5-22-13 Flying to Estonia

Hello there!

We just got back from a trip to Europe (don't we sound so ritzy...we were just in Europe, Dahlink.) I emailed the kids several times and thought I'd just use those as my blog. In case you care...

When Loy first mentioned the possibility of traveling to Estonia my first reaction was "Where is that, exactly?" So I'm including a map of Europe to show you. Former Soviet Union. Got their independence in 1991 or 1992. 

So, your next question is probably, "Why, exactly, would you choose to go there?" Wesleyan has a sister university in Tartu, Estonia. NWU sends a few students over there to study abroad and they send a few over here. The problem has been that when NWU students go over there for a semester their courses do not count for credit. The mission of our trip was for Loy and Thom (the other professor) to meet with their business department and talk about what each of their business classes covers and see if credits could be granted.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Frankfort, Germany, Airport

Well, this trip is turning into a l-o-n-g one, that's for sure. First the flight from Lincoln was delayed by 90 minutes, which made us miss our connecting flight to Frankfort which made us miss our connecting flight to Estonia (Taillin). And each flight has just barely been missed--just by 30 minutes or so. It's disheartening. 

We finally got on a plane to Frankfort (well, three of the five in our party did) and left at 10:15 last night. It was a 9 hour flight. Sarah is the director of the study abroad program at NWU. She's traveled quite a bit and has been SOO helpful throughout the whole trip! I just can relax figuring Sarah will take care of it all. Wonder if she knows how much we are leaning on her!! I hope we can make it home without her...she leaves earlier than we do.

The other couple traveling with us, the Jackman's, didn't get on our flight. They were told it was booked full. So they went to stay overnight with his brother in Chicago and will fly from Chicago to Philadelphia to Frankfort to Taillin, but get to our hotel a whole day late. The big kicker to this was that it ended up Loy ahd two empty seats right next to him. But, they had thought that being standby would be futile and didn't want to waste 4 hours sitting in an airport to be told they couldn't get on the plane. Bummer. 

Now we sit and wait for our 8:15 p.m. flight to Taillin. Not many flights go there, evidently. After we arrive there we have a 2-1/2 hour bus ride to Tartu, where we camp out until Wednesday. (Well, not literally camp.) 

I'm done with 1 of my many books I brought along and well into the 2nd book. Have't even broken out the crossword puzzles yet. And my supply of snacks is still holding out. My carryon bag is so darned heavy, though. I was overweight in my suitcase (and my body, I guess) and had to stuff 4 pounds of M & M's (in case you think this explains the overweight body, they are thank you gifts for our hosts in England!) and all the books in my carryon to get my suitcase light enough. Therefore I sit here and make Loy go do things like get our boardidng passes and drinks. 

That crazy boy came straight from work, so he's still wearing a tie. I think that'd kill me!! At least loosen it up, Loy!!

Airports here are much more accommodating to English than we are to any other language. I'm glad, but it does make us Americans seem like jerks. 

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Tartu, Estonia

On the flight from Frankfort to Tartu we had maybe the worst parents ever behind us. They had one kid--little Maxey. The Dad spoke English, the wife, Estonian. Sweet little Maxey (about 3-years-old) spoke Estonian but could understand English.

First off, he would talk loudly. Saying the same thing over and over and over--in increasing volumes. "Olen natuke eesti kiuslik. Goble-de-gook." Then again,  "Olen natuke eesti kiuslik. Goble-de-gook." And, finally, finishing up with,  "Olen natuke eesti kiuslik. Goble-de-gook." Each one louder than the last.

At one point the Dad told the little cherub to put his tray table up. Maxey did not like that. So the dad, in all his wisdom, said, "You have to put the table up or I'll talk to the captain and he will tell you what a naughty boy Maxey is being." The dad then proceeded to have a "talk" with the imaginary captain who was just out of Maxey's line of sight, saying how naughty the boy was. Geesh. Just make the kid put the tray table up.

We finally made it to Tallin, about 11:30, knowing we had to rush to make it to the 12:30 last but to Tartu. We stood by the carousel, waiting and waiting. Yep. You guessed it. Our luggage was nowhere to be found. Finally we made it to the bus, with just moments to spare (Thank you, Lord!) and endured the long ride. 

The bus ride was 2-1/2 hours, so it was about 3:15 a.m. by the time that we got to the hotel. Our hotel is pretty much right downtown, so when we got here we saw the streets just full of people sitting out eating and drinking. Our room doesn't have a/c, just a radiator, so I opened the window to let some air in. It was so loud!! I finally got up and closed it, and am hoping that was just a Saturday night thing and that tonight is quiet. 

Today we went out first thing to buy a new outfit each. We found a store that was sort of Younkers-esque and got some things. Tonight Loy's suitcase made it here, but mine has not shown up yet. They said tomorrow. The Jackman's didn't get here until just now and neither of their suitcases made it either. Thom's is supposed to be here late, late tonight. But Caitlyn's is lost. They have no idea where it is. Of course she had gone out and bought some new clothes for the trip, so she's wanting to shop tomorrow right away. The guys have meetings all day long, so it'll just be the two of us for the whole day and until after supper. 

Most people speak English here, but there have been some that don't. The town center is really clean and kind of cool--lots of outdoor seating for the cafes. They even have blankets over the chairs so that you can wrap up while you eat outside. We did that today for our lunch--lunch that consisted of dessert. The desserts are really yummy here!!

The Leaning House--right on the Town Center

Monday, May 13, 2013

Tartu

Letter to the Kids:

Dear Kids Whom I Have Always Lectured Against the Evils of Drug Usage and Being Around Things that are Bad Influences:

I have forwarded this picture to you guys to get your opinion. Kaylyn and I went to a restaurant and sat down and then noticed two different tables that had these at them. IS THIS DRUG RELATED???? We started laughing and I took this picture very surrepticiously and then walked out before even ordering. We're wild women!! In retrospect we realized we were both sort of coughing on our way up the stairs to this place. Now we wonder if something was in the air. I didn't smell anything bad, though. Maybe this is not a drug thing...but it seemed suspicious to me. 

So we went to a steak house instead and got the meat plate and split it. It was just that. A carving board of meat. But I thought it was going to be warm sizzling meat. They had some beef with carmelized onions (cold), some bear meat sausage (cold), some canned chicken mediterranean (cold), some ham (cold, two slices of brown bread that had fruit in it, and some pickles and olives. Kind of a disappointment. 

Afterwards we went to this sumptuous dessert place and had tea and dessert. Mine had raspberries and whipped cream and meringue and was wonderful. Kaylyn had something with strawberry and cream and chocolate. Both were extremely good. The men were busy all day and evening (back at the hotel for a couple hours this afternoon is all) so we occupied ourselves.

Dad's suitcase showed up last night and mine showed up by morning, so I'm good. The Jackmans didn't get either of their suitcases either, so today we went out and I shopped with Kaylyn. For a long time. I feel like I really know the Tartu-ian malls. I had bought one outfit yesterday and then I found another today I liked, so have a couple new things. 

It gets light here around 4:00 a.m. and right now it is 10:11 and just starting dusk. Lots of people have been out on the streets both nights, sitting at the outdoor cafes.

Tartu

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Tartu

We had fun the last days in Tartu. Kaylyn and I took a long walk around Tartu and saw the town. We climbed up into the old ruins of a 14th or so century church. With both of us being afraid of heights, it was kind of comical! But we goaded each other into going. I kept singing in my mind, "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming" from "Finding Nemo." Kaylyn wore her very high wedge shoes, I was amazed she could even walk. I was worried she'd trip and fall on the narrow stone steps. I think she only brought two pairs--flip flops and these wedges. She kept up, though. I would've thought her feet would be killing her!!

We started going to the little "Antik" shops we came across. Sometimes we would have to go down a short flight of stairs to get to the basement. But you really felt like you were discovering something. In one store we went in there was an old lady (the owner or clerk) sitting there while we looked around. It was a rather nice antique store, so I was not too interested. I like my antique shops to be more like junk shops. If it's under glass, I'm not interested. Anyhow, we were about the leave and the lady looked up and said, "I het you." We both sort of paused in our exit and said, "What?????" We both thought she had just told us that she hated us.  She repeated it, but this time we heard "I hep you." For a minute there we thought she had real problems!! No wonder no one else was in the store!!!

That day we went to the open market and bought some strawberries, the indoor meat market and bought some cheese, the grocery store to buy some bread (the fresh bread is on this lazy suzan thing and you pick out which loaf you want and then bag it. Then you have to enter the bread number into a machine and it prints out the price. We were partial to number 55. We also got a few slices of roast beef and some lemonades and had ourselves a lovely picnic. There was even a sidewalk musician playing the accordion near. It was very European. We were so proud of ourselves.

As we were sitting there Kaylyn had just mentioned how no one must feed the birds in this park because they were not coming anywhere near us. Then one showed up. Kaylyn was a wonderful traveling partner, but she is a germophobe and a birdophobe. So one bird was creepy to her. Then came another. And another. Soon we had our own little entourage!! She would take one of our plastic sacks and shake it at the birds to try and get them to leave. They might back off a little, but not too much. 

That night we went out to dinner with the Tartu University faculty (finally!) The men had taken a tour with a guy named Mark who was a young, really entertaining guy. We went to a very nice restaurant. They asked if we wanted any appetizers. I had asked Mark what was Estonian on the menu and he had pointed out this one appetizer...sprats. So we got a couple orders of that and shared. It was basically a sardine on little black bread with a quail egg and their spicy mustard. Not bad. Mark said this was something they would have at home when he was growing up.

Another Estonian appetizer we got was brown rye bread (no caraway seeds, very molasses-y). It had been fried (not toasted, fried) and then you would take a big clove of garlic and rub it on the bread, then eat. It was delicious!! 

This is me in the ruins I mentioned. 

I find this statue really creepy. The Estonians are so proud of it. It is the sculptor and his son, both naked and both made the same size. I don't know why, but I hate it. And, interestingly enough, there are specific body parts on these guys that are very bright shiny brass--guess they've been rubbed. 

Here is the hookah. What would YOU have thought?? I am very naive and was sure we'd come across an opium parlor or some drug house.

Loy loves bacon.

I like to take pictures of funny signs. As near as I can tell from this one, you need to beware of beds in the road. That can spell trouble.

This one is kids running to get their sunglasses. Must be really bright there.

First, this is important because it has an exclamation point. Very graphic. Cars kissing.

I'll talk about the Tallin part of our trip in a couple days. Right now I need to do some more laundry!

Kitt.

4-27 Ever do something really stupid?

My mother, Eileen, was a master furniture rearranger. She would rearrange quite often, totally swapping furniture from one room to another. Legend has it that she moved a sofa-bed up a flight of stairs single handedly. She always did it alone, no help. Now, there was a woman!!

Loy's family does not rearrange furniture. Once it is in place, it stays there forever. (Right, Dolores?) So the whole concept of making a room feel new by moving furniture around is totally foreign to him. And to move it just to try it out--and risk putting it right back in two weeks?? Absurd!!

I inherited Eileens' furniture moving genes. I love nothing better than to start moving furniture around and try and maneuver it around and into a new configuration...sort of like a druggie's high for me. My sister hates to move furniture. I can't figure that out. She is more like my mom in personality and looks, but she does NOT have the furniture moving compulsion.  I don't know about my brothers. All I can say is that, basically, their furniture has been the same whenever we go visit.

Loy and I have been married for 32 years. We get along pretty well. There are certain things we really excel at:

1. Moving to another city--we're all over it. We rock at making all those arrangements. 
2. Traveling--we do pretty well at that. We both like about the same level of activity on a trip.
3. Sitting on the porch--we love to sit out on our back porch and just do our own things. Very nice.

However, there are things that we sort of bump heads on. Things that we have learned to choose to do solo:

1. Grocery shop--Loy sort of cramps my style. He doesn't always think we need what I think we need.
2. Kayaking--the time we did it and shared a kayak was not good. He kept telling me I was doing it wrong and I kept telling him he was supposed to follow my lead (I WAS in the front, after all!) (BTW, I liked the kayaking. I just think we need separate kayaks in the future!)  :)
3. Traveling to places where there are loud people and lots of spontaneous events--that effectively bans Loy from any Rogers reunions!! :)  
4. Moving furniture--Loy has the mistaken idea that you need to know where everything is going to go before you even move the first piece of furniture. And he also doesn't feel the obsession to do it NOW. He may want to wait a day or two. When that creative rearranging muse hits you, you've got to obey!!

So, that's why I was moving furniture around by myself yesterday. 

I had ordered a new TV stand. Well, more than just a stand. It's like a sort of tall dresser, 48 inches wide, with drawers and openings to fit the DVD player and satellite box. Really cool. Really heavy.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes it just takes one little thing to make you want to redo the whole room? That one thing, this time, was the new TV stand. It fit so well in one corner, if only I moved the six foot tall shelves that were there. Where would they go? Dining room. But, there is not room, so I scooted it in there and just left it sitting in the middle of the room. I had an idea, but couldn't pull it all together by myself. Drat. (There is one shelving unit that I need help with, darn it.)

The old TV stand, a sad little formica affair, is extremely heavy and hard to move because it has a swivel in it. I got the TV off of it and did a makeshift deal of putting it on a chair that had wheels so I could move it. (It's a flat screen, not that heavy, but is big, so is awkward to do anything with. Usually I wait for two people, but I just couldn't stop myself this time.) 

But then I had to scoot the old stand. I am very creative in my scooting. I don't lift furniture. I scoot it. This wasn't scooting. So I sat down and was pushing with my feet. Not realizing my back was against the chair with wheels. I gave one terrific push and...you guessed it...the TV came crashing down on my head. 

I said, "Ouch!" Then, even though I was all alone I said, "Kitt, are you OK?" I just sat there for a bit. Then I thought maybe I should lay down, just in case something bad happened. But, you know what? Nothing bad did happen. After about 5 minutes I got up and pushed the TV stand some more. And finished the living room. 

And have I mentioned that a month ago I had a bulging disc and could barely walk and am still going through physical therapy?  I am dumb. 

But that incident has bothered me. It scares me at what could've happened. I could've been lying there dead when Luke came at 4:30. I could have brain damage. (Maybe I already do!) But, in one crazy incident things could've changed. I was thinking all about taking Luke to a birthday party that night and I could've been hospitalized. 

Luke 12:16-21

¹⁶ Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. ¹⁷ He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. ¹⁹ And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’

²¹ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Just goes to show you...you don't know what tomorrow will bring--or even today!

But, back to my story. I got the room done, took the fake plants (the only kind I can grow) in and gave them a much needed bath, got things all rearranged and looking good. Vacuumed and dusted. All in the living room. I still have one set of shelves to trade out--dining room to living room--and one set of shelves to move to Loy's office. But, the living room looks great. And I love the new TV stand. Much easier to see the TV!

I'm wondering if I'm getting too old to be doing all this furniture moving. But, what's the alternative? I don't have boys around anymore who will move things for me. (Unless, Corey, you want to come over and help today???)  :)  There are all sorts of jobs that are kind of hard for me, but I've always done them. Should I give them up? 

It makes me think of my wonderful father-in-law. He has certain limitations lately, things he's had to give up because of age and health. It's easy for me to sit here and say that, "Of course he should give this or that up. It's just smart." But when it's me having to give things up for good, I'm not so quick to release. I don't want to be a burden and make people help me all the time. I don't want people to say that it's a bad idea and not do exactly what I want. I just want it done now, on my time, not at your convenience. I want people to marvel at how independent I am--and I am!! Mom said that from the start, when I was two and decided I no longer needed a nap. (What kind of fool was I, anyway??? I LOVE a nap now!)

Today the top of my head kind of hurts. I scraped my knuckle and whenever I bend it, it starts bleeding. Poor pitiful me. But, I've still got those shelves to move and those big rocks in the backyard that need to be moved and the garage to sweep and I've promised a certain 7-year-old a bike ride in 22 minutes. 

But my living room looks tremendous, if I do say so myself!

Kitt.

This picture has nothing to do with my story. I just love it. My little Sweet Patootie after giving herself an oatmeal hair masque. Maybe if I had this on my hair the TV wouldn't have hurt so much!!  :)

4-14-13 Weddings...and Chickens

We just got back from a fun wedding weekend in Kansas City. Our really great friends, the Eckloffs, hosted the wedding of their daughter, Jill, to Nick Turner. It was a wonderful, God-honoring ceremony, followed by a fun reception-dance.

We had the privilege of taking Lukie with us to Kansas City. He was rather disgruntled that there was no pool or hot tub at our hotel, but, once he got over that, he enjoyed holding a three-week-old baby and seeing the brothers (well, part of the brothers...Paul, Corey, and Matt Allen.) He hung with them at the reception and was out on the dance floor and in the conga line with them.

A highlight for him was when a 10-year-old boy told him, "I liked your moves. You're a great dancer." And then when he ended up with twenty glow sticks! He said, "People I didn't even know were giving me their glow sticks!!" Molly told him that he can freeze a used glow stick and then re-crack it. He's going to try that tonight.

Some friends are closer than family...these people are those people. You can go months without seeing them and, when you are back together, it's just like old times. I would trust them with my life and their children are like my children. Love you guys!!

But, I don't know what this new trend is, but some of the weddings I've been going to lately are not including "The Chicken Dance" in their line-ups. I don't want to seem like a total hick, but this just cannot continue. The Chicken Dance is a mandatory dance at ALL weddings. End of story.

Let me tell you of one of my embarrassing moments, though. Last summer we were at Wes and Ashley Hiser's wedding with Luke. At the reception we ended up sitting at a table right off the dance floor. The dance had begun and we hadn't gotten out on the floor yet. In fact, no one had even though the DJ had music on. I walked up to the DJ and requested The Chicken Dance because it is one of Luke's favorites. I didn't request it for RIGHT THAT MOMENT, though. I thought later, when the ice had been broken.

The DJ immediately started playing a sort of strange version of that song. Right away. And we were sitting right there where he could see me, so I thought, "Well, we have to go out." So, I dragged Loy and Luke out on the dance floor. Luke, of course, got very shy, but Loy and I did a wonderful solo performance of this dance--solo until Ashley's sister and her family felt sorry for us and came out and joined us. But, Loy and I were a tremendous chicken-dancing team.

When we got home we had a little time before I had to take Luke back to Phoebe's, so I went out and watched him shoot hoops in the driveway. Whatever game he was playing, it had strange rules. There was a lucky line, a life line, a check line, a beth line (yes, beth. I have no clue what that means), a death line, and a horror line. Evidently you had a certain amount of luck and each time you missed a shot, you used up one luck. But when you made a shot you got more luck. BUT, if you said "Practice shot" before you shot, you wouldn't lose your luck. BUT, then if it happened to go in, you would say, "No, that wasn't a practice." If it didn't go in, you said that you meant to miss that one and come in and rebound. Strange game. You talk as much as you play in this one.

Some of you have heard my dog obedience school story, but I want to write it down, since MY dog is evidently so envied by other dogs.

I signed Pip and me up for Small Dog Obedience. Loy cannot go the night it is offered, so I just picked the wilder of the two doggies to accompany me. Then I will homeschool Sparky. In the midst of a big thunderstorm, Pip and I set off. She has issues with traveling. We never take her anywhere, so she gets incredibly nervous. And how she demonstrates this attack of nerves is to...drool. Major drool. We're talking puddles on the backseat. I happened to look back at her and she was actually frothing at the mouth! She looked like a rabid dog!! I laughed out loud and told her she should lick her lips--that she looked stupid!!

We got in the huge room where the class was. We were in one of three rings with probably nine other dogs. I was talking to the owner next to me when she just pointed at Pip. Pip who was in full squat laying down a pile...not a tower...of poo. Right there in front of everyone!! The teacher said, "if your dog happens to have an accident (all heads turned to me) we will be happy to hold your dog while you clean it up." They brought me the sack for the offending tower along with paper towels and some spray cleaner. I tried to neatly pick up the poo, but it was the type that didn't all come up in the sack. So I was down on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor to get it cleaned up while they held Pip.

Or while they TRIED to hold Pip. She got the better of them and slipped out of her collar and was, by this time, running free throughout the three rings. Get the mental picture...I'm on my hands and knees on the floor, holding a bag of poopie, scrubbing at the floor, and yelling at Pip to come here. I'm sure all the other dogs were thinking, "THERE'S the dog I want to be!!!" Finally we got her re-collared, I deposited the offending matter outside in the dumpster, and class could resume.

We rocked sit and mastered her name. And she didn't totally bomb the "Crash" command. I felt redeemed. Until I went over to talk to someone I knew there who had two naughty wiener dogs. (Well, I guess they weren't pooping in the ring, but they didn't do any of the tricks and barked the whole time.) My friend's daughter dropped the leash so one of the wiener dogs attacked Pip. Well, Pip couldn't take that attitude problem without fighting back, so we had a dog fight. Of course, none of the teachers or their helpers saw that this wiener dog attacked my little baby, so we have three black marks next to our name, I'm sure.

All that in one week of class!! We have six total lessons. I came home and tried to teach it all to Sparky. For Crash she kept laying on her back, legs in the air. She has no clue.

Loy and I are taking a Ballroom Dancing class with our friends, Gary and Anna. We've only had one class there also. We learned the waltz and the swing. Or the beginning steps of each. Loy feels like he's no good, but there were lots of men worse than he was. He said that I just picked it up so quickly and my response was that I should. Years of dancing lessons growing up and two years on the dance team at school. I should be able to pick this sort of thing up. We thought of trying one step at the wedding dance, but the song was awfully quick and I didn't think we were there yet. I thought it was fun. Loy, probably not so much, but he's being a great sport about the whole thing.

I finally finished doing a book of my England blog, complete with all my pictures. It came out to be 200 pages!! I can't believe that! Kind of an expensive little book for me! I did it through Blurb and it's a real hardcopy book. It was so fun to re-read all I had written. I'd forgotten lots of the things we did and people we met. I loved re-living it all.

That's it for here, folks. Have a great week!

Kitt.

 This is Nick and Jill during their first dance as a married couple. She looked like a princess!

Here is Paul, Matt, Kathy, and Luke bustin' a move.

Here is the conga line, Paul, followed by Luke, followed by Emily toting Kayla. 

4-2-13 Think Spring!

Well, it's April now. YAY! This winter really was not too harsh or snowy or bad, but I am sure ready to bid it adieu!! Most people, however, really love spring. I'm afraid I'm not one of them. Spring is always a disappointment for me.

I want it to be so warm and sunny and green. But it is not. It is usually colder than I want (probably due, in part, to the fact that I'm putting on shorts when it's 50 degrees, just because I can!) It rains on the most inopportune days--days when I have outdoor things planned. Then, just as you're adjusting to warmer temps--it snows or something inconvenient like that.

I love what it portends, though. Warm, relaxed times out on the patio. Running outside barefoot. Walks outside. Windows open. (Yes, I know...all seen through a very Pollyanna-ish view. Humidity, tornadoes, drought, mosquitos.) But I love summer. Really. Bring it!

I guess I haven't written in awhile. My #1 Fan (my mother-in-law) was commenting on how there have been no posts lately. It's so nice to have a Fan like her! She's also a huge fan of the Duggar family ("19 Kids and Counting" on TLC). The Duggars are friends with my sister, Bunny. So, last fall Bunny was commenting to Michelle Duggar how her sister's mother-in-law was a huge fan and could name all the kids. Michelle said she couldn't even do that! :)  Anyhow, she sent greetings to Dolores through Bun to me to Dolores. That made Dolores so happy.

Then, when Bunny was telling Michelle how much Dolores liked that, Michelle offered to give her two books they have written. And she autographed them. I added the first four seasons of the show (DVD) and we had ourselves a great gift. Dolores is watching them DVD's and reading the books and loving it!

We had a physical therapy intern living with us for three months--Suzi. She finished her internship last Friday and now we're back to just Loy and me (and the two beasties). We have counted and have had at least 15 different people live with us for months at a time throughout the years. It's kind of funny. We never think, "Hmm. Let's find someone to rent out our room." We just hear about these people. I like to think that God brings them here personally.

Gee, I'm the one writing this blog and it's boring me to death. People tell me that I should write a book...well, there are many, many boring entries. I'm not sure if they are book material! I am working on compiling all my England blogs into a book--complete with all our pictures. It's been so fun to re-read all those experiences. I had forgotten many of the details. (Right now it's 200 pages!)

Speaking of that--and international travel-- we are traveling to Estonia (it's former USSR--near Finland) in May. Wesleyan has a sister university in Tartu, Estonia, and they want two business professors to go over and talk to their business department. I will tag along. After a week in Tartu Loy and I will head off to Huddersfield to see our friends there. I'm very excited to take this trip! Luke says it is no fair that we get to go to England without him.

We took Luke to the Shrine Circus a few weeks ago. He sat there through the show just mesmerized. At one point he said, "THANK YOU for bringing me to the circus!!" Does a heart good!! His favorite act was the BMX bikers. At one point then did a total flip off their ramp. He thought that was totally great! Phoebe probably needs to keep an eye on him while he's riding his bike now--he may be trying to recreate the act!  :)

Next weekend Loy is living a childhood dream...he is taking Luke to see the Globetrotters. He said he has wanted to see them since he was about 9-years-old. I'm so glad he gets to do this. Luke is excited too, but he didn't know what they were until he'd watched some YouTube videos of their act.

HE IS RISEN!! Easter was quiet for us. No kids came to church with us. Lex and Corey came over for supper, which was great. They are looking for a house to buy in Omaha. Right now I think they're thinking of building, but no firm decisions have been made. She's been commuting to her job since January and is tired of the drive.

I've been thinking, lately, of my life. What am I doing that I am doing ONLY because I am a Christian?  I'm afraid that I'm not too sure if there is anything. I mean, I was raised in a Christian home, so my morals and values are, basically, Christian. Even if I wasn't saved I would probably not smoke or steal. My motives would be different, but I'm not too sure my actions would be.

I'm not going to wrap this one up for you...I haven't gotten my answer yet. But it is a thought-provoking question, at least to me. What does God want me to do that goes totally against my own will--totally against what I would naturally do?

I'd better go get ready for work now. Sorry for the dullness today.

Happy Spring!

Kitt.


Here's our little Payton having a great time in the ball pit! Love that girl!! She turns one this Friday!

2-22 Who I Am

Snow day was a bust. We were forecast to get 18-24 inches (at one point, anyway). We got maybe 4-5 inches. Bummer. It was looking forward to holing up in the house with the wind and snow howling outside. Baking. All this snow did for me was to cancel my trip to Sioux Falls.

But, the day is inspiring me to blog. (It's 11:00 a.m. and I'm still in my jammies.) So, here goes.

I've been thinking about things I believe lately. Not all deep things. Just things that make sense to me. And I decided to share those with you. I'm not trying to change your mind and I don't really want you to try and change my mind. Just wanted to write these down.

So, this is My Manifesto...the "Kitt-ma" of my life! :)

1. I believe there is a God. There. I said it. I believe that God is three-in-one: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each one with his specific role. I don't necessarily understand just why and how this works, but I totally believe it.

2. I believe that the Son was born on earth to a virgin and that when He died on the cross then rose from the dead, He justified me in the Father's eyes, therefore giving me the anticipation of eternal life.

3. But, I also believe that it's not enough to know about Jesus. I needed to make a decision that I needed  His death and resurrection and that confessing my sins was the only way.

4. I believe you can tell a lot about a person by observing how they treat children, old people, and animals.

5. I believe that electronic stuff--TV, video games, the computer, cell phones--can stimulate our brains in a bad way, especially if you're a kid. I think that many kids who have trouble concentrating or are overly active could benefit from eliminating these things in their lives.

6. I believe you can either get grumpy or twinkly when you get old. It's your choice. (I stole this one!)

7. I believe that putting off cleaning the kitchen is a bad thing. That the job is never quite as bad as you think it was going to be. You just need to do it. With loud music on in the background. Dancing while you put away the dishes.

8. I believe families should eat supper together as much as possible. And this means no TV during the meal. And no answering the phone.

9. I believe there is something intrinsically good about work. Whether you need the money or not. Whether you're paid or not. Work makes me able to enjoy the down time.

10. I believe walking counts as exercise.

11. I believe chocolate mint stuff is evil. Very deceiving. You take a bite, expecting yummy chocolate cake and there it is...mint. Yuk.

12. I believe that you can get away with wearing just about anything if you wear it with confidence. (Example: scarves when you are bald.) There may be some exceptions to that rule, though...

13. I believe that friends are very important. They listen to me rant and rave. They challenge me. They spur me on to do better things. I love my friends!!

14. I believe spending time with family--close or extended--is a very valuable pastime. I don't want to look back later and have regrets that I didn't see a special person one more time.

15. I believe that writing things down (and putting them in a blog!) helps me to organize and process my life!

16. I believe there are many, many government programs that should be cut. Not because the people don't need help but because having a government program makes individuals think they don't need to look out for others. That it is MY job to help my neighbor, not the government.

There, did you make it to the end? I know that, as soon as I publish this blog, I will think of many more things I want to add. So, maybe I will.

Lately, there is someone in my life who is not seeing things quite accurately, in my opinion. I just want to say, "Hey, can you trust me? Can you believe that I may see the bigger picture right now?" It is very hard for me sit back in this situation.

Then, as I was driving to church, I saw a church sign that said, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not onto your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your paths." (Prov. 3:5-6).

How often do I look at my life and just struggle and struggle to make it what I want it to be. And does God look at me and say, "Hey, can you trust me? Can you believe that I may see the bigger picture right now?"

Trust.  So...

17. I believe God has a plan for my life and that I may be totally unaware of the experiences/circumstances that need to happen to accomplish that plan. That plan is the best way for me. God sees the whole picture, I do not. Oftentimes it is not the way I think would be an easy shortcut to a destination. Oftentimes it hurts terribly. But, I need to trust that He knows.

We have a friend in England who wrote a song called "God Knows." And, at Luke's dedication two pastor's gave us the phrase "God Knows." And He does.

Here are the lyrics to that song:

He hears you when you cry--God knows.
He sees the reasons why--God knows.
He knows just how much you can bear
it grieves Him when you think he doesn't care.
Because He knows.

He holds you when you fall--God knows.
He's God, He sees it all--God knows.
He loves it when you call His name
In times of joy or deep and darkest pain.
Because He knows.

There's a promise in His word
To trust in the Lord--with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding
And the breath of God, that lives in these words will set you free
If you believe...if you believe.

He has the perfect plan--God knows.
His spirit says "I can"--God knows.
He always has the best for you
Just hold on to your faith, He'll see you through.
When all is said and done, God knows!

He hears you when you cry--God knows.
He sees the reasons why--God knows.
He will always make a way--God knows
And His love will never fade--God knows.
Because when all is said and done, GOD KNOWS!!

God Knows.

Trust.

2-5-13 It's All About God.

Ever have the feeling that your life is getting out of control? I was feeling this way lately and it just built and built.

We are having our master bathroom remodeled. Mike McNair is doing an excellent job and is very nice and always cleans up at the end of each workday...BUT...there is dust all over in the master bedroom, I can't do my housework in my jammies in the mornings because there will be carpenters running around, I have to go down the hall to use the potty. And it affects my motivation. I mean, really, why clean up the kitchen when the master bedroom is a mess so the whole house won't be clean? And, those dogs keep the laundry room a mess, so why bother with the living room?

Last Friday I had enough. I guilted Paul into helping me rearrange the furniture in the living room. If any of you knew my mom, she was a Remodeler Extraordinaire. One time, legend has it, she moved a hide-a-bed up a flight of stairs all by herself. While I'm not in her league, I love to rearrange and can do it by myself, usually. (I don't like Loy to help me. He has the annoying habit of wanting to know where everything is going to go BEFORE we move it! Can you believe that guy???) I scoot all sorts of furniture all over. Sometimes I sit down with my back up against something heavy and just push. Sometimes I lift just a little and slide those mover-thingies under the furniture so it'll be easier. I'm good.

But the living room entailed moving the piano and some tall bookshelves. And the bookshelves needed to go through a doorway that was shorter than the shelves. So, I needed my muscle.

I wasn't sure that Paul would really want to help me, so I was prepared with my rebuttal..."Paul, I drove all the way to Sioux Falls to help you move in...you owe me." (I did NOT, however, play the "I gave birth to you" card. I'm saving that one!) But he obliged and I really didn't even need to twist his arm.

And so the big move began. I would empty off a shelf and then tell him where we were going with it. He would say encouraging things like, "Mom, just LIFT it. Don't slide it." He's got no idea of the strength level (or lack thereof) of my flappy arms. I'd answer with, "Just scoot it. We'll get there." Sometimes he would say, "Just let me do it." Other times he would lift his end and I would just push as hard as I could to help him out a little.

He DID make comments about how I had told him I needed help with two pieces of furniture and then expected him to move it all. Well, geez, he was there, wasn't he? Was I supposed to have him help me with just the two and then sit there and watch me struggle??? I'm OK with doing it on my own, but not when there is big muscle around.

We did it. The living room is neatly rearranged and I feel so much better. Nothing like rearranging to make your room feel clean. All the shelves are neatly organized and dusted. I vacuumed the baseboards and organized the remotes. It's great!!

So, then, in my newfound empowerment, I joined Curves last week. (For those of you who don't know, that's a women-only gym chain. 30-minutes and you've done a circuit that works on each muscle group in your body.) I haven't done anything except for walking in several years and I was feeling like my muscles were tightening up while I sat here and watched them. So Friday I went and had the spiel and signed a year-long contract.

Monday was my first trip to actually exercise. I had to have an appointment for that time so that someone would walk around the circuit with me, explaining how the machines worked. I think they are very well trained people in the art of making middle-aged women feel like they want to come back. As near as I can figure, I was the best exerciser she's EVER had!! Imaging that!

One of the fun things about Curves is that you have this little key card and you can put that into the machines you use and it tracks all your details--how many repetitions you did, how hard you worked, your pulse, what you had for breakfast, (oh, I guess not that last one). But they won't let me use it until they are sure I know how to work all the machines. Bummer.

So I went back today to exercise and they would "keep an eye on me." She only had to tell me a few things every now and then. A "move your feet out" or "only rotate 45 degrees on that one." I thought I was doing great. I commented on how I looked forward to using my little key card. She said, "Yes, you'll get there." Sigh. I want to use my little card and see how good I'm doing. Oh, then she added, "And once you get the hang of the machines, you'll need to really push yourself." I thought I was. I guess they only use the major encouragement the first time you go!  :)

So, amidst the chaos that is my life right now I have a clean, rearranged living room and am exercising. It's something, right?

The bathroom is supposed to be mostly done this week--after that just waiting for the vanity tops and shower door to be delivered (they had to be ordered). Then I'll reorganize the vanity drawers and dust my bedroom. I'll probably be motivated to reorganize my closet, too. I'll relish sitting around eating breakfast in my jammies.

I'm reading in Ephesians lately. Today I was struck with how our very salvation was all from God. It's not me, it's Him. I always seem to have the impression that "it's all about me." Just like I wanted to be in control of my living room and bathroom and some part of my life, I want to be in control of how things work in my Christian walk.  I want the power. I want the control. Me. Me. Me.

Once, a long time ago, someone spoke at Berean and used this illustration (well, sort of this illustration. It was a long time ago.)

I want to think of a list of what I'm going to accomplish in my life.  Things like: 1) do a short-term missionary trip somewhere in the US; 2) start a ministry helping new women to our church feel welcomed; 3) see to it that all my children and grandchildren really KNOW God.

These are all good goals. All wonderful Christian things. So, I give this list to God and say, "OK, God. Sign off on all this. It's all good."

But, you know, He doesn't want to sign my list. He doesn't want to help me--like I'm the master and he's the apprentice. He wants to give me a blank sheet of paper and say, "Here, Kitt. Sign this. I'll fill in the details later." And I don't want to do that. I want to know. It's about me and I have a right to know, right?

Nope. It's all about God.

I want to make up my mind right now that I will trust God no matter what. I don't want to have to think about it when tough things happen. I trust God.

I just wanted you all to know that.

Here's a recent picture of Loy and me. He's the one with the white beard!!  :)

1-8-13 Remembering

I've been remembering about remembering lately. Deep thoughts. Wise thoughts. Insightful thoughts. (At least they seemed that way in the middle of the night!)

It all began with a call from Grant in Sioux Falls. Or maybe it was a text--I can't remember. "Grandma has broken both bones in her left leg and needs surgery." My sweet little mother-in-law was out shoveling snow and fell, landing square on a wrongly turned ankle. (Yes, we have scolded her for being out there shoveling.)

She's one tough little lady, though. She walked (with a limp) into the house and called Grant to come over to make the decision on what she needed. He, being a cross country coach, is very skilled in leg/ankle/foot injuries. His decision was the correct one this time. 

So we headed up to Sioux Falls for New Year's weekend, getting to the hospital just as Dolores's surgery was completed. By the time they let us all see her she was fully conscious and not at all entertaining to listen to. (I remember Lex saying, "I can't feel by doze. I can't feel by doze." (Translation: "I can't feel my nose.") And Logan's famous lines, "Dad, you pushed me!" or "I LOVE anesthesia." Grant is never too entertaining with anesthesia because he just sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. And Paul hasn't ever been "out," as far as I can remember.)

One unexpected revelation that weekend was regarding my father-in-law's memory loss issues. They are much more pronounced than any of us realized. I would have to say that there is probably not a single conversation with Dale that is not tainted by his memory like Swiss cheese. It's so hard to sit by and watch someone you love just slowly sort of drift off on their own. 

"Remember the wonders he has performed,
    his miracles, and the rulings he has given" I Chron. 16:12

I made a resolution to take a moment to remember. Remembering little things from my life, remembering how good God has been to me. 

I remember being the little sister who was pampered and totally loved during my young years. I remember hanging out with these older teenage boys (my brothers and their friends) and running races and being swung around by strong boys. 

I remember clinging to established friends, not really being very good at making new friends during junior high. But I had a best friend who excelled at that, so I got new friends through her extraverted-ness.

I remember when I finally realized that I could live my life without being terrified of dying, the wonderful feeling of a weight being lifted off my shoulders. 

I remember feeling very alone after moving to Illinois for high school, thinking that everyone else knew each other and everyone else went out drinking and I just did NOT fit in.

I remember seeing Loy (before I ever met him) doing a crazy cheer out in the middle of Creighton's basketball game. I thought, "That is one party guy. Definitely NOT my type." Really. I thought that. When I met him at BSU months later and finally figured out where I had seen him he was so proud. And, believe me, he was a crazy man out there on the bball court. And now it will be our 32nd anniversary in two days. Can you believe it?? 32 years!! YAY!!

I remember having four babies in five years and loving that stage of my life. That was the time of life I had always waited for. But then I remember each new stage being just as wonderful as the one before.

I remember feeling the loss when my mother died, then five years later, my dad died. I remember saying, "God, I know they are in a better place and I know you can do all things. But, if a thousand years is like a day, couldn't you have left them here a few more years???" I remember telling my kids lots of Grandma and Grandpa Rogers stories so they can remember something that they really can't remember because they did not ever know my parents. 

I remember hearing that "cancer" word and thinking, "God, I cannot do this. Don't make me do this." And you know what, He was there and I came out of that experience totally convinced that God is good. All the time. 

I remember getting a little 3-year-old boy and struggling so much to keep him occupied and sitting, rocking, while singing songs for hours on end. I remember hearing his running footsteps every weekend morning as he came dive bombing into our bed. I remember him running and playing outside with the dogs every afternoon.

I hope to have many more years ahead of me to make wonderful memories. Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me!

Talk to you soon...if I can remember!

Kitt.

This is our little sweetie, Payton, who we will remember spending lots of wonderful visits with!!