Time to Know Me Thursday

It's another Thursday, so you know what that means... you find out more useless information about me! :)

This is completely useless, but a great way to show my age and some o-so-sexy pictures of me, so I'll indulge you...

How many of you know when you have met 'THE ONE'?  I mean really, is there a moment when you think... "This guy/girl is it, I want to spend the rest of my life with him/her."  How many people THINK that, and it doesn't work out?  I didn't know I actually had that moment until later, but Mike, my husband, had that moment on that yellow and black bus... every time I see one of these it reminds me of that exact moment...

It looks like a simple gum wrapper... and to most people it is.  But to us, it's a significant piece of our history.  We were about this age...



See, told you there were some AWESOME pictures of me in this post!  I was 13 years old and he was 14, 'going out' was a new novel item in junior high (which is so not the case now).  We were at the local pizza joint, my friend (as a joke to me) ask Mike if he would go out with me...

"Kim who?"  while playing Pac Man 

"Her over there."

He doesn't look up...

"Sure, whatever."

Ah, young love.  A couple days later he ACTUALLY meets me, we're sitting in class and he's kicking the back of my chair. I'm too embarrassed to say anything... so I don't...

So to remain 'cool' we continued to 'go out'... then were forced to spent time together on the track bus.  (Both the boys and girls junior high track teams rode the bus together to co-ed track meets).  Coming home from one of our last track meets we were sitting in the last seat on the bus and Mike whips out a gum wrapper ring  I was eventually getting to that.  And asks me to marry him someday.  He said he knew I was the one.  I wore the ring for a few days, until it fell apart then put it in my 'memory box'.

We did break up our sophomore and junior year... but got back together senior year...

a not so embarrassing picture of me...  Went to college 150 miles apart for a year, then decided to get married in 1997...

And we've been together ever since...

If anyone told me that day at the pizza parlor I would marry Mike someday I would have laughed... I mean seriously... I was 13!  But ever since that night on the bus, I don't know... I guess it is true I did know "This guy/girl is it, I want to spend the rest of my life with him/her.".

Thanks for stoppin' by,

Time to Know Me Thursday

WOW!  I almost forgot today was Thursday!  I have to work tomorrow (I typically don't work Fridays... did I just hear you moan?!?) so that threw my whole schedule off!

So, I'm not sure why I started this Time to Know Me Thursdays... I'm not a very exciting person....

But here it goes...

I'm going to talk about my DH Mike.  This week was a very special week for us, and in particular him.  He finally got a teaching job.  He quit college years ago to move in with me 150 miles away from where he was going to college to support me through my schooling.  (Not that he was taking college seriously anyway!)  He always planned on going back, but with kids, a mortgage... you know how things go.

So years later he is working in a factory... a factory that sucked.  He was going through a major funk and I told him to finish school.  I had a job, the kids were in school... why not?

So he enrolled in 2007 to finish his teaching degree.  Working full-time, coaching the kids sports, and taking full load night classes was our life for 3 years.  Let me tell you it wasn't fun!  (I have a WHOLE new respect for single mothers.)

He graduated in May 2010.  Male elementary education teacher... you'd think everyone would want a piece of that! :)  Application after application, interview after interview... nothing.  Never mind the fact that our economy has taken a HUGE dump and education is NOT one of the top priorities, that there were 325,445 teachers fighting for 2,219 jobs at any given point this past year.

So, if you can't get a job, try to get over qualified! ;)  He went back this fall to get his special education endorsement.  After 4 interviews, 3 of them he was chosen 2nd because he didn't have experience (really a 34 year father of 2 who has done long term subbing has NO EXPERIENCE to teach?!?)  The 4th interview finally panned out.

He received the call Tuesday that he received a position in one of the few schools in Iowa who work with the severe and profound disabled.  This school is a fantastic school working with fetal alcohol children, severely autistic and Down's syndrome children.  Everyone says good things come to those who wait... I unfortunately am extremely impatient, but he's not.  So I am so proud to say that these last 4 years have been worth it.  He does have more schooling to do to be certified to teach these children but I think all of us will all be rewarded in the end.  (My checkbook especially!!! lol)

So congrats to my DH!  (pix of us at his college graduation reception at school)

So, thanks for stoppin' by and getting to know me this Thursday!

Time to Know Me Thursday

Hi, I'm Kim.  I don't know if we've formally met yet.

When I follow a blog I like to know the person behind the colorful background, extensive layout, the real 'bones' of the blog.  Many people let us get to know them, but some don't.  I'd like you to know me so each Thursday I'll spend some time with you so you can get to know me a little more than you do.
This is me.

20+ years ago that is!

I grew up on a family owned farm in Iowa.  7 miles from town.  Where my friends were.  And long distance phone lines connected us.  Which wasn't a big deal up until I was 10.  Then it sucked.  A lot. 

So these ladies became my friends.

They had their ups and downs.  The were great listeners (except when they got sidetracked licking their nostrils...gross) but they weren't real great at giving advice.  You could yell at them and take out your frustrations and they wouldn't talk back or argue with you.  I remember coming home from college on weekends and STILL heading out to the pasture to talk to them, they still didn't offer advice, but they still listened.  Some of the best friends I think I've ever had.  :)

So, what did I do for fun?  Feed calves, water horse, pick up rock  played on my homemade jungle gym.  I pretended I was in the Olympics and doing the uneven bars on the grain auger.  See here...

Now this isn't exactly like the one at home... the upper bar wasn't as high up.  But you see where I'm going with this.  As long as dad wasn't unloading grain it was free game. 

Unfortunately now I live in town.  I wish my children had the opportunity to make a rock house in the rock pile, play in the hay mow, or create an Olympic event by the grain bin.  They still head out to Gramma and Grampa's house but are devastated there is no cable.  As my son said, "There is nothing to do at their house... what am I suppose to do, read a book?"  Yep.  If they only knew.

So, thanks for stopping by and taking time to know me this Thursday.

How was your weekend?

Ah, nothing like an extended holiday weekend to get you out of the rhythm of everyday life.  It was a good thing.

How good?

Campfire breakfast good.

Family fun good.

Campfire view good.

Camping sleeping, not so good....

But when you're a hillbilly, you're a hillbilly.


Hope everyone had a great weekend!



 

Has It Really Been This Long?

I was sitting at my niece's birthday party the other day (shortly after my oldest niece graduated) and was astounded at how old my family is. My daughter turned 12 on the 23rd and my son 10 on the 10th. Where has the time gone? I have been lurking behind my computer screen for months, and felt like I have nothing documented to show that time. So where are my accomplishments for the last days, months, years documented? Hummm....

So, here I am... hopefully the 3rd time is the charm. If I'm not back for you, I'll be back for me. So when I'm having one of those "what the heck did I do this summer?!?" moments, I can look here and say "Oh, yeah!" or the day my daughter graduates, I will have this blog to reiminice with...
SO, with that, I am letting you know to visit again. I've been visiting you... and I will try to be more vocal around here, 'cause trust me, I think I have plenty to say... :)

Whoa... look at the size of that thing!

O.k.

I must share my uncle's great find. You're thinking some really great cupboard buried in the back of an old shed, or maybe a piece of sparkly bling in the dirt, or maybe a pair of old wheels off a wagon from years ago.

Yeah, I wish.


HOWEVER... this thing is almost as good. Well, at least it tastes much better than the treasures described above....

On a trip back to Iowa he discovered this...




yeah... look at the size of that thing! My aunt is holding up a 2-liter pop bottle for comparison.

You'd need a whole sack of flour and a full pound of butter for that morel!!!

YUMMY! Wish I was back in Colorado with him to share it... cause you know he can't, or at least shouldn't eat that all himself!

In Memory...

Of an amazing man. My Grandfather. He could lift the back end of a tractor off the ground with one arm, skin a deer in seconds, grow the biggest tomatoes, and tickle your ribs until you peed your pants! Rest in Peace.




Chester "Buster" Forry
(Died December 25, 2009)

Chester Emmert “Buster” Forry, age 93, of Clarksville, Iowa, was born at home on a farm south west of Clarksville on November 28, 1916, to Frank and Charlotte (Doty) Forry with twin brother, Lester “Bob” Emmerson, the youngest of seven brothers and sisters. He received his education at Jackson #1 Country School near his home.
He married Glendora Smith on April 9, 1939, at the Forry Farm, rural Clarksville. A double wedding was held with brother Bob and Gracie. Buster and Glendora had two daughters and three sons: Judy Drenth, Dixie Thurm, Bill, Dan and Jim. They were divorced in 1970.

He then married Harriet (VanDeest) Bohlen on November 2, 1975, at the Immanuel United Church of Christ in Clarksville. They established their home southeast of Clarksville at the Butler County Conservation Headquarters. They were members at Immanuel since 1967. In June of 2008 they moved to town after their home was flooded.

Buster enjoyed hunting (deer until December of 2008), farming, trapping and fishing, but most of all he enjoyed working for Heery Woods State Park for 32 years. He made many of the trails and first campgrounds in Heery Woods. He received a plaque for his many years of service and support to the Parks Program given in 2006 by the Butler County Conservation Board. He was awarded “Wildlife Conservation Lifetime Achievement Award” on March 12, 2005, by Butler County Chapter #64 Pheasants Forever. In 1988 he began serving as a Butler County Reserve Deputy for several years. He was a cancer survivor since 1955, had participated in Relay for Life every year and was one of the oldest cancer survivors in Butler County.

Buster passed away on Christmas Day, December 25, 2009, at the Community Nursing Home in Clarksville, of natural causes. He was preceded in death by a grandson, Scott Thurm; his parents; four sisters, Mary (in infancy) and Martha Ciavarelli Purcell, Wava Voss and Lela Biekert Chandler, two brothers, Nathan and Bob; and two sons-in-law, Lawrence Drenth and Gerald Thurm.

Buster is survived by his wife, Harriet, Clarksville; two daughters, Judy Drenth, Decorah, IA, and Dixie Thurm, Denver, IA; three sons, Bill (Becky) Forry, Castle Rock, CO, Dan (Bonnie) Forry, Clarksville, Jim (Jenny) Forry, Grundy Center, IA; and step-children, Randall (Trish) Bohlen, Parkersburg, IA, Sharon (Jim) Leerhoff, Clarksville, and Scott (Jackie) Bohlen, Durant, IA; 20 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.