Dr. Oz

I have my 2 seconds of fame on Wed. Nov. 25. Watch Dr. Oz. The part they are going to show I did not realize they were taping and now using it. It will be funny. My friend Amanda has her 60 day follow up on Dr. Oz show! She is doing great! Enjoy the show.

Catching Up

Wow! Time has gone so fast this fall. My days fly by. I guess that means I am happy and having fun. Time flies when you have fun! As Thanksgiving is fast approaching here are a few things I am thankful for....(I know I will miss many things)
Jesus is my Savior
My family
My wonderful husband
Friends
I enjoy my job
scrapbooking
crocheting
freedom
smiles
Shelter
Dishes to wash (such a blessing...we have food and water)
Opportunity to try new things
safe environment to live in

Again, I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. I am thankful for a short work week. Scott, his parents and I are heading to Atlanta, GA.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Dr. Oz and Bob Harper

I had an AWESOME day yesterday. My great friend and co-worker, Amanda, is amazing. 1 month ago Dr. Oz flew Amanda to New York to be on his show for a special 60 day Lifestyle Challenge. While she was there she met Bob Harper from Biggest Loser.

Yesterday Dr. Oz producers came to KC to check on her. Amanda had the opportunity to select supportive co-workers and I was one of them. I was filmed for the Dr. Oz show! As we were taping a surpise trainer came on site.....yup, it was Bob from Biggest Loser!

We went from the hospital to Liberty Memorial to do a workout session with Bob. Only a selective group of people were invited to come to the workout session. There were probably 75 people at this workout session lead by Bob.

I have joined my friend on this challenge. I have been a little slow joining her and getting motivated...but within 1 week I have lost 6 lbs. I am wearing a podimeter daily and aiming for 10,000 steps. Walking 30 minutes a day. Cutting out foods that end in "ose". Scott and I have been getting up early (5 a.m.) to exercise before work 3 days a week. I feel great!

Here are a few pictures from my great adventure. Also select Amanda's name on the right to read about her journey. I will keep you posted as to when the show will air.

Vegas Was Great

At M& M World MGM Grand

One of our pools Good Luck Rachel! Feeling Lucky!

Scott and I enjoyed our time in Las Vegas. Of course it went too fast! We did not win big...I had to come back and return to work.

We walked and walked and walked

Enjoyed fun drinks

Got some sun

Lost a little money

Took lots of pictures
Toured all the Casinos/Hotels we could

Took in a show

Had great food
Of course did some shopping

Home Living Room Face Lift

Okay, the pics are out of order, but here are before and after photos of our living room! So happy to have the popcorn ceiling gone...have knock down. Also, so happy to have the 80 style room GONE!
Enjoy!

G.A.D.G.E.T

God is
Always
Doing
Great
Exciting
Things

What a message! God loves us! He is always opening the doors for us and changing us!

Amen!!!!!

Page County Fair

Scott and I had such a great time back in Clarinda for the Page Co. Fair. My oldest nephew D.J. got blues and a couple of purples! He had a great fair. He is now a teenager and went to the dance Sat. night!
Brett got 2nd with his bucket bottle calf! His calf is dusty! Brett had a good fair too!
Jenna got spoiled by uncle Scott. Scott bought her cotton candy! Jenna had a fun time being a farm girl and helping her bigger brothers with their projects.
I enjoyed seeing all my family and friends. We spent quality time with my parents and grandparents. We picked green beans out of my grandparents garden. Before we left town my grandparents opened their garden up to us...The Farmer's Market was OPEN! Thank you Gma and pa for all the goodies!
Scott and I went swimming with my best friend Jodie and her family in Corning, IA. They have a new swimming pool and it is awesome!

What fun memories we had!

Summer Update

WOW! It has been so long since I updated this...I guess I am spending more time on facebook! This summer is flying by. Scott and I are heading to Clarinda this weekend for the Page County Fair! I can't wait to see all my nieces and nephews!
In August we are heading a bit south to the Branson area to stay the night at a bed and breakfast!
Then in September...Las Vegas or bust! We are heading to the Sin City to celebrate my birthday! Might as well celebrate your 30th in style right!
I am still loving my job! Work is going great!

Later~

Build A Bear

Scott and I went to Cedar Rapids to visit my brother and his family. We took the kids to Build A Bear to spoil them. The kids LOVED it! Jaron and his horse! Gosh...doesn't Jaron look like his daddy!

Janessa and her bear!

We also watched Jaron play t-ball! So much fun!

Nikon Photography Class

Today I attended a workshop sponsored by Nikon. I love my Nikon cameras. I think they are the best! Today I was educated about all the tools on my camera. I love taking pictures and capture life. This is probably why I love scrapbooking so much.

I did not realize how much math is used. I learned about ISO, shutter speed, aperture, lighting, cropping, and the list goes on and on. I am wondering how I survived school. I had ants in my pants about 1 hour into it. I am not use to sitting so still for so long.

I would recommend that if you have the opportunity to take a class to do it.

A birth certificate proves that you were born. A death certificate proves you died. A scrapbook proves you lived!

Treasure the moments!

Here is a picture my 4 year old niece took of me. It is never too early to start!

Miracle Worker

It amuses me how people (doctors, nurses, families, patients, etc) think a social worker is also a miracle worker. It amazes me that people think social workers can "fix" every problem. Then they become mad or irritated when you can't. People also think Social Workers can control everything from funding, to behaviors, to medications, to transportation, etc. Here is a small list of orders from doctors I have had to follow up with patients about while in the hospital:
Help pt get unemployment (we all know only the pt can apply for this)
Help pt get Cobra (employer has 90 days to send out Cobra paper work)
Meet with pt about IV pole talking to pt (we all know IV poles don't talk...pt is obviously hallucinating)
Make sure pt attends follow up outpatient visits (I can't drive pt to his/her next appointment...that would be enabling)
Get pt on disability (it takes 12 months of pt being disabled...not just becasue pt does not have a job and won'g get a job)
Meet with pt about having wife move out (can't control pt's wife)

It stuns me how no one wants to take the time to listen or meet with pt's. They just pawn them off on Social Works. The orders I receive are commical.

All in all, I really love my job! I work with a lot of older people and their families.

Some usefull information I learned on t.v.

http://thechive.com/2008/12/coober-pety-underground-cave-homes-16-photos/
I watched the travel station and learned about this community. I thought I would share my wisdom. Click on the link above.

1 Year Anniversary!

We can't believe 1 year has gone since we said "I Do." This year was been such a blessing to me! We have had some ups and downs. It was so wonderful to share the good and bad times with Scott! He is amazing! I have the best husband! Scott truely loves me and I see it everyday!

Live out Loud and Love

Hello All~
Life has been so great for us! We are counting down the days until our 1 year wedding anniversary...14 days! We can't believe how fast the year has been... but it seems so long since our honeymoon! Time flies when you are having fun! We are making the most/best out of everything. We truely love being married!

1 Corinthians 13
Love 1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Lawn Mowing

Scott and I got a new lawn mower this year! Today I helped with the lawn work. I have used many mowers riders and push, but today I used a self propelled mower! I did not realize these mowers existed. They are amazing. I have a whole new perspective on mowing!

Love...eachother...hobbies...spring time

We love our shirts!!! Rachel's says: I love my husband. Scott's says: I love my wife.

My crop in Clarinda. Jenna and Brett enjoyed scrapbooking too!

Jenna snuggling with Uncle Scott after a long day of playing with Uncle Scott and scrapbooking. Snuggle Bugs

Our back yard.

We are working on curb appeal. We planted hostas.

Weekend Plans

Scott and I are heading back to Iowa this weekend. I am having my first crop in Clarinda. I am so excited about this. I love scrapbooking and I love preserving memories and pictures! Check out my website: www.mycmsite.com/rachelhonig
Here is some back ground info about Creative Memories:

Our Story
In January 1987, Rhonda Anderson, from Montana, had taught a mother’s group about her tradition of preserving family stories in keepsake albums. She was stunned to learn that these mums actually kept their photos stuffed in drawers, boxes, and under the bed. Determined to help them capture and tell their stories, Rhonda called a Minnesota-based album manufacturer to place an order for 40 albums … these were the only albums her family had ever used, and she loved them.
It was after business hours when company executive Cheryl Lightle picked up the phone to take a message. Rhonda and Cheryl talked about the presentation and began to explore the possibilities. From that phone call came their vision that one day there would be millions of people learning how to preserve family memories and celebrate their stories.
In July 1987, Creative Memories’ first Consultant signed on. The company now has tens of thousands of Consultants worldwide who make a difference in the way people remember, celebrate, and connect.
And it all started with one simple phone call.


Our Mission
Creative Memories believes in and teaches the importance of preserving the past, enriching the present, and inspiring hope for the future.
We strive to re-establish the tradition of the photo historian/storyteller and the importance of memory preservation and journaling for future generations.
We offer quality, photo-safe products and information that utilize cutting-edge technology.
We provide profitable career opportunities for those who believe in and want to share the Creative Memories philosophy, values and ethics.
We offer a successful company that provides joy, dignity, and pride for Creative Memories Consultants and staff members.


Our Promise
With Creative Memories, you don’t have to accept anything less than the best for your unique stories and photos. Creative Memories promises our products are exclusive, easy, inspirational and, especially, photo-safe. We want your memories to last. That’s why we take your family history and priceless photos as seriously as you do.
No one has a story like yours, and our Consultants truly want to help you tell it. This is the spirit behind our personal service. Our Consultants help you capture life’s little (and big) stories, so they can be remembered and shared in your albums, on your computer, on your walls…in your heart.
Your Consultant promises personal service every step of the way by offering ideas, journaling tips and gentle encouragement to help you get it done.

Good News

First of all today is Janessa's 3rd birthday! Happy birthday little girl! We love you Uncle Scoott and Aunt Rachel

Today Brett went back to Omaha to Children's hospital. He got a good report. Brett is improving and getting stronger.

God is GREAT!

Thanks for all the support and prayers!

Have a great week!

D.J. and Brett

D.J. playing v-ball at CLS Volleyball Tourney!

Brett and Grandma..with Zack from Build-A-Bear
Aunt Rachel and Brett with Zack
Brett giving Zack a bath after he was stuffed at Build-A-Bear.
We had such a great day! What a great memory!

Welcome Home

Brett made it hope last night! He had not been outside for a week! That was hard on this little farm boy! He may go to school 1/2 days later this week! Brett has to take antibiotics 3 x a day for the next 2 weeks through his IV.

Welcome Home Brett! You have been so brave! We Love You!

Uncle Scott and Rachel

Brett update #2

Brett had emergency surgery on Sat (3/28). It went well. He will hopefully go home Mon. He will have a stint put in and have to do antibiotics through it 3 x a day for two weeks. So he still has some rough weeks ahead, but we are glad he will be able to come home. He has been so brave and tough. He has not complained much! I of course had to spoil him. So I bought his Build-A-Bear scrubs.

Love you Brett!

Brett Update

Thank you all so much for the support, prayers and emails. Brett went by ambulance Wed p.m. to Children's Hospital in Omaha. He has a lump on his neck that continued to get bigger. It is an infection. His white blood cell count has gone down, but he did have another fever this p.m. They think he had strep throat, and it was not treated, so the infection stayed in his neck area. They are not sure if the infection needs to be drained or surgically removed. Right now they are treating it with medicine. The lump is so close to nerves, vocal cords, etc. that it may be too risky to remove. I talked to Brett this p.m. He was in good sprits and talkative. Keep him and his family in your prayers.
Thanks so much!

Prayers needed

I am asking for your prayers. My nephew, Brett, age 8 is in the hospital. They are not sure what is wrong, but feel he has Meningitis and they are trying to determine if it is bacterial or viral. He had a spinal tap done today and has been poked at a lot. I spoke with him tonight. It sounds like he has been brave, but tired of all the needles. Please pray for Brett and his parents. My heart just breaks for him.

Thanks so much!

Catching up

Last week flew by and this week is going just as fast.

I enjoyed my time back home. It was so great to see my family and friends!

~Saw Jason and his family..growing up too fast
~Celebrated Brett's birthday...he is 8
~Spent time with the Bruce family...Jordan is adorable
~Had breakfast with Nikki..great to catch up
~Visited Waubonsie Mental Health Center...miss you all
~Spent time at the Kinghorn house...Greyson is a cutie
~Homemade meal from Grandma and played cards...the simple life
~Spent quality time with my mom...2 trips to Omaha
~Went shopping...spent money
~Took Brett to Build-a-bear...he had so much fun
~Jenna's preschool program...it was so cute
~Sat in a hot tub and caught up with Jeanne....so relaxing
~D.J.'s volley ball game...yeah they got 4th

What a super fast week!!!

IOWA or Bust

I am heading home this weekend. It will be so nice to see all my family and friends. I am so looking forward to being back home. This is probably the longest I have been away from home in a while. I will be able to see all my nieces and nephews! I miss them so much! I will need to do a lot of brain washing, so they don't forget I am their favorite Aunt! I do miss Clarinda...in a unique way!

Good Day

Today I started a different job. The hospice job was not a good fit for me. I loved the work, but the adminstration was not a good fit! I signed up to work for PRN Social Work Agency. This agency places social workers in differenct agencies for assignments. Today I started at North Kansas City Hospital. I am doing discharge planning. My assignment is for 2-3 months. I figured this would be a good way to "test" agencies to see if it is a good fit for me!

Also, I have decided to sell Creative Memories. I plan to be offically signed up in March. I will provide more details as I get them.

Much Love~
Rachel

LOVE

For God so loVed the world,
That He GAve
His onLy
BegottEn
SoN
That whosoever
Believeth In Him
Should Not perish,
But have Everlasting life."
John 3:16

Great Weekend

Our Valentine weekend was great. It actually started Thursday. Scott had the day off for Lincoln's b-day. We spent the afternoon making a romantic supper together. Then Friday night we rented some movies and snuggled together. Saturday my parents came to visit. We had such a great time. We went to Red Lobster for an early supper. We then did some shopping. Sunday we went to church and then my parents left mid-afternoon. It was so great to spend Valentine's weekend with the ones we love!
Feb. 18, 2009 will be 3 years since my first date with Scott. Wow, time flys when you have fun!

I love you Scott!!!!!!!!!!

Cupid

Happy Love Day to everyone. I hope your day is filled with fun, joy and love. Happy Valentine's Day.

Facebook

I have become addicted to Facebook. I was tagged to do this on Face book. So here it is.

25 Things about me...

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things about yourself.
At the end, you choose 25 people to be tagged.
You have to tag the person who tagged you.
If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.


1. I met my wonderful husband through the internet. We were both on eHarmony and got matched. I recommend this website to anyone. God answers prayers and blessed me by joining us together. I feel like I am a walking commercial. I have looked into being on one of their commercials. You have to submit a video. We entered their love story event several years ago and did not win. At the time we were only dating, so I think we should re-enter now that we are married.

2. I know I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I think it drives my husband nuts at times. He is too nice to say that it does! Lately my eye for detail/perfection has helped as we do home makeovers.

3. We just finished redoing our master bedroom! I love it! As they say on HGTV, your room should be a getaway, soothing...and we finally now have it. I don't cringe when I walk into the room.

4. I miss my nieces and nephews. I moved to the KC area May 2007. My nieces and nephews are my life. It has been over a month since I have seen them. I am always afraid they will forget about me. So I call them a lot! I love to spoil them!!! I also brain wash them to say I am their favorite aunt in the whole wide world!

5. I went to a Lutheran Day School from preschool through the 8th grade. I loved it. There were only about 12 in my class all those years. We grew to become very close and knew everything about each other which was good and bad at times.

6. I miss living on a farm. I enjoyed being able to explore and be away from things.

7. I love being with people, especially my family and friends. I also love the elderly populations. They are so wise, funny, loveable and special to me!

8. Scott and I had our first date in St. Joseph, MO. We went to the Pony Express Museum and to the Jesse James Museum. Love was in the air that day! We continued to meet in St. Joe for several dates and then started the long distance relationship!

9. I am a Diet Coke freak! I am trying to cut back to one or two Diet Cokes a day and/or substituting Caffeine Free Diet Coke.

10. I love pictures and I love to scrapbook! This is my favorite hobby/obsession/cult! I love Creative Memories products! My fabulous husband supports me and this makes it even more fun to do!

11. I also like to crochet. I have made several scarves this year for myself. I have made blankets for all my nieces and nephews! I always seem to wait until the last minute to get them done for a holiday or birthday. I am hoping to start earlier this year!

12. I will be 30 years old this year! B-day 29 was a hard one for me, so hopefully 30 will go smoother.

13. This year we celebrated my birthday and Hannah's (Scott's niece's birthday) together at Tybee Island, GA. It was so much fun! Hannah loved the beach. We rented a beach house for all 12 of us!

14. I belong to a wonderful church, Bethany Lutheran, in Overland Park, KS. Being from a smaller church I always wanted to attend a church with lots of activities and a place for my faith to grow!

15. Scott and I belong to the volley ball league at our church. We play every Tuesday night! We don't win too many, but we have a blast while we are there.

16. I miss my co-workers from Waubonsie Mental Health Center. It was such a wonderful place to work. But times change and we must go on. But this was a great first job for me. I grew and learned so much while working there. I also had amazing supervisors! (Those are hard to find sometimes!)

17. I am slowly becoming a Chief's fan, mainly because I live in the KC area. Right now all the focus is on the new coach and general manager! I hope they can improve their team! Go Chiefs!

18. I love to bake. As they say the best ways to a man’s heart this through his stomach! I practice this rule a lot! I had great teachers, my mom and grandmother! My grandmother makes the best angel food cakes in the world!

19. Scott and I have been going to our local YMCA. We try to go at 5:30 a.m. to start our day off right! We took a Core Training class on Wed. It was 20 minutes long and we hurt so bad. But we are going to try to do this class every Mon. and Wed. from 5:30-5:50! (Wish us luck)

20. I am addicted to Biggest Loser, Desperate House Wives, ER and Grey's Anatomy.

21. We love DVR. It is the best invention ever!

22. Scott and I went on our honeymoon to Walt Disney World for 3 days and on a Disney Cruise for 4 days. Loved every minute of it. I am a huge Disney fan, but never had been. It was my dream honeymoon...both of my men with me (Mickey Mouse and Scott)! The cruise was definitely the highlight! Neither of us had been on a cruise!

23. I love my family so much! I have such great support from not only my family, but also Scott's. I love my in-laws. I always heard horror stories about the in-laws or as my dad says out-laws. My grandparents are also so special. They are both in their 80's and still live on their farm and are able to keep up with the yard work, house work and they still have the biggest garden as ever. Each year they are going to cut back, but they don't. They love giving their home grown food away! I enjoy getting it too!

24. I do enjoy living in the city for convenience. We have a grocery store within a mile from our home. Wal-mart is 3 miles and a mall is 10 miles from my home. Growing up on the farm 10 miles from town you did the one stop shop while in town. If you forgot something you did without or call a neighbor. I know we called my grandmother that lived 5 miles from us to borrow items from! I hate rush hour traffic. Back home rush hour traffic did not interfere with anything. The only thing to slow you down is farm machinery on the road or that someone’s cows got out!

25. The best thing in my life is God! He is always there for me no matter what. He sent his only Son to die for us! What a priceless gift!

Home Makeover Pics

These pictures speak for themself!

Home Depot

Today Scott and I thought we would expand our homeowner skills. We attended a tiling class at Home Depot. It was very informative and now I don't think I ever want to do a tiling project. The man teaching the class was wonderful! We learned a lot and I think I could do a tiling job if my life depended on it, but man you have to have a lot of patients and time. We plan to attend a closet organization class next weekend at Home Depot. I am for sure we will soon be flipping houses...NOT!

Fireproof...the movie

Scott and I had our monthly date night Fri. A local chruch was showing the movie Fireproof for free! My brother and his wife saw this movie and had great reviews. So we thought what a great activity to do that was also free. We loved the movie. It is so moving. I recommend that everyone, no mater what stage of life you are in, you needs to see this movie. There was not a dry eye in the crowd. We also bought the Love Dare book. The pastor of this church is also having two follow up bible studies focusing on the book and this movie. We are going to try to attend them too. I think the DVD is coming out soon!

Painting

We have been spending most of our free time working on our bedroom. It is amazing how much prep work you need to do before you can actually begin painting.
We have done the following:
removed the wallpaper
scrapped the popcorn ceiling
primed the ceiling
retextured the ceiling
painted the ceiling
took off all the base boards
primed the walls
and finally today put on the first coat of paint...and I must say with all the work and sweet it looks great! I will post pictures (before and after) once it is all done!
I am thinking should Scott and I flip houses....no, it's not worth it! I have to say I have learned a lot in this process and have applied some tricks I have seen on HGTV. Good thing I watch a lot of t.v.

Soup...for a cold day

Since it is freezing everywhere I thought I would share a soup recipe Scott and I love. It is super easy! Enjoy
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

1 small onion chopped
1 (16 oz) can chili beans
1 (15 oz) can black beans-drained
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn- drained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz) can or bottle beer (we have substituted with chicken broth)
2 (10oz) cans Rotel (mild or regular)
1 package taco seasoning
1-2 cans chicken (depends on your liking)

Place all above ingredients in your crock pot. Set slow cooker on low for 5 hours.

Ideas to top with: shredded cheese, sour cream or tortilla chips.

Weekend Recap

This past weekend Scott and I headed to Omaha to throw Jodie a surprise birthday party! Jodie's family and friends were invited to come to the Texas Roadhouse at 4:30. We were all there waiting for her. When she walked in the door we jumped from behind the chest level high wall and yelled surprise. We got Jodie good! She was totally surprised. The adults then went to the Funny Bone Comedy Club for a night of laughs. J. Medicine Hat was the comedian. He had people come to the stage to be hypnotized. So me being a good sport and since it was Jodie's birthday, I took one for the team and got hypnotized. I guess our group loved seeing me up there. It was a great weekend getaway. It was also so wonderful to spend time with my best friend!

Bedroom Makeover

We have decided it is time to start the year off right with some home makeovers. We are working on the master bedroom! So far I have taken down the 80's country blue wallpaper. I am now working on taking off the popcorn ceiling! I will keep you all posted on the progress!

Janessa

I just had to put this picture up of my niece! She is so much fun! All my nieces and nephews are so great. Today, my other niece, Jenna, stayed with my mom and asked to call me today! I treasure these precious moments!

2008 was Great, but 2009 is MINE!

This is my slogan for the year!
Highlights of 2008:
planned a wedding
married my amazing, wonderful husband
had a awesome honeymoon
traveled to see see family and friends

Have a blessed 2009! I know 2009 will be amazing for everyone, remember In God We Trust! God has wonderful plans for all of us! He loves us more than we can ever imagine!