California Missions Trip

California Missions Team 2008

Sorry for the lack of posts. I have been very busy with work, church, family, and preparing for this very exciting mission trip with this group of teenagers. From June 14-22 we will be spending our time at Camp Berea, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We are all very excited for what God has in store for us. The team includes:(back) Tony Hasse, Ryan Smith, Samantha Carney, Molly McFerren, David Kronk (front) Starla Beachy, Breanna Yoder, Felisha Clark, Dani Huber, and me. There will definitely be pictures and more to tell when I return from the trip.

Angie Mattern R.N.

That's right...I passed my state boards and am now an R.N.!!! Thank you everyone for your prayers and support! It is such a great relief to move on with my life and not have to worry about studying!

Now that I am done studying I am going to take Harley Jane to classes to become a Delta dog. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is where Harley will be able to go the hospital and visit patients there. She has to pass a test and will be certified. I think she will be great at this job. She has already had some practice when she went to visit my grandpa, Menno Beachy Jr., in the hospital earlier this year. She really made him smile and lift his spirits.

January Update

Well Christmas is over and January is half way there! I can't believe how fast life goes! It has been one busy month at the Mattern house on Clark St. Here is the run down to get you up to date...

Christmas was another exciting and successful event. We made it to all of the families' Christmas parties and then some. Harley got lots of toys and even a Santa hat. Even though she wasn't exactly a fan of it she did look pretty darn cute in it!

I took my NCLEX in December and found out unfortunately I did not pass yet again. However, I did not let that discourage me. Ryan and I decided that it would be best if I went to Toledo to take an NCLEX review course. I was excited to take this course because it stressed the test strategy. Since I knew my content, after talking with several professors and reviewing my results it was determined that it would be best. So this last weekend and this coming weekend Ryan and I get to spend time in Toledo, OH. Ryan chose this wonderful hotel for us to stay in. It is a "newly" remodeled Days Inn.No, there is nothing wrong with you computer coloring, the Days Inn was the ugliest lime green I have ever seen! It was one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed in! There wasn't a fan in the bathroom and you could barely get in the bathroom and close the door! It was missing pieces of obvious furniture. Then when I went to Toledo University, which is where my class was held I was scared for my life! I have never wanted to own a gun in my life until then! I was convinced that I saw a man walking down the street carrying a gun! Ryan says its a cell phone, but it would of had to of been a very large cell phone! Thankfully my instructor is very nice and funny to make the class worth going to. He has given lots of helpful hints and suggestions.

Since all of the holidays are done and over with we are finally getting back into our routine, except for our two trips to Toledo of course. I get to play with Lily every Monday once again and have a blast. Here are a few pictures of Lily and Harley. Lily has really come to love "playing" with Harley.

It's Christmas time!!!

Its Christmas time and I am ready for it! Ryan and I have set a record for ourselves and had all of your Christmas decorations up by December 1!!! Our house looks beautiful, I only wish it was bigger so that I could have people over to see it. Here is a small glimpse of our Christmas decorated house...Ryan was the best husband ever and put up lights outside for me! It was the first time ever!!! Ryan was really excited about decorating for Christmas this year as you will see! After all we put these up before the "snow storm", according the weather man, came. After he had these beautiful lights up he went to plug them in and realized he had the wrong end by the outlet. Needless to say Ryan accomplished the whole process with only yelling at the lights a few times.

Yes that's right Ryan and I took the next step in our marriage and got our first REAL Christmas tree!!! Why is this such a big step you may ask, well just say the way Jim and Cindi go about putting up their Christmas tree isn't so pleasant, you know making sure its straight, etc. Proudly Ryan and I survived the process without even raising our voices!!! Being the perfectionist that we are after I put the lights on and decorated it Ryan and I decided to take everything off and redo it. It is somewhat bare but that is what is so great about Christmas. Every year our tree will get more beautiful!!!

I have always wanted a blue and silver Christmas tree! A tree that is beautiful and has a "theme" and not a bunch on miscellaneous ornaments, so I finally got my tree! There are beautiful navy blue, a light silvery blue and silver bulbs on our tree. Our tree doesn't have a topper yet but hopefully I will find that perfect piece one day.

When I went to water my real tree later in the day I noticed that the above ornament appeared on the formal tree. At first it started toward the back of the tree where you couldn't really see it but then as the hours and days went by it became eye level in the front of the tree. Since my husband has been wonderful in decorating the house inside and out I decided that it would be okay to leave the ornament on, not to mention that it does still go with the colors of the tree.

Don't worry, we still have our first Christmas tree. Ryan was busy decorating this multi-color tree while I was decorating the formal tree. This tree showcases all of our childhood ornaments including all of Ryan's sports ornaments, my Disney and Barbie ornaments, and the bible themed ornaments. We have acquired all of these ornaments from our beloved grandmothers. The Santa hat is perfect to top our Christmas tree.

Well that is a glimpse of our beautifully decorated house. We are ready for Christmas! December is a wonderful month due to our birthdays, decorating Christmas cookies, and all of the Christmas Parties!!! Lets not forget the real meaning and most important reason to celebrate Christmas, to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas!

J.K. Rowling has went past the line...

J.K. Rowling, the author of the famous Harry Potter Series, has recently told, at one of her book signings, that Albus Dumbledore is gay, a homosexual. No where in the book does it ever suggest that he is gay, interested in the male gender, or acts feminine at all. As written on CNN.

"She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. "Falling in love can blind us to an extent,"J.K. Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his "great tragedy.""

"Neither Dumbledore nor Grindelwald ever seems to have referred to this brief boyhood friendship in later life,"' Rowling writes. "However, there can be no doubt that Dumbledore delayed, for some five years of turmoil, fatalities, and disappearances, his attack upon Gellert Grindelwald. Was it lingering affection for the man or fear of exposure as his once best friend that caused Dumbledore to hesitate?"

It is absolutely ridiculous for her to say this!!! The series is complete. She isn't writing anymore books about Harry Potter or Dumbledore. Why would you say something like that now? I am furious. This is a big stretch for her to say this about Dumbledore. I don't know why she thinks she needs to make a" a big step for Jo Rowling and for gay rights." This is like her to say, well yes I wrote a wonderful series and you know I think now that I am done, I will top it off and make Dumbledore gay and I will stretch it as far as I can. Who does she think she is, William Shakespeare? Is she mimicking Romeo and Juliet by having Dumbledore kill his true love? Its just utter rubbish if you ask me.

Before I admired her for how well she had written this child fantasy series. Notice I said this book is for children!!! I have all of her books and think that it really gets the imagination going in children/teenagers. Its a great fantasy book and doesn't ever encourage kids to join the wicken religion. The fact that the beloved Dumbledore, that you have grown to love and admire, is a homosexual is absolutely absurd!!! I guess the good thing is is that this is just a book. It doesn't really exist and you can use your own imagination. So in my mind, and when my kids read this book, they will not hear anything about Dumbledore being gay.

Did Jesus go to hell when He died on the cross?

You learn something everyday...especially if you are studying theology. I am not studying theology but tonight when I was leading senior high small group this question was asked. Initially my mouth dropped and I immediately thought "heck no, duh". Thankfully Pastor Ryan was there to save the day! Even though I had never heard of this question before, because some theologians have really, really studied this, it really got me thinking. So much that after church tonite I read the entire Gospels, looking at the Crucifixion, the Death of Jesus, the Burial of Jesus, the Resurrection, and the Ascension in particular. Mathew 28:7 says that Christ has risen from the dead. From what I have read about Heaven and Hell is that Heaven is life, eternal life. Theologians have done research that shows that when Jesus died He obviously did not go to Heaven but rather went to Hell and battled Satan for 3 days and was then resurrected. He then later ascended to Heaven. Of course I do not have actual proof where I could reference this in the bible. I just thought I would share this very interesting thought with my family and friends. This is one reason I love working with youth. They have wonderful questions and while I do not know half the answers I have God's book to help me. The questions make me think so much that I can't sleep at night until I have already done at least some reading in the bible. Feel free to let me know your opinions and if you have any resources on this topic.

Update

Wow! Sorry for slacking and not updating my blog. My fans are begging for more (actually just my loving mother-in-law) and I will do my best to update weekly!

I am still studying tons for my NCLEX Examination, the date is approaching quickly but the date will still not be told. Your prayers will be much appreciated however!!! I will have the results by Thanksgiving, I will tell you that much! :)

My mom did have a successful parathyroidectomy surgery (where they removed her parathyroid). The nasty little, walnut sized parathyroid (average size is the tip of your pinky finger, well unless you have huge hands like Mark) was between her esophagus and her trachea, or in my dad's terms, her eating tube and her breathing tube. It was not cancer and she is recovering well from the surgery. My family would still appreciate your prayers in the months ahead.

My lil-bro-in-law's varsity soccer team made is to Regional Finals! The first ever in NorthWood's history. On my husband's behalf they did have a lot easier bracket to play in than when Ryan was in High School.

My "lil" sister's varsity soccer team made it to Sectional Finals, the second time in NorthWood's history. The first time being when I was in high school. :)