A few years ago when we were at Lifelight (a free, Christian music festival in Sioux Falls) Jon reflected on our night there and said, "That is what heaven must be like." What led him to make that statement? First, there were tens of thousands of people there worshiping and praising God. That in itself is amazing. This particular year, however, it seemed like every time we turned around we saw someone else we knew. We saw many of Jon's relatives, people Jon had gone to high school with, people we had gone to college with, people from Jon's hometown, and friends from Minneapolis.
It was a taste of being in the "cloud of witnesses."
Today was another experience like that for me. Our church, Calvary Christian Reformed Church, celebrated her 50th Anniversary. This morning we had a fabulous service in our current facility. The pastor that I remember most as a young kid, Pastor John Bylsma, preached the sermon. I'm not sure how old he is now, but he still is a dynamic preacher!
For those at the dinner...it was my brother, NOT me, that had said Pastor John's prayers were too cotton pickin' long! (Although, I did agree with him on that point! Our parents had asked us if there was anything we wanted to tell the pastor and elder before they came over for home visitation...that was Mark's response :-)).
At the morning service we had a great choir with many former choir members participating. And celebrating the Lord's supper with everyone was emotional as well. It was very special to have Pastor Todd and his family back to help us celebrate and to see Pastor Mike Reitsma and his wife. She hasn't changed a bit! And that is from my memories as a 5 year old! Pastor Mike suffers from Parkinson's and had to retire about 8 years ago because of it.
Members of the anniversary committee did a fabulous job with the lunch and with all of the videos that have been showed the last several weeks. They brought back many memories and lots of smiles!!
The service of music we had tonight was amazing. It was surreal driving into the parking lot of our former church building. Many years of memories for me inside and outside that building! While I know we were outgrowing that building, which is why we needed to move, the acoustics inside that building are soooooo much better than the current building! (at least for singing...).
We had such a large choir this evening, plus we were blessed to have Pastor Randy Engle and Brent Assink there to lead us in music. The Van Daalen organ in that church is phenomenal!!! I miss that organ! When we were practicing I was getting goosebumps! You can actually hear yourself singing :-)
The best part of the day had to be seeing so many familiar faces! People that had moved away returned for this special occassion. People that changed churches for various reasons returned as well to help celebrate. God is good! All the time!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
A belated Birthday cake!
And a belated post...but what else is new.
Grandma and Grandpa Farm came up for a weekend in August when I had my 20th High School reunion. Really? Where has the time gone?!?!
I'll try to write another post about that :-)
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| Grandma made Truman a puppy cake, cause he LOVES dogs!! Connor and Elianna helped with the frosting :-) Truman is very excited that he gets to go to "Wrig wrig"'s house everyday again! (aka Wrigley, daycare's dog...whom Truman used to call Diggy." |
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| Trying to get a pic of all 3 kids with the cake isn't easy! |
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| Finally one that turned out okay :-) |
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| Touch the puppy's nose, Truman! |
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| Now touch your nose! |
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| He blew out the candle all by himself! |
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Running
For those on facebook you may have seen my posts about running. Yes, I have started running. No, I do not love it yet. I knew it was time to start getting shape and I had seen an article in the little local paper about a group called Moms on the Run. It was going to meet twice a week from the end of April until August and at the end I should be able to run a 5K.
Wow. Me. Running a 5K. Still hasn't happened yet, but it is supposed to on August 27th!
At the beginning of the journey I could barely run a minute! Now I can run over 15 minutes straight! That is progress.
Tonight we were going to run a practice 5K. I was nervous, but also a little excited. This girl who hated having to run once around the track (400 meters or 1/4 a mile) was going to try to run 3.2 miles. Yikes.
Another mom that runs, Lisa, and I are running partners. We run about the same speed (slow). There is a girl in the faster group of runners that always says "Remember we are all gazelles! Sleek and speedy!" Ummm, that doesn't really describe me. I look like a tortoise. I feel like a tortoise. But I am running.
I started tonight with the goal of running for 20 minutes, then walking for 2 and running 20 more minutes and hopefully being about done at that point. It was going well. I ran for 19 minutes, then walked for 1 minute...and I was halfway! I started running again and ran for another 3 minutes or so and then my left shin started killing me. I tried to stretch it out a little bit, but that didn't really work. So I started walking.
It felt like I walked forever. I would try to start running again, but then would have to stop. I was getting so frustrated. Yes, I started crying. I WANTED to finish the 5K! Jon and the boys had gone to a park along the route, so I saw them on the way out, when I was feeling well, and again on the way back when my leg was killing me.
I WANTED to tell Jon, I'm done, I can't finish, take me to the start to get my water bottle and let's go home. But I didn't.
I kept going.
I walked.
Then I started running again.
Ran about 5 minutes. Then walked again for another couple of minutes.
Then ran.
Connor came running down the trail and brought me my water. (I walked while I drank some).
Then I ran again. I saw the end and all the other ladies there waiting for me. Including Lisa. She even ran the last few steps with me :-) I tried to sprint and beat her, but my legs said no.
So, I did finish. Not the way I had hoped, but I still finished it.
We try again on Sunday. Hopefully I'll be able to run more of it.
I'm thinking that walking around Valleyfair all day yesterday may have done me in a little bit. I probably should've worn tennis shoes. But I didn't. Lesson learned.
There have been so many friends and family that have encouraged me along this journey. Thank you!
I was hoping to lose a little more weight while doing this, and I've lost a few pounds. Hopefully when school starts and we get back into a routine it will be easier to avoid the snacking and chocolate and other sweets.
I still do not love running. I may not HATE it as much as I once did, but it is still not my favorite activity. Saturday, August 27th I will be running in my first official 5K race. Tiger Tracks at the Minnesota Zoo. I'll post an update after that!
Wow. Me. Running a 5K. Still hasn't happened yet, but it is supposed to on August 27th!
At the beginning of the journey I could barely run a minute! Now I can run over 15 minutes straight! That is progress.
Tonight we were going to run a practice 5K. I was nervous, but also a little excited. This girl who hated having to run once around the track (400 meters or 1/4 a mile) was going to try to run 3.2 miles. Yikes.
Another mom that runs, Lisa, and I are running partners. We run about the same speed (slow). There is a girl in the faster group of runners that always says "Remember we are all gazelles! Sleek and speedy!" Ummm, that doesn't really describe me. I look like a tortoise. I feel like a tortoise. But I am running.
I started tonight with the goal of running for 20 minutes, then walking for 2 and running 20 more minutes and hopefully being about done at that point. It was going well. I ran for 19 minutes, then walked for 1 minute...and I was halfway! I started running again and ran for another 3 minutes or so and then my left shin started killing me. I tried to stretch it out a little bit, but that didn't really work. So I started walking.
It felt like I walked forever. I would try to start running again, but then would have to stop. I was getting so frustrated. Yes, I started crying. I WANTED to finish the 5K! Jon and the boys had gone to a park along the route, so I saw them on the way out, when I was feeling well, and again on the way back when my leg was killing me.
I WANTED to tell Jon, I'm done, I can't finish, take me to the start to get my water bottle and let's go home. But I didn't.
I kept going.
I walked.
Then I started running again.
Ran about 5 minutes. Then walked again for another couple of minutes.
Then ran.
Connor came running down the trail and brought me my water. (I walked while I drank some).
Then I ran again. I saw the end and all the other ladies there waiting for me. Including Lisa. She even ran the last few steps with me :-) I tried to sprint and beat her, but my legs said no.
So, I did finish. Not the way I had hoped, but I still finished it.
We try again on Sunday. Hopefully I'll be able to run more of it.
I'm thinking that walking around Valleyfair all day yesterday may have done me in a little bit. I probably should've worn tennis shoes. But I didn't. Lesson learned.
There have been so many friends and family that have encouraged me along this journey. Thank you!
I was hoping to lose a little more weight while doing this, and I've lost a few pounds. Hopefully when school starts and we get back into a routine it will be easier to avoid the snacking and chocolate and other sweets.
I still do not love running. I may not HATE it as much as I once did, but it is still not my favorite activity. Saturday, August 27th I will be running in my first official 5K race. Tiger Tracks at the Minnesota Zoo. I'll post an update after that!
Friday, June 3, 2011
The end of the school year....almost!
Today Connor and Elianna are done with school! Yippee!! As Connor said last night, "I'm glad school is going to be done so it doesn't interfere with baseball." Hmmm, maybe things are a little backwards there? That's okay, I'm feeling the same way :-)
The end of their school year is a little bittersweet because a good friend of ours is moving to Woodbury, another suburb, and their son, who is in Connor's class will be changing schools. I know it is right for them, but it is soooo sad for us! Connor and Eli were born 3 days apart, baptized on the same day, been in the same Sunday School class and class at TLO since the beginning. It's probably a good thing I'm not there today, I'd be bawling!
I have another week to go. Thankfully most of my paperwork is done, but I do have a few loose ends to wrap up and get out of the way. Paperwork is the absolutely WORST part of special ed. Some of it makes no sense, much of it is repetitive, and it takes time. I love teaching, but the rest of it I could do without.
Jon started a new job at the end of April, so we probably will not be going on any big road trips this summer. I'm a little bummed about that, but know we'll find plenty of things to keep us busy! We'll throw in a couple of weekend trips, and hopefully that will be enough for all of us!
I'll try to post again later. I'll include some pics from our Memorial Day camping with the Van Hulzens, and baseball, softball, and soccer pics!
The end of their school year is a little bittersweet because a good friend of ours is moving to Woodbury, another suburb, and their son, who is in Connor's class will be changing schools. I know it is right for them, but it is soooo sad for us! Connor and Eli were born 3 days apart, baptized on the same day, been in the same Sunday School class and class at TLO since the beginning. It's probably a good thing I'm not there today, I'd be bawling!
I have another week to go. Thankfully most of my paperwork is done, but I do have a few loose ends to wrap up and get out of the way. Paperwork is the absolutely WORST part of special ed. Some of it makes no sense, much of it is repetitive, and it takes time. I love teaching, but the rest of it I could do without.
Jon started a new job at the end of April, so we probably will not be going on any big road trips this summer. I'm a little bummed about that, but know we'll find plenty of things to keep us busy! We'll throw in a couple of weekend trips, and hopefully that will be enough for all of us!
I'll try to post again later. I'll include some pics from our Memorial Day camping with the Van Hulzens, and baseball, softball, and soccer pics!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
It's time.
It's time...
...for me to be a Tante again!! My brother, Mark and his wife Sara are expecting baby #2 in October!! Henry will be 6 in June and they will be moving into a brand new house sometime this summer too! How exciting!
....for standardized testing in MN. At my high school the students are taking the MCA tests today and tomorrow. 9th graders are taking writing today, then tomorrow they are alternating between a Shakespeare activity in the theater and a study hall (just for 2 hours in the morning). 10th graders are taking the reading test and 11th graders are taking the dreaded math test. Close to 95% of our 9th grades pass the writing test on the first try. I don't know what the percentage is for reading, but it's not that high. Math. Over 60% of this test is at an Algebra 2 level. Many of my students cannot pass this test. Many mainstream kids cannot pass this test. I hope I could pass this test, but I know I wouldn't ace it! So the great state of MN has decided that the kids just have to fail it 3 times and they can graduate. Crazy, I know.
Connor and Elianna are also taking standardized tests this week, but theirs are the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Elianna came home on Monday saying they were fun :-)
....for the craziness of spring and summer sports! Elianna is playing in-house volleyball and traveling soccer right now. Once volleyball ends, she'll be playing in-house softball in addition to the soccer. Connor is playing school baseball and traveling baseball. It's a good thing we have friends we can carpool with to the games and practices!!
I took Connor and Truman to a baseball game yesterday of our daycare's son...it could be a long summer! I may need a babysitter on retainer! Truman didn't last a full inning before wanting to run all over...it was a whole lot easier when he just would sit on our laps or in the stroller :-)
....for Jon to start a new job. After 13 years he is leaving Memorial Blood Centers. He starts at Beckman Coulter on Monday, April 25th. This company makes tests and reagents that are used in hospital labs and blood centers. He will be the Manager of Assay Technical Support. So if a lab is having issues with a test and the front line customer service people cannot answer it, and it is determined to be a process problem, not the instrumentation, then Jon or his employees are the ones that try to solve the problem. That's just what I've gathered from him. Hopefully after he's there I'll get a little better idea :-)
....for me to start exercising and lose weight. It's been a long time coming! Hopefully I'll be able to update you after I lose some!
....to remember in this season of Lent and Easter the tremendous sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. How incredible it is to imagine a Father watching His Son suffer on the cross for MY sins. How amazing it is that Jesus then rose from the dead and conquered sin and death so that we may have eternal life. What a gift!
...for me to be a Tante again!! My brother, Mark and his wife Sara are expecting baby #2 in October!! Henry will be 6 in June and they will be moving into a brand new house sometime this summer too! How exciting!
....for standardized testing in MN. At my high school the students are taking the MCA tests today and tomorrow. 9th graders are taking writing today, then tomorrow they are alternating between a Shakespeare activity in the theater and a study hall (just for 2 hours in the morning). 10th graders are taking the reading test and 11th graders are taking the dreaded math test. Close to 95% of our 9th grades pass the writing test on the first try. I don't know what the percentage is for reading, but it's not that high. Math. Over 60% of this test is at an Algebra 2 level. Many of my students cannot pass this test. Many mainstream kids cannot pass this test. I hope I could pass this test, but I know I wouldn't ace it! So the great state of MN has decided that the kids just have to fail it 3 times and they can graduate. Crazy, I know.
Connor and Elianna are also taking standardized tests this week, but theirs are the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Elianna came home on Monday saying they were fun :-)
....for the craziness of spring and summer sports! Elianna is playing in-house volleyball and traveling soccer right now. Once volleyball ends, she'll be playing in-house softball in addition to the soccer. Connor is playing school baseball and traveling baseball. It's a good thing we have friends we can carpool with to the games and practices!!
I took Connor and Truman to a baseball game yesterday of our daycare's son...it could be a long summer! I may need a babysitter on retainer! Truman didn't last a full inning before wanting to run all over...it was a whole lot easier when he just would sit on our laps or in the stroller :-)
....for Jon to start a new job. After 13 years he is leaving Memorial Blood Centers. He starts at Beckman Coulter on Monday, April 25th. This company makes tests and reagents that are used in hospital labs and blood centers. He will be the Manager of Assay Technical Support. So if a lab is having issues with a test and the front line customer service people cannot answer it, and it is determined to be a process problem, not the instrumentation, then Jon or his employees are the ones that try to solve the problem. That's just what I've gathered from him. Hopefully after he's there I'll get a little better idea :-)
....for me to start exercising and lose weight. It's been a long time coming! Hopefully I'll be able to update you after I lose some!
....to remember in this season of Lent and Easter the tremendous sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. How incredible it is to imagine a Father watching His Son suffer on the cross for MY sins. How amazing it is that Jesus then rose from the dead and conquered sin and death so that we may have eternal life. What a gift!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
A Weekend Away
Over President's Weekend, Jon and I were able to go to Cancun with Scott and Heather Mellema. We flew Jon's Mom up from Texas to watch the kids....and we enjoyed a warm, sunny, time away. While we were away Minneapolis got 20 inches of snow dumped on it....we were glad to be gone!!
Here are a few pics of our trip (if you are on facebook, you probably already saw them).
Here are a few pics of our trip (if you are on facebook, you probably already saw them).
This was the view from our hotel balcony!
Our hotel, Gran Melia. It was a nice, fairly quiet hotel. We spent most nights after dinner playing cards. It was a fabulous time catching up with each other!
We did go out one night to Senor Frogs.
The "boys" playing in the water.
We went ziplining one day and had a great time! Jon's turn!
My turn!
Scott
Heather
Jon, Scott and Heather all went upside down too!
Next stop, driving little buggies around!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Stopped in my tracks
I don't know why I haven't heard this song before...I love Casting Crowns and usually have a Christian radio station on in the car while driving around. The other day, based on some comments I read on facebook, I tried another radio station her in the Twin Cities. It was refreshing to hear some new music. Don't get me wrong, I love KTIS, but sometimes it seems the same songs are playing over and over and over again. So, I was listening to 95.3 Praise FM, and heard this song!
What really got me thinking was the following verse:
What really got me thinking was the following verse:
United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a should heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night
Here's a video of "While You Were Sleeping" by Casting Crowns that I found on YouTube.
Friday, January 21, 2011
A couple of pics
My latest pics have been uploaded to our new laptop at home, but here are a couple from celebrating Chirstmas with Jon's parents, the Christmas program at church and celebrating Christmas with my Mom, Dad, Mark and his family.
They all loved their blankets that Grandma sewed!!
Connor read the very cool edition of the "Night before Christmas" that Grandma Farm wrote!
Down...down...down
That's what the thermometer on my car did as I drove to school this morning. I don't actually know where it started, but the fact that it kept changing caught my eye. I only drive a mile to school. The thermometer started somewhere around 4 or 5 degrees I think and got down to -8 by the time I arrived. Brrrrrrr!!! Makes me even more glad that Jon and I are escaping in a month to Cancun for a long weekend!!!!!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Do I or don't I?
Obviously I didn't stick to my plan to be a better blogger after school started.
Life is crazy. Schedules are crazy. Paperwork at school is beyond crazy.
There are times I'm sitting at home or lying in bed that I start to write a post in my head. But it doesn't actually make it to the blog. I'll be typing on my school computer and realize the pics I wanted to share are on my home computer. (Like now.)
I make short updates on facebook. I usually feel the blog ones need to be longer and should include a picture or 2. I know they don't have to, but I figure who really wants to just read me babbling about things? They'd rather SEE what is going on, not just hear me ramble on.
What is the future of the Van Hulzen's blog? I don't know. Maybe I'll keep it up for a little while longer.
The best news of the winter...Jon and I are going to Cancun with another couple in February!! It's been 6 years since we've gone away together to somewhere warm and not work involved. (I've gone to a few work conferences with Jon, but we haven't gone away since our cruise in 2005.) Jon's Mom (Grandma Farm) is going to fly up here from Texas to watch the kids! We are truly blessed.
So do I or don't I continue the blog? I don't know. What do you think?
Life is crazy. Schedules are crazy. Paperwork at school is beyond crazy.
There are times I'm sitting at home or lying in bed that I start to write a post in my head. But it doesn't actually make it to the blog. I'll be typing on my school computer and realize the pics I wanted to share are on my home computer. (Like now.)
I make short updates on facebook. I usually feel the blog ones need to be longer and should include a picture or 2. I know they don't have to, but I figure who really wants to just read me babbling about things? They'd rather SEE what is going on, not just hear me ramble on.
What is the future of the Van Hulzen's blog? I don't know. Maybe I'll keep it up for a little while longer.
The best news of the winter...Jon and I are going to Cancun with another couple in February!! It's been 6 years since we've gone away together to somewhere warm and not work involved. (I've gone to a few work conferences with Jon, but we haven't gone away since our cruise in 2005.) Jon's Mom (Grandma Farm) is going to fly up here from Texas to watch the kids! We are truly blessed.
So do I or don't I continue the blog? I don't know. What do you think?
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