Today we are going to talk Bulgaria.

On May 22, I left for Sofia, Bulgaria on a short term mission trip. We were a small group, only 4 of us, all from the same church. This was not my first visit overseas, but it was my first time overseas without my husband and it was also my first "mission" trip.

We left on a Wednesday and arrive on a Thursday. My system didn't figure that one out until a week after I returned home.

The following is my Bulgaria trip in stories and in pictures.

Day one (Thursday)-I was very tired due to jet lag and "feminine things". We all sorted through our workshop materials and prepared for the week ahead, found a piece of pizza to eat and then went to bed.

On Friday, day two, we attended the Bulgarian Evangelistic Association's Women's Conference. We were the special visitors, introduced at the first session and we each gave a very brief testimony of who we were and how we came to know the Lord. We relied heavily on our translators because very few spoke any English at all.





By the second session, we had to sit up in the church balcony because the translation process was distracting the women around us. By this time, the excitement and adrenaline had worn off and the sleep-fighting and head-bobbing ensued. We all just wanted to go to sleep. On top of sleep deprivation, I was starting to get a headache from listening to English in one ear and Bulgarian in the other, both at the same decibel. I kept my peppermint oil very handy.



At lunch, all the attendees were given a bagged lunch. In it we had a piece of round flat bread folded in half with a filling of a few small chicken chunks, lettuce, cabbage, mayo and relish combination, wrapped in plastic. I really tried eating it, not wanting to seem picky or ungrateful, but I just couldn't get it down. They also gave us a bottle of water, and a Bulgarian version of a ding-dong. Again, my system just wasn't going there. I drank the water.

We stayed up in the church balcony trying to concentrate on what the speakers were saying, session after session, but we were all so incredibly tired. Then dinner was served. I was really looking forward to dinner because lunch wasn't so great for me and I was hungry. Darn. They served the exact same thing, except this time dessert was some type of packaged honey cake. At this point, I was getting a bit...discouraged, not to mention hungry, BUT, I sucked it up and just drank the water. I was well hydrated on this whole trip.

By the end of the day, I was very tired and hungry but "okay" until I got up to go to the bathroom. When I entered the lobby outside the balcony doors, a smell so foul hit me like a ton of bricks. In order to get from the balcony to the "water closet" you have to go through this lobby area. Well...I literally RAN through the lobby area to escape the stench. A group of people had congregated in "this lobby area" to practice their songs for a play. One of them must never have bathed.

Well, I made it across the lobby to the safe haven of the bathroom. Now this particular bathroom was made up of three small rooms; a coed sink/washing area which then splits off on either side for male/female areas which had another wash area and then the very inner room was the actual toilet, which never has toilet paper. Each of these rooms are separated by a door. I am sitting on the toilet doing my thing and suddenly, the singing that was going on the the lobby area, is now really loud...as if they were in the next room. I am thinking hmm...how odd that is to have the singing so close to the toilet. Anyway, I finished and proceeded to the outer sink area to wash my hands and who should be singing in the tiny, mini, little room, with the door closed, but a women and you guessed it...stinky man.

They sounded great, but I had to breathe through my mouth to get through the ordeal. It was all I could do to not retch and I couldn't wash my hands fast enough. I just couldn't believe that he couldn't smell himself! It was as if he'd played soccer all week in 100 degree heat, never bathed, put on a polyester shirt that had been worn all week and then had a sweat fest in that as well. He just smelled so bad...

I wash my hands and RAN back to the balcony, making sure the balcony doors were firmly shut in order to cut off any smelly air that may have caught up to me. By this time, nausea has set in, only to accompany my hunger, my sheer exhaustion, my headache and my menstrual cramps and my emotional roller-coaster. I looked at our sweet, lovely gals who were our translators and just started to cry and couldn't stop. All I could say was..."I really miss home" and tried to pull myself back together. I experienced true homesickness and on the 2nd full day of our mission adventure, I wanted to go home.

The second day of the conference was identical to the first day with still much head-bobbing in the balcony, it just wasn't as long. We were still so very tired. Please don't take this the wrong way. The ladies we met were wonderful and gracious and I felt privileged and thrilled to be there. The speakers, I'm sure, were very good and passionate about what they were talking about but when you are tired and you don't understand the language, it is very difficult to take it all in. We were just sitting in the balcony, fighting to stay awake.

When the conference ended, Gracie, the conference coordinator, some special guests, a couple of speaker, our translators and our American group, ate together at the local Pizza Hut. Our table was full of women who loved the Lord—from Bulgaria, Hungry, Germany, Greece, Turkey and of course the USA. There were over twenty of us and what an awesome experience we had, fellowshipping with so many different cultures. It was heaven!




What was next you ask? Well, let me tell you 'what was next'. How about 3 days of diarrhea...

When it was time to leave the Pizza Hut, we took pictures, hugged and went our separate ways. Three of my teammates decided were were going to walk back to our B&B to get some exercise and see the sights. As we were walking, the skies opened up and it started to pour. Since we were already wet and in no hurry, we decided to treat ourselves to some gelato (italian ice cream) from a street vendor. We were a soggy mess when we got home, but we enjoyed our gelato...that is until about 3 am...

In the middle of the night I woke up with a really bad case of diarrhea. The other two ladies only experienced a mild case of gastro-intestinal problems that lasted only couple of hours. The only thing we can blame it on was the gelato. Needless to say, I didn't eat any more gelato.

After a sleepless night filled with bathroom visits, my plan was to be better and go to a local Bulgarian church with everyone. I got up, felt fine, showered, dressed, put make-up on, crapped my brains out, then went right back to bed and stayed there most of the day. I ran a low grade fever and got up only to go the bathroom. After sleeping all day, I was still able to sleep through the night.

On Monday, I was able to get up and function as long as I knew where the bathrooms were. We did a little souvenir shopping before our first workshop later that day. At about 4 pm on Monday, we made our way out to the gypsy village on the outskirts of Sophia. It is a poor, rundown village and they have very little in the way of material belongings. We conducted a workshop with a few of the teen girls from the village and they were just so sweet. Our time was so short and I actually wished we could have spent the majority of our time in Bulgaria with them. The gypsy people keep to themselves and don't let very many strangers into their community. The are shunned by society therefore they don't welcome just anyone. The following are some pictures from our afternoon with them.










Towards the end of our visit at the gypsy village, I felt another "episode" coming on. I looked at Gabie, our translator and said, "find me a restroom, quick". The only one available for me to use was the communal "squatty potty" located outside and around the corner from the little church. Now...for those of you who have never experienced one of these european wonders, let me give you a brief description. A squatty potty is a small, outhouse size room, made of concrete walls and floor that are not always the cleanest. In the center of the floor the concrete is shaped like a shallow funnel and in the center of this funnel you'll find a hole which you stand or "squat" over to "go potty". It's a "crap shoot" (sorry, I had to...) whether they are outfitted with toilet paper, so you must ALWAYS come prepared with your own supply of wiping materials. I am thankful that this was NOT my first experience using a squatty potty and I am also thankful that it didn't smell.

I knew what to do so I bravely entered the chamber to do my thing. As I am squatting, crapping my brains out, trying NOT to get anything on my clothes, balancing my purse on my knees, trying to dig out my wiping materials hoping nothing falls out of my purse and into "the hole", wondering if I am HITTING the hole and also hoping no one opens the door, I realized it must have been a man that invented these torture rooms for women. Sorry, no photos available. I want to forget.

Tuesday through Friday, we conducted workshops at a local Congregational Church in Sofia and also at a church in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Amy started each workshop with a time of devotions and Scripture reading. She talked about who we are in Christ and how much we are valued by God. No matter who we are or what we've done, he still loves us and desires a relationship with us. Each workshop lasted 3 hours but the time seemed to fly. The ladies were so eager to learn what we had to offer and so thankful and gracious. It was truly a blessing to give to them. I taught them how to make "hair lacers" and "lariat necklaces". My other teammates taught hand-sewn patchwork, embroidery and crocheting.

Tuesday evening we had the pleasure of hosting an Alpha meeting in our B&B living area. We met some wonderful souls and had a great time of sharing and listening to their stories. It's great to see God working in the lives of the people there!

By this time, my abdominal issues had not yet subsided so my teammates put me on a strict diet of bananas, bread, cracker, etc, to try and get me back to normal. I was really hungry. By Wednesday, it was mercifully over but I was careful—waiting for a relapse that thankfully never happened.

The rest of our mission trip was filled with workshops, wonderful women, young and old, new cultural experiences and great conversations. The best part? Taking communion with my Bulgarian Christian brothers and sisters—seeing first-hand how Jesus Christ bonds people together from every walk of life. I was a part of the body of Christ, 8000 miles away from home. No matter where I go in the world, no matter if I speak the language or not—if I find a follower of Christ, I find a family member.

This mission to Bulgaria was a good experience. I learned that we are more the alike than we are different. I learned a lot about myself and I learned that God can take our small offerings and make them huge blessing for others and we all have something to offer. I learned how much I take for granted in the States and I also came to the realization that my own mission field is at home in my own community where the need is great.

The following photos tell the rest of the story...(No more gory details-I promise) Thank you and enjoy!

Well, it's a Tuesday and Minnesota is blanketed with 6" of snow. Where-o-where is spring?

I realized something today...I am Volume Challenged. I have one volume and thats loud...really loud. I came to this conclusion as I was discussing violin music with my son in our living room, which is about the size of a Chevy Suburban. He was sitting about 4 feet away from me. I made a comment, stopped talking and then realized I had just shouted my comment at him! I wasn't mad, angry, or frustrated nor were there any other negative emotions rooted in this particular conversation. We were simply talking about a new piece of music. I looked at him and said..."I just shouted that, didn't I?" He smiled, nodded his head and we started laughing hysterically. Then we both proceeded to shout the rest of our conversation at each other and then laughed some more. I love him!

I'm sure many of you that know me are scratching your heads and thinking..."you mean you're just NOW figuring this out?" Well?...kinduv. I knew I was a loud, gregarious person, but today, I actually HEARD myself being really loud. It was a bit "out-of-bodyish". It was as if we were having our conversation in the middle of a sport's bar at 1/2 time during the Superbowl and I was trying to be heard over 50 other conversation going on. In reality, our setting was very quiet—no TV, no dog barking, no radio, no nothing. Not sure what I'm going to do with this new information... I guess I'll try to keep it down and use my "inside" voice...right.

To those who have had to endure my shouting conversations, I do apologize. As I try to be more aware of my "volume challenged-ness", just don't expect me to become a soft-spoken wall-flower. I'm simply not made that way.

Until next time...
Blessings to you.

It's Saturday. I love Saturdays...It's the day we all get to do whatever we want and for Boyd, that means sleeping late. He gets up at 4:45 am every day so Saturdays are a treat for him. Today I am taking Chloe to the Mall of America to return a ring we bought there and we'll also be picking up $100 worth of hotdogs that we had a friend pick up from Michigan. We can't get them here! Josh is going to a friends house for a day of AIRSOFT wars. And what does Boyd get to do? He gets to do our taxes! Well, at least he'll have the whole house to himself since we'll all be gone. He's such a great guy. I'm so lucky. He works very hard and demands very little. I am blessed.

Today it's going to be sunny and in the 40's. I love the sun. Life seems more...sunny when the sun is shining.

Time for the Paavola4 Movie Review...

"The Bee Movie": A real yawner--at least for grown-ups. I guess if you like Seinfeld, you may like it, but Jerry Seinfeld's style of humor was never my cup of tea. I give it a "B-". Even though it's completely boring for grown-ups, the kids may still like it.

"Amazing Grace": VERY good movie that I highly recommend. It's a great historical count of one man's battle against slavery set in the 1700's in Europe. It seems like it would be boring, but it's not. I made Josh watch it for his history and he even liked it. I give it an "A" because it's a movie you can watch with your teenagers and not be embarrassed and everyone learns something about history as well. There's no sensuality to be found and if there was swearing, I can't remember hearing it. Great movie.

Time to get back to my coffee. Have a great day.

Happy Thursday to you! Well, it was in the 40's yesterday and today, so I thought I'd take advantage of the sunny "warm" days and start walking again. I took a break over the winter because I'm not into frostbite much. We northerners really appreciate the spring, summer and fall. If you're not into wintertime activities, you rejoice when the snow starts to melt and cry when the first leaf falls to the ground. Summer is just around the bend...

Food for thought...

I was perusing the newspaper today and read an article about the former Governor of New York being in a heap of legal troubles for what he did. His political life and marriage are probably in ruin. Then I started thinking about how upside down and messed up our society is really getting. Prostitution is illegal, soliciting prostitutes is illegal, but pornography—the very cause of much of our society's debauchery—is not. Porn is legally available at the click of a mouse, on our televisions, in our movies, books and magazines and in our music. The TV ads for Victoria's Secret or Lipstick Jungle are just shy of being porn, and it's all legal. Oh yes...I forgot...It's considered free speech... silly me. It's all a bit inconsistent, wouldn't you say? I don't think the men who founded our country had pornography in mind when they amended the constitution to allow freedom of speech.

If homosexuality is a completely acceptable lifestyle and legal, then why aren't all of the other sexually depraved act acceptable as well, like incest? Where do we, as a society, draw the line between right and wrong? When people's moral compass is "live your own truth" or "If it feels good, do it" or "It's all good" then we get what we've got. A moral mess.

If someone kills a woman who is pregnant and her baby dies as well, that man can be convicted of two murders...yet the courts say abortion—knowingly killing an unborn child— is legal. It makes no sense. If one is illegal, then why not the other. Does the value of a human life depend on whether it's wanted or not? We are all created by God. We are His workmanship, therefore we are valuable to Him and He wants us.

Hopefully, tomorrow's newspaper will bring a shred of good news. All I can do is pray for our nation, pray for our leaders, whoever they are or will be, and say that Jesus (not religion) really IS the answer to our human condition. We praise you God, for Easter!

WOW! Is it March 2008 already! Where has the time gone. The last time I posted it was summer!

Not much to report. We are getting on with life because it doesn't stop, as you all know. Everyone is healthy except for the occasional upper-respiratory cold. Boyd and I are trying to lose some of the middle age spread that seems to have magically appeared over the last 10 years. To start off right, we are keeping a record of everything we eat. It's amazing what we mindlessly put into our bodies. I never thought snacking on just a single serving of chips or pretzels made much of a difference. WRONG. There's a website call www.sparkpeople.com that has a great online tool to record what you eat. It's VERY helpful and very easy. It's also free!

Boyd's mom and sister have moved to the area so we celebrated the holidays with them. Thanksgiving and Christmas were both at my house which I don't mind at all. My sister and her family (pictured in the photo) were able to come up for the afternoon on Thanksgiving.


Christmas was relaxed and very enjoyable. Every year we vow not to spend so much on gifts but it's really hard not to buy into the Christmas spending frenzy. We don't get the kids much all year so we kind of splurge at Christmas. (Our version of "splurge" is probably not that bad by the world's standards) This year was no different.

We finally caved! Boyd and I had always agreed that we'd never get a game system. It would take the place of active play, take away imagination..blah, blah, blah...We are now proud owners of a PS2 system (the cheapest), Guitar Hero III and DDR. Chloe played Guitar Hero a few years ago at a friends house and we never heard the end of how much fun it was. I played it once and I had to agree, it WAS a lot of fun. It's now a family activity! Josh is the best player! His fingers just fly over those buttons on the HARD level. I'm positive his violin playing has something to do with that. I also bought Boyd an ATV racing game and he's hooked on that. It's fun to see his inner child come out...finally. He's always such a grown-up, which I am very thankful for. SO, having a game system hasn't turned out to be as terrible as I thought it would be. It actually gives me some leverage with the kids! It's given all of us many hours of fun together AND we made sure we got TWO guitars.

DDR was not as much of a hit. I like to dance, but DDR is a bit of a nightmare for me. I had all these grand plans to dance my way into a size 10. Right. Have you tried DDR? The easy level is very easy, but beyond that, it gets a little more complicated. There is no pattern to the arrows that tell you were to stomp next. I feel like an idiot with 3 left feet and it's very humbling for someone who considers herself a good dancer. My shins started hurting because you're not supposed TO WEAR SHOES, the dance pad moves and crumples AND I don't like to jump up and down anymore. My boobs will end up saggier than they already are and I could wet my pants. They also need to get better music for middle-age moms and NO, I don't fit into a size 10 yet. I was on a roll for about...oh...2 days.

Sorry, no one got a Christmas card from us this year. Didn't get to it. Maybe next year.

Last fall we placed our membership at New Hope Church and really like being a part of that congregation. I am contemplating a mission trip to Bulgaria but am still praying about it. I finally joined the church Gospel choir. This particular choir practices and sings once a month. Yep...I joined the choir...

The first time I performed with them I got a tickle in my throat, coughed through half of the song with the microphone just off to my left, and my right eye watered so much my whole right cheek was wet. No amount of wiping could dry it off because the tears just kept pouring out of my eye. Have you ever tried to suppress a cough? By the end of the song I was completely embarrassed. I'm sure all the makeup on the right side of my face had washed away. Did I mention I was on the top row, center? Great debut! I just hope nobody noticed.

Chloe celebrated her 12th birthday with a "Killing for the Crown" murder mystery evening with 12 of her friends. It was a hoot and we all had a chance to dress up in our pageant finery. Happy to report there were no midnight runs to the ER this year! Woo-Hoo! The photo is Chloe "bribing" on of the "Judges". It was REALLY fun. She'll be playing volleyball this spring.



We plan on camping again this summer for our vacation. We'll take a trip up north to Family Camp but with gas prices expected to soar to over $4/gallon, the rest of the summer we'll have to take shorter trips. Our driveway is looking pretty affordable right now.

I can't think of anything else...School is going well for the kids, Josh is now taller than I am and Chloe is starting her growth spirt as well. I hope she is blessed with the tall gene.

I will try to post more often for but for now, I must get on with the day. Until next time, peace to you.

Happy summer to all!

I still can't believe summer is almost over! It's gone so fast this year and I'm not ready for the school year yet.

July was the busiest month this summer. We were gone 15 days out of the month and we were living in our camper each and everyone of those 15 days. We usually break up the camping trips to one time a month but it just so happens that we had places to go and people to see...all in July.

We spent one week up in Northern MN attending "Family Camp". Instead of staying in a cabin, we take our camper and enjoy the week in our own space. I love it because I don't have to cook...at all. They ring the bell and we head to the dining hall. Sometime I feel like I should "moo" and then go eat.

We were home 3 days and the took off again (camper in tow) to Rapid City SD. We drove a day, stayed a day and then drove back. I know what you're thinking... Why on earth did they do that...it's a nine hour drive? Why, because we got to meet two new family members; My new sister-in-law and my new niece. We were there for her baptism and were able to quickly cram in Mt Rushmore. It was good to see family. We are hoping to get back next summer for a longer visit.

The last week in July, we got to spend some time up in Hancock MI and I took some really nice picture that I'll share with you. It is sooo beautiful up there. This is right up there with the Rocky Mountains and any ocean veiw. Lake Superior is so clean and it was warm enough for the kids to swim. We took the Quincy mine tour, went up onto Brockway Mountain, drove to Copper Harbor to tour Fort Wilkins, ate fish at the Harbor House looking at a view of the water and just enjoyed each other's company. Josh tried to read the whole time but we banded the book for the entire car ride.

McClain State Park is the prettiest park in the upper midwest. The campground is right along the water's edge. Josh got his own tent this time and I know he liked having his own space—not having to share it with his little sister.

A big thanks goes out to my mom and dad for housesitting and taking care of Finn.

I am now getting ready for a year of homeschooling and work as REALLY picked up so I'll be very busy for the next month or so.

It is time for bed. I've been at my computer all day and I need to be done now. Enjoy the picts...

It has been a looonnnggg time since I last added any information.

Lets see...I have been a busy girl. Remember that gym membership I signed up for? Well, I'm not signed up anymore. The deal was that if I went at least 12 times a month, my health insurance would pick-up $20 of my monthly fee. Turns out that my particular version of health insurance that does that, doesn't. I can't afford $50/month so I quit. It was an expensive trial that I am sad I had to quit. I am sure I would have used it more in the winter.

We also cancelled our Dish Network 200 and now we are getting only local stations. My kids didn't know what to do. That's on of the reasons we cancelled. Getting their attention when that TV was on was like picking a Werthers original off of your molars. We no longer have the struggle and to be honest, I don't really miss TV that much.

The summer has been busy. Boyd's mom and sister are in the process of moving to the area. They came with their 5th wheel and started looking for jobs. Once they secured jobs, they started looking for a home and found a cute townhome in Maple Grove. It will be so nice having family live in the area.

My mom and dad's summer plans have taken a detour. They left their base at Lake City and will be a little nomadic the rest of the summer. July, they'll be dog/house sitting for us. It worked out perfectly. They needed a place to crash and we needed someone to watch our dog. I'm not sure what their plans are for August, but they are always welcome.

We spent a week at family camp enjoying the great outdoors in Park Rapids, MN (north). That was during the first week of July. The very next week we made a quick, unexpected trip to Rapid City SD to see Boyd's brother and meet his new wife and baby and to celebrated Anna's baptism. We were able to see Mt Rushmore but that was it. We plan to go back next summer and spend some time. Soon we will be leaving again for the UP of Michigan. Boyd's dad is being inducted into the the Hancock HIghschool Hall of Fame. I think I"ll be able to breathe in August.

I am gearing up for the next school year. I will continue homeschooling Josh and Chloe will be going to a charter school where she'll spend 3 days a week at school and 2 days a week at home on the computer. Her class sizes will be very small and that's a very good thing.

The summer is screaming by and I will be sad to see it go...it just got here.

All for now.

Wow! Here I am again. Twice in one month. I shock myself. It's going to be a little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Another great movie to watch..."Invincible" with Mark Walberg. Great flick and I'd even let my 11 year old daughter see it...if she wanted to.

If I hear the phrase "Live your own truth" or anything like it, one more time, I think I'll puke. There is only one truth from the Creator of the universe Himself. God almighty. By everyone "living their own truth" we've got chaos, immorality, crime, abuse, murder, broken families and a host of other problems. By the way, Satan loves that phrase.

Last night as I left the bathroom, about to crawl into bed, it dawned on me how alike I am to my 13 year old son—Puberty vs. pre-Menopause. He has moody moments, I have moody moments (hours...no...make that days). He's growing up, I'm growing out and down and he's getting whiskers and I'm getting whiskers and yes, I lean over the sink, crank my neck to stare into the mirror at just the right angle so I can pluck each and every one. By the time I'm done my knees are stiff from bending in a way that isn't normal and my neck hurts. At least my pimples have gone away. Whoopty Dang Do.

Update on my "Fitness Club Experience". I am on my way to a hard body. I am enjoying the yoga classes very much and I am now lifting weights. So far, so good. Thankfully, I've yet to repeat the pain of that first week. Evidently all my "lactic acid" is now gone from my "muscle tissue". Are you impressed?

That's all for now.
Peace to you

Hard to believe it's been over a month since I last wrote anything here. Where does the time go. If you have been a faithful visitor, I apologize for not having anything new. I've been busy working...and even getting paid for it!

It's a gorgeous, sunny Saturday in snow-bound Minnesota. After it snows it's truly magical with everything covered in white and all the snow laying heavy on the trees.

As many of you know, Josh plays the violin—quite well if you ask me. It all began when he discovered River Dance. He loved the music and decided he wanted to play the violin. After many months of violin rental fees, music lesson fees and finally the purchase of his own instrument, he's never gotten to play anything remotely close to style that drew him to the instrument in the first place. Which brings me to today. I found out there was Winter Bluegrass Festival just a few miles from our house and I thought "Hey! a Bluegrass Festival right in our own back yard. What could be better! I'll take Josh!"

So today Josh and I went to the Festival. NO WAIT. Let me re-phrase that...I went and dragged Joshua WITH me. There were nail marks running from our house to the festival venue as I pulled him by his ankles. Picture a very reluctant 13 year old boy sitting in a clogging show, slouched with his arms fold tightly in front of him, tying very very hard to have a very bad time. (I caught him smiling a couple of times and the music was GREAT). Of course I knew this was how it was going to be before we left home but I still wanted him to have the experience of a different genre of music. Everywhere you turned there were small groups, some were total strangers, jamming with their instruments. I would have loved to have joined in but sadly the only instrument I play is the piano and when I strap it onto my back to take it with me, it's a little uncomfortable, not to mention heavy. I would love to play the violin, the mandolin or even the guitar.

I did learn something today...The best way to get on the good side of a 13 year old boy and make him smile and talk to you is to feed him whatever he wants. After he ate a beef and cheddar sandwich (yuk), curly fries, a chocolate shake, mozzarella sticks and a large pop at Arby's, when we returned to the Festival his arms weren't folded QUITE as tightly as BEFORE lunch.

On arrival to the Festival, I thought the entrance fee was $9/person but when we got up to the ticket table to buy our tickets we found out it was $12/person with kids 12 and under FREE! Man! $24 is a lot of money when one of you doesn't even want to be there. I looked at Josh and actually thought about saying he was 12 but I knew his mustache and his being almost as tall as me would be a dead-give-away. Besides, he was watching me and I wanted to do the right thing. The extra $6 was worth it to be able to model good character. I am just sorry the thought even crossed my mind. My bad.

We left the Festival after a Beginner's Bluegrass Workshop. Guess what he liked the most about the day....The clogging!

How would I sum up todays adventure you ask?

Entrance fee, $24, Lunch at Arby's, $12.50, time with my son telling me "I really don't want to be here" over and over again...priceless.

Well...On Monday I joined a gym.

I really can't afford it but I really can't afford not to. Age and inactivity are catching up with me and the jiggling is getting really annoying. We have a treadmill and "workout stuff" at home but I just can't get consistant in using it. Now I HAVE to go the "club" at least 12 times a month or my monthly fee goes from $30 up to $50!. Hit me in my pocket book and I'll be motivated. I'm off to a good start. I walked on Mon, did the "eliptical trainer thingy" on Tues, did "Gentle Flow Yoga" on Wed, Thurs I did "Fitness Yoga" and by Friday, I couldn't walk...or sit down. I walked around the house like I had a cobb up my #$%$# because I couldn't walk any other way. (I apologize for the graphic nature of my story.) It's now Saturday and I'm starting to feel back to normal. I plan on getting back to it on Monday. I think I'll take it just a bit easier until I get into better shape. I've heard it said that if we used to work out (which I did) that our bodies remember and go back quicker. I'm hoping 15 years of inactivity isn't too long for my body to "remember" what it was like...I can always hope. If the people on "Big Fat Loser" can do it, so can I. My goal is a modest 20 lbs. Time will tell.

I apologize for anything that's misspelled. My spell check wasn't working.

Until next time, Peace to you and God bless you.

It was Josh's turn next. One weekend after Chloe came home from the Hospital, I took Josh to urgent care. He had a really bad case of strep throat.

This week life seems a little non-eventful and that's entirely okay with me! There are no holidays to prepare for, no new appetizers to try, no birthdays to gear up for, nothing to shop for (other than food for my son that has two hollow legs), no ER or hospital visits, no decorations to take down, Chloe is back at school and Josh and I are getting back into a routine. I am constantly trying to figure it all out...how to work and educate my son. Right now, I am letting him educate himself. Since he loves to read, I just keep the great books coming. He's reading about Ancient Greece and Rome.

Boyd and I attended a parenting seminar at our church last weekend. Fantastic and very helpful. I wish I could add on a spare room and bring the speakers home with me...kind of like Super Nanny. Don't get me wrong, we have fantastic, and for the most part, well behaved, great kids but there are those times where we could use a little wisdom and some creative tools to handle certain situations. Anyway, the seminar was great.

The Movie to watch: Akeelah and the Bee.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

It was truely delightful and our whole family loved it. It had just a couple of swear word...nothing that they haven't heard riding the school bus.

Happy New Year!

Well, 2007 has started out with a BANG!

We rang in the new year at our neighbor's house. It's become an annual event and I like it because there is no driving involved...not because we've had to much to drink but because others have. I spent the next two days taking down Christmas decorations and getting the house back to normal.

On Tuesday morning I got Chloe up and ready for school and then it was back to work. That morning, we were waiting and waiting for the bus to come and then Chloe says "Mom, I haven't seen any buses go by today? Are you sure there's school today?" In my mind I'm thinking "no way...I did it again" My response?..."You know Chloe...you're right, there hasn't been any buses go by." Sure enough, I checked the calendar and school didn't start until the NEXT day. I'm such a dweeb. Between my forgetting to pick her up from things and me trying to get her to school a day early, she's starting to get a complex. Poor thing. On one occasion, I was about 20 minutes late picking her up from volleyball because I was busy and not watching the time. I'm speeding to get to her. She gets in the car, she cries, I cry and say I'm sorry, I'm sorry and then she says..."Mom...I NEED a CELL phone!" I'm thinking that she's absolutly right! Of course I don't tell her that.







We start every year by celebrating Chloe's Birthday—Jan 3rd. This year was no different. She was turning 11 and planned a Luau Party/sleepover on Friday the 5th with her friends. She was so excited about this party. As soon as Christmas was over, she had her clipboard in hand and was madly making lists and schedules of who, what and where for her birthday party. We shopped for the decorations and made the invitations, she scheduled and re-arranged the night's events numerous times. On Thursday evening, she tells me she has a stomach ache. Of course being the wonderful mother that I am, said..."it must be gas" and "when was the last time you pooped?" My other hypothosis was that she was getting worked up and nervous about her party the next night. I consulted my handy-dandy health book that describes illnesses and their symptoms. General stomach pain was not listed. If you know Chloe, everytime she gets a gurgle or any stomach pain she immediately thinks its her appendix. I assured her that if it was something serious we'd know by her being doubled over with pain.

Thursday night she was up a couple of time and didn't sleep much at all and really didn't have an appetite. Again, I thought it was nerves about the party. She went to school the next day but before she went, I made sure she felt good enough to have the party and that if needed, we could postpone it a week. Nope, she didn't want to do that. Chloe came home and agreed to take a short nap before her friends arrived. (When she agreed to the nap, I knew something was up. I just didn't know what.)

Everyone arrived on time and we were soon buried in gifts, pillows and sleeping bags. All of her planned activities took place; the games, the craft, the food, the cake, the presents, the movie...and as soon as I was sitting down to watch my own movie (The Devil Wears Prada) about 9:15ish, she came up from the basement and said she was in a lot of pain and it was in her lower right abdomen. Because I can NEVER remember which side your appendix is on, once again I consult the handy-dandy health book and discovered that she did have some of the symptoms of appendicitis. Here is my internal running coversation I had with myself...

"Oh My Gosh! I have a house full of little girls, it's 9:30, my husband's at a hockey game and his phone is off. Crap, what am I going to do! I think she needs to go to the ER. If I get to the ER are they going to tell me it's gas, bill be $60 and send us home? Should I send everyone home? What if the parents are out for the evening. Will they be sleeping? What should I do? I know...I'll have Deb come over and stay with the girls why I go to the ER with Chloe. They're just going to finish the movie and go to sleep, right? No need to alarm anyone. I'm sure it's nothing but I'd better take her anyway. I hope it's nothing. It CAN'T be her appendix..."

Finally, I took action. I did what every mother does...I called my neighbor and asked HER what to do. Deb...my blessed neighbor...my wise, wise neighbor. She didn't like my idea of her staying all night with the party guests. She was the voice of reason and told me to call the parents and send everyone home. I heeded her advise. Deb came right over and took action. I took Chloe to the ER while she called all the parents and drove all the girls home. She also came to the hospital and stayed with me and Chloe until 3 am. By this time, Chloe had been diagnosed with appendicitis and would need emergency surgery — Chloe's nightmare come to life—on her birthday party no less. Needless to say, it wasn't gas.

We were finally admitted at about 3:30 am, Deb went home and Boyd came. They took her to surgery about 4:30 am and was back in the room between 7:00 and 7:45. It's all a bit of a blur at this point. I went home to get a couple hours of sleep then relieved Boyd at 1:30 pm. They released her at about 6:00 pm and we were home by 6:30 pm. It's truly amazing what can take place in less than 24 hours! We ended up sleeping for about 11 hours on Saturday night. My bed never felt so gooood.

Chloe is home and doing well but she'll be out of school for the week. I told her she'll never forget her 11th birthday and that whenever she has any more abdominal pain, we'll know it's not her appendix. Happy Birthday sweetheart!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

FINALLY! A family picture.

It has been so long—mostly because Boyd and I hate having our pictures taken. I would have sent this in a nice card but due to technical difficulties, I am having to broadcast it on my Blog instead. It was a self-timed photo and after about the 6th or 7th time of running to get in the shot I decided to call it quits. I was getting sweaty. Thank goodness for Photoshop! We ended up with a very good family photo that unfortunately won't print at the local drug store or even Walmart. I'm not sure what the problem is but I'm done trying to troubleshoot. My intentions were good but it's on to other things.

2006...what can I say. It was full.

Last February Boyd and I had the opportunity to go to Torino, Italy while the Olympics were going on. What an opportunity and experience of a lifetime — one that we'll never forget and probably never get again. We brought back lots of photos, some souvenirs and many memories. The only bad thing I brought back was an extra 5 pounds from all the pizza we ate. It was cheap and plentiful. We both fell in love with Italy and someday we want to go back.






Summers are always fun. We always kick-off summer with swimming lessons for the kids. They are both in level 7 now and there's only a couple more levels to go. The kids spend time hanging out athe public swimming pool or just playing with neighbors. Our camping trips are always fun....AFTER we get the camper set up. This year we camped at Taylors Falls with two other families and went to an outdoor water park. We spent a week at our church's "Family Camp". In August we spent a long weekend in Grand Marais MN on the north shore of Lake Superior. BEAUTIFUL!






2006 has also been a year of transition for our family. In July we made the decision that I would homeschool Joshua. It's never been my intention to homeschool our kids. I had complete confidence in the public school system. I turned out okay...I think... but because of certain cirumstances God truly led us to this decision. So far it's been going well. We are both learning to adjust to a completely different lifestyle and way of thinking about education. Joshua is happy and has no desire to return for at least the next year or two. For those of you who REALLY know me, never fear, BOYD is helping Joshua with math, not me. You can breathe now.

Once the decision to homeschool was made, we also made the very difficult decision to change churches. We left our church home of 20 years to attend one that has a large, well organized homeschooling coop AND it's only one mile from our house versus a 20 miles drive. We miss our old friends but we are slowly starting to meet people at this new church. It takes time. We went from a very small church to a very large church so it's been a bit of a culture shock. The kids love the large youth groups and they have settled in quickly. Also, the moms in the homeschooling coop have literally been my lifeline. They know just the right thing to say and are quick to reassure me.

Our other news was the new addition to our family. We adopted Finn, our 44 lb "lap" dog. He's a 2 year old whippet. He's sweet and we love him a lot. If you read the previous posts, you'll see more pictures of him.

Chloe is busy with 5th grade and still attends a Spanish Immersion School. She is in the Girl Scout program and also played on a volleyball league this last fall. She also started playing the trumpet in the 5th grade band. They just had a concert and I was pleasantly surprised (and relieved) at how good they sounded. Chloe also takes voice lessons and is in the New Song Kids Choir. Check out their sound at www.cdbaby.com/all/newsongkids.

Josh is in 7th grade. Even though he drags his feet when it comes to practicing, he is getting very good on his violin. The state allows homeschooled kids to take advantage of many school activities so he's in the 7th grade orchestra, the Honor's orchestra (7th, 8th, 9th). He also takes lessons every other week. I've also hired a Teaching Assistant from Chloe's school to come and tutor Josh in Spanish. He's spent 7 years speaking and learning the language and I want him to keep it fresh. Josh loves horses and took some lesson last summer. He has also recently signed up for the Jr High swim team which will help keep him in shape at least for a few months this winter.

Boyd is still working at the Newspaper. It will be 11 years in January. He is still volunteering as an Assistant Hockey Coach for the Jr B team--The Northern Lights. Check out their website at www.northernlightshockey.com.

Me? Well, I'm busy with running a home, my graphic design business, figuring out the homeschooling thing, beading bracelets and painting mirrors and furniture. It seem that I am very busy right now but usually it's feast or famine and at this very moment, it's feast but it changes from week to week and month to month. Praise the Lord. He is good and he's blessed us with health, family, home, friends, work and the list goes on.

Well, that about does it. If you're reading this, you're probably on my email list OR I got my pictures to print and you decided to visit this blog. If this is your first visit, make sure you bookmark the address and come back periodically to get the scoop on the Paavola Family.

In Christ's love
Merry Christmas to Everyone
Boyd, Sherry, Joshua, Chloe and Finn