*Pin Drop*

I definitely feel like my blog has been quiet enough lately to hear a pin drop.  And that is not following through on my resolution now is it?

Well, I do have quite the story to recount from the weekend before last. I just need to get photos uploaded and then I will be able to share.  Consider this your teaser.  :)

And confession.  This girl is way behind on her Bible study lessons for the week and we meet tomorrow.  Oopsies. So first things first!

Rock the Red Pump!

Hi all!  I know I've used my blog for causes before with Fight for Preemies - but I have one more for you.  March 10, 2011 women across the country will Rock the Red Pump to raise awareness about Women & Girls HIV/AIDS and to represent the strength and courage of women fighting HIV/AIDS or affected by the disease both directly and indirectly.  Rock the Red Pump is aiming to have 500 bloggers sign up to Rock the Red Pump in the next 50 days - 500 in 50.


Though I myself am not HIV positive nor do I have someone in my life that is, I know there are many women out there today living with this disease or supporting someone who is.  So I joined this movement for each of them.


This movement is sponsored by The Red Pump Project which aims to:

• Commemorate major awareness dates with various events or campaigns online and on the ground
• Partner with organizations doing work in HIV/AIDS in their initiatives and events around the country
• Obtain a Red Pump ambassador in every state
• Get women around the country to “Rock the Red Pump™” both online and on the ground
• Be involved in getting 1,000 people tested nationally
• Raise funds for HIV/AIDS service organizations

You can read more about The Red Pump Project and the Rock the Red Pump movement by clicking on the badge in my sidebar.  

Thanks for reading!!! :) 

Let's Go Wolves!!

This past weekend I was able to utilize our season tickets at work to go to the Northern State University Wolves basketball game!  My friend and coworker Karla and I caught the last quarter of the women's game and then the men's game against the Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks.

The Wolves played a great game, but came up just a little short against the Mavericks.  It was so fun to go to a college ballgame again though - albeit on a little bit smaller level than Mizzou or Creighton!  The whole community comes out to support the team it seems.  I saw tons of people that I knew and got to catch up with a few friends.  Hopefully I will get to go to another game before the end of the season - maybe even our courtside seats next time?

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow....and snow...and snow...

Many have pointed out to me that I failed to mention something pretty "adventurous" events in my New Years post. As many of you may know, Aberdeen and much of Northeast South Dakota was hit with not one, but TWO blizzards within a three day period over New Years Eve. It began on Thursday, December 30, as the snow began to fall and the wind began to blow. I was luckily sent home early from work - had I waited any longer, my little Ford Focus would have been stranded. The snow briefly let up that evening only to begin falling heavily again on Friday around Noon. New Years plans for much of the town came to a screeching halt. A friend of mine from church did however send her husband in his 4-wheel drive pickup to pick me up so I could spend NYE with them. Such sweet friends! I will tell you though, I was in disbelief that he even made it once I saw the side streets (My windows face an Emergency Snow Route so to me it didn't seem THAT bad). It was really a mess though. Most of it was cleaned up on Saturday and Sunday. Although many piles still stand tall on the street corners making visibility just a little bit challenging. Unfortunately I don't have any photos or videos from the event, but I did find the video below from KELO TV in Sioux Falls. It definitely makes me laugh a bit though - note in particular the reporter reporting from the side of the highway....in low-visibility blizzard conditions...while talking about people going off the road...now I ask you, should he really be standing there?? The link is below.

Back To Back Blizzards In Northeast

Oh and did I mention? It's snowing again today....and tomorrow...and the next day... time to grab some hot chocolate, marshmallows and a good book!!

Happy New Year!!

Happy 2011 Everyone!  As you can see, we have a new blog design again - don't worry - this one will be around for a while.  The font colors will be changing too, but I ask your forgiveness as I'm having trouble getting my customization to work!

And yet again I have to apologize for a lack of posts in December! An exciting but challenging project at work took up most of my month.  December was filled with holiday gatherings and time with family which was such a blessing.  This year my entire family on my mom's side was together for Christmas - including family from Texas! Truly this was the greatest gift we received this holiday season.

Since it is the new year and as tradition goes, resolutions must be made! I feel I have several this year, and although in my opinion resolutions can be made at anytime of the year, there just seems to be a more effective incentive with the New Year doesn't there?  A couple are typical and one is something I've been contemplating for some time.  So I'd like to ask your patience with me as I get a bit serious for a moment - blogging my resolutions for everyone to see - now how's that for accountability??

1. BLOG!  At least 2 times a month, I need to be having AND sharing more adventures here in Aberdeen.  
2. Find new ways to be fit & active.   A twist on the usual - I'm already a YMCA member and will be avoiding it until the rush calms down - but I want to find other ways to keep in shape that might also be adventures to share!  I'm thinking dance classes, cross country skiing, snow-shoeing, etc.
3. And now for our serious turn...Be Open.  

I know that might not make ANY sense but let me explain.  I have a tendency to believe that things should be a certain way (this won't come as any surprise to my friends who are all to familiar with my perfectionist ways) or that the right or wrong decision extends beyond my own opinion or feelings into the opinions or feelings of someone else.  So this year I am going to work to be open to many things but most importantly, to be open to following my own heart and my own calling.

This year will be another year of big life changes in one way or another.  I am nearly halfway through my fellowship and whether I remain in Aberdeen when I'm finished or head off in a different direction, I will definitely be starting a different job at some point and possibly in a different city.  It is my hope that I will be able to listen to my own heart and accept God's plan for me as the right one for ME and for no one else.  This will definitely mean a new job, maybe a new city, a new home, new relationships and who knows what else.  But I am excited for what 2011 will bring and want to be as open as possible to the opportunities and challenges that God puts in front of me - regardless of whether or not they fit into my plan.  So for many things I will try my hardest to Be Open, and I encourage you all to do the same.  Be open to change - be open to new ideas - be open to variety - be open to love.

I wish every one of you the most abundant joy in 2011 and pray that this year brings you among many other things - the love of family and friends, peace in the present and hope for the future.  It will be an exciting year my friends, stay tuned!!

Fight for Preemies

So it has been a while blog-friends!  I apologize for that, it has busy, busy, busy here in Aberdeen!  Add in the Thanksgiving holiday, and where did November go?!

One important event in November that I have neglected to blog about occurred on November 17th.  November is Prematurity Awareness Month and November 17th was Prematurity Awareness Day, or Fight for Preemies Day, sponsored by the March of Dimes.  As part of this day, bloggers across the country signed up via Bloggers Unite to Fight for Preemies by posting about someone in their life that was born too soon, too small, or too sick.  It is these babies that March of Dimes fights for when they raise money for research into premature birth and birth defects.

I wanted to be sure to post this before the end of November, and I definitely let it go until the last minute, but to be honest, I was still a bit unsure about whether or not I wanted to post my story.  Although I've never been shy about telling this story, doing so on a public blog is a little different--of course assuming people actually still read this! :)  So here goes nothing!

The premature baby that I want to blog about is actually, well, me!  I was born at 36 weeks, so 4 weeks premature.  Not too early really, and weighing in at over 7 pounds and 21 inches long, not that small either!  But I was born with a condition known as Goldenhar Syndrome.  GS is part of a spectrum of diseases called the oculo-auriculo-vertebral syndromes or OAVS.  So as you can see from the spectrum, they primarily affect the eye, ear, and vertebrae. Goldenhar specifically affects one side of the face and/or body. For me, it is my left side and as a result I was born without my left eye, with a misshapen left ear which I cannot hear out of, and my top two vertebrae are partially fused.  I also had hydrocephalus, meaning excess fluid around my brain, which was drained my inserting a shunt that drained the fluid from my head to my stomach.  There are a few other issues I have had to deal with, but overall, nothing that continues to cause difficulty or will affect me too much in the future.

Even with all of those challenges, and seven surgeries under my belt to correct different things, I've managed to live a fairly normal life.  Some people with Goldenhar Syndrome and other OAVS conditions aren't so lucky.  Many have upwards of 40 or 50 surgeries and still face many physical and mental obstacles every day.  I consider myself very lucky to have only a mild case of GS and have only physical issues to cope with.

The last thing I would share with you about GS and OAVS, is that there is very little known about what causes these defects.  That is why organizations such as March of Dimes and events like Fight for Preemies are so important.  They support research into premature birth and birth defects in hopes of reducing the amount of babies born too soon.

I know everyone has a lot of demand on their finances during this time of year, but if you have even a little bit to spare, consider giving it to the March of Dimes in hopes that no parent will ever have to lose a child born too soon and no premature baby will ever have to face serious health challenges again.

Thanks for reading and for Fighting for Preemies!!

On with the show!

This weekend my mom came to stay with me over the OHS Fall Break.  Friday night I made a new recipe, Honey-Glazed Chicken, from my new favorite food blog Stephanie Cooks.  She is excellent and her recipes aren't impossible - definitely check her out! Then we went to the Aberdeen Community Theater production of "The Foreigner."  You may remember that I auditioned for this production a couple months ago.  Having the workload i've had for the last few weeks though, I'm kind of glad I didn't have to fit in extra time for rehearsal!

The ACT performs in the historic Capitol Theatre on Main Street here in Aberdeen. It is a really magnificent, restored old building that I managed to snap a few pics of!  I love the sign outside and the amazing fixtures in the lobby.  I wasn't brave enough to take any photos during the show, but let me tell you, you have never seen community theater this fantastic!!!!  I was so so impressed.  Everything was so well done and well rehearsed and the actors' comedic timing was perfection.  I don't know that I have laughed that hard in a long time!!  Bravo to the ACT and their amazing performance! 

Saturday we slept in and then I made Whole-wheat blueberry muffins, also from Stephanie Cooks!  They were also super yummy and very filling because of the whole wheat flour.  Then it was time for shopping at the mall and pedicures!  We found some good deals (great sales at Herbergers that day) and then had time to relax and be pampered.  We decided to grab a late sports bar lunch at Shenanigans and watch the first half of the NU vs. MU game at the restaurant.  It was really fun!  There were a few other fans that showed up so that was exciting.  At halftime we decided to head back and watched the rest of the game at my apartment.  That evening (AFTER the Big Red WIN!!) we had our traditional family movie night complete with popcorn and root beer floats.

Sunday brought church and then breakfast at the Millstone before Mom had to take off.  It was so much fun having her here! I spent the afternoon finishing a book (to be blogged about shortly-stay tuned) and baked cookies for my office.  If you're looking for a simple yet interesting recipe, look up Brown Butter Sour Cream cookies on the aforementioned Ah-mazing food blog.  They are delish and went over really well!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!!