June Paper

It’s paper time again! Even though I know exactly what will be in the paper (I either pick out, approve, or write every article), it’s always fun to see how it turns out. The process goes like this. I also get to pick the accent color for the paper. Some months there’s a good reason for a certain color--May is pink, in honor of Mother’s Day, June will be pink for Father’s Day—but often I pick the color for the month . . . just because.

I pick out, write (the articles I write have either my name by them, or [NFT]—denoting “Nebraska Family Times”—in front of them), or approve (by other writers, usually Marcie Sextro, who writes the “Open Door” and “Upcoming Christian Events” columns) the articles for the paper, and e-mail them to an account that the lady who does the layout, Jennifer Gleames, has access to.

I also e-mail information for new ads to Jennifer, and let her know where certain articles should appear in the paper, and if I have any suggestions for how they should be arranged (usually I don’t—she does a better job than I ever could!).

Jennifer arranges the articles in the paper according to what fits where and looks good, and she also fits the ads in. Jennifer also picks out the graphics—the pictures that go along with some of the articles. She does a great job of finding graphics that compliment the articles and add to the look of the paper.

When she’s done doing that, she emails me a file of the paper for proofreading. It’s neat to see the paper in semi-finished form on the computer. The way the pages of the paper are layed out for printing, on one computer screen I see the front and back page of the paper, on the next screen I see pages 6 and 11, and so on, so it’s not in order or the order in which it will appear. If there are any corrections or changes, I e-mail Jennifer about them and she makes the corrections or changes. She then e-mails the file to the Wayne Herald, where it is printed.

Marcie’s husband works in Wayne, so he now picks up the paper at the Wayne Herald and Marcie and I meet somewhere in between our homes (usually in Madison), and once the 16 or so boxes of papers are in my vehicle, I get my first look at it in “real life”!

Mother's Day

This picture was taken on Mother's Day last year (also Morgan's Confirmation Day). No, I didn't wear the pink Crocks to church; they were a Mother's Day gift. Laugh all you want--they're COMFORTABLE!

We had a nice Mother’s Day. My kids are so special, and it’s such a blessing to be a mom. When I got up this morning and went into my office, there was a small remote control on my desk, with a note that said, “turn to the right,” “press power,” “ENJOY!” Cody and Morgan had gotten me a CD player/radio for my desk, and Cody had it all set up and ready to listen to. It was so nice of him to get it out of the box and all unwrapped and hooked up for me.

Later in the afternoon we went to the graduation party of a good friend of ours, and I got to see some of my mom-friends I know through cattle showing.

It is hard to believe that Cody will be graduating from high school next year! We will certainly miss him when he goes to college! But we also know that it’s our job as parents to raise our children to be independent, productive members of society. On the way home from the graduation party, Cody (who has been to several other graduation parties of friends) and I started a list of the things he would like at his graduation party next year. It was fun to start planning—I’m sure the year will go very fast.

Delivering the Paper

Today Lori and I delivered the paper to sponsors in Norfolk. It’s always fun to deliver the paper and talk with customers at the various businesses. (If your business is interested in sponsoring the paper—providing complimentary copies it for your customers or patrons to read—contact the NFT at shelly@shellyburke.net or call (402) 750-3496. New sponsors and advertisers receive a 25% discount!)

Lori has two children in high school (Ryan will graduate next month). Ryan, Cody (my son), Rachel (Lori’s daughter), and Morgan (my daughter) are stair-step in age—Ryan’s a senior, down to Morgan who is a freshman(woman). It’s so nice to have several hours to talk with Lori about our kids and families; even though our conversations are interrupted frequently when we get out to take papers into a business, we seem to be able to pick up our conversations almost mid-sentence when we’re together in the vehicle again.

I’ve found that as my kids enter the teen-age years, the worries don’t decrease, they just change. Even if Lori and I don’t come up with any solutions to our current “kid issues,” it’s good to talk about them and share ideas about why kids do the things they do, and ideas for getting them to do something different!

Thanks for a nice day, Lori!

FFA Banquet

We had a great time at the FFA Banquet tonight. It’s always fun to see Cody and Morgan with their friends, and they received several awards. Tim and I also enjoy talking with the other kids’ parents . . . it’s always a relief to know that our kids aren’t the only ones to (insert embarrassing/appalling/worrying/silly event here).

May Paper

I’m working on the May paper this week. Sometimes it’s a challenge to find articles that I think will inspire, encourage, and motivate readers, but it’s fun to explore all the resources available.

You'll see a new look to our front page this month! We've added our mission under the title of the paper. Our mission is "To inspire, encourage, and motivate you in your Christian walk." My prayer is that everything that is in the paper will do that.

In these tough economic times, it’s easy to get discouraged and lose hope that things will improve. I hope the front-page articles will be encouraging to readers. The main article is titled, “Got Hope? God’s Promises in Uncertain Times.” The article stresses God’s promises and the certainty of them.

The next front page article is titled, “Living Generously During Tough Times.” Money—specifically, having “enough,”--has always been an issue of mine. I know God does not want me to worry about money . . . but it’s very hard for me not to worry. I know that “my” money was all given to me from God, and part of my responsibility is to give some of that money back to Him. This article shows how we can give back in ways other than with money.

The last front page article is titled, “Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be” and gives readers encouragement and steps for getting to . . . where you want to be in life.

If you are a new to the Nebraska Family Times, and would like to read a FREE sample copy, send your request to shelly@shellyburke.net or call (402) 750-3496.

Meeting with Marcie

Marcie and I got together to discuss plans for the paper for the next month. Marcie is the Promotions/Advertising person who joined the team several months ago. It’s great to work with Marcie—she has ideas for marketing and promoting the paper that I would have never come up with! Many of her suggestions are barters—for example we’re exchanging ad space for radio ads—so you’ll be hearing about the Nebraska Family Times on KPNO 90.9 in the near future!

Marcie also introduced me to the Christian Cross Festival, which will take place June 7 in Norfolk. The CCF is a gathering of Christian bands and organizations that get together for an afternoon and evening of music and fellowship. This year, for the first time, the Nebraska Family Times will have a table at the CCF! That evening we will draw for the winner of the June Summer Fun Giveaway. Details to follow! For more information about the Christian Cross Festival, go to www.christiancrossfestival.org.

“Hunting” on Easter

Our family has a tradition of attending Sonrise service at our church on Easter. It’s such a joyous service, with the choir singing and the brass and bell choirs playing. I have memories of attending early services with my mom and dad and sisters years ago. The celebration of Jesus’ resurrection never fails to bring tears of joy to my eyes; I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude that He would save me and everyone who makes the simple choice to believe in Him!

Our drive to Columbus was a little . . . eventful . . . and not in a good way. I drove, and about 2 miles from our home, I hit a pheasant that flew up in front of the vehicle. It happened too fast to avoid the bird . . . but I still felt bad about. It was the first time I’d hit any animal in a very long time.

We continued on to church . . . and just a few minutes later, I hit a deer! THAT was a first for me, both hitting a deer AND hitting two animals within eight miles and 10 minutes. We think the deer was OK because there was nothing in the ditch. Hopefully he just had a few bumps and a good story for his other deer friends.

When we got to church we discovered that there were both feathers AND hair caught in various parts of the vehicle . . .

We are very thankful that no one was hurt, the vehicle was driveable . . . and we made it to church on time to celebrate Easter!

(in the picture above, note the feathers in the windshield wipers and the deer hair in the back door handle)