Thanksgiving

Well, once again we have reached Thanksgiving Day. It is such a great day to remember all that the Lord has given to us. Hefty and I both have 2 jobs each, (some people don't even have one). We have each other and our families, we are both healthy, we have a place to live, we have clothes in the closet and food on the table. We are so grateful for all of these things! We have awesome friends, an awesome church family, awesome kids who we mentor for youth group, the ability to go to California last month and visit friends.....the list could go on and on!! As you are with friends and family on this Thanksgiving Day, may you be blessed.

Megan

California!

Well, after much anticipation, we were off to California on the 24th of October. The flight and everything went well, except my darling husband thought that we need to take the Wii to play also. At the security check-point, we get stopped b/c we have an electronic device. It was pretty crazy. All in all, we made it to California, and our friends picked us up at the San Fransisco airport later that day. It was such a great trip though! It was so nice to be able to connect with our friends again (some of the best in the world for putting up with us for a week) and being away from work and everyday routine. We went to San Fran for a day and hung out there, saw all the sights and everything. We went to Alcatraz Prision, which was really cool. We rode the famous trolly around town, saw the sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf, ate at the Cheesecake Factorty (some of my FAVORITES!) and also shopped a bit. We went wine-tasting too (I don't really like wine all that much, but I found some that I did like). We took a tour of a brewery (our friend is really into making some home-brew), went to the Charles Schultz Muesem (Charlie Brown) which was really cool and drove up and down the coast on High-Way 1 for a while. It was so nice out there in California! The weather was about 70 everyday and we only had rain on Friday, and Sat am as we were flying out. We finally got home last Saturday at 7 or so. It is hard to get back into reality again, but I was excited to get back to work. Also, last Sunday we took our Youth Group to Gull Meadow Farms for a hay-ride and a Corn Maze. It was a riot! The kids enjoyed themselves so so much! They also had donuts and cider for us! Well, I guess that's about it really. I will post some pictures when I can.....I am not at home so I will have to wait until I get home...
God Bless--
Megan

God is so good

Hello all--
I just wanted to tell you a awesome God story. Well, this past weekend, we found out that Hefty's cousin was in the hospital with a coma. It's a long story as to how he got into the coma, and I will not go there b/c that is not important. Anyhow, the situation was looking pretty dire and depressing. He was on oxygen and not doing well at all. We went there Tuesday to say our good-byes. They were going to pull the plug this coming Monday if he didn't improve. Well, we got a call today that HE WOKE UP!! He had woken up this morning! He still wasn't talking or eating, but he was responding to people and opening his eyes on command. What a miracle this is! Please pray that he would fully recover and this would be an eye-opening expierience for him! We don't know the extent of his "brain damage" yet or how much additional help he will need, but he is alive and breathing on his own! PRAISE GOD!

What's New????

I figured it was about time to update our blog again---we have been doing very well. Hefty has been subbing a lot the past couple of weeks. He really seems to enjoy it. He has been going to Holland and West Ottawa mostly. We just wish that he could get a fulltime teaching job. Oh well, I have been working a lot at church and also at Family Fare. It is pretty fun to stay busy and to have a variety of work available to me. We started our youth group season off this past weekend. It is was a blast!! We played a "Which Leader Is It?" game. They had to guess what leader the question/fact applied to. We also had the wedding of some good friends last weekend! It was fun! It was nice to be w/ our friends again. The adoption process is kind of on hold for now. We both really want children, but, want to do it at the right time. We also celebrated Hefty's birthday this past weekend. We went to my mom's Sunday am for lunch and then we went to Hefty's mom Sunday pm for some cake and ice cream. It was nice to be w/ our family again too. I have been asked to teach Children's Worship at church, so I started that last week also. It is fun to be w/ the little kids again, although, I like my teenagers too. I think my passion in life has switched from little ones to teens. Kinnda weird....well, that's about it for now.


Hope all is well,
Megan

FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!!

I have been told that I need to create a new blog entry by a couple people. Well, its fall and school has started, so what else should I talk about...... the football. I am excited about every kind of football starting. With Holland and Holland Christian's varsity team winning last Friday, what better way to start off the football season. This Saturday is also the start of the Grand Valley football season and I will once again be working at some of the games. Also, the Detroit Lions were 4-0 this post season, so could this be the year? Maybe or maybe not! The one downer so far has been the start of the University of Michigan's football season. This is definitly a rebuilding year for U. of M.

With the start of the football season, also comes fantasy football. We had our EDGE youth group draft on Wednesday evening. It was an exciting time. My big pick (1st round pick) was Adrian Peterson of the Minn. Vikings. Hopefully he will have as good as a year as last year.

Besides football, I have been busy with work and church stuff. My boss at Family Fare left our store I have had a ton of extra responsiblity given to me and that has taken up some time. It has also given me alot more nights working then before. It is definitely a change for me. With the school year starting I am slso exicted to start subbing again. I might even be subbing for a close friend of mine this year, who got a teaching job at Wavecrest just before school starting. That was definitely exciting to hear! Congrats again Nick. I am proud and excited for you, but a little jealous at the same time! Not much else is going on....

Hefty

Belated Post

Well, we must be really BORING because there really isn't much new in our lives. We have both been busy working, keeping the house clean and such. We are both loving our jobs, but we are still hoping for a teaching job for Hefty, although we just have rely on God and trust HIM! We heard an awesome sermon the other week about trusting God and not making our own plans. It really hit home for me! Sometimes I feel like we try to "create" or "manage" our own life. We need to put our lives in God's hands and He will take care of us....as He has been all along. We are anxious and eager to start EDGE up again!! We miss all of the Youth Group kids!! It has been a good summer!! We are also taking a trip to California this October, so we are geeked about that! Well, I guess that's all for now.....God Bless!

What a day!

Well, today was a very interesting day. It started out well. Hefty and I slept til 11:30!!! We were very tired I guess. We had a fun night the night before with some friends who were here from Virginia. We laid around most of the day, watching movies, having lunch together....relaxing. I then had to work at 3:00 this afternoon. I was at work for about 5 minutes when I heard "Megan, telephone line 1". This is not unusual as we get calls frequently on the front end for people calling in, etc. I picked it up as normal, and on the other line was my husband in a complete panic. All he said was that I needed to leave, that his mom was in a car accident and she was getting hospital by ambulance. The ironic thing is that on my way to work, I had seen an accident in front of our store with a car that looked simillar to the car his mom drives. I didn't think much of it at the time. Well, it was them in the car. It turns out that no one was seriously hurt (thank God) but they are all exteremly sore and bruised up. Luckilly, it wasn't Dan's brothers (Shawn) fault. They were sideswiped by a 16 year old kid who just got his license and was on his way home from getting his car. He totally ran a red light and smashed right into the side of them. So, anyways, I left work and went to the hospital with them and sat there for her to get x-rays taken. Thankfully, nobody is hurt too badly (except the car) and Shawn didn't get a ticket. What an eventful afternoon!!

Work...

Well...can I just tell you how much I love my new job!?!?!?! It is so nice to be able to use my talents and be appreciated for the work that I do. This past week I created a new bulletin format for our church and our Pastor LOVED it!! We had VBS all week last week at church. It was fun to be with kids again. It was also good for me to see their enthusiasim for God and their love for Him. It was also humbling to see them worship with each other. They don't care about what their peers think about them....they are dancing in the aisles, clapping, yelling etc. I wish I could be more like that. Wow, that was a bit too deep for a Blog entry. Anyways, this past weekend was good. Hefty and I went to Target (bad idea) Saturday am and purchased a bookcase for the condo. It only took us like 3 hrs to put it together---at least we didn't kill each other. Sunday we went to my mom's house for lunch along w/ the rest of the family. It was nice to be with the whole gang again. I really miss them when I don't see them. In the meantime, we are still "struggling" with the adoption process. I guess we are wondering when we should start the whole process....are we ready? can we afford it? can we make it as parents? That is my biggest fear---I have this little life dependent on me!! Am I really ready for that??!! It is something to be praying about. I also have picked up a few more hours at Family Fare now because I have Monday pm off at church, so I figured that I might as well. There really isn't too much other "stuff" going on in our lives. Hefty has been working alot of nights lately, which isn't fun at all. I don't like to be alone and I get BORED! Well, I hope that you all have a good night!!

This week

Well, it's been kind of an emotional week for us. Their has been a lot of stuff going on at our church with the DeKleine trial. I feel for the kids most importantly! We are continually praying for them, although we may not know how to pray for this sort of situation. We just pray that God would give them what they need.....and He knows :-) That's what is so cool about God....He knows what we are feeling and what we need. I ask that you be in prayer for the whole family as well as this trial continues.
On a much happier note, it was my birthday on Tuesday! I am now a "quarter of a century old" as my husband likes to remind me. I had to work all day, kindda a bummer, but then we went to Applebees for dinner. That is one of my favorite places to eat! Then we went home and relaxed for the night....it was nice not to be busy. Tonight I am going to eat some pizza with my dad, stepmom and sibs for my bday. It should be fun. I think that it is so weird how as you get older, birthdays don't seem to mean as much. Once you pass 21, there really isn't alot to be excited about. We have vacation Bible school next week at church! That should be a great time! I am excited to see all the little kids there.
Meanwhile, Hefty has been working A TON lately. He has been working alot of nights lately, which I don't like really. I work during the day, so sometimes, we don't see each other until 11:30 at night, and by then, I am asleep. Well, anyways, I should get going. I hope all is well with you! Megan

We have returned!!

Well, we are back!! We returned from Colorado Sunday afternoon about 3:30. It was a AWESOME time! The youth groupies had a great time and all got along well, which was suprising. The trip really went well with no major inncidents. We went rafting on class 4 rapids (the highest is a 6 which is basically a waterfall).....so they were pretty intense. It was fun to see the kids grow in there relationship with Christ. So many of the girls are struggling with things that I can't imagine going through. It's amazing how different things are for a teenager than when I was a teenager (which wasn't that long ago).....Many of them were dealing w/ issues with their parents, which I never dealt with. I ask for prayers for the girls, that the would become closer w/ God and w/ their family.

At any rate, it was back to the grind today. It's a good thing that Monday is a half day of work because I was pretty tired this morning. Hefty had to work 3-11 so he got to sleep in. We did 5 loads of laundry after the trip, which I finished today. I also cleaned a bit in the house. Last night we went to my mom's house for a bon-fire/cookout. It was nice to be w/ the family after a week away. My sister-in-law got a job at Family Fare too now! She is working at the QuickStop. It's truly a "family affair" their. Hefty, Tracy, Kyle and myself work there, which is pretty cool. I am excited about the holiday weekend! Hefty and I will most likely go to the fireworks and hang out in the park for the evening. We also are seriously going to plan this trip to California to visit our friends hopefully this week. We miss them alot!!

Amy (a fellow Youth Leader) and myself are hoping to start a girls Bible Study over the summer. We feel like they need it. I also need it. I need to be more accountable to read my Bible and to grow deeper in my faith. Hopefully it all pans out!! Well, I think that's about it!!

In HIM, Megan

This weekend....

Another weekend come and gone. They go way way too fast!! Hefty and I had Saturday off from work so we spent some time together. We went to lunch and then went to his moms just to say hi. She was happy to see us. Then we made the rounds and went to my mom and Larry's house. At night we went to Freddie's (Hefty's brother) and ate and watched The Bucket List. It was a really good movie. It made me think a lot about the way I want to live my life. I didn't even get to see my dad on Father's Day because we were at church in the morning and then in the early afternoon we had a wedding to go to. I know it seems a bit odd, but they had a wedding on Sunday. It was a really nice wedding and it was good to be with friends again. This morning we both worked, which was ok. We went to my mom's for dinner tonight so that was nice. We are getting ready for CO! I went a bought us some sleeping bags today....fun fun! Well, I think that's all. Have a nice week!!
Megan

A day off....

So with my new job, comes a new schedule. On Mondays, I work only til 12:30, so it seems like a day off to me. It was nice to come home and be able to do a few things around the house. I vaccumed, finished my laundry and made dinner. I also actually went to the library and got some books!! It was nice to be able to spend some time to myself too. Hefty is working again tonite....YUCK!! I am at home watching The Bachlorette. I love that show! It's great! Well, tomorrow is another work day. Hopefully it will go well again. That's about it really. Have a good week! Megan

Rain Rain Go AWAY!!

Well, as most of you know, we had a ton of rain last night. It was really hard to sleep with all of the thunder and lightning going on. Lucky for us, our basement isn't too bad at all. There was a tiny but of water in it, but nothing major. I was suprised because we always have water in it when it rains, and it rained more than ever last night. Anyways, I hope that we don't get too much more rain. We went to church this morning and had a parent meeting for our CO trip. It went well. Hefty has to work tonite. YUCK! I hate it when he works because then I am alone. It gets boring. Oh well. At least we have jobs right? Last night we went to a "housewarming" party for our friends, Matt and Nicole. It was good to see all of our friends again. Well, I think that's about it really. Another week begins......

A fresh start!

A new week....a new job. It was my first day on my new job! It went really well. It was only a half day today because our church office is only open til 12:30, so that was a easy, nice way to ease into things. I think that I am really going to like it! It is alot more laid back and much less stressful than the daycare. We shall see what happens the rest of the week.





This weekend I was a bit under the weather, however went to work Saturday night. Hefty went to his niece's ballet recital on Saturday evening. I was kindda bummed to miss it, but they took lots of pictures. I am going to go see a movie tonight with my Melanie, so that should be some good "girl time". I think that's about it for now.....hope all is well!!

Dinner with a Chef....

The last few days have been uneventful for the both of us, except for last night. Megan has been sick the last few days. Last night we hosted a dinner for a couple from our church. The thing is, the husband is a master chef. That made the both of us a little nervous. However, everything turned out great and they both actually really enjoyed the burritos and side trimmings we cooked up and the peanut butter pie we had for dessert. They also brought some really good wine that we all enjoyed.

Megan's last day at Appletree was Friday. It was a little bittersweet. She is definitly glad to be done with Appletree, however she is going to really miss most of the kids and their parents. A couple of the parents got her a little floral plant and a 'dream' plaque. That was really nice of them. Hefty is in the middle of a three day weekend, and is definitly enjoying it. He is also playing on a softball team on Wednesday nights. They are currently 2-2 and he is really enjoying catching for the new team he is on. We are getting ready for our trip to Colorado. We have a parent meeting next Sunday for the parents of the kid who are going. We are only 3 weeks away!!

Weekend and Such...

Well, today was the beginning of my last week at Appletree. It is kindda sad. I am going to miss most of the kids and the parents there. I have made some good friendships with some of the employees there also, but it is time to move on. I can not wait to start at church. It's going to be a new challange...but I know that I am up for it!! Last night, Memorial Day, we went to my mom's house for a BBQ. It was a good time, and the food was delicious! All my step-siblings were there and we found out that my step-brother and his wife are expecting a baby! I am so excited for them!!! They already have a 5 year old and they are GREAT parents. Tonite, Hefty and I went to Logan's for dinner because I didn't feel like cooking tonite. I planted some flowers in the front tonite too! I am no "green-thumbs" so I hope that they don't die. Well, I think that's about it.

Giving it a try....

Well, I thought that I would try this blog thing....it seems like an easy way to let our friends know about what is going on in our lives. Well, the newest thing is that I (Megan) got a new job! I am now the secretary/communications person at our church! I am so excited to start. I think that it will be a nice change. Hefty is still in search of his dream "teaching job" with no much luck. We have had a few leads, but nothing official yet. In the meantime, he is still a manager at Family Fare. He likes it, but would prefer to teach. We are living in my grandparents condo in Holland and loving it! We are hoping to start adopting a baby in the next year or so. The process can take a year or more, so if we start soon, we should be ready when a baby becomes available! Hefty and I are going to Colorado at the end of June with our high school youth group that we volunteer for. We are very excited to go and have a vacation! Hope everything is good with all of you!