A Word for the Y

This is where I put in a little word for the YMCA. If you didn't already know, I work at an after school program through the YMCA. Some days it is more of a challenge than others, but at the end of the day it is very rewarding and a good experience. That is all a side note to what I am really here to talk about: BODYPUMP. (This is not in bold letters because of my excitement and enthusiasm for it. Although, those things are true. That is simply the way they have it written in their description on their website...which you can visit by clicking on the link enclosed.) Because I work for the Y I get a free membership to use their facilities and group fitness classes. This is where the story begins.

Leah and I just decided to try out BODYPUMP last week and became instant fans. It is forty-five minutes of whole body workout. I'm telling you, I am working muscles I never knew I had before. There is therefore much soreness and aching, but it feels so good! Does that make sense? Good pain? Well, that's what it feels like to me. Forty-five minutes may sound like a long time of lifting, but it goes SO fast and you are working to really fun music. I'm telling you, JOIN! Leah and I are so glad we did. (I'll work on getting a live testimony from Leah and add as a video later.)

Have a good week!
p.s. If you click on the title of this post it will take you to the YMCA website where it has its description of BODYPUMP.

"I Love You"

Kjasa loves singing and makes up quite a few of her own songs. Here is one she made up for me!

Sweet Girls

At the end of January I was able to spend a little time with my cousin Joelle before she moved. It was fun getting to see her again and enjoy some sweet time together!I got the sweetest little valentine for Valentine's Day-my cousin Kjasa spent the night with me Saturday! We had lots of fun baking, painting nails, playing hide and seek, coloring, playing animals, and watching Madagascar 2! Kjasa is four and is such a sweetie. She has a huge imagination and a large vocabulary. She says so many funny things, but these are the two that stuck out this weekend: I told her we were on our way to Target to pick up a couple things and she said "I can't go to Target; it's too expensive for me." Then when we were on our way back to meet her mom and dad she said "I've never seen the world so beautiful." :) It's a pure joy to get to hang out with her (& her little sister Greta when we're at their house!).

December

Decemeber seems like it flew right by! Finals ended on the 17th and before that was pretty much just getting projects done, etc. I stayed in Fargo through the 23rd for work and then headed home for Christmas. Unfortunately I failed to take any pictures over Christmas, as did all of my family members. I have to get back into the picture taking mode! Thus, all pictures posted today are thanks to my fine roommates. Here are a few of the things captured from December.

My friend Rebekah's husband and brother are in the band Sonstruck and they recently had a concert to release their third, and final, cd. They did a really great job and it was also a good time to catch up with friends!Rebekah did a great job selling cds! :)Me, Rebekah, and Leah

The next weekend we had a HUGE snow storm! We were trapped in the apartment all of Sunday, as there was no possible way we would be able to drive anywhere. Although it was fun to watch the storm and just hang out inside, we started to get a little stir crazy. Sometime in the evening my roommates and I decided to head outside for a bit to get some fresh air. It lasted all of about 10 minutes.

Ashley wanted to capture my excitement for getting to leave the apartment.

Turkey Trot, Home Visit, Sweet Kjasa, and a Wedding!

It has been a busy month and a half! (These pictures are chronologically backwards...sorry.) Starting with what has happened most recently-my cousin Bethany got married yesterday. It was a fun to catch up with family and help Bethany and Sven celebrate. Here are the immediate family members that made it. :) We missed Ingrid, Aaron and Heidi.
It's been fun living close to my cousin Mark and Liz and to be able to see their girls Kjasa and baby Greta! I have been able to watch Kjasa a few times, and here's a picture from the most recent. She's such a sweety and has perhaps the biggest imagination I've ever seen.
Leah and I visited my mom during deer season in November. We had fun checking out the local shops and having coffee!
Right before Thanksgiving Leah and I ran the Turkey Trot with some of our friends here in Fargo. It was a really fun 5 mile run! Hope, Jess, Kelsey, Leah and I all had matching tye-dyed shirts, so that was fun, too!

Musical Shares-3

This is an absolute MUST listen to song....or at least I think so. I don't even want to try to describe/explain it. Just soak it up. It's by Kim Walker and the lyrics go like this:

He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great your affections are for me.
Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so.

Yeah, He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves.

So we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean we're all sinking
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss and my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way

That he loves us,
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps

The Social Part

You may have thought I disappeared from the face of the earth, but I didn't! I am alive and well...doing better than I deserve (to quote Mr. Dave Ramsey). Here are some of the fun things that have taken place in my social life most recently. Early in November, the 3rd, it was my friend Rebekah's birthday! A group of us went out for dinner at Paradiso to celebrate her and had a very good time. (Above: Rebekah being sang to by the Paradiso crew. Below: Rebekah, Leah, me, and Jess)




Leah is a hardcore Bison fan and frequently tells me how much fun the football games are. So, one day she informed me she had gotten me a ticket to go with her to a game...what a friend. We met our friend Jess and other roommate, Ashley, there as well. It really was a good time.
I may have pretended to be a Bison that day but Dragon is in my blood. (Leah drew this sweet tat on me....FYI: The Minnesota State University Moorhead, the school I attend, mascot is the dragon.)
Jess is also hardcore Bison...she even had Bison suckers for us!
The half-time show was put on by the NDSU marching band. They did a song from Batman and formed the Batman sign-we thought it was pretty cool!

Last week Martin Sexton came to Fargo! If you haven't heard his music before, you should definitely check it out-quality stuff. Once again, a group of us got together (we like hanging out) and attended this sweet concert. Another fun time! (L to R: Jordan, Rebekah, me, Leah, Ashley, Tom-up above behind Ashley)
The man himself: Martin Sexton.
The concert was downtown at the Fargo Theatre...sweet place.