Skiing with the Confirmation Kids

This weekend, I took the 8th grade confirmation class skiing (7 kids and myself), and we were ready to have a FABULOUS day!! The forecast was for a perfect day of low 30's, no wind, and the sun was shining brightly! Ben got his snowboard buckled on, and hit the slopes.

I was able to catch him at the bottom of the hill for a quick pose

before he headed back to the chair-lift for more fun.
The afternoon was cut short, because one of his tumbles on the board was more than just landing in the snow... he landed hard on his left wrist. Unfortunately, I was already at the emergency room with one of the other kids that twisted her knee pretty bad, so Ben had to wait at the chalet for a bit while I tended to his classmate. I got her taken care of, returned to the ski resort, just to pick up Ben and return with him to the ER.
Thankfully they were fairly quick, and in just a couple short hours, we were back out the door with a cd of the drays to share with our doctor later this week. There doesn't appear to be a definitive break, but the navicular (sp?) bone may be fractured, and apparently that is a tricky situation, calling for further attention (time will tell).

Despite the unplanned end to Ben's day, he had fun with his friends, and the final photo was taken at the church parking lot snow hill, where there were tired smiles from all the guys. I hope the day spent at the hospital isn't an indication of what any future trip would hold, but I think the kids would all go back in a heartbeat...

and maybe I could get a few runs down the hills myself next time.

I guess that was simply a lesson to the kids that

even the best planned outings can have unexpected things come up.

We all just have to make the best of it,

and try to get the most out of every day that the Lord gives us.

Celebrating 2!

Happy Birthday Dear Noah, Happy Birthday to you!! Noah actually tried to blow out his candles (both of them) but just didn't get the hang of it (of course Ben was nearby to help blow them out).

We laughed and tickled all afternoon! Noah was having SUCH a great time!!

I think this is one of my all-time favorite pictures of Noah! It truly captures his amazing eyes, his gentle smile, and just how much of a blessing he is in our lives! It's hard to believe that this beautiful little boy can have moments of terrible temper tantrums and tears. It's the joyous moments like the one captured here that make all the difference in the world... reminds me of what's really important, and keeps me focused on the bigger picture in life! God is so good!!!
Noah sits with Grandma Karen, looking up at the birthday balloon that got away (only to the ceiling in the family room... still retrievable, thankfully). This picture looks so dreamy and precious... that's an accurate summary of the birthday weekend~ precious!

We tried to capture the overall pulse of the day with a family photo... you can see that the center of attention was NOT wanting to stop the hockey playing to pose for the camera. This is a glimpse of how a 2 year old really does have moments of reality (tantrums, ha), that remind us to cherish the better moments when we can.

Matt's Performance!!! Bravo

Matt is having a phenomenal first year in college! He's finding his niche and able to expand on his passions.... the arts!
He was cast in a fabulous dance production which was a series of dance numbers, all with different themes. This was the only one that I was able to copy pictures from, but it truly was one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen. Matt was the only male, and his strength and talent was top notch! (seen above, back, right,catching the girl).

Since the audience isn't allowed to take photos, I had to rely on copying some of the pictures that the cast had taken from back stage (that's why the stage lights are glaring). Matt's the one huddled on the right above.

In this shot above, you can get a sense of Matt's core strength, as he lifts another dancer in perfect rhythm with the music, adding to the overall tempo and grace of the dance.

Matt has so much fun with the cast, and all the great people that together make up the Theater & Dance Department in the School of Fine Arts at UMD (University of Minnesota - Duluth).

Matt, I love you so much, and couldn't be more proud of the wonderful job you're doing! Keep following your dreams, and never settle for less than true joy!! You're a blessing to anyone that knows you, and you show us all how great our God is, by filling your life with talent, and the endless opportunities to truly shine!!! LOVE YA KID!!! (love mom)

Hockey Fun

We love going to Ben's Sunday evening hockey games.

He enjoys playing, and is so much fun to watch.

Noah likes to be at the games with us, but he gets pretty antsy by the time the game's over. Luckily there is a "playground" play structure in the arena where most of Ben's games are played, so we watch the game from one end of the rink, at ice level, so Noah can play, Ben can skate, and we can watch both boys having fun.

A view from the bleachers up above... Ben chases the puck to keep their team in the game.

It isn't hard to cuddle Noah when he smiles with such charm.

Noah does like to watch his brother skate, and he can usually pick him out of the crowd pretty easily, even if he is wearing a helmet.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It was SO nice to have the whole family home, even though a blizzard was looming, and we knew we would be stormed in for the durations.

Noah LOVES Legos! He can build like there's no tomorrow! He's got a little bit to learn about sharing though... whenever Ben wants to build with Noah, Noah has a fit! It could be big brother's approach too, I suppose, since I think Ben misses the lego-building days from time to time. ha.

Ben lettered in Golf last year, and so the Letterman's jacket was a slam dunk in the gift list this year. He was pretty happy, although I feel like 2014 is a lifetime away. I'm sure it'll come faster than I'll be ready for.

What do you get for a college kid who already has it all? Laundry soap. ha. Well, the cash that was taped to the front of the jug did produce this great smile from my oldest son! It was a fun Christmas of smiles, laughs, and tons of fun!

There's Noah building like crazy again! Ed and Noah construct tower, after tower, after tower!!! So much fun for daddy and son alike!

After the gifts were all opened, and the hype of the festivities had worn off a little, we all settled in for a Christmas movie (one of many during the weekend). The funnies part of the lounging scene was Noah sitting in the box... he CHOSE that, and was totally comfy in that little cozy cardboard nest. I think he had a few legos in there that he was secretly building with between action scenes. ha.

My favorite gift was the awesome wine glass rack that Ed built for me, which we hung above our kitchen counter. His craftsmanship amazes me repeatedly, and I love him for his detailed work. He had fun making it, and it looks great in the kitchen! Now my collection of coffee mugs can now spread over to the wine glass sector of drink ware. ha

As the snow kept falling and falling, we realized we wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon. This photo was taken on Christmas night (Friday) and we didn't get to start snow blowing our drifts away until mid-day Saturday (and then it kept snowing and blowing, so we have a little to re-do later today). It was quite a storm, and I have a hunch that there will be more like it in the coming weeks/months this winter. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and that your upcoming New Year festivities will be filled with laughter and joy! I know all of us in the Hippen house feel truly blessed and filled with cheer!

Halloween Raking at the Hippen House

Our sunny weather was NOT going to go un-noticed... and so we donned the warmer hats and grabbed the rakes, and headed out to the back yard.
Noah thought it was fun to peak around the tree, and tried to get my attention (no, I didn't get much of the raking done myself, as you can imagine).

It didn't take Ben and Noah long to figure out what to do when a huge pile of leaves was right at their feet.... so they plunged in... but is Noah on that pile by himself???

NOPE... there's Ben under all those leaves! The boys were laughing so hard!

Happy Autumn! Hope you all have a fantastic Halloween!! We sure are enjoying our weekend!

Where to begin??

I haven't updated my blog in far too long... so I figured I better do it. I have had an amazing time recently, and would love to share it with you.

I have been on a fantastic ride of surreal, awe-inspiring, and satisfying joy lately, with the increasing buzz about my book! I have been honored to be included in a few book signing events recently, as well as attending a book club's discussion of my book. Now that was scary going into it, because I wasn't sure what the discussion would lead to. Would someone think my book was too honest, or two closely inspecting my life or my past? I guess when it comes right down to it, I wasn't sure how people would judge me, after reading where my life journey had taken me along the way. I was pleasantly surprised that it was only with the most loving and supportive embraces that my book, my story, was discussed. It was determined that I was a typical young adult, and I was able to share how my normal insecurities led me away from the path God had waiting for me, and led me instead down my self-created meandering journey of fumblings... while all the while knowing (although mostly not consciously) that God was waiting to set my course right, and turn me into a better direction for my future.

I have maintained all along that my goal for writing my story has not been to become some rich, famous author (although a little plumping of the family budget would be a nice bonus), but rather my goal has remained this: to take the experiences of my past, use them to share hope for others who may be struggling, and to use my life as an example of how God's unfailing love can and will be there when we're ready to embrace Him.

I do hope that my words, my thoughts, my soul, can help someone, somewhere, somehow. Maybe it has already, and I'm just not aware of it. But regardless, I praise God for the opportunities I have been afforded, to meet new friends, share His Glorious love, and let my light of joy shine brightly.

Thank you to anyone and everyone that has walked along this life journey with me (during the good, the bad, the ugly, and the phenomenal), and may you all find a joy so robust that you shout it from the rooftops! God Bless, and have a terrific Autumn (or winter, as the temps here in North Dakota are already that cool).