Zumba

I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile.  I've been busy.  I joined the YMCA the end of October and have enjoyed working out on the elliptical.  I've also started going to a fitness class on Monday and Friday nights.  It's called Zumba!  It's so much fun!  I'm not very good at it, but it sure makes me smile while working out.  I've posted a video below in case some of you aren't familiar with it.  Anyone want to join me?  I need a friend to go with me.

Can't Smile Without You

I saw this video today and it made me smile.  Hope you enjoy it too.

Catching Up

I must apologize for my lack of blogging. I need to set some blogging goals....like at least two posts a week. Okay, ya'll need to keep me accountable. I'm trusting all of you, my blogging friends.

I have so much to tell you. First of all, my parents came for a visit last weekend.  They had been on vacation in Seattle and came to see me on the tail end.  It was wonderful having them here.  It was also Balloon Days last weekend.  My parents actually got to go up in a hot air balloon!!!  They said it was better than Seattle.  Here are some pictures Dad took up in the air.

We also enjoyed a parade for Balloon Days. I haven't been to a parade on over seven years!!!  It was so much fun!

Dad worked on some house projects for me while he was here.  He fixed up some of the trim the guy that laid my floors messed up.  He also replaced my deck steps and caulked some of the brick around my house.  I'm so thankful for all his help!

This weekend I went up to Ankeny for Annie's baby shower.  It was so much fun to see camp friends.  Annie looks so cute!!!  I can't wait to hold their little one when it comes in December!  Lynnae came with her little guy and I got to hold him...a lot.  I did share him, but only because I felt guilty for hogging him.

Lynn, a former secretary, rode with me part of the way to the shower and we had dinner together.  She introduced me to this fantastic place called the Hu Hot.  It was absolutely wonderful!!!  I was going to take a picture of my plate, but ate it all. Here is a picture of my empty plate though.

It seems I've been very busy lately and am thankful for all the things God has brought into my life to keep my busy.

Next week, my boss is sending me to Lansing, MI.  There is a CSR Convention at one of the insurance companies we write for.  I'm hoping to learn a lot. You can pray for me.  I get nervous going to things by myself.  I'm also going to be sharing a room with someone there.  Here's the catch...I don't know who. I'm really praying that God matches me up with the perfect roommate.

Thanks for being patient with me.  And remember, keep me accountable to write at least twice a week.

Only in Iowa

All the rain we've been having makes for some interesting activities.

The Interview

My friend, Mary Ann, over on her blog recently had another reader submit five questions to her for an "interview" type of post. I thought it might be a fun post, so Mary Ann sent me five questions to answer on my blog.  If any of you would like to participate, you can see the "rules of the game" at the bottom of this post.
1. You've had some major life changes recently. What was your high point & what was your low point this last year?
I'll start with the low points; there have been a couple.  Leaving camp and my church was very difficult and I still miss them tremendously. Camp was my life for the last almost seven years and the people there were family.  The other low point was my first week in Creston.  Even though I knew it's where God wanted me, I felt very alone and started to worry and doubt.  Not a good thing!  I still have my moments when I wonder why God led me here.  It just takes time to settle in and make friends.
The high point was definitely seeing God lead in my life and having to trust him for the next step.  I left camp without knowing where I would work next and where I would live next.  It was very exciting to see how He put it all in place in His time frame.  He made it so obvious that I was to move to Creston and work at Hometown Insurance.  I'm very thankful for His direction.
2. If you could change anything about yourself physically & personality-wise what changes would you make?
Most people would probably have a physical change of being a different size and looking fabulous.  Although that would be nice, I'd have to say that I just want to be healthy.  Yes, that involves continuing to lose weight, but I'd get out my magic wand and make my immune system stronger and take away my asthma.  I get tired of struggling with my health. That being said.  I've learned much through all this and realize that many others struggle with much bigger health issues.
Personality wise, I'd like to be more laid back.  It's hard for me to relax when things aren't done.  That's at work or at home.  Sometimes it's good that I'm so driven, but other times it can be a detriment.  I think it's been a culprit in some of my health issues.
3. If you could spend one week on an African safari, Alaskan sled dog trip, or backpacking/hiking in Yellowstone, which would you choose & why?
Do I have to choose one?  Seriously, none of these would appeal to me. I'm not an outdoor person.  I like hiking, but would not enjoy a backpacking trip.  I'd love to visit Africa, but the bugs there are HUGE!  And I'd love to visit Alaska and love dogs, but really....no.
4. If you were going to lose one of your five senses & the Lord let you choose, which would you choose & why?
Maybe if I couldn't taste, losing weight would be easier.

5. Read the following quote from a bumper sticker I saw recently:  I enjoy poetry, long walks on the beach, & poking dead things with a stick.  Do you think that's funny?  
When I first read it I laughed, but the more I read it the less funny it was.  And that surprises me because I usually love random humor.
If you want to play along:
1 - Leave a comment with your blog URL, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 - I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 - You'll update your blog with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 - You'll include this explanation.
5 - You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

Guess What?

Guess where I got to eat for lunch yesterday?

Pigeon Impossible

I have a couple posts I want to write, but am waiting on pictures from people, so you'll have to be satisfied with this for now.

Incredible!

You guys will be amazed by this.

We Have a Winner!!!

Drum roll please!...I can't see you, but I don't think you're doing it. Oh, well. And the winner is...

Corrine!

The winner was selected through a very scientific process. I wrote all the names on a piece of paper and Judy randomly selected the winner. Corrine, I'll get the book in the mail to you some time this week. I know it will be a blessing to you.

Thanks to everyone who participated. That was fun!

200th Post!!!

Congratulations for sticking with me through 200 posts. If you are just joining this blog already in progress, you have a lot of catching up to do. I know I haven't done well at keeping up in the last year and I greatly apologize for those that check every day (believe it or not, there are a few of you). I know you just can't wait to hear what I have to say.

In celebration of my 200th post, I'll be having a give-away. My friend, Mary Ann, recently did this on her blog and I thought it was a fantastic idea. (Maybe I liked the idea so much because I won.) So anyway, on to the give-away. I'll be sending one of you the book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I love this book and plan to read it again soon. It is convicting, but you also go away in love with your Savior.

So how do you win? Leave a comment by Monday, October 19th, and please include your email address if I don't already have it. I moderate comments, so if you don't want your email address published, sent me two comments - one with your email address letting me know not to publish it and another comment that I can post. You all know how much I love comments...and if you didn't know that, now you do. A winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Tuesday. I will ship this book anywhere in the world.

Thanks so much to my faithful readers!

Fun with Friends

I bought the Dancing with the Stars workout DVD a while ago. There are two reasons. Reason number one is that I secretly would love to learn to dance. Reason number two is that I thought it would be a fun way to get exercise. Let's just say it's not Dancing for Dummies.

I really stink at it. Not just kidding you a little bit. Yep, I'm terrible at even a dancing workout.

So it's now become a fun thing to do with friends. Because I don't want to be the only one that stinks at it and I'm very glad to say that all my friends are pretty terrible at dancing as well. So I thought I'd share a few pictures of my friends looking silly. Notice there are none of me. Yes, I'm an evil friend. I did promise them the pictures would not end up on Facebook, but would make no such promise about my blog. (Insert evil laugh here.)


I think Lynn and Keri are trying to Cha-Cha-Cha.

Ooo. They're getting into it now!

I think this is when they decided they were good and we needed to start "Dancing with the Camp Stars." I don't think that's going to fly. (By the way, please ignore the bag of trash by the front door. What can I say? I'm human.)

Two Firsts

So today is a day of firsts. The first first (it's fun to say first) is jogging. Yes, Erin went jogging. I had talked to Anna about going jogging with me earlier and today was the day. We jogged in intervals and I did a lot more than I thought I could do. We didn't go far, but it's a start. We're going to try to go two more times this week. I'm glad she went with me. It's good to have a friend push you along. I need to work on pacing myself and keeping up my walking pace between the jogging intervals.

The second first today was going out on the jet ski for the first time. At first, Aaron and Anna had me on my own jet ski, but I was just too afraid. I didn't even get out past the buoy or go faster than idling and came right back in. I was just shaking. For those that don't know...I'm afraid of water. So I rode with Anna instead. I was still scared at first, but then really enjoyed the ride. The lake was very calm so it was the perfect day to try it out. She got up to 30 mph with me. So we weren't breaking any records, but at least I tried it. Maybe someday I'll work up to driving one myself.

I hope you all have a fabulous day. We have today off and then we have three retreats this week that will run from Tuesday to Sunday. It will be busy, but we are excited to see God continue to use IRBC throughout the entire year.

My Dot in France

You may remember this post from back awhile. I love to check out the dots on my map. Just in case you don't know what I'm referencing, scroll down just a bit and look at my sidebar. You'll notice a world map. If you click on that map you will see dots from around the world that represent people that have dropped by my blog. Go ahead and do it...I'll wait.

Did you see all those dots? Aren't they cool? I have no idea how all of those people have stumbled on my little corner of the world.

Now, I'm going to tell you a little story. Bear with me; it does have a point. During Family Camp 4, I was on my way back to the office from eating lunch when this man stops me and says, "You don't know who I am do you?" I tell him that I'm sorry I don't. He introduces himself as Mark Nelsen, and I realize that he is the morning missionary speaker. I shake hands with him and he proceeds to tell me that he is a faithful reader of my blog. Mark and his family are missionaries in France. So I met my dot from France in the flesh!

So this little post is just to say hi to my dot in France. I've been listening to messages from this summer when I walk. Mark, your messages have been such a blessing and challenge. Thank you.

Hairspray the Musical

My friend Mary was given tickets to see Hairspray the Musical at the Civic Center in Des Moines last Friday. Guess who she took with her!!! If you guessed me, you are correct and you win a gold star. It was absolutely amazing and we had a fabulous time. We took a few pictures in the car on the way, but couldn't take pictures at the show. So I went out on the internet today and found some pictures for you to see. Mary and I both loved the movie so much that we were hoping we wouldn't be disappointed - we weren't! It was so much fun and I'm so glad she took me. Thank you, Mary!!!

Before we went to the show, we had dinner at my favorite restaurant, Olive Garden. I hadn't been there for two years, so it was great to have my favorite dish...Chicken Alfredo. Mmmm.

Just a side note: our wireless internet is down, so I haven't been posting. It's not as convenient to stay up in the office to post. Hope you miss me.

My Day with a Six Year Old

Let me introduce you to my favorite little six year old, Tabitha. She had a birthday recently and wanted me to go to her party. Since I couldn't go, I had her over for the day today to celebrate. She sat by me in church and then informed me that I wasn't to forget to pick her up after Sunday School.

After church we went to lunch and then headed to my apartment for our day of fun. We started off by making cookies where I learned my first lesson.

Lesson #1 - Do not ask a six year old to turn on the kitchen aid mixer. The result is below. We laughed so hard and then just cleaned up the mess. The cookies turned out great even with some missing ingredients. Tabitha, you are a great cookie helper!

Lesson #2 - Do not play games with a six year old unless you are prepared to lose every time. She was prepared and brought a bag of her favorite games. We started off with two rounds of Cootie and finished with Princess Crazy Eights. I only lost Crazy Eights by one point. Great job, Cheeto! (private nickname)

We watched Mulan next, but I didn't take pictures of that. We had a great time snuggling on the couch watching the movie. There is nothing like a little kid that just snuggles in.

Our next project was beauty. We did our nails and then decided to accessorize for church. She had never done someone else's nails before, so I was lucky to be the first. She did a great job and we looked spectacular for church.

We wanted to be twins, so I flipped out her hair and we tried to wear matching jewelry. Isn't she just adorable?

Tabitha, I hope you had a fun celebration. I know I had a great time with you and love you very much!!!!! I'm so glad we are friends, Cheeto.

Fun T-Shirts

I had to put these pictures on from one of the district games. Four girls from the youth group made these t-shirts to cheer on our three church guys. The front says, "Baptist Boyz."

Just in case you can't read these, the one below says, "We believe in tithing, so show us the money."

This one says, "We believe in immersion so dunk it!"

Very creative bunch of girls we have. We are all very excited for Monday!

Just to Tide You Over

I promise to post something real this week. But here is another video to tide you over.

Why I Love Iowa

My dad got this poem from a missionary and shared it with me. Not sure who wrote it, but it sure fits.

Why I Love Iowa

It's winter in Iowa
And the gentle breezes blow
70 miles per hour at 52 below.
Oh, how I love Iowa,
When the snow is up to your head;
You take a deep breath
And your nose turns to bright red.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful;
I guess I'll hang around.
I could never leave Iowa
Cause I'm frozen to the ground!

Like Totally 80's

Last night the 20/20 Faith and Faith Impact classes from church had our Christmas party. We went with the 80's theme. Boy, did we have fun! Since I'm so young, I hardly remember that decade (cough, choke)....okay, so maybe I have a slight recollection. Enjoy the pictures!

This is our group - those of us that dressed up that is. There were a few behind the camera that didn't dress the part. Because of an ice storm only half our group made it.

This was a fun game. We had three teams. Each chose a leader and that person had to put a pair of stockings on their head. There were hole cut in them at the top of the legs. It was a contest to see who could make antlers first. We won!!!!

Time for some close ups.

This is Shayne and Jen Skellenger. Shayne went all out with a mullet wig.

Every crowd has to have some preppy people. Pastor Scott and Brooke Greening took on that roll.

Here are Jeremy and Stacey Ryal. Aren't they cute in their matching outfits?

Here are Jeremy and Sarah Barkema. I wish I had taken this the other direction. Sarah had on a skirt with leggings and then leg warmers. Anyone else remember that look? How do you like the big boom box?

This is Michelle Imoehl. She actually found an acid wash jean dress! It was totally rad. (just to keep in with the vernacular of the era.)

Pastor Phil and Barb crashed our party, but we were so glad they did. The were both students at Faith in the 80's. Barb is actually wearing her chorale dress! To us it looked more like the pioneer days. I guess we could call this look the "Christian 80's."

No, Mary Callison is not expecting, but she was during much of the 80's, so I guess this costume is fitting. I didn't get a picture of Pastor Dave, but he was sporting the Miami Vice look.

Lynnae and Alyssa came to my pad (er apartment) to get ready. I did Alyssa's hair with a crimper. Anyone remember those? Lynnae did some research online and found that if your make-up didn't make you look like a clown then you didn't do it right. I think we nailed it.

So don't be a dweeb...you need to plan you own party! It was like such a bodacious time!

Baking Extravaganza!

Warning!!! Major baking and recipes ahead. This post is not for those who are weak at heart when it comes to the kitchen. Proceed with caution. I even brought my Kitchen Aid mixer with me, so you know this is serious business.

I would like to introduce you to my lovely assistant, otherwise known as Mom. Okay, so she taught my all I know. It was so much fun to spend this time with her.

Recipe #1 - Berry Shortbread Dreams (and they are a dream)

(This picture is before they were glazed.)

1 cup butter softened (no substitutes)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (or whatever flavor you choose...we used peach as well)

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp. water
1/2 ts. almond extract

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in extract; gradually add flour until dough forms a ball. If not easy to handle, cover and refrigerate for a short time. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Make an indention in the center. Fill with jam. Bake at 350 for 14-18 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet to cool. Spoon additional jam into cookies if desired. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over cookies. Allow glaze to harden some before stacking cookies.

This recipe is compliments of my friend, Judy Callaway. She is an amazing baker!!!!

Recipe #2 - Ginger Sugar Cookies (my favorite)

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream sugar and shortening. Mix in egg and molasses well. Blend in flour mixture till dough is completely moist. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in sugar. Bake at 350 only 10 minutes. Cool before removing.

This recipe is from Great Grandma Wirth. I never met her, but her recipes are fantastic.

Recipe #3 - Monster Cookies (just because they sounded yummy)

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. corn syrup
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/4 cup peanut butter
4 1/2 cups oatmeal
2/3 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup M & M's

Mix all ingredients. Drop by ice cream scoop and flatten. They don't spread very much. Bake at 350 12 minutes.

Recipe #4 - Chocolate Shadows

There is no picture because I haven't made them yet. This is the next cookie on my agenda.

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg

Melt chocolate chips and keep separate. Mix all other ingredients. Marble the melted chips through the batter, do not mix in. Form into 1 inch balls. Flatten with glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 for 8-11 minutes until golden brown. Cool before removing from baking sheet.

This was Grandma Wirth's recipe.

Project #5 - Birthday Cake for Jesus

I have the cake and frosting made and I'm going to decorate it tomorrow. I'll make sure to take some pictures and post them.

I hope you enjoyed my little baking extravaganza! I'm having a great time on vacation. I have so enjoyed having a relaxed schedule. It's nice to get up, exercise, get ready, do my devos and then bake till my heart is content. We've been making my dad watch those sappy Hallmark movies with us at night. Poor Dad, but he loves us.

I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas Season. God is so good!