Indoor Swimming pool:day 15/365

Ok, so mom and I had to get house work done today! Isaac was wanting to go outside, but its too hot and so we wanted to give him something fun to do inside while we cleaned. Something that would keep him both entertained for a while and keep him out of our way to clean. mom made the joke that we should set up his pool, and so we did. We filled it with a couple pitchers lol. It fit just perfectly next to her bed in her room, which meant that she could keep an eye on him while she worked on the kitchen, and I could move the toys from the living room to the toy room! I mean, what kid doesn't love the pool?!?! Anyhow, he had a ton of fun and stayed in there for quite a while, we weren't quite done cleaning (and at this present moment, we still aren't, but we are getting there.....almost done!), but we took a break and got him dressed and cuddled for a bit before he went home. He thought it was so cool! When he got in he was just slashing and such, then he started to lean forward to get his face wet (see the picture below) and then would just sit up and giggle! It was great....for all involved! That kid cracks me up! I'm glad he had fun.....these pics will definitely go in his scrapbook!

It only took 21 years: day 14/365

This....this is how it all started....well not all, but this particular leg of this adventure (don't mind the pun). Anyhow, when I was in Branson this past April, I was sitting at a concert (feet flat on the ground) and my foot just started to swell. Matt went to get a bag of ice and ended up, after telling the concession stand person what was going on, coming back with EMTs. The EMT was worried about where the pain was and sent me to Urgent Care, and they diagnosed it as tendinitis. When I came home a week later, my family doctor took it out of the brace and we decided we would see how it did without it. Five weeks later, there was still a lot of swelling and pain. I went to a specialist, and then he taped it (see pic below)...we ended up in a SECOND round of tape, and after no luck with that, I ended up going to a different specialist today and now I am in a walking boot. Within the two specialists, we learned a couple of things about my foot...the bones of my foot curve and I also have an extra bone in my ankle. However, the doctor does not believe that any of these problems are causing the issues I am having now. The specialist today says that my foot has already done what it is going to do and has already adjusted to it....I mean, it has been this way since I was born....which means...well, 21 years! Also, I have not had a swollen ankle and ankle pain constantly either. Therefore, he says that those things just are what they are to a point, and there is obviously somethign else going on. I have an MRI scheduled for Thursday. The doctor says that with the pain where it is, and how much pain I am in, it is conducive with a sprain or cartilage damage....and he does not believe it is a sprain, because then anti-inflammatories and such would have helped. Hopefully we have answers next week and hopefully he is able to help me feel better soon! I am just tired of being hurt and tired of not sleeping!

Craving more:day 13/365

I'm craving more of that Montana air that is! If I were there right now, I would be selling fireworks, while helping get ready for the fourth of July. We get ready now, because after the first of July, it gets CRAZY for us and we are pretty steadily busy! I love it though! Right now, I am really craving that crazy mountain weather and that crisp cool air of night! I wish this ankle would have been good enough for me to go, but I am making the best of the fact that it isn't! I guess I also can't be too upset because I still got to go to Montana this year, and I even got to go to Hays....thank goodness for graduations! I would seriously give anything right now to be changing into jeans and a hoodie, and pulling my hood strings tight.....listening to my cousins and my friends taunt me that "it's not that cold" or that "the south has broken me!" What I would really give anything to do though is to be sitting by that campfire, having Frankie roast me marshmallows, and just chilling and talking. Then there is the Fourth of July fireworks show, which I will write about.....well, on the fourth of July. But selling fireworks, the plunge, pow wows, and airplane rides. That is my summer.....that is what I love....that is what I crave!

$6 mistake: day 12/365

ok, so a little background. Every Thursday, there is a wholesale auction up in the caves. During this wholesale auction, they sell damaged and misguided freight. They also sell the things that stores reject...like shopping carts. Anyhow, minimum bid on this stuff is $5. Krystal and I were walking around and we came across a shopping cart. She had a lot of fun with a shopping cart at college, so we were going to bid on this one to take back with us! What we missed was the little note that said "lot is 9 shopping carts" and we bid $6. Now, the probability of getting one shopping cart for $6, slim. The probability of getting 9 shopping carts for $6, nearly impossible! I guess this isn't the case if you are the Weigum sisters! Dad and Christopher Ryan didn't think our luck was too savvy when they had to go up and get these shopping carts with the trailer. And we are not talking normal shopping carts, we are talking like the ones with the two toddler seats in the big plastic front! They also came with about 12 boxes of burrito paper wrappers, like from Taco Bell! It was great! Anyhwo...so we started coming up with all these different things to do with shopping carts. Then one night....we came up with an AWESOME idea. We loaded them in the back of Daniels car, and Rachel's car, a jeep and an explorer (no easy task) and headed into the middle school outdoor basketball court. We were going to have ourselves a good old fashioned cart joust. We were equipped with fun noodles and everything! That lasted for about a half hour or so, and then I broke Krystal's fun noodle. You see, here is what we did, I was in one basket part, Krystal in another. Daniel was pushing me and Christopher Ryan was pushing Krystal, While Rachel took pictures. We started a ways away from each other, and then when you passed you hit the other person with a fun noodle in an attempt to knock it out of their hand. After I broke Krystal's fun noodle, we decided to turn the cart joust into bumper carts. We cracked one on a picnic table...whoops! (We didn't hurt the table though!) All in all it was a very fun night and it did make Christopher Ryan a little less annoyed at having to go get them. I don't know that we have any of them anymore because all the kids in our neighborhood thought it was awesome that we had them too, and came by wanting to know if they could have one! So on the plus side, we got rid of them for dad.....on the down-side, I don't know that he will EVER let Krystal and I bid on something again! Here is a picture of Krystal and I when we passed one another...ok, maybe it wasn't a "good old fashioned joust," but it was still fun!

My wish:day 11/365

Anyone who has been in my dorm room this past year can testify to the fact that I would LOVE to go to Paris some day! There is something about that tower that just draws me in and keeps me longing to stand beneath it and just stare! You know, it isn't like I am hoping that my love story will start there or that it will even be a memory in there! I mean, I just want to go....let it be with my family, a friend, or a significant other! I mean, it doesn't matter too much to me. All I know is that one day, I WILL make it to Paris. I know it will likely not live up to my expectations of what I think it would be, but that's alright! Anywho, I don't know that Paris is my #1 dream, but it is pretty darn close....I think it is a tie with sky-diving, which will hopefully also happen!!

On the banks of the Mighty Mississippi: day 10/365

As I prepare to go back to school for the very last time, I figured I would look back on my Freshman year and see what things I got myself into that year. So this would have to possibly be one of the things I remember most, well the thing that I was able to get on camera. This is the day that a trip to Quincy with the roommate and other friends (Karen, Kelley, Sarah, and Nick if I remember correctly) decided to go to the park. While most people are content just sitting and chilling, Rachel and I were not! We decided that playing in the mud would be so much more fun! It didn't start out as playing...it started out as walking, but then we decided it would be much more fun to throw it at each other! However, we were at least smart enough to drive to the Wal-Greens nearby and get some extra clothes (seeing as I was in a white shirt, we figured this would be a good idea!). After we changed, it was game on! And game was brought! equipped in shorts that were a size too small and a shirt that was a size too big, Rachel and I began slinging mud. The mud was cold and smelled like fish. Not to mention that we were on the banks of the Mississippi River! But the fun doesn't stop when the mud throwing does, it continues on and on! So Rachel and I get done with this mud slinging battle and we decided to clean up a bit! We realize that all there is is a water thing about a foot and a half off the ground! so we used that to get the majority of the mud off, which was no easy task, and we finished up with cleaning up in a bathroom sink! WE headed back to the school and (my luck, of course) it was open dorms and so I couldn't take a shower right away! I had to sit in my room for almost 2 and a 1/2 hours until open dorms were over! After my shower, my skin was super soft, and I definitely had a lot of fun! I will put a before and after shot of the mud fight and then I will put a picture of us trying to clean up and such.....

what makes me...me!:day 9/365

SO I always joke about the fact that I was raised as a boy. I mean, in my family, there were no gender roles. The boys learned to cook, and the girls did yard work. This has carried over way into my adult years. Two summers ago, I worked on remodeling a house WHILE helping plan my sister's wedding. Then last year, I came home and dad had a tree that needed cut up, so him and I, equipped with chainsaws, cut up the tree. Notice that my hair is pulled back, while my bangs are still very much so in their very proper place. Dad took a moment to snap this picture to prove to people that I seriously can do a lot of the things that my brothers do. I can't do it all, but I will give anything a try, even if to just be able to say I did it! Anyhow, from remodeling house, to wedding dress shopping, and from cutting down trees to curls and make-up.....its my crazy chaos and I wouldn't have it any other way! It is what make me....well me!

putting the pieces back together the right way: day 8/365

ok I know what you are thinking "is this crazy chick seriously going to write a post ALL about her puzzle?" the answer to that is no. The topic of this post just started with putting that puzzle together. This was the first puzzle that I have ever put together. Mom and dad got it for me as a Christmas Gift so that I could put it together and hang it in my dorm room! I started it around the 7th of January and finished on the 13th of January. The 13th of January is the anniversary of my grandmother's death (this year was 9 years) and so a lot of thinking started happening on that day, as was pretty normal. But as I laid on my floor with my puzzle, pieces sprawled out all over around the puzzle and in front of me, I realized that just like I could pick up one of those pieces, and put it in place....I could do the same with my own life. You see, some of the pieces, I could pick up and find a place right then, some I kept coming back to and back to to try and find a place, and some were similar looking to the pieces that I need and I put them in the wrong places and it threw off the whole puzzle later. I mean, that is JUST like life! Sometimes, I meet someone (like Matt and Britt) and they just fit into life right then, other times, I kept coming back to people and back to people (like Amber...I helped in youth for like a year and a half before her and I were super close), and there were some people (like my high school friends) that fit into a place in life...even if the place they are in is only temporary (I am not friends with any of the close friends I had in high school anymore). They worked for a time there, but then had to moved in order for the puzzle to make sense and fit right. I also realized as I glued it that in life there were things that held us all together. A love for a certain band, a friend, a class we had together, or something else. I mean, just like my puzzle needed the glue to stay together, friends need common interests and such to keep them together. And then, i don't know if someone was praying for patience for me or what, because I COULD NOT find a frame for that thing anywhere. It sat in my dorm room glued for like 2-3 weeks before my friend Aimee finally bought me one when we saw it at Wal-Mart. The final thing I learned is that you life needs to be something that you would be proud to display and say "yeah, I put it together" I mean, if you would be afraid to display your life as a whole, why would you do what you are doing. I mean, we all have and do things that we are not proud of, but in the end I feel like you hold the power to make the picture more beautiful! I mean, if I left all the pieces out of my puzzle that were not aesthetically pleasing, it wouldn't have been complete, just like life isn't complete if you don't make mistakes every once in a while. Anywho, just like I put each of those puzzle pieces into place one by one, I am slowly starting to put the pieces of my life back together one by one....unfortunately, creating life's masterpiece is DEFINITELY taking longer than that puzzle did....but in it's defense...it will be certain to create a MUCH grander picture!! :)

yearning to stitch: day 7/365

I made this blanket for my nephew before he was born. This picture was taken at his baby shower. Let me tell you though, a lot of work went into this blanket, by me and my Momma Godert. Every time I went over to the Godert's house, I took this blanket to work on....you see, I got all the supplies and a friend loaned me a little sewing machine so that I could back the characters and then sew them onto the blanket. I had to get more creative than the average no sew blanket with this one though because at the time, there was no Dr. Seuss fleece released and so I have to do my own thing to put the characters on the blanket. At any rate, the sewing machine broke and that left one option....for me to hand sew all the characters onto the fleece and to then sew all the fleece onto the blanket....by hand, and to finish up by tying around the edges. my deadline...two weeks! while going to school and pulling off 17 credit hours worth of classes. To say I was proud when it was done is an understatement. I really miss sewing and I wish that I would hurry up and finish my room so I could set my machine up. I may just do that this weekend....hopefully. We will have to see though. Grandma would be proud to know that I hold her love for sewing! She would also be proud to know that I worked with my friend Aimee to learn how! I miss sewing.....mission for this weekend=clean room! I also made a T-Shirt quilt at school this past school year! it has flaws and so please don't point them out to me! but you know, for my first big solo project....I am proud! :)

Growth and Change: day 6/365

This is a picture from the very first mission trip I ever went on...in 2006! So many things things about this picture that show growth and change. First, the groups for mission trips have gotten much larger! Secondly, this picture was taken in front of our old church....a church that our church family has since OUTGROWN. I mean heck, we are outgrowing the first phase of our new church! Not to mention that just the lives of the people in this photo have changed! Off the top of my head I know a few of these changes: Jay moved with his wife and kids to Louisiana, Jordan has gotten married and moved away from Odessa, Eve and Beth both have little babies, and Erica is married! I am sure there are a lot more changes than just those that are seen....but those are just a few of the major changes that have taken place in the lives of these amazing people that made that first mission trip so memorable. I still remember a lot about that mission trip, it was my first time going far away from home without my family. I had gone to church camp and such before that, but because of our ages being so close...I generally had a family member at camp with me...and besides that, I was only like 45 minutes from home! For this mission trip I was in West Memphis, Arkansas....not just a short drive by the parents had I gotten scared and wanted to go home. I grew a lot that year...in both my faith and my maturity. I left that mission trip and I couldn't wait to go back. I learned how to roof a house, I painted part of the house, and I did yard work. In the process, I got the chance to witness to so many different people on the street and one day had a good conversation with a dad that liked to bring his son down to see us every single day on the work site. They would always come down and talk to the ground crew as we scraped paint or painted or fixed porch rails. They couldn't help, but for five days we had some of the best company EVER! I still think about that guy and that little boy from time to time and pray for them! Funny how some of the simplest gesture, like keeping a bunch of teenagers entertained with jokes and stories, will stick with a person for so long! The picture below here is a picture of the ground crew that day, with this little boy and his daddy! And I put a picture of me with this little guy! He followed me around on site all week! What can I say, I am a baby person!

Family Reunion: day 5/365

I was on Facebook today and my cover photo is of me with a band at Winter Jam, We As Human. What most people don't know is that this photo was taken at like 1 or so in the morning. I know, I know....I have here what sounds like the beginning of a great CSI show....20 year old and a 19 year old....in a parking lot at 1 AM with a group of rockstars. I digress though, and return to the real meaning of what I was telling you all about that night. I was with my friend, Amber Ash-Cook, and we were on our second trip to see Winter Jam, first time in Kansas City, Mo...second time in Peoria, IL. Anywho...we get to Peoria about 2 or 3 hours early.... just so we can be first in line! Other people there however had that same idea. It wasn't until we were IN line...that Amber realizes she can't find her memory card to her camera. So we go in pursuit of a wal-mart (one turn onto the wrong side of the highway later...we found it!). We get back and get back in line and we were just sitting there hanging out and Amber starts tweeting back and forth with the guys of the band We As Human who gave us tickets to the Peoria Winter Jam. I had met them in Kansas City and hung out with them there too! But before anyone starts thinking my mom is terrible for letting me hang out with rockstars until the wee hours of morning....she is not....I was hanging out with a CHRISTIAN band, at a CHRISTIAN event. I feel as though that is a pretty safe argument. Back to the story! Amber convinces them to come out and see us....which was awesome. So they came out to see us and then took pictures and hung out for a bit and then had to go back inside :( So Amber and I get inside and make a bee-line for the front (we had Jam Nation passes so we got in before the majority of people anyway). WE got seats that were right at the front...it was AMAZING! The concert was awesome (as it was in KC) and then, during Skillet's performance, Justin (from We As Human) had Amber come get me so that we could go backstage. This was the second time they had taken me back, and it was just as cool the second time as it had been the first time! After the concert was over, we hung out during their signing session and took pictures for them. When all was said and done, we helped them break down their stand and get it all packed up and then we headed for our car and they headed for theirs...with plans to meet up at Denny's for some early breakfast, which if you know them, or Amber and I, it was sure to be an enjoyable time. So Amber and I drive over to meet them in the parking lot and they come out and say "change of plans, there is left over Buffalo Wild Wings...wanna eat that instead?" and of course we agree. I think BWW is by far my favorite place. So here we are at 1 AM.....eating BWW....in a parking lot....chilling out with a band! It was glorious and BY FAR something that I will never forget! This picture stems from my saying "let's have a funny picture!" Funny is what they do best!

teaching life skills :p: day 4/365

I feel that in this picture I am teaching my pastor's daughter, Blythe, valuable life skills. This all started because I stuck my tongue out at one of the youth kids and then I just touched my tongue to my nose. Later that night, Blythe asked me "Miss Cole, can you teach me to do that thing you did earlier?" This was during the Superbowl game and so I wasn't sure which "thing" she was talking about....The "Tebow-ing"....the "cheering" I had done.....my super sweet dance move from Dance Central at halftime....or sliding on the kitchen floor in my socks. Anyhow, she proceeded to try and show me and I concluded that she meant touching her tongue to her nose! I had never TAUGHT anyone this skill before, but I decided to give it a shot! And much to everyone's enjoyment...that was the day I first taught someone how to touch their tongue to their nose! Someone decided to get my camera and take a picture of my successful mission. This picture however, comes after many drool soaked chins...for both her and I. Who ever thought you could teach someone to touch their tongue to their nose?! I am now a believer!

hmmmm.....:day 3/365

SO I have been looking back the last few weeks (I think that just naturally comes with unpacking from college....as well as rearranging your room and setting all your pictures back up). I came across this picture and realized just HOW much has changed since high school graduation. For instance, look at my hair in the picture....I have since cut it a lot shorter, and for a while it was way different colored. However, that isn't really what I mean by how much things have changed. There are 6 people in this picture other than myself (mind you, we are on a twin-sized bed :p). Anywho, of these six people, one is my sister, Krystal, (black and red shirts), I still talk to Andrew (the guy next to my sister. Besides that, I don't really talk to any of the people in the picture. And I mean, even my relationships with them have changed quite a bit. My sister has a husband and a baby. And things with Andrew have just.... changed, not a good thing or a bad thing, they just...have! And as far as relationships go with the other four people, they are non-existent....or nearly non-existent. I don't know....I guess people just change and things just change and that is the way it is.

Missing him already: day 2/365

Today my nephew and my sister left on a mission trip to Oklahoma. they will be gone a week. 7 days! I do not know how I am going to survive not seeing my nephew that long. I mean, I go longer during the school year and typically go longer over the summer, but I miss him a bunch already. I don't think it helps that he was giggly and smiley today when I went to go tell him bye-bye after church got out. I guess I have to remember...it is only 7 days! Both these pictures were taken a few weeks ago on our family roadtrip to Montana to see my cousin, Terry, graduate high school. Isaac and Krystal got to go with us! It was a super fun time!

Oh the things we do for love! day 1/365

ok! I am going to give this a try and see what happens. I am making it a certain challenge to myself to keep up with it. The rules are simple. I will post at least one picture daily. A picture that depicts how I am feeling, a picture that makes me giggle, one that explains my day, or one I simply adore! I will post it and write a small blurb about it. However, in the event that I can't get the picture uploaded, I will just describe it and try to upload it at a later date. I mean, let's face it....sometimes....technology HATES me! :p Ok so today's picture! This is a picture of me and my best friend, Amber! I will explain this picture a little bit. It was taken at this year's Superbowl party. Amber and I like watching football and such, but neither of the teams playing are our favorites (but that didn't keep us from being hardcore cheerleaders during the game :) ) Anyhow, my favorite team is the Broncos ( a love that started BEFORE, but was made stronger with, Tim Tebow :))and her favorite is the Packers. WE have joked since football season started, that I was going to marry Tim Tebow, which started because I was saying that I wanted a good, Christian guy that wouldn't be afraid to stand up for his faith, even if it meant meeting persecution. Then the statement came out of my mouth: "you know, like Tim Tebow. One day, I will marry the Tim Tebow of normal people!" To which, my lovely bestie responded "why settle? Just marry Tim Tebow himself!" Thus, the "Future Mrs. Tebow" title! and what better way to honor the future hubby than to sport HIS colors (well they were at the time!), and doing HIS signature move....while watching HIS sport? Even though he wasn't playing! I am such a good fictional wife.....although getting me to watch the Jets play is going to be about as difficult as getting me to go to the dentist! Here is a picture of the shirt I was wearing....made by my bestie lol! This is the front. It says " I cheer..." and has a 15! and this is the back. it says "even when he's not playing" and says Tebow like a jersey!