Memories

I sometimes wonder if I make up memories.

I very vividly remember being going to gymnastics when I was younger. There was a great big swimming pool full of pieces of foam. After gymnastics was over, the bigger kids got to jump into the foam and play. I remember wanting to jump into that foam so badly! I have no idea if there is such a thing. If there is, I would love to go jump in the foam sometime.

I remember stopping at a place somewhere between New York and Tennessee. It was right before driving through a long tunnel on the interstate. I'm not sure if the place was a rest stop or historical marker or what. But inside they had tunnels that I could crawl through and a slide. Does that sound crazy?

I remember walking with my mom to a girl's house in an apartment complex. My mom introduced me to another little girl, but I don't remember ever seeing her again.

I definitely remember seeing a bear in the Smoky Mountains, although I know my parents think I am crazy on that one. (Mom and Dad, feel free to verify or deny the other ones in the comments.)

I wonder if I made up these memories somewhere along the way or if they are so early in my life that they are more vague than others. Have you ever had a dream that was so real, you thought it might have actually happened?

I love the random memories. You can't necessarily remember everyday in your life, but you remember the random bits and pieces. Why does my brain choose to remember one thing, but not something else? Sometimes it is the smallest detail that we remember, but not the big events. I see pictures of myself in certain places, but don't remember it at all.

As we get older, we choose to remember things and choose to forget others. But thinking about the young memories are fun because there is no rhyme or reason to why it stuck in your brain.

Don't you love when you smell something or see something that triggers a memory? You sit there and figure out why it is so familiar. Our brains are amazing and incomprehensible! How can a person think we got this ability by chance?

Do you have memories like this? The ones that are really random? Or, am I just a crazy blogger or has to much time to sit and think about things like this?

17 days

So, I thought today, "What will all my readers do when I am in Hawaii for 2 weeks without a single blog post?" Well, there is a webcam on Waikiki beach. So, when you pull up the Feather Files in the morning with your cup o' joe, you will realize that there isn't a new post. Instead, you can click on the link and watch Waikiki Beach. Maybe, if you watch long enough, you will see us! Okay, probably not - we'll still be sleeping. Here is a view of "Turtle Beach" at sunset. I think you can figure out why it is called "Turtle" Beach. They're so cute!

Last night we hung out with some friends we hadn't seen in a while. Sam takes some pretty awesome pictures of nature mostly. I added his link to the side for your viewing pleasure. Here is a few of my fav downloads:

Looking for: a good, honest mechanic. Any suggestions?

The weekend in review

Friday at 2:00pm. Phone rings. "Haberfeld Associates, this is Heather." "Hey Babe." It's Richard. I ask him what he is going to do this afternoon. "I'm thinking about going to the pool." I pout. I want to go too, I say; I wish I could take off the rest of the afternoon. 10 seconds later, the email is sent and I am off for the day. 2 hours swimming and reading a book in the sun. A great way to end a rather long, exhausting week. Friday night we spent a great evening with friends eating and playing cards.

Saturday morning I met my friend, Laura, at the Farmer's Market at 8:15. We stocked up on veggies, looked at some really cute purses, and made it to Bible study by 9am. We are studying the names of God. There are so many and they all describe Him. It should be a great study and it just started if anyone would like to come along. I got my hair cut after that. Shorter than I thought I would go, but I like it. You should see the stub of a ponytail I now have! After a nice long nap, I went to the grocery store and then picked up Indian food for supper. It was a good day.

On Sunday Richard and I got a chance to help in the 3-yr old Sunday School class and we will be doing this for 3 other weeks this summer too. Our job was to keep the attention on the teacher and not on touching other people. I would say that it was fun, but definitely work. They were cute kids and who says kids can't know their verse and Bible story? These kids had it down pat! Sunday afternoon included another nap, another trip to the pool, laundry, and leftover Indian food. It was a nice, relaxing weekend.

Richard has 2 finals this week and we took his truck in to get some work done this morning. Other than that, we are just counting down the days to our vacation....19, by the way.

I...

I am totally copying this from someone else's blog for a lack of creativity on my part, yet a strong urge to post something today.

I am: excited for vacation this year.
I think: a lot.
I know: that I will be in heaven someday.
I want: a dog.
I have: a huge imagination.
I wish: I could take the rest of the day off.
I plan: to graduate from college someday.
I hate: it when people over-react before getting details.
I miss: big trees, everywhere.
I fear: worms of all shapes, types, and sizes.
I feel: content.
I hear: the Eagles on my i-tunes.
I smell: my cocoa butter lotion.
I crave: iced tea.
I search: for my keys alot.
I wonder: where we will be next year at this time.
I regret: sins in the past, but praise God for his grace and forgiveness.
I love: to read.
I hope: to write a book someday.
I ache: to go on a shopping trip with Ruth.
I always: hang my towel over the shower bar in the morning so it will dry.
I am not: an athletic person.
I believe: God's word is truth.
I dance: only in the privacy of my own apartment, and then Richard usually laughs.
I sing: in the shower.
I cry: when I'm tired.
I don’t always: express myself clearly.
I fight: when I am riled up about something.
I write: to express my thoughts.
I never: say "I never..." anymore because it always happens.
I need: a pedicure.

Is it Friday yet???

Nope. It's not Friday yet, but it will be tomorrow and I can't wait. Its been a pretty exhausting week and I am not sure exactly why. On Tuesday morning I went off to my early morning Bible study. Right in the middle of it my phone starts ringing loudly. It was one of those times where everyone is looking at you, but you can't find the phone to shut it up! It was Richard, but I ignored it. Then I got a text and another phone call. Realizing that it must be important, I left Bible study to find out that the truck wouldn't start. So, I took Richard to school and picked him up. Later that night, he decides to ride his bike back to school to finish some lab work. Gets out the bike and the tire is flat. It was just one of those days. The truck goes in on Monday to get fixed.

Dad and Jake came up on Tuesday night. They got into Lincoln at 11pm and left the next day at 5:30pm...not even a 24 hour trip but it was good to see them. I saw Jake for approximately 20 minutes the entire time. I wonder if this is any indication of how it will be when he moves...

The week hasn't be bad, just draining and long. Plus, really uneventful as you can tell with this post. I leave you with 3 thoughts:

1. I need a pedicure. Big time.
2. I'm craving a slushie right now.
3. 23 days until Hawaii. I already want to start packing.

Dying for Christ

The Last Words of Martyrs

Henry Voss: “If I had twin heads, they should all be cut off for Christ.”

Castilla Rupea: “Though you throw my body down off this steep hill, yet will my soul mount upwards again.”

John Buisson: “I shall have a double jail delivery: out of my sinful flesh and out of this loathsome dungeon I have long lain in.”

Taylor : “Now lack I but two steps, and I am even at my Father’s house.”

Carpenter: “All Bavaria is not as dear to me as my wife and children, but for Christ’s sake, I gladly forsake them.”

Where do I start?

Our weekend consisted of doing what we wanted to do and not what we needed to do, which means playing "catch-up" for the rest of the week. Oh well, it was worth it.

Saturday consisted of a morning run and trip to the Farmer's Market with my friend Laura, a tiresome shopping extravanganza in the heat, laying out by the pool, a run, fried chicken and a movie. I got some great flowers at the Farmer's Market, but forgot to take a picture so you will have to imagine them in your head.

Sunday we had a great time in Council Bluffs visiting Richard's Grandparents. Last Tuesday, Richard's grandma suffered a stroke and seizure. She is recovering extremely well due to many prayers. We visited with her for about an hour and she had us laughing the entire time. Richard and I went over to spend time with his Grandpa and it was a fabulous way to spend our afternoon. We had supper at a great little place called Christy Creme. They have a sherbet of the day flavor and twist it with vanilla ice creme. Oh my, yummy. We got to hear some fun stories, and I fell in love with the town of Council Bluffs. Lots of hills and trees. All in all, it was one great day!



This week is gonna be a busy one, but that's okay. Why? Because it makes Hawaii get here even faster!!! (26 days, if anyone is counting...)

The Dream of Higher Education

There was a time when college was for the elite, only those who had enough money and prestige were privileged enough to go. Then, when those people graduated they made all the money and their children could go to college and the trend continued.

Hmm, have you looked at the cost for college here lately??? It seems to me that universities are doing more to prevent students from attending their school than promoting.

I understand that everything from our groceries to our tires to our clothes are going up in price due to gas sky-rocketting, and I won't even touch that conversation, but education??? Seriously.

I attended the University of Nebraska as an out-of-state student from 2004-2006. At that time tuition was $448/credit hour, whereas in-state tuition was around the $150/credit hour mark. OUCH, is right! Today, according to the UNL website, tuition (2007-2008 year) for out-of-state students was $503/credit hour and in-state was $169.50/credit hour. How come out-of-state went up $55 and in-state only went up about $20? Why discourage people from coming to Nebraska? Don't we want people to come here? Don't you think that people that come to college here, might in fact end up living here? If an out-of-state student took 15 hours each semester, the bill for TUITION ONLY comes to $15,090. Add on a butt-load of fees and you are at $17K easy. Oh but wait, you have to live somewhere, eat something, and buy books. Yep, I'm pretty sure that will keep most average students away from attending the University of Nebraska,or any other 4-year college for that matter. I can't understand why enrollment continues going down each year, can you (please detect the sarcasm in that sentence).

And, I was only speaking of out-of-state students, but in-state tuition isn't much better. It is sad to see that students have to struggle to go to college where they want so they can do what they want. It is also a lot of pressure on an 18 year old to decide to take out at least 4 years of loans. I am wondering what the statistics are saying about community college enrollment. I wouldn't be surprised if it is rising, but I am going to leave my soapbox on how great JuCo's are for another day.

Obviously, it is not bad to spend money on education. In fact, it is necessary. It is not bad to go to a 4-year school directly out of high school. In fact many life changing memories and experiences will happen. It is not bad to spend money for a master's, doctorate, or whatever degree you want. I just wish it could be more accessible to everyone.

Summer

Do you remember the feeling of the last day of school for the year? The day was filled with so much anticipation of the next 3 months of freedom. Your senses were going crazy with all the excitement. You could smell the sunscreen and chlorine, and the food on the grill. You could hear crickets chirping, splashes from the high dive, and fireworks at 4th of July. You could taste the sweet corn, the sun tea, the watermelon, the fresh veggies, and the shaved ice. You could spend late nights with friends, and then wake up without an alarm. You could read books to your hearts content (okay, maybe that was just me!) I wish adults could have summer vacations too!

It's a beautiful day outside. I can't tell that from my desk on the 15th floor in the hallway that would be very dark without the artificial lighting. No, the only reason I know is because I just walked by a co-worker's office and saw the blue sky. Most days I take my lunch in the park across the street so I can relax for an hour in the sunshine. For that hour, I feel like I am on summer vacation again, time stands still, and I don't have to go back to work.

Now, there is a different feeling to summer. In the summer, the restaurants downtown aren't filled with college students over lunch and campus feels desserted when I take a walk. The streets downtown are Thursdays nights aren't filled with college students searching for "fun." In the summer, I have more energy when I get home to go for a run or to the pool. We seem to get out and enjoy the evenings together when the sun stays out. In the summer, the weekends are filled with soaking up sun and playing outside.

YEAH! SUMMER'S HERE!!!

32 Days

If you are a friend, family member, enemy or an acquaintance I just met on the street, I am sure that you have no problems coming up with what happens in 32 days. For those of you who have no connection with me (and therefore should not read my blog), we leave for Oahu in 32 days! We are spending 12 days (counting traveling days) vacationing at a destination that I believed I would only visit in my dreams.



If you are wondering what we could possibly do for 12 days in Hawaii, I must ask you, "Do you know where Hawaii is?" I plan to see everything that island has to offer for the 12 days we are there, and when I need a break, I am going to the beach and soaking up all the UVA and UVB rays I can. Haha, obviously exaggerations, but I can't fathom we will get bored especially with Ryan and Martha there most of the time, a pool in the backyard, and a beach within walking distance. (By the way, our house is right on the other side of that volcano in the picture!)

A Great Day

On Saturday night, Richard surprised me with a "Happy 1st Race present." He got me a running watch to wear when I work out so I can keep track of how fast (or slow) I am going and improve from there. It is really awesome!

I woke up on Saturday morning with knots in my stomach because I was so nervous. Slowly, I put on my shoes, attaching the time-chip to my laces. I pinned the number to my t-shirt and waited until it was time to leave, not saying much of anything. When we got to the race, I realized that setting up a "rendezvous point" would have been smart, but we all found each other near the starting lines. I think I was the only nervous one, but standing there and waiting for the 10K to start and then waiting more for our race to start was gruelling.

Finally, the gun went off and we started running. The knots did not go away, but persisted throughout the entire race. I remember thinking the entire time, "I will never do this again. One time is enough for me!" There were lots of little kids running, so we had to swerve around them. It was a constant battle because they would sprint for a while, get tired and walk, then sprint again. We would pass them, then get passed, etc. At one point, about halfway thru, a car was inching into the intersection to drive right through us. Any normal person would turn around and find an alternate route, but not this person. Right as we entered the interesection, the person gunned it right through, making me stop a little. I gave the car a pound on its behind to let it know that was RUDE!!! Richard was a great cheerleader for all of us, plus he took pictures during the race (notice I am scowling in each one). One race participant yelled out that the spectators are not supposed to run faster than the racers!

The picture above shows us all at the beginning of the race. Laura and I are in the gray shirts and matching shorts, Abby is in the bright pink shirt (so we never lost sight of her).

When the finish was in sight, I was exhausted. I didn't think I could even give it a last push, however a lady with a stroller passed me and all of the sudden I surged ahead not willing to be beat by the people ahead of me. I won't lie, that felt really good. I finished at 17:52, which was more than I hoped for (I was aiming in the 16 minute). I am not disappointed, however, because I was extremely nervous, there was a lot of wind, it was very hot and humid, and it was my very first race. I actually think that having a goal made me more nervous. I am just thankful that we all finished and had a great time! And, my watch was great! I looked at it about halfway through and could guess how we were doing.

It was really fun to do this with friends. I don't think it would have been as enjoyable if I was all alone. Instead, at the finish we could talk and congratulate each other.

Laura and I went to get some orange slices after the race. As we were walking back, we heard, "We need a representative from Chicks on the Run to come to the Lincoln Track Club trailer to get your prize." We were in shock. It ends up that we got 2nd place in the femail division and we got $7 gift certificates to any Havelock store! That sealed the deal for me and made me want to do another race! I think you will see us running another race at some point...perhaps we will bump it up to a 5K!

After the race, we were pooped. We went home to shower and then I met the Millhouse/Huebert family at a new little restaurant that had perfect tasting Southern Sweet Tea. After a great meal, I went to South Pointe and did a little shopping, took a nap, and then Richard and I ordered pizza and watched a movie. It felt good to relax (Richard ran 6 miles before the race, chased me around during the race, and golfed that afternoon) It was a great day.

Storms

For the last 2 weeks Nebraska weather has been hot, humid, and stormy. Lincoln always seems to miss the brunt of the storms, but last night we finally got to see some action!

We were in a "doppler-indicated" tornado warning, which meant that no tornadoes had been sighted on the ground yet, but the storm had produced tornadoes in other towns, so it was very likely we could see one. Richard and I stood on our balcony and watched the storm come in. It seemed so far away and then, all of the sudden, it was right over top of us. The temperature suddenly cooled and the winds picked up. Then, you could see the rain at the street lights and knew it was a matter of seconds before it hit us.

The tornado sirens went off before the rain started. They only rang for about 2 minutes, but it was hilarious at our apartment complex. About 2 minutes before the sirens started, people started congregating outside to see the storm come in. There were nervous women, picture takers, and many on their cell-phones wondering where they should go if a tornado should come. Richard and I opted to stay in our apartment until we saw or heard that a tornado was actually on the ground. It turned out that Lincoln only got the rain part of the storm, and A LOT of rain. Guess what...we are supposed to have the same song, second verse tonight!

After the rain quit, Richard and I went out to watch the lightning storm. We got some pictures, but it doesn't do justice to the extreme amount of lightning. Neither of us had seen anything like it.

Life keeps going and going and going

In 38 days we are going to Hawaii.

In 148 days I will be 25.

In 229 days Richard will be 25.

In 337 days Richard will be a dentist.

As a child, I remember thinking, "I can't wait to be 10." Then, "I can't wait to be 16." As a teenager I couldn't wait to be 18. In jr. high we want to be in high school. In high school we want to be in college. And in college, we want to be done with school. At some point the "I can't waits" turn to "I wish I was still..." The desire to be done with college turns to "remember the days..." Where is that turning point in which we stopping wanting to be older and start wishing time wouldn't go by so fast?

Some days I feel old. Those days when I think of how old my brothers are now. Those days when I see kids I used to babysit graduate from high school. Those days when I think back on high school and can't remember details as clearly.

Some days I feel young. Those days when see friends buying houses and having kids. Those days when I talk about going back to college. Those days when I think of all the years left in our life.

When Richard started his 3rd year of dental school, we knew it would fly by and determined that we would enjoy every moment of it. Both those things happened. Before we know it, we will be forced to grow up and live in the adult world. But, there is one thing that will never change. We will live life and enjoy every moment of it. And so, I will look forward to our vacation in Hawaii and I will be ready when it comes time for Richard to graduate, but these are days I will never forget.

Remembering the fun times is good. Looking forward to the future is good. Living in the present, however, is the only way to enjoy life the way God has planned. My grandma used to sing this song to wake us up in the morning (It definitely sounds better at 3:00 in the afternoon as opposed to 6:30am):

"This is the day. This is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. We will rejoice. We will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it."

Random, Very Random

It has been a whole week since I have posted anything and not one outcry from my readers wondering what has happened to me. Oh well, it obviously isn't keeping me from typing away!

39 days (or 5.5 weeks) until we leave for Hawaii. A co-worker just got back this weekend and was telling me about their trip which is getting me excited all over again. I have to be honest, we have been planning this for over a year now so it feels very different knowing that it will actually be happening in a few weeks! Spent a few days at the pool this weekend to start the base tan...gotta loooong way to go for sure.

I believe my very first post was about running and that was about 8 weeks ago. I thought I should update you on how it is going. My goals was, "to someday enjoy it [running] even a teensy weensy bit." I never believed Richard when he said that running actually got past the painful stage and felt good, but it has done that very thing for me. I still have to motivate myself to get out there (it's all about making time for it - otherwise you will find 10 million other things to do), but during the run I don't feel like dying and I actually even push myself to do more and better. For instance, on Saturday I ran 4 miles consecutively for the first time in my life! And last night, I did an 8:21 mile. That is slow compared to Richard and Jake, but it is record-breaking for me. So, I have officially gotten in the "habit" of running and have no desire to stop because I NEVER want to be back at that horrible beginning stage again! Two friend of mine, and their moms, are running with me on Saturday in a little charity run. I made my goal of being "in the habit of running" by this race. I am really excited that I get to do this with my friends though - it has been great encouragement. I think I need to post a picture now to keep you interested in this post. The first one is Richard and I when we jogged on Thanksgiving and the second is Jake running cross-country.





This is probably my most unorganized post ever, but if you have stuck with me this far, I have one little quote for you that I found very interesting and want you to think about. I had re-memorized Psalm 19 and was quoting it for Richard on our camping trip. We talked about how the Bible says God is revealed to everyone through His creation and that there is not one person who can say they didn't know there was a God. Therefore, ignorance is not an excuse and therefore we have only two options: deny God or accept Him. The very next week, this quote popped up and happened to correlate with what we talked about. I love how God works things together like that.

“It takes no brains to be an atheist. Any stupid person can deny the existence of a supernatural power because man’s physical senses cannot detect it. But there be ignored the mystery of first life…or the marvelous order in which the universe moves around us. All of these evidence the handiwork of a beneficent Deity. For my part, that Deity is the God of the Bible and Christ, His Son.’"
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

Now, go read Psalm 19.