Girls Night Out

I'm so thankful that my hubby supports me in wanting some girl time. There were apparently a few husbands who weren't so supportive about the idea. Half of these girls also come to our Thursday night small group so the guys were wondering why we also had to have a girls night out by ourselves. My answer to that: we're girls and have to use up a lot more words each day!

It was a fun night. Several of the girls I'd never met. Not everyone knew each other and there were 12 of us which made it a bit more difficult to talk to everyone. L has been part of our small group for a while, we've adopted her into our family and now she works out with us too. It was her 18th birthday and we celebrated with her and Miss Voice who turns 18 on Saturday. First stop was chinese buffet [so didn't help me eat healthy]. Second we headed to K's apartment which is located above a store front on Main Street. Very fun place. Thanks to MB for bringing Shirley Temple stuff and making us fun drinks. Thanks to Miss Voice for singing to us and entertaining us with your beautiful voice. We sat out on the balcony thing for a quite a while and chatted before we had cake and ice cream and gave the girls gifts.

Profile

Yay!!!!! I finally changed the picture on my profile. The last one was taken when small fry was 6 months old so it had been 7 months since I updated the picture. Yippee

Rural America

You know you live in rural america when you stop several times for animals in the road and have to dodge the dead ones that haven't been scooped up or carried off by other critters. This morning's adventure to work included about 4 dead animals in the road. I also had to slow and get in the opposite lane for 5 geese that were out and about. Just a few miles later, there was a young deer crossing the road too. I love the scenery here. It's gorgeous. And lately the weather has been great too. Low 80's for a high and the humidity isn't too bad either.

Last night we joined Ms. Maxine for supper. She's an elder lady in our church and adores children. My folks and grandma went too. Hubby and I met at my folks house after work, put small fry in the stroller and walked to Ms. Maxine's. She's such a sweet lady. We had a great meal and then played in the floor. Small fry didn't have his afternoon nap and was quite the cry baby if he wasn't being entertained. He also threw a fit at the table. He wanted bread and I wanted him to eat his vegies first. It was tempting to give him bread to keep him quiet but I didn't want him to win. So, we dealt with the fit until eventually Ms. M went and picked him up and innocently made things better by feeding him the crescent roll he wanted. SHe was so cute that I couldn't tell her no.

Tonight we have no plans. Well kinda. I'm headed into town after work for the city wide garage sale and hope to pick up some things for the kiddo. But other than that, we're home tonight. It will be the first night all week. I think we ate supper on Monday night at home but I was feeling like crap and had gotten home late. So, tonight I'm hoping to get the kitchen clean, laundry started and the folded stuff put away. I have lots to do around the house. TGIF!!!!

Am I old?

Thanks to Ashley for reminding me about being so young yet being considered "old". I think of that occasionally now that I'm doing grown up things - a career, married, mother. We often spend time with the high school and college age kids associated with the contemporary service at our church. And multiple times, we've been asked to be the adult chaperones for hanging out afterwards. More recently, this past school year, we've hung out with Lil-R at our house, invited her to our small group, etc. She' s been a great addition to our family life. One particular small group night, she brought her "boy" with her. Now let me just say that our small group is young adults, all done with the college age scene. So, here's L and her boy who's still in high school. I'm sure he left there thinking that we were a bunch of old farts. Seriously, do you remember when you were 18 and around people who were in their mid 20's to 30ish? Did you think they were old? Friends, if you're feeling old, just think of your grandma and that should help you feel young again (but to be honest, I think we're getting "old")

Family Pictures

One Year Pictures

I am alive and updating today...

[Orlando, Florida]
I just spent 4 days at a training conference in beautiful Orlando. Only I didn’t see much of the beauty. I arrived on Sunday night at midnight but saw awesome landscapes on a few of the hotel properties while heading to the hotel. During the 4 days of training I went outside twice. Once was for a tour of a beef cattle farm. I was surprised to know that there are cattleman in Florida. The second time I went outside was a brief but good visit with Cori.

[Hanging out with Cori]
Spending time with Cori is always a blessing because she’s a good friend, makes me laugh, she knows me, she accepts me and because I don’t get to see her very often. We both work for the same government agency and she was at the same training conference. We were actually in different training sessions but had the same breaks, lunches, etc. On Thursday afternoon we were both done a little early and met downstairs to go lay by the pool. Our plans were thwarted when the pool area was closed because of lightning and T-storm warnings. So, we sat outside and chatted until it was time to get ready for the banquet. We hung out at other times too – some of those times requiring us to be adults and not college buddies but it was fun either way. I was just thankful to hang out with a buddy while someone else picked up the tab.

[training more]
Because the training sessions were organized by the Hispanic Organization, there were other activities scheduled beyond the training. Monday night was the annual business meeting. Tuesday was the scholarship auction. Wednesday night was a retirement party for one of the guys. Thursday night was the banquet. Each of these nights have fun stories but for sake of time and length, I’ll share two brief stories: one fun moment was as the scholarship auction had just ended. One of the girls thought that rum was wine and was quite surprised when she gulped down the shot of rum. Another moment was at the banquet. Because I gave the invocation, I was asked to sit at the head table. Only I didn’t want to sit there, I wanted to sit with my friends. Sitting at the head table made me feel like everyone was watching me. I like being the center of attention but only when I’m being funny, not the rest of the times.

[Flight drama]
I opted for crappy flight times for two reasons: to save the government money and to get more time with my family. I flew out on Sunday afternoon and arrived at my hotel in Orlando at midnight. Heading home, I took a 720 flight, which meant that I had to leave the hotel at 445am. A bit early but I wanted to get home to my family. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out so easily. My flight to Chicago was good. My flight to Cedar Rapids went downhill in a hurry. Due to thunderstorms and tornado watches the night before, Chicago O’harre had been closed down and flights were all backed up and delayed. My flight to CR was delayed while we waited on a stewardess to arrive from another flight. Two hours later we boarded the plane only to sit at the gate for 30 minutes while they found a mechanical problem and eventually cancelled our flight. We were placed on stand by. Fortunately the employee at the gate informed us that we’d never get on a flight since everything was backed up and a million others were already on stand by status. I suggested getting a rental car and driving. A man in line suggested we hurry since it was a Friday and traffic would be a problem soon and it would also be difficult to get a car. After calling all companies and waiting for a shuttle, we ended up at Budget waiting in line for a car.

[CR, here I come]
I ended up in the car with two kick boxers who were headed to CR for the international KB finals. I was a bit nervous to be with strangers but didn’t figure they bought airline tickets to dinky CR to kill someone. So I figured that as long as I didn’t make them mad, I’d be safe! After being stuck in traffic for an hour, we finally got off the toll road and were headed home. There was still traffic but at least we were moving! Teri drove 85-95 the whole way since she had to weigh in by 6pm. I was starving and had only had a few hand fulls of cereal but wouldn’t ask them to stop since we were likely to be late anyway. We pulled into the kick boxing location at 645pm.

[Getting home from CR]
Ryan had to head back home. He had several surgeries to do and was on call Friday night so he took the kiddo and headed back home when my flight got cancelled. In the time I was driving, Ryan worked out the details for me to get a ride home. Joel (one of the young adults that grew up in my church) lives in CR and was considering coming home for the weekend. He waited around after work, picked me up at the hotel and gave me a ride home. Joel was one of my new BEST friends that day. I got home a little behind schedule – at 9pm vs. 130pm. I’m just glad I didn’t have to stay in Chicago over night!

[home again]
So I got home and my family was glad to see me which I expected. But, my poor kiddo must be scared that I’ll leave again. He won’t let me out of his sight. Even today, 5 days after being home, he’s still clingy! Anyway, today I feel yucky again. Mom called me this morning to tell me that my kiddo was puking up massive chunks. I’m afraid we have a touch of the flu at our house. Yipee!

Long awaited post

[Happy Birthday, son-son]
Friday was the big day, it was a rite of passage for the little guy. We got to turn his car seat to be forward facing. To celebrate small fry’s first birthday, Grandpa & Grandma B, along with Great Grandma, Grammy and Papa joined us for supper in town.
Only it wasn’t so simple. I was getting a massage in hopes of relieving some of the pressure in my neck and back from whatever is going on there. Hubby was on an emergency vet call at the time when we were supposed to meet for the meal. Thanks to my in-laws who met us in town with the little guy. Eventually Ryan got there too and we had a meal together. The place was hot and loud and it was hard to hear, I was rushed to get to a celebration for a friend by a certain time and the birthday boy was getting grumpy and tired. So, we had our meal and headed different directions. I’m thankful that those who joined in on the celebration were able to make it.

[Pre-Birthday Party]
I woke early Saturday morning to get started on my list of things to do:
1. Finish a few more scrap book pages and get them all in the book
2. Clean up the super messy scrapbook room, I mean, dining room
3. Make the 3-D duck cake that I was too tired and forgot to do the night before
4. Frost sheet cake that Amy made for the party
5. Make the punch
6. Quick clean all the rooms downstairs.
7. Try to keep the house cool.
8. Bathe the birthday boy
9. Shower and get ready
10. Wrap gifts
11. Breathe

Here’s how things went that morning:
530am – awake and scrapbooking downstairs while it was quiet
730am – starting on the cake. We used butter to grease the cake when the directions said “NEVER” to do so. Eunice, my MIL cleaned that out while I ran to town to get some Crisco. She dealt with the cake while I scrap booked.
730am – Mark, my FIL went to town to get rock salt that I couldn’t find on my last shopping trip and forgot to tell hubby about.
Who knows what time – finish what I can with the scrap book. Clean the room. Meanwhile MIL makes the punch and FIL piddles with the ice cream maker. My mom brings out more punch since we didn’t think we’d have enough. Ice cream maker doesn’t work, FIL is upset and HOT. I call hubby at work to see if we can just buy ice cream like I wanted to in the first place. He wants to have home made. FIL goes and buys a new ice cream maker. Get rooms clean and cake frosted
Noon - Shower. Feed Scott, bathe him and put him down for a nap. MIL runs out of vanilla for the last batch of ice cream. Mom brings some out when she comes. Her sheet cake frosting stuck to the tin foil. We tried to fix it with no luck. Throw the gifts in a gift bag and decorate a tiny bit.
1pm - Wake kiddo up for the start of the party. And the fun begins…

[Birthday Party]
It was a hit, things went great. My in-laws finished up the ice cream and made their way upstairs. People mingled and had wonderful cake (thanks to Eunice, mom and Amy), drank blue punch and at home made ice cream. Small fry was the center of attention, literally. He sat in the middle of the room and was quite the ham for everyone. People came and went during the open house party. Finally towards the end, we opened Scott’s cards and gifts. That was hilarious! He loved the cards and would “read” them if I’d hand them over. I read each card aloud to include everyone. If it was a book or a card, he loved it. Otherwise, he didn’t care too much. When his Grandma B read her card aloud, he grabbed it out of her hand and threw it as if to say “that’s enough reading”. Later we sat him in front of his cake and he wiped a little frosting off. I had to help him figure out that he could eat it (thankfully my child doesn’t put everything in his mouth). We had a great time with family and friends. By time the guests were all gone except the ones that stayed overnight, I was TIRED.

[Am I crazy?]
Last weekend was a very full and busy weekend with a birthday party and company in our home for the weekend. Hubby’s folks have been here since last Wednesday. And hubby’s grandparents came up and stayed the weekend for the birthday party. My work week is full and will be insanely busy. Here’s a look at my week:
Daily activities Monday through Friday: 8-5 work (which has been insane since I’m in charge while the boss is gone and lots of BIG news has come in which has kept me crazy), drive 30 minutes for a quick supper at 5:30. Teach vacation bible school from 6-830. Stop by mom’s and water all her outside plants which takes at least 30 minutes. Drive home, feed the dog and go inside to spend time with those who live in my home (hubby and son) and those who are visiting in my home (in-laws).
Exceptions: Thursday will be a half day at work. At 2pm, we have family photos being taken for the first time since small fry was born. I’ll try to water plants at mom’s before VBS so that when I get done at 830, I can rush home to my bible study group that is meeting in my home. Friday is another half day at the office. We leave right after I get home to start our weekend.
Weekend: We’re meeting up with hubby’s brother (who’s driving 8 hours) and MIL/FIL (leaving our house that morning) at their grandparents home in PC (3.5 hour drive from here) for supper. Will stay there for the weekend and see friends and try to let small fry see as much of his uncle as possible. Sunday on the way back home, I’ll drive to the airport instead and catch a flight to Florida.
I’ll arrive in FL Sunday night ready to start a week of training. I’ll work and hang out with friends all week till I fly home on Friday. Land, grab my luggage (hopefully) and rush home to see my family.

So, I’ll go from having 2 weeks of company, teaching VBS, watering mom’s plants, a quick trip to see hubby’s side of the family, fly to FL for training and fly back home all without hardly taking a breath. I will be so glad to get back and have some quiet time with just my hubby and son!!!!!!!

Birthday pictures

Here's a few pictures Miss Lauren sent from small fry's birthday party:

L: A Hooter's shirt from Lauren that I promised I'd let him wear. R: small fry reading one of his cards.

L: small fry eating frosting from his birthday cake. R: Small fry's new dump truck toy from the J's.

(as always, click on the picture for a larger image. more to come when I get my camera downloaded, which will probably be in two weeks after I get back from Orlando)

Quick Update

[emergency room visit]
hubby was working in the shop and got something in his eye. While driving, the piece shifted and he couldn't see to drive. With his approval/request, I continued on to the baptism (I was 10 minutes farther down the road). After the baptism, I left and headed up the hill where I could get signal and call him. Mom answered his cell phone and they were just finishing up in the emergency room! The doctor had removed sawdust from his eye and sent him home. Since he's on call for 2 weeks straight, I headed to the clinic and transferred my kid to the vet truck and headed home to meet Ryan and my folks.

[emergency room visit #2]
hubby was in MAJOR pain. Doc said it might feel like something was in there because of the swelling. I finally called the doc to see what we could do since I'd never had to deal with a guy in so much pain. He suggested we see an opthamologist who could get a more detailed look at the eye in case something else was still in there. Because it was Saturday night at 830, the doc had to call around to find someone available. He called back with 3 options: W town (80 miles) and where we go for big city shopping, R town (80ish miles and not familiar at all and in another state) or LC town (same as R town). After a few questions, we dropped small fry off at his grammy's and headed to W town. (now let me just make the point that there is much more drama and details and funny moments to share but I'm pressed for time, grr). Leave at 9pm, sit in ER for 90 minutes and get home at 2am. And had a sheriff's car follow me several miles as I desperately tried to be WIDE awake.

[added drama]
- hubby (aka Dr veterinarian) was on call and the other guy is out of state. He should not leave the practice radius. But he couldn't see anyway and therefore couldn't help animals if he did get a call!
- super tired and trying hard to stay awake on the way down, let alone the whole way home while hubby tried to lay down and relax
- I had to drive the vet truck to town to get my car with small fry in the passenger seat and big burly hubby in the middle. The seat was all the way back and so hubby was squished and I wasn't even sitting back all the way so that I could still reach the pedals!
- hubby hates to have his eyes touched
- we missed awesome fireworks out at the camp where the baptism happened.

[next few days]
hubby's folks are coming tomorrow. we're excited to see them. small fry turns one on friday. we're having a small party on saturday. next few weeks will be company, me travelling to do family things in two weeks and leaving from there for a week of work in Florida. Yikes, when will I have time with hubby?

Okay, gotta run, we rescheduled our small group to tonight...

[Friday excitement]
L has become our pseudo little sister at home. She works with my husband at the vet clinic and I work with her mom. So hubby sees her during the week and when she’s not at work she comes to my office to have lunch. Plus, she’s part of our small group.

L has been working at our vet clinic for almost a year. She does quite a bit with hubby on farm calls and in the clinic. Wanting additional experience, we hooked her up with our vet buddy in the neighboring town so she could shadow him and run calls. That was scheduled for Friday.
Friday at noon at get a call from Dr. R and he has zero interest in talking to me. He stated that it was an emergency and wanted to speak with L’s mom. I’m not sure who was more shook up: Dr. R, L’s mom or me. L had been out on a farm call and was at the back of the truck when the farmer saw her pass out and fall to the ground. Pretty scary for everyone, especially Dr. R who debated on having someone ride around because of liability.

Meanwhile, L’s mom is diabetic and since this happened at lunch, L’s mom skipped lunch and rushed off to the hospital. On my way out the door for an early afternoon off, I stopped and got D some food and dropped it off at the hospital.

Thankfully all turned out fine. Dr. R kept the tired L awake by making her do her ABC’s and other easy things. The emergency room visit found nothing wrong and sent her home to rest up.

[spoil the spouses]
Preface – When you are employed by the government there are no Christmas bonuses, gifts from clients, etc. The government doesn’t give Christmas bonuses and gifts would be considered bribery. With that said, let me share about my weekend of getting spoiled
One of the drug companies held a meeting for a handful of the veterinarians to do business as usual. Only the salesman responsible made it very clear that the purpose was the spoil the spouses. And we sure did get spoiled.

We made it a family weekend. That in itself was a debate – do I have a nice weekend alone with the hubby or do I take the kiddo and have him around for entertainment in case I don’t like the “wives club”? We all went. We arrived at our rural destination a bit early so that we could clean up before supper.

Friday night we had hors d’oeuvres, supper and dessert at an old Feed Mill that has been restored and remodeled. The food was fantabulous! It was a bit awkward at first not knowing any of the couples. We sat alone at a table before one of the wives sat with us. We ate and had nice conversations before heading back to the hotel after a long day.

Saturday, while the guys had their meeting, us women headed down to the local bakery for quiche and baked goods over breakfast. We then headed down to the local boutique (which utilizes the upstairs portion of the feed mill and still has working machinery in it) for some shopping. The drug company had presented each woman with a $50 gift certificate to the boutique. For those who know me, a boutique is a place that I find cute, but not a place that I’d spend money. I have enough crap in my house and the style of clothes aren’t my style. So, I spent MY money on a barn book and several children’s books for Scott. As I pulled my gift certificate out of the envelope, I noticed a second certificate. I was sure it was there by accident and waited to inform the salesmen that there were accidentally two certificates in my envelope. As I wondered around the store though, I could hear other women announcing how close they were to their totals; all of them near $100. Not much later we joined back up with the men to head to lunch when I asked about the certificates. It was not a mistake. The original plan was for $50, but they decided to add another $50 to it. THANK YOU! I had $100 to spend. Only problem was that I didn’t know what to spend it on so I purchased another $50 in children’s book for Scott (now we have his birthday gift taken care of).

Lunch was at a nearby restaurant that was originally and old barn. Although I appreciated the food, it was no comparison to Friday night’s meal. Following lunch, the group went on a tour of the Amish. At this point, I was a bit disappointed. Because I live and work near Amish, this was nothing new to me. So, a “tour” which was really stopping at several Amish farms and going into their little stores where their goods are sold wasn’t impressive to me. I had no plans to purchase anything and didn’t get to visit the people so for me it was just a bunch of getting in and out of a van. I do appreciate BI’s generosity in paying for the tour but it was like home to me and so I didn’t find it as interesting as other’s.

Supper was at a local place. It was good food and we gathered outside for our meal. Of course, we were spoiled with whatever we wanted off the menu – appetizers, drinks, meals, desserts. A light rainstorm made it’s way through while we were eating but the umbrellas were enough protection. Following supper, BI treated us to a play at a local venue. By now, my child desperately needs a nap, its hot and sticky out and we go for a walk before the play. As we get into the hall for the performance, I realize I forgot small-fry’s bottle. This meant getting a nap in would be near impossible with a tired and hungry child. Needless to say we didn’t last long at the play before we left. The kiddo was behaving wonderfully (as he did all weekend in public) but he was being a chatter box and we didn’t want to be a distraction so we left.

Another night’s stay in a cute little motel provided by BI before hurrying home for Sunday church activities. Thanks to BI for spoiling this spouse. I mentioned to them that I wasn’t this spoiled on my honeymoon! They hadn’t been either so I’m sure it was enjoyed by all.

[joined the church]
We officially joined the church on Sunday. Fortunately the members graciously accepted us. After the quarterly meeting, we met out at a local picnic shelter for church potluck. Next thing on the church list is VBS and I’m teaching the pre-school kids. That will be interesting!

Pictures

[gotta love the gov’t]
My dad and grandma have been here for a week now . They had quite the time getting here though. Their layover was in Denver and their flight was delayed . But it wasn’t that simple, of course. They had a short layover so they rushed to the next flight without eating. They were put on the plane and then sat and waited on the tarmac. Now, any one who has flown, knows how much it sucks when flights get delayed. And it’s really bad when you’re stuck on the plane waiting in a stuffy plane with grumpy people. The cause of the delay: waiting for the manufacturer to send a fax about a replaced part on the plane. I’m sure it was some government rules requiring the fax. I’m thankful for my safety and precautions that are taken to ensure our safety but sometimes it seems ridiculous. Their flight was supposed to arrive at 6pm. Instead it arrived at 9pm and they were hungry. It was midnight before they got to my house!

[the start of the weekend]
Friday night we didn’t get much sleep after waiting up for dad to come. Saturday I was tired and have been every day since then. It has been good to have dad around and especially for dad to play with his grandson. Saturday was a quiet day around the house. That evening we took Dad to Living Stone and then to our “after LS” party at the Rich’s. Sunday we celebrated Father’s Day after church with a trip to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Absent-minded me, I forgot the Father’s Day gifts for my 3 important guys. After lunch I went back to mom’s to get my car and Dad headed home with Ryan. At mom’s house I unbuckled my sleeping child when mom told me to take their Tahoe home instead of moving him to my car. I got out of the Tahoe to get Ralph his card and left the Tahoe running. Said good-bye and jumped in the Tahoe to go home. When I got home, I opened the back door to take out my still sleeping child. And immediately I began thanking God for his hand of protection. Scott was not buckled into his car seat . I had unbuckled him to take him out and then ended up leaving him in the tahoe and never buckled him back in. Bad mom! Fortunately the deer stayed in the fields and I drove home on the black top roads instead of the usual gravel roads. It was quiet the rest of the afternoon. The guys watched baseball and I piddled around in the flower beds.

[partial work week]
I worked on Monday while Dad hung out with mom and Ralph. (yes, my parents are divorced and get a long very well. Yes, I greatly appreciate that.) After work I headed home to finish up the flower beds while dad had a chili relleno supper at mom’s. Tuesday and Wednesday I took off from work. Tuesday we hung out around the house, watched a movie, played with the kiddo and visited. Wednesday, we headed across the big river to another state to see Cars, the movie. It’s very cute and a must see event. We followed that with a quick trip to wal*mart and to culver’s for lunch. That evening, we made Chinese food for supper (one of my favorites) and I potted some flowers outside. Yesterday was back to work. Dad ran all over this corner of the state with mom, Ralph, grandma and small fry. Dad and small fry got dropped off at bible study where we were grilled out and played horse shoes and visited. Today is another work day for me. This is the last day dad is here so I came in late this morning. Tonight we’ll all go to dinner together and then tomorrow morning I’ll take him back to the airport.

[dad]
I’m so thankful for my dad and his willingness to spend his money to come out here to visit. I appreciate that he has played so much with his grandson. It has been a blast to watch them together. Thanks Dad for hanging out with us for a week.

[11 month old small fry pictures]

[bottle feeding]
I don’t like bottle feeding my kid. I’ve been working on weaning him the last few weeks because I have plenty of home brewed milk in the freezer. Breast feeding is so convenient – the milk is prepared, is warm and doesn’t have to be carried around. On the other hand, when my kiddo wakes up during the night and is hungry (this has happened several times this week), I have to get up, thaw milk, fix a bottle and warm it up. Not so much fun. Even when its not the middle of the night, I don’t like having to do the bottle thing.

[11 months]
Small fry turned 11 months old this week. Time flies when you’re having fun. It won’t be long before his birthday comes. I’m currently working on a scrap book for his first birthday. And finishing up his Christmas present (yeah, I’m a little late on that). So far, I’ve thought about planning his birthday party… so many decisions to make.

[small fry]
He no longer likes to play “so big” and rarely does the itsy-bitsy spider. He’s too busy roaming around and checking things out. This week he’s really working on saying the dogs name and pats his hand on his leg to call him. He also tries to say K’s name. She was over on Saturday and played with him before Living Stone. When I would take him back from her and sit him in my lap, he’d reach for her. That little turkey! He’s eating everything in sight this week. Chicken fajitas, spaghetti, veggies, snacks and whatever else he can get someone to feed him.

[rick]
On a sad note, we lost Rick on Saturday. He battled stage 4 cancer for two months before it took him. I’ve been working with Rick on a stream bank project at work and have seen him every day in the last few weeks. Thursday when I saw him, he didn’t have any energy to get out of the truck to take a few pictures. Friday at 3am he went to the hospital and Saturday they brought him home to die. The cool thing for us is that everyone involved with his stream bank project bent over backwards to get it done before he died and it happened. It was pretty well done on Thursday and completely done on Friday. Rick left behind a wife and 3 or 4 children.

[awesome]
Sure, the beginning of the week brought some tough news – losing a friend. But, my week has been so good. Sure, my allergies are driving me crazy, my body aches from fibromyalgia and I’m tired but honestly, I’m so blessed. I’ve had some time this week to sit with my husband without distractions. I’ve been able to talk to several friends who live many miles away. My kiddo has been such a blast. And probably one of the best things has been my attitude towards my husband – realizing that he does the things he does for me, to show me that he loves me. And that’s so cool when I actually look at things from his perspective. I do have a wonderful husband (even if he doesn’t put pants on our kid before he puts him to bed).

Adoption

Thoughts about Adoption (I got these quotes and verses from various places as I’ve searched out adoption information and failed to give proper credit where credit is due.)

How blessed is he who considers the Helpless … —Psalm 41:1
In love he [God] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:4-5
Are you available for how God wants to use you?

Adoption Process
Gather Information – Every prudent man acts out of knowledge … —Proverbs13:16a
Prayer - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.—Proverbs 3:5
Godly Counsel - Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed. —Proverbs 15:22
Self Assessment - Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24

If God is calling you to adoption, there is a child out there that He has ordained as your child. In order to bring that child home where he belongs, you will have to pay the ransom.

If God calls you to adopt He will provide the way for the ransom to be paid.


Bethany Adoption Meeting
Last night we attended a Bethany Adoption meeting. Knowing that the first hour would be on domestic adoption and the second hour on international adoption, I considered only going for the second hour. But, I thought I should go with an open mind and heart and see what I could learn from the information presented. It was an amazing time. Seriously, I have such a heart for loving a child that I wanted to raise my hand and tell them to sign me up right now.

Heartache for China
I’ve had my heart set on a Chinese adoption. And I’m so thankful that I went with an open heart. We found out last night that the Chinese program is doing so well that the wait for a baby has doubled. And there are so many applications that the Chinese government is able to pick and choose who/want they want. I could handle that but the final blow was the big bummer. China requires you to be 30 years old. I’ve been told before that if one person is 30, you’re okay. But, that is not the case for China. We’d have to wait out the several years before I turn 30 to adopt.

Domestic Adoption
Definitely not my preference for an adoption! I have this HUGE fear of the birth mom wanting the child back. Of course, all I know is bad stories of things that have happened. Emily told us that we have to close our ears to those stories. That just like the press only reports all the bad things on the war, the same goes for adoption because that’s the stuff that gets people’s attention. Last night we walked out and hubby thought that we should start with domestic adoption. Get our feet wet and by then I’d be old enough for a Chinese baby.

Heartache
Did I mention that my heat aches, as tears stream down my face, for babies without loving homes. I’m so glad that God put this on my heart and that my husband and I can walk together, in agreement, about adopting a child.

Finances
Take a guess at what it costs to adopt a baby. Seriously, it’s a lot of money. Granted, some of that depends on the services offered. I like Bethany and think they’re doing great things for birth mothers. But, it remains to be LOTS of money out of the adoptive parents pocket. The dollar figures we were told last night add up to $21,000 for a domestic adoption. I’m sure you too would question why it costs so much. Bethany is a non-profit organization which means they’re not making money. Bethany does amazing things to help prepare the birth moms to deliver a healthy baby. If that means paying the electric bill, they’ve done that. They’ve paid rent, paid for winter coats, food, etc. Right now they’re paying for a birth mom to see a counselor several months after she gave up her baby. All those things add up.

My heart
My heart really is for adoption. I’m so excited to pursue this in obedience to what I know God has given me the excitement for. I’m sure it will be a long a difficult process but I hope that in the future (it may even be a few years) I can report about bringing a baby home to join our small fry.

Vacation

[Hurry, the game is starting]
By tie we got to Minneapolis, parked, checked into the hotel and to our room, it was nearing 5pm. We took quick bano breaks, changed the baby and headed towards the Metrodome for a 530 game. I get turned around easy enough on the street and it was even worse being in the skywalk. Hubby did a great job of getting us where we needed to go. We got to the dome and were headed to get our tickets when we heard over the loud speaker that the game started at 730. I had checked the schedule again Friday morning and noticed the time of the game was pushed back 20 minutes to 530. It must have been pushed back another two hours. This allowed us the chance to catch our breath but to also realize that we were hungry. While stuffing our faces with dry chicken strips and tough fries, hubby realized that when looking at the Mariners schedule, it shows in Pacific time, 2 hours later than our time. So, the game hadn’t been pushed back another two hours. Instead, I was checking the wrong time zone. Oops.

[game #1]
Thanks to Jake for getting us tickets to the game. We had nice seats – just past first base and 34 rows up. It was fun to be at a baseball game and I patiently waiting to see my buddy in the bull pen warming up. In the mean time, I watched most the game and played with my small fry. Being at the ball park, it would only make sense to have a hot dog. And since, they were free to the first so many people, Ryan, Scott and I enjoyed hot dogs and pop. Jake never pitched and the Mariners lost game 1. Too bad. Heading back to the hotel, we walked on the sidewalk – 12 blocks down and 5 blocks over.

[Saturday noon]
It’s so interesting to have a friend playing major league baseball. And at the same time, it’s a bit weird. He’s the same Jake that he was before he was in the pro’s and that’s so good to see. We met my childhood buddy at his hotel and then walked a bit through the ghetto to get to our lunch spot. We had a nice lunch, a superb waiter and some good conversation. It takes a little more effort to converse with a quiet childhood friend and include a husband who is unfamiliar with childhood memories and stories. So, we talked babies (his wife is due in October) and baseball. When your entire career is based on your athletic performance, things can be rough. After lunch, we walked back the hotel. But, because Jake is a friend, I didn’t think to take a picture with him, have him sign a baseball or anything like that. As we got back to the hotel, I had him sign a baseball for Scott and a few more for friends. Later, we passed back by the hotel after a little shopping and I didn’t stop. I didn’t want to gawk at him and his team mate he was talking to. I didn’t want to make a big deal about the situation at all. I don’t want to be the annoying fan. So, we greeted each other and kept going.

[game #2]
He sucks! Yup, I don’t like that player. The Mariners clean up hitter didn’t do jack again. You would think he could bat since he’s in the #4 position but he didn’t do dittly-squat. He struck out several times again. Again, while we watched the game, Scott entertained himself and others around us with his sweet personality. I asked Jake if I could get a picture of him and Scott in his uniform and he told me what to do. So, just before the end of the game, I headed down to the bottom between the dugout and the bullpen to wait for Jake to walk by. Only Jake didn’t stop when I shouted his name. Maybe I wasn’t loud enough, maybe he was told to go directly to the dugout since they lost again, who knows. It was sad though, I didn’t get a picture of Scott and Jake together. It was nice however, that another relief pitcher, Jamie Moyer, walked over to the stands and handed Scott a baseball.

[Sunday morning heathens]
Now that we have the game times figured out, we could have made it to church, somewhere. Typically I’m wide awake by 6. But Sunday morning was not a typical morning. I woke up and checked out the clock; it was 820. Holy cow! Scott was sleeping soundly and so was Ryan. We got ready and headed out on the town again. First stop, Target AGAIN. I loved having a Target 2 blocks away. Next stop a little Irish place for brunch before heading to the game. We met the sweetest server there. She loved the kiddo and played with him and shared all about her twins, etc. It was fun talking to her. By time I ate my breakfast, it had started to get cold.

[game #3]
We got to the stadium plenty early and sat and played with the kiddo. He did not want to go to take a nap. This was actually a baseball game where both teams gave some effort. It even went extra innings when in the bottom of the 11th, the first Twins guy up hit one over the fence ending the game. I rushed down 35 rows to catch Jake before he made it to the dug out with no luck. It all happened too fast. Now, standing at the bottom of the stadium, I knew I’d be waiting a while to make it back to the top while everyone else piled out. Instead, I headed down the row a bit and started climbing my way up over the seats. With a 22 pound kid in my arm, I made it up 32 of the rows before giving in. I was HOT and TIRED!
[post baseball games]
It was nice to check out a few games in the cities thanks to a buddy supplying us with tickets. After the last game, we headed once more the mile or so walk back to the hotel. My legs and hips were killing me – a little more walking than I’m used to. We made another pit stop at Target and got a few more snacks for our afternoon. It was hot outside and we were tired and not eager to head back outside. It was nap time! And we laid around and watched some TV.

[Minneapolis zoo]
Monday morning we left the hotel and headed to the suberbs to catch the zoo for me small fry. Did I mention earlier that it was HOT. Yeah, like 90+ hot. I know that back in CA, that’s not bad but this was 95 plus humidity. And it has been so cool lately that 90, whether humid or not, is warm. We ventured through the zoo anyway. To start, I peered at the zoo map and was disappointed in the number of animals. I thought there would be more. We saw some fun things though: prairie dogs, giraffes, dolphins, sharks, a puma, otters, tiger, wolf, caribou, camels, lemurs and tree kangaroos. This zoo has a “farm” so we even had to check that out. Being married to a veterinarian, living in a rural community, educated in agriculture, I wasn’t too excited about this “farm” experience. But, it wasn’t too bad and I made sure to learn something new. I learned about these “things” that hang over the cow that help encourage the cow to not hunch her back when she poops. This helps assure that the cow poop goes in the gutter and her stall stays clean. Scott had a blast, of course. I knew he’d love the animals. Only, he didn’t care so much about the zebra that was 100 feet away, he was entertained by the grasses right next to the fence. And when he wasn’t checking out the weeds, he was jabbering and waving to everyone we walked passed. It was hot but fun.

[on the road again]
We jumped in the car sweaty and stinky and headed home. Of course, it was no simple trip. We had to stop to eat. Later stopped again to feed Scott and change a poopy diaper. Had a few construction areas and closed roads and adventurous moments guessing which county road to take to get to the highway we wanted. It was a good trip. We stopped close to home for Chinese (well as close as you can get to a Chinese restaurant) before arriving at our sauna of a house. It was warm in there too. One of these days we might have air conditioning.

Poop, please son!

[some time ago – about 10 days or so]
Not sure if I ever mentioned the recent poop experience with my kiddo. He was struggling and when I went to clean him it was so solid that it wouldn’t wipe out. He had also decided to quit pushing and so I had to pull the rest of the poop out of his little butt. Yeah, this is a definite story to hang on to.

[more recently]
Finally tired of the small town doctor, I made an appointment for small fry at a bigger small town place. My poor kid has had problems pooping from day one. Prunes – yup, he gets those every morning and sometimes in the evening. No result with those. So, our other option has been Karo syrup. I’m sure my kid will be a sugar addict the rest of his life. He gets dark Karo in a bottle each day and when it’s been about 6 days with no poop, he gets it in every bottle till he does the duty. Because of all this, small fry goes to visit Dr. Swanson. Grammy and Papa took him. According to G&P, the doctor had wonderful beside manner, good knowledge of medical stuff, asked questions, played with the kiddo, etc. He even called me at work during the appointment to explain things. I told him that I just wanted to make sure he didn’t have a plumbing problem. Dr. S was calling about that very thing, he wanted to make sure I was comfortable with them doing an x-ray to determine how full he was. Let me officially say my kid is full of sh*t. Yup, his bowels were full and it was up in his large intestine. Poor kiddo.

[laxative]
Dr. S prescribed a laxative to help soften things and get him cleaned out. Doc said that somewhere along the line it hurt really bad to push so small fry doesn’t want to push any more. Small fry has to take it for a month so that he forgets that it hurts to push. Dr. S said it would take 2-4 days to work. Today is Wednesday and the stuff is definitely working. The kid went from pooping every 8 days to 3 times each day. And as you might imagine, the diapers are awful. Full, runny, stinky and needed clean clothes help describe things. I’m glad he’ll be feeling better. In the mean time, we’re pushing more liquids and veggies to the little guy.

[new things]
He did so much in the last few days: waves hello, motions with his hand to milk a cow, feeds himself snack things, takes steps when you hold his hand, will finally drink out of his sippy cup (but not the suction type). What else… tries to crawl by pushing his back legs as he digs his toes into the carpet. There was something new everyday while we were gone. It was fun.

jeans

Have I mentioned that I fit in my pre-pregnancy jeans? They're a bit snug in the belly but they fit. Yipeeeee!

Off to MN shortly. Man, do we have to pack a lot of crap now with a baby!

What...

Stole the following from fantastagirl and thought I'd share too:
What is your favorite word? peachy, as in "I'm doing just peachy"
What is your least favorite word? anal sacks (because when my husband says it in reference to work, it sounds like "anal sex")
What turns you on spiritually, creatively, emotionally ?
Spiritually - being encouraged by the lives of other people
Creatively - having free time at home
Emotionally - when my husband does something specifically to show his affection to me (like laundry or dishes, etc)
What turns you off? Stinky feet and yucky breath
What's your favorite curse word? b@st@rd, although not appropriate for me to say so I've found a nickname for that word :)
What sound or noise do you love to hear? any sounds my kiddo makes (for the most part).
What sound or noise do you hate? The dog barking for no reason
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? photographer
What profession would you not like to do? cleaning septic systems
Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say at the pearly gates? Well done my good and faithful servant.

Clean House

Did I mention that my house is clean? Yes, and today is day 4 of being clean. I know the importance of picking up after yourself and how much it can help keep things clean. I also know that 15 minutes of quick cleaning each night and morning can change things dramatically. So, I've been working on that. No doubt, my kitchen needs mopped, showers scrubbed and things dusted but at least it doesn't look like a tornado hit. Tonight we won't be home till late and tomorrow we leave for a few days so that should make a whole week of clean house. Yipeee!

Anniversary

[3 years and counting]
Today, we celebrate our 3 year anniversary. My how time flies when you're having fun.

[good week]
So far so good. I've been able to get things done around the house, play with my kid, spend time with my hubby and play with my kid. I've even had some quiet time - not a lot but it's a good start.

[company]
Tis the season for company: cousin & family in early June, Dad in late June, Granny from late June through August, hubby's folks in July and my two Aunts in August. I'm excited and encouraged to keep up with my house during this time.

[lamp]
Saw this cute Iowa State lamp at the drug store. I told myself that if it was $45 or less (I'm in the spend less mode) I'd buy it for hubby for our anniversary. Walked in, saw the price tag and RAN back out. This cute little lamp was priced at $110. Sorry hubby, no lamp for you.

[kiddo]
small fry is good. Cutting teeth. Last night was the first night he wasn't up crying at 2am. How nice it was to get a full night of sleep!

Survey Questions

Like I've mentioned before, I'm taking a class called Theology of the Gospel. Each week I'll have a few questions to ask people. To get more widespread persons asked, I'll post them here. Please email me tam4buit@hotmail.com or use the comments options for your response to the following questions:
1. What do you believe the Christian Gospel is?
2. Do you believe the Christian Gospel to be true?

Psalm 78:1-7 (The Message)
1Listen, dear friends, to God's truth, bend your ears to what I tell you. 2I'm chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I'll let you in on the sweet old truths, 3Stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother's knee. 4We're not keeping this to ourselves, we're passing it along to the next generation-- GOD's fame and fortune, the marvelous things he has done.
5He planted a witness in Jacob, set his Word firmly in Israel, Then commanded our parents to teach it to their children 6So the next generation would know, and all the generations to come-- Know the truth and tell the stories so their children 7can trust in God, Never forget the works of God but keep his commands to the letter.

[10 words]
The following is 10 words from the letter S given to me by fantastagirl:
- Shoot, the first word I thought of is also used as a term for cow manure. Bad me.
- Stress, I have plenty of that in my life right now. I hope to leave work early today to get some things done around the house
- Sunshine – after several days of cloud cover, we finally have sun. No tan for me today though, the wind is chilly enough that I wore a light sweater when I was out in the field.
- Scott – my son, of course
- Sleep – I got good sleep last night even though I was up for over an hour with my kiddo. It was so good to feel rested this morning.
- Study – I need to study and memorize some stuff before my next class.
- Shocking a Stream – I spent a few hours this morning shocking a trout stream. We do this to survey the type, number and size of fish to see how much things have improved.
- So BIG – my kiddo recently learned how to throw his arms in the air when you play “so big” with him.
- Scrapbooking – I wish I had time for this. And, I wish I had L’s creativity and patience for each page.
- Summer Schedule – I’m trying to figure out my summer schedule for work travel, guests and everything else that will keep us swamped!

[bet with M]
I can officially report about my bet with M. A bunch of the girls think I’m pregnant because I’ve been tired and had some pregnancy symptoms. So, I bet M a penny that I’m not. The symptoms ended up being the flu and I think I can attribute the tiredness to all the running around and stress. I was pretty sure that I wasn’t pregnant although there were times when I began to wonder. So, yesterday I bought a trusty test to rule out the pregnancy. Well, I’m not pregnant so M owes me a penny – I hope it’s a shiny one :)

Lots of information

[congrats to jake]
It’s so fun to see a childhood friend playing pro baseball. I’m so proud of my buddy Jake and it’s not just because of his baseball career. Two things I want to congratulate Jake about:
1. He and his wife, M, are expecting a baby in October. So, congrats on the upcoming birth of your first child. I can’t wait to know if it’s a boy or girl so I can buy a little something for him/her.
2. Jake also seems to be doing well in the world of MLB. He got his first save on Saturday against his old team, the Angels. According to the article I read, Jake took the mound in the 5th inning to restore some order to the game. (click here to read the full article). Way to go buddy!

We’re headed to MN for Memorial Day weekend. While there we plan to catch all 3 Mariner v. Twins games. I’m excited to see Jake again. I’m also hopeful that M can join him on the trip so that we can get to know her better. Much has changed since I saw him last… no wait, I saw him in January when Scott was 6 months old. Prior to that, I saw him Memorial Day 2005 when I was massively pregnant.

[small fry]
Things are rapidly changing for this little guy. In the past week, he:
- Has another tooth that pushed through the skin (pic #3)
- Raises his hands in the air after you ask him how big he is and follow up with “SO BIG” (pic #1)
- also has two front teeth that look like they’re going to push through any day now
- continues to eat like a horse. Mom fed him at 4:30 yesterday and when I got there at 5:45, he took another full feeding.
- ate wild rice soup Sunday night. This was an hour after he had a bottle and was acting like he was starving so I ground up some of my soup and fed it to him. I couldn’t shovel fast enough and he LOVED it.

[stress and allergies]
Allergy season is in full swing here. This tends to be a miserable time for me when I get all the symptoms. I’m also feeling a bit stressed out at home. I feel like I never have time for my husband, my child or my maid duties. Yesterday I got an email from a friend that was a bit of a reality check for me. She informed me that my attitude sucks and that I’ve been really negative. I’m definitely feeling the stress and could name a million excuses but the reality of it is that I haven’t had my quiet time and that GREATLY affects my attitude. So, I know how to fix, or at least, improve my attitude. I was so glad to have the reality check. Baker used to be that person for me at home and I’ve really missed that. So, it was really good to have someone else be realistic with me. Thanks!

[Theology of the Gospel]
We just started a “class” at church called Theology of the Gospel. I’m super excited about that. I know that I have been out of practice on sharing and learning and memorizing and all those things which means I fell inadequate when I do need to share. I’ve been working with a guy on a streambank project. He found out in April that he has 30 days to live. Today is day 42 for him. I have really felt the urgency of sharing with him. If you had 30 days to live, what would you be thinking? So, you die, what’s next? Because we have sinned, we fall short and don’t deserve to go to heaven. But, the cool thing is that Christ died on a cross for my sins and for yours. He then rose again. And because he intervened to pay the price for our sins, if we call on His name, we can be saved and receive the “get out of jail hell free card”. So, I’m praying that God sustains Rick mentally, physically and emotionally so that I can tell him the Good News! This theology of the Gospel class is supposed to help better prepare me for that.

Big City, the bet and camping

Another quick trip to the big city, the state capitol this time. Another 400+ miles on my car. I love how the government pays me to drive 7 hours for a 4 hour meeting plus they pay me mileage, food and hotel. I opted to save you some tax money and stayed with Ryan's grandparents. Got in at 940pm after having to stop at Old Navy for a little break.
On my way back home, I had to stop for another little break. Not only had I drank a liter of water and REALLY had to go, but I wanted to do some quick shopping again. So, what did I purchase at the lovely Target:
1. Two toys for Scott.
2. A hammock for Ryan since his bday present was supposed to be a Cardinals game and that isn't going to happen now.
3. Some clothes for me (shhh, I haven't told my hubby yet).

[the bet]
The night before at Old Navy I was in search of some maternity clothes. Nope, not for me, but for my friend M. Yes, the friend I made the bet with. Okay, so back to the bet real quick. We had this bet - she bet I was pregnant. And she asks me lots if I am pregnant. Well Wednesday morning when I was home playing with my new palm pilot instead of working out, she shared that they heard the heartbeat for the first time - she's 12 weeks pregnant. It was quite planned but they're excited and I'm giddy! I had to stop and find M some cute maternity clothes. I found a white camisole with some cute and simple embroidery on it. I loved my white camisoles when I was pregnant. So, yeah, M kept asking me if I was pregnant cause she wanted me to be pregnant with her but was waiting to say she's pregnant. I'm so excited for them!

[camping]
We're headed out to camp this weekend. And I must mention that it has been overcast, cold and spotty rain for the past few days. At least we'll be in a motorhome but I don't think we'll ever make it outside. Its May here people. And where I come from, May = WARM weather. It's in the 40's here. Brrr!

Weekend

[mike on R&R with the army]
Mike was the best man in our wedding and a vet school buddy of hubby. He’s now a veterinarian in the army. Shortly after transferring to Germany, his unit was deployed to Iraq, where he’s been for the last 6 months. Recently, Mike emailed hubby letting him know that he’d be back in Iowa and having an open house type of party similar to when he left. I wasn’t eager about driving two hours to see him in a room with 100 others who also wanted his attention but he’s hubby’s buddy so I just needed to be supportive. Last week came and we still hadn’t heard any details from Mike but we knew when and where for the most part. Then mid week hubby decided that maybe it was Sunday instead of Saturday. Friday came and went and still nothing from Mike. Hubby had emailed him and left a message on his Kansas home phone. Hubby did figure out it was a Sunday thing. So, we made plans for Saturday night with some friends and planned to drive the 2 hours Sunday and also do some shopping too. Saturday hubby even went to his clinic to check his email there and see if Mike emailed him. Still nothing. By Saturday afternoon, we figured we’d just go shopping instead.
Satruday at 430 as we were getting ready to head out with some friends, Mike called. No party but he was going to be in Pella (a 4 hour drive from home) with some folks. Ryan really wanted to see his friend but that is a LONG drive to spend a few minutes with him. Mike assured Ryan that it would be a small group of people. I was supportive and said we should go when asked my opinion.

[trip to pella]
Sunday morning came way to early after being out with friends the night before. We were out of the house by 7:00am and stopped at mom’s to pick up our kiddo. First he needed a bath and needed fed. We got a bit behind schedule with having to feed him. Initially we thought we were driving 2 hours which would give us plenty of time to shop in the big city. Intead we were driving 4 and would be pushed for time. We stopped and I shopped at Target while hubby ran to Borders Books to save time. Only my purse was in the car so I had to wait for him to get back before I could check out. This gave me a little extra time to shop but I couldn’t try on any cute clothes with my kiddo (okay, I could’ve but I didn’t want to try). A hour later we were back on the road. Arrived in Pella about an hour later than planned. Had lunch with Jason and Andrea at the Chinese Buffet place (same thing we did 3 weeks ago). They have this peanut butter chicken which is pretty good. Went from Chinese to Mike’s cousins and arrived about 45 minutes later than planned.

[mike’s family]
Several families were there hanging out. Mike’s family was nice. Although I like Mike, I have a really hard time with his wife. We just don’t click. She doesn’t communicate with me unless I probe her with questions. I could write a whole page about that but it doesn’t matter. We hung out there for several hours when they started supper. I reminded hubby that we get up at 515am and we still had a 4 hour drive home. We agreed to leave at 6pm.

[headed home]
We were out the door pretty close to that time but we stopped in town at Dairy Queen so I could feed and change my kiddo. Of course while we were there, I fed my kid a little too much ice-cream and he spit up all over. It soaked through his jeans and two layers of onesies. We finished our ice-cream and jumped back in the car. It wasn’t too far down the road and I was out. I tried to stay awake but just couldn’t mange. We stopped in the big city to get gas. I quickly fed my kiddo some pears to quiet him down. Got back on the road and the poor thing was so tired he wouldn’t go to sleep. Arrived home at 11pm and headed to bed.

[long weekend]
It was a long and tiring weekend. Once again I didn’t get my house clean. But I can cross some more things off my list:
- finished soil test for septic system
- shaved my mini-australian shepherd dog, Keller
- treated Keller for ticks
I was also able to make Chinese food for supper Friday night and went to see Mission Impossible Saturday night with some friends. I think that’s about it.

Oh, and, I couldn't load the picture of Scott on Friday. I even tried this morning and it was jacked up. Sorry. I'll try again later.

Another view on Cinco de Mayo

Greg heard a different story on the origin of Cinco de Mayo. He was told:

Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New
York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost.
The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.
The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5 and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Where I come from (the central valley in California), Cinco De Mayo (5th of May in English) is widely celebrated. Lots of festivities that include great food, dancing, mariachi music and brilliant colors. Unfortunately, many people think that Cinco de Mayo is the Mexican Independence Day when in fact it's not. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the defeat of the French army by the Mexicans at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. With this defeat, Mexico demonstrated to the world that they would defend themselves of foreign intervention. Their independence is celebrated in October. Never-the-less, it has always provided a good reason to celebrate.
Now that I'm in the midwest, it's not near as popular. Last year at my office, I held a potluck and used a few minutes of our lunch time to provide a basic history lesson. It was lots of fun as everyone in the building made their attempt at bringing some sort of "mexican" dish. And this year, several of the women have greeted me with a "happy cinco de mayo".

*** The above picture is my little guy's celebration. No, he does not appear to be mexican but he is one-fourth. And becuase he's also half Dutch, I refer to him often times as my little Dutch burrito. Man, he's a cutie. Feliz Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Gotta love the Tulips

My little yellow M&M wasn't scared of the grass this time. That's my boy!

I Thank God For...

This morning on the radio, they spent some time taking calls for people to share what they are thankful to God for. I'm not the type to call in to the radio station for games or things like that but I always participate. I thought this would be a good opportunity to list a few things that I'm thankful for.

I thank God for:
~ Breath. God created man and breathed air into his lungs.
~ Life. I'm especially thankful for life as I work with a man who's been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and has been given 30 days to live.
~ Ryan. For a husband who loves me even when I'm not so loveable.
~ Mom and Papa. For their willingness to care for my child while I work. AND for keeping him late most nights without complaining when I'm late picking him up. AND for opening their home to us and feeding us when we drop in.
~ Children. Especially my own. It's so precious to see them express emotion.
~ Flowers. I love to see the fresh growth and brilliant colors.
~ Freedom. For those who have served in the past and those currently volunteering to protect that freedom.
~ My job. I know I complain that I would love to be home playing with my kid, cleaning my house and fixing meals during the day instead of working but I do appreciate my job. I'm especially thankful that I've been here for almost four years even though I'm expected to move around.

There is so much more I'm thankful for. But here's a short quick list. Now, I should get my butt otuside to work on my soil tests for the septic tank!

Mission Organization

I finally ordered a new palm. This is the first one I've actually ordered myself. I do have a decent one for work that is pretty nice but I needed a personal one that I can mess with. I've been looking at the Palm Tungsten E2 for a while through the Franklin Covey website. I really loved my FC planner and want one for a palm. But, I know that I can't afford to buy both. But yesterday I found my palm on sale. Sticker price is $249. Most places will give it to you for $199. Got that plus free shipping. But the good deal is that I get a 128MB expansion card for FREE. Plus, when I showed it to Ryan, he noticed the $100 savings with the 12 month audible subscription. Now, I didn't pay attention to that because I didn't need anything extra. But my husband is a bright guy. He figured since we already buy audio books for the car (~$20/each), this really was a good deal. For $180 spread out over 12 months (remember I just saved $100 on the palm so it really is only an additional $80), I can get 12 books. We think it's a pretty sweet deal for us. If you listen to audio books (we do in the car for long trips), check out this deal.

Hopefully now I'll be able to keep better track of what's going on in my crazy life instead of having it all on my work computer that stays at work. Busy season, here we come! And maybe for Christmas I can get the Franklin Covey planner.

Out of commission

[Sick, sick and more sick]
I finally ended up with Ryan’s flu (plus whatever else). The symptoms started Tuesday and I did pretty good at keeping myself hydrated, fed, etc. Wednesday was a short day at work for me. I knew that I needed some rest if I was going to keep from getting totally sick. Thursday was another short day at the office but that was because I spent an hour at the dentist getting my teeth cleaned (a separate drama in itself when you’re used to having Dr. Paloutzian or your father-in-law clean your teeth). Thursday nights are bible study nights and we scheduled a BBQ in the park and invited other young couples in the community instead of bible study. I was excited about that except I wasn’t feeling so energetic. Seemed like everytime I ate, I had an upset stomach. I went ahead and made my awesome broccoli salad for the group with a little help from my honey. We had some new folks which was fun and of course the smoked chops were awesome. Before heading to bed that night, I called my work-out buddy and said I wouldn’t make it in the morning. Friday morning was not fun! Let’s just say I visited the toilet a lot and I wasn’t puking. Stayed home from work and lay in bed all day. Meals for the day included sugar free popsicles, club crackers, sprite and water. Saturday morning I was feeling better but had no energy. Scott stayed home with me and he zapped all the energy I had. I did manage to shower and head to the bakery with my parents for awesome pecan rolls. Except, the sweet food didn’t sound good and didn’t taste good either. I went home and was wiped out. That evening I tried once again to build my energy levels back up. We went to the Grand March for Valley Prom. [Okay west coast buddies, I so didn’t have a clue what Grand March was. The community all comes out to support this event. Each couple is introduced and walks in to the Prom. It was neat that the kids could show off their outfits and smile for everyone. But, how humiliating for those who went stag to walk in solo.] Small fry, with a little help from his momma, made a sign for Lauren for the grand march. It read: “Lauren, why didn’t you choose me? Love, scotch”. It was so cute, she had to take a picture with him. Went home and was once again wiped out! Sunday was back to normal for my energy levels and today I haven’t noticed my tummy aching at all! In fact, tonight we're planning a girls night out. I definitely need some girl time.

[bet with M]
I have a bet with one of the girls. We bet a penny. I’m hoping to find out who won shortly. I typically won’t bet unless I’m sure that I’ll win. This time I don’t know so I’m quite curious to see who wins this bet. More on this later.

Pictures from Easter weekend

Scott and his great grandpa B.










Playing on Miranda's fun toy.

Our little Easter bunny

ER, company & too much fun for the weekend!

I tried to do the strike out font like fantastagirl does but it didn't work for me. Basically I showed the list of things that I did and didn't get accomplished over the weekend. Below is the reasons why:

Between the time I made this list on got home, I had 20 more things on it. I received a call that my cousin was coming to town. I knew that he was coming but it just hadn’t clicked before. All of a sudden it hit me, MY COUSIN IS COMING and MY HOUSE IS A PIT! So, I took Thursday off to get my house picked up. It was Dr. Honey’s half day at work so I had plans for him to do the boy chores. Dr. Honey came home feeling sick. He was hoping a nap would make things all better. Three hours later he informed me that he wouldn’t be going to supper, to bible study or anywhere else. The poor thing stayed in bed the rest of the evening. I went over to my folks to have supper and visit for a little while. Went back home to find a sick hubby. He was up during the night every hour visiting the porcelain king. Each time I was awake with him and our small fry. At 4am, he was not happy. Small fry was also awake and crying. Got the little guy calmed down and back to sleep and went back to bed. Chatted with Ryan for a few minutes before deciding to head to the ER. With child in hand (and a few diapers), we headed to the big town down the road. From 530 to 815 we sat in the ER. They ran lots of tests on Ryan, gave him some fluids, played with my kiddo and eventually sent us home. I stopped at the grocery store and got him some juice, soup and popscicles. I ended up staying home with him for the day. I piddled around the house (doing his boy chores) while he tried to rest and maintain hydration.
That night my cousin was coming to town for the weekend (which is a big deal when you’re 2,200 miles from where you were raised). Just before jumping in the shower, I checked on Ryan again. He wasn’t feeling good. And now he had the chills, was light headed, not holding down his liquids and feeling horrible. Called the doctor like we were advised to do in that situation and they thought he should come back in. I headed for a quick shower. Before I could even get the towel off my hair, Ryan said “let’s go”. I picked up the kid, his diaper bag, brushed out my hair and headed back to the big town. This meant that I wouldn’t be hanging out with my cousin at my mom’s house later on. So, I called my mom and let her know that we were headed back to the hospital and I wouldn’t be there for supper. We arrived at the ER for the 2nd time and once again my honey was dehydrated. After poking him a few more times, they left him alone for a while and he fell asleep. My small fry was in a good mood and making lots of noise so I went out to the waiting room. Next thing I knew they were wheeling my hubby past me to admit him to the hospital and take him upstairs. He got to have a pajama party with the nursing staff. Not too long after we got upstairs my folks met us there with my cousin to pick up Scott and take him so that I could attend to my honey without getting my kid sick. It was nice to visit with my cousin AND to eat some awesome enchilada casserole that my mom brought. It was now almost 9pm, I think, and I was super hungry. At 10pm, I went home and crawled in my own bed for some shut-eye.
The next morning, the doctor let him have some liquids. After keeping those down, he discharged Ryan at 11am. We headed home. In the mean time, my mom, Ralph and cousin were enjoying my kid and running around checking out the local sites like Pike’s Peak and visiting the big stores like Cabelas. Ryan was starting to feel a bit better by now and was even getting sassy with me. I was having a hard time encouraging and very stubborn and independent person to drink plenty of fluids. Saturday afternoon my family came over. I made shrimp scampi for supper while attending to a sick hubby upstairs. He still was feeling bad, running to the toilet and didn’t have any energy. Finally though he ate some food – he requested blueberry muffins.
Sunday was much the same although he was moving around a little. I left him home and went to church. After church I hung out with my family at mom’s house. Then I went home very briefly to check on hubby before heading back out the door to go fishing. We headed to a nice little stream to do some trout fishing. It was feeding time for the fish and we were catching trout every time we put the line out. It was really fun. They were all small fish so we through them back each time. Mom had a nice one though. Jimmy says it was 14” but it got off the hook at the surface of the water. We had bent the barb back on the hook to make it easier to get the fish off which made it easier for the big ones to escape as well. Three hours and two dozen worms later we headed back to town.

So, long story short, I didn’t have the weekend to get to my list of things. I had company and a sick husband instead. Maybe this week. I really need to get on the ball though. In other news… one of my buddies and his wife are expecting a baby in October. I won’t name names till it is super public information but until then a big congrats to THEM. And yesterday one of my co-workers (whose daughter works with my husband and he is there vet and we live in the same community) went into a diabetic coma. Good thing that the kids had a short day at school and Matthew was home early to find her. That could have been a super scary deal. That’s it for now. Still hoping to get some Easter pics up. I want to remove the red-eye first.

Pictures

I have downloaded my camera from Easter BUT my honey snagged it this morning. I hope to have it tomorrow to load some pictures. For now, here are a few non-Easter pictures of my small fry:




This is one from a while back that I was having fun playing with the contrast of colors. I wish I would have left his bright blue eyes but I thought about it too late.







I haven't quite finished playing with the color contrast on this one. It's cute though. We bought small fry his first soccer ball for Easter. We also bought him a toy TV remote. So, he got a gift that represents his mom and one that represents his dad and we didn't even plan it that way.

Things to Do

1. Put away clean dishes
2. Sweep and mop filthly floor in kitchen
2.5 Clean out refrigerator
3. Laundry (this one is kept up)
4. Remove wax from table cloth from Valentine's
5. Dust, Sweep and Vacuum living rooms
6. Run on treadmill or outside
7. Clean off desk
8. Vacuum stairs
9. Clean wood floors in upstairs bedrooms
10. Clean asian beetles out of window sills
11. Nag husband to clean his bathroom
12. Condition leather coat
13. Take hand-me-downs to Shepard's
14. Clean closet
15. Spray pasture to kill grass
16. Till killed grass for new garden spot
17. Buy garden plants
18. Do soil test for septic system
19. Get permit from county for septic system
20. Call one-call for septic system
21. Get loan from bank for septic system
22. Finish potting shed
23. Pot plants
24. Fix the goats zip lines
25. Bathe and trim Keller
26. Get baby bath out of attick for mom
27. Get other baby stuff out for Tera

This is why I need some time off. And these are the things I can come up with off the top of my head! I need some sanity days. And I just asked my boss this morning for 2 days off next week. Take a guess at what I'll get accomplished this weekend and 2 days next week.

Life

It's been a rough week which is why I haven't written. I love to write when things are going well but I don't like to share the bad things and nag on people. So, I've been pretty quiet about things. But, today I'm thinking I'll write some things down:

Last weekend I spent Saturday with Michelle and my kiddo shopping in Waterloo. It was a good day, even though I spent major bucks. We had a good time together and it was nice to chat. We shopped for a friend who we through a pantry shower for. It was hard to buy groceries when we weren't sure what they liked. But, it was fun to be able to do for others. Wednesday night after work, I took all the pantry items over to the house, gave her a home-made card with some extra cash in it and visited. I was so excited to see her appreciation - for her to know that her church family loves and missed her.

Tuesday was also a hard day at the office. I've been in this mood where I hate work. I do enjoy my job, but I hate that it takes away from me being at home to be the full-time wife and mom that I need to be. Anyway, so Tuesday morning I come in late. And there was a client on the phone for me. Which was an ongoing thing from Monday. I expressed my irritation with the client not following the protocol that I gave him. And so, in a very irritated manner, I told my boss that he could give the information if he wanted to. That I wasn't willing to lose my job over it being it's against the law. Well, that was the first time in almost 4 years that I've seen my boss mad. Following the phone call, I chatted with my boss and we were in disagreement on how we could provide information to farm operators. He made a call to his supervisor who agreed with my boss. I couldn't believe it, I know what the law says. I've trained my area on this very subject and yet no one seems to remember, or care, about it. So, it wasn't good that I didn't respect my boss in an appropriate manner.

My honey was gone Tuesday and most of Wednesday. Usually we have one night together at home which is Tuesday. So, I was missing my honey this week.

Bad mood mom. I sat in my house and and felt completely overwhelmed - my house is filthy (according to my standards), I haven't read the mail in over a month (honey has paid the bills), I haven't completed the soil tests for my new septic system, blah, blah, blah. I figured out that I'm home 2.5 hours a night before I go to bed. In that short time, I'm supposed to be a full time wife, mom and maid. It just isn't working and I'm stressed to the max. I know my husband loves me but I begin to question that a little. I know that I don't get to sit and relax or do the things I want because I don't have the time. And it bothers me so much that he takes the time to sit, relax and watch tv when trash needs to be taken out, recycles need to be dealt with, etc. My mind wonders why he doesn't do those things to help me out when he KNOWS that a clean house equals sanity for me. So, that's been adding to the stress.

Last night was another fun night though. See, I'm having a good time being out and doing things for others which means I have no time for myself or my "to do list" at home. Anyway, last night we visited Hugo and Gladys. Hugo spoke in our wedding and is such a neat guy. His wife is adorable and I love to give her hugs. Six of us from our small group went over there and visited, listened to Hugo sing, shared stories, sang hymns together and ate cake. H&G are 92 years old and both have walkers now. They don't get to church hardly ever and so it was a blessing for us and for them to visit with them.

Today we head to PC for the weekend. We hope to hang out with some of Ryan's childhood friends and then spend Easter with Ryan's grandparents. I'm looking forward to a weekend off even though it will be a busy one. Next week we get our new help at the office and after he's here, I'm hoping to take a few days off to get things in order at home.

Christ died a brutal death on a cross for you and me, that's why we call it Good Friday. Three days later he rose from the dead, we celebrate Easter that Sunday. I hope you appreciate that Christ died for your sins, that He paid the price for you, as you celebrate Easter.

Story of the Day - not a fun one either!

Got pretty scared last night. Scott, the middle of the night, was fussing. Most the time, I'll let him fuss for a while to see if he'll go back to sleep. Last night I checked on him right away for some reason. Walked into his room and it was smoke-filled. Thought I was seeing things in my half-awake state. Nope, it was smoke in his room. He has a vaporizer for his cold/congestion. Water must have caused a short or something because there was smoke in there. I unplugged it, left the door open and took my kid to my room. I had Ryan go in to make sure I wasn't imagining things and yep, it was smoky. Not full of smoke like a fire, but enough to scare me. We close his door to keep the humidity in his room so the smoke wasn't able to escape either. If I would have waited, he could have very well passed out and I may have just thought he fell asleep. It was scary. Praise God for the prompting to check on him right away last night!!! Scott-R, I love you son!

Story of the Day

[from monday]
On my way home, just a few miles up the road, I noticed something abnormal. In a newly terraced field of Kevin's (my office did the work), I saw heifers. Now, this field doesn't have fences so it didn't make sense for animals to be out there. Sometimes, people put up a single strand of hot wire for short term. I slowed down to look for that knowing that animals shouldn't be grazing in new terraces. My immediate thought was that they belonged to Dean. [I wouldn't typically know any of these people, but I did the cost share paperwork for Kevin's terraces and Dean is a neighbor to some of my friends]. I tried calling my friend to have them alert Dean. But there was no answer, so I turned down the gravel road to Dean's house. At this point the cattle appeared to have just crossed the gravel into the open field. As I drove, I noticed the top wire was down on Dean's fence. But, sometimes those fences are 30 years old and the top wire has been down for 20 of those years. I knocked at the door and was greeted by a confused Joanne. I aked her if they were grazing cattle in the field up the road and she confirmed that. I alerted her that the cattle were in Kevin's new terraced field and got back in my car. As I headed back towards the blacktop, I drove slow enough to assure that I didn't hit a cow or heifer in the road. By this time (less than 5 minutes later), the dairy animals had headed quite a way down the field. In this one big field, there is one long strip of grass. The cattle were biting on the tiny bit of green grass that is there. I imagine that Dean had quite the time getting his cattle rounded up and back into his own farm. I would've offerred some help except my mom was sick and was eager for me to pick up my child since I had already stayed 45 minutes late at work. Anyway, it was quite the entertaining story of the day - for me at least.

[little guy's attitude]
It has been bad this week. He goes from angel to heathen real quick. He's been throwing quite the little fits. I thought it was because he was sick but they're still happening. Maybe it's because he's teething and wants his mommy to hold him. I'm trying to teach him that bad behavior will not be accepted and that he won't get away with those little fits at our house. I don't like disciplining him but he needs it.

Great Photo Op

I just had to share a photo of the Buitenwerf siblings: Alise, Roy and Reva. They live spread out in the US but managed to get together recently in AZ. This picture is a treasure!
Pictured below would be our little guy's: Great, Great Aunt Alise, Great Grandpa & Great Grandma and Great, Great Aunt Reva

Pictures

RJ - my little niece. She's so cute here and I love her smile so I wanted to share it.

Have I added this picture before? It was a while back. Scott was playing with Ryan's [wrapped] cigar.

Scott sporting his ISU jersey while taking a break from his favorite toy.

Scott eating prunes. He seems to like anything he can get in his mouth with the exception of peaches so far.

Our small fry. Caught this cute picture yesterday when Scott was relaxing on the couch with his dad. He is growing so fast.