Kellso Collage

I’m it!

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How did I know Mandy would be the one to tag me? For those not in the ‘loop’, this is a fun little game that’s been going around blogs of girls at my church. Well, y’all asked for it, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

20 years ago- I was 9 years old, and in 4th grade. My life consisted of school, Full House, church, friends and family. My best friends at this point were school friends, Jana Ellsworth and Helen Li, and not to go into too many details, but they were probably not the best friend choices I could have made, especially as I grew closer to Helen over Jana in the years to come. I remember flirting a lot with Ryan Hamberlain (I think the only blonde I ever really thought was cute) until that SCARLET WOMAN Amy Gandomi moved to town. I was quickly forgotten. This is so embarrassing to admit, but I actually prank called Ryan’s house pretending to be “Amy Gandomi”. “Oh, you mean Ryan’s girlfriend?” his sister asked for clarification. Served me right, the jealous little brat.
I believe at that point in my life I had come to a very new and immature faith. It was around this time I had been told ( in Sunday school, or something) that we all had sin in our life, and we needed to ask God to forgive us. As a simple, childlike act of obedience, I agreed and prayed that night for God to forgive my sins. While there were teeny tiny evidences of fruit at that time, I still think I was pretty clueless for years to come.

10 years ago- I had been married to Matt for 6 months. I was in my second year of college, my first year at Chandler Gilbert CC. I was working at Bethany Learning Center as an afternoon Kindergarten assistant under Bev Klingaman and Kris Husa. In so many ways this was a great year for me, and in some ways very difficult. I still had a lot to learn as a grown woman (at 19?), a wife, and a believer. I was blessed to have had (still have) a very patient and wise husband who continued to remind me where we need to look when we need answers, and also that not everyone’s walk, or even relationship with Christ is going to look exactly the same. This was something I needed very much to hear, and still do!

5 years ago- Oh, goodness. Okay, we’ll start with the positive-I had just thrown Sarah’s wedding shower, and Matt and I were getting ready for their wedding, as well as Jerry and Christy’s wedding (Matt and Jonathan were in both of those weddings!). We had just moved into a new house that June, that we loved and still love. Our church was finally starting to feel like a church again, and the Maxwells were on their way! I was pregnant for the 4th time with a child I knew deep down was not going to make it. I remember waking up many times from bad dreams, or in utter panic, just terrified and all I could do was pray. Well, by the end of October ‘03, the baby had died, been delivered and buried. In November we had a (minor) house fire, adding to the chaos! However, I had a wonderful group of girls in my small group to come around me, (Courtney Burns, Brooke Burns, Tracey Sevey, and Sarah), which was such a help and blessing. There was also no way I could have been LESS prepared to lose this child than I was with my first miscarriage, I also knew that I would have to go through the process again at some point so the doctors could figure out what was wrong with me. (Sick, I know) It was a very difficult time, but Matt and I had much more peace about the whole situation.

3 years ago- We had a little 3 month old named Noah!!! When I first became pregnant with Noah, and the doctors told me there was something WRONG with me, something they could fix, oh, my goodness that is a great feeling! (Another argument against evolution-genetic mutations are BAD, they do not make X-men!) Jonathan had just started his first year of Preschool, and Matt and I were still plugging away at Student Ministries. Other than that, and the stresses of having a new baby, I don’t remember much else except feeling very happy.

1 year ago- Round 3! Eden was 1 month old, and Jonathan had started Kindergarten. Jonathan was on a soccer team with 4 other church kids, which was a blast! Adjusting to #3 was so much easier than #2, I think when they’re 2 years apart there is much more of a rhythm to infancy that is easy to forget after a couple of years! We had taken a year off from Small group and were still a few months away from joining the Myer’s small group…it is amazing how much growth takes place in that environment! It had been many years since we were in a really solid group, and even though we had been attending church and even meeting 1-on-1 with people, it was very evident that growth is meant to happen in that type of group. We are blessed!

Yesterday- Walked at 6 am and it was actually cool outside. I bought a rad Storybook Pumpkin at Sprouts (Pictured) Sold Caramel Corn online to Leala to help out another mother in need. It was a good day, I couldn’t skip it!

Today- Dropped of J-man, ran to Target, Mike Jolly is coming over to fix our drywall (yay!). Cleaned, had a quiet time, cleaned some more, put lots of pictures in new frames, wrote this, picked up J-man, Teriyaki Chicken sandwiches for dinner.

Tomorrow- Dinner with our small group at the Myers, and we’re soon to be starting our new group Bible study. By the end of next week our bathroom should be in working order again. Phew, I am not loving sharing a bathroom with 2 little boys!

Next Year- I have absolutely no idea, I mean that, no plans! I can only hope that I will be thinking of myself less, thinking of Christ more, and somehow, somehow being an instrument to draw my children toward Christ. I can only pray we will all be in as good of health and mind as we have been for these last few months.

Ode to a Pumpkin, Haiku

Smooth, round face
Strong and sturdy sign of fall
Pumpkin, I love you

Ode to a P-U-M-P-K-I-N

Perched
U pon
M any
P orches-
K nife
I sn’t
N ecessary

Caramel corn for Nie Nie!

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Hello, everyone!

Today is the day of the Cookie Auction to raise money for Stephanie Nielsen, a local mother of 4 who was recently burned on over 60% of her body in a plane crash. I knew I had to help, and I’m hoping you feel the same way. Please visit XO, miss12 ( link ) and place a bid for my Caramel corn with Chocolate Drizzles (#19 on the list of cookies, scroll down a bit…) Bidding starts at $20. If you win the auction, I will even customize the caramel corn to your liking! Let’s raise some dough to help those kids!

*****UPDATE*****
My Caramel corn with Chocolate drizzle has been sold to Mrs. Leala Danninger! Thank you Leala for donating to a worthy cause, I hope I can make you a delicious snack that has done a little good!
Jenna

Women’s Retreat

I have just returned from an AWESOME weekend (is 27 hours a weekend?) of fellowship and study with the women of my church. We were led in study by Chris Evans through the book of Titus. It was such a beautiful reminder of where we have come from, what we were saved from, and where we should be going. It gave us a great opportunity to pray for and encourage the elders of our church. As women, it was so encouraging and convicting to learn more about the duty and responsibility we have to be actively learning from older women, and, in turn, teaching others.

I babysat my niece, Gabrielle, yesterday afternoon while Sarah took a nap. (Yay!) I roomed with the girls in my small group, and truly felt I had a chance to get to know them, and several other women, on a deeper level. And, might I just say, that Melissa and Tonya know how to throw a Hospitality Room. Woot. What a blessing it was!

I can’t finish this entry without sending out a special ‘Thank you’ to Matt, who watched all 3 kids so I could have some time away…without any hesitation or complaining! He is a stud.

Stay tuned for more information about the Cookie Auction for Stephanie Nielsen…I want to earn some serious $$ for her kids!

Many, many projects

I know, I KNOW I have not updated in so long, please forgive me! It has been nagging at me, as well. These last 2-3 weeks have been crazy. As some of you might know, we are in the middle of a modest home renovation, due to a seemingly minor, pinhole leak in a pipe located in the foundation of our house. We’ve been kicked out of our house (to a hotel in Scottsdale for Labor day, not too shabby) and have been forced to ditch our (hideous, old) bathroom cabinets and the (original, outdated) tile in our bathroom. Are you getting the sense that I’m not complaining too much about the upheaval? It really is the kick in the pants Matt and I needed to get some work done on the house. I don’t even feel guilty about insurance paying for most of it, for 2 reasons, One, because we pay our homeowners insurance (ha!), and two, because once they started digging into our pipes and behind our bathroom walls, we realized that there was SO MUCH potential for things to have gotten much worse over the next few months and years. Basically, the problem was nipped in the bud, and I think we all got off easy.

Many project updates to come, including the next generation of Women in my Life! Also, I have decided to involve my blog in a fundraising auction for Stephanie Nielsen (link), a local mother of 4 who was burned very badly in an airplane crash. So, stay tuned for that, there may be Caramel Corn!

The Baby Boomers in my Life…

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So, on we go! I have grouped these 3 women as ‘The Baby Boomers’

My Mother, Kathy Biederbeck: (Center, blue shirt) Well, I think it goes without saying that a girl’s mother is a huge influence on her life, and mine is no exception. Looking back on my childhood, there are so many things that stand out that were not only important lessons, but also are, I feel, unique to my mother. One unique quality was honesty. While working at Bethany Learning Center, a mother of teenagers wondered out loud what she should do if her kids ever asked her difficult questions about her experience with drinking or drugs. I told her my point of view- that I had once asked my mom if she had done drugs when she was younger. Though I could tell she was not thrilled to say it, she did answer quickly and honestly. It didn’t MAKE me want to use drugs, and I never dreamed of throwing it back in her face when she wouldn’t allow me to do something, because those desires weren’t there to begin with! Whatever the question, related to the Bible, or family, I feel she always answered truthfully, even if it was difficult.
Another unique quality she has as a mother was her willingness to let us try new things, from sports and activities to baking or lemonade stands, if it wasn’t dangerous or illegal, the answer was usually “Sure, why not?” Things like messes or even cost never seemed to be too much of a concern. So often I hear people (women) say things like “Oh, I could never do that”… How, exactly, do you know you could never do said thing if you’ve never even attempted it? Or, if you want to learn to do something, why haven’t you asked someone how, or taken a class, or looked it up on the internet? What is the worst that can happen? I think that sense of adventure stems from my Mom’s openness to new experiences for us when we were kids.
I had a hard time finding a picture of my mom for this page… There aren’t many to begin with, and most of the pictures I found don’t look like her anymore! I have to brag about my mom for just a moment-she has lost a ton of weight after bariatric surgery…Once again, she dove in and DID IT after years of struggle. I really admire that, and might I say she is looking FOX – SAY!

Connie Tharp: (Left, white sweater) Oh, my sweet Aunt Connie. Connie has always been so open and generous, something I have noticed and admired even from a young age. She has worked through the struggles of being a single mother, getting a nursing degree while working and managing a home, caring for her parents, and has found a new love in life. The best way I can describe her caring spirit is through her notes. I remember it started when I was in 6th grade or so, and has continued every once in a while into adulthood- Every so often, a note from Aunt Connie of encouragement and love will just… show up! It is a pleasant surprise every time it happens.

Josette Kruge: (bottom right corner) Josette is the only person in this collage who is not technically ‘family’, not in the traditional definition of the word, anyway. She is also the only person on this page who is no longer with us. In January of 2006, Josette passed away after a long battle with cancer. Her absence has affected so many, but it is her life that continues to move and teach people. What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Simply put, at her funeral I said (something to the jist of…) “We didn’t love Josette because she was kind, or generous, though she was those things….We loved Josette because she was like Jesus, and Jesus is kind and generous.” I miss her all the time.

Small group LUV

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There are many things I love in this life-My family, my church, the Bible… Those are the biggies, of course. We all have our little loves, as well. I love coffee. I love the woods. I love crafting. And this time of year I am reminded anew- I love Fall. I love the colors, the apples, the pumpkins, preparing for the Holidays…

Of course, there is one little snag related to this life love. I live in Arizona. Not in the woods, in the Valley of the Sun. Chandler, to be exact. I suspect the bulk of you reading this are within 15 miles of where I am right now (that’s where most of my friends and family are!), and understand the contradiction, but for those of you who have stumbled onto my blog from a far away place, let me clue you in. It’s hot. No, not warm. Hot. It’s still reaching 100 degrees most days as we near the end of September. Roaming through Gap looking at cable knit sweaters may be sentimental fun with the A/C blowing, but trust me, once you step outside, crisp, cool Autumn weather is the farthest thing from your mind. In the year 2000, I was teaching preschool at BLC and was struggling as a new teacher. It was fall, and it was HOT. The Barenaked Ladies song “Kiss Me” was very popular at this time, and every morning as I was getting ready for work, I heard the opening line to this song “It’s the perfect time of year… somewhere far away from here…” That pretty much defines the month of September for us Arizonans.

Oh, well! (I say!) I still feel the need to celebrate Fall, even if the weather never cooperates. I decided to give gifts celebrating Fall and the start of School to some ladies I love… my small group girls! I hope Alexis, Jen, Renee, Meghan, and Ashley enjoyed my mini-tribute to the season I love, and felt cared for as well. I think about and pray for them often!