I love one of my teachers. She is a PTA in a town close to here and went back to school when she was older to be the PTA. Today she wrote us an email and one of the lines was " Work hard!!! you are a reflection of me and I take pride in teaching you!" She just shows such an interest in our small little class... makes me excited to go to school tomorrow :D


Sorry... just had to post that really quick.. maybe its dumb to you.. but I thought it was cute.

You know something is VERY wrong when..

It is is September and ...


Your friends start wearing their down coats and stocking hats



AND you pull out your sweater collection because the tee-shirts are not keeping you warm!



Makes us not too happy!!!!!! ( more to come about this weekend .. when it is not so late at night!!)

changes..and I hate change

bye bye my Shannon and Brian! But don't worry, I will see you in two weeks!

Its kinda sad.. my friend level is dropping around Sioux Center. :( Shannon and Brian have left me and now I have to make new friends on my spare time.

However, that is not too hard :)

I also had to subject myself to going back to Dordt. I have a online computer class, in which it is based in the newest version of Windows! Two problems... 1. I have a MAC 2. I am not going to install windows on this computer.. it will ruin it ;)

So Diane gives me her password and I go and do my homework there :) It confuses a lot of people that I am still around.. but it is fun to go back there.. reminds me of the good old days!

Also, it is ridiculous--- everyone and their brother are getting engaged!!!!!! I think for the last month and a half.. a couple or two have gotten engaged every week! It just shocks me of some people that are... but its kinda funny :)

Also, I decided I want to go to Africa to be a missionary when I get my degree. One of my best friends Laura ( who is a nurse) want to go travel and do medical missions when we get some experience. This has been brought on by one of the my teachers. She encourages us daily.. to get away.. travel do something but stay here!! She has been to so many places and she tells us stories and I realized thats what I really want to do! We'll see what happens in the future.

Anyways.. time for work.. aka supper.. ;) hopefully its good!

Go go Patrick!

This picture is for patrick. In his long struggle to learn how to use the potty. IF only he had uncle Jonny there to coach him along!
( actually , I was smart enough and potty trained myself.. Jonny just wanted to look like he was the one to take the credit for my smartness!!! ;) )

No time to breathe

My life is CRAZY. Seriously. I got to school, work , sleep, and socialize on the side..... Sometimes I think I am going to burn myself out. Oh well.. I am starting to really like the people I work with.. they are a lot of fun. One girl I worked with today.. before I knew who she was.. tired to hook me up with her brother.. then I asked her who her brother was.. come to find out that he brother is a good friend of mine! It was kinda funny.. now we just joke about it! I have also met some other people from different parts of the hospital who are fun to hang out with!

Today I actually did have a relaxing day! I only had class from 9-11 then no work for once!

At school the class was on values and ethics. It was so interesting to hear this lecture from a NON Christian perspective. At Dordt and in high school this lecture is especially grounded from a Biblical perspective. I can't explain it well but it is so weird to hear this lecture with no mention of God or the Bible in the "Christian" way of approaching people and treating them. It kind of challenges me to think what are my values and how they should shape my life.


I also had time and visited my babies at the daycare! They are getting SO BIG!! I could barely recognize them! They have no clue who I am but they still came over and plopped in my lap and had me read them a story. :D
My old boss gave my name to a lady who just moved to Sioux Center with her husband and two little boys to help take care of her dad.. but then her dad just passed away - leaving them here knowing nobody! So I offered to babysit their little kids ( like 3 years old and a baby). That should be fun.. I miss little kids!

I also did 5 loads of laundry today. It was pretty bad. I hardly have time to do it, so now that I had a day off.. I did everything! It was fun.. now my room is all clean again!

Also today was a VERY SAD DAY. Shannon and Brian moved away to Minneapolis. I was secretly hoping they would not find an apartment.. but God had other plans for them than I did. However!!!! Me and and Brian's sister Kara are going to drive up there the weekend of the 22nd to visit! So that will be fun.

Anyways.. no pictures for now... I have to start pulling out that camera more! Or actually just unloading pictures from it :)


Hope everyone is doing well!!

Happy Labor Day!!

No school today!!! I do have to work a couple hours, but I don't mind. Free food, hang out with the residents, and paid time and a half... not too shabby.

Then Dordt has their FIRST football game! Go Dordt GO! That should be a lot of fun and i hear it is going to be packed... people even came from Texas to watch it!!!

Anyways.. hope everyone has a good day off!

I am liked :)

Update!! the grumpy lady told me today that she likes me!!!! It was so cute.. and I told her.. " I will see you later!" and she said.. "I really hope soon." It was really nice.. it made my day :)

Busy busy busy

I think this week has been the busiest one of my life!!! I am working full time while going to school full time. This was also supposed to be my weekend off and the boss really needed someone to fill in for a girl with mono. I felt really bad for him because he has a young family and if I did not work he would have had to come in and not see his family much this weekend. So I figured I could use the extra money and work with my favorite old people.

Seriously.. it makes my day to see some of the residents in the nursing home. Here are some funny stories of yesterday
I asked this one lady ( who is usually grumpy) how her day was going and she responded in a gruff voice "Terrible." So I asked her why and how I could help her. She just could not find her seat in the dinning room!! So I found her seat for her and cheered her up and she actually was really fun for the rest of the night!

My other favorite, the other really grumpy one, is starting to like me too! Now when she sees me she smiles more at me and I think she is remembering me more!


I also went to a short family reunion with Diane. I was SO happy that my favorite great aunt Emma was still alive! She is 95 and crazy as usual. We were planning her escape from the nursing home to her home in Lester ( which her family sold 5 years ago and she does not even know!) She always offers for me to live with her ( even in the nursing home!!)
It was fun seeing all my relatives again!

Here is a picture from my phone of my great aunt Emma, ( I unfortunately forgot my camera :() But I also did get a new phone and a new phone number! So if anyone wants to get a hold of me don't call my old phone because you will get Diane!

bitter sweet

Sad news:
Dordt is back in session and I am not going back :(. I went to visit Dordt last night and it was so weird going into southview ( where I used to live) and not actually living there. This is really weird but it all struck me as sad as I was going up the stairs to the floor my room was on. It just reminded me of the good times going down stairs to visit my friends and reminds me of my whole relationship with Josh cuz Dordt is where it happened. I dunno..I just miss living so close to my friends and the whole college atmosphere .

In memory of Dordt:
Good news!! I love my other school. It is a totally different atmosphere than Dordt but I love my class and I am getting to know them all a little better! We have all our classes together so I have a feeling we are all going to get close. Especially with times like today when for lab we all had to take off our shirts so that we can check each others backs for muscular and skeletal deformities! Granted we all we wearing sports bras ( for the most part and not the boys!) but ya.. i was not expecting to have to take off my shirt for the class! On the other hand.. I did learn that my shoulder is slightly elevated on the left.. :S who knows how that happened!


Other than all that.. school has kept me busy... work has been a lot... but I have been hanging out with my sweet friends in the mean time and have been having such a great time in Sioux Center!!!

Finally getting to where I want to be

Today I had a 3 hour class, which made me SO excited to get into Physical Therapy!!!! I kinda got giddy ( sorry I am a nerd) looking at my textbooks seeing all that I get to learn and do someday! This class even has a lab with it where we get to practice our skills and has tons of skeleton models to look at and physical therapy stuff to play with. I even get to start clinicals in January!!!

It is kinda hard.. recently I have been working at the hospital.. to fill in for a girl who is getting married. I miss the elderly people at the nursing home and it makes me really want to start doing something more of my major related. Every day I have to walk by the physical therapy section of the hospital and I always walk slower so I can see ( hopefully not staring) what is happening..and I have even met the physical therapists that work there. It just makes me more antsy to hurry up and finally get to do what I have been dreaming to do for such a long time!


Anyways.. thats about it for now.. life has been pretty good.... working hard .. now learning a lot. Dordt is starting soon so I get to pick Diane up from the airport on Sunday and then some friends will be coming back so it will be good to see them!

Back to school!

I start school again tomorrow! whoo hoo! I figured that I am going to go to 6 years of college. Thats a lot. It should be a good day!

Flashy!

This is my 100th post!

The weather in Iowa has been pretty bad.. and last night there was a lightening storm unlike any that I have ever seen before!! The sky was constantly lighting up and it was really neat! I got some pictures! It also really scares me.... partly because of my car.. I don't want it to get hurt in the storm if there was hail and partly because we have that huge radio tower which is just asking to get struck by lightening.

Hopefully all this bad weather goes away!!

What a GREAT DAY !

Today is a VERY meaningful day in my family!

First:
It is my dads birthdaY!!! My dad is one of my most favorite people in this WHOLE wide world and I love him SO much! I wish I was there to celebrate with him today :(


Also, as it mentions on flanaganclan.com it was a year ago that little Sammy J. was baptized! That boy has GROWN way too much since then!!!




Also! It is my uncle Lew's birthday.. he is exactly one year older than my dad! Josh also turns 23 today!

So ya, in my family everything important seems to happen on just a couple days of the year and Aug. 20th is one of those days! SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE!!

My new house!

This is my window looking out, it is a soybean field! Typical Iowa!!

My messy bedroom:S I got to organize it!

The front of my my house! Can you find Lucy?The big radio tower in the backyard, you can see it all across town! So if you ever want to find my house, follow that!
Here is Lucy, looking all pretty!

I love my new house and my new roommates! I am so excited to be able to live here!

The smile is coming out!

Wow . Today was such a refreshment!
1. Work was good. The day started TERRIBLE! I woke up only a couple mins before I had to leave.. so I had to rush and get ready... making it there just a couple mins late.. but no one noticed! Not the hardest job.. but I got lots of hours and the people I work with are awesome! PLUS!I get free food.. and actually good food! hurray!

2. Lucy got registered! and her numbers are easy to remember... 765 TAR.. lol so if you see a red corolla with those numbers... WATCH OUT! jk ;)

3. BEST OF ALL!! I love my new HOUSE and my new ROOMMATES!! It has air conditioning, dishwasher, washer, dryer, Internet, TV, a bed for me to sleep in, my OWN room, only have to share the bathroom with ONE other person, it is already set up and pretty, and it is CHEAP!! I can not be happier. I am so glad the other deal did not go through and I can live here!!!!!!


You know how I said I can not see God's smiling face..? Now I can see it clear as day light. It is amazing how God is watching out for me and making sure all is good :)


I will take pictures later :)

Gunna go crazy

Tomorrow:
Start work at 7am ( was supposed to start at 5:30 but he decided to let me start at 7 instead :) )

Register Lucy by 5-- because the paper plates expire tomorrow! I also realized you can't charge the rather large amount ( :S ) of tax and licencing fees on my debit card.. whoops!

Move into my new house with three other girls! I am excited about this cuz I have been lonely living in the Bouma house by my self. :( I don't know if I posted this.. but the girl I was supposed to live with .. ditched me at the last min. so I quick had to find another place to live.. which worked out since this girl offered her house for me to live in.. which actually is better and about the same price as the place I was going to move into.

What a busy day tomorrow will be, however I feel like my life is finally falling into place since I have been back to Sioux Center. I will be making money, I will get to stop living out of suitcases, and finally just be able to sit back and relax in my own place!

Despite all the good things going on.... I just can't wait for the week to be over...

6 months and 4 days

Tonight me and Josh broke up. It was just the wrong time in our lives to be dating and this is how it ended up (on good terms... don't think we despise each other now). It stinks and I still think a lot of him, but if this is Gods plan for our lives, let it be that way. A hymn states: "Behind every frowning providence, God hides a smiling face." For me it is hard, almost impossible for me to see that smile but I know it is there and I know my whole life is portioned out for me in his plan. To his family, thanks for being the best and hopefully our lives cross paths again, but I will miss you.
Pray for us as this time is naturally hard for the both of us.

(one of) My Best Friend's Weddings

Well.. Shannon and Brian got married this week. It was such a privilege to get to go up to Canada early and meet her whole family and a lot of her friends and help her with her wedding. I was able to help out a lot...which was nice that I helped relieve some of the wedding stress.

I took lots of pictures of this week... I don't know if I have ever filled my memory card in my camera up with pictures of one event... but this week I filled it up! There were so many good memories while I was there .. but I will just share a couple with pictures.

One of my favorite things was hanging out with her family. I got to know them quite well and even yesterday I teared up as I had to say good bye to them. Her brother Eric and I got along really well.. and we ending up singing a duet at Shannons reception deticated to them! :) ALso her grandparents wanted to kidnapp me and keep me cuz they thought I was too fun. That sounds dumb but they were so sweet to me.

A whole bunch of our Dordt friends all showed up so that was fun to see a bunch of my friends again! In the end, it was a VERY needed, VERY relaxing, VERY memorable trip! Now I start work on Tuesday and hopefully ( keeping my fingers crossed) move into my new place this week also!

Sioux Center Is Really A Booming Town!

I know its been a while, but some news is too good to pass up.   

Fire crews are working to put out a burning railroad tanker car that exploded just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Police say the explosion occurred near the Centre Mall on U.S. Highway 75, the city's main street.  It has forced authorities to evacuate residents within a half-mile of the area until further notice.
Volunteer firefighters from nine local towns say the blast happened as ethanol was being loaded onto the tanker car at Farmers Co-Op Elevator in downtown.
One person was hurt in the blast and was taken to the hospital.

Oh canada!

Hello everyone!
After an eventful trip to Canada ( starting out at the emergency room!) we finally made it to Shannons house at 5:30 am! Shannon, Brain, Brians sister Kara, and I are having such a good time around edmonton. Friday is the wedding and we are looking forward to that! It was nice to see Shannon again too! I am taking a lot of pictures so I will make sure to post them later!

Hope everyone is doing well!