I miss my big, crazy, but fun and loving family! :o)

So I received some letters and pictures from my sister, Tracy, Jason, Emily, and Melissa and it made me soooooo homesick because I haven't seen them for so long - well I did see them enough to say hi and bye at the hayride :o) ... it is making me very excited for our Thanksgiving/Christmas time together... I think I am framing the pictures because I love them so much and am being very sentimental at the moment :D

The Church @ Peace

The 3 P's

When Life starts squeezing...

Acts 5 :27-42 Acts 16:16-28

?What is our response?

1. Praise - rejoice because we are counted worthy of our calling... thankful for suffering

Philippians 4:4 - rejoice in everything 11 Corinthians 6:10

- Choose your attitude!

Your internal attitude matters more than your external circumstances

- There are two types/groups of people:

a) worriers b) worshipers


2. Pray - don't be anxious

Philippians 4:6 Isaiah 26:3,4

Matthew 6:24-34 ... my mind is steadfast, I will trust in you - my mind is "stayed"
on you...

1Peter 5:7 - give your requests to God...

- You can't stop your worries from coming - But let them drive you to God...


3. Peace - the promise

Philippians 4:7

- the peace of God transcends , understands, will guard you heart and mind

Sami

Ok, so as many of you know , Sami is now 2 1/2 - over a week-and-a- half(s) time that I did not see her a while back , she definitely became the definition of a two year old - here are some excerpts from converdsations that we have had while I was watching/ playing with her:

Sami: Watcha do-in?
Me: pluggin in the chair
Sami: Why?
Me: becuse it needs batteries
Sami: Oh... ... Watcha do-in?
Me: pluggin in the chair
Sami: Why?
Me: becuse it needs batteries
Sami: Oh... ... Watcha do-in?
Me: pluggin in the chair
Sami: Why?
Me: becuse it needs batteries
Sami: Oh... ... Watcha do-in?
Me: pluggin in the chair
Sami: Why?
Me: becuse it needs batteries
Sami: Oh... ... Watcha do-in?
Me: pluggin in the chair
Sami: Why?
Me: becuse it needs batteries
Sami: Oh... ... Watcha do-in?

Me: What did I say I was doing?
Sami: pluggin in the chair
Me: and why am I plugging in the chair?
Sami: because it needs batries (her pronuciation)
Me: that's right
Sami: oh... ... Watcha doing?

* be proud - I didn't scream :)
-----------------------------------------------------
Sami: watcha do-in?
Me: helping Mike get ready for bed
Sami: why?
Me: because he's tired
Sami: Why?
Me: because he worked hard today
Sami: why?
Me: because it's his job
Sami: why?
Me: so he can make money
Sami: why?
Me: (ignoring her)

Sami: watcha do-in?
Me: helping Mike get ready for bed
Sami: why?
Me: (trying a different approach) because it's my job
Sami: why?
Me: so I can make money
Sami: why?
Me: so I can pay my bills
Sami: why?
Me: because they need to be paid
Sami: why?
Me:( ignoring her again)

Sami: watcha do-in?
Me: getting the wash rag wet
Sami: why?
Me: so I can help Mike wash up
Sami: why ?
Me: So he can go to bed
Sami why?
Me: because he's tired

Sami: watcha do-in?
Me: putting soap on the wash rag
Sami: why?
Me: so I can help mike get ready for bed
Sami:why?
Me: because it's my job
Sami: why
Me: (pausing) ... (thinking) ... so I have money to buy you toys
Sami: ok! (walks away and starting playing in/with the toybox) ;P

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Me playing with Sami and ' eating' her neck


Me:mmmm.... you taste good
Sami: (laughing) no I don't
Me: yes you do - you're tasty!
Sami: I'm not tasty -I'm Sami!

a little bit of nothing

lol, so my last two posts sound rather similar but that is my life right now - work and school :o)

Qick Update

OK, lets see, what kind of catching up do I have???

I am now a nationally certified EMT -I do have to apply for my state license but that only requires filling out a form I can't seem to get my hands on...
I have been behaving myself for the most part health wise since my trip to the ER - yes, I know I have been yelled at for not making this known to more people in a timely fashion, I'm sorry to put a lull in the umm... what's happening with everyone ;P- it was simply a sinus infection, double ear infection, and a temp of 105.3 - I can't say that I bothered to look in the mirror but I must have looked pretty bad because I immediately got sent home from work and it's the fastest I have ever been admitted to the ER and all I did is walk in and say "I just don't feel very good" :o) but I am feeling just fime now... (after getting over the flue that the Bemidji people were so kind to give me)

Now most recently I am taking a phlebotomy class which is really fun - if anyone feels so inclined to lend their arm, veins, and blood I get extra credit for bringing people to stick :D

I am also going to be in school the next 4 Saturdays learning how to drive ambulances code 3 yeah!!, and then another class that I don't really remember what it is but was told by my EMS teacher that I will be bored to death so I guess I'm just looking forward to being done with it - at least it's only two days!

I am also thinking about taking a EKG class as I am looking to get a job as an ER Tech and it will be useful to already know how to be proficient at these things before I start...

All these classes are for a EMS certification and that will make me eligible to start Paramedic school...

I have been having fun with Jr, Worship, we are talking about "our creative God" so we have been doing some interesting crafts lately - I will have to try and get some pictures - last week was so fun - we did paper mache (is that how you spell it - it didn't correct me) and thankfully I put painting plastic on the floor because it got all over and poor Levi was slipping and sliding all over and then to keep himself from falling I ended up with a nice hand print on my backside :o)

That is the most I can think up for now... :D

School and more School

Wow, I haven't written on here for a while but I must say I have been rather busy... ;o)

I am just finishing up my EMT-B class and am taking my class written final exam tomorrow, I have my National Practical Skills test out on Wednesday over four stations:

Trauma, Medical, CAM (cardiac arrest management), and BVM ( bag, valve, mask - aka - airway management)

After passing those I am eligible to take my State/National boards so your prayers would greatly be appreciated

I had the wow factor of getting 90% and 92% on my practice boards (next to unheard of) but I still am not feeling that smart because my instructor put on a computer program in class that was a question and answer and a lot of the questions were the same - which is about the only reason why I did so well...

My instructor said that proved I was retaining knowledge and the questions on the board although not the same , will be similar so if I can keep a level head I should do fine - but it is still very nerve wracking :o)

I also signed up for ambulance operations this fall - a two week crash course on how to drive and operate an ambulance so I am looking forward to that- it sounds like fun ;D

As well as a phlebotomy class - that way I will have the option of working ambulance or working as an ER Tech.

another thing that I would like to add t0 my resume is a Wilderness Rescue Certification but I can't find any training programs around this area - or even in this state - but I'm sure there must be - especially around the Superior area/ St. Louis County (I think that includes the Boundary Waters as well???)


Does anyone know of any???

So ya, to sum it up at the moment I am working about 12 hours per day at my health care job, in school 6 hours Monday - Thursday, and work at the O.G. on Friday and Saturday afternoons - so that leaves me with homework and sleep - I have no idea why I'm not on here more :o)

Yeah For Tracy!!! :o)

So I just have to say that I am so excited for/about my niece Tracy :D

Just a few more pictures


















Being a big sister is exhausting work ; )

This is my new adorably cute niece Bailey Anne Chudek






This is my other adorable nice Samantha... um, yea... :o)

Prayer Request

I would like to ask for prayers on my job situation...

My Home Health Care Client went on vacation a little over two months ago and while he was there the lift broke during a transfer (he is a quadriplegic) and the PCA was not able to hold the lift up so he fell and the lift landed on top of him and he has a bi-lateral break of the femurs now... he is in a lot of pain and to make a long story short, is in the hospital here in Coon Rapids now but we don't know for how long a period of time.
His spirits are very low and that is not helping the healing process much so I ask for prayers for his health, wisdom in my helping him - he keeps asking me why him, hasn't he already been through enough- and also for the salary cut that has been a result of it for me.

For Evil or Good?

James 1:26, 3:2-12

Your Tongue

1. Nature


what the tongue is compared to in these verses

* Bit * Spark * Rudder

*Wild Animal * Spring * Fruit


- it sets your course
Proverbs 13:3, 11:12

Mother: What is a lie?

Son: It is an abomination to God... but a very present help in time of need. :o)


do you lie? speak to quickly/too much? can people trust you?



* consider the power of your words

it can tear down:

friends, family, homes etc.


it can build up:

heal, calm, encourage etc.


- it reveals your heart
Luke 6:43-45

... out of your heart your mouth speaks...

- it builds and destroys
Proverbs 12:18, 18:21, 25:11

men can inspire millions by their words...

...and destroy them just as easily

the tongue contains poison

it can be our worst enemy

* Our speech is not going to be naturally good - we are not naturally good- it is only through Christ and in submission to Him that he can 'Season' our speech

2. Nurture

We need to have consistency in our speech
Psalm 19:14, Colossians 4:6

it should:

be pleasing to God, build people up, develop wisdom in what we say


-principles that guide our speech

is it:
True
Helpful- it might not be what they want to hear, but is it helpful?
Inspiring- Proverbs 12:25
Necessary
Kind- what is my motive?

Think before you speak

-process
James 1:19

Listen, slow to speak-seek to understand, slow to become angry

practice not grumbling


*try to think of all the good things, things that you appreciate about a person that you are angry with - shift your perspective


"It is better to keep you mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt"
- Mark Twain

James 3:2

"he is able... to keep his whole body in check..."

Focus on:

I want my speech to be Godly

I thought this was so funny...


8 words women use...

1.) Fine : This is the word women use to end an argument when they are
right and you need to shut up.

2.) Five Minutes : If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour.
Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more
minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3.) Nothing : This is the calm before the storm. This means something,
and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing
usually end in fine.

4.) Go Ahead : This is a dare, not permission.. Don't Do It!

5.) Loud Sigh : This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement
often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an
idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing
with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6.) That's Okay : This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman
can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard
before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7.) Thanks : A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say
you're welcome.

8.)Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning
this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but
is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's
wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3.Then you RUN!

Go Green

So I'm not a huge 'tree hugger' or anything but I also don't think it is a bad idea to take care of our planet either so here is a list of things I put together that I am going to start doing:



1. Recycle -this is actually easy for me to do since Mike has a garbage can and a recycle bin that get picked up every week - but I still have the bad habit of throwing everything in the garbage. :o)



2. Use junk mail to make your grocery/ to do lists on instead of just throwing them away , does anyone know how to just make it stop coming though???



3. Use cloth bags to shop with instead of using paper or plastic - I just bought a package of 12 so if anybody wants some let me know 'cause I have extra :o)



4. Try to make as many purchases as possible that are natural and organic products and fresh produce - it is a little more expensive (around $1.00-$3.00 more) but it is also healthier for you anyway (and I find that everything in the cities is more expensive :o)



5. along with # 2, try to use less paper, now, the Internet and computer is the obvious answer but I find that I tend to like the more personal touch on occasions such as cards and journals - but you can buy cards and paper/notebooks/journals that are made from recycled paper



That is what I have come up with so far... let me know if you have any more ideas to add

Randomness

So how do you all make/find time to write blogs? especially funny and intelligent ones... the few times I think of funny and/or intelligent things I am either a. almost asleep and too lazy to get up and write it down (I lost a whole song that way - and I'm pretty sure it was good too- I just can't remember ;p )or b. at work and start giggling to myself to which people want to know what is so funny and I reply nothing to which I get weird looks but I learned that it is best to keep these things to myself - they already think I'm crazy for giving my ficus tree a bath - #1 because I have a ficus tree to begin with and #2 because I gave it a bath - and explaining why only made them think I was even more delusional - I thought it made perfectly good sense though... :o)

anyway it might help if my laptop worked but I need a new power cord and it cast $70.00 before shipping and handling so I am not overly joyous to buy another one. one of these days though...

Maybe it is just because I am neither funny or intelligent hmm.. this could be .... ;o)

I think I fixed it !

OK, so more than one person has told me that they can't leave comments but I think I have fixed it now :o)

Today at work we had a fire safety meeting it was actually sort of interesting being that they really didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know but it was also helpful in the aspect that I didn't really know how everything was placed at the restaurant.

It is beautiful outside today which makes me so excited !!!

Mike (my health care client) is on vacation right now so I actually have some evenings free until he gets back so it is very nice to be able to go out and do things, tonight I am going to a car show with Jeff, Becky and Sami - I'm not sure if anyone else is going or not.

A morning with Sami

Lol, ok so I am watching my niece (Sami) today and she has kept me entertained for the two hours she has been here so far...



She helped me make breakfast, was very fascinated by Mike's (my home health care client) wheel chair... and absolutely loves the cat who is, surprisingly and thankfully ,being nice to her, at this exact moment right now she is yelling meow, meow, meow, come here, come right here... trying to get it to eat its food and water - I think this stemmed from the conversation at breakfast where she wanted the "meow" to eat her food and I said that the cat had its own food by the microwave which she duly discovered a few minutes ago...



She also saw some wild turkeys and was 'gobble-gobbling' them and quite frequently runs to the double doors on the deck to watch the deer eating hay...



she also learned how to play the slot machine downstairs and made me wish that it was real as she won three out of four times :o)



Now she is back to her movie, she found (gasp) that Mike had Monsters Inc. (her favorite movie) and he told her she could watch it if she wanted after he left for work - I told him that should make her very happy so after he left and I popped it in she squeals and says "I'm happy now"....



now she keeps changing the channel or turning the volume down and will go 'stop it, no, why, make it stop' :o)



and she just dumped all the cat food out of the dish and onto the floor for the 'meow' that she calls 'mity' (long i) it's name is mickey and now she is telling it to 'go outside' lol :D



I was going to add some pictures but the cord I thought belonged to my camera must not because it doesn't work so maybe I will add some pictures later...

My First Day of Jr. Worship

So Sunday was my first day of teaching Jr. worship... it was rather crazy ...I'm not sure I want to do it anymore.

The oldest is nine (I think) and the youngest is three... they don't get along- I don't want to sit by so and so, some don't want to listen to lessons and are a distraction to others- this is boring can I go play, that one doesn't want to sing songs (because they don't want to sing the song that someone else picks 'cause they don't like it), one doesn't like that game even though everyone else agreed on it - so sits there and sulks, another doesn't like the craft and starts complaining... basically they just want to run around destroying things and making noise (the boys) or watch a movie (the girls) yes, all this I learned in one day because I tried everything, and one of the older two is just plain disrespectful... and then I learn from the girl who helps out that it isn't me, "this is normal behavior for them"... I very much miss the kids in Bemidji right now :o)

I don't think sending them upstairs is really an option as some adults find them "distracting" and have let us know they don't "appreciate" the kids being up there during the sermon and I don't want to cause any dissension so I am rather at a loss on what to do...

Any suggestions ? Perhaps my attitude is wrong but I volunteered my time to teach a class, not babysit, and quite frankly I don't want to be missing sermons to watch the kids run around and fight, but as I said, I don't want to cause problems so I am not sure how to broach the subject because if I say I don't want to do it anymore I know I will be asked why and I don't really know how to answer other than to state the reasons listed above and I'm not sure that will be received well...

lol ok I am done venting now, any advise or wisdom would be appreciated :D

My first day here

Ok, I finally did it, I am now here, gracing you all with my presence... I really do not have a whole lot to say at this particular moment, while my new blog opens up new ground by brain is shutting down faster so I shall have to wait until another time when my nurons and electrons are working compatibaly together again...