Grandma Doc's Eulogy

Grandma Doc passed away at 2:45pm Saturday, October 9. I was one of the family members with her at that time. I read some of Hebrews 11 to her just before. Janet and Dad were holding her hands when she took her last breath. The services were held in Rantoul, Illinois at Lux Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 12. It was overwhelming the people that made a sacrifice to attend. Our church was well represented, along with family, friends from the Rantoul community, Ag Spectrum friends, and even old high school friends of Mom and Dad's. She was laid to rest at the cemetery in Rantoul next to Grandpa Doc's remains. After the services, we ate lunch at the Linden where she used to play Bridge with her friends.

It's been a week of mixed emotions. Although there was sadness, she lived a long life (dying at the age of 95). My cousins Jeane and Matt came on Sunday and we have been able to spend quality time with them, mourning and catching up. Jeane stayed at my house so we have definitely stayed up way too late most nights picking up right where we left off. We really would be best of friends if we lived closer together.

Two other special cousins flew here, one from Texas and one from California. They are both retired Air Force officers. Not only did they come to the services, but they stayed in town so they got to come out to the farm and have a couple of family meals with us. It was a wonderful time of healing as we all shared stories of our families, especially our Canadian adventures.

Dad and I both delivered a eulogy at the funeral. Mine is below:

The last two days corn’s up 75 and beans are up a dollar; now that would be music to Grandma’s ears. Evelyn Wissmiller, Grandma Doc, as many of us affectionately called her, was an intelligent and strong Swedish woman. She always dressed beautifully and enjoyed sewing, crafts, and cooking, a seemingly contradiction to her love of sports. Even though the Illini teams always came first, she also followed the Bears, the Bulls, and the Cubs.

Her quick and agile mind was a sharp as a tack. I remember playing dominoes with her last spring. We were keeping score so we had to count up the points after the hand. In a matter of seconds, she had added all of them up in her head while I was still counting the dots one by one. If she had been born a little later, she probably would have been a broker and a high school basketball star!

She was so proud of her children and their accomplishments. She loved to talk farming and finances with Roger. She adored Janet and always insisted on consulting with her on medical issues. She came to appreciate Dianne’s unconditional love and dedication, especially in the last few months. She connected with Alan and Jeane instantly when she realized they had her talent for making and saving money. Matt and I were a little harder sell but she soon discovered our individual talents as well as Bridget’s delicious cooking always kept a smile on her face. She and Scott had an instant connection because of their common Swedish heritage.

Grandma was always bragging about Janet, Jeane, and Matt to anyone who would lend an ear. She loved hearing and retelling the story of the latest California adventure. She returned from her trip just last winter with stories of being in the boat with Janet and Jeane and about Matt’s fabulous meals! Her two great grandchildren were very special to her. Every Christmas she sang along as they played songs on the piano. She liked talking to Paul about his latest hobby (astronomy, horses, soccer) and was thrilled with Hannah’s love for sewing.

`My sorrow is great and I will miss Grandma, but I can rejoice that she is now face to face with our heavenly Father – not because of her human strength or goodness, but from the small act of faith - believing in Jesus Christ as her Savior.

One of the verses that Gina just sang says, “Neither life nor death can ever From the Lord His children sever, And His love and deep compassion Comforts them in tribulation.” I am comforted because God the Father loved us so much that He sent His Son to die as a substitute for us. As I study His Word, I appreciate more each day, the sacrifice His Son has made. Even though we may have difficult days and sometimes pain on this earth, it does not compare to the suffering Jesus Christ endured so we can have eternal life.

How can we not rejoice when Revelation 21:4 tells us, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Devotional for Informatics Students

Sunday, August 29, 2010
I have missed every one of you throughout the summer. It’s great to see you all again. God has been teaching me a lesson the last few years, and that is to keep my eyes on Him not the important people in my life. He has demonstrated His immutability to me. He never changes. No matter who disappoints me in my life, He is always there, He is always consistent. I can rely on Him. I can honestly say that almost every person that has worked for me has pleasantly surprised me in different ways. They have stepped up in ways I was not expecting. BUT I can also say that the same people – you – have also disappointed/discouraged me once in a while. If my work life was dependent upon whether you are surprising me or disappointing me I would be on a yo-yo. I would probably slowly begin to lose my mind. God has taught me that we are all human and we all make mistakes. He doesn’t require us to be faultless just faithful. When we mess up we need to pick ourselves up, take responsibility and try again to do our job as unto the Lord.

We don’t expect perfection from you but we do expect you to step up and do your best. Those of you have been in sports may know who John Wooden is. He was a basketball player for Purdue University and a NBL player before he began his coaching career. He is probably most known for coaching the UCLA basketball team through ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period. One of his many life inspiring quotes is, “If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” I would like you to think about this as you spend this semester on your homework, your sports, your music, your friends, your family. Something else that stands out about John Wooden was his faith.

As you begin this new semester, I hope that you will take time to reflect on your successes and failures of last year and re-prioritize. This is a new slate, a new semester. Decide what is most important to you and talk to God about whether it needs to be adjusted or not. Remember to keep your eyes on God and turn your frustrations over to Him.

Thursday, August 5, 2010 & Friday, August 5, 2010

We drove a couple of hours to Duluth where we planned to stay and kayak on Lake Superior but we couldn't find any place to put in. We spent about an hour driving around Duluth and when we tried to get back on the 53 South there was this crazy detour. We got gas in Superior and ate lunch at Culver's. Then we drove to Chetek, Wisconsin campground. When we arrived we put our kayaks in the Chetek River and kayaked three miles to the dam and back. It took a couple of hours and we saw six bald eagles. They were really close. It was really awesome. There were also a lot of ducks and heron cranes also.

When we got back we went swimming in the pool and then fixed microwave mac and cheese for dinner. Scott worked on his homework and I read before we went to bed around ten. We got up around 8 in the morning and Scott worked on his homework again while I took a shower and read. We got on the road around 11am. According to Garmin we would be home by 6pm so we decided that we would probably head home. I slept half of the way and Scott drove the entire day. We had lunch in Black River Falls, Wisconsin and decided to take 355 home through Chicago, the problem was that it was around rush hour. We were sardines on I 290. We finally made it to the farm around 7:30pm. We left the kayak trailer there and took the camper home to unload in the morning.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

There was an 80% chance of rain so Scott, Alan, and Paul didn't go on their fishing trip. The four guys took the fishing boat out on Eagle w/ the plan for the girls to take the float boat to Connaught Point and we would grill for lunch. I planned to kayak there. We got everything packed and loaded on the float boat including an extra kayak and the float boat started on it's way. I got about 100 yards from the dock and thought I heard thunder. I paddled a little further until I heard it it again. It was getting closer and louder so I turned around to paddle back. When they noticed me going the other direction they came back to find out what I was doing. I told them it was thundering so we decided to wait it out. We looked over Tivo Island and saw lightening strike straight down. We unloaded the float boat again and headed up. The guys still weren't back so we were hoping they went inland to wait it out. I ran back down and took a quick bath. About an half hour to an hour later the guys showed up all decked out in rain gear.

We decided to go to Busters BBQ and then Scott and I were going to head out. Paul was in rare form, and sat by me at the restaurant. All of the guys got a half rack of ribs with three sides. Mom got soup and sweet potato fries. Bridget and Hannah got BBQ Pork with sweet potato fries and I got BBQ beef brisket with onion rings. It was really good but expensive. When we got back Scott and I finished packing and headed out. This time we headed west on 17 to go home. We took route 71 with a plan to stay in Sioux Falls and/or Nestor Falls. It was a fun way to go. It was about an hour longer mainly because you drove through a lot of towns. The scenery was beautiful but the signs terrible. We missed where we wanted to go but it was only about 7pm so we decided to head to the border and spend the night in Orr, Minnesota. It was smooth sailing past the border and we missed the campground but found it after we turned around. It was a small campground probably not worth the $17 we had to pay for it. There were bathrooms and showers but you had to pay for the showers. It was a dime for 4 minutes and a quarter for 9 minutes. The showers were worse than the dorms at Sherman Hall where I stayed at U of I two weeks ago.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

After doing our Bible study, Dad, Hannah, and I went to Dryden. Grandpa gave us ten minutes at Egli's and fifteen minutes at Walmart. While he was at the lumber yard, Hannah and I walked to IGA to get blueberries. There were no blueberries so Hannah and I bought salt and vinegar chips. Then we got lunch there - it was terrible!! When we got back Mom and Bridget had done three loads of laundry.

Yesterday I kayaked out and around the Sunset Island. It was probably about 5 miles. When I got back Paul did donuts around my kayak and figured out how to spray me. When he got tired of it I laid down to sunbath when I heard a motor coming toward me. It didn't sound like Paul so I sat up and so a boat heading toward me. When they noticed me they swerved out of the way and waved. Paul came back to me and said, "Why did they wave to me?" I told him I didn't know that everyone always waves to everyone in Canada. Then he informed me that they almost hit me and they swerved to miss me. I told him I noticed it. He laughed and started doing donuts around me again.

After much cajoling Hannah and Mom quite a bit, I finally convinced them to come swimming. We literally drug Hannah out passed the rock kicking and screaming. At some point she figured out that it was fun so we did it again. This time she swam on her own. After that we all took a bath and then Hannah and I played in the water with Uncle Scott for awhile. As I was leaving. Paul and his friends pulled each other on the kneeboard behind the jet ski. It looked like fun b/c if they turned to sharp on the jet ski the kneeboarder would fly off.

August 2, 2010

Wissmiller - Martinsen - Grove Dinner on the rock

http://picasaweb.google.com/asj405/20100802?authkey=Gv1sRgCPez--yboOmt4wE&feat=directlink

There was a huge storm, wind and hail. I thought our camper top was going to blow off. It only lasted about a half hour. It rained a lot today. We kayaked and Paul and his friends pulled each other on the tube behind the jet ski. We played a couple of card games in the afternoon, Bridget was our entertainment -- she was loopy and had us in stitches. After dinner on the rock we sat around the cabin telling funny stories. It was very relaxing.

August 1, 2010

Sunday we cleaned and made chili. We were expecting Alan and Bridget around 3:30-4pm so after lunch Scott and I set up our kayaks for fishing and headed to Paradise. I caught two northern. It was pretty terrifying. I was just casting in hopes that I wouldn't really catch anything. Scott unhooked the first one I caught which was a decent size. Then the second one that I caught was really scary. It flipped into the air. That was enough for me - I flung my pole and Scott and made him real it in the rest of the way. He lost it before I got a very good movie of it. Then mom and dad showed up so I loaned Dad my pole. He caught a little northern and I never got my pole back.

It was getting winder and starting to look like rain so Scott and I went all the way around the island. It started to sprinkle a little bit but not much. An older couple in a boat from Wisconsin stopped us to ask questions about our kayak. By the time we got in mom and dad were back and inside. Scott and I took our baths and headed up. We decided to rest and as soon as I got cozy in the camper Alan, Bridget, Hannah, and Paul showed up. We visited for a little while and then Alan and Paul put in the jet ski. Paul, Alan, Scott, and I all jet skiied.

After that Mom took Hannah, Scott, and I out on the float boat. We caught about six walleye but only brought 3 home. Dad wasn't very excited that he had three fish to clean.

July 31, 2010

Today we worked on cleaning the cabin and started cooking for the traditional chili when someone comes into camp. Alan and Bridget left around 1:30pm and should be here around 5pm on Sunday. Scott and I continued to work on moving out to the camper so we can stay out there when they arrive. I'm actually looking forward not being slowly eaten alive by spiders. So far I have found at least 6 bites from last night.

Around noon we decided to go fish the walleye hole. Dad and Scott took the fishing boat and mom and I took the pontoon. It was fun. Scott helped mom start up the motor and I tried to tell them we didn't have enough gas but Scott's exact words were, "You have plenty of gas." We headed out to Eagle Island and found about four eagles. I took some pictures. Then we started toward the hole. All of the sudden the motor revved up and I thought mom was speeding up but then it quit and she said that she didn't do any of that. We determined quickly that we were out of gas. I switched tanks and pumped the hose. She tried to start it but it wouldn't start. After a couple of more tries we were on our way again. Once we got to the hole. We put on our minnows and propped our legs up on the side for some sun. We floated through the hole twice and the second time, while they moved to Pufahl Rock we floated around the island. Then we started to discuss our location and wanted to see something so we started up and went around the island. We were going to start casting when the guys started our direction so we quickly threw our poles out and stuck them in Scott's kayak rod holder and propped our legs up so it would look like we were fishing in the middle of nowhere. When they approached the said we needed to move it closer and my lure was only a foot in the water. They went back in and I trolled while mom drove in.

After that we all went to Dryden. Dad bought these huge minnows. I'm really not interested in putting those huge things on a hook. They are about 7 times as big as a regular minnow. While we were there dad heard that there were severe storm warnings out and by the time we returned we could start to see the clouds forming behind the cabin. We went online and saw that they were expecting hail, too. Scott and I put the camper down and secured all the boats. It was starting to rumble so we took our baths and headed up to watch the storm. I videotaped it as it moved across the water.

The four of us played a full round of Shang-Hai Rummy. Despite Dad's crazy antics I still smoked everyone. They were way over one hundred and I only had 70 points. We actually went to bed around 9pm which was a first around here. God protected us from the brunt of the storm. We didn't even get very much wind.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wednesday, July 28, 2010 was a day full of grace. We got up and did our Bible study and then the guys went to Vermillion Bay while Mom and I did 4 loads of laundry and swept the floor. When they got back we had some yummy brownie stew that Janet had left for us. Then Dad declared it was nap time. Everyone was asleep when I headed out to the camper to read. After awhile I had started to drift off to sleep when Scott came in and said hello. He and dad were getting ready to cement the new steps to the beach. He left and I started to go back to sleep when Mom came in to ask me if I wanted a peanut butter and jelly for dinner because we were going fishing in about an hour. After she left I crashed out. I don't know how long I slept but when I woke up I had to really make myself wake up. I stumbled out of the camper and Dad announced we were going fishing. It seemed kind of windy so I was a little unsure. We headed to Deer Trail to get gas and minnows. Then we headed to our walley hole. It was really windy when we got passed Sunset Island. We were really bouncing and the fish were really not biting so we decided to head through Canoe Narrows which was nice and peaceful waters. It was beautiful. Dad caught one northern on a black Daredevil. After that we headed through the Back Channel into the first turn of Portage Bay next to Boat Island. The wind had died down and the water was calm. There were already about five boats there. We dropped our lines and had a couple of nibbles. While we were there we saw about 6 or 7 walleyes caught. Most of them were in the slot and so they were throwing them back in. Every once in awhile you would hear a big splash and look over and see a shad jumping out of the water and a walleye following it to catch it. It was really cool. We were relieved we didn't catch anything because we realized there was no net in the boat! Around 8:30pm we headed back to Connaught Point and took a quick break. Then as we began to cast it started to lightly rain. I looked over at Boat Island and there was a huge rainbow. The water had become glass, it was breathtaking, especially as the sun began to set. Shortly afterward we headed home, seeing the sunset and the rainbow the entire way. When we got back the sunset had turned into this brilliant pink-red. It looked like the sky was on fire. The rainbow had settled in over the cabin. Mom and I took pictures. Then Scott and I hopped in our kayaks and paddled over to Muse's and back b/c it was getting dark. As we took our bath we were swatting mosquitos the whole time. They were really bad! :( John and family were supposed to make it in tonight but their 8am flight kept getting canceled. They finally made a flight that stopped in Tennessee. They made it to Eveleth by around 9pm and were still looking for a room for the night.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Notes from this morning's Bible study: Jeremiah 17:08, “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream The stability of your spiritual life depends upon Filling of the Holy Spirit, circulation of metabolized Doctrine in stream of consciousness, and sending out problem solving devices on the defense line of your soul. And will not fear when the heat (outside pressure of adversity or prosperity – Stress in the soul means old sin nature control of the soul and that is where the apostasy begins.) comes; its leaves (result of 10 problem solving devices concentrated on the FLOT – prevent outside pressure of adversity becoming inside pressure of the soul) will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of depression, Nor cease to yield fruit.” Water is often used as an analogy of doctrine. The stream is analogous to Scriptures. The tree is the born again believer. The roots represent a stabilized condition in the spiritual life – establishing problem solving devices on the FLOT of your soul.

We had to come into Dryden today to take care of a bill. So Scott and I came to the library. The water is like glass and it is about seventy degrees. It was about sixty degrees last night. We are looking forward to Alan, Bridget, Hannah, and Paul getting here this weekend! John and his family made it in this morning but we have not seen them.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

It was pretty windy most of the day and Janet was packing so we hung around the cabin most of the day. Janet left around noon so we ate lunch and headed down to the beach. We decided to kayak but it was really windy. Mom and Dad paddled up one side of the island and floated back but Scott and I fought the windy whitecaps and went all the way around. We saw the young eagle and two adult bald eagles. The young eagle flew pretty close to Scott's kayak. It was really cool. After we got back, Mom and I took our baths and headed up to serve leftovers. Ron came over because the guys were supposed to go fishing but then we heard thunder and it got pretty windy. Finally around 6:30pm it calmed down some so they went out to the walleye hole. Mom and I played Spite and Malice and then around 9pm went down to shoo away the ducks and take pictures of the beautiful pink sky. The wind had died and the water was beautiful. While we were down at the dock the guys returned without any fish although they had thrown back some keepers.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Today Dad, Ron, and Scott went to Dryden and didn't get back until about 1:30pm. The girls took it easy until they got back. I'm not sure how much coffee they had but Dad and Scott were loopy. They insisted they didn't have any but there is no way! They all bought new poles, fishing lures, and some groceries. Also, the clover had come in while they were there. Dad insisted that we fix the hill when he got home. We had to rake with the garden rake, sow oats, sow clover, and then rake it in with the leaf rake. After that Scott and Dad covered it with this long roll of straw. It was very, very humid. We were really hot. When we finally finished the whole hill I got in the water and took a bath it was after 5pm by this point. Dad, Scott, Janet, and Mom took the boat out around Canoe Island and through Canoe and Boat island. We had a chicken dinner and Ron and Dee showed up to play dominoes.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

We decided we were going to kayak Clear Water before Janet left. It took us all afternoon to get ready. Dad put the fishing boat in the water and Mom, Janet and him drove it. While Scott and I took the pontoon boat with three kayaks on it. When we finally arrived we got into our kayaks without incident and took off upstream. It was beautiful. Janet was enjoying the water lilies. It took us one hour and fifty minutes to get to the bay. Once we were in the bay Scott got out his pole and Janet and I paddled out of the bay. The water was fairly rough. Mom and Dad took Charliegh and went to scout places to camp. Eventually, we headed back. It was very peacful and much easier to paddle downstream. It took us one hour and twenty-five minutes. Toward the end, Mom convinced Janet to hold on to the boat for a little. She was in a double kayak so it was only her weight on the back. As he began to pull the back of the kayak was sinking in the back. As they turned a corner Janet noticed a large rock coming straight toward her but instead of letting go she just held on and Dad took her right over the rock. I was ahead of them but I could hear Janet screaming.


When I reached the destination I threw everything up onto the pontoon and got in position to get into the pontoon boat. That is when everything began to go downhill literally. Scott grabbed one arm and I was almost on the boat when the kayak slipped out from under my feet. I was yelling at Scott not to let go. Dad was yelling at me to put my feet down but I refused b/c I didn't have my shoes on. Finally, I took a dive for my boat but missed and landed in the drink. I stepped on the weeds and it scraped the bottoms of my feet so I lunged for my kayak and sat in it. Then Janet came along (worried about Charliegh because she hadn't used the facilities all day) with Charliegh in her kayak, I heard a noise and glanced over just in time to see both of them fall off the kayak. I was worried about her being hurt but she was laughing so hard I decided she was okay. So she tries to step on the ground but it bottoms out and she "falls" in further. Meanwhile, Charleigh is swimming around trying depsarately to get into one of the 4 boats. Finally, Scott grabs her by the handle on her life jacket and pulls her onto the pontoon. Mom, laughing, points to the pontoon boat and tells Scott he might want to pick up our towels. He looks back and starts laughing. I look on the boat and see Charliegh wrestling with the blue beach towel. She is rolling around on it but it is wrapped around her. Then Dad tells Scott to put the ladder up. Brilliant. If I had remembered there was a ladder this would never had happened. The problem was that the ladder only worked on the other side (not sure if I believe that!) so we had to get around the other side of the pontoon boat. Janet calls me over to that side and helps me get my shoes back on. Then she instructs me that there is a ledge and it was very narrow. She said that I had to stay on that ledge all the way to the ladder. So I take my paddle and use it like a walking stick to check the depth in front of me. I took a step and it was good. Then I take another step and my right leg fell into a thirty foot hole. So I yelled, "I just fell into a thirty foot hole!" The only thing that stopped me was that I had my other foot on "land" and my paddle. I used the paddle to get up and once I was up I felt something pulling my paddle. I yelled, "Something has a hold of my paddle." Then Scott yells, "It's me! I'm trying to take it for you!" I looked straight up and saw him standing there holding one end of my paddle. I yelled at him to let it go because it just saved my life. Janet and I were laughing so hard we could hardly move. Finally, I make it to the ladder and climb unto the pontoon boat. Scott told me to sit down before I cause anymore trouble. I look over at mom and dad in the other boat, who were being soooo helpful, and they were doubled over they were laughing so hard. Then Scott tells Janet to get on the boat. She says, "I'm not going to fall in that thirty foot hole!" What do you think happens to her? She takes a step and her entire body goes into the thirty foot hole. Scott is laughing, Charleigh is running around the boat. Finally, we are all on the boat. Scott gets all of the kayaks loaded and Dad turns us around with his boat. Thank goodness it started right up and we started the trek home. We pulled out our peanut butter sandwiches and all kind of collapsed. Janet and I compared injuries on the way home. She had the most blood and I had the biggest bruise. It only took 50 minutes to get back to the dock. We unloaded the kayak and Scott and I took a bath and headed up. Dad burnt all the garbage so we could have a lovely evening with a smokey cabin.

Friday, July 24, 2010

Today was a great day. We got up and did our Bible study around 7am. After that we began to work on the retaining wall down by the beach so that the hill would not keep "falling" into the lake. Scott and Dad dug and placed them while Mom, Janet, and I carried all of the bricks down. Then they also extended the steps down to the beach because it is so muddy right now. When we finished the wall we had lunch and took our daily nap. Then we decided to take the SS Esteem out. We started to grab everything and we would get down to the dock and then someone would remember something we forgot. Then we loaded two kayaks and were ready to go when we realized we didn't have a fish stringer. Mom went up to find one and she couldn't so then dad went up. Then they didn't come down for awhile, then mom came back and said dad was calling Grandma. Then he didn't come and didn't come and so finally Janet went up. Then Scott realized he didn't have his Tilley so he went up while Dad and Janet were coming down. Some time after five pm we got off but we had to go to Deer Trail to get gas and minnows. Sad for us there were other guys there so we had to wait while Dad talked. Eventually we headed out. Our first stop was at Tivo (Eagle) Island. We saw a few eagles and lots of vultures. Then we went to our walleye hole from last year. It was quite successful. We used our jigs from last year while Janet navigated for us. God graced us out. We had a lot of fun and caught 5 keepers for dinner. Scott caught 2-3 northern. Dad caught the most and the two biggest. Scott, Dad, and I all caught a tiny perch. I caught a small northern and about 3 walleye - only one keeper. Mom and Janet used Dad's new propane grill to cook burgers. They tasted really good. The wind picked up and it looked like it was raining over at camp so we left sometime around 7pm. When we got back Dad filleyed the fish but dropped the knife off the dock in the water. I was trying to find it but couldn't see it and didn't want to cut myself. Then Scott came around and saved the day finding it under the dock. Then Scott and I made a special delivery out to Paradise Island in our kayaks. By this time it was 9pm and we were pretty tired. We played Spite and Malice for about an hour and crashed out.

Kankakee River July 17, 2010

After I got back from Champaign, Scott and I went out to the farm then we decided to take a last minute kayak trip on Kankakee River.

Day 10 - Last DAY!!!

Thought for the day: God doesn't require you to be faultless, He requires you to be faithful.

Last night around 9:30pm I had hit a brick wall. My eyes were glazed over and what I was reading wasn't even registering. That's when Sarah called and asked if we wanted to go to Coco Mera. SO I met them downstairs and there were quite a few of us: Sarah, Annie, MaryAnn, Jessica, Matt and Scott. We all got some frozen yogurt and tried to visit but it was very noisy in there. We did not stay long but it was a nice break and now I had some fruit for breakfast! As soon as I got back, Stephanie skyped me to see if I wanted to go to Coco Mera with her and Megan - although it was tempting to go back out and not study, I declined. I went to bed sometime after 11pm. I was up at 6:15am so I took a shower and started to pack. Then I did my Bible study. Currently, I am eating cold leftover steak fajita meat and V8 Splash. It's actually pretty good but it would be better heated. I don't have anything except for this Styrofoam to heat it up in.

Our last lecture is at 8:30am. At 10am I plan to finish packing and check out, then spend the rest of the time going over my notes. Test is from noon until 2pm. After that I am going to run Stephanie and Megan to the airport so they can rent a car to drive to Chicago.

Day 9 - Almost Done!!

Thought for the day: Every once in a while you are going to have to go through adversity and suffering. It is always to your benefit when you rely on the Lord and apply Bible Doctrine. You can handle adversity and you grow faster. Your experiential sanctification speeds up.

Verse for the day: II Peter 03:18, "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

Today was LONGGGGGG. We had to be at lecture at 9:30am. Then we had a 45 minute discussion session - our last one - Yay!! Then we pre-registered for next fall over Jimmy Johns. I registered for the 4 hour required 501 class and for a 2 hour computer programming class. Then I met with Stephanie, Kyle, Monica, Lori, Rebecca, Sarah, and Megan to study and pull together some notes based off of broad topics. We worked from 1:30-5pm. Then we went to some Mexican Restaurant. It was alot like El Campesino but not as good. I got steak fajitas and have tons left over for breakfast. I am going to "personalize" our notes for the next couple of hours and try to go to bed early. Tomorrow I come home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 8 - Check

Thought for the day: Ephesians 02:10,“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Two days left!! I just submitted my group response paper and our group presentation went great. We also got good news that we get to use our notes for the final. Tomorrow after our lecture, discussion group, and pre-registration for fall we are going to have to organize our notes and STUDY, STUDY, STUDY!!

Today was very long. We had our first lecture at 8:30am, then we had a discussion group which ended at noon. Kyle and I went to Subway and then came back and studied in Room 109 from 1pm-3:30pm. Then we had another lecture. After that Kyle, Sarah, and I went to iHop for dinner. Lori showed up and ate with us a little later. We then headed for the fourth and final session of the day. The groups all did a great job and it was nice to relax and watch the other groups. After that Stephanie, Megan, Jessica, Annie, Sarah, and I walked to Cocomera and bought some frozen yogurt. Then I came back and uploaded our presentation to the Moodle. Then I had to go help Megan upload the bibliography. I have spent the rest of the time re-writing my reflection paper and editing it. I finally submitted it at 11pm. So we have a full morning and have the whole afternoon and evening to study.
Night!

PS I got my tracking paper back and I got a B on it.

Day 7 - Check

Three days left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I slept in until 7am this morning. Then I got up and did my Bible study. After that around 8am I took my lovely shower. I had forgotten how much I hate taking showers with shoes on! :( Then I headed over to the GSLIS building to finish up the movie with Sarah. I caught up on our Moodle posts and designed the powerpoint slides for our group and did as much of the movie as I could until Sarah could come and record. I had about 20 minutes to kill so I called Aunt Janet in Canada. We talked for quite awhile and she caught me up on all of the latest stories.

One of the stories was about all the birds that came to eat the oat seeds she had planted on the hill. She said there were 15 mallards, 6 Canada geese, 1 Heron, and 1 loon. Hannah and I were discussing whether to believe her last night before church b/c neither of us had seen a Canada goose in Canada. Then Janet said the same thing. She said she had never seen a Canada goose in Canada either!

Sarah came in and we worked on the movie. We had it completed shortly after noon and around 1pm I headed back to the room. I talked to Mom and she said Grandma's phone should be in so I called Grandma and talked to her for a few minutes. I had about an hour to kill so I pulled out an article that I really needed to study and popped my only bag of popcorn as a special treat. I was going to hop in bed and rest and read and enjoy my popcorn. Well things didn't go as I had planned. First, the popcorn didn't pop hardly any of the corn. I figured it was good for my diet so shrugged it. Then I opened the steaming bag and poured it into a ziplock bag I had brought. Instantly the hot seeds burned through the bag exploding all over the floor, in the bed, and an especially hot one landed on my foot. It was a mess. I had to go find a broom and then used my Clorox wipes to scrub the floor -- I won't even go there except to say I will not step barefoot in this room EVER! My article was ruined and the whole room smelled like the popcorn that I was unable to eat. By then it was almost 2pm and I had to meet my group so I packed up my bag and headed back to GSLIS building.

Aunt Jane called me to invite me Saturday to see Rodney - I only mention this Bridget to make sure someone told you too. Call Jane if they didn't. I talked to her on my way over. Then my group did a dry run of our presentation and agreed that we would work tonight until it was all over. I sat through 1.5 hour lecture by the prof and then we hadn 1.5 hours of discussion group. Immediately after that my group ordered Pizza Hut and began to finalize our presentation. I ran the movie and finished the powerpoint. We got the presentation down to the required 7 minutes and decided to call it quits around 8pm. As I was leaving, Skyla from the other group told me that I where the best colors and always look nice. Then some else in my group said I always dress nice and look good. So as we were walking out I told Sarah that my niece helped me pick out a lot of the stuff I had been wearing. (new blue shirt - Lou) Then she said that what she noticed was that my jewelry always looked so cool and matched my clothes perfectly. :) I then told her it was b/c my niece and I made our own jewelry. (black long necklace w/ black earrings). It was really nice.

So I came back to the room and Megan showed up to get the laundry detergent that I brought from home. Then I put my PJ's on and started typing my paper due Friday am. Jillian knocked on my door looking for the detergent - I guess I should have brought an entire bottle rather than a small jar. :) Then Scott called and I knew church was out so I called to tell Hannah the bird story but ended up talking to Bridget for 57 minutes. It was a really nice break to talk to someone with divine viewpoint and a real life! Thanks!! Unfortunately I didn't get to talk to Lou but I do want her to know that I love her!

Tomorrow is a full day - 2 full meetings, a discussion session and then our group presentations. Kyle and I are going to have lunch at noon and study until 3pm for the Saturday final. Please pray that we will study the right materials.
Night

Day 6 - Check

Day 6 was weird b/c our class got pushed back to 2:30pm. So if you were done with your paper you had all morning. I did my Bible study, worked on group work and around 10am decided to go to iHop for breakfast. As I was finishing my hair one of my "suite mates" said she would go with me. It was pouring down rain so I wore my old tennis shoes and took my umbrella. We were getting pretty wet still but it was only a couple of blocks down the road. We had a very nice breakfast and then decided to go to the Granger Engineering Library. When we walked out the rain was still going full blast and it started to thunder. We walked 7-10 blocks to get to the library and were pretty soaked by the time we got there. We went to the front desk and introduced ourselves and asked if someone could point us toward some things to look at. At that moment, Barbara walked up and decided to give us a tour. She is one of the main staff members there. She took us back to the administrative offices and gave us handouts and took us on an hour and a half tour of the library. While we were in there the sun came back out but so did the humidity. By the time we left the library we were both late for group meetings so we headed straight back.

When I got to the room I noticed that I had an email for Hannah so I tried to type back but half of my keyboard was not working! I went to the IT Help Desk and of course they said they couldn't do anything so I called the ONU Help Desk and asked for Gary or Richard. Richard gave me a couple of ideas to try. The first one did not work. The second one was to attach another keyboard to the computer. So I checked out an extra keyboard and started backing up some of the files - especially the group project I am almost done with. Then I called my office and had Andrew and Tania get another laptop and an extra keyboard packed so that Scott could pick them up for me. I went to a counseling session in the middle of all of this and needless to say, I did not get much out of it. I don't think it's a big deal because I will probably sign up for the other required course 501.

After our lecture session I hopped in my Jimmy and headed home. I was home at 5:30pm where I started a wash, made a quesadilla for dinner, shaved my legs, took off my nail polish and packed a few items that were needed (like a buzzer for our presentation). Then an hour later I went to church and then by 8:30pm I was back on the road again to Champaign. I arrived at 10pm and resettled in. I watched a TV episode at went to bed around 11:30pm.

Day 5 - Check

This morning was so long ago I barely remember it. I know that I took a shower and did my Bible study but was running out the door so I wouldn't be late for class. When we all got there the TA's announced that Professor Estabrook was sick and class was postponed until 11AM. So for two hours I worked on adding to my Tracking Paper assignment about Open Source Software. Then twenty minutes before class started. Megan and I walked to Expresso and got some lunch. I got some chicken salad in a cup and a cup of fruit which is still in my refrigerator b/c I never ate it. I don't know why but I'm just not very hungry, I didn't eat breakfast either.

Part of the lecture today was about a book, Pernkopf Anatomy by Eduard Pernkopf who was a self proclaimed Nazi. He worked at the University of Vienna and fired all of the Jews that worked for him. His book is one of a kind and there has been nothing to match it in the last forty years. This has not been proven but there is strong evidence that it was holocaust victims that were used for the drawings. The University of Vienna conducted an investigation in 1995 and found that 1377 bodies of murdered victims had been taken into the Anatomy Institute. These bodies had included children. Even though there is no evidence there are details that point to it - like a crudely shaven head on one man that obviously had a wasted body and another drawing appeared that the man had been circumcised. Article about whether it should be used or not: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/26/science/doctors-question-use-of-nazi-s-medical-atlas.html?pagewanted=all

The prof cut the session short b/c she was really feeling sick so Kyle and I went to Subway and compared notes on the class meeting and our Tracking Papers. After that I went back to the room and called mom to help me edit my paper. Then I went back to the GSLIS building where our group met. I showed them what I had done for the group project and we came up with a game show theme for our presentation. Then we went to Meeting 6 at 4pm where she again let us out about 15 minutes early and changed our Meeting 7 time for tomorrow (which was supposed to be during our break) to 2:30pm.

After that we had another hour to kill and I wanted to review some of the articles we had already discussed so Sarah, Chris, Lori and I ordered a large pizza from Pizza Hut and had them deliver it. Our discussion groups are one of my favorite sessions and will be the most helpful in preparing us for the final so that time went pretty quickly. At 8pm I headed back to my room and proof read my assignment one more time. Then I officially submitted it! I hope it is what they wanted. I have basically been done with it for two days so I really need to submit it so that I wouldn't keep changing it.

Now we don't have class until 2:3opm tomorrow and no one wants to meet for group b/c they all are working on their papers. Kyle and I might do a late breakfast. He's going to let me know in the morning if he finishes his paper. I will probably try to study some articles and start an outline for my next paper and maybe work on group project a little bit. Tonight I go to bed and maybe watch a movie or TV show. Night!

Day 4 - Check

I went to bed around 11pm and got up at 7pm. I took my shower, did my Bible study, and ate a breakfast burrito.

We had tech training at 9:30 and learned to use our I Drives and Sea Monkey. Then I worked on the Camtasia movie for my group project for an hour. At noon we had another meeting with our prof and then met w/ our group.

After that I took my things back to the room, I went to Walgreens and bought an ice pack. Then I went to Panera Bread and bought a strawberry, poppy seed, chicken salad with a French baguette and came back to the room.

I read Moodle entries to help prepare for Saturday's final and worked on my part of the group project. Our group discussion was from 5-6:30pm. Jeff gave us back our "Mills" paper. I was pretty happy I got a B+ on it. Then Monica, Jim, Dana, Beth, Sarah, Rebecca, and I went to Za's. It was a fast, food Italian place. I got fettuccine alfredo and a smoothy. We had a very relaxing time getting to know one another. I got back to the room around 8pm. Now I plan to work on group work, review my paper, ice my ankle, and read the discussion Moodle.

Day 3 - Check

Good day. Got into a good group. I didn't really care which topic I was in. I would just do the best that I could on any of them so when she said go everyone rushed to their sign and I stayed and packed my bag. Once I got it packed I headed toward the end of the row where there was a group standing when I reached the group the instructor asked if everyone had a group. I quickly counted the group and there were only 7 in the group and 8 are allowed. The topic was RFID. I had no idea what that was but I just joined with them anyway. I could not have picked a better group! One of the group members worked for ALA and had already researched the topic. She gave us a great overview and lesson on it. We threw up an outline and timeline and assign a section to each member. Sarah and I are doing the examples and definition. We hope to put together a 1 minute movie with it.

Then I went to the help session with the librarian to make sure I was on track w/ my tracking paper. Not only was I on track but I had used 3 out of the 4 sites she recommended so by God's grace I am almost done with the paper. My goal is to finish it tonight or in the morning so that I can move on to my group assignment.

From 6:30pm-8pm, we had our first discussion group. It went really well. I enjoyed discussing the articles and hearing what everyone else pulled from them. We are answering questions which evidentally practice for our final exam. :(

My ankle is the size of a softball so one of my group members was going out to get some yogurt so she said she would pick me up some ice. My plan is to come home for church Tuesday night and turn around and go back. Our first session is not until Wednesday at 1pm so I can sleep in on Wednesday am. Night!

I got a good nights sleep last night and a good solid start on my assignment. I only woke up at 11:40pm and 5:00am. Otherwise I slept from 10:30-7pm. I took talked to my mom, took my shower and did my Bible study this morning. Now I am working on breakfast and getting organized. Nothing sounded good for breakfast b/c my allergies are bothering me so I'm having V8 Splash and chicken noodle soup. Today is a late start so it will be a rough day.

Thought: God is not a God of confusion - Absolutes!

Day 2 - Almost Check

I survived Day 2 - almost! I have one more session left (half hour video at 8:30pm). Then tomorrow we our first session is not until 10:45am. I hope to sleep in and work on my assignment.
Today we had a two tech sessions, two library sessions and our first meeting with instructor. It was fun but exhausting. For lunch, I collapsed on a couch in the hallway of GSLIS and ate a protein bar. I made some fun connections today with Carrie, Eti, Kathleen, and Beth. After the meeting with our TAs, Kyle and I went to dinner at Noodles, Co. We met up with Kathleen there and had a nice discussion. Then Kathleen and I went to Cocomero for some yogurt. I was pretty full so I put most of it in my freezer. It will be a nice midnight snack while I'm working on my assignment!

Day 2

I got to sleep about 9:30pm, someone was messing around in the bathroom around 11:40pm so that woke me up. The I slept until 3:44pm in which I went and messed around in the bathroom! :) Then I woke up at 5:30am sure that I was awake for good but the next thing I knew my alarm was going off at 6am. The bed has this plastic cover on it so the sheets won't stay on. It doesn't help that I can't reach the other side b/c it is against the wall and too high. So that is pretty uncomfortable. Otherwise I slept fairly well.

I caught the showers first again today and then did my Bible study. I am getting ready to have my steak and cheese burrito and some V8 Splash then I will get ready. I'm going with black jeans today so I can wear my black Ariats - we have a few sessions in the library today so I wanted my good walking shoes.

My niece, Hannah, gets her ears pierced today. I prayed for you Hannah hope it goes well and can't wait to see them!

Thought for the day:

Daniel 12:02 & 03 - What you do now has impact in eternity; how you grow now has impact forever and ever and ever! Now there's some motivation!

Day 1 -Check

I survived Day One. It was all orientation. I started in the morning getting my computer set up for vpn & wireless printing. Then I walked with Kyle over to the Bookstore where we got our U of I id cards. The cards allow us access into the GSLIS building 24/7. Hopefully, I won't have to test/confirm that! :) They introduced all sixty of the students in our session and said that there were three sessions this year for a total of 180 students. Someone asked how many applications they turned down and they said as many as they accepted. It is humbling to see God's grace in getting into the program. Our dorm is right across the street from the GSLIS building where most of our sessions are at. It was so humid today that walking not even a block put even skinny people in a dripping sweat! Kyle and I opted out of the optional walking tour and went to Panera Bread.

After lunch we had an orientation session by the two technology departments, they were very entertaining and fun. It was easy to stay awake. Then our adviser did a introduction session on how to plan our degree. It was very informative and everyone asked some great questions. After that there was an optional technology open house so I went back to the room. As I was checking out a new assignment that was posted I crashed out until 20 minutes before our next meeting.

The next meeting was a panel of three students that have taken LEEP courses. They talked about their experiences and then we asked a lot of questions. Then they gave us Papa John's Pizza. The room was too full so I was standing outside the classroom and the Assistant Dean came over to include me. We had a very nice conversation and got to know each other a little bit. She remembered Pam taking the program a few years ago.

Now I am back at my room taking a computer break. Then I am going to go over tomorrow's readings and do a little research for my paper that is due on Tuesday. I'm going to try to go to bed around 8pm.

Day 1

Last night was rough. I think I finally got to sleep sometime around midnight and I was wide awake at 4am. After that I snoozed until almost 6am but I was having really weird dreams. I dreamed that I had an RV and went home and ended up in jail but escaped out a window and when I woke up I was telling you guys how I had to vault into my bed at night. I've taken a shower but my neighbors probably hate me. I'm sure I woke them up. The locks on the doors are really loud, the toilet sounds like the Niagara Falls when you flush it and the shower is one hard shot of water about an inch in diameter.

After my shower I did my Bible study and am currently nuking a frozen steak and cheese chimachanga that I brought. I'll probably have some V-8 Splash with that. I should have brought more food b/c the refrig is pretty good sized and it has a decent freezer on top too. I'm going to have breakfast and then vault back into bed and look over today's itinerary.

Thought for the day: The grace of God will NEVER fail you. "My God shall supply all of your needs according to the riches of His glory!"

I am all tucked into my itty bitty jail cell ready to start my LEEP orientation tomorrow. It's 11:15pm and I have most of my things unpacked except for a few clothes I left in the car. I am having a beef stick and pink lemonade for dinner. Figure I should get the full "college" life experience. I have a corner room that is in its own section of the dorm. There are only 3 rooms in this section. I have not met any of my neighbors but have heard someone out there. There are two sinks in the hallway. One at each in and a tiny, tiny bathroom with a toilet on one side and a very scrudy shower on the other. I believe I share this with the other two rooms. This makes my Grandma's new room look enormous. I'm a little concerned about getting up into the bed the only chair in here is rolling so I don't think I better do that! I am starting to wind down and get sleepy so I'm hoping to get about 7 hours of sleep if I can fall asleep quick enough. I have all my devices charging and am hooked into the internet. I will start the morning with my Bible study and a shower and then go over the schedule to make sure I am squared away for the day. Night all!

Precious Mittens

Mitty, Mittonian, TM but official Mittens. What a precious baby. When I discovered the kittens this summer, late July, Hannah and Mom were in Canada. I would go out to the barn every chance I got and lock myself in the stall to try to get a glimpse of them. I stuck my camera down the hole and took some pictures so I could see how many, how old, what colors and so on. After a couple of days of this I determined that they were old enough to try and handle them. I'm pretty sure Mittens was my first. He wasn't afraid at all. He stayed right out front so that I could swoop him up. I petted him and returned him quickly. I would take turns with each one. After about a week they were getting big enough to climb out of the hole. Their mama was not at all happy about this. She spent a lot of time scolding them. I blocked up the stall so that they couldn't escape. I went in with them every day and took their mama food. I would just sit there with my camera and watch them as they began to play. (See August 7 entry for his naming story.) Even though his name was perfect Hannah and I nicknamed him TM for Troublemaker! He was always on an adventure. He was the first to explore a new place and didn't seem to have the sense to be afraid of anything. One day when the kittens were a couple of months old and had full run of the barn, we were in the horse stall with one of the horses and we heard this loud growl. I was sure there was another dog in the barn. I glanced over just in time to see mittens with a mouse in his mouth running away from the other cats, growling a warning that it was his!!!! He took it to the corner of the barn where he continued to growl and scold even though everyone had backed off and were nowhere near him! It did not surprise us that Mitty was the mighty hunter of the group! Although when Caleb came around he would put his back up a couple of times. Well eventually Caleb and the kitties became friends and Mittens delighted in seeing him. Hannah and I even had to have a talk with him about staying away from Caleb when he was eating! One day when I was out there, he had the nerve to try and attack Caleb's tail!! I warned him against that sternly!! He always wanted to play and to cuddle. As a matter of fact he could rarely decide which one he actually wanted to do and would try to do them both at the same time. He would rub against you and then attack your finger or anything else that might have been moving in an unusual way! When I stayed at the farm this winter I was lucky enough to get some pictures of Caleb and him. Mittonian was usually the first one to greet you when you arrived. He was always happy to see you. He would even walk away from a pile of food just to be sure you weren't going to take off without giving him some attention.

Today was a bad day. Today the decision was made that tomorrow morning Mitty would have to be put to sleep due to injury to 3 of his paws. I took him home to my house and of course it has been an adventure all evening!! Before we got the cat litter set up he hopped up on the new blanket and pooped right on it. Then when we left him alone, he smashed himself between the window and the trunk and watched outside. Mitty will always love the outdoors! The next time I came back I was really worried b/c it was dead silent and I couldn't find him anywhere. He had smashed himself underneath my desk and didn't appear like he could get out. He would stick his nose under and his one good paw and reach out for me and meow. I got Scott to lift the desk so I could pull him out but after dinner he was back under. When we arrived home from the band concert with Hannah he was out in the middle of the floor demanding our attention. He was so happy to see Hannah. He knew it was her immediately and began his "rubbing" routine. After Hannah got to say her good-bye and left, I got my computer and laid on the floor next to him. He would lay next to me on the pillow and roll over bearing his tummy for me to rub. Then he kept sticking all four of his paws on me. His one good paw kept kneading my arm - only he would stick his claws out when he did it. He relaxed for awhile but would not take his eyes off of me. If I even moved for a second he was up rubbing against me. I stayed there with him for a couple of hours and when it was time for me to go to bed he was not too happy but I assured him I would be right next door. Tomorrow will not be easy but I know it is for the best. I do not want him to suffer or have anything less than a perfect life. I would say he had it pretty good. He had a lot of animals and people that loved him very much.

January 2010 at Sand Quail Ranch

Adventures on the Farm January 2010

Uncle Scott and Honey trying to get dressed.

Hannah and Honey the day after she got home.

Peaches off to hunt.

Caleb and mittens watch Honey in awe!

Honey itching Uncle Scott.

Caleb stops to make sure Woot is close behind.

Caleb and Woot do a little jig.