Still Connected

Tonight my Grandma and I cooked dinner together and then sat down to watch some TV together. You know it is funny but every time we try to decide what we are going to watch, I get out the remote to check the guide on the TV at the same time Grams gets out the paper and reads the TV Guide there. We are set in our ways and I guess it works for each of us.

We finally come to the conclusion that we are going to watch CSI. We turn it on to find that one of the main characters has been shot. I didn't realize this because it turns out we are watching CSI: Miami- the one I haven't watched. Grandma has to explain it all to me (a new twist in events as that is usually my role unless we are watching our favorite channel- The Hallmark Channel).

"Haven't you watched CSI before?" Grams asks a bit taken aback.

"Yes I have, just not this series. I have watched the original one and CSI:NY." I answer.

I go on to explain to her that for some reason- neither good nor bad, I am not drawn to the main character in the Miami series, so when flipping through the channels I never choose to watch it. She looks a me a bit funny and then says, "You know your Grandpa didn't care for him either, so he also chose not to watch the Miami show."

Such a simple thing and yet it made my whole night. To learn something new about Gramps and at the same time realize we have one more thing in common... it warmed my heart. I love being just like him, even in the silliest, smallest things.

I miss him everyday and realize just how special it is to find that most of the time when I think of him or remember something that happened- I smile- just like tonight.

Jonathan House

It has been hard for me to sit down and write this post.  I think it is partly because I have waited for this time to come for so long and I wanted to really make sure it was going to happen (I have plane tickets this time) and also because it is hard to put onto paper (or blog) all that goes into this trip but not have it so long I lose all of you.  Well I must start somewhere.

A few weeks ago I headed down to Marshalltown, Iowa to meet up with Roger and Karen from Jonathan House. We discussed what my jobs would be at JH as well as some things to expect. 

My job- I am going to be a mom.  Whoa, that sounds a little funny and perfectly fitting at the same time.  What have I done for the last 8 years but nanny. I have learned a few things about taking care of kids (and realize that I have a whole lot more to learn). I feel that this is something that I have been prepared for, have the skills for, and definitely have the passion for.

I guess I should go back a few months and try to help you understand how this all fell together (and so quickly).  As you know I was supposed to leave in September (well July before that and May before that...) but decided to stay to be with my Grandpa.  I am beyond thankful for being here and would not have done anything differently.  However after Gramps passed away I knew that I would stay with Grandma for a time, but as the weeks went by I started to wonder what I was going to do. I felt like I had been in lingo for so long and was starting to really hate it.  I mean long before Gramps got sick I was waiting for the elections to be over in Salone before making plans, traveling back and forth from the cities to Duluth for nanny jobs, not having a lot of stability in my life. I was quickly beginning the same cycle (come end of January) and I wasn't sure I wanted to do that for a whole lot longer and yet it wasn't looking like a good time to head over to Jonathan House either. The more I prayed about it the more I felt the things that we had talked about me doing at JH weren't quite going to work out for me and I didn't want to go just for the sake of going, I needed to have a purpose.  It looked like I would have to wait awhile and figure out what to do here in the meantime. I admit I was feeling a little low, but trying hard to accept that it wasn't going to happen now when I got a call from Karen. She shared with me that not only did they need me to fill a position at JH that we had never talked about, but that she really felt like this was for me. I hadn't shared with her all that I had been feeling and thinking so as we talked and she just happened to share a lot of what I had been praying about, I knew that this was where I needed to be. Being with the kids, taking care of them, loving them- that is what I had always wanted to do and this all fit perfectly, for me in what I feel gifted at as well as for JH in that I could fill a need they have. The catch was that I needed to get it all together quickly.  One of the house moms was leaving (the position I fit) and they needed me to be there to fill in. Good thing I have been partially packed for months now.

I will be part of a team taking care of the kids (85) at Jonathan House. We'll get the kids up and ready for school, I'll help take care of the kids not old enough to be in school while the other children are, help with homework, oversee chores, love them, play with them, discipline them, sing with them, dance with them, pray with them... you name it.  I'll also be doing a bible study with the older girls which I am really looking forward to.  The thing about Africa is that you can never fully plan for what is going to happen, so I am also going over with an open mind and will try to just go with the flow and help out where I can. 

The other truly unexpected, exciting news is that my dad, Kari, and Amy will be coming to visit the end of May into June. How lucky am I? They'll be helping at Jonathan House for a little over a week (dad on a goat project- how fitting is that Uncle Mike?!?!) and then we'll take a few days to explore a bit together before they leave.

As much as I have anticipated this day coming and as thrilled as I am to have it just around the corner, I am also a bit hesitant to say good-bye. I love being with my family and friends and to be so far away is not always easy. It helps to be going to a place I love, but I have no grand notions that everyday I am going to love being there. There will be difficult moments, times that make me stretch and grow. There will be events here at home that I am sad to miss, big and little. Welcoming my niece into the world as well as my nephew (yes my "sister" Holly is having a boy), weddings of dear friends, family parties...  walks with friends, game nights at the Shermer house, fits of laughter with my sisters...

It is hard when our two "worlds" seem so far apart and yet so connected all at the same time.  What I hold onto and what brings me the most joy and comfort is knowing that I am going where God has called me to be. In the trying moments and the moments of pure joy I have Him to thank and turn to. Having the encouragement and support from so many in my life also means the world. To be affirmed in what you are doing with you life... what a blessing.

This is a dream come true for me and I am eager to share this journey with you.

Thank You! Thank You!

New Computer

I am lucky enough to have gotten a new computer to take with me to Jonathan House.  I am excited about this for a number of reasons. 1) It is always exciting to get a new electronic device, especially as big as a computer

2) I will be able to journal by typing, much faster than long hand- I know we are losing something in all this technology

3) I hope to be able to email as well as blog a whole lot easier while I am there- so really I could say that this is a gift for all of you as well.

4) It means that I will have to be a little more accountable in updating my blog more often.

The down side is that I have already spent too much time with my new toy.  Oh well, it will all work out in that this thing will hopefully be fully organized so that I will spend less time on it while I am in Salone, but accomplish what I need to.

Thank You Brett

    I was waiting until I headed back up north so that I could include some pictures with this post but by then it will be old news. (I will not be over it yet, but the rest of you non Packer fans may be).

    

   Most of you know by now that our dear friend (yes we are friends) Brett Favre has decided to retire.  We all knew it was coming sometime and I may have half expected it last year, but I was sure that he was coming back this year.  Amy called me Tuesday morning to ask if it was true so I told her, "oh yeah- there was this rumor going around because the Packers website had a page ready in case it happened, but they were asked to take it down.  I am sure it is not true but I will check it out and get back to you."  Fast forward a couple hours and in the midst of making plans for Africa I take a quick break to check it out and find that it is all true.  I call Amy in shock and then try to put it all aside for the rest of the day so we can plan my future.  It may be an important thing (what I am going to do with my life in the next 6 months), but in the back of my mind I just keep thinking, "I wish I could turn on ESPN."

   

   Thursday I had kids all day so I had to wait until they went to bed to watch Brett's news conference. Of course I wanted to see it all- not just the small clips they would show on Sports Center so I logged onto the Packers website and proceeded to be glued to the computer for the next hour. Then I still watched again on Sports Center at 10.  Crazy or not I feel as though we have gone through a lot together over the years. The connections we have with our sports heroes may be a little delusional, but I love them.

  

  I can honestly say I think Brett Favre is the greatest. I know the debate is out there- even though he may hold ALL the records- he is not number 1. I have no desire to debate it- to me he is and that is enough. Beyond the records he was the best to watch play the game of football.  I have loved seeing him play each Sunday and will miss seeing him jump around throwing his fists in the air as he runs towards the end zone to carry the receiver of his last pass over his shoulders. High-fivin' the ref, throwing snowballs, smacking his teammates as hard as he can on the butt, singing loud to the music as he warms up, trying to do the Lambeau Leap, trash talking the opponents and then congratulating them after they sack him... 

I feel like there is so much I want to say about all the memories we have and yet...

   

  Amy and I were at Favre's last winning game.  We cheered him on like he could hear everything we said. We knew he was looking right at us as he turned around and encourage the crowd to yell. More than that- we knew that whether he heard us or not as we wore our same Packer's shirts and jerseys and yelled from our couch each week, for those moments we were right there on the field with him feeling like part of the team. We won and lost right along with the Packers and thanks to Favre we won a lot more often than we lost.

    All the love we (Amy and I) have for Favre will always be there, but have no doubts that the Packers are our team and always will be.  We have faith in Aaron Rogers and the rest of the team. We have many favorite players and will continue to have more.  I guess maybe that is another reason Favre is so special.  With free agencies and all the trades these days- The players who play most of their career for one team are hard to find.  I love being a Packer Fan and I am thankful Green Bay is where Favre spent his football career. It feels as though we were given something more by being Green Bay fans and having Brett Favre as our QB. We've been the lucky ones (even if we are given crap all the time for being Packer fans- I'll take it all).

Go Pack Go!

 

Departure date

I am leaving for Sierra Leone April 16th. 

I'll let you know more details soon.

Good-bye to Santana and Tanner

Amy on Santana


The summer after my junior year my family (after talk for years) bought our first horse- Santana. Since then we have bought and sold many horses (at some points owning 13 or more at a time). Amy and my dad became the big riders in our family, spending time together training, riding and building relationships with the horses and each other. Summers were spent with Amy competing in games, mom watching from the stands, and dad being the one in the arena setting up the poles and barrels as each rider came through.


Amy on Tanner



The rest of us joined in cheering Amers on as well as going on trail rides around our area. With so many memories it is hard to pick just a few but...

• We loved riding to the pit in the summer wearing out suits under our clothes. After arriving we would take the saddles off the horses and ride them into the water.


• Going for a ride right at dusk- leaving with enough light to see all that is around you and returning when it is so dark that you just let the horses lead you home under the stars.


• Bringing kids to ride and hearing them laugh as you run while leading the horse and they bounce around a bit thinking it is the greatest.


• Having a tough day and being able to just go be with these sensitive animals and letting the day wash away.


• All the rough moments that have turned into great stories- like Santana and I getting stuck in the Railroad tracks and our MANY middle of the night trips trying to catch the horses after they had decided to take a field trip of their own.
  

Amy on Tanner, Me on Santana

All along as the horses came and went, Santana was always here- our favorite. She had three babies, one of them being Tanner- the other horse that we would always keep. Over the last few years we have decided to get down in numbers as all of us kids have moved away from home and the times that we go riding are less and less.
Tanner and Amy, Santana and Me


Finally after not having ridden at all over the last 6 months we knew it was time to take a break from the horses. However we could not let our babies go just anywhere. One of those kids that came to ride as we ran with the lead rope has now become a great rider herself. Emily McHugh has been riding Santana for 5 or 6 years now and loves her almost as much as we do. We knew if the time ever came that we would have to sell these two horses the McHugh family would be where we wanted them to go. When we called they were great enough to say that they did want them and so today was the big day. Amy and I headed to the farm after church to spend time with them and go for one last ride here at home before our country horses became city horses. It is so great to know they are going to a place where they will be ridden often, given a lot of attention, and loved like we love them. Yet it is always hard to say good-bye, even when you know it is for the best.

Amy and Tanner, Emily and Santana

Their is no way to explain the bond you build with your horse. This is especially difficult for Amy and yet I know she will always treasure having grown up having the friendship she had with both Santana and Tanner. The connection is like no other.

Now it is Em's turn-

Santana and Em

We are thankful to know that we can head down to the cities anytime to ride. We love that the McHugh's are letting us still "share" Santana and Tanner with them. We also know Santana and Tanner are going to bond with Emily is a special way and will thrive in their new home.

Emily and Tanner

We have our memories and now new memories and friendships will be made with the McHugh's.
THANK YOU McHUGH FAMILY!