I was born on August 21, 1974 to Norman and Marcia (Klaassen) Hiebert. I weighed 10 pounds, ½ ounce and quickly grew into a plump baby. I was raised in a strong Christian home and only have fond and cherished memories of my childhood. I have two older brothers, Lonnie who is 4 years older than me, and Mike who is 4 years older than Lonnie. I avoided a lot of the teasing and torment being the youngest simply because Mike and Lon would battle it out with each other on a daily basis. I wish I could remember more of my childhood, because the parts I do recollect I cherish dearly. Probably my earliest memory was of my Grandmother Klaassen, who died when I was 3 years old. I only know what she looked like from family pictures, but I remember sitting on her lap next to the wood stove in my Grandparent’s kitchen. She was wearing a purple dress or purple pants and reading my favorite book to me. It had an orange cover and was called The Wonderful School. I can remember her sweet smell and feeling so loved. That is the only memory I have of my Grandma Klaassen. I never got to meet my Grandma Hiebert. She passed away before I was born. Actually, my mother was pregnant with me at the time.

I spent many an hour playing outside in the pasture as I was growing up. I would go on long voyages and treasure hunts through the thick foliage. There was always a sense of danger as I trekked deep through the trees. The pasture, when I was younger, seemed like a humongous forest where I could easily take a wrong turn and never find my way back to the house. As I traveled through the pasture, I would collect dirt, leaves, berries and pinecones to take back to the play barn and make delicious recipes for my feline children. I spent hour after hour in that barn pretending and dreaming. I can still remember the wonderful feel of the mud in my hands, the grass between my toes, the smell of dandelions and the occasional quiet hum of a jet passing high above. Such wonderful carefree days!

Summer wouldn’t be complete without trips to the Moundridge swimming pool with my neighbors Rachel and Michael Schmidt. Rachael was in the class below me; and Michael was in the class below her. My mom would stick the three of us in the back seat of our brown Comet and drive us 10 miles to the pool. Mom would make us go the entire way without turning on the air conditioning. She always said if you’re really hot, you’ll appreciate the privilege of going swimming more. By the time we got to Moundridge, we were so hot and sweaty; we were stuck to the seat of the car. When we arrived, we’d jump out of the car, tiptoe on the hot pavement and jump into the icy water. But Mom was right! That water never felt better! I’m sure my Mom gets that from my Grandpa Klaassen. Before we would eat at Grandpa’s house, he would make us hold our dinner plate up to our nose to smell the food before we ate it.

Our parent’s called me, Rachael and Michael “The Three Musketeers.” I think we must have played together almost everyday. We only lived about ½ mile apart. I would usually hop on my bike and drive over there. We would play hide and seek, tag, cops and robbers, kick the can, and as we got a little older, Fisher Price and Legos. They had a huge water tank that we would swim in during the summer. Mike would always throw the cats in to “teach them how to swim” and Rachael and I quickly became kitty lifeguards.

One day we decided to take a journey. About a mile away in the middle of a wheat field, there was an old tombstone beneath a large tree. We planned our route, bottled some water, and we prepared a snack to take with us on our long trek. We hopped on our bikes and boldly set out to discover this fascinating mystery. When we arrived at the spot, we all looked at each other waiting for someone to take the lead. Finally we got off our bikes and bravely waked through the thigh-high rows of wheat. As we came upon the stone, we carefully tiptoed closer as not to disturb any “spirits.” I could see German writing on the top of the stone and as I brushed the wheat away from the base, there were what seemed like millions of red ants scurrying across the headstone. They quickly crawled onto my arm and sent me screaming which cause a pheasant not four feet away to call out and fly from beneath the wheat right in front of Rachael and Mike. All three of us went running and screaming, hopped on our bikes and rode quickly home. Just one of the many adventures of “The Three Musketeers.”

I remember playing in that old chicken coop on their yard. We’d climb up a ladder and open a secret door that you could lock once you got to the loft. We’d hold secret club meetings up there. I remember making a treasure map and burying it up there under all the hay. We never did go back for that map out there so I’m sure there’s still an undiscovered jar of change buried somewhere on that yard.

I don’t remember when I started taking gymnastic classes, but I remember always loving gymnastics. When I was little, Herb Schroeder always said, I spent half my life upside down. I was extremely energetic and while walking I would sometimes just burst into cartwheels. I spent hours in the backyard tumbling and trying new tricks. We converted two old sets of swing sets into parallel bars. Dad drove and old orange set into the ground for the low bar and then used an old white and blue set for the high one. The top bar was twice as thick as the bottom and when I grabbed it, I sometimes almost tipped over. But I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen! I flipped on those bars for hours on end. Next, Dad built a balance beam for me. I remember Dad working on it in the garage. I could hear the saw and I think I asked him 20 times if it was done yet. It was a practice beam about a foot from the ground and Dad painted it white. I loved that thing. It was low enough that I could try dangerous stunts and not worry about getting hurt. Some time after that, Dad built me a full life size balance beam. I remember I felt like the luckiest girl in the world! I mean, who’s Dad builds their daughter a balance beam??? Dad always did stuff like that. I think he’s the most creative person I’ve ever known. If someone has a mechanical dilemma, Dad can whip up a concoction no one else would ever have even thought of. He still amazes me with the stuff he comes up with. I’ve always thought Dad could fix anything. When I was little, one of our cats died. I wasn’t even worried because I knew when Dad came home, he could fix it.

My mom has always been a very warm and caring woman. I remember when I would play with my Barbie dolls, I would follow her from room to room, just to be close to her. She would always tell me stories or sing to me and I remember feeling so safe. When I was older, I had to learn bible verses for Sunday School. Mom took the time to record herself reading the verses over and over and she would play the tape for me before I went to bed at night. I remember lying in my bed with the lights off and falling asleep to my Mom’s voice reading scripture from the Bible. It was such a comforting feeling to hear her voice, just like when I was little and she used to read me stories at bedtime.

My best friend growing up was, and still is, Jennifer Bergen. Jenny’s family moved to Goessel when she was little. Our parents were really good friends and Jenny and I soon became attached at the hip. There were very few things I did where Jenny was not involved.

When Jenny and I would get together, we used to make cassette tapes. We would actually record ourselves while we played together. A few times we made up skits or stories to record, but most of the time, we just hit record and improvised. We’d end up telling long crazy stories, acting out strange scenes, or making up songs. A few of my favorites: Mr. Pool Diver Man, Chocolate pie…chocolate pie…chocolate pie or pecan, Happy birthday to you, I can braid my tentacles, Judo, Pee-Wee Herman...

Some of my most favorite childhood memories are: playing with Barbie dolls, running through the sprinkler, the smell of sun and licking salty lips, falling asleep hearing Mom’s voice read me a story, catching lightening bugs, climbing trees, homemade ice cream, building entire cities out of Legos, hide and go seek at dusk, sitting on the porch when it was raining, sunflower seeds and camping at Wilson, Jolly Ranchers, a million mosquito bites and sticky fingers, jumping on the bed, homemade refrigerator pickles, my little red rocking chair and table, pillow fights, tape recording ourselves, Sunday afternoon wrestling matches in the living room, running till we were out of breath, laughing so hard that our stomachs hurt, Mom sitting at the piano helping me learn a new song, being tired from playing, eeny-meeny-miney-mo, spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down, water balloons, older brothers, playing in the hideout, eating Kentucky Fried Chicken at Grandpa Klaassen’s house, running through rain-filled ditches, turning cartwheels, dressing up baby kitties, building cities out of blocks, drive up window on the playhouse, Mom and Dad putting on those old boxing gloves, swimming at Moundridge, the smell of spring, my Bert and Ernie slippers (I loved those things), riding in back of the station wagon, Uno, Holidome, carnivals in the basement, clogs and terry-cloth jumpers, playing with Chad and James at family gatherings, Weebles-Wobble but they don’t fall down, ballet class with Rachael Schmidt, ripped calluses at my first gymnastic meet in Olathe, happy meals, Cabbage Patch Kids, Atari, marshmallow taffy, School House Rock, playing games with Dad’s fingers during church and racing to see who could find the next song in the hymn book the fastest (we still do that), Mom calling us to the supper table, side ponytails, gummy rats, watching Happy Days and Different Strokes after school, Wonder Woman underwear and blankie capes, and hiding from Mom and Dad at Jenny’s house when it was time to go home.

When Jenny and I got together, we became extremely creative. We would make up songs together. And not just any songs, but songs with 12 verses and hand actions to go with them. I remember slouching down in the bus seats on long bus rides and trying to remember and sing every song we had made up (Shiny Shingles had to be my favorite). And this wasn’t just in grade school; we did this on almost every single bus ride all the way through high school…until Jenny graduated.

Our friendship never faded. Even when we were older and went to high school, our topics of discussion changed, but our relationship was stronger than ever. A few teenage memories we shared were: Summer League games, Saturday Night Live, rolled jeans, Guess? sweatshirts, playing on the high jump mats, Kansas concert, Beatles songs with actions, weenie roasts, leaving notes in lockers, volleyball, long bus rides, layered socks, cruising in the Subaru, making up songs, demolition derbies, freezing at football games, sitting in the hot tub, Calgon women, Twizzlers, leather jackets, Chow Ming, basketball practice, crushes, big hair, writing notes during class, running to the lunchroom, Rubik’s cube, school dances, Worlds of Fun, playing in the pep band, pre-volleyball game aerobics, Hesston Pizza Hut, running through rain-filled ditches, laughing so hard our stomachs hurt, tenting in the pasture, twin power rings, writing in the yearbook.

When I was in high school I decided to work one summer. I got a job at the Coon Creek Buffalo Farm near Goessel. Basically, I fed and watered all the animals. While I worked there, I bottle fed a baby buffalo, got bit on the finger by a donkey (that thing would NOT let go), got my foot stepped on by a very large horse, and was butted in the pants by that baby buffalo. I had no idea it would be so dangerous, but I loved every minute of it! Instead of a paycheck at the end of the summer, I got my very first bird, a cinnamon cockatiel named Birdie! I loved that bird. Later, I got another, then another. Next thing I knew I had 36! I hand raised 3 liters of cockatiel babies. One of which I still have today. I had lots of parakeets and tried to breed them but the babies never came. I also had 2 lovebirds (Jasper and Screech) and an African Grey Parrot, Alex. I remember saving money for a long time to buy him and was so excited when I finally came home with my first parrot. We thought Alex was a male until one day I found an egg in the bottom of her cage. When I first got her she would literally growl when anyone came close to her cage. I played with her so much, she finally accepted me and even came out and sat on my hand and shoulder. She didn’t say a lot of words, but she did tons of whistles and mimicked noises beautifully. A few of her favorites were…a train, a baby squeaky toy, an owl and a dog. She loved to chew…just look at Mom’s woodwork where we kept the cage! We found out she had a tumor and when they tried to remove it, she died during the surgery. Alex was a great first parrot!

After high school graduation, I attended Hutching Community College where I met my husband, Joe. School started on a Monday, we met on Wednesday, and our first date was Friday. Wow! I’ll never forget the day we met. I was sitting outside studying and Joe’s friends pushed him out the door because he didn’t have enough nerve to come talk to me. He sat down beside me… my heart was racing. I tried to play it cool even though I was so nervous. After some chitchat, he asked if we could maybe go out sometime. I didn’t want to seem too excited, so I said, “Ya, maybe.” but inside I was ecstatic! Later that night, I was carrying some boxes to my car when I saw him again. I had both hands full, and he held the door open for me. He followed me out to the car where we sat and talked for probably three hours. We talked about everything; ourselves, our lives, our feelings, our dreams. It was magical. We talked until curfew…I didn’t want to let him go! He walked me back into my dorm and we ducked into the stairwell (even though he wasn’t allowed in there). He told me how much fun he had, that I was a very special girl, and gave me the sweetest little kiss. We’ve been together ever since and were married on April 23, 1994 on a very windy spring day.

After Joe and I were married, we lived in North Carolina for a short amount of time, then moved to California. While we lived in Lancaster, I was working for United Way in Los Angeles. The commute got to be too much so we then moved to Culver City. Joe worked various jobs while going on acting auditions and doing extra work. We were very excited when he got a small role in the movie, “The Crow” staring Brandon Lee, even though his scene was ultimately cut from the final movie. It was still cool to see his name on the big screen in the theater. I became interesting in sign language while we were there and Joe encouraged me the take a class. Since I was reluctant, Joe decided to take a class with me. I loved it! I studied sign language and deaf culture until we moved back to Kansas in 1998. I got a job interpreting for deaf students for Marion County and have been doing that now for five years. It’s really amazing to me to get paid for something that I love so much.

Birds have always been a big part of my life and Joe has grown to love them too. We used to go to huge bird shows when we lived in California. We went to one in Pamona and saw a huge African Grey Parrot hanging on the side of a cage. Everyone seemed to be passing him by. He was one of the largest Greys there, but from the neck down he had no feathers…none! He feather plucked every last one and I think he was ugliest bird I had ever seen. The next thing I know, we’re loading him into our car to take him home! I’m so glad we did because he has been so much fun! (Formerly known as Jeff) “Kako” has a vocabulary of over 100 words and sounds and talks exactly in Joe’s voice. Sometimes when Joe’s at work, Kako starts talking and I think for a second that it’s actually Joe. He is truly an amazing bird!

Six and a half years after our wedding came our beautiful little blessing, Savanna Summer. She was born on October 24, 2000, weighed 8 pounds, 4.4 oz. and measured 20 inches. She was born with black curly hair and Joe’s bright blue eyes. She was beautiful. The day she was born was the happiest day of my life. It was so special to share something so amazing with Joe, knowing that we had gone through everything together and now share a little baby girl. It’s not even fair how fast time has flown by. Savanna has just turned two and is her extremely independent little self. She continues to amaze me every single day with new things she has learned and done. It’s hard to believe that she’s really ours! And I still get that wonderful feeling when she calls me “Mommy”. She has been the most wonderful thing that could ever happen to our lives!

During the last several years, I’ve become really interested in my family history. I started putting our genealogy together in 1996 and just got hooked. It’s so fascinating to see where we’ve come from and how easy we have things compared to our ancestors, even our parents. It’s hard to believe that our ancestors had to walk out to a well, pull up a bucket of cold water, drag it back, and heat it over fire just to have hot water when all we have to do is turn a knob. It’s so interesting to think what the world will be like when our children become adults…have children of their own. It’s hard to believe that they’ll look back on our lives today and be thankful for all their new technology and advances.

I can spend hours flipping through photo albums or looking at old pictures and letters. I can’t even begin to count the hours I’ve spent scrapbooking my daughter’s pictures, drawings, handprints…memories. The hours just fly by; I love it so much! I want my daughter to know about her childhood, what she said, what she did, how cute I thought it was. Can you imagine if she would do the same for her children? What a treasure it would be for future generations. I think that’s the reason I’ve gotten into Scrapbooking. It’s so important to record our stories, emotions, priorities, and lives for our children and their children to read; to give them a connection to their childhood and their past. The things that we hold dear today will become their treasures.

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