on my heart

It's been a long time since I've really blogged what's been going on. If you even check on my blog, then you probably already knew that my dad passed away October 4th at 2:15am. We had his graveside service last friday and the memorial service was at HCC on that saturday. The Church was packed and the service went very well. The reality that my dad is gone has finally hit me, during this last week. Little things like saying i'm going to call my parental units and then rephrasing it to, i'm going to go call my mom. After a year of dad being so sick, i'm very thankful he's finally Home but still it's hard because i miss my daddy and am sad that my mom is alone at home.

I knew that someday it was very likely that one or both of my parents would go Home before me. It was a hope that it wouldn't be before a lot of stuff in our life happened such as giving them grand kids. I knew my dad would be an awesome grandpa.

But now i look back at what i've written and this is the reason why i had a hard time blogging over this last year. I don't want to seem ungrateful for everything the Lord has blessed us with during this last year. I'm very thankful that dad was able to be healthy during the time that his girls got married back in 2004. I'm thankful that they've been diligent about getting things payed off and a lot of house stuff updated, so it's not a burden for my mom to have. I'm thankful that the church back home was so encouraging and helpful with my parents this last year, so my mom was able to take time off and take care of dad. I'm so very thankful that they're surrounded by handy people who were able to do so much around the house they didn't have to hire out for people they didn't know. I'm thankful that we still live close enough that we were able to spend some quality time with dad before he passed. I'm thankful that the job i have prepared me to see dad in such a needy place physically.
I'm thankful that we got to see such an awesome example of a godly marriage, how hard times can bring the best of marriages even closer.

We saw a t-shirt the other week that said, "Live your life so that the preacher doesn't have to lie at your funeral." That has stuck with me during these weeks because i know my dad did. He was not perfect by any means but he was a man who truly loved others and put other before himself. Go ahead and click here if you want to get to know a little more of what my dad was like from my perspecitive and what i said at the memorial service.
Thanks for reading all this. :) I wanted also to thank all of you who have been such an encouragement to me during this last year. :) ....

plans

I got a call last night from my mom. They are giving my dad just a few days to live. Christa and i are heading down to North Bend tonight to spend time as a family. I'd really appreciate prayers right now for strength and encouragement i can give to my mom and sister. Thankyou...I'll update when i can or give you a contact who can email or call with questions.

till later

The start of a new school year...

Tuesday is the first day of school. I remember the feeling back in grade school when you started counting down the days till school started again. I loved the summer...it was always busy and we went on lot's of adventures. But there was something great about getting your class list of supply's and heading to Bi-mart for all new pencils, paper, and a sparkly purple pencil boxes that just made me get excited. I'd lay all my new school supplies on my bed, looking at them for awhile and then packing and repacking my backpack a few times, to make everything just right. From 1st- 5th grade, getting ready for school for consisted of wondering if i'd be going to private or public school that year.

As i got older, the end of the summer started early because of daily doubles in Volleyball or Soccer but still there was a jittery anticipation of another year, about ready to begin.

When i started with the ESD, it was near the middle of November and being a sub, i was going from school to school. This year is completely different. I got hired on at the Clackamas HS LEEP classroom full time. We've been busy going over the kids IEP goals and getting the room set up. I'm going in as a teacher rather then a student, but yet i still have the butterfly's in my stomach of what this year could hold. Here come the new haircuts, Home coming assembly's, and the smell of fried cafeteria food, all over again.

Being 25

I feel the need to write in my blog right now but i really don't have a specific subject..so let's just see what happens. I turned a quarter of a century last week and it's hard to believe, i suppose. It doesn't seem to long ago when i thought this was the start of being old. :)

I can't believe this summer will be leaving us behind in less then a month. We only have 3 more days of summer school. I haven't hear yet if i'll be working as a Temp in a classroom or back as a sub, for the fall. This summer has been great...lot's of camping and sunburns but it really has flown by. Hmm...what will this next year hold? My dad is turning 58 in four days and it will be a special birthday i am a thinking. This last week, it seems, the turn around that we've been praying for for months is finally upon us. My mom thinks he's gained two pounds and his mouth was full of walnuts (and he seemed to be enjoying them) when i called yesterday. These things are huge blessings.

Every week it seems that we find out about a new friend or family member being pregnant. It's funny how this is the summer of baby's and the last five years the summers were full of wedding bells. Such is life.

Dusty has been riding to and from work almost everyday. I got a bike for my birthday so it'll be nice to meet him on his way home and go for a ride. I know that i'm not always very positive about living in the city but one of my favorite things is having so many bike paths, so accesible.
http://www.portlandonline.com/transportation/index.cfm?a=haccb&c=deiaj

Well i'm going to leave this blog entry rather abruptly but i'd love to hear about some things you all are learning this summer. Please comment and i'd love to hear pray requests and such too. Either posted or you can email me. betany_h15@hotmail.com

till later...

Facts

A) Four jobs you have had in your life:

1. Albertson's courtesy clerk
2. Barista
3. HS summer intern at HCC and RA/intern at Ecola
4. Teachers Assistant- Preschool and Specials needs classrooms

B) Movies you've watched more than once
1. Hoosiers
2. Wedding singer
3. Patch Adams
4. Fugitive

C) Four places you have lived:
1. Hauser, Oregon
2. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
3.Cannon Beach, Oregon
4. Portland, Oregon

D) Four television shows you like to watch:
1. 24
2. History Channel
3. Everybody loves Raymond
4. Oprah

E) Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Edmonton, Alberta
2. Island in Thailand (can't think of the name at the moment)
3. Lake Tahoe
4. Whistler, B.C.

(F) Four websites you visit daily:
1. Blogspot and Myspace
2. Hotmail
3. My dad's update sight
4. WAMU banking

(G ) Four of my favorite foods:
1. almost anything Thai or Indian
2. sushi and Japanese
3. Bacon and Cheddar cheese bagels (From Bagels by the Sea)
4. Fish and Shrimp (grilled or sauteed)

(H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. at the beach
2. traveling the world
3. with my parents
4. hanging out with friends

You're Adventures of Huckleberry Finn!

by Mark Twain

With an affinity for floating down the river, you see things in black
and white. The world is strange and new to you and the more you learn about it, the less
it makes sense. You probably speak with an accent and others have a hard time
understanding you and an even harder time taking you seriously. Nevertheless, your
adventurous spirit is admirable. You really like straw hats.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Politics...smelltheticks

You are a Social Conservative (28% permissive) and an... Economic Moderate (50% permissive) You are best described as a: Fascist Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Kim's wedding

I wasn't able to go to my friend Kim's wedding but decided to post this picture anyway. My dad did the ceremony this last friday and the whole thing was a huge answer to prayer. It rained the day before but there was a nice warm breeze blowing through in Yachats, Oregon..can you believe it?? He was strong enough to stand during the cermony and Kim is married ..yahooo :) Oh and they had a coastie heliwopter fly by. So Kim if you ever read this..give yourself a hug from me and know that i wish i could have been there and many congrats!

memorial day weekend

My mom just sent this picture from our time in North Bend, with my parents. This is my dad and baby Matthew. (Amy and Bob's baby not ours!) I thought it was precious and had to let you all see!

names

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (middle name/ street you live on)
Christine Steele

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy)
Marjorie Skittles ??

3. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME: (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your last name)
B. Ah

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Blue Elephant

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Christine Coos Bay

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name)
Ahrrustom

7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards)
Enitsirhc Surrub

8. PORN STAR NAME: (first pet, street you grew up on)
Sherlock Shutters Landing

9. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, the automobile you or your parents drive)
The Blue Impalla


Hey peeps..I think you should fill in your own answers and post them on my comments...that would rock!

summer job....

Ok so i'm looking for a job. Everyday i come home from work, from a job i like a lot, to look for summer employment on craigs list. After a few weeks of sending my resume to a variety of locations, I decided to post my objective on craigs list and see what happens. After about a half hour i received one email that sounded like a great possibility and we are talking. Dusty and i left to watch the some quality television at the sticks and after coming back home i found this in my inbox. Before i post the email i would like to say that i said i would be willing to do some chores to help the family out, such as cook meals for the kids, laundry and cleanup. Well Craigs list works a lot on key words and COOK seemed to be a bright beacon on someones needs list.

Hi Bethany,

I am looking for someone who already cooks for their own family to
prepare additional portions of their dinner and store them in Tupperware-like
containers. I would then buy these home-cooked meals on a bi-weekly
basis (say 5-8 meals every 2 weeks?). I am not picky about the food/menu
choices (though I am NOT vegetarian), so Western/Russian/ Ukraine/Chinese/
Mexican/etc. would work for me. I already have several Tupperware-like
containers of various sizes for storage of these meals.

I am also looking for someone to teach me how to cook, starting from
the basics like a "Cooking for Dummies" format.


Ok I just found this rather humorous. It's not that i dislike cooking or that i I'm not capable of
following cookbook directions but this is something i would never think of posting on a resume
or as a gift.   But if anybody is interested in making some money i'll send you the guys number.

Happy eating.

Hill billy rock star

Your Hillbilly Name Is...

Bobbie Jean Beaver

Hillbilly Name Generator

Spring time...

I really love this time of year. We have been blessed with a lot of nice weather recently so at work and after work we've been able to get out and enjoy it. During High School it was the time of year for Spring Soccer, Track, Graduations, and getting money raised for summer trips with the youthgroup. I love the green grass and all the flowers in our neighbors garden. I love the anticipation of summer and all the camping trips that are on our calendar. It's great to be outside planting flowers and hear all of the kids at the parks that surround us.

Today i got a bunch of flours planted and corn and squash. Dusty mowed the lawn and used the trimmer today so the yard looks great. So except for the beer bottles and walmart bags that end in the yard, we might actually have a clean cut yard for a few days.

So what is everyones favorite time of year and why?

it's been awhile

It's been awhile since I've posted so here i go. Things are going well at work. I've been at the same school for 6 weeksish and that's been great. Right now i'm loving my job but trying to get in the mood to look for something in the summer. I've been looking and applying but it's bothersome :)
So could someone give us a million dollars so i could stay home and be a mom? thanks!
We had awards night for AWANA, so that's over till September. We've both been fighting colds and allergies so that's been exciting. My cousin Tim is with the Army, Afghanistan as a sharp shooter, so if you think about it we'd appreciate prayer for his protection. My dad has been pretty stable recently. The doc says the cancer has progression free response and is a stable disease. So it's still all through the bones but hasn't gotten any worse. (if you click on the link that says daddy mcmahon update, you can find out more or ask me)

Well at the moment i can't think of anything else to say so i'm going to go blow my nose. thanks for reading!

Fire drills

Today i worked, in Estacada, at Clackamas River Elementary. It's the first time I've worked at this school so i was still learning schedules, temperments, and a bunch of other stuff that varies from classroom to classroom. The day went pretty smooth except for when we had a fire drill. This is only the second fire alarm i've been apart of since working for the ESD and this one we had fair warning. The last time, some Highschool kid pulled the alarm and there was only 2 teachers in the classroom at the time. We had just gotten one of the kids out of his whell chair and onto a mat, which takes a two person lift and there were 3 other kids also in the classroom that freaked. anyways...
We had fair warning but still it's not something you can explain to many of these kids so there's lot of yelling, hiding, and just pandomonia! It all worked out and it was nice to get out of the building and get some fresh, warm air.

I look back on my experiences with Fire drills, Tsunami drills and Earthquake drills (all which comes fequently when you grow up on the Coast) and i never realized what an effort it is to get people out of a building in a quick and orderly fashion. I remember liking it when it happened during tests, just so i could get out of it for the time being. ok that's all for now...

Slide show

Hopefully this slideshow will work at places other then our house. Please let me know if it doesn't. I love pictures ! :)

Tree frogs should never be put in jars with a lid on them.

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

A picture of our family...

I'm down at home for about five days, during our spring break. I came across this picture from awhile back. Thought I'd share it. It's my brother in-law Anthony, my sister, her dog Johnny Cash, my momma, my daddy back when he was fat :), myself and my dear husband. We are under the North Bend bridge.

Just a few pictorial images to share

Dusty and the beautiful bride.
On Valentine's day, Dusty had the great idea to head back to places that
were special to us. This happens to be were we got engaged, down on the water front. :)

Head size

I'm sure everybody has been told something about there birth. Some loving or excruciating story that there parents have shared. After a conversation last night...we starting wondering how big peoples heads really are. So with a little help from a tape measure a few of us have measured are noggins. If this is interesting to anybody in even the tiniest or orange sized way..please share and and it'd be fun to see the average sizes. cm or inches is fine(Inspired by a friends birth story)

Spring break

Best thing about working for a school district is that i get SPRING BREAK! It just isn't quite as cool as it used to be cause I seem to be the only one... :) Oh well... We'll see what the week will hold and maybe I'll paint my toe nails.

spring time...

Wow what a weekend! Baby shower, wedding, hanging out with friends we don't see very often, driving to the beach, eating way to many nachos, and just hanging out... i think it's time to sleep a bit. After a crazy weekend, I headed out to Hubbard for a nice day of work. When I got out there, their were only going to be two kids in the class, so now i'm home writing to you all! :) It is a beautiful day...an awesome way to start spring! I think today might be a good day to get some yard work done and maybe go for a bike ride.
A couple of days ago we celebrated St. Patrick's day. I've always like this holiday, not because i like drinking cause i think beer is beyond nasty, but probably mostly because the color green rocks! Ok maybe it's cause i have some Irish blood dripping in my veins! But i have to say this year is special because Baby Forgey has finally made his presence known in this world. Still nameless has far as i know... I'm wondering if Patrick might be a suitable name. I wonder if he'll resemble a leprochan...but i highly doubt it. Congrats Bob and Amy...hopefully we'll get to meet this little guy in the next week or so!

Surveys...oh my

The funny thing about after writing the last post, Emily sent me a survey that she filled out so i guess I'll post my response. Yes i guess this makes me a goober.


1. What time did you get up this morning? 6am -unless i have to get to a job before 7:15am.
2. Diamonds or Pearls? diamonds...
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? i think it was Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but i could be wrong
4. What is your favorite T.V. show? 24 and House and anything on the History channel
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Cereal
6. What is your middle name? Christine
8. What foods do you dislike? creamy things that don't have good taste and ham
9. What is your favorite chip flavor? Lime
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? the new Third Day one...we've been listening to our wedding music though..
11. What kind of car do you drive? 1996 toyota that is gaining a lot of personality and bruises
12. Favorite sandwich? Turkey or Turkey pastrami w/ all the fixings ..on grilled home made wheat bread
13. What characteristics do you despise? People who are full of themselves
14. Favorite clothes? Jeans and sweat shirts or khaki's and comfy shirts......... or khaki shorts a sweat shirt and flip flops
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? oh that's hard.. anywhere and everywhere...i want a full passport. I want to meet people from all over the world and just see what makes them who they are. Africa..eastern coast, safari, ride a camel thru the desert, live in a hut. Take a few months and spend a few weeks going to the normal western europe places but then head to eastern europe Latvia, Romania, St. Petersburg, Prague, Budapest, Vienna and all the other places i can't think of. then head into the rest of Russia. Then head down thru mongola, china and hit all of Asia..this is past two months obviously so maybe a few years...oh ya and australia and south america!!!!
16. Who sent this to you? Emily
17. Favorite brand of clothing? Old navy or anything that fits and is comfortable
18. Where would you retire to? From my perspective right now i'd probably say anywhere on the Rogue river..from medford thru goldbeach, but only if i was around people we were close to cause that's themost important thing to me.
19. What was your most memorable birthday? oh man that's hard...i've had some good ones. When i was in cannon beach i got kidnapped and taken to a play at the theater in town.
20. Favorite sport to watch? Basketball and soccer
21. Farthest place you are sending this? Mass.
22. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? haha...we'll see
23. Person you expect to send it back first? Bored people
24. Goal you have for yourself? Get heathly... emotionally, physically and spiritually
25. When is your birthday? August 3, 1981
26. When is your Anniversary? July 10, 2004
27. Are you a morning person or a night person? I like to say morning but only when i get a good night sleep and if i know i'll be outside the majority of the day... I used to say night but only when i'm eating healthy and got good sleep the night before.
28. What is your shoe size? 10ish
29. Pets? i like to hang out with other people animals... like being able to enjoy someone elses kids and then give them back when you are done...
30. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I'm crampy!
31. What did you want to be when you were little? A mom with 11 kids, a teacher, a police officer, world traveler, a mom, pilot, mom
32. What are you today? Educational Assistant Sub ( for special needs kids and in alternative schools in Clackamas County)
33. What is your favorite candy? any thing chocolate and mint or funky ( i like Japanese candy)
34. What is your favorite flower? Red roses, budding tree flowers :), wild flowers and hydranges
35. What is a date on the calendar you are looking forward to? Well.... i'm not sure of any.. CAMPING this summer and uncalendarized things that hopefully will happen this year :)
36. What do you like to do that makes you smile....or what do you do to have fun? I like to be with friends and just laugh and be open. Also drink tea and make flower chains and sing under the stars. I like to go on road trips with my husband. I like road trips with anyone who likes to sing in the car and be crazy. Road trips are anything over 20 miles and up :) I like to be outside working in someone elses garden and go to the beach and breathe. I like to look at pictures and talk about future stuff and dream of where we'll be in 20 years. i like being with children and our Sparky's. I like hugs.... and reading the bible with people...especially on the side of a river or lake with our feet in thewater :)

mindless ramble

I haven't written anything for awhile but i feel like i should cause that's the cool thing to do. Being that my one obsession in life is to be freakin' cool...there you go. Maybe i should fill out one of those surveys that bring out your deepest secrets and obsessions. Or maybe not.
It rained really hard today when i was working out in Hubbard...it was cool. I saw a rainbow but no hot air balloons.- random comment on the day

A few pictorial images

I won't explain this picture..let's just say when it's hot out, you gotta do what you gotta do!
That was a fun night...we should all do that again soon. Mystery dinner play, put on by the Mellander's if you were curious.
Does this picture even need words under it... Thank you Lord!
A picture with Dusty's sister and cousins. I have no idea where this was taken at.

Winter Olympics

If you were watching the winter olympics..would you be more drawn to Snowboard cross, Luge, the Skeleton, Hockey, Bobsledding (Go Jamaica!), Men's ice skating, Women's iceskating, the Italian Chocolate, or another sport I haven't thought of at the moment? We've spent a lot of time watching the Olympics recently so I'm curious!

This happens to be a day that i wish i had my Helicopter license and could just wander on over to the coast,to just enjoy that beautiful rock. Something I've always wanted to do is Kayak behind it and see the cave. One time we were hanging out at the beach, something we did often when we lived feet from it, and we were standing near a few European tourists. I have nothing against tourists, they usually were a high source of entertainment, especially when they felt they had to carry a umbrella. We'd watch it get torn to shreds in minutes. Anyways.... we were standing near the tourists and they were staring out at Haystack, admiring the rock coloring on the north side. It was a white in an area that contrasted from the green and brown. It hadn't rained for awhile and it was actually covered with bird poop but i didn't have the heart to say it. They talked about it for quite awhile...

a blessing

Every Wednesday evening we have Awana up in Vancouver. After a long day of work, it can be challenging to get ourselves up there. I think especially for me because all day i work with challenging kids and then to put on that red sparky shirt, just seems exhausting(I'm very thankful that I have a patient husband that convinces me to get going). Our sparkies team ranges from having thirteen kids to down to five like last night. It's our 3rd year of being leaders together and we both agree that this is the most challenging group of kids we have.
BUT it also can be such a huge blessing and fresh breath of air. You sit there and listen to K-2nd graders recite verses and it's just great. Yes there are some kids that do it for the prizes but once and awhile you can get the kid excited about what he's reading and saying and it's just cool.

I could tell you a lot of stories but I'll share one about a Kindergartener on our team named Dara. She's a smart little gal that can read better then a lot of the 2nd graders. Well i was sitting with her and Kelsey during green meadow time (it's the lesson time where we sing songs and someone tells a bible story). Well they were talking about Heaven and I hear a little sigh and Dara says, " I can't wait to go to heaven and see Jesus." She had the most contented look on her face like you could only have if you meant it from deep in your heart. Her dad has told me that she lines up her barbies and leads them to Christ..telling them all her bible verses that she knows. It was just a blessing to hear that. After Awana we headed outside and the sky was perfect Peter Pan night..clear as could be. It was such a blessing, after a hard day. Every Wednesday it's hard to get there but 95% of the time it's a huge blessing.

My sister and I did Awana from Cubbies who are 3 and 4 yr olds up through JV which is Junior High. In the later years, game time is what i looked foward to most because sitting still was like torture. :) But I can remember a few leaders that truly made learning the bible fun..even back in the King James Version days. They would make it seem so alive and would challenge us to really learn what it meant and not just learn it for the awards, that wouldn't always mean something. It's so hard to be like that but also such a blessing when you see the kids get excited about something. I really challenge any one who's working with kids (Elementary through HS) to never just look at it as if it is a job but rather as privledge to share the most amazing gift to someone that, if no one else does, the Lord thinks is special. At least with the little kids, they have so much energy and zest for life that i truly pray some weeks it'll rub off on me.

a morning off that turns into a day off....

I'm just hanging out at home this morning. I don't work till noon so i thought i'd write a bit on here before i really start my day. Looking through pictures i realize how blessed we are with the friends and family that the Lord has given us. And goodness gracious look at that sunset! How amazing is that! It's so easy to go through the day with our negative goggles on and ya maybe will smile a bit but we can always find stuff that we'd like to be different. i don't think life will every be perfect till we head up to Yonder but to be content with the lives we are living. Of course we want to strive to be better people but i think that's different from being a negative looker.
My dad called last night and said that he had a great doctor appointment and that his blood is doing great and there's no sign of cancer in the blood. Ok this rocks that it hasn't moved to the blood but it's easy for me to wonder why he's not healed yet! With the amount of people who've been praying i feel like there should be more significant changes. God's time line is so different then mine but it's still something i struggle with. This whole thing has been an eye opening experience to my own life and how i deal, when hard times come and stay for awhile. My parents have been drawn so close through this whole thing and they had a good relationship before! My mom asked my sister and i awhile back what we wanted to learn from this whole thing. For me the first thing is look at my parents marriage and see how, when conflict comes, that the best place is to rest in the arms of our Father. It's ok to ask God hard questions. But to try to deal with stuff on our own stength, when He's waiting for us with open arms, is truly wearing the stupid hat.

my day

Today was a challenging day at school. I've been back in Junior High for the last two days and it makes me truly not miss those early teen years. Working in an alternative classroom can bring lot's of exciting things during the day like being flipped off and cussed at on a regular basis. It also can be blessing to be able to love on these kids that in most cases have very few people on there side. No, I can't share my faith but i can pray for them constantly during the day and really try to live Christ. I've realized that if my goal is to look to Christ for help in every situation that we come across, my attitude and patience level greatly improves.
I'm very thankful for my job. Every day brings different challanges..especially when you don't find out till 5am the morning of, what classroom you'll be working in! I like this because every day is different but it's also hard to build relationships when you are with kids for such a short time. The comparison between being a sub and and going on a short term missiontrip without planning on going back comes to mind. :) I know for those who have been on short term mission trips might disagree with me but it works well in my head!
signing off...

The starting point of yada yada...

Today is a special day. I'm finally going to take a dangerous step into the realm of blogdium. Will i come out dull or profound on the otherside? We must just wait and see...