Lost 3 Hour Season Finale Tonight

Yesterday was a beautiful day! After I got home from work Kathleen and I went for a nice bike ride and then played some bean bags in the backyard for a while. In the evening I got some freelance work done and wrapped up my day by having a nice chat with Dan on the phone.

Nothing too special about work today. Got pretty much all my work done at church, now I'm just filling my time with random projects to try and get ahead. I'm also working on stuff for the Spaghetti Dinner... so I'm keeping busy. I'll have more freelance work to do when I get home.

Tonight I am excited about watching 3 hours of LOST! If you're not into LOST you're totally missing out! Hopefully tonight we'll get some answers and a few clues as to what next season is all about. Each season tends to have a different sort of "theme." This season was all about how the Oceanic 6 get off the island. Wild!

Memorial Day Weekend Activities

This weekend sure felt long! Dan got out of work early on Friday, so I got to spend a little extra time with him at the start of the holiday weekend. Saturday morning Dan and I took advange of the $5 movie deal (any movie before noon) and went to see Prince Caspian. Totally worth it! While this movie didn't match up with book quite as smoothly as the first, it was still very well done. Later that day, Dan and I walked over to Irish Fest being held at Gaelic Park. There we met up with Sean along with his sister and brother. Nora was volunteering, so we stopped in to visit her from time to time. Oh man, you know it's summer when you're eatting carnival food! Dan and I chowed down on roasted corn, cheese fries, and the always popular funnel cake! Kathleen drove home on Sunday. It's great to have her home! We cooked out on Sunday and then Kathleen, Dan, and I went for a bike ride to McDonald's for ice cream cones. Monday was a very laid back day. Not much happened, but it was a nice relaxing day. We played some bean bags in the backyard and took a trip to Culver's for some ice cream.

The spaghetti dinner is rapidly approaching! Please be in prayer for the following: weather, food, volunteers, the program, safety, Phantom Ranch, set-up, health inspection, praise band, our special guest Rocket, and the students who will be given an opportunity to attend Phantom Ranch thanks to this memorial scholarship! God is at work and we are all doing our best to do our part.

Rocket

I cannot express to you how excited we are for this year's Something from Jessie Spaghetti Dinner! A lot of planning goes into this event each year and this year is no exception. After we sent out support letters we started to get replies a couple of days later! We spend the whole year planning and praying that God will give us the money we need to send the students that He wants to attend Phantom Ranch this summer. Each year He amazes us by multiplying gifts beyond our wildest dreams! Keep on praying for this fundraiser, this is all for God's glory!

This year I am pleased to announce that Rocket from American Gladiator will be our special guest at the Something from Jessie Spaghetti Dinner on Friday, June 6th! Last season on American Gladiator he won the for the men's division and has returned this season as an all new Gladiator known as Rocket! So be sure to bring your camera! Rocket [Evan] is a former camper and staff member at Phantom Ranch, the very same camp Jessie was a camper and staff member at. Friends and Family, I invite you to come on out and get to know one of the newest Gladiators as we celebrate the goodness of God and the ministry He has blessed.

Kaylin and Reece's Wedding

Sunday, May 18th Dan and I went to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to whitness the marriage of Kaylin and Reece. I've known Kaylin since we were both on staff at Phantom Ranch, back in 1999. It was a beautiful cemermony! The bride was absolutely gorgeous and the groom was so handsom! They make a lovely couple! Anyway... onto the reception. The Reception was at the Riviera right on the lake. It was gorgeous! The whole place was very well decorated... there was live music, great food, a delicious, well-decorated cake, and fun party favors! I got to spend some quality time with some camp friends while we were there. Sarah, Rose, and Windy (along with hubby and daughter) were in attendance. I took a ton of pictures, so if you'd like to see more you can view them on my Facebook profile. I didn't post all of my pictures but you can see a lot of the best ones!

Rose, Sarah, Me, Dan at the Reception

Good Day, Sunshine

Today is a bright and beautiful day! I went for a nice bike ride this afternoon. It is a nice time for me to clear my head and organize my thoughts. Today I thought about one thing: Jessie. Well, I thought about the dinner and about the book I have started... both in memory of Jessie. Although, at times my mind would drift and all I'd be thinking about were the trees, flowers, and wild animals along my bike trail.

This weekend we have the Mother-Daughter luncheon at church. My mom and I are planning on attending. I haven't gone to one of these luncheons in a long time. I wonder if they're still the same. On Sunday my friend Kaylin is getting married! Dan and I are attending, along with our friend, Sarah. I haven't gone to as many weddings as I did last year, but as always I try to attend as many as possible to support my beloved friends!

Dan is at work right now. He'll be by after he hits the gym. This evening we're going to the mall to do some needed shopping. I plan on stopping by the Apple store so I can ask some final questions before I purchase my new computer.

I am excited to see some positive responses from my Facebook Something from Jessie Event. Facebook users, be sure to check it out and invite your friends! This event is open to the public and we would love to have you join us!

Something from Jessie

I am very excited to announce that on Friday, June 6th at Parker Road Bible Church we will be hosting our annual Something from Jessie Spaghetti Dinner. This event will help raise money to send inner city students to Phantom Ranch Bible Camp in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. There will be a spaghetti dinner, lots of desserts, live praise and worship, a Moonwalk for the little ones, and more! Come one, come all and help send a hopeful student to Phantom Ranch Bible Camp for a summer they will change their lives forever! Last year on Jessie's birthday (August 3rd) I took a trip up to camp during Phantom Ranch's Urban Camp week with Jessie's mom (Melanie) and aunt (Patty). It was a blessing to show them how much of an impact Phantom Ranch has on these students. It was a wonderful way to spend Jessie's birthday!

If you are unable to attend but wish to make a contribution please contact me and I will see to it that your donation reaches the event cordinator, Patty Westergren (Jessie's aunt). Please be in prayer for this event as support letters are being mailed out and many details are still being finalized.

Back to Normal

I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure that it was the Vitamin K that was making my skin so irritated. I haven't been taking my Vitamin K supplements for almost a week and I feel so much better! It already feels like forever since I've had a bad itch attack! Praise God! Special thanks to Dan... he was the one who "diagnosed" me.

I actually left work on time yesterday. I've had so much on my plate the last couple of weeks I've been putting in a lot of extra hours. No matter... I got a lot done for the church and that's what really matters.

Yesterday afternoon I went for a bike ride to the post office to send a little package. It was a good idea... a nice to way to save gas and to get some exercise. Too bad it was really windy. The whole way there I was fighting against the wind, but the way home was rather pleasant. I've been slacking as far as my diet goes, so I could use a challenge.

Last night I met up with Dan so that I could give him his GRE book. He had it delivered to my house and it finally arrived on Monday. He takes the GRE next week, Wednesday. Pray for him!

15 Hours

Yesterday was a long day! I worked for about 15 hours but I was actually out of the house for about 17 hours. That's a long day! Eh, but that's production work for ya! It was a long day, but overall it was a pretty good day. It took me a while to unwind and relax once I got home from work, but I finally fell asleep sometime after midnight.

This past weekend was a blast! Weather was pretty good, so I figured it would still be a good weekend to treat Dan for all his hard work this past school year. I took Dan to Downtown Naperville where we ate lunch at BD's Mongolian Barbeque and then I took him to Cookie Dough Creations for dessert! It was so good! We got a little too much ince cream and raw cookie dough and couldn't quite finish out desserts, but oh man... they were amazing! I'm so glad that Saturday is my splurge day! I really took advantage this past weekend, but it's okay because we walked around Downtown Naperville to walk off some of the sweets and do a little bit of shopping. The sun decided to come out and it even started to get really warm outside. It actually felt like spring! We left just as it was starting to cool off and get cloudy. Rain was on the way! Perfect timing. We spent the rest of the evening playing some Wii and bumming around the house.

Sunday was Mother's Day! Dan and I had AV Sunday morning, so we had to leave early. On Sunday I also got up in front of the congregation and made an announcement about the Something from Jessie Memorial Scholarship Spaghetti Dinner (Friday, June 6th). Oh, but my Sunday morning is still not over. I also taught Jr. Church! Whew! What a morning! After church Dan and I went home and started lunch. My dad ran out and picked up some food while Dan and I dressed the dinning room table and prepared the rest of the food. It all came together great! After dinner we gave my mom her gifts. Kathleen called while she was opening presents so she was "there" too. Later we had dessert... cheesecake! Yes, I cheated and gave in on a non-splurge day.

Vitamin K Experiment

After talking with Dan about my constant itching we decided to take a look back to see what sort of life changes I might have made in the past month. The only thing that him and I could think of was my Vitamin K supplements. So Dan did a little research and it looks like that might be what is causing me to itch. Weird! So as an experiment I've taken the Vitamin K supplements out of my diet. We shall see! Today is only my second day... I haven't been too itchy, but I'll see how I feel in a week.

Dan finished school the other day... yay! I switched cars with my dad so that I could drive the van to work (to move Dan's stuff). After work I went to Lewis to help him move out of his dorm and into his co-worker's house. Dan took me out to dinner and then we walked the mall. It was a long but good day.

Today things are going pretty well at work. I had a few moments of "Gah!" but I'm dealing. The bulletin is done, so that's good. The printer is working... again, that's good. I'm missing some files, but that's all that seems to be slowing me down. I think that I might actually get out on time today.

Oh! By the way... I love my new bed! The past couple of nights have been amazing! Each morning I wake up and wish that I could stay in bed a little bit longer because I am so comfy!

Going Green

Well, the trees and plants are starting to turn green... I am so excited! Spring is in full effect and summer is right around the corner! So far this week I have been taking advantage of this beautiful God-given weather by going outside and taking a nice bike ride. Great exercise!

This past weekend was rather eventful. Friday Dan came over after work (as usual). Saturday we walked Woodfield Mall before heading over to Harvest for an evening church service with his mom. After church we grabbed dinner at California Pizza Kitchen (how appropriate). After dinner we walked the outdoor mall and enjoyed each other's company. My parents rented some movies over the weekend, so after church on Sunday Dan and I spent the afternoon watching Enchanted and Juno... two very different movies. Both were good... and of course me being a fan of fairy tales and Disney I especially enjoyed Enchanted... very cute, clever, and funny! Juno was a nice, more realistic take on an unwanted teen pregnancy which was a nice change of pace... also clever and funny. Juno is a more recent release so it was due back on Monday, but I'm holding onto Enchanted which isn't due back until Sunday.

Monday was an interesting day. My parents and I had our new mattresses delivered in the morning... so nice!! My dad and I both had some banking to do, so we went together. Our bank was celebrating it's new name, so there were balloons, flowers, food, and gifts all over! My banking took forever, so we ended up having lunch at the bank. Odd, but good.

Work today was busy. Pretty much the same story for the past couple of weeks. I had a meeting with Lifetouch today, so the new photo directory is almost complete (finally)! My computer and phone wasn't working and once I was on my computer I couldn't print, so that slowed me down for a bit. But thankfully everything should be up and running properly tomorrow.

Dan has his one and only final tomorrow. Pray for him... I know that he has been studying very hard! He's been working so hard all year. He's due for a break... so I'm taking him out for a surprise date on Saturday! He knows that we're going out, but he doesn't know where. Hopefully the weather is nice on Saturday, that'll make my plans work out for the best.

Oh! One other plus, I've got some freelance work for Friday and Monday! Those days are perfect for me because I already don't work on Friday or Monday! Thank God! I can always use more freelance work.

The Itch Is Back

Last night I wanted to claw my ankles off! They were driving me crazy! Worst itch I've had the past couple of weeks... and just when I thought I was getting over this issue. Oh well, I'm ok at the moment. We'll see if it lasts.

Yesterday was different. I went into work late because I was planning on spending the evening at Lewis with Dan and Myk. So instead of going to work at my usual time, driving home, waiting a couple of hours, and then driving out to Lewis I just had a late start so I can drive to Lewis from church. Gas is way too expensive and it's going to get worse before it gets better, so I do what I can to save myself some time in the car.

Dan's mom is going to be in town this weekend. Dan and I have plans with her Saturday evening. I'm really looking forward to it and of course Dan is too.

The weather is warming up outside. If it's not too windy I might just go for a bike ride. Sadly, I must admit that I haven't been working out as much as I should this week. I guess I've hit a lazy point in my diet. Time to shake it off and get back in the game! Weigh in on Saturday, I don't want to be disappointed... again!