25 September 2009

Small Town

You know you live in a small town when:
1. Your mail carrier calls your cell phone and asks you what to do with the package that won't fit in the mail box.
2. The nurse practioner who's doing your adoption physical calls your office to ask if she can meet at the pizza place to confirm the results of my Tb test rather than at her clinic because she had conflicting plans at 530.

Gotta love it. I sure do. My mail carrier that called isn't the regular one. The regular guy would've just taken it to the vet clinic or put it on the porch. The carrier that fills in does so on a regular basis and happens to be one of my friends. The nurse practitioner is this really cool, really kick-back lady. I love that she felt comfortable enough (some might say that's unprofessional) to ask me to meet her at the pizza place!

22 September 2009

Where did our Weekend Go?

I'm not sure where our weekend went. What's worse is that I had Friday off. Really, I do know how we spent our time, I just can't believe it went so fast. Friday and Saturday we had our adoption training in central Iowa. Met two other couples and bonded well with them.

Friday evening we spent the night with Israel and Paola (son of the Pastor of the church in Mexico City). Participated with them in their ministry to the hispanic children. We didn't do a whole lot except during craft time and clean up. I had a few kids asking me questions and the young girls wanted to sit by me. The boys thought that Ryan was a WWF wrestler with his big stature, bald head and goatee. We had a late but tasty supper on Friday night and visited with our new friends. Saturday we had shared another meal and visited some more before we headed back to our training. It was great to be so close to where our friends are ministering and have a few moments to spend with them. What a ministry they have there!

Saturday on our way back home, we made a quick stop in the city to buy some paint for the room remodel project. Ryan has the drywall back up where I asked him to tear it out in hopes of more space. It was a waste of time and drywall but at least we have a solid wall now that's ready to be primed and painted.

Sunday afternoon was our typical hang out time at home. Just trying to relax a bit before the weekend started. As usual, I thought that I could get at least 3 things done in a short amount of time. I ended up practicing guitar lessons for a bit, didn't prime the wall when Ryan realized that there wasn't primer in the paint like he thought, but did manage to make a new black baby doll with my new pattern. I had to change the pattern a bit and the doll is another sample that Bethany has taken from me. I'm excited to get a few of those made to put on the auction but know that my time is limited.

Tonight I have guitar lessons, a conference call with our agency and hope to squeeze in a physical to do for our adoption paperwork. Whew, I'll need my lunch break today to get some paperwork done!

17 September 2009

Help Needed

Hey bloggy friends. I need some help advertising our online adoption auction. Would you be willing to put a link to the site on your blog, facebook, etc? Shoot, I wouldn't care if you printed it off and handed it out to your friends, family and clients if you wanted.

The site will go public in two weeks. Here's the link http://www.j4hauction.blogspot.com/ (active on October 1st) and the photo to link it to. Let me know if you'll add the link will you?

14 September 2009

Monday is HERE

It was a long but good weekend. I have some great pictures to share but its late and I'm too lazy to find my camera cord. We spent the weekend in Ryan's old stomping grounds. Hung out with a few friends, watched the Cyclones pretend to be football players, visited the Neil Smith Wildlife Refuge, celebrated Grandpa's 89th birthday, hung out with a few more friends and headed home. I thought I needed a caramel frapp on the way home. Got a venti one - Ryan and I used to share one that size. Got my own so I could share with the kids. The kids didn't eat their supper so I sucked down the frapp on my own hence the reason I'm still awake!

Ryan has 3 weekends off in a row. We just burned through the first one. It was a great weekend. We stayed at Ryan's grandparents which is where we were when Scott had both seizures. I prayed and prayed over him but with every cough and noise he made, I was sitting up on my air mattress watching to make sure he was fine. Saturday night I relaxed a little more but still had a late night. Tonight I'm thinking I won't be getting much sleep either. With allergies in full swing, something wierd going on in my trap muscle and coffee, I'm sure tomorrow (or today actually) won't be the brightest of Mondays!

09 September 2009

Better Late Than Never

Scott's first day of preschool pictures:

Maize Maze

We went to the Maize Maze last night with the international students from the local university. Scott really wanted to venture through the maze. It was already getting late and I was a little nervous taking a 4 year old through a big corn field and possibly not finishing before dark. We started off with a few of our new friends but soon realized that they were wanting to do their own thing as was Scott. This was my kind of adventure - reading a map, walking through a corn field. I only got slightly turned around once on the circle part when Scott was holding the map and I was distracted by my husband and child who were on the bridge above us. We both had a blast in the corn maze. Afterwards we roasted a few marshmallows for smores and then took our tired children home for showers and bed time! It was my first time in the maze and it was great!

04 September 2009

Guitar Lessons

Tuesday I started guitar lessons.  I had looked at one lesson online previous to that.  And about 17 years ago (well that makes me feel old), I played the clarinet for a year. Other than that, I have no experience.  In fact, I have a very concrete memory of my sister telling me at one point in life that I couldn't sing.  So I won't even sing in public... except for church.  I always feel bad for those sitting in front of me. 
 
Anyway, first lesson and Shane had me playing 3 different songs.  I was excited about that but it wasn't real smooth.  I've been practicing each night.  Hoping to improve quickly get sore and build up calluses.  Last night I pulled my guitar out before the kids went to bed and Bethany started singing the song I was playing.  I was excited.  It was recognizable - at least to the kids.  Woo hoo!





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home, sweet, home

Yay, Ryan got home yesterday afternoon.  It was so good to see him again and he was only gone for 7 days.  I love my hubby dearly!  Last night for supper, I really was tired of cooking and just tired in general.  Rather than cooking up something and over-eating, I opted to make fruit smoothies.  We ate those and played with the kids for a bit before our little outdoor adventure.  Bethany had to wear big girl panties last night (she's not in the least bit potty trained) and since we were going outside, I let her.  We played on the swings and slide, picked veggies in the garden and went for a short walk.  Back in the house, Ryan grabbed the kids something more to eat while I tended to Scott in the bathroom.  That's when Ryan noticed that Bethany spilled water all over.  Well she didn't have water so I piped up and commented that she might have pee'd instead.  Sure enough.  Who's idea was it to put her in undies anyway.  She was certainly sad to take her Dora panties off.  Even though I did the changing and bath, I got a kick out of Ryan having to get right back into the swing of family life.

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02 September 2009

Protected

Posts keep disappearing from my blog. I know I hit the post button but they don't show up and their not in the draft form either. Guess where I keep finding them... attached to another of my blogs. At least I'm finding them and eventually getting them in the right spot.

...

I'm so thankful for a hand of protection over my life. Not that I expect things to always go perfectly but I'm sure glad when they do. Sunday a tractor and silage wagon were in the right lane going up the hill on the highway. I came up behind him quickly and merged over into the left lane to pass. Just as I did so, the tractor driver decided to turn left, crossing over the left lane from the slow lane, right in front of me. I hit the brakes hard and moved over into the oncoming traffic lane (where I could see no traffic up the rest of the hill). The tractor drive swerved back to the right and then moved to the shoulder before turning right. It wasn't a bid deal but it could have been. Driving my father in laws truck this week, I can assure him that his brakes work. The worst part of it all was when I realized that prior to that, Bethany was holding a Culver's cup filled with red juice. She was wearing a white dress as we were on our way home from church. I quickly pulled over, took my black shirt off and started sopping up the bits of juice on the floor the best I could. When we arrived home, I immediately removed Bethany's dress and washed it. I'm so thankful that there was no accident. I'm used to deer running out in front of me. This tractor incident was a whole new experience. Granted, it is getting to be that time of year. In a few short weeks, silage harvest will begin followed by corn and soybeans. Around here you will see more tractors than vehicles on the road in the coming months!