My how time flies when you’re having fun (or when you’re swamped at work). We’re in the process of signing farmers up for a new program – very detailed and lots of shuffling papers. The hours pass pretty fast when I’m at the office. It is such a work load that I could easily work 10 hour days without blinking. And normally I would but this pregnancy thing takes lots of my energy, good moods, etc. So, I’ve been working 8.5 to 9 hour days to earn a little credit leave – which I’ll definitely need when the baby comes. I’ll have less than 8 weeks of sick and vacation time when July rolls around so I’m really wanting and needing to earn some spare hours. This new Conservation Security Program has been a great way to earn those hours. Anyway, today I took a little break. A bit jealous that Ryan was going out with some friends and some cattle guy for supper tonight, I decided that us wives should get together for lunch. Last minute, I called Jen for lunch since she’s still home on maternity leave. Picked up some lunch at the Keystone and went to Jen’s. We grubbed and then I held Daniel (almost 7 weeks now) and chatted with Jen. It was a well needed rest time just hanging out and fortunately I pre-warned my boss so the 1.5 hour lunch was no big deal to me. I’m thinking I’ll be working some Thursday evenings (when Ryan is at bible study) and some Saturday mornings to pick up extra hours.
On to other B news. Ryan was gone this weekend to a Men’s retreat and I stayed home solo. Usually it unnerves me to be out in the country, in an old scary house all by myself. And what’s worse is coming home to that dark monstrous place on the hill. But I survived. Yup, I didn’t have to stay at my mommy’s! Usually locking the door scares me more than anything b/c that’s acknowledging the fear. My door remained unlocked Friday night but I did have a minor fright. Went to bed and saw this light flickering and reflecting off my bedroom wall. Took me a second to figure out what it was. But I realized it was the burn pile I started outside earlier that evening – and it was still burning. It was 930pm, definitely dark. I crawled back in bed and said a quick prayer. Just told the Lord that I was going to trust Him to take care of the fire, keep it under control and that I would get a good night sleep. See, if I would’ve gone outside to check the fire, I would’ve been a big ol scaredy cat the rest of the night. So, I rolled over and went to sleep. Didn’t even think about it till mid morning on Saturday. Went out to check the fire and God had perfect control. Where the wood slats (from our remodeling) stuck 3 feet over the edge of the burn pile into the grass, they didn’t burn. I’m serious, they burned right up beyond the edge of the burn pit and stopped. The wood quit burning! How awesome is that!!!
It was a weekend of no TV. And I’m so thankful to Ryan for following through with that even though he loves TV and really wanted to watch the Cardinals. TV really takes away from our relationship but my husband doesn’t see that. Sunday afternoon though, instead of lounging in front of the big screen (big for us), we cuddled, chatted about our weekends, tossed a baseball out in the yard, piddled around together and then snuggled up in bed reading a book before I fell asleep. It was so nice! Yay for me and putting my foot down on the TV issue. Ryan has had the last two days off to work around the house. He’s been working on the trim upstairs (from the project we started pre-wedding). I’m so thankful for his hard work there too.
Just a couple of prayer requests to share:- Katie’s mom is battling cancer again which is draining for everyone in the family. Pray that God continues to heal her as she starts chemo yet again.
- Pregnant ladies – I know of several lately that have had minor to major problems with their prego’s. And, I know after 7 months that you become quite attached to those little boogars inside your belly. Pray for health of babies.
- I’m wanting to start a young mom’s group in the area. So, if you can be praying for the culmination of that – times to work out for mom’s and older/wiser women who are willing to watch babies/kids.
- Thanks for those who’ve been praying for me to feel good. Of the last 9 days, I had 1.5 that I didn’t feel good. That darn iron problem. The pregnancy is so much easier when you feel half decent.
Okay, gotta go take care of JV kids…
20 April 2005
14 April 2005
Yay for me and thanks to those who’ve been praying specifically for me to feel better. I’m on day 3 of feeling good – that’s a record these past 6 months. Lots going on as usual. Had my monthly visit to the OB yesterday. He had some blood tests done since I complained about feeling like passing out way too often. My hemoglobin showed for being low and so he put me back on the prenatal vitamin for iron. This is what caused other “plumbing” issues before so I’m hoping and praying that things will go normal. I just want to walk around and sing “I feel good….”
Other than that, I’ve just been major emotional and witchy. I’m so easily irritated and have lost my patience. That can be partly accredited to the insanity here at work and dealing with butthead people. Its frustrating though because I can see the attitude problem but haven’t been able to kick it quite yet. Perfect example:
Last night after getting done with JV youth, I chatted with my sister for a short bit on the phone while Ryan watched some TV. Just before 9:00, I asked him to turn off the tv, help me put away a few clothes quick and then have some quiet cuddle time in bed. I thought this was a perfectly acceptable request since we’d had a busy week so far, tonight is bible study and Friday noon he’ll leave for men’s retreat weekend. I thought it would be good for us to have some time together. After waiting 10 minutes, it was obvious that he was not going to turn off the tv so I got up and left the room. On my way upstairs with the clothes basket in hand, he said that he’d fold clothes if I brought them to him. FORGET HIM! The clothes I was carrying were already folded and the unfolded bedsheets and a few socks were upstairs. Made no sense plus it didn’t fix the Ryan focusing on tv instead of TB time. Oh yeah, I had asked him earlier to focus on me for a few minutes and he kept having to glance back at the tv – that drives me crazy. Anyway, so I went upstairs, put away clothes and then read for a while till Ryan got done watching his show and came up. He crawled in bed and went to sleep. No “I love you honey” or nothing! Grr, so frustrating. And it hasn’t seemed to improve either. Just a bit ago, I called and asked him to come home at a decent hour tonight so I could see him since he’ll be gone all weekend. He said he’ll try. WELL WHOOP-TI-DOO! Seriously, like he can’t make arrangements to tell his bible study buddies that they need to keep on track so it only lasts 2 hours instead of 3 or more.
See, all of this is really no big deal but it just ticks me off to no end. I could go on and on with the things that have made me crazy lately. And, I could only imagine that Ryan is in the same boat with me making him crazy. My husband is not perfect BUT he is wonderful and I do love him dearly!
I’m a whiny witch about at my wits end! I think that sums it up pretty well today :) Praise the Lord though I’m feeling better and that’s gotta help some!
Other than that, I’ve just been major emotional and witchy. I’m so easily irritated and have lost my patience. That can be partly accredited to the insanity here at work and dealing with butthead people. Its frustrating though because I can see the attitude problem but haven’t been able to kick it quite yet. Perfect example:
Last night after getting done with JV youth, I chatted with my sister for a short bit on the phone while Ryan watched some TV. Just before 9:00, I asked him to turn off the tv, help me put away a few clothes quick and then have some quiet cuddle time in bed. I thought this was a perfectly acceptable request since we’d had a busy week so far, tonight is bible study and Friday noon he’ll leave for men’s retreat weekend. I thought it would be good for us to have some time together. After waiting 10 minutes, it was obvious that he was not going to turn off the tv so I got up and left the room. On my way upstairs with the clothes basket in hand, he said that he’d fold clothes if I brought them to him. FORGET HIM! The clothes I was carrying were already folded and the unfolded bedsheets and a few socks were upstairs. Made no sense plus it didn’t fix the Ryan focusing on tv instead of TB time. Oh yeah, I had asked him earlier to focus on me for a few minutes and he kept having to glance back at the tv – that drives me crazy. Anyway, so I went upstairs, put away clothes and then read for a while till Ryan got done watching his show and came up. He crawled in bed and went to sleep. No “I love you honey” or nothing! Grr, so frustrating. And it hasn’t seemed to improve either. Just a bit ago, I called and asked him to come home at a decent hour tonight so I could see him since he’ll be gone all weekend. He said he’ll try. WELL WHOOP-TI-DOO! Seriously, like he can’t make arrangements to tell his bible study buddies that they need to keep on track so it only lasts 2 hours instead of 3 or more.
See, all of this is really no big deal but it just ticks me off to no end. I could go on and on with the things that have made me crazy lately. And, I could only imagine that Ryan is in the same boat with me making him crazy. My husband is not perfect BUT he is wonderful and I do love him dearly!
I’m a whiny witch about at my wits end! I think that sums it up pretty well today :) Praise the Lord though I’m feeling better and that’s gotta help some!
11 April 2005
What does Love mean? A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"
08 April 2005
Check out Caryn's website. She's the little girl that survived the plane crash on Easter and is fighting for her life in the burn unit. The site has daily updates, pictures and a place you can send a note to the family if you'd like. Take a peek
Monday I wrote about feeling good. Go figure that it all went down hill just after that. Had some major nasty cramp that lasted an hour that evening. Thought it was no big deal at first but it got worse. Felt like someone was stabbing me! After 30 minutes, we called the doc and he said it was probably round ligament pain. I got the pain part! Needless to say, I didn’t move much except a potty break, grabbed some food and later got up and went to bed. Tuesday night we hung out at the Royer’s and I got to hold Daniel. (He’s 4 weeks old now and I didn’t make him cry this time – woo hoo! This is the little boy that I hoped would be a girl so we could marry them off but he’s darn cute anyway and I’ll find plenty others to marry my child off to). I had the cramp scare again but it was just gas this time – isn’t that precious! Tuesday was interesting when I got home. Ryan was having a bad day and trying hard to not take it out on me. Its hard to leave work and work though and I was, needless to say, eager to go for a walk and then head off for bible study. Keep us in your prayers as both of our stress levels are increasing rapidly with work and the baby.
Otherwise not much going on. The usual schedule. But, I’m getting bigger by the day and need more clothes. Yeah, Ryan really doesn’t like when I resort to my last pair of normal pants that go low enough and were big enough. Their khakis and have holes around the pockets that highlight my undies. It is really tacky, I know but I hate to buy clothes that I won’t wear for too long. I’ll be shopping this weekend for another pair of pants as well as some shorts and capri’s. Wish me luck.
Otherwise not much going on. The usual schedule. But, I’m getting bigger by the day and need more clothes. Yeah, Ryan really doesn’t like when I resort to my last pair of normal pants that go low enough and were big enough. Their khakis and have holes around the pockets that highlight my undies. It is really tacky, I know but I hate to buy clothes that I won’t wear for too long. I’ll be shopping this weekend for another pair of pants as well as some shorts and capri’s. Wish me luck.
07 April 2005
Each weekday, I receive an email that has romantic ideas I can use on my honey. I added a few of the recent ones I liked. They're excerpted from "Simply Romantic Ideas: 150 Fun and Creative Ways to Romance Your Husband". If you're not married, you can change it up a bit for your boyfriend or even a buddy.
1. Romantic Gift Ideas: Give him an envelope that contains a check and an announcement that says, "You've just won $50 (or whatever amount you choose) to spend any way you want, for being a wonderful husband!"
2. Ideas for Romantic Dates: Take your husband to the church where you were married and have a picnic lunch on the church steps or lawn. (Remember to bring your wedding album.)
3. Romantic Gift Ideas: Give him a card that acknowledges his provision, leadership, strength, courage, etc., especially when he is in a stressful season at work.
1. Romantic Gift Ideas: Give him an envelope that contains a check and an announcement that says, "You've just won $50 (or whatever amount you choose) to spend any way you want, for being a wonderful husband!"
2. Ideas for Romantic Dates: Take your husband to the church where you were married and have a picnic lunch on the church steps or lawn. (Remember to bring your wedding album.)
3. Romantic Gift Ideas: Give him a card that acknowledges his provision, leadership, strength, courage, etc., especially when he is in a stressful season at work.
04 April 2005
Amen, Amen, Amen to a refreshing and quiet weekend. It wasn’t as crazy as usual but still slightly eventful:
Friday night I got home from work and Ryan met me in the yard. He never greets me outside so I thought it a bit weird. Well, he wasn’t greeting me, he’d been called back to work for an emergency on his weekend off. There was a cow, actually a heifer, in need of some help. It was just 5 minutes down the road from our house and OB calls usually only take 15-30 minutes – enough time to pull the calf out, clean up and get back in the truck. I decided to jump in the truck with Ryan. Got there and the heifer was in a chute (good sign) but psycho as all get out – they usually are their first time around. The heifer had a really small pelvic area and the calf wasn’t coming out and wouldn’t keep his feet out straight. Some time later, Ryan informed the guy that he would have to do a C-section. Yup, those are fun and take more than 15 minutes. By now there was an audience and no one really wanted to be there. The owners were supposed to be out for their anniversary and Ryan wasn’t supposed to be on call and poor me just wanted to run a “quick” call. Needless to say, it was total NE Iowa style to get the job done. If you can envision, this psycho heifer being tied up with a halter, let out of the chute and turned around to put her head in the headgate was quite the ordeal. It took two ropes and 3 people to get the dumb thing where they wanted her. Then, they swung around a gate and tied it to the chute with Ryan’s log chain to keep it as a steady side panel. Then, they tied the heifer around her body, just before her hind hips, to the gate to keep her from moving all over and kicking the snot out of Ryan. Then Ryan got to start the procedure. Its an amazing thing to watch the incision of the skin and then the uterus. And then to pull the calf out from the side. All I could think was that I might be in a similar predicament in a few months – first time mom, stubborn baby that won’t come out, psycho mom and a doctor that has to do a C-section. Hmm… I’m not so sure I like that idea. But I did tell Ryan to remember this heifer when he thinks I’m whining a lot or have a bad attitude about the situation. Needless to say it was 2 hours later when we left the farm. The sun had gone down and I was freezing. Yeah, I had on scrub pants and a sweater, topped by Ryan’s coat but it was 40 degrees and I was just standing there. Burr, it was chilly after a beautiful afternoon.
Saturday, not so eventful which was good. We piddled around the house in the morning. That means that I was cleaning and Ryan was hiding out. I worked in the kitchen while Ryan worked outside. He’s good about helping me clean but also good about staying out of the way. The roofing guy family came to fix the leak from last year. You know you live in a small town when the roofing guy calls and tells you that he’ll pick up the supplies at the lumber yard and charge it to our account so that he doesn’t have to figure that into his bill later. We’ll see how well that works when we get the next rain. That afternoon we ran to Prairie Du Chien for a quick trip to Cabelas and Walmart. Of course, we planned our trip around lunch so that we could stop for Chinese. I was so impressed with lunch. The place changed hands and had some good food for less money. It was awesome. I usually don’t care to pay so much money for the buffet and then not eat it. But this had some more variety with a better presentation as well as a fruit and dessert bar. Nice stuff. We left there and spent too much money as usual but we needed a few larger items and both had birthday money to spend. That night we had the Ellis family (minus Sona who was at Women’s retreat) over for supper and a movie. Ryan had just purchased the Incredibles and everyone wanted to see that. I, of course, slept through it.
Sunday was such a beautiful day. It was potluck Sunday at church. Since we’re heathens and don’t attend Sunday school, we have to do something in that time before potluck. I wanted to go for a walk but Ryan wanted to grab a drink and sit in the park. I didn’t put up a fight (this time) and we ended up at the park with Tom and Alan (2 other slackers who don’t go to SS). For a mid-morning snack, I had a Milky Way ice-cream, twinkies and half a diet 7-up (yup, I'm prego). Good and healthy for the baby I’m sure. After potluck, Gayle came over. We took William (my goat) out for a walk. It was perfect weather and the first time I wore shorts without freezing. Then Gayle and I laid in the hammock and chatted for a while. The whole day was so kick back and wonderful. Mom came over and got some old wood that was taken out of the house when it was remodeled. I watered plants, laid on the couch for a short bit and cleaned up the kitchen again. I wasn’t hungry for supper really and wanted some popcorn but after my earlier eating habits, I thought it’d be good to have a decent meal. So, I made Ryan and me a light supper of Orange roughy and steamed vegetables. He was impressed. I don’t do much of the cooking and I definitely have a hard time choosing what to fix and how to get it accomplished but I was a pro in the kitchen this time. After supper I cleaned up the dishes one last time and then the folks came over for cards. We ended up playing Mexican train and us ladies beat the boys once again! Woo hoo for us!!!
Now, its Monday and I’ve felt good for 2 days now. Kinda rare for me. I did have the regular belly ache this morning but otherwise its not been bad. I’m excited to get home today and piddle around outside in the warm weather again. I love that my crocuses have flowers on them and that my tulips (I added 150 more last year) are coming up wonderfully. Spring is here, the grass is greener every day and I love this weather. I think I feel better just because I can go outside. Yay!
Friday night I got home from work and Ryan met me in the yard. He never greets me outside so I thought it a bit weird. Well, he wasn’t greeting me, he’d been called back to work for an emergency on his weekend off. There was a cow, actually a heifer, in need of some help. It was just 5 minutes down the road from our house and OB calls usually only take 15-30 minutes – enough time to pull the calf out, clean up and get back in the truck. I decided to jump in the truck with Ryan. Got there and the heifer was in a chute (good sign) but psycho as all get out – they usually are their first time around. The heifer had a really small pelvic area and the calf wasn’t coming out and wouldn’t keep his feet out straight. Some time later, Ryan informed the guy that he would have to do a C-section. Yup, those are fun and take more than 15 minutes. By now there was an audience and no one really wanted to be there. The owners were supposed to be out for their anniversary and Ryan wasn’t supposed to be on call and poor me just wanted to run a “quick” call. Needless to say, it was total NE Iowa style to get the job done. If you can envision, this psycho heifer being tied up with a halter, let out of the chute and turned around to put her head in the headgate was quite the ordeal. It took two ropes and 3 people to get the dumb thing where they wanted her. Then, they swung around a gate and tied it to the chute with Ryan’s log chain to keep it as a steady side panel. Then, they tied the heifer around her body, just before her hind hips, to the gate to keep her from moving all over and kicking the snot out of Ryan. Then Ryan got to start the procedure. Its an amazing thing to watch the incision of the skin and then the uterus. And then to pull the calf out from the side. All I could think was that I might be in a similar predicament in a few months – first time mom, stubborn baby that won’t come out, psycho mom and a doctor that has to do a C-section. Hmm… I’m not so sure I like that idea. But I did tell Ryan to remember this heifer when he thinks I’m whining a lot or have a bad attitude about the situation. Needless to say it was 2 hours later when we left the farm. The sun had gone down and I was freezing. Yeah, I had on scrub pants and a sweater, topped by Ryan’s coat but it was 40 degrees and I was just standing there. Burr, it was chilly after a beautiful afternoon.
Saturday, not so eventful which was good. We piddled around the house in the morning. That means that I was cleaning and Ryan was hiding out. I worked in the kitchen while Ryan worked outside. He’s good about helping me clean but also good about staying out of the way. The roofing guy family came to fix the leak from last year. You know you live in a small town when the roofing guy calls and tells you that he’ll pick up the supplies at the lumber yard and charge it to our account so that he doesn’t have to figure that into his bill later. We’ll see how well that works when we get the next rain. That afternoon we ran to Prairie Du Chien for a quick trip to Cabelas and Walmart. Of course, we planned our trip around lunch so that we could stop for Chinese. I was so impressed with lunch. The place changed hands and had some good food for less money. It was awesome. I usually don’t care to pay so much money for the buffet and then not eat it. But this had some more variety with a better presentation as well as a fruit and dessert bar. Nice stuff. We left there and spent too much money as usual but we needed a few larger items and both had birthday money to spend. That night we had the Ellis family (minus Sona who was at Women’s retreat) over for supper and a movie. Ryan had just purchased the Incredibles and everyone wanted to see that. I, of course, slept through it.
Sunday was such a beautiful day. It was potluck Sunday at church. Since we’re heathens and don’t attend Sunday school, we have to do something in that time before potluck. I wanted to go for a walk but Ryan wanted to grab a drink and sit in the park. I didn’t put up a fight (this time) and we ended up at the park with Tom and Alan (2 other slackers who don’t go to SS). For a mid-morning snack, I had a Milky Way ice-cream, twinkies and half a diet 7-up (yup, I'm prego). Good and healthy for the baby I’m sure. After potluck, Gayle came over. We took William (my goat) out for a walk. It was perfect weather and the first time I wore shorts without freezing. Then Gayle and I laid in the hammock and chatted for a while. The whole day was so kick back and wonderful. Mom came over and got some old wood that was taken out of the house when it was remodeled. I watered plants, laid on the couch for a short bit and cleaned up the kitchen again. I wasn’t hungry for supper really and wanted some popcorn but after my earlier eating habits, I thought it’d be good to have a decent meal. So, I made Ryan and me a light supper of Orange roughy and steamed vegetables. He was impressed. I don’t do much of the cooking and I definitely have a hard time choosing what to fix and how to get it accomplished but I was a pro in the kitchen this time. After supper I cleaned up the dishes one last time and then the folks came over for cards. We ended up playing Mexican train and us ladies beat the boys once again! Woo hoo for us!!!
Now, its Monday and I’ve felt good for 2 days now. Kinda rare for me. I did have the regular belly ache this morning but otherwise its not been bad. I’m excited to get home today and piddle around outside in the warm weather again. I love that my crocuses have flowers on them and that my tulips (I added 150 more last year) are coming up wonderfully. Spring is here, the grass is greener every day and I love this weather. I think I feel better just because I can go outside. Yay!
Had these pictures on my email this morning. These two are so cute. Check out the picture of Ryann and the one of Ryann and Kaleb together.
Some interesting thoughts and a prayer request from Tony Redfern who just arrived in the Philipines to do missionary work:
We arrived safely with very few travel disruptions after 31 hours of travel. We thank God for good health. We are still adjusting to the time zone. We are waking up at 12 midnight to 3 am ready to start the day! We are adjusting very well to Filipino food - we even ate fish-eyes! You have to suck the eyes out of the head of the fish - yummy! Craig and I are also adjusting to the culture and learning about the current reality of the church in Cebu City. We have been meeting with local missionaries, pastors and church leaders. It is amazing to learn why we are here teaching on "Leadership and Interpersonal Communication." It seems many churches are struggling with leadership issues. The churches of Cebu are in great need of strong spiritual leadership as Cebu City is known as the center of cult activity for all of the Philippines. Obviously, the cults and the culture work against the work of furthering the Kingdom of God. Please pray for us as many pastors and church leaders from conflicted-churches will be coming to the seminary class.
And for those who are interested:
Please continue to pray for the Stewart family. Connie and Sarah's funerals were on Friday. Caryn continues to fight for her life in the burn unit. She has 3rd degree burns on 75% of her body and is scheduled for more surgeries. Pray also for Brian and Christian as the mourn the death of their family and sit by Caryn's bedside. And let's also lift up the neighbors who've huddled together and are taking care of the dairy and the farm work that needs to be done in the mean time.
We arrived safely with very few travel disruptions after 31 hours of travel. We thank God for good health. We are still adjusting to the time zone. We are waking up at 12 midnight to 3 am ready to start the day! We are adjusting very well to Filipino food - we even ate fish-eyes! You have to suck the eyes out of the head of the fish - yummy! Craig and I are also adjusting to the culture and learning about the current reality of the church in Cebu City. We have been meeting with local missionaries, pastors and church leaders. It is amazing to learn why we are here teaching on "Leadership and Interpersonal Communication." It seems many churches are struggling with leadership issues. The churches of Cebu are in great need of strong spiritual leadership as Cebu City is known as the center of cult activity for all of the Philippines. Obviously, the cults and the culture work against the work of furthering the Kingdom of God. Please pray for us as many pastors and church leaders from conflicted-churches will be coming to the seminary class.
And for those who are interested:
Please continue to pray for the Stewart family. Connie and Sarah's funerals were on Friday. Caryn continues to fight for her life in the burn unit. She has 3rd degree burns on 75% of her body and is scheduled for more surgeries. Pray also for Brian and Christian as the mourn the death of their family and sit by Caryn's bedside. And let's also lift up the neighbors who've huddled together and are taking care of the dairy and the farm work that needs to be done in the mean time.
30 March 2005
Wanted to share a few pictures from Easter. One of Mom, Ralph and Ryan. The second is of me and Ryan.
Easter
I’ve had wonderful and exciting experiences since moving to Iowa but they have differed quite a bit from those from back home. I miss my friends and family and sharing holidays, birthdays and other good times with everyone. But, this year at Easter, I missed an Iowa experience. Last year my parents moved here right before Easter and had my nephew, Kaleb, staying with them. I had a blast with my family, especially that little guy. We colored eggs ahead of time and Ryan and I put together Easter baskets for everyone. That frigid morning, Kaleb got to do an egg hunt. Oh, what wonderful memories we have of that day.
This year was special in its own way but it sure wasn’t the same without our little Kaleb. We started the morning when we left the house at 6am to walk dogs at the clinic before the sunrise service. I had my doubts about the service ahead of time. I remember back in the day when we sat along the Kings River and watched the sun come up as the message was shared. But, it’s a bit chilly out here to sit along side anything outside and watch the sun come up. I wasn’t excited about having to get up early so that I could sit in a church for this “sunrise” service. As usual, I was the jerk. The service was great and I experienced the sunrise in a new way. As we sat, the sun coming up showed so brightly through the huge stain glass along the wall. It was amazing how it lit up the sanctuary. Here, I expected a disappointment and it was wonderful.
Following the service, the men of our church served a pancake breakfast downstairs. It was fun to see the guys serve breakfast to everyone else. After eating and visiting for quite a while, we went back upstairs for the regular service which was an Easter cantata and Ryan was the narrator. Not the best I’ve seen the church do but still a neat thing.
After church, we walked dogs again real quick and then went to mom and Ralph’s for lunch. It was a great meal and I quickly ran off to lay on the couch where I could get comfortable after stuffing my face. Mom and Ralph had made us Easter baskets which was really fun to get. Along with the candy, Ryan got socks and I got undies. Go mom and Ralph!!! I had made the 3 of them baskets too but they were boring. Since they’re trying to eat healthier, there was no candy involved. The guys got new tshirts and mom got a cool candle plus they got other little things. I had made up some boiled eggs and plastic eggs and went out to hide them. It was fun for me to watch them hunt these eggs. Ryan was a superstar and I had to stop him so that my parents (they’re old) could get their basket full too. I had put one plastic egg in the fresh air intake pipe for the furnace and left enough sticking out so someone could easily grab it. By accident, mom pushed it in farther and it was quite the chore to get out. After that excitement was over, we went for a walk in the beautiful – finally spring – weather. We even stopped and played at the park on the teeter-totter and other toys. We were caught by a lady in the church who thought we were just checking it out for future purposes with the kid. What she didn’t know was that we wanted to be kids ourselves and play on the toys! Got back to the house and had angel food cake with fresh strawberries. Oh, so good; I had two servings and was stuffed. As if my stomach doesn’t feel bloated all the time as it is, and I ate extra food. We played a game called Rummikub (I kicked butt for the first time) before heading home. It made for a 13 hour day in a hurry and I was exhausted. My lazy body isn’t used to those kinds of days anymore.
Yeah, and that egg that was a pain, continued to be a pain for mom and Ralph the next morning. Their heater wouldn’t kick on so they called Floyd (the local service guy). He came out and looked at it, popped a little plastic lid off the furnace and it would kick on. Put the lid back and it would stop. Then it hit mom – we forgot to go back and get the egg out after they were done hunting. When the furnace kicked on that morning and tried to suck fresh air in, it pulled the plastic egg right down the pipe. They had to blow the egg back out with the shop vac. Mom called me Monday morning to tell me that next time I put money in eggs for a hunt, that I needed to put enough to cover the service charge from Floyd. I was quite amused by the whole situation. Better them than us I guess :)
I’ve had wonderful and exciting experiences since moving to Iowa but they have differed quite a bit from those from back home. I miss my friends and family and sharing holidays, birthdays and other good times with everyone. But, this year at Easter, I missed an Iowa experience. Last year my parents moved here right before Easter and had my nephew, Kaleb, staying with them. I had a blast with my family, especially that little guy. We colored eggs ahead of time and Ryan and I put together Easter baskets for everyone. That frigid morning, Kaleb got to do an egg hunt. Oh, what wonderful memories we have of that day.
This year was special in its own way but it sure wasn’t the same without our little Kaleb. We started the morning when we left the house at 6am to walk dogs at the clinic before the sunrise service. I had my doubts about the service ahead of time. I remember back in the day when we sat along the Kings River and watched the sun come up as the message was shared. But, it’s a bit chilly out here to sit along side anything outside and watch the sun come up. I wasn’t excited about having to get up early so that I could sit in a church for this “sunrise” service. As usual, I was the jerk. The service was great and I experienced the sunrise in a new way. As we sat, the sun coming up showed so brightly through the huge stain glass along the wall. It was amazing how it lit up the sanctuary. Here, I expected a disappointment and it was wonderful.
Following the service, the men of our church served a pancake breakfast downstairs. It was fun to see the guys serve breakfast to everyone else. After eating and visiting for quite a while, we went back upstairs for the regular service which was an Easter cantata and Ryan was the narrator. Not the best I’ve seen the church do but still a neat thing.
After church, we walked dogs again real quick and then went to mom and Ralph’s for lunch. It was a great meal and I quickly ran off to lay on the couch where I could get comfortable after stuffing my face. Mom and Ralph had made us Easter baskets which was really fun to get. Along with the candy, Ryan got socks and I got undies. Go mom and Ralph!!! I had made the 3 of them baskets too but they were boring. Since they’re trying to eat healthier, there was no candy involved. The guys got new tshirts and mom got a cool candle plus they got other little things. I had made up some boiled eggs and plastic eggs and went out to hide them. It was fun for me to watch them hunt these eggs. Ryan was a superstar and I had to stop him so that my parents (they’re old) could get their basket full too. I had put one plastic egg in the fresh air intake pipe for the furnace and left enough sticking out so someone could easily grab it. By accident, mom pushed it in farther and it was quite the chore to get out. After that excitement was over, we went for a walk in the beautiful – finally spring – weather. We even stopped and played at the park on the teeter-totter and other toys. We were caught by a lady in the church who thought we were just checking it out for future purposes with the kid. What she didn’t know was that we wanted to be kids ourselves and play on the toys! Got back to the house and had angel food cake with fresh strawberries. Oh, so good; I had two servings and was stuffed. As if my stomach doesn’t feel bloated all the time as it is, and I ate extra food. We played a game called Rummikub (I kicked butt for the first time) before heading home. It made for a 13 hour day in a hurry and I was exhausted. My lazy body isn’t used to those kinds of days anymore.
Yeah, and that egg that was a pain, continued to be a pain for mom and Ralph the next morning. Their heater wouldn’t kick on so they called Floyd (the local service guy). He came out and looked at it, popped a little plastic lid off the furnace and it would kick on. Put the lid back and it would stop. Then it hit mom – we forgot to go back and get the egg out after they were done hunting. When the furnace kicked on that morning and tried to suck fresh air in, it pulled the plastic egg right down the pipe. They had to blow the egg back out with the shop vac. Mom called me Monday morning to tell me that next time I put money in eggs for a hunt, that I needed to put enough to cover the service charge from Floyd. I was quite amused by the whole situation. Better them than us I guess :)
Does Evil Exist?
The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists?A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!""God created everything?" The professor asked."Yes sir", the student replied.The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil". The student became quiet before such an answer.The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?""Of course", replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?""What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"The students snickered at the young man's question.The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."The student continued. "Professor, does darkness exist?"The professor responded, "Of course it does".The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."Finally the young man asked the professor. "Sir, does evil exist?"Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."The professor sat down. The young man's name --- Albert Einstein
The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists?A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!""God created everything?" The professor asked."Yes sir", the student replied.The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil". The student became quiet before such an answer.The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?""Of course", replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?""What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"The students snickered at the young man's question.The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."The student continued. "Professor, does darkness exist?"The professor responded, "Of course it does".The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."Finally the young man asked the professor. "Sir, does evil exist?"Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."The professor sat down. The young man's name --- Albert Einstein
25 March 2005
Two fun things for this Fantabulous Friday:
1. Just got an update from Mike Hamilton and family. Check out their latest picture.
2. Kristine and Andy are my favoritist friends today. I got the cutest Fresno State baby stuff yesterday from them. A tiny little hat and a onesie thing that’s a jersey. Thanks you two!
1. Just got an update from Mike Hamilton and family. Check out their latest picture.
2. Kristine and Andy are my favoritist friends today. I got the cutest Fresno State baby stuff yesterday from them. A tiny little hat and a onesie thing that’s a jersey. Thanks you two!
I left the office a tad bit early yesterday to run some errands. Before I walked out the door, I felt like I was gonna fall over – totally out of energy. But, I decided to drive the 30 miles to Prairie anyway. Stopped in at Cabelas to return some shoes. First let me say, I love Cabela’s – not because I’m this major outdoorsy person and love to hunt/fish and buy expensive things; I just like their shoe department. I was buying shoes and told the employee helping me that I bought a pair, got them home and they were way uncomfy and didn’t fit well. She said to bring them back. Yup, you can return them if you’ve purchased them within the last year and have the receipt. Now, I’m not the type to return dirty, used shoes but this pair had only spent a few hours on my feet. Yay for Cabela’s return policy! While there of course, I had to peruse the clothes and shoe departments. I saw the cutest shorts there and some cute light coats. But, this is not the season in my life to be buying clothing – who knows what I’ll fit into when this is all said and done. So, I moved on to the shoe department and found several pair of shoes (oh, I have this shoe fettish). I just want a comfy pair of sandles for the summer since I can’t wear the typical sandles that you wear with my knees causing problems. But, I held back and didn’t buy those either. I’ve heard that you might wear a different shoe size after having kids. Doesn’t make any sense to me and I struggled because I knew that I could buy them and 6 months down the road return them if my feet magically grow but I didn’t think that would be right to wear them and then return them. So, I left Cabela’s and went on my way.
Did the Walmart run for the few things we needed and searched for Easter basket stuff for my parents and Ryan. Anything but candy would be good but I just wasn’t coming up with anything – not even the typical baseball cards that I buy Ryan. After too much time in Wally world and way too much money (as usual), I knew I wouldn’t be back in time for the Maundy Thursday service. So, I quick stopped at McD’s. Okay, first of all, I don’t even like McD’s but I knew I should eat something. So, I scraped quarters out of my car and the bottom of my purse and had just enough for a cheeseburger and fries. What a let down that was.
Even though I really didn’t have the energy for church, I was bummed I couldn’t go. Looking forward to a quiet evening at home (Ryan would be gone for his guys study time), I headed on home. A call from Ryan informed me that the guys were coming over to watch the Passion of the Christ and no girls would be allowed. WHATEVER! No big deal, I could crawl up in bed and read my new book (oh, that’s another fun story). Not too long later, another phone call from Ryan to say that he had a sick guy to attend to (the guy thought Ryan could help a cow that was aborting). He wanted me to start the movie for the guys. Funny how I was important all of a sudden! I got home, put away groceries, hid the few things I did get for Easter (I’m gonna make them do an Easter egg hunt), changed over the clothes and was a busy little wife.
In the process, I thought I’d be a good wife and make the guys brownies. Whipped those up quick before the guys came (Ryan made it back in time) and offered them drinks while they waited for Alan. I thought I was such a superstar wife waiting on them. Then Alan walks in with grocery bags of chips, dip, drinks, etc. The guys were excited for food. Here it was my superstar-ness went right down the drain and I headed upstairs to my book. The guys never even touched the fresh brownies last night. I couldn’t believe it. I’m sure I still qualify as a super wife, it just went a bit unnoticed (except Ryan who was busy trying to kiss and hug on me while I was trying to bake and clean up the mess).
Did the Walmart run for the few things we needed and searched for Easter basket stuff for my parents and Ryan. Anything but candy would be good but I just wasn’t coming up with anything – not even the typical baseball cards that I buy Ryan. After too much time in Wally world and way too much money (as usual), I knew I wouldn’t be back in time for the Maundy Thursday service. So, I quick stopped at McD’s. Okay, first of all, I don’t even like McD’s but I knew I should eat something. So, I scraped quarters out of my car and the bottom of my purse and had just enough for a cheeseburger and fries. What a let down that was.
Even though I really didn’t have the energy for church, I was bummed I couldn’t go. Looking forward to a quiet evening at home (Ryan would be gone for his guys study time), I headed on home. A call from Ryan informed me that the guys were coming over to watch the Passion of the Christ and no girls would be allowed. WHATEVER! No big deal, I could crawl up in bed and read my new book (oh, that’s another fun story). Not too long later, another phone call from Ryan to say that he had a sick guy to attend to (the guy thought Ryan could help a cow that was aborting). He wanted me to start the movie for the guys. Funny how I was important all of a sudden! I got home, put away groceries, hid the few things I did get for Easter (I’m gonna make them do an Easter egg hunt), changed over the clothes and was a busy little wife.
In the process, I thought I’d be a good wife and make the guys brownies. Whipped those up quick before the guys came (Ryan made it back in time) and offered them drinks while they waited for Alan. I thought I was such a superstar wife waiting on them. Then Alan walks in with grocery bags of chips, dip, drinks, etc. The guys were excited for food. Here it was my superstar-ness went right down the drain and I headed upstairs to my book. The guys never even touched the fresh brownies last night. I couldn’t believe it. I’m sure I still qualify as a super wife, it just went a bit unnoticed (except Ryan who was busy trying to kiss and hug on me while I was trying to bake and clean up the mess).
23 March 2005
21 March 2005
We have this book of 50,001 baby names to check out. It’s been quite entertaining to read through the names by topic such as “future veterinarian”, and “names for pro athletes”. There is quite the topic list to choose from. Like my friend Jen who just had a baby, I also like a fair amount of names under the topic “names lesbians and gays choose”. What the heck, I’m not like that but they are cute names. Last night, I laid on the couch all snuggled up and started making a list of names that I like for a boy. I think it would be cool for Ryan to do the same thing and then for us to see what names we both chose. He’s still sold on Dirk and I’m still sold on Scott. My other random thought about names is what if we’re surprised and have a girl. We’ve spent no time thinking about girl names. Hmm…
Okay, so more from me today, it’s a busy blog day for me. So much is happening in my busy little life… oh that reminded me of something else. Okay, I’ll start with that. My college buddy Katie is getting married in September and asked me to be a bridesmaid. Yup, just two short months after my due date (if the kid is on time), I’ll be flaunting my (hopefully in shape) self at a wedding in CA. I’m excited to share in Kate and Brady’s day and also hope to make it a trip home with the “family” to see family and friends in CA.
Back to my original thought. Maybe you remember reading about Mark and Eunice (Ryan’s parents for those who don’t know) and their dog. They put Trapper (their golden retriever) just before we got there for Christmas. We had the bright idea of getting them a puppy for Christmas. Sadie was quite the puppy alright, as cute as can be too. She’s been quite the handful for the AZ B’s and has even got to know the local vet pretty well. Last Tuesday, Mark and Eunice had to put down another dog. Ouch is right! She had distemper and had gotten really sick. Although she’d been vaccinated for it… who knows – my veterinarian husband explained all the details to me which you probably don’t care to read. I thought for sure they’d never get another dog. They’d only had Sadie for a few months. But, it was quite the opposite. It made them realize that they really do want a dog and decided to get another one. While in Phoenix on Saturday, they bought a new puppy. Rocky was born on December 28th and is quite the puppy. So far he’s a quiet little golden retriever and already they’re attached. Make sure to check out the pictures to see their new addition to their home.
Okay, so more from me today, it’s a busy blog day for me. So much is happening in my busy little life… oh that reminded me of something else. Okay, I’ll start with that. My college buddy Katie is getting married in September and asked me to be a bridesmaid. Yup, just two short months after my due date (if the kid is on time), I’ll be flaunting my (hopefully in shape) self at a wedding in CA. I’m excited to share in Kate and Brady’s day and also hope to make it a trip home with the “family” to see family and friends in CA.
Back to my original thought. Maybe you remember reading about Mark and Eunice (Ryan’s parents for those who don’t know) and their dog. They put Trapper (their golden retriever) just before we got there for Christmas. We had the bright idea of getting them a puppy for Christmas. Sadie was quite the puppy alright, as cute as can be too. She’s been quite the handful for the AZ B’s and has even got to know the local vet pretty well. Last Tuesday, Mark and Eunice had to put down another dog. Ouch is right! She had distemper and had gotten really sick. Although she’d been vaccinated for it… who knows – my veterinarian husband explained all the details to me which you probably don’t care to read. I thought for sure they’d never get another dog. They’d only had Sadie for a few months. But, it was quite the opposite. It made them realize that they really do want a dog and decided to get another one. While in Phoenix on Saturday, they bought a new puppy. Rocky was born on December 28th and is quite the puppy. So far he’s a quiet little golden retriever and already they’re attached. Make sure to check out the pictures to see their new addition to their home.
WOW, what a crammed packed weekend behind and another busy one ahead. I survived my overnight to Marshalltown. It was great fun EXCEPT the bad dream I had that mixed the past and the present together. Ooh, scary stuff and I woke up in a strange hotel and initially wasn’t sure where I was. I patiently waited for one hour to pass before calling Ryan. Usually I wake up from my random dreams, roll over and snuggle up to Ryan’s back and go back to sleep. It was rough not having him there; oh how I love my husband!
Was back in my own office Thursday and not feeling so good but managed to get quite a lot accomplished. Had a headache when I got home but ran to Sabor Latino for supper with Ryan and the folks before bible study. During our video bible study, I found myself quite distracted with watching my stomach move with the baby’s movements. After I got back home, I just felt yucky – tummy, sore throat and headache. So, I curled up to Ryan on the couch and tried not to think about it. Finally decided I just needed to go to bed.
Friday, I was home sick from work. I woke up with swollen glands, a dry-itchy throat and just yucky feeling overall. I ran a few errands and mailed lots of packages first thing in the morning. Mom and Ralph came over and was a great help cleaning up the kitchen and swapping furniture in the living rooms and playing with Ryan’s curtains. Late that afternoon, we met with the tax guy - woo hoo, we have that taken care of. Friday evening while I had dinner in the oven, I was still working on the curtains. I started measuring them, and my figures weren’t matching up. On all 3 of the curtains I made, the length was too short. I could have cried! I didn’t even know what to do. So, I called Ryan up from the basement and we re-measured and the same figures applied. Here I had spent lots of time and money and the stupid things weren’t going to work as planned. I’d have to add to them to get enough length but wasn’t sure how to go about that. This was Ryan’s birthday gift, his birthday was the next day and I screwed them up. I gave up, ate supper and sulked on the couch.
Saturday morning we awoke to several inches of fresh snow (isn't it mid March???) on the ground and I wished Ryan a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! He made plans to work on the nursery and put trim back up in the upstairs bedrooms with our friend Dennis. So, I gave Ryan one of his birthday presents before we headed off to breakfast to celebrate. First we stopped in at the lumber yard to get some items. After tearing out the check to pay, Ryan saw that he used the last check. That meant, we didn't have a blank check to pay for breakfast. I had left my purse at home which had another checkbook and bank card. Instead of having chicken fried steak for his birthday breakfast, we stopped for breakfast sandwiches at Hardees (AKA Carls Jr. for you west coast people). That was the start of an interesting day!
As soon as we got home, I called mom to whine about my curtains. She was out shortly after to help me with the drama. The curtains were too short and not wide enough either. The fabric pulled real bad with the type of stitch I used to sew them. I could find a way to add on to them but adding width would be interesting. We put them in the window to see and it wasn’t all that bad. By now it was lunch and Ryan was in the kitchen eating. So, I called him for his opinion. He thought they were fine and was very nice about it. I knew he was just trying not to hurt my feelings (after making me cry about them the week before). I asked mom for her opinion and she said that they looked bad. Grr. Now what? Figured I could use them in our bedroom with some minor changes but not what I wanted.
The rest of the day while my honey and a few friends slaved away upstairs mudding, texturing and putting up trim, mom helped me work to get our home cleaned and prepared for Ryan’s surprise birthday party. Time was getting short in a hurry but Ryan seemed clueless because he was so involved in his own work. I had the perfect plan after Renessa almost spilled the beans. We were gonna go to Living Stone (a contemporary worship service at our church) at 530. I planned to leave early since I’ve not been feeling good and meet our friends at the house at 6:30. The Z’s would bring him home since they were gonna hang out anyway at our house. When I was about ready to go, Ryan hadn’t jumped in the shower yet. He came up to me and said that he wasn’t going to make it to Living Stone. He wanted to get the nursery finished and didn’t want to leave Dennis to do all the work. I could have died. There goes the big surprise! In the end, it did work out. His first buddy arrived and made it sound like they were just stopping by on their way home. Then my mom and Ralph pulled up, Debbie pulled up and I pulled up all within a few minutes. Ryan figured it out when my mom had him help her carry in the food she and Ralph prepared. It was fun, just a few of his buddies, when you include their spouses, gets to be a house full in a hurry. Mom and Ralph made some excellent beef, green beans, bread, salad and 2 awesome desserts. He’s so spoiled!
Was back in my own office Thursday and not feeling so good but managed to get quite a lot accomplished. Had a headache when I got home but ran to Sabor Latino for supper with Ryan and the folks before bible study. During our video bible study, I found myself quite distracted with watching my stomach move with the baby’s movements. After I got back home, I just felt yucky – tummy, sore throat and headache. So, I curled up to Ryan on the couch and tried not to think about it. Finally decided I just needed to go to bed.
Friday, I was home sick from work. I woke up with swollen glands, a dry-itchy throat and just yucky feeling overall. I ran a few errands and mailed lots of packages first thing in the morning. Mom and Ralph came over and was a great help cleaning up the kitchen and swapping furniture in the living rooms and playing with Ryan’s curtains. Late that afternoon, we met with the tax guy - woo hoo, we have that taken care of. Friday evening while I had dinner in the oven, I was still working on the curtains. I started measuring them, and my figures weren’t matching up. On all 3 of the curtains I made, the length was too short. I could have cried! I didn’t even know what to do. So, I called Ryan up from the basement and we re-measured and the same figures applied. Here I had spent lots of time and money and the stupid things weren’t going to work as planned. I’d have to add to them to get enough length but wasn’t sure how to go about that. This was Ryan’s birthday gift, his birthday was the next day and I screwed them up. I gave up, ate supper and sulked on the couch.
Saturday morning we awoke to several inches of fresh snow (isn't it mid March???) on the ground and I wished Ryan a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! He made plans to work on the nursery and put trim back up in the upstairs bedrooms with our friend Dennis. So, I gave Ryan one of his birthday presents before we headed off to breakfast to celebrate. First we stopped in at the lumber yard to get some items. After tearing out the check to pay, Ryan saw that he used the last check. That meant, we didn't have a blank check to pay for breakfast. I had left my purse at home which had another checkbook and bank card. Instead of having chicken fried steak for his birthday breakfast, we stopped for breakfast sandwiches at Hardees (AKA Carls Jr. for you west coast people). That was the start of an interesting day!
As soon as we got home, I called mom to whine about my curtains. She was out shortly after to help me with the drama. The curtains were too short and not wide enough either. The fabric pulled real bad with the type of stitch I used to sew them. I could find a way to add on to them but adding width would be interesting. We put them in the window to see and it wasn’t all that bad. By now it was lunch and Ryan was in the kitchen eating. So, I called him for his opinion. He thought they were fine and was very nice about it. I knew he was just trying not to hurt my feelings (after making me cry about them the week before). I asked mom for her opinion and she said that they looked bad. Grr. Now what? Figured I could use them in our bedroom with some minor changes but not what I wanted.
The rest of the day while my honey and a few friends slaved away upstairs mudding, texturing and putting up trim, mom helped me work to get our home cleaned and prepared for Ryan’s surprise birthday party. Time was getting short in a hurry but Ryan seemed clueless because he was so involved in his own work. I had the perfect plan after Renessa almost spilled the beans. We were gonna go to Living Stone (a contemporary worship service at our church) at 530. I planned to leave early since I’ve not been feeling good and meet our friends at the house at 6:30. The Z’s would bring him home since they were gonna hang out anyway at our house. When I was about ready to go, Ryan hadn’t jumped in the shower yet. He came up to me and said that he wasn’t going to make it to Living Stone. He wanted to get the nursery finished and didn’t want to leave Dennis to do all the work. I could have died. There goes the big surprise! In the end, it did work out. His first buddy arrived and made it sound like they were just stopping by on their way home. Then my mom and Ralph pulled up, Debbie pulled up and I pulled up all within a few minutes. Ryan figured it out when my mom had him help her carry in the food she and Ralph prepared. It was fun, just a few of his buddies, when you include their spouses, gets to be a house full in a hurry. Mom and Ralph made some excellent beef, green beans, bread, salad and 2 awesome desserts. He’s so spoiled!
15 March 2005
It’s Tuesday morning and already a crazy week. It started out crazy Monday morning when my appointment was 20 minutes early. I made him wait since I was in the middle of another project. And the day just snow balled from there. Speaking of snow balls, we didn’t get the snow last weekend. It did flurry and the winds were strong but no snow stacked up. We’ve had a trace on the ground the past few mornings but nothing bad. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s forcast of 40 degrees.
Went to see my OB doctor yesterday afternoon, thanks to a friendly reminder from my awesome husband. He said that the ultrasound showed my due date at July 8th and of course I shared that I liked the 4th better. Then, when he measured me, he said I measured at 26 weeks and I was only 24 weeks and one day. Funny how that all works. Last month I measured small and this month I measured big. I also gained 9 pounds in the last 2 months. I’ve never weighed this much in my life!
Anyway, I’m off to meeting this morning that requires an overnight. Kinda looking forward to seeing some work buddies and hanging out. I used to love to travel for work and then didn’t like it as much when I got married. This past 6 months, I’ve hated traveling for work. But this is just one night, 2.5 hours from here, not so bad. And, I feel good. Or at least, I felt good. Something didn’t sit well in my stomach this morning. Either the blueberry poptart, the glass of milk or the 1 drink of caramel frappacinno that I had. It was instant nastiness though and I feel all yucky and pukey. Haven’t had those feelings for a few months so this sucks once again. Think of me the next few days as I’m on travel…
Went to see my OB doctor yesterday afternoon, thanks to a friendly reminder from my awesome husband. He said that the ultrasound showed my due date at July 8th and of course I shared that I liked the 4th better. Then, when he measured me, he said I measured at 26 weeks and I was only 24 weeks and one day. Funny how that all works. Last month I measured small and this month I measured big. I also gained 9 pounds in the last 2 months. I’ve never weighed this much in my life!
Anyway, I’m off to meeting this morning that requires an overnight. Kinda looking forward to seeing some work buddies and hanging out. I used to love to travel for work and then didn’t like it as much when I got married. This past 6 months, I’ve hated traveling for work. But this is just one night, 2.5 hours from here, not so bad. And, I feel good. Or at least, I felt good. Something didn’t sit well in my stomach this morning. Either the blueberry poptart, the glass of milk or the 1 drink of caramel frappacinno that I had. It was instant nastiness though and I feel all yucky and pukey. Haven’t had those feelings for a few months so this sucks once again. Think of me the next few days as I’m on travel…
11 March 2005
Exactly two weeks ago, Ryan measured my belly and it was 5” bigger than “normal”. Today shows another two inches of growth. I definitely can’t get into my regular jeans anymore. For so long, I’ve taken pride in the fact that I can still fit into the same clothes I was wearing in HS. But, that’s no longer true. The baby continues to move around a ton which has been fun for me to experience. The sleeping thing is way uncomfortable and I look forward to weekend naps.
Life at work has been fun lately. Ryan’s busy season is upon him which means he no longer has regular hours. My work running rampant with 3 huge conservation programs, one of which we’ve never experienced before and will encompass 2/3 of our county. On top of that, we just received new planning and design software which has lots of bugs and quirks that should have never made it to production. And, did I mention that Troy, the other soil conservationist here, was detailed to North Central Iowa for 3 months. Ah, its been fun though. There are days when it seems like I get a whole lot of NOTHING accomplished. This has been my first full week back in the office for quite a while though.
It’s been a wild and crazy week for us at home too. Monday night, we saw Daniel Royer for a bit then grabbed supper and went to a movie. Got home in time to hit the sack. Tuesday night we had a Lenten service for church. Wednesday night I taught JV while Ryan was still running calls. And last night was bible study. Its been a full week. We were scheduled for supper with a friend tonight who just called and says he’s gotta get back home (the opposite side of the state) before the weather gets worse. So, he’ll stop by the house briefly instead which means I’ll be home tonight and I can fold the laundry and put some more in the wash. Cleaning is not my idea of a fun Friday night but tomorrow (my regular cleaning time), I hope to be working on Ryan’s curtains. I’m making him blackout curtains for the living room so it can be dark when he’s watching tv, movies or playing video games.
It’s snowing here again. It had flurried for about 3 days now and we’ve had lots of strong winds. I think it was Tuesday that we had about an inch but most of it melted off by that afternoon. Now it’s coming down pretty good and we’ve heard up to 7 inches tonight with 25-30 mph winds. We shall see!!!
Life at work has been fun lately. Ryan’s busy season is upon him which means he no longer has regular hours. My work running rampant with 3 huge conservation programs, one of which we’ve never experienced before and will encompass 2/3 of our county. On top of that, we just received new planning and design software which has lots of bugs and quirks that should have never made it to production. And, did I mention that Troy, the other soil conservationist here, was detailed to North Central Iowa for 3 months. Ah, its been fun though. There are days when it seems like I get a whole lot of NOTHING accomplished. This has been my first full week back in the office for quite a while though.
It’s been a wild and crazy week for us at home too. Monday night, we saw Daniel Royer for a bit then grabbed supper and went to a movie. Got home in time to hit the sack. Tuesday night we had a Lenten service for church. Wednesday night I taught JV while Ryan was still running calls. And last night was bible study. Its been a full week. We were scheduled for supper with a friend tonight who just called and says he’s gotta get back home (the opposite side of the state) before the weather gets worse. So, he’ll stop by the house briefly instead which means I’ll be home tonight and I can fold the laundry and put some more in the wash. Cleaning is not my idea of a fun Friday night but tomorrow (my regular cleaning time), I hope to be working on Ryan’s curtains. I’m making him blackout curtains for the living room so it can be dark when he’s watching tv, movies or playing video games.
It’s snowing here again. It had flurried for about 3 days now and we’ve had lots of strong winds. I think it was Tuesday that we had about an inch but most of it melted off by that afternoon. Now it’s coming down pretty good and we’ve heard up to 7 inches tonight with 25-30 mph winds. We shall see!!!
09 March 2005
I think our baby B likes M&M’s. I just ate a few and now the baby is kicking and moving around like crazy. He did this same thing for an hour straight while Ryan and I watched In Good Company. I can’t believe my belly is getting so big. It doesn’t feel big till I see it in pictures or in the mirror. Wow, there’s a kid growing inside me. SCARY.
I’ve been working on my skills to be a mom. It’s been quite the rude awakening. I love kids and usually we have a blast together EXCEPT this last week. Sunday, I made Caleb Zurbriggen (our 1 year old buddy) cry twice. I think it’s a game for him sometimes though. He gets all giddy around me and then tries to follow up with a scowl. Its quite cute. Then Monday, we visited the Royer’s briefly to see their new baby. Let me just say that I wanted them to have a girl because I was scheming to marry off our children. But, they had a very cute little boy and named him Daniel Leon Royer. Monday, I made Daniel cry when I held him. It may have been that I was just outside walking and my hands or jacket were cold. Or maybe that I didn’t snuggle him – I held him out in front of me so I could see him. Who knows but I’ve made to babies cry in two days. Today though was better. I held my friend Millie’s little boy Ben. He’s 9 months old and just loved me. I’ve got another few months to get this thing down before I start calling all of you for help!
Still looking for baby names and don't forget to check out my belly pictures in the post below.
I’ve been working on my skills to be a mom. It’s been quite the rude awakening. I love kids and usually we have a blast together EXCEPT this last week. Sunday, I made Caleb Zurbriggen (our 1 year old buddy) cry twice. I think it’s a game for him sometimes though. He gets all giddy around me and then tries to follow up with a scowl. Its quite cute. Then Monday, we visited the Royer’s briefly to see their new baby. Let me just say that I wanted them to have a girl because I was scheming to marry off our children. But, they had a very cute little boy and named him Daniel Leon Royer. Monday, I made Daniel cry when I held him. It may have been that I was just outside walking and my hands or jacket were cold. Or maybe that I didn’t snuggle him – I held him out in front of me so I could see him. Who knows but I’ve made to babies cry in two days. Today though was better. I held my friend Millie’s little boy Ben. He’s 9 months old and just loved me. I’ve got another few months to get this thing down before I start calling all of you for help!
Still looking for baby names and don't forget to check out my belly pictures in the post below.
Check out my photo web page for a few new pictures of me pregnant. Mom took two: a front shot and a side shot.
07 March 2005
Interested in seeing what I'll be writing about after Baby B comes, check out the Speth Adventures. She writes lots of good stuff about life as a new mother.
04 March 2005
Mouse Story
This one is for you Carrie :)
I never did take the time to post my mouse story. It’s from early January. I was stuck home from the weather and decided to clean the kitchen. The day before I opened a drawer to get a gummy snack thing and there was an empty bag. I immediately thought Ryan put his trash there just to spite me because I nag him about putting his trash in the trash can. As I sifted through the drawer, there were lots of empty bags and I just knew there had to be a fat mouse around. We had just invested in a few traps because we found evidence elsewhere of their existence. Our basement has housed them in the past because of the wood room but now they seemed to be invading my living space. Anyway, I pulled out the drawer just below the one where the gummy snacks were stored to put away the popcorn. The drawer seemed not to slide back in so smoothly so I investigated. Taking the drawer out and sitting on the floor looking in, I found mounds of stuff. I scooped out an entire broom pan full of gummy snacks. The little rodent had even taken a bag down in there and had some wrapped inside it. There were gummy snacks and popcorn kernels galore back there. So I cleaned it all out and haven’t seen any more evidence since then. I think Ryan’s trap with peanut butter caught the fat tick shortly before or after this finding. Their home in the basement had been invaded by our cats that stay down there all day and I guess they found cover elsewhere. Ah, the joys of living in an old house in the country.
This one is for you Carrie :)
I never did take the time to post my mouse story. It’s from early January. I was stuck home from the weather and decided to clean the kitchen. The day before I opened a drawer to get a gummy snack thing and there was an empty bag. I immediately thought Ryan put his trash there just to spite me because I nag him about putting his trash in the trash can. As I sifted through the drawer, there were lots of empty bags and I just knew there had to be a fat mouse around. We had just invested in a few traps because we found evidence elsewhere of their existence. Our basement has housed them in the past because of the wood room but now they seemed to be invading my living space. Anyway, I pulled out the drawer just below the one where the gummy snacks were stored to put away the popcorn. The drawer seemed not to slide back in so smoothly so I investigated. Taking the drawer out and sitting on the floor looking in, I found mounds of stuff. I scooped out an entire broom pan full of gummy snacks. The little rodent had even taken a bag down in there and had some wrapped inside it. There were gummy snacks and popcorn kernels galore back there. So I cleaned it all out and haven’t seen any more evidence since then. I think Ryan’s trap with peanut butter caught the fat tick shortly before or after this finding. Their home in the basement had been invaded by our cats that stay down there all day and I guess they found cover elsewhere. Ah, the joys of living in an old house in the country.
25 February 2005
Las Vegas Blvd.
Okay, this is try #2. I had typed the whole thing and somehow deleted it by accident and couldn’t get it back.
Yesterday, Ryan and I spent the afternoon on the “strip”. We had a great time walking around, ignoring the guys trying to sale shows and hookers. Walked through a few casinos to see what was so special about them. Our biggest purchase was at M&M World. We bought a little M&M onesy. Ryan had to have yellow since its his favorite M&M character. We also bought a red hat to go with it so that the poor kid is in Iowa State colors.
We saw a few exhibits while we were there too. We watched the trainers try to sway 3 lionesses to get up and play around. They were laying on the glass tunnel that you can walk underneath. It was cool to see and very cute when the lioness did bat at and play a little with the trainer. We also saw 2 cubs that were just adorable. One woke up and went and started pestering the other to wake it up. It was so cute! We also saw a white tiger laying around too. It was pretty but the habitat wasn’t as nice and the lions were better. At the Flamingo (an older and more historic hotel), we saw African penguins, pink flamingos as well as various ducks, swans, turtles and fish. It was our favorite exhibit to see because there wasn’t a thick piece of glass separating us from everything. It also had fountains and waterfalls throughout.
We walked around the strip for 8 hours yesterday. My calves and feet were killing me!!!! We had ice-cream at Ben & Jerry’s, supper at Planet Hollywood and other fun stuff. It was nice to hang out with my honey and snap a few pictures. At the end, we watched the fountains at the Bellagio – yes, it is a must see. By then we were so tired that we only watched one of the shows.
Homeward Bound
This morning we awoke to our hotel bill – always a scary thought. Had breakfast and now its time to pack to head home. Woo hoo! Las Vegas is an interesting and fabulous city with lots to do but home is where my heart is! We get home late tonight, I have the weekend home and then I’m back on travel Monday through Wednesday for work.
Okay, this is try #2. I had typed the whole thing and somehow deleted it by accident and couldn’t get it back.
Yesterday, Ryan and I spent the afternoon on the “strip”. We had a great time walking around, ignoring the guys trying to sale shows and hookers. Walked through a few casinos to see what was so special about them. Our biggest purchase was at M&M World. We bought a little M&M onesy. Ryan had to have yellow since its his favorite M&M character. We also bought a red hat to go with it so that the poor kid is in Iowa State colors.
We saw a few exhibits while we were there too. We watched the trainers try to sway 3 lionesses to get up and play around. They were laying on the glass tunnel that you can walk underneath. It was cool to see and very cute when the lioness did bat at and play a little with the trainer. We also saw 2 cubs that were just adorable. One woke up and went and started pestering the other to wake it up. It was so cute! We also saw a white tiger laying around too. It was pretty but the habitat wasn’t as nice and the lions were better. At the Flamingo (an older and more historic hotel), we saw African penguins, pink flamingos as well as various ducks, swans, turtles and fish. It was our favorite exhibit to see because there wasn’t a thick piece of glass separating us from everything. It also had fountains and waterfalls throughout.
We walked around the strip for 8 hours yesterday. My calves and feet were killing me!!!! We had ice-cream at Ben & Jerry’s, supper at Planet Hollywood and other fun stuff. It was nice to hang out with my honey and snap a few pictures. At the end, we watched the fountains at the Bellagio – yes, it is a must see. By then we were so tired that we only watched one of the shows.
Homeward Bound
This morning we awoke to our hotel bill – always a scary thought. Had breakfast and now its time to pack to head home. Woo hoo! Las Vegas is an interesting and fabulous city with lots to do but home is where my heart is! We get home late tonight, I have the weekend home and then I’m back on travel Monday through Wednesday for work.
22 February 2005
Happy Birthday Mom!!!
Another wonderful day in Vegas. It was gorgeous out this morning when I left my room for breakfast. I stayed in bed while my honey was up, ready and gone this morning for the conference. We all met at 11:00am for lunch. Had some good Chinese food and went to the exhibit hall. I snuck in as Capt. Mike Hansen from Ft. Riley, Kansas. Ryan and I walked passed EVERY single booth in there. It took almost 5 hours including the stops we made along the way. Holy cow, my feet are tired!!! Had 2 interesting moments of the day, at the CVM (Christian Vet Mission) booth we met a veterinarian who's been in Mongolia serving where Ryan has been several times. So, that was fun for the two of them to reminisce and talk about people they both knew across the world. It was cool. We also ran into Cameron Aguiar, a guy I was in dairy club with and showed cattle with at Fresno State. He's now working for Fort Dodge (animal health). It always amazes me how small our world can seem.
I'm back at the hotel for an hour before I head back to the conference. Ryan is still there getting educated. There's a CVM presentation tonight that I'm heading over for since Ryan has been involved with CVM and we support them. When he's done tonight, we'll meet up at the CVM talk. And by then, a whole day will be gone.
21 February 2005
Things are going well here. We had supper with mike and Marla last night, it was good to see them again and I'm glad Ryan has a buddy here. I don't quite click with marla - she just seems stand-offish to me. This morning, we all met at the conference early. marla signed up for the spouses program because she wants the free breakfasts and would also like to do the cooking thing and the shopping trip. I'm not interested in that, I get free breakfast here, don't care to cook fancy foods and can't see paying to go shopping. So, we chatted for about an hour and went our seperate ways. I'm wasn't sure what to expect as far as spending time with her or not. But it sounds like it will be minimal at most. Likely in the evenings when the guys haven't had enough hanging out yet.
Its raining here so I don't think I'll be out playing basketball today but I'm looking forward to catching up on some reading and another morning of lounging. We're all meeting at noon for lunch. Tonight is the Iowa State alumni dinner thing so that will be interesting.
Highlight of the day (so far): came back in the hotel a few minutes ago and went into the breakfast area to grab some apple juice. walked back around the corner to see a bunch of EMT's attending to some guy. Earlier this AM, a guy fell on the slick wet rock outside. I figured the same thing happened. So, I sat down to read the paper and drink my juice - of course I positioned myself to hear the EMT's. The guy started pulling off his socks and shoes and I could see a huge blister on his foot. I thought that was wierd for a fall but it is Vegas. Anyway, as I perused the visitor's guide section, I heard the man say that he'd been walking and when questioned about it, he said he'd been walking since 3pm yesterday. Non-stop, he walked for 17.5 hours. That's a lot of walking! They put him on a stretcher and hauled him off to the hospital. Kinda random but this is Las Vegas and I could just see a CSI story looming in the background.
Its raining here so I don't think I'll be out playing basketball today but I'm looking forward to catching up on some reading and another morning of lounging. We're all meeting at noon for lunch. Tonight is the Iowa State alumni dinner thing so that will be interesting.
Highlight of the day (so far): came back in the hotel a few minutes ago and went into the breakfast area to grab some apple juice. walked back around the corner to see a bunch of EMT's attending to some guy. Earlier this AM, a guy fell on the slick wet rock outside. I figured the same thing happened. So, I sat down to read the paper and drink my juice - of course I positioned myself to hear the EMT's. The guy started pulling off his socks and shoes and I could see a huge blister on his foot. I thought that was wierd for a fall but it is Vegas. Anyway, as I perused the visitor's guide section, I heard the man say that he'd been walking and when questioned about it, he said he'd been walking since 3pm yesterday. Non-stop, he walked for 17.5 hours. That's a lot of walking! They put him on a stretcher and hauled him off to the hospital. Kinda random but this is Las Vegas and I could just see a CSI story looming in the background.
19 February 2005
On other news...
we got the whole baby sex thing figured out and life has continued for us B's. Like I said, we're in Vegas and it was quite the trip. I forgot to buy a water before we left which I desperately need. Our flight was delayed about an hour leaving Iowa. Things were delayed in Vegas because of the rain. The rain here means only one runway to receive planes and each plane had to have a 5 mile radius in the air which really clogs up the system. But, we finally got off the ground in our very cramped Allegiant Air seats. It was a 3 hour direct flight (nice) BUT they didn't have complimentary beverages. Wow, never experienced that before and I was quite dissapointed since I had forgot my water! I was so uncomfy on the plane - not sure if it was because I'm prego, it was way past my bed time or just the cramped seats. Anyway, we got to Vegas and after circling the outskirts of the city for a while, finally landed and taxied in. It was so packed and clogged up there, even for Vegas, it was wild! We stood in line for about an hour for a taxi; it felt like I was in line for a ride at Disneyland. But, we eventually got a kind taxi dude who brought us to our hotel.
Then, we come in and they have us checking in Saturday (it was still Friday night). Ryan had tried to change the reservations after we bought airline tickets but they didn't have anything. So instead, he changed our arrival time to 12:00 am. Yeah, I had prewarned him that I would be ticked beyond belief if we had to wait in the lobby till we could check in on Saturday. The guy at the desk was kind and something had since opened up so we got a room. We got to our room at about 2:00am or after. Of course I was exhausted but Ryan had got his second wind. We were up at a decent time this morning and went to breakfast. Came back to our room and I laid down on the couch and went to sleep for a few hours. We have yet to venture down to the strip area yet. Thought we'd just hang out today and take it lightly. We played a little basketball in the rain and have ordered in some italian for supper. I just talked to Tebbe on the phone. She left me a message that her and Andy were coming down to stay with us for the weekend but I'm a slacker and just now checked my messages. I'm kicking myself for not checking it earlier! I wanted to see them but its not going to work out since its already Saturday evening. Okay, back to my lounging around. Tomorrow will be a big day, my 25th birthday! Woo hoo!
Ah, that reminds me (the woo hoo part), I talked to my nephew and sister yesterday. Kaleb said he wants me to have a girl and not a boy so that he can play with her. I asked him what he thought about names and he said "ashley". that won't work for our little B. My father-in-law suggested Mark II. That won't work either. Any other suggestions???
we got the whole baby sex thing figured out and life has continued for us B's. Like I said, we're in Vegas and it was quite the trip. I forgot to buy a water before we left which I desperately need. Our flight was delayed about an hour leaving Iowa. Things were delayed in Vegas because of the rain. The rain here means only one runway to receive planes and each plane had to have a 5 mile radius in the air which really clogs up the system. But, we finally got off the ground in our very cramped Allegiant Air seats. It was a 3 hour direct flight (nice) BUT they didn't have complimentary beverages. Wow, never experienced that before and I was quite dissapointed since I had forgot my water! I was so uncomfy on the plane - not sure if it was because I'm prego, it was way past my bed time or just the cramped seats. Anyway, we got to Vegas and after circling the outskirts of the city for a while, finally landed and taxied in. It was so packed and clogged up there, even for Vegas, it was wild! We stood in line for about an hour for a taxi; it felt like I was in line for a ride at Disneyland. But, we eventually got a kind taxi dude who brought us to our hotel.
Then, we come in and they have us checking in Saturday (it was still Friday night). Ryan had tried to change the reservations after we bought airline tickets but they didn't have anything. So instead, he changed our arrival time to 12:00 am. Yeah, I had prewarned him that I would be ticked beyond belief if we had to wait in the lobby till we could check in on Saturday. The guy at the desk was kind and something had since opened up so we got a room. We got to our room at about 2:00am or after. Of course I was exhausted but Ryan had got his second wind. We were up at a decent time this morning and went to breakfast. Came back to our room and I laid down on the couch and went to sleep for a few hours. We have yet to venture down to the strip area yet. Thought we'd just hang out today and take it lightly. We played a little basketball in the rain and have ordered in some italian for supper. I just talked to Tebbe on the phone. She left me a message that her and Andy were coming down to stay with us for the weekend but I'm a slacker and just now checked my messages. I'm kicking myself for not checking it earlier! I wanted to see them but its not going to work out since its already Saturday evening. Okay, back to my lounging around. Tomorrow will be a big day, my 25th birthday! Woo hoo!
Ah, that reminds me (the woo hoo part), I talked to my nephew and sister yesterday. Kaleb said he wants me to have a girl and not a boy so that he can play with her. I asked him what he thought about names and he said "ashley". that won't work for our little B. My father-in-law suggested Mark II. That won't work either. Any other suggestions???
So, we're in Vegas and finally are getting settled in here. First things first though... IT'S A BOY!!!! I'm so excited (I just can't hide it...). Our ultrasound dude wasn't all that exciting - kinda like working with a pineapple. He didn't say or show us a whole lot but it was fun watching the screen as his worked. It took a half hour total and it was so uncomfy laying on that table. Not so much fun but we're having a boy, woo hoo!
17 February 2005
Yay, its the end of my workday and work week. Its been a long and hectic day at the office. We received training on some new programs. I learned one little short cut and eventually decided that I didn't need the training. But, at least I made it through the work day. Yesterday I went home sick before lunch. Stomach cramps and feeling yucky; it was so nice to go to mom's and lay on the couch. She fixed oakie stew for lunch and then I had fried fish for supper with them before going home. Also watched the movie Notebook. Its really cute. On my way home, I picked up my JV kids. After JV was over, I went to bed way early. So, the week has gone fast, I haven't been home at all. And I have a wonderful friend, Renessa, who came and cleaned my downstairs since I had been sick with strep throat for 4 days and still feel like a weenie. Tonight, I have a long TO DO LIST. We'll see how much gets done - I'm hoping to make it to a new bible study that starts tonight and goes for 6 weeks. Tomorrow will be a full day with packing, laundry and hopefully finding out if we're having a boy or a girl. I'm so excited.
That said, I'm also excited in general about parenting and really want to pursue adoption right now even though we'll have our own little one in July. I even had a dream about it last night. We adopted brothers (twins if I remember right). They were young and oh so cute. I so want to adopt and love some little ones who would otherwise not receive that love. The dream was so real and I layed in bed awake for 2 hours this morning thinking about it before the alarm went off. Ah, the joys of dreams and daydreams.
Tomorrow by noon, I hope to have a reason to update my blog on the sex of our baby. Best wishes for us that we don't have a shy baby tomorrow during the ultrasound.
That said, I'm also excited in general about parenting and really want to pursue adoption right now even though we'll have our own little one in July. I even had a dream about it last night. We adopted brothers (twins if I remember right). They were young and oh so cute. I so want to adopt and love some little ones who would otherwise not receive that love. The dream was so real and I layed in bed awake for 2 hours this morning thinking about it before the alarm went off. Ah, the joys of dreams and daydreams.
Tomorrow by noon, I hope to have a reason to update my blog on the sex of our baby. Best wishes for us that we don't have a shy baby tomorrow during the ultrasound.
14 February 2005
Wow, its Monday and I'm still exhausted and have a headache. It's been one wild weekend but not my normal wild. I went home an hour early Wednesday with a cold. Dealt with my conference call at my mom's, ate supper and went home to bed. Yup, I was in bed and asleep shortly after 6pm. I slept all day Thursday too. Its amazing how much sleep our bodies need when we're sick. My doctor suggested that I visit him Friday if I wasn't feeling better so mom took me there first thing Friday morning. My cold had turned ugly. Any time I get a cold, I end up with a sore throat and ear-ache. That happened by Friday morning and Dr. Miller put me on antibiotics for strep throat. Isn't that fun! The cold was eventually going to happen since EVERYONE here has it but the strep throat was an added bonus. Saturday too was a day full of sleeping (while my husband worked from 715am to 830pm) when my usual house cleaning occurs. The house is a pit and theCulligan guy is coming today and will see it that way. I hope he doesn't think someone broke in and ran sacked the place :)
Anyway, Sunday I made it to church. My honey was baptized. He'd been baptized before at a young age but this time wanted to re-affirm his faith with his own decision. That was cool. Baptists believe that you have to be immersed (that's the translation of baptism). Ryan joked that God wasn't a Baptist becuase He'd been sprinkling him all morning with rain. It was too cute and Pastor shared that with the church right before he was baptized which really embarrassed Ryan. Oh well. So, I made it through church although I didn't have the energy to stand and/or sing.
I'm excited for today. It's Valentine's Day and I have nothing special planned for the one I love. I've been sick plus we're headed to Vegas for a week this Friday so I figure we'll do plenty then. Friday morning my ultrasound is scheduled and Friday night we leave for Vegas. So, I'm hoping for a week full of healing and feeling better before we leave. Last year I was sick for V-day and my birthday so I'm hoping to feel better this year.
Gotta run. My boss is taking my appointments this morning to help my conserve my voice. I better get at it though :)
Anyway, Sunday I made it to church. My honey was baptized. He'd been baptized before at a young age but this time wanted to re-affirm his faith with his own decision. That was cool. Baptists believe that you have to be immersed (that's the translation of baptism). Ryan joked that God wasn't a Baptist becuase He'd been sprinkling him all morning with rain. It was too cute and Pastor shared that with the church right before he was baptized which really embarrassed Ryan. Oh well. So, I made it through church although I didn't have the energy to stand and/or sing.
I'm excited for today. It's Valentine's Day and I have nothing special planned for the one I love. I've been sick plus we're headed to Vegas for a week this Friday so I figure we'll do plenty then. Friday morning my ultrasound is scheduled and Friday night we leave for Vegas. So, I'm hoping for a week full of healing and feeling better before we leave. Last year I was sick for V-day and my birthday so I'm hoping to feel better this year.
Gotta run. My boss is taking my appointments this morning to help my conserve my voice. I better get at it though :)
07 February 2005
No near death experiences lately - woo hoo! We've had WARM weather, the snow for the most part gone. It's been in the 40's and even made it into the 50's. Yesterday we had rain all day. Not too bad though - sure beats ice. THis morning we woke up to about an inch of snow on the ground. It had cooled off to 22. That also means that the rain and melted snow had since frozen on the roads. Ryan warned me before I left this AM that the roads weren't cleared. I stayed home a few extra hours and read some and took a nap. Oh, so nice and needed!
The super bowl party was fun and exhausting yesterday. Who cares about the teams, we wanted a good game and that was reason enough for the party. There were 17 people at our house, lots of noise, lots of food and a little drama. Just before the game, Ryan and Renessa's little boy (Caleb 1 year old) pulled a slow cooker of chicken wings off the table. He stayed safe though and just got a little sauce on his new shoes and pants. Good thing he was safe. It was a fun mess to clean up just before we ate and left a charming "Swiffer" smell in the dining room. Yay for wood floors! I'm just glad my little buddy pulled that over instead of the little smokies and the chili beans that were on either side of it!
I wasn't overly impressed with the commercials this year. A few good ones. My favorites were the one where the daughter catches his daughter who snuck out and didn't care so long as she gave his car back. The other favorite of course was the commercial where the military folks were walking through the airport and everyone was clapping. Good stuff.
It's Monday and at this time next week I should have an appointment for an ultrasound. Will it be a boy or a girl???
The super bowl party was fun and exhausting yesterday. Who cares about the teams, we wanted a good game and that was reason enough for the party. There were 17 people at our house, lots of noise, lots of food and a little drama. Just before the game, Ryan and Renessa's little boy (Caleb 1 year old) pulled a slow cooker of chicken wings off the table. He stayed safe though and just got a little sauce on his new shoes and pants. Good thing he was safe. It was a fun mess to clean up just before we ate and left a charming "Swiffer" smell in the dining room. Yay for wood floors! I'm just glad my little buddy pulled that over instead of the little smokies and the chili beans that were on either side of it!
I wasn't overly impressed with the commercials this year. A few good ones. My favorites were the one where the daughter catches his daughter who snuck out and didn't care so long as she gave his car back. The other favorite of course was the commercial where the military folks were walking through the airport and everyone was clapping. Good stuff.
It's Monday and at this time next week I should have an appointment for an ultrasound. Will it be a boy or a girl???
31 January 2005
Got our tickets to Vegas today. Sin City, here we come. Ryan and I will be in Vegas late on the 18th (friday), through the 20th (my 25th birthday) and then come back home the 25th. Woo hoo! Our plans so far: Ryan will be busy in a veterinary conference along with Mike (best man in the wedding). Marla (Mike's wife) and I will be hanging out enjoying some sun and sipping on drinks (alcohol free for me of course). We'll also see the play Chicago while there. I'm excited for the trip now that I finally feel half decent. I'm bummed though that the AZ B's won't be up after all. Yay for us. Cali friends, come on over to Vegas and visit.
28 January 2005
Winter Wonderland
We got our first measurable snow as we were driving home from Volga on January 4th. It ended up being about 12” the next morning. Everything was gorgeous; the trees were flocked with snow, it was picture perfect. Snow also means roads that need cleared. With a little bit of experience, I know that the county road I take to work isn’t cleared when I leave. In fact, I meet the snow plow half way between my house and home. I played it smart that morning and left an hour later for work. Unfortunately the state highway wasn’t even cleared that morning. And just 3 miles from the house, I hit a patch of ice/slush and was turned sideways, crossed all three lanes and was heading downhill into oncoming traffic. I hoped that I could correct it in time to stay on the road. Sure enough, by the grace of God, my car hit the edge of the road and turned the other way. Still sideways and heading downhill, I was now facing the other way and went back across all three lanes. Only this time, I wasn’t so fortunate when I got to the edge. I just kept going right into the ditch. It was like I was trying to jump the ditch in my car, only I didn’t make it. So the Deputy sheriff eventually came, I checked out the inside of a cop car while I kept warm, he filled out the accident report and we waited for the tow truck. After my car was pulled out (and still drivable), the deputy followed me home to make sure I got there safely. Of course, I was still sliding around a bit in the ice and slush as I slowly made it back to the house. Played hookie the rest of the day and that Friday too because the roads were still bad.
There's still more to come. I have a some more interesting tidbits to share: a mouse story, another driving drama and more. Keep posted. I'll try to get updates out in a more timely manner.
We got our first measurable snow as we were driving home from Volga on January 4th. It ended up being about 12” the next morning. Everything was gorgeous; the trees were flocked with snow, it was picture perfect. Snow also means roads that need cleared. With a little bit of experience, I know that the county road I take to work isn’t cleared when I leave. In fact, I meet the snow plow half way between my house and home. I played it smart that morning and left an hour later for work. Unfortunately the state highway wasn’t even cleared that morning. And just 3 miles from the house, I hit a patch of ice/slush and was turned sideways, crossed all three lanes and was heading downhill into oncoming traffic. I hoped that I could correct it in time to stay on the road. Sure enough, by the grace of God, my car hit the edge of the road and turned the other way. Still sideways and heading downhill, I was now facing the other way and went back across all three lanes. Only this time, I wasn’t so fortunate when I got to the edge. I just kept going right into the ditch. It was like I was trying to jump the ditch in my car, only I didn’t make it. So the Deputy sheriff eventually came, I checked out the inside of a cop car while I kept warm, he filled out the accident report and we waited for the tow truck. After my car was pulled out (and still drivable), the deputy followed me home to make sure I got there safely. Of course, I was still sliding around a bit in the ice and slush as I slowly made it back to the house. Played hookie the rest of the day and that Friday too because the roads were still bad.
There's still more to come. I have a some more interesting tidbits to share: a mouse story, another driving drama and more. Keep posted. I'll try to get updates out in a more timely manner.
Holy cow! I so posted last Friday. Took the time to write out a little of the most recent drama and pressed the key to publish the post and got an error. I detest that! Here’s my 2nd effort at typing about this – if I can remember where I left off…
New Year’s Day - Ice Adventure
I shared earlier about hitting the deer just before we left for Arizona. Got a quote for that and have it scheduled to be worked on. Things have been great. New Years Day we had plans with the folks to watch the football games. I told mom that we’d be there about noon – enough time to sleep in, eat breakfast and get cleaned up without hurrying. Ryan had other plans. At 8am, Ryan had to go to the clinic to walk dogs so he just planned on staying in town instead of running back in forth. I told him to go ahead, I was comfortable in bed. A minute or two after he left, the rain hitting the window got my attention. So, I opened my eyes to see that it was ice/sleet and not rain. Knowing that my car won’t make it up the driveway when its iced over, I decide that maybe I should get up and take my stuff with me to clean up at moms. Just then the phone rings and it was Ryan with the same suggestion. I asked him to come back to the house and get me so I didn’t have to deal with the slick driveway. We went to Mom and Ralph’s house and had a fun time watching way too many football games, eating food and visiting. By nightfall we had lots of freezing rain and the roads were solid ice. We opted to sleep in the spare bedroom instead of venturing home. The next morning Sunday services were cancelled and I was in no hurry to get up. About mid morning, Ryan wanted to go home (enough of the in-laws I guess) and we packed up our clothes (and dog) and headed home. It was icy but the roads had been salted and sanded. Then we got to the driveway. At the crest of the hill on the driveway, Ryan was hardly going as he crossed the cattle guard. Soon enough we were headed downhill on the ice with zero control. The only thing that kept us on the driveway was the grace of God and the grass along the edge. We’d be sliding one way and catch the grass which gave us traction and would shoot us the other way. Here we are headed down the hill that takes a curve with a pond on the left and a steep embankment on the right. I was hoping for the pond it meant smoother sailing (or should I say ice skating) then rolling the truck the other way. But we made it and continued on down the driveway. As we got to where it breaks off and heads to the garage, Ryan could make the turn. He went completely sideways on the ice so we decided to go through our lawn and stop there. It was quite the experience. And it didn’t stop there, the walkway and steps were solid ice, you couldn’t walk up them. We made it in the house and stayed there through the next day. That Monday, after putting 6 tons of sand on the hill, our neighbor (who we share a driveway with) hired someone to come in and salt it. Fortunately we got out that night and safely ran an emergency vet call. Slippery and sliding but safe!
New Year’s Day - Ice Adventure
I shared earlier about hitting the deer just before we left for Arizona. Got a quote for that and have it scheduled to be worked on. Things have been great. New Years Day we had plans with the folks to watch the football games. I told mom that we’d be there about noon – enough time to sleep in, eat breakfast and get cleaned up without hurrying. Ryan had other plans. At 8am, Ryan had to go to the clinic to walk dogs so he just planned on staying in town instead of running back in forth. I told him to go ahead, I was comfortable in bed. A minute or two after he left, the rain hitting the window got my attention. So, I opened my eyes to see that it was ice/sleet and not rain. Knowing that my car won’t make it up the driveway when its iced over, I decide that maybe I should get up and take my stuff with me to clean up at moms. Just then the phone rings and it was Ryan with the same suggestion. I asked him to come back to the house and get me so I didn’t have to deal with the slick driveway. We went to Mom and Ralph’s house and had a fun time watching way too many football games, eating food and visiting. By nightfall we had lots of freezing rain and the roads were solid ice. We opted to sleep in the spare bedroom instead of venturing home. The next morning Sunday services were cancelled and I was in no hurry to get up. About mid morning, Ryan wanted to go home (enough of the in-laws I guess) and we packed up our clothes (and dog) and headed home. It was icy but the roads had been salted and sanded. Then we got to the driveway. At the crest of the hill on the driveway, Ryan was hardly going as he crossed the cattle guard. Soon enough we were headed downhill on the ice with zero control. The only thing that kept us on the driveway was the grace of God and the grass along the edge. We’d be sliding one way and catch the grass which gave us traction and would shoot us the other way. Here we are headed down the hill that takes a curve with a pond on the left and a steep embankment on the right. I was hoping for the pond it meant smoother sailing (or should I say ice skating) then rolling the truck the other way. But we made it and continued on down the driveway. As we got to where it breaks off and heads to the garage, Ryan could make the turn. He went completely sideways on the ice so we decided to go through our lawn and stop there. It was quite the experience. And it didn’t stop there, the walkway and steps were solid ice, you couldn’t walk up them. We made it in the house and stayed there through the next day. That Monday, after putting 6 tons of sand on the hill, our neighbor (who we share a driveway with) hired someone to come in and salt it. Fortunately we got out that night and safely ran an emergency vet call. Slippery and sliding but safe!
THINGS TO KNOW
1. Budweiser beer conditions the hair
2. Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish
3. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 minutes
4. Mayonnaise will KILL LICE, it will also condition your hair
5. Elmer's Glue - paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see the dead skin and blackheads if any
6. Shiny Hair - use brewed Lipton Tea
7. Sunburn - empty a large jar of Nestea into your bath water
8. Minor burn - Colgate or Crest toothpaste
9. Burn your tongue? Put sugar on it!
10. Arthritis? WD-40 S! pray and rub in, kill insect stings too
11. Bee stings - meat tenderizer
12. Chigger bite - Preparation H
13. Puffy eyes - Preparation H
14. Paper cut - crazy glue or chap stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals)
15. Stinky feet - Jell-O!
16. Athletes feet - cornstarch
17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails - Vicks vapor rub
18. Kool aid t o clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)
19. Kool Aid can be used as a dye in paint also Kool Aid in Dannon plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won't hurt them if they eat it!
20. Peanut butter - will get scratches out of CD's! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper
21. Sticking bicycle chain - Pam no-stick cooking spray
22. Pam will also remove paint, and grease from! your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby
23. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls
24. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with corn starch and watch them slide on
25. Heavy dandruff - pour on the vinegar!
26. Body paint - Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!
27. Tie Dye T-shirt - mix a solution of Kool Aid in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak
28. Preserving a newspaper clipping - large bottle of club soda and cup of milk of magnesia, soak for 20 min. and let dry, will last for many years!
29. A Slinky will hold toast and CD's!
30. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste.
31. Wine stains, pour on the Morton salt and watch it absor! b into the salt.
32. To remove wax - Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.
33. Remove labels off glassware etc. rub with Peanut butter!
34. Baked on food - fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight. Also; you can use 2 Efferdent tablets, soak overnight!
35. Crayon on the wall - Colgate toothpaste and brush it!
36. Dirty grout - Listerine
37. Stains on clothes - Colgate
38. Grass stains - Karo Syrup
39. Grease Stains - Coca Cola, it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!
40. Fleas in your carpet? 20 Mule Team Borax- sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours. Maybe this will work if you get them back again.
41. To keep FRESH FLOWERS l! onger Add a little Clorox, or 2 Bayer aspiri n, or just use 7-up instead of water.
42. When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you "squeeze" for freshness or softness? Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie. They are: Monday = Blue, Tuesday = Green, Thursday = Red, Friday = White and Saturday = Yellow. The colors go alphabetically by color Blue - Green - Red - White - Yellow, Monday through Saturday.
1. Budweiser beer conditions the hair
2. Pam cooking spray will dry finger nail polish
3. Cool whip will condition your hair in 15 minutes
4. Mayonnaise will KILL LICE, it will also condition your hair
5. Elmer's Glue - paint on your face, allow it to dry, peel off and see the dead skin and blackheads if any
6. Shiny Hair - use brewed Lipton Tea
7. Sunburn - empty a large jar of Nestea into your bath water
8. Minor burn - Colgate or Crest toothpaste
9. Burn your tongue? Put sugar on it!
10. Arthritis? WD-40 S! pray and rub in, kill insect stings too
11. Bee stings - meat tenderizer
12. Chigger bite - Preparation H
13. Puffy eyes - Preparation H
14. Paper cut - crazy glue or chap stick (glue is used instead of sutures at most hospitals)
15. Stinky feet - Jell-O!
16. Athletes feet - cornstarch
17. Fungus on toenails or fingernails - Vicks vapor rub
18. Kool aid t o clean dishwasher pipes. Just put in the detergent section and run a cycle, it will also clean a toilet. (Wow, and we drink this stuff)
19. Kool Aid can be used as a dye in paint also Kool Aid in Dannon plain yogurt as a finger paint, your kids will love it and it won't hurt them if they eat it!
20. Peanut butter - will get scratches out of CD's! Wipe off with a coffee filter paper
21. Sticking bicycle chain - Pam no-stick cooking spray
22. Pam will also remove paint, and grease from! your hands! Keep a can in your garage for your hubby
23. Peanut butter will remove ink from the face of dolls
24. When the doll clothes are hard to put on, sprinkle with corn starch and watch them slide on
25. Heavy dandruff - pour on the vinegar!
26. Body paint - Crisco mixed with food coloring. Heat the Crisco in the microwave, pour in to an empty film container and mix with the food color of your choice!
27. Tie Dye T-shirt - mix a solution of Kool Aid in a container, tie a rubber band around a section of the T-shirt and soak
28. Preserving a newspaper clipping - large bottle of club soda and cup of milk of magnesia, soak for 20 min. and let dry, will last for many years!
29. A Slinky will hold toast and CD's!
30. To keep goggles and glasses from fogging, coat with Colgate toothpaste.
31. Wine stains, pour on the Morton salt and watch it absor! b into the salt.
32. To remove wax - Take a paper towel and iron it over the wax stain, it will absorb into the towel.
33. Remove labels off glassware etc. rub with Peanut butter!
34. Baked on food - fill container with water, get a Bounce paper softener and the static from the Bounce towel will cause the baked on food to adhere to it. Soak overnight. Also; you can use 2 Efferdent tablets, soak overnight!
35. Crayon on the wall - Colgate toothpaste and brush it!
36. Dirty grout - Listerine
37. Stains on clothes - Colgate
38. Grass stains - Karo Syrup
39. Grease Stains - Coca Cola, it will also remove grease stains from the driveway overnight. We know it will take corrosion from car batteries!
40. Fleas in your carpet? 20 Mule Team Borax- sprinkle and let stand for 24 hours. Maybe this will work if you get them back again.
41. To keep FRESH FLOWERS l! onger Add a little Clorox, or 2 Bayer aspiri n, or just use 7-up instead of water.
42. When you go to buy bread in the grocery store, have you ever wondered which is the freshest, so you "squeeze" for freshness or softness? Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each day has a different color twist tie. They are: Monday = Blue, Tuesday = Green, Thursday = Red, Friday = White and Saturday = Yellow. The colors go alphabetically by color Blue - Green - Red - White - Yellow, Monday through Saturday.
18 January 2005
11 January 2005
Arizona with the B’s
We were gone to AZ for 8 days and what a relaxing trip it was. Eunice and I started another quilt project. We picked out a pattern and then went to the fabric store to find 27 different fabrics. After washing, drying and pressing them, Eunice cut the fabrics and even sewed a few strips together. I liked it so much that I bought enough fabric to make two. The first one I’m making for Ryan and Renessa Zurbriggen, our friends that are raising support to go into ministry with Athletes in Action. So, I’m excited to have time and take the time to sit down and work on that.
Ryan and I also got some dental work done while we were there. Ryan’s dad put a bridge in Ryan’s mouth where he was missing a tooth. Ryan spent some quality time in the dental chair and Mark spent lots of time prepping and creating the bridge (I don’t understand how it all worked but it takes lots of detailed attention and time). Ryan also had two little pits to be filled. They weren’t quite cavities but still needing to be filled so they don’t become cavities. Anyway, while working on it, Mark saw that it was a little more than a pit and Ryan felt it. My poor husband is afraid of the dentist (his own dad). And all the nervousness plus being able to feel the drilling caused him to pass out. It was quite the experience for Ryan, Mark and his mom. Needless to say when it was my turn to sit in the chair, I was a bit nervous too. I have no fear of the dentist at all but I also had a pit to be filled and was afraid of feeling it like Ryan. I was also concerned that I would get nauseaus having hands and a saliva sucker in my mouth. But, all went well. Mark’s assistant (Eunice) was not there and so he didn’t even use the sucker. He filled the pit and cleaned my teeth with no problem. Yea for Mark and me working so well together.
What else did we do… play with the puppy a lot, eat a ton and watch movies. It was fun times. I got some girly movies (Serendipity, Miss Congeniality and Princess Diaries 2) for Christmas so we made the boys sit through a few of them. We flew back home on Tuesday the 28th. We were late getting into Cedar Rapids from all the delays, fortunately we had our luggage and weren’t stranded in any airports. My folks dropped us off and picked us up so that we wouldn’t have to pay for parking. We had to stop at Applebee’s for supper AND mostly so that Ryan could watch his Cyclones in their bowl game. By the way, GO BULLDOGS! Anyway, on the way home, Mom and I gabbed while the guys listened to the football game on the radio. And finally, we were home. There truly is no place like home!
William Edward Goat - again
Ryan went back to work the next day while I stayed home the remainder of the week on vacation. Thursday morning though, I did venture off to Elkader to retrieve my lovely William Edward Goat. I was enjoying the high-class-white trash experience all over again. After picking him up, I met my folks on a nearby farm where an old barn had blown over in our lovely weather. The owners happened to be good friends of our goat sitters and they gave my parents permission to take as much of the barn wood as they wanted. So, we gathered there to pick up barn wood, pull nails out and stack it on the trailer. Meanwhile my goat was hanging out in the back of the truck. I was scolded on more than one occasion for lifting the boards. Apparently pregnant women aren’t supposed to lift weighty objects and they kept reminding me. It couldn’t be that big of a deal, I lift and move things a lot so a board was no big deal. It didn’t take too many hours of work before we were tired, the saw battery was dying and we were cold. So, I suggested a quick run into town for Subway. My parents were pulling a trailer and woldn’t exactly be able to park the thing on Main Street. So, we all squeezed in the old Ford. I offered for Ralph to drive so he could at least have leg room but he didn’t want to so I drove and had to move the seat up which moves the whole bench seat up together. So, the three of us cram into the truck with our bulky coats and I was in coveralls and head to Subway. Now, I’m parked on Main Street in Elkader (about four times the size of Elgin) with the goat tied in the back. As we were cramming back into the truck (remember we’re all dressed like snow bunnies) a little girl walking by with her mom says “mommy, look at the puppy”. It was quite the entertainment for me; here’s this goat with horns coming out of his head and the girl thinks it’s a puppy. I was just glad the Ford started without any problems and I didn’t have to have the hood up like a few weeks earlier.
We were gone to AZ for 8 days and what a relaxing trip it was. Eunice and I started another quilt project. We picked out a pattern and then went to the fabric store to find 27 different fabrics. After washing, drying and pressing them, Eunice cut the fabrics and even sewed a few strips together. I liked it so much that I bought enough fabric to make two. The first one I’m making for Ryan and Renessa Zurbriggen, our friends that are raising support to go into ministry with Athletes in Action. So, I’m excited to have time and take the time to sit down and work on that.
Ryan and I also got some dental work done while we were there. Ryan’s dad put a bridge in Ryan’s mouth where he was missing a tooth. Ryan spent some quality time in the dental chair and Mark spent lots of time prepping and creating the bridge (I don’t understand how it all worked but it takes lots of detailed attention and time). Ryan also had two little pits to be filled. They weren’t quite cavities but still needing to be filled so they don’t become cavities. Anyway, while working on it, Mark saw that it was a little more than a pit and Ryan felt it. My poor husband is afraid of the dentist (his own dad). And all the nervousness plus being able to feel the drilling caused him to pass out. It was quite the experience for Ryan, Mark and his mom. Needless to say when it was my turn to sit in the chair, I was a bit nervous too. I have no fear of the dentist at all but I also had a pit to be filled and was afraid of feeling it like Ryan. I was also concerned that I would get nauseaus having hands and a saliva sucker in my mouth. But, all went well. Mark’s assistant (Eunice) was not there and so he didn’t even use the sucker. He filled the pit and cleaned my teeth with no problem. Yea for Mark and me working so well together.
What else did we do… play with the puppy a lot, eat a ton and watch movies. It was fun times. I got some girly movies (Serendipity, Miss Congeniality and Princess Diaries 2) for Christmas so we made the boys sit through a few of them. We flew back home on Tuesday the 28th. We were late getting into Cedar Rapids from all the delays, fortunately we had our luggage and weren’t stranded in any airports. My folks dropped us off and picked us up so that we wouldn’t have to pay for parking. We had to stop at Applebee’s for supper AND mostly so that Ryan could watch his Cyclones in their bowl game. By the way, GO BULLDOGS! Anyway, on the way home, Mom and I gabbed while the guys listened to the football game on the radio. And finally, we were home. There truly is no place like home!
William Edward Goat - again
Ryan went back to work the next day while I stayed home the remainder of the week on vacation. Thursday morning though, I did venture off to Elkader to retrieve my lovely William Edward Goat. I was enjoying the high-class-white trash experience all over again. After picking him up, I met my folks on a nearby farm where an old barn had blown over in our lovely weather. The owners happened to be good friends of our goat sitters and they gave my parents permission to take as much of the barn wood as they wanted. So, we gathered there to pick up barn wood, pull nails out and stack it on the trailer. Meanwhile my goat was hanging out in the back of the truck. I was scolded on more than one occasion for lifting the boards. Apparently pregnant women aren’t supposed to lift weighty objects and they kept reminding me. It couldn’t be that big of a deal, I lift and move things a lot so a board was no big deal. It didn’t take too many hours of work before we were tired, the saw battery was dying and we were cold. So, I suggested a quick run into town for Subway. My parents were pulling a trailer and woldn’t exactly be able to park the thing on Main Street. So, we all squeezed in the old Ford. I offered for Ralph to drive so he could at least have leg room but he didn’t want to so I drove and had to move the seat up which moves the whole bench seat up together. So, the three of us cram into the truck with our bulky coats and I was in coveralls and head to Subway. Now, I’m parked on Main Street in Elkader (about four times the size of Elgin) with the goat tied in the back. As we were cramming back into the truck (remember we’re all dressed like snow bunnies) a little girl walking by with her mom says “mommy, look at the puppy”. It was quite the entertainment for me; here’s this goat with horns coming out of his head and the girl thinks it’s a puppy. I was just glad the Ford started without any problems and I didn’t have to have the hood up like a few weeks earlier.
Jimmy the Marine
We went to church with Ryan's folks that Sunday following Christmas. A few college "kids" were leading worship. At the end, the leader prayed and in his prayer said something about Jimmy. I thought it kinda odd that Jimmy was mentioned with no details and it was right before the start of the sermon. Then he proceeded to sing the song "letters from war" to his friend Jimmy. Have you heard that song? I pasted them below in case you haven't heard it played before. I could see Jimmy sitting near the front in his dress Marine uniform. Let’s just say that I'm thankful I had not put on mascara that morning. Then after the song, the pastor had Jimmy (who would soon be leaving for Iraq) and his family come up and they prayed for him and asked that it be a reminder to us to be praying for our servicemen. I was so choked up but it was so neat. I could just picture my buddy Ben Farmer standing up there and our church doing the same thing. Ben was scheduled to leave January 9th for his third trip to Iraq. So, be praying for him and others and take a peek at the lyrics below:
Artist: Mark Schultz
Song Title: Letters from war
She runs to the mailbox
On that bright summers day
Found a letter from her son
In a war far away
He spoke of the weather
And good friends that he'd made
Said I'd been thinking 'bout dad
And the life that he had
Thats why I'm here today
And that the end he said
You are what I'm fighting for
It was the first of the letters from war
She started writing
(Chorus)
Your good and your brave
What a father that you'll be someday
Bring him home
Bring him safe
She wrote everynight as she prayed
Late in December
A day she'll not forget
Oh her tears stained the paper
With every word that she read
It said I was up on a hill
I was out there alone
When the shots all rang out
And bombs were exploding
And thats when I saw him
He came back to me
And though he was captured
A man set me free
And that man was your son
He asked me to write to you
I told him I would oh I swore
It was the last of the letters from war
And she prayed he was living
Kept on believing
and wrote every night just to say
(Chorus)
Then two years later
Autumn leaves all around
A car pulled in the driveway
And she fell to the ground
And out stepped a captain
Where her boy used to stand
Said mom I'm following orders
From all of your letters
And I've come home again
He ran into hold her
And dropped all his bags on the floor
Holding all of her letters from war
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home
We went to church with Ryan's folks that Sunday following Christmas. A few college "kids" were leading worship. At the end, the leader prayed and in his prayer said something about Jimmy. I thought it kinda odd that Jimmy was mentioned with no details and it was right before the start of the sermon. Then he proceeded to sing the song "letters from war" to his friend Jimmy. Have you heard that song? I pasted them below in case you haven't heard it played before. I could see Jimmy sitting near the front in his dress Marine uniform. Let’s just say that I'm thankful I had not put on mascara that morning. Then after the song, the pastor had Jimmy (who would soon be leaving for Iraq) and his family come up and they prayed for him and asked that it be a reminder to us to be praying for our servicemen. I was so choked up but it was so neat. I could just picture my buddy Ben Farmer standing up there and our church doing the same thing. Ben was scheduled to leave January 9th for his third trip to Iraq. So, be praying for him and others and take a peek at the lyrics below:
Artist: Mark Schultz
Song Title: Letters from war
She runs to the mailbox
On that bright summers day
Found a letter from her son
In a war far away
He spoke of the weather
And good friends that he'd made
Said I'd been thinking 'bout dad
And the life that he had
Thats why I'm here today
And that the end he said
You are what I'm fighting for
It was the first of the letters from war
She started writing
(Chorus)
Your good and your brave
What a father that you'll be someday
Bring him home
Bring him safe
She wrote everynight as she prayed
Late in December
A day she'll not forget
Oh her tears stained the paper
With every word that she read
It said I was up on a hill
I was out there alone
When the shots all rang out
And bombs were exploding
And thats when I saw him
He came back to me
And though he was captured
A man set me free
And that man was your son
He asked me to write to you
I told him I would oh I swore
It was the last of the letters from war
And she prayed he was living
Kept on believing
and wrote every night just to say
(Chorus)
Then two years later
Autumn leaves all around
A car pulled in the driveway
And she fell to the ground
And out stepped a captain
Where her boy used to stand
Said mom I'm following orders
From all of your letters
And I've come home again
He ran into hold her
And dropped all his bags on the floor
Holding all of her letters from war
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home
10 January 2005
December 22nd, 23rd and Christmas Eve
So nice to be on vacation! These two days we lounged around for the most part. I took very seriously the need to rest and get extra sleep in the first trimester. Ryan and I also had some dental work done while we were there. We shopped for a few hours one day. I spent my time in the mall and Target wisely (or so I thought). We also visited a pet store to pick up a few items which brings up a sad story with a happy ending:
Sadie, the black lab
Mark and Eunice (Ryan’s folks) have had this golden retriever dog for a long time. Trapper was Mark’s buddy. Mark would sit in his chair partially leaning to one side so he could reach down and pet his dog. He even traveled with them when they’d drive back and forth to AZ. Trapper was up in age and had been having occasional seizures. He had one when they were at our house for Thanksgiving. When asked, Ryan informed them (as a veterinarian) that eventually they would have to put Trapper down. They asked when and Ryan said when his quality of life goes South. Well, the day before we left, they had Trapper put down. That Saturday night he had 2 seizures. And the same thing Sunday night. It was more than the occasional seizure and by now Trapper wasn’t getting around well and things like that. So, we got there Tuesday night and Mark seemed depressed but who wouldn’t be after having to do that with their pal?
Ryan and I went to bed that night and the wheels were spinning in my head. Just two weeks before in one of our weekly conversations, Kristine shared with me that she had a lab puppy that she hadn’t sold and I could have since I’ve been wanting a puppy. I ran the idea passed Ryan to see what he thought about giving his dad a puppy for Christmas. Lots of things to consider of course – is it too soon, does she still have the puppy, getting it to AZ, their upcoming vacation, dealing with a puppy and of course, what if he doesn’t want it. The next morning, we ran it passed Eunice. She thought it was too soon and of course wasn’t eager to deal with a puppy. I started making some phone calls and it all worked out perfectly. The puppy was the runt, she’d been a little sick, was pretty thin but was being spoiled. Kristine called her mom who was caring for the puppy. That day was the first day she didn’t have the sniffles. So the adventures of the puppy, now named Sadie, began.
Kristine’s mom, Theresa, made the hour drive down the mountain on Thursday to drop the puppy off with Kristine. Kristine purchased all kinds of stuff for the puppy – a blanket, toys, food, etc. My dad was driving passed Kristine’s on his way to AZ to celebrate Christmas with us in Prescott. Friday morning (Christmas Eve), on his way out of town, Dad picked up the puppy and she traveled with him on the 10 hour drive to Prescott. Once at Mark and Eunice’s, Ryan hid the puppy in the water heater closet until we opened Christmas gifts. Sadie made her grand appearance as the first gift. She stumbled her way through the living room, curious about everything and made her way to Mark where he picked her up and held her. Ryan then shared with his dad that we weren’t trying to replace Trapper, we just thought he would enjoy having a dog around. I think he fell in love with another woman that night (it’s okay Eunice, it’s a different kind of love). Everybody gave and received nice gifts but we were all focused on Markee and his new puppy the rest of the night.
Other tidbits from those few days: I think we brought with us to AZ, the cold weather from home. It froze two nights in a row and got down to about 16 degrees. Christmas Eve while we were running around the house getting the last minute gifts wrapped and Eunice and Ryan were baking, a pipe broke. A pipe for an outside faucet had froze and busted and as it thawed after noon the next day, we saw evidence of the water in the house. There was water sitting on the wood floors in front of the wood stove and had gone down the wall into the new room in the basement. They added on to the basement (it was all open underneath already) for Mark’s dental chair and wine stuff. The water was also puddled in there. So, we all rushed to get the water of the floors and dried up. It made for a busy afternoon that was already quite busy.
One of the other fun things was giving my dad his quilt for Christmas. Jen, my sister, had sent me some squares that she assembled with the directions to finish the quilt. Last February, while in AZ, Eunice helped me pick out the fabric to put the quilt top together. I was quite impressed with it. This summer I had it quilted by a friend here in Elkader and sent it back to AZ. Just before Christmas, Eunice taught me how to put the binding on. She actually did all the binding since she’s a quilting pro and I’m very limited in my quilting/sewing abilities. Dad, the quiet humble one, didn’t say much but you could see that he was grateful. Here’s this quilt that his kids made for him that he can put on his bed. I thought it was pretty special and he did too because a few days later he shared with my mom that he would be putting it away so that someone didn’t walk off with it. I sure hope that he uses it on his bed since that’s what we made it for. It was fun to give him a thoughtful and creative gift – something besides the normal clothes that he gets for Christmas.
More to come, keep checking back. Lots has happened since returning from AZ.
So nice to be on vacation! These two days we lounged around for the most part. I took very seriously the need to rest and get extra sleep in the first trimester. Ryan and I also had some dental work done while we were there. We shopped for a few hours one day. I spent my time in the mall and Target wisely (or so I thought). We also visited a pet store to pick up a few items which brings up a sad story with a happy ending:
Sadie, the black lab
Mark and Eunice (Ryan’s folks) have had this golden retriever dog for a long time. Trapper was Mark’s buddy. Mark would sit in his chair partially leaning to one side so he could reach down and pet his dog. He even traveled with them when they’d drive back and forth to AZ. Trapper was up in age and had been having occasional seizures. He had one when they were at our house for Thanksgiving. When asked, Ryan informed them (as a veterinarian) that eventually they would have to put Trapper down. They asked when and Ryan said when his quality of life goes South. Well, the day before we left, they had Trapper put down. That Saturday night he had 2 seizures. And the same thing Sunday night. It was more than the occasional seizure and by now Trapper wasn’t getting around well and things like that. So, we got there Tuesday night and Mark seemed depressed but who wouldn’t be after having to do that with their pal?
Ryan and I went to bed that night and the wheels were spinning in my head. Just two weeks before in one of our weekly conversations, Kristine shared with me that she had a lab puppy that she hadn’t sold and I could have since I’ve been wanting a puppy. I ran the idea passed Ryan to see what he thought about giving his dad a puppy for Christmas. Lots of things to consider of course – is it too soon, does she still have the puppy, getting it to AZ, their upcoming vacation, dealing with a puppy and of course, what if he doesn’t want it. The next morning, we ran it passed Eunice. She thought it was too soon and of course wasn’t eager to deal with a puppy. I started making some phone calls and it all worked out perfectly. The puppy was the runt, she’d been a little sick, was pretty thin but was being spoiled. Kristine called her mom who was caring for the puppy. That day was the first day she didn’t have the sniffles. So the adventures of the puppy, now named Sadie, began.
Kristine’s mom, Theresa, made the hour drive down the mountain on Thursday to drop the puppy off with Kristine. Kristine purchased all kinds of stuff for the puppy – a blanket, toys, food, etc. My dad was driving passed Kristine’s on his way to AZ to celebrate Christmas with us in Prescott. Friday morning (Christmas Eve), on his way out of town, Dad picked up the puppy and she traveled with him on the 10 hour drive to Prescott. Once at Mark and Eunice’s, Ryan hid the puppy in the water heater closet until we opened Christmas gifts. Sadie made her grand appearance as the first gift. She stumbled her way through the living room, curious about everything and made her way to Mark where he picked her up and held her. Ryan then shared with his dad that we weren’t trying to replace Trapper, we just thought he would enjoy having a dog around. I think he fell in love with another woman that night (it’s okay Eunice, it’s a different kind of love). Everybody gave and received nice gifts but we were all focused on Markee and his new puppy the rest of the night.
Other tidbits from those few days: I think we brought with us to AZ, the cold weather from home. It froze two nights in a row and got down to about 16 degrees. Christmas Eve while we were running around the house getting the last minute gifts wrapped and Eunice and Ryan were baking, a pipe broke. A pipe for an outside faucet had froze and busted and as it thawed after noon the next day, we saw evidence of the water in the house. There was water sitting on the wood floors in front of the wood stove and had gone down the wall into the new room in the basement. They added on to the basement (it was all open underneath already) for Mark’s dental chair and wine stuff. The water was also puddled in there. So, we all rushed to get the water of the floors and dried up. It made for a busy afternoon that was already quite busy.
One of the other fun things was giving my dad his quilt for Christmas. Jen, my sister, had sent me some squares that she assembled with the directions to finish the quilt. Last February, while in AZ, Eunice helped me pick out the fabric to put the quilt top together. I was quite impressed with it. This summer I had it quilted by a friend here in Elkader and sent it back to AZ. Just before Christmas, Eunice taught me how to put the binding on. She actually did all the binding since she’s a quilting pro and I’m very limited in my quilting/sewing abilities. Dad, the quiet humble one, didn’t say much but you could see that he was grateful. Here’s this quilt that his kids made for him that he can put on his bed. I thought it was pretty special and he did too because a few days later he shared with my mom that he would be putting it away so that someone didn’t walk off with it. I sure hope that he uses it on his bed since that’s what we made it for. It was fun to give him a thoughtful and creative gift – something besides the normal clothes that he gets for Christmas.
More to come, keep checking back. Lots has happened since returning from AZ.
07 January 2005
Monday, December 20th
Mom and Ralph agreed to take my car to get an estimate on the damage. When I talked to the guy at the body shop, he insisted (not in a bad way) that I bring it right then. Small town business ya know – he’ll take the time right then and there to deal with it. Kinda nice usually but I had a laundry list of things to do before leaving for
So, I head out of the house on time, all dressed up in khakis and sweater with eyeliner and mascara on (not an everyday occurance in my line of work). But before stepping outside I put on my coveralls knowing that my sweet little goat isn’t so little and would be difficult to get into the large kennel for the truck ride to Elkader. After about 20 minutes of fighting him in the windy and freezing temperatures, I gave up and tied him to either side in the bed of the truck (like you would a dog) and told him to freeze. I could care less at that point, I was cold and my hair was messed up and … (on and on).
I hop in Ryan’s lovely 85 Ford truck to head down the road. But let me preface this truck a little. First of all, its wonderful because it was free from Ryan’s folks. But, we don’t drive it much and have had several less than convenient experiences in the last year. Needless to say, the last time it was brought back from a friend who borrowed it, the brake light now stays on and the driver door doesn’t hang on the hinge right. That means that I have to roll down the window (remember its freezing outside), grab the outside handle and lift up on the door as I pull it closed from the outside. Did I mention that the smell of diesel exhaust has always made me sick but especially so now that I’m pregnant.
Okay, so on the road, finally. But, wait I have to make a quick stop to drop off some stuff at mom’s and can’t forget the blood tests at the health clinic. I get to the clinic, totally in high-class-white-trash mode and go inside to have them suck my blood. Everything goes peachy, my
By now, I’m exhausted and ready to go to bed! But, I went to the party, had a fun time, ate some good food and shared with the ladies that I was pregnant. Prior to that, only my boss knew that I was pregnant. So that was fun. While I was inside enjoying some food and fun, it was snowing pretty good outside. I go to leave and see the snowfall and become a bit nervous that I’m driving someone elses new Tahoe in not so nice of weather conditions. Got to mom’s safely, traded vehicles (they turned the truck off at my house, left it there and took my car to their place for me) and went home. Got to bed about
Tuesday, December 21st
Flying always makes me nervous even though I love flying. I think it’s the fear of traveling and missing flights, forgetting identification or something random like that. Mom and Ralph offered to take us to the airport so we wouldn’t have to leave our car there. While waiting for them to come, I had the nervous-upset-stomach feeling. But, it was early and I hadn’t had my first thing in the morning meal yet. We head down the road (remember we had our first good snow the night before). Not quite 45 minutes down the road, and after a lot of questions about feeling okay, we made a quick stop along side the road for me to puke into the wind. Yup, first time I puked since I’ve been pregnant. I think it was nerves more than my all day morning sickness though. The rest of the day went fine with flights and all that stuff. I didn’t each much though so by time we got to
Okay, that’s all I can update today. Expect more from me early next week. I’ve got lots more excitement to share. I think it gets more exciting as the days pass!
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