The First Week of School!

It is the first week of school around here! 

I LOVE the first day of school. Much more than I did when I was a student. The best part about teaching Kindergarten is they are VERY excited about the first day of school. Here is a small tour around my class this year. 

I have always LOVED Eric Carle's book Brown Bear, Brown Bear; so when I found the wall clings at Target I was so excited and knew they had to go up in my classroom. I don't think the kids appreciate them nearly as much as I do! 

After Brown Bear, Brown Bear my next favorite was The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
These are up on my cabinets. 

Most of my room is decorated with polkadots but I tried to incorprate a few owls here and there. Such as with my cubby numbers, and my cool jog chart! My desk is already a mess but other than that my room is perfect! I really like the layout and think it will flow very well. 

Here is the first cup of coffee being made in my Kurig that Andrew got me. For snack on the first day we had fruit loops in precious Owl Dixi cups! They made my day!! 

Here is another apperance by my friend Jamie! She ROCKS. She made me these curtains!! I KNOW!! Aren't they fabulous!? I didn't get a picture from the other side but it has ABC's on it. I just love love love love them!! She also made some to cover my personal books. However, I haven't managed to get those pictured yet! 

Here is Jamie's son Luke! He has made my summer so fun. There have been times that I have BEGGED his mom to let me watch him for her. I always have a BLAST when we are hanging out! Here he is climbing around in our courtyard area! The middle picture is my favorite... it might get a frame at my house if I can figure out a way to print pictures off my phone! 

pictures might be disturbing...

Hi.
This post has been a long time coming. I haven't written anything because I was waiting on the end ... I was too overwhelmed during the event.

Shortly after returning from my 200 mile bike trip, I came down with another lovely infection. This time on my belly. About an inch up form my belly button. It was miserable. When this one showed up, my awesome husband researched doctors in Tulsa. We are DONE being sent away with little or no answers.
I got into an internal disease doctor and LOVED her. She was kind, understanding and concerned. She was WORRIED about me. Which is something I haven't felt from the doctors here. Due to the state of the infection she got me into a surgeon to have it lanced and drained. EWWWW... She also prescribed me some lovely lovely little pills... you might know them as Valum (spelling)... I know them as blue happy pills. :) OH were they fun. I was also on Hydrocordone (spelling) also known as white happy pills! Needless to say... the day I went to the surgeon I was a ball of happiness. In fact my fabulous friend JAMIE who took me.. she said I was great. I remember NONE of it, so I'm glad I had her take pictures to prove it happened!

Here are some facts ... if you haven't heard yet.

• They took a culture from my noes and my infection to check for MRSA. They did find it in my belly button but only a 1+ on a scale of 1-4+. And they did NOT find it in my noes which is GREAT!! That means that when I get these little infections it might not have MRSA in it. Everyone has staph in their noes... but not everyone has MRSA. I have just gotten lucky with my infections and picked it up! 
• I might or might not get another infection. 
• If I do get another infection... I have to call the tulsa Dr PRONTO and then they will get me into the awesome surgeon! 

Here is a picture collage... because thats what I do... I take pictures and cram them all together. BE WARNED... its not pretty! A couple pictures are UGLY!!

I KNOW... NASTY!! But people want to see so... here!
Notice ... they misspelled my last night... lol! Remember... I was DRUGGED! 

The first picture is with the AWESOME ladies that took care of me each time I visited. They were so nice and kind to me. The nurse on my right is Alexis. She is so sweet and kind. The Doctor on my left is Lori Ormsby, she was so amazing and patient with me. The next picture is me with the receptionist Tammy. She was amazing. Every time I signed in, she asked how I was doing and referenced something specific such as my trip to Branson, getting my job, getting my class ready. She was so encouraging. When I left for the last time, they even had a shirt for me!! I LOVE it!  

After all the Surgeon fun ... We went to Qudoba! AMAZING!! I am so truly blessed with this sweet friend!! Thanks Jamie!! 

Alright ... thats all for tonight. Time to get some sleep... tomorrow is the second day of kindergarten!! 

Back where it all started...

When I started teaching it was with some hesitancy that I took a job at my very first elementary school, teaching kindergarten. I student taught in first and third grade and loved the older of the two. It was fun to interact with 'big kids'! However, I was highly encouraged to apply and interview for every January opening that came up. (I think this was the only one.) I took the job and jumped in feet first and managed to survive that first semester.
I stayed in Midland and taught there for 4 years before getting married and moving to Bartlesville with my love. My second year hear I was offered a job teaching PreK! Again I jumped in and bobbed with my head barely above water. I had a blast in PreK but because I was the last teacher hired... if we didn't have enough kids to fill 4 classes, my job was on the line. I spent most of my summer putting this idea behind me... but towards the end it started getting a bit stressful!
July 26 I received a call from the new principle at my school asking me if I would be interested in interviewing for a Kindergarten position at my school. I worked some stuff around so I could make it happen.
And...
It all worked out. Later that day I was offered the job. This changed some of my plans for the end of summer but it all has worked out beautifully.
My mom came up here and has worked the past 3 days to help me get settled and moved into my classroom. We worked hard, but had fun working together again. It was hard to get ready last year with out here there to help.
Because we were so busy I didn't stop long enough to take pictures but here is a collage of the things I have been working on at home and one of me and mom.

I'll post pictures of my class this weekend after I get it all done! :)

We watched the Olympics, made several Starbucks runs for some "Nectar of Life"
and I got my crafting on and covered this cute "K" and mod podged some ugly plastic drawers. 

I also couldn't have done this with out the love, support and help of my friends here in Bartlesville (you girls know who you are) and the patience of my husband. Thank you all for everything from the encouraging words to the Sonic "Happy Hour" runs! 

The fun had to end eventually...

Emma and Ben were here for almost a week. What a great week it was. Full of fun and memories!! Just how I like things! 

While we didn't get to do EVERYTHING I wanted to do... We did get to do a few fun things. Unfortunately I didn't feel great all week... I have not been sleeping well for over a month and this heat has been giving me horrible headaches. Anyways... We did get to do some crafting. Even Ben was excited about this!! And well since my recent craft room clean-up I LOVE all things crafty...!! 

After all the crafting was done it was time to work laundry, pack their bags and head home. It was a sad but exciting day... the plan was for me to take the kids to Dallas and us to stay the night there. Then get up Friday morning and drive to Midland with my mom. We would stay there until Wednesday August 1 and then Mom and I would drive the kids back to Dallas, drop them off... and then head up to Bartlesville to work on my house or classroom.

That was the plan on Wednesday night at 6:00... at 6:30 I got an unknown call that left a message. At 8:30 (on our way to get ICE CREAM) I checked the message... this call changed ALL our plans. But I'll update you on that in the next blog ... bahahahahaha!! 

Ben with the "B" he decorated for his bedroom. We made a few mistakes so we had to add the polka dots on one side. but I LOVE it! 

 Benny- You are the sweetest, cuddliest, silliest boy I know! I never got tired of your hugs, kisses, high fives and constant noises. Ok maybe I got a little tired of the noises... but I miss them now! You made my heart grow with so much love when you offered to pray for me the night before we left. You prayed the simplest but most sincere prayer. I love seeing you as a big kid... you are not a baby anymore! Thank you for sharing your special personality with us.
I love you so much!!

Emma with her awesome clipboard for her to do homework on. It even coordinates with her big girl bedroom that her mommy and my mama decorated while she was with me. 

 Emma Jane-
For years I watched your mom get ready in the bathroom. On Sunday morning I was overwhelmed with emotion as you sat in my bathroom and watched me get ready. Then we talked while I fixed your hair.
I loved hearing your silly girly giggles and all the funny things you say. You are turning into quite the funny young lady. It is fun to be able to be a little sarcastic and you get it!
When you prayed for me, the night before we left, it left me in tears. Sweet girl you spoke to Jesus from your heart. It was more passionate than I have ever heard an 11 year old speak. You are very wise and knowledgeable about the Bible and how we are called to act as Christians. Thank you for your reminders.
Speaking of those reminders ... I'll end with a story about Coffee... one that involves you and Ben and will not quickly leave my memory.

I love you and can't wait to see the teenager you are going to become. Please keep pursuing the Lord and let Him guide your steps. You will take many BIG steps in the next few years! !


A good story!!
While we were on the way to Dallas... we were all exhausted, ready to be there and the Tom Tom had sent me 90 miles OUT OF THE WAY!! While I was trying to get out of Oklahoma City.. (Yes.. Oklahoma City.... Thank you GPS... I think I'll stick to a real map next time!) Anyways... I get a call that gave me some GOOD NEWS! This good news was cause to celebrate. Ben suggested that we get some "Nectar of the Gods!" which is what I have referred to coffee as for a long time and Ben thought it was hilarious ... so it had a special meaning this week. After Ben and I finished whooping and hollering in the car, Emma politely says "Ummmm I don't feel comfortable with that saying. There is only ONE God." I agreed with her but told her that I was being sarcastic. (We had talked about this early when she was helping me blog about my craft room.) I told her that people knew that I exaggerate things, and sarcasm is a way to communicate that helps make your story funny or more interesting, and that if you do it right people know you are being silly. She then said "But Heather, if a non Christian hears you, they won't know you are being sarcastic. They might think you really think there is more than one real God." Ben and I calmed down and agreed with her. After all she was right... if a non christian heard me ... it would be miss-leading. Ben then suggested it be called "Nectar of Life!!" so it has become just that. "Sweet sweet Nectar of LIFE!!"
I'm so grateful for a little cousin who isn't scared to call our her overly sarcastic and obnoxious big cousin!

Nectar of ... LIFE! 

Craft room chaos - is no more!

Well I finally got it done. The room that has been my 'dream' to have (other than the baby-room that it will one day be)! I had been telling my sweet husband all summer that I would get to it. He finally looked at me one day and said something along the lines of... "you know we have a month left in summer... and you are busy at least 3 of those weeks!" I gave him a list of excuses such as: 

• I took a week off to recover from the last month chaos of school and prepare for the bike trip. 
• A little thing called Riding my bike 200 miles along Historic Route 66 for 10 days!
• Recovering from the 200 miles. 
• Doing SOOOOOOOOOOOO much laundry
• Getting an infection on my belly. (blog to come)
• Lunches with the girls.
• Catching up on Facebook
• Going to the doctor in Tulsa every day for a week. 
• Preparing and decorating the guest room. 
• Cleaning the house a couple times. 
• Preparing for a family trip to Branson to celebrate my Grandparent's 50th Anniversary. (blog to come)
• Shutting the door to the craft room every time I walked by. (If I can't see it; it doesn't exist!)
• Learning how to use Picasa
• Resting from trip to Branson.
• Preparing for Camp Cousin Heather. 
• Preparing for the possibility and hope that I'll be teaching next year... 
• Reading my Kindle
• Sticking more stuff in the future 'craft room'
• Getting my beauty sleep... 
• Planning crafts to do once the room was done... 

I'm sure there were more. But ... He gave me the 'look'! I knew that if I didn't do something about that room that he would go in there and turn it into a shrine to his precious golf clubs. His only request was that it also have an 'office' space so we can store our bills, computer and do some work at. 

My friend Jamie recently tore the tendons in her foot. This has left her fairly limited on the things she can get out and do with her three kids. I mentioned to her that I needed to clean this room out and she offered to come over and help. She is a natural organizer. It comes easy to her. MAKES ME JEALOUSLY SICK! I so wish organizing came natural or easy to me. 

She came over and brought her sweet daughter and they were amazing! Jamie sat a lot and that helped cause I could just show her something and she would say "toss it" or "keep it". And I LISTENED. By lunch time we had about 10 piles in the hallway, everything from Andrew's stuff, garage sale, teacher things, holiday stuff, wrapping paper... so many piles. Jamies daughter was our 'runner'. She did great putting things in places so we didn't have to climb over the junk. By the time we were finished here is what we had accomplished... please feel free to be HUGELY impressed! 

This was the BEFORE picture... see all that JUNK! 

We found so many Colored Pencils, Sharpies and Pens! 

We also came across many other random things in multipuls such as:

• 42 unopened rolls of ribbon
• 79 open rolls of ribbon
• 3 hot glue guns
• 3 open bags of glue sticks
• 4 bags of rubber-bands
• 1 box of diapers
• 4 boxes of pins
• 5 pairs of scissors 
• 3 bottles of sliver glitter
• 8 bottles of glue/glue sticks
• 12 baskets
• 52 pictures (in the first bunch I found... I found 3 more shoe boxes full and then another picture box from hobby lobby full later that I didn't bother to count!) 
• 4 rulers
• 2 small scrap-booking paper cutters
• 239 crayons 
• 42 note pads
• 398 pieces of scrap book paper
• 1,987,387 sharpies 
• 289,345 pens
• 1,890,334,236 colored pencils
• 368 sponge brushes 

Quantities might vary + or - in either direction. You can come count them if you NEED to know.

Apparently when I was young, stupid, rich and single (the good old days hehe) when I couldn't find something in my naturally unorganized life... I just replaced it. Thus the multiple things. So in theory... this organizing day has saved my husband money! Ding-Dang-Dong I should get a raise!! 

This is my crafty organization. I have cense fixed the "SCHUMACHER" sign,
picked up the flipy-flop and put away the vacuum. 

The top of the buffet cabinet. I made the "Schumacher" about a year ago but I hot-glued the letters on... (besides modge podge... hot-glue is my next favorite thing to use!!) However, when it got stored on the back porch during the rooms renovation ... many of the letters popped off with all the heat... ugh. I have now discovered this liquid cement stuff and the sign is now fixed! 

This is the bottom of the buffet cabinet.
Look at the organization. I LOVE it! 

Ahhhh how relaxing is that?? A place for everything and everything in its place. Ahhhhhhh...

I found this buffet cabinet when I was moving into my last single apartment. A friend and I were out and stopped by an Estate Sale and she managed to bargain them down to just $100 for it. It is beautiful and has so much character. I hope I can always use it somewhere in my house. I would hate to get rid of it.

These are my 'teacher' things that will be back in my classroom as
soon as I get the promise that I will indeed be teaching next year.

These shelves were a discount buy at Target a few years ago.
They have been through the ringer. So many knocks, bumps and bruises.
However, with a fresh coat of spray paint and some fun detailing
... they will be fabulous! 

I was putting these canvases and my Owl themed scrapbook paper up at the same time when an idea HIT me! Use them to decorate my craft room! I LOVE LOVE LOVE them. It was fun to be crafty in an organized setting... knowing right where everything was and where it went when I was done. Ahhhhhh... 

These are the framed Owl Papers after they are dry and laying on the
table they will hang above. I want to paint the table more of the
green or orange color and do some type of detailing on it
... but I'm still thinking on it.  

On Pinterest I came across the idea to cover empty (clean) cans with scrapbook paper and using them to store things. So... I got my crafty on again and made it happen! I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they turned out! 

Here is a can up-close! Isn't it precious! I just love the owls
and wish I had jumped on the Owl bandwagon
last year to decorate my classroom... oh well. 

This is our "precious things" chest.
We have all the things that are special to us in there.
There are pictures, memories, notes, wedding plans
... all sorts of fun things. 

On top of our specail things chest is a basket of ribbon... 79 total rolls of ribbon!
And yet I still had to buy some more to use on a diaper cake... go figure ! Also included on the tray are a few pictures that are special and I want to always be able to see!
Besides that is a small tub with all my bags, tissue paper and ribbon for wrapping gifts. 

A collage of the finished room! Well kinda finished room...
I did more the next week to finish it off a little more
and I still need to add some paint detailing! 

I am slowly learning that ... you are never fully saticfied with your house. There will ALWAYS be something that I want to change or re-do. This is just part of home-ownership. I guess that is something I can learn to enjoy and use my love for 'planning' to work with.
If you ever need a glue gun, glue stick or pair of scissors ... please give me a call. I have a few laying around. :)

Camp Cousin Heather: Saturday and Sunday

This is a special week! This week Andrew and I get to hang out with 2 of my little cousins. I was 18 when Emma was born and 20 when the Ben came around. Because of the age difference, I have always been more like an aunt to them than a cousin. Luckily we only lived a few hours away and it was fairly convenient for us to make many trips back and forth to visit. 

Around 5 or 6 years ago the kids started going to Midland to spend about a week with my parents every summer. This special week is called "Camp Auntie Jean" and is highly anticipated by everyone, Auntie Jean, the kids, me, their mom! 

Well when Andrew and I got married I joked with my aunt, Ettie, that the kids needed to come stay with us some. The first summer was out of the question. We were newlyweds and well... yeah... even though I dearly LOVE these pumpkins I didn't want to be in the same room with children! The next summer (last summer) we bought a house and it was such a crazy summer that there was no way we could make it work. Besides that I had a full year job and had to work through the sumer for the first summer of my adult life. This summer, due to my open schedule and their summer plans we were able to make a week work. 

This week is "Camp Cousin Heather"!! 

Ettie and my uncle came up here on Friday July 19 and stayed the night. (I STILL get so nervous to have other adults stay at my house!! Will this ever go away??) They left around noon on Saturday and our fun began! 

Right after we were freed from their parents watchful eyes!!
Let the fun begin. Nothing but junk food, late nights and ...
ice cream for breakfast... right Andrew?? 

Lets go see a movie!! 

Our original plan for Saturday was to take the kids to the Caney Zoo and Safari Park, however it was H-O-T outside. We broke a sweat just walking to the car. Andrew came up with the next best idea: MOVIES! I was thrilled... it meant pop-corn and AC! We all quickly agreed upon watching Ice Age 3: Continental Drift!! It was a blast and between Ben and I we ate at least 3/4 of the pop-corn before the movie had even started. This was NOT a proud moment for the Husband. 

Emma all dressed up for church! 

 Sunday morning we woke up and got ready for church. Most of you know that my sweet husband and I struggle with timeliness! 3 of us were up by 7. When I went to take a shower at 8 I woke the last one up. I figured ... NO problem!! We got this!! Church starts at 9:15 we will leave by 9:10 and be early!!! Well... one thing lead to another and we didn't leave the house till 9:17. Luckily we live 2 minutes at most away from our church ... so we made it by the time they were done shaking hands. 

Many people stopped us and make jokes about "wow!! We didn't know yall had been hiding kids all these years!!" "Ummmm do yall have something to tell us??" and at least 4 people told us today that "They could pass for our kids!" What a complement kinda... Great because these kids are stunningly gorgeous and so well mannered, frustrating because I do NOT want to look like I could have a 10 year old!! SERIOUSLY!!?? Oh well... 

Sunday lunch: Foil Dinners!! They were a HIT! 

 Sunday for lunch we made Foil Dinners! I made these often when I was in Girl Scouts and I LOVED them. The kids saw them on Pinterest and said they looked/sounded fun! I mixed hamburger and turkey meat then made small patties. I sliced potatoes, onions and carrots. Then we layered all of these with goodies along with cheese on top of a couple leaves of cabbage. We wrapped them in foil and put them in the oven for a while. I was sceptical. Worried the kids wouldn't like the flavor of the meat, or it would be too "weird" for them to like it. However, they LOVED it! It got amazing reviews!! I was shocked! Even Andrew was pleased! Emma only had meat and cheese on hers; Ben had meat, cheese and a few carrots; Andrew and I had the works : Meat, cheese, Carrots, Onions, Potatoes! YUMMMM-O!! I do believe this is one recipe I will want to remember! 

Andrew showing the kids the composting bin. 

A few months ago we (Andrew) started becoming interested in the idea of composting and doing our share in protecting the planet. We will never be totally "green" but we can do a few things here and there to help out. We have been trying out this composting bin for a few months now. Andrew really enjoys working with it. He is always having to remind me that we DON'T throw away anything 'natural'! When we were eating fruit for a snack and we talked to them about throwing their stems away in the composting bucket, they got really curious about the in's and out's of composting. So Andrew gave them a mini science lesson and they both said they want to help with it this week! As soon as the bucket was full after lunch the kids ran to put their play clothes on so they could help Andrew "compost"! It was so cute watching them all interact together. The kids were so curious. When I'm outside of a classroom I forget how their little minds work... they are ALWAYS learning. Always asking questions!! I LOVE it! 

Tonight we also took the kids to a meeting for our church Prayer Team. They did great. We had burgers again... but they were good. I was so impressed with how well behaved they were and how helpful they were with a little 2 year old that was there. 

I guess I better go so I can get some rest before tomorrow. Tomorrow is our Craft Day Extravaganza!! Woop Woop!! (Yes I might have just done a fist pump in the air!!) 

Blueberry Muffins and memories...

Yesterday marked the 18th anniversary of my Grammies death.
When I first thought about it yesterday, I was a little bitter. I let my heart go to that yucky place where I don't sympathize with her, rather I get angry at her for making the choice she made. There is still are part of me that feels like she would be here if she hadn't made the choice she did.
She took her own life July 8, 1994. Some things I remember about her...

• She was beautiful. Her shoes always matched her purse which always matched her outfit. I specifically remember red shoes, gold shoes and this one green outfit. Now I look back and they were probably silly looking... but to this granddaughter ... it was the perfect look.
• There were 5 of us cousins at the time. Me - 10, Micah - 8, Morgan - 7, Brandon - 7 and Taylor - 6. That made me the oldest. (explains so much of my personality...) Before she died we had the opportunity to make several memories together including trips to Sea World and Six Flags and 2 or 3 week long adventures at Grammie and Papa's house. These weeks included things like: midnight snacks (usually around 9) made of banana splits; putting up a tent in the back yard, only to have it destroyed by a horrible storm that blew through; Baptist pallets in the living room floor; Christmas time around a perfectly apple and red bow decorated, tall, flocked tree; the drive from Dallas to Pampa in their cadillac-- 4 of us in the back seat and one in the front-- my favorite part was we made exactly 5 equally spaced stops so we could rotate spots. 
• Her glasses! Oh heavens!! They were huge! But they were part of the look. 
• Her hair! I live for the day when I can go to the beauty shop once a week and get my hair done in a boo-font! She had this beautifully poofed white head of hair.I can still see it... one of the few things I can still clearly picture. 
• She was soft. I never thought of her as over weight, I was only 10 and weight hadn't become an issue for me to notice yet. But I remember snuggling next to her and it was always comfy, cozy and soft. 
• She planned ... and every thing must go accordingly... this isn't what I remember as much as what I've heard. But I believe this is where I get the "my way or the highway" & "I've got this under control" attitudes! 

Those are just a few of the things I remember but most of all ... are blueberry muffins. We both had a love for the sweet, soft yumminess of blueberry muffins. I can remember, from as early as I could sit up, sitting on the counter in her kitchen and helping her make them. We used a box mix, the one with the blueberries in the tin. It was such a fun sweet time for us. I don't know if the other cousins shared this time or if I was the only one. To this day I can't make or eat a blueberry muffin with out thinking of those sweet times and memories. 

Grammie, I still love you dearly and miss you more than I could imagine. There are so many great things that you have missed in person but I know you have been watching from heaven, loving us through it all. I am sad about the way you chose to leave us, but I know it was harder for you to live than for you to leave. I know you are in heaven rejoicing with the King of Kings now, singing Praises to Him forever more. Thank you for giving me the courage to deal with my personal battle with depression. I don't want to get so lost in my own sad overwhelmed thoughts that I forget the reasons I have to live. 

Thank you for all the great memories! 

200 miles along Historic Route 66!

On June 1, 2012 the day was finally here. The day to leave for my 10 day adventure across Historic Route 66! It has been a full week since I made it home from this adventure. I can't believe it! Not a day goes by where I don't reflect on a special time I had, a fun memory or a moment where God clearly revealed to me that ... He is going to take care of me! Here are a few pictures from the trip. I made a few collages to combine all the pictures... click on them to make them bigger. I took a total of 450 pictures... Thats a LOT. Every day by the time we settled down my phone was DEAD! Poor thing hasn't been used that much... ever! I'll fill in details after each picture! 

 This was right before we left. My sweet husband got up and took me to The Rock at 6:00am! We were there just a few minutes when I realized I forgot my snazzy zebra pillow! I knew I couldn't survive with out a pillow... so my precious husband zipped home and picked it up for me just in time for us to pull away.

Beside the picture of us is a COOL picture of the bikes all loaded up. There were 33 bikes all securely locked down and held in place. It was a work of art watching the 'bike loading crew' work their magic as they locked down our precious wheels.

 Our first stop was near and dear to my heart. TEXAS... as we crossed the Texas state line my heart swelled just a bit with pride and my twang got a little more noticeable. At this point I was still nervous... not being my typical loud obnoxious self. Texas warmed me up. I was the ONLY one excited to be in the Lone Star State. I demanded that my picture be taken with DQ memorabilia. It was at this DQ stop that my personality started coming out... I ordered chicken strips as well as one of the young-uns on the trip. (Micah) Well this creep took off with MY chicken and fries!! I was left standing there waiting and waiting with the lady calling number 23 or something like that ... I said well that looks like mine but my number is 18!! We figured it all out and healed my hurt with ice cream. It was a beautiful moment but I vowed from that point on that I will not let some high school goof ball get away with taking my food again!! Thus... the real "Heather" made an appearance!

The first night we slept in a church in New Mexico. The church was pretty and clean and even had showers! Many blew up their air mattresses and spread out. I was SO tired... that I just spread out on a church pew about half as wide as me. And I slept like a baby. It was beautiful. 

The next morning we were greeted with this beautiful sunrise on the way to Arizona! 

The fist night in CA. We arrived in CALIFORNIA ready to go!! Our first stop was Downtown Disney!! I had a great group of guys that I was hanging out with. My favorite place was LEGOLAND!! It was so fun seeing so many of my favorite Disney characters made out of legos. Look at Genie and Abu... don't they look just like the movie!? 

The next day we went to DISNEYLAND!! It was amazing!! These were the guys I hung out with ... we called ourselves the "Non-ride-riders!" We preferred the slower, flatter, uneventful rides. Well that was until they fooled me and got me on the Indiana Jones Ride (go to 4:30... I didn't take the video but it almost adequately describes the fear I felt... just add LOTS more screaming!!) Jonathan, Trey and Cliff you were a BLAST to hang out with ... even if you did send me into a panic attack on Indiana! I had a perfectly wonderful day at Disney with you gentlemen! 

This was the parade at DisneyLand! So much fun! I watched it both times. It was like watching my favorite Disney movies come to life in front of me!! 

The flowers around DisneyLand were BEAUTIFUL!! 

Our first ride!! We rode 25miles on Santa Monica Pier. I did the whole ride with out COFFEE... BIG MISTAKE!! My first stop at the pier was to find some sweet caffeinated goodness!! The beach was beautiful. The weather was cool and overcast. Perfect for the first day! I forgot my ball-cap in my suitcase. :( So I rocked the fuzz head... Oh well! The day was fun and worth it. My favorite part was looking at all the Beach Houses and dreaming of what it would be like to live in one. I almost fell in love with the beach!! 

After our short time at the beach we took a tour of Los Angeles with Mike the Poet as he has called himself. At the end of our tour he treated us to his rendition of his poem I'm Alive in Los Angeles. Take time... listen to it. It will change your life. Or stick in your head forever! UGH... I'M ALIVE IN LOS ANGELES... 

The tour was good and "Mike the Poet" knew his stuff. We passed places such as the hotel were Whitney Houston died. The church were Marylyn Monroe is buried. The tattoo parolor where LA INK is filmed. The STARS. We rode on a double decker bus and had to dive to avoid being whacked in the head with lower lying tree branches but it was fun!! This is where I got my first sunburn of the trip ... on my thighs. UGH... But totally worth it! I'd do it again... maybe with someone other than Mike the Poet though.

I don't remember what day this happened. I did a HORRIBLE job of taking notes and keeping up with the days. But... one day we were driving in our "family" van and started dodging pieces of tire flying at us. We called the "guys" van in front of us to see if they knew what was going on. They said they didn't see anything. This narrowed it down... it was from them!! YIKES! So what do men do when there is a flat... they change it. Here are the steps:

1. Get a call from the van with the GIRLS that there is a problem.

2. Deny that there is a problem.

3. Pull over and assess said "problem".

4. Submit to the idea that yes... there is a problem.

5. Sniff, spit, burp and grunt while stargazing how to solve this problem in the most manly way.

6. Look for jack to lift trailer and don't find it.

7. Unload trailer.

8. Gather all the muscles you can find and LIFT!

9. Slide spare tire on.

10. High-five and grunt some more at the end of your accomplishment!!

Ok so that might not have been what happened... but that was the play by play going on in my head behind the drivers window. It was entertaining.

 One of these days we went to THE GRAND CANYON, I'm not going to lie... I didn't know what to expect. I'm NOT a nature person. I'm not an outdoors person (here is where you raise an eyebrow and thing... yet you are on a 200 mile biking trip...) and I am not a heights person. We got there and I found my group of "safe" friends. Cliff and Sarah were great. They were fun. We lingered near the railing for a while and watched our crazy friends stepping closer and closer to the edge. My initial thought was ...

"those fools are crazy."

"Someone is gonna die!"

 "HOLY COW... hold on to the little guys!!"

 Then they turned into...

"Wow... they are brave!"

"Look what God has created!"

"I should do this... I might never be here again."

Eventually I was leaving Cliff and Sarah behind and yelling at some of the brave guys saying

"Go again!"

"Take me with you!"

"Help me be brave!"

It all started with me hanging my eyes over the edge of a cliff... my bottom was very dirty... and my shorts look awkward but it was fun! Then I became more and more daring and decided to walk to the edge. I did it. It was amazing... one of my favorite pictures from the trip. Me on the edge... one step to the left or the right and maybe 2 steps back and I was a gonner!

My favorite part about The Grand Canyon was the majesty that it declared. I couldn't help but hear the verse:

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!"

Luke 19:40

The Grand Canyon declared the Glory of God and His creation. It was beautiful... which leads me to my next collage.

 These are just a few of the outside pictures I took. Some from The Grand Canyon, some from The Blue hole in AZ, The natural water park in AZ, The beach in CA, Trees in CA and a beautiful Arizona sunrise. The scenery was absolutely amazing... There is no way that the Lord didn't personally paint these pictures...

 The second to last day we were back in Texas. I felt HORRIBLE this day. HORRIBLE! The night before we stayed in a hotel that was "historic" and our AC wasn't exactly cold. I laid in bed all night just wishing I had the energy to get up and puke. The next day was NOT good... I started off feeling yucky and it didn't get better for a while. I made the fist leg of the ride. Wishing so badly that I wasn't so hard headed and could willingly just "pack it in"! However I kept going... at one of our stops two of our leaders Ken and Roger came over and prayed for me. Asking God to give me the strength and energy to finish the miles. This was one of our big rides (55 miles I think) and if I didn't make this then I would not make a big chunk of our miles. The Lord showed Himself yet again in my life and I was feeling better... not great but better. I made it. I cried. I pushed myself. But I made it. Ken and his son (one of our best friends) Andy rode with me over half the time. They made sure I was ok. Making excuses to stop and get drinks or find shade. I made it. It was amazing. It felt good. It hurt like H***! But I made it. At the end of the ride we went to The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo Texas there we were able to "make our mark" (More on that later) and it was a blast. I still didn't feel great but it was fun to watch everyone work on their 'tagging' skills!

 I think this was the last day of the ride. We stopped here on our way to CA and our way back. Roys use to be a hopping joint back in the 50's and 60's. I'm sure many the icon stopped by here to pick up a pop as they drove Historic Route 66.

These are my new friends. I left on this trip knowing all of maybe 4 people. Now I feel like I know all 36 of the others that went with us well! I wouldn't take back a single thing. I made memories that will last a life time. I have truly been blessed buy each of them.

Every day before we left for our ride we circled up for a prayer and some encouraging words. Ken selected a person to "blow the trumpet" as a way of a send off for the day. Each day it was fun seeing who would be picked. The last day he picked me. He said and I quote "She brings out the Humanity in us all"! Not sure what that means... but it was an honor to send us off on the last day. The last day was amazing. It felt good oh so good to cross that finish line. I cried. I did it! I honestly didn't think I could.

When we left I thought we were doing 275 miles. I am not sure where I got that number... it was only 200 miles but they were well earned. I plan to get another 75 in this summer as i continue taking "JiJi" out for some spins around town.

Thanks for all your prayers and encouraging words as I prepared for and took on this challenge. I still can't believe I did it!

To summarize this trip:

We traveled 3,400.5 miles by car to California and back to Oklahoma from June 1-10, 2012. Thrity-two amazing bicycle riders ages 11-70, rode 200 miles in five different states, traveling along Historic Route 66. We rode along the beach, highway and through the Mojave Desert! I am overwhelmed with emotion as I look back and think about each of those miles, weather it be by car or bike! There were so many who were part of our team, not just the cyclist... but the amazing support team. They took special care of each of us. When I got my sunburn on day 3... sweet Melody was there to see that I was doused in sunscreen at every stop, even offering to let me wear her pants so I wouldn't keep burning! All the riders had to do is say "I need..." or "I want..." and it was there by one of these 4 women. They held us when we were hurting, toughened us up when we were whining, fed us when we were hungry and encouraged us when we were ready to quit. More than once Shannon pulled up beside me in the van and cheered me on! I know they were praying for us every peddle of the way as well as many others back home.

I am already looking forward to next years trip... and rumor has it we are heading to Chicago! I say we do a good 300 next time. I want to keep pushing myself as much as I can as long as I can. This trip was not only good for me physically but it was amazing for me spiritually and emotionally. I was surrounded by such amazing leaders who never hesitated to pour into me at the first opportunity. Any time I had a question about anything from biking, what happens next or anything about the Bible ... someone was there with sage insight.

Thank you all for the privilege of being part of The Rock's Historical 20th Anniversary event!!

I know feel as though I am part of the crew at On The Rock Ministries!