March, April, May in Review

March-Heath and I were actively involved in the Francis Chan Bible study called Crazy Love with Connie and Ernie in the Scottsbluff Country Club (http://crazylovebook.com/).  This was a couples Bible study where we met several very nice people who have changed our lives.  We were also taking the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class with Adrian and Emily Jantzi (http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/).  This was a great class for Heath and I to get on the same page with finances with a Christian base.  Excellent material covered in 9 weeks which used to be viewed in 13 weeks.  It covers all levels of financial topics....whether you are on top of things and just want to tighten your budgeting or whether you are in debt up to your ears, whether you are single or dating and planning to get married, or married, we recommend this class to all.  It is an excellent way, especially if you are married or planning to be married, to get on the same page with your significant other or spouse.  Also, this month, I made 5 dozen cookies for Connie as she and Ernie served the AWANA staff and kids at church.

Heath got to go "Hunting with the Huskers" in Lincoln with his Dad, Garry and his brother, Bill.  This was to celebrate Bill's 40th birthday.  They really enjoyed it as they got to personally meet Tom Osborne, Eric Crouch, Rob Zatechka, Will Compton, Chris Kelsay, Jeremy Slechta, Curtis Tomasevicz, and Rex Burkhead.

   

In March, we also celebrated Demas Vasquez's 75th birthday at Stateline.  We invited his wife, Sandy, and ordered Steel Grill for lunch.  Demas retired the very next day!  What a career!  We celebrated his retirement at the Prairie Winds Convention Center in Bridgeport for his 31 years of service to Stateline!  Thank you Demas!

April-Connie and Ernie invited Heath and I and the boys to an Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet at the Gering Civic Center where we got to listen to an famous tennis player speak!

After a few months of physical therapy, I decided to pursue a different route to fix my hip pain that had been evident since November 5th, 2011.  I had my first MRI on the 11th of April.  This was something that I was a very nervous about.  For one, I couldn't eat after midnight until the MRI was over.  The other reason I was so nervous was my idea of what it would be like entering into a tube with my body on a board and feet strapped together.  I went in and had the injection of dye put into my hip (way cool because I could watch it on a screen of x-rays going into my joint).  I survived!  Heath was a sweetie and took me out to brunch at Perkins to celebrate.  It really wasn't as bad as the anticipation I had created!

At the end of April, I bought my little farm from Delton and Stubby Herman!  It was the perfect place for me.  32 acres with some water rights, a big red barn, corrals, pellet stove, garage....livable, but totally needing some TLC.  It had new insulated garage doors, brand new beautiful light fixtures inside, brand new windows in the house, a relatively new pellet stove...so all the expensive, not really fun stuff was already in place.  All I had to do was give her some love!  It has been a whirlwind since!

In April, I was honored to take Derrick Longacre, Jason's son, to prom at the Scottsbluff Country Club.  This was also Justin's prom night as well!  :)  Fun times!

May-I was still living at Tiny and Trav's out in Stegall in May until they came back for the summer.  I was driving to Stateline in Bridgeport for work.  The fun part was that I would go to the Y in the mornings and meet Heath there or at our Gering office and we would carpool the rest of the way into work in the work pickup!  I would read whatever Bible study or Dave Ramsey book we were doing at the time.  AND sometimes just sleeeep!

A Saturday with My Man

Today, it was suggested to me, by Heath, to take it easy and stay in bed and relax.  For those of you that know me very well, know how hard this simple task was for me.  Heath brought me breakfast in bed, my Bible, my Bible study, and my computer to keep me busy.  Now, just a quick update...I am sorting through big blue tubs of my personal belongings that have been in storage for ages.  This is currently strew across my whole entire living room.  What a mess, but I wasn't going to let this get to me today because it can wait and I definitely know it will still be there on Monday.

Heath was working diligently on the back bathroom all day!  He is really becoming a great carpenter!  I am so thankful and blessed with his spirit of service and his no fear personality.  He has never redone a bathroom the way he is doing ours, but he is not afraid to try something new!  The boys are going to be super surprised!

A while later, I moseyed in to my computer to work on wedding stuff.  When I received a phone call from Barb, I answered and then was totally distracted.  I said, "Barb, would you believe it?  My calf is in my garden!"  Woodrow had decided to go for a stroll outside of the coral thanks to Miss Penney.  She has created a hole in the fence where she has been reaching over to nibble on a big round bale of hay that was placed too close to the corrals.

When I finally got moving for real, it came with the words, "Take 'EM!" coming from Heath.  He grabbed our guns and we headed up on the hill!  There were THOUSANDS of geese flying over the place and low too!  It was windy, so Heath placed me behind a row of trees with my crutches, gun, and extra shells and he went over a bit further to the other side of the hill.  We had a ton of fun!  What an awesome thing that you can be working at the house and then at the drop of a hat stop and go hunting for a while and then return to your work without even leaving the place!  What a blessing for all of us!

Heath's!  I breasted it!

After our quick hunt, we both returned to what we were doing.  I was going about my wedding stuff and headed back to check on Heath to see how he was doing.  Something horrible happened.  The pain is indescribable and excruciating.  I have never felt anything like that before.  It started with a little chill, so I headed to my room to turn on my new heated blanket from Heath.  By the time I returned to the guest room, my body was done.  It felt like every muscle in my body was spasming.  Luckily, Heath walked in about that time.  He lifted up my body and took me to my room and turned up the blanket to #9, the hottest setting.  I think I totally freaked him out as I could barely talk.  Voluntarily and involuntarily moving my hands, feet, head, eyes was awful!  I am so happy Heath was still here.  He talked me through it and got me warmed up and calmed down.  I don't know how long it was for sure, but it felt like at least an hour.  I do not know exactly what happened, but I do know that something had taken over my body.  It was surreal.  All I could do was stare at the ceiling and try to breathe (being coached by Heath), and I prayed and prayed.  Some of my memory verses came back to me, which was awesome!  The Lord and Heath helped me through this awful time.  Praises for victory!

Happy New Year

Good Morning 2014~The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen you frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.  Isaiah 58:11.  What a great verse for our new year!

Defining Moments of 2013

January-I made a very hard decision of leaving vet school after one semester.  This was a life-changing decision as vet school has always been a dream of mine.  I got in to University of Illinois right after undergrad and decided to pursue a masters at Colorado State University first.  Then, I spent the next four years trying to get back in.  Finally, last fall, 2013, I got the call from the dean of Kansas State University that I was on the waiting list.  A few days later I was accepted into the Class of 2016.                                                                                                                                                                               

February-I made the decision to leave my position in the Class of 2016 and go back to work at Stateline and assume the new position as the Safety Manager based out of Bridgeport.  Heath and I were sent to an awesome conference, at the American Institute of Baking, for food sanitation.  While it was an excellent conference and we learned a ton, Heath ended up in the ER in Manhattan, Kansas.  My first time experiencing Heath's low blood sugar levels due to his inability to keep food down.  It was scary.  I called Barb, his mama, several times throughout the evening for reassurance.  I just remember hearing this song on the radio:  "Your Love Never Fails" by Newsboys that just kept saying in the chorus, "There may be pain in the night, but JOY comes in the morning!"  What great hope He has given us!    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrc1xHEwtLY

March-To Be Continued....