...visit Lake City, MN- the birthplace of water skiing (for real- google it- I dare you!)
It was a quick trip that made for an enjoyable and relaxing Sunday afternoon.
Ahmed gets sick of taking self portraits. Too bad :)Here's a few more pictures:And then I had to leave for work at 5:45 this morning (yuck)...hello Monday!
I have been at my new job for about a month, and I was more than ready for a day off yesterday...ha! It has been a challenging, overwhelming, tiring month, but I have learned a lot and am so thankful that I have a job. And a little bit of a challenge is good for me, whether I like to admit it or not.
One perk of my job is I make my own hours, so I have been choosing long days Monday through Thursday and then working just a few hours on Fridays. Early Friday afternoon I headed to Iowa to spend the long weekend with my family. What a great weekend it was! Some highlights and pictures:
Giving James and Emma a bath and then watching them "run free" for a few minutes before getting jammies on. Emma peed on the floor. I laughed.
James and Grandma
Emma refused to say my name most of the weekend and thought it was funny to call me Heidi- what a stinker. She's not even two.
Love
Hiking at Oak Grove (state park near my parents' house) with some great people...which there are no pictures of because I brought my camera, but no memory card :(
Grandpa is such a pest
James and Emma yelling and trying to boss Petey (the dog) around while at Oak Grove...he didn't notice.
What a cutie
Spending a little (not enough) time with Ahmed before he left to go hiking in the Montana wilderness for the week.
"Hey Lenae, come take my picture!"
Great conversations with my parents and sister while spending a couple of hours in the car together Sunday afternoon.
She's as sweet as she looks...really.
Having a picnic and playing at the park before heading back to Minnesota. The only time I didn't fail at taking pictures.
My dad is a little obsessed with taking cell phone pics of the kids.
Have a good week!
Ahmed said he didn't want a birthday cake, but last night I decided to make him one anyways. It's a good thing I did, because he told me it was the BEST birthday cake he ever had! Aftertwothree trips to the grocery store, here is the final product:
Like his new watch? :) Happy Birthday!
After the multiple store trips I had a broken mixer and a bad batch of frosting... but I still finished it! Don't judge my decorating skills. By the time I frosted it I was tired and had lost all patience. Happy 29th Birthday, Love!
Recipe for White Almond Cake:1 package white cake mix1 cup flour1 cup sugar3/4 teaspoon salt1 1/3 cups water8 oz sour cream2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 teaspoon almond extract1 teaspoon vanilla extract4 egg whites
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 11x13 cake pan (I used two 9 inch round pans and made a few cup cakes).Stir together the cake mix, flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.Add remaining ingredients and mix for 2 minutes (still will have some lumps).Bake about 25 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean- took more like 30 min for me). Allow to cool before frosting.
After my failed frosting, I ended up using store bought cream cheese frosting. Ahmed liked it, but I thought it would be better with a lighter whipped frosting. YUM!
If you are unfamiliar, Norwex makes environmentally friendly cleaning products. No need for harmful chemicals or paper towels. And they work.Last month I had a Norwex party, courtesy of Mandi, and I got some pretty sweet stuff! (Thanks to everyone who made a purchase!)My Norwex collection:
Some of it is actually Ahmed's...but we decided to share :)
Products pictured: envirocloths, window cloths, travel pack, body pack, make up removal pack, mop starter pack, rubber brush, dusting mitt, sportzyme, de scaler, mattress cleaner, cleaning paste, and spirinetts.
Why I heart Norwex: I have found that all of the products I have are excellent. My favorite is the basic pack (envirocloth and window cloth). The envirocloth removes bacteria from surfaces without cross contaminating (so you don't move bacteria around...not even to your hands!), plus the microfibers are of such great quality that it is great for deep cleaning. For example, I cleaned a bbq sauce stain out of beige carpet using nothing but my envirocloth and water. It took less than a minute.
That's just the envirocloth. If you want to know about anything else, ask me- or check out Mandi's website. I would recommend hosting a party...it has some pretty good kick-backs.
PS- I'm only sharing this because I want to share something I think is pretty great :)
PS- I'm only sharing this because I want to share something I think is pretty great :)
I had my second interview for a Mental Health Practitioner job at Community Technology and Services (CTS) in Austin on Friday. About an hour after my interview, I received a call and was offered the job! That was after they told me I could expect to hear from them by Tuesday or Wednesday, so I was totally blown away. I asked if I could have the weekend to think about it, but was then asked if I could come to work Monday. Wow!
This job is going to be challenging and full of new responsibilities, so I am a little nervous, but still excited! I have to say goodbye to sleeping until 8 am every day since I have to be there at 7 tomorrow, and it's a 35 minute drive. Yikes...I guess it's time to grow up :)
As for what I'll be doing at CTS... I am going to be working with people (kids, teens and adults) with mental illnesses, helping them come up with a plan to be more successful. I am not quite sure what that all entails, but I do know it sounds like a big responsibility. I'll have to see what day one brings.
I am so thankful and blessed to have found a job already. I only went two weeks without one. God is good--all the time!
I LOVE spending time with my family, and I love that I can make frequent trips to Iowa to see them. But sometimes it's nice to have my family here. Last summer everyone came up to Rochester for a weekend, and it was so much fun that we decided to do it again this year. Unfortunately not everyone could make it this time, but it was a fun weekend for those that did! In our 48 hours together we packed in shopping, great Chinese food, a bonfire at Ahmed's, a trip to the House of Bounce, grilling/pool party at my apartment, church, an engagement photo session for Heidi and Preston, lunch at a wood fire grill, a tour of Niagara Cave, and a little bit of sleep. The weekend went way too fast, but I enjoyed every minute of it. For the family member who takes pictures of everything, I don't have a lot of pictures from the weekend (besides the ones of Heidi and Preston). It was really busy, and I was just plain enjoying the time with my family. I did manage to get a few though:
Love those big baby blues!
Sweetest little face EVER!
My two best friends :)
Not having a job is hard work! (Sort of) I've been sleeping in a little bit, but still staying busy. Looking for a job is kind of a full time job itself, plus I have been getting ready for my family to come to Rochester this weekend (I can't wait!). I decided it was a good opportunity to do some cleaning, and I convinced Ahmed to hire me to do some painting in his house :)
A couple of people have asked me about the quote from my last post. Dr. John Stumbo was the senior pastor at Salem Alliance Church in Oregon until he had to deal with a terrible illness in 2008/2009. He happens to be friends with the senior pastor at the church Ahmed and I attend in Rochester. When Dr. Stumbo stepped down from being a pastor, he made a video clip that we viewed in our church. The quote is from that video, and I wrote it down because I found it really meaningful. I've held onto it for the past 2+ years (it's even on my Facebook page).
I was rather surprised this past Sunday when we got to church and found out that John Stumbo was giving the message (the day after I shared his quote on my blog- it was a little freaky). He shared the story of his illness and had an amazing message to go with it. I couldn't begin to do his story any justice if I tried to retell it, so trust me- it was good -as in tears-streaming-down-my-face-while-listening good! And the moral of his story: It's okay to grieve. We don't always have to pretend everything is all unicorns and rainbows...it's not. But no matter what, God is good.
Here's the quote one more time since it goes so well with his message:"Sometimes He's the God who delivers us from. Sometimes He's the God who walks us through. Either way, He's good. Sometimes He rescues. Sometimes He teaches us different lessons. Either way, He's good. You're going to learn something different about God if he rescues you or if He walks with you. You're going to learn something different about yourself if He rescues you or walks with you. God knows what you need. Our job is to trust Him." -John StumboGod is SO good!
