Four Things About Me

This was a forward I received from my sister. Here are 'Four Things About Me'...

Four Things About Me --- Holly Dressel

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Cashier/Food Prep @ Donutland - my first job at age 15!
2. Customer Service Rep @ a Marketing Company
3. Waitress (part-time for 2 years to help supplement my full time job at a non-profit)
4. Training & Recruiting Coordinator (my current position - still at the non-profit...but making more $$ - no need to waitress still!)

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:
I don't watch too many over and over again now...but as a kid/teen/young adult I'd watch...
1. Grease
2. Footloose
3. Sound of Music
4. Gone with the Wind

C) Four places I have lived:
Iowa (born in IA, lived there total of about 10 years of my life)
Colorado (for about three years - kindergarten through 3rd grade)
Texas (as a pre-schooler and then again for a couple years in elementary school-no accent!)
Minnesota (my current home-state...have lived here for about 8 years now!)

D) Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Lost (my #1 favorite TV show right now)
2. Grey's Anatomy (#2 fav)
3. Little House on the Prairie
4. Nearly anything on HGTV

E) Four places I have been on vacation
1. Ireland (just got back from there 2 days ago!)
2. Sausalito/San Fransisco, California (honeymoon a little over 1 year ago)
3. Kenya - for mission trip and vacation - went on an awesome 3 day safari too!
4. Portland, Oregon to visit my friend Jen

G) Four of my favorite foods: (none of the following I can actually eat right now on my current diet-I'll live vicariously through the past!
1. My husband's wonderful Garlic Mashed Potatoes!
2. Mom or Hubbie's chili (yum!)
3. Ice Cream - my fave? Ben & Jerry's 'Everything But The...' mixture of several of their star ice cream flavors
4. A new fave - my friend Leah's Irish mum's homemade Bailey's Irish Creme Cheesecake

H) Four places I would like to be right now:
1. Some exotic and warm overseas location - like a beach in Southern Italy or something!
2. Hangin' with my sistah's and brotha
3. Sleeping in a hammock outside in a warm peaceful location
4. Playing with my dog in a HUGE dog-park, again - somewhere warm (can you tell I am freezing anyone?)

New Year's Eve 2006 - Pictorial Review

I decided to do a Pictorial Review of New Year's Eve 2006...it started with our first real snowfall (at least South of the River) - which was PJ's first experience in snow...ever! He loved it, barking at the snow falling from the window - and he tried to eat ALL the snow on our deck!

Later I braved the somewhat slippery roads (ahh what am I saying...we're Minnesotans! We can drive in feet of snow!) and headed off to a New Year's Eve Party held at the home of Amy Vogland with some of our closest friends! It was a blast (even though poor Roberto had to work late and arrived with about two hours to spare before the final countdown!). It was a mini-birthday party, as Amy fixed birthday cakes for all of us celebrating a December birthday. how thoughtful! Hope you enjoyed my New Year's Eve 2006 Pictorial Review!!!

SUMMARY OF MY LAST YEAR ON THE COMPUTER

My mom sent me the e-mail below...and it was cracking me up! Read below...and I'll bet you'll smile a time or two!

SUMMARY OF MY LAST YEAR ON THE COMPUTER
I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.
Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.
I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me forparticipating in their special e-mail program.
I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.
I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.
I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day
Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within fiveminutes.
Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.
I no longer can buy gasoline without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.
I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.
I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.
And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face...disfiguring me for life.
I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.
I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.
I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.
I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support ourAmerican troops or the Salvation Army.
I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan .
I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.
I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.
Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.
Thank you too for all the endless advice Andy Rooney has given us. I can live a better life now because he's told us how to fix everything.
And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped inthe parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.
I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies.
If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back,causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician...
Have a wonderful day....
A South American scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, hasdiscovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.
Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late

PJ

Yeah, it's been forever, I know. I would say I am turning over a new leaf and intending to blog more frequently, but I know that you - my regular readers would say 'now how many 'new leaves' have you turned over Holly?' That's what I say every time, I know. So all I'm going to say is, I'm writing today!

We've got a new little guy in our house that is bringing all sorts of adjustments with him! But we love him, so it's okay! Sometimes he wakes us up in the middle of the night, and daily we are dealing with poop, pee and such lovely bodily functions. We have faced the dilemma of how to be sure he is safely taken care of while we are at work, and we are getting used to feeding routine.

No - it's not a new baby - but I can really see how it can be training for one! No, we have a puppy! We got PJ a couple of weeks ago - he was rescued by the Humane Society from a pound in Iowa that had him scheduled to euthanized! He is a 7 month old German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix. Here's a picture of what PJ kind of looks like - but this isn't the real PJ! I haven't charged up my digital camera to take a picture of him yet. But he's a cutie and a sweet guy. He's learning and lived most of his life thus far in a cage, so some of that learning is taking a bit longer. We are signed up for training classes at Petsmart starting in a couple weeks and I think he will do GREAT!

Come visit him (and us!) sometime!

Quick Catch Up...

Yes, I do always say that I want to be a regular blogger. But here I am, a month since my last posting. Can I turn over a new leaf with the start of the school year? I hope so!

So what's happened with us in the last month? Well...a lot! Robert started a job at Target Corp, which he LOVES. He's been in the training phase for the past month, and learning a lot! It's been a challenge to learn to adapt to his new schedule. I've been doing a lot more of the real estate stuff - and learning a TON in the process. But I like it, and feel like much more experienced already. While the market is slow, we've been doing okay. In fact, we just sold a house last night!

Robert also started his MBA program. He is doing it through Bethel University, and he just finished his first class yesterday. He likes it and it fits with his schedule well (you only go to class one night a week - and not even every week - it is mostly online). So far he's been disciplined to keep up with his homework too - despite his busy schedule. Way to go honey!

Over the last month or so, we've been researching adoption. Robert and I have always known that we want to adopt children, regardless of our ability to have children biologically too. Since we are both working at places that will help pay for adoption, we thought it would be a good option to pursue right now. So we went through the process of getting information from a bunch of different agencies, paring it down and going to informational meetings. We filled out a preliminary application for one agency we were especially impressed by, and received a formal application. We decided to 'pull the trigger' and go for it, despite our uncertainties and fears. As we were in the process of filling out the formal application, we set up a meeting with an adoption coordinator at the agency we plan to work with. That meeting was this past Monday and was very helpful. Based on that meeting, and more information that we learned, we decided to wait on pursuing adoption for a couple years. In the meantime, we'll work on having our first child be a biological one! The reasons we decided to wait were because the program we are mainly interested in (Colombia) has changed their restrictions. Couples must now be married for 3 years to adopt. In addition, the waiting list for that program is currently about a year long. Other programs are similar in length of wait. If we have a child biologically, we can be on the adoption waiting list while our child is growing in his/her first year or two, which will make more sense for us.

I'd love to write more, but I have to jet off to work. I WILL try to be more regular at blogging! I'm not saying you'll see something from me every day, but at least once a week.

All for now!

The Write Way

When I was a little girl I loved to write stories. I would make-up stories about everything, write them down on lined sheets of paper, add some rough illustrations and staple them together. Sometimes my friend Colleen and I would write stories together. I remember one in particular about a little girl who really wanted new shoes. But her mom wouldn't buy her any new shoes because the shoes she had were 'just fine'. One day the little girl passed a shoe store and saw a sign in the window that advertised a contest. It was the "Worst Shoes Ever" contest. A week from then, judges would be judging all the contestant's shoes. The worst pair (dirtiest, smelliest, ugliest) would win a FREE pair of shoes from the store! So this little girl went to work over the course of the next week trying to destroy her current pair of shoes as much as possible so that she could win the contest. She did all sorts of creative horrible things to her shoes, all the while trying to hide them from her mother. The day before the contest, her mother found her shoes and the little girl got in HUGE trouble. Despite being grounded, she snuck out to the contest the next day. She figured if she could win the contest it would make it up to her mom. Sure enough, she DID win the contest and got back in good standings with her mom.

A cheesy kids story, but one I loved (and got an A for in my fourth grade English class too!). Anyway, all that to say, I love writing. Most of you know that by know. Most of you know that I've been working on a book for...ahem...two years. Yep, two years and it really isn't even started. I have the character development done, the plot outline done, and have just started doing some research (which my mom graciously offered to help me with...thanks Mom!). Then I'll embark on the actual writing...which I think will just flow once I get started.

I recently joined a writing club at Barnes and Noble near our house. It is a small group of aspiring writers (of all sorts) meeting twice a month. Some are just hoping to chronicle their own family stories for their own use, others are freelance journalism writers, children's writers or novel writers. We even have a brilliant 14 year old boy who has just finished his 8th fantasy/sci-fi novel (the 8th in a series of 8). None published yet, but if he keeps it up he may just be the next J.K Rowling (male version of course).

I have every intention and desire to ramp up my writing - both to get this book in the works completed, but also to branch out with my writing. I am looking forward to an upcoming conversation I will be having with the director of a locally based women's ministry that uses all sorts of media to reach out to women (ie - radio, print, etc.) to determine how I may be able to use my interest in writing in a way that ministers to others.

I got a fortune cookie fortune a little while ago that I taped to my computer monitor. Not that I believe fortune cookie slips hold our destiny, but sometimes the sayings are good motivators or reminders. This one says 'You will be fortunate in the opportunities presented to you." That reminds me that while sometimes opportunities do just fall into our laps, more often than not we have to seek out those opportunities and pursue them. Like with writing...stay tuned! :o)

Philosophical

Today I am face to face with my humanity. My human nature, the nature I am born with separate from God. The human nature that we all have. It’s our human nature, along with the absence of God (an absence which we impose, not Him) and the attacks of Satan which fuel our sin, our selfish-ness, our strongholds, addictions and wayward emotions. God, and our faith in Him, is the complete opposite of our human nature. However, being a believer does not remove our human nature. On the contrary, it probably makes our human nature so much more in our face.

Have you ever done something, be it large or small, that was solely an act of your human nature? Something even out of character for your character and personality? Something that surprised you? Upon coming face to face with the reality of that ‘something’ was your spirit grieved for what you had done?

I remember during my teenage and young adult years I would often hear powerful testimonies from people who had come to faith in Christ through a powerful conversion, having had a real ‘Damascus Road’ kind of turning their back on sin and turning wholly to God. So many testimonies of someone who were living lives of crime, drugs, prostitution, gang involvement, total abandon of God. But then, through a person, or an event, or even a whacked out drug trip, they came face to face with the one true God and their life was never the same. When I heard those testimonies (and believe me, am I ever grateful for such testimonies), it was clear to me how real Jesus was to the people who were speaking. How intensely they had felt the burden of their sin, and how equally intensely they had felt the joy of salvation and forgiveness. At times I would have a twinge of jealousy. Not jealousy at their former life, or even their testimony story. But at their ability to fully know intellectually, emotionally and spiritually the impact of their salvation and the free gift of God’s forgiveness. Having grown up in a strong Christian home (thank you mom and dad!) and becoming a believer as a child, the depth of my sin and thus the height of my joy of salvation seemed to pale in comparison.

While I haven’t suddenly joined the ranks of the criminals, drug abusers, killers, gang-bangers, or prostitutes out there (are you all breathing a sigh of relief?), the ‘something’ I did recently was so contrary to who I am and who God calls me to be that it hit me like a ton of bricks. What initially seemed fairly innocous (the sweet murmurings of Satan), hit me square in the face this morning and my spirit was intensely grieved. The burden and pain of sin that suddenly sat on my shoulders and heart was so heavy it physically felt like something sitting on me. My humanity was so real, and so tenuous and my anger with myself so intense. I brooded much of the morning about the sense of failure and disappointment with myself that had invaded my soul.

But then, there was a conversation with the one I had offended. It was a simple conversation, but one that whispered of the beginnings of reconciliation. Shortly after that I walked outside and warm rays of sunshine hit my face, birds singing in the trees, bright flowers coloring the landscape…all indications of life and life abundantly. Then I got on my car and the radio jumped to life automatically, blaring these very words…

“Because I’m forgiven,
Because I am free
Because of your mercy
And you believe in me.
Because you are my Saviour
Because you are my friend
Your love lifts me higher than
I’ve ever been”

The truth of God’s forgiveness, when we are so undeserving hit me in a way it never had before. In the midst of my heavy heart and contemplation of my human sinful nature I was absolutely dumped on by God’s forgiveness and love. Arms raised to the sky my, my eyes wet with tears of shame commingled with tears of joy I could only get creative enough to say ‘Thank You, Thank You, Thank You’ to the Saviour who brings hope to my world and the world of all who come to know Him.