Mrs. Endres, Mrs. Payne, and Mrs. Grabowski on 50's Day at BIS
Meet Mrs. Endres
Hi! I’m Heidi. My life is full of sweet blessings from God—both big and small. I’m a wife, mother, mother-in-law, daughter, sister, and friend. I’m a reader, tea drinker, hiker, recipe collector, quilter, fast-talker, giggler, puzzle solver (crossword and jigsaw), used bookstore lover, and morning-night person. There’s too much of life to enjoy to sleep it away. What I’m not good at: shopping (too many choices) and driving (“Mom, arrive alive!”). I’m a plain Jane…I like things simple and honest. I appreciate nature—forests, mountains, beaches—and small animals, especially woodland animals—hedgehogs, porcupines, mice, opossums, turtles…so cute! (I’ve probably read too many animal stories.) Our family animal is the moose. We’ve collected several “friends” from family vacations to national parks out West.
I had an interesting childhood being the daughter of a friendly, intelligent man from Kentucky and a beautiful, athletic woman from Austria. (Interesting side note: My dad could yodel better than my mom. He listened to yodeling cowboys as a kid.) I was sure at the time that I was the only kid in America who ate cornbread and pinto beans one night and Wienerschnitzel the next. I would ask my mom if I could have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in my lunch like the other kids at school, but I always got salami with mustard on black bread (schwarzbrot). I had long braids that my mom wrapped around my head or tied in loops. It was one thing to look different, but did my lunch have to stink, too? My mom was learning to read/write English when I was young so I brought my phonics papers home in the early grades to teach her. She actually learned how to read by reading the Bible. She’s 85 now and lives a mile from us. My wonderful, godly father passed away ten years go.
My parents met in Salzburg (home of the “Sound of Music”) when my dad was stationed in the Army during the Korean War. My dad worked for the Veterans Administration after that which meant that our family moved just like Army families all around the country. I was born in Michigan and then we lived on both coasts and many spots in-between. I was always the new girl, but I loved meeting new people and making new friends. Sometimes being the new girl was challenging like when the kids in New Jersey called me “farm girl” because I came from Chicago. They obviously had never been to Chicago! They also said I had an accent and they made fun of the way I talked. I guess I sounded different from them since I didn’t say “you’s guys” or “wahta” (water). After New Jersey, we moved to Buffalo, New York where the kids called me “Jersey.” I couldn’t catch a break on the East Coast! Altogether, I’ve lived in ten states, and I’ve been fortunate to travel outside our beautiful country to Europe, Canada, Mexico, Cayman Islands, and China. During college, I spent two summers working with missionaries in Germany and Austria. I taught English in China for three weeks two summers ago.
One of my favorite places anywhere is at home cooking for family and friends in my spacious country kitchen. It’s really the heart of our home with everyone gathering to talk, snack, or work at the table. To relax, there is nothing better to me than a tub full of bubbles with floral scented soap nearby. Water helps me think…and it’s a great place to pray. I don’t have any hidden super powers but I do have a hidden talent: I’m a storyteller. I have most of the Bible in flannelgraph with beautiful background scenes. One of my dreams for the future is to write a children’s novel…I think I’ve got one or two tucked inside me waiting to be shared. My husband and I also tease about retiring to the mountains in Colorado where he will lead nature walks, I will be a barista at a coffee shop/bakery (Hey, I make yummy cinnamon rolls!), and we will get matching tattoos just to shock our kids. Everyone’s got to have a dream.
No matter how crazy-busy life gets, blessings always abound. My life is rich with people of various ages and for them, I am truly thankful. There is no other place I would rather be during the day than in a room of eight- and nine-year-olds eager to explore our world. Thank you for trusting me with your children each day…we are going to have joy on this journey called “third grade.”
Love,
Mrs. Endres
Meet My Fun, Loving Family
Dr. Craig Endres—love of my life for 35 years, biology professor, plant expert, nature lover, ex-Californian, and #1 Rams fan (no matter what city they are in).
Benny, Hannah, Matthew, Emily, Gretchen, and Seth--June 2016
Hannah—firstborn daughter, 30, Kodaly-trained (M.S.) music teacher, new mother, fluent in Chinese, scrapbook mini-album crafter, Disney princess imitator, and doctoral music student (Boston University).
Dr. Benny—husband of Hannah, statistics professor at Southwest Baptist University (as of August 2018), ex-Marine, ice hockey player, cross-country coach, and master of the wok.
Dr. Emily—28, clinical pharmacist at Mercy Hospital, Tennessee Vols fan, saxophone player, card shark, and sneaky closet reader when it was “lights out” as a kid.
Gretchen—25, R.N. at Mercy Orthopedic Hospital, Elvis fan, former BHS cheerleader, Pinterest trendsetter (over 1,000 people following her), Peppa Pig lover, and family Whirly-pop popcorn maker.
Sgt. Seth—husband of Gretchen, boiled peanut-loving Georgia boy, Army veteran (Iraq deployment), college student, and Crown Victoria driver (“It’s like driving a couch.”).
Matthew--21, biology major at John Brown University (pre-optometry), former BHS soccer and tennis player, Settlers of Catan enthusiast, ear contortionist, fan of podcast sermons and old-fashioned hymns, and lover of Braums' milkshakes.
Dr. Benny—husband of Hannah, statistics professor at Southwest Baptist University (as of August 2018), ex-Marine, ice hockey player, cross-country coach, and master of the wok.
Dr. Emily—28, clinical pharmacist at Mercy Hospital, Tennessee Vols fan, saxophone player, card shark, and sneaky closet reader when it was “lights out” as a kid.
Gretchen—25, R.N. at Mercy Orthopedic Hospital, Elvis fan, former BHS cheerleader, Pinterest trendsetter (over 1,000 people following her), Peppa Pig lover, and family Whirly-pop popcorn maker.
Sgt. Seth—husband of Gretchen, boiled peanut-loving Georgia boy, Army veteran (Iraq deployment), college student, and Crown Victoria driver (“It’s like driving a couch.”).
Matthew--21, biology major at John Brown University (pre-optometry), former BHS soccer and tennis player, Settlers of Catan enthusiast, ear contortionist, fan of podcast sermons and old-fashioned hymns, and lover of Braums' milkshakes.