My Beautiful Days

Per Michelle's request, here you have it! In the month of August I have: -Gone to camp with WyldLife (the youth group I work with) -Become insanely ill and can't seem to shake it (going on two weeks now) -Met some of Monte's extended family -Finally got to see my family -Had Jeremy and Missy (my brother and his wife) and their kids out to the house for dinner -Tory was there too -I realized how much I miss my family -I've kicked butt on the insurance project I'm working on at work -I've realized that I'm entering step-motherhood to a pre-teen girl, and have started preparing myself for this :0 -Missed writing and blogging and reading and relaxing, but know that, for now, there are too few hours in the day -Missed you! :)

Saturday morning, Monte and I packed up the kids, (as well as their bags, blankets, pillows and stuffed animals!), fishing poles and tackle boxes, snacks and what seemed like everything short of the kitchen sink .. and headed to Perham! We spent the weekend with my mom and step-Bob, and what a weekend it was! Iain and Ellis went fishing with Monte and Bob: And later, Ellis and I enjoyed swinging on the rope swing above the lake. We later noticed that his fly was open - thus the zipping and my laughter! On top of that, Claire and Colin helped my mom make cookies and then the four of us went to town for shopping and ice cream! Beyond that, we enjoyed awesome meals, going to church in the morning, LOTS of time on the lake and great company. All in all, it was a great overnight in Perham!

So here's my question: why is that, when you call someone, they will answer the phone even when they have only a minute (or even a few seconds) to talk? Isn't that what voicemail is for? The reason I ask that is because three very important people in my life have done this to me already this morning, and by the third, I was feeling a bit frustrated! There are people who can do this and I completely understand and have no problem with it - like my brother, Tory. He and I rarely are on the phone with each other, so if one of us is calling, it's usually because it's important. He can pick up the phone and say "hey, I only have a few minutes" and I'll get right to the point and it's all good. It's when I'm calling people that I talk to regularly (and by regularly, I mean at least three or four times per week!) that I get frustrated that they insist on picking up the phone when they don't have time to talk. Now, put the shoe on the other...

I used to always believe that I was going to absolutely LOVE living in my own home, love the peace and quiet, love my own space. Don't get me wrong, I truthfully do love my home and wouldn't want to give it up for almost anything ... but the one thing that I've noticed resounds throughout the house is silence...... I miss the LOUD !!

I love that today is Friday! I'm working only a half day today, then I'm meeting my mom and my sister at my townhouse and we're going to go crazy - shopping and decorating and deciding on paint colors. Eventually, it will be a warm, cozy place to be. Now it's just a cozy place to be with WHITE WALLS EVERYWHERE! So they're helping me to remedy that problem. Don't get me wrong, I can likely do it myself, but why would I choose to do that when I have two immediate relatives who have degrees in interior redesign?!?! :) So that is my tonight. Tomorrow is the best, though .. I get to take my niece and nephew, Lexie and Zachary, for the day and I am sooooo excited! It has been really weird coming home to an empty house, as opposed to when I used to live with them and came home to them eating dinner. The second I would walk through the door they would both yell, "Auntie Kami!!" and come give hugs and kisses, as if I hadn't just seen them that morni...

I've been thinking a lot lately about some cherished memories I have in my life, and realizing the significance of each of those events in shaping me for the future. One such memory is my youth group's many missions trips to downtown Chicago. On one particular trip, we spent our free day at Six Flags. I remember sitting at the top of the Giant Drop (much like the Power Tower at Valleyfair), just waiting to plummet to the Earth, and singing out (along with my friends, Michelle and Marie), "Be bold! Be strong! For the Lord thy God is with you. I am not afraid, NO NO NO! I am not dismayed, uh uh. I'm walkin' in faith and victory, come on and walk in faith and victory, for the Lord thy God is with you!" And with that, the ride would fall to the ground and we would scream every second of the fall! It's moments like that that make me realize just how much my family shaped and impacted my faith, how much of a huge role my youth group played in solidifyin...

Well, I can finally say that most of my transitions are over! What an amazing feeling that is! Now it's just a matter of bringing more order and organization to my life, but that will come in time. Where to begin? How about I back up to last month. One of the best blessings I had last month was to get to see my best friend, Michelle! Monte and I drove to Forest City, Iowa and met up with her and Ethan (her husband) for a day of food and mini golf (a typical combination for Michelle and me!), and it was so wonderful! She's in her last month of pregnancy, so it was fun to see her with that big belly (because pictures truthfully do not do justice!). Unfortunately, our time together felt all too short, but was still completely worth every moment of the drive there! Shortly after our mini-trip to Iowa, I got to go to Colorado for five days of relaxation! We spent most of the trip in Breckenridge, and about two days in Vail. We hiked, shopped, (the girls) had a spa day, wen...

That can't be a good thing! :) Wow, where has the time gone since my last blog on May 13th?! Lots of transitions are still going on in my life, but I'm beginning to see the light at the end of this tunnel of insanity, and it's a very glorious light! The main thing on my plate right now is the move to Plymouth. I can't wait - but unfortunately I have to. The move-in date got pushed back yet again, so it's looking like the end of the month before we get in there. I think the difficulty with waiting is knowing that I'm ready to be there - and I just can't. I've got all the furniture for the dining room, living room and my bedroom (with the exception of purchasing a boxspring and mattress for my bed!) - and it's all sitting in my storage garage just waiting for a home. A home that I'm not allowed to move in to until ... who knows when?! :) I've come to the point where I have decided I can't be upset about it anymore - it's complet...

Life is insane, where do I even begin?! Reno was great! It ended up being long enough that it felt like a decent vacation, yet short enough that my homesick feeling didn't last long! I'm such a home body, it's ridiculous. We flew in on Thursday, May 1st and back out again on Sunday, May 4th. We spent some time touring Reno, ate at a Basque Restaurant, chilled at Norris and Angela's house, visited Lake Tahoe and drove up through the mountains on the Nevada/California border .... I cooked and baked for them .. life was good! To view the pictures go to: http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g313/kamiandie/Reno/ --- if it asks for a password, I think it's: anderson. Since then (only a mere week later!) I have made some MAJOR transitions in life. I consolidated my debt, bought a new car (this one wasn't in the plans, but made a lot of sense in the end), and have made the decision to move - and it's all happening VERY quickly! I will be moving to Plymouth (...

I've been harassed that I'm not updating enough, so here's my update for you all (by the way, for those of you who are complaining, buy me a computer and I'll update more!! ... just playin' just playin'). This past weekend was an absolutely insane adventure, as I was in Perham (my hometown) for my friend, Lindsey's, wedding. Normally being involved in a wedding is something I enjoy to no end, but this one brought about a few surprises including about 10 inches of snow! God must have an absolutely amazing sense of humor to allow that much snow in the end of April - I can't wait to meet Him and get His reasoning for that one! :) So Saturday morning I woke up to find a three-foot snowdrift surrounding my car, and that was just the start of the day! Other events included a bridesmaid stranded in the ditch, roads that were nearly impossible to drive on, the photographer and entire wedding party arriving late for pictures, a ceremony starting almost a hal...