The Event ~ The Wedding of Cash & Annie

It was a beautiful wedding ~ perfect in all ways.  The storm clouds wanted to roll in right above the church at 5:00 p.m. and teased at raindrops and windblown table linens over the outdoor reception area.  Circles of prayer warriors gathered here and there and prayers for calm and clear weather were sent up.  Prayers were answered ~ the evening outdoor reception was perfect weather in every way! 

Everything fell into place at exactly the right moment, following the precise time line set in place by Cash and Annie, even though Mom here was worried about it all. 

The music was awesome with two vocal numbers by Larry Scovil accompanied by only violin played by Nisha Dietrich.  The foot washing ~ where Cash and Annie washed each other's feet in an act of honoring and serving one another ~ made a huge statement and witness. 

Annie was a beautiful bride.  Cash was a handsome groom. 

The message given by Cash's good friend and Pastor spoke volumes about the couples love for God, for each other, and for service and ministry to others.   The union was blessed by Annie's uncle, Pastor Jesser, as he sealed the vows and blessed the rings. 

The dinner of carved brisket and artichoke chicken was scrumptious, followed with tiers of cupcakes.  The dj, Pastor Jason Kennedy, high school friend of Cash, created the most amazing ambience with soft music and a spiritual waft to the evening.  Pastor & DJ ~ what an unusual mix, but a great way to spread the message. 

My mother/son dance to "It's a Wonderful World" was a moment in time to be cherished. 

It was so nice to bring family together again for this celebration.  I always love having my three children in the same place at the same time, and all the family that celebrations like this reach out to.  I just wish more family would choose to come to these happy life celebrations rather than waiting to appear at the celebrations of life ever after.  I cherish the family and friends who did make the journey to Grand Junction, CO for the wedding. 

Even though it was a perfect wedding in every way, a perfect marriage doesn't automatically follow.   But Cash and Annie have the tools in place to draw as close to perfection as God allows, utilizing their prayers, faith, love of Jesus, placing God at the helm of their home and lives, instilling compassion for one another, deserving  compliments, communication, trust and respect and honor for each other; and engaging their adventuresome personalities to have fun and enjoy life. 

Congratulations Cash and Annie!  I love you both~

The Event ~ The Morning Walk at Sunrise

The sunrise continues to be the most awesome event to experience.

For several years I have enjoyed getting up early (earlier than usual) and getting in a swift two-mile walk.  The early morning hours are the best time of the day, the calmest time of the day.  Walking in that calm, serene is a perfect time for prayer and meditation.   

I don't walk in the winter time or in stormy elements.  I'm not one of those die-hard walkers who are out there regardless of the weather.  I am a fair-weather walker!  I am  noticing it is getting harder and harder to get up earlier and earlier.  However, I think this gloomy, rainy, cold weather that has infringed into our normal beautiful April and May days are to blame for my resistance to getting up.   The weather is just not cooperating lately.

However, this morning, after a long, hard rain through the nite, it was quiet and serene and the sun showed promise of breaking through the clouds.  My husband prompted me to get up and walk, and I stood at the window observing the overcast sky and crawled back into bed.  With more guilt-laden prompting, I arose, dressed, and headed out the door.

The minute I stepped outside, I took in the fresh air and the warmth, calmness and stillness of the morning, and was so glad I did not waste this moment lingering longer in bed.   I walked my two miles, and then pulled a few weeds when I returned to the yard, and planted my cabbage plants in the garden. 

Today, the sun shown brightly through a parting in the clouds as it rose above the horizon.  Again, I felt thankful that I had not missed this sunrise. The sunrise is a most amazing event. 

I use this time to pray for my children, my friend Lori and her family, other friends in need,  my family, and today the people in Joplin, Missouri and other areas suffering weather wrath.   I give thanks to God for creating the beauty around me.  I sing the Doxolgy ~ "Praise God from whom all blessings flow. . . ." and the song I learned in Sunday School  as a child ~ "Thank you Lord for saving my soul, thank you Lord for making me whole.  Thank you Lord for giving to me. thy great salvation so rich and free."     I also talk to myself as I practice some ventriloquist dialogue.  This morning it was Delila ~ my pink and purple scatter brained bird ~  whom I conversed with.  It seems she wants to sing in the choir, insisting that all God's creatures have a place in the choir.  .   .   .  

The Event ~ God's Wrath

I sit here being thankful for living in this isolated little valley tucked down among the low-lying hills of western Nebraska, where we are so often removed from the glamour, excitement, newest and latest of the rest of the world, and more often than not, missing the severe weather that is turning the rest of the nation and the world into  disaster zones.

Week after week, year after year, we listen to and watch the news of devastation destroying communities, families, lives, and possessions  across the nation and the world, from hurricanes like Katrina in Louisiana and hurricanes in Florida, tornados recently tearing the state of Alabama apart, the sunamis destroying small countries on the other side of the world, earthquakes in Japan,  fires and floods in California,  the Mississippi flooding out millions of farmers' cropland and  communities along the boundaries of that mighty river; and now today seeing vivid pictures on the news of the mass destruction of Joplin, Missouri at the hand of the most powerful and  deadly single tornado in history.   And the weather experts promise more to come. . . .

We cannot control the weather!  The weather is a force of its own.  Does God allow this destruction on the face of the earth  because He is so saddened by the abandonment of people who reject Him, the governments that have eliminated Him from schools, and eliminated the right to share prayer openly.   Is God showing his wrath because people don't  acknowledge Him as the creator, their savior; because people don't commune with Him and include them in their lives; because of rejection and people choosing other inanimate sources to invest their heart and soul into?  (inanimate: not endowed with life or spirit; lacking consciousness; lacking power of motion.)   

I'm not grouping all people together in one category, because there are many, many Christian believers and prayer warriors who are part of the kingdom of God here on earth.    And many of  those real Christians are among those suffering in these fierce storms of nature.    Isn't it ironic how many people who don't include prayer and God in their life will turn to prayer and/or plead to the one true  God for grace and mercy and help only when they personally are affected by tragic events? 

"God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation.  We will never regret that kind of sorrow.  But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death."

Even the news media shows clips and video of devastated people  turning to prayer following devasting events.  And the news media are not avid promoters of God and prayer.   It is a known fact that  trials and  devastation of lives and homes can turn more people to God than to not.  Is this God's way of rebuilding his Kingdom here on earth?  "Trust me and know that I am God!"   

It is amazing when people who have rejected God will turn to Him only when they are so far down and out and have exhausted all their own "fixes", and tried all their own ways, and followed all life's fun and games to fill the void in their heart; and only when they are completely beaten, will they turn to God with a plea for help.  And then through God's grace, mercy, and favor He will pluck them out of their dire mess and rekindle a fellowship with them to bring them to live and experience true happiness and joy through Him.  These acts of weather destruction in people's lives always bring many, many people to their knees and turns them to depend on God, because there is nothing else left but to  let the hand of God direct and rebuild their lives.   People who have to rebuild without faith will have a tough row to hoe.  People with faith will have a tough row to hoe, but they will have that inner peace, comfort, spirit, love, and direction that enables them to turn it all over to God ~ to let go and let God. 

I know I, we in Western Nebraska, are not exempt from any fierce acts of nature.  We have already experienced mild storms of hail destruction, tornado destruction in the past ~ not anywhere close to what the rest of the nation and world have been hit by.    Is our turn coming?  Very well could be.  How will I handle it?    In the meantime, I am thankful for His grace, mercy, love, peace, comfort, and blessings God has allowed me to enjoy.   I will remember in  prayer the people suffering in Joplin, Missouri that they will somehow feel God's presence in their lives and allow Him to be a part of their rebuilding process ~starting with the heart, soul and spirit.

I have for a long time claimed the scripture verse "In everything give thanks."  In all things find something to give thanks about, for when left in God's hands, all things will work together for good to those who love God.   


"The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure."      

The Event ~ Echos From the Past

Saturday night we had dinner out (in), in a home of people we did not know.  Except I felt like I  knew this older couple just a wee bit.  Backup  a minute.

A year or so ago I read a book (which I don't do very often) called "Echos From the Past".  It was in a box of books that landed in our garage from an auction.   What made me notice this book was that it was written by a local woman that used to own and operate a  store in Scottsbluff years ago, Anita Osborn.  She was a German lady, you could tell by her very defined German accent.  The book was about her childhood years being abandoned as a child during WWII in Germany and her escape from Germany. (Her parents had to choose to leave her behind when they escaped, because they couldn't take all four of their children.) I found it quite interesting, especially since I could put a face to the author, as she shared her German memoirs, her echos from the past.

Back to the present ~ Last week a friend, Steve Huber, called and asked if we would join them for a genuine  home-cooked, German dinner  at the home of Bill and Anita Osborn.  Absolutely YES, no doubt about it.  Then I asked what the deal was.  Steve had bought this "home-cooked German dinner for six" that Anita and Bill donated at a fund raiser several months ago.   Steve and the Osborn's finally scheduled the dinner for Saturday night and Tim and I were one of the couples Steve and Sue invited to join them.   The other couple was Jim and Cindy Neuwirth, people we know, but don't really associate with. 

I remembered this was the lady who wrote the book.  I grabbed my copy of the book and took it along and Anita autographed it for me. 

The evening was elegant, the food delicious, the hospitality wonderful.  We started with hors 'dourves and German cocktails and German beer, followed by salad, mushroom soup, beef and gravy, potato balls, red cabbage and vegetables, ending with a very delicate German cheesecake, all accompanied by German wine.  The last little treat was a German chocolate filled with German liqueur.   German music played in the background.

Bill and Anita served the entire meal to the six of us at a table graced with white linen, elegant German Bavarian china, crystal, silver, and flowers.  I asked Bill and Anita to sit and join us for dessert which they did, and we continued to fellowship, sharing interesting conversation around the table.

Bill and Anita Osborn were gracious hosts.  It was such a pleasant evening out ~ an event I was glad to be a part of as we made new eventful friends. 

The Event ~ In Remembrance of Dad

I missed the appropriate posting day for this blog.  It should have been April 18. 

April 18, 1998 is the day my father died very unexpectedly.  He had been hospitalized for something which I can't remember.  But he received his dismissal papers and was dressed and ready to go home when he sat back down on the hospital bed to regain his composure, equilibrium, or whatever, because all of a sudden he didn't feel right.  He laid back down on the bed and died a few hours later.   The doctors must have known it was something serious and out of the ordinary because I was called and told they didn't think he was going to live.  Tim and I hit the road as fast as we could to get to Billings, MT,  but Dad was gone by the time we got to the hospital.

I remember it was on a Saturday.  Tim and Janel were here for the weekend because they came to see  Cash in the high school musical that weekend.  We all had tickets for the Saturday night performance.  Tim and Janel and Cash drove to Billings the next day. 

Dad was cremated, and later in the summer, by brother Allen and his wife Suzy, and my Mom took Dad's ashes to the old homestead farm that he grew up on and buried his ashes on a knoll on the farm.  They also planted tulips among the wild flowers and sagebrush.

Later Mom had a stone made and placed at the burial site.  Tim and I were able to visit the site several years ago when we were in the area.  My cousins Arvid and Sherry took us out there.  It was a solemn event.  I miss my Dad.

The Event ~ Graduation

What a privilege it was for Tim and I to attend ~ locally ~ our soon-to-be daughter-in-law's college graduation as she received her Bachelor's Degree in Dental Hygiene from the University of Nebraska Medical Center on Saturday, May 7.   We have had the special privilege of being part of her life for the last 12 months since her and Cash met and rapidly planned their future together. 

Following graduation, we all gathered together at our house for a bbq.  Annie's parents, brother and sister-in-law, and sister, along with Tim's parents and Tom and Kathy and Paul gathered to share the special event with Annie.  The weather was absolutely the most wonderful weather we have had the pleasure of enjoying for an outdoor picnic in a long time.  The temperature was perfect, there was no wind and no flies!  It was such a pleasure to linger longer outside in such perfect weather. 

This graduation day brought back memories of previous graduations that were so very special.  Here is a look back in time at those special occasions.

Cash graduating from Kindergarten at Lincoln Heights School in Scottsbluff in 1987 .   Janel and Alexis did not have graduation from Kindergarten in Bayard.  At least I don't have pictures of it!

Janel graduating from Scottsbluff  High School in 1990.

Janel graduating from University of Nebraska Medical Center with a Master's Degree in in Physical Therapy in 1995.

Alexis graduating from Scottsbluff High School in 1993.

Alexis graduating from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology in 1999.

Alexis graduating from Boston College with a Master's Degree  in Social Work in 2002.

Cash graduating from Scottsbluff High School in 1999

Cash graduating from Moody Bible College in Chicago, Illinois in 2004 with a degree in Biblical Theology.

Daniel Meurer ~ our exchange student from Germany ~ graduating from Scottsbluff High School in 1997.

My own graduation from high school in 1968, here with my Dad.

Graduation is an event worthy of being recorded in family history, or at least blogged about to preseve the memories!

The Event ~ Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2011 ~ Uneventful.  We didn't cook.  We didn't go out.  We didn't go to church.  We helped Annie and Cash pack up and move out one last time.  Cash recently moved to Denver for his new job at REI and was taking yet another load of stuff to Denver.  Annie recently moved in for about 10 days as she finished the last of her classes in preparation for college graduation.  Now she was moving her stuff out and heading home in preparation for her wedding day in a month. 

Once they left, I worked a little in the garden.  We ate left overs from the nite before.  And that was Mother's Day 2011.  But in all my laziness, I did remember to call my mom and Tim's mom and wish them a happy mother's day.  The following picture sums up mothers day.  It's a four-generation picture of my mom, me, my daughter Janel and her first born Jakob in 1998.  This is a Mom moment if there ever was one.   Is there a family resemblence? 

Every day is mother's day!  There is not a day goes by that we are not mothers!  A mother's job is never done ~ no matter what the age.  

The Event ~ Making German Garlic Sausage

Some German Russian family traditions just keep on going strong.  Specifically, making our own garlic sausage. 

When I married into this family in 1970, I learned alot about being self-sufficient.  We raised and butchered our own chickens, we gathered eggs, we milked cows, we froze pickup loads of fresh corn, did alot of canning,  stomped our own sauerkraut, and made our own garlic sausage.  Traditions in the family that kept going for a long time. 

Last night we made garlic sausage.  We do this about once a year, usually whenever we send one of our own market steers to the meat processors.  We put some of our fresh ground hamburger with some fresh ground pork, add some garlic salt, salt and pepper, and run it through the old German sausage stuffer.  Out comes rings and rolls of garlic sausage held together by pork intestinal casings (cleaned of course!).

It tastes so good fresh as we fry up several sample patties in an effort to get just the right amount of seasonings.  Adding about 25 pound packages of fresh sausage to the freezer is just another lesson in self-sufficiency ~ and eating good!

We enjoy getting out the old sausage stuffer.  This stuffer belonged to Tim's Grandpa Stricker, was passed on to Tim's Dad, and now we have it.  It has certainly stood the test of time through the last 80 years.

Perhaps the tradition will continue if the sausage stuffer continues to stay in the family and get passed down from generation to generation.  It is an event not to be lost through the years, but continued in the family history books!

The Event ~ Stop and Smell the Roses ~ and Everything Else

There are just certain things in God's magnificent creation that stirs the soul and makes me glad and thankful in the moment.  Certain things that make me realize how truly blessed I am to be able to recognize and enjoy the beauties that surround me.  Recognize is a key word, as so often life just zips by and if I'm not careful to "stop and smell the roses", I would miss so much of life.   True, some of these enjoyable moments are man-made, but all have their beginnings with God-created elements.  These magnificent simplicities of life must be pondered upon to be truly appreciated.  In no particular order, I appreciate

The colors of the sunrise and the sunset
The calm and quiet of a walk around the boundaries of the farm fields
The sun rays breaking through a cloudy sky
Standing atop a hill and being able to see miles and miles of beautiful landscape
The smell of  our few pine trees that sometimes reminds me of being in the mountains
Watching a gentle falling rain through the window
The aroma of opening a new can of coffee
Crawling into a bed just made with freshly washed sheets
Fresh baked bread hot from the oven and savoring the taste of the first warm slice
The colorful rainbow that arches over our farmland in the summer
Watching family kids of all ages play ball together in the yard
The red and black cattle dotting the green pastures around our home
Baby calves romping in a playful manner
The soft feel and quiet purr of a loveable cat in my lap
Identifying shapes in  fluffy cumulus clouds
Sharing coffee and conversation with friends with no time element
Snuggling up a freshly bathed baby in a soft towel
The scent of baby powder lavished on a freshly bathed baby
A new box of beautiful unused crayola crayons, and choosing that first color to use
Freshly polished hard wood floors
Harvesting abundant vegetables from the garden
A hug from a family member or friend
Listening to the sounds of the ocean the few times I have opportunity to be near the ocean
The white pigeons feasting on freshly turned soil in the fields of the valley
Cuddling with a grandchild and sharing a storybook
Sharing the breakfast table with my husband every morning

These are just some of the things in life that I appreciate in the moment.

The Event ~ Coloring Easter Eggs

One of the fun events of Easter that we have always enjoyed as a family is the coloring of Easter eggs.    Last night Tim and I, Cash and Annie enjoyed the quick few minutes it took to dye only a dozen eggs this year.  There is just something refreshing to eating a colored Easter egg.

Many traditions and practices have formed around Easter eggs. The coloring of eggs is an established art, and eggs are often dyed, painted, and otherwise decorated. Eggs were also used in various holiday games: parents would hide eggs for children to find, and children would roll eggs down hills. These practices live on in Easter egg hunts today. 

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of these eventful Easter egg coloring events when the kids were little.   As the kids got older, we continued to enjoy this special event.  Following are pictures of Janel, Alexis and Cash coloring eggs in 1993,  Cash and exchange student Daniel coloring eggs in 1996, and Jakob, Josh, and Jon  coloring eggs in 1998.  Notice they were without shirts on in the evening on the deck.  Must have been a beautiful spring, unlike the one we are experiencing this year. 

The Event ~ The Loss of an Artist Friend

Audrey Towater, 86, who spent more than 30 years painting scenes of real life including school classrooms, government, businesses and sporting events, died April 13.

I got to know Audrey quite well during  the 13 years I worked at the Chamber of Commerce.  She and I shared lunch several times, and she invited me to special art events in her home. 

In 1993 she painted our family portrait around my infamous dining room table.  She also gave one of her unique paintings to Alexis for her high school graduation.   Her eye for detail and faces was incredible as she enjoyed painting crowds of faces in real life settings.  She painted with her fingers, and to this day I remain amazed at how she could create such detail with her fingers! 

Audrey was  unique and somewhat excentric, but all who knew her knew she was kind, giving and repsected in the community.   I was blessed to call her my friend. 

By the 1980s she was well known both locally and nationally. Her pieces are part of private collections at the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska State Capitol, the Capitol Archives of the United States, the Denver Broncos Coaches Building in Denver, the U.S. Olympic Headquarters in Colorado Springs, the New York Stock Exchange and Cheyenne Frontier Days Museum in Cheyenne, Wyo., to name a few.

Towater was recognized for her art and had her work featured in many newspapers, magazines and advertisements.  Her piece titled “A Nation in Shock,” which followed the assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan, is now displayed in the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.  Towater was painting for Congresswoman Virginia Smith in Washington, D.C., in one of the hearing rooms, and went in early to begin painting the background before anyone had arrived.

She was waiting for the members to arrive.  Then  president was shot, so no member ever arrived that day. So she packed up with an incomplete painting, went back to Nebraska, ended up giving the painting to the president.”  The piece about that fateful day showed the Capitol building through a window of a room containing nothing but empty black chairs.

She was a very unique artist.  Her vibrance in her life and in her artwork probably most accurately reflects who she was.
She will be missed. 

The Event - Easter

Easter is a joyous celebration in the lives of Christian believers.   A celebration of the life of our Lord and Savior.  Like other Christian holidays, it has rapidly gotten lost in the commercialism for retail to harvest big bucks from the consumer.  It won't surprise me if  certain movements will  insist on taking the cross out of Easter as they have already insisted on removing the nativity from Christmas, prayer from schools, the 10 Commandments from public display.  

On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ.  Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by crusifixion is commemorated on Good Friday,  always the Friday just before Easter. Through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus purchasing for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

The biblical account of Jesus' death on the cross,  his burial and his resurrection or raising from the dead, can be found in the pages of the Bible in Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30.

As a family, we have always attended a sunrise service, usually at 6 or 7 a.m.,  shared breakfast with our church family in the church fellowship hall, and shared the rest of the day with family over a ham dinner.  This year will be no different.  

However, on Saturday we will enjoy the opportunity to attend "The Thorn"  with Cash and Annie.  This is a  dramatic portrayal of the passion of Jesus featuring live dance, music, acrobatics and special effects  A very huge and dynamic presentation.in Denver. 

Picture taken from cruise ship in February.  What an awesome God we serve!
  

My prayer is that all of my family and friends will know the joy of Easter in their heart, soul and mind.

The Event ~ Meal Time at Janel's

In early March Tim and I made another trip to Eagle, NE where Janel and Tim live with their seven robust children ~ my seven robust grandchildren.  ROBUST:  having or exibiting strength or vigorous health; rough; strongly formed.   Yep, robust is a good word to describe them.  The occasion was Joshua's confirmation.  It was good to be there and share this special day with him.

But there is something about going to Janel's house that ~ despite the hectic activity and anything but calming ~ is a feel of a healthy heartwarming home filled with love, exuberance and cherished family time.  Specifically:  meal time.  Amidst all the activity Janel releases her stress in the kitchen.  She is a darn good cook and her children and her husband know it, love it, enjoy it.  High on her priority list is sit down together family meals ~ whether it be breakfast, snacks, lunch or dinner.  It is together time. 

Even on school days, the children and mom and dad are at the breakfast table together.  Dinner is family time.  This is an experience that is nearly becoming a lost art in homes across the country.  But it is kept alive in the Andreasen home. 

Another practice in the Andreasen house is the red "You are Special" plate or the white "Celebrate" plate.  These plates are only used on special occasions only by the special celebrant.  Breakfast in bed is served on it every morning an Andreasen celebrates a birthday ~ child or mom or dad.  It gets used for birthday dinners, confirmations, first communions, and other days that are found to be special in the lives of one  of the Andreasens.  Certainly a tradition that will be a cherished memory as these children grow up and start traditions in their own homes.

Janel has a special way of making a special day very special in the lives of her children.  And she has a special way of making meal time a family time. 

She doesn't cut any corners when cooking for her family.  Eating at her house is an event ~ a very filling event!

The Event ~ Going Gently Through the Years

Years and years ago I heard a song sung at an anniversary celebration in our church in Bayard.  The song just spoke to me with its words ~ the message was so simple.   I have kept a copy of that song in my Bible ever since. 

I requested the song be sung at the confirmations of my daughter Alexis and my son Cash; again in church on graduation day for each of them.  All the grandchildren and great grandchildren that were present at my parents 50th wedding anniversary sang it together to them (after a quick 15 minute practice).    Actually, we didn't do a very good job, but it was the thought that counts.   It's a song I request to be sung at my own funeral - take note kids!

The song is titled "Go Gently Through the Years".  Now as I am writing this, I see the words and music are written by a lady whose last name is Rutledge.  Is this a coincidence or what???  Cash will be marrying a Rutledge  in two months!  The person who sang it at the above confirmations and graduations will also be singing at their wedding. 

1.  Go gently through the years, but go with strength.  Don't be ashamed of tears, of anger or of fears.  For they'r a part of you and you're alive.
2.  Go firmly through the night, but go in peace.  Know for yourself what's right, keep all your goals in sight.  For they're a part of you and you're alive.
3.  Walk bravely through each day, and go with God.  Show that you know the way, in things you do and say.  For they're a part of you and you're alive.
4.  Walk daily with your Lord, and walk in faith.  Meet Him in prayer each day, and He'll show you the way.  For He's a part of you and love you so.

The melody and the words are close to my heart and speak a truth that should be lived daily.  Blessings!