Cadre 22

Cadre (n.): a group of people having some unifying relationship.  This one word could not describe my cadre any more succinctly.  We are an incredibly diverse group of people, yet the desire to become servant leaders has blessed us with a unified relationship.  I am at a point in my life where I feel like I am living in parallel universes.  I have my family and friends at home with whom I share every minute detail and the daily ins-and-outs of life.  However, I also have this group of people who are my rock in this endeavor to become a servant leader.  These universes seldom collide, yet they are both a very big part of who I am.


As I embark on the downhill stretch of this journey, I find it hard to believe that there will come a time when I don't arrive at the break of dawn, one Sunday a month, to share what is much more than a regiment to acquire an administrator's certificate.  These people have helped me not only discover who I truly am, but have helped me to embrace and cherish that person.  They offer a haven in which I can dream and believe I can really make it happen.  


Many people give me a very odd look when I explain to them that I have no clue what God has in store for me after I have completed this degree, but that I just plan to be ready when He is.  However, I truly do believe that while God does have plans for my future, His current plan was for me to be with this amazing group of people!

How old do you feel?

Despite the many books I was assigned to read for the cadre this summer,  I managed to carve out precious time for some amazing books.  The book I am reading now is called, Eat, Pray, Love.  I am sure you have heard about this movie with Julia Roberts.  Despite my love for Julia, I refused to watch the movie.  I never watch the movies of books I've read because as I read them they create a vision in my mind,  and I hate having that vision ruined my someone else's.  Anyway.....I found this book on sale at Borders and decided to read it.  It is an absolutely fantastic book, and I hope to share many things from it in the future.

However, the book really has me thinking about this old medicine man in Bali.  His name is Ketut Liyer and he is a 9th generation medicine man.  The author spent a significant amount of time with this medicine man during her travels.   In the book, Liz asks Ketut how old he is.  He has no clue.  During her visits to his home, she learns that his age-of-the-day depends greatly on how he feels.  He will state that he "feels sixty-five" on a good day, but might "feel eighty-five" on a bad day.  What a great way to look at life - not so much about how old you are, but  how old you feel!

In my dad's family, they pride themselves with great longevity.  My Great-Aunt Elva still lives alone at home at the age of 102.  My dad and I plan to live to be 100+ without a doubt.  And so this very idea may just be part of that secret to longevity....I'd also like to think a glass of wine a day may help, too! When I was telling Jarod about it, he told me he is 28.  He always feels 28.  Me?  I think I'm 30.  I never was 20-something.  I was so happy to turn 30 because I just always felt that age anyway.  So how old are you today?   

Gob(lin)s of Frosting

My niece, Sophie, loves to bake!  Every time she comes over, she begs to bake and the last few times I have had to decline.  So when she came yesterday, I was determined not to send her home until we did!  We managed to get our poop in a group around 3pm this afternoon, and decided to make these cute alien cupcakes. Everyone mixed their own frosting and decorated their own cupcakes.  It was a good way to spend a hot summer afternoon!

 (Emily (Lydia's friend), Lydia, Ellie, Laurel, and Sophie)

Of course everyone had to sport their best "goblin faces"!

My Summer

Once again another WHOLE summer has gone by and I have not blogged once!  That's because this summer has been filled with graduate work.  I spent the end of May and start of June completing my internship.  It was by far the hardest thing I have ever done, because I was really pushed out of my comfort zone.  Not only did I have to call complete strangers and ask to spend time with them, but then I actually had to do it!  However, it was an amazing experience.  I spent time at Lighthouse in Lincoln, which is a place for students in 6th-12th grades to hang out and get a meal.  I also spent time working on item development for the Nebraska State test.  There were several other little things along the way, too.

 

We spent a week in downtown Dallas with Jarod's speech students who made it to Nationals.  I had the chance to spend the day with Doug, and I learned how to navigate my way around Dallas with only a few wrong turns.  

 

The rest of June and part of July were spent driving 150 miles round trip most days to Grand Island for my cadre.  I just love my group so much....it was worth it every single day!   It is crazy to think that I have completed 30 credit hours in 13 months, and only have 6 left.  May 20, 2012 will be the big day.....and I plan to do nothing but garden and sew with a glass of wine in hand next summer!

 

But after July 13th, my summer began.....and that's when the important stuff started to happen.  Anyone from smalltown Nebraska knows that this is fair time.  Laurel had decided to enter muffins, granola, and a babysitting kit, in addition to the sheep she would show for 4-H.   The muffins earned a purple, the granola a blue, and the babysitting kit earned the Child Development Champion trophy along with a big rosette ribbon and a trip to the state fair.  She also won Junior Showmanship again this year....2 for 2!  Her market ewes placed 1st and 2nd in their weight classes, and the breeding ewe placed 3rd.  It was a great year for her at the fair!  In the picture below she is posing with her lamb, Taylor, whom she showed for showmanship.  The boy in the picture is Riley from Waverly.  He is 5 days younger than her and came down to help her work her lambs the day before the show.  He stuck around for the big day and was great help!

We also convinced Lydia to do Pee-Wee Showmanship.  It was a last minute decision, so she wasn't really in her sheep-showing attire (no jeans and big blingy belt).  She did a great job though!  She was the only one who set up her lamb.  She earned a package of skittles and was really upset that there wasn't a declared winner (because you know it should've been her)!  She won't be old enough for competition next year, but plans to do Pee-Wee again.  Lydia also decorated and entered a photo box and made her own snack concoction for the fair.  She is a Clover Kid - which is a step before 4-H.  

Now that the fair is over we have been working in the yard and trying to finish up the renovation project that has also been occurring around here.  But I will save those details for a later date!  I have a hunch I will be back to blogging again....if for no other reason than that it will be more enticing than writing my big paper for grad school!  :)

Riley's Babies

Last year Laurel showed three lambs:  Riley and MJ (ewes) and Blue (weather).  The great thing about ewes is that they DO NOT go to the market and we get to meet their own babies the next winter.  These two twins are Riley's babies.  We don't know if Laurel will show them this fall or not, but they are sooo sweet!

Reality

The art teacher who comes to my classroom always talks to the kids about "fishing." Not the kind that involves hooks and slimy fish, but saying things so people will tell you how wonderful you are. Fishing for compliments. Before I write anymore, I want to make it very clear that this post is not about fishing, it's about acceptance and celebration.

That being said.....this week has week has given us a much needed break from the doldrums of school. The weather has been fantastic, and two extra days away have felt like a week! I had the opportunity to spend Thursday and part of Saturday doing something that I love very much.....shopping. However, as I shopped I found myself wishing that there weren't mirrors everywhere I turned. Why did I wear that frumpy sweatshirt? Why not the shoes that add an extra inch? Jeesh, all of those laps haven't really done much for the figure! I couldn't wait to get out of the mall!

I have slowly accepted the fact that my goal to lose 8 lbs has turned into 18 lbs. And really, what was wrong with those first 8 lbs. anyway? I've learned to celebrate each morning when the scale is the same as it was yesterday.

When I came home from Omaha last night, I had all of these great intentions....no more baking sweets, eating lots and lots of fresh foods, limited this and that...blah blah blah. But the truth is, I love to bake! It makes me think of my beautiful great-grandmothers and aunts who were as round as they were tall. They baked pies, breads, kolaches, and sat all day crocheting and quilting after their tummies were full. Their hearts were happy and content.

So then I got to thinking about what makes me content and happy.....tending to my flowerbeds, digging up more grass to plant more flowers, sewing goods that can be sold for money that will benefit others, baking new recipes and sitting down with a cup of coffee to enjoy the treat, conversations held with dear friends shared over those treats and coffee, laughing on the couch with a bottle of wine and a dear friend while shooing the children away because the conversation isn't "appwopwiate," hearing my parents walk in the door unannounced and the sharing the excitement of the children to know they are here......and wearing an apron that I hope my girls will one day fight over because of all the memories that were created while wearing that apron.

I could probably lose weight....weigh that magical number that my sister and I talk about, but that number is not going to make my heart happy. It's not that I'm opposed to exercise either. I love the quiet solitude of swimming laps. I love the refreshing feeling and the pounding of my heart without my body hurting. I love the feel of my body stretching a little further with each breath as I do yoga, and the absolute feeling of being alive when I'm done. But I do these things because they make me feel amazing. Neither of them has proven a great way to lose weight, but they have proven to be a great way to feel fantastic.

So as today moves forward, I have decided that I am going to celebrate all of the things I am doing: teaching school, attending grad school, parenting two beautiful girls, managing a household, sewing goods to raise money for the needy (we've donated over $1000 so far), gardening, baking, reading, crocheting, and enjoying a stolen evening away here and there to swim some laps in quiet solace. So I may not be a twig, but my heart is very content and happy!