Slip Fall Ratio

I feel like I have been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off! I have been non-stop going, going and going. I am ready for a week of just standing still! I am not sure that will be coming but I can dream!

One thing is for certain...the snow can end! I love having a white Christmas, but enough already! I love the look of snow and I love playing in it. I just don't enjoy driving in it. It's a debbie-downer of a day when you wake up and you turn on KCCI at 5am and they announce it snowed overnight or it's currently snowing. Roads may be slick! White knuckles and I are becoming the best of friends. That is one friendship I would like to not have.

Speaking of slick. Story time. So gather around kids. We were visiting Michael's parents and the snow was as usual, falling. We were walking to our car and Michael announces "it's not even slick!" He then tried to slide and got no where. I got the car door opened, put my leg up and the next thing I know, I am falling. I was in slow motion. I felt like I was on pause. I slid under the car. The way I stopped, well, lets say, I am glad I am a lady. =) As I went down my bum slammed into the car. I am still sporting a nice black and purple bruise on my bum and the day after I do have to admit, I had to sit on a pillow. Michael and David had a great laugh about it and still give me a hard time. My slip fall ratio is increasing. I think I am turning into Bella!

We had some visitors this week also! My cousins from the Big K and Omaha headed over. It was great to see them and there is never a lack in laughter. I am so thankful they are in my life. It was great just to bum around with them at the mall. Plus the David (my cousin, not either of my brother-in-laws) impressions were amazing. Phil and Michael can always get a hard laugh out of me! It was great to see them and I am looking forward to next time when it can last a little longer.

Tomorrow is New Years Eve! What in the world?! Where did 2009 go? It went so fast! I can't believe it! I feel like nothing has changed but I know so much has. I am not a "resolution" person. I feel like I am giving myself a task instead of maybe a goal or ambition. Instead I just try to stay who I am and learn from my past mistakes and just keep moving forward. I will say a little disclaimer. I have never said that I am perfect. I am far from perfect. I make mistakes, but I learn from them. I just don't appreciate being judged when apparently you don't know me all that well. I love my family and I love my friends. I am not a perfect Christian but honestly, who is? Isn't that part of it? At least I am working on myself and growing in it everyday. I am a work in progress and I will always be. Please don't make false accusations or judgments when you don't care to ask about anything.

Operation Holidays 2009

We had a fantastic holiday with family and some friends!! We pretty much go together with family/friends Dec 22nd till today! It's been such a blessing having the Donhowe's here!! The boys are so much fun and finally someone David can play risk with!! Here is a little recap of the Janzenday Holidays.

Ups:

David was home for almost a week and camped out at our place

Sleeping in till 8 almost every day due to the last nights and Jake not going to bed till 10

Michael was able to play Call of Duty with David actually in the room

Marilyn getting a laugh at David, Michael and I working on her 1000 piece puzzle

The boys playing Risk and David always winning. That will never change

Jake telling everyone Merry Jesus Birthday on Christmas Eve! He graduated to Merry Christmas by the next day.

Jake thinking all the gifts were for Jesus!! He said "Jesus likes Thomas"....I love that child

My dad reading the Christmas story this year

Seeing the load that my parents got the boys!! I guess it's a grandparents right! But wow.

David back seat driving in the snow, everyday!

Laughing so hard our stomachs hurt every night

Having all the amazing holiday tradition foods! Even trying the new ebleskiver. Although now that I know how it is made....artery clogging.

Jake and Eli's matching outfits

Family time singing and dancing around

Tour Holiday de Lights 2009 Janzen style

Making towers with Jake and him running into them going "Kaaboom"

Watching a Christmas Story, Elf and Babes in Toyland like we do every year

 Chuck (that is all I have to say)

Just having a fantastic time with family and friends!! Faith, Family, Friends and Fellowship were the greatest gifts this year!

Downfalls:

The vacation from work never lasts long enough

I will now have, forever, Megan Fox on her motorcycle in my house....yay movies

I wish people would really see what the season is all about

That people are so quick to judge me when they apparently have no idea who I am after all these years.

Hope everyone had a great holiday!! We still have one more Christmas when the Olsen's get into town!! 4 day work week is a plus!!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus!! Hope everyone has a great day with their family and friends! Remember the reason for the season! I thank God everyday for sending His Son! Have a great day everyone!

Much love this day,

The Janzens

Another tradition...

 Every year we pick a song that we all agree on. It is usually our Christmas song of the year. We each submit a few ideas and then listen to them. We sometimes get the same song, just sung by two different people. Last years winner was Faith Hill's "A Baby Changes Everything." This year we had a few good submitions but we all agreed on Andrea Bocelli's "I Believe." I think the line in this song that got us was "Find the power of your

Faith." That really hit home for all of us. Faith is believing, Faith is what Christmas is all about. If we didn't have our Faith, we wouldn't have anything. I cannot say I am a perfect person. I have flaws and I embrace them. I think we all strive to be better people. Having my Faith, has made me understand so much more then I think I could have without it.

For me growing up, we always went to Church. Sundays and Wednesdays. I loved it. You were always excited to see your friends and hang out. Yeah you had class and church but you just loved being around all your friends. In middle school/high school, you start to get more questions. Why do I believe? Why doesn't everyone believe what I do? Is this the life I really want? I was fortunate to have some amazing teachers and some fantastic people I could turn too. My parents and my family. When I say my family I mean my church family also. I was always surrounded by people that loved me and I loved back and were always there to answer my questions. I had quite a few great people that helped my through situations and even misunderstandings. Through my 20's I think I have really figured out so much. I am not done learning. I will never be done. But here are a few things that I know, for me, that I need.

1) God. Daily prayer and reading His word, has done wonders for me. Especially recently. Yesterday for instence. I read about 2 hours just about trials and tribulations and how to overcome and get through them. It's amazing to have one Book to help solve or show you so many things. I am thankful that I can do this freely and that even though I do have friends that don't believe, I can still let my light shine through. Yes, I do have friends that aren't the greatest of Christians. At times, I may not be either. But that is the beauty of it. I know I can always ask for forgiveness, work on whatever it is that has been effecting me and move on. I do not believe I can keep doing the same things over and over and ask for forgiveness. I obviously wouldn't be listening. I am just thankful for a forgiving yet jealous God. He has a right to be jealous. Myself included, I know we may all get caught up in worldy pocessions. I just have to check my self every once in a while. I have my faith and my family. That is all I need

2) Family. The definition of family is: a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head. I look at it as God is the head and we are all living under his roof. My family just isn't my hubby, son, parents, sister and so on. My friends and people I don't even know are my family. I will say I am very blessed with my immediate family. I have a fantastic hubby that is not just my hubby but one of my best friends. We can talk for hours and lose track of time. He is my rock and is still pretty spontaneous! Almost 4 years of marriage we still have dates at least twice a month. I love that man and we are always growing together. Jake. I can't even express the love I have for this child. He makes days to bright! I am so thankful for that child in my life. We have been so blessed with him. I couldn't have asked for a better son!! My parents of course. We have had our ups and downs. I was a teenager at one point! Ha! I can honestly say that are best friends of mine. I can talk to them about anything and feel like...I can't even explain it. It's amazing how far you come from being a teenager till now. I wasn't the worst teenager alive but I still was a little sassy pants! I apologize for that one! I could go on and on, but I won't.

3) Friends. They really should be in the family category but that would make a long point #2. We, as in Michael and myself, have changed a lot over the past 2 years. We are thankful for the friends that have changed with us and saddened by the ones that haven't or that we have lost contact with. We are slowly but surely getting those relationships back that are wanted by the other side. I have also been very fortunate to have a few friends from the past revive and be even stronger then ever. We have also met a crew of new friends that make life so joyful and a blast! We have the same interests and beliefs. We are just very thankful for everything God has blessed us with in this category!

4) Jobs. We have been very thankful that both of us have been able to keep our jobs this past year. We have been through friends and even family getting laid off. It's a difficult situation but faith really has kept these people going! Just recently one of our forever great friends just got a job! Bonus is that it's in Des Moines. I know my job just plain stinks sometimes but I just need to have a better attitude about it! Lol! We need to be thankful that we are okay and that we have security in knowing that right now, our jobs are safe!

5) All other! This is a wide category. Mainly because I have written so much already! The spirit of Christmas is running through everyone right now. I think I am most excited that it's the Christ part that is running through our family. Jake is so excited over the birth of baby Jesus. He can't wait to read the Christmas story and he wants to give all his gifts to Jesus! I think it's absolutely precious! He points down the the presents under the tree and says, those are for Jesus. Melts my heart every time. Michael and I never exchange gifts. Our gift is always one another. That gift is never ending and it's one of the most amazing gifts we could ever get. Each year we in a way, we renew the vows we did before every one almost 4 years ago. That is all I need. Gifts are just gifts. I can live without them. My lova and my son...now I can never live without them. I am just very thankful and very blessed!

Well back to the point of this whole blogfest. The song. I will attach the song once I am done typing!

Just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and remember the Christ is the reason for the Season. Gifts are just things, but your Faith and Family are what matters most. I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas and if you cannot be with your family, know they love you! Safe travels to anyone that is out on the roads. I know here, it's getting pretty messy!!

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

I Believe

By Andrea Bocelli

One day I'll hear
The laugh of children
In a world where war has been banned.

One day I'll see

Men of all colours
Sharing words of love and devotion.

Stand up and feel
The Holy Spirit
Find the power of your faith.

Open your heart
To those who need you
In the name of love and devotion.

Yes, I believe.

I believe in the people
Of all nations
To join and to care
For love.

I believe in a world
Where light will guide us
And giving our love
We'll make heaven on earth.

I believe in the people
Of all nations
To join and to care
For love.

I believe in a world
Where light will guide us
And giving our love
We'll make heaven on earth.

Yes, I believe.

I believe in the people
Of all nations
To join and to care
For love.

I believe in a world
And giving our love
We'll make heaven on earth.

I believe.

A boy and finally a Girl!!!

In May 2010, we will be gaining two new members of the family! Both sisters are due within a week of each other so it will be an exciting month! My sister found out on Monday that she is having another boy!! Yay! And today Laurel called and in a shocking turn of events...she is having a GIRL!! Finally! The streak has ended! Maybe this will open the door for everyone else to have girls now! lol. I can't wait to spoil her though!! Pink here we come!

Which leads to...when shall we start?! Ha! That is the question.....

Te Amo

Since the Donhowes are here for a month, Chuck wants to learn a new spanish word everyday. Today was Te Amo. I am 99% sure everyone other than Chuck knew what that meant. All in good fun.

Today started my 5 day vacation! WOOO HOOO!! I slept in till 8 and that felt great! Although, I am tired yet again. Never ends. Jake and I played upstairs for a while and then came down to make David breakfast! It was yummy!! Omelets, hash browns, sausages and biscuits! I love days off!!

I finished "The Christmas Sweater" today at nap time! My goodness. If they ever make a movie out of this book, I need to remember to have a box of tissues next to me. Wow. I know people look at it as just another "Christmas Carol" like book. It's deeper than that for me. This actually gets into Family, God and the real reason behind Christmas. It talks about bracing and facing the storms that come your way. Not running away from them or trying to ignore them. It shows that no one is perfect. One thing I really got out of it was, You are your own keeper of your own happiness. You wake up and make the choice of your mood. You do things either with a joyful or hateful heart. You treat people in the way you suppose to or not. You make the decisions that mold your life. No one else. I could go on. It was just a good book for the season! It might have to be a new yearly tradition in the Janzen house!

Only 2 more days till Christmas!! I am so excited!! I don't care about the gifts or any of that jazz. I am so just grateful to have an amazing family, fantastic friends in my life, a wonderful extended family and a sovereign God!

Safe travels to all who is traveling!! God Bless!

Blessed (Happy!)

Today is a great day!! This date, 28 years ago, my amazing hubby was born!! David and him were early but they stuck it out and made it through! I am so very lucky to have both these men in my life!! David brings the sarcasm and the facts out. He is always willing to spend hours talking and is an amazing listener! I am so thankful to have him around!! Of course there is Michael! I love that man more than words can say. I am not one to talk about my lover (lol) 24/7! I appreciate all he does and I am extremely lucky! He may be a kid and a baby at times, but all men are at some point! He is a fantastic father and the most amazing husband a woman could ask for!! I am so very lucky! Happy Birthday Babe! I love you babe! You are amazing babe and you complete me babe! (Sorry, Office inside joke!)

Also today was a happy day!! Jeff got a job!!! Woot Woot! lol. He got an offer and he took it! AND IT'S IN DES MOINES!!! I am so excited!!!! I love their family so much plus Jana is my sister from another mister! I am so excited they are stuck with us for a little longer! We also have some friends returning this week! The Axtells have been gone for a month and that is way too long!! Plus Beth and her babe went traveling down to the big TX for a few days.

Recently we have been feeling extremely blessed with our family and friends. Yes, we have had our fair share of hardships this year, but we are making it through. We do not know what will happen in the future, only God does, but we are smiling and laughing through. I feel so at ease that there are so many people we can go to for concerns and prayer right now! We have so many people in our lives that we can honestly say we love to be with! God has given us some amazing people this year and I am so grateful and thank Him everyday for them!

To our family and friends:

This past year you have all been so amazing to us. I cannot say how much we appreciate the people that have been through this year with us. Each one of you has touched us in a very special way. All the walks, talks, night events, this could go on forever but you get my point! We are just so blessed and extremely thankful!! We look forward to 2010 and what that has for us!! I am sure it will be exciting and loads of fun!

Adventures in holiday travel

Well today started off great! Woke up, got ready, got everything packed, light snow falling...what could go wrong?! We had everything loaded in the car, ready for our trip to SC. Michael gets int he car turns the key and....nothing. Tries again, nothing. Not even a click. Everytime he turns the key though, certain things come to life. The radio would come one, the dome lights would brighten up, and then some gauges would flip to where they were suppose to be. After a half hour of jumping the SUV, it started. We got on the road. We hit 86th street and all the lights and gauges turned off. Talk about scary. By this time the weather wasn't the greatest. It happened 3 more times and each time something wouldn't come back. We got off on Merle Hay and headed to Firestone. I called my parents immediately and they came and picked us up. Our heroes! Now the trip up to SC, not the greatest. I had to drive my parents car. A car, I haven't driven a car....well in a while. Plus my mom, well, she tends to freak out and boss you while you drive. Oh well. We made it, alive.

The rest of the afternoon was spent over indulging and 4th helpings! It was a lot of fun being with the whole family. This is the first time in a while that all grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great grandkids were all able to be together. It was a full house. We did attempt a family photo...that should be interesting to see how those turned out. We just aren't sure what is ahead in the new year for our family. I hope at this time next year, we will be the same. You just never know.

Jake was very good. For not having a nap and with all those people, he was extremely well behaved. That kid always pulls through! He made bank with kisses and gifts! We are so blessed with our family!

On our way home we were able to pick up our car. All fixed! Turns out our battery was dead! All better now!

Only 1 or 2 days of work this week. We will see I guess!

Hi my name is Sarah....

and I am a blog neglector! It has been 10 days since my last blog. I have entered a program and I am now in recovery.

What have we been up to? Well what haven't we been up to would be the best question.

1) All Christmas gifts are bought, wrapped and organized according to the days/places they have to be. Pat on my back for not having to go out this weekend to shop. I had to run to Super Target just for one thing and I was over the moon excited that I didn't have to wait in those crazy lines!

2) I have all of Michael's birthday presents bought and wrapped also! It is extremely hard to get things bought and wrapped when someone is around you almost 24/7. I had to make up errands to run or there were a few times I deliberately forgot an ingredient so he would have to go back. Mean? I think it's ingenious! They are in the back of the tree so he has no idea they are there! Another smart move by myself! Double pat on the back!!

3) Cooking. Baking and cooking. Wowza! I swear we could open a bakery! We invented this new treat and made way too much of it! We took pretzels and dipped them in Andies Mints....talk about being sinful! They are amazingly delicious and you just can't eat one, or five or ten. Today alone I made Nicoles amazing oatmeal caramel bars, a dumpster size batch of puppy chow, caramel bugels, chocolate bars topped with peanut butter, popcorn balls, and a few more. Most of this will be gone in a week! That is what is so sad! We have a few Christmas and parties to dump these off at! Currently I have my pasta salad noodles cooking. Oh the joy of the holidays!

4) Videos. My parents got us a video camera for our early birthday gift! We have spent hours, just hours, or taking useless footage. We did get a few good ones of Jake saying the alphabet and counting to 20 and back from 10! We did get the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" out of him today. I just happen to love that child more than anything! He is so adorable, most of the time!

5) White knuckles. I had a 5 day span of gripping the steering wheel with all my strength to and from work. The interstates weren't too bad but those side streets and Meredith, wow. I really love snow, but I do not like driving in it. I would rather just call in sick. Which leads me to....

6) Work. Bah humbug work! We have been so busy, we just can't catch a break. It's been really getting on my nerves also. It's just upsetting leaving, working your butt off all day, just to have the same amount or even more the next day! Plus they also locked the vacation calendar. I have 2 days left. I emailed my boss 3 times to find out what days, half days, extra hours I could take off. He never said a word back. Then people all around me are switching days so they can take half days, or are getting half days approved, or just calling in sick. It drives me nuts! I put blood, sweat and sometimes tears in that place! So aggravating! I know I am not suppose to care but I do. I just can't follow through with stuff. It's just part of who I am. Sometimes I wish I could care less.

7) Energy. Now that it's starting to get cold, I have 3 rugrats in my house that need to let their energy out. Jake for starters. I usually can get him to dance for about 45 minutes straight and then we play chase around the island in the kitchen for another half hour. He then likes to try to run up and down the stairs with different objects to see how difficult it is to do it. He is odd, I know. We have been doing a lot of crafts. Takes up time and energy! Hawkeye and Zoey. Hawkeye is just frisky. It's the weather. He is a lazy dog but he does get cabin fever. Now, the little one. The trouble maker. The one that is the root of every catastrophe that happens....Zoey. That rat A) really needs a hair cut. B) cannot sit still for more then 2 minutes. She is in the tree or watching the lights twinkle on the tree and then try to attack them. She is unwrapping gifts by digging at them. She is standing right underneath you at every move you make while cooking. Just waiting for you to drop something. I usually drop it on her. Then Hawkeye licks it off. She is just everywhere in everything. Not only does she have the cat on her payroll, I swear she has hired Jake and Hawkeye. The 4 of them....man, watch out if they have a plot against you!

8) Reading. I have been all over the place. I am in three books right now. Two of them I have read before. I am in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince again. I think it's because we just bought the movie and it irritates me a little. I still can't get over the death of -------------. (For people who don't know, I won't ruin it for you.) I just feel like maybe a few more minutes could have been added for it. I am also reading Eclipse again. Yes, yes, yes...I need to go to therapy. It's fine. It's my favorite book. I think seeing New Moon didn't help either! The third I have to take breaks from. It's emotionally exhausting! The Christmas Sweater. It's a very good book and it is great for this holiday/winter season. It really makes you think and figure out what is important in life. Man though, I have to bring tissues every time I read it!

Well that is all the things we have been up to! We have already attended two Christmas parties and have a few more to go. We also will have everyone back soon from TX and OK so we can have our "holiday" party. Beth says no ugly sweaters...I say yes!

Snow Day

Nationwide was on my side this morning. Work was called off! Definate A+ in my book. The downfall is we can't go outside and we have to keep a 2 year old occupied during the day.

We started off by making waffles! They were amazing! Whip cream and strawberries for toppings! We all had a nice cup of cocoa also.

We then had a little fun and made a ginger bread train! It came out of a box but it was still a load of fun and it kept Jake busy for 2 and half hours!

 

All done!

We then made cut out ornaments tags for gifts!

We did eventually make it outside for a bit

 

He loved the snow

Her, not so much

All in all in was a pretty good family day off! Now, I would like the temperature to raise up to the 40's!

Let the Holidays begin!

Oh the weather outside is frightful

Snow.

Snow..

Snow...

more Snow....

We have been hit with the "storm of the century." That is per the weather experts! It has also been labeled by the weather channel as "vicious and unforgiving." I would like to say, driving...it is just horrific. A friend of mine felt guilty for not coming in to work today...I applaud them! These conditions are not worth cubicle life. I left early today but then we got out at 2:30! It still took me an hour to get home! Good grief! It was the most stressful I think I have ever been in the car. I witnessed people sliding off the road. That alone is heartbreaking. I did see someone slide with style into a pole. Again, pulled on the heart strings. Not to mention the numerous cars that were already in the ditch, on the side of the road or facing a completely different direction. I white knuckled it most of the way. When I got to that lovely stretch of Meredith...I just wanted to close my eyes and pray my car would make it! I love not being plowed! Makes my life. Here is a photo of what the main street aka Meredith looked like. 4LO was used to get home at this point!

Not Cool!

As someone who use to drive a compact car and now has an SUV, I would like to say to the people who think they own the road...look out for the little guys! Be considerate for your fellow drivers! Here are a few tips.

1) Turn your lights on. I don't care if it's cloudy, it's snowing, turn on your lights

2) Please clean off your front AND your back windows. I do not understand how you can drive "safely" with just your windshield cleaned off and none of your side or back windows cleaned off. You can't see me.

3) While I am at cleaning your car off. Clean the "poof" off. Cars do not need bump-its! They blow off on the interstate and I do not like having to dodge huge chunks of snow/ice as they fly off your car!

4) Be considerate for the people around you. Little cars can be intimidated by SUVS and Semi's. Something I have always done, is if you are in two lanes that turn, let the little car turn first. It keeps them less nervous and if they slide or you slide, you won't slide into one another.

5) Try not to fly by people. No matter what size vehicle they or you have. When you fly by everyone on the interstate going 75 when everyone else is going 55, one, you look like an idiot. Two, you spray all sorts of crap up on everyone.  Three, I will not feel that bad for you if I see you on the side of the road a mile down.

6) Stay away! The rule is what, 3 car lengths in normal conditions? Double that in snow! Do not tailgate me. I had someone tailgate me all the way in on Tuesday and I was not a happy camper. Not only then I am watching out for my car, I am now watching out for yours. I do not want your car to become BFF's with my bumper!

I have a few more but these were my main requests! Now if the snow would just be done and it would maybe go up to 35 degrees!! 0's!! We are in the 0's tomorrow! Crossing my fingers that we get out of work!! Be on Our Side Nationwide!! Be On Our Side!

Even when you fall sometimes

If this doesn't make sense, I am sorry ahead of time.

How do you turn something around that you can't really fix? What if, no matter what you do, someone always remains the same. Even when you try and show them their ways may be a little out there. I am not one to try and make someone act or behave differently, but there are some times that it's taken to far. Things are done and said that never should be. You can't ever take them back, they are there, burned into the soul of the other person. Especially when you have hurt them over and over. I am by no means perfect, but I at least will take criticism and try to change. How do you tell that person, who is scorned and bruised, from the other side, that it's okay? How can you show them, prove to them, that no matter how they handle the situation or how they "fix" it, you are behind them. Everyone has a breaking point. What would you do if you reached your breaking point more then once a week? Maybe once a day? I can't even think of it. But then again, I can. No one deserves to be treated like this. I sit here, I think about maybe people who have hurt me in the past, I would never wish this upon them. To me, there is something really wrong. God put us on this earth to praise Him and be servants to Him. Not to be servants to others. Don't you think that God would also want you to be happy? If you were in a situation, where you were not happy, had no where to go and not very many people to turn to about it, what would you to change? Here is where the whole "Christian Like" thing comes into play. I do believe we have commandments to obey and some things are just common sense but again, what if it's honestly the best fix for everything? What if something that could be wrong in some people's eyes, could be the right thing? To me, being frustrated with life, isn't something you should take lightly.Especially when health comes into play. Even if you end up with nothing, you can always start over. I wish I could express how I feel better. It's just that, this person, I love you. I am behind you in everything you do and I will support you in everything you choose to do in the future. I just want you to be happy and enjoy your life. I know who you really are and I love when that side of you shows! 

Anyways, so to wrap up this week. I do feel like I have been put to the test a few times this week. I also feel that I passed. Lol. The week has been all over the place and I am really just ready to stick my head up and move on.

Weekend - Where does time go? I swear, the weekends just fly by! Friday, I don't even remember. Oh, yeah, Christmas shopping!! I think we checked almost everyone off the list!! We only have 2 people left! =) Such a relief! I even managed to get a few of Michael's birthday gifts with out him knowing! That is good!

Saturday. I didn't spend much time at home. I woke up early and headed up to SC with my parents. It was good to spend time with my grandparents! Normally I have an energetic 2 year old with me. It was nice to spend time talking and especially talking with my dad! That will never get old. He will always be my sun in a stormy day! We went a little over in the time we were suppose to be there. Sorry Mikey! It was a good trip!

Today. We went to church, went grocery shopping and then just hung around here. We have been extremely tired this week and we just needed a mental health day. I'm getting sucked into Falala Lifetime and all the movies on the Hallmark channel and Fox Family! I'm such a sap but they usually have adorable endings and leave you with smiles! It's also snowing! Lets hope it slows down and I can drive tomorrow! =) That is the only thing I do not like about snow!

Well off to get a few more things done before this head hits the pillow and zonks out! To keep it going, I heard this song 3 times on the radio during the work week and then twice this weekend. It really sums up this past week.

That's What Faith Can Do

*Kutless*

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You don't have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That's what faith can do!
Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise 

I am seeing a trend

Ironic. I am not sure. I was reading "Death by Love" last night and it had a reference to Matt. 15:17-20. For some reason I noticed that my new Bible has what Jesus speaks in red. I have only had this Bible for 6 months and only read it at least 4 times a week. Goodness Sarah. I realized though, that when I read a passage with Red letters, I tend to read it more then once and take it in a completely different way. I believe that I take more notice because it's words coming directly from His mouth. I also feel like, sometimes, He is saying them to me directly. Yes, yes I know He is and that is the point but, sometimes I feel like he is starring at me saying "Hello, get it?" Back to my "Woah" moment, again, I came into work, turned on my computer, logged into my phone and turned on my iPod. I am still in my "Love" playlist. Two songs in I came upon "Red Letters" by DC Talk. I sat there for a short moment and couldn't believe how the night before I sat there, dwelling on the fact I took these Red letters differently. This song completely wrapped up what I was feeling. The best part, I kept bugging Michael last night, trying to remember this song. I guess it was meant to be.

Red Letters

Pages filled with a holy message
Sealed with a kiss from heaven
On a scroll long ago
Phrases, words that were bound together
Now have the power to sever
Like a sword evermore

Heed the words divinely spoken
May your restless heart be broken
Let the supernatural take hold

(chorus)
There is love in the red letters
There is truth in the red letters
There is hope for the hopeless
Peace and forgiveness
There is life in the red letters
In the red letters

One man came to reveal a mystery
Changing the course of history
Made the claim He was God
Ageless, born of a virgin Mary
Spoke with a voice that carried through the years
It's persevered

Heed the words divinely spoken
May your restless heart be broken
Let the supernatural take hold

What You say moves me, revelation, come and take me
The more I look [the more I look] the more I see [the more I see]
The Word of God [the Word Of God] is what I need

Oh yeah, oh yeah
Yeah, it's the book of love
Yeah, yeah, yeah
It's the book of love
That moves

Speak to me, breathe in me new life

Let Him in your heart

There will be a day...

As a normal start of my day, I turned on my computer at work, logged into my phone, and turned on my iPod. I was listening to my iPod and this song was in my "Love" playlist. I have about 200 songs that I can never get sick of. I have been jamming out to holiday music lately but it was just one of those days today.

This song came on and I had to listen to it twice. It brought me to tears in my cubicle world. Always a pretty embarrassing moment because someone usually busts you! Of course with my luck, I did get caught. I just said my eyes hurt from being away from the lovely florescent lighting for 5 days. So the 2nd part of this year has been a tough one for our family.  We have been through so much, on both sides. Why does it seem that when you are hit with the bad, you never look for the good? We always seem to find more of the bad. God did say He will never give us more than we can handle. I need to focus of that. Things happen. People pass away, friends change, jobs are lost, finances may overwhelm, but it's not anything we can't live through. One thing I do need to remember for myself, personally, is that my human life, my life on earth, is short. Yes 100 years (if you live to be that long) seems to be a long time if you look at it through a looking glass. Once you pull away, and see the whole picture, it's a very short time. I need to focus more on my forever, not just my earthly life. There will be a day, when the things of this earth will seem so small. There will be a day when there will be no worries and no pain. Until then, I need to remember, better is one day in Your house, then thousands elsewhere.

There Will Be A Day

By: Jeremy Camp

I try to hold on to this world with everything I have
But I feel the weight of what it brings, and the hurt that tries to grab
The many trials that seem to never end, His word declares this truth,
that we will enter in this rest with wonders anew

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

(Chorus)
There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face
But until that day, we'll hold on to you always

I know the journey seems so long
You feel you’re walking on your own
But there has never been a step
Where you’ve walked out all alone

Troubled soul don’t lose your heart
Cause joy and peace he brings
And the beauty that’s in store
Outweighs the hurt of life’s sting

But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings
That there will be a place with no more suffering

I can’t wait until that day where the very one I’ve lived for always will wipe away the sorrow that I’ve faced
To touch the scars that rescued me from a life of shame and misery this is why this is why I sing

There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears
There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more, we'll see Jesus face to face

There will be a day, He will wipe away the tears,
There will be a day.

There's no place like....hoooooooooome

We have made it home. No matter where you go or what you do, home is home. It's always nice to come home. We had a very successful trip home and a fantastic trip overall! It seems every trip we ever go on, I learn new things about myself and about the things that are important to me. On my way home, I compiled a list of these facts I have learned over the past few days:

1) You can always count on it being warmer down in Bella Vista, even if it's only 3 degrees, lucky for us it was 20 degrees!

2) No matter where you stay, the water pressure is non existent and hard as stone down there.

3) A sunrise or sunset will always amaze me and bring me closer to God

4) I am very fortunate to have a very well behaved child, I need to remember that

5) You can never throw a football too much, even when your arm is screaming out you, always keep going

6) My child will leave the house if no one is watching. Fantastic.

7) My husband is a stud! He makes my heart soar to places I never thought it would.

8) David gets me in more ways then anyone I know. I swear, it's his gift.

9) We need to really sit down and plan out baby #2, if there will be one, since both sisters are PG and asking

10) Jake and I are alike in more ways then I thought. It's me, but 25 years younger. Watch out.

11) It can never be too quiet.

12) If you turn on the GLEE soundtrack, your car will turn into karaoke 101.

13) Feeding the ducks will always be a favorite past time of mine, along with skipping rocks.

14) The boys (nephews and my son) are blessed with a very energetic "Papa" that is willing to wrestle with them and chase them around for hours

15) I can read 226 pages of a kids story book 4 times and survive. I have got Curious George down!

16) My child will never be a napper in the car, no matter how long the drive be.

17) Gerald's abs in 300 are better than I remembered or ever gave him credit for. Thank you!

18) Gigi, no matter what in her past, loves her family and would do anything for them. She is a very special woman.

19) I am very glad that Jake is not a messy eater. I think my gag reflux hit it's high peak this week

20) Arkansas Wal-Mart experiences could generate about 5 of those photo emails. It's called a mirror people.

21) Laying on a blanket, with the sun beaming on your face, will always be refreshing and should never be taken for granted.

22) I could spend my 401k on the "Twilight Saga" table at Barnes and Noble. (downfall again)

23) Angel food cake with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries is a little taste of heaven.

24) Make sure to always check when Mizzou and Kansas play one another, traffic can be a pain in your backside in KC.

25) I missed my dogs, my cat and my house. But most of all, being the 26, almost 27 year old, married with a child woman I am, didn't realize how much I would miss my mommy and daddy!

Until next year, Arkansas 2010. We will have another Olsen on board, which will make it even more interesting! 

Yellow friday

Since it is black Friday, I am changing the name to Yellow Friday. Mostly because the sun was shinning bright, high in the sky all day long! 68 degrees and perfect!

We awoke early and the guys and myself headed out to brace the crowds. One bonus about Bella Vista, it's a retirement community so not too many people are out and about that early! We hit a few hot spots and made bank! We spent $150 at Old Navy and bought 27 items. What in the world?! That is some insanity! Everyone back at the house was trying to log onto Kohls.com, well the website was basically shut down. I felt bad for them! Sounds like they weren't the only people that could get online.

We spent the morning walking around the lake, feeding the ducks, reading out on the deck or dock. Just soaking up the sun. We headed to Gigi's for lunch. Good ole leftovers. After lunch we headed outside yet again. We hung Christmas lights for her and some of her neighbors. We picked up another few hours of throwing the football around. While some people napped, Jake and I sat outside on a blanket and read 215 pages of Curious George. It was so nice. He wanted to cuddle, hold my hand and read. I love that little boy. I am so blessed with him. He is honestly, one of the sweetest most well behaved children! After laying out in the sun, we played some games and had an early dinner. We said our goodbyes and game back to the house. I still can't believe we are already leaving tomorrow morning! This evening we have Laurel a break and are watching the boys. She is taking a trip to Target with her mom. I sort of feel bad because I got them down for bed by 8! Now, Michael, David, Andy and myself are watching 300! Lovely Thanksgiving weekend movie. Not really. Plus they are heading out to go see the Ninja Assassin movie at 10 tonight. Looks like I will be doing a lot of the driving tomorrow!

This has been a great mini vacation! The weather was amazing. More then I could ever hope for! The company was great and we had an amazing time together as a family! I give this trip an A+! Now if only David would get his papers graded!! =) I just let him read this line!

Thanksgiving

This morning we all go to sleep in!! So nice. The fog over the lake was almost a picture out of a movie. It was breathtaking. We all enjoyed breakfast and the kids played while we all watched the parade. This has been a tradition every year. We headed over around noon and the house already smelled delish! We all went out for our normal football warm up. We threw the ball around and get stretched out! Then we had our traditional family football blitz! It is starting to get interesting because the kids all seem to want to play! We got called in and we washed up!! Time for the feast! We ate till our pants had to be unbuttoned.

Every year at the end of dinner we let the food settle and we go around the table and tell each other what we are thankful for. One thing. One thing? Are you kidding me? I have way more then 1 thing to be thankful for. My family, my friends, my faith, my and my family's health, our freedom, I could go on and on. This year I think I went with "faith". We have just been through a lot this year and with out our faith, I don't know how we could have gotten through it. I have been truly blessed with an amazing support system this year and I can't thank all of you enough!

The rest of the afternoon involved my child somehow breaking out of the pack-n-play during "nap time" and ending up breaking out of the house. Only my child! Seriously! Michael, Dave and I took the 3 boys on a nice long walk and then went down by the lake to throw rocks in. Kids always seem to enjoy that activity! We went back to Grandma's for dinner and now we are getting ready to start a made game of Spades with watching "The Grinch" with Jim Carey! Yet another tradition! Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday! Tomorrow is the shopping extravaganza! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Road trip

Every Thanksgiving for the past 1,2,3....5 years now, I have been on the caravan to Arkansas to spend a few days with Michael's grandparents. This year, we are absent his Grandpa. =( So we are bringing an extra dose of pep! We awoke early, got the dogs off, had a fantastic family breakfast and then headed down south. For the second day in a row, rain welcomed us on the road. While we drank down our Starbucks, we set up the iPod. Instead of being "safe" and just going with a playlist, we thought we would jazz it up a bit and go the "shuffle" route. Sure fire way to have a fantastic time. Here are some highlights of our trip:

1) I love how 25% of our trip, I swear, is the northern, middle, southern and suburbs of KC

2) Trying not to crash as Michael dances and sings to Ricky Martins' "Ole, Ole, Ole", "Shake Your Bon Bon", and "Livin La Vida Loca."

3) Enjoying the slight traffic we cause per the above. You think I am kidding!

4) Turning 5724 songs on an Ipod to "shuffle"

5) Being in the groove, and then the next song on the iPod turns out to be a chapter from one of the 4 Twilight Saga audio books. (Side note: I did make Michael listen to the Meadow in book 1, the 'overnight' 1 and 2 and the 'overnight' on the mountain in book 3, and Isle Esme of book 4)

6) Having a rambunctious 2 year old say "Mommy" to everything we drive by because he knows it was annoying me. Don't believe me? Sit in a car for 6 hours with him and you see what happens.

7) Pulling the "Lloyd Christmas" as people pass you or as you pass people.

8) Starring people down in cars using dead eyes.

9) Singing at the top of our lungs to B Spears, NSYNC, Bon Jovi, 90's one hit wonders and many more

10) Realizing how awful I look in the sunlight without make up on!

11) Realizing how pale I am in the sunlight

12) Watching Michael play air guitar and head bang to "Enter Sandman" and then turn around and pull out a Zac Efron to HSM

13) Having a contest to see who can go longer without having to use the restroom....I so won! 
14) Michael acting like a tour guide as we pass towns

15) Having a 2 year old not take a nap the whole time in the car.
16) Actually seeing the sun!

Now we are here. We have a beautiful house on the lake and we are waiting for everyone else to arrive! Ready to get our football game on tomorrow! Yeah for Family, food, fun, football, faith and Friday shopping!!!

Emotion taking me over

I wasn't always this way. I swear. I would get emotional over the normal things. Funerals, some weddings, a sad movie, maybe a friend in need. Recently, this is not the case. The smallest of things can make me break down. No I am not pregnant or anything. This has been happening over the past year. I was starting to find myself shedding a small tear at the end of a happy movie. No big deal. Brush it off, it's a movie right? I found myself getting touched by a friends story. There are have been some cruddy things that have been happening to people around me and just hearing some of them, I would once again, find myself getting moved to tears. Then the small, insane things started making me crumble. A song...okay, many songs. I would be sitting in my cubicle, listening to my iPod and a song like "Gravity" would come on, and I would be a sobbing fool. This could happen even more then once in a day. Just depended on my mood. An email, this is definitely a new down fall of mine. A commercial. Commercials? Honestly? These aren't even Hallmark commercials. A State Farm and a Army commercial had me a blubbering mess the other night. I even cried at "The Office" when Pam and Jim got married. What is wrong with me? Then today. Today just had me wondering. We were getting ready and Michael had turned on VH1's Jump Start. A Nickleback song came on, "Never Gonna Be Alone." As the video progressed, I noticed a trend. By the time the climax of the story hit, I was crying on the edge of the bed. Michael then walked in and said, "Honestly woman, what is wrong with you?" Then I got emotional telling someone about it. I have no idea where this surge of hormones has come from. I don't mind being a little emotional and being someone with feelings, but not this many. If it gets worse, I am not sure what else I can do.

Here is the video from this morning. If you aren't moved by this, tell me how. I need to break free! Or tone it down a bit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWQ-oDMG6g

Gearing up for the Thanksgiving napfest.

Tomorrow is our family Thanksgiving! Start of delicious food week! We were having the debate with friends if the turkey or the sides are better. I still don't think we came to a conclusion. It's all just so amazing. There is just something about having potatoes come straight out of the oven, stuffing smelling up the house along with the turkey and the crescent rolls. My stomach is growling just thinking about it! We have double almost all the recipes so we can all have leftovers. Works for me. We are only here 2 days next week!

Since, not sense, we are leaving for AR on Wednesday morning we are starting to get everything ready now. I have 3 lists made! A Jake list, our list and our "extra's list". It's pretty sad all the things we have to take on this 5 day trip down to Bella Vista. We did do most of our grocery shopping here though. That was nice to do instead of going down there, the day before Thanksgiving and having to deal with the crazy retirees of Bella Vista! As long as we have 10 items or less, we will be out of there in 10 minutes or less! It will be nice to have a mini vacation. I don't really consider it much of a vaca though. Have you met my son? Oh well, I love him! At least it's suppose to be in the 60's all week so the outdoors will wear him out! For the first time in 5 years, Michael's parents are staying with Gigi. That means, our family, Laurel's family and David will have the rental house to ourselves!! Wooo hooo!! We are looking forward to hours of conversations and games!

One thing about going down to The Vista is we have quite a bit of down time! I have always been into autobiographies. Not matter who it is. It's always interesting to find out how someone because they way they are, how someone got to where they are at or just to see their point of view. A friend of mine highly recommended Sarah Palin's new book. I thought I would give it a whirl! Especially since this friend really isn't to reading and the book just came out and they are done with it. I think the next one I want to read is Michael J Fox "Always Looking Up" but I have to get through this one! I also want to read Hp 6 and 7 again. They were so good!

PS-

This is only for 1 person who had doubt. Did you see how much it made on Friday? $70mil! One and half stars doesn't stop the die hards! I still love ya!

The moment we have been waiting for

After months of countdowns, weeks of excitement and a day of being nervous and not eating, the big day finally arrived. I kept myself busy in the morning by setting up more Christmas decor and deep cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen. Finally, I started to get ready. I have noticed that I am starting to collect a wardrobe of "Twilight Saga" shirts. People keep getting them for me. It's rather sad. Oh well. I do have 1 HP shirt! Lol. I still have more Iowa shirts than the rest of Michael's and my clothing put together. I am a bit obsessed with the Hawkeye apparel. Another thing I need to add to my therapy list! =)

When I headed over the the theater, I really started to get nervous. Why? I still can't tell you. I think it was just one of those moments where you don't want to be disappointed. When Derrick and I got there, we went straight back! Fandango is a new friend of mine. We couldn't believe that we were finally at the moment we have been waiting for. Looking around, we were pretty much the youngest people there! It was full of stay at home moms that probably had kids in late elementary school or middle school. After drooling over Channing Tatum in his new flick, the movie started. All I can say is, AMAZING. Of course there were differences from the book, but oh well. First off, Edward...I don't care what anyone says. That man, playing Edward, makes my heart race and the butterflies fly. He is not the most attractive in person but playing the role of Edward, wow. They way that he kisses her, are you kidding me? I get tingles just thinking about it! Lol. Then there are the werewolves, can we say Yummy? I am not a Team Jacob person, but that body on him? Fantastic. All of them were beautiful creatures. I would say 75% of this movie has some very good looking men with their shirts off! I think I was most excited for the Vulturi. That whole part of the movie, was more then I imagined. Now the ending? Are you kidding me? If you haven't seen it, I will not spoil it for you. Let's just say the ending happened and everyone in the theater was like "WHAT?! No way!" I did not think they would end it that way. It did happen in the book, but still! Cliffhanger. Luckily we only have 220 days to see what happens. As a fan who have read the books, we all know what is going to happen, but still. I didn't want it to end.

As we were leaving, they were already setting up the ropes for the showings at 3:30 and the evening showings. It's so crazy to think how many people are addicted to it like me. At least I am not alone. Also, they already had the Eclipse poster out! I guess 220 days is not long to them! Oh June 30th, come soon! I was a little excited to see HP and the Half Blood Prince is coming to DVD on Dec 8th! I will have make a Target trip that day!

So, the movie was much better than I thought it would be! You can tell they had a much larger budget this time around! If you are a fan of the books, you will probably be somewhat disappointed, but you can't jam everything into 2 hours! I will be in line the day it comes out on DVD to get a copy! I will see in the theater at least one more time! I am a little sad this countdown is over with, but we have another one to start!

Side note:

We watched Slumdog Millionaire tonight. If you have not seen this film, I highly recommend it! It was a very good flick! I can see why it won all the awards it did!

T-Minus 10 hours....

That is all for today!

Any twilighters fantasy....

Today was just a plain old Tuesday. Nothing exciting in the cards, so I thought. I didn't really find that much out of sorts. I did not understand why Josie was staying until 2 when she was taking a half day. I know we are amazing and everyone wants to eat lunch with us, but she has been so excited to see her girls, the less she is at "The Wide", the closer she gets to see them. Something I missed was Sam. I saw her heading to the bathroom, wrong, I was so wrong. She had her purse and her phone so I thought she wasn't staying for lunch. I questioned her and she said something about a faulty bladder due to pregnancy. I believed her and she actually followed through and basically went into the bathroom and then walked back out. Now, TMI for some, but I pee quicker then most males, so that was astonishing to me how fast she got out of the stall! I went back to my desk, noticed a few people were missing but carried on with my work. I noticed Michael had tried to call me so I called him back. In the dialing process, Josie came over and asked me to go to lunch. Now, we go everyday between 12:25-12:30. It was 12:15 AND the rest of our crew was not with her. Then, I decided to be inquisitive. Why? I have no idea. For once I started asking questions. Where everyone was at? Why didn't Josie have her PB and J lunch with her? Where was everyone? Why we had to go to the 4th floor for a soda pop? Of course today, I decide to be aware of things around me. After we passed the break room on the 4th floor and I got all confused, we opened the door to a conference room. There, with their smiling faces, were my amazing co-workers. In the corner, stood a "life size" cardboard cut out of Edward, Jacob and Bella. At first, it scared me but then I believe I turned a tomato red and flushed. They threw a "New Moon" lunch-in. We munched on some very delicious pizza and some very tasty cake! There were even New Moon napkins. I still feel completely embarrassed and still turn red at the thought they did this for me. I don't think I deserved it and I don't think I did anything to be given such a wonderful gift. They are just amazing and very sweet. I will tell a lie, we did take photos with it! I think one involved me biting Edward and another one I was basically jumping on him! Then came the fun part. Having the 6 foot cutout in my cubicle. You would not believe the conversations and requests I had. I had 1 person ask if they could come by and pet it randomly throughout the remainder of the day. I had someone ask if they could lick it, someone else ask if they could kiss it, and even one person asked if they could take into an enclave for 2 minutes. I had 10 people at least, take photos of it or take photos of themselves with it! It was definitely a conversation starter. Met quite a few new people on my floor this afternoon. I got to know some people more then I would have ever wanted to. Somethings people really need to keep private. Examples: dreams and fantasies. It was somewhat nice to see people my age drooling over it though. At least I am not alone in Twilight Saga obsession/mania. The rest of the day I felt that I got nothing done. People just kept coming over and commenting. All in good fun. I did get a good ole JerBear laugh! Mike sure enjoyed watching me carry it out of the building. I did place it in the front seat next to me. I got quite a few stares all the way down Ingersoll. I moved it to the back seat when Jacob (my son, not the werewolf), entered the car. He kept laughing in the back seat. When I got home, I had to figure out the perfect way for Michael to find out that I had received this. I struggled between in the closet so when he went to change it would scare the "hiss" out of him or maybe behind the Christmas tree. I did place the trio behind the Christmas tree, maybe a new holiday card? I eventually landed on, in the bed. That is every girls fantasy right? He went upstairs when he got home and all I heard was "SARAH!" First off, he thought I bought it. Then I told him the story and he just laughed. He then told me to get it out of the bed and that it better not surface there again! He did comment that if he woke up in the middle of the night or in the morning and it is anywhere in bed, at the end of the bed, above the bed, or me on the floor with it, he would take it away, along with the rest of my gear! I am getting an odd look while I am typing this. Maybe because I am wearing my Twilight shirt from last year and drinking from my new New Moon mug! This made my week even better! I have a feeling I am going to be extremely hyper Thursday. This is me apologizing in advance!

Thanks again to my amazing co-workers! I didn't deserve this but I appreciate it! I love you all and you make that place worth going into everyday! It wouldn't be the same without you all and I am thankful everyday for you all to be in my lives! I am truly blessed!

3 days! 

 Photos per request...I got creative

Merry Christmas from the Janzens

How he was set up when Michael got home

OMG he is on my pillow

Coming through my window

So much better than a TV

At the foot of the bed. Yes I would love to wake up to this

All these places are now band per Mr Janzen. Fun hater.

 

Edward stuck between 2 Jacobs and an annoying Bella