Straight Up ...Now Tell Me

Making progress in 2011

2011-01-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

I am excited to report that things are going pretty well for the Brookharts. Jacob is really enjoying his position here in Kahoka/Keokuk. I am so thankful that God put a twist in our life this past year that has enriched our lives. Jacob is learning a ton about being a private practice vet and is so much more relaxed here. I have been assured that I have a job at the same school next year, but won't know what grade I will be teaching for a little while longer.

We added to our family this week...Baxter is Jacob's brother's cat that has been living with his parents. She is doing okay but has been a little bit of trouble for climbing on counters and getting sassy when she is hungry. I haven't ever been very fond of cats, but I am even less fond of mice. She gets to stay if she keeps them away and if I have dog/puppy by spring. :)

As far as goals for the year I feel like I have made some sort of progress on most of them, but of course have room for more work.

1. I have lost 4 pounds in the last 3 weeks and am working on staying true to recording my points on the weight watchers site. I have really enjoyed the meeting in Keokuk. Our leader is young, not too cheesy and has lots of advice to give. I am working on talking a few friends into joining me, it seems to give me more motivation when I have someone I see almost daily to discuss successes and set backs with. I hope to reach my 5 pound milestone this week.

2. I have done a little bit of organizing in the craft room but have plenty left to do. I have also been working to convince Jacob into investing in the new bathroom decor to make it look a little more organized.

3. I have planned my first Stampin' Up! workshop for Feb.5th and am super excited. My bestie, Kim, is coming to visit and enjoy the party along with my sister, mom, and aunt. If you are in this area or want to visit let me know, the more the merrier. I hope to have some locals interested and to feel more confident by then about my ability to share the Stampin' Up! possibilities with everyone. I am a little nervous at this point.

4. This is a goal that I haven't made any progress on. I really need to talk to my preacher about the bible reading plan he mentioned in church. I still see it as something I can start and just finish in February of the next year instead of January. My goal is to read through the Bible not necessarily read it by a certain date.

How are all of you doing on your goals? I would love to hear what you are up to.

Blogging in 2011

2011-01-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

I have been asking myself if this is something that I should try to keep up with or should I just close it and save everyone some time. I decided it didn't really matter because I have been so lacking in things to write I don't really have a group of readers. My decision has been to try it again now that Jake and I are settled in what seems like a more permanent situation. I think a few friends and family would like to know what we are up to and see the fun things we are experiencing in this chapter of our life.
So, I don't really set resolutions because I don't really think of too much at this time of year with everything going on (holidays, traveling to see family, and getting ready for the 2nd half of the school year) but I do have some areas I would like to try to work on this year.

1. My friend Kelly and I have joined Weight Watchers again. We were very successful with the program about 5 years ago. The researchers at weight watchers have improved the points system and we are both very excited about learning the new system and feeling more satisfied with the food we choose and how our bodies feel. The new system focuses more on what parts of food make you fuller, longer (fat/carbs/protein/fiber) instead of just calories.

2. I will be working on finishing up our house. The craft room needs to be painted and organized. As of today it is serving as a catch all for our junk, not good. The second part of that is finishing up the bathroom. The bathroom at our current house has pink tile about 3/4 of the way up the walls and since it is a rental we can't really take it down or paint over it. However, I finally found a cute set at Target (love and miss that place) that has just a touch of pink that matches the tile, but the curtain and accessories are way cuter than the tile. :) So, I will be saving up some money to purchase those items.

3. I became a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! this past summer, but because of the move and learning a new school system I haven't had a chance to host a class or build a client base. I look forward to having my first class at the end of this month during the sale-a-bration event. I would also like to start having a little club about every 6 to 8 weeks, but will have to create/find interest of locals to pull that one off.

4. Finally and probably most importantly I would like to work on reading the whole bible. I am fairly certain that at some point or another in my life I have done this. However, it was never intentional or with purpose. I had kind of given up on the idea because by February I was so far behind it was depressing. Our pastor mentioned a chronological plan for reading the bible through and I am planning to use that plan to try to do this. My thought is that although I may not finish it in 2011, maybe in the next 18 to 24 months I could get that done. Then, maybe it would become something that I could accomplish in a 12 month time span.

So, that is what I am starting on this year. Will I make it? I don't know and I am not going to get worked up about it or beat myself up if I don't. I think it is just a good idea to try some new things and have some idea of where I would like to put my effort this year and maybe I will take a note from my good friend, Jenny, and update you on my progress every 6 to 8 weeks.
What will you be working on this year?

Just Here...

2010-09-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I haven't updated in awhile. I just don't know what to update everyone on, nothing has happened. I am getting closer to being ready to take pictures of the house decorated the way we want it. I will do my best to have that done next weekend ang get a new update on here with pictures. :)

It's been a busy summer but it has also been a difficult summer. Moving didn't go as well as I would have liked it to and the transition has been much bumpier than I expected. I miss my friends terribly and my old job. My new job is great and I am so thankful for it, but is hard not to have those people there day in and day out that know you and know when you are having a bad day without you saying a word. The people you have inside jokes with and whom ask about your life outside of work. We also miss our church. We have found nice churches here, but not a Sunday school class/bible study that we "fit" into the way we felt we did in Columbia. To top that all off football season has begun and we don't have tickets to the games. We do hope to be in Columbia homecoming weekend, but it's not the same. I have had season tickets since 2000. :(

So, this is not the most positive time in our lives and I keep trying to remind myself of the adjustment period when I moved to Columbia for college. If you are the praying type please think about us, I can't wait for it to feel more like home.

Home Sweet Home

2010-05-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

My mom and I met Jake in Canton on Saturday and looked through this house. We are going to be renting it for the next year. It is a very nice little house with lots of character. The one and only draw back I can find so far is it size. No worries, though, because we have already begun making plans for how to make it work for us.

Front view of the house with cute little bay

window-ish cut out that I have always liked.

When you walk in the front door this is like a little sun room.

We plan to use more for a bit or storage and

place for company to store coats, shoes, etc.

The living room...we are going to get a sofa bed so that our guests have a place to sleep.

Note the ceiling fan, we are super excited about that.

There is more room behind the wall on the left currently

she has a treadmill there, so plenty of room for playing Wii.

The kitchen...we will have to find a different table because

our table is to big for the kitchen and there isn't a dining room.

The bathroom...kind of small.

The Mud/Laundry Room...the lettering on the wall will stay.

We will also put our deep freeze out here.

I am glad to have a place for Jake to clean up after work before coming into the house.

The Backyard...we have a clothes line and the owner

said we could do a little garden if we wanted.
So, who's gonna be the first to visit?

The Brookhart's Are Moving

2010-04-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

Well the decision has been made Jacob has accepted a job at the Canton Veterinary Clinic. The details (my job, a place to live, etc.) are still to be determined. I will keep everyone up to date as soon as we know the details. His graduation is coming up on May 14th so things are going to be moving quickly and there is much to be done. Just wanted to let everyone know where we were going like I said I would. :)

Veronica's Birthday

2010-04-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

I know I said I would do this the day or so after my last post but life has gotten in the way....

Veronica Lynn turned 3 on April 4th. We were lucky enough to be able to travel home to enjoy the special day. She had a Sponge Bob birthday which she affectionately calls "Boshie". It took my sister forever to figure out what she was saying when she was calling it "Boshie". They were blessed with several friends and family to celebrate with and whom love Veronica so much that got spoiled to pieces with all the great gifts.

This first picture is not from her birthday but a few weeks before when Jodi and her came for a short visit. We went to the mall for her play. The skirt she is wearing was the gift we bought for all 6 nieces at Christmas. A lady in Columbia makes them check them out at http://sweetnsassycreations.com/item_8/Boutique-Custom-Mizzou-Ribbon-Jeans-Skirt-or-Capris.htm

She is really, really good at saying cheese...

problem is you can barely see her eyeballs
She had her own pineapple under the sea cake.

The "Boshie" cupcake cake

Her favorite presents; playdoh, swimsuit, and money from Aunt Lizzie and Uncle Jake

Grandma Nesse gave her ladybug umbrella, rain boots, and raincoat.

She was pretty excited.

Her first bike and within the first hour she wiped out and scraped the knee.

Mommy was going to buy her a helmet and knee/elbow pads very soon.
New jammies and that famous "cheese smile"

Happy Birthday Ms. Veronica! We love you!

Spring Break

2010-04-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

I am behind in reporting back but hope to post about spring break tonight and then about Veronica's birthday in the next day or two.

To get my spring break travel extravaganza off with a bang Jake and I headed to South Dakota on Friday. We stopped in Milan at his sister's house to hang out with them and their two girls. On Saturday morning we left early so Jake could visit the clinic in Chillicothe for a couple of hours and then drove a very long 7 hours to Mitchell, South Dakota to visit the clinic that has offered him a job. We loved getting some time together and had plenty to talk about. I had never been there and Jake had only been a few weeks before this visit to get some practice hours in to finish his requirements for school.
We really enjoyed our time with the people in South Dakota and really liked the size and attitude of Mitchell. I even got to visit, not interview, at two schools. One I really liked the kindergarten rooms had lofts in them and that is something I have always wanted in my classroom is a reading loft.
We stayed till Monday afternoon and then drove the entire 9 hours back to Columbia. By the time we reached St. Joe I was soooooo ready to get out of that car. We have not come to a decision yet about where we will be headed next year, but as I said before we will keep you posted when we know more. Below are a few shots...I don't know what I was thinking I had the camera with me, but didn't take any pictures till we were leaving. DUH!!!

After getting back and repacking I left at 4:00am for St. Louis airport so I could go see Clemma, James, and Zach in Virginia. I had no problems getting from St. Louis to Philly. However, once in Philly all the fun began...my flight was delayed 20 minutes, delayed an hour, moved to another terminal, delayed another hour, canceled, rebooked for 2 hours later, delayed 50 minutes, auxiliary motor quit right after boarding, and finally landed in Norfolk at about 6:00pm. It was a looooonnnnggg day. Thankfully the US Airways people were very helpful and even game me a food voucher so I could get a snack while I passed the time. It did help that smoothie was AMAZING.
After getting there I had a great three days with the Griffiths. It was so good to catch up with them and laugh with them.
We drank cherry vanilla diet dr. pepper (which I can't find anywhere around here), ate seafood, walked at the boardwalk and smelled the beach, ate wonderful seafood, visited the aquarium and just hung out. I miss them so much and Clemma said Zach did the cutest thing after dropping me off at the airport. As they were driving out he kept looking out the window at airplanes and saying "Wiz?. Wiz?" (which in Zach language = Liz) We had become pretty good buddies over the week.

The big seashell

Clemmanator and Me

Outside the seafood place and right off the beach :)

Z rocking the ipod

James and Zach with one of many funny faces

Shark Attack

Funny looking puffer fish

Purple Starfish for Cecilia

Cool kids ;-)

The layover in Philly on the way back was only as long as regularly scheduled so I had time to just walk around for some much need exsercise and happened upon this liberty bell made out of legos. it was pretty awesome, the only let down was that there were no plaques explaining the detials of such a unique and amazing piece of work.

Update

2010-03-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

Well, well, I am trying to get ya'll caught up so here goes...
I got a new camera so now I feel like I can show you and tell you more about what's been going on.

First, my best friend, Kim, and I have recently finished our first cake decorating class. We had a great time and started to catch on to some of the beginning skills like making roses, shells, flowers, and complex designs with piping gel. Our class was big and limited on time, I wish we would have gotten to practice some of the skills a little more in depth with our teacher present. Anyway, I have been looking for some excuses to practice/use the new skills and found the perfect opportunity this weekend. My awesome brother-in-law, Joshua, has a birthday on Tuesday so this weekend I made him and MU birthday cake. By no means was it perfect, but I think it was pretty good for a first try.

...and here is the picture of the last cake I made in the class

Then, for Valentine's Day Jake and I went to St. Louis for an awesome country concert. We stayed overnight at the Drury Inn at Union Station. Then we went to the George Strait, Reba McEntire, and Leann Womack concert. It was fabulous and we loved every minute of it. It was a 4 and 1/2 hour long concert because both George and Reba did a full set. Reba even came back in a real taxi and all glamed out to perform the song "Fancy", it was incredible. We decided to get a new camera on our way to St. Louis because I had forgot the other one at home and we had been thinking about it for awhile. However, the Best Buy employee who assisted us didn't give us the right kind of memory card and we didn't think to look until it was to late. So, we didn't get to take as many photos as we wanted to. These are a few of the ones we did get.

Since then Jake has been busy traveling and telling me all about several places he has visited and or spoken to as possible sites to start his career as a vet. He finishes up school in May and will officially be a doctor. He has visited and interviewed with a few and talked to more on the phone or through email. We don't have many deal breakers so it is making it a little hard to narrow down the choices. He has looked at several places in Missouri, and then a place or two in South Dakota, Montana, Kentucky, and Arkansas. So, we will continue to visit with the clinics and hopefully visit several of them together to see how we feel about the community and the practices. Being a teacher I can pretty much go anywhere. Jake was once told I was portable because I was a teacher. I thought that was pretty cute. So, continue to pray that we will know the place God has for us to go in this next chapter. I have been so proud of the effort and thoughtfulness that my dear hubby has put into this important process. We will let you know what's happening when we know. :)
Till next time!
~Lizzie Lou

A Challenge

2009-12-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

I am writing to see if any of you can help me with a challenge that was brought to my attention over the weekend. I am wondering if you would feel lead to help with a project...
When visiting our friends' church this weekend the church matched the biggest bill I had in my wallet ($10) and asked us to multiply the money by involving our friends. Then we are supposed to make a difference for someone else or a group of people. A friend said this is somewhat like a thing Oprah did called Oprah's big give.

So, this seemed like an answered prayer. There is a family that I know that will not have much for Christmas and they have 5 children. I had wanted to adopt them and provide gifts for the children and food for the whole family, but felt like that wasn't something that fits in our budget at this time. I was going to buy a small gift for each child so that they would get something on Christmas, but I really felt like God was saying this was his way of helping me provide for this needy family.

This is close to my heart because I know of several Christmases when there was a miracle delivery of Christmas gifts for my family. Without those God sent blessings my mom would have faced a very sad group of kids with a lot of questions. I don't want to buy them alot but I do want to get them something fun and I know all of the children could use a set of gloves, a hat, and a scarf. Please let me know if you think you can match my starter money like my friends' church did.

Dreaming

2009-11-12T19:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this might end up being a strange post, but I am going to put it out there anyway.
If you don't already know Jacob is going to be done with Vet school in May and we will more than likely be moving away from Columbia....where to? Well that is yet to be determined.
So, because of that change in our lives I have already begun to consider what next year (and by year, I mean school year) will bring for me. Obviously, I can get another teaching position almost anywhere we go. I like teaching and really enjoy my kindergartners. I would definitely take the opportunity to continue my career as a kindergarten teacher. However, there are a couple of career options that are of interest to me. The weird thing is that these two options have been coming up lately. Could that mean something? Probably not, but I think I will keep an open mind.
Ever since Jr. High I have wanted to be a morning radio show host. Of course that would be on a country music station. My best friend, Kim, and I even came up with our theme/show title...Singin' with Kim and Liz in the Mornin'. We decided we would have key chain hair brushes with our title on them to give out to our fans so that they would always have a microphone with them in order to be able to sing along.
The second career option is a more recent interest and I am not completely clear on the details of what part of the business I would want to be involved in. Since starting to help with so many of my friends' weddings and planning my own I think I would really enjoy party planning and/or owning a bridal shop. I am guessing this is way out of reach, but I really enjoy it. I can only imagine how stressful it would be at times, but think that it would be rewarding enough for me to find it worthwhile.
Like I said, I am sure I will continue teaching and that is not a disappointment. However, if the potability for one of the other careers became available I can't say I wouldn't take the chance...at least temporarily.

What career do you dream about switching to?

Fall Fun

2009-11-01T18:33:00.000-08:00

We have done some pretty fun things since fall began so I decided I would just tell you a little about all that fun.

We got tickets to the Jason Aldean concert at Mizzou Arena. It was a great date night for just the two of us. Love and Theft opened and both performers were fabulous. Of course, our favorite song that night was Big Green Tractor.

A few days after the concert was my birthday. I don't have any pictures from that, but it was a great day. Almost my whole family came to Columbia to take Jake and I out to dinner the day before my birthday. We all went to Catfish Corner, which is one of my favorite places to eat in Columbia. Then after coming home from an early morning birthday workout I received a fabulous birthday present from my husband. You may or may not know that I have been really wanting and constantly asking for a Nintendo Wii for about a year now. For my birthday I told my husband that the only thing I wanted was a wii (that wasn't the whole truth), but I got it. He also got me the Wii Play game so I can play my favorite game of all, Cow Racing. We have been playing it some, but not as much as I had planned on due to the whole being sick and all. The next game I would like to buy or be given is Mario Kart. We rented it to play and were getting better, but we definitely need to own that one in order to become "pros". We had people over the day after my birthday for a Wii game night and chili, YUMMY. Does anyone have other game suggestions for future purchases?

Then last weekend was my niece's 2nd birthday (Kolby). For her birthday present her mom and I bought all three girls on my side of the family tickets to Playhouse Disney Live at Hearnes Center. I went with them, my mom, and my aunt. They had a great time and really got into playing/singing along with the cast. The only hard part was that they were selling all kinds of cool stuff and COTTON CANDY that I really wanted to buy for all 3 of them but everything was almost $20. Take that times 3 and, yeah, I don't have that kind of moo-lah. So, Michelle and I bought each of them a snow cone in a Little Einstein's cup. That way they could use the cups regularly. The loved it and I have to say it really wasn't as annoying as I was thinking it was going to be. Here are some of the pictures I tried to take of the girls and I.

Cecilia Leann is my oldest niece

Veronica Lynn is the 3rd niece

Kolby Lynn is the 4th niece and Cecilia's sister.

She totally didn't get the whole taking a picture of ourselves thing :)3 Cousins enjoying the show with their Great Aunt Kathy.

I also wanted to show some pictures of my friend Julie getting married to Colin. However, none of my pictures turned out clear enough to post on here. It was a really fun and cute wedding. Julie was...well....she was Julie, but she was beautifuly, quirky being herself on her wedding day. As it should be. My two favorite parts were Eric Aldrich (a local weatherman) playing the organ, including the Mizzou fight song as their recessional song, and then of course Julie showing everyone that she wore her basketball shoes to her wedding. Congratulations Julie and Colin.

Hope you are all having an enjoyable fall!

Feeling Better...but wowzer that one knocked me out!

2009-10-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if you haven't/don't read facebook I spent most of my week at home too sick to get out of the bed/recliner. It was awful, I haven't been that sick since I was in elementary school. I still don't know what I had and I am still not back to 100%. The school nurse thinks I had what I like to call "Hini" Flu (H1N1). I went to the doctor because I called to tell them my symptoms and make sure I was doing the right thing or if they wanted me to come in. They did ask me to come in, but the doctor (not my usual) didn't really say what was wrong and just told me to use Afrin nasal spray to clear up my nose and hopefully release some of the pressure on my ears.

It all started Friday after lunch when I suddenly got achy all over and a bit of a cough. It was all down hill from there. By Saturday morning I was achy, coughing deeply, headache, and really tired. Sunday through Wednesday was the same and tons of congestion, it was gross. All of this caused me to face the the one thing I hate about being a teacher...SUB PLANS! I stayed home Monday through Wednesday and slept a great deal of that time. I went back to school on Thursday with only 1/2 a day with students and felt okay but really tired. Friday at school was better but Thursday was the first time I had used my voice in 5 days and that took it's toll. I sounded worse on Friday than I felt earlier in the week, but I felt pretty good. I am still congested and my cough is still deep. Now the nurse has me all freaked out that I could have pneumonia. That's scary.

Well, that's my week in a nutshell and I am praying that all of you avoid all of this. It stinks!

What a Reminder

2009-10-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

First things, sorry it has been so long since the last update. I have been reading the blogs that I follow but have failed to make the time to write on mine.
I have joined a book study through the women's ministry at our church (Memorial Baptist in Columbia) and we are reading through a Max Lucado book called, Traveling Light. It is a really interesting book and for me it is one of those books that while I am reading it I keep thinking, "Yeah, I know that, but I really needed to hear it again." For me the past month of reading has been very refreshing and at times a butt-kickin'.
The book discusses all the "baggage" we carry through our lives. Lucado uses Psalm 23 to show how God's word releases us from carrying all this around and weighing us down. We have discussed the baggage that gets in the way of our relationship with Christ. We have read through and discussed; other gods we serve, self-reliance, discontent, weariness, worry, hopelessness, guilt, and arrogance. What has shocked me the most about my reaction to reading the book is that several times I have read the chapter title and thought, "okay, well I don't carry around that baggage" and turns out those are the chapters that are working on me the most. For instance, the worry chapter. I don't consider myself to be much of a worrier (maybe you think differently of me and you should tell me so) but there were several examples brought up that hit home with me.
So, this week we read about the burden of the baggage of guilt and arrogance. Now, Guilt I can relate to, but I wasn't really sure how much I would connect with the information about arrogance. A major portion of the chapter was about humbleness and how much God loves and appreciates humble people and how much he detests the prideful and arrogant. The reading and scripture really reminded me that I have nothing to be arrogant about. I deserve death for my sins. I don't deserve even a portion of the things my life has been blessed with. Okay, so you are thinking if that is true why are you so excited to read the book. Yes, it's true that I am unrighteous but the better news is that Christ gave up everything, took my punishment, and has made me righteous in His Father's eyes.
The one quote from this week's chapters that kind of put all those feeling together to me (and that will soon be a on an index card on our fridge/mirror) and that I wanted to share with you is this..."be reminded of this: The maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you. And this is a fact. So if you need to brag, brag about that." All I could say was WOW!!!

Yeah, I'm still here. Just a little busy. :)

2009-09-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile so I am sure you are all waiting with much anticipation for an update on what we have been up to. Okay, so probably not, but here it is anyway...
School is going very well. The Brookhart's Buckaroos are really adjusting well to our daily routine and I am having a great time with them. I think my last year here will be one of the best, and that's what I have been praying for it to be. Don't get me wrong school has been just as busy as always, but I am more excited about getting up in the morning and getting to school in a timely fashion. Enough about work...

Last week I was privileged to get to take two days off from teaching and join Jake for a conference in Omaha. Jake really enjoyed the conference and I think he got lots of good stuff from the seminars. He also had the opportunity to do some "interviewing". It seemed to have gone pretty well. The only hang up for me was that the three places he spoke to were in South Dakota, Montana, and Oklahoma...burrrrrrrr! This is just the beginning and the chance to speak with clinics in Missouri and other more interesting and warmer states has not happened yet. It is really early in the game and he will have many more "interviews" so no major worries/doubts/fears, YET. The best part about the weekend was that we stayed with Dr. Lange and I got to spend a good part of Saturday with her. We didn't do anything spectacular, but I just got to see her and catch up with her. It was perfect. When she was working and Jake was at the conference I did some shopping for fall/winter clothes to wear at work. I got some really cute stuff and most of it was a pretty good deal. I even got one of those long/baby doll-ish, button down shirts with leggings. I haven't worn it yet, but did get some approval from friends that it would be appropriate to wear outside of the house. So, when I do I might post a picture. :)

Since we got back I feel like we have been on the run. Jake has been busy with his current rotation at the vet hospital and having been gone for two days put me a little behind with some projects at school. His parents and brother came up last night because his dad had a small out patient procedure today. They are already back home and I think things are going well so far.

So, that's about all and I hope to do a more interesting and fun post next time.
Later,
Lizzie Lou

I'm gonna be rich...not really, but...

2009-08-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well, the impossible happened. Our board of education approved for teachers to be granted the move on the salary schedule based on educational credit. I don't know how they did it and I am a little worried about where that money is coming from, but I am getting paid for being a master. WOOT-WOOT!! and that's only in the mornin' and you should be up makin' somebody breakfast...
Now, I just have to get all my paperwork turned in before September 15th.

PS--Jenny and all other readers have been patiently waiting for a new post. I will post a more detailed and exciting post soon...PROMISE :)

Road Trip to Omaha

2009-08-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well Kim and I were finally able to make it to Omaha to see our former roommate Dr. Lange. We didn't have near enough time there, but we had a blast. Of course getting there was half the fun. We enjoyed lots of car karaoke and came up with a new business plan. We would like to start our own morning radio show called "Singing with Kim and Liz in the Mornin'". To promote our show we would have miniature brushes made into key chains with our show title on the back. This would ensure that each of our listeners would have a "microphone" to use while singing along with us each morning. Our music would not be of a particular genre, just whatever we liked enough to play.

We didn't take many pictures so I am just going to have to tell you about all the fun. When we arrived on Friday night Emmy took us to dinner at Dundee Dell, then we went exploring downtown and got ice cream. We tried to watch a movie but a couple of us fell asleep, those people shall remain nameless.

Saturday we got up and Emmy took us to the Farmer's market. This was lots of fun because Emmy and I used to visit the Columbia Framer's Market and it brought back great memories. We had breakfast there. After a quick lunch at the house we headed out with Emmy's very generous friends from bible study. One of the fellas had a boat and wake board. We spent most of the afternoon on the lake. Kim did a great job on the wake board. I however was a little shy and by the time I got the courage to try it the boat "broke". After, several people pushing and pulling the boat ashore, waiting for another friend to bring gas and discovering that the added gas didn't fix the problem the boat owner discovered that someone had accidentally pulled the kill switch. By then I was already back on the boat and not to excited about trying again, maybe next time. Emmy had to go to work overnight and her generous friends kindly adopted us for the evening. They fed us a steak dinner and entertained us for awhile before taking us home. It was a great day, we just wish Emmy didn't have to work that night. This is a pic of the crew pusing the boat ashore.

On Sunday, Emmy came home from work and we all got ready for brunch. We went to Wheatfields AMAZING!!! If you are ever in Omaha, it is a must visit. The menu is huge and everything sounded fabulous it was hard to choose. I will warn you it is also a bakery and they have numerous desserts that beckon to be eaten. We each took home a slice of the Strawberry wedding cake. Yum-O! After a quick trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond it was time for Kim and I to head home and Emmy to get some much needed sleep. We hope to get back at a time when it is a bit cooler and we can visit the zoo without melting.

Midnight Visitor (Rated G)

2009-07-31T12:02:00.001-07:00

Yeah, that's right this "friendly" fella (possibly gal) was at our apartment door at midnight on Sunday. We had heard a tapping followed by a gentle scratching and I assumed that it was a opossum. I have seen one or two run around the complex recently. However, the scratching wasn't stopping and I would think that a opossum would get tired of trying to get in and just go try a new door to bust down. So, I sent my very brave and handsome husband out the sliding glass door with the stick used to secure the sliding door as a weapon. He re-appeared (thankfully) a few minutes later and told me it was a turtle. So, I thought awwww....it's a cute little box turtle that thinks he can get in our apartment. I was even thinking that maybe I could convince Jake to let me keep him as a pet for my classroom this fall. Well as I rounded the corner to our front door I couldn't believe my eyes, it was this huge snapping turtle. I mean it was the size of about 5 or 6 of the box turtles I was expecting. This was the largest turtle I had ever seen not in captivity. He was pretty calm, thankfully and I went back to get my camera because I didn't think anyone would believe us.

I am glad we checked to see what was making the noise because he was still in the walk-way of our building the next morning when I left for work. If I wouldn't have been expecting him, he would have scared me something fierce. I definitely would have let out my girliest scream. That day I was telling a fellow teacher about the meeting and showed her the pictures. She was kind enough to inform that we were lucky because with snapping turtles, the length of their tail lets you know how far they can stick their neck out to bite you. SCARY!!! I freaked because Jake had been standing pretty close to the turtle with bare legs.

He was gone when I returned home that afternoon, but I have been extra careful about how I run out to my car to get things I have forgotten. I will many times go without shoes and just run through the small patch of grass instead of on the sidewalk and down the steps. Trust me, I am using the steps and wearing the shoes.

Later--Lizzie Lou

Ride In My Big Green Tractor

2009-07-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well...we had a nice weekend in Kahoka. We went to visit Jake's parents this past weekend. It has been awhile since we have made it up to the north east corner of the state and it was a really beautiful weekend to be there. They don't have AC, so I was worried it would be hot and I would have a hard time sleeping. ***side note*** I am not a pansy that can't stand to be outdoors during a Missouri summer. It's just that I get unusually warm when I go to bed, and if it is already too hot I get so warm that I can't sleep and I LOVE my sleep ***end side note**** However, it was almost chilly on Friday night and perfect on Saturday night.

We got there late on Friday night and then Saturday we worked around the farm most of the day. We used the horses, Midnight and Spirit, to move cattle (for Jenny that would be cattles) from various pastures and lots to new pastures and lots. Good Ol' #17 was so mad about being separated from some of the other cows that she led her group into knocking over a gate and then right in front of Midnight and I tried to jump, yeah a cow tried to jump, over another fence. After everyone was settled we got ready to go to Keokuk to watch a youth theater performance of Footloose. It was really good and really funny. We were all glad we went.

Sunday after church and a Baptist carry in dinner-YUM-YUM- Jake took me for a ride in the new tractor. We have really been enjoying listening to Jason Alden's new song, Big Green Tractor, so this was the perfect opportunity for us to spend some quality time together. The tractor is really nice it has an enclosed cab with AC and I was even able to hook my ipod and itrip up. I didn't have the Big Green tractor song downloaded yet so we just listened to International Harvester and She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy. This is us with, you guessed it, the new tractor. Cute aren't we?

"...She had on a new dress and she curled her hair,

She was looking too good not to go somewhere,

Said what you want to do baby I don't care,

We can go to the show we can stay out here,

And I can take you for a ride on my big green tractor...

Down through the woods and out to the pasture,

Long as I'm with you it really don't matter...

Put your pretty little arms around me,Hell yeah,

You can climb up in my lap and drive if you want to,

Girl you know you got me to hold on to,

We can go to town but baby if you'd rather,

I'll take you for a ride on my big green tractor..."

Venting Session

2009-07-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

Urghhhh!
So this morning I stopped at Break Time for the world's best drink (Cherry Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper) and totally ruined my day.
I had to get up a little early to take my husband to drop his truck off at a mechanic because it is making noises. After dropping the truck off and taking Jacob to school I was headed to work. Since I had a few minutes before needing to be at work I decided to treat myself. Well things were going well and it was starting off as a pretty good day; the sun was out, my legs which were really sore the day before were feeling much better, there was great mucic on Clear 99 and I was wearing one of my newer outfits that I thought to be pretty cute.
Then as I was paying for my pop and Orbitz sweet mint gum I looked up and saw the surveillance video playing behind the counter. I looked huge, I covered the whole counter and half of the little video screen. Arrrrrr!
I almost cried right there in the store, but I didn't.
I have been trying for several months to lose several pounds and nothing seems to be working. I work out a Jazzercise 5 or 6 times most every week. I have more clothes that don't fit than clothes that do. I have been very frustrated. Is it just being older or is there something wrong with me?
I hope the day ends up being better than this part of my morning. :(

nothing really

2009-07-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well I waited longer than I planned to make my next post...I wanted to do a cool post like my good friend Jenny with pictures or links but I haven't taken pictures of anything yet. So, I decided I better tell you about something soon before you stop reading.
I have been wondering how do you think the way in which your parents disciplined you will affect the way you discipline your own children?
There are things my parents did that I said I would never do. Now, I think my mom is a great mom and she as a single mother did a way better job than I think I could ever do, even with a co-parenter. Spanking worked for me. If I got spanked I wasn't going to do it again. If my mom would have used time-out I think I would have just laughed at her. However, I think that if we could keep from spanking that MIGHT be better. How do you help children to understand the meaning of their discipline? To the child does it just feel like you don't like them/love them? Can time out and discussion help them better understand why those choices were wrong? Just thinking and wondering what my friends think.

Just getting started

2009-07-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

I was wanting to tell you about something exciting before I really started to tell people that I had started a blog to keep you updated on what is going on. However, I couldn't really think of anything. So, I will tell you about the highlight from my day.
I got the latest issue of my Real Simple magazine. My really great friend Kim, who always thinks of the best gift ideas, gave me a year's subscription for my birthday. Each month on the address label it says..."Gift from Kimberly D Austin". It truly is a gift that keeps on giving and since it is a full 3 months till my birthday (October 15th in case you forgot), I get to enjoy that 3 more times this year. She really is the best friend a gal could ask for. Her mad bride's maid skills are a whole other post in themselves. I am the first to write her a reference for that job. ; )
In this issue one of the sections is 27 Ways to Snack Smarter: Why eating all day is actually good for you. It's about time!!! I love snacks, and at one point in my life when I worked at a toy store in the mall one of co-workers/friend nicknamed me snacks/snacky. If it wasn't for the fact that I am now married (count it 19 days till our first anniversary) I would spend most of my days snacking. My husband prefers a full on meal in the evening, and although it doesn't always happen that way I like to treat him on most evenings.
Anyway, the article gives some really good tips and information on why eating your 3 mid-sized meals and 2 or 3 snacks in between is best. It also provides lots of yummy and interesting ideas for these snacks. One of the ideas I look forward to trying soon is 3 cups of air popped popcorn sprinkled with dark chocolate shavings. I am also interested in the low-fat greek yogurt with chopped walnuts and honey. However, I first would need to know what "greek" yogurt is. I didn't know there was a difference. I was also excited to see a section about what some "experts" (and I am using that word loosely there) say about protein bars. I have fallen in love with the Special K protein bars and they fit the guidelines that were suggested to qualify them as a snack verses a meal replacement bar. These bars are great because I feel like I am eating a candy bar, but it is a much more fullfilling in snack and in a pinch they make a great breakfast on the go.
The issue is full of many other interesting and fun things but I have some other things to get done before bedtime.
Have a great one!!
Lizzie Lou

1st post

2009-07-05T20:35:00.001-07:00

Well here it is...I hope to be better about making post and letting you all know what is going on in my life. This will get me started, but I hope to add more soon.