Yatagiri

Yatagiri from India

Jennifer "adopting" Yatagiri at a concert

It was 2005 and I was at a Ken Davis concert with my friend Angie.  Ken had just given us a hilarious comedy concert and we were about to have an intermission.  But, first he played for us a video by Compassion International about the opportunity we had to sponsor little kids from different countries.  There was a booth upstairs where we could look at cards which they had laid on the table and "pick" who we wanted to sponsor.  I knew I wanted one from India.  I knew I wanted a girl.  When this sweet girl's picture looked up at me from the table with her dark eyes and her bright red and blue dress, I knew she was the one!  Then I read the description on the back and found out that among her favorite activities was "playing with dolls."  That was it - we're kindred spirits!  So, I got the package that explained how to sponsor her, paid a "down payment" and sat back down in my seat.  I was glowing, I was so excited!  I had been toying with the idea of sponsoring someone from India earlier in my life, but that night it just felt right.  You can see from the picture of Angie and I, that I look happy.  Also, notice, I am holding the sponsorship information and the picture is the same as on my blog.



I went home and promptly put the picture of Yatagiri on my refridgerator.  I have had a picture of her on my refridgerators ever since.  Compassion sends updated photos once in a while.  I was so excited to receive the second photo because she was smiling!  When I got the first photo, the night of the concert, I remember hoping that my sponsorship might help make her smile someday.

Yatagiri with a bit of a smile

My most recent picture of her

I write letters to Yatagiri often.  Compassion gives us paper to use.  We are to write our letters on one side and there is room for a translator to write on the other side so Yatagiri can read it.  How neat!  I love getting letters from Yatagiri too.  She writes in her fancy Hindi writing with lines and squiggles, and then I look to see what the translator wrote.  It's fun!  I pray for Yatagiri regularly.  I feel like I have a connection with this now 11 year old girl.  I appreciate that Compassion helped make that happen.  I went through about six months in 2007 when I considered adopting a little girl from India through an international adoption agency.  I was going to name her Sarala.  I thought that name was beautiful!  I had heard it in a song about a little girl from India.  But, one summer weekend while visiting a friend at a Bible camp, I went for a walk along the shores of Lake Sakakwea and I prayed and sang and listened and I KNEW without a doubt that I was NOT supposed to adopt.  God gave me this incredible peace that the answer was NO.  He also gave me this incredible feeling that He had something else in mind for my life.  Something amazing.  One month later I met my future-husband, Todd!  God is so good! 

The little C

Sheryl and Jennifer

One of my best friends in the whole wide world has breast cancer.  We spent the weekend together to talk and process.  Her MRI and other tests are coming up and then she'll know the full extent of her treatment.  I gave her a mug that made her cry but I want to write what was basically written on this mug: "Christ is always with you:
You are strong, a survivor, a woman of faith, a fighter, able to meet any challenge - even the big C because you have an even bigger C on your side!"  Sheryl and I decided that really cancer is just a little C when you know Christ as your big C.  She wore her "hope" necklace all weekend and we got matching bracelets and we enjoyed lots of laughs.  Somehow I just know that she is going to be okay.  I believe that God is going to give her a peace that passes all understanding.  I've seen Him give that gift to others.  My friend Becky was diagnosed with breast cancer and she beat it!  The odds were against her in many ways - but God had other plans.  I prayed for Becky so much!  I felt like I was along on her journey as I checked her Caring Bridge site and prayed some more.  She told me about that peace from God that she felt. 

Becky and Jennifer

      My friend Cindy experienced that peace too.  She had breast cancer and had to do Chemotherapy and she beat it!  She is a strong, beautiful woman who teaches Kindergarten and she experienced God's peace.  I think Sheryl will experience that peace and someday she'll be able to share her cancer survivor stories with others who need her encouragement.  I will pray and pray and pray for Sheryl, just as I prayed for Becky and Cindy, and just as I am praying for my friend Lisa and my young friend Cassidy.  Lisa has breast cancer and yet, she is one of the most positive, caring people I know.  I had the priviledge of teaching next door to Lisa for two years.  What an excellent teacher!  What a great Mom to her three kids.  What a neat, Christian woman who is very real and sincere!  She inspires me daily!

Cassidy is going to win this fight!

    Cassidy is a sweet girl who was in my Sunday School class when I was teaching.  She has a great sense of humor.  She also has Leukemia.  And, she's going to be okay.  Cassidy's mom is a good friend of mine.  It has not been an easy road for Cassidy and her family, but she is a fighter, a survivor and she is going to be okay too!  She is going to beat this! 
   I love these survivor stories and the hope and optimism people can now feel despite the word Cancer!  My aunt died when she was three years old from Leukemia.  But, that was back in 1950.  I am so grateful to live in an era where some cancers can be cured.  I first felt the effects of losing someone to cancer when I lived in Mountain Lake and my good friend Lana's mom died.  I remember just feeling full of anger that there could be such a disease that could take away loved ones in the painful way that Cancer does.  Two women from our church (Linda and Laureen) died from cancer.  They were some of the most positive, spiritual women I knew!   My husband Todd's mom, Lynne died from Breast Cancer about 14 years ago.  What a loss!  I never knew her.  That makes me sad.  My friend Jennifer Kessler, who taught third grade right next door to me, died of cancer.  I miss her.  We've all been affected by people with cancer.  We all want this disease to STOP!  My friend Kimberly has done fund raising and walks/runs for Cancer.  She lost her mom and aunt to Cancer and she is a fighter on behalf of others.  Kimberly inspires me.  I read on a Caribou mug recently the answer someone wrote to the question:  "What do I stay awake for?"  The person had written:  "To find a way to stop breast cancer worldwide!"  I have hope for that day.  I have hope that by the time my niece Anna has her own children someday cancer will be wiped out just as Polio and Tuberculosis are now!  In the meantime I'll keep praying for Sheryl and Lisa and Cassidy and others that come into my life that need prayer.  Let's all pray for a cure!

Lynne and Doug Sapp

          

Ukraine Mission Trip 2005

Christine, Angie, Jennifer, Sarah

My church recently heard the reports from some summer mission trips to the Northwest Angle of Minnesota and to Haiti!  Both had some wonderful experiences.  Every time I hear about missions trips, I think about the mission trip I went on to Ukraine in July of 2005.  My team included sisters Christine and Sarah and my housemate and friend Angie and myself.  We would be representing our church family (Becker Baptist Church) to our "Sister Church" family in Vatutino, Ukraine.  We would be helping run a Vacation Bible School, leading a women's event, and sharing music at church.

Sweet Ukrainian Kindergarteners!

I "taught" the kindergarten group of kids along with two teenagers: Julia and Oksana.  They were very mature, excellent teachers, so I was more of a helper than a teacher that week.  They both spoke English very well, and so I could communicate with them and build a nice friendship.  Another one of my jobs that week of Bible School was to help with the singing.  We usually did one or two songs in English and the rest in Ukrainian.  What a thrill it was to hear the kids singing praises in Ukrainian!

Julia, my translator and me

One thing I really enjoyed about my trip to Ukraine, was getting to have a translator.  Julia opened our eyes and our hearts to the people of Vatutino in an amazing way.  She was able to express complete ideas and thoughts and feelings.  She became a very good friend too.  She stayed with us at our host family's house and helped with all of those conversations too.  Usually she would have us tell her a whole idea or a whole story and then she would translate it into Ukrainian.  It was fun to see our host's reactions to stories as she told them.....especially funny stories!!! 

Our kindergarten class!

It was very hot during our week of Bible School, but we still chose to be outside for games or to find some shade for classroom time.  We did craft projects each day.  The kids were so excited that they had a hard time listening to directions.  We felt like we were yelling over them to be heard.  They had snack each day - they LOVE peanut butter!

Besides working with the kids, we also had a chance to spend time with some of the youth of the church.  They were some great young people.  Angie, Christine, and Sarah had all been  
to Ukraine the year before, so many people remembered them.  They remembered that Angie loves hedgehogs!  I was feeling disappointed to not get to see my own hedgehog, so on the last night we were there, some of the youth and the pastor brought a hedgehog (one they found along the road) and brought it in for me to see and touch!  Crazy Cool!

Hedgehog!

Visiting church members in their homes

Vatutino Baptist Church

Craft time with the Cuties!

We learned a little Ukrainian along the way.  Before we left America, Angie made a tape of common expressions that I could use during our time there.  So, I could greet someone by saying, "Dob-riy den!" or I knew how to Praise God by saying "Slava Bohu!"  I could thank the family for the tasty dinner by saying, "Dya-koo-you za smach-niy o-beed!" or tell the children God loves you by saying, "Boh lyoo-bit vas!"  I loved that one!  I remember walking along with two of my kindergarteners and saying God Loves You in Ukrainian and they looked up at me and smiled!  Sweet!

Sitting by a cute Ukrainian lady!

 As I mentioned earlier, we did music at church in Vatutino.  I played piano and Christine played flute.  Sarah and I did piano duets.  We sang songs all together.  I accompanied congregational hymns on the piano.  They usually don't have a piano accompaniest, so they LOVED it!  I was glad I could play piano because when they sing accapella - they go sooooo slowly and that church was HOT!  It was so hot while we were in Ukraine that the roads buckled!  Thankfully we had some fans at the church and fans at "home."  But, Ukrainians are funny about fans or open windows- they are afraid of drafts - they think they are not safe.  But, we were NOT afraid of any drafts when we were there.  Boy, was it HOT!
    After our time in Ukraine, the four of us spent a day in Kiev and then an evening in Frankfurt, Germany.  Then Christine and Sarah flew home, but Angie and I spent a week in Germany with my friend Anette (from Up With People).  We had a wonderful week and even got to spend a day in Poland!  To read more about our week in Germany, click here: http://journalingjennifer.blogspot.com/2011/04/glimpses-of-god-in-germany.html 
   Overall, I had a wonderful experience on my mission trip and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to see the country of Ukraine and love some of the people there.  I saw God at work all around me.  I felt hope for the people there that God was touching their lives.  The same God who loves me loves the children and adults in Ukraine.... and Germany....and Poland! 

We loved hearing their stories!

Pollyanna

If you could listen to someone who is an EXPERT on a certain subject (from the past or the present) who would you want to listen to or what would you want to hear about?

That is the question I recently asked my facebook friends.  I got some great answers (to hear Jane Austin talk about her book Emma, to hear the author of Peace Child talk about his life as a missionary, to hear an expert talk about living with adult children, to listen to a ship-builder from the 1600s talk about how they built huge ships back then, to hear Abraham Lincoln give a speech).  All excellent answers, of course!  I have changed my answer three times.  First I thought I wanted to hear someone who is truly an expert on healthy living - food and exercise and balance!  Then I thought I wanted to hear someone who could positively, absolutely tell me how to help a struggling reader become a proficient, fluent, excited reader.  But, after a few more days of thinking, I have decided I would want to hear my infamous great, great aunt Mary give her speech on Pollyanna!  Let me tell you more:

Aunt Mary's Pollyanna speech notes...

Aunt Mary was my Grandpa Alber's aunt.  She was my mom's great aunt, so she would be my great, great aunt!  My grandpa was born in 1914, his mom was born in 1886, so I am guessing Aunt Mary would have born around 1886 too.  The Pollyanna books were written by Eleanor H. Porter and published in 1913, when Mary would have been an adult.  She traveled around the country and gave speeches to women's groups about the Pollyanna books.  I have the original Pollyanna book that Mary used.  It has my mom's name in it too because it was given to my mom.  At the beginning of the book are three pages of notes that Mary used in her talks.  I've read Pollyanna a couple times and have always loved the book.  From Mary's notes, it appears that she gave a very detailed synopsis of the book.  She goes over the characters and the storyline in great detail.  She tells of some of the undercurrent relationship building going on.  She explains "The Glad Game" and how Pollyanna uses it in her own life and how she encourages others to play.  I can imagine my great, great Aunt Mary as an excellent story teller, expressively exclaiming over certain parts of the story - with an enraptured audience wanting to hear every word.  I see dressed up ladies with gloves and hats listening and looking forward to tea and cookies afterwards.  Although the notes do not go into much detail about the deeper inspirational lessons from Pollyanna, I can't help but believe that Aunt Mary got into that too.  Pollyanna was a child of God, using her optimism and her love for people to help her minister to everyone around her.  She was a confident, bold young person who cared deeply for the people God brought into her life.  She found things to be glad about even when it would seem impossible for most of us.  She knew that the Bible tells us over and over and over to "Be glad in the Lord" and "Rejoice in the Lord."  Pollyanna had that figured out.  I think Aunt Mary had that figured out too.  I feel proud to be related to my great, great, Aunt Mary.  Grandma gave me aunt Mary's wedding dress too!

Great, Great Aunt Mary's Wedding Dress

   I love being an aunt, myself.  I have three nephews and one niece.  These adorable young people are so precious to me.  I want to be a special aunt to all of them.  As a girl, I always loved to hear stories about my grandparents' aunts.  Of course, Grandpa's Aunt Mary was one I enjoyed hearing stories about.  Grandpa adored his aunt.  His mom was quite ill for a few years when Grandpa was growing up and his aunt Mary came to take care of him and his brother.  When I was at my grandma and grandpa's house playing with my nephews, Grandpa would tell me I remind him of his Aunt Mary and the way she used to interact with him and his brothers.  I like that.  And, Grandma had an aunt named Aunt Ruth.  I'll copy an excerpt from Grandma's biography written in 1999 to explain the specialness of Aunt Ruth:  "When there was company, Lois Ann often had to share her bed with them while Dona slept on the cot.  Her Aunt Ruth (her mama's sister) would come every summer for a long stay.  This aunt used wooden crutches to walk and had a painful tumor on her back.  Lois Ann was careful enough that she was able to sleep on the same bed as her aunt without bumping her.  Lois Ann loved spending time with Aunt Ruth.  She felt her aunt was an amazing woman and was impressed by all the things she could do even on her crutches.  Medicine has come such a long way that Lois Ann feels her Aunt Ruth could have been helped today.  Aunt Ruth gave the children toys at Christmas and enjoyed crocheting things for the family.  Lois Ann remembers fondly, 'We all loved her....she was so happy!  She bought us our first can of pop!  We went to an air show and she was going to buy us all pop.  We had to share it because she didn't have enough money to buy everybody a whole can of pop.  But, we bought orange pop.  None of us really liked it.  We wanted it so bad and we didn't really like it then when we got it.  It was different.  We preferred lemonade or milk.'"

violin memories

My Senior Picture

      I began playing violin the summer after fourth grade.  I always knew I would play violin.  When Mom and Dad had their third child (me), they chose to have me play violin.  My older sister Patty played violin too and my other older sister Kimberly played cello.  Patty was six years older than me, so by the time I started violin, I had already heard her practicing each day with my mom.  Mom was very dedicated to helping us practice each day.  Once David was born (three years after me) and started taking viola lessons, there was a lot of practicing going on!  We had to practice piano for 30 minutes a day and violin for 30 minutes a day.  I took voice lessons for a couple years too and practiced that 30 minutes a day and David took trombone and he practiced for MORE than 30 minutes a day on that.  It was a very musical home!
      Learning the violin was hard.  You have to keep your bow straight and hold your chin and your wrist a certain way.  You have to place your fingers in exactly the right spot on the fingerboard to get the notes in tune.  You have to learn notes and rhythms and techniques.  I am so grateful my mom was also a violinist because she could help me.  I had my own private tutor!  Oh, the hours she spent helping me!  I would say that around ninth grade is when I really took off and got excited about playing the violin on my own.  I got to the point where I would want to play things just for fun.  I loved playing violin to Mom's piano accompaniments.  My violin used to be my Mom's and that makes it more special to me too.  I loved to listen to great violinists like Itzak Perlman.
     I loved feeling "special" because I could play the violin.  I remember wanting to be very careful that no one would ever think I was "stuck up" because I was "first chair" in orchestra.  I always tried to be humble.  And, I knew in the big scheme of things, I was not that fabulous.  How did I know?  All-State Orchestra!  I was selected to be in the All-State Orchestra three different years.  What a wonderful experience!  But, also a humbling one!  From the best at Alexandria High School to last chair in Minnesota All-State Orchestra!  But, I sure loved the experience.  We did Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition that first year and the director was fabulous - so expressive!  I loved hearing all the winds and brass and percussion.  It was all extremely exciting!  I felt like a real violinist in that orchestra.  My high school orchestra did arrangements of pieces, All-State Orchestra did the REAL thing.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

     Little did I know that All-State Orchestra was going to be a lot like Concordia College Orchestra.  When it was time for me to decide which college to attend, one of the major criteria was that I wanted a good, quality orchestra to be part of.  And, that's what I got!  The director was Mr. Houglum and he was excellent.  The other members of the orchestra were so fun to spend time with.  We had just strings three days a week and full orchestra two days a week.  After orchestra we would go to dinner at dining services.  I had a group of orchestra friends that I ate with every night my first two years of college.  It was so fun!  Junior and Senior year I ate my own food in my apartment after orchestra.
     Besides enjoying rich musical experiences, orchestras have provided me with good friends!  In high school my stand partner was Natasha.  We became great friends.  We would get together on weekends and play violin duets together.  We performed Bach's second movement of the Bach Double for contest.  Tasha continues to be a wonderful friend all these years later!
      Then my freshman year of college I was given Rebecca for a stand partner.  We had so much fun together.  We would giggle and write helpful notes in our music.  Our director had funny ways of 

  explaining things sometimes and we would take notes like "Swooosh,"  "Be a dead chicken,"  "Like fairies dancing!".  Rebecca was a great friend that year and we were going to be roomates our sophemore year, but she ended up moving to Texas!  Later I enjoyed visiting her there.  We're still good friends.  Of course, God provided other friends in the  

Stand partner Natasha and I

 orchestra to enjoy.  I fondly remember orchestra tours with Stephanie, Joy, and Melissa!  I remember Christmas concert rehearsals until late in the evenings and needing to study afterwards.  I remember sectionals (just violins or just cellos practicing in a room by themselves) and all the laughter.  I remember the feeling of finally getting that tricky part and being able to play it together!  Exciting stuff!
       We really spent a lot of time together in the Concordia Orchestra.  We had rehearsal every day for at least an hour, some-
times two hours.  We were so "together" in our playing.  We

Freshman Year stand partner Rebecca and I

 could sort of "feel" where the director was going in his conducting.  It was a group bond like none other I have experienced.  Now that I am all grown up and out of college, I miss those orchestra days.  I have tried being in other orchestras, but it's simply not the same.  The unity isn't there.  Yes, we've played some great music and we've had some fun together, but it's not the same committment and focus.  I think I cherish my Orchestra experience at Concordia more now than I did at the time.  I still love playing the violin.  After college, I taught violin lessons for three years to students in Mt. Lake.  I would play violin for church too.  Mom and I played violin/piano duets for TONS of weddings for a few years.  I played "fiddle" in a bluegrass gospel band.  I played violin on worship team.  Most of my playing now is just on my own at home or when I visit my parents in Alexandria.  I have lost quite a bit of my skill, but I know if I practiced regularly I could regain it.  It makes me sad sometimes that I'm not playing as much as I used to.  Violin was such a huge part of my life.  I still consider violin an important part of who I am.  I will forever be grateful that Mom and Dad encouraged me to practice, paid for my lessons, sent me to summer strings camps, and helped me through college so that I would grow in my love for music! 

Concordia Violinists:  Melissa, Joy, Stephanie, and me

Up Up With People!

Ready for the show - in my costume!

Up up with people, you meet 'em wherever you go!  Up up with people, they're the best kinda folks ya know!  If more people were FOR people all people everywhere, there'd be a lot less people to worry about and a lot more people who care!

       It has been sixteen years since I traveled with the Up With People organization.  I was eighteen years old at the time and full of optimism and the belief that I could help change the world for the better!  I had just graduated from high school and felt so loved and supported as I headed out.  Mom and Dad gave me a hard-sided suitcase for graduation to use during my year of travel.  I performed a concert in my hometown to raise money for my trip and it was well-attended and so fun for me.  My Mom and Dad drove me to Colorado where I started my five weeks of training in July of 1995.  

        You may be wondering at this point:  What IS Up With People?  Basically it is an international education and service organization in which we travel to different countries and perform shows about peace and understanding among nations and do community service and learning projects in the communities we perform in.  We stay with host families and travel on buses.  I had 150 people in my cast from 26 different countries.  We were 60% non-Americans.  

       We visited 7 different countries:  All across the United States, into Ontario, Canada, down to South America to Venezuela, over to Europe to Germany, Sweden, Denmark, two days in Paris, France, and lastly to Portugal on the coast.  My best friends were Anette from Germany, Claudia from the Netherlands, Aki from Japan, Johanna from Sweden, Ueli from Switzerland, Katie from Maine/Connecticut/Texas, Roma from Russia, Lili from Mexico, Mona from Germany, and Wendy from Alaska.  So, most of my friends spoke English as a second language.  I enjoyed learning about their homes and families and cultures while sharing about my life and family in Minnesota!

Service learning project

Here is a picture of me at a daycare center for developmentally delayed children.  Aki from Japan, Anette from Germany, and Adriel from Singapore were in my group.  This was one of my favorite service project days because Shirlee (the woman in red) was so inspiring.  She loves her students and she told me, "I'm happy when they're happy!"  So, her job is basically to try to keep them as happy as possible.  There were some neat activities for the students to do there.  

Ice skating with paper plates!!!

Here is a service project I did in LOTS of cities around the world!  I loved going into classrooms to give presentations or simply help out.  Here I am with Aske from Denmark and Devon from Bermuda.  I have just done my little talk about living in Minnesota and now we are pretending to ice skate on a frozen Minnesota lake.  The kids LOVED it!  My time in Up With People helped confirm my desire to be a teacher!

Claudia in front of the Statue of Liberty

Besides doing our show and our community service projects, we got to see some great sights!  This photo is of Claudia from the Netherlands in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York City.  We had a fun day together.  Aki from Japan was with us and when she saw lady liberty she kept exclaiming, "My dream, my dream!"  It was cool!  Some other great sights we saw that year included The Air Force Academy in Colorado, The House on the Rock in Wisconsin, The Women's History Museum in Seneca Falls, New York, Niagara Falls, Phantom of the Opera performed in Toronto, Canada, Norman Rockwell's home in Vermont, Boston, The Salem Witch Museum, The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Salvador Dali Museum, in St. Petersburg, Florida, Alligator Alley in Florida, The Florida Aquarium in Tampa, The Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Disney World in Florida, Martin Luther King Junior's birthplace in Atlanta, Georgia, Coca-Cola Musuem in Atlanta Georgia, a beautiful beach in Venezuela, Easter in Germany, Stockholm, Sweden, Coppenhagen, Denmark, Legoland in Odense, Denmark, Luneborg and Koln, Germany, Munzenberg Castle in Germany, Paris and Versailles, France, Port Wine Factory in Portugal, and many beautiful sunsets on the Portugal coast!  I was very happy to get to see so many sights.  I was placed on the "Activity Crew" in many cities.  I loved that!  But, that meant I did not have any major parts in the show we performed.  The show was called "The Festival" and I was like a townsperson.  Sometimes I sang on the microphone group and once I played piano for the show and sometimes I got to be out in front in a funny "Flintstones" outfit and mouth the words to the Flintstones theme song.  But, overall I was not that important to the show.  150 people is too many to fit on most stages, so about 25 of us were put on Activity Crews.  It was really hard for me at first to not get a bigger role in the show, but as time went on I learned that in many ways I was very, very lucky to get to do activities and see sights that some of the people in the major roles never got to do or see.

     The host families we stayed with were wonderful.  In college I got to stay with host families on orchestra tours, and I used to always tell people, "I've stayed with over 100 host families in my life and I've never had a bad experience!"  I was exaggerating slightly.... there was that host family that had a house blue with smoke and gave us McDonald's hamburgers and fries for breakfast...... and that host family that got upset with me for starting to nod off when they were trying to show us the sights of their town (for hours!)...... I was soooooo tired!  But, overall the host families were kind and generous and fun!  I kept in touch with some of them for a long time. 

Returning home to Minnesota!

     Speaking of keeping in touch with people.  I thought I would keep in touch with many of my cast-mates (and Facebook has helped with that) but other than one wonderful friend, Anette, I have not kept in touch with people the way I would have liked.  But, I do believe that with many of them, if I saw them again, it would be just like old times and in minutes we would be chatting and smiling and caring all over again.

      I continue to think about my Up With People experiences and continue to be grateful for all the amazing experiences I had and great sights I got to see!  I loved that there was something new every single day.  I never took that excitement for granted.  I felt adventurous and independent.  I grew up a lot that year.  There were times I was dreadfully homesick and times when I was not treated fairly.  I can be a natural leader - but usually just when a leader is needed.  Up With People was 150 leaders put together and that was sometimes hard.  I was commanded to do things sometimes and not given a fair chance to express myself.  I usually did as I was told, but I saw many rebels around me.  It was probably good that I went right after high school when I was used to doing as I was told and didn't question authority.  I have very little respect now for some of the staff members from Up With People, but at the time I was a good girl and did as I was told.  If I could change one thing about my year, I think I would stand up for myself and speak out more and be bolder!  I continue to have dreams that I am in Up With People again with the same cast and we are all working together to make things run more smoothly and trying to be more fair and more positive.  I always wake up feeling hopeful and a little sad.  These are the ins and outs of a program that changed me and 149 others.  I remember once when Speta said, "Up With People may not be the best year of your life, but it makes your life the best!"  I have always liked that saying because it takes the pressure off - it makes it okay that there were times in Up With People that were frustrating and lonely and not fun, but I am able to look back and reap the benefits and the good from that year.  That year helped me become a better teacher.  It helped me learn how to better communicate with others.  It gave me a world view that is priceless.  It gave me compassion for others and a yearning to know peoples' stories.  It gave me hope for the world and future generations.  It was a year of adventure that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm glad I took it.  And, I'm so grateful for my parents' support as they gave that wonderful year to me. 

My Biggest Fans

Winnifred and Norman Iverson & Lois Ann and Harold Alber

               Who are your biggest fans? 
When I was asked that question a number of years ago, my Mom and Dad came to mind immediately, and following right behind them were my grandparents.  I wish everyone could grow up surrounded by such positive influences!  I wish every child felt that their grandparents were their cheerleaders!
Let me tell you a little about my grandparents.  Both sets lived a day's drive away (Iversons in Dickinson, ND and Albers in Davenport, IA), so we usually only saw them every other Christmas and for at least a week each summer.  Any other visits were bonus!  Sometimes they would come visit us in Alexandria and that was always a treat too!  They would come to attend our concerts or plays or graduations or other such events.  We always felt special knowing we had people in the audience watching us!  All four grandparents attended my high school graduation in 1995 and my

 college graduation in 2000.  Grandma Alber was the only one living
in 2008 when I got married.  It meant so much to me to have her attend my wedding in Becker.
     Norman Iverson was born in 1910 in Lignite, North Dakota.  He went to college in Jamestown.  He was a teacher, a principal, a superintendent, and later he ran a music store in Dickinson, North  

Dakota. 
    Winnifred Bale Iverson was born in Lisbon, North Dakota in 1914.  She went to college in Valley City.  She was an elementary teacher.  One summer she went to Missoula, Montana to take some teaching courses and that's where she met my Grandpa!  The first time they met was when they were playing volleyball on opposing teams.  Winnifred fell into a gopher hole when Norman hit her with the volleyball.  She liked to tell people that she, "Fell for him!" 
    Harold Alber was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1914.  He attended

Cotner College and then the University of Nebraska majoring in economics and minoring in accounting.  He ran a music store for many years and did others sales jobs.
    Lois Ann Gustin Alber was born in 1917 in Grand Island, Nebraska.  Lois Ann attended buisiness college and was a stenographer.  She was very involved in the church Christian Endeavor group, which is where she met her husband!
   I love the story of how Granda Alber proposed.  I interviewed my

Having a picnic with Grandma Alber

grandparents in 1999 and had Grandpa tell me the story himself.  He remembers, "We must have been in business for two or three months before I popped the question for Lois Ann."  Harold liked to star gaze, so Lois Ann would sometimes accompany him (somewhat pretending to be fascinated at the stars).  It was on one of these occasions that Harold popped the question by asking...."You will marry me, won't you?"  The two were sitting in the car when he asked the question and as Lois Ann said, "I didn't know he was going to say it that day.  I was so excited!  We were in the car and I reached my arms up to put them around his neck     and I 'bout knocked his glasses off, I was so excited!"  After Harold and Lois Ann got married Harold was in the service.  I love the picture below of Grandpa's shining eyes!  Below you will also see a picture of me with Grandma Alber holding a plate of cookies.  Grandma always had cookies on hand.  I just loved her blue Dutch maid cookie jar.  And, I enjoyed getting to help her arrange the cookies on a platter for the meals.  Also below is a picture of both my grandmas helping out my family by mending our clothing.  Mom always had a pile of mending ready for the grandmas to help with!

Grandpa Alber during WWII

Grandma Alber and me

Sewing!

As you can see, my grandparents all valued education.  They all knew it was important to work hard in school.  I enjoyed hearing stories of their school days and their teaching days.  As I went through school, I always knew all my grandparents were interested in what I was learning about.

Grandpa Alber with great-grandchild Benjamin

All of my grandparents also valued music.  They all sang and both my grandpas ran music stores.  All were involved in music in many ways.  So, again, they encouraged us kids to practice.  We often gave little performances and our grandparents were the appreciative audience.  Our music room downstairs had a little stage area and my siblings and I had the best times being the "stars of the stage."  We even created programs to pass out sometimes.
  My grandparents enjoyed writing letters and receiving letters from their grandchildren.  It was a very special thing to get a letter in the mail from one of them.

Grandma Alber with Jennifer and great-grandchild, Anna

When we visited our grandparents we played lots of games with our wonderful cousins or we went for walks or to playgrounds.  We went to Dairy Queen or to a local museum.  Sometimes we traveled with our grandparents.  We worked on projects with them and helped them with things around the house.  I could write a whole entry about things we did with our grandparents.  But, the most important thing is that we knew we were loved.  We knew our grandparents took great delight in us.  We knew our grandparents believed in us and wanted us to succeed.  There was nothing like a hug from Grandpa or Grandma.  I miss the three grandparents that have gone up to Heaven already and I miss my Grandma Alber that is way down in Arkansas, but I am full of great memories from my years with them all.  I am full of wisdom, skills, and morals I have learned from them.  I am full of appreciation for the impact they each had on my life.  I look forward to the day I'll get to be with them all in Heaven with Jesus some day.