Schueneman Family Blog

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times,
during those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvements.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes,
they will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you are tired and weary,
because it means you have made a difference!

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those
who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

from Answer.com : A holiday or trip taken by a newly married couple. An early harmonious period in a relationship.
from Merriam-Webster : 1 : a period of harmony immediately following marriage 2 : a period of unusual harmony especially following the establishment of a new relationship 3 : a trip or vacation taken by a newly married couple.

my definition of HONEYMOON is calling your love HONEY under the MOON……. Forever soo romantic!!

Lisa was upset and confused. It’s a few days before the last exam in Elementary, and yet she has not settled 6 months of school fees. She kept asking her Mom, and the answer is consistent “Later”. She grew up without a father, not like most people. Lisa is sad and can only pray to God.

That morning she was a little late to class cause she has to walk a mile from her house. When the class start, Mr. Agus, her teacher, called her classmate, Vivi, to come forward and give short speech. The class’ piggy-bank (looks like a red apple) is full. The class had contribute a small amount of their allowance to this piggy-bank everyday. Previous plan was to allocate it to graduation party for the whole class. Instead, they all agreed to donate the money to a friend in need.

Suddenly Vivi called my name, Elizabeth, seriously, she called Elizabeth….. I was so touched and happy. The amount gather is more than enough to settled 6 months school fee and half of the exam fee. It was a huge surprise and totally unexpected. I cried. Mixed feelings between sadness and happiness. God has answered my prayer in the most extraordinary, unexpected and amazing way.

My Elementary classmates perhaps just thought that it was an ordinary donation for a simple purpose.
My Elementary classmates perhaps did not realize that what they have done was momentous event in my life.
My Elementary classmates perhaps did not realize that their help had enabled me to help even more people in need. Praise be to God!. During 2004 in Jakarta, I was able to found a charity choir. C-Choir had been successful with many charity projects.

Moral of the story…….

It doesn’t matter how young you are.
It doesn’t matter how limited skill you have.
As long as you say, “Here I am oh God, use me”, God will use you, in anyway, anytime, to bless those in need.
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Lisa bingung sekali, dia kelas 6 SD dan udah 6 bulan belum bayaran, dan belum bayar uang ujian. Dia tanya terus sama Mami-nya, jawabannya selalu nanti. Cuman ada mamiku, aku ndak ada papi seperti orang-orang lain. Lisa sedih sekali dan cuma bisa berdoa.

Pagi itu dia datang ke kelas agak terlambat, karena agak jauh jalan kaki dari rumahnya. Saat kelas dimulai, tiba2 Pak Agus, guruku minta Vivi untuk berikan pidato singkat.
Rupanya Celengan yg selama ini beredar di kelas, yang sudah penuh sekali, akan di-alokasikan. Sebagai Ketua Kelas, Vivi bilang isi celengan yg tadinya akan dimanfaatkan untuk Pesta Lulus-lusan, akan diberikan kepada teman yang membutuhkan.

Tiba-tiba Vivi menyebut namaku, Elizabeth. Aduhhh….. BENERAN….. dia sebut Elizabeth….. aku terharuuuu sekali.
Jumlah yg teman sekelas kumpulkan itu lebih dari cukup untuk bantu hutang bayaran sekolah selama 6 bulan dan separuh uang Ujian. AKu sungguh nggak nyangka. Aku menangis terharu.
Allah menjawab doaku dengan cara yang ‘tidak biasa’ dan ‘luar biasa’!

teman2 SD ku mungkin berfikir bahwa, ah mereka hanya ingin nyumbang isi celengan ajah.

teman2 SD ku, mungkin tidak menyadari, bahwa apa yg mereka lakukan untuk ku, tak akan pernah aku lupakan.

teman2 SD ku, mungkin tidak menyadari, bahwa dengan pertolongan mereka, aku dimampukan untuk bisa menolong lebih banyak orang lagi. Puji Tuhan! aku dimampukan untuk membangun Charity Choir di tahun 2004, dan mereka telah sukses dengan puluhan Charity Projects.

Jadi moral dari cerita diatas adalah….

Semuda apapun usia kita, seminim apapun kemampuan kita, asal kita bersedia, Allah bisa pakai untuk jadi berkat buat mereka yg membutuhkan.

OK, it’s been a while since the last post.  We’ve been busy.  Over Christmas, we went island hopping in Southeast Asia.  We went to Jakarta (island of Java), then to Medan (island of Sumatera), then Batam Island, then Singapore, then Sentosa Island and finally back to Jakarta.

While in Medan, we stayed with our friends, the Steins.  Thank you Sean, Cici, Alec and Sami for being wonderful hosts!

We went on an excursion into the wilds of Leuser National Park (more info, but we’ll post pictures soon).    While there we were “welcomed” to the jungle by an orangutan named Minah, who was a bit upset we were invading her territory.  Luckily our guides knew how to handle her and Minah cooled off and left us alone.  After that we hopped on inner tubes and went white water rafting back to the hotel (well actually a little farther because it was so fun).

Then we went to Singapore for New Year’s Eve.  Singapore is very nice, a lot of New Year activities and I recommend the night safari and Sentosa Island.

But all good things must come to an end and now we’re back home, knee-deep in snow and below-freezing temperatures.

Early morning we left Portage, IN, heading straight to the Counsel General of Indonesia Embassy in Winnetka, Chicago, IL. We stopped by at Panera Cafe, to get a cup of Coffee and to change our clothes to a more formal attire. Bill wore a very nice Batik, red color Prada. Bill Schueneman, my lovely husband, looked soooo handsome in it. I try to match him, I wore red Kebaya.

Bill and I arrived at the Ceremony place on time, but the Ceremony had a late start, given us a chance to say hello to Staff of the Indonesia Counsel there. They are very nice and very informative. I found out that I have to re-register my Passport and inform them my current address.

1 interesting fact. All the “Bule” (nickname for all caucasian) wore Batik, and all the Counsel Staff wore Black suit. it’s so funny!

The Ceremony starts at 10:30AM. It was a very nice and elegant ceremony. I felt so overwhelmed. A bit teary. I really pay attention to the reading of Indonesia Values (Pancasila), Constitution Emblems, Prayers, Salute to the flag while we sing Indonesia Raya (national anthem). I am so proud to be an Indonesian.

TO BE CONTINUED

Setelah upacara selesai, ada penghargaan khusus kepada karyawan kedutaan yg berprestasi. Pemotongan tumpeng pertama diberikan kepada karyawan Kedutaan yg tertua, namanya Pak Jeffrey, orangnya murah senyum banget dehhh. Setelah itu, pemberian ucapan MERDEKA! Dan saying goodbye ke Konsul General Bpk.Hidayat.
Iyahh bener…… beliau pension, jadi beliau akan kembali ke Indonesia tgl 30 August.
Bill pakai Batik Prada warna merah, keren deh pokoke, jahitannya juga bagus dan rapi banget ;o)
Pas kita salaman, Pak KonJen menyampaikan pujian buat Batik yg dipakai Bill, “Bagus sekali” katanya…… wahhhhh Bill seneng banget…… Made his day!

Lunch time! Menu : Ikan rica-rica, Tahu Bacem, Soto Bandung (“The Best” kata Bill), Ayam Goreng, Nasi, Urap mantab, Daging Suwir (gw lupa euyy), Krupuk Udang, Es Alpokat, Uli + Ketan Hitam, Kue hijau……. Kenyang dehhh!

Setelah itu kita hang out sama beberapa orang Indonesia……. SKSD dehhh biasaaa ;o)

Nyetir pulang, walo cape tapi hati bahagia banget. It’s all, the new experiences, meeting friends, all the glorious food were really worth it.

Saturday morning, we head up early to Traverse City. Curiousity calls, after some reports from friends, on how attractive the city is. off we goo…… no breakfast, but settled with a few pieces of mango ;o)

Arrive late in the afternoon, just in time for lunch. “PIRATE” Restaurant we selected, because they have excellent outdoor lake view and an attractive menu of seafood ;o) yummy…. I ordered some mussels. Bill ordered some Crab-Cake…… it is so small, compare to my food….. sorry my dear….. We shared the mussels…… uuuhhhh sooo goood! The closing menu is Chocolate Cake… no guilt today, we’re on vacation….. Let me tell you….. that Chocolate Cake is soo good it doesn’t last longer than 7minutes!!

We stopped by at Sleeping Bear Dune. From the brochure, it looks ok. With your own eyes, it’s amazing! I’m still wondering how can a desert exist in the middle of ‘jungle’. Oh well, I’ll just enjoy the view and the hiking.
10 steps…. wouw our sandals only makes us slower…. we took it off…. barefoot we go……. 30 steps…. woowww the sand is soo hot…. we managed to lift our feet up a little bit so it catches the warm (not cold) breeze…. continue….. 150 steps…… we only arrived in the middle of it…… it feels already an entire day we hike, yet we’re so far from the top!……. we turned around (I sit down) we enjoyed the view of the lake behind us…… WONDERFUL VIEW! …….. Bill said, let’s go to the top and you’ll be stunned by the amazing view of Lake Michigan…… I was so tired, running out of breath and the sand feels hotter….. yet, we proceed……… 60 more steps……. OK! I GIVE UP! I am so out of breath. I can’t handle the temperature (98F), my knees were shacking too, I felt so weak……..
Luckily, being a wonderful husband, Bill agrees to go down with me. Phewwww….. soooo relieved!
We went down and made a promise that we will try it again, but next time, we’ll try very early morning.

Right after we enjoyed the Rail Trail route. It’s a contunuous view of amazing lakes and forrest. I love every single stop we made in that forrest. So peaceful and such a beautiful view of the Lakes.

Next we’re of to Portegon, IN. Chicago here I come……. Wuuuzzzzzzzzzz

Saturday morning we made up our minds to stretch our journey to the “thumb” area.
From bay city through, exessville, sebewaing, port austin, port hope, harbor beach and have lunch in Lexington.

A very relaxing journey, with so many beautiful spots to stop and enjoy views of the lake.
One of the stops, we took pic. Amazing! The pic looks like a painting.
It was even more awesome through our own eyes.
God is great. I love His wonderful creations.

We had lunch at Cadillac restaurant in Lexington.
It took so long for our food to arrived, we joked a lot while waiting, and I made a paper-plane and a paper-fan from my place-mat ;o)
Great chicken and ribs, closed with wonderful peanut-butter chocolate cake….. Perfecto!!

Afterwards, we took a little walk around the downtown, quite a tourist city with many stores.
We saw lots of bikers, their jokes were really funny.

Continue the journey, we took I-69 home. Heavy storm was waiting for us.
Passed that, we stopped by at Birch Run. Need some sandals for Bill.
We got it delivery, and picked up new sport shoes for Lisa. Just got to have it ;o)

We had dinner at my fave, Genji’s. We sat down in the sushi-sashimi counter and have the chef made all our food right in front of our eyes. Food was delicious. Always love Japanesse food.
We had many romantic discussion during dinner ;o)
I guess we’re having “honey-moon” all over again. Lovely!

On the way home, we enjoyed each other.
We thank one another for each other’s love and companion.
Love him more and more each day! I’m so blessed.

The dynamic thinker is a confident and independent person. She radiates enthusiasm and energy. She pursues his objectives actively and energetically. She loves nothing better than new challenges. This type is the born leader, competent, energetic and responsible. She has a sharp eye for errors and can criticise without mercy if she sees the success of a project endangered. She is completely unconcerned as to whether she alienates anyone in the process. But she is always open to objective arguments; she loves discussions, is very gifted rhetorically and is good at convincing and enthusing others.

As she is very sociable, the dynamic thinker likes to have a lot of friends around her, preferably those with whom she can share her interests and discuss all sorts of subjects. She is very direct but never in an underhand or scheming manner. If you can bear being spoken to frankly, you have in her a loyal and unwavering advisor as friend. Everything new and unknown stimulates the dynamic thinker and awakens her curiosity. However, rules, routine and traditional things arouse her resistance. If something does not go the way she wants it to, she can react rather pigheadedly and obstinately.

The dynamic thinker expects a great deal of herself and of others. Whoever does not fit in with his scheme of things does not have it easy. She sometimes appears to be rather severe due to his frankness. Partners and family also find it difficult to satisfy the dynamic thinker. She knows exactly what she wants and compromising is inconceivable to her. Whoever has an dynamic thinker as partner should have a strong personality and have a great deal of independence and sufficient self-confidence in order to give this dominating type some opposition. Normally, for the dynamic thinker, a partnership only takes second place after her profession. But she likes to have someone at her side who is a match for her intellectually, with whom she can pursue mutual objectives and have interesting discussions all night long; preferably factual discussions – sentimentalism and romance are not her thing.

Adjectives which describe DT :
extroverted, theoretical, logical, planning, rational, self-confident, ambitious, direct, open, severe, organised, determined, witty, independent, purposeful, dynamic, energetic, optimistic, competent, responsible, clever, intellectual, enthusiastic, demanding, structured, controlled, aggressive

These subjects could interest DT :
literature, sport (golf, tennis, running), travel, career, strategy games, politics

Last weekend, we had this spontaneous idea (I always did), to drive up north, enjoy the view and relax.  We did.  we left early morning, and drove on scenic route, through many cities, Pinconning, Tawas, Standish, Au Gres, Au Sable, Onaway, Alpena, up to Rogers City. It was a very relaxing drive, specially when I don’t have to drive  ;o)

I was curious to see my Boss house. so we drove by it. it’s a very convenience house, very hommy, dark red paint, very nice. I like the fact that it’s near the beach, but was a bit concerned with the fact that it’s less than 20 yards from a huge electricity tower.

There were many public beaches, and we stopped by at 2 of them, they were lovely!  I love the view, love the blue water. We forgot to bring our swimsuit, I feel bad. But soon recover, knowing the lake is so cold. I guess, after being frozen during winter, it never has enough sun nor hot air to warm such a large amount of water in the Big Lake.

we were committed to our diet, so we did not snack anything during driving time. we just had water.  Except for some fruit we bought at a farmer’s market during our journey.

overall, I had lots of fun. mostly relaxing moment. We did not bring camera, for a purpose. We want to deeply memorizing these beautiful scenes.

My most fave moment was, when I sat down with Bill’s arms around me, and we both facing the deep blue lake….  It was lovely, memorable and unreplaceable.

Thursday, Lisa and I invited my parents, sister and five-year-old niece Alexandra over for dinner.  Lisa cooked a variety of her Indonesian favorites:  rendang (beef with coconut milk), ayam goreng (fried chicken), cangkung (water spinach with tofu and peanut sauce), babi asam manis (sweet and sour pork), baked salmon, sup ayam (chicken soup) and terong pedas (spicy eggplant).  Lisa received many compliments for her food.  Even Alexandra said she liked the chicken soup!

I helped with the food, mostly prep work, but ended up burning the rendang in the slow-cooker (didn’t know food could burn in a slow-cooker!).  I also helped clean the house and set the table.

All in all, the dinner was a big success!