Joanne Heim

Road Hat! (Toben)

I found a road hat! What is a road hat, you may be asking? Well, it is simply as stated--a hat found in the road. My love of the road hat started many years ago when I found a a great red baseball cap in a gas station parking lot. It advertised some fishing boat company that I had never heard of. I picked up that dirty hat, took it home and washed it a couple of time and there it was, the perfect hat. It was beat up, broken in, and it fit perfectly. That hat was a favorite of mine for years until I gifted it to a friend who was equally fond of that hat. I figured it had come into my life as an unexpected gift and should be re-gifted to pass on the joy.

Since then I always keep my eyes open for a good road hat. In the last 20 years I think I have found three or four road hats and a lake hat. None of the road hats after the first one were salvagable or didn't fit right. The lake hat was fished out of Lake of the Ozarks. It was a nice hat but too small. It went to my brother in law Wade and I think he may still have it to this day.

We as luck would have it, I found another road hat this week. Joanne and I were driving home from lunch with her folks when I spoted it in the middle of the road. It had been snowing and the roads were a bit soupy but I can spot a road hat at 100 yards, regardless of the conditions. So I slammed on the brakes, whipped a 180 and pulled my door up along side the road hat. Of course I was aware of traffic but my quick stop adn u-turn had turned everything in the backseat topsy-turvey including Joanne's watercolor supplies. But I was able to fish the hat off of the road and into the car without wrecking.

It was nasty--filthy wet and clearly run over a few times. But I did not despair--It was a road hat! I took it home and carried my prize inside and immediately into the washing machine. I filled it with soapy water and bleach and let it sit for a couple of hours. Then I washed it and my mom put it in front of the fire to dry. Of course I had to grab it from the hearth in a hurry. The secret to a good road hat is to let it dry on your head. That way it shapes just right. So I wore a wet hat around for a couple of hours and can now say...

The road hat turned out perfectly! It is sparkly clean although still obviously "broken in." And it fits like a dream. I now have a new favorite hat. I especially like the tire tread pattern across the brim. Awesome. Long live the road hat! And to whoever it is that lost this hat, I am sorry for you and hope that you find a good and suitable replacement. 

Quick updates:

Joanne is loving her watercolors class. She went with her mom and dad this week and everyone had a nice time including a lovely lunch at La Baguette (favorite French restaurant) afterwards.

Emma missed a couple days of school this week with a head cold. This kid never gets sick, adn when she does she never misses school. So when she said she needed to stay home I knew she was really feeling poorly. She seems to have recovered and is back int he swing of things.

Audrey got a killer haircut this week. She had grown it out for months and finally got tired of it and just wanted it gone. So we went to the local barbershop (not a "Salon") and got it cut. The girl is so beautiful that even with very, very short hair she is still a stunner. Her facial features are to die for so the short hair just accentuates her beauty.

My mom and dad are refinishing the downstairs bathroom in a 24 hour dash. There were a few things in there that needed replacing so they jumped in with both feet. This is the bathroom tat our family uses so we are getting a new toilet, vanity, cabinets and flooring. Should be very nice!

Joanne's folks are back from a long visit to the lovely state of Arizona with some friends. THey had a nice time including a visit to the Barret-Jackson car show/auction There were over 1300 cars there! They had some erratic weather but I think they got some warmth for at least part of their time there.

Me? I'm just thankful for my road hat. 

Toben

P.S. I thought of all kinds of deep adn meaningful metephors for the road hat and what it might all mean, but I didn't want to push it. You can come up with your own meaningful application for the road hat strory!

Shine On (Toben)

This morning in devotions we looked at Philippians 2 and I was struck by some words in verse 15: "Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky."

I must admit that when I read these words my mind took me to a totally secular place. Pink Floyd has a song called "Shine On You Crazy Diamond."  Some of the lyrics are:

Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the cross fire of childhood and stardom,
Blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger,
You legend, you martyr, and shine!

I'm pretty sure the Floyd didn't get their inspiration from Philippians 2 but conceptually the two line up and the message is simple: We are called to shine even in the midst of tough circumstances. And we're not called to shine from some sort of light that we can manufacture on our own, we are to shine with the light of Christ in us. 

What the passsage also implies is that there is a lot of darkness out there. After all, if everything was brightness no one would see us shine. But the world is a dark place. 

So I have to think of what it means for me to shine. When I am with Joanne, how do I shine? When I am with Audrey and Emma, how do I shine? When I am with other friends and family and co-workers, how do I shine? I don't have a ready answer for that. I feel like our whole family has been in survival mode for so long that the idea of actually shining seems almost impossible. But we are called to do it. The verse doesn't say, "Shine if you feel like it." It says that if you do everything without grumbling and arguing...blameless and pure...in a warped and crooked generation--then you will shine like stars.

I do a lot of internal grumbling. I put on a happy face (most of the time) and do what needs to be done. But sometimes what I'm feeling inside is far from "shiny!" I guess that's when I need to ask God to make the outside line up with the inside. That I need to reverse the order and let a light shine from inside me. 

Real world check: This is HARD! Most of the time I feel like a lump of coal, not like a diamond or a star. This leads to a question of where I get my identity from. And that is a subject for another post. But for today I am going to think about shining like a star in the sky in each situation I find myself in. Doesn't mean it will be easy and I'll walk around blinding people with my brightness, but it gives me something to shoot for and something to rely on God to do in me.

If I could pick one are to shine in, it would be as a servant to Joanne and the girls. What area would you most like to shine in?

Toben

Lost One Thing (Toben)

For thos eof you that follow the blog you know that when Joanne had her stroke I prayed to prayers. One was that Joanne would not die. The other was that if she did live she would retain the ability to read. Both prayers came true and I am thrilled by that. Joanne always gives me a hard time. She says, "You were on a roll. You could have asked for so much more!" Anyhow, as I look back I am still convinced that these were the right prayers to pray. Joanne is still with us and she is a voracious reader. It fills her days and keeps her mind active. Plus she can still be in scripture which has always been a cornerstone of her faith. 

She is headed to painting class this morning and I am so hopeful that this will become another outlet for her creative bent. The class is really challenging--who knew watercolor was so complex! but she loves the class and I think it'll really be fun for her once she gets the basics figured out.

Joanne has lost a lot of things that formed her identity pre stroke. I won't go into details here--most of you already know what they are, but she has retained some important ones. She can get around for the most part, she can speak, she can read and has the use of her right hand and arm which allows for a lot. But she has lost a lot too.

So here is my question: If you made a list of the top ten things that you love to do or that define who you are and you had to cross five of those things off the list, which would you keep?

I would cross off writer and I could turn off my creative side and would leave, husband, father and mentally/emotionally sharp and the ability to speak. I would be willing to let a bunch of the physical aspects of my being go if I was able to stay connected to my family and friends. My top secret keep would be the ability to type. It's how I stay in touch with the world. 

What would your list look like?

Toben

Time Away (Toben)

What a great weekend! Of course it's only Sunday morning so we have some weekend left but so far we have had a great time at the cabin.  We have kept a fire in the fareplace and everyone has kind of done their own thing. Last night some of the family watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding and then Emma and Bethany watched Star Wars. Not sure what time they got to bed but it was later than the rest of us. We did get a few inches of snow and that was beautiful. The weather really changed over the day. It was in the 30s and sunny in the morning and then the snow moved in and the temperature dropped a good 10 degrees. All the nicer to sit in front of the fire.

Bethany went snow boarding in the morning. She has had double micro-fracture surgury on her knees so it was a pretty risky move but she really wanted to go. She made it through the morning and then we picked her up. She had fun but her knees had had it. Poor kid! She came back and played Dance Dance Revolution with the  girls and did a little homework. 

Joanne read for much of the day. We meant to get her watercolors out but that never happened. She was very content to sit and read and watch the news as the weather reports from the East coast poured in. What a go they are having at it! Made the little bit of snow we got seem like nothing. 

The girls went ice skating for about 5 minutes. They are always excited to go and it usually lasts until one or the other of them falls; then they are done. Yesterday when I drove them down to the rink I just sat int he car and waited for the first wipeout. True to form, it only took five minutes and the girls were back in the car. When they got home there were some neighborhood dogs outside playing and the girls went out in the snow to play with them. They came in covered in snow from head to foot! But they had a blast!

We will head down the mountian at about 11 or 12 in order to beat traffic. So glad we're able to come up here. Can't wait to do it again.

T

 

At the Cabin (Toben)

Wade and Kristen offered us their vacation home in Winter Park for the weekend, and all the planets aligned and we were able to take advantage of their offer. My mom and dad and Bethany were able to come up too. What a great deal! Joanne, the girls and I came up early and got the heater turned on, built a fire and figured out how to use the TV remote. The girls went ice skating for about half and hour. My folks and Beth came up at about 6:30. I went to a cool pizza place and brought in dinner. We watched an episode of The Office and everyone was tucked in by 9:30. I think I had the heat turned up a little high so a few of us were up in the night turning down the thermostats but other then that I think everyone sleep pretty well. 

Now were all up (except for Audrey) and the coffee has been brewed. Mom made oatmeal, eggs and toast for anyone who wanted breakfast. Beth is going snowboarding today so I'll run her over to the hill here in a little bit. She picked a perfect day to do it. The sky is totally clear and it's not too cold out. I think she is going to have a blast. The rest of us will hang out and see what trouble we can get into. We will definitely keep the fire burning and everyone has a good book.  Dad and I might pile in the car later and go for a drive and see what there is to see.  

I think that's about it.

Thanks you Jesus for the generosity of Wade and Kristen and for a fun last minute change of plans.

Toben

The Gospel (Toben)

Today at work one of the women from the broadcast team did devotions and it rocked! She showed a couple of really well done videos and had some scripture for us to read. Basically the message is that God loves us and is there to restore us when we are broken, be it because of sin or life circumstance. That's the gospel! Jesus died to bring life to people who were dead in their sin. What a great reminder and what a way to start the day! Way to go Virginia!

I am working at home today--mom and dad are out and about today and I didn't want Jo to be home alone. Plus Audrey got a late start today so I had to get her out to Air Academy later than usual. Working on email campaigns today. We have so much great information on the Family Talk website and it's fun to get to play around with all that content and to let people know what is out there for them. 

Joanne is painting today. Yesterday in class she learned a couple of new techniques that she is trying out. I tell you what, watercolor is way more complex then I would have thought. It is so much about layering color and the use of water (as opposed to just paint) to get the effect that you want. It's just fun to watch her create something. Being creative is in her blood but she hasn't had much of an outlet since the stroke. She says, "This is really hard." But she is sticking with it and I think after a couple of months of classes she is going to ROCK! And the main point is that she is having fun. Not enough fun in her life.

The house process continues. I think we are basically done until closing in a month. The inspections are done, the repairs have been made, everyone has signed off on the deal. Now we just wait. What a weird emotional experience this all is. I'm not sure how to describe it. And it is definitely different for each member of our family. It is definitely hard on Joanne. It is medium-difficult for Emma. I think Audrey is over it and ready for whatever comes next. It's really not been very hard for me except from a financial and logistical perspective. I was afraid it wouldn't sell but it went in four or five days. I'm like Audrey--I want to be done with it too and move on to whatever is next for our family.  I am still loving the five minute commute to work!

School. Audrey may just be coming around, slowly, on Air Academy. She really likes a couple of her teachers and I am realizing how important that is. Yes, it's good to make friends but loving your teachers allows her overcome some other objections. Of course she isn't likely to say that she is warming up to it--she is a 14 year old girl and has a lot invested in not liking things, but I am so close with her that I can tell. She especially likes her graphics design teacher and she is getting to do some very cool projects in that class. They are doing grapical treatments to photos of Johnny Cash. How cool is that!?

Emma loves school! She got invited to a party this week. She has been there for less than a month and the kid is making friends. I think she likes her teachers and is doing great in her classes. This is a big deal because coming in mid-year the way she did, there is a lot of material that she has never covered. She is playing catch-up on a lot of subjects but she is still pulling great grades on her work and tests. She has said a number of times that she likes Eagleview better than the last school.  She told me that she thinks she is getting more challenged than she was at DC. Don't get me wrong: we LOVE DC, but I always suspected that she was cruising through a little at DC too easily so I am glad to see her pushed. I will say that DC ROCKED at math. She is in 7th grade math and we are going to ask her counselor if she can move up another class--she says math is "way to easy." It excited me that as a 6th grader that she is loving math and doing so well. So props to Mr. Amidon and DC for making a math wiz out of Emma!

Wow, this post is getting long! The tide feels like it is turning a little. There was a lot of bad and very little good there for a while but some good is creeping in. Yes! Let's keep it rolling!

Toben

Update (Toben)

Well, a lot is going on. The house sales process is still ongoing. Things are looking good so far but we need to keep praying until the deal is done...and then we need to pray some more in praise that it got done! We had our home inspection and there are a few things we need to fix, but it all looks manageable. I think we all feel a little bit like we're holding our breath, but we just need to relax and let God do His thing. If this is meant to be, then God will see it through and we get to go along for the ride. 

The cats are on kitty vacation to Aunt Kristen's house. We needed a place to put them for a few days while the house was getting inspected and Kristen graciously invited them over for a few days. The funny thing is that Kristen has a big dog named Presta and Emma was just sure there was going to be dog/cat drama when they all got together but we slowly introduced the cats to the dog and as far as I know everyone is getting along. 

Jo has watercolor class tomorrow. Kristen is driving down to take her. I think they are going to have a blast. Last week was a lot of teaching and not a lot of painting but tomorrow the brushes are supposed to come out and the paint is gonna fly! Can't wait to see Joanne's first masterpiece. She has always been so artistic that I expect this will be a great outlet for her. After class Kristen and Joanne are going out to lunch. What a fun day for the two of them. 

So glad the weather is not cold! I hate the cold weather and it's no fun for Joanne either. Makes it tough to get around when there is snow and ice. Nothing in the forecast for the next week. Yeah! Of course Joanne's folks are in Arizona so they are soaking in the rays. Sounds like they are having a blast. Talked to them yesterday and they were having so much fun they didn't even think they were going to watch the Superbowl! Small world: they were at a church in Tucson and ran into woman who goes to the church they attended here in the Springs. Who woulda thunk it?

Oh well, I guess that's about it. I am still loving the opportunity to work for Family Talk and to get to do so much writing. Copy writing is such a unique kind of writing and it feels good to be stretching that particular writing muscle again. 

Prayer requests:

1. Praise! The house sale is moving forward right on track. Pray for smooth sailing the rest of the way out.

2. Another praise! Emma is loving school. What a blessing that is.

3. Can I get another Praise?! Joanne loves art class and is looking forward to it every week!

Let's leave it as an all-praise post!

Toben