help me

family reunion: al, dillan, & i after hiking around devil's lake in wisconsin
the three musketeers: andrea, brittany, & kyla

I'm moving in a week. Change is a tough thing. I'm evaluating my entire life in Sioux Center and realizing that it will never be the same coming back. I wonder if it will always feel like home to me, or if that will change. Maybe I'll have two homes. That would not be a bad thing.

To all those out there who are facing big changes, I feel for you. Uncertainty is scary. But as my mother said this afternoon, without change, we can't grow. I rolled my eyes when she said this. And we both know it's trite. But you know what? Trite means that it's overstated, and that means it's true. And when I look back at the last 5 years of my life, I realize that I have grown a lot. Not without pain and frustration and heartache, but I've survived it. And a dear friend reminded me today that we don't do any of this on our own.

Lord, help me walk

Another mile, just one more mile;

I'm tired of walkin' all alone.

Lord, help me smile

Another smile, just one more smile;

You know I just can't make it on my own.

I never thought I needed help before;

I thought that I could get by - by myself.

Now I know I just can't take it any more.

With a humble heart, on bended knee,

I'm beggin' You, please, help me.

Come down from Your golden

And throne to me, to lowly me;

I need to feel the touch of Your tender hand.

Remove the chains of darkness

Let me see, Lord let me see;

Just where I fit into your master plan.

I never thought I needed help before;

I thought that I could get by - by myself.

Now I know I just can't take it any more.

With a humble heart, on bended knee,

I'm beggin' You, please, help me.

--Johnny Cash

in the dictionary...

Andrea -- [noun]: A deadly strain of projectiile vomit 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

did i hear a niner?

I am in Wisconsin at our ninth family reunion. We started the tradition when I was six years old...every two years my mom's parents and their offspring get together at some sort of resort and chill and argue and eat and make fun of each other and play cards and eat and talk and swim and eat.

This year, we have six little fourth-generation-ers. SIX. They are seven, six, three, two, one, and 2 1/2 weeks. Needless to say, there is LOTS of noise. Granted, there always was lots of noise at our reunions because my extended family has hot air in excess. But I love them. And we have six huge condos, so there's always space to hide away.

Today, a bunch of my cousins and the little kids went swimming. We ran into two Dordt grads. One of them was in my class. It was crazy and random.

Back to vacationing. You may all be jealous now.

a count

bowls of mac & cheese left cold on the counter: 1
phone calls that i didn't answer: 3
bumps on the head acquired by a 6-year-old from his little brother smashing a chair in his face: 1
tearful outbursts: 3 (including my own)
games of shrek uno played: 9
games of life played: 1
hours of tv as background noise: 4
loads of laundry done: 1
hours of sleep: 4.5

*edit* most of the sleep occurred before i started babysitting...