I don't know...

I don't know what to write about but wanted to write something. So I shall ask the question of the day and that is...

Who was your favorite character as a kid?

I LOVED Big Bird...love love loved Big Bird.

Oh I know what I can write about...my baby sister Alexandra or AL as we call her is turning 13 on Thursday! 13...I can't believe it. I will never forget how cute she was as a baby. She was a turkey that one, she got lots of spankings! AL entertains our family and has brought so much joy and honesty to our lives. I can't imagine this world without her!

Love you AL...always be yourself.

Liz & AL on our wedding day!

Slowing Down

All of a sudden Tuesday night after working late I was hit with a sore throat and achy body. By Wednesday late morning it was time to go home! Never in a thousand years did I think I would get sick right now. I felt fine. This week started my two class stretch before graduation. Monday night for four hours and Wednesday night for four hours. The Wednesday night class is completely dedicated to our final research project! It will be tiring and crazy but I am so thankful to be nearing the end I can hardly believe it's here.

I am ready for life again life other than devotion to a computer, book, or clock.

I am ready to see Joel and spend quality time with him

I am ready to work out five days of the week consistently

I am ready to have time to finish Andrea's scrapbook

I am ready to celebrate my sister graduating High School in the spring

I am ready to spend free time baking...cooking

I am ready to spoil a cute little baby boy that Christa & Matt will be having in December

I am ready to catch up on life with dear friends

I am ready to take a trip to Duluth with Andrea & Kari

I am ready to research purchasing our dog named Bruce (he will be a basset hound)

I am ready to have friends over for dinner

I am ready to go to Iowa and visit family

I am ready to clean up our place

I am ready to take a nap on Sunday's

I am ready to take more pictures

I am ready to work on some projects

I am ready to start selling cards again

I am ready to start planning for our Montana trip this summer

I am ready to celebrate

I am ready to have Bible Studies with women again

I am ready to pursue

I am ready to plan

I am ready to pray

I am ready to partay!!

I am ready...

What a day...

All weekend I had been so anxious about how in the world I was going to fit 18 people into our apartment for a Parent Kickoff Shower Joel and I were throwing for Christa & Matt. Little did I know God had much better things to worry about than my spacial issue. I decided to go to the early service for Church so I could come home and cook the rest of the food for the party. On my way home from church Matt was calling me so I answered. He proceeded to tell me that Christa fainted in church and she was being taken by ambulance to the hospital. They didn't think it would be much wrong but wanted to make sure. Christa on the way to the hospital blacked out again and threw up. Poor friend! Later Matt called and said Christa is well and baby is well. They are not sure exactly what is wrong so she's on bed rest until she sees her doctor tomorrow! My heart was in my stomach worrying so much about Christa and baby VanZee. The Lord knows what exactly is going on...I pray that He shows light onto any dangers.

What a day our friends had! I hope they are all resting tonight and finding peace in that tomorrow will be a new day and hopefully will receive some answers.

We had a few friends come eat some of the grub so that was good! Tuesday, Joel and I will bring Christa & Matt some dinner and dessert as we have lots of it :-)

I'm off to start homework...tomorrow begins the 2 class stretch for the next 6 weeks! I am oh so nervous for many reasons but I know it will only last for awhile. My patience, energy, and attitude will be tested but I pray for the Lords endurance and help to lean on Him through it all.

I did something strange with our computer today and LOST....ALL of our pictures that we have taken for the last 6-12 months. Including our honeymoon pictures, wedding pictures, and other fun adventures along the way. It looks as though they are permanently gone. I know I can get the wedding one's but not sure about the honeymoon. To me that is a huge LOSS! Pictures are marks of my memories. I LOVE to have them! Please computer, please give me my pictures back!

Anyone know how to get your documents, pictures, music back after a system failure? We have all our programs installed still but the other things are gone! Any advice and I'll take it...

Gamma Bird

This is my grandma. (my mom's mom) When I was a kid I would call her "Gamma Bird" because her last name was Berg. It isn't Berg anymore so I can't call her that. Makes me sad because I oh so loved calling my grandma "Gamma Bird" she always will be to me. My grandma and I would bake cookies together, make hats out of paper sandwhich bags, visit my great-grandma, great-grandparents, play outside, play with dollies, dress up, sow, do chores, go shopping. Gamma Bird taught me how to dance cheek to cheek, be silly, ride a bike, brush my teeth, play games and always have fun. I think that I learned to have a sense of humor from her. I never realized that until now but I think it's true. She was and is the funniest person I knew when I was a kid! This picture shows so much to me of our relationship. When this picture was taken she said something to the effect of "You're married! AAAAHHH!" and then we both laughed our big loud laughs.

I love you Gamma Bird.

Comfy and Cozy

I am sitting here in my favorite chair (big blue), watching my favorite show (Law & Order SVU), listening to a dog down the hall bark and cry his eyes out (mom and dad must have left him home alone...they should have let me puppysit), and looking at our wedding pictures! It's a nice do-nothing evening. Joel is with the boys tonight celebrating Dan's bachelorhood before his big day next weekend!

It's strange sitting and doing nothing. Hard for me to do. I think of all sorts of things I could be doing. I think I better...just be. Tomorrow will be a great day to get chores done.

I hope everyone has a comfy and cozy weekend!

Here are some of our very fun wedding pics! Thank You dearest Angeli! www.lissarragueimages.com

Tough day

Yesterday we got a letter in the mail from the IRS saying that Joel owed over $2,000 from a mistake on his taxes. We both thought that it was a mess up and Joel would call tomorrow (today). Well he called today and it's not a mess up. It was taxes from some medical studies he had done a long time back.

I am sad for two reasons:

#1 - we have to pay this bill that we barely have the money for. It will empty our emergency savings and other savings. That is a huge security gone just like that.

#2- we had it planned to go to Duluth on Friday, stay at Black Bear Casino (which is way cheaper than a hotel) and go walk around Duluth Saturday.

Originally our plan was to use our free nights stay at the Radisson in Duluth but they are fully booked. Lame!

Now we are definitely not going to stay at Black Bear...

Joel doesn't even know if he wants to go to Duluth.

I am plain old bummed.

I LOVE Duluth so much and long to get away.

There is a peace that says this too shall pass. We will get it paid. We are fortunate to have just the right amount of money to pay for it. I know I should not complain...that is not my intent. Just telling a story of those days that you are sometimes really bummed.

Maybe I'll see Duluth this fall maybe I won't. I sure will miss it if I don't. I thought I wouldn't be able to go at all because of school so I shouldn't be so bummed. But I am.

Here are some pictures from our last trip to Duluth (before our wedding day trip to Duluth)

Liz's Senior Pics

I took my sisters Senior Pictures a few weeks ago...500 to be exact :-) Here are some of my favorites. She is VERY photogenic so it was hard to only pic a few!

Liz is Queen!

Beautiful Lady....

Memories...

Today was OHS Coronation. My sister Liz was voted onto Homecoming court. We went to the ceremony with camera in hand waiting to capture the moment of who might win. Liz won!!!!! It was great. I'll post some pics later once I download them.

I really should be working on my 8-10 page paper for class on Wednesday. Especially considering I haven't even started.

My throat and ear hurt I hope I am not getting sick again! :-(

Joel and I are prepping to go to Duluth on Friday. I LOVE Duluth so much. I have no idea how to even describe the excitement and comfort I feel in Duluth! I am hoping to take Joel to my great grandparents place of burual. They never got to meet Joel. My great-grandparents were amazingly funny people. I am one of few kids who actually gets to grow up knowing their great-grandparents. I am very honored that they were able to leave an impression upon my life. I'll have to post a picture of them later as well. (Joel laughs at the picture every time he see's it because of how little I am. He tells me I haven't grown much since then. I wish that was true!)

Memories of OHS Homecoming and great-grandma and great-grandpa floating through my head tonight.

I'm married!

I have not written in FOREVER...so I thought I better update for my zero readers out there :-) That I am married! It has been two months as a Mrs. Life is great living with my best friend. We had the best day we could have ever asked for and more! Here are a few pics...

Summer Showers

Here are some oh so fun pics from my bridal shower thrown by my wonderful Christa Ruth! We had a fantastic mystery dinner, games, and presents. It was great!

Thank You dearest friend.

Mrs Koopman

I am officially Mrs Jennifer Koopman! It's mind boggling how we waited for so long to be husband and wife. Then just like that we are married. I love Joel more than I could imagine and I am sure that someday I will love him even more than I do now.

We had a wonderful day on the shores of Lake Superior where we got married. It was a gray and cloudy but perfectly set day just for us. Our family and friends stood upon the rocks of the cold Lake Superior watching us make a commitment to one another for life. It was wonderful!

The next day we had a reception at my grandparents home in Mora, MN. It was very hard to come back after we had been at a wonderful lodge in Duluth but we managed. The evening was full of delicious food, wonderful friends, and crazy dancing! We had a blast. I will remember those two days forever!

I am headed into my third week as Mrs. Koopman and I am finding that I love to spend time just being held by my husband. To spend time with him and talk to him about the days events. The part that has been the hardest has beent he surprises of life. When you dissapoint people and didn't even realize it, when things change and you didn't expect it, when things break and you didn't plan on it, when things hurt and you said they wouldn't, all of those things will forever catch me off guard in life. Why is it that we can't have a special pass that allows us to be in utter bliss for a certain amount of time? Because....this is earth and how we have created it to be. Makes me look forward to heaven when this constantly active brain, anxious heart and tiring body can finally lay at rest. I love what I have been given. The other complexities of life make me thankful for what's to come.

I love you my husband. Prayerfully and intentionally I hope to be a better person for you.

New days...

Check out the gorgeous lady below! She's a Mrs. Cassin now. I can hardly believe how fast life has gone. Makes me excited and teary all at the same time. I love you friend. Very proud and happy for you too!

Beautiful Bride!