Time Flies When You're Having Fun...

4/30/2012
WOW...I can't believe it is the end of April already!! I made myself a promise to write more on my blog in the month of April...YIKES! All I can say is we have been staying extremely busy with individual commitments, travel, school, work, gardening, friends and on and on...


Let's begin with Corey:
While he was enjoying playing rugby, it wasn't what he had hoped it would be. He really loves soccer and American Football but rugby just wasn't his thing. He had a lot of new rules to learn and things to get used to, for instance passing the ball backwards, never forward. We are proud of him for trying it and in the time that he was in it, he was quite good at it. His team is scheduled to go on and play in a tournament in Luxembourg, however, Corey won't be joining them.


He was diagnosed with a hernia a few months back and his surgery is scheduled for this Wednesday (5/2). We wanted to get this taken care of before we leave in June for North Carolina because upon arrival, he immediately leaves for a 2 week trip to New Mexico with his scout troop. His healing time is about 2-3 weeks. He is also due to have a tooth extracted, on 5/7, one of the final steps in making the perfect smile. He wears braces and once that tooth is removed, all the teeth will fit right into place and be beautiful. Poor guy will feel so beat up and abused next week!! :o(


Cameron: is doing very well in school. We met with his resource adviser last Friday for an update on his progress and a plan for next year. I love that their school stays on top of everything. His teachers are super impressed that he is working ahead of most in his grade. When he is given an assignment, he jumps right on it and had it done before it is due. Thank God he is not a procrastinator!


His class is leaving next week on the 7th and will be gone through the 11th. They are taking the train to Kalundborg, and will be staying in a hostel there. Some of the activities they will be involved in are exploring Naturskolen Rosnaes, visiting Kragerup where they have rope courses, archery and canoeing. They will go exploring at Kalundborg's Medieval church "Von  Frue Kirk", and the old town. They will also swim at the pool.


Activity week is something all grades do and each of them go somewhere for a week long trip. Unfortunately for Corey, he will be healing up and won't be able to attend his class trip. However, he knows in the long run that everything he will be doing at Philmont in New Mexico will make up for missing out on activity week.


Speaking of Philmont... Corey and I have been hiking fools...in preparation for hiking at Philmont, he has hiked many 5 mile trails or combination of trails and taken a couple 10 mile hikes. I walked every step of the way with him. One mile hikes don't even bother me anymore!! I walk one mile each time I go to the grocery store and back :o) Corey could walk up to 100 miles while he is in New Mexico, so he has to be conditioned. Here is the short version of what he will be doing in June: 


Philmont Boy Scout Camp: This program filled trek hikes through all of the North Country, climb Baldy Mountain, and hike in to Base Camp via the Tooth of Time! You will also let pack burros carry a portion of your gear! Start off by seeing the world’s only known T-Rex track… it’s right here in the North Ponil Valley. Watch a gorgeous sunset at House Canyon Camp and visit the fascinating petroglyphs left by the ancient Ancestral Puebloan people around 1300 AD at Indian Writings. You will stay at Old Camp before heading to historic Ponil where Cowboy Action Shooting will make its Philmont programmatic debut this summer. Ride horses, brand boots, test your roping skills, and eat a chuck wagon dinner and a cowboy breakfast before picking up burros and making your way to visit the Continental Tie and Lumber Company at Pueblano. There, you will climb spar poles, cut cross ties, and enjoy the logger’s stories/music at their “Company Meeting” campfire. You will shoot booming .50 caliber black powder rifles on your way to Black Horse where your two day stay will enable you to climb Baldy Mountain, explore Lucien Maxwell’s Aztec Mine, and visit historic Baldy Town. Hike to Head of Dean to participate in initiative games and challenge events that will bring your crew together as you continue your journey to New Dean. Enjoy camping at the site of an old sawmill, check out Black Jack’s Hideout, and head to Harlan to learn to reload your own shotgun shells before firing them at our scenic shooting range. Enjoy the hike to Cimarroncito, where you will be some of the first crews to rock climb several new routes this season. Test your climbing skills in the rock gym and see if you will be one of the few to make it all the way around “the wall.” Swing by Waite Phillips’ Hunting Lodge, Demonstration Forest, and Clark’s Fork before your last night of camping at Upper Clark’s Fork. You will enjoy hiking rugged Tooth Ridge and climbing the Tooth of Time before making your way to Base Camp.


Cameron's birthday is vastly approaching. We have a Cinco de Mayo baby. He found out that one of his favorite music groups was coming to Denmark on his birthday. He really wanted to go but Corey wasn't interested in going and "dub step" music gives me a raging headache. Randell bought 2 tickets and will be taking him to see Skrillex on May 5th. We are having about 10 of his friends from school over to the house for pizza and cake/icecream and then after they leave, Randell will surprise Cameron with the tickets :o) He will be beside himself!!


Randell: continues to work away and enjoy his days off. He is still working 3rd shift, which he loves...more power to him, I never could adjust to 3rd shift. Anyways, he is able to get enough sleep in the mornings and is up in the afternoon to spend time with us. He is always here when we sit down to family dinners, which has always been so important to us. That is when we all get a chance to catch up with each other.


He had his 47th birthday this month, on the 21st. He had to work unfortunately, so we put off celebrating until last Friday. We took him out to eat at Wagamama's in Copenhagen, really great Asian food. Then from there we headed to Tivoli, the amusement park in the middle of Copenhagen. We have season passes (gifted by Randell's company) that I upgraded so we can go in and ride all the rides we want. That is exactly what we did!!

Riding the Galley Ships

Flying Swings

The guys just getting off the swings

The Flying Trunk: ride dedicated to
H. C. Andersen

The Demon

Located in "China", It was FUN!!

China themed area

My silly boys stuffing their faces with cotton candy

The Golden Tower

Getting ready to go up, up, up...

It's great having the "any time" passes because all the boys have to do is ride the train and in a few short minutes they are there. One of the entrances to the park is right outside of the main train station in Copenhagen. They can even go after school for a couple hours!!


Finally there is Me. It seems like I never stop. I am loving my Friday belly dancing classes and have learned many moves. We are starting to work on putting them together now to flow into a dance. It is a very womanly dance and has put me in touch with so many muscles I had never thought to isolate and work out. Our class is held in a dance studio that is situated along one of the many waterfront harbors. Last Friday, I was early to class so I walked a couple extra miles around the harbor and enjoyed the sights, sounds of screeching seagulls, and the warm wind blowing the fresh air in off the ocean. It was so peaceful and beautiful. 

The ocean is on the other side of the jetty.

I have been working out on Thursdays but will pick up Mondays as well. I have a personal trainer, Rose. She is a mother of 2 and her kids also attend CIS. She is from Houston, TX. What an inspiration she is!! Beautiful and so full of energy.

I "hired" her to help me begin the Paleo diet. It is already working for me! I have been on it 1 week tomorrow and I already feel so much better!! Instead of explaining it, please read about it. It truly is a great way to eat!! When I'm not working out, I try to walk and jog at the beautiful lake near my house. I took some stale bread with me the other day and stopped to feed the ducks. They were so cute and so happy to be getting fed.


I have been crocheting a lot since I figured it all out. I have a poncho in the works, have made many washcloths in different patterns, and I'm making some cute daisy coasters now. I have a pattern picked out for a beautiful granny square version of a bed throw. I will post pictures as I complete them.

Daisy coaster I crocheted, made set of 4

Gardening has also kept me really busy. The yard has the most beautiful flowers but so many of the bushes (and weeds) are out of control and need cut back and eliminated!! That is a big job. However, I am enjoying uncovering and fixing up every little spot with beautiful flowers!! Spring is here and it is gorgeous!!

Our Danish lessons are going well. The boys have their 2 hour lesson on Sundays and Randell and I have ours on Tuesday or Thursday nights, depending on Randell's work schedule. Michael is our instructor. He comes to our house for each session. Last Sunday he brought his Danish Scrabble game and played with the boys. They had a great time.

Michael, Corey and Cameron

 Take care everyone!! Hugs to you :o)

My Legs Feel Like Noodles

I have just returned home from a workout with Rose, our personal trainer who is training several of us "CIS Moms" in Cross Fit. What a beautiful morning for a workout, sunny and a little cool. The location where we meet is Charlottenlund Fort, full of history, and overlooking the ocean.

 Constructed during the years 1886-87, the fort functioned as a fortress for the defense of Copenhagen Harbour until 1932.

It was extremely motivating. Rose had us doing repetitions this morning that included stairs to the top of the fort and back down. Also we used kettle weights while doing lunges and squats...oh, how my "glutes" hurt right now! No pain, no gain, right!! I loved every minute of it, challenging, but I am determined to be fit!


We will meet again on Monday and I'm looking forward to hearing from Rose tonight as she is working up a detox diet for me and once my body purges all the "poisons"  I will begin my Paleo diet. If you have never heard of this, please Google it...it's one of the healthiest ways to eat. I am excited to get started :o)


Tomorrow, I start my belly dancing classes!! My buddy, Micki, is taking the class with me and we are looking forward to it. I'm going to look through my scarves in a bit so I can take one and tie it around my waist, as recommended.

Staying Active

I just signed up for Belly Dancing classes!! I am so EXCITED!! What a great way to get out, get moving and meet new people. The instructor is a mother at the boy's school (CIS) and has been teaching classes for 15 years. She has her own studio not far from the school. Classes begin next week and will be held every Friday for 8 weeks...PERFECT! I will finish classes before our summer vacation to the US. I have been looking for ways to strengthen and help my lower back muscles. Ever since my auto accident, this area has caused me pain. Belly dancing is supposed to relieve lower back pain...Woo Hoo!! Look out Shakira...I'm going to be moving my hips!!

Speaking of moving...Corey has been attending rugby practice for several weeks now and loving it. He has his first game next Tuesday. He always loved playing soccer when he was younger and rugby is sort of like soccer plus it has football aspects to it...running the ball to the goal line and tackling. The only thing about the tackling is there are no pads used, so it can get rough. Apparently that hasn't bothered Corey as he keeps going back!!


Cameron begins art lessons this month, after school. He also wants to pick up music lessons and is especially wanting to take guitar lessons. He has his own electric guitar and has had some lessons from his Dad but they were very informal, mainly learning where the chords are. He is quite gifted however, and I know when he gets formal lessons, he will be a natural.


Spring is here and we are staying active!!

The Kindness of Others...

To be Blessed by the kindness of others is something words can't express. In yesterday's mail, there was a package from some amazing friends back in North Carolina. We were so touched that they thought about us in choosing, buying, packaging, and mailing out this very special and most appreciated package.

While we can get M & M's here in Denmark, the chocolate is different and they don't taste like the ones in the US. The rest of the items we can't get here...so these are the kinds of things that are most appreciated. 

I am a coffee lover and here in Denmark, they have black coffee. Also, they don't sell flavored creamers of any kind, so I have been drinking my coffee with milk and sugar. It gets boring after a while. There were 5-6 different flavors of coffee and a box of tiny creamer tubs. Oh Happy Day!!

It is so nice to be remembered, thought about and loved. Thank you Munroe Family!!

He is Risen...Happy Easter!!

HAPPY EASTER!!

This Easter Season and EVERY day, I challenge myself to live my life the way Jesus would want me to.  

This past year proved to be challenging for me as I was hurt, lied to, called names, talked about, and betrayed. I turned the other cheek many times and prayed for those lashing out at me. I FORGAVE those that hurt me because that is what I have been taught to do. Jesus also had these same things done to him and he taught us that love and forgiveness brings more peace and happiness than harboring ill wills..

This Easter Season, I share these words left by Mother Teresa, and will strive to live by them...

  

          People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

           If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

           If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

           If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

          What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

          If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

          The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

       Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

       In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

These verses reportedly were written on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta, India, and are widely attributed to her. Some sources say that the words were written on the wall in Mother Teresa's own room.  In any case, their association with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity has made them popular worldwide, expressing as they do, the spirit in which they lived their lives.