Snow Fort!

Over the years I think my siblings and I have tried about every different snow-fort design out there, I remember spending hours drawing up "fail-proof" blue prints for out next snow based construction project. Despite our efforts, somehow those forts just never turned out as great as we imagined they would! Yesterday with about 2 minutes notice Paul and I decided to "dig in" to a good old fashion snow cave and had a decent sized fort in no time at all!

From the outside looking in (me expanding our walls!)

Jody coming in!
Jody joined me when Paul was starting to get cold and we ended with a nice sized cave for one day's work!

Christmas Break Begins!

I was officially done for the semester Wednesday afternoon but decided to stay in Lincoln for the weekend. I was able to get a few more hours in at work and had a new experience of opening at the lifestyle center Thursday morning at 5:20ish AM! I had a nice couple days without school spending time with my cousins in Lincoln but the real pull to stick around was Bethany Wissmann's wedding. I am so glad I had the opportunity to attend the wedding, it was so beautiful and heart-warming! God Bless you Mr. and Mrs. Beasley!

I left after the reception and got to Aberdeen at Midnight Sunday morning and met Vickie at her house as she was just getting off work. I got to spend some time with Benders and Vickie on Sunday before heading home. By the time I got home I was very ready to get out of the car and burn some energy with my family!

I knew Janae was getting dangerously close to taller than me but she seems to have grown even more since Thanksgiving and I now, for the first time in my life, am a "little" sister!

I have been enjoying break so far and look forward to the rest of this holiday season with friends and family!

Christmas Concert in Seward

I had one final today and work, after I got off of work I thawed what I could of the layer of ice on my car and headed to Seward for the Wissmann's Christmas concert! It was great to see everyone again! Seems like the younger ones have grown by leaps and bounds every time I see them! The concert was wonderful, the semester is over, and I enjoyed my evening immensely!

The Carolers

The Hillbillies!
And the Nativity

Glass Chapel

Tonight 6 of us girls went to the glass chapel over by Omaha. It was beautiful! There was a small group of "Unionites" there and we had a nice little Christmas program of singing and sharing what Christmas really means. When we got back we headed over to "the ice box" for the ASB ice skating party! Fun times!! This is a FUN time of year!

Snow Day

There was over a foot of snow on the ground this evening and more coming down continually. Classes were cancelled from 4:30 this evening until 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. I have a slight feeling that the rest of the day might be cancelled too by tomorrow because having over a foot of fluffy loose snow on the ground and a strong possibility for wind spells BLIZZARD! In light of the snow day tomorrow and the lack of a reason to get up early in the morning we had a cozy night in the room and cut snowflakes in our Christmas light-lit room!! :) God bless you all and stay warm!

Winter

Well winter finally hit Lincoln, NE and the snow outside it beautiful! I've had a great fun-packed weekend and still managed to get my homework done and this week looks like it will be a good one. Last night Mary, Mandy and I got some good Christmas shopping in before heading to the Flemmer's house for snacks and games. When we got back to the dorm some other girls came to our room to pile on my top bunk, snuggled in and watch an old 80's movie on my laptop. This morning my work treated us to "brunch" at the Valentino's Buffet, after eating what I'm sure was enough calories to last me all week I came back and got my homework done. At 5:30 I went to a Bible study a few of us girls have here in the dorm and at 6:30 Alli invited me to eat supper with her, Bart, and Tyson. After eating too much once again I joined the flemmer relatives and friends to watch a depressing Vikings game. Add a little snow and icy roads and wa-la! That was my weekend! God Bless you all and enjoy this Most Wonderful Time of the year!

Ministries Club Christmas Banquet

Well we're 1/2 way through the first week back from Thanksgiving break! It hasn't gotten too busy yet and it looks like this semester's finals won't be too crazy for me. This evening we had our Ministries club banquet at Olive Garden. After the yummy meal we browsed around at the mall for a few minutes and then came back to school and had a good round of Dutch Blitz! (ALWAYS a favorite pass-time!).

Thanksgiving break

I'm home, but only for about 12 more hours! I'm so sorry I have been neglecting the blogging world for so long. Tonight we went to Sund's for Esther's 18th Birthday Party, was GREAT FUN! Here is a quick update from my thanksgiving break. I hope you all had a WONDERFUL thanksgiving and I would appreciate your prayers for me and all the many other students who will be traveling back to school tomorrow! God Bless!

Lifesaver Game!

Elizabeth and I

the "girl cousin" Dutch Blitz game!!

(the BEST GAME EVER! and TONS OF FUN!)

The "cool whip game" at Esther's 18th Bithday party.

ASB Fall Banquet

Tonight was the ASB Fall Banquet. We had a WONDERFUL time and I do have lots more pictures but I am having some trouble with the internet and havent collected them all from random friends yet. So I'll add some more later, just wanted to share a tiny post yet tonight!

Gymnastics Show!

Sorry it's been another VERY LONG time since I posted, I've had a week of school, gone home, up to DAA, and back at school for a whole 'nother week since I posted last! Sorry!

Time flies and I'm staying nice and busy! The real reason I'm posting right now is to let you all know that I have a gymnastics show tomorrow night for the half time of our Warriors' first home Basket Ball game. So if you could keep the gymnairs in your prayers, for safty and a good performance it would be greatly appreciated!

I wish you could all come but since you can't you can go to http://www.ucollege.edu/node/2177 and watch it on the internet if you'd like!! the game starts at 8:30 and we're at half time, it's all live so if you wanna see it don't be late!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend everybody!!
God Bless!

Dakota Adventist Academy Knights VB

On Thursday afternoon The Dakota Adventist Academy bus rolled in with the Knights Volley Ball team ready for some action! I can't even tell you how EXCITED I was to see my team!! When I met them as soon as they got off the bus I couldn't gives hugs fast enough! I haven't seen most of them since graduation last spring and after living in the dorm with them you are basically family! Since I was the only senior on the VB team last year I felt like this was MY team! (and really it was!)

When I first got their schedule I realized that between class, gymnastics practice, and work I had conflicts for EVERY single game! There was no way I was about to miss their games so I put in a substitution request at work (I've tried to get people to work for me on Fridays before and it just isn't easy, everybody likes to start into their relaxing weekend as soon as possible). The next day in class before I even had a chance to bring up the fact that I wanted to go to a VB game during my college writing class on Friday the teacher announced that we would not be having class on Friday because we needed to work on something else with her at other times! Then I got to work and realized that my sub slip had already been filled and I was good to go!! GOD IS SO GOOD!! He LOVES to do things for us to make us happy! The DAA Knights pulled together as a team and made us proud!! I just wanted to be out there on the court with them but put all my excitement into cheering my heart out!! The Knights finished up last night with a 4 and 1 record! (that's 4 wins and 1 loss!) I can't even tell you how great that is!! The tournament champions, the 2nd place team, AND Dakota Adventist Academy shared a 3-way tie for the best record here at tournament, each of them only lost one game! Because of the way the tournament brackets were set up and the fact that we're from a small school therefore in the "lower bracket" we left last night with 5th place in the tournament! YAY KNIGHTS! I LOVE YOU!

The girls showing off their MVP awards!

You couldn't really see the floor in our room this weekend, when the lists came out at the front desk I wanted to sign up for every one of the girls to stay with us!! I just couldn't choose but after 4 I had to have some self control and with our 4 guests plus Mary and I we had a nice and cozy room!
Yesterday morning I ate breakfast in the cafe with the girls, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to sport my DAA clothes complete with Knights hoodie and VB sweatpants. I took the empty seat beside coach and after a few minutes one of the girls asked if the whole team was there. Coach took a head count and said yes. Then one of the girls seemed really confused and counted again, and again, and finally said, "no, we're still missing someone" I looked over at coach and asked if he had counted me and then with an embarrassed smile he was like, "....yep." I had a wonderful weekend with my girls and it couldn't have been a better weekend for me as far as homework, I didn't have anything due on Friday and I had already gotten my work for Monday done so I didn't have to think about school once while they were here! I simply enjoyed every minute with them. Yesterday Leanna and I got to take a long walk and chat about everything just like old times at DAA and after the tournament last night we decided that going to bed for the couple hours that were left before 4:00am when they headed out for ND wasn't even worth slepping. I figured I'd rather have a blast with them while they were here and sleep today when they weren't! I saw them off this morning and had prayer with them before they left, I absolutely love school here at Union but when the bus pulled away this morning I felt a little bit like I had just gotten left behind by MY SCHOOL.

I love you KNIGHTS!

Back At It

Last week Wednesday we left for home with all of our first quater exams behind us and ready for our Mid-term break! It's hard to believe 1/2 of a semester has already slipped by and yet on the way home it seemed like plenty long since I'd been there! The roads were pretty snowy and slushy at times but since it stayed above freezing we didn't have to deal with any ice!

The stay at home was short and made a little shorter due to the fact that I got sick Thursday morning litterally on the way home. Friday I got some homework done and played some indoor games with my sibblings because my 103.5 degree temp made me feel like staying inside was a good idea.

Sabbath after church we went up to Sunds for a shop party that evening and since I needed to catch my ride at the interstate (8 miles from Sunds) early the next morning I spent the night there and was on my way back to school Sunday morning.

This week has gone very well so far although I could ALWAYS get a little more sleep! :P We've been playing flag football competing between classes, tomorrow is the Championship! Will the FRESHMEN be able to pull it off!? Tomorrow the girls from DAA are comming for the Mid-America Union VB Tournament this weekend! I am SO EXCITED to see all my old classmates and teammates!! As for now I'm getting pretty excited to get some sleep! g'night!

triathlon results

CABLE Triathlon 2009

I was holding out for more pictures from some of the volunteers that were at the triathlon on Sunday but I'll fill you in now and share some more pictures later when/if I get some.


First of all, thank you so much to all who prayed for the weather, it's been in the 50s before and after the race but God sent the sun out for us and although the water was a bit chilli it really wasn't that bad! After a few miles your body has a way of generating it's own heat!


I could go into details but they don't really matter, I had a great time (although I will admit I wasn't TOTALLY loving it durring the race) and it was a wonderful experience I'm proud to say I've had! My friend Brittany showed my up on the running leg and placed 3rd, I VERY HAPPY not to cross last came in 4th and Tyson took fourth for the guys.


Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers!

The transition from biking to running was such a weird felling, I could hardly feel my leggs and that has a way of making running interesting!

Britany and I

Rachel and Mary came out to cheer us on! (Thanks so much guys!) after Tyson finished he came to find me on his bike and gave me some encouragment to help me finish! Thanks you guys! :)

triathlon

Once again I am VERY happy for the weekend and I am kinda scared because this Sunday is the triathlon! It's October now (WERE DOES TIME GO!?) and fall seems to have come upon us in full earnesty, today was rainy, windy and only in the 50's all day. I'm trying not to imagine swimming in a lake at 50 degrees and then riding bike and running wet in the wind either, soo...... if I could have you all send up some little prayers for nice weather whenever you think of it this weekend Tyson, Brittany, myself and all the other competitors would greatly appreciate it! :) Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

September

September..... where did it go? I realized that I havn't posted in quite a long time and that my posts have centered around the theme of "home". If I'm not carful sombody might think I'm homsick or something! While I'd rather not call it that, I will admit that I miss my family, and everything that happens on our farm durring the month of September. School is going absolutly FANTASTIC, I keep very busy between School work, Work, Gymnastics, and just plain old fun. Yesterday we had our minitries club retreat out at woodland acres, it was a wonderful day, very inspiring and refreshing to have a relaxing Christ centered day out in a beautiful nook of His nature. (I even got a little tiny sun-burn!) :) I have some papers due, a test, and at least one presentation this week but I will be squeezing in as much "training" time as possible for next Sunday's tri-athalon. I decided to attempt the CABLE tri-athalon, I'm not expecting to be competitive, for me it will be a "try-athalon" I just want to do it! I've been doing my classroom observations for several weeks now and really enjoy my time watching the 1st graders in Mrs. Powells room, so far I am loving it and still feel the strong conviction that this is God's will for my life. God has been so good and I am thankful for everything He's done for me here at school these past 6 weeks includeing the amazing friends and my WONDERFUL roommate Mary! (in the picture) He's blessed me with! So that's an update from school here at Union College in Lincoln, NE. Sorry I packed a couple updates worth into one!

A "home fix"

Last night Tyson and I went to a farm just south of town for a barn party social, I got to meet up with a friend I made at Oshkosh who lives about 10 miles from where the party was, we got to take a hay-ride and roast marshmellows, it was a nice little taste of home!

This afternoon we went over to Lynn and LuAnn Davis' house and made Schdroodles and washed clothes, the food was yummy and our clothes are clean! It was nice to get a "home fix" this weekend! between a trip to the farm and some german food I think I'm set for another week at school! :)

A day at home

Today I got to ride along in the combine with mom and when I got home I got in on the end of "apple sauce making"!! Mindy, Janae, and Paul were in the process of making 8 gallons of crab apples into apple sauce! By this evening we had 16 jars of "better than store bought apple sauce" and a yummy meal of wild toastadas filled with garden goodies and fresh corn on the cob. I am so glad I got to come home this weekend! I miss out on so much of the fall festivities when I'm at school! Tormorrow I head back, it was great to be home!

I MADE IT!!

Yesterday at 12:30 several of us were done with classes and decided to take advantage of the the long weekend and took off for home. Thursday was our last gymnastics tryout and the team was to be posted yesterday at 3:00pm. So I was in the car on the way home at 3:00 so I had Mandy and Brittany call me when they went down to check, I was holding me phone so excited and scared I could hardly take it!! Then they read me the list and... I MADE IT!! I'm a Union College Gymnair!! I'm so excited AND I'm HOME!! it's been a wonderful weekend already, it was so much fun to be home in Church and tonight we took a family horse ride!

So I just wanted to tell you all that I MADE IT!! (home and on the team!!)
I hope you all have a wonderful labor day weekend and don't do too much labor! ;)

My Weekend

This morning at 7:45am (far too early for a Sunday morning) my amazing weekend continued. The early part was totally worth it, a group of students met at 8:00 ready to help a lady we didn't know who has to be moved out by tomorrow and she had just gotten out of the hospital a 1/2 hour before we got there!! She was so grateful and overwhelmed to have the help.

Our plan for the day was to go to Valentino's and take advantage of the college student discount on the buffet, then go to Seward for the Wissmann family's concert and musical. But this morning I heard about the farmers market so Rachel and I went to check it out, we came back with some very yummy looking veggies and decided to make our own meal.

When it was all said and done we ate a very yummy meal (x6) and still have 1/2 dozen of corn, 3/4 of a GIANT Zucchini, 3 cucumbers, tomato, and a pepper left over. And just as a side note, the Valentio's Buffet (with the student discount) would have cost $5.25 each and our farmer's market loot cost $4.50 all together! We were pretty proud of ourselves, we felt like smart poor college students!

Next we were off to Seward, NE for "Foundations of Freedom" I was so excited to see our dear friends the Wissmann Family and introduce them to my college friends.

The cast included over 30 people!

Musicals are always fun but when your friends are the actors it makes it even better!

They started writing in April and by the 4th of July it was ready to go. Ruth Wissmann wrote the script and Rachel wrote the songs, it was absolutly wonderful. It retold the story of our nation's beginning with true quotes from our founding fathers who's goal was to form a new nation under God.