Girly Mood

Amy and I made special treats for Christmas last night. Here are a few pictures of our adventures and our spoils.

My new hoodie sweatshirt from Amy for Christmas.

Weight Loss Update

I have been wanting to update everyone for a week now but it has been crazy at work. I will only be posting updates to my weight loss progress once a month. The last time I wrote I said I would appreciate prayer for the following things:

1. I am able to drink more liquids-answered
2. I can get more protein in my limited diet
3. I will be able to eat more-answered
4. I will have the energy to exercise

I have however seemed to have developed a new problem. I was sick for a month and my gastroenterologist I believe has finally figured it out which is huge answer to prayer. I have inflammation of the colon and I am taking an antibiotic and it seems to be helping a great deal.

So the moment many people have been waiting for....I have lost a grand total of 57 pounds as of yesterday morning. Thank you to those of you who have been praying for me.

Out on the Town

I know these are old pictures but a little bird, my sister, told me she was surprised I didn't have any of these pictures on my blog. So I am doing it now. Katie turn 21 on October 31st. She wanted to get all dressed up and go out to dinner. So her two best friends, Lydia and I, took her out to dinner at The Capital Grille in downtown Minneapolis.

A New Baby

Dennis and Mistin have once again been blessed with a new baby. So that makes two right now. They have a 10 weeks old boy and a two week old girl. The girl, I will call her SierraMist, a nickname, was born premature and is very tiny but cute. Once again I am not allowed to name the babies except for nicknames.

This is Misty, isn't she super tiny!!

Me, SierraMist, and my Rootbeer last night

My First Pie

Here is my roommate Amy and I. That lovely pie I am holding is a Kentucky Derby Pie. This is my first pie ever and I made it all by mysel, except the crust of course!!!

Two New Additions

Dennis and Mistin did end up losing Quimby. But there is still a chance they might be able to adopt her later. We have had a new addition to the family. I can only share pictures because of confidentiality. He is a wonderful little man and Dennis is really loving having another guy around.

The last addition would be that I now have a new roommate. Her name is Amy Boyd. She graduated from West Coast Bible College in May. She is friends with some crazy girls I knew at Northland and who I went to Mexico with right before finishing school. We are getting along great so far and I can't imagine any problems.

Off to the Cabin

The weekend of October 15th and 16th our church took a trip up to Northern Minnesotta. It was a blast and a half. I got to drive a boat for the first time and I spent the whole day fishing. Here are some pictures of our adventures:

Colleen and my mom hit it off right away.

Kaylan and Andy have father daughter time.

Me driving the boat-less than a week after surgery

Kelsey and Lauren fishing...Kelsey caught the only fish.

He was just posing for a pic...not how he always wears his hat!!

They got a little too far out so we pulled them behind us.

Weight Loss Update

Well it has been 4 weeks and 4 days since I had my surgery. As of the last time I weighed myself I had lost 32 pounds. Praise the Lord!! My recovery has been a little shaky even though I have been back to work since only a week after my surgery. I had my first doctor's visit and they finally figured out what was causing the continual nausea. So that is fixed which I am very thankful for. I met with my dietician on Wednesday and was told I must eat more. I have never been told that in my 25 years!! Here are some things would appreciate prayer for:

1. I am able to drink more liquids
2. I can get more protein in my limited diet
3. I will be bale to eat more
4. I will have the energy to exercise

If I am able to do the first three, number four will work itself out. Thank you to all of those who have been praying. I will try and update once a month to keep you posted.

Anthony Earl Lamansky

Mr. and Mrs. Lamansky had their third little boy on September 14th. Anthony was 8 pounds. He was born 2 weeks early but all is well. Mom and baby are doing great. I will be visiting soon so I can update with pictures then.

Haukin Rex Berkheiser

Haukin Rex Berkheiser
Born at home 10/04/05 10:30 am
8 lb, 1 oz.

Surgery Successful

The surgery went really well and I am doing fine. Thank you to all who prayed for me.

Friends From Mexico

In May of 2002 I went on a missions trip to Mexico with Northland. I don't know if you know this but Northland has a Bible college in Mexcio. When you gradute from the University of the Americas you are also a Northland graduate. This is one place that we went on our trip. It was great to meet young adults in another country studying the same thing we were studying. I met some great people too. One of which I still keep in contact with. We email every few months and talk about what things have changed since we last say each other. The picture below is Karina.

Those of you who have a chance to go on a missions trip I highly encourage it. If you are in the Twin Cities area and are interested in going to India next summer let me know.

Weight Loss Surgery

Update: Surgery will be October 10th. My mom will be flying in to be with me during and after the surgery. My sister is also taking the time off from work as well.

I have come to a decision to have weight loss surgery. This probably seems like a very public place to announce this but I have many reasons. Some people who read this are far away and I only see every once in awhile, which might make it easier to not tell. But will lead to more questions down the road.

I have been struggling with the fact that many people see weight loss surgery as the easy way out. I also thought that for a long time that is why I have never looked into this before. I went to a seminar in August the day my parents came to visit. After this seminar I was convinced that weight loss surgery is not easy at all. In all actuality it is a very difficult process. This procedure is a tool to help me in my struggle against obesity.

So it is out, and I feel better. I do not have to be ashamed that I am taking control of my weight. I see this as a gift from God. He has given me a good job and wonderful insurance that is paying for most of the surgery. I am thankful that the Lord has allowed this to happen.

I would appreciate your prayers as I move closer to my surgery date. This will be hard and I will need help so I am counting on my friends and the Lord to help me through and stay the course. I welcome any questions or concerns you may have. I am open to talking on a one on one basis as well. But I have made my decision and it is a personal one so please do not try and talk me out of this. I really do appreciate your prayers.

Levi and Uri

Aren't they getting big? Uri is walking now, however Levi has reverted back to crawling around!!

Hard at Work

Lydia was hard at work yesterday. There is a perplexing situation going on with a patient.

Fire Drill

We had a fire drill in our corporate building. I am glad I just happen to have my camera. Here is what our supervisors must wear during all evacuations. Isn't she cute?

Quimby Update

Dennis and Mistin have had Quimby for almost 6 weeks now. She is growing a ton and is so much more alert now than she was the last time I took pictures of her. At last count she was 11 pounds. Please continue to pray for Dennis and Mistin. There is a big chance that Quimby will be going back to her mom in the near future. I know they already love her very much and it will be hard to part with her. I will keep you posted.

Quimby and I this morning. I am going to miss her too.

Red Sox Baseball

My sister feels I have jumped on the band wagon now that I have 3 Red Sox t-shirts and a new baseball cap. I asked her where she was all those years when I watched every single baseball game the Mets played. I say I am trying to like something my sister likes. Lydia is a huge fan every since the beginning of last season. She watched every single World Series game. In the first game she predicted that they would win the Series by sweeping the first four games. And that's what they did. I had a Red Sox Baseball Birthday for her.

I got her tickets to see the Red Sox play the Twins.

Even though they lost big time to the Minnesota Twins the night I went I had a blast. I also got to see the Kurt Schilling. He didn't pitch at all that series but it was awesome to see him. I know this isn't the best picture of all time.

I already have the seats picked out for next year and I can't wait to head to the stadium with my sister again.

'The Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have begun thinking less of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you get neither' - CS Lewis

Visit from the South...

Southern Minnesota that is.

Curt and Sarah came for a visit this weekend bringing their bundle of joy Megan. We had a wonderful time of fellowship with David, Natanya, and the boys on Saturday night. O' and I can't forget Karrin.

We also learned a funny thing on Sunday at church, Sarah use to date Paul Fuller's brother. Some people might think this a little embarrassing especially since Sarah is at church with her husband (not Paul's brother) and their new daughter. I think Paul managed to let the whole church know this little tidbit. All in all it was a great time and I am glad they finally made it home safely after a small tire problem.

Ladies Craft Night

Once a month some of the woman of the church get together for some fun and fellowship. There have been many times where it has just been Colleen and I. (pictured below)

But this month we had a lot of people come and join us. I had a great time of fellowship with all of the ladies and I can't wait until next month. A few of the people are pictured below.

My Photo of a Famous Photo

Can anyone name the artist or the title of this picture for me? It is one of the only things I took a picture of and forgot to take a picture of what it is. Any help would be great.

My question was answered. This photograph is called "Destitute pea pickers in California. Mother of seven children. Age thirty-two. Nipomo, California."

Labor Day Adventures

Here are some of my favorite pictures from my adventures when Karyn came to visit me for the first time ever. I have been here for over two years but now praise the Lord Karyn has a good car and could come and visit. Hopefully, next time all those other people will be able to come too. Maybe they will talk to their parents ahead of time, especially since we have had these plans since Fourth of July. We did a whole lot of fun things that weekend and I can't wait until I am able to head back to Rockford for a visit. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Above Photo taken by Karyn Heath

I probably took 15 pictures before I got this one.

The entrance to the Kingdom.

The Human Chess Board at the Renaissance Festival.

Motorcycle License

I am now officially licensed to operate a motorcycle with no restricitons. I am very excited about this accomplishements. Maybe someday I will get a bike like the one below.

Minnesota Nice...Really!!

There is a saying in this wonderful state I live in, “Minnesota Nice.”  However, I have lived here for two and a half years and I have never experienced this wonderful phenomenon.  I drive on one of the many majors highways here in the cities.  Every single day without fail I am cutoff by a crazy driver on their cell phone.  And don’t get me started on the people and their lack of merging skills.  I am convinced that all of the traffic problems in this city happen because Minnesotans can not merge.

On top of that people are very rude here.  When I brought this saying up to a true Minnesotan she said that indeed it is a true statement.  I am convinced however that people in Minnesota are not nice, but that could be because I am from the South, where they kill you with kindness.

Wednesday Night Kids Club

Every Wednesday night this summer we have had our own version of a Kids Club. It has been great fun. We have learned some new songs and gone over Bible stories. The two coolest things however are the great number of Bible verese everyone has learned as well as the many prayer requests that have been answered this summer. Here is the great group of kids we had this summer.

The State Fair

Jason petting a pig!

I went to the Minnesota State Fair on Tuesday. It was our last small group activity before Josh and Katie move to Colorado. I am very sad to see them go but I am excited for how the Lord is going to use them in the ministry.

Levi is working on potty training so there were many times we stopped for him. This is the first time and I decided to try and capture a picture of Uri in my sunglasses. He is a little more camera shy than his brother so all he wanted to do was eat the glasses for the camera.

Jason really loved the Swine Barn. He and Josh had a great old time petting almost every pig they came across. Katie said he tried to kiss the cows in the Moo Barn but I didn't have my camera for that one. It would have been a great picture though.

All in all it was a great time at the Great Minnesota Get Together. If you have a chance try the Fry Bread at the stand by the Moo Barn. It is great stuff!!