Compass Pointe

The Many Faces of Me

2009-11-11T22:49:00.009-05:00

Bet you're wondering what the world is going on here...

What are these weird faces....

What do they mean?

Let's play a little game~I'll give you some clues...
The top photo is my Pilgrimage profile-YO!What do you guess I needed a paper plate face for-YO?! Some strange, cult Presbyterian thing-YO?! If you really wanna know-YO! To the next Pilgrimage you must go-YO!

The other two are pictures of my final project for art therapy class last weekend. The front view is the face I show the world. The back side is the real me...the inside me that the world does not see. Unless I choose to share with someone. Allow them a glimpse.
Can you guess all the symbols on my mask? What do you see outside? Inside?
If you can guess, I'll either be your best friend OR I'll marry you!
Not really~or maybe...

It's so interesting...we all wear masks of different types, for different occasions, around certain people, in certain places, at various ages and places in our lives. Just goes to show you that there's always more to everyone than meets the eye! It would be very enlightening to know how people really see us versus the way we see ourselves. Wonder what we could learn from that? What if we drop the mask? Would that set us free or cause pain?
Masks~not just for Halloween or the theater stage.
What kind of mask do you wear?
Any thoughts?

Another day @ FMG

2009-11-01T21:34:00.007-05:00

Here's the latest addition to our FMG collection. We have basically the same pictures, every season of the year, for the past three years! Today was about as perfect a day as can be had in Michigan on November 1st. Jayden and I are making or 7th our 8th trip of the year to Frederick Meijer Gardens. We're getting the most out of our membership! Funny how certain little things become so important. Jayden now insists on eating lunch at the cafe. He always wants to take the tram ride around the park. We have to stop at the sandpit no matter what. Even when the butterflies are no longer present, we have to go to the "butterfly place" aka the conservatory.We were outside nearly all day.It felt good. Jayden and I both got our arobics in running up and down the stairs in the ampitheater. I swear that was an hour of our day! Not to mention, Jayden has quite the pumpkin obsession and this time of year there are many to be found on the grounds here.He always wants to get his picture made with each pumpkin he encounters! He also loves to come around Halloween because of the spooky decorations they put up in the garden. Now the Great Lakes model is all sealed up and the fountains are turned off. By a stroke of good fortune, there were still some toys, trucks and shovels to use at the sandpit and dishes for the tea table in "the jungle". Jayden got to see the fish he loves so much in the pond near the entry and the ducks in the lower pond. The water was still turned on in the "circle thing" so that provided at least one opportunity to get wet! At the end of the day, there's one more stop at the cafe to get an ice cream treat. A quick look in the gift shop. Off we go towards home, just before 5pm closing time. Home to eat dinner and play games, watch a movie, before bathtime, prayers, and naps.So many traditions!I know those are the things children remember most from childhood.Tomorrow morning will come early~6 am~and we will be off for another tradition...breakfast at the Windmill before heading to school.

Howdy, Pilgrim

2009-10-31T16:51:00.008-04:00

No, not trying to imitate John Wayne~just showing a couple photos from work today. I decided to be a Pilgrim this year, inspired by my Pilgrimage last weekend...cleaver, huh?? Now I'm all set for Thanksgiving, too. Next year I can change it up a little and be a nun. Anybody know a handsome priest? Anyway, we had fun today and I'm sure you can view all the giddy-ups from Body Perfections on our facebook website. We had an angel/devil(Lisa), two cowgirls (Lindsey and Brooke), two faeries (Rae and Miranda)and a bathrobe beauty with curlers in her hair(Kari). Just thought I'd share... you're never too old to dress up for Halloween!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!! HAVE FUN~BE SAFE!!

PILGRIMAGE

2009-10-27T23:25:00.025-04:00

Getting there is half the fun??? By the time I left for my Pilgrimage, I felt like I had run a marathon!! Nothing went right~especially Mapquest~SHOCKER!!I was late for the rendezvous. The force was definitely not with me!I had a flashlight that didn't work, couldn't find the rain poncho, bedding was still damp because Tyler forgot to put it in the drier...I could go on and on! Whenever we make big commitments in our lives,it seems that big obstacles pop up to test our resolve! Such was the case with me and Pilgrimage.Still, I had the sense of being called and I knew deep down that it was meant to be for me to experience this thing called Pilgrimage. But what the world is Pilgrimage anyway??? Nobody was telling...Some sort of spiritual journey I was sure. But what were they going to do there? Especially without cellphones, laptops, and FACEBOOK!!! I wondered if it was an Amway ploy? A secret society like The Skulls? Worse yet..some kind of cult. Hmmmm. Hey, wait a minute, Kathy Bruins invited me. I'm sure she's not into anything weird.She looks innocent enough. Anyway, the Presbyterian church has some affiliation with this. When was the last time you ever heard of a bunch of Presbyterians running amuck, losing control, and going wild?? NEVER! Yeah, I'm sure it's probably ok. What's the worst thing that can happen? Go ahead, live dangerously, take a risk, right? So, I went.
You know me, I'm the one with the "I'm blogging this" T-shirt. It was my intention to write a tell-all, complete with pictures, describing in extensive detail everything I did and experienced on my Pilgrimage. In retrospect, I have decided not to do that. Why? Because Pilgrimage was a very unique, life-altering, God-finding, soul-searching event and, looking back, I understand why my friend did not want to tell me about Pilgrimage. She wanted me to have my own experience, uninfluenced by the input of others.There are people in my life that I hope will make this journey themselves and I do not wish to diminish the experiences of any future Pilgrims in any way. In fact, I believe that Pilgrimage should be on everyone's Bucket List~a once-in-a-lifetime must!
So, I apologize to those I promised to enlighten upon my return...
There are a few things I can say about Pilgrimage, however:

*Presbyterians are a lot more fun than I had ever imagined!
*The dining experience was very colorful, shall we say...roosters were crowing, hens clucking, chicks peeping!
*The first night I thought I had morphed into a nun.
*The second day I was channeling Picasso, Rembrandt,Leonardo Da Vinci, or maybe someone more on the order of Andy Warhol :)
*The third day I could have been mistaken for a cast member from Saturday Night Live!
*The fourth day everyone turned into a ROCK star!
*For some reason, the number 22 keeps popping into my head (inside joke!)

Lana Mae Baker gives Pilgrimage a 5-star rating and 2 thumbs waaaay UP!!

THE LORD IS MY ROCK! Psalms 18:2

Ponderings

2009-10-18T22:49:00.002-04:00

This slideshow is basackwards because I couldn't figure how to re-order the pictures in the web album after it was uploaded.A Benjamin Button kinda concept! Please keep in mind that this pond is not finished...and probably will not be until the good weather comes again in Spring/Summer of 2010. Just consider this a work-in-process:

Granny's Groovewalk

2009-10-18T19:52:00.006-04:00

Jayden and I have our own version of the Groovewalk and here it is:

After a frustrating attempt to attend the Kids Hope Prayer Walk...which turned out not to be a walk, which I was counting on to work the wiggles out of my little wiggle bug...Jayden isn't big on a lot of talking and no activity. So, Barb graciously excused us from the rest of the meeting and we spent a surprisingly entertaining afternoon walking downtown in Holland. Not very busy downtown this crisp Fall Sunday afternoon. Only a select few have acquired this taste...But we had fun noticing all the pumpkins downtown and drooling over the candy at the Peanut Store and Kilwins. We scoped out all the toys at the Sandcastle. We even peeked in the window at the Windmill where we will have breakfast in the morning before school. Most of the businesses were closed but we enjoyed the water fountains and all the sculptures that Jayden likes to pose with. We encountered a mix of Fall and harvest themed decorations and Halloween ones. We saw the occaisional dog out walking his owner. We shuffled our feet through several big piles of leaves. Stopped for a drink out of the drinking fountain at City Flats Hotel. Then made our way back to the water fountain where we parked our car. A quick trip to McDonald's for some Chicken Nuggets. Then home to check out the inside of the barn -just to make sure nothing has changed since last week! Jay taks a little sit on top of the hay bales in the pasture. We let Gunther and Patches run, before settling back inside for our usual viewing of Cars before bath and prayers and naps. We like our version of the Groovewalk just fine :)

Honey Crisp Express

2009-09-20T18:14:00.003-04:00

Yet another trip to Crane's...Somehow this never gets old! We had a wonderful lunch at the Pie Pantry and then out into the orchard to pick our favorite apples...Honey Crisps, of course! So sweet and delish~Bombdiggity!

We picked up some apple cider doughnuts to go, along with an apple pie that was still warm from the oven and some apple butter and raspberry jam, along with a gallon of their apple cider. That should hold us for awhile...but not too long~it will soon be Halloween time and time to go through the Haunted Corn Maze! What would we do around here without Crane's?? It just would not be the same!

Labor Day 2009: All Play and No Work!

2009-09-07T23:29:00.007-04:00

After extensive physical training, exhaustion, and near-fainting, I am proud to say that I made it ALL the way-all .19K- of the 11th Annual Blue Star Bridge Walk between Douglas and Saugatuck! Took all of about 5 minutes! The event began with the town crier announcing the bridge walk officially open. He was followed by a cadre that included the mayors of both Saugatuck and Douglas, two bagpipers, and congressman Pete Hoekstra. I would say there were at least 500 of us walking, double that if you count all the dogs! I had my reversible sign: Saugatuck or bust/Douglas or bust...there was one guy on a pogo stick...and then an entire line of people with toilet plungers(???).It was quite an experience! Of course, Kim and I just had to get the official T-shirts. We stopped at the doughnut and ice cream breakfast in the park afterwards as well. Next stop was Crane's Orchard. This marks the first weekend of apple picking. Since we were meeting Rachel and Carol for lunch at the Pie Pantry, then off to Detroit to the IKEA, we didn't want to pick a lot of apples~just enough to snack on during the trip. So, Gala's, Golden Supremes, and MacIntoshes were the ones ready now and we picked a few of each. We had lunch with Carol and Rachel Nykerk at noon and it was yummy as usual.Great conversation and wonderful to catch up again with both those gals~don't think I've seen Rach and Carol since our trip to Oregon in May/June. Our delicious lunch gave us the sustenance we needed for our roadtrip to Detroit Rock City IKEA. Kim had never been to an IKEA and I have only gone several times...with men..who have no patience for shopping, I might add! Never have I gone and been able to look at my leisure. So, we both shopped until our heart's content. We looked at EVERYTHING! There's enough stuff there to just make your head swim!We got a lot of great ideas and bought a few small kitchen gadgets and closet organizing supplies. Tired but happy, we stopped at Chili's for a very nice dinner and then home in the rainstorm. Our Labor Day was all play and no work~as it should be!Tomorrow is back to reality but, on the bright side,a short work week.

OMG! FMG!

2009-09-06T20:25:00.006-04:00

Granny has been working waaaay too much lately! So, last weekend I promised Jayden that I'd take him wherever he wanted to go...I am always amazed at the number of times he asks to go to Frederik Meijer Gardens! This is why, after our first year going to the butterflies, we just went ahead and got a membership. I'll bet we've been there an average of 8 times a year for the past three years! Jayden adores this place and I have developed such a fondness for it, too. I know we have taken many photos here. Many of them similar except for the fact that Jayden continues to change and grow up. This day, we went walking in a part of the garden that we've never gone to before. While on our walkabout, we ran into some aquaintances from Holland who were attending the wedding of a former neighbor. It was an Indian wedding and the traditional saris the women were wearing were just breathtaking! Jayden hit all his favorite spots...the fountains, the Great Lakes (complete with boats) and the sandpit where he is obsessed with the trucks and digging holes! We ate lunch in the cafe there and then did something at FMG that we have never done before-we took the tram all the way through the garden and viewed all the sculptures. It was really worth doing. I had no idea there were so many...and so much more room left for future expansion. The guide gave us all the names of the various works of art and told us who the artists were and a bit of background information about each artist and each piece of sculpture. It was really neat~and I learned something, too. Always a bonus!The farm hosted tastings for heirloom tomatoes today and there was also a rose show. It is my intention to get more involved with the exhibits and classes offered here in the future. For now, we'll be back later in the Fall for the pumpkin art and the Halloween decorations, then, of course the Christmas trees...and the cycle will begin anew with the return of the butterflies in the spring. We will be there!

What the cluck?!

2009-09-05T01:11:00.000-04:00

The Whitecaps took a shalacking by the Fort Wayne Tincaps! The Whitecaps started out like champs~Gustavo Nunez doubled, then made it to third on a grounder and ran it home on a pitch that went astray. This in the first inning. After that, no Whitecap made it past first base! The Tincaps scored a run in the 5th, three more in the 6th, and buried us under 3 more runs in the 7th to strike the final blow. Whitecaps lost 7-1. The worst game I've seen this season at 5/3RD Ballpark.

The redemption of this night came by way of the famous San Diego Chicken who I hear is possibly slated for retirement this year. This guy, Ted Giannoulas, has been "doing the chicken" since he was in college at San Diego State in 1974! A rock station in San Diego hired him for $2/ hr. to pass out candy at Easter time at the San Diego Zoo. He was such a big hit, the station kept him on to do other promotions. The chicken started showing up at the Padres games and that was the beginning...since then, this famous foul has appeared not only in sports events, but has been part of the concerts of such artists as Paul McCartney, J.Geils Band, Sammy Hagar, and even Elvis! He has entertained presidents. He even had a cameo in the cult classic movie, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.During all these many years, Ted Giannoulas has never refused an autograph request or denied a photo with a fan of any age, no matter how long after an event he has to stay to accomplish this.

I have seen the San Diego Chicken probably 6 times~it never gets old! This guy is always coming up with new material. Tonight was no exception. He pulled out the eye exam chart for the ref, he did multiple dance moves, ate and pooped out a ball(Jayden is still talking about the chicken going potty outside!), he kicked the ref in the rear, he made a mess sweeping the field when the groundskeepers were trying to do their work, he got the bases stuck to his feet and ran off with them, got into a water balloon fight, got his clothes ripped off(or is that feathers plucked?)and too many things to mention! ALL adorable and Jayden really loved it!! The chicken definitely saved the day seeing as the game itself was a total loss!

The game that never happened on the weekend that wasn't...

2009-08-30T08:31:00.008-04:00

I'm having another one of those weekends...the kind where all I do is work :( So, the highlight of the weekend was supposed to be the Whitecaps game on Saturday night BUT the rain just did not let up and it was finally cancelled without the Whitecaps even taking the field!) I've been there before when the game has started and then got delayed by rain or cancelled by rain after at least some play but this time, Oh, no, not even one pitch, not one high fly to center, grounder to third, foul ball, no stolen bases~nada, nyet, zero, zilch! Still, it was an interesting scene in some ways...we got there early and so we were able to have a little table under the eves. We got beer, hot dogs, hamburgs, peanuts. We stood around and visited and people watched. Pretty soon, everyone was scrunched up under the eves. I bet the vendors made a killing. Nothing to do but eat, drink ,and be as merry as possible. The kids had all gotten these funny little super hero capes as a promotional gift. Personally, I wanted one but you had to be 14 or under to get one and I guess I just wasn't convincing enough. Some of the adults were making skirts out of their kids' capes and dancing around. It was an interesting sight. The thing that finally caught and held our attention for a good portion of the evening was the people who were attempting to eat a Fifth Third Burger. As I understand it, the Fifth Third Burger is five 1/3 pound beef patties(to make it 5/3rds of a pound~get it??~because 5/3rd is the name of the ballpark...built by 5/3rd bank.Cleaver, huh? Then, in addition to the meat there's nacho cheese, chili, salsa, crushed tortilla chips, tomato and lettuce, served on an 8" sesame seed bun. This gigantic gut bomb has 5,000 calories, 300 grams of fat, and bunches of carbs! The other name for it is "heart attack on a bun".I have not verified the following information but someone told me the Fifth Third Burger costs $20. There's some sort of time limit, but if you eat one in one sitting, you get a free one or a Tshirt or something like that. There were two teenage boys making the attempt as well as one guy, we're guessing, about 40ish, who was attempting to eat two of them! Although he was an attractive fellow, the fact that he could eat that much of anything in one sitting made us girls a little nervous...hmmm.Anyway, I guess he was successful at doing that in May and decided to try it again. By the time the game was cancelled, at least one of the teenagers had made it. The older guy had finished one but was still working on the other. I'll get more of the complete low-down on the Fifth Third Burger next time~besides all this entertainment~we get to come back to another game for free because of the rain. So, either during playoffs or next May for sure, we get to do this all again! See, there is a silver-lining! Here's a few photos of our rain-drenched outing:

Grand Lady Riverboat Cruise

2009-08-23T15:58:00.003-04:00

There's a bit of a nautical theme to my posts lately...last weekend canoeing and this weekend I joined the SBD gang for a very pleasant afternoon picnic cruise down the Grand River. We saw many families of turtles along the way perched on branches in the river, lots of beatiful woods and colorful vegetation, along with an assortment of birds. Very picturesque. We discovered an extensive bike path that stretched thoughout the wooded area. A plan for a bike adventure in the near future is taking shape! Meanwhile, here are a few photos of our time aboard The Grand Lady:

Adventures in Canoeing

2009-08-15T20:23:00.004-04:00

Lana, Jayne, and the SBD bunch hit the Pere Marquette today. We had a canoe convoy that took us 15-20 miles downriver...some of us got off at the 15 mile landing but a number of the teams went the entire 20 mile length. The weather was perfect. The river was busy. We stopped for a nice lunch on the bank at noon. Shortly thereafter, Jayne and Lana ran amuck, tipped over, got stuck, got unstuck, ran amuck, rinse and repeat!Then Lana went solo with her unflattering disembarkment move out of the canoe~very comical:)))Unfortunately, during these times, we were otherwise occupied and sorry, no photos!Just glad we had the camera safely in a ziplock bag, securely in the mesh bag, which was tied to the handhold of the canoe or we wouldn't even have the pix we did get. You'll have to use your imagination...Very fun. Jayne and I are still speaking after all of this and, as a matter of fact, plan to go again next year as a team. This is true friendship if you can canoe together, tip it twice, and still consider the relationship solvent. Well, we were up the river without a paddle and lived to tell~next adventure, please!

Whitecaps Fun

2009-08-02T23:21:00.005-04:00

The Victory Point bunch took in the Whitecaps game today at 5/3rd Ballpark in Grand Rapids. My pictures didn't turn out too great this time so I'm afraid this adorable photo of me and my "date" Kim DeGlopper is the only one I find suitable to post. The Whitecaps basically annihilated the Cedar Rapids Kernels~they were pretty corny! The Caps won 10-4. Adam Wilk played his first game in the Midwest League giving up only 2hits, shutout for 6 innings, and managed to get 7 strikeouts. Not bad! It was a great night at bat for the Caps. Ben Guez had 5 hits, and out of the nine starters, eight of them had hits as well. The game unravelled a bit in the ninth inning when the Kernels came alive to get 4 runs in before being put to bed once and for all by the Whitecaps. Love that Dizzy Bat Race, the Cow Tipping, and the Eyeball Race! Great atmosphere~perfect weather~lots of fun!

Ribfest ala Dan

2009-08-01T21:51:00.004-04:00

Dan Wedge opened his home once again for what has become an annual event, the ribfest. The Life Connections group from CWC and misc. friends, family, and neighbors came to enjoy Dan's famous ribs, conversation, yard games and a campfire. Wish I could have stayed longer but it was a delightful evening anyway. Thanks so much Dan for being such a gracious host! Already planning on next year...

Jay Date: Day at the museum

2009-07-26T21:05:00.005-04:00

Those few of you who are faithful blog followers will see, once again, the cycle that repeats itself...this is year two...or is it three? Well, we've had at least a couple sets of pictures of Jayden at the Children's Museum downtown in Grand Rapids. Each time he's a little bigger. Each time, his interests have changed or the way that he plays in certain areas is more sophisticated. He is now able to conceptualize how to set up the ball maze or how to put the train tracks together. When we first started coming to the museum, Jayden simply ran from one spot to the next with hardly a pause. I see so much progress in his attention span and thought processes. Makes Granny proud...and I said that to Jay several times today. At one point he stopped what he was doing and asked me, "Gramma are you proud of me?" So, I guess he even understands the value of having someone be proud of your accomplishments. We enjoyed the day together, just Jay and I. Later, we stopped at home to pick up Ty for a run to the grocery store and to shop for new tennis shoes. This is at least the third pair of Spiderman tennis shoes he's had. Bonus, they had some Spiderman flip-flops too on closeout for $4 so who could pass that up? It amazes me, but Jayden never gets tired of Elmo's Potty Time so, of course, we had to watch it. Jay loves to feed the cats and dogs and help Gran water the flowers. Good times!

Pig Roast

2009-07-25T22:40:00.008-04:00

Here's a little ditty about Chuck and Diane~had a pig roast at their house and it was grand!

This annual pig roast and lawn party was once again a resounding success~our very own Bob DeVries DJ'd the event and specializes in oldies and classic rock(you can connect with Bob to DJ and/or his band, FULL COUNT at bobdevries49@hotmail.com) and there was plenty of intense fellowship...including the "f" thing that rhymes with skirt...A good time had by all.Our group has some pretty good dancers...I wonder if we'll see some of them on Dancing with the Stars?? You just never know. Thanks again to Chuck and Diane for their warmth, generosity, and wonderful hospitality! Next year, Bob, Molly Hatchett, OK?

Welcome Home, Derek!

2009-07-19T20:48:00.003-04:00

A picture is worth a thousand words...Lets just say, parties at Derek's are legendary and this one was no exception! A good time was had by all~many thanks to Pam, Tom, and everyone who helped make this a fun evening. Great to see everybody!

At the Zoo

2009-07-12T18:57:00.003-04:00

Our annual trek to John Ball Zoo happened today. We are used to a much larger zoo when we go to zoo Oregon. But our little one in GR has it's own funky hometown charm. New on the agenda, we stopped and got Jayden an airbrushed tat. He chose the snake himself. Then we also petted the sting rays this year. Jayden did the passport activites along the nature trail, too. Missing from our adventure this time was the camel ride. Nobody quite felt like it by the time we got there. He did the petting zoo. We saw all the exhibits. Jayden didn't make it to the swan boats again this year...maybe next year.Again this year, the two semi-finalists for the stinkiest animals were the Flamingos and the Bears. Last year I would have called it a tie but this year I would say the Bears won, hands down, for the most unGodly, foul stench! They need to change their diet! We got really close up to the Mountain Lions. Such beautiful animals. We saw the lions and tigers, too. The African exhibit has come a long way since they put it in-really grown up and filled in as far as the vegetation goes. Jayden was a funny little guy this year though...he kept saying such hilarious stuff.. Like answering "absolutely!" and "whatever" to almost everything! Another thing he kept doing is telling Tyler "that's a bad word" or "don't say that word" even when it wasn't a bad word~drove Tyler nuts and it was really funny after awhile. Then Jayden decided it would be cool to call his dad by his first name. That really didn't go over well with Tyler! When we were leaving the zoo, Jayden was looking at the bronze statue of John Ball and he asked, "What happened to him?" And Tyler told him, "They dipped him in Bronze!" We all got a good laugh out of that one :)

Night at Sapphire Lake

2009-07-11T09:10:00.000-04:00

The SBD folks gathered at the home of our very own Johhny B. for a potluck and campfire on Sapphire Lake. Perfect weather, gorgeous setting, great company, wonderful eats, a few adult beverages, and a rip-roaring fire after the sun set. At some point we got John to give us the tour. His house is so cozy~classy but comfortable. Very nice. So, after that, at some point during the course of the evening, and after spending some time with Leinenkugel, we hatched out a plot to secure our place in this lovely residence so we never have to leave...It went something like this...We decided to become Mormons. That way, John could marry all of us and we could be sisterwives just like on the HBO show Big Love. Diane, in true form, and the leader that she is,decided our work assignments: I'm in charge of all the sex and bedroom activities (why would she pick me???), Diane's gonna clean the place and Deb's in charge of the kitchen. Well, we tried to sell the idea to John but he said the prospect of having the three of us around was just too overwhelming. So, we had to concede defeat for the moment. But we asked him to just continue to consider the offer. Meantime, we had an incredible night by the lake. That is, until the mosquitoes got the better of us. Even if John doesn't accept our offer, we do genuinely thank him for his gracious hospitality at this most lovely of settings and hope that he will consider having us all back again next summer~I will bring my fishing pole and swim suit next time!

Dueling Pianos

2009-07-11T00:15:00.005-04:00

Gotta love those Friday night concerts in Kollen's Park!We had such a beautiful night and the music was awesome. All standards that we knew, loved, and could sing along with. These two guys are great! They are available for parties and special events:

http://www.piano-party.com

As usual, Boatwerks afterwards...the band there was great, too, but nothing compared with the wonderful companionship of friends :)))

Take me out to the ballgame

2009-07-06T20:54:00.002-04:00

Here's another family tradition that I am now enjoying with Jayden the way I did with my two boys~going to the ballpark, complete with all the sights, sounds and smells of a real, live game~nothing quite like it!Another tradition, we went to AJ's before and after the game to do gokarts, kiddiekarts, the bumper boats and some of the arcade games.Jayden got to do his first "driving" in the kiddiekarts and then Granny and Jayden faced-off with Dad, Tyler, on the bumper boats. We ran into the waterfall just for fun and got soaking wet! Stopped at the Main Street Pub on the way home for dinner on the patio. Then watched a little Elmo's Potty Time, Jayden had a nice bath,on with the Thomas the Tank Engine PJ's, and a long nap with Gran...Gunther, Patches, and assorted cats who rotate guard duty throughout the night. These are the good old days. How wonderful to get another chance to relive these special times over again with a whole new generation and to see these "old experiences" through new eyes.

Kollen's Park 4th of July Fireworks

2009-07-04T10:43:00.005-04:00

Second year in a row (so now it's a tradition)I went to the firework display at Kollen's Park accompanied by the usual suspects, as you can see! I met up with Mandy in the Morning JQ99 DJ and personal friend from church. Ran into the rowdy singles bunch from CWC ;) Hung out with Carrie and Jamie, Bonnie and Annie~no pictures of them cuz they arrived after dark...The music was good with various groups entertaining until the 10:20 start time of the fireworks.Then the B-BOP (Big Band of Praise)took the stage and we did a group version of God Bless America and The Star Spangled Banner before the show began. We had live music and songs all the way through the fireworks and it was an especially spectacular display this year. Sooo...since they decided to have the firworks on the 3rd instead of the 4th, I guess it'll be some other activity tomorrow. Wait and see. I think it's a toss up between Whitecaps baseball and going to see The Proposal.

Another perfect Jay Day

2009-06-29T09:47:00.002-04:00

As most of you know, Meijer Gardens is a favorite place for us. The Children's Garden is a place Jayden can spend the entire day and never get bored. We are members so we go very often. It never fails to bring us happiness. Since the gardens close at 5pm, still plenty of daylight, we went to Huizenga Park to visit the ducks and geese and to play at Timber Town~another favorite! Dinner at Logan's...gotta love those peanuts :) Home for playdoh, Elmo's Dinosaur video, bath and bed. Another perfect day spent with Jayden.

South Haven Reflections 2009

2009-06-27T19:02:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe the speed at which one week can pass! Here are some images of our trip this year to South Haven. I can close my eyes and see the water, the sand, the pier, North and South beaches, the cottages and the gardens in the VanStreen compound. I can hear the birds. I can hear the waves. I see all the lovely homes and cottages that line North Shore Drive. And oh those sunsets! These are the images that sustain me through our bitter, long Michigan winters...if I can make it to June and South Haven, then all will be well :)

DUNDINI

2009-06-26T12:04:00.004-04:00

True, I have not graduated yet...May 15, 2010 is the day, to be exact. Still, June 25th had cause for celebration~in spite of the passing of two megastars: Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Life is weird like that. A mixed bag to be sure. The occasion we were commemorating on this night was the completion of our core classes! Yes, we do have our clinical work yet to do. Practicum begins in early July and Internship begins the last of August. Some of us are doing the extra 12 credits to be eligible for an out of state license. So, it's not like we aren't going to have any studying ahead...not to mention the National Counseling Exam-YIKES! But we are done with all of our core classes and that represents the culmination of two solid years worth of hard work, blood, sweat, tears and a whole lotta moolah!$ So, hats off to us, MAC GR 06(aka Zach's Harem)! Good work! Well Done! Kudos to our cohort all around...Would you trust these people to do your psychotherapy? If so, we'll be available soon for consultations. However, probably not at Bar Louie!

Celebration of Friendship

2009-06-23T12:53:00.005-04:00

Going to South Haven has always been special. I loved the early years when my family (former spouse and kids) would go to South Haven for the Harbor Fest during Father's Day weekend. We'd stay at the Old Harbor Inn and cook out, go to the festival, listen to the music, see the crafts, spend time on the beach, go through the quaint little shops in town, take in a movie at the cheap little theater, have bonfires, eat at Clementines, have ice cream at Sherman's and walk the town all the way to the pier and back. I would always steal away somewhere by myself to watch the water, pray and meditate. It was sort of like a spiritual retreat. I have always felt this way here. It's similar to how I feel when I'm in Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast. These places just connect with me.The past 4 0r 5 years I've shared the treehouse with Sandy to one degree or another. This is the first year I have been able to stay all week and not have to go to work~although, school has been relentless! We usually invite friends to come down and share the experience. This year I invited my Lifegroup from VPM.

Sort of a bittersweet thing...my internship, which starts in July, will prevent me from attending my Monday night group. I've been a part of this group for maybe 4 or 5 years. I think I started when Trev was a Junior or Senior in High School and he is now 21. So, needless to say, these ladies have walked with me through thick and thin and I with them . We have prayed for each other, remembered each other's birthdays, done various service projects, read I don't know how many books together in our group, just been there for one another. I realize that nothing stays the same forever and that this next year will be for me all about taking the crucial next steps to finishing my Master's degree, deciding where I want to live, embarking on a new career path...lots of new and lots of change. I am planning on joining with the Central Wesleyan LifeConnections Sunday school as a replacement for the Lifegroup I'm leaving. But I realize that, no matter what, these ladies cannot be replaced in my life! They occupy a very special spot and always will. And, I will still see them at church. There's email. And facebook. Of course, Compass Pointe. But it won't be the same as being there week to week and I WILL MISS THEM! So, it was especially meaningful to have them over for dinner on Monday night to the Treehouse in South Haven.My South Haven buds, Sandy and Debbie joined us as well.

I fixed yummy fruit and tropical drinks, had chips and salsa for appetizer while we relaxed and talked in the yard. Misty and Sandy ran the grill. We had marinated chicken and pork tenderloin. We marinated and grilled green beans, zucchini and crookneck squash, mushrooms, onions, peppers, carrots and new potatoes. We had salad. And topped it all off with brownies and cheesecake. We talked and laughed and went into the yard with bubble wands and played like little kids. Then we walked down to the beach near sunset and just sat and admired the view. Before we knew it, it was time to say goodnight. Time goes by so fast when you are surrounded by great friends! This is the magic of South Haven~

Dad's Day Done Different

2009-06-22T13:16:00.012-04:00

Several weeks ago, I was out having coffee with a friend. We went to the counter to pay for our drinks and I saw a big display of Father's Day cards. I had a little momentary meltdown right there in the coffee shop. It came from out of the blue, triggered, no doubt by the cards, and the knowledge that I would not be needing to buy one this year because I no longer had a Dad to give one to. Not here on this earth anyway. I knew this Father's Day was going to be a tough one. The death of my dad on March 24th is just too new. I have not yet adjusted to him being gone. My dad has been such a significant person in my life that I can honestly say that I am not sure I will ever completely "get over it". I went to church and we had communion this Sunday. I am always touched by this sacrament but this time it was especially meaningful to me. That helped me feel closer to my Dad~a man of faith who shared this sacrament himself many times throughout his life. I packed and left for South Haven almost immediately after church. This is my traditional week to be there. Harbor Fest. Father's Day. Sharing time with Sandy and Debbie in the "tree house" at Mrs. VanStreen's. The air, the water, the beach, the trees, the birds~all so healing to me. This year especially so. Sandy lost her father about 3 years ago so we decided to celebrate and commemorate the lives of our fathers by having a little memorial service on the beach. We took sticks and wrote messages to our Dads in the sand. Hearts. Crosses. Phrases like: God Bless you in Heaven, Dad~I miss you Dad~Love you always.Sandy and I called these our Father's Day cards.

We both felt like our Dads were right there enjoying the sight of them. Then we sat and talked about our Dads on the beach. We told funny stories about our Dads. For instance, my Dad always called Father's Day, Farter's Day! We cried about some of the sad or personal memories, like the last time we talked to our Dads and some of the especially kind things they had done for us. We talked about the contributions these men made to our lives and how they shaped the women we have become. I will always be thankful for the great foundation in the Word that I got from sitting under my father's ministry and the Christian Heritage I got from both of my parents. Those deep roots of faith have carried me through many of life's most trying experiences, has made me the person that I am, and has given me great cause to celebrate the many aspects of my life in which I am truly blessed. Again, we felt that our Dads had heard every word and that they were enjoying this conversation between their daughters. I also thought of my Heavenly Father who is with me always. I am very well taken care of in the Father department! Honored to have two wonderful, loving Dads! This was a tough day, yes, but one that ended with joyful reflection, gratitude, love, humor, calm and peace. Happy Father's Day, Daddy! Love, your baby girl~

The Youngest Eagle Leaves The Nest

2009-06-09T21:46:00.005-04:00

Trev and I met for lunch today at Crazy Horse. Nothing unusual there. I do a lot of things with my sons and grandson. Except... it will be our last outing together for awhile. Bittersweet.Trev is on a plane this afternoon to go live with his dad a short period of time and then into the Navy. We have a nice lunch. We talk. We laugh and cry. Emotions are running high. We have never been away from each other more than a few weeks at a time. We will miss each other. We run to the library and quickly print off his eticket. I walk him to the car. One last tearful hug in the parking lot. I hand him the card I wrote earlier in the morning~and cried the entire time I was writing it. All my love documented in a Hallmark card. I ask if I can pray with him and we do~both crying now. "God be with us both while we are absent one from another...AMEN!" We get in our cars and blow each other a kiss. He is going home to get his bag and have Courtney drive him to the airport. I have to get back to work. While all us moms know this day will come sooner or later...AND it is our job to raise independent children who go off into the world to lead independent lives... but somehow, when the moment comes, it's a shock on the system! All those memories flash through your head: the day they were born, their school days, the story books, the playdoh, fishing poles, roller skates and bikes, the million gazillion soccer and football games, learning to drive, the first dates, the proms, high school graduation. Where did it all go? So fast! And yet, while a bit sad and reminiscent, I would not have it any other way. It is time. Every man needs a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue~at least that's what John Eldridge says...and I believe it's true. So, my Trevee is off on his quest and mom is proud and a little sad. I just got the phone call that he has made it to L.A. safe and sound. This is the start of a new life for him and I hope it's a great one!

OK~I know I'm being melodramatic but this is my baby! I realize it's not like I won't ever see him again. We will call, and text, and email, and, of course, Facebook! There will be visits home. More holidays and celebrations. Our family will be complete and together again I am sure. I sheepishly remember those fleeting moments when, out of frustration, I felt like selling him to the zoo for 5 cents...another mom thing...and all the times I wanted to kick him to the curb for being lazy and not helping around the house. Today, Trev ran for the curb on his own. Now, I just remember what a privilege it has been to be his mom and to watch him grow from a boy to a man. What a wonderful experience in my life. And...there's more to come! It will just be different. Grown-up stuff now. Well, on a lighter note, it wasn't two hours after Trev left that I got a call from Tyler wondering if I wanted to sell Trev's bedroom furniture! I just had to chuckle :)

Full Monty was full of fun!

2009-06-01T10:40:00.010-04:00

A little band of us Ya-Ya's took a road trip to Kalamazoo on Sunday to kill two birds with one stone:1.) We went to see The Full Monty at the Kalamazoo Civic Theater for a few laughs and some girlfriend time.2.) The other reason for the trip was to see my friend Flo Musser's daughter, Amy, who was working as a stage manager intern there since January.
The play was possibly one of funniest things I've ever seen in my life! The laughs were practically non-stop and at one point, I had tears in my eyes!The singing and dancing were first rate. A lot of profanity and adult humor in the songs which didn't bother me but I can see why not too many people from Holland wanted to go-lol! I loved the cast! It was a great mix~each person had their own charm. The guys were absolutely fantastic. I give them a lot of credit for being willing to grin and bare it ;))) The finale was indeed GRAND~really cute and very unique!I was worried that I might be disappointed because I loved the movie so much but I was pleasantly surprised. Let's say it certainly kept one's interest!I have never been to this theater before.It is beautiful, old and quaint.This theater is located downtown in the artsy area of KZoo. So much character. They had a fantastic live band also which we do not have the luxury of in Holland at our Civic Theater. The coffee served at intermission came in little china cups. It was an elegant touch and the lounge areas are of the classic ilk as well. It reminded me of past glory days of theater. A nice trip back in time to a place where elegance and the arts were held in higher esteem. It had an old-timey, more genteel feeling to it that I really loved.

Seeing Amy again was wonderful, too! She has grown up to be a beautiful, energetic, articulate young woman. I love her outgoing personality, intelligence and adventurous spirit. Flo home-schooled both Amy and her brother Andy and both of them have excelled in their areas of interest. Flo, you did a great job raising your kids! They are both amazing :) I wish that we had gotten to spend more time with Amy but she had to work after the performance tearing down the sets and getting ready to move to Ohio the next morning for another theater job over the Summer. Best of luck Amy~I know you'll be a great success no matter where you go! Don't be surprised in the Ya-Ya's turn up in Ohio sometime this Summer!

The Stylings of David Dziuban

2009-05-31T08:42:00.006-04:00

David Dziuban, aka Doobie, played at Butch's Dry Dock last night. A little history, Doobie has been coming over to our house for a number of years, with his guitar, singing with Trev and their whole group of friends, in my basement. I can't even tell you how many times I've been asleep upstairs only to waken to the sound of old Beattles tunes wafting up through the air vent in my room. PS~I wasn't always thrilled about this!! :))) BUT I do have to say that Doobs kept playing, kept practicing, kept getting out there...And now he's playing at the classiest place in town! He has a CD coming out! I remember when he was playing at Farmer's Market for coins thrown into a guitar case and during the Art in the Park series downtown when Holland has street performers one night every week.From humble beginnings such as this! I am so proud of him for pressing forward with his dreams. Over the years, his music has just gotten better and better. Still a young man, I have every confidence that he will continue to grow and improve as a musician and who knows where that could lead...And I can say I knew him when...It was such a fun night listening to Doobie, hanging out with T, and reconnecting with so many of the HC crowd that I've grown so fond of over the years :)Catch David Dziuban's CD release event on June 20@Butch's Dry Dock~it will be legendary...

The day I turned 50 :)

2009-05-27T22:24:00.008-04:00

I started the celebration of my 20th anniversary of my 30th birthday at Body Perfections with a day of pampering~this has become somewhat of a tradition~one that I intend to continue!I went with Court to a nearby park for a few photos in the wild. Then I went to class. I know, what a nerdy thing to do on your 50th birthday. Hey, learning is important!Since it was a school night, I took cake to share with my classmates and after class we met at Bar Louie for a consolation toddy to mourn the passing of my youth. The following night I had a celebratory dinner at Via Maria with my fam and took in the new Terminator Salvation movie which we gave 4 thumbs up!We hit the town in Holland after the movie~which proved to be this ol' girls downfall...didn't feel so great the next day at Bonnie's garage sale :( But by 7pm I was rearing to go again and this time it was with some of my Ya-Ya's for dinner at City Vu followed by another flick~Night at the Museum 2. Awesome! Church on Sunday of course and afterwards it was all about the Detroit Redwings kicking some major Blackhawk booty for a 6 to 1 victory. Ah, yes, one step closer to the Stanley Cup! The rematch with the Penguins will be remarkable! Lots of animosity left over from last year I'm sure. The fights will be legendary! So Monday we focused on the Memorial Day parades and services in our area, had a cookout, and I did one of my interaction sessions in the evening for school. All in all, a fun and productive weekend.This was the "kickoff" of my year long celebration of year 50. Sure to culminate in May 2010 with my graduation combo belated 50th BD Blowout~aka The Mother of All Parties...stay tuned, conserve your strength, and save the date! Thanks much to everyone who called, emailed, sent flowers, sent a card, took me out, gave gifts, celebrated with food and drink and photo and movies, facebooked me, and otherwise sent well-wishes and love my way. I was really feelin' it;))) 50 is fab so far!

Elvis high-fived me, Photos Not Available

2009-05-18T23:34:00.013-04:00

No matter how hard I try, I always either forget to pack something I need for my vacation OR I come home and realize that I left something I need behind...This time it was the latter. Which is a shame because it was my camera battery charger that I forgot at my brother's house and my digital camera has no juice left...so the blog will be rather bland until I get another one(which will happen before my birthday on Thursday, guaranteed!).
The hell of it is that I had a really fantastic weekend and no way to immortalize it here. I actually had down time on Friday night and stayed home and watched the Farrah Fawcett documentary on Dateline~who is ever gonna believe that without a picture??? I was very moved by Farrah's story and I felt it was extremely brave of her to share her experience battling cancer with all of us. I admire that she is not afraid to share her humanity, thoughts, fears and is willing to use her very personal struggle with cancer to inspire others to live life full-out and also to raise awareness about the need for more research and progressive treatments available in the United States as they are in many foreign countries.
Saturday I worked. No Kodak moment there. I came home and watched my filly, Rachel Alexandra, win the Preakness, before heading off to the campfire at Jack Kuiper's house. It felt like November~so cold!The night was funX10! I loved the setting. The fire pit was located inside a maze-type topiary hedge so it felt very secluded even though it was right in town and right in Jack's backyard. Reminded me of The Shining or Chronicles of Narnia. In a nice way, of course. The food and company was exceptional. I would have loved to have gotten a picture of that hedge though. I hope Jack invites us back...
Sunday is church~goes without saying, I guess. Wonderful as usual. All about choosing friends wisely. Just affirmed to me how blessed I am in life. I have a ton of the absolute best friends! They are the salt of the earth for sure! Pastor Steve had 3 main points about friends: A friend is there when you need them(Prov.17:17, Job 6:14, and Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). A friend says what needs to be said(Prov. 27:6, Prov. 27:9). A friend brings out the best in you(Prov. 22:24-25, I Cor. 15:33, Prov.27:17).Well, I guess I don't normally take pictures at church anyway. Usually it's a picture of a path of some sort. Which I don't have this week either.
The most sad and pitiful thing about this no photo business is that Sunday, after church, my friend Patricia took me to the Grand Rapids Symphony for an early birthday celebration.The theme was Viva Las Vegas and it was just the most amazing thing ever! The symphony had Vegas Showgirls, a Liberace impersonator that was unbelievable!The symphony, along with some great vocal performers, reprised many of the Vegas greats such as Frank Sinatra, Wayne Newton,Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., many of the Broadway-style shows, cabaret songs, and too much to even name. While we were there Elvis high-fived me while singing Viva Las Vegas during the encore. Then he left the building. I have absolutely no shred of photographic proof. Just Patricia's eyewitness testimony. It was impressive alright. Too bad, no photo. You'll just have to take my word for it and use your imaginations.

Thinking about Mom~

2009-05-10T07:10:00.001-04:00

People always say that if you want to know what a woman will look like when she's old, look at her mom. I feel very encouraged by that thought! At age 91, my mom is still a very attractive(young-looking for her age) lady~she coordinates her outfits and takes care of herself, still keeps her hair stylish and cute, and maintains a healthy amount of pride in her appearance. More importantly, my mom, Lillian Margaret Baker, whose initials I share, is a beautiful person inside. That's where it really counts anyway! I am now, and have always been, inspired by her faith and passion for God. She has not lost the fire! Mom has always been a devoted wife. Having met my dad at age 5, married him at age 20, and lived with and lovingly cared for him for over 70 years, she took her vows "til death do us part" and "in sickness and in health" very seriously, indeed! Mom remained at his side until the last breath was drawn.Mom is also a fierce lioness and prayer warrior when it comes to the church that she and my dad pastored so many years. She is protective and loyal. She is like that with her family, too. Don't mess with the Bakers! I am so blessed in my life knowing that every day my mother prays for me and for all of her family members. That is such a powerful contribution she makes.I can always feel her prayers. Recently, Mom accompanied me and my boys and grandson to the beach for four days. She was a trooper and participated in almost everything we did. She kept up with us very well for a lady 91 years of age. She was no party pooper! I love my mom's sense of humor~she laughs much and often. She is so great about seeing the humor in life. Mom has always set a good example for "doing the right thing". We pick on her for being Canadian and also for coming from West Linn :) She takes it with humor and good grace. My mom instilled honesty, integrity, and a servant's heart in all her children. I just wanted to share my thoughts about my mom. I love her so much and am so full of gratitude for the example she set for me. She has helped me to become a better person and a better woman. Love you, Mom! Happy Mother's Day!

Last Day Photos

2009-05-07T00:32:00.003-04:00

Here are some images from the final hurrah in Oregon. It was an eventful day...catching up with family and friends. Breaking up is hard to do! I always have a tough time leaving. I love the photos where Trevor is wearing my dad's suit jacket and cap. He looked so adorable with Mo-Mo. I also loved seeing all the white and pink dogwoods that were in full bloom around Oregon. The dogwoods are just about my favorite flower of all time~weird, huh? But I just love them! Trevor took Jayden golfing~Jayden threw a golf club in the pond while Unka wasn't looking...oooops!! Poor Trevor had to pay $25for recovery of the golf club from the pond~service charge :)Trevor has the patience of Job and also has informed me that he will not be having any children soon-lol! This is the same little angel who got his head stuck in a chair at Chang's a few days earlier. Boys will be boys, I say...Well, we are back home in our lives again. Hit the ground running! I was back at work on Thursday am bright and early, then school, then a 10-hour day today which was fully booked and tomorrow I go to Lansing for a Sexual Abuse Recovery class for one of my degree electives. Never bored! I miss my Oregon friends and family but also happy to see all of those who share my life here in Michigan. We got to meet the lead singer of Pop Evil at the Curragh~who would have thought a local band would get to be such a big deal, but they are!Lots of good stuff both places. I'm a lucky girl!

Oregon Vaca 2009

2009-05-05T04:49:00.003-04:00

At this point, with only 24 hours left to spend in Oregon, I always have the same sense of disbelief that my time here is gone...each year it seems to get harder to leave my family. This year I'm sure it's because of recently losing my dad. I hate especially to leave mom. In spite of the rain, which is so typical here, it has been a good trip~for the most part(except for some of the more labor-intense aspects and a cold sore the size of Kansas!). The first day we had a surprise birthday party for Tyler, who turned 24 the day we arrived. Great turnout and so fun to see everyone. The generosity was overwhelming. Tebos is always a good choice: ) Then off to Lincoln City with Mo-Mo for four days. We enjoyed the beach and the pool, shopping at the outlet mall, eating at Mo's, and crabbing at Taft in the little harbor there. Thanks to Carol for setting us up in her nice, roomy condo with the fabulous view. We stayed at the Baker Barn again this year~thanks, Andy and Evelyn for all your hospitality. They always roll out the red carpet! We spent the week visiting with family and friends. That is always the main purpose of our visit anyway! We enjoyed a stormy visit to Saturday Market~but many plans were washed away by the rain! Didn't do as good of a job this year in the photo department. Really missed Courtney not being with us~but she did a great job taking care of the pets for us and watching the house, getting the mail, etc. Thanks, Court! Didn't see much of Rach and Carol. Guess I'll see ya' back in Michigan, Rach! Until next year, friends and family in Oregon~I will miss you-think of you all the time-can't wait to return...HUGS!!

Irregularity Explained

2009-04-24T08:00:00.002-04:00

Don't call Jamie Lee Curtis-Activia will not help! Don't bother going to Walgreens for an EPT. It's not that kind of irregularity I am referring to! I have had so many people this past week ask me why I haven't been writing the "regular" features on my blog...so, I thought I'd explain to you why I'm irregular : ) First, the reason most personal bloggers don't do regular, recurring posts is because it's nearly impossible to do so unless you have no discernable life at all. Eventually, you just can't keep up...life is unpredictable to say the least and some days and weeks are so hectic that it's a challenge to even collect a coherent thought much less write it down! Here's the status of my "regular" features:

The Path I Walk: This one is alive and well, however, I'm much more motivated to write it when I can actually go outside and take pictures of paths. That's my deal. I love getting out and walking, running or biking in nature. When I can't do that I get bummed. So, when I get bummed, no column. I always write about my spiritual journey and reflections in this regular feature. I always have material for that. A seeker is who I am and that's what I'm about-it's what I dig and what makes me tick. Sometimes it's what's going on in Life Group, sometimes what's going on at VPM, and sometimes just my own personal devotions or a combination of any or all of the above. But it really is contingent on my getting outside to go hiking. That's what lights my fire. So, you can look for this feature to occur more often as I am able to be outside.
A Pound of Cure: I am still working on my weight and doing Weight Watchers BUT I have been stuck at about 30 pounds for the past 6 or so weeks. Not very exciting to report. Family Fitness closed on March 31st and I haven't rejoined another gym. That has taken the momentum out of my exercising. I will be walking, running, swimming and biking this summer so I will probably be able to get off the plateau sometime after I return from vacation. I know better than to think I'm going to lose weight while I'm hanging out with the fam in Oregon! When I have more exciting news, trust me, I'll post it!
Running Toward 50: Plantar fascitis definitely has had me sidelined on my running goals over the winter but I have not given up entirely! I still have a marathon as a goal. It's just not going to happen by my birthday. The boys and I are training for a 5K on or close to my 50th birthday and the plan is to keep increasing mileage from there on...You will see this feature again. Probably photos from the 5K in May. Watch for it.
Now you know. And I am hoping to once again be regular in the very near future!

Most Amazing Person: Joan Anderson!

2009-04-23T23:14:00.015-04:00

It was a gift being able to spend an hour with Joan Anderson on Wednesday~the coolest lady ever! Absolutely one of the biggest thrills and highlights of my almost-50 years on this planet! Joan Anderson has written five best-selling books: A Walk on the Beach, An Unfinished Marriage, The Second Journey, A Weekend to Change Your Life, and A Year By The Sea. Joan has made many media appearances, including Oprah-TWICE! I can hardly believe that I met someone who knows Oprah! She was in town for several speaking and teaching events including a fundraiser for Center for Women in Transition. When you first meet Joan, you are immediately touched by her warmth and powerful yet down-to-earth presence. We talked like old friends. Kindred spirits. Joan is open and deeply interested in the lives of others. She is a mentor, an intuitive, and a cheerleader for other women in their quests for self-realization and empowerment. She is very generous in sharing from her personal experience and heart. Joan's story and the insights she has gained are very impactful and moving. I felt lifted up and enriched by sharing time and space with her. Joan is making a huge difference in the world by her participation and contribution. You owe it to yourself to learn more about this phenomenal woman:

http://www.joanandersononline.com/

Joan also does seminars, workshops, retreats, classes, speaking engagements, and other events~which I intend to take in at the first possible opportunity!

I am also making it my goal to read her books while I'm on vacation the next two weeks in Oregon!

Thanks Joan, for coming to our area, and for lending your support to the Center for Women in Transition~We appreciate you so much!

Doggie Lookalike?

2009-04-23T07:10:00.000-04:00

They say people pick dogs that look like themselves. What do you think?

I've also heard it said that after awhile together, dogs and their owners begin to look alike...

My dog, Gunther, has his own dog! Do you think his dog, Patches looks like him?

I think this is all just bullshit~but I do sure love my dogs no matter who or what they look like!

In Honor of Earth Day~April 22, 2009

2009-04-22T05:50:00.001-04:00

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

CAPTURED! Sanchez~fugitive from justice!

2009-04-21T09:56:00.007-04:00

There's one in every crowd. In this case, out of 7 cats and 2 dogs, Sanchez is the smartest and most devious of all the pets. If you go downstairs and even rearrange the cat carriers, he hides! He knows that this activity is the forerunner of a trip that he does not enjoy. Last year when it was everyone's time to go for shots and checkup at The Ark Animal Hospital and Cat Clinic, Sanchez was on the last installment of pets to be seen. It's like a military maneuver. Everything is timed down to the minute. I take the two dogs in, then return to the house for four cats, drop off the four cats, take the two dogs back to the house, get the the other three cats, take them in, take the previous four back to the house. On the final run, I return for the remaining three cats. The Doctor sees other pets while I'm running the taxi service so I have to stay on schedule. So, on the last run, Sanchez was supposed to go...but we couldn't find him. We had to disassemble two couches to find him. By then, we were irretrievably off schedule and the whole works was fouled up! This year he wised up even more. He found a new hiding spot~apparently better than the couches! He was MIA. So, we left the cat carriers out for a few days so Sanny would be used to seeing them out and not suspect anything(can you believe we're even having this conversation about a cat?) Anyway, we had to ambush him first thing this AM to get him in for his checkup and shots. He was plenty displeased by the turn of events, too. It was actually a near miss as it was. Trev left a window open downstairs and a number of cats were missing and when I caught up with Sanchito he had wet fur~busted~he had been outside! So, finally, we get the little rebel taken care of! Notice how wonderful Dr. Wilson's office is. He and his staff go out of their way to cater to their furry little clients, no matter how uncooperative!

Now the whole crowd is set for another year, barring any unforseen events. Next year, Sanchez will be the first cat to go! We've learned our lesson. Stay one step ahead! Hopefully, we can be smarter than the cat!

Happy Feet for Traveling Shoes

2009-04-20T21:52:00.005-04:00

Believe it or not, this is a strategic planning meeting : ) Actually, I gave Rach a gift certificate for her 50th birthday in March (at her surprise party ,which was a blast!) for a pedicure, knowing full well that we'd be doing this together before leaving for Oregon~we planned our trip while soaking and downing a couple glasses of White Zin (helps us think!). Now our feet are saying, "Ahhhh" and they look fantastic, too! We opted for wild colors to reflect our personalities-hehe!

I went for the orange poppy color to match my Aura-lol!

Some days are diamonds~

2009-04-19T23:05:00.003-04:00

I was "on" this Sunday, meaning, I was teamleader for the First Impressions Team this morning at church. I've had to do a lot of trading around lately because of my erratic schedule, upcoming vacation(s), and impending internship : ) The up side of that is the opportunity to experience working with all of the other teams that I normally don't get time with. I've been on this team since 2001 or 2002. The hospitality aspect is one of my spiritual gifts and so this area of the ministry at VPM has been a very good fit for me personally. I am always struck by the opportunity we are given to have a part, however small, in the bigger picture. No matter if you are greeting at the door, working at the information desk, handing out programs, ushering, or running the kitchen, this is a ministry and I have been challenged to do the best possible job. We are in service to others but we are working for God and His Kingdom. After 7 or so years, it is easy to get complacent, careless, and stuck in a rut.Take things for granted. Forget the importance. These past few months I have been trying to reframe these tasks in light of our mission at VPM to love God and love people and to make more and become better followers of Christ. I was very blessed today in working with my team and seeing all of my VPM family.
After church I met my dear friend, Michelle, for lunch at TGIF Rivertown. We don't see each other nearly often enough. When we do, we pick right back up where we left off. It's always a fun and meaningful time. We laugh, we cry, we analyze everything, we talk in circles until we arrive back at square one, we listen deeply to one another, we vow to do a better job of getting together more often...yeah, right! We are planning to go to the same nursing home someday so we really get time to visit! It's always so great to be with friends like that who remind you of who you really are~and they love you anyway! We are both making good progress in our lives and both of us chalk that up to our walk with God. I can't believe it, but we talked for 3 1/2 hours! And got in a little exercise walking the mall!
Then, when I got home from visiting Michelle, Tyler told me that all the girls at his work were wanting to see Jayden and that it was very quiet there tonight so we should go to Brann's together for dinner. And that's what we did:

We had to watch Elmo's Dinosaurs DVD before bed and pop popcorn to eat in Granny's bed...Jayden is the only one who can get away with this!He makes a terrible mess and I find popcorn in the sheets for days! He gets "Gunfer" and Patches up on the bed to share our popcorn and we eat popcorn, talk, and cuddle until he falls asleep. In the morning Tyler and I take him to school. Life is good. Days like this I realize how truly blessed I am.

So it begins...

2009-04-18T19:26:00.004-04:00

First ride of the season is in the books. I started at Helder Park, made one loop around, then down Quincy to 96th, across to Zeeland West and made a loop around the entire campus plus through the tunnel and all around the practice fields and wetland area, back across to Zeeland East and made a loop, back onto 96th to Roosevelt and all the way past Creekside to the street the football stadium is on. From there I turned right onto Riley (and I still say I'd rather go skydiving than cross Riley on my bike!), back to 96th, then Quincy back to Helder Park where I did another loop all the way around the baseball and soccer fields. Not sure how far that was. I was out on the bike about 45 minutes. I am always appalled at my own fitness level the first ride out. I know that by the time I have to put the bike away again, this same ride will seem so easy. For now, I am breathing hard and sweating under my helmet! Gotta start somewhere, right?!

Love, Sex, and the IRS@Holland Civic Theater

2009-04-18T00:26:00.009-04:00

Returned home in time to catch Charles Barclay giving us political advice on Jay Leno~I don't think so! Does he think we're all turrible knuckleheads or what? Well, anyway , had a very fun Friday night out with the gang from Singles by Design. First, we went to see the Holland Civic Theater production of Love, Sex, and The IRS. Very funny show! The cast did a superb job. My personal favorite was Eric Hatch who played the cross-dressing Leslie Arthur. He made a very sexy girl. I especially liked the hairy midriff scene, hmmm. I don't think I've seen a play there since the year Marcee came to visit for Tulip Time and we went there to see Nunsense. That was maybe 1992 or 1993...I had forgotten how tiny that little theater is. And once everyone gets in there, breathing in and out, it is hotter than bloody Hell! Not the best environment for the perimenopausal types. But the quaint little place has a lot of history-49 seasons worth-that's as old as me, currently, until May, that is...and they do a nice job of making a social event out of it. Lots of volunteers help out and add the personal touch. They serve refreshments to the patrons at intermission. Small town stuff that makes it very homey and unique. It's obvious that Holland is a very supportive city when it comes to the arts. I think we have access to so much good stuff here. Art, music, theater, family events, food, and outdoor activities. It's a great place to live. Afterwards, most of the group opted for martinis and appetizers at 84 East. But us mavericks opted for the New Holland Brewery. Had to have my Mad Hatter! It's nice to see so many places open downtown on the weekends and busy...Lot's of people out. Seriously, it has been a LONG winter and I think everyone is just thrilled to be able to get out without mucklucks and snowpants! Thanks Diane for getting things together, as always! Thanks Jayne for being my chauffer! Deb and Carol~enjoyed the witty, lively conversation. The "man stories" were very entertaining! Fun ones, you are! We'll have to do this...or something like it...or something completely different (hehe!) very soon! Til next time :)

A Prophetable Experience

2009-04-14T14:18:00.023-04:00

On Monday, Tyler, Trevor and I had a unique experience. We visited a man named Ed Lixey, who has a spiritual gift is in the area of discernment and words of wisdom. The last time I experienced this sort of ministry, I was still living in Oregon, preparing to move to Kentucky, and a prophet came to the Newberg Foursquare Church where I was attending. This man had no idea who I was, had never met me, had never spoken with me before, and people were allowed to just randomly approach him during the service for a word-meaning, he had no way of knowing who might come forward. He gave me two scriptures that God had laid upon his heart for me that confirmed that the move was part of God's plan for my life and then proceeded to tell me about things I would encounter on my journey. Everything that he had told me did unfold the very way that this man had shared it. That was 20-some years ago. A lot of things have transpired in my life since then. In times of great change and transitions I think we do often look for a significant message from God to help us navigate the unfamiliar territory. All three of us have been feeling this lately. So, when our friends, the Collars, let us know this man was available for appointments at their clinic this week, we jumped at the chance to hear what God would have to say to us~individually and as a family. I am giving you the Reader's Digest version that I transcribed off the tapes made for us by Ed Lixey.

Prophetic word for Lana as spoken by Ed Lixey on April 13, 2009:

"What I hear the Lord saying for you is 'well done' because you have had your ups and downs and a lot of disappointments but you kept pressing toward the mark of the high calling Of Christ. You have that drive in you to see excellence in your kids. You are in that season where God is going to bless you. You can have some of the things that you have been believing for. You have been standing and believing. Your faith is way out there like Peter when he walked out of the boat. He had to stand on the water by faith. Peter made a mistake by taking his eyes off Jesus but you still have your eyes on Jesus.You have not been moved. You have stood firm. I have heard the Lord say, 'Now it's time' . I hear the Lord saying from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, there's a healing going on. Everything is being put in its proper order. I also heard the Lord say that there is a lot of teacher in you and you will be a teacher to the next generation. I also heard the Lord say that there is much provision coming for you. You have planted a lot of seeds. Now God says, 'Be expecting a large return'. Where you've been having faith in the area of jobs, expect not just to get by, but to prosper. Believe for better jobs. I heard God say that revival is coming to your family. One that is close to you that you want to see a touch from God will be touched. God says watch what I do. Move out of the way and let Me do it. My glory and my power is going to touch, deliver, and set this one free."

What really floored me about this was that this is not the way I see myself at all! I view myself as a very imperfect person who screws up a lot!Basically a decent person, a person who means well, but a person with a long way to go... I found it truly remarkable that God sees me so differently. I got a little taste of this last year when I read the Ragamuffin Gospel and then yesterday when I finished Captivating. God is crazy about all of us just how we are. He has a special place in his heart for us women-yay! I was so encouraged to know, that in spite of all the things I feel I get wrong, that God could still say "Well done" to me. Especially about my kids. Sometimes we, as moms, feel like we've failed our kids. We take their struggles so personally. I can't tell you how encouraged I felt after I received this word! At least in God's opinion, which is the only one that really counts, I have done some stuff right! Good things are ahead!

I will only share a few things from Tyler and Trevor's word. I don't want to invade their privacy too much because some of the things that were revealed were more personal. The Lord specified that Trevor and Tyler both have a lot of business on them. They both have callings on their lives to do much for the Kingdom of Heaven. Trevor will be getting an opportunity to do a lot of traveling in the next few years and Tyler will be coming into some property. God specifically spoke to Trevor about the fact that he has not allowed himself to be bitter about events of his past and God is going to lift him up and restore some things to his life that he did without and/or had taken away from him. God is working out things in both Tyler and Trev's lives in the area of bondages being broken and wounds of the past being healed.

We were all very humbled, touched and encouraged by having these words spoken over us. I know a lot of people wonder about things such as this, but the Bible does speak about those who have these various gifts. I felt privileged to have this opportunity to experience this spiritual gifting for myself and to share that with my sons. It had a profound effect on all three of us. Not something we will forget any time soon!

Easter Done Different

2009-04-12T22:10:00.011-04:00

It all starts here...

Leave it to the Baker/Wieds to come up with a "traditional" Easter celebration.

The traditional Easter meal~Chinese with beer and tea. Remember, I gave up beer and Jay Leno for lent? Well, as of today, both have made a comeback!

Here's the foursome at Winding Creek

This is the way we get onto the green!

Getting out of the trap...Tyler's specialty!

Mom cleans up...Shocker!

Taking a break from the hard work of golf

Trevor provides comedy relief

Tyler and Caz

Discussing strategy

Such a beautiful day! Made it nearly 60 degrees. All the turkeys were out on the course!

Another traditional Easter past. Plans in place for next year already. Church, Chinese, and tee time @ 4pm!

Hope yours was happy!

Road Ready

2009-04-10T21:02:00.005-04:00

Jim Degracia of Jade Cycles made a house call for me this am. Jim, also a client, was nice enough to take my bike into his shop after his massage this morning and returned it to me this afternoon on his way home from work. Now that's what I call customer service! It was a very reasonably priced tune up as well. And Jade is located close~in Zeeland. Shop local, I say! Jim and I have something else in common besides an interest in massage and biking. We are both West Coasters. Jim has lived in all of the states referred to as the Pacific Northwest: California, Washington, and Oregon. In fact, Jim still has business connections through his cycle business in the Seattle/Puget Sound area where he lived for a number of years. He also has relatives in Oregon. Specifically the Cornellius area. Jim is planning to return there some day...he even suggested we might form a convoy going that direction :) Hmmm! Interesting thought. Anyway, I just want to give Jade Cycles my personal word of endorsement. Anything cycle related, I'm calling Jim! If you'd like to check out his websites:

http://www.jadecycles.com

http://www.whispercycles.com

Thanks, Jim! I am now road ready for the 2009 season. Out to get more miles in this year than last! My goal is to ride at least every other day~anybody out there up for putting a riding group together? Let me know...

The Path I Walk: Holy Week

2009-04-08T11:55:00.006-04:00

The path I walk is not covered in snow as predicted~even though it's cool outside, we have blue skies and sunshine! And I am looking up this week. It is, after all, Holy Week, and as Matt Yount reminded us this past Sunday, Palm Sunday, no matter what our schedules have on them this week, it is nothing compared to what our Lord went through during the last week of His life~what a perspective!

Matt did a great job of reminding us, through scripture, songs, and visuals the events of Holy Week, leading up to the crucifixion of Christ. I love the stories. Stories I have listened to since my childhood. Especially the entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Remember when, in Sunday School, we'd make those palm leaves and wave them around? The best part, for those of us who have accepted the sacrifice of Christ for our redemption, is that this story is REAL and it ultimately has a happy, victorious, triumphant ending!

My evolution in faith tradition has gone from growing up in what used to be termed a Holy Roller church(Charismatic), all the way from birth until after I married and moved to Newberg~I was saved in a Foursquare Church in Oregon City at age 14~attended Open Bible Church and a Foursquare Church in Newberg. When I lived in Kentucky I first attended Cornerstone Community Church in Paducah but later became a member of the Sharpe-Little Cypress Baptist Church close to my home in Possum Trot! Since coming to Michigan, I tried a number of churches initially but could not find a good fit until Victory Point Ministries. Started attending there in December 2000. Even though I said I would NEVER be part of a Christian Reformed Church, I am happily a member in good standing of Victory Point Ministries and the Christian Reformed Church of North America! I didn't realize Victory Point was CRC until I was sitting in the membership class. By then it was way too late. I was already in love with the faith community at VPM. The love continues...Lables don't really matter anyway. It's what's inside that counts. So what! I'm now a recovering Catholic~I love it! Who cares? From time to time I still love an old hymn and the liturgy of the "old school" church. I can be very reassuring and healing sometimes to return to some of the ways of the past. It's good not to throw the baby out with the bath water. Integrate the old and new for the best of both!
During the past couple of weeks anyway, because of my dad's passing I suppose, my thoughts have been more focused on the importance of relationship with God and with family and other people. For Jesus to be so sure about suffering on the cross to reconcile us means that people are definitely the top priority with Him. The thrust of Matt's message was that it was time for Jesus to do what He knew was the will of the Father. He willingly took it on. It is time for us to consider what that means for us. Time to step up into the life that was won for us because of the way of the cross. I know I am feeling like it's time for me, in many areas of my life, to really grab hold of the life God has in mind for me. To let go of the life and future I had planned for myself and be willing to submit it all to God's will. Which, in the long run, will be better than what ever I had in mind anyway! I know that I am on the right path with my Counseling aspirations. I am called to that. As for the particulars. The details. Nope. I don't have a clue. As I have said before, and I'll say again: I don't know what the future holds but I do know who holds the future! And it's time...no doubt the fact that I'll be 50 in May is adding to my sense of urgency! That'll light a fire under you for sure!

Just when I think Victory Point can't get any cooler...they go and come up with this Journey to the Cross event for Good Friday. It's a do-it-yourself, self-guided "stations" experience through the walk and events that Jesus took on His way to the cross. I can't wait! Normally I have to miss Good Friday service because I work late. This is from 4-8 pm. If you don't have plans already, feel free to check this out. It's sure to be moving and meaningful. You can find out more about VPM by clicking on the link on my sidebar under i likes it, i likes it alot! If you don't have a place to worship on Easter, please consider yourself invited by me to join us at VPM also. Services at 9am and 10:45 am.
Whatever you do, where ever you do it, I hope you take time to think about the true meaning of Easter beyond the bunnies and Easter eggs, peeps, and other trappings of contemporary celebration. It is my wish that you are very blessed this Easter!

The Prayer: A Fond Farewell

2009-04-02T23:11:00.041-04:00

WARNING: This is the longest post ever! I was away from my computer and out of my routine and in a heightened state of emotion for most of last week. So, I had a lot to say-as always-but it was stuck inside me for awhile! I have finally settled in, back to my life in Michigan, and the floodgates have opened!
The Prayer:

Before I left for Oregon, my friend Pat, at Spring Arbor University, prayed with me and said a very special prayer over me and my family. First, he prayed for our comfort and strength for the road ahead: visitation, funeral, and committal. He prayed that I would have traveling mercies and that everywhere I went on my travels that God would bring special people across my path. Then Pat asked that any unfinished business would be wrapped up in a positive way, that any relationships that needed mending would be mended, that the Baker family would be united in a way that they have never experienced before and that there would be blessings and miracles that would come into our lives during this otherwise bittersweet time. All of those things came to pass.

The Travels:
On the way to Oregon I sat next to a man from Palestine. His name was Sammy and he sat and visited with me all the way to Minneapolis/St. Paul about his former life in the Middle East. He explained the basics of the Muslin faith tradition. He talked about the discriminatory treatment that is part of his everyday life in the United States because of his race and faith. It is so interesting how much we have in common with one another when we meet one on one. Lack of unbiased information and opportunity to meet people of diverse backgrounds really does contribute to the prejudices we hold. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Sammy and when we parted I felt that I had been enriched by hearing his story. The next leg of the flight from Minneapolis/St. Paul, I sat between two ladies and caught a quick nap~woke myself up snoring~and they said it was ok as long as I didn't slobber! I then spent the majority of that flight visiting with a lady from Mulino who had a similar background as me and we compared notes about the counseling field, our experiences with marriage(mine with divorce), and the ups and downs of childrearing. In the process, the two ladies behind us got involved in our conversation as well. Turns out both of those ladies are writers and we talked about books and blogging. Two of my fav topics for sure! One of the ladies, Susan N. Terkel, shared some beautiful thoughts and memories of Passover from her Jewish heritage. Again, it boiled down to the priorities we hold in life. Especially God/Faith and family. This is a message and theme that would be woven throughout my entire visit. Susan's book is called Small Change: It's the little things in life that make a big difference. I'm planning to read that as soon as I can. Probably while I'm on my trip to Oregon in about three weeks. I'm leaving my textbooks home! Anyway, on my flight home I sat by two delightful younger women who had been visiting friends in Portland for the week. These ladies had been best friends since middle school. They are currently in their early 30's. We discussed everything~I mean it! We had the Ya-Ya Sisterhood going on! A scene right out of Sex and The City! At some point in the girlfest we decided to celebrate: to celebrate my dad's life and to celebrate that Carrie had sold her house and was moving home by Nikki after a number of years living away! At some point this celebration involved vodka and cranberry juice...The flight attendant even bought us a round...unbelievable! I loved that conversation. It was fun, touching, meaningful, motivating. Carrie and Nikki, stay in the loop girls! I hope we meet again. Oh, P.S. and do more celebrating! You girls are soooo fun!

Arrival on Friday:

Whenever I come to Portland, and the plane touches down , I immediately feel that I have come home. The familiar sights comfort me and make me feel whole again. One of the most poignant moments came for me when I got to my mom's apartment. Outside was Old PaPa's "cart" that Jayden loved to help him push. I couldn't help but cry. I could just see my dad walking down the hall pushing that cart. It really hit me hard in that moment how real and final it was that my dad was gone. That night I took Mo-Mo and my sister Marcee out for dinner. One of my dear clients had given me money in lieu of flowers with the instruction to do something with my mom. Thanks, Marcia! It was a wonderful time of fellowship. Through the years you have always been such a thoughtful friend.

The Visitation, Funeral, and Committal:

Here's the "big auditorium" of the church my dad pastored and his father before him. I was first baptized here and later walked down the isle of this church for my wedding. I spent hours and hours for years and years right in this sanctuary. On Saturday morning, Mom and I, Marcee, Karlee, Andy, Sister Kathleen, Brother Pat, Sister Mary and Sister Bonnie gathered to practice the music for my dad's service. This ended up being one of the most healing experiences of the weekend. We all sat and sang many of the old hymns together. There were times for all of us that we had to stop singing because of the overwhelming emotion that swept over us. Music is such an anchor to our past. It really takes you back in time. The practice turned into an impromptu worship service. I could feel my dad there in the midst. I could see him in my mind. Hear him in my memory. He had a beautiful, strong singing voice. I could hear the sweet sound of his violin. We left refreshed in our spirits for the visitation at Hillside Chapel.

Here Sister Bonnie practices "How Great Thou Art" for the funeral the next day.

My brother Andrew played his guitar, helped with the songs for the worship service, and was the Master of Ceremonies for dad's funeral. Andy did a phenomenal job! Way to go, big Bro!

Sister Mary, or Aunt Weezie, as we affectionately call her, is at the piano once again to honor my dad during his service. This is a post she has occupied for many years. I do not recall anyone else being the pianist in the church. Aunt Weezie is now 88 years old. God Bless her! We love her dearly!

Karlee played the organ for dad's service. Here are the sisters three: Marcee, Karlee, and Lana. Once a Baker, always a Baker! We got that Baker nature, don't we ladies?!
Dad was well remembered at visitation. Hillside Chapel did a wonderful job in all respects. There was so much more to my dad than just the fact that he was a minister. He loved to play his violin, hunt, and fish. All of those interests were represented in the viewing room which was lovely and held many floral remembrances as well. The white spray was from my bosses and the girls at Body Perfections. The red and white spray came from my former spouse, Lewis. The spring arrangement was from my cousins on the Mills side: Maureen and Duane, Gloria and Larry, Mel and Eileene and their families.

Spray from Don and Joan Terry

The casket piece was collectively a tribute representative of the Baker family~absolutely gorgeous with the sentiments: Beloved Husband, Father and Grandfather inscribed on the ribbons~ and it followed him all the way to Mountain View Cemetery in Oregon City for the final committal.

We did not take pictures at the funeral with the exception of these couple photos. The church was filled with many church members, family, and friends of many years. It was wonderful and very comforting to the family to listen to all of the great stories about my dad~some of them very funny!

Lana and her big sisto, Marcee.

Here's the little group of "kids" I grew up with from nursery on through high school. All us "kids" are now 50ish...Seeing all of them meant so much to me after all these years. Some of us have not seen one another for nearly 30 years! Definitely time to catch up!

Family time after the funeral at Tebo's. Dad had requested that whatever money he had in his wallet at the time of his passing, his wishes were that we would all go out to eat together "on him". So, that's what we did and it was a very bonding and close time for the Baker clan.

Karlee, Mo-Mo, Kim, and Kelcee Beth. Someone looks a bit unhappy...

On Monday morning we gathered, family only, at the cemetery to say our final farewells and speak the last tributes amongst ourselves. It was a bittersweet time. I had to leave for the airport right after committal. A very hard thing to do.

Final Reflections:
It's not money or possessions, education, success, or physical beauty that make a life. It's loving God and loving people~especially family~that really matters. That is true success. To be well loved in your circle and to have abiding faith that anchors you in your life. My dad was blessed to have all of that. Plus a fair amount of fun along the way. And time for his interests and hobbies. He did it right. For all the failings and faults common to us all, my dad was a very rich and successful man in all the ways it really matters. I would say that he passed that along to all his kids who are, in turn, leaving the legacy for the future generations in our clan. Andy said it well at the graveside service, "I'm proud to be a Baker." I'm glad we've come to a point where we can all say that and mean it. As a sidebar, we also talked about the fact that nothing is important enough to fight over long-term or to hold grudges. None of us know how long we will get with those we love. Life is too short to allow ourselves to be separated from those we love. We also spoke about how, even though we'd have preferred dad to stay here with us, we didn't want suffering or compromise of quality of life for him. So we thank God for his mercy towards our Dad. We thank all the many folks who called, emailed, sent condolences to the online guestbook, came to visitation and the funeral, sent cards, sent flowers, sent meals. You all blessed us so much. We can never even express with words how much comfort that gave us. We also were so thankful for all the church people at Christ Church and at Victory Point Ministries in Michigan for their prayers and support of all kinds! We thank Hospice for their wonderful love and care during the final journey of our dad. We think the world of Samantha and David from Hillside Chapel in Oregon City who really held our hands, gave us hugs, words of encouragement, and took all the worry off us by attending to the details. Yes, I know it's their job but they did it with such heart!

For me personally, this was a time of tying all the fragmented parts of my life together into a cohesive experience that makes sense. My dad was the common denominator for all of it. Your parents are there when you take your first breath and they walk with you through every life event. Dad was my compass point, my North star, the steady rock I leaned upon. I've now gone full-circle. I'm at peace with past, present and looking forward to the future. A future that is brighter because I was given the life skills I need to be successful anywhere I go and no matter what I do. Dad showed us all how to mix with people and get out there and make our way in the world. All four of his children have this trait. I owe that to my Dad. I was also overwhelmed with gratitude for my Christian heritage. That foundation was laid by both my dad and mom and the people I grew up with in my church. I would never have survived the ups and downs of my life without such a strong faith. I also left Oregon with a stronger resolve to stay more closely connected with those I love and to cherish and build those relationships day by day and never to take them for granted. The people in your life are a gift. Too bad that sometimes it takes a catalyst like a tragic loss to see this so clearly. Try not to let any opportunities go by when it comes to fellowshipping with those who mean something to you. You might not get the chance again to show someone how much you care. We ALL need to know that!

Daddy O

2009-03-25T00:43:00.011-04:00

Not to be confused with Jackie O. However, they both had their own unique styles~certainly one of a kind! My dad, Oliver Baker, went home to be with the Lord on March 24th. He moved into a mansion(and won't have to worry about forclosure!) and lives on streets of gold~not bad in the midst of a recession! It makes me smile to think of all those he has now been reunited with, including my sister Myrna Lee.I was very blessed to have had my dad so long.I thank God for this. He was 91 when he passed on. I had a good relationship with my dad and many fond memories. Daddy O had a passion for life and a wicked sense of humor that I like to think rubbed off on me.He was passionate about food...another thing we had in common. When he retired from the ministry, my dad left his library and his sermon notes to me. I cherish those things and I also feel priviledged to have had such a strong Christian heritage. I'm going to miss him like crazy! In many ways, though, he will always be with me. Never forgotten. Several memories stand out really strong from the last few days. One of these is the way that my sister Marcee kept me in the loop with what was going on. She was very dedicated to my dad, took very gentle care of both my mom and dad, and was the lifeline to the rest of us-especially me living so far away. I am so grateful to Marcee for this. She shared with me how a person from Hospice came in and played the harp for my dad in the last hours of his life and how soothing and comforting that was. A little traveling music for my dad to make his way into the next life. So sweet. Then, the day after my dad left, one of my clients had me tell her funny stories about my dad for the whole hour of her massage. We had so many good laughs over the antics of both my dad and all of us kids growing up and growing up PK to boot! That really cheered me up! Thanks, Marcia.I enjoyed reliving those moments. Then, last, but far from least, I have been deeply touched by the outpouring of love, prayers, and support by all my friends, family, coworkers, SAU classmates, Victory Point church family, facebook friends. The list goes on. Everyone has been so present to me and my family. I could really feel all those prayers. And I'm sure that's why my dad was able to pass so quietly and in peace. I am filled with gratitude. I will be traveling to Oregon on Friday. The visitation will be from 12-5 on Saturday at Hillside Chapel. The funeral will be Sunday at 10:30 at Christ Church.The burial will be Monday and is a private,family only affair. Please continue to pray for the Baker clan during the next few days. I am sure we will have our moments when some prayer support will be needed.
Feel free to view my dad's online obituary and write some thing in the guestbook if you'd like. Again, thanks for being there!

Oliver Baker's online Obituary and Guestbook:

http://www.hillsidechapelfh.com

Scrapbooking & Symphony II

2009-03-23T08:56:00.004-04:00

The Spring Crop at Holiday Inn, Spring Lake, was this weekend.Fun and stimulating as usual~what was unusual was the band we danced to on Saturday night. They did so much great classic rock. These are the songs we all know the words to...amazing!
Check them out: website is http://www.souldoutband.us.
You can also find them on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/souldoutbandmi.
OR...facebook fan page by searching Soul'd Out.
I will be going to another of their gigs soon! The CM ladies danced the night away, enjoyed a few toddies, and had a fun party after the party...Hard to get up and get going the next morning but we did it!
Early in the afternoon, Patricia and I packed up our stuff and headed into GR for the symphony featuring guest artist Natalie MacMaster. Natalie is as big as a New York minute but she packs a punch! She's a Celtic fiddler and dances like someone from Riverdance! And the girl is not only beautiful and talented but quite the cute comedian, speaking very warmly and endearingly to the audience. She just had her 3rd child about 6 weeks ago and was visiting in Grand Rapids with all three of her kids, taking in the GR Children's Museum and the Lollipop concert on Saturday. Natalie is married to Celtic fiddler Donnell Leahy and the two of them will be performing together in Muskegon at the Irish Music Festival in September.
By the way, if you are a scrapbooker, a local group of us will be getting together in May in Holland. Email me or connect on Facebook to get the details. The last picture was of Jayden this morning at the Windmill Restaurant downtown before he went to school. He stayed overnight last night which means I'm really tired today! I couldn't resist. He looked so dumb cute in that hat! Well, here's hoping it's a good week for us all! Back to work and hitting the books!Hopefully some fun along the way, too! Hey, the weather is getting better...

Putting on a happy face!

2009-03-16T06:20:00.003-04:00

Tonight our life group got new faces for Spring! Nicole Meengs, who goes to VPM with us, and happens to be a very good friend, volunteered to come and give us all a fresh look for the nicer weather that is soon to be upon us...and to discuss the concept of inner beauty and how that relates to our realizing our worth before God. Man looks on the outer appearance but God looks at the heart. We are all beautiful to Him.However, we all agreed that when you feel that you look your best it does make the inner beauty radiate outward. To that end, we all took part in a Mary Kay skin care facial and did some basic color with foundations, blush, mascara, and lip gloss. I do think we look ravishing in our "after" photos! I ordered some stuff that Nicole assures me will give me soft, kissable lips! Men, brace yourselves!

Weekend Montage

2009-03-16T05:41:00.003-04:00

I had weekend college Friday night and all day Saturday so my weekend time was very diminshed BUT...that didn't stop me from obeying the One FUN Rule! Saturday afternoon the weather was so glorious that Tyler and I took Jayden for a walk on the Winstrom Preserve. There were still little patches of snow and ice along some of the paths but winter is definately losing it's grip! The views were lovely. Then we hit Goog's for dinner topped off by the famous White House cake-tasty!Sunday, Trevor accompanied Jayden and I to the public museum in Grand Rapids to see the dinosaurs FINALLY! It was busy but nothing like the time we tried to go before! So fun and such a variety of activities to do for kids. Very interactive and hands-on. Jayden was on overload from all the things to see at the museum. The most impressive to him were the dinosaurs and the "bugs" in the natural habitat displays. It was so beautiful out downtown that we walked the bridge. Then, later in the afternoon, Jayden went home and Trevor and I hit the golf course at Phesant Run. While my golfing skills are FAR from stellar...it was a lot of fun!Gorgeous to just get outside and be active again after such a long seige of hibernation weather!Spring is busting out all over!

The Path I Walk: Guy Talk

2009-03-08T23:01:00.006-04:00

Today we wrapped up the series at VPM, Different by Design. It was Pastor Steve's turn to talk about what guys need to know about the women in their lives. Last week, recall, we found out how important unconditional respect is in the relationships we have with the guys. We women need to feel loved above all else. Steve made the point that for women, this demonstration of love is never a "done deal", even after marriage. In fact, that is when it is most important for women to receive regular reassurance that we are loved by our men. This is especially true during times of conflict. Whatever is important to the woman should be important to the man. It is also crucial that guys listen to us. In particular, when we want to discuss the relationship. If it's valuable enough for us to bring it up, guys, you need to listen and to not be defensive. This is our way of telling you how much your relationship means to us. Ditto if we feel it is important to go to counseling. Steve encouraged the men to jump on the bandwagon and go. The next point, after regular reassurance, was persistent pursuit. That is the other ingredient that makes us feel loved, desired, cherished, and valued. We like to be chased~even after you think you've got us! The deal is never closed for us. These were all great points and I think that both of these messages have value in helping people relate better to their significant others. I'm so glad that I'm in a church that puts practical, real-life messages out there for us! The two books that these sermons were based on were written by a husband and wife team, Jeff and Shaunti Feldhahn and are titled: For Men Only and For Women Only. They are both available at all the usual book sources but for sure at the Christian bookstores, they are fairly short books, and each costs approx. $15.00. Pastor Steve recommended that if you are married, read both books and read them together so you can have good conversations together about the content.Sounded like good advice to me!Let's face it, we could all stand to do better and be more successful in our relationships. Thanks, Steve!

Butterflies are forever...

2009-03-08T18:19:00.003-04:00

Not really. I think that was the title of an old Goldie Hawn movie or something...Well, we went to our fav haunt, the Fredrick Meijer Gardens, to see the butterflies today after church. Not much was happening but Jayden loved it anyway. He was bummed that it rained so much we couldn't go outside in the gardens. That's what he really loves! He's in a kick of saying everything happened yesterday. So, when we got there he was all excited looking out the windows into the garden, "We were here yesterday!" he announced to everyone! Then he proceeded to tell them about the pumpkins that were there at Halloween time and the Christmas trees and all about the "sandpile" and the treehouse and that his Granny (points to me)likes to roll down the big hill by the big horse! That's a real sight to see, let me tell you! But he had a very appreciative audience. When you're that cute, it isn't hard getting people to listen to you!The spring flowers were an absolutely gorgeous sight to my eyes. A welcome reminder that winter is in its last throes.We did get in on a little lightening and thunder while we were there. Of course, sporadic torrential downpours also occurred while we were inside the conservatory. Jayden fell into the cactus garden, which horrified us, but, amazingly, was not any worse for the experience.Jay and I got our pictures made in the butterfly photo cutout thingy. We stopped at all the tables and benches and fountains.Jayden assured us that the water wasn't "ukkky" and he put his hand into it! We saw the butterfly place three times and we went through the sculpture exhibit, which, in my opinion, looked like something a fourth grader could have come up with. Jayden had to be stopped a couple times because he thought the "peoples" that made up the plastic sculpture configurations were like legos and could be snapped apart and put together differently. We made a hasty departure! But not until we had a drink at the cafe and bought glow in the dark bug and butterfly t-shirts. We will be coming back on a sunnier day to see the butterflies again. That's the benefit of membership. Before long, we'll be back out there playing in the Children's Garden and rolling down the big hill for everyone's entertainment. Can't wait!Meanwhile, back at the Baker ranch, we are once again experiencing the duck lake effect. The spring rains make me nervous because of the flooding possibility. We say a prayer and hope for the best!

Patricia's Birthday Bash

2009-03-07T23:37:00.006-05:00

Not all of the Ya-Yas were present tonight. I would call this the core group. It is Patricia's special day and we chose to dine at City Vu atop the City Flats Hotel in downtown Holland. A great choice! The view was nice, in spite of the rain, and everything in this restaurant is unique from the eating utensils, dishes, light fixtures, artwork, cork flooring, green building materials and water and energy-efficient appliances. The decore is ultra modern and sophistocated. We all had excellent drinks, appetizers, and entrees.Patricia had salmon, Bonnie and Jamie went for the flatbreads which are the signature item at City Vu, and I had the Shepherd's Pie. We all shared a heavenly piece of carrot cake which is one of their famous desserts.Yummy! I highly recommend it!

The meal and conversation was excellent. Then Patricia and I went to see, "He's just not that into you" with Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johannson, among others. It was a really good movie. Funny but with the proverbial grain of truth.It really is true that anyone can say anything at anytime BUT actions DO speak louder than words~with the opposite sex(and everyone else!)it's the behavior trail that tells the real story! Sometimes sad but true...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, PATRICIA! You are a wonderful person, a great friend, and a lady with many talents and abilities. I hope you celebrate many more of these annual occaisions!Thanks for letting us all be a part of it!

Happy 50th, Rach!

2009-03-06T23:42:00.003-05:00

I took this picture of my gal pal, Rachel Nykerk, on Wednesday, which was her actual birthday. She came into Body Perfections for a massage as part of her birthday celebration, which included lunch out prior to, and she was taking her neighbor's kids to Red Robin that night to help her friend out~typical Rach! Jim had taken her out for BD dinner the night before at Alpen Rose. The gift I gave her was a Willow Tree Friendship Angel. Tonight was the actual Birthday party. A surprise party, of course. What fun! It was actually a surprise...how often does that really happen? Rach was going to stop over at a friend's house before her soccer practice tonight to "celebrate the birthdays of a couple friends from church, and since it's your birthday, too, Rach, why not stop in..." Brilliant! So...Rach wasn't suspicious when she saw all the cars, etc. But the look on her face when she saw all her girlfriends gathered was priceless! We had all written our Rachel memories on index cards which she read before opening the gifts and some of them were so funny! The food was fab. The company was amazing. Rachel has such great family and friends but she is also a great person to her family and friends. Rach is one of those people who always goes out of her way to be there for others, does acts of kindness, is thoughtful, loyal, accepting, forgiving, easygoing, athletic and fun! My life has definitely been enriched by having her in it! Our boys played football together and we've been friends ever since...it was a win/win situation! HAPPY 50TH, RACH, YOU'RE THE BEST!

The Path I Walk: March on...

2009-03-02T21:43:00.006-05:00

It is March and I am marching on...the thaw is coming. The cycle of life goes like this: birth, life, death, decay, new life. Spring can't be far away, can it? New life is busting out all over. My post a couple weeks ago, Ahhh, Spring was somewhat premature...but I'm sure we are over the hump, don't you think?
Looks can be deceiving~it looked like a beautiful, sunny Spring day but once you got out there, the frigid cold cut like a knife. It was 6 degrees this morning when I drove through town. With the wind chill, the temps were in the negative. Later in the day, I decided that I just couldn't do the gym today. I had to get out. I had to get air. Real air. Even if it was cold. I bundled up, put on my snow boots, my scarf, my gloves, and my wool hat with the flaps that looks like a serious arctic trekker's hat~ and still, within minutes of starting to walk, my legs not covered by my jacket, felt numb. I pressed on. The scenery was compelling. I often feel the closest to God when I am outside and in the middle of nature. I sometimes go to the beach or the Pine Creek Trail, sometimes Degraaf Nature Center. I love being out. There are always a select few other worshippers present.The die hards. Those of us who cannot stay away no matter the weather! Today I saw a few people out with their dogs. Most of the others stayed in their warm cars just worshipping from afar. I noticed several bird watchers in the upper lots holding binoculars, looking for Eagles I suspect. I know that Spring IS coming. One of my clients encouraged me by sharing the fact that her daffodils had begun to sprout. That's a sure sign. I know that Gunther has begun shedding his winter coat which has made me the proud owner of a mohair carpet no matter how many times in a day that I vaccuume!My spritual muse this week has been two-fold. The sermon at VPM was about marriage relationships specifically and men and women interacting in general.At first glance, when I first walked in, I thought, Oh, brother, you coulda skipped this one!I was surprised to find that some of the things Pastor Steve shared about men was very thought provoking. For instance, he shared that 75% of men surveyed said that given the choice of being alone and unloved vs being disrespected and made to feel inadequate, they would rather be alone and unloved. One of the most important things to men is to have the respect and appreciation of the women in their lives. They want to be understood and supported by their women. They want us to be their biggest fans and to catch them doing something right. They want for us to see the good. To respect their judgment. To respect their abilities. To be respectful in our communication. Although, it is too late for this information to benefit my marriage, I do still have men in my life. Lots of them. I have my dad, my brother, nephews, sons, grandson, and guy friends. Even though I feel that I was wronged more in my marriage than what wrongs I inflicted, this message still made me flinch. There were times that I could have done a better job in this area. I regret this. Thankfully, that's not the end. I do have the opportunity to be more understanding and supportive of the men in my life currently and I intend, with God's help, to do just that. The other muse is Max Lucado's 3:16. We talked tonight in Life Group about the fact that God is in the midst of every detail of life-no matter how small-and that we need to commit to trusting him in every situation. As backup for that, we went through all the scriptures that point to the reality of God, especially as it relates to His creation of all things: Ps. 19:1, Psalm 74:16, Psalm 90:2, Psalm 97:6,Isaiah 46:9, John 5:26, Acts 17:25, James 1:13. There are no accidents!Trust God for everything in your life-no matter how big-no matter how small. Oh, yeah, Spring officially arrives March 20th. Not so far!

Crazy Bounce is CAH-RAY-ZEE!!

2009-03-01T23:02:00.002-05:00

Today was supposed to be filled with dinosaurs but when we arrived at the Grand Rapids Museum this afternoon, there were so many people waiting to get in that it would have taken almost an hour to just pay our admission fee. So, we opted for Crazy Bounce in Holland instead. There was plenty of action to be had there~a 3-hour marathon of one obstacle course after another, one slide after another. Jayden held up pretty well but Granny's tail was draggin'! I was surprised at the number of adults that were playing on the inflatables along with the kids. I want to say that I was, by far, the oldest one...wonder what I'll feel like tomorrow?!

Happy Birthday x2!

2009-02-20T22:56:00.005-05:00

The YaYa Sisterhood has not had a meeting since the Groove Walk in Holland on October 18, 2008. Way too long! The occaision that brought us out tonight was a matter of celebration! Two of our very own YaYa's have the same birthday! That would be our dear girls Bunny & Jamie.So, of course, we called an official meeting. This one took place downtown at 84 East. As usual, we carried on the ritual of the sacred object photo shoot. If you will recall from prior posts, we met at Blazers for the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics~there, we had the chapstick parade. The bonfire meeting at Jamie's included the secret ceremony of the Cabbage Patch doll head! When we went on the Groove Walk, it was Alex's black sheep that we immortalized. You can find all these posts in the Compass Pointe archives if you care to take a look. Tonight it was the little blue umbrella I plucked from my Thai pasta salad and the semi-nude hunky dude on Jamie's birthday card! We are easily amused...and we hope you will be too!

Before adjourning this evening, we decided to plan another party for Patricia's birthday in March and my 50th in May. Plus a cruise next year in March or April. I'm not sure we'll be able to share those pictures! Can you imagine what we could get into on a cruise ship for an entire week? Carnival....be afraid, be very afraid!

Add Two More To The Collection!

2009-02-18T21:46:00.001-05:00

My client, writer Myron J. Kukla, gave me a copy of each of his books for Valentine's Day~authographed! I can't wait to read them because the titles alone are cracking me up! Listen to this...

Confessions of a Baby Boomer: Memories of Things I Haven't Forgotten Yet

AND

Guide to Surviving Life-The new 4,387 step guide to self-improvement.

If the books are anywhere near as funny as the titles, this will be a lot of fun! Thanks so much, Myron!

The other books in my autographed collection include:
Out of the air and onto the ground by Clarence Davids. I got the book from Joyce Vanderbent-Davids and she had Clarence autograph it for me. We still laugh at the fact that Tyler had to read it one saturday when he was in detention!

Tyler had Mike Coney as a teacher when he went to Cityside Middle School. So, when he was in school in Mexico, I got Mike's book to send to Tyler and he was gracious enough to autograph it. Tyler and I both read it twice. The book is called I've Passed This Way Before.

Then, of course, I have my cherished copy of Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. I wrote a post about it when Keith signed my book. I have a little cyber crush on him.Actually, I won a contest a couple years ago and got a one hour coaching call with him that was very impactful at that time in my life and resulted in my starting this blog...so, I guess, if you don't like my blog you can blame Keith Ferrazzi!

I'll let you know if I get anymore autographed books.

A Pound of Cure: 10% goal and beyond!

2009-02-17T22:08:00.003-05:00

Finally, I hit and surpassed my 10% goal this week-I am 16 weeks into the process and 24 pounds lighter. My fitness assessment showed that I can bench press 495 pounds with my legs, 90 pounds over my head, do 25 pushups without stopping and 48 situps in 1 minute. My flexibility is in the excellent category for my age. I am only fair in the cardio rating for my age~that was a surprise because I've mainly been running, biking, and doing the eliptical so I would have thought I'd be further along in that area. I am going to have another appointment with a trainer soon to learn all the weight machines and to be put on a lifting regime so that I can do more firming, toning , and building muscle. That's my progress report so far.I set my final goal today with my Weight Watchers leader and set another 10% for an interim goal along the way. My goal, going into next week, is to reach that 25 pound mark.

The Path I Walk-Lord & Eternity

2009-02-16T22:06:00.001-05:00

I'm back-tracking a bit. Two weeks ago we had a commitment service at VPM where we heard the testimonies of new members and had baptism service. I love to hear what people have to say about how God came into their lives. We talked afterwards about what it means to claim Jesus as Lord. Pastor Steve asked us to think about, pray about, and commit the areas of our lives that we have held back from allowing Christ to be Lord of. The big clue is to look for areas in our lives that are not going well...those are the areas that we are maintaining control over and not surrendering to God! I really found that opportunity helpful. To look and see where the chaos is running rampant and to ask Jesus to be Lord of that area, person, or situation. This past week was the last topic of our All-Church Teaching Series: Core Values. Here again, Pastor Steve got us to stop worrying or focusing on the details of heaven or hell~both real places, but whether or not the streets are made of Gold or hell is an actual lake of fire is not the most relelvant point. The more important concept is to make sure that you've made your reservation for heaven by being reconciled to God through Christ and to use the time we have here on things that carry an eternal weight: sharing Christ with others, loving others, and doing the things that are pleasing to God and build his eternal kingdom. We all get so busy that many times we fail to see the big picture~we only see the immediate issue before us at the moment. Time to look at where in our lives we need to surrender control to God and what we can do to further the cause of Christ. I remember reading this saying in my Grandma LuLu's old Bible years ago: Life on earth with soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.

Celtic Women Substitute

2009-02-15T23:33:00.001-05:00

I had planned to take some amazing pictures at the Celtic Women concert tonight but they looked through all the purses and confiscated any cameras until after the show~Damn! So, you'll have to settle for this quasi-Celtic pose with a pink mannequin in Macy's pre-concert. If you haven't seen the Celtic Women special that has been on PBS, you probably don't know who these ladies are. It would be worth doing some research on Google. They do a mix of Celtic and contemporary songs done in a Celtic style. They all wear elegant, feminine gowns, they are really beautiful, and the sets are always elaborate with art, lighting, an extensive percussion section, dancing and backup musicians and singers. Quite a production! Really special. They got two standing ovations from the crowd at the Van Andel. It was a full afternoon. After church I went shopping at River Town, then out to dinner at TGI Friday's. Believe it or not, we had a real Irish waiter! Accent and all. Cuter than all get-out and a big flirt! Then the guy who always waits on us when we go to concerts was there too-his name is Brad Wagbo and I'm going to name my next dog Wagbo after him just because I love that weird, quirky name. It's Swedish or some such thing.He always remembers us because we do the "festival of the shots" and we'll try anything! Then the concert. So, another fun weekend comes to a close. Back to old grind...

Valentine's Day 2009

2009-02-15T02:38:00.003-05:00

The Singles by Design group shared dinner at the Kirby Grill, followed by bowling at Starlight Lanes in Grand Haven. A good time was had by all:

Week of Love~Day 7

2009-02-14T05:00:00.002-05:00

Roses are Red,

Violets are Blue,

I'm lucky to know

Such great people as you~Woo Hoo! Cheesy, but true!

Hope your life is full of LOVE today and every day!

Happy 91st Birthday to my mom, Lillian Baker! You are one sweet Valentine!

Week of Love-Day 6

2009-02-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

This is the case of the wandering hearts...We played Conversation Hearts Roulette at Body Perfections today-which is kind of like Magic 8 Ball only with Conversation Hearts-and here's how it turned out:

Week of Love~Day 5

2009-02-12T05:50:00.004-05:00

How about a good read for Valentine's Day? Here are the books that made us feel the love:

Pretty much anything written by Nicholas Sparks~
A Walk to Remember
The Notebook
Nights in Rodanthe
Message in a Bottle
The Wedding
At First Sight

Danielle Steele:
Amazing Grace
Bittersweet
Irresistible Forces
Dating Game
The Cottage
A Good Woman

Barbara Taylor Bradford:
Three Weeks in Paris
Unexpected Blessings
A Sudden Change of Heart

Sandra Brown:
A Kiss Remembered
Led Astray
Seduction by Design

Catherine Coulter:
The Courtship
The Heiress Bride

Cecilia Ahern:
P.S. I Love You

Fern Michaels:
The Marriage Game
Up Close and Personal

Luanne Rice:
Dance With Me
Last Kiss

Nora Roberts:
Remember When
Rising Tides
Tears of the Moon

Of course, there are many more love stories out there that merit mentioning. So, please feel free to add your favs along with ours or mention other authors that write a good romance cuz it's nearly impossible to get too much love...Happy reading!

Week of Love~Day 4

2009-02-11T06:30:00.002-05:00

Here's our list of romantic, sexy, aphrodesiac food and drink for your Valentine's Day menu:

Oysters
Strawberries
Cherries
Grapes
Champagne
Wine
Whipped Cream
Itallian Food
Hershey Kisses
Godiva Chocolates
Wedding Cake

Week of Love-Day 3

2009-02-10T05:50:00.001-05:00

Once again, I have counted on the resident svengalis of love, who work with me at Body Perfections,to come up with this list of favorite love themed movies. Here are our musings:

Titanic

The Notebook

A Walk To Remember

Ghost

Somewhere In Time

Love Story

An Affair to Remember

Hope Floats

Love Actually

Fireproof

So, if you're thinking about spending Valentines Day at home, having a romantic dinner, one of these movies could be just the deal closer you're looking for! As a side, note, aren't you glad that, even with the recession slowing our biz a little, we are able to use our time constructively between appointments to make these lists?! We do amuse ourselves!Another sidebar-I personally found it highly amusing that most of the girls didn't know anything about the movie Love Story! That was such a big deal when I was in middle/high school~a classic for crying out sideways! And none of my girls knew anything about the movie, the book, or who the heck Ali McGraw is! Hey, remember when we all wore those dorky looking crocheted hats trying to look like her? Back in the day....

Week of Love-Day 2

2009-02-09T15:12:00.005-05:00

~

Me and my compadres at Body Perfections came up with a list of love songs that we are currently in love with! Check out our Valentines Day/Springtime Love Playlist from the Body Perfections Girls:

This Kind of Love~Sister Hazel

It's Your Love~Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

I Could Not Ask For More~Edwin McCain

When You Say Nothing At All~Allison Krause

I Cross My Heart~George Strait

Come Away With Me~Nora Jones

Feels Like Home To Me~Dawson's Creek

Answer~Sarah McLachlin

Whiskey Lullabye~Allison Krause and Brad Paisley

She's Beautiful~Shane Minor

You can add your favorites to the list by leaving a comment. I'm sure there are many more great ones that we have not listed here. I hope you enjoy listening to a good love song today!

Week of Love~Day 1

2009-02-08T23:05:00.003-05:00

Valentine's Day is coming, followed by Spring. Both make us think of love. For the next week, I am going to celebrate love in my posts. Feel free to add your thoughts and comments!

Love Quotes:
The only true gift is a portion of thyself.
~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities.
~Janos Arnay
There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.
~George Sand
Love is friendship set on fire.
~Jeremy Taylor
The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.
~Wm. Shakespeare

Ahhh, Spring!

2009-02-07T18:18:00.003-05:00

The sun is shining. The snow is melting. The birds are beginning to flit about.Little critters emerge. Love is in the air. And so is the scent of dog poop defrosting in the yard !We've not seen temps and sun like this for many moons. We're experiencing a heat wave in the 40's which is having a dramatic melting effect on the humongous piles of snow surrounding our house. As you can see, whenever the thaw takes place, we have a lakeside property for a number of days! Swimming anyone? Gunther sure likes it~prime field mouse hunting! This gives us all hope that we are on at least the homestretch of winter. It has been a long one! This is a welcome sight after an especially trying week! Hope springs eternal.The only thing I will miss is the skiing. I was hoping to go one more time this season. Maybe.

Rotsa Ruck!

2009-02-05T08:40:00.003-05:00

Stopped at China Town in Zeeland on our way home last night for Chinese. Trev had Thai Pad, I had the chicken and vegetables with flied lice, and Tyler had Moo Shoo Beef. Forgot about our fortune crookies though until this morning. So, better late than never~ here's our fortune crookie wisdom for today:

Trevor~Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is.

Lana~If you do more than what you get paid for, then, in time, you will get paid more than what you do.

Tyler~We all have more in common than it seems.

Bathroom Crooners

2009-02-04T22:57:00.005-05:00

Those of you who know me by now, know I'm obsessed with Youtube! These two girls are all over the place on Youtube and the other day while I was working out at Family Fitness, I saw these beauties on the Ellen show. They both work at a Chinese Restaurant and started out practicing their singing in the bathroom because they liked the acoustic in there. The girls call themselves Rin on the Rox. It's a play on combining their names. They are fantastic~take a listen! Wish I sounded so good in the bathroom...or anywhere for that matter!

Dear Doggie Diary~

2009-02-04T06:30:00.004-05:00

Gunther here. It's 6:00 am. Surely it's not too much to ask to stay in bed this morning. I'm all comfy cozy with my dog-Patches-and just because my mom is a little on the chubby side, why do I have to go for a walk in this freezing cold weather? I know us dogs are supposed to LOVE going for walks but bUcK-it just pisses me off! Which is why I piddle on everything that protrudes 1/2 an inch or more along the route! You'd think she'd get the hint! Get discouraged! Go home! But NO! Doesn't she see all the dirty looks I turn around and give her? Doesn't she get it when I lay down and refuse to move any further? I poop five times in a row while crossing State street, always in the middle of the road, in the crosswalk, during the morning rush, so she has to dig plastic bags and papertowels out of her pockets and pick up what I'm puttin' down! In front of a whole line of traffic! I hold up the line of traffic! I stop traffic with my pooping! What's wrong with that woman? Why doesn't she get the hint? You'd think some concerned citizen, passerby type would report her for animal cruelty! Whew! Thank God that ordeal is over for today! Finally, she's in the shower getting ready for work. I can just lay here and read the paper~

8:00 AM. Here it comes, the "be nice to the kitties today" speech. Ho-hum! Fine. I'll act like I like those cats...but as soon as you shut that door, Mom, it's open season. Kitty tag! Head for higher ground all you feline types! Run, kitties, run! While mom is away, the doggies will play!

9:00 Kitty chasing arobics over for today. I'm worn out. Think I'll have some kibbles and water. Then settle in with my dog, Patches, for a little "cat nap"-that is, my nap after chasing the cats!

10:30 Time to bark at the UPS guy. It's not what Brown can do for me...it's what I can do for Brown-like scare the Brown out of him! Hey, dude, see the hair standing up on the back of my neck? Buddy, I mean business! That was exhausting. Nap again!

1 PM:

Me thinks me hears a mouse farting in yonder field. Time to bark! And bark! And bark! Gosh, I love the sound of my own powerful voice! Time to drag my butt on the carpet. Okay-now to go through the trash...hope there's something yummy in there or at least a bunch of paper to tear up!

2:30 Up in the bay window. The daily stakeout. Bark at the neighbor kid getting off the bus. Bark at the runners. Bark at the mail carrier. Oh, yippeee~tomorrow is garbage day! The trash guy is my favorite!

3:30 Oh, good, mom's home! Great, we're going to the dog park! Lots of behinds to sniff there!

I sure hope mom doesn't try to get me to do all these obstacle course things and fetch a ball. Too much work. I'll just play dumb. It is kinda funny watching her try to get me to do it though...all the baby talk and dog treats! Humans sure act dorky! I don't think I'll ever get her trained!

5:00 PM-Hey, let's head home. It's dinner time. I've got a powerful appetite worked up from my hectic schedule!

Oh, good, Trevor's home. Maybe he'll take me hunting...or just pet me. That works. Thanks!

Hey, maybe lets do a little Guitar Hero...

9:00 PM-Mom's getting her jammies on. Time to study. Hope she pops some popcorn. I could use a snack. Oh, great, schoolbooks all over the bed. She sure goes to school a lot! We should put that on her tombstone. Doesn't seem to be getting any smarter though...Does a good job with the food, water and treats. That's a point in her favor!

11:40 Hurry up Jay Leno. I want to hit the rack! I'll wait until mom starts snoring like a freight train and then I'll hop up there and sleep on the pillow next to her. I sure hope mom never gets married again. I like my little spot on the bed. Some guy comes along I'll just have to bite him! Oh, well, I'll think about it tomorrow...time to count sheep~yawn.

Goodnight, Dear Doggie Diary~See you in the morning light!

~Gunther

A Pound of cure: The lowdown on liquids

2009-02-03T19:14:00.004-05:00

Tonight at weight loss church we discussed the role of liquids in the diet. I think we all had a pretty clear grasp of that concept on Super Bowl Sunday! The new momentum plan, however, differs from the former guidelines in that research has found 6-8 oz. glasses of any/all liquids is what our bodies require to carry out daily function and processing needed for life. It is no longer required to be just water...however, water continues to be the beverage of choice, for so many reasons, including the fact that there are no calories or points in water. This is not the case with some of the liquids we listed and found the points values for. Some of the examples:
Cappuccinos and lattes can have anywhere from 1-8 points depending on the type of milk used, the syrups used, if they are sugar-free and/or fat free, etc.
Light beers are 2 points and regular beer is 3. One ounce of hard liquor for most drinks is 3 points-THEN add the points for the mixer on top of that!
Diet soft drinks are generally 0 points or 1 at most but the "real" thing can run you 3 or more points for basically no food value!
Milk is 2 points for non-fat(8oz), 3 for 2%, and 4 points for whole milk.
We even found out that coffee-normally 0 points-actually has .5 points for a cup. So if you are a person who drinks a lot of coffee(like me), you might be racking up some unaccounted for points there...hmmm, naw! Denial sets in. The list went on and on but you can think of beverages on your own and look them up in a WW book or calorie counter. You may be surprised!
We debunked the old notion that water fills you up and makes you eat less and feel fuller-false! If you drink water with your meal, however, it will have that effect and we discussed the fact that many times we eat something when actually we are thirsty instead of hungry. We also talked about the benefits of water. Water helps us flush waste products from our bodies, gives us fluid for bodily functions such as digestion and sweating, helps with the complexion, helps with constipation(TMI?), is good for metabolizing vitamins and minerals within the body, helps regulate temperature and keeps our blood volume stable. I am very close to my 10% goal but still fighting my way through this plateau. I lost .4 lbs this week. Still a loss I tell myself! Next week the booklet we get at WW is all about plateaus. More on that then. I also get 4 sessions with a trainer included in my gym membership at Family Fitness. I'm having my initial consultation on Saturday so I'm hoping for some practical suggestions to get moving again. This coming week is the first week in a long time when I haven't had some big eating "event" so maybe I can get ahead...stay tuned!

Happy Groundhog's Day!

2009-02-02T01:59:00.003-05:00

I could really care less what the verdict is today. I am living in a state of resignation regarding all things meterological! I don't think the Groundhog deal means anything. But the chubby little guy is endearing nonetheless~look at that face!

SUPER Bowl Par-Tay!!

2009-02-01T23:24:00.002-05:00

Thanks again to Scott Arndt for hosting one of the best Super Bowl parties I've ever been to!Scott, I love your house! It is the perfect place for entertaining. We all felt very comfortable. The hospitality was wonderful. Such a great turnout and the food was fab on both floors~plus, the company was the best! Bruce Springsteen was in fine form at half-time and the last 15 minutes of the game were heart-stopping!! Barack Obama and Matt Lauer had some pretty tough competition for an audience tonight!I especially liked the way people were lobbing mini-footballs and imitation "rocks" at each other...although, it got a little intense there at the end. O, well, good fun and good times!

Finally, Facebook!

2009-02-01T01:51:00.003-05:00

OK~I did it...you can now find me on Facebook. I am using my complete name to avoid confusion with the other Lana Bakers(Scary!). Look me up under Lana Mae Baker.

Also,I signed up for Yahoo!IM: my yahoo account is baker.lana@yahoo.com-let's chat!

I'm sure there will be more to come. Trevor, God bless his little heart, was the first to friend me. Tyler says he will, too. Trev let me go through his friend list and invite people from his group. I thought that was a big compliment. So, little by little I am going through the list of who I know and asking to be their friend. I hope people say yes. I just hate rejection!Look for interesting Facebook stories in the future. My sons both assure me that there are people out there looking for me. Looking or lurking? We shall see...

My Winter blanket of white

2009-01-31T17:26:00.004-05:00

Today it hit almost 40 degrees~heat wave! Last time it warmed up and rained, our snow melted at a frightening rate. And...I was sad that I hadn't gotten any pictures of the snow piles to remember our BIG winter this year. So, before it gets away from me again, here's my house and yard covered in its wintery blanket of white. It's supposed to be freezing rain tonight. The wind is kicking up fierce all of a sudden this afternoon!Blowing snow across our road. I'm supposed to ski tomorrow after church...we'll see.Hope it doesn't interfere with Super Bowl-God forbid! Winter is obviously not done quite yet!

Body Perfections celebrates 25 years!

2009-01-30T21:04:00.002-05:00

It's pretty amazing when 3 ladies, who are close friends, go into business together and 25 years later, they are still in business together and they are still close friends!Not only that~the great majority of the employees have been at Body Perfections for a very long time-Kim and Diane, for example, have more than 20 years under their belts!I, personally, am in my 13th year. Not only that~the great majority of our clients have been with us for years and years! This tells me that something very good and very right is happening at Body Perfections! That's a tribute to the three business-savy women, Pam Kalkman, Paula Phillips, and Judy Nuismer! You amazing ladies have accomplished such a monumental thing by running this business the way you have for a QUARTER OF A CENTURY!! Hats off to you, Pam, Paula, and Judy. May there be many more milestones ahead for all of you and for Body Perfections! Thank-you for the opportunity that you have given to all of us-employees and clients alike!

Catchy little tune!

2009-01-29T01:30:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2009-01-27T20:12:00.005-05:00

My dad turned 91 today! Happy Birthday, Dad~I am grateful for the time that we have had with you so far! I am thankful for the many acts of kindness that you have shown me over the years, the love and care, the provision, the talks and advice, and especially the daily prayers that I know you say for me, my children and my grandson, my future, and the meeting of my needs. I know that you and mom do this for all of your kids, grandkids, etc. Even at your ages, you are still really contributing a valuable prayer ministry for everyone in your life. This is still a very powerful force. It's one that I FEEL each day. It's one that I will miss someday...but today, I am thankful that you are still here to talk to and to celebrate the many years that you have lived among us. HAPPY 91st BIRTHDAY, DAD!

The Path I Walk:Salvation

2009-01-26T19:10:00.000-05:00

I love this stand of trees. I drive through it every time I go to pick up Jayden. It's beautiful in every season and I always feel like I'm driving through a tunnel of sorts because of the way the tops of the trees lean in and form a canopy. I feel like God is giving me a hug. Bonus~this stand of trees is right before the entrance to Pigeon Creek, my new place to obsess about because of my newfound love of skiing! This week VPM continued to cover the Core Beliefs of the church. This week being the subject of salvation. I know that I have shared my testimony before about how I became a Christian when I was 14 by accepting Christ at a coffeehouse in Oregon City that was sponsored by the Foursquare Church. This was a hip hangout at the time since the "Jesus People" were in vogue those days! It was an experience that has carried me through the ups and downs of my life since and I have to say that for the most part, my fundamental beliefs have not changed but I have become less dogmatic over the years. I see more shades of gray vs the black and white extremes. I have always felt that my faith was an anchor. I view my relationship with God as a constant and a stabilizing factor. That too has evolved into a much closer partnership over the years. I have learned that God is faithful and He walks with us through whatever life brings. I have learned that I can fully rely on Him. Sooo...having said that, you'd think that I would really be digging this all-church teaching study. I am struggling! Partly because I just finished The Shack and that book left me reeling-STILL! I am processing things that come up almost daily. It shook up my world around the subjects of grief, loss, and forgiveness. Salvation though, I realize, isn't just that one act of accepting Christ as saviour. It isn't just about "fire insurance"=avoiding hell or making it to heaven. Salvation is a gift. Salvation is a realization of what has been done for us. It's about unconditional love. It's about sharing that unconditional love with others. I've been a Christian for so long that I think my resistence to going over these scriptures again has been that I think I know. When you think you know, then you don't remain open and let any more in or create a space for anything new to occur. So, I have pushed myself to go ahead with the study and read all those old familiar verses. And I'm asking God to show me something NEW about my salvation. If you are interested in hearing the message from Sunday, go to the Victory Point Ministries link on the sidebar of this blog and go to the MP3 files. You can listen to the entire thing right here on your computer. If anyone has thoughts about this subject, I welcome your input! Blessings!

See Me Ski!

2009-01-25T18:14:00.004-05:00

As you can see, we tore up the trails at Pigeon Creek today~one of the best workouts I've had! I didn't do anything too ridiculous and I didn't fall so it was definitely a successful foray. I will for sure be doing that again. Probably not tomorrow as I am anticipating some muscles being in a state of protest! But soon. Before our snow disappears for the season. Once again, I feel sad that I have lived here going on 13 years and have never experienced this before. Pigeon Creek is such a great place and we are lucky to have places like this to go so close to home. I will make better use of these resources during the rest of the Winter this year and in the Winters to come. I have really gained an appreciation of how beautiful Michigan is in ALL the different seasons!

Saturday: Snowshoe Me!

2009-01-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

Getting to be quite the winter sportsters, we are! Might as well. Look at all the white stuff we have laying around here! Afterwards, we lunched at Froggy's in downtown Holland~all-beef Chicago style hot dogs and homemade sea salt and malt vinegar fries~Yumo! Off to the library for freshly baked cookies and some Skittles for dessert, then upstairs for books, puzzles and a little computer time. Jayden was exhausted and fell asleep on the way to his house. Granny, on the other hand, was just getting going...out to a movie, that is. Revolutionary Road to be specific. Trust me, there's a good reason this movie has received so much attention , cleaned up at the Golden Globes and is in line for more awards at this year's Oscars. Go see it! What's a movie without dinner? So, of course, that followed. Good thing I'm going skiing tomorrow after church! I need to work all this socializing off before weigh in on Wednesday...this week I don't think my issue will be a plateau! Still, this day was fun, full of memories, and made me smile. Happy Saturday, all!

Finally Finished Friday

2009-01-23T22:42:00.002-05:00

TGIF. Not sure why~my weekends are usually at least as nutty as the rest of the week...but, it's a change of routine, especially when I do not have to work on Saturday. Such is the case this weekend. The finally finished doesn't just apply to my work week. I have also finally finished The Shack. My theory about why it has taken me so long to finish this book is because it really shook me down to my foundations. There have been two books this year that have had monumental impact: The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning and The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. The Ragamuffin Gospel helped me to get it after all these years that God loves all of us unconditionally and loves me in particular~in spite of or because of my flaws and faults, failings, frailties, and the strengths and noble strivings of a human being. The Shack was disturbing and unsettling. I was only able to read portions of it at a time and then just be with it. I had to take time to process the messages and to digest it all on a deeper level. There were so many truths that came forth out of this book that it is difficult to even know where to begin. The overall message I got out of reading this book was how finite our human minds and human understanding really is. The scriptures tell us that our ways are not God's ways and God's ways are not our ways. His thoughts are so far above ours that we cannot even begin to comprehend. This is one reason that things beyond our scope of understanding happen throughout the world on a moment by moment basis and we cannot fathom the why and wherefore that is part of the bigger picture seen only by the Eternal Father. So many things have entered into the world and our sphere through the doorway of our own individual desire to have our own way~our freedom of choice. God gives us this because there can be no true relationship without the freedom to choose. This is a two-edged sword. Through freedom of choice, the free will, the human bent to have independence, Adam and Eve chose to have their own way. Even in an ideal setting, such as the Garden of Eden, where living conditions were ideal, Adam and Eve chose to eat of the forbidden tree, and they lost paradise and the untainted relationship they had with God. Even in a perfect world, we could not, as humans, avoid disobeying the rules. Disobedience in this case equals sin and through that doorway evil of all types was allowed to enter the world and into the human experience. Mankind invited it. God had it set up that man could be protected and provided for and have life pretty easy and serene. Adam and Eve could have had everything including perfect fellowship with the Creator. I think most of us have learned the bitter truth, chosing our own way, only to find out that the cost far outweighed the momentary benefit. Especially since we compromise our closeness to God. This story was also a graphic illustration of how actions impact others both positively and negatively. What we do matters. Even if we think we've gotten away with something, God is not mocked. He sees. We do reap what we sow, good or bad. It comes back to us in a much larger dose than whatever we put out there. Sometimes our reaping takes the same form as what we sowed and sometimes God chooses another avenue~the one that gets our attention most deeply. Sometimes it is years before our reckoning comes to us and sometimes it is swift and immediate. Forgiveness is a powerful medicine. Judgement is a powerful poison. God is always with us. ALWAYS. Whether we are aware and connected in relationship with Him or not. The Holy Spirit is always at work. Jesus is interceeding for us and serving as the lens that God sees us through. He sees us as perfect because of Jesus. This book left me realizing how much God is always conspiring in our favor. No matter what things look like on the surface, there are powerful unseen forces constantly at work in our world and in our lives. God comes to us in whatever form He needs to in order to reach us. It's pretty amazing to think of this complex orchestration God has come up with for our benefit. God is very, very patient with His creation. All of that in order to have fellowship with all of us. Pretty amazing. My mind is still swimming from the height, bredth, and depth of it all! If you haven't read The Shack, you are missing an incredible experience!

Thick-of-it Thursday

2009-01-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

Thursdays are another intense and long day! By this time of the week , I'm in the thick-of-it and I'm just plain thickofit! I am always juggling my time in between massages to get the rest of my reading done in time for class. Right now, with only this semester left, the workload has gotten more ambitious. Probably in an effort to flush out the ones who aren't really serious about it...We're doing a lot of roleplays where we are the pretend therapist working with a pretend client. Then all your classmates get to critique how well you did. This is a big favorite with the entire class-hehe! But, hey, "Do you wanna be a shrink or not???" So on we plod.
Now for the Thursday schedule rundown. This week we had Jayden over night on Wednesday night. I had been up all night working at the shelter the night before having my usual 12 hour work day. Tyler and I get up early to take Jayden out to the Windmill Restaurant in downtown Holland before school whenever we have him overnight during the week. Jayden loves that! He likes looking around downtown early in the morning and seeing all the stuff in the store windows. The same group of local old fogeys is always there and they are beginning to recognize Jayden when we come in. You can tell they get a kick out of him. He does put on quite a show some mornings! Jayden loves to get chocolate milk and he is crazy about their homemade bread with jam or jelly. He usually skips the eggs but does like hashbrowns and is really into sausage, ham, and bacon. When we get done eating, we head to school. He likes to show us where his backpack and coat go and who his friends are. Then it's goodbye and I hurry home to get ready for work. I work until 3pm and then change into my school clothes and go to Grand Rapids for class. I'm in school from 6-10 pm. Lately the weather has been a nightmare and last week I was really scared driving home in a near whiteout. It's usually at least 10:30 pm before I see home again.That is, if the force is with me. I am always extra tired on Friday because of this grueling routine. I keep reminding myself that I will only have to do this for another year at the most! Wow, what will I do then with all my spare time??? A normal workweek would seem like vacation! What does all this mean? Hmmm:

A Pound of Cure: Work-out, Weigh-in Wednesday

2009-01-21T00:03:00.013-05:00

Here I am, kicking my own ass at Family Fitness. Wednesday has been the day of reckoning lately. I am in lucky week #13. I did lose a pound this week

I programmed the eliptical machine for a workout called "walk in the park"-this would be a slight misrepresentation I would say. Whoever named it that was being a sarcastic SOB. Maybe they were thinking of Jurassic Park!

This is my preferred method of torturing myself. If my foot is good I run and if it's not I walk and then ride the bike. That's my interpretation of "resting" it.

I hate how sitting like this emphasizes the fat roll~however, it is getting smaller!
Now to the meeting... We discussed emotional eating and how to avoid it. We tried to define what "real" hunger feels like: the grumbling stomach, the hunger pangs, possibly the shakes or a headache or feeling no energy. When we think we're hungry we need to ask ourselves if it is real and legitimate-such as it's been awhile since we've eaten and we have the real indicators or is something else going on? Am I bored? Sad? Lonely? Mad? Happy? Tired? Thirsty? If it isn't real hunger, what else could I do instead of eat? The strategies we came up with were exercise, read, distract ourselves with a hobby, tv program, brush our teeth, chew gum, take a bubble bath, paint our toe or fingernails, blog or journal. The point is to eat only when you're physically hungry, stop when you are reasonably satisfied but not overstuffed, and to recognize when it's not real hunger and substitute another behavior instead of eating. This is a process and we get better at it as we go along. We also discussed the plateau/set point issue. Everyone agrees that the way to get past it is to change up the eating/exercise pattern. So, that will be my assignment this week.

Turning point Tuesday

2009-01-20T23:32:00.002-05:00

I loved today! Right now, business is slow at the shop so I'm not rejoicing that my 11:30 cancelled BUT the silver lining was that I got to watch all of the inauguration events all the way up until President Obama started his speech~then I listened to as much of that as I could while I was driving into work. So, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Obamas leave Blair House this morning to go to church. I loved the dress Michelle was wearing. She is every bit the classic beauty that Jackie Kennedy was and is very reminiscent of Jackie's simple, elegant style. The magnitude of the crowds was mind boggling. I have never seen such as sight! Excitement and electricity flowed in every area where people gathered. The cheers rose up from the crowds and I know that must have been a touching and heartening sight for Barack Obama as he rode along in the motorcade. The emotions were running high, too. I saw people crying. Personally, I went through a few Kleenex myself! I have a good feeling about our new president. Everyone seems to be feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time. This is not only history in the making but a real shift towards unity and action I feel. It was heartwarming to see how kind and welcoming President and Mrs. Bush were and Barack's acknowledgement of George Bush in his inaugural speech was a nice touch. Then watching the Obama girls was delightful. They are such adorable girls. It will be fun watching them navigate the White House in the coming years. Everything was so beautiful and perfect. Barack and Michelle Obama make a dazzling first couple. I had the same sense of fascination watching them that I get when I watch the pageantry of the Royal Family. In a sense, they are the American equivalent. There is something really captivating about the pomp and circumstance, the ceremony, the traditions, the history, the legacy. Makes a person proud to be an American! While I was working out, CNN was showing the various galas that the Obamas were attending. Again, I loved the first lady's gown. Gorgeous. It was sweet seeing the first couple dancing together. This is a day we'll not forget any time soon!

Manday Monday

2009-01-19T21:02:00.006-05:00

Mondays are always a little off in my book. You get your schedule sideways because you don't have to follow the usual pattern of the workweek. I have heard that it's better for you if you still go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time but I hardly know anyone who actually does that. I know I don't...which is why, come Monday, I'm extra tired and prone to be somewhat out of sorts. Then add in the fact that I'm way overscheduled. I work from 9-3 or sometimes 4:15pm. Then, every other week I either have a staff meeting or a training to go to from 4-5pm. Then I try to hit the gym and go to Weight Watchers and/or fit in the rest of my workout and dinner before I go to life group at 7pm. I make it back home about 8:30ish or 9pm. I'm really dragging tail by then! Today was no exception~except...with the exception of more men clients today than women. That is unusual. Normally I have about 30% men clients to 70% women. Today, 3 out of my 5 clients were guys. Don't get me wrong, I like and value my guy clients but it just isn't normal for my day to stack up this way. Not complaining, just observing. I have to say, without breaking confidentiality, that all three of the guys today brought something special to my day today. I had a great conversation with one of the guys about The Shack and the way God works though our life circumstances-especially the unpleasant ones-to make us better people in the long-run if we allow God to do His work. Guy #2 is in a non-traditional profession for a guy and I was so impressed with his kind, compassionate, respectful demeanor. I think that sometimes we all get caught up in sterotypes and forget that both men and women can be caretakers and be nurturers. This was a good lesson for me today. My last guy client of the day was sent by his wife and daughter-both clients of mine. He was just a happy-go-lucky, super nice man. Maybe God wanted to send me a visual reminder to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, regardless of gender or any other qualifying attributes. Perhaps it is part of my healing process to realize that there are good guys in the world. They do exist. All around me. Whether I'm aware of it or not. Not all men are selfish and untrustworthy. We, as women, are not designed to be at odds with the men folk in our world. We're supposed to be complimentary. The yin and yang. Good lesson for a Monday, don't you think?

Sunday Funday: Creative Memories & The Symphony

2009-01-18T20:04:00.018-05:00

Today was one of the most pleasant days I've had in awhile. True, the weather was horrid~snow, snow and more snow! Add to that periods of blowing snow. Does the phrase "whiteout" conjure up any stark images?? Tell you what, when I first woke up this morning I thought for sure I'd be getting a call saying that our little cropping party in Spring Lake was being postponed to a more sane day. Not the case! These scrapbookers are a hearty lot! Patricia is a real trooper. She offered to drive and then comforted me by saying that she has driven to Traverse City in worse weather than this!Ha! So, go you, Patricia! I was happy as a clam in her nice warm van with my own personal chauffeur. When you go with Patricia, you go first class, my friends!

So we get there a little after 10 am. The snacks are already out on the table and coffee's a brewin'-these scrapbook chicks really know how to live. Suz-whom I dearly love-always has a riot of a time whether she gets ANY scrapbooking done or not! She's just glad to be out and about with everyone. The life of the party, she is! Today she had these cherry cordials that she was liberally passing out to all of us. They were delicious AND so full of booze that we decided two should be the limit! Then we started listening to the soundtrack from The Big Chill. All retro oldie goldie stuff. Everyone's singing along and busting out with a few moves. So fun...followed up by Elvis the pelvis and Harry Connick, Jr. Dreamy and McSteamy!

Beth, bless her, made the most delicious pot of chili for our lunch! I found out that she also has cat and dog hair on everything she owns. We are both just wild for our pets and the children in our lives and love to scrapbook, eat and talk a lot! Yup-lots in common.

Patricia kept laughing and coming up with little stories about the pictures she was sorting for her album. That's one of the best things about scapbooking. You relive those happy moments again while you are immortalizing them on the page. Right now, Jayden loves to look at pictures. He loves to go on my blog and look at all the posts that have pictures of him and remember all about the times we've had. It makes me happy to know that these albums will be keepsakes for my family one day and they will be cherished reminders of me and our family and all the memories and traditions we have together.

Not a very good picture of our workspace but it was a cute old schoolhouse that has been revamped. I had never been in Spring Lake proper before. The downtown is cute and quaint. In the snow, it was like a Christmas card. Picture perfect. A scene from Currier & Ives. Us sitting there all cozy with the snow swirling outside the window. Big, fluffy flakes that were so perfect, they looked fake! Just when we were all getting into the swing of things, Patricia and I had to leave for the symphony in Grand Rapids. So, pack it all up again and off we go...

It has been years since I've been to the symphony. I loved to go when I lived in Portland. I took my boys to the kids' concert series there when they were little-The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, OR. Loved it. Then, we moved to Paducah, KY and I remember going a few times. The concert hall there was incredibly cold and drafty as I recall and had seats that were so uncomfortable you almost couldn't sit through a performance! DeVos place in Grand Rapids is very nice, however, and I had no idea what a treat I was in for! This performance was part of the Fox Motors Pops series, guest conducted by Victor Vanacore, themed Hot!Hot!Hot! Night at the Copa. I am now obsessed with Victor Vanacore. He's high energy, talented, happy, fun, and just a spectacular pianist and performer. Such personality! Mr. Vanacore knows how to connect on a deeper level with an audience. You can tell that he loves his work. He has a good time doing what he does. I can honestly say that I've never had a better or more lively time at the symphony! Victor Vanacore has worked with Ray Charles, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, the Jackson Five, and many more big names. Google him sometime and you will be impressed with all that he has done! The guy's a genius. The program included music by Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan, Chick Corea, and many other greats which Mr. Vanacore has tweaked and arranged brilliantly. I was just enthralled! Believe me, I will be watching and listening for his work from now on! Mr. Vanacore does have a CD out called American Standard Time. Check it out! To top it all off, two extremely gifted dancers, Andrzej and Jennifer Przybyl, husband and wife, National Champions from Detroit, mesmerized all of us throughout the concert with their Latin dance moves. Oh, they were hot, hot, hot!!! If you love watching Dancing With the Stars, you would have gone completely crazy for these two! It was eyecandy of the highest caliber! The combination of glorious sound and the magnificent dancing were nearly orgasmic...hehe! I'll never tell...All of that rapture built up a powerful appetite. So, Patricia and I capped off the day with a scrumptious meal at Red Lobster. Haven't been there in ages. Not sure how many points that added up to be-yikes! Made it back to the Little House on the Frozen Tundra. Surrounded by my dogs and cats and warmed by a rip-roaring fire, I think I'll call it a night! Hopefully tonight I can finally finish reading The Shack. News at 11.

Running Toward 50: The Agony of de Feet

2009-01-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

I got a pedicure Tuesday while I was waiting for the call that never came~no massage appointments Tuesday, sad to say! I was supposed to run my first 5K today but it is so blasted cold and snowy and icy and wintery...Besides, I'm still doing battle with plantar fascitis in my left foot. It is maddening and I am reluctantly becoming the foremost expert on the subject, much to my own dismay! I am still in my Brooks. I am stretching. I am icing. I am taking the occaisional Aleve. I am taking extra calcium, vitamin D, and drinking extra Mona Vie. I put on flip flops if I have to get up in the night to go potty and I never go barefoot anymore-ever! My personal(hehe!) trainer(hehe!) Matt says I could go get a cortisone shot in my foot as a last resort. My two nurse advisors, Rach and her sister Esther, said absolutely not and NO surgery!! The weird thing is that during the two weeks before Christmas when I had finals and a research paper and shopping and wrapping and cooking, etc. I could not get to the gym with any regularity and my foot hurt 10X worse-go figure! I have actually noticed an improvement the last two weeks and have had several workouts where I've been able to run for half an hour continuously without stopping and not any worse for the wear and tear on my foot the next day. So, here's my plan. The days when my foot is too painful, I'll do the eliptical and the bike. Otherwise, I'm going to continue training as close to schedule as possible. I'll bump my timeline forward a few months and do my 5K sometime in the spring when there's no snow or ice to worry about, I'll do the 10K possibly at the River Bank or sometime thereabouts, and hope to get in the 16 weeks of training I need for the marathon in September or so...still a goal for 2009, my 50th year, just a little later than anticipated. Disappointing to be sure but on the bright side, I can add plantar fascitis counseling to my repetoir! I have to say that, no matter what, I feel like a million bucks, my body is starting to firm up and get healthier all the time and I feel very empowered to be able to do even what I am able to do at this level. I am also learning to be more patient and to listen to my body. All good!

A Pound of Cure: Check your gauges

2009-01-15T22:12:00.009-05:00

This week was scattered. Obviously not a good week for the blog...I did finally make it to weight loss church on Wednesday morning. I am resigned to going to Weight Watchers whenever~as long as I don't miss a week and going to Family Fitness whenever~as long as I don't miss more than 1 day. Good rules and I have been consistently sticking with them so hooray for me. Before I get into the crux of the meeting, I want to share something from a conversation I had with my gal pal, Becki. Beck has been a lifetime member since last summer when she lost 40 or 50 pounds(not exactly sure but she is an absolute knock-out and just tiny!). Anyway, I was talking to her about my plateau/set point issue and she shared with me that during her weight loss phase (not to be confused with maintenance!) she had 8 weeks where she would gain a pound, then lose a pound, go up two, then down two, on and on...until finally she started dropping again. Same scenario: sticking to the plan and exercising like a fiend! WOW! I'm so glad I talked to her about this because this week-week 12 for me-I lost the 1.6 pounds I had gained last week. So, the total for my first three months is 17.2 pounds lost. I was grousing about it to Beck but now I've decided to celebrate because she renewed my hopes! She went through this too and it didn't stop her from hitting her goal and making lifetime. She assures me that I will also make it! It sure pays to have friends like Becki!!!! Ok, now down to business. We discussed keeping an eye on our "gauges" so we don't run out of gas on our weight loss trip. That means practicing "flexible restraint". Plan ahead, eat more filling foods, work foods that you love into the program as often as possible, exercise more to earn more food points when you need them and don't be afraid to use the 35 extra weekly bonus points. Yay! Next week I will pick up a new 3-month journal for tracking and continue the process...I am also going to try out the online e-tools I hear so many members brag about. We'll see if that is helpful for me. Meanwhile, this is me, sticking to my guns!

The Path I Walk: A Lazy Jay Day

2009-01-11T22:00:00.001-05:00

We are covered once again under a blanket of white. I woke today, not feeling my best, sore throat, congestion, feeling bone tired. I decided that my more immediate need was to sleep so that my immune system could support me during the course of my always busy week. I slept in, did some cleaning and chores, then settled in to finish The Shack. That would be my spiritual muse today. VPM is starting a new church wide study on the core beliefs of the church. Life Group meets tomorrow night. I know Diane always gets a CD for whoever didn't make it to church. So, I just accept that today I will stay home and see what God wants to tell me through reading this book...I will share this later on in the week when I finish the last of the book. I am pondering a lot of deep things here. In the afternoon, Jayden showed up and of course I rallied enough to do some fun stuff with him. Tyler and I took Jay to the Children's Museum once again. That's the one place we can go and always count on having a great time playing for several hours. We capped off the day by having a very nice dinner at Logan's. Jayden gets the biggest kick out of throwing the peanut shells on the floor! When we got home, we played a rousing round of Cootie~which Tyler won~and then playdoh, the all-time favorite! Bathtime and then the popcorn ritual before bed. Not exactly a formal church experience but I felt very blessed by the rest I was able to get, the fellowship and time spent with my family, and being able to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me today through the lessons presented in The Shack. There are many different ways to worship, to commune and connect with God, which doesn't always have to take place within the walls of the church. Sometimes God's magnificence can be seen and experienced through the wide-eyed wonder of a child! The simplicity of love and expression and trust and innocence. Time spent enjoying the delights of a quiet, lazy day. Amen.

CWIT Sisters

2009-01-10T05:00:00.002-05:00

The CWIT staff Christmas party was held tonight at Raleigh Woods. We had a social time with delicious appetizers and a scrumptious dinner of Marsala chicken, Sirloin Roast, veggies, rolls, salad, coffee and assorted desserts. A very fun night of food and socializing. Our original party was cancelled because of bad weather a few weeks ago. We've all decided that we liked having the party post-holidays after all the hub-hub has died down. Just easier to relax and enjoy without feeling pressured for time.The whole evening was BOMBDIGGITY!

THANKS FOR YOUR VOTE!!!

2009-01-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

For the fifth time in 6 years, Body Perfections has been voted Best of West Michigan by the readers of the Holland Sentinel. Since I am the only full-time therapist, am now in my 13th year ( a Baker's dozen!), and I do about 85-90% of the massages at Body Perfections, my bosses have told me that I should take this award personally! So, I, in turn want to thank all of you who voted for Body Perfections and for me personally to receive this honor. I also want to say a thank-you to the therapists who work with me. At this point in my career there is no way I could cover the entire book by myself, not to mention taking time off for weekend classes and the occaisional vacation and/or Saturday off. Cathy has been with me over 10 years and has been a great partner and helper, friend, and a great therapist in her own right.

I have also appreciated the efforts of Melissa over the past couple years while she has been attending Hope College. The support has been very needed and I do thank her for being part of the team.

To all my loyal clients, many of you have been with me for most of those 13 years, I just want to say that working with you has been a pleasure and a privilege. I have shared many life events with you and you with me. The relationship has gone way beyond just providing a service or just being a job, a way of earning a living. I have loved my life and my career at Body Perfections and there were many times in the last decade plus that being at Body Perfections with all of you has been an anchor for me. No matter what was going on in my life~raising kids, marriage, divorce, graduation, the birth of my grandson, you have walked beside me. I hope that you have felt my presence in your lives as well. As I begin to wind down my years as a massage therapist and prepare to transition into another profession, it is very affirming to have received this honor so many times over the years. Thank-you so much for your unflagging support! I am very motivated to continue growing, learning, and becoming a better therapist and a better person in general. It has been such a privilege to serve in this way and I am looking forward to spending the next year or two yet serving as your massage therapist and friend. Be sure to look for the publication of the awards soon in the Holland Sentinel. Blessings to all and thanks again for helping me be successful in a career I love!

Wrestling with mortality

2009-01-08T18:11:00.000-05:00

The past week has been somewhat of an emotional roller coaster ride. Many of you are aware that my parents are older-soon to be 91, in fact. I was the baby in my family and my parents had me late in life. I was the ooops! Many of you also know that my dad's health has been poor for quite some time. Like anyone his age, he has his bad days and his good days. Lately, though, it has been more of a struggle and we have had some big scares. This past week was especially tentative.

I know that I have been blessed to have my parents so long. I am especially thankful that both my parents are Christians and I can relax about their final destination because I know it will be in the presence of God.

I know that it is such a blessing that my dad is not in pain and suffering from some horrible disease such as cancer. Most of the time, he is oriented and knows everyone, knows where he is, etc.

I know that my dad has made his peace with God and everybody else. He is calm and assured. He is ready to go whenever God calls his name.
But...

No matter how hard I try, I am still wrestling with accepting the inevitable loss of my parents. I know it's coming. I know that God loves all of us, knows what He's doing, is merciful and gracious and will not take us a minute before our appointed time. Still...I think it's because death seems so permanent from this side. We don't like to be separated from people we love. Also, your parents are sort of like the guiding constellations. Through every event of my life so far, my parents have been there. The thought of them not being feels awful to me! I can't imagine my life without them. I feel like part of me will be lost because they are part of my identity. I think I will feel like an orphan. I know this is selfish and I need to get ahold of myself and get it together before it happens but this is REALLY BIG! When the time comes, I hope my Dad goes quietly and peacefully in his sleep. I hope he can just slip away to God. I hear and see his weariness and his readiness to depart. I know that death is part of life and it is normal and natural. This week my dad seems to be doing better. I'm breathing a sigh of relief for now...and asking God to help me accept the mortality that we all must face. Part of me, the selfish part, hopes that he makes it to his 91st birthday at the end of this month. I hope I get another face-to-face visit in with him this spring. Every day is a gift. Every moment is precious. All the while I know that it is not in my domain to choose~I must accept.