Sapp Christmas Letter 2011



Todd, Doug, and James

      Merry Christmas from Todd, Jennifer, James, and Daniel!  We have had a great year!  We hope you are doing well too!  Here's our update:
James turned 19 in May and graduated from High School in June.  He started St. Cloud Technical College in September and is training to become a Welder.  He works at Home Depot and even got Employee of the Month recently!  James is getting married to Jaimee Hansen next summer.  They are excited about their future together! 
       Daniel turned 17 in April and has had a busy year of working at Buffalo Wild Wings.  He will graduate in June and plans to start St. Cloud Technical College in September.  He plans to become a Welder.  He got a buck during hunting season this year.



Daniel, the Senior

    Todd continues to work at Remmele Engineering in Big Lake.  He keeps busy at home with his many projects.  Jennifer continues to teach Second Grade in Becker.  She enjoys playing piano or working on her scrapbooks and blog during her free time.
    Todd and Jennifer enjoyed some vacations this year up in Two Harbors, Hibbing, Hastings, Thunder Bay, and Winnipeg.  They are looking forward to a trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada this summer.  They will celebrate their 4th year of marriage in May.
    Last Christmas Jennifer was looking forward to her upcoming March trip to Japan to visit her sister and nephews, but unfortunately, the Tsunami and Earthquake changed her plans!  Patty, Drew, and Ben are now safe and happy back in the Chicago area.  It was an extremely scary 24 hours while we waited to hear if they were okay.  Patty's husband, Andy went to Japan and helped bring them home.  We are all so very thankful that they are safe!
    Jennifer's sister Kimberly had a baby boy named Kit in July.  He's a cutie pie.  Jennifer's brother's baby (Anna) is nearly two and is adorable!  Jennifer enjoyed babysitting for her one weekend while David and Julia attended a retreat. 
     Jennifer's mom and dad are doing well and enjoying their four


Jennifer, Todd, and guitarist Linda

 grandchildren.  Jennifer's dad keeps busy working for Allied Concert Associastion.  Jennifer's mom keeps busy playing her violin for the orchestra, church, and community musical.
    Jennifer's Grandma Alber died this November.  She was 94 years old.  She was a very special grandma and will be very missed!  To read more about Jennifer's Grandma, click on "My Special Grandma" on my blog.   
    Todd's Dad and Mary Lou are doing well.  Doug enjoyed his posh deer stand this fall and got a buck.  Mary Lou is doing better after her fall last winter.  Both enjoyed some trips in their fifth wheel this year. 
     Some of you may remember that one of Jennifer's goals for 2011 was to get to sing a duet with Todd for church.  Well, at the service at the park in August, her goal was accomplished.  They sang "Less of Me" by Glen Campbell.  It was such fun! 
     May God bless you this year with LOVE, JOY, PEACE, and HOPE!  Love, Jennifer and Todd

Ben, Aunt Jen, Drew, Patty

David, Kimberly, Kit Hensen

Anna Grace Iverson

Caroling, Caroling, Now We Go!

We LOVE to SING!

The Carolers, Christmas of 1994

It's November.  At Alexandria Jefferson High School sixteen lucky high schoolers are practicing, practicing, practicing for the upcoming Caroler season.  It's practically like an athletic season!  From the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas break we went caroling somewhere almost every single day (sometimes more than once in a day).  We sang for church groups, club groups, special programs, individual people's Christmas parties, and so many more!  It was such fun!  We sang both secular and sacred Christmas songs.  We took turns introducing the songs.  We sang and sparkled and loved every minute of it!  We had matching outfits (complete with bustles).  But, not many years after this photo was taken, the Carolers were given new outfits and each one was different from the next.  I always think of my wonderful Caroling experience each December.  I miss it.  I cherish the memories of those two Decembers sharing Christmas cheer and the news of Jesus' birth with others. 

When the Carolers were not Carolers, we were the Pop Group!  We sang fun old songs like "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy" and "Blue Skies."  It was awesome.  I was also in two girls groups that met regularly.  I did a LOT of singing in my high school career and I loved it.  My friends were singers too and we had fun together.  I was in a group called Persona Grata (which means Friends in Latin).  We sang a variety of music.  We sang for the infamous "Jingle Bells" program on late at night one night in December in Alexandria.  Persona Grata started out having guys and gals, but after that first year, we switched to being only a girls group.  Les Marquis was another girls group I was in.  We sang all year long too, but our busiest time of year was around Valentine's Day!  We sang a great medley of 50s tunes (Why Must I Be a Teenager in Love, Lollipop, Earth Angel, and Shoo Be Do).  We did singing Valentines.  We were a hit!  We wore old letter jackets and poodle skirts.  Then in the spring of my Senior Year, we brought back that great medley of songs and sang it for the Senior Recital I gave to raise money for my year in Up With People.  What fun memories!

Persona Grata

Get Your Singing Valentine!

Singing at my recital, 1995

Six times a Bridesmaid, Finally a Bride!

Patty's wedding in 1994

Christin's wedding in 2001

Pauline's wedding in 2003

Amy's wedding in 2004

Kia's wedding in 2006

Kimberly's wedding in 2010

My wedding in 2008

My beautiful wedding dress, 2008

Wasn't that a fun fashion show blog?  It's fun to see all those dresses all lined up together.  I loved being in all those weddings.  I also loved being in all the weddings that I played violin for through the years.  It is always an honor to be in a friend's wedding.  After being in so many weddings, I had a good idea what I was wanting for my own wedding.   Enjoy the photos!

My special Grandma

Grandma at age 93

Grandma, Mom, and me in 2008

    My grandma Alber has been a part of my life my whole life (34 years).  She died on Thursday at age 94.  I feel incredibly privileged to have known her and called her Grandma.  She was a very special grandma to me and helped shape who I am today.  I thank God for her.
    My earliest memories of Grandma aren’t actual memories, just recollections of photographs my parents took.  Grandma loved to hold me when I was a baby.  She was always smiling and happy with me in her arms.  I remember being a child (maybe 5 years old) and loving the way Grandma would kiss me.  She would put her lips on my cheek and suck in to make a loud smacking/kissing sound.  The vibrations of it always tickled and always made me laugh.  She kissed me that way for many years even after I was an adult. 
    Playing at Grandma’s house as a child was always fun.  We’d play “Touring” or “Uno” or we’d dress up in Grandma’s old clothes.  Sometimes Mom would play piano and we’d all sing.  Grandma and Grandpa would sing sometimes too.  We’d help them snap peas or pick tomatoes during the day and we’d have fun catching fireflies in the evenings.  Sometimes we’d find locust shells on the trees too!  Grandpa would take us swimming or Grandma would let us come along to the grocery store.  It was a total treat when one of them let us walk to Dairy Queen with them!
    Grandma and Grandpa both loved to read and loved to play cards.  A visit to their house was always fun and relaxing.  My grandparents had a great perspective on life.  They were extremely optimistic.  They were generally happy.  They lived day to day with a peaceful purpose and didn’t get stressed out.  They had a strong faith in God.  They prayed for their loved ones.  They didn’t worry.          
    Grandma loved to bake and would often make her special brownies that I LOVED!  She’d make lemon bars and cookies.  She stored the cookies in her Dutch Maid blue cookie jar.  At Christmas time she made cookies shaped like Santa’s face (coconut beard, red hot nose, raisin eyes, red frosting hat).  On the wall, she always had a wreath made of M & Ms in little plastic baggies around a wire hanger bent like a wreath.  The grandkids had no trouble helping them get those eaten! 
    We always enjoyed Grandma’s meals too.  She was an excellent cook.  But, one of our favorite meals didn’t involve much cooking.  Grandma would slice up a summer sausage and cut up broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, etc. and then set out crackers and dip and we’d have a feast!  We loved it!  She also had a wonderful chicken salad made with grapes, celery, chicken, mayo and cool whip.  Yum!   
    Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa was always special.  We went to church with them.  They loved their church, and we knew they valued their faith.  At present-exchanging time Grandma and Grandpa gave interesting gifts like an “Ove Glove” or a lettuce chopper or a cookbook holder to us granddaughters.  When I was a girl they gave me a doll that had a bed made from a dish soap bottle.  It was very unique and I loved it!   
    Grandma had a way of always being able to show us grandkids she loved us.  She loved us all equally.  We all felt special around her.  We never felt pressure that we had to be good at a certain thing or make perfect grades or be the best at the things we tried.  We felt accepted by Grandma just the way we were.  She was good at reminding us that she loved us.  She was always interested in our lives and I always felt like she was one of my biggest fans!
    I loved to hear Grandma tell stories.  She’d talk of her father who had been a cowboy or her brother Bill who was the best cook in the house because he was so strong when he “whipped” something.  She told about how her father was not a worrier.  Her dad could sleep soundly at night even during the worst times of the Great Depression.  That made an impression on her and she always tried to not be a worrier either.  She’d say, “I have a lot of concerns, but I don’t worry!” 
    Grandma would patiently go through her boxes of pictures with me and tell me stories about my mom and aunts when they were girls.  She’d tell stories about their smart dog.  She’d tell stories about my Grandpa.  My favorite story about Grandpa was always the story of their first date.  They went out stargazing on the bleachers of Cotner College.  Grandpa was telling Grandma all about the stars and she was pretending to be fascinated by the stars, but she was really fascinated with Grandpa!  Later when he popped the question, they were riding together in the car and he simply said to her, “You will marry me, won’t you?”  Grandma was so excited and she leaned over to hug him and just about knocked off his glasses.  I love that little story.  Grandma and Grandpa were a beautiful couple.  Now they are together again, in Heaven! 
    Grandma and Grandpa tried to make it to the concerts and events of my siblings and mine when we were growing up.  It was always special to have them come visit us.  They lived about a ten hour drive away!  They attended all of our high school graduations and college graduations.  My sister Patty and my brother, David were married before Grandpa died and so both grandparents were there for those events.  When I was married in 2008, and when my sister Kim was married in 2010, Grandma came to our weddings (with the help of my aunt and uncle and parents).  It meant so much to me to have Grandma there.  She was so happy to be there too.  Todd walked her down the aisle at the beginning of the service.  I asked her later what her favorite part of the wedding was and she said, “When Todd walked me down the aisle.  He was so strong and I felt so confident.”
    I don’t think Grandma had many regrets in life.  But, I always knew that she wished she had gone to college.  She was one of the smartest people I knew, and yet, she felt like she was less than someone who went to college.  She was so proud of us grandkids for going.  And, she loved that I was a teacher.  She had wanted to be a teacher.  But, Grandma was a wonderful speaker and “teacher” for the CWF (Christian Women’s Fellowship) women.  She was very involved in that ministry. 
    The last few years of Grandma’s life, I spent time writing letters to her.  I would write and tell her of things going on in my life.  I would gush about my wonderful husband or tell about the latest book I had read.  I would comment about things I was learning in my faith.  I would tell her about my students or what subjects I was teaching.  I’d fill her in on anything I knew about what my siblings were up to.  It felt good to write those letters, like a journal entry written to someone who cared.  I felt like my letters brightened up some of her lonely days and that made me feel better.
    The last three years of Grandma’s life, I had my second grade students write birthday cards and draw birthday pictures to her.  She loved that!  We would call on her birthday too and sing to her.  She loved that too.  She would send Hershey’s Kisses to my class as a thank you gift to them.  They loved that!
    Grandma loved.  She loved her husband and three daughters and her many grandchildren.  She loved her friends and her church family.  My last conversation with Grandma was on her 94th birthday.  I asked about her caregiver, Dot.  Grandma adored Dot.  She said, “Dot loves me.... and I love her.”  I am so grateful that Dot could be there to show love to Grandma when the rest of us could not be there.  Grandma was easy to love and she has helped show all of us how to love better too.  Grandma equals love.

L - loving
O - optimistic
V - very good cook
E - enjoying Heaven RIGHT NOW!!!

   Grandma loved butterflies.  She loved the symbolism of NEW LIFE!  Grandma has earned her wings.  She has a new life!  I had a dream last night that Grandma was a bride about to see her husband for the first time on their wedding day.  Grandpa was waiting around the corner with the most delighted smile ever.  It was a beautiful dream.  I'm glad they are together again.

The happy couple

Wear your aprons and burn your candles!

Anne of Green Gables Chocolates

The Mountain Lake Observer may not be the most well-known newspaper in the state, but when I lived in Mountain Lake from 2000 to 2003 I was a fan of it.  Susan Meissner, the editor, wrote her weekly column in such a clever way that I looked forward to what she had to say each week.  Sue has now moved to California and is a full-time author.  I highly recommend any of her novels!  One year Sue wrote a News Year's Resolution column that was distinctly memorable to me.  She was encouraging her readers to "burn your candles."  Her goal for her new year was to stop saving things and start enjoying them.  She wrote about lovely china dishes that seldom got used and sweet-smelling pretty candles that sat in a cupboard.  She wrote about other special items she planned to start using.  This concept really hit home for me because I like to keep my nice things nice.  I save my new clothes and only wear them once in a while.  I save pretty stickers thinking I need to use them only for something super special like letters or scrapbook pages.  I put brand-new favorite books on my shelf and hardly touch them for fear of bending a page!  I hide away old art and pottery projects so I don't break them.  And, I save items from my years of traveling instead of enjoying them.  But, NO MORE!  You see from the photograph that I am now wearing my Anne of Green Gables Chocolates apron in my kitchen!  I am actually wearing it and using it!  It might get dirty!  It might get wrinkled!  But, I am enjoying it.  I got this apron in 2002 and am just now willing to start using it!  But, I love my apron.  So, my message to my readers..... "Start wearing your aprons.... start burning your candles..... start living life to the fullest!" 

A Tribute to Fire Prevention Week!

Cindy Lou and Kimberly

 Curious yet?  

A laundry basket?  

Dolls?  

Fire Prevention Week?  

Let me relieve your curiosity as I take you back... way back... to when Jennifer was a girl worrying about fires.  I had learned in school that we should have two ways out of each room and that the most important thing was to have a meeting place for the family to gather so everyone would know that everyone else was safe.  So, my parents talked me through all of that.  The little green shed was where we would meet.  My bedroom had a door directly to outside and a door to the hallway and a window I knew I could climb through.  Mom assured me that if there was a fire I would have so much adrenaline that I'd be super strong and be able to push aside the record player and speaker system that was placed in front of that outside door.  I believed her and had peace about that.  It's very important for an anxious little girl to have as much peace as possible.  And, girls like me, we need a plan!  So, I would lay in bed and rehearse my plan in case of a fire.  My yellow laundry basket lay on the floor near my bed.  My two favorite dolls were always near by too.  So, once I knew there was a fire, I would roll out of bed, grab the two dolls and throw them in the yellow laundry basket.  Then I'd crank open the window or use my super-human strength to open the outside door and I'd toss my two treasures out and follow closely behind.  This I rehearsed and rehearsed in my head.  I had my routine down!  Thankfully I never had to perform this doll-saving, meeting at the shed ritual that replayed in my head nightly.  Thankfully I grew up and stopped being so afraid of fires.  Perhaps new anxieties filled my mind instead as I grew  

Jennifer in third grade

older.  Now that I am an adult I get the priviledge of talking about fire safety with my second graders every year and answering all their questions.  It's amazing how many different "what if?" questions come up each year.  The best one this year was, "What if the Fire Station is on fire?"  As a teacher I get to teach my students the importance of having a meeting place too!  My husband Todd knows a lot more about fires than I do.  He had a house fire about 13 years ago.  Almost everything had to be replaced.  Most of the house had to be rebuilt.  Most of the damage was smoke and water damage.  Todd was able to recognize most items for giving a list to insurance.  Through that whole experience Todd learned that "stuff is stuff" and everything is replaceable.  I wonder sometimes if my "stuff" is too important to me.  I am so sentimental!  I still have that yellow laundry basket and those two dolls.  I love my stuff!  But, I know the verse from the Bible that tells me, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  

Our Love Story

The Happy Couple...

     This picture was taken in August of 2007.  We had just begun dating in July and this was our first time out together in public.  We chose the annual church "Picnic at the Park" to be the first place seen together.  It was so fun to see people giving us smiles and winks and "thumbs up!"  So, how did it all begin?  Would you like to hear our story?  You would!  Well, goodie!
      In June of 2007 I attended a different church picnic at Olsen's house and enjoyed visiting with members of my church.  At one point I was sitting with the kids (holding a little baby and protecting her eyes from the bubbles being played with) and this handsome man, Todd Sapp pulled up a chair next to me and started talking to me.  We talked about our travel experiences out in the western United States.  I remember thinking that it was a nice conversation.  It was easy to talk to Todd and I didn't feel nervous or akward like I often did when talking to guys.  It was nice.  I started noticing him in church after that.
     Then on a Sunday night in July there was another church function, this time an outside baptismal service on Lake Julia.  Todd's sons James and Daniel were baptized that day.  Todd's Dad was there too.  Near the end of the event, I was standing on the hill and Todd came up to me and we small-talked some with James.  James left for a minute and Todd leaned in and asked if I would like to go out to dinner with him.  I gave him a big smile and said, "SURE!"  We arranged that he would call me with details.
      Was I excited or what?!?!?!  I could not sleep that night.  I literally stayed up all night!  I was sooo excited!  Angie, my housemate, was in Ukraine at the time and so I couldn't keep her up, so I played piano, I read my Bible aloud, I prayed, I danced around the house, I was flying on Cloud 9 all night long!  Before the sun rose I went out onto the porch and just sat there smiling at the stars and then smiling at the sunset, and then rejoicing in the brand new day.  I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep.  I was so smitten!  I was so touched that he had chosen me!  I was so excited at the possibilities!
      We ended up having to wait an entire week before our first date which was the following Sunday night.  A few days before the first date I went to my pastor and his wife and told them about my exciting upcoming date and they prayed for me.  They prayed for me and Todd right there in the entryway of their home.  It was beautiful.  That week I went shopping for a brand new outfit to wear (khaki shorts, dangly pearl earrings and the green button-up blouse you can see in the photograph above).  Todd called at one point that week and asked what he should wear on our first date.  I told him what I was wearing and then the night of our date he showed up in khaki shorts and a green button-up shirt!  We were "matchers!"  I thought that was so cute!
      Our first date was in St. Cloud at the "Outback Steakhouse."  Again, I was so excited I could barely eat and those burgers are HUMONGOUS!  We talked and talked and talked.  We went to Coldstone Creamery for dessert and talked some more.  That was Sunday night.  Wednesday noon we met for lunch at Subway during his lunch break.  Friday evening we went out for supper in Buffalo and went to a performance of "Guys and Dolls" at the Buffalo Community Theater.  It was all such fun!  Then Todd had to leave for THREE WEEKS to go on a family vacation with his boys, his parents, and some friends.  He called me three times.  Angie could tell it was him when he called because my voice would "go up three octaves!"  I remember that the first phone call was from Medora, North Dakota and I love Medora.  I asked him to look around and tell me what he could see right at that moment.  His response: "dirt!"  I liked that answer.
      After Todd's trip I think you could say we "power-dated!"  We either saw each other or talked on the phone every single day after that trip.  It was a wonderful, magical time.  I didn't need much sleep.  I didn't need much food.  I was just high on life!  We were engaged in January of 2008 (six months after our first date).  He took me to the Paramount Theater to see a Buddy Holly show.  Before the show began we went up into the balcony to look around.  He suggested I sit down.  Then he got down on one knee and proposed!  I said, "Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes!"  It was wonderful!  During the concert one of the performers even announced our engagement.  We stood up in front of hundreds of people and they applauded for us.  The spotlight shone on us and everything.  Exciting.

Gettin' engaged!

      I LOVED planning my wedding.  We planned it in three months and I enjoyed every little part of it.  We went to Chicago to visit my sister Patty and find the bridesmaid dresses for her and Kia.  David was also going to stand up next to me, but he only needed a tie to match the dresses!  I found MY dress in Alexandria with my Mom.  It was the perfect dress, made just for me!  AND, it was on sale!  We found a beautiful tiara and veil too.  Todd and I shopped for ties for him and David and the groomsmen at Kohls.  Our friend Janet hemmed three of Todd's suits to fit Todd, James, and Daniel.  We figured out music for the wedding and found our musicians.  We had pre-marriage meetings with Pastor Rob.  It was a whirlwind of excitement and joy!
    May 3rd, 2008 our married life began.

 And, we lived happily ever after! 

Adventures on the Pace Arrow!

Ah, yes, the Pace Arrow.  Inside this motorhome many, many childhood memories were formed.  This motorhome belonged to my Grandma and Grandpa Iverson who lived in Dickinson, North Dakota.  I think of them when I see this photograph, but I also think of family vacations that my parents took with us four children inside this motorhome.  Like most people, my memories of childhood are foggy and sometimes specific trips get all jumbled up with other trips.  But, I remember the motorhome.  It had the coolest fabric accordian blinds and the awesomest top bunk that folded down from the ceiling above the driver's seat.  Everyone wanted to sleep in that bunk!  I remember the sink was tiny (but not too tiny for cousin Adam to get a bath in it once in a while).  I remember that there was a shower in the back that no one ever used, and there was a table in the "living room" next to a huge window where we would sit and eat our meals (like the cold shrimp and noodle salad Mom fed us after a long, wonderful day in Disney World).  There was a toilet in the back that was used for a chair more than a toilet!  There is a famous, famous stoery on the Iverson side that took place back there!  On time Grandma and Grandpa brought us grandkids to Washington state and brought back cherries that were stored on the bathroom counter.  Patty would sit back there on the toilet chair, holding the book she was reading in one hand and eating cherries with the other.  I can't even count the times I heard that story!  Grandma and Grandpa used to take my three siblings and I along with our cousins Kia and Adam and we would travel to visit relatives and have family reunions.  Billings, Montana saw this motorhome quite a few summers as we celebrated the Bale side of the family (my Grandma Iverson had LOTS of siblings).  It was fun getting to know these old people who looked and sounded like Grandma.  Grandpa and Grandma also thought it would be beneficial for their grandkids to know Montana and North Dakota - so we traveled all over and visited museums and looked at countryside.  Grandpa was fascinated with the oil wells when they started putting them in and we would stop on the side of the road and just watch them.  We would stop in Montana and visit the gravesite of our aunt Patty who died of Leukemia when she was three.  This was always a somber event, but Grandpa and Grandma would always want a picture of us with the gravestone.  We never knew whether to smile or look sad.  When Patty died, Grandpa and Grandma gave a beautiful wooden altar to the church where they had been attending.  On one of our trips we visited the church so us grandkids could see the altar and Grandpa and Grandma were very pleased to find that it was being used as the main altar of the church.  It was originally used as an altar in the basement for the Sunday School kids.  Here it is:

  When my family took the Pace Arrow on vacations, we often went further than Montana and North Dakota.  I remember going to Washington D.C., Florida, and California.  We would stop at as many national parks as we could.  I remember seeing mountains and valleys and streams and oceans from the windows of that motorhome.  I'm thankful for all those memories.  I'm also thankful that my Dad was able to get the brakes to work when we were descending a mountain in the western United States.  He was having trouble with those brakes and we all had to get under furniture for a while in case we crashed!  But, we didn't crash.  The Iversons and the Pace Arrow survived!

  Now my husband and I enjoy camping together... not in a Pace Arrow, but in a truck camper on top of our Ford truck.  We've enjoyed some beautiful sights too.  What a beautiful world our God has created!

Norman and Winnifred Iverson

I don't want to fit You in my pocket

Small by J.J. and David Heller.....

Cardboard cutouts on the floor

People wish that You were more like what they wanted You to be

Eventually they won't have much of You at all in their theology

The walls are closing in on You

You cannot be contained at all

I don't want to make You small

I don't want to fit You in my pocket

A cross around my throat

'Cause You are brighter than the sun

You're closer than the tiny thoughts I have of You

But I could never fathom You at all

Broken moldings all around

Broken people hit the ground

When they discover that You're not here for our benefit

You love in spite of us

You use the least of us to prove the strong aren't really strong at all

Do you ever have a song that just hits you right where you are?  A song that touches you and makes you stop and ponder and dig down deep?  I currently have two favorite artists:  Sara Groves and J.J. Heller.  Both have beautiful voices.  Both have a folksy sound.  Both use intriguing instrumentation.  Both have deep, insightful lyrics.  When I get a new CD by one of them, my favorite thing to do is lie down in a quiet room and turn the CD on loud enough to hear each word they sing......and soak it all in.  When Dad turns his music up loud he calls it "enjoying the 'presence' of the music".  I think I understand what he means.  I was recently enjoying a new J.J. Heller CD and the lyrics written above touched me.  The words made me think about how God is so amazingly, fabulously, incredibly BIG and how I often only give Him credit for being small.  Often to me, He is small enough to "fit in my pocket" and be just a small part of my day.  I can take Him out of my pocket when I want Him involved.  Honestly, I don't expect Him to do great things in my day-to-day life.  I don't expect Him to fix my problems or make major changes in my life.  But, I truly DO believe He could.  I believe He could do anything.  I love the story in the Bible of a fight that is going on and one of the warriors pleads with God to stop the sun from moving (so he could complete the battle and have victory) and God did!  I love the story that Beth Moore shares about her childhood and her aunt.  Her aunt asked Beth to "dream big" when thinking about what she might want for her birthday .  Beth thought about it and decided she wanted an elephant to ride to school each morning.  Of course the aunt couldn't grant her that wish.... but she loved being asked!  God loves when we ask for big things too.  He loves that we believe He can do big things.  He loves to see our faith soar on our belief in His bigness.  The song above reminded me of that.  We have a very big God!  I want to think big and I want to see God at work in every detail of my life.  I want to sit in awe of Him and all that He is.... He is brighter than the sun and closer than the tiny thoughts I have of Him.  I love that we serve such a good God who cares so deeply for His children.

P.E.I. Here we come!!!

Green Gables!

Gazing into L.M. Montgomery's mirror!

     I attended college at Concordia in Moorhead, MN with some wonderful people - including my dear friend, Amy.  The two of us could make each other laugh so easily!  At times we could finish each other's sentences.  We were together so much that one of our friends would say, "There goes "AmyJen" when he'd see us walk by.  We were hard workers in college, but also took time to be "rebels on a school night" by taking the occasional study break at the college snack shop hangout.  We had lots in common, particularly our love for music and our devotion to God, but especially our obsession with Anne of Green Gables!!!!  We loved the books, the movies, the characters, the time period, the clothing, the scenery, everything!!!
      So, we began planning our trip.  We planned that trip for about six years!  Then, in July of 2002 we were on our way!  Our friend Jess joined us.  We took my parents' 1987 Chevy Caprice Classic (otherwise known as "the boat") and set out on our three week trip across Canada to Prince Edward Island and then over to Nova Scotia, taking a ferry to Maine and then crossing the U.S. back to Minnesota.  What a blast!  We camped in tents some and stayed in Bed and Breakfast homes.  It was quite the adventure and it was also everything we hoped it would be!
     Prince Edward Island is beautiful!!!!  The blues were bluer, the greens were greener, and the whites were whiter!  The countryside was lovely.  The music is fun (lots of Scottish and Irish heritage).  The red dirt is enchanting!  The people were friendly.  And, the Anne of Green Gables lore is EVERYWHERE!  You can see many of the sights mentioned in the book such as:  "The Lake of Shining Waters,"  "The Haunted Forest,"  "Lover's Lane," and   

A beautiful beach on P.E.I.

Jen enjoyed P.E.I.

"The Hope Chest."   You can see L.M. Montgomery's birthplace, the actual school where L.M. Montgomery taught, lighthouses, beaches, bluffs, cliffs, and more.  We ate delicious sea food, and visited the village of Avonlea.  We had "high tea for three" at the Dalvay by the Sea Hotel, which is the White Sands Hotel in the "Road to Avonlea" series.  We attended church with some local Presbyterians.  We attended an excellent musical production of "Anne of Green Gables:  The Musical" in Charlottetown.  We biked along the Confederation Trail near Summerside.  We drove up to the northern part of the island to find the best beach!  We drove through cornfields to find a 40 foot cliff.  We took so many pictures of Prince Edward Island!  It was all such a dream!   I put my pictures into a photo album that I still love to look at.
     Now, nine years later I enjoy telling my husband about our road trip.  He listens appreciatively.  Last summer we went to the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming.  That place is very special to him.   He was so excited to show it to me!  It's like the Big Horn Mountains are a part of him.  As we were driving home from Wyoming/Montana, we talked about where else we'd like to travel to together.  Todd said he'd like to see this Prince Edward Island that I gush about so much!  It was HIS idea!  So, summer of 2012 we're

Dalvay By the Sea (a.k.a The White Sands)

My "kindred spirit" friend Amy and I

 going to take the camper and go!  I'm already planning the trip.  I know what new things I want to see (more of Nova Scotia!) and what "must see" things we'll experience together.  I can hardly wait!  It's fun to have things to look forward to.... especially in the thick of Februaryin Minnesota when things can be a bit dreary! 
       Part of the fun of the road trip with Amy and Jess was seeing other parts of Canada and the U.S. that I wasn't familiar with.  Quebec City, for example.... what a wonderful city!  It's like stepping into France.  There are cobblestone streets and French restaurants that sell delicous Crepes.  We stayed at a ski chalet there. 
    We stopped at Saint Jean Port Joli and saw an amazing museum of wooden sculptures hand made by local artists.  We watched trains travel through Ontario, and met up with a friend in Montreal.  We saw some amazing gardens in Halifax, Nova Scotia and took a foggy tour south to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.  In Maine we drove up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park and ate lobster in Bar Harbor.  We took a Boston Duck Tour in Boston and a barge ride down the Erie 

Lover's Lane!

 Canal in New York State.  We visited Louis May Alcott's Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts (what a thrill!), and saw Niagara Falls from both the Canadian and American sides.  We spent a day on Mackinac Island in Michigan and were amazed by the power of Lake Huron.  After three weeks, we were three exhausted travelers!  I'm very grateful we took this trip together.  Amy and Jess are still two of my dearest friends.  God has been good to me!
    One of the souvenirs I bought in Prince Edward Island was piano sheet music to the "Anne of Green Gables" theme song.  Amy later created a violin part to the piece and it was played during my wedding prelude!  Sweet!
    Another souvenir I got was a Anne of Green Gables Chocolates apron.  I had it hanging downstairs in our "Anne of Green Gabes" themed guest room, but one day I needed an apron and decided it was "time" to use it.  I'm enjoying using it as I bake at home now.
     I have a book of quotes by L.M. Montgomery of Anne sayings and I'm going to close this blog with some of my favorites:
"It's nicer to think dear, pretty thoughts and keep them in one's heart, like treasures."

Annes of Green Gables

The bluffs of P.E.I.

"What a splendid day!...I pity people who aren't born yet for missing it.  They may have good days, of course, but they can never have this one."

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.  It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it?"

"Dear old world....you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you."

"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"

"There are some people...that you can love right off....and there are others....that you have to try very hard to love."

"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think.  It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world."

"The world looks like something God has just imagined for His own pleasure, doesn't it?"

"Oh, it's delightful to have ambitions.  Just as soon as you attain to one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still."

"That is the first time I was ever called 'Miss.'  Such a thrill as it gave me!  I shall cherish it forever among my choicest treasures."

"It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will."

School Prep. in Germany and Becker

      It's that time of year again - malls are full of moms doing back to school shopping with their kids - Wal-Mart is running out of the specific kind of the scissors listed on all the school supply lists - teachers are working away in their classrooms for hours and hours before their contracted time begins - and First Grade teachers in Germany are crafting their own "Back to School" gift for each child!
     See the tree in the first photo.  It is full of the gifts that First Grade students get on their first day of school in Germany.  Pretty fun!  Pretty cute!  They are all over Germany this time of year because they represent the start of a new year.  I wish America had something fun like that to give our First Graders.  I teach Second Grade and I try to come up with something for the students who come to Open House each year (sometimes a marker, or a smiley face gumball, or an eraser of the earth).  But, even though we don't have anything traditional to give our students, we as teachers, give an awful lot of ourselves to our classrooms and students to make it a great year.  I have been rather into blogging lists lately.  So, here is a typical list of things teachers do each fall:

Organize, sort and label books in our classroom libraries

Dust shelves, carts, trinkets, computers, and globes

Write student names on millions of things such as:

locker tags, desk tags, workbooks, individual book boxes, lunch tag holders, hallway cutesy signs, behavior charts, guided reading bins, and student folders!  Uff-dah!

Laminate half the above-mentioned stuff

Cut out everything you have just laminated

Arrange classroom "furniture" to get optimum use out of the space

Create forms for parents to fill out at Open House

Create a birthday bulletin board after receiving birthdates for students

Make fun, interesting, useful bulletin boards

Organize all the piles of papers coming in from the Offset copier

Put up a calendar with all the important September events marked

Write meaningful lesson plans that keep the attention of 26 kids at the same time who all are used to freely running around the neighborhood or swimming at the pool all day!

Catch up with the teachers and staff you see so that everyone feels welcome and ready 

to be a team player with a new school year beginning.

Try to calm your own nerves, even though this is the 12th time you've done this!

Look forward to seeing the students that will be your "kids" for the next nine months!

 

Whitewater Rafting????

The name Jennifer means gentle spirit.  The name Ann means nice.  So, I guess I am supposed to be a nice, gentle spirit.  So, does whitewater rafting race to your mind when you hear that description?  No!?!  Well, it took me 33 years to decide I was brave enough to try such an adventure.  Before whitewater rafting the most adventurous thing I had done was when I was on a family vacation the summer after fifth grade.  My family and I went to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado where we had the "coolest tour guide in the world!" who showed us all the ins and outs of the native peoples who built their homes in the side of a bluff.  We got to climb hanging rope ladders over deep canyons, crawl through dark, carved-out rocks, walk carefully along the edge of a broken-down trail, and walk in behind these rock homes to find ourselves very high in the air.  Now, that was cool!  So, when Todd and I were planning our trip to Montana, I thought to myself, "Self, you need to be more adventurous!"  Todd had never been whitewater rafting either and he loved the idea.  So, we decided on a place out of Superior, Montana who took us on a rafting trip from 10:00 to 4:00 with a stop for lunch along the way.  It was a wild ride some of the time and a very docile, peaceful ride during other parts of the trip.  We got to know our raft-mates and we all got very wet.  During the scariest moments I told myself, "If little children like Cassidy Walsh can do this - so can I!"  My friends the Walshes had done some whitewater rafting together and had put a picture of it on their Christmas card.  I had the Christmas card picture running through my mind as I was worrying about capsizing!  But, we didn't capsize and we had lots of laughs.  I recommend whitewater rafting to anyone who is ready for a little extra excitement!  I'm glad we went.  Hmmmm, what's next?  A zipline?  Mountain climbing?  We'll see!

30 things....

The World Would Be A Better Place If......

1. Everyone loved Jesus
2.  Marriages stayed together
3.  Everyone learned to play a musical instrument
4.  All parents read to their children
5.  Everyone had clean water
6.  Fast food places served vegetables
7.  Everyone listened to classical music at least once a day
8.  Everyone exercised daily
9.  Everyone prayed and trusted God
10.  All class sizes were smaller in school
11.  Everyone could learn to read
12.  There were a cure for Cancer and Alzeimers
13.  Everyone washed their hands more
14.  No one drank alcohol
15.  Everyone dressed modestly
16.  Everyone laughed more
17.  There were no sad goodbyes
18.  Everyone had a good work ethic
19.  Everyone were nice and kind to others
20  All teachers "built up" their students
21.  Everyone were honest
22.  No one swore
23.  Everyone wore deodorant!
24.  Everyone memorized scripture
25.  Everyone sang in the shower
26.  No one talked during concerts
27.  Everyone got enough sleep
28.  Everyone wore fun socks!
29.  Ice cream were good for you!
30.  No one were hungry

Taken from "Jen's Book of Lists" created in January of 2007

What facinates you?

What fascinates you?

This is a picture of my sweet niece Anna.  She looks fascinated by the magic of how her hand can make motions and shadows and entertainment!  I want to keep that expression of amazement alive inside of myself too.  May this blog help you remember what fascinates YOU too:

Blooming flowers

Crisp beans from the garden

Rhuli gel on a mosquito bite

Migraine medicine

Skype!

Sun tea

Inside jokes with a friend

Babies/Toddlers

Rainbows through a sprinkler

How a song can touch one's heart

Air conditioning

Positive endorphins rushing to my brain after exercise

i-pads, i-phones, i-pods, computers

Talented musicians

Indoor plumbing

How fashions change

Beautiful art

Connecting with a character in a book

How a good night's sleep can make everything better

Big flakes of snow falling 

Mountains and valleys

Rivers and waterfalls

Being truly loved by someone

Loving someone back

God

 

For the LOVE of books!

      I became a teacher in the year 2000.  Every fall when a new school year begins, I reflect on my years as an educator.  That first year of teaching seems like a looooong time ago now.  That first class just graduated from high school and some of those kids are heading off to college this week.  The first class I taught in Becker was a third grade class in 2003.  That was a very special year.  I was so very nervous to begin teaching in the public schools.  But, my students were wonderful
and my fellow teachers and support staff were so SUPPORTIVE.  I'm  

so glad I had that year of teaching third grade before moving to second grade at the Primary School.  I have been teaching second grade ever since.  That one year of third grade helped give me a perspective to help me better understand what my students are headed for when they graduate from my class. 
      One thing I love about teaching is helping my students love reading!  I, myself love reading.  I've read about 8 novels this summer in addition to some fascinating nonfiction.  I want my students to love books.  So, sometimes I go a little out of my way to help the books come to life.  Take for example, the picture of me as Pippi Longstocking.  Now, that was a fun hair day!!!!  My girl students and I all dressed like Pippi one day and the boys dressed as Hawaiian boys from the book.  We did   
activities all day long that Pippi and her friends did in the books.  I imagine my

Mountain Lake kiddos will never forget Pippi Longstocking Day.
      Then there was the day I brought in my collection of giraffes for my students to look at as we studied our unit on giraffes and enjoyed my favorite picture book, "Giraffe's Can't Dance!"  I now keep my collection at school all the time and I'm enjoying adding to it as the years go by.  Did you know a giraffe's tongue is 18 inches long?  Did you know when a giraffe has a baby it is standing up, so the baby drops 7 feet onto the ground?  Giraffes take drinks from the river in groups so that one giraffe can watch out for lions while the other giraffes spread their legs and bend down in a very vulnerable position to take their drinks.  They work together well.  A giraffe's only way to protect himself is by flight - running FAST!
     Then there was "Tacky Day" where all the teachers dressed up in the tackiest

clothes we could come up with!  My friend Caroline and I posed for a picture on that day.  Tacky Day is in honor of the Tacky books by Helen Lester.  Tacky is a hilarious penguin who is definitely the odd man out.  He does his own thing and annoys his comrades.  But, it makes for some humorous stories!
    The next picture you see is one of me dressed in black, with a gray wig and some crazy eyebrows!  That picture represents quite the story....  One day I was supposed to attend a spelling convention in Minneapolis, but it was cancelled due to the weather.  I had already prepped my kids about how they should behave with the substitute teacher.  I had everything all laid out and ready for the sub.  I was disappointed to have to teach because I had worked so hard to give the sub. a good day.  So, I decided to make the best of it and play a little trick on my kiddos. 

We had recently read the book "Miss Nelson is Missing" and in that story, Miss Viola Swamp comes to be the substitute teacher in Miss Nelson's class.  She is a very difficult sub. and she makes the students work extremely hard and she is extremely strict.  After about a week of time with Ms. Swamp, Miss Nelson comes back and the students are crazy happy to have her back.  They promise to always be on their best behavior and to work hard.  Well, I came to school that morning all dressed as Viola.  I made a huge list on the board of impossible tasks for the students to do.  The hardest part was not smiling!  Thankfully I only had to keep up the act for about 30 minutes because then I could take the kids to Music and change into my own regular clothes.  Part of what was so fun about that day, was that many of the students were not quite sure if it was me under that costume!

   My most recent endeavor with playing "dress up" as a teacher was just yesterday afternoon when I got to dress up as the Poetry Princess (complete with tiara and cape) and tell favorite poems to the video camera to be used on our Friday news time at school.  I am hoping those segments will help students love poetry more and more.  Sorry I don't have a picture of Poetry Princess!  I do have one final photo of me holding a bouquet of dandelions from one of my classes.  That smile is authentic and not just "dress - up" because I love teaching and I love the kiddos that God gives me each year to have in my class!