I'm Thankful For...

Since everyone is posting on Facebook (and I think I must of missed the memo) I'll just take time and write my list of things I'm thankful for here. It is hard to believe that it is almost Thanksgiving. I'm very excited because my Grandpa and Grandma Bensema and cousin Ben will be spending it with us here in Houston. My cousin Ben Gerwig is a freshmen at LaTourneau in Longview, TX. I got to see him also during his Fall Break because he came to Katy with a friend and his roommate. We met over at the mall and spent some time chatting about college life thus far for him. My grandparents want to see his college, so will drive down the beginning of next week, pick him up and then spend Thanksgiving with us and then drive him back and head back to Iowa. I'm very excited because this means Grandma's famous mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and then AGAIN for Christmas.
So here is my list of things I am thankful for...

• My Husband. I'm so thankful for him and the effort he puts into everything he does. He is a husband, daddy, uncle, teacher, student, son, friend and so on... He gives 100% to everything he does and it amazes me what he can get done in a week between going to work, school and anything else going on.


• My children. They are my everything. They are 2 wonderful, crazy little sweeties and have such sweet spirits. They both are so easy going and have been that way since they were born. I'm so thankful for them each and every day.


• My other family members: Dad, Brenda, Amy, Cathy, Cliff, Aaron, April and Max.


• Our wonderful babysitter Miss Kim and her family B, Logan and Kaci.


• My co-workers.


• My students.


• My accountability group and friends: Katy, Laura, Leah, Courtney, Ryleigh, Ashly and Beth. You girls don't know how much it means to me to have you in my life. You are all amazing ladies and I thank God for putting you in my life. Also, to go along with that our small group in general.

I'm so thankful for so much more but those are just the few things that real stick out in my mind. God has blessed me so much. I have to stop myself so often when I'm in one of those moods of thinking I need something or that I don't have enough of whatever and remind myself how luck I am for the things that God has given to me. He is also something I am so thankful for. God is and will be there for me no matter what and watches over and provides just the right amount of whatever it is for us. I am so thankful for that.

Martina McBride - I'm Gonna Love You Through It

Don't Really Know What to Call It

If you are tired of hearing about my mom and my feelings on her, just stop reading now. But those of you are interested or care, you can continue :) I feel like I can I don't know, finally let some feelings out that I have kept inside. Most of you who read this know me and know that I am usually a pretty quite person in most situations. I think my 6 years of teaching have had a HUGE impact on that aspect. My job kinda requires you to be talkative and honestly, I am glad they are 5 because they don't make fun of you if you say the wrong thing or mess up.

I have a commute in the morning and evening of about 20 minutes or so. In those times, I love to turn my radio up, listen and sing as loud as I can to whatever I am listening to. Most of the time I listen to KSBJ, Houston's Christian radio station. I love it. They always seem to play just the right songs at the right times. My second choice of course is always back to my roots, the country station. These songs remind me of my childhood, as mom and dad would play these in the car, at home, dad on his guitar. Anyway, recently there have been quite a few songs on KSBJ that make me think of mom and just different aspects of her life, which for most of my life was consumed by cancer. The songs are not directly linked to cancer, but the concepts make me think of our life with it and now that she is gone and with living and dancing with Jesus forever. They make me also think and be so thankful for my family and also how much I miss them. I love Houston, but miss specifically my sister and dad dearly. I would give anything for Sioux Center, Phuket and Houston to be miles closer rather then thousands of miles.

Okay, so back to mom. I HATE that she is gone. I do. I wish so much that she could be here now with my family. I wish she knew Jerimiah. I wish she could spoil Cohen and Carlie. It all honesty, it is not fair. Lately I have missed her so much. I miss how she would listen and do what she could for me. I miss my friend and my mom. There are so many things that everyday still remind me of her. It has been 7 years since she left this Earth, but it still feels like it was yesterday. This Martina McBride video that I am going to try to link on here speaks so much of my heart's desire after losing her. At the end of the song, Robin Roberts talks about someone loved her through it and now she wants to love whoever she can through it, and that is my desire. It may not mean someone going through specifically cancer but anyone that has gone through anything like me, I want to be there to help them through anything life may bring their way.

Okay so I don't know how to link very well. But should be there. Enjoy.

I'm Back!

Okay, I know it has been awhile so I'll give an update of the happens at the Kindrick's. School has been off and running and has been going well thus far. I started the year with 17 little kiddos. This by far has been my best class, EVER! It makes me so happy and makes going to work a joy knowing I don't have to chase anyone out from under the table because they are upset or have them sit and cry until they have to be removed from my room. Sixth year is a charm I guess. This week was CRAZY! We started the year with 7 classes, as that is what we had last year and I guess the numbers projected looked high for us again. Well, like I said I had 17 and the other 6 classes had about that many also. I guess Katy ISD thought we didn't have enough per class because they rocked our world and decided to take a 7th teacher away and make it be 6. The rule is usually the last hired would be first to go. You see we are contracted to the district, not a particular campus. Julie was our art teacher last year and was hired as our 7th teacher the end of July, so it would be her that would be transferred. But instead Neely decided to take the offer and move to a different campus and different grade level. It was a tough day. Then our other teammate Erin, who is pregnant with twins went to her regular dr. appointment and her blood pressure was so high she needed to be admitted to the hospital. They got it stabilized and her and babies are doing well. But, she will not be back until February, after the babies are born!! Yikes, we were thrown quite a loop this week! I will dearly miss Neely, she was my planning partner for science and social studies. She is a wonderful, dedicated teacher and I know she will excel in her choice to move. I will also miss Erin until she returns, because beside my team leader, she has been here for me all 6 years of teaching at WME. It is amazing what kind of relationships have been built in teaching with these amazing ladies. I love our team because we have all gotten along so well, at school and outside of school. We go to each others kids birthday, we go to weddings, showers, anything you name it and we are there for each other. I guess I was going to update on everyone. Jerimiah is doing well also. He is back in his Life Skills class and loves those kids. He has also been helping out with some volleyball games and he also takes class Monday and Wednesdays. Weeks seem to fly by with us being so busy. We have also started our new year of small groups and are very excited to start a new study with the book Radical. Oh and every other Tuesday I meet with my wonderful friends for an accountability group. I love these girls also! We share so much in common in our lives as mothers, wives and Christian friends. I don't know what I do without them knowing that they are all praying for us and I for them weekly about things that are on their hearts. I feel like I can be so open and real with them because they are feeling so many of the same things and dealing with similar things. It is amazing to see how God brings us to the people in our lives.I've said it before but I will say it again, I am so so grateful for this special group of friends that we have found at Kingsland. This is getting kind of long so I guess I'll end. May all you who read this be blessed this weekend.

Love-Hate Relationship

I love this time of year. I will be headed back to work in about a week and although I love my time off, I'm ready to get back in the swing of things. Having kids has changed summer breaks. There no longer is sleeping in and I guess I must be getting old because even if I want too, I have been getting up earlier and earlier recently. We will be "Riding the Wave to Learning" this year at West Memorial Elementary and I'm excited about what this year will bring. I'm going to try my very best this year to be a real servant at school. Show God's love in any way that I can, even if I don't directly talk about it. I want to be as loving to these kiddos as possible. It is sad, but what I have seen in the past is that school is the only place where they feel loved, secure and feel like they really matter.
Now comes the hate part of this post. 7 years ago at this very time, I had to go through with my family what no 20 year old college girl should. We watched the era of an amazing women be taken by a stupid pneumonia essentially caused by the cancer that was taking over her body. I hate cancer. I hate that it effects so many people. Everytime I go to the dr. I secretly fear that they are going to tell me that I too have it. But, in the those final days at Mercy Medical Center we all somehow felt a peace. We knew that the afterlife that Mom was about to have she wouldn't have to worry about drawing her eyebrows or setting her wig on her head just right or spend hours at a cancer center. That hope and faith that she had carries me through times when I miss her terribly. I hated seeing her suffer. She was very quiet about it in a public setting, but watching her at home, you could see it differently. She never complained though, she went on like nothing was wrong. When someone I know is diagnosed with cancer that's the one thing I always tell them. Chin up and keep your attitude up, it does wonders! So as I start my new year and get into my school mode, August 15 will creep up on me. I sometimes am glad that it is during a busy time so that I don't have to be consumed by the date. I miss her everyday but secretly think God has sent a little bit of her in Carlie. There are many features and faces that remind me so much of her, which I am so thankful for.

Cohen

Last night was our adventure with our crazy little two year old. Last Monday when we were still in Fairfax at my dad and Brenda's, Cohen starting running a fever. We gave him Tylenol and it lasted until we started traveling back. But I wanted to just get home so if he needed to go to the doctor, we could bring him to his own. Well by the time we were back in Houston, it was gone. So I didn't think much more of it. Yesterday, we were heading to Galveston for our nephew Max's birthday celebration at Moody Gardens and Cohen threw up in the car on the way there. He has had car sickness in the past so we just kinda figured it was that. He continued to throw up pretty much all day so we left early from there and came home. He threw up again right when we pulled up in the driveway so we decided it was time to bring him somewhere so he didn't get dehydrated. We are lucky enough that Texas Children's Hospital just opened a campus just minutes from our house, so we brought him to the ER there. Once there, it was really quick with getting in and seen. He wasn't running fever, but by this time, he had it come out both ends. So they decided to do an ultrasound to make sure there wasn't something else going on. That came back clear so they decided to admit him to run IV fluides through him to make sure he didn't become dehydration. They got us to a new room and starting the IVs. He was a trooper, although there were lots of tears trying to get everything going. He slept good all night after some motrin and woke up in a much better mood. He has not thrown up since. We were discharged about 4 this afternoon and he is back to 2 year old crazy little boy self. We praise God for healing for Cohen last night!

Iowa

Ahh..the smell of pig poop and cow poop never smelled so good when you are here in Iowa. Just kidding, but it has been wonderful to be back in my stomping grounds this past week. We have done several things and rested. We got to my dad's in Sioux Center about 10:30 on Friday night. Cohen and Carlie were wired after riding in the car all day. They didn't end up falling asleep till at least 1. But, we could sleep as long as needed on Saturday so it wasn't so bad. We have been to Sioux City, Orange City and Le Mars so far. We have been to Pizza Ranch twice which is the best part for me. Oh, and I've had Grandma Bensema's mashed potatoes. Life is good again! Tonight we will be hanging out with my good friend Maggie (who I know will love I finally posted again! :) ) and Jon and their sweet baby Carter in Orange City. It is always good to catch up with old friends. Next weekend we will head to Cedar Rapids to my dad and Brenda's house and spend some time there and do a few small trips before heading back to Houston the last week of July. This summer has flown by, probably since I worked for most of it. But, the money that I made is such a good thing that I may consider doing it again, even though I got a little bored at times. Next time I will post some pictures of our trip, hopefully it won't be too long from now.