Weekend Update!

1. I got a DYSON!!!! LOVE IT!

2. Roxie is doing MUCH better

3. Our Lawn Mower broke

4. We bought a new lawn mower

5. We said good-bye to Kurbis (very sad)

6. I started selling Lia Sophia jewelry

7. I saw Natalie on Saturday (LOVE HER)

8. My friend Jessie got shocked by grabbing an electric fence (really funny!)

9. I met a cow names Irene (she is SO cute)

10. I had a great chat w/ my Aunt Sarah (LOVE HER!)

BLESSSINGS

I love my job! It is such a blessing to have a job you enjoy and such amazing people to work with.

Thank you Jesus for my job!

Poor Roxie

My parents dog Roxie is having seizures and something is wrong with her. Her balance is off and she can't really use her back legs. Roxie is only 3 years old, poor baby. She is a really funny dog. She has this spunky personality and is always coming to you with a smile, seriously she smiles. Well my mom says it is really sad because she is just not the same dog and she knows that something is wrong. They were at the Emergency Vet last night until 2am and they couldn't figure out what is a matter with her. I guess she is going to have to go the the UofM to get some testing done. Poor Roxie. I feel bad for my mom because Roxie is her little baby girl. You people who have dogs understand the sadness. You just feel so bad and there is nothing really that you can do :(

DAMN VACUUM

So as my husband played 36 holes of golf on Saturday, I spent my day cleaning the house. About 2 months ago our vacuum that we got when we were married all of a sudden died. So Luke decided that he didn't want to spend a lot of money on a new vacuum. He went to Target and bought a cheap vacuum that was on sale for under $100, a Bissel. This vacuum worked great! It was really nice and made the carpets look great! Well on Saturday as I was vacuuming our bedroom floor I noticed the carpet wasn't looking any different. The belt broke on the vacuum and the bottom part wasn't spinning. Piece of crap! I was so mad and called Luke in outrage on the golf course screaming about how the hell was I supposed to clean our house when our DAMN VACUUM didn't even work! Needless to say I was a little upset! So on my way home today I will be stopping at Lowe's to buy a new vacuum. I have heard many suggestions on what kinds, Hoover, Kirby, Dyson. I am thinking that we for sure need to get a vacuum now w/ a bag, because our luck with the bag less vacuum's hasn't been very great.
Any suggestions on a damn vacuum?

Trap Shooting Pics.

I must add that I did beat Sari on our 2nd round....17/25 is what I shot! Woo hoo!

I can't wait to shoot again....actually my dad went out and bought a gun last night for Sari and I to share! Yea! I love shooting! :)

Our Best Friends Moving to Sudan.

I talk alot about Brian and Bethany Kurbis. They are our dear friends and they are moving to Sudan...Luke and I are so excited for this new life journey for them, but so sad to see them leave. I thought many of you would like to hear what they will be doing, so below is a letter they wrote to their family and friends.

Hello, Friends and Family!Oh where to begin…As many of you know we have been pursuing moving overseas for some time, and we are excited to let you all know that it is finally happening! Two weeks ago Brian accepted a permanent position with the American Refugee Committee in the city of Yei , South Sudan . Brian will be the Area Coordinator which is a position with a full mix of HR, Logistics, Finance, government/donor liaising and Program Coordination. It is a HUGE step up for him and the fulfillment of his years of work.

Brian has already been working for the headquarters of the American Refugee Committee since March of 2006 and has traveled to Kosovo and Sudan twice each with the organization. While in Sudan , Brian was able to meet the people on the ground and to gain a strong understanding of the situation and the needs that ARC’s South Sudan program has. Upon his return to the US in May we had a feeling that it would not be long until something more permanent came around for us to move into. At the start of August, the Area Coordinator job opened up and Brian applied and interviewed for the position. We actually received a phone call with the job offer while in the baggage claim area in the Las Vegas airport on a vacation with our friends Luke and Ali. We just kind of looked at each other and laughed and enjoyed the weekend together with our friends ( Bethany got to see Celine Dion on the stage…”amazing”). On the flight back to Minneapolis , we finally sat down and really talked it through. A major complication that we faced was that due to the security level and UN regulations, Bethany cannot move to Sudan until she has a volunteer/paid position. This would mean 1-6 months apart if Brian accepted the role. As we weighed the pro’s and con’s It became evident to both of us that this really is the next step for us and that the risk of a long time apart is really worth it…So, Brian accepted the position the next day. He is leaving for Sudan October 4th. Bethany will stay in Minneapolis , train her replacement at Bordertown and begin her hunt for a volunteer role in South Sudan . That’s the nutshell. We would ideally have a chance to sit down with each of you individually, but it is obvious that time just won’t allow it (sorry Omaha !). So we are having a little bon voyage party at Bethany ’s parent’s house in Sunday, September 30th. We will be barbequing, hanging out, and trying to explain all that our future holds between 12 – 5 that day.That will be the last week Brian is in town, so if you have time, please stop by. If you are interested, please drop an email our way and we will get you the directions you need.We will have a blog page set up shortly that details what we'll be doing and what our life is like!

We love you all and we hope to see you on September 30th!

Love and Peace,Brian and Bethany

p.s. Please send this to other friends and family. We don't have all of the e-mail addresses! Thanks!

Duluth

We had a fabulous weekend in Duluth. It was fun to have both dogs up there and watch all 4 of them play(including my parents dogs). On Saturday we woke up and watched my dad come in. It was SO cold on Sat. morning in Duluth that they were pulling people off the course for hypothermia. Thankfully my dad was fine.
We spent the afternoon at Park Point letting the dogs run and then Luke and I headed to Allen and Natalie's house. We got to play w/ Nora for a couple of hours. She is SO freakin' cute. She would just look at Luke and smile. Probably because he was wearing a hat, but we can pretend it was because she really liked him :) It was so fun to play with a baby together. It makes me want a baby when I talk to Natalie or see Nora. But I am OK right now just enjoying my friends babies! Hopefully Natalie will send me pictures sooner than later (hint hint) and then I can put the pics of Luke and I w/ Nora on here.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

I am reading Harry Potter still. I am on book 2. It is really good.

This weekend we are heading up to Duluth for the Rollerblade Marathon. My dad is rollerblading. It is a weekend that I look forward to every year. I am excited.

I was offered a sales position at THE RIGHT STAFF yesterday....hmmmm...interesting. I have to call them today and let them know that at this point, I am happy where I am at and just can't have the pressure of sales. I like my job WAY too much to leave. I am so thankful for where I am working, the people, the environment and I really enjoy what I do.

Hopefully I will have some more exciting stuff to write once we are back from Duluth....until then.

Ali

17/25...I am a good shot!

On Saturday my sister and I went with my dad trap shooting. I must say, it was SO FUN!!!! I love shooting a gun! I didn't do so well the first round, but the second round we shot, I shot 17/25! It was so exciting. I can't wait to go hunting with my dad this fall. He is even going to buy me my very own gun! YEA!!!! Many of you may think this is quite odd coming from me, but I grew up hunting my whole life w/ my dad and have always loved cleaning birds and being outside hunting. I can't wait to go pheasant hunting w/ my dad!

Well I am excited and sad at the same time to announce that my dears friends, Brian and Bethany Kurbis are moving to Africa. Yes, they are. Brian leaves the first week of October and they are committing to a year over there. Bethany will follow after she is signed up with a volunteer organization. Please pray for this transition for the two of them to go smooth and that Bethany will get signed up soon w/ an organization so she can join her husband. I am so so sad to see our great friends leave for a while but so excited that they will be able to do this together!

Have you missed me?

Well....where do I start? It has been so long since I have blogged. I am sorry to all my fans out there, I will try and do better.

We were in Las Vegas over Labor Day weekend and had a FABULOUS time with our friends. The highlight of my trip was seeing Celine Dion! She was seriously AMAZING!!!! I was so sad when it ended, I didn't want to leave my seat, I could have watched her and listened to her sing all night long!!

We did a lot such as....such as....sorry every time I think of that phrase, "such as" I am going to think of that stupid girl on miss teen USA. ANYWAYS our weekend consisted of many taxi rides with drivers who practically drove us off the road, Bethany as my lucky charm as I played penny slots, Luke and Kurbis playing a lot of blackjack, Bethany losing on slots and blackjack, taking tons of pictures, myself winning on blackjack because Bethany is my lucky charm, seeing Celine Dion and being amazed, so many fake boobs that were gross, a guy walking up to a picture of a half naked girl and touching it and kissing it, Bethany carying a pharmacy in her purse because she had a bad cold, myself winning $60 on a penny machine, Bethany losing money, Walking through every Casino/Hotel possible, taking tons of pictures, the Bellagio dancing water, seeing a girl in lingerie that was see through walking out of a Casino (Definitely a hooker!), Bethany and I at an oxygen booth, (weird!), taking tons of pictures,eating great food, hearing about Luke and Brian's $150 meal they got for free and staying up so late gambling w/ my husband and losing cuz my lucky charm wasn't with me!

So in a nut shell, it was a fantabulous weekend :)

I will post some pics! Thanks for the amazing memories Kurbis and Bethany!