Koopman Kraziness

We are in Texas! We left Marshfield around noon on Friday, February 21st and started to make our way to Texas. We made it to Albert Lea, MN around 5:30 that evening and planned to stop long enough to eat dinner, gas up the car and moving van and drive on a few more hours. One wrong turn into a "No Outlet" area led to the car trailer being wrecked when it turned into the moving van and in turn also crunched my car pretty good. It's mushed up to the point that it won't pass state inspection next month, so we are looking for a new vehicle for me. Back to the point, we stayed overnight in Albert Lea and got up in the morning (after a pretty nasty snow storm) we got going and made our way to Olathe, Kansas. Uneventful, save the insane traffic in Kansas City...it helped me remember why I don't want to live in a truly BIG city. Sunday, we had decided, would be our LAST day on the road. We were all tired and not wanting to spend another day driving, so we decided t...

I know that it has been too long since I posted last, and I'm not sure if anyone even reads this anymore (LOL) but in case someone does, here is the latest and the greatest. Jeff got back from his pre-mobilization training in Florida on Friday. We've had a great few days together, and are very grateful for the days off he has coming up. It turns out that he will be able to have 3-day weekends until the time of official deployment, so we will cherish that time together as well. There still is not a buyer for the house, but we have had an increase in showings and that gives us hope. My parents will be here in 12 days to help us with the last of the packing and loading up of the truck. Two weeks from Wednesday, Kamden and I will head back to Texas with my parents. It has come up so fast. It feels like we were just there for Christmas. There isn't a lot else to report just now, but seeing as Jeff officially deploys in about 3 weeks, expect to see many updates with regards to ...

I know...watch out for smoke, call the newspapers, etc. I really have been doing a lot of thinking over the last week. With Jeff gone and a LOT more quiet time on my hands than I am used to I have had time to ponder, decide on, and entertain the thought of more "resolutions". I'm sure if you are reading here now you've read my blog about new year's promises but I wanted to elaborate a bit on it and add to it. I would ask that if you read and respond by comment with regard to this entry that you consider yourself willing to "hold me accountable" on my promises. I Promise To: *Get our family out of debt by using the money that Jeff makes while deployed. Thanks to the encouragement of some amazing friends, I will be following the method for freedom from debt that is encouraged by Dave Ramsey in his book Total Money Makeover. If you aren't familiar with Mr. Ramsey, I highly, HIGLY recommend and encourage you to familiarize yourself with him. I...

We got into Texas on Sunday, December 21st and managed to get in early enough to surprise my parents at the morning service rather than waiting until mid-afternoon. When we got back to their house after lunch, my mom's sisters, their husbands and my grandmother came over to see us and see Kamden. One of my cousins and his wife and daughter made it over as well. She is just a little older than Kamden (by two months) and she and Kamden hit it off wonderfully. They were holding hands and giving "loves" in just a matter of minutes. It was so great to get the chance to introduce Kamden to the extended family! On Monday evening, we went over to have dinner with my dad's side of the family. It was the first time in 14 years that all grandkids and extended family had been there at the same time and it was AMAZING. Tuesday night my parents took us to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate our birthdays. Jeff had never been and we had a blast. We used up all the tokens to buy stu...

We celebrated the Koopman Family Christmas early so that Jeff, Kamden and I would be able to attend since we were going to Texas for the holidays. We had such a great time! Jeff's oldest sister brought some of the books my mother-in-law had liked to read at Christmas time and had story time with the nieces and nephews before we had gift exchange. While we had already celebrated Thanksgiving without my mother-in-law, it seemed like Christmas was missing something huge without her there. I kept expecting to hear her laugh when all my nieces and nephews joined in a tissue paper war. I even caught myself a couple of times looking around for her. She was definitely missed and will continue to be, but I'm happy for her that she was able to celebrate her first Christmas in Heaven.

Okay...I know that it's "tradition" to make resolutions, but I tend to NEVER keep resolutions. Instead, I propose to make New Year's Promises. I Promise To: *Get our family out of debt by using the money that Jeff makes while deployed. *Lose a HUGE amount of weight. My goal for 12 months is 97 pounds. I promise myself NOW that if I do not reach that full goal in 12 months, I will not beat myself up. However, I do need to make a large dent in that amount in order to start living a healthier, more productive life for myself, my son and my husband. *Get certified as a dental assistant. *Begin a true relationship with Christ and a daily quiet time with him. *Get a good amount of savings built up. *Get in better control of my diabetes. And keep it that way. *Learn to like myself more. *(As trivial as it ay sound) Wash off my makeup EVERY night. Fo' real. What are YOUR promises for this year?

I was tagged by the lovely miss Holly to do the following fun blog. Here's how it works: You leave a comment on this post, and I'll assign you a letter. You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter and you post it on your blog. When people comment on your post you assign them a letter and the fun continues. Here we go! 1. Son - as in Kamden. He is the absolute light of my life and joy of my world. We were originally not looking at the best odds of having children at all and after many months of bleeding scares, worries about hydrocephalus, problems with blood pressure, decreased fetal movement, etc...he's here and perfect. I never thought I'd have so much love in my heart for such a little person. He's amazing. 2. Soap - considering that RIGHT after starting this entry we had a MAJOR blow out poopy diaper and needed to soak the clothes and wash the baby...today I am VERY grateful for this invention. 3. Seattle - as in one of my BFF, ...