Mission Trip to Denver-mostly extracurriculars :)

Us at Casa Bonita with the cliff divers











My friend Tonya from Nebraska, Bailey and I






Eliza, Tonya, Bailey and I in the mountains








Schyler, Nate, Tonya and I in the mountains








My new friend Madison (7) and I

Trip To D.C.

Abraham Lincoln Memorial















The Capital of the United States of America








Us in the garden in front of the Capital building








Us in front of the Iwa Jima Monument









Gabe and I at the Air & Space Museum







Gabe in front of the Vietnam wall

Pure As Falling Rain

Twinkling eyes
Full smiles that are true
Makes your heart flutter
That at one time that was you

Unscathed by the cruel world
Full of trust, not knowing any pain
Seeing the best in anyone
Pure as falling rain

Endless imaginations
Hearts full of unconditional love
If only you could bottle
The untainted fingerprints of up above

Sensitive to their surroundings
The first to know something's wrong
They might no know what or why
But they know all along

To live their life
Where the worst is a toy taken away
To feel safe and secure
And not sugarcoat what you say

One's life is a fragile thing
Just as the purity of a child
But put them together and like magic
Regardless of life's hardships, they make you smile


A.M.H J.A.H. A.E.B A.P.B A.R.B L.P.B.

Heaven On Earth

Every year spent in joyful anticipation
To spend time in Beverly Hills, Michigan
Her heaven on Earth

All the time spent relaxing with no worries
Receiving almost royal treatment for being herself
A solution for failing self-esteem

Missing people, but never home, she looks back
On that awful year, where this trip is what kept her going
Her love and gratitude toward them grows

Now with all the anticipation gone, she tearfully says goodbye
In the back of the van, she watches as they disappear
And at once, she wonders, "What now?"

Days go by and even though the hurt doesn't subside, it's not as prominent
Plastering on that fake smile and putting one foot in front of the other
Her heart, she left in their care

As she trudges toward the new year, she hopes conditions improve
She hopes that memories from this summer will keep her going
Until finally, heaven is reached again next year

From Where You Are-Lifehouse

In memory of Madey Kleve and Logan Scheurmann...

Prayer Request...

As a lot of you know, I made a really good friend two years ago on my mission trip to Rosebud Reservation in Mission, SD. named Diana. She just texted me with news that four friends of hers were in a very serious car crash this week. One of them didn't make it, Madeysen Kleve, who also attended the mission trip with us. This just kind of hits home, because although it was Madey this time, it could have been me or any of my close friends. I'm asking for prayers for Madey's family and friends and also the other three teens in the car; Mitch, Brie and Kacie. Mitch and Kacie are in the hospital, Mitch just got out of intensive care for a collapsed lung, cracked skull and other things and Kacie is still in the ICU as of right now. Brie was driving and wasn't seriously injured, but I would appreciate prayers for all of them. Also, they were all set to graduate this Sunday which unfortunately Madey won't be able to. Kacie is valedictorian and Mitch is salutatorian. Please pray for all their friends and family. It could have easily happened in our community. Praise God it didn't, but remember these friends of mine and their families. Thank you and I love all of you!

Trust? I Think Not...

As the thunder rolls outside
Panic ripples through me in waves
Not because of the pending storm
But the pending storm building up inside

The tornado of “what ifs” and “maybes” hit me
Ripping through the people who can be trusted
And the people that can’t until
Finally realizing only a fine line lies between

At one time trust was second nature
But after each piece of my heart was viciously ripped out
I finally began to understand
No one’s intentions are pure

Resolving to never trust again
I set back out into the cruel world
Where once again I was lured in
And unsurprisingly, hurt again

As routine as this has become, it still hurt
Time went on and the offenders got closer
Until the day came the one I thought I could always count on
Swooped in and killed my remaining trust dead

Though my heart, hardened from incidents of the past
Seemed beyond surprise and agony
It rose to the occasion and in spite of my good act
My heart could take no more, I could not last

With new found resolve
I make my way out of the shadows again
In the back of my mind
Always dreading, always knowing, the hurt will come again


"It takes years to build up trust, but only seconds to destroy it."