Husker Soccer goes to Iceland 🇮🇸

These ladies traveled to Iceland May 21-31, 2023

They saw all the site, ate great good, played (and WON) 4 games and had the time of their lives. What a special trip! 

My pictures are in reverse order, the blue lagoon was the last day. 

Reagan and Katie Stoneburber at the Blue Lagoon

At the waterfalls

Reagan and Roommate Riss Popoola

Abbey and Reagan

It was unseasonably chilly for the Huskers, in the mid 40s, cloudy and very windy the entire trip

The ferry ride was canceled the second day due to extremely high winds. 

Reagan and Canadian Flo B

The ACL buddies 

Reagan and Lauren Buzzel

Roommate Abbey Schwarz and Reagan

Maggie Altman from San Fran and Reagan

In May Iceland gets a total of 3-4 hours of darkness per day

Rehab buddies…even when traveling

The 3 injured girls

Katie had foot surgery

Buzzy had ACL surgery

Reagan will have ACL surgery when home from Iceland

Attending one of 2 professional games

My life 360 map

Reagan and roommate Sarah Weber

Katie Stoneburner documented the trip through her camera lens and then put together this video. This will be a trip of a lifetime for these girls

https://youtu.be/LKCni5Fmt6o

Husker soccer brought a media team along and this is their video…

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cthyd16NnAo/?igshid=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==

❤️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️❤️

Moms Day 2023

Mom and her friend Shirley was in town a little before Mother’s Day

The annual flower planting

Celebrating Nana

 

Millard West loved Michigan Ave

Basically every trip we have ever taken has been due to a kid’s activity. This one is no different. It has been a blast following Olivia and her Show Choir around Nebraska and Iowa for high school competitions. (Have I said this before…if you haven’t attended one of these events you must. It’s like NOTHING I have ever experienced before.) Anyway, Millard West HS show choirs went to the Heart of America (HOA) competition in Chicago. The hype for this event was remarkable. If I’m honest, the actual event did not live up to the cost or the hype. None the less, it was a great experience for the kids and an opportunity for Chris and I hang out in Michigan Ave. Plus we started a great podcast on the 7 hour commute, The Exorcist Files.

Our friend’s FAVORITE pizza place in Chicago is Lou Malnati’s. We agree, I wanna go back! 

Tall buildings and city lights at the Intercontinental Hotel

I’ll be honest, I’ve heard so many bad things about the lawlessness in Chicago, I was a bit nervous about going there. What surprised us was the lack of people. We pulled in at 4:30pm on Friday only to find the streets bare. This has got to be a first. I was a bit worried that Rapture happened and we  were “Left Behind”. Ha We had a great trip and we’re relieved to find the believers still roaming the streets. 

The Bean

Millennium Park 

I spent a little time at the 5-story Starbucks

🌟Reserve Roasterie🌟

Uptown Girls

Oh my beautiful singer!!!

Uptown Girls & West In The Groove

 

Hugs, Kisses and Lots of Birthday Wishes

We love Birthdays

The Raabes do food and birthdays well. I have always made a big deal of celebrating my girls' special days. Now that Emma is out of the house I don't spend the week making all her favorite foods nor do I decorate her bedroom while she's sleeping. I guess Joe would find that quite creepy if I were sneaking in their house with balloons and streamers in the middle of the night. Instead we met at Emma's favorite Sushi place. I made Cherry Brownies and the family came together for laughs, stories and some special gifts. It's such a joy to celebrate the amazing woman she continues to become.

Look at that Glow

I was fortunate enough to be included in Emma's Friend Celebration

Does that mean I've hit a new level of acceptance? We hit up her favorite Taco place in Blackstone, Mula Mexican Kitchen and then walked across the street for Coneflower ice cream. It's was pretty cold to be eating that frozen deliciousness but oh so worth it! Some of these girls I have know for decades while others I met this year. Emma has found some great gals. Missing Emma L and Kaylee

Happy Birthday Sweet Emma!!! Love, Mama

May blessings follow you through life wherever Christ may lead you. 

May love be right beside you, and joy and peace precede you. 

May God's Word light your path each day while grace and patience guide your way.

 

Challenge

Most people are a little more on the ball with their word of the year or new year resolutions, not me. I guess I'm already feeling the challenges of 2023.

This is my word, please do not confuse the word challenge with bad. I don't think I will have a bad year but I think there are some challenges that I am going to face which will be profound. Here I am saying, "I recognize it and Let's do this!"

Be strong and bold; have not fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:6,8

 

Christmas 2022 Photo Dump

Olivia had a solo at the school Christmas concert

MW Christmas Tradition

MWHS choir alumni are invited up to the stage to sing  “Psallite” with all 3 choirs. That’s about 280 voices. It’s breath taking. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions! Emma went up this year, surprised how well she remembered the song. 

As always, Nana is there to support

The 12 days of Christmas at the office proved to be a lot

A lot of what you ask… a lot of everything!

Here we are on the hot chocolate bar day in our ugly…ur um I mean festive sweaters. 😉

Candle Light Tradition

Christmas Eve services at Christ Community Church ends with singing Silent Night by candle light. Here’s another Christmas tradition I LOVE! 

My challenge each day is to be a light to a dark world. Jesus came so there would be light in a place filled with darkness, sadness, pain and sin. A light lead the wisemen to Jesus all those years ago. May we be vessels of light that attract people to Jesus also. 

Raabe Tradition

I am so thankful to have a family who gathers.

We had good food, laughter, gingerbread house decorating, games and a few gifts. While my kids have always wanted cousins they are fortunate to be the only grandkids/nieces on Christmas Day because they still ALL gets gifts.

These are the hats papa gives

Christmas at the CSF house

Christmas morning Tradition

Breakfast and gifts with just the 6 of us 

And Molly too of course

Gingerbread House Tradition

This one goes back to when we would take the girls home to Smith Center to see my parents. Mom and Dad’s house didn’t have much for my kids to do so we took projects like tie blankets and gingerbread houses. The houses became a favorite with my creative dad. Year after year dad helped us design as masterpiece. Oh dad, how I miss you!!

Chris and Stephen team up to make a chaotic masterpiece including a port-a-potty and fire pit

Holly and Reagan design together

Nana and Emma design beautiful little gingerbread house that would take 1st place of there was a competition 

Angie and Joe built a home for the Grinch or the Hulk, someone green anyway. 

Olivia and I didn’t get a picture taken since I’m always the photographer. Our house was decked out in pastels and ginger. 

1. Ang/Joe

2. Mel/Liv

3. Nana/Em

4. Chris/Stephen

5. Holly/Regs

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬