Juju's Allergies

A Juju Update
I took Juju to the vet last week to get her annual vaccinations and heartworm medication--and also to ask about her scratching, which had seemed to escalate in the last week. For the most part she is in great shape as a full-grown, 55.6 pound 1 year old shepherd mix. Just sick with allergies. The vet said she almost hoped it were fleas or mites because those are treatable--unfortunately, it's just allergies ('tis the time of year, I guess) for which there is no cure-all. So she gave me a spray for the severely itchy areas--like her paws, which she has chewed bare spots on almost all of. I gave her an oatmeal bath. Then she suggested some various over-the-counter medicines to try (like benadryl).

If you know me then you may know that I am not big on taking medicine. I very RARELY take even an aspirin for anything. In fact, I have to be feeling pretty miserable indeed to try something other than drinking water or sleeping to cure a headache. So I felt out of my element in the drug aisle at Wal-Mart trying to figure out where the allergy medicines were. I was looking for things like diphenhydramine and chlorpheniramine--I even feel more intelligent just writing those words! Did you know that there are a lot of different types of medicine out there? Thankfully I was able to find Equate brands of each of these different drugs and have been trying them with Juju. The "benadryl" (diphenhydramine) seems to possibly be working, but Juju's still scratching. I guess we have to wait for the weather to turn colder for the final "cure." I guess it's good practice for being a mother??

Power Outage

We survived about 6 and a half hours of school today without electricity! About 8:40 this morning all of a sudden all of the lights in the building blinked then went out...and didn't come back on and didn't come back on and didn't come back on. It didn't take us long to figure out that an excavator working on the road construction on State Road 26 had somehow severed our power line...whoops! They originally said we should have power restored by 11:30. Whatever. We had some mighty creative teaching going on in the building as teachers found ways to have light in their classrooms. All the candles came out of hiding for those who didn't have windows, or else class was moved to an area of the building where there were windows (like the MRC or church foyer). For myself, thankfully I only had about 3 piano students during this time--and there was no way to actually teach in my room, because even if I'd had a candle it would hardly have been enough light. So for 2 lessons we just sat by the outside door and talked through what to do. For my third, beginning student I used the music suite (with the door open to let in light). It was HUMID outside, too. I noticed this because Mr. Heim had FMT, Junior high choir, and Senior high choir in the music suite with the door open to let in light, which also let in all of the humid air, of course! My music pages were starting to get all soggy and the piano bench was sticky! Thankfully, though, it wasn't pouring down rain like yesterday so P.E. classes could be outdoors. And since there was no way to prepare lunch without electricity we ended up with a hot dog cookout outside for lunch, which I'm told went fairly well. (I went home for lunch and enjoyed the comfort of air conditioning.) My sister and other secretaries were left with not much to do as most of their work revolves around the computer, which doesn't work so well without electricity. The phones worked on battery backup for about 4 hours but then died as well. Thankfully the power came back on--just as school was being dismissed at 3:15!

As a spiritual illustration, I was reminded how much I try to do on my "battery backup" power without plugging into the source of daily renewal of God's Word! I was reminded again of my dependence on Him as the Source of all power. Just as I am extrememly thankful for the electric power I often take for granted, I need to spend time plugging into my Source of spiritual power. Okay, I need to go read my Bible now and have my "God and I" time for the day!

For Mom

Mom, here are the pictures of Tim & Kristen's apartment (and one of the ring and one of the honeymoon hot air balloon) that you wanted to print off!

The Windy City

My "last hurrah" before in-service started on Monday was a day in Chicago on Saturday! Sarah and I left around 7:00 a.m. and drove up north and picked up my friend Jackie Maronic (who lives in the suburbs) for a day downtown!

The first thing we did was take an 11:00 a.m.-12:00 architectural boat tour from Navy Pier. (Well, actually we ate breakfast at McDonald's at Navy Pier first.) Then we walked up and down Michigan Avenue, just looking at various shops on our way to lunch. The above picture is Centennial Fountain, which shoots out over the Chicago River for 10 minutes at the top of every hour. (It shut off before we reached it so we didn't get wet.)

For lunch we splurged at the Grand Lux Cafe, where we had a pretty nice view from the second story.

Then we walked up to the Water Tower place and had dessert at the Cheescake Factory, which is at the base of the John Hancock building. We decided to go ahead and go up to the top and see the view. So we paid our fee and waited in line to get on an elevator to the 94th floor. It was worth the trip--it was an amazing view!

Looking North

East

South (Sears Tower in the background)

West
By the time we got back to the car it was almost raining, but we decided to make one more detour: Gross Pointe Lighthouse in North Chicago. We visited the beach briefly (that's when it really started raining) then walked around the grounds of the lighthouse before driving back to Jackie's house. Jackie said she had never been close enough to TOUCH a lighthouse before so we had to get a picture of that!


We had a quick bite of pizza and a visit with Jackie's mom Kathy before driving the 2 and a half hours home to Lafayette. We didn't get home until past midnight but it was worth it!

Brickyard 400

No matter what they try to call it ("Allstate 400 at the Brickyard")--it will always be the Brickyard 400! I'm not a huge NASCAR fan, but I know a few people who are (Jack Heim, Justin Brownfield, Mathew Eliason...) so by default I have learned a few things about it and caught a few hours (here and there) of races on TV, but my brother-in-law and sister (Matt & Rachel) came to visit and go to the race (which happened Sunday), and they invited me to go with them.

Let me tell you, watching a race in person is SO MUCH better than watching it on TV--although you probably know what's going on more from home! I had heard that the cars whiz by so fast that I didn't think I'd even be able to see them and that it was super loud at the track. Matt and our friend Warren Powers got seats in the Paddock and Rachel and I had the cheap seats in the First Turn Terrace, but it was so much better than what I'd thought, actually! Since Rachel and I were on the first turn the cars came by "slowly" enough that you could make out who each one was clearly and get a good view--even though we couldn't see the Jumbotron (unless you got a peek through the bleachers behind you) and seldom heard the announcer, we had a good idea of what was going on. And Matt's recommendations of ear plugs was a great one, even though it wasn't as loud as I had expected it to be.

We didn't leave Lafayette until after church Sunday morning (we got out of town around 11:45), then we stopped at Subway (Thanks, Warren!) for a quick bite for the road, and we found the same free parking spot Matt & Rach had found last year. We were inside the gates by about 1:15 probably, but by the time we picked up our drinks (lots of walking) and got to our seats it was about 2:00 and the race was on! I was honestly expecting to be somewhat bored but found myself not wanting to leave my seat for the next 4 hours until the race was over, so Rach and I both ended up with some nice sunburns to show for it! :) Our seats on the first turn ended up being quite good for seeing the 2 crashes that happened on that turn. We enjoyed cheering for Jeff Gordon and were pleased with his 3rd place finish. I'm sure the people behind us were quite disappointed when Dale Jr.'s engine blew near the end of the race (they were pretty loud at first!)--but we got to see that firsthand because that happened on our turn, too! Rachel and I got pretty good communicating with gestures, pointing, and lip reading--and by pointing to my "cheat sheet" of driver information.

All in all, it was a great day. The weather was perfect--not too hot, a perfect day to sit out in the sun, Jeff Gordon finished in the top 3, we got 2 free cokes, and we had fun! We met up and wandered around the infield for a little after the race then ventured out into traffic around 7:00 p.m. It took about 3 hours to make the normally one-hour trip home because of traffic and a semi with a blow-out (we think) backing up the already busy interstate. But we still made it to Cracker Barrel before it closed and had a meal there (we didn't exactly get what we ordered, but that's a different story...I guess you're stuck with what they have left at the end of the day)! Then we had cupcakes back at home to celebrate Matt's 24th birthday! Happy Birthday, Matt!

I would highly recommend going to a race if you get the opportunity. I learned more about racing and really enjoyed it!Rachel & Matt, Warren Powers, and me at the track.

The Price is Right

I love watching the Price is Right when I have the time, and I've enjoyed the summer reruns, but I can't imagine the Price is Right without game show host Bob Barker! I remember growing up, helping mom fold laundry while we watched the Price is Right. Of course, Bob Barker was still the host even then. I don't know how it will be with Drew Carey as host...at least his name has the same amount of syllables, so when Rich introduces, "and now, the star of the Price is Right: DREEEW CAREY" it can at least sound somewhat similar. I just hope Mr. Carey keeps it as family-friendly of a show. But I just can't imagine it being the same.

Vacation: Part 5

JUJU & FRIENDS
For my last vacation post I wanted to share a few cute photos of the dogs! In this first one, Juju and her dashchund cousins are playing with a balloon while Zack & Jackie Parks look on. The dachshunds had never seen a balloon before but they all had fun chasing and popping them. It was quite amusing!

Tippy & Juju sleeping on the couch:

Here are all of the dogs: Tippy, Baruch, Reeses, and Juju! (Reeses and Baruch of course belong to Rachel & Matt--my sister and her husband).

Vacation: Part 4

THE PARKS

I am dedicating this post to the Jeff & Debbie Parks and family. It was so good to see them after all of their world travels in the Air Force. It will good to be able to see them when they make their permanent move to the U.P. next year, too! We had fun at their campsite at Van Riper State Park (making pudgie pies and s'mores) and also enjoyed spending time with them at our house, looking at pictures, playing Apples to Apples, etc.


Jeff & Debbie, Jackie, Brianna, Zack, and Daniel


We had to say goodbye to them on Wednesday, but they had their coffee and soda so they could stay awake for the trip as they continued on to South Dakota to see their other daughter Lisa and her new husband.

See you later!

Vacation: Part 3

WATERFALLS

Black River Falls, Ishpeming, MI
My dad and I were reading a tourist brochure about sights to see in the Ishpeming area and read about Black River Falls, which neither of us had seen before. So we thought we'd take a little time and check it out. They were okay--probably not on my list of things I HAVE to see again, but not a bad little jaunt if you want to drive way out into the woods and check it out.

Dave's Falls, Amberg, WI Driving back to Lafayette on Monday I wasn't in a hurry, so I made a stop in WI to see some falls I had heard of but never visited before. Right by Northland Baptist Bible College in the northern woods of Wisconsin are some county falls called Dave's Falls, that I found out are just off of the highway. I decided to stop and check them out. It was only about 275 yards to the falls, so there was hardly any kind of hike involved, which I was a little disappointed in (and the $3 entrance fee was a little disappointing), but the falls were spectacular. A really nice place to visit. I would recommend these to any future tourists!

Vacation: Part 2

FUN TIMES

My first day back in the U.P. I enjoyed taking my dog and my parents' dog Tippy on a hike up the Bluff. Here in Indiana I can walk for 45 minutes from my house and just see cornfields and more houses. At my parents' house I can walk for 45 minutes and have been hiking through the woods, climb up the bluff, eat fresh blueberries, and go down to the lake! Which is exactly what I did that first morning back. (I do have to admit that while I was looking forward to this treat, I had conveniently forgotten all the mosquitoes they have up there!) Juju & Tippy LOVED it and also enjoyed splashing in the lake and running around.

One day that week my mom and I went downtown Ishpeming to visit my sister Rachel on her lunch hour from work and to visit a little festival set up for the holiday on Main Street. One of my favorite things to see was the Butler Theatre turned into an antique museum. My favorite thing to look at wasn't the antiques inside but at the original walls, ceiling, balcony, and imagine it back a few decades as the theatre it had once been. We had fun window shopping and enjoying fresh elephant ears, too!

We took one day to go downtown Marquette to the Lower Harbor of Lake Superior and visit Columbus' ship La Nina, an exact replica of the original vessel which had been built by hand in Brazil and happened to be in port that week. It was cool to get a tour of the ship and imagine what it would have been like coming over with Columbus.

I also enjoyed spending time with my brother Tim and his new wife Kristen as they were home on the tale end of their honeymoon. We had fun playing Rook with Mom & Dad and Apples to Apples with everybody.
Stay tuned for more...

Vacation: Part 1

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

A big part of my summer vacations is spent in Vacation Bible School, and this summer was no exception. I didn't capture any pictures from VBS here in Lafayette, but it was June 18-22. I was involved with music and powerpoint help with that (and working behind the scenes helping to organize it, come up with songs, etc.). But then I brought a lot of decorations from our VBS here in Lafayette up to MI July 2 when I went up to the U.P. because they were doing the same Rescue Zone Bible School July 9-13. So we had a truck in the 4th of July Parade and Juju and I walked in that, passing out flyers and candy--Ju helped eat the candy too. ("Did you know your dog is eating candy?? Your dog has a wrapper! Your dog has gum stuck to its paw!" Thankfully that gum came off quite readily!) Then we decorated for VBS and I helped organize it and get the prizes put together and songs and orders put together. Thankfully we had quite a good crew of helpers for everything. We were a little disappointed in the attendance because our high day was only 27. But it was an easy number of kids to work with and once things were planned out it seemed to run quite smoothly. We had a good attendance for the closing program on Friday night, too. VBS just seems to tire me out, though. So I enjoyed sleeping when I could. I enjoyed doing a few other things while I was home, too, but I'll write more about those next time. I traveled for about 11 hours yesterday coming back to Lafayette, so I need to unpack today, get the mail read, etc., etc.!

Of Errands and Fixes

On Monday I felt like a Techie. In the morning I figured out how to re-import sound and copy Tim & Kristen's "love story" onto DVD, so made 10 copies of that. I had bought a DVD recorder last week, so was unplugging my old VCR and DVD player and hooking up the new one when I realized I either had to buy a DVD converter box for my old TV..or buy a new TV. So I decided to splurge and look at the new LCD TVs. So I started this project around 1:00 p.m. Approximately 4 hours and 6 stores later, I returned to Wal-Mart and bought the first TV that I had considered--a 26" Sanyo LCD HDTV. So I had fun setting that up. (Next upgrade in 2 years: Surround Sound!) The picture is so much clearer! I haven't tried recording DVDs yet, but that project will follow soon.

On Tuesday I was running errands when I noticed a screw in my increasingly-flat tire. Unsure of what to do, I did the first thing that came to mind: I called my dad. Through the process of our conversation, as I pondered whether I should try to take off the tire and bring it somewhere, patch it myself, call a friend, borrow Sarah's car...he asked if I had the tire protection plan at Wal-Mart, since that was where I bought the tires. Sure enough, it covers flat. So I put more air in the tire and was able to have it fixed for FREE at Wal-Mart (in about 15 minutes, coincidentally enough)! Praise the Lord!

On Wednesday I woke to 2 houseplants that had decided they needed to be repotted and had unceremoniously leaped off the shelf of their own accord and made quite a mess on the kitchen floor. So besides giving piano lessons today, I have repotted plants, made a trip to Menards and fixed Juju's collar, and used free food coupons at Chic-Fil-A and Dairy Queen!

So, with these projects, besides additional phone calls and practices that have sprung up this week, I feel as if the days are flying by and I'm getting nothing accomplished. What is that old saying? "Man proposes and God disposes." I'm so thankful that a sovereign God is in charge and not me!

Tim's Wedding!

Friday Sarah and I drove up to Portage, MI (near Kalamazoo--just 3 hours away) for my brother's rehearsal and wedding. We got into the area about 2:00 p.m., with time to practice music and get things ready for the rehearsal at 4:30. Afterwards we had dinner at Old Country Buffet then chilled at Kristen's parents' house (with most of the family that was there), watching a video that Tim made and playing Apples to Apples.

New friends: Kelly, Korie, and Michelle

Dave Wetzel and Ben Stiemsma

Photographs were supposed to begin at 11:30 (the wedding was at 1:30)...most people were there by 11:30.

Matt & Rachel Eliason

Mom and the Bride :)

Here's proof that Les & Dave arrived AFTER 11:30, with suits in hand, but not quite ready to go... ;) (Don't tell Kristen or Tim, I'm not sure they know this yet...)

We had quite a good crew of the Helfinstine/Hill clan there so here's an extended family picture--Uncle Dave & Aunt Karen Helfinstine (the MN connection), Aunt Elaine & Uncle Doug Kari (from MI), Aunt Marlene Edwards (CT), Brian & Amy Pentti (MN), Becky Beckman, and Dave Pentti (AZ)! It was so good to see everyone and get caught up.

Here's the siblings. Now half of us are married!

The Beautiful Bride & Handsome Groom

After the wedding we met family for supper at Texas Roadhouse and then Sarah and I headed back to Lafayette.

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. I played the piano for the ceremony and the reception, but from what I could see it seemed to go well! I love Kristen and her family. I think she is the perfect help meet for Tim, and I look forward to seeing how God blesses their new household. They went to Arizona (Grand Canyon) for a week for their honeymoon, but they will continue to live in Virginia Beach, VA. Tim has another year of seminary, and Kristen will continue teaching 2nd grade (I believe) next year. I guess they'll have to follow the Lord's leading from there! I might get to see them when they make a trip to the U.P. next week, because I'll be going up there, too. CONGRATULATIONS, MR. & MRS. TIMOTHY HILL!