Quote of the Day

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be..."

On this day of your life, Melanie, we believe God wants you to know ...

...that today you have a cause for celebration.

"Today, you should celebrate what an unbelievable life you have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make you stronger. Just as a gem cannot be polished without friction, nor can a life be perfected without trials. Take a time to acknowledge your life and to praise yourself."

Day 3...

...into my new job and I get a SNOW DAY! :)

I have been enjoying my new position as Assistant Director at my school. I'm realizing that I always need to be on my toes and moving around. I might get in shape, after all. Ha ha ha.

I feel overwhelmed at the moment, only because everything is new and I'm trying to learn things quickly amongst all the interruptions.

I think I might go into school later today and catch up on things in a quiet environment.

Quote of the Day

"One thing about trains...it doesn't matter where you're going, what matters is to get on."

-Polar Express

God wants you to know...

... that what you are most afraid of is where your greatest rewards are.

If all you had to do was wish for something and you would have it, life would be pretty boring, wouldn't it? God placed barriers between us and what we want, so we can enjoy interesting and satisfying lives. God hid our biggest rewards behind the highest barriers - our deepest fears. God wants us to face our fears, and hold ground in their presence, and let them go, and that's how we get out biggest rewards. What are you most afraid of? Say it, just start by saying it.

Quote of the Day!

Christopher Robin said it best to Pooh..."Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger that you seem, and smarter that you think."

Movin' On Up...

I'm so happy to share that as of yesterday I have accepted an "Assistant Director" position at my school! I am very excited for this next journey in my life. I have been teaching preschool age for close to ten years. I have worked in a couple different schools and have had many different positions. I feel that the time has now come for me to step into a higher position not only for the benefit of myself, but to be an advocate for all the teachers at my school.

This will be a big change for me. I will truly miss the 'teaching the children' part of my profession...but I did not second guess my choice to move forward.

I will make the big move in December!

Quote of the Day

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, and Love to complete your life.”

Quote of the Day

"May today mark the beginning of many new joys and accomplishments...and a continuation of all of the good things that you have already achieved."

Craft Fair

Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church will host its 19th annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair on Saturday, November 14, 2009 from 9 am - 3 pm. 100+ vendors. Admission and parking are free! Church ladies will be serving breakfast, lunch and snacks during the event. Proceeds from the sale support the church library and a post-secondary scholarship.


Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church
3611 N Berens Rd
Prior Lake, MN


I will be selling my handcrafted cards, fishing lure ornaments and a few painted bird houses at this event. Come and say Hi!

Quote of the Day

"Love knows no limits to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. Love still stands when all else had fallen."

Holiday Craft Show!

Corey's cousin, Holly, and I are in this craft fair...come and support us!
Holly will have many beaded pieces for sale and I will be selling my handcrafted cards.


Tio Wakan Holiday Craft Show
Friday, October 16th (10-6)
Saturday, October 17th (9-4)


Tio Wakan Spiritual Center is located at 14625 Prairiegrass Drive, Prior Lake, MN
(On the hill behind Little Six Casino)

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next. Amen.

A Quote for Summit

"LIVE, LOVE, LICK"

Quote of The Day

"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power."

Bye Bye Summer of 2009

I can't believe that it's Labor Day today. Crazy! This summer went by too fast. I haven't done a good job of updating my blog, but I guess that just goes to show you that I stayed quite busy this summer. Here's what Corey and I have been up to...



June:
I stayed with Primrose Schools and worked with their summer camp program. (June-July-August) It was great to only have 6-10 kids a day. We took many field trips and had lots of laughs. It was a refreshing summer. Summer camp is a great way for me to slow down and have fun!

Corey and I had a unforgettable experience in Phoenix, AZ at the end of June with 13 youth (and 2 other adult leaders) from Shepherd of the Lake Church. We had fun creating a vacation bible school for Alleluia Church. Everyone worked hard studying and teaching scriptures from the bible. Making meals was also a group effort and always entertaining, especially our grocery shopping runs to the local Walmart. :) We did take some time to do some sightseeing and enjoyed the desert landscape. It was, surprisingly, only 113 degrees while we were there...very comfortable. It's true what they say, it's a dry heat! We made many new friends on this trip and enjoyed staying in contact with some of them throughout the summer. Corey and I are both looking forward to building a bigger and better youth program at Shepherd.

July:
We had a relaxing and happy 4th of July! We had fun attending Primrose Schools summer picnic and visiting and catching up with our families while showing our never ending slide show of pictures from our AZ Mission Trip.

Corey's cousins drove in from Arkansas and we planned many family get togethers to visit and catch up with all of them.

I celebrated my 30th birthday on the July 27th! It's still weird to say 30...I don't feel it!

August:
We enjoyed Prior Lake's annual Lakefront Days parade and had our mission trip friends over for a BBQ. We went on our very first Lake Minnetonka Boat Cruise and attended the free concert of Irish Punk Band, Dropkick Murphy, on St Paul's Harriet Island.

We spent a long, unfortunately cold, weekend at my Dad's lake home in Willmar. We had fun time BBQing with the Cleary family and had good luck fishing in the rain. I really enjoyed playing with my nephews, Parker and Colton.

We attended the Great Minnesota Get Together...the State Fair! We spent a good 9 hours at the fair and still did not see and do everything. We ate a lot of great, greasy food and peddled off some calories at the WCCO local news booth to win a free t-shirt. We collected about a dozen free reusable shopping bags too!

I LOVED taking every Friday off of teaching summer camp. Having long weekends was a great way to relax this summer.



Looking into September, my schedule is filled with school, school and more school! Teaching school that is. I'm looking forward to starting this new school year with a new set of 4-5 year olds, a new co-teacher and a remodeled classroom!

Quote of the Day

"Don't look where you fall, but where you slipped."

- African Proverb

Happy Birthday To ME!

Well...I'm officially 30!

It really isn't all that bad. I don't feel old, which is good. (Unless, I see some past students that are all grown up...then it hits me that I'm not in my early 20's anymore.)

It sure is weird saying the number 30 though.

Quote of the Day!

"Never regret anything because at one time it was exactly what you wanted."

Quote Of The Day

Happiness has nothing to do with pleasure.

"You feel pleasure when you want something and you get it. Or when you don't want something and you remove it. Pleasure is always relative. Happiness is absolute. Happiness is the understanding and acceptance of life as it is in this very moment as completely perfect, because every creation of God is perfect. The degree to which you do not accept life in all of the Divine forms is the degree to which you suffer."

Arizona Mission Trip

Sedona, AZ
Pastor Hal, Me, Erin, Amy, Madison, Justin, John, Marissa, Corey, Jen, Connie, Danny, Zach, Becca, Joe, Scott and Tayla

SOLLC - Alleluia VBS
June 20-28, 2009

SUMMIT

Quote of the Day

"You've got to live life, not think about it. Step into the midst of things, try and fail and learn and stand up again. The question is not whether you will or will not make mistakes - you will. The question is do you want to learn and grow, or do you want to shrink back and be stuck? Take that step you've been avoiding. You can succeed, or you can get feedback that it didn't work, but in either case you are sure to feel alive."

We're off to a GOOD START...

Corey and I are starting off the summer on the right "fitness" track. We realized that we haven't used our bikes as much as we should and made a change...we want to ride a lot this summer. We need to be in better shape. Although Corey loves the challenge of the dirt trails I prefer the smooth, paved trails. We rode 12 miles last Memorial weekend on the Minnesota Valley Trail (From Chaska to Shakopee and back again.) I really enjoyed it and forgot how much fun biking is. We have taken a couple laps around Cleary Lake Park (3.1 miles), which is near our house, and have putted around Prior Lake. Today we tackled the Cannon Valley Trail! I'm pretty proud of myself...I've ridden a total of 56 miles in the last week! Getting back into this and riding so many miles right away has been a challenge though...I may need to invest in a new bike seat or some padded shorts...my butt is so sore.

CANNON VALLEY TRAIL
May 31, 2009
Cannon Valley Trail's 23rd Birthday!

Bike ride from Cannon Falls to Welch and back again. (22 Miles)
(Kudos to all the Zimmerman kids...they biked 11 miles!)


Me, Holly, Eric, Jane, Nick, Corey, and Dave
Genevieve, Lizzy, Zack, Eryn and Jeff

Spring Fling

Looking for something fun to do?

Primrose School of Savage is hosting its annual
Spring Fling Family Health Day

Saturday, June 6th

10:30a.m.-2:00p.m.

The public is welcome and admission is FREE. Proceeds will be donated to the Primrose Children's Foundation which helps fund the National Reach Out and Read program.

There will be food, games, face painting, a bounce house, and pony rides for the kids!
Come check out our silent auction too.

Corey and I will be grilling and serving food...stop by and say HI!

Quote of the Day

I believe that everything happens for a reason...and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
-Marilyn Monroe

Another Nephew!

Colton Alan Pint
April 5, 2009
5:30 pm
8lbs. 7oz.
20 inches

For Stefanie and Natalie...

If God ever gave me
Something special you see,
It might have been the blessing of,
Three sisters are we.
The Lord above has gave me lots
Of happiness and glee
But the most special thing he did was
Make us sisters, all three.

Quote of the Day

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

Goodbye Ruby Lee!

I had to part ways with my Liberty recently. (a.k.a. Ruby Lee because the license plate was RLE.) I leased my 2005 Liberty for three years and loved it! It was a super great car for me. I was pretty happy with how the whole leasing process went. Very easy! Not sure if I would ever do it again....owning something is far better. But at the time that's what worked for me. I'll be back to the JEEP dealer someday.
For the time being, Corey and I will be sharing the Tahoe until he gets his Jeep fixed and we can both have our own vehicle again. I thought I would be sad about it, but I'm kinda relieved....I won't have a car payment and I can save up some money.
Here's hoping to an easy transition. Cheers!

Quote of the Day

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,

so love the people who treat you right,

forget about the ones who don't,

and believe that everything happens for a reason.

If you get a chance, take it.

If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it."

Another Birthday....

Happy 2nd Birthday, SUMMIT!

Quote of the Day

"We all get at least one good wish a year over the candles on our birthday. Some of us throw in more...on eyelashes, fountains, lucky stars. And every now and then one of those wishes comes true. So what then? Is it as good as we hoped? Do we bask in the warm glow of our happiness or do we just notice we've got a lot of other wishes waiting to be wished. We don't wish for the easy stuff...we wish for the big things, things that are ambitious, out of reach. We wish because we need help and we're scared and we know we may be asking too much. We still wish though because sometimes they come true."

-Grey's Anatomy

Corey's 30th!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Corey, Happy Birthday to you!

Homemade cake by Aimee!


A visit from Parker before the party.

A 'family' calendar from my Grandma.

A 'five-pack' from Mike and Aimee. LOL.

30, Over the Hill?!?!!?!

Birthday Boy with his friends.

Mom, Corey, Peggy and Matt

Bob, Sue, Birthday Boy, Lorie, Grandpa, and Rick

Dad, Doris Mae, Corey and Glen

Corey, Natalie, Mike and Gemma

The Brower Brothers.


Jackie, Todd and Corey

Corey and his Mom

Corey and his Mom and Dad

Corey, Miles and Sue

Corey and his cousin Bryen.
(Bryen flew in from CA and Surprised Corey!)

Jane, Corey and Uncle Dave

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, Corey!

Looking Back...

I went back into my archives to see if I followed through on my resolutions of 2008.
Here's what I've found...

*Continue to have a wonderful, open-communication marriage with my husband, Corey.
I love this one...I feel so lucky to have such a great marriage. I especially enjoy our 'date nights' and love that we still find ourselves laughing at each other everyday.

*Call my family more and invite them over for a visit.
I think I've done better with this...

*Remind myself how friends are so important in life, even if we don't see them as often.
I've noticed we all stay very busy but I'm thankful to still have a great group of friends.

*Continue to email my cousin Lauralee and get to know her more, I'm very lucky to have her back in my life.
I didn't do so well with this one.

*Give Summit extra attention when I'm home, even when I'm really tired from a long day of work.
I think I've done good with this one. For Christmas this year she got a dog tag from the Norby's that said..."Not Spoiled, BLESSED!" That says it all, she gets plenty of attention. :)

*Continue to tell Corey I love him everyday.
I ALWAYS do.

*Take time to hang out with my sisters and go back to having a 'sister day' once a month.
It hard to do our sister time with little kiddos in the picture...but I have enjoyed a few visits and funny conversation.

*Have a better relationship with my sister-in-law, Jackie.
I can only hope that it's working.

*Give more to those I love and not always expect things in return.
I do what I can.

*Read more books.
I read a lot this summer. A few of my favorites are "Friday Night Knitting Club", "WICKED", and the "Twilight" series.

*Crochet a blanket.
Working on it...
But I have done a few more scarves.


*Let my students know how much I love teaching them.
I'm always praising my students...especially their good manners.

*Be more patient with my student's parents.
Fortunately I have a GREAT group of parents this year. It's been fairly easy.

*Tell my co-workers that they are talented and do an awesome job.
I've done better with this one. I give compliments often.

*SLOW DOWN and enjoy life.
I took many long walks and had some quiet reflection.

*Save more money.
I WISH! Just when I think I'm all caught up...I fall behind again.

*Be more confident in wearing shorts this summer. (I should be proud of my fair skin, it makes me look young.)
I got into Capri pants this year. That's a big step! LOL

*Have more 'Melanie time.'
I had lots of time for myself this year...I hope it continues.

*Not worry so much. (I always manage to get through anything.)
I only got one cold sore this year.

*Think about starting a family.
I think about it all the time. "Good things come to those who wait" It'll happen when the time is right.

*Give blood.
I followed through with this one and laugh when I think about it. For 4-5 weeks my arm was black and blue and a little sore. I'd like to try it again and hope to have a better experience.

*Be more productive with my future teaching career.
I keep doing my best and it's paying off!

*Take a compliment.
I'm doing better at saying Thank You and leaving it at that. Sometimes I explain too much.


As I look back I feel I've done pretty well. I can only hope for the same, if not better, in 2009!