Real Men

Conservative. Sheltered. Homeschooled. Innocent. Good girl. Naive. Ignorant.These are all words that I often use to describe myself when I hear others make references to inappropriate music videos that are super popular or use slang derogatory terms that I don't understand. Normally, if I don't get a reference, I will laugh, and explain to the others that I was homeschooled so I don't know what that means.

Today, I experienced a situation pretty far from anything I've ever heard discussed before. And even though they were using innuendos, it wasn't subtle enough that I couldn't understand to some degree.

I was in my theatre class, and my group was supposed to be talking to my teacher about our director's project. There were two older men, two younger men, and me. And somehow the conversation went downhill fast. The depth of the vulgarity expressed was unbelievable. I could not believe the way they were talking about women's bodies.


For a while, I felt frozen in my seat. I didn't know what to do... Eventually, the last straw broke and I couldn't take it anymore, so I left. I think the others could tell my state of disgust because as I walked out solemnly, one mentioned, "On that note..." and laughed.

Musing about this situation in my head, I got so angry. I wished as I walked away that I would've said something. I guess its better that I didn't because I wouldn't have "said" anything, I probably would've shouted it (not very nicely.)

I felt depressed, disheartened, and disgusted that those men had no respect for women's dignity. I felt angry that they talked about my gender as though our only purpose was to put on a show for them. Their derogatory remarks were mind-blowing. What was even worse is that they were older men. Like 40 years old. Yet still not grown up enough to know that women are not objects.

I know that men struggle a lot with lust and temptation, and I realize that women play a part in allowing ourselves to be treated disrespectfully. But guys, us girls need men to quit goofing around about our body parts because that is adding heavily to the problem. I have heard so many girls brush aside the crass comments and accept it because "that's the way boys are." I don't think so.

I think that we consider males to be boys for too long. I think once a kid is 14 years old (give or take :), he's old enough to start acting like a man.The definition of "a man" is a male adult. And no, the definition of "an adult" is not 18. You don't just grow up all of the sudden when you have a birthday. Becoming an adult means "to have attained full size and strength; to grow up and mature." So all those "boys" we readily excuse for disrespect have fully achieved the first part of becoming an adult, but they didn't seem to get the memo about the "growing up" part. Talking about girls like they are toys is not mature. We are living breathing human beings who need to be respected as more than the sum of our body parts.

Women need to see more men in action. I have heard way too many Christian girls say "guys are just like that." Not true. Show us different.

To be fair, for every inappropriate man I meet, I find another one who is striving for purity in his life. But not all girls have the opportunity to meet guys who are really trying. They think that all men are animals. Even I have thought this sometimes. If we saw what you were doing or thinking at any given moment, would you be showing us a man of purity or a man of lust?

If I could have the ears of all men for two minutes and 5 seconds, I would say this: Please be a real man. Instead of exercising your abs and busting it so you can have that six-pack, exercise your self control and bust it to become a man of God. Protect our dignity, not just with your own words and actions, but be mindful of other men too. There have been so many times I have been degraded and lusted after, and the men who were with me didn't do a thing to combat it. Stand up for us women, and tell us we are valued.

We need real men in this world. We need you.

 

 

"Be a man. You must be swift as a coursing river. With all the force of a great typhoon. Be a man. With all the strength of a raging fire. Mysterious as the dark side of the moon" Mulan :) :)

Last vacation, Lasting peace

Last week marked my final days of summer vacation. It just so happened I got to have my end-of-the-summer hurrah visiting the Vander Veens and hanging out with my cousins on the sandy, warm beach on the Coast :) Normally, that last part would be a joke, because the Oregon coast is usually freezing this time of year, but surprisingly, it was sunny enough for me to wear tanks, shorts, and dresses all week. God knew I wanted a tan when school started :) So it worked out.

We started our trek in Lynden, which is actually the opposite way of the beach, but for some reason, it hardly added to our drive time at all. We got to visit Stephanie, Philip, and Caleb and catch up, marvel at the cuteness of my nephew, change diapers (and outfits :), and just spent time enjoying each other. 

 

Caleb loves his auntie :)

 

And auntie loves her Caleb! 

Pure cuteness.

 

The family pic :)

Philip, Stephanie, Caleb, Me, Becky, Jacob and Mom the day we left Lynden.

Sad day, but we all looked pretty darn cute. Minus my hair. Avert your eyes, please.

Once we left Lynden, we headed to Lincoln City, Oregon to spend a week in a beach house on the coast. We went with our cousins, the Burris', and hung out with them all week. We had a total blast, but it was also super relaxing for me. Before that, I was stressing about school and my new job, but once I set foot on the sand, I literally lost track of time and dates and planning and spent my whole vacations just being. 

Most of the days we were there, we spent time in the ocean. As I said before, it was unbelievably warm, and on top of that, our good friends the Diaz's let us borrow their wetsuits. Our mom bought us kids some boogie boards, and we spent a good portion of time in the water, trying to catch some waves to ride. We had a lot of fun, and my mom even did it with us!

The clan after spending the afternoon in the water. 

 

The younger girls, playing in the sand and soaking their feet in the little sand pool.

(L to R) Grace, Hope, Hannah, Becky, and Claire 

 

Me and the babes :)

One of the most memorable days of the trip was Thursday, when we spent the entire afternoon and evening on the beach. We started out building sandcastles and making volcanos, then we walked down to the tide pools a short way off to explore the rocks. There were jellyfish all over the place washed up the shore-one for sure was still alive (it was pulsing), so Jon put it back in the water. It was kind-of scary where we were because we went at low tide, so we were walking on rocks that were normally covered in water. When the waves came in, it got up to knee deep within moments, so I tried to avoid getting washed away with the seaweed when the tide came. I got to see a starfish, which I was glad about, and we found baby crabs, shells, and the like.

 

Playing in the sand, even the moms!

Becky, Mom, April, Claire, Grace, and Hannah 

 

One of our many sand volcanoes :)

 

Me Jacob and Becky at the tide pools. 

If you look closely, you can see that where we were standing is usually surrounded by water. 

 

The beautiful ocean rocks at the tide pools. 

Not the best place to surf or boogie board obviously :) but still a great beach view nonetheless.

 

A purple starfish, 

When we finished at the tide pools, we set up camp around some logs surrounding a fire pit to roast hot dogs and make s'mores. I had a lot of fun with my cousins- Even though they're younger than me, they know how to have a fun time! Especially when it involves singing "Everything is Awesome" from the Lego Movie :)

 

The cousins :)

Hannah, Jacob, Becky, Me, Elijah, and Gracie.

Hannah on a sugar high after chowing down on a s'more :) 

The sunset that night was BEAUTIFUL. I wonder if there was ever a more magnificient view than the sunsets I saw on the beach. I wonder often how people can go to the ocean and STILL not believe in God. It's a wonder.

 

 

This almost looks like a painting to me, but its totally real.

After the twentieth take (mostly my fault :), we finally got the perfect family picture.

Once the sun went down, I pulled out my guitar and we sang worship songs together by the fire as the kids lit off sparklers. It was an amazing night. 

I was a little worried about getting sand in my guitar, but I decided that if I did, I would just shake it like a maraca and strum at the same time :) 

The last full day we were there, I got to fly a kite for the first time in FOREVER. It just so happened that the wind picked up that day, so the dragon kite which was so graciously given to us as a gift became my project for the day. We aren't normally dragon people, but that kite was amazing- it looked like the wings were flapping as it was flying through the air. It was like a dream, and now I can't get Mary Poppins out of my head :)

 

Me and you can kind-of see the back of the kite. 

My mom doesn't like dragons, so she cut it out as a joke. Then the camera died before we could get another picture. But this one turned out pretty cool, actually. At least I think, anyway :)

Another memorable thing for me was getting to hang out with my twin baby cousins. I loved the way they would say "Dani" and ask me to take them outside to see the bugs. I got to read them books, sing them songs ("Five little monkeys" was a popular one, as well as "wheels on the bus" :), and play with them. It was so cute, Hope and I walked around the beach collecting rocks to put in her little bucket, and Claire almost fell asleep on me as we were walking around by the tide pools. It was so funny, April ended up telling my mom that Hope was asking where I was the day after we left :)

 

Me and Hope after bedtime songs :) So cute :)

We left for home on Saturday. It was a little hard to say goodbye to the peaceful serenity of the ocean. I felt so free and refreshed, walking along the beach every day, breathing the fresh air and feeling God's presence. I finally understood why "Oceans" is such a powerful worship song- those waves ARE intimidating. I remember one day thinking "I can't believe Peter walked out on those waves... in a STORM." It freaked me out just thinking about it, especially since they were in the middle of the sea (who knows what kind of creatures are lurking... AAAH!). Even though the ocean in my eyes can be frighteningly unknown and vast, it is to me a greater revelation of the mystery and vastness of God. The day we left was a little sad, but I'm so glad for the revelations I received and the memories I made.

Saying one last goodbye to the beautiful ocean! 

After this trip, it was a little hard to come back to real life, to go back to the bustle of getting ready for school and starting up helping with the youth group. My room wasn't (hehe, isn't :) clean. My laundry needed to be done. I was stressing about getting caught up on my job. But I still need to remember that the God on the beach is the same God I still serve. Just because I left the place where I felt God strongly does not mean that God has left me. In fact, I think He wants to call me into a relationship where every day, I see His beauty. Where every day, I see the beauty of His majesty. And as long as I am open to Him, I can't help but have peace. So goodbye beachy waves, surfer dudes, sand, and vacation time. And hello to the next chapter of my life, the one where God gives my heart the lasting peace I felt at His ocean.

 

The boy who stole my heart

If you haven't seen me around lately, its because I've been fawning for the last week (and not to depress anyone, but this might be going on for a while :) over my long awaited NEPHEW! On August 9th, 2014, I got to hold his little 8 lb 11oz body for the first time and kiss his sweet little head. Now that I'm an auntie, its going to take a lot to get me away from my little guy. I could hold him for hours- he is so beautiful that I can hardly stand it.

It all started out Friday night. My girlfriends Kim, Lizzy, and I went to a Dust Devils baseball game, and afterwords, I went over to Lizzy's house spur of the moment to spend the night, which meant that I didn't have any extra clothes. Or make-up. Or anything I would need to jump in the car when my sister called to say she was in labor. I had a half-packed bag waiting at home, but I had decided to wait to finish until we were about to leave. I was certain that after waiting all week for the call, that my nephew was not coming tonight. Well, obviously, my womanly intuition was a little off because I was wrong. Dead wrong!

After staying up until after 2:00am (talking about pregnancy and labor of all things :), I woke up about an hour later to the sound of Lizzy whispering "Dani!" in an effort to wake me up. I think I kind of freaked her out because as soon as she said my name, I sat up straight in bed to figure out what was going on. It turned out my phone had been ringing on the nightstand but I had been too conked out to hear it (no wonder Lizzy was startled- she probably thought I was too tired to hear her whispering :). As soon as she mentioned my phone going off, I knew it could only mean one thing.

Yep. My sister's water had broken in the middle of the night and my mom was packing up the kids to leave for Lynden. Baby Vander Veen was on his way!

I quickly got dressed, called someone at the house to finish packing my bag for me (I am obviously not a Boy Scout because I do not live by the "Be Prepared" motto! Special thanks to those who covered for me on this one. Needless to say, I learned a good lesson about expecting the unexpected), then my mom picked me up at Lizzy's house a little after 4 in the morning. My mom told me to sleep, but I knew I needed to trade her driving in an hour, and once I fell back asleep, I wouldn't be able to stay awake. So I toughed it out, ended up getting a cat nap in the car later, as well as about five more naps when we crashed at Philip and Stephanie's later that day.

We arrived at about 9:30 and dropped my mom off at the hospital. It was like, the longest day ever, waiting, waiting, WAITING to hear what was going on. At this point, my sister was still breech, so I spent a lot of time texting that day, as we had a whole team if people praying for a miracle.

I heard back later in the afternoon that the baby didn't turn and that Stephanie had gone in for a c-section. At 2:50, the sweet little baby boy was born!

The next three days were full of drives to the hospital, sibling duty, coffee runs, and prayers for recovery and safety. It was exhausting, but SO worth it, even though my nephew BAWLED the first time I held him. Apparently, it wasn't my fault because he was having a tummy ache, but by the end, I was crying too, not because I was stressed (okay, maybe I was a little :) but because he was just so precious and he was in my arms at last.

I can already tell my nephew takes after me in several ways. First, the name Philip and Steph picked out didn't fit him, just like the name Catherine didn't fit me. So he remained nameless (sound familiar :) until three days after he was born. But it was worth the wait to finally hear his name: Caleb Thayne (pronounced Thay-in) Vander Veen. He also takes after me because he likes to sleep a lot. And also, he is just so sweet, just like me :) :) :) That last one was kind-of a joke. Maybe I have a few things to learn from baby Caleb :)

I guess the moral of the story is... WHO NEEDS A BOYFRIEND WHEN YOU HAVE A NEPHEW??? I would way rather spend the day cuddling with little Caleb than with a hairy sweaty man boy who hasn't learned yet how to deal with the complex emotions of women. Granted, one day Caleb may grow up to think girls are gross. But for now, all he knows is that his Aunt Dani loves him so much, and he is content to sleep in my arms as I dream of the day when I will have my own son, so long as I get over my sweaty-man-boy-phobia and find someone to settle down with.

But for now, I have Caleb to love and cherish. And he is the best little guy a girl could ask for.

Conference Countdown= Five Days!

It's that time of year again... time for Stuebenville Northwest! My church homies and I have started getting ready for it. Getting ready basically means bonding. Like the lock-in at my house last night. And fundraising. Because we are all broke high schoolers. The conference is literally only five days away. And I am excited for it this time :)

We had a lock-in for the teens at my house last night so everybody could get to know each other better before we all go and bawl our eyes out every day/ laugh like freaks at dumb things next week. We started out with adoration/praise and worship, then we came back to my house for the debriefing. After that we played some night Frisbee (dangerous, especially when you don't have a light up Frisbee :) and some link tag (more dangerous), finishing up with a never ending game of "I have never" (the most dangerous game, like, ever in my life). I have a bruised knee. Why? From Connor slamming his knee into mine as we both attempted to sit in the same seat. I have a sore rib. Why? From Michael hip checking me in the side as I (successfully, I might add :) attempted to steal his chair. By the end of the night, people were falling over backwards in their chairs from the intensity (aka Jenn LOL :) and having ultimate face-offs to see who could sneakily slide their booty into the spot before the other person. It was awesome :)

After that girls slept downstairs, boys upstairs. Apparently, the girls were being "loud" and the boys were trying to eavesdrop on us. The next morning they confessed that they picked up bits and pieces of our conversation, which sent us girls in a panic trying to recall what we were talking about (since of course we were talking about them :) :) :) JK :) It's okay though because we accidentally got back at them before we'd even known what they were trying to do- We quietly snuck upstairs in the morning to go for a coffee run, but the door from the stairs was squeaking really loudly, which made us all giggle, then Maggie accidentally knocked over the broom, which went crashing down and woke the poor boys up. Oh well. At least we brought them coffees home :)

After breakfast, everybody went down to the church for a car wash to raise money to pay for the expenses. We had a blast, making fools of ourselves waving signs and pointing arrows on the street corners and making McDonald's runs. It was also the perfect opportunity to soak people while having a good excuse. We had way too much fun doing that I think, although now, along with my injured knee and ribs, my legs and arms are sore from the six hours of washing cars :) Oh well. I may not get out of bed tomorrow, but it was fun while it lasted.

 

Justin, Kim, and me chilling out at the car wash.

Just FYI, Justin actually wasn't' supposed to be in the picture. He totally photo bombed us, yet somehow made it look like he was meant to be there all along :)

This entire year, I have been so blessed to make friends within my church. I've always had plenty of non-Catholic friends, but now, I'm starting to get really strong relationships with people of my same faith. And I love it. Being able to talk about my faith without explaining it has been so freeing. Even without having gone to the conference yet, I can tell that we are going to have a good time.

I have a feeling it's gonna be a good summer.

"We don't even have to try, it's always a good time!" Owl City

One wild week

My true colors always come out during VBS. For some reason, every year when I get on that stage in front of all those kids and teach them about Jesus (complete with rockin' dance moves!), I feel content and happy. This year, though, as I've become more comfortable on stage, I felt like I could bring out my wild side more  than ever. It helped that the theme was "Weird Animals" :) This year I really stepped out more than I was used to, as my fellow stage leader offered me the opportunity to take more of work load, which I gladly accepted. However, being the focal point for these kids proved to be a challenging experience, but definately a growing one.

I had to learn to laugh at myself when I blanked out on what I was supposed to say and the whole room was silent as my eyes desparately searched in my handbook for the next sentence. I had to get over my fear of my voice cracking as I belted the "whoaaaaa"s into the microphone as we sang together about how we wanted to be like Jesus. Yet at the end of the day, I realized that those kids couldn't care less about whether I forgot what I was supposed to say for one second (or ten ;) or if I hit a wrong note (which, thankfully, never happened... I think). What really matters is the fact that those kids were learning about God's love through me. For some of those kids, the one week they had at Vacation Bible School will be one of the only times they will hear about the depth of love God has for them. And what I found was that the more the focus was on God instead of the mess-ups, the more things fell into place amidst the mistakes. When I was singing loudly, it didn't matter if I hit the right note because when the kids heard me singing, they matched my volume (not kidding!). The louder I sang, the louder they sang. It was awesome!

The last day of VBS was bittersweet. 

This was taken on Friday at the finale while we were doing our last experiement of the week.

In memory of "weird animals" I decided to wear my cheetah dress...

 

...Aaaaand paint my face like a cat. The kids totally loved it :)

Me and my sister Lizzy acting... I was going to say weird, but this is actually fairly normal for us :)

Lizzy graciously woke up early to paint my face with black eyeliner.

At least it washed off easier than the Robin Hood beard we drew on with black marker a few years ago (don't ask!)

Rebecca, me, and Jacob in our awesome blue VBS shirts.

Right after VBS ended on Friday, we packed up the car and headed to Lyden to visit my sister and brother-in-law for a week and a half. You may be wondering if I washed off my cat face before we went on this trek. The answer is no. I didn't. And we went to Costco. In  another city, thankfully :) I can't tell you how many smiles, laughs, comments, questions, and 'you are creepy' looks I got that day. My favorite as I passed was "Free kitties?" I got a good laugh over that one, and the older man replied, "What, I had to say something :)" The woman checking reciepts wouldn't stop meowing at me. I never realized what a great conversation starter it was to look like a cat. I've never talked to that many people I didn't know in a single day.

When we finally got to Stephanie and Philip's, it was time to work! Stephanie is 8 months pregnant and there were things that needed to be done to get ready for baby Vander Veen, so we brought five pairs of extra hands to get the work done. We got so much completed it was awesome! And the funny part is, even though we were working, we all had a blast! I probably gained ten pounds from all the dessert we had while we were there. Hopefully I burned it all off running around setting off fireworks on the 4th. Seriously, I hope it is annual to go to Lynden for the 4th of July because my brother-in-law knows his fireworks! He helped us pick some out, including smoke bombs (we lit off all 72 :), sparklers, the big guys that burst in the air, and pretty much like everything awesome. It was epic.

Another really special event that happened was the first Andersen BABY SHOWER! This is the first grandbaby and nephew on our side, and we are SO excited for that little boy to enter this world and enter our lives completely once he's born. I know Stephanie and Philip are going to be the most loving parents to that little guy, and he is going to have the best aunts and uncles and grandparents ever because we already love him so much. The shower was small, with just a few of Stephanie's close friends from the area. We played a few games, ate some cheesecake, and celebrated the life of my little nephew. 

Overall, life has been wild. But a good wild, you know? Like the "I wasn't expecting life to be like this, but I like it" wild. The sparatic, adventerous, contented wild side where you know in your heart that the loops and turns and craziness has really changed you for the better and made you cling to God like never before. The realization has come that the cage I'm lived in was one that I created for myself, but God was calling me into the wilderness of freedom. And I love it there.

"I don't like formal gardens. I like wild nature. It's just the wilderness instinct in me, I guess." Walt Disney

FREEDOM!!

I am officially on summer break. AND I'm super excited about it. It is so crazy to me that I finished my freshman year of college. And now I'm a high school senior. I feel so old!

 I would say that I'll have more time to blog now that school is finally over, but I have so many plans this summer that I might not get around to blogging much. Next week is VBS, which I am helping with again as the dance leader and skit coordinator helper person, and the week after that I will be visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Lynden and throwing a baby shower for my baby nephew who is soon to be born. I am also planning on going to the Stuebenville conference again this year, plus attending Creation northwest which is in my hometown the last week of July. I will also be taking a family vacation with my cousins to the BEACH which I am SO excited about!! And of course, I hope to spend lots of time with my sister when the baby is born this August.

I have high hopes for my summer, but mostly, I would be happy to just relax and unwind after such a stressful and life-changing year. I am trying so hard to just stay in the moment, but I often find my mind wandering to the future, thinking about graduating from high school next year, trying to figure out what to do with my life. I'm at that point in my life where I am realizing more and more that I am growing up so fast (you'd think I was my own grandma as I say that about myself ;) In less than a year, I will be an adult in the eyes of the state. I will be old enough to vote, old enough to sign my own waiver at the tanning salon, old enough to live on my own, and old enough to (gulp) get married if I wanted to. I am feeling slightly freaked out at the moment. It was just yesterday I was 12 and wishing for the day to come. Now it's almost upon me and I'm wondering where all the time went.

Overall, I want this summer to be carefree and joyful. I remember a lesson my mother always reminded me of when I was a girl trying to grow up to fast. She said that I will have the rest of my life to be an adult, but that I should enjoy being a kid while I could because one day, I wouldn't be a kid anymore. Well, this is my last "kid" summer, and I am going to quit worrying about money and school and work and making a future for myself, and instead relax in the last moments of childhood that I have forever. This year, I want to relax in the time that I have here and now. And have an awesome summer!

"What time is it? Summer time! It's our vacation. What time is it? Party time! That's right. Say it loud. What time is it? The time of our lives. Anticipation. What time is it? Summer time! Schools out, scream and shout!"*

* I hope that you all know what this is from :) I decided to play a tribute to my childhood since we were on the subject. It seemed fitting ;)

 

Memories

So much has happened the last couple weeks, I haven't really had time to blog. With confirmation, prom, and school, it seems that my leisure time has been cut down significantly. Not today though. Today I am relaxing- I am in my exercise clothes and I am planning on going nowhere and doing nothing. Except, of course, catching up on my blog :) And doing laundry.

Two weeks ago, I was confirmed into the Catholic Church. I took the name Catherine, which was very special to me for numerous reasons. 

1) I was almost named Catherine, but once they saw me, they changed their minds. So they brought me home, and I was nameless for a few days until they called the hospital to tell them what to put on my birth certificate. 

 2) St. Catherine of Sienna is one of the four female doctors of the church. She was a scholar and theologian, which struck a chord with me because I love academics and studying theology.

3) St. Catherine of Alexandria was a virgin martyr who proclaimed that Christ would be her only bridegroom. Her purity inspired me.

4) Once I decided on these names, I put them all together, and my initials spell "DLCASA," which in Spanish (del casa) means "the house." This was an affirmation that I am the house of God, so it seemed appropriate for me to take this new spiritual name. 

It was a bittersweet occasion- I prepared with the same group of kids for two years. We went on SEARCH together, had monthly gatherings that lasted several hours, and we went to youth group together every Sunday night. I learned so much about the Lord, my faith, and myself. This experience was a big deal. The day of my Confirmation, I had so much support! My family, including my sister and brother-in-law from Lynden and my sister from Montana, were all there. My sponsor, Wendy Nuxoll, and her family were there, along with my cousin April and her family as well as my friend Kim. I felt so much love and support on this momentous occasion. It truly made my day even more special!

 

My confirmation buddies.

I will miss you *sniff* :)

  

Fr Auve, me, and the Bisop

 Look, my forehead is glistening :)

 

Me and my sponsor, Wendy Nuxoll

Thank you for supporting me through this journey! 

Five days later, it was prom. Planning for two major events back to back is not easy, but we did it. A couple friends of mine came over for pizza dinner, and then we all ROCKED OUT on the dance floor. It was SO fun. I led some dance instruction too (which was slightly stressful) but thankfully my dear friends helped me out.

 

Everyone at my house for pizza before dancing the night away :)

L to R: Eric, Jacob, Ryan, Annika, Lizzy, me, Kim, Emma, Connor, Jake and Justin

 My dear girlfriends Kim and Lizzy <3

Love you both so much :)

*Gabbie- we missed you girl!

 

I laugh hysterically every time I see this picture :)

We were having such a good time!

 

Fooling around in the photo booth.

We are weird. Just saying :)

 

SMILE!

  

My date, Connor, and me having a blast

 

My princess dress :)

The theme of the dance was 1940's and my dress was PERFECT

The sheer covering was custom made for me- special thanks to Jennifer :)

Yes, my life has been crazy (no pun intended :) but its been good. Yes, its also been very difficult for me to make it through life's twists and turns, but I am alive and kicking none the less. 

Praise God for pulling me through the good, the bad, and the oh-so ugly. I laughed, I cried, it moved me Bob. I'll always look back on these days with gratitude for all the memories and gratefulness that I lived through it. And live through it I did. I am thankful for the sacrifices that those heroes endured so I could live a full life. On this Memorial Day, I am thankful for those who paid the ultimate price so I could be free. Service men and Jesus Christ, I owe all to you.