Family Newsletter of 2008

January 1, 2009

 

Hello Friends and Family.

 

Happy New Year!

 

We enjoyed hearing from so many of you during the Holidays.  Thank you for your letters.  I am much better at email as it is faster than snail mail, so here it goes!   

 

Our family is doing well; a growing year, with changes coming up for next year.

 

Our children continue to be involved with home schooling, piano, guitar, paper routes, their own bizzes, soccer, football, dog sitting, babysitting, running, pets, Kids’ triathlon, Boy Scouts, volunteering at A Woman’s Touch and Bellevue Food Pantry, horse riding lessons, feeding the homeless in downtown Omaha, and the list goes on...

 

    Rachel’s milestones this year:  

v     Turning 13 and having a Blessing Party with family and friends

v     Winning Kohls’ Kids Who Care ($50.00 shopping spree!  Wheeee!)

v     United Way’s Volunteen of the Year Award

v     Getting her ears pierced and starting “Every Girlz Dream Jewelry Co.”

v     Wining an Import/Export Business Challenge Award

v     Setting up her own website: www.freewebs.com/everygirlzdream

 

     Christian’s milestones this year:

v     Turning 12 and no longer having buzz haircuts!

v     Going to a Huskers Football game (Eagles’ game is next!?)

v     Placing in a HyVee Kids’ Triathlon

v     Completing a seven miler Runway Run in August

v     Crossing over to Boy Scouts and being a First Class Scout

v     Starting Starfish Soap Co. and giving 10% to Starfish Ministries

v     www.Starfishsoap.webs.com

v     Volunteering at the Bellevue Food Pantry

 

      Hannah’s milestones this year:

v     Playing soccer with the Bellevue Soccer Club

v     Taking horse lessons this fall

v     Having her own Omaha World Herald paper route

v     Being a dedicated caretaker of four bunnies

v     Completing the HyVee Kids’ Triathlon

v     Running a seven-miler Runway Run in August

v     Receiving the Commander’s coin for being the youngest participant in the run, along with her brother.  

 

  Amanya’s milestones this year:

v     Started her own businesses of Amanya’s Flower Sales, A’s Awesome Jewelry, Cidz’ Candy Center, & A’s Seed Money. 

v     Preparing for the family’s half marathon in June 2009.  Her longest run is six miles.

v     Continues to excel in piano lessons.

v     Takes life as it comes!

 

I kept busy as a home schooling mom, Boot Camp (fitness) Instructor, Entrepreneurship Educator and an Associate Simply Music Piano Instructor.

 

However, there are some big changes coming up in our life:

 

v     Tim accepted a cost accounting position at Becton Dickinson (BD) in Holdrege, NE (near Kearney, NE) and we will be moving there shortly. 

v     We are moving to a town 1/10 the size of Bellevue, so life should slow down.

v     The BIG question of the day is:  Do we live in town or out-of-town?

 

In October, we went to CO for a week to enjoy life in the mountains. On the

weekend, we visited good friends from our Guam days in CO Springs and took a run at Garden of the Gods.  In the background is the “Kissing Camels” rock, hence the silly second picture.  Such is life in our house!

 

We will keep you all posted on our new address and life in central NE.

Please keep in touch.  We love to hear from friends and family!

Love and Shalom,

 

Tim, Janita, Rachel, Christian, Hannah, Amanya, our chocolate lab Dustin  

and Hannah’s bunny Boots.

 

 

 

 

Email:  newsongpiano@cox.net

Family website:  www.freewebs.com/pavpacksales

Family blog:  www.pavpackfitness.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Workouts on the GO

I have been in Austin, TX since Friday.

It's been a great time, but I am ready to go home.

When you are traveling and away from home, consistency is needed.

If you eat too many different foods, you're going to get a stomach ache.

If your bed is not comfortable and relaxing, you won't have a good night's sleep.

If your schedule is too busy, your body and mind wear out.

If you don't like the taste of the water, you drink less.

My saving factor this weekend has been my morning exercise routines.

Every morning I have hit the weight room for 20-30 minutes.

And my biceps and quads have been sore!

I bypassed the cardio machines, (they looked too boring!) and hit it hard with the weights.

And my body is feeling it.

That's a good feeling.

Here is my daily routine:

8 reps of elevated push-ups on the stability ball

8 reps of roll-ins on the stability ball

x 4

35 lb. dumbbell squats and overhead lift

x 20

40 deep walking lunges across the floor with 10 lb. weights

20 knee-ups in the captain's chair

20 knee twists in the captain's chair

x 2

That's it.

Try it and tell me what you think of the workout.

You know, you can have meaningful conversations in the weight room at 6:00 a.m.

I'll save those stories for another day...

GIve Thanks Daily...

As we reflect on giving thanks this time of year, I want to give thanks for life, the Creator of Life, family, friends, students, and life-changing situations. 

Recently I had the chance to be with my sister in the hospital as she had round six of six chemo treatments.  We had a fabulous slumber party in the hospital in spite of ongoing buzzers, numerous IVs and nurses’ visits, countless blood draws, Mayo doctor checks with their entourage, hospital food, quick-paced laps around the unit, many trips to the bathroom with the IV stand, and a multitude of hours waiting for the IV bags to empty. As I reflect on the deep bond my sister and I have, I can’t help but thank God for the people in my life.  

We never know what each day holds and what is required of us, but we do know that we have choices to make.  We can choose to embrace life and the people in our lives---hug tighter, laugh longer, sing louder, pray more, listen better, be expressive, slow down and spend time with each other...

IN this season of giving thanks, have an attitude of gratitude.  Be thankful for each day and ask what God has planned for you.  Enjoy your families, your friends, your jobs, your life,  as it truly is a gift.  

My sister Janel  didn't choose to have cancer, but she chooses to have a positive attitude and daily appreciates each person God has placed in her life.  

Soccer Moms

This season I had my first taste of being a soccer mom.  

It was way cool! 

Four  things I learned: 

1)  Support the coach.  (It's super easy when you have a fantastic one like my dd Hannah had!) 

2)  Join them in the game.  (Of course you can't run out onto the field when they are playing, but make sure you are exercising yourself.) 

3)  If you correct the girls from the sidelines, make sure you can do what you are asking them to do.  Don't be a nag. 

4)  Don't put a presidential bumper sticker on your van.  It ruins the paint!   

Watching the games only motivated me to go home and exercise and be active! 

Not at all tempted by the concession stand! lol :)

 

Different Ways to Workout

Today our Elite Boot Camp ran a 5k in the cold, dark and rain.  

I was supposed to bring my bike to monitor the runners. 

Well, last night I found out they all had flat tires (Needing new tubes), 

so I took my daughter's scooter and used it. 

What a great workout!  

MY thighs were burning by the end of the race!  

I would encourage you to workout with your children.   

Follow them around and exercise the same way. 

You will be surprised how intense and FUN the workout can be!  

The Locals Hang Out Here!

Over the weekend we stayed with some good Guam friends who now live in CO Springs. 

Our children had a great time playing with their children and we had a wonderful time renewing our friendship.  

On Saturday we went to visit the Garden of the Gods.  

We ran on the paths and crawled over the  rocks.  

IT was a great time and a good workout.  

What was most impressionable was the majority of cars in the parking lot were from CO. 

That was so encouraging. 

The locals don't  leave this gorgeous playground to the tourists, they actually use it!  Wow~! 

Find the spots of beauty in your area and take your family there for some fresh air, sunshine and exercise. 

INdluge a Bit---Life is SHort

We're still on our week's vacation in CO.

It's been an active one with one or two treks/runs up the mountain daily, a daily swim and a daily romp in the weight room.

We like active vacations.

My husband and children also like physical activity.

ANd I like that!

And we also like good food.

When I have the time, I like to cook.

But, I cook with "real" food---butter, cream cheese, buffalo, sour cream, raw milk, cheese, etc.

IF I am going to cook, it is going to be like my grandma's cooking, before all this artificial food came on the scene.

SO, this week I have indulged a bit---

Organic cream cheese. (Num!)

Chips and salsa.

Cereal and raw milk. (YEs, it's good for you. I grew up on the farm and drank Wanda's (our cow's) milk all my life until we went on a diet in high school and got fat!)

Microwave popcorn. (We don't have a microwave at home.)

I like the fact that I have choices to eat treats occasionally.

I am to the place in my life where I am thankful for:

1) THE choice to indulge.

2) A body who tells me when I'm done indulging.

3) A chance to get back to eating "normally".

4) A body who craves the healthy food and lifestyle and doesn't want to be on vacation forever.

5) The knowledge of how to get the treats "off" my body quickly.


Today my 10 yo daughter said she would like to live here forever.

SO we talked about what life would be like...

It's nice to get back to the normal routine of everyday life and I'm thankful for the way our bodies have been made...