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!