These are the moments...

...That make my job worth it all.  Today was Shop With a Cop 2010 at Target.

Here are all the officers and some of the kids before we started

At 8:00 this morning, the officers of the Alton Police Department took approximately 50 kids shopping and gave each of them $100 to buy gifts for their families and themselves for the holidays.

Sam with one of his shoppers

Each of the three kids with whom I went shopping were great.  One of them even remembered me being nice to her one day at work.  To be honest, I did not remember her at all, but she was very excited to have me as the officer with whom she went shopping.  When that happens it really makes you realize that the smallest interaction with an officer can really shape how they feel about them for life.  Here she is below.

This is Nichelle Sumpter (yes, Nichelle.  She really gets upset if you call her Michelle)

Nichelle bought something for everyone on her list and STILL got a bike and new helmet for herself.  She even gave me a hug at the end of it all...MADE MY DAY!

This is Breanne Lee.  Breanne was the best shopper of the bunch.  The girl got SO many things for everyone on her list.  It was a lot of fun.  

My first shopper was Jeffery.  He was so cute, but sadly I didn't get a picture with him.  Jeffery was very humble and almost didn't get himself anything.  But, when I told him he had enough money to do so his eyes definitely lit up!

It was great.  I know, I already said that a couple of times, but I mean it.  Every year it is nice to get to do something for these kids.  I worked last night and seriously need to go to bed, but I just HAD to write about the experience for everyone else before I put my head on the pillow.  'Cause once I do, I am pretty sure I will be down for the count.

I love you all and as you are going through this holiday season I really hope you will remember what it is all about.  If you are not Christians, you will still be celebrating this season whatever you believe.  Enjoy it,  Love the people you are with, and do something nice for someone else.  It ends up being selfish because you have no idea how great it will make you feel.  Merry Christmas!

So Much To Be Thankful For!

Well, I have been thinking about this topic a lot over the last few days due to the recently past holiday. I was going to spare you all my rantings, but I feel it is important to occasionally declare to others the things for which we are all thankful. Here are a list of the Top 10 things I give thanks for each day (and some less than I should) in no particular order.

1. My hubby - Steve is an incredible guy and while it is SO much easier to focus on the things he doesn't/didn't do, he does SO much for me every day. I really appreciate the impact he has had on my life even in ways I never expected or wanted.

2. My mom and dad - My parents are two of the most amazing people I know. While both of them work far too much, they are never too busy to take my call or stop by just to check in and see if everything is okay. I love that even though I don't see them that often I always know they are only a phone call away.

3. Being an Aunt - Patrick and Eva keep me on my toes and keep a smile on my face. And new this month is Miss Addy. I can't wait to see the impact she has on the world too!

4. My Health - As most of you know this past year has been filled with trials and tribulations with my back. I have been back at work since April and I am loving every minute of it...okay, maybe not EVERY minute, but I am super excited to be able to continue as a police officer.

5. My friends - I am sometimes a terrible friend and don't keep up on people as well as I should, but just like my parents, my true friends are only a phone call away. I love you guys!

6. Babies - We have had so many new and adorable additions to our lives in the last year or two. Our family and friends are all growing and we are SO excited about it.

7. My In-Laws - How many people can say that?! I love both sets of my in-laws. Even when I get frustrated by being told I'm a crazy liberal or what we SHOULD be doing with our money, I know my in-laws have our best interest at heart. It does get tiring being told we are wrong, but Steve endures it from my parents too. I can only imagine some day we will be doing the same to our kids and their spouses.

8. Toby - Dogs really do bring you a bit more happiness. Toby can sense when something is up with me. I love it. He just puts his head on my lap and gives me a look like "It's okay mom. I'm here for ya." It's too great.

9. Our Siblings - Yes, all 52 of them. Not really 52, but Sam, Kate, Kyle, Kacy, Matt, Kathleen, Danielle, Andy, Natalie, Shannon, Kathryn and Allie are all so much fun. We truly are blessed to have so many different and wonderful siblings in our lives. Oh and while Mike isn't official, he's one of the sibs too.

10. Our Grandparents - Both living and dead, our grandparents have had a tremendous impact on our lives. For those of you gone, we think of and miss you every day. For those of you still with us, I am sorry we don't call or write as often as we should. We love you even though life interferes. Please take care and don't give up on us. We will try to do better in this next year.

So those are just a few things for which I am grateful. I thought about naming each individual and saying something nice, but I figured it would be ridiculously long and no one would read it. I love each and every one of you who read this and I hope it finds you well and being thankful for all the blessings in your lives.

Summer Recap

I realize the last time I posted was when Steve graduated. Steve and I were very busy all summer, but nothing happened that was monumental enough in and of itself to constitute a post at the time. So now that we are embarking on Fall, here is our Summer Recap:

We attended our friend's wedding - Congrats Garneys!

We helped my Gram move out of her house into the Methodist Village. I told Steve I was jealous. That place is SO nice!

On the 23rd of June Steve and I celebrated three years of being married. It hasn't always been the easiest, but we think we have things mostly figured out finally.

We went to my 10 Year High School Reunion

(Me with Andrea and Kelsey)

The day after my reunion we left and spent a week in the Ozarks at Grandma Jo's condo. It was a LOVELY week. We had three different couples that joined us mid-week and stayed until the end. One day we rented a boat. Another day all the girls went to the spa while the boys went golfing. The rest of the time we just relaxed and shopped.

This is me with Landon - My cousin Megan Riley's youngest son

My cousin Jaime and her husband, Rob, had their second child, William, this summer. About a week later her brother, Alex, and his wife, Megan, had their first child, Henry. Then in August the little bundle I'm holding above was born to their sister, Megan, and her husband, Justin. Three boys born to my three Bennett cousins. CRAZINESS! Now, my cousin Michael and his wife, Teri, are pregnant. You have no idea the questions that are flying our way now.

We hung out with Patrick and Eva as often as possible

Steve's mom, Laurie, bought us season passes to Raging Rivers Waterpark and my mom bought Sam, Kate and the kids one too so we went every chance we got.

I remember hearing my parents claim that the older you get the faster time goes and as I was in my teen years I thought they were crazy (as most teenagers do) but as I get older I completely understand what they were saying. I feel like we blinked and Summer was over.

And now as we head into Fall this pic, while not our best, is AS recent as it gets...

Rams Home Opener 09/12/2010

Steve Graduated from LCCC

Steve graduated from Lewis & Clark with his Associate's on his 29th birthday one week ago.

We are all super proud of him and can't wait for him to get going at SIUE soon!

A LOT Has Been Happening...

SO much has transpired in the Hejna household since my last post TWO MONTHS ago! I try not to send out too many updates, but I have been informed I am slacking by my hubby.

Well, let's see...

1. WE ARE OUT OF DEBT!!! WAAAHHH HOOOOOO!!!!! We have been working really hard for the last couple of years to have no debt and we did it! We still have the house payment, but hey, that's okay.

2. The House

- We painted the family room. I know, I know, how could we cover knotty pine...well, being stuck at home so much made me realize I really HATED the wood panelling! So, we painted over it.

- We had a new side door installed in the family room. It actually closes without an act of God and Congress now!

- In the next month or so I will be adding more updates about the house as I can.

3. Me and My Back - I have been released to go back to work - FULL Duty! My first day back will be Wednesday, April 21. I am SO excited!!! Steve is excited to have me out of the house more so his "Honey-Do List" stops growing.

4. Steve - Steve finished out the sale at Dad's store, now he is back working with Mark and Total Pool Solutions. In addition to work Steve is still going to school full-time in the evenings and reffing Lacrosse a few days a week. He is super tan and super busy, but he still finds time to fit me in.

4. Em's Family

Dad - My dad's furniture store is officially closed. Thank you to everyone who helped make it a success over the last 16 years. He is now in Oklahoma opening another store with a couple of the guys who ran his sale and then he is hitting the road. A different location every few months, Dad will be running sales for other stores like he did here.

Mom - She is working WAY too much, but the hospital would be lost without her. Mom still watches P and Eva a lot and loves it (they really are like crack to her)

Sam/Kate/Patrick/Eva - The Rineys are doing wonderfully. The kids are growing like weeds and SO much fun to have around

5. Steve's Hejna Family - We have a lot of plans with the BIG Hejna family this summer. Grandma Jo is throwing out the first pitch at the Cardinals game on May 2. June 19 is the scheduled day for family photos.

Kacy & Kyle are expecting their first little November 17. We are super excited to be an aunt & uncle to another little one!

6. Steve's Sifrig Family - I already said Steve is back working with this side of the family. He really enjoys being back around all his "peeps" again.

Andy passed the GED and we are SO proud of him

Kathleen is still living in Florida with her boyfriend, Mike. They just moved into their new apartment and life is just scooting right along for them

Well, I think that's about it for us for the last couple of months. I will try to post pics of the home improvements we will be working on in the next month or so. We are so blessed to have all of you in our lives and hope to see you soon!

Hi and Bye All in One Week

This week we adopted a black lab puppy from the Granite City Animal Protection Association. We named him Baloo and welcomed him with open arms. Toby didn't really want anything to do with him the first night, but the next day they were playing like besties.

Well, the first night we had him I noticed my eyes were itching really badly. After I held Baloo, my neck was all red and itchy too. I thought it could just be something left from where he was living before so he and Toby both went to visit the groomer the next day. I picked them up and was very sad to learn the itching did NOT go away. Steve and I talked at length and decided we had to give Baloo back to the Granite City APA to give him the best chance of being adopted by another loving family.

We are SUPER sad to see him go, but we know this is the best thing for all of us. I am taking him back to his foster mom, Kelly, in about an hour and I am a stinking mess. Between itchy eyes and intermittent crying, this is the pits.

If you know of anyone who might be looking for an adorable, loving and super smart puppy, Baloo is the one for them. On the APA website his name is Harvey. He is even doing really well with potty training! Help us find him a great home please!

My take on Lent

Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism.

Jesus retreated into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was for Him a time of contemplation, reflection, and preparation. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days.

Ash Wednesday - Coming up THIS Wednesday - Biblical societies relied very heavily on wood fires for heating and cooking, which meant that keeping ashes under control was a major housekeeping task. Then as now, if a person was preoccupied with something serious, they didn’t always tend to the housekeeping—it’s the least of their concerns. Imagine that there is a death in the family. A friend stopping by to pay their respects might gently say, “Did you know you have ashes on your face?”

So ashes became a sign of remorse, repentance, and mourning. During Lent, ancient Christians mourned their sins and repented of them, so it was appropriate for them to show their sincerity by having ashes on their foreheads.

SO - Steve and I will be attending Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church at 8:00 a.m. Wednesday morning to observe Ash Wednesday (He will be working during the service at EUCC). We will then participate in fasting the Hejna way - We are giving up any place with a drive-thru for Lent. That means no Hit-N-Run or Starbucks too. It should be difficult!

Website Complete

I have officially gotten all the necessary info on the Policeman's Ball website. Now it's time to get sponsors and auction items. Whew - here's to hoping this year is as big a success as last year!

Feel free to check it out!

http://sites.google.com/site/altonpolicemansball/

Moving On to 2010

2009 had a lot of ups and downs, but now we are moving on to 2010!

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions, but at the end of each year I do sit back and assess what I would like to work on in general for the next year. I decided to put these ideas in print in an open forum to hopefully motivate me to actually do something about them rather than just thinking about everything.

So for 2010 I would like to work on the following:

1. Keep our files more up to date and organized

2. Keep the laundry caught up rather than waiting for it to pile up and realizing it when it's too late

3. Spend more time with all of our family

4. Have a game night (or just get together) with friends once a month

5. Choose church over sleep on the days my work schedule allows me to be there

6. Save more money

7. Get back into great shape and train for a 5K once the doctor clears me

8. Get a fence for the back yard

Really, the things I want/need to work on may seem trivial to most reading this, but that is because I have a great life. Steve and I are both healthy (well, minus the back surgery) and we are very fortunate to have each other.

If you are reading this, know that we love you and we hope to get to spend more time with you this next year.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!