The Heymann Family Journal

Thomas asked me if I would give him money to buy football cards. I guess all the boys at school are trading them and he wants to get in on it. I gave him the money for a package of cards (to start). He and Philip buy 3 packs of cards ( one package for Sarah). Well, they pick Sarah up from kindergarten and go play with the cards. I ask Sarah if I can see her cards. She had a handful of old stickers. Thomas kept Sarah's cards for himself, and gave Philip an extra card just to kept quite. So I tell Thomas to give Sarah her cards. A few hours later I find a small stack of hand drawn football cards sitting in front of Sarah's seat at the dinning room table. I guess Thomas REALLY REALLY wanted those cards! You know what? If he is so motivated to have football cards, I could use them to actually get Thomas to do stuff...like home work!

Germany of course played and lost to Spain in the European football championship last night. Our kids took a long nap in the afternoon so they could stay up to watch it. They showed the game on the big screen at our church just after the evening service. The kids were so excited!!! Poor Thomas was crying when he got home from the game. I personally felt Germany had not played all that well this whole tournament. I thought they were lucky to be in the finals. But the whole country hoped they would win. I'm sure there is a lot of joy in Spain!!! There is a national depression here!!! So sad for Germany! The boys washed the tattoos off their faces this morning. Oh, so sad!!!

Nicole has been brushing up on her Mickey Mouse (the older style Disney). All I can say is Amazing!!! If you click on the picture it gets larger and you can see the detail better. It was hand drawn, then painted with water color.

I'm getting very excited about going to Todd Bentley's meeting in LA on July 26Th. I hope that the anointing to heal is also very strong in this meeting. I hope God will use me to heal the sick in Germany. You know, I had my airline ticket booked months before this meeting was announced. I am so grateful I can experience some of the Florida revival when I'm in California. I believe God set that blessing up (not just for me...but also for me). I also love and respect Bonnke, and I'm excited about being able to have breakfast with him on July 26TH. I basically feel honored to be going to America. I will love the time I share with Nicole, and my friends Cindy and Donna. I look forward to seeing my family. The time is far to short. I'm grateful for this time. I ask God to bless every wonderful moment!!! I have been collecting gifts I plan to bring with me. I only have 3 weeks to pack. I keep hearing the words , "God is good". I am so happy for the wonderful

"You can not have victory with out conflict...you can not have healing with out pain...you can not appreciate the sunshine with out the rain". TD Jakes Victory comes from over coming conflict.

I loaded 3 photo's I took with Juergens cell phone (my camera is broken) to CNN i report fan zone. Look HERE . Philip was on the top page this morning.

I've seen this before but somehow it was the medicine I needed today. Look how hard this father works to serve his son. It is so beautiful. we can not doubt that God, our heavenly father also loves us and has gone the extra miles for us. I pray I can love my kids well today.

Philip says to me very proudly, "Mom, I know what 3+4 is"! I said, "I hope so". Philip says, "3+4 is 8". I said, "no". Then he counts on his figures and says"3+4 is 7". I said" yes" and said a prayer! On the good side, I just got 2 new Toby Mac Cd's for the boys. They just began taking break dance class last week. They were so excited and rushed to their room to give the new music a try. They have so much fun dancing...and man can my boys move!

We were at the Dr office yesterday. I pulled out my camera. I let the kids take some photos. Well, they got a little anxious for their turn and one of the kids grabbed for the camera...it went flying to the ground and broke. Oh boy!!! So I need yet another camera (the 3rd in a year). Killer!!! A friend told me I should just wait and buy it in the States because the exchange rate is so good. I might do that. I won't stop letting the kids use the camera. They have so much joy taking pictures. Do I really look that old?

In 4 weeks from today we fly to LA! I'm getting really excited! What a great adventure we will have! After 2 years of planning and saving it's almost time to go! I feel so much joy!!! I took Philip, Sarah, and Thomas to the Dr this morning. Sarah had to receive 2 vaccinations. Thomas needed tests run to see if he could take drugs for ADHD . I talked to the Dr about sending Philip to a clinic that runs massive tests to figure out what is really wrong with him. Philip was adopted. We don't know if there was Prenatal Exposure to Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco . He has serious learning problems and speech problems. It's so frustrating for us. He now goes to a school for learning delayed kids. They basically just go super slow in the school. He does not receive occupational therapy even though his hands are super weak. He receives no speech therapy even though his language is majorly delayed. I want to pull my hair out. OK, maybe he was a drug baby... but occupa

I’m sitting here watching Philip do his 2 nd day of Fast forwards. We got the program weeks ago but could not install it because we were given the wrong instillation code. He has to do 48 minutes per day. Yesterday he was crying and shaking as he did the program. I guess he was just so afraid he would not be able to do. He did it just fine…just test anxiety. Today he is much more relaxed. I have to sit here and watch him do it, just to make sure he does the whole thing. The whole program is based upon being able to distinguish different sounds. He has to do it for 10 weeks, 5 times per week. We are bribing him with money towards a new bike. Every time he does the program he gets 1€ . That’s allot of money, but he needs a new bike anyway. He really needs help. After he gets through this program he can do the fast forwords reading program. He is still unable to read (he will be 11 years old in October). Not being able to read is a real handicap. Kids need to read in a

God is thinking because he is God. Why doesn't God do stuff the way we want, when we want? This is great!!!

"Get heaven to show up and miracles will happen" -Todd Bentley In other words, don't pray for miracles and signs and wonders, pray for the kingdom of God to be here. The kingdom of God is not just words, but also power!

40 Ways to Live a Better Life ~ -Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. -Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. -Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep. -When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.' -Live with the 3 E's—Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy. -Play more games and read more books than you did in last year. -Make time to practice meditation, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives. -Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. -Dream more while you are awake. -Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts. -Try to make at least three people smile each day. -Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and

It's just one month until we leave for our big trip. I'm going to Oregon to spend a week with my family and Nicole’s going to build houses in Mexico . Maybe you don't understand why I'm not going to Mexico . The organization Nicole is going with (global expeditions)is a youth organization. They only let old folks like me go when we are leadership. I could have gone as leadership, but I just felt from God I was to visit my family instead. If I had time to do both, I probably would have done that. I see clearly now that I made the correct choice. I feel a real peace I am taking the correct path. I am so happy to see my little girl Nicole growing so much spiritually. She is stepping out in boldness. She has owned this trip, and invested years preparing for it. I'm so certain God will bless the fruit of that labor! Just one more month and then we go. It doesn’t look like we will come anywhere near to reaching our goal of paying for the building materials for one house

I get the news letter from cfan (Christ for all nations) Reinhard Bonnke's ministry. Today the newsletter was all about the last outreach he did in India . It was an open air meeting, and it rained the entire time. The place was one big mud puddle, but the people came anyway. They were desperate for God. Over 125,000 people registered cards saying they had accepted the salvation of Christ. Then he wrote, "An environment of expectation is the seedbed of miracles". God showed up and miracles happened. The blind began to see, and the deaf began to hear. Expectation seeds miracles ...I love that! I just told my parents that I'm coming to Oregon one day later then expected. I have the chance to attend a prayer breakfast with Reinhard Bonnke in Anaheim on July 26, and then Todd Bentley (from the Lakeland revival) will be doing a service in Pasadena that same night. So I get Bonnke and Bentley in one day, talk about your faith super charge! I have a heart filled with expe

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. TD Jake's said that if you don't need anything, (hope for anything) you don't need any faith. Hope leads you to the place where you can see what you want or need. Faith is the bridge that brings you to the answer to that need. If the enemy can get you to lose your faith, he won because it's faith that brings you the victory. Say, Faith...don't fail me NOW!!!

When I go to America at the end of July, Juergen is maybe putting in a new bathroom. I write maybe because I know he is tired and may just want to take a vacation. I hope he will stick to the plan... We are looking at tile and tubs. I want a good bathtub! I love to take a soak in a hot bath. It is the very best thing to escape the stress of parenting 5 loud kids. I've been staying up late all week to watch the revival in Florida. I feel like I have been soaking up the love of God. Last night I felt the power of God so strongly I could hardly lift my head up. It was amazing. This morning I feel light headed, like I have a Holy ghost hangover.

Do you believe that ... "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:19-20 Jessica is at the top of my prayer list. I am asking God to heal my girl. Will you pray with me? If you can not pray for her healing, because you just don't have the faith to believe that could happen, please just pray that God would bless her. Could you please just pray for God to richly bless her. Thank you so much for adding your voice...we will knock so loud on heavens door. God will hear us, this much I know. God is calling me on...inviting me to ask him. Maybe you have something you really want to ask God for. Maybe you also need to just start asking?

I've been thinking allot about the statement by Bill Johnson, "The only right/ claim we have to the past is the testimony of what God has done". I get so much joy just letting go of all that is behind me. That may sound strange to you, I've had a pretty good life. But I'm thinking so much lately about Jessica. Autism has robbed Jessica of a good deal of her child hood. She has never had a friend, never been invited to a birthday party, never gone to camp, could not even attend church. That may not seem like a loss to you, but I use to be a pastor and it is not what I had dreamed of for my first born child. If I were to dwell on this loss, it could eat me alive. No. I will not hold on to this, I agree with Bill Johnson, I have no right to this past! It is gone. The only thing I have a right to is the testimony of a very good God that carried us all these years, who saved Jessica's life when she was born with 4 different heart defects, who kept Jeurgen and I t

I wanted to get the kids to stretch out their arms and say "We love you this much". Well I could not get them to stop goofing off. I was getting mad! So I said, "I want a picture, and if you don't give me what I want, you don't get any ice cream"!!! It worked! You just need to understand children! We love you Juergen! Happy fathers day. Jessica was taking a nap, and ice cream would not have helped her to stand for a photo. One of the best things Jessica ever wrote was about her dad. She wrote, "My Papa is a superman, and a wonder of nature"...so there you have it!

It's strange the things that run through my mind. Juergen has been at his dads all weekend. They were celebrating Richard's 80Th birthday. Juergen wanted to help him get stuff done around the house so it seemed best that we not bring the whole gang. Nicole had an art class all weekend. It was a 2 day workshop on cartooning. She can not decide if she wants to be a research scientist or an artist. I guess when you are gifted it's a real problem to know what path to pursue. You can only walk down one road. I have been reading about spiritual revival and watching what is going on in Florida. I pray all the time for my sweet Jessica to be healed. I don't feel any closer to a miracle then I did before. How are you suppose to feel right before your greatest need has been met? What are you suppose to feel like when the "impossible" suddenly becomes "possible"? I wish I could say I was filled with hope and faith. But God knows my heart. When I look at my beau

Have you been watching the Revival in Lakeland? I can be honest with you...I have never liked the show man like style of any evangelist. I love Reinhard Bonnke, I love his spiritual passion, but I don't like his style. How could God use a crazy looking tattooed old hippy like Todd Bentley? Obviously God can do a pretty good job using Todd Bentley. Maybe that is the point. If God can use Todd Bentley, God can use anyone! It is so amazing to see the people coming from all over the world for one reason...they are so hungry for the Holy Spirit. The Bible promises us that He will pour out His Holy Spirit in the last days. I love the hunger I see in the lives of the people that are going to Lakeland. I was up until 2am watching the broadcast on God TV. I'm really tired today, but I find the whole thing very exciting. So many testimonies of people getting healed. This isn't Africa...this is in the USA! How could God move in signs and wonders in America? And will we

The Director of the school called, he will give Thomas the place in the International school!!! I am amazed by Gods grace!!!Thank you for your many prayers! You can not imagine how grateful we are for this wonderful chance, this incrediable chance!

Last night I was listening to the book on Mp3, "When Heaven Invades Earth" by Bill Johnson. He said sometimes the manifest glory of God is so real that odd things happen. For example, people get showered by gold dust during a worship service, or they get caught in a shower of white feathers. Strange, or not it just happened to me. I was sitting in my car waiting for Thomas. Thomas goes to a Christian counselor. She helps him talk through school and adoption related issues. He use to have so much anger. This has gotten better. Anyway, I'm sitting there and all of a sudden the car gets showered with small white feathers. It was like someone had cut a feather bed open and shaked it out on my car. I felt the most wonderful peace. I looked around to see if it was some pollen or something like that. There were not any trees near by. Maybe it was trees, or maybe it was God. Either way, it was wonderful.

I just got an e-mail from a teacher in Berlin. She works at a Christian school that tries to help special kids like Thomas. Too bad we don't live in Berlin! She recomended a book written by a professor that has devloped a curiculume that helps kids with ADHD. I just ordered the book, "Hören-Sehen- Blicken-Zählen " on Amazon. I don't know if it is translated into English. If this looks good, we will give a copy of the book to Thomas' next teacher. Hopfully, he will have a new teacher! Thank you for your idea Kerstin.

I'm taking US Airways from Frankfurt to LA. Then I take United from San Diego to Eugen, Oregon. This new baggage fee could cost me a small fortune! US Airways will not apply the fee to travelers coming to and from Europe (yeah). United does not start the fee increase until Aug 18, I am ending my United flight on Aug 2 (Yeah). So, I can still shop, shop, shop. With the Euro so high to the dollar, it would be such a crime to be restricted to what I could carry on!!! I am buying the kids school cloths for next year, and I may even bring home a cast iron Dutch Oven (no kidding). Last year I brought home a cast iron skillet. I love this skillet, and use it almost everyday. I hope to replace all my pans with cast iron cookware. It cooks better, and it is healthier. I'm sure you can get cast iron cookware in Germany, but so far I have not been able to find the high quality cast iron pots and pans they have in the USA. Cast iron cookware has many benefits over aluminum cookw

Juergen went to the International school to see if Thomas could get a place in the 4TH grade this Fall. He was able to talk with the head Secretary and the teacher that would be Thomas' teacher. The Secretary remembered our family. She even thought it was good and noble that we had adopted Thomas and Philip (they have not met Sarah). Thomas went to school in the first grade at this school. He only traded to a special school for kids with speech delays. Sometimes I think we made a big mistake by taking him out of the school in the first place. Anyway, they are setting up a smaller class for kids that speak German as a second language. The director must make the final decision. The Secretary will talk with him next week. She sounded very positive. Please keep praying. Juergen said he thought the teacher was great. The set up is just what Thomas needs. It would be an amazing blessing if this could work. Our son is so destroyed. He needs hope like a drought stricken land needs rain. He

The only claim we have to the past is the testimony of what God has done. - Bill Johnson

Juergen spent two hours with Thomas helping him with his homework (this is after the 2 hours he already spent at the tutors). This happens almost every single day. Thomas is sinking in school. He is sinking hard. The German is just too hard for him. I personally think they put too much emphasis upon language ability. Every t must be crossed, and every i dotted or the sentence is wrong. Know one seems to care that he has other abilities. Writing is important, but it's not the only important skill. How about cultivating imagination, and other skills in science and history, music and art. But even in these classes too much of the grade is based upon how correct your sentences are (certainly not the content of the sentence). Thomas is a smart boy with ADHD. He is dying in this school system. His German is awful. So what if he know how to use a computer, build Lego, drum, and dance. So what!!! Juergen is going to try again to get him into the International school. Generally you must go

What helps lower cholesterol? I just read that omega 3 fatty acids (found in fish oil)and fiber (eatting whole oat meal) helps.

I'm healthy Praise God. The lump on my collarbone is nearly gone. It looks very much like it was a swollen lymph node. All the tests came back good, except one. My cholesterol has gone way up over the past 2 years. My total cholesterol was only 179 in 2006, now its 209. It still isn't super high, but it has gone way up in just two years. It has me scratching my head why? I hardly eat meat or fried foods. I'm going to research how to bring that number back down. I'm 46 going on 47 years old, and age may just be the key factor in why it's gone up. Does anyone know if the hormone estrogen effects cholesterol? I just bet it does! I'm going through menopause (just what you all wanted to know). I can hardly believe I'm pressing towards 50 years. I still feel 30 in my brain. Anyway, I'm healthy. No cancer. My blood pressure and blood sugar are very good. I've got to get my cholesterol to go back down. I did a web search... Q: Do women have to worry about ch

All the boys in our neighborhood have pretty cool looking bikes. Philip and Thomas have Nicole's hand me downs. They are both blue bikes, not "girly" bikes...but not too cool. I would love to give them something new, but I feel like we already spoil them too much. If they had a birthday, or something like a good report card I would consider it. I know Thomas will have nothing like a good report card. He may even bring home 5's because he did not finish the home work, or more often lost the homework (maddening). I told the boys I would get them a new bike "if" then came a long list of weekly chores they could do. Like they could take out the trash, load the dish washer, finish that homework. So we looked on e-bay at bikes. We even found some very hot wheels starting at 1€. Who knows, in 3 to 4 days we may win a bid on one of the dream bikes. If we do, they will learn a very important lesson. NEVER PAY FULL PRICE FOR ANYTHING. I may not get them to work for a

I just love Mike Huckabee. I sure hope he is the VP. It looks like John McCain is not even considering him. I would really be excited about the race if Mike Huckabee were in it! If you want Mike Huckabee to be the next VP, you can sign an online petition HERE . or send a letter to John McCain. John McCain 2008 P.O. Box 16118 Arlington, VA 22215

If my sons are going to do break dance and hip hop, I want them dancing for God! Here are some Christian Hip Hop groups. The difference is the moves are clean, not rude and the music has God honoring lyrics. If you have listened to rap, you know there is some pretty awful stuff out there. I don't want to equip my boys to be the stars of the disco clubs. I want them to dance for God!

How exciting! I got a call from the dance teacher. They had planned to do a break dance class starting on Monday (5 times before school ends). They needed 6 kids and only had 3, so the class was canceled. With Philip and Thomas the class would only be 5 kids. The class is really pretty cheep (32€). That is 8€ per 2 hour lesson. You can pay 25€ per hour for piano lessons, 15€ for drum lessons. The boys had such a great time dancing, and it is such a boost to their confidence I said I would cover the cost of the 6Th student (pay for 3 kids) if they would go forward with the class. They decided to do it. We are going to try to find a friend to join the boys. This is a boy/girl class. I don't care about that. I'm just so excited the boys get to take another class. They have so much fun doing it, and it's something they are very good at. I got the feeling the teachers really loved teaching the boys.

I signed Philip and Thomas up for a one day Hip Hop dance class. They did amazingly well! They just have the moves! The teacher was really impressed, especially with Thomas. With all the stuff he does "wrong" it's so important for us to find the things he can do right! She said both boys had unbelievable energy. That's not a good thing in school, but it really helps if you want to dance. We are going to sign them up for the fall break dancing class (it's a boys only class). Thomas is so loud, I keep thinking he will be on the cheer leading squad for UCLA some day. Someday we will see what all these extreme gifts are for. Someday its all going to come together. Instead of being the ugly duckling he is going to be the "cool dude".

Here is a letter Jessica wrote for my parents. Jessica is 16 years old. She has autism. She can not talk, but as you can see she can think. Today is the 50Th wedding anniversary of my parents. I love you Mom and Dad! I hope you enjoy your party! Thank you very much Shelley, Dianna and Rick for all the work you have done for Mom and Dads party! I'm sure other people also helped with the party...and I thank all of those who helped make this day special! I'm sure it's going to be great!!! Letter to Grandparents on their 50Th wedding anniversary Dear wedding people, I have heard that you almost 50 years now act with same name. Test of love you have passed. Cheerful fellowship and blessing of children has mesmerized your togetherness. You are dear to me and I wish you many happy moods. Mama is your child, Daddy came along. Then the pampered grandchildren tumbled into life. Special fortune is the glorious family bond. Right now I am in the youth hostel on a school trip with my cl

Jessica has been away all week with her class. You should have seen her face light up as her bus pulled into the parking lot of her school. I missed my baby. I was trying to figure out what I miss the most when Jessica is not with me. I think it's having the one person in my life that depends totally on me, but also trusts and appreciates me 100%. The other kids also "need" me, but they often are the voice of criticism. Nothing I do for them is ever right. Maybe it's just the age (Thomas is nearly 11, and Philip is almost 10). Jessica is all sweetness. I miss her sweet laugh, I miss her sweet little hand that wants to hold mine as she falls asleep at night. She had a great time on her trip. She wrote something for my parents Anniversary and I'll post that tomorrow. I am so glad she is home...my sweet baby is home! The photo is of Jess feeding Juergen gummy bears.

My parents will be celebrating their big 50Th wedding Anniversary tomorrow. In a way I feel like a pretty bad daughter. They will be having a big party, and I will not be there. My sisters have out done themselves preparing for this event. I have to thank Dianna and Shelley for all the thoughtful details they have worked out. I hope it's a great party that everyone enjoys. I feel caught between generational needs. My parents have their Anniversary now, but Nicole needs me to travel with her 6 weeks from now. It is very expensive in both time and money to travel to the USA. I know everyone understands, but the choices are always hard to make. I'm glad to be investing in Nicole's spiritual growth. I'll just have to save my hugs and kisses and give them to my parents later. They are parents (wonderful parents) so I know they understand. The quilt was made by my sisters. It is a family tree. Isn't it great!!!

When we adopted Philip in 2001, his special need was 2 holes in his heart (ASD/VSD). That need had already been addressed in Thailand. He came to us “healthy”. But Philip has allot of special needs not listed on his adoption records. We have been spending years trying to figure out why Philip has so much trouble learning. In this long process we have learned that Philip has ADHD, an auditory processing problem, and a visual processing problem. I sat with him today as he did his math homework. His class moves very slowly. They are finally doing numbers larger then 10. This is a problem for Philip because he only has 10 fingers. He has trouble memorizing things. The information goes in, but the brain just will not record the message. There is progress but it is slow and frustrating. Today Juergen will be taking Thomas to a clinic for additional diagnostics. We are sure he has ADHD. Last night I wrote a list of traits I believe describe Thomas. When you look at the list of

Obama just wrapped up the nomination for Democratic candidate for the US president. That is historic! I congratulate him and America for not considering the color of his skin. He is now considering a running mate. At lest half the Democrats want Hillary to be that running mate. I also congratulate her. She is a very strong women, worth respect. I am for McCain. McCain also deserves respect for a life time of service. I personally think Obama is too young and inexperienced for the job( we are the same age). I am personally hoping McCain will nominate Mike Huckabee as VP. I think Huckabee is strong, articulate, funny and there is no doubt in my mind a Christian.

Nicole's class competed in a State competition in math. The entire class had to play a part in this competition. They won a prize and had to go to Karlsruhe for the awards today. They ended up winning the first prize for best math class in the whole state of Baden-Württemberg (10Th grade). Nicole is technically in the 9Th grade but her class is being accelerated so they will graduate one year early. The prize was 200 € and a trip to Strasbourg in France. Normally they would be trilled to go to Strasbourg but the class is going there on Friday. Anyway, best math class in the state is a big honor. Most of this honor needs to be given to 3 students in Nicole's class that are basically math Genesis'. Everyone in the class had to play a part in the competition, but I'm sure these 3 kids brought the extra shine to the group!

I went in for my computer tomography this morning. I was nervous but tried to stay calm. On the way there I started writing a song. "In your hands is the help that follows me, the love that sets me free and the hope that holds all my tomorrows ". They gave me a dye so that they could see contrasts in my lungs. I've never had to have any kind of dyes shot into my arm. I've always been very healthy (Praise God). Anyway, the dye made me very sick. I guess I'm allergic. I said stop...I sat up and began violently throwing up. Thank God there was someone there to hand me pans (yes pans) to throw up in. They also shot something else into my arm. This calmed my system down but it also made me sleepy. It's been 4 hours, and I still feel shaky. Juergen had to come pick me up and bring me home. I hope my car doesn't get towed away. It is in short term parking. My lungs and chest are clear of tumors (again, I Praise God). I'm sure I would not do very well if I h

When I first thought of the theme 50 I also thought of the song "50 ways to leave your lover". This would not be the "ideal" song for a wedding anniversary I admit. We live in a world of "leavers". It takes 2 very committed people to actually stay in a marriage for 50 years. I'm sure there are more then 50 ways to leave but I'm very glad my parents did not use them. I honor their long years of steadfast commitment.

My parents will be celebrating their 50Th wedding Anniversary this next weekend. I will not be going to the party because I'm traveling to Oregon in August. I thought I would write a little bit about my parents, marriage, and 50 years. I found this list of 50 things learned by a reporter of the Chicago Tribune. I agree with most of what he says. What do you think? 50 things I've learned in 50 years, a partial list in no particular order I’m turning 50 next week. So I thought I’d take the opportunity here to list 50 things I’ve learned in 50 years—truths gleaned from experience and the words of others that guide, inspire and sometimes haunt me: 1. It’s better to sing off key than not to sing at all. 2. Promptness shows respect. 3. You can’t avoid offending people from time to time. When you don’t mean it, apologize. When you do mean it, accept the consequences. 4. The first person to use the expression “Get a life!” in any dispute is the loser. 5. The medium is not the message.

We had a very busy weekend. I could use a few days of rest. On Saturday we got allot done around the house. Saturday night Juergen and I got to go out together. We were celebrating his 49Th birthday. First we went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. It was totally predictable and completely unrealistic but I loved it anyway! Then we went to a small hole in the wall pizza place. We are considering having Juergens Big 50Th party bash in this very cute Italian place. At least it's on our short list. Sunday was actually Juergen's birthday. The kids and I made a great birthday breakfast for papa. We had eggs Benedict with "holiday sauce". It's Hollandaise sauce but since we eat it every holiday, Thomas calls it Holiday sauce. Thomas had a work shop in African drumming Sunday afternoon. Sunday night Juergen and Nicole got to raise some money for the house in Mexico. They gave an announcement at Heidelpraise, and received part of the offering. This morning Jessica left o

I know your going to love this special version of the old standard! I did not actually watch the whole video...and I bet you won't either! I love you to the end!!!