll keep my eyes and ears open for some good stuff.

My Warning

I have a friend who used to work for Chatfield. She was hired for a year, but it was not a permanent position, which means they could let her go at the end of the year. They let her go, and needless to say, she was a little bitter toward Chatfield. She subbed at Columbine this past semester, which is how I got to know her. When she found out I was going to be working at Chatfield this semester, she felt it her duty to warn me.

She told me that they video record EVERYTHING you do. She must not realize that Columbine has recordings of every single day since the shootings. She told me never to come late to school or never leave early. Always be on time or I’ll get in trouble. Isn’t that how a job works, I wondered? She told me never to talk about anyone behind their back because no one is good at keeping secrets and it will eventually get back to that person. I guess that’s a good policy to follow at any job. She told me everyone was rude, impolite and mean. They must not have liked her very much because everyone was super nice and helpful today to me.

I guess I better be on time, stay until I’m allowed to leave and don’t talk bad about anyone. I’ve been warned!

Spoiled Surprise

Several months ago, Carson told Shan and me that they had bought Case a sand kit for Christmas. Come to find out, Collin had to do a little Christmas shopping for the boys WITH the boys and Carson happened to see Collin put a sand kit in the cart. Carson asked who it was for, and Collin told a little white lie and told Carson that it was for Case, so not to spoil the surprise. On Christmas day, Carson opened his gifts and when he got to the sand kit, he said, "Hey, we got this for Case, too." Collin then had to tell Carson it was actually for him.

In the meantime, Collin and Katie actually bought Case a set of balls. Case loves balls, and Carson was pretty excited about this toy for Case. He wispered in my ear a month ago, "We got a ball set for Case, but don't tell him b/c I don't want you to ruin the surprise." He then wispered to Shan not to tell Case what they had bought him. So Shan, Carson and I have kept our mouths shut for the last month, and we made sure not to tell Case he was getting a ball set. This past week when we celebrated Christmas with Carson, Kye, Collin and Katie, it was finally turn for Case to open his present from his cousins. Kye ran to the tree, picked up Case's present and came running toward Case. He yelled, "Case, this is a set of balls. Open it!" I guess someone should have told Kye not to spoil the surprise. It was quite funny.

One More Christmas

We celebrated Christmas with Collin, Katie, Carson, Kyler and Corinne.

Corinne got two new outfits from Aunt Dido, but she was too sleepy to care. So I snapped pictures of her while she slept. The boys are actually acknowledging their sister!

New Year's Eve 2008

Kari, Dena and I went to Sing Sing's to bring in the New Year. Dinner was catered by The Chop House, which was delicious.

My hair didn't fair so well by the end of the night.

Christmas Letter Part IV

Mom and dad were forced to live “one day at a time” this summer when Coleman Powermate, the place where my dad had worked for over 23 years, shut their doors one afternoon. Dad was called into the office in March and told to pack his office up; he wasn’t needed anymore. After 23 years, he went home with a box full of his desk supplies and nothing more than a “Goodbye.” He spent until June interviewing for jobs all over the country, but everything fell through, much to their disappointment. Imagine our kids surprise when we went home one weekend and found dad begging on the street corner. God is good, though, and Coleman was bought by an Italian company, who decided to re-open the doors in the Kearney office as PRAMAC America. Dad interviewed for his old spot, got it, and is back working at his old job.

As if dad losing his job wasn’t bad enough, we kids were surprised again when we went home in June to find the house missing due to a tornado. We found it in Oz with a witch underneath it. Mom was saying, “I don’t think we’re in Nebraska anymore, BooDog.” Ok, well, the house wasn’t really missing, but a tornado really did rip through Kearney, destroying the airport, fairgrounds, Harmon Park, portions of downtown and other sections of the town. The storm was so amazing that Kearney was featured on the show Storm Chasers just this month.

As for mom, the oh-so-graceful-one, she’s been busy falling and getting hurt. If you’ll recall from last year, she had knee surgery and was out for six weeks. This year, she fell on the ice in February and fractured her vertebrae. She was out of work for a few weeks. As the summer went on, her shoulder began to hurt, so after a few doctor appointments, the doctors realized she had hurt her shoulder when she fell on the ice. She had surgery in November, and has been enjoying her eight week hiatus from work. I’m beginning to think she injures herself just to get off work for a few weeks at a time. There was no bus tour this year, but they did take a week long vacation to Hawaii, where they visited Pearl Harbor, did a little snorkeling, and took a tour of the Dole Pineapple Plantation.

The entire family has taken it “one day at a time” throughout this entire year. Sometimes it’s too overwhelming to look ahead or look behind, so in order to get through the day we focus on today. Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." We’ve each had our trials and tribulations this year, and I’m sure you can relate, but we’ve had our happy moments, too. We pray that as you live your life “one day at a time,” remember who controls the way. Jesus always has our hand, and we have to trust that he knows where he’s taking us. The dang road is bumpy sometimes, but as mom and dad say while riding their four-wheelers, the bumpy road is sometimes the best road.

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That's our long Christmas letter. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

Christmas Letter Part III

My motto, in order to survive this past year, has been (you guessed it) “one day at a time.” As many of you know, I got a wild hair back in February to do something pretty crazy. I decided to participate in the MS150, which is a two day bike ride covering 150 miles of northern Colorado to support the Multiple Sclerosis Society. I, of course, was riding for my dad, and with the help of many family and friends (that’s you), I raised $1,500. The ride was in June, but in order to be able to ride two back-to-back days of 75 miles each, I had to train. My friend, Kari, was also riding with me, so we started by going to spin classes at the gym from February through April until the weather was nice enough to ride outside. Starting in April, we started riding anywhere from 50-100 miles per weekend. Let me give you a reference point: on actual riding day, it took us 5.5 hours to ride 75 miles and an additional hour for breaks and stops. In order to train, we were spending about 5-6 hours every Saturday and about three hours every Sunday on the bike. If you’ve ever ridden a bike for any distance, I’m sure you can figure out what hurt the most on my body. I spent a lot of time on my bike this summer, and probably rode over 700 miles. I’ve fallen in love with biking (and spent a lot of money on the sport), so I for sure plan on riding again this upcoming June. I might even be able to talk Collin and Shannon into riding with me (Jeff has already called me crazy for doing it, so I think he might be out).

Apart from training, I’ve also been finishing up my Master’s degree. I started the program in May, 2007, to begin my dream of being a teacher. As of August, I’ve been unemployed. I quit Enterprise after four years of dedicated service and have been student teaching at Columbine High School. I don’t get paid to be a student teacher (I actually have to pay to do this), so it’s been a long five months with no pay. I’ve been teaching freshman English, 9-12th grade Intro to Journalism, and assistant advisor with the high school newspaper. I absolutely love it. I finished my degree in mid-November, so I officially have my teaching license to teach Language Arts and Journalism for grades 6-12. Starting in January, I have a teaching job at Chatfield Senior High School for the spring semester, and then I’ll start looking for a permanent position for the 2009-2010 school year.

I, also, took a trip to Vegas in April with my four best friends. April was done with chemo in January, so we had to celebrate her successful fight with cancer. Rather than playing blackjack, we sat at the pool most of the time and relaxed in the sun.

Christmas Letter Part II

After seeing the way Kye treats Case, we’re a little concerned about how Kye is going to react to his new little sister. “Wait a minute,” some of you are saying. “Collin and Katie are having a girl? I don’t remember reading that in the Nichols/Anderson 2007 Christmas letter!” Well, you are correct. This news wasn’t in last year’s letter because this little girl wasn’t even a twinkle in Collin and Katie’s eyes. We found out the news during Kye’s second birthday party in May when the boys came out wearing a t-shirt that said, “Oops, they did it again.” We all held our breath for several long months while we waited for the 20 week appointment to find out if they were going to have a precious little girl OR another boy. We were all elated when we found out it’s a she!!! Not only is it a she, but she is going to be a Christmas baby. Katie has a C-Section scheduled for Dec. 30.

Carson, a very smart four-and-a-half year old, is super excited for the new addition. It hasn’t been until just this month, however, that Kye started acknowledging the bump in mommy’s tummy; the idea is starting to grow on him. As for Collin and Katie, they are still trying to decide on a name. Now that they have started the “C” and “K” names, they kind of have to stick to it. Can you imagine: Collin, Katie, Carson, Kyler, and Molly? The poor girl just wouldn’t belong. There are many names out on the table, but no final decision has been made. I just hope we have a name for this girl before she comes out.

Collin and Katie have now been in Loveland for a little over a year, and they are very happy in their new home. They celebrated their five year anniversary in September. Katie is still with Comcast Cable in the Longmont office, and Collin is still a stay at home dad. He’s also working very hard on his photography business, Alive Photography (www.alivephotography.com), and has hired Jeff to run his website. Katie is still plugging away on finishing her degree, and Collin decided to join her on her education quest, and he’s now taking classes, too. Collin wants to follow in his big sisters footsteps, so he’s working on getting his teaching degree to teach high school social studies (or science).

Carson is a brilliant boy, and he can tell you turn by turn how to get somewhere just by watching landmarks. He loves coming to Uncle Jeff’s house to play Mario Kart on the Wii, and he knows how to turn it on himself and control the game. Kyler is a very sweet two-year old. After throwing a ball at Collin’s precious 52” flat screen HD TV, Collin came into the room to do a little scolding. Before Collin could open his mouth, Kye said, “I sorry, daddy. I don’t do it again. I sorry.” Collin couldn’t help but laugh.

Collin, Katie, Katie’s mom, and the two boys took a trip to California this summer to visit Katie’s sister. The boys loved Disney Land, and despite Collin getting sick on the teacup ride, they had a great time on the west coast. Collin took a trip to Vegas in November with his friends, and while he wasn’t as lucky as Jeff at the blackjack tables, he didn’t lose any money, either. With the prospect of three children under the age of five, and the goal of trying to remain sane, these two are taking it “one day at a time.”