Labor Day Weekend

Looking about for something interesting to do on this holiday weekend, we (Bill and I, Sara and Andrew, Emma and Lucy) all took off for Omaha for an adventure. We still feel surprised to be living in Kansas, and now we are vacationing in Nebraska? Whatever . . . We were even more surprised that Omaha was a cool and interesting place to visit. We went to the zoo first because it was the only thing we knew about, and it was fabulous, besides the weather was perfect and it was delightful just to walk around. The exhibits were unique and the animals exotic. Notice the river swarming with Koi--incredible sight.
Later, there was shopping in Old Town, dinner together at the Spaghetti Works, swimming in the pool.
Today (Sunday) we separated and did our own things. A highlight for me was to visit the Prairie Lane Christian Reformed Church where I had worked on a SWIM team (Summer Workshop in Missions) 45 years ago. At that time there were about 30 people in the church, so we canvassed the area and ran some VBS programs to help grow the church. At that time there was no church building, but since then, they built one church in the 70's and a new one just last year, and they now have about 50 families as members and about 130 people attending weekly.
We also toured the Joslyn Art Museum, which was surprisingly well done with a collection which was not wide but deep with quality artists represented.
Finally, we searched for the spot where Lewis and Clark stood on the bluffs in Council Bluffs, Iowa overlooking the Missouri River. We finally found it and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the entire area, despite the misty haze.
All in all, it was a fun and interesting weekend.

A Great Day!

This is a great day for me! Last week I signed onto a new job as an Instructional Assistant in the Shawnee Mission School District. Although the pay is not great, this job offers what I have been pursuing and failing to get--health insurance! Yippee! I have been trying to get insurance for myself for the past few months, but have been refused by all the major companies. Meanwhile, I have COBRA insurance which will run out in February, and it costs $650 a month + $150 meds for my "condition." This was a hefty amount for us, but we would have kept paying it, if it was available. By getting this new job, I now have FREE Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance + life insurance + dental + vision + disability! Unbelievable! Praise God!
I am not teaching high school English or college composition--no, 4 yr 0lds! These are four year olds with learning disabilities or ESL kids who are in need of some help to get ready for Kindergarten. What a switch from my usual fall fare. No stress- no difficult work- no homework!
I took a job this summer at a day care and cared for 1's and 2's (see my little ones in photo above and my friend Safa who worked with me). This was such hard work, I thought I would die, but I stayed on for a month before the new job was offered. It was great training for me, and I loved the dear little kids. It opened my eyes to the day care system and how it runs, but it also showed me how God knew what I needed, even before I knew (you would think that I was old enough to understand that by now!) I also see now, how people's lives are affected by the health insurance problem in America for good or for ill. This is a huge issue, and hopefully our candidates for president have a plan that will improve the situation. Anyway, I am celebrating tonight and I am very thankful.

The Grandkids Visit

The end of June meant the long-awaited visit of the Michigan grandkids. They were here for a week while their mom and dad went off to San Antonio for a conference. We started out with a bang, going swimming, to the farm, playing with the Kansas grandkids, Lucy and Emma. Then, without warning, they each tumbled to the flu--one at a time, but overlapping. Then Pop-pop also caught it, and Lucy, and Sara and then Lynn, when she returned from the trip! Everyone was throwing up for about 24 hours. Thankfully, I was the only one left standing, so that I could care for them. Even though I was exhausted and tired of cleaning up the messes, I found that there isn't a better way to bond with kids than to care for them when they are ill! All in all, it was a marvelous week, and I hope this becomes a traditional summer thing to do--to visit Oma and Pop-Pop, not to get sick!