Insanity!!?!

Yes...Insanity is happening at the Massner household.  Although I would be fibbing if I said this word was never used to describe me (Mom), this time it is not me but the boys.  Just when things look like they might slow down, we jump into another 'new' schedule.  This time it involves the boys but I believe it is for a GOOD cause and I will be interested to see how long it lasts.  A few weeks back they ordered a workout DVD called "INSANITY"  and I believe that the name pretty much describes the workout involved.  It is a lot of different cardio and body strengthening exercises that are both intense and vigorous.  I have been exercising now for well over a year and had yet to arrive back home to more than one person awake.  Last week, every morning I came home to 3-4-5 boys all showered, dressed & ready for school, eating a 'healthy' breakfast to tide them over until I could make them a 'real breakfast'.  Yes...they have been getting up bright and cheery(?) at 5 or 6:00am to do their Insanity workout!  So far they have all agreed that they feel much more revived in the morning after the workout and are able to fall asleep faster at night - hmmmm...wonder if the ease of sleep has to do with the early mornings?!? :-)

I have enjoyed the earlier bedtimes as we are now all on the same page when 9:00 or 10:00pm rolls around....Everyone is getting up early so everyone has to get to bed!  Ahhhh...I must say this is the one time when I have welcomed INSANITY into my home with a smile and calm.  It is maybe just a craze or a short phase but I am going to support this cause until it fizzles out...maybe it won't and they will all be exercise buffs.  I'm just glad they are all up and moving more and eating (or trying to) better.

We should have more to report on their progress in a few months...until then, let the INSANITY continue!

Viaje Vendoso: Chicago Spanish Trip

I guess since Stephanie already mentioned that I might reveal some details about my Spanish trip, I probably should write about it. The Mediapolis Spanish IV Class, consisting of nearly 30 high school seniors, went to Chicago on Thursday and Friday, and it was a great experience for most if not all. They were two very long, eventful days.

Group picture in the hotel lobby.
L-R, Front: Aubrey, Rory, Allegra, Mrs. Delzell, Emily, Allison, Ally, and Kensley; Back: Brody, Jade, Caleb, Becca, Patrick, Ben (the reflective jacket), Myself, Jared, Andrew, Kortni, Nick, Jessica, Blake, Sarah, Haley, and Lincoln.

First, I woke up at the nice hour of 4:30 in the morning on Thursday to get to the school by 5:30, which was the scheduled departure time. We took a school bus to Galesburg, IL, where we boarded a train that dropped us off right at Union Station in downtown Chicago. That was the first time within my memory that I rode a train, so it was definitely a fun experience.

Playing cards in the dining car of the train.

Then, we all flagged down taxi cabs that took us to our Double Tree Hilton Hotel. We checked in at about 10:00, then had about 30 minutes of downtime before we walked to Ed Debevic's for lunch. It's a restaurant where the waiters try to be rude, so it is not like your normal eatery with the waiters trying to butter you up to get good tips.

Eating out at Ed Debevic's.
L-R: Jared, Ben, Me, Patrick (hidden), Caleb, Blake, Brody, and Nick

Then the waitresses/waiter danced for us a little bit before we headed out and walked to a dance studio, where we learned how to salsa dance. At first, it was hard to do all the fancy movements that our dance instructor was doing, but after spending an hour practicing, I think we all got it down. Actually, some of the students were so excited about the salsa dance that they danced in the hotel lobby. Anyway, after dancing, we walked back to our hotel where we relaxed and prepared for our evening activities.

In the evening, we ate out at Emilio's Tapas, a Hispanic restaurant with great food. While we were eating, some flamenco dancers entertained us, and they really got everyone in the Spanish culture mood.

The flamenco dancers in the foreground and the singer/guitar player in the background

Some class members enjoy the food and the flamenco dancers at Emilio's Tapas.
L-R: Brody (face turned), Kortni, Haley, Rory, and half of Andrew

The incredible paella at Emilio's Tapas.

After supper, we all went to the Cadillac Theater for the musical Jekyll & Hyde, a tragedy with lots of details that are hard to explain in a short time (maybe that's why the musical took 3 hours...). Although it was a sad ending, the theater looked great and the music and acting were great, too. After the musical, we took a subway to the John Hancock Observatory Tower, but we were too late, so we didn't get to go up to the top at night. But, we did get our cheesecake at the bottom of the tower from the Cheesecake Factory, so all was not lost. Then we went back to our hotel, ate our cheesecake, and went to our rooms to sleep. Most fell asleep around midnight.

An anxious crowd awaits the "decadent" cheesecake.
Front to Back, Left to Right: Jared, Becca, Allison, Jade, Emily, Aubrey, Sarah, Brody, Patrick 

The next day, we left the hotel nice and early again at 6:30 and walked to XOCO's, where we enjoyed some authentic hot chocolate and churros. They were kind enough to open their doors 30 minutes early so we could come in, eat our churros, drink our hot chocolate, and still stay on our tight schedule, so we were very thankful for that. The first sip of the hot chocolate was great! The second sip was good. The next sip was alright. Then, it was so filling that it got harder to sip with every drink. It was really thick chocolate, so none of us were very used to it. But, I did enjoy the authenticity of it. Also, the churros were amazing and I don't believe there was a single crumb left on anybody's plate by the time we were finished.

The churros and hot chocolate at XOCO's.

After that, we went to the Pilsen village, a Hispanic community, where we got a tour of some of the many murals in the town and enjoyed the atmosphere of a Hispanic place. There was an art museum in the community that we went to after the tour, so we were able to view Hispanic artwork.

Our tour guide explains the symbolism of this massive mural of a big guy. 

A cool-looking thing at the art museum.

Next, we hopped on a bus that took us to De Colores, another authentic Spanish restaurant, for lunch. The food there was great, and I enjoyed it all!

My half-eaten meal at De Colores...I was hungry so I forgot to take a picture of my food before eating. 

Then we took another bus to downtown Chicago (Michigan Avenue) for two hours of shopping/sight-seeing. Since we didn't get to go to the top of the John Hancock Tower the night before, we decided to do that during our shopping time. It was a beautiful view of the city of Chicago alongside Lake Michigan. We also got to ride on the world's fastest elevator.

A view of "The Windy City" from the top of the John Hancock Observatory Tower. 

Ben and Jared think hard about all the buildings.

They asked some of us to help wash windows at the top of the  John Hancock Tower... 

They regretted it later.

For the next hour and a half, we split into groups and did our own things. My group went to Hershey's, where we saw a 5-lb. Hershey's Bar, and the Ghirardelli chocolate store across the street, then bought some T-shirts at a shirt store and grabbed supper on-the-go at Jimmy John's. We also went into Microsoft and got to preview the new Microsoft Surface. That was pretty neat.

The 5-lb. Hershey's Chocolate Bar.

After that, we all re-collected at the hotel lobby at 4:20 pm and took taxis to Union Station. It was during rush hour, so we all got to experience the craziness of Chicago and taxi drivers during rush hour. We boarded another train back to Galesburg, where we got back on a school bus and came home. We got back at about 10:30 pm.

Once again, it was a great trip and I think everyone enjoyed it. Many thanks to the chaperones and Mrs. Delzell, our Spanish teacher, for all their hard work and efforts to make this trip a success!

The Chicago River, a Chicago Skyline, and the Amazing Javier all in one picture. 

My Small Corner

Jesus Bids Us Shine

Jesus bids us shine with a clear, pure light,

Like a little candle burning in the night;

In the world is darkness, so we must shine,

You in your small corner and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine first of all for Him,

Well He sees and knows it if our light is dim; 

He looks down from heaven, sees us shine,

You in your small corner and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine then for all around, 

Many kinds of darkness in the world are found;

Sin and want and sorrow-so we must shine,

You in your small corner and I in mine!

Jesus didn't command that I change the world, He simply called me to shine in my small corner. God calls us to different places because there are so many dark corners in the world that need light! Let us shine with the light He placed inside us...you in your small corner and I in mine.

In my small corner in Iowa City, I sometimes become discouraged because I don't see what God is doing with me. I feel like anything I do is so insignificant that it won't make a difference. But I need to trust that He is using me for a greater work than I can see on my own. So as I shine in this dark corner, I need to let God make my light "clearer" and "purer" every day because He cannot work through me if my light grows dim! :)


School is going well. The three previous weeks were pretty busy, but this week has kind of been a cool-down before spring break. I had an accounting club meeting last night and am planning to help them at the Ronald McDonald House on Thursday night. Tonight the single group is coming up to visit so we are super excited for that!

I haven't heard any news from home. My car is supposed to be getting fixed and might be ready to drive when I get home on Friday. In the meantime, Dad has been driving a bright red 2013 Toyota Camry rental car around and might have difficulty giving it up when he has to return it.

Billy is planning to go with the Spanish Club to Chicago tomorrow and Friday, so maybe he'll share some of those details when he gets back. I really enjoyed my trip last year so I hope he does too! He is on his SCC spring break this week so as far as I know he's been taking it easy.

Last weekend we had our first three baptisms in the Oakville-Mediapolis church and it was a very encouraging weekend. It is such a miracle to see each soul come to know their Savior!

It has been a good week because God has been with me. As we finish the week, let us remember to shine for Jesus-you in your small corner, and I in mine! :)

Have a good week!

Week by Week

Spring Break, Don't Be Late

(Adapted from "The Chipmunk Song" by Alvin & the Chipmunks)

Springbreak, Springbreak time is near,

Time for rest and time for cheer,

I've worked hard, but I can't last,

Hurry Springbreak, hurry fast!

Want a week to run and play

Me, I'll bid the books "Good-day!"

I can hardly stand the wait,

Please Springbreak, don't be late!

School is going well, but right now I really want a breather. Tonight I'm staying up here to catch one more proverbial breath to get me through next week. And then...Spring Break! :) When I come back we'll be over the hill and on our way out and...OH BOY. I shouldn't even allow the thought of summer break to cross my mind. Summer is the chocolate dessert at the end of the meal that motivates me to eat all my spinach now. On that note, it must be past my lunchtime (and I will not be eating spinach).

But I'm learning to take one week at a time. School seems to bog me down and I often wonder if the weekend will ever come. I continue to remind myself to be thankful for this moment today because I will never have it back again!

Of course, spring break will still be nice! :)

Have a good weekend!

How to Eat a Carrot (...and other things you learn at college)

Well, another week is ending and a new month begins! Welcome to March, my friend. It's been snowing lightly all week, but I suppose it's more cheerful than having a constant drizzle of rain! In the words of my Intro to Management professor, "Looks like January finally decided to make an appearance."

I figured out how to take the pictures off my phone now so I thought I'd share some of them (the first one is not from my phone).

More Things I've Learned Since College Started

1. How to Eat a Carrot. My newest revelation taught me how to eat a raw carrot in a quiet and peaceable manner. You know how when you bite into a carrot, it makes a really obnoxious crack that alerts the entire room that STEPHANIE IS EATING A CARROT!!?  I've found a solution so that nobody has to know anymore.

Do you bite it like a hot dog, taking off cylindrical bites (as pictured above)? Try thinking abstractly: put it in your mouth so it is in line with your molars and bite (slowly and deliberately) the long way. Don't break a tooth. From here you can chew the pieces normally and nobody will hear. It's quite simple. In the time it took you to read this description, you could have eaten three carrot sticks.

And I bet nobody rushed over to beg for carrots. I told you it would work.

2. Ice is undrinkable water. I took a picture of a student's water bottle before class. My question is, why would you fill a perfectly useful water bottle with ice just so you can put three tablespoons of water in to drink? It makes a great ice pack, but what if you happen to get thirsty?

The same thing happens at the drive-thru. If you ask them for a glass of water, they fill it up with ice. It's water. But it's frozen. I'm thirsty. I can't drink frozen water. Moral of the story: If you are thirsty, ask for your water "without ice" because then you'll get real water. It is still cold because it comes out of the cool dispenser, but it is thawed water that you can drink. 

3. Ice is beautiful. While we're on the topic of ice, I'd like to point out that ice is quite interesting when you don't have to drink it. I found this beautiful artwork on the ground (Yes, I was looking at the ground again. As much as they tell you to keep your head up, there is still a lot to see when you're looking down.)

Besides that leaf in the picture, there weren't any to be seen and I can't decide if there is a physical explanation for the amazing design (or am I just imagining an amazing design?). It is ice on the ground from the frost, and I thought it was wonderfully pretty!

4. It is possible for ketchup bottles to balance on one another. Just ask Billy. My concern is whether it was worth salvaging the tablespoon of ketchup.

5. I need to stop giving lotion as a gift. When I cleaned out my bathroom, I found 12 bottles of lotion. I also have a small bottle in each purse and another 2 containers up at college. It's always been a great gift, but it just accumulates because I can't use it fast enough! In an effort to use it up, I'm about ready to turn into a woman of many scents and very moist hands.

6. Business students are supposed to like Dilbert.

Today's lesson: When it's Friday afternoon and you're tired of studying, JUST GO HOME.

That said, it's time for me to take the knowledge I've acquired, pack up my belongings, and make my way home to Mediapolis.

Have a good weekend!