First day of Summer!

and it FEELS that way here in IA, today. It is HOT, HUMID and just miserable outside. But guess what? It's NOT snowing, and for THAT I'm extremely happy, and will take hot and humid any day!

Wow...been a few weeks since I've had time to check in! We were home for just one week after our trip to St. Louis. Rachel enjoyed her week at Uncle Gene and Aunt Krista's house (thanks SO much for spoiling her rotten, especially for her BIRTHDAY! She had a great time!) and came back to IA with Grandpa and Grandma Koch.

On Sunday, June 3, Ron and I left for a cruise with our dear friends, Erik and Kelly. We had the BEST time that week! Sunshine, laughter, good friends, "fru-fru" drinks and beer, and wonderful food, beautiful blue water...oh my...what a memory! Can't wait to make more memories like this with Erik and Kelly (and the right seasickness medicine for some!) Here are a couple of photos from the cruise... Ron and I on our first evening on the ship..just before dinner. Ron's 41'st birthday! Holding a sting ray! That was WAY cool (and I was only a LITTLE freaked out, right, Ron?)

In Cozumel, in front of our ship, the Carnival Inspiration.
Just LOOK at that beautiful, blue water!We all enjoyed dressing up for our formal night on the cruise!

Me at Margaritaville, Cozumel! Best Margarita I've ever had! Yummmm!Before the ship left Tampa...watching all the "cast off" activity.

Ron and Erik enjoyed our evenings in the piano bar with Tim the Piano Man...I'm SURE they are singing "Margaritaville" here.

Travel Log

Whew....the summer kicked off with a big trip for me and a couple of the kids! Rachel and Ethan and I left at 7:30 on Friday morning and drove to Ron's sister's house. We got there at right around 7:30 that night. What a LONG day on the road! The kids did great. It was wonderful to spend Friday night and Saturday at Martha's! We ate, we shopped, we laughed...what fun! Later on Saturday, Gene's family joined us, and then chaos reigned supreme for the rest of the evening. The kids were all SO happy to be together again! We were all sad that Caleb, Cameron and Ron couldn't be with us!

On Sunday morning (after a late Saturday night!) we drove down to Danny's for church at Logan, and then ate a quick lunch and headed to the high school for Jenna's graduation. A nice ceremony! Then we went to Danny and Val's for the graduation party. More playing, laughing and LOTS of delicious food!

We left Rachel with her cousins, and Ethan and I headed towards St. Louis. We stopped late at night, and got up and finished the trip on Monday. We met Ron at the Arch, and had an enjoyable afternoon going up in the Arch and touring the museum. Then we headed out for a very enjoyable evening visit at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Schulz.

After another night in a hotel, we spent most of Tuesday at Grant's farm. It was fun to spend the day with Ethan that way...he had so much fun feeding the baby goats and the camels and petting the huge Clydesdale horses. Of course, Ron enjoyed the free beer at the end of the visit :-) We drove home from St. Louis, arriving back here at around 10:30.

Last year's vicar, Philip was here when we got home and we visited til almost 2. It was great to visit with him again!

Here are a few pictures of the busy weekend!

Rachel and her cousin and her second cousin...they were buddies this weekend!Ron and I at the arch (thanks, Ethan for taking our picture!)Ethan loved the Clydesdale horses at Grant's Farm!Feeding the baby goats was a HOOT!Of course, Ron's favorite part of the day was the free beer! He discovered a new favorite kind!

School's Out For The Summer!!!

And I have some wonderfully excited children! Exams are finished and projects are all done. Ethan is done with 2nd grade, Rachel is finished with 6th and Cameron finished 8th grade today. Cameron and Rachel both did well on all of their exams...A's and B's on them all! We're so proud of them!

Tonight was spent cleaning out bookbags, and organizing all the "stuff" that came home. Rachel and Ethan and I packed for a trip to Ohio for Jenna's graduation on Sunday. Road trip time again!

Summer is HERE!

No Longer a Sophomore

Well, Caleb is celebrating tonight! He finished his last day of his Sophomore year today. Because his grades were high enough, and he scored above the 90th percentile on his ITED's, he doesn't have to take semester tests tomorrow and Thursday. So he's done.

I asked him "Did you have a good year?" "yep" was his answer. I asked if he had any regrets, or anything he'd do over if he could and his answer was "nope". (he's a man of many words, LOL)

He had a busy weekend this past weekend. He attended a lifeguarding class at UNI. Friday from 4-10, Saturday from 8-8 and Sunday from 8-10. There were 3 high school kids and 18 college kids. And there were 5 guys, and 16 girls...he liked that part :-) He passed easily, and came home exhausted, but happy, and ready to go to work at the pool!

So, Caleb...we're PROUD OF YOU! Hope you have a great summer!

Strawberry Margarita Dessert

mmmmmmmm......this was the dessert at the golf course tonight. It was DELICIOUS! VERY light and tasty.

Strawberry Margarita Dessert

CRUST:
1-1/4 cups finely crushed pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

FILLING:
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
(OR--can substitute 1/2 cup frozen concentrated margarita mix, thawed instead of the juices)
10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed
1 cup whipping cream, whipped (or substitute cool-whip)

DIRECTIONS:
Combine crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter in small bowl. Press into bottom of ungreased 10" springform pan and chill. (or press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan).

Combine sweetened condensed milk with juices (or margarita mix) in a large bowl and beat until smooth.

Add strawberries and mix until combined. Fold in whipped cream, then pour over chilled pretzel crust. Cover and freeze until firm. 8-10 servings.

Remove from the freezer about 30 minutes before serving. May garnish with additional cool whip and fresh strawberries.

Cameron's final track meet

Well...so much for having two track meets left...Thursday nights meet has been canceled, so tonight was his last meet. We didn't go because it was over an hour away, and we THOUGHT we would get to go to a home meet on Thursday. So, we missed his final meet. He called a few minutes after his race, saying "I beat my time! I ran the mile in 5:43!" Way to go Cameron.

He also won the 800 meter tonight, too! What a great finish to the season!

Ethan's quote of the day

So Ethan walks into the kitchen after playing outside this afternoon. He says, "Man! I just wish I could say "thanks" to the person who invented duct tape!" And he walks back to his bedroom to play.

Blooming Flowers

My newly planted rhododendrons had beautiful blooms and flowers this spring, and I LOVE my new weeping pea shrub!

Cameron the Miler

Cameron has done really well at track this year. He runs the mile and the open 800. He's BEAT by the end of the night, especially after meets where the coach also puts him in the 4 x 800, too! So far, his fastest time is 5:51. He still has 2 meets to go to beat that time. I'll be sure to let you know if he does!

Party Reubens

Been a while since I posted a recipe, hasn't it? Ron and I were at the golf course for a little party tonight, and these yummy little sandwiches were served. EASY to put together, and oh so yummy!

Party Reubens

1 loaf of party rye bread, sliced thin
Thousand Island dressing
dried corned beef
sauerkraut
swiss cheese

Assemble the sandwiches by putting a spoonful of thousand island dressing on each slice of rye bread. Top with a folded up slice of the very thinly cut corned beef. Top with a plop of sauerkraut. The final layer is swiss cheese. Bake at 350 til the cheese is melted, and they are heated through.

ENJOY :)

Making BEAUTIFUL Music

Rachel had her annual piano recital on Sunday. As usual, she did a super job playing her songs. After it was all over with, Caleb said to me "Wow! I didn't know she could play that well!" I made sure he said it directly TO Rachel, too! She just grinned. She played 2 songs on her own, and then she played a duet with her good friends Katelyn and Alexis. They did GREAT!

Run The Race Set Before You

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24

let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1b

Caleb and Cameron are both running track this year. (Pictures of Cameron will be after a meet where I get good photos ) Caleb runs the 2 mile race at some of the JV meets. He's not the fastest runner, but he does run with perseverance and finishes each race he is in. He has yet to get a "prize" for running one of these races. Maybe he never will. But...persevere he does.


But that is NOT what Paul is talking about when he says "Run in such a way as to get the prize". or the author of Hebrews, when he says to "run with perseverance the race marked out for us". They aren't talking about track meet races. God has placed a "racetrack" of life in front of us. We have to each run our own individual race, on the path He has marked out for us. We have to run the race of our life with perseverance. We must keep our eyes on the prize, even when we are getting "lapped" by others running the race with us. The only prize that means anything... after we live our life of faith, we will receive the prize of Eternal life in heaven.

Now THAT is a race *I* can run! And I'm guaranteed of winning the prize...an eternity in heaven, with my best friend Jesus, singing the praises of God with the heavenly host of angels!

A Landscaping Project

God has blessed us with truly WONDERFUL friends! Our longtime friends, Erik and Kelly and their 3 boys, came to Iowa for Cameron's confirmation. We met at the seminary 15 years ago this fall, and Erik informed us that this past weekend was our 10th annual "after Easter" get-together!

Well, it takes an amazingly good friend to give a "vacation" day for landscaping, although Erik assured us that he loves doing this kind of work and does consider it a vacation. He plotted and planned. Then he got Cameron and Ron and Ron's dad going on getting some shrubs cut down, and more garden area dug up. While they were working on that, we went shopping and Erik pointed me to the direction of things that would grow and look nice in the shady yard that we have.

Then, Ron, Erik, Lester, and Cameron worked on getting stuff planted and mulched around. I took pictures and did some of the mulch work. But mostly, it was a hard days work for the men!

Here are a few pictures...before, during and after!

What a Glorious Weekend!

Cameron Philip Koch was baptized on March 7, 1993 at Our Hope Lutheran Church in Huntertown, IN. At that time, the Holy Spirit bestowed on him the gift of faith. During the past 14 years, Cameron has studied the Scriptures and Martin Luther's Small Catechism, and on Sunday, April 22, 2007, he confirmed the vows that were made on his behalf at his baptism. We are so proud of him, and thrilled that he has reached this milestone event in his life! We praise God for the gift of faith He has given Cameron!

Here are some photos from the weekend.

Praise instead of Panic!

I know that God tells me not to worry. He tells me that He will take care of me. He cares about every little detail of my life. I should NOT be surprised that He worked out this electricity problem. The mayor called Ron on Monday afternoon and said that due to all that was going on in town on Sunday, they are POSTPONING the electric upgrade. Woo HOO and Praise God!

He said that they don't know yet when they will reschedule it, and "it might still be on a Sunday", but...it's NOT on confirmation Sunday. I'm just really happy that our city council listened to the people and they made a good decision :)

Now...I still have lots to do, and lots of company coming! I love company, and can't wait for all the work to be done so I can enjoy the family and friends who will be here.

Cameron and the girls he will be confirmed with had their public questioning tonight. It went well. They were questioned on the 6 chief parts of the catechism. They have learned a lot in their years of study. Of course, our prayer is that they retain what they learned, and that they will continue to live their lives as a witness to the faith that they will publicly confirm on Sunday.

Come back and check after Sunday for confirmation pictures!

Sigh...Trying Not To Panic

Ok, so our really on top of things City Council has decided to upgrade our city's electric service. Sounds like a good idea...,except that they've chosen to do it on Sunday, April 22 at 7 am in the morning. And in order to do the "upgrade" they have to turn off the power in most of the city. At 7 AM!! SUNDAY morning! What about the 500 - 600 people in town who are church goers?
Bad enough on a "typical" Sunday, but this day is CONFIRMATION Sunday. Cameron's confirmation. I have a houseful of guests for the weekend plus I'm cooking dinner for 40+ people on Sunday! All with NO POWER!

My mind is scrambling to figure out how to feed people a nice dinner with no power.

Man. What were they thinking? Couldn't something like this be done overnight, so people aren't stuck without power when they NEED it?

Rats.

If April showers bring May flowers...

what do April SNOW showers bring? We have a SNOW day today! Right now there is about 4-5 inches of snow on the ground, and it's still coming down and blowing. UGH. It's APRIL 11th, for pete's sake!

A scrappin' weekend

Ron, Cameron, Rachel and Ethan traveled to Ohio for Ron's nephew (and Godson's) confirmation last weekend. Caleb couldn't go because he had Band Solo contest all day on Saturday. I had to work on Friday and Monday or face a huge pay cut in the long term sub situation. So, while Caleb was gone all day Saturday, I spent the day at my computer, working on getting caught up with some old pictures. Here are a few layouts I did, with pictures from July and August of 2004. (yeah...I'm THAT far behind!)

Maundy Thursday

Ethan asked us at supper the other night "What does 'Maundy' mean?", and I really had no clue, so I looked it up. Interesting. It comes from the first word in the Latin translation of the Bible verse "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you" (John 13:34) (In Latin it looks like this, but trust me...I just copied and pasted...I can't read it, LOL "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos"

Jesus said this to his disciples as he was washing their feet...explaining to them the significance of what He was doing.

There were several life changing things that happened on the Thursday of that first Holy Week. Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, which we will celebrate again tonight. As commanded, I continue to receive His body and blood, which was shed for me on that long ago Friday. Through the eating and drinking of this body and blood of my Savior, I receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life with Him, and Salvation. What a truly priceless gift He gave, for me and for you, on that long ago Thursday evening.

Later, he had to tell his close friend Peter, that Peter would deny knowing Jesus! Knowing that your friend will turn away, and not stand with you...how heartbreaking. Later that evening, Jesus spent time in prayer at Gesthemane...in anguish knowing what was going to happen next. How sad he must have been, that his closest friends, Peter, James and John couldn't remain awake with him during this tormenting time! And finally, his betrayal by one of his own disciples. Again...betrayal by a friend...being let down by one who is close to you. What a bad day!

And yet, for your sake and for mine, He continued on the path set before him. Knowing his close friends would betray, deny, run away...Jesus continued on that road. Knowing that a simple word could have stopped it all. Knowing that, even though He was going to give up His life so that you and I can someday live with Him in glorious eternity, WE would also deny, betray, run away, hide, cut and hurt Him with our words and actions. We are no better than Peter who denied knowing Him, or Judas who betrayed him into the hands of those who would kill Him...we are no better than those who's hands stripped away His clothing, pushed the crown of thorns onto His head, whipped Him, and pounded the nails into His hands!

Knowing our desperate NEED for a Savior...someone to make us Holy in God's sight, Jesus continued on to Jerusalem that Palm Sunday, celebrated His Last Supper with His disciples, and continued on to Gesthemane where He would be taken into captivity.

As undeserving as we are, Jesus continued on this path for YOU, and for ME. THAT is how much He loves us!

Remember GI Joe?

Well, Ron dug his old box of GI Joe toys tonight. The four "men" in my family sat on the living room floor for over an hour...dressing, karate chopping (complete with loud sound effects "Hi YAH!") and having GI Joe drive a motorcycle and ride a horse. I spent the time just LAUGHING at those fellas! I'm not sure who had more fun, Ron, Caleb, Cameron or Ethan!

Pinewood Derby excitement!

Ok..the Cub Scout Pack 83 Pinewood Derby is always a STRESSFUL event for our family. Neither Ron nor myself are woodworkers..we don't have the skills or tools to make things out of wood! But it is always SO exciting for Ethan (as it was for Caleb and Cameron a few years back!) Thankfully we have resources in the members of our congregation! Dave Jacobson very kindly agreed (on quite SHORT notice this year!) to help with the shaping of Ethan's car. (When I say short notice, I mean that we called him on Thursday, asked if he could help us on Friday, 'cause the race was TODAY!) Well, Dave did an outstanding job with helping Ethan with his car! It looked pretty cool when we left his house yesterday. Ethan came home and he painted his car white, and then sprayed a bit of silver on it for added "coolness".

A BIT of stress when we got there 10 minutes before race time for a weigh in, to discover that the car weighed 5.38 oz. It can only weigh 5..so a frantic run home to drill out some of the graphite. Weighed it again and it was 4.25 ounces. More drilling. Then it was 5 and 1/8 ounces. A BIT more drilling and it was 5 ounces on the nose. Whew!

There were 3 cars in the Wolf pack race this afternoon. They raced on one track (3 lanes) so that each car raced each other car, always in a different lane. So I think they raced 4 or 5 times in that round. They raced a second round a little later. During the first round, Ethan's car came in second every time, behind his friend Curtis. A couple of the times it was a photo finish...they were neck and neck! The second round, Ethan beat Curtis' car every time! So they were tied, and had to do a "race off". Ethan came in second on that one by just a bit. He gave his friend a high five and congratulates, and happily came home with a 2nd place trophy! (A COOL trophy!)

It was fun for Ethan to have Caleb and Cameron be the race judges for the event! And we have to admit that they didn't cheat! Ethan got second place fair and square :-)

A BIG thanks to Dave for helping make the car, and for coming to cheer Ethan on at the race today!

Week one down!

and just 4-5 more to go on this maternity leave I'm covering :-) The classroom that is my "headquarters" is on the upper level on the far west side of the Middle school, and one of the classroom teachers that I assist 2 times a day is on the lower level on the far EAST side of the building. I walk miles and miles doing this job! The good news is that after just a week of doing this, I am no longer huffing and puffing when I get to the top of the stairs!

We are also a little amazed that tomorrow is already the FIFTH Sunday in Lent! While Lent is an incredibly busy time of year for any parsonage family, this year seems more crazy than ever, BUT that has made the time fly! I feel as if I've barely had time to meditate on the passion of Christ this year. I'm praying for some time to just ... think, pray, meditate and rest in God's word this week!

Some of us are looking forward to a Palm Sunday weekend trip to Ohio for Nathan's confirmation (some have to stay behind because of JOBS and things...how silly it is to have to have a JOB!) Caleb and I will miss being a part of the family gathering!

Whew what a week!

I have new respect for the term "TGIF!" I was (well..the whole FAMILY was) on the go all week long! Monday was a no-school day, so we spent the day getting the house together again...doing laundry...just basically getting caught up.

Tuesday was circuit pastor's conference at Klinger. Had a great day of visiting with the pastor's wives in our circuit. What a houseful of kids we had there! It was lots of fun trying to have a conversation in-between all the interruptions from the young ones. It was also fun watching them all play together. That evening we had the 6th grade variety show. Rachel sang in the choir. There are some talented 6th graders at SF-MS!

Wednesday I was THREE people throughout the day! I subbed for Mrs. K while she went for her dr. visit to see if they could get things started with the delivery of this baby. She came back at 10, and then I was Mr. Balk for a couple of hours. I finished the day for Mr. Bernard. Whew...split personality day!

Midweek and worship Wed. evening, with my midweek kids serving the "lunch" after services. They did great...I was proud of their baking and host/hostessing skills!

Mrs. K had her little boy Wed. night at 9:30, so I subbed for her on Thursday (came home with a SICK headache from a combination of being super hot all day, stress of not knowing when to be where, and a couple nights of not sleeping well!) Went to the High School vocal/show choir concert for a tremendous show. I love music! Caleb played valve trombone for the combo for show choir, and they sounded great!

Today I still had a lingering headache but it wasn't horrible like yesterday. It was the end of the "Pennies for Patients" campaign at the middle and elementary schools. (one of the jobs of subbing for Mrs. K was wrapping up this fund-raising activity) The kids did awesome! The middle school raised $1,000! Wow! Elementary raised between 400-500!

Finally, tonight was the Band Parent's carnival at the High School. It was fun, but we're all TIRED!

Hopefully soon, I'll get into the "routine" of working full time, and won't be coming home with headaches every single day! I'm looking forward to the weekend! Well..at least Saturday...Sunday will be another hectic day!

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Join the Party! Click Here!

My friend Hummie is hosting a Blog Party! She said to create a post that would be of interest to other party goers...and this recipe is IT...I got it from a friend but I can't remember which one! This is decadent and DELICIOUS!! (hint! Cut the pieces SMALL 'cause this is REALLY rich! mmmmmmmm.)

Chocolate Mousse Cake

If you don't have a springform pan, you may need to improvise but I'm sure you can figure something else out.

3 cups finely crushed chocolate graham crackers (Some stores carry the already crushed Nabisco Oreo cookies which I prefer)

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 eggs

4 egg yolks

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (18 oz)

2 cups (1pint) heavy cream

1/3 cup confectioner's sugar

1. In a medium bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers and butter; mix well. Press into a 10-inch springform pan, covering the bottom and sides to form a crust. Chill until ready to use.

2. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks; set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt 3 cups (18 oz) chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly. Add the egg mixture, quickly whisking until well blended. Remove from the heat; set aside to cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, with an electric beater on medium speed, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioner's sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream mixture into the slightly cooled chocolate mixture until well blended. Spoon into the prepared crust; cover and chill for at least 6 hours or until firm.

ENJOY!

I can SEE!

Well, Caleb has discovered that, with glasses, he can actually SEE the lines on his music when he's playing Tuba (or sax, or valve trombone). Til today, he didn't even KNOW he couldn't see them. Putting glasses on changed his world!

Isn't he handsome?

He had his "Parade of Bands" concert at the High school tonight, and did an awesome job on that tuba! (Actually, Cameron played trumpet in the 8th band and MS Jazz band, and Rachel played clarinet in the 6th grade band..they ALL did a tremendous job.) Ron, Ethan and I enjoyed watching and listening. Well...Ron and I enjoyed it...Ethan just tolerated it 'cause we made him attend. He thought it was fun when we handed him the camcorder for a while!

I'm so thankful that God has gifted my kids with musical talent! It gives me great enjoyment to listen!

I LOVE Theater!

Yesterday, Caleb and I, along with several other students in his Spanish Club, got to travel to the Gallagher Bluedorn in Cedar Falls for an awesome performance of Man of LaMancha. The performance was flawless, and the music was tremendous. What a beautiful rendition of "To Dream The Impossible Dream"! Gave me goosebumps!!! Caleb enjoyed it as well, and thanked me several times for going with him!After the performance, we went to Las Margaritas, where we enjoyed a delicious Mexican dinner. Caleb ordered Cancun platter, that included shrimp, crab and chicken, over a bed of Spanish rice, and covered with a cheese sauce. He loved it, and cleaned his plate! I enjoyed a huge fajita platter! Absolutely delicious! We both had yummy fried ice cream for dessert.

A wonderful day!

Here Comes The Sun!

And what a sight for sore eyes it is! Today is the first day in well over a week that there is SUNSHINE here in NE Iowa! With all the fresh snow out there, it is blindingly bright, but such a wonderful sight.

Roads are still being cleared off, and for many roads, it is still inadvisable to drive, but we are slowly getting back to normal. YAY!

Yet another snow day

This has been an interesting week for school, that's for sure. School was canceled on Monday due to the weekend storm. Tuesday was a 2 hour late start. Wednesday school dismissed 2 hours early. Snow day on Thursday and another snow day today. The kids are enjoying it (except for the work of shoveling the driveway)

There are huge drifts in the yard, and this picture shows what greeted the boys as they went to walk out to shovel the drive way today.

The weather is causing some disappointment in the cancellation of events that were scheduled. The middle school band kids were to play for a Wartburg professor last night and be "judged" or "critiqued" by him. Tonight was to be Family Fun Night at our elementary school, but that has been postponed. And tomorrow, Cameron was to play in the Tri-State Honor band in Decorah, but that trip has been canceled, too. The event is still going on, BUT our school is not going. I was told that we can still take Cameron, as he's all registered and everything. We'll have to see what the roads are like, and what Cameron wants to do.

And....it's still snowing a bit. The wind is blowing very hard, still. So, it isn't over yet!