ENGAGED!!!

3 years ago this month, Tim and I had our first date at an Avalanche game.  I was smitten immediately and was so excited when I realized that "the guy I love, loves me too!"  Throughout the last 3 years, we have been dealt some very difficult challenges; ones that most couples don't have to worry about for years into their lives together.  I knew he was the one I wanted by my side forever when we were able to face each set-back together and come out stronger every single time.  He is my best friend and I'm so blessed to be able to share my life with him. 

About 38 years ago, my dad showed up at my mom's house with an engagement ring tied to a single rose.  Yesterday, Tim honored my father by proposing to me in the same manner.  But, this time, instead of showing up at my house, we took a trip to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs and got engaged in one of the most beautiful spots I can think of!  Here's our story:

We have a tradition of planning a "stay-cation" each year to celebrate our anniversary.  Last year, I planned a fun trip to Aspen for us.  This year, we decided to celebrate a bit early and spend a weekend in Colorado Springs.  Our first stop was the Pikes Peak cog railway.

I was so nervous to take this train to the top of Pikes Peak (14,000+ feet high), because I distinctly remember my mother telling me how scary it was the last time she rode it.  There are times when the front of the train is literally 3 stories above the back!  But, after settling in to our hour and a half ride, I was really enjoying the scenery and the time that Tim and I had to just enjoy hanging out together.  When we arrived at the summit, we had about 30 minutes to get off the train, take in the beautiful scenery, and go to the restroom.  We hustled off the train, took a quick picture, and I ran to the restroom, only to find the usual 30-person line.  The only time that I wish I were a guy is when the women's restroom line is out the door and the guys just get to walk in and out in no time.  Seriously. 

When I finally finished and hunted Tim down outside, he wanted to take a picture with the amazing mountains behind us so he grabbed the nearest tourist and asked her to take our photo.  She did so without saying anything to us and then walked over to her husband...with our camera still in hand.  I remember thinking "What is this lady doing trying to steal our camera!"  and was so relieved when Tim went over to snatch it back from her.

When he turned around, he had a rose in hand with a ring tied to it and it was then that I realized that the crazy lady "stealing" our camera was actually Courtney, my best friend, whom I hadn't even recognized up until then.  Talk about a blonde moment!  Tim gave me an amazingly romantic speech that he had written, I started to cry, and he got down on one knee and popped the question!  Of course I said yes and we spent the last 10 minutes on the summit taking pictures with Courtney and Alex and celebrating.  I can't think of a more perfect proposal from a more perfect guy...can't wait for this new chapter in our lives together!!!

Celebrating with great friends!

Heading back down the mountain with my fiance!

The Coaching Gene

Coaching is a profession of love.
You can't coach people unless you love them.
-Eddie Robinson

I was born into a family of wonderful coaches.  You could say that coaching is in my blood.  My grandfather was a legendary athletic director and football coach in DeKalb, Illinois.  And, of course, I grew up watching my father in his coaching element.  From meager beginnings with the Johnsburg High School football program to earning 2 Superbowl rings, and coaching several quarterbacks to the Pro Bowl and MVP titles, he worked his way up the ladder by dedicating his life to the players he saw on the field.  I was blessed to receive his amazing coaching advice on more than one occasion, even when he didn't know anything about the sport I was competing in (figure skating?).  I received more than one trait from my father- his face, his temper, his sarcasm, his loyalty, his hair (thank goodness:-) but the one trait that I feel so blessed to have received is his love for and ability to coach.  

When I stepped into the commons at Rock Canyon High School 7 years ago as the new JV Poms coach, I had no idea where this coaching gene would take me.  I knew that I loved to dance.  I knew that I had some extra time and wanted to get involved.  I knew that I had LOVED every second of my time in high school poms.  But, when I told my athletic director that I'd dedicate 3 years to this program, I had no clue that I would double that, and love every minute of it.  Of course, there were rough times and lots of tears but I wouldn't change our 2 State Championships, consecutive appearances in finals at Nationals, and the numerous life-long relationships that we formed.  We cried, laughed, and grew together and I feel so very blessed that I had each and every one of those poms and their families in my life. 

 
Once we received information that my dad wasn't expected to live past December, I felt that I needed  to step away from coaching after 6 seasons with the program.  Last week I received a very touching email from our Foundation saying that a donation had been made by the Rock Canyon Poms team to our Drive 4 Dinger golf tournament.  As I read through the names of those that donated to this cause that is so near and dear to my heart, I literally broke down and cried right there in my car.  The truth is, when I walked away, I thought that would be the last time I would hear from the girls, the families, and the program that I had built and loved so much.  I was so wrong.  Coaching truly is a profession of love and I find it such a blessing that, somewhere in between the 2 minute routines, half time shows, and fundraisers, I was able to touch a few lives and create lasting relationships with so many amazing, giving people.  Coaches may not always get credit for their great accomplishments, but knowing that I'm still being supported by these families that I spent so much time with and cared about so much, is really all the validation that I need.

Now I know why my dad spent so many grueling days at the office.  He wasn't one for the glory or publicity and, at the beginning, he sure didn't do it for the money.  He did it for the players he coached and the relationships he built along the way.  I'm lucky to have been able to follow in his footsteps...I really learned from one of the best.

Thank you, RCHS Poms!  Your continued support and love is so appreciated!!!

Just Be

Thanks to mother nature, I've now been stuck inside the house 2 days.  It snowed again through the night and I think the total accumulation is around 26 inches now!  Since I also took the day off of school on Thursday to get myself over a mega-cold, it'd be a lie if I didn't say that I'm dying from having to be cooped up for so long.  I did attempt to venture out to see a movie last night and ended up getting stuck in the driveway on the way back...should've learned my lesson on that one the first 4 times that happened to me! So, today I'm just going to accept the fact that I am being forced to remain inside and use this time to just be.

Living in and growing up with an active, competitive family has sort of ingrained in me the need to constantly be busy.  We used to run from baseball practice to girl scouts, from ice skating lessons to soccer tournaments, from after-school musicals to CCD classes. (if you're catholic, you know all about those!)  Bless my mother for all the miles and hours that she spent in the car carting us around.  We were busy...that's the way we lived.  Sure, we made time for God on Sundays and during dinner prayers (on the rare occasion that we all were able to sit together for a meal), but we didn't have TIME to stop and realize that life was passing us by and we weren't really experiencing it in the way we should. 

Being part of a football family also causes you to constantly be looking for what's next.  There's no time to focus on the here-and-now and enjoy it.  There's always another game, or another connection to be made for another job promotion.  There's the next family move to the next city, the next season schedule, the next round of players, the next set of downs if the last one didn't turn out so hot, and who needs tickets to the next game.  There's no TIME to just enjoy the current moment with the current team and to realize all the greatness God has brought to our lives.  Throughout the years, we ended up forgetting that there were 7 days in every week- we lived for Saturdays when I was young and Sundays when I was older.  Every game of the season could determine if we'd remain in our home the following year or be forced to uproot our lives to yet another city.  We stopped experiencing all the goodness that fell between the games.

Now that I'm older, I realize that I'm falling into the same pattern.  Up until this year, I worked two jobs- one as a full-time teacher, and one as a part-time poms coach.  I ran everyday from work to practice and I lived my life focusing on practices, games, competitions, and pep-rallies.  I loved every minute of coaching but I had little, if no TIME to just be and to enjoy the ride.  I couldn't even enjoy the moment through 2 State championships and top 20 finishes at nationals- I was constantly thinking about the next year, the next dance, the next big move, the next team.  Once we received the devastating news last June that my dad wouldn't make it through the year, I chose to give up the hustle-and-bustle of life and left coaching in order to have more TIME.  But, true to form, I filled the empty moments with more stuff.  I went to dinners, drinks, and happy hour with friends.  I bought season tickets to the theatre.  I saw movies and went to the gym.  A great guy I know that got free tickets to every sporting event in town spent several nights with me at the Pepsi Center.  I started a non-profit with my family.  I should have realized that I had fallen back into my typical pattern of being constantly busy and looking for the next big thing when I couldn't even focus on a conversation with someone because my mind was going 1,000,000 miles an hour making to-do lists and planning.  

The one thing that this snow storm has made me do is stop and just be.  God has a funny way of showing us when we are moving too fast, cruising through life without looking at all the good we have, not living in the moment, and forgetting about what's important.  He often forces us to be still and to reconnect with ourselves, and HIM.  Reflecting on how I've literally run through my life so far has made me realize how important it is to just slow down and enjoy the ride.  The great experiences and milestones that will come next in life will come through faith and trust that today HE is preparing me for tomorrow's gifts.  Learning to be still means realizing that I don't have to be moving and busy all the time.  By taking a deep breath and just taking a second to be, I will learn to find happiness in the moment instead of waiting for it to come later on.  And today, on this crazy winter day, without television to entertain me, will be the first day of my life that I make an effort and take TIME to just be. 

New Year, New Me

Yet another year has arrived.  I can't believe how quickly time flies as I get older.  Last year we began 2011 with the hopes of miracles that never came.  As the year wound down, I found myself evaluating my life and searching, as many do, for a resolution that will help change things for the better during 2012.  Last year, I found myself needing some more "me" time so my official resolution was to read 2 books a month.  I signed up for Shelfari to track my reading selections and spent my salary on several books throughout the year, both "real" ones and electronic ones for my iPad (obsessed!)  I easily met my goal of reading 24 books during the year and was able to get lost in some really great stories in the meantime...

But, as it was, life hit us square in the face and required a few more changes and a focus on life that far exceeded a commitment to read a book or two.  Watching someone you love dearly fade away while fighting a disease that took over their body will make you reevaluate everything you do in life;  I gladly followed suit when my family chose to begin researching ways to prevent cancer.  I changed my diet, my outlook on life, my priorities- even the water that I drink.  Once you begin reading about all the stuff that is put in our food and how it effects our bodies, it's like a snowball...you just can't help but change every aspect of your life.  So, a year later, I guess I've changed a lot more than just my reading habits.

With the official beginning of our Foundation, I felt that I could do more this year than just reading a few stories.  Since we are going to be trying to teach others about the dangers of certain foods, I felt that it was about time for me to put my money where my mouth is and really jump feet first into healthy living.  30 pounds have been following me around in very unattractive spots on my body for about 10 years now.  All of the shots I took and the late-night Taco Bell runs finally caught up with me once I joined the working world...and I've been trying to lose them ever since.  I have tried pretty much EVERY diet known to man.  You name it, I've failed at it.  Weight Watchers, Slimgenics, Nutrasystem, personal trainers, SlimQuick pills, Hydroxycut...EVERYTHING!  I either get frustrated after not losing enough weight and give up or I get so starving that I see stars and can't stand another minute without "good" foods.  Well, I guess my new year's resolution for 2012 is to put an end to that cycle, stop making excuses, and finally do what I know it takes to be healthy.

I started Maximized Living boot camp last Friday.  A coworker of mine (thanks Lindsay) had lost 30 pounds through the same boot camp last year and has raved about the program so much that she finally sold me on it!  Little did I know that meeting Dr. Joe would be the ultimate kick-in-the-butt that I needed to put into action all the research that I had been doing about preventing cancer.  This program is about more than just losing weight, it's about completely changing your lifestyle- mind and body to live a healthy life.  Dr. Joe and this program just fit in so well with everything we believe.  He even has a Kangen water machine (magic water!) for his office and patients to use- I heard that and knew that I was in good hands!  I weighed in on Friday and was honestly shocked at how much I had let myself get up to; I was the heaviest I had EVER been.  It wasn't shocking since I've always been an emotional eater and I've had more than my fair share of emotion in the last 5 months but there was no excuse for the weight I was.  Right then, I chose to do something for myself for once in my life and 4 days later, after my first weigh-in, I'm down 5 pounds, full of energy, and so excited about confronting my weight and getting rid of it!  Instead of making excuses, I'm changing my life for the better and making 2012 the HEALTHIEST year of my life!  How's that for a resolution? :-)

We're Official!

Our first Christmas gift was delivered to us on December 22 in the form of an official Incorporation certificate from the state of Tennessee!  We popped a bottle of champagne and celebrated The Heimerdinger Foundation's official beginning!

This foundation has been a complete labor of love for all of us; sometimes requiring a little more labor than love.  When starting on this journey to bring information to others about cancer treatment options and healthy eating, we had no idea that it would be so much work!  Rather than donate to another foundation and let them decide where the money goes, we chose to open our own- and The Heimerdinger Foundation was born.  With our trusty board of directors, we have shed some tears, had plenty of laughs (Dinger Doodle Dandy) and have accomplished so much more in one month than we ever expected to!  We even had our first application for an intern :-)


There is still much work to be done and the ideas keep rolling out every day.  Our next focus will be to get the Drive for Dinger off the ground by June 29th.  As our first official fund raiser, we have no idea what to expect but, with my dad looking on with us as we take this journey, it's sure to be a success!

Presents vs. Presence

Well, I've officially decided that holidays suck without my family being in tact.  I'm told that it'll get easier and my mom says we need to make new memories and new traditions.  Not gonna lie, I'm sort of partial to my old memories and my old traditions!  I have gotten used to scheduling our Christmas celebrations around football season (along with everything else in our lives) so being able to actually open presents and go to church when "normal" people do was a little odd.  After eating a Tofurky last year for Christmas dinner since my dad had started chemo and couldn't eat meat, this year's buffalo roast was so much yummier!  But, the biggest change this year has been the lack of presents under the tree. 

Tim and I after church on Christmas Eve

Although my mom still insists on wrapping gifts in "Santa" paper and telling us that he has come to deliver presents, "Santa" officially stopped coming to our house a long time ago.  This year he randomly came on Christmas eve morning :-)  In the past, we would get a few great gifts and lots of money to go out and get other ones of our choosing.  This year, we have realized that the meaning of the season is not what gifts you get but what gifts you give to others in the form of your presence in their lives.  We would give any amount of money or material possessions to have even one more day with my dad in our lives so it seems a little silly to spend money on gifts that'll be out of style in a month when we should be thanking God for sending his Son to us and allowing us to have the celebration of Christmas to begin with.  So, this year, we have made it a point to celebrate with presence rather than presents.  Here are some of the ways we celebrated all the blessings in our lives: 


**Spending Thanksgiving with the Baker family- We started the holiday season by driving from Nashville to Massanutten, Virginia to join the Baker family for Thanksgiving.  We rented some little town houses and enjoyed catching up with my mom's brother and sister and all of their kids.  It was the first time in as long as I can remember, if ever, that all of our family on this side was together (minus cousin Christina- missed you!)  Thank you Kevin for fixing my blog and making it look pretty again!  With my grandfather suffering from dementia and getting up in age, we figured that spending time with him and the family was more important than anything else...Hopefully we can get together more often and see everyone again before too long!

My winning cookies!

**Cookie Exchange- I thought I'd steal a page from fellow blogger TickedPink's book and host a cookie exchange for all my girl friends to get together before the holidays.  It is a rare day that we can all get together without kids and husbands/boyfriends to just have a little girl talk and enjoy each other's company!  We had such a great time catching up, talking about all the babies that are coming our way this year, & eating lots and lots of cookies.  Thank goodness Sarah fired me from making my own 6 dozen cookies- outsourcing helped me win the prize for "best overall cookie!"




**Parade of Lights- It's been at least 10 years since I've made my way downtown to enjoy the parade of lights.  I have a certain love for Christmas lights and fireworks...they just make everything look so much more beautiful!  Pair that with our amazing downtown area, and it made for a wonderful date night for Tim and I!  The parade wasn't as amazing as the Macy's one in New York (maybe I'll go see that next year!) but we had a great time all the same.

**Holiday Parties- Taking time to catch up with co-workers at our annual Christmas party was such a blessing.  With the school that I work for, we have 50 school sites under our charter and all my friends and I have multiple locations assigned to us.  We travel hundreds of miles every month to our schools and, with all that time in the car, rarely get time to catch up with each other.  For our celebration this year, we made snowmen and then came to the office to a casino-themed party.  I walked in with such a terrible attitude; not excited at all about the "mandatory" holiday party but ended up having a wonderful time learning how to play Blackjack and laughing with my colleagues.  I loved it so much that I think I'll be throwing my own casino party this summer! 
We also took time out to go to Comedy Works with Tim's new job to see Kathleen Madigan.  She was so ridiculously funny and I had a great time getting to put faces with the names and stories that Tim has shared with me about his new job. 


**Transiberian Orchestra- I thought that going to see Transiberian Orchestra would be the perfect Christmas outing for my family and Tim to celebrate after the holidays.  Since I purchased 5 tickets for us, we asked Tim's mom to come along with us in my dad's place.  What we expected to be a relaxing show full of traditional Christmas songs with a twist, turned out to be, "a cross between Metallica and Christmas" (according to Tim).  After 2 hours of electric guitars, flashing strobe lights, and 80's hair flips, we walked out of the Pepsi Center feeling like we needed to fight someone.  Not exactly the relaxing Christmas evening we had expected.  Thank you Josh Groban for providing some real Christmas music during the car ride home and allowing us to relax.  I think I'll stick to Handel's Messiah next year. :-) 

**Cousin's Ski Weekend- One of the best memories of this season has to be the cousin's ski weekend that we organized.  All of my dad's side of the family lives in the Chicago area and we rarely get to see them more than once a year when we head up there for the Brown Family Reunion.  It's so much fun to get together with the family now that most of my 15 cousins are getting into their adult years.  No more kid's table for us!  Several of the cousins made the trek from Chicago to come visit us here in Colorado and we had an absolute BLAST together for three days!  The weekend was just 100% relaxing and fun, complete with spa day for the girls, a day of skiing with beautiful 40-degree weather, more alcohol and food than we could consume in a week, and memories that will last forever!  Although one cousin ended up in the hospital for altitude sickness (that thin air is rough), we decided that we are going to make this an annual event!  Can't wait for next year!!

Skiing at Breck

Spa day with the girls!

**Family is Home!- The best Christmas gift that I could ask for came to Denver on the 14th.  Having mom and Brian back home with me has been wonderful (minus all the unpacking that we're having to do!)  We have spent lots of nights watching movies, putting together puzzles, and just enjoying each other's company.  SO glad to have them back home with me!

I think I could get used to spending more time over the holidays enjoying the company of family and friends than in the malls searching for the perfect gift for them.
Hope that you all had blessed Christmas celebrations!!!  Happy Holidays!:-)

Gang's all Here!

I feel like it's been forever since I've spent an entire weekend at home just catching up on life (and updating my blog).  True to form we have been going, going, going since getting home in October and haven't slowed down yet. The weekend before Thanksgiving was no exception.  We took off on Friday to go to Arizona for the long-awaited visit with my college friends and some of Tim's high school buddies that recently moved to the Valley.

I've written about my favorite Arizona people before but it's worth mentioning again how blessed I feel to have these girls in my life!  They have all been like the sisters that I never biologically had- fights, tears, laughs, and memories included!  We all met in college through our sorority, Theta (except Lisa, our honorary Theta) and have stayed in touch over 9 years...has it REALLY been that long?!?  When I moved back to Denver almost 6 years ago, it broke my heart to leave them and all the fun we had but life goes on and thankfully, we're all still visiting each other and staying in touch!  It's been over a year since we've all been together and in that time 2 girls got married, one had a baby, another got pregnant, one moved to Australia, and I, obviously suffered a severe loss.  I hadn't been able to get hugs from everyone since my dad passed and I was needing to see the people that always know how to make me laugh and get my mind off of everything that's going on.  We had an absolute blast during our visit- I just wish we would have been able to stay a bit longer :-(

We began the weekend with a much-needed Oregano's dinner at Meg's house.  I loved this amazing Italian restaurant when I lived in Phoenix and now have to eat it every time I get back in town.  I was so depressed to hear that they stopped making my Big Ol Ravioli but settled for another amazing pasta dish.  Really, you can't go wrong with anything there!  I finally got to meet baby Aubrey (she's absolutely adorable) and got to catch up for a few hours with the girls before heading off to sleep.

On Saturday we met up with Tim's friends Grant and Jessica who just recently got married and moved to Phoenix.  We ate at Herb Box, a wonderful little bistro in Scottsdale.  Then we picked up another amazing college friend of mine, Erin, and headed to ASU to cheer on our Devils against U of A.  The game started late so we were able to tailgate for a few (actually 4 hours) before it started.  I tried to channel my inner college girl but ended up wanting to fall asleep by half time.  I just can't drink like I used to :-( but we had so much fun.  I got to meet Kate's husband Chris for the first time and help teach him a little about our American football since he is from Australia.  Alas, the Devils lost to our rivals but we had a great time anyway!

Sunday was the big celebration for baby Charlotte and Meg!  Mandy did a fabulous job of setting up a milk and cookies themed party- so creative!  Meg was showered by gifts and I won a cute cookie mix prize for correctly guessing how big baby Charlie has grown!  Again, so fun to just be with the girls and get to catch up!    
It was time to get back on the plane and head back to Colorado sooner than I was ready to go.  Hopefully it won't be another year until we can all get together again!

Lisa, Kate, Ang and Aubs, Meg, Mandy, Rachel, me and Sarah!