THE HOUSE!!!

Yesterday Jeremiah and I (and some of our friends) went to check out how the new house is coming along. So far, they have the forms and today the plumber is supposed to be putting in the plumbing. After that they should be able to pour the slab. I can't wait!

I've Been Tagged!

My friend, Lauren, tagged me on her blog. The rules are that I have to tell 7 random things about myself and then tag 7 friends...


COMING SOON!

New Orleans

During the first week of November, I traveled to New Orleans for a conference for work. It was a fun week and I learned a lot.



One day, the class I signed up for didn't seem to fit my situation like I had hoped, so I skipped out and did some sightseeing! I took a streetcar to the Garden District and took a walking tour and saw a lot of beautiful old houses and an old "City of the Dead" above-ground cemetery. Then, I went down by the river and walked to Jackson Square in the French Quarter. I walked around the French Market, ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde, and went into the St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in North America.






One day during an extended lunch, I walked down to the casino and lost $5 on the penny slots! I have never gambled before, so this was a new experience for me. I realized that I could never be a hard-core gambler when a guy came and played the machine next to me and I saw he was playing $5 each time he pushed the button and I was only playing 5 cents - and this was while I was being daring and had moved up from 1 cent!


Since I was there alone, I didn't feel comfortable going out after dark, so wasn't able to go out and eat much great New Orleans food. Instead, I stayed in my hotel room after a quick bite to eat nearby and cought up on my alone time and some good fun reading! It was a great week, but I was definately ready to get back home!

Pumpkin

Last week I bought a pumpkin because my small group at church decided to roast pumpkin seeds and bring them to share with the group. I had never roasted pumpkin seeds before, so it was an adventure! I couldn't decide what flavor to make, so I made two: garlic and enchilada! Really, I wanted to make taco instead of enchilada, but I didn't have taco seasoning! They turned out pretty good, but I liked the cinnamon ones that a couple of the junior high girls brought! They were GOOD!

So, then we had a pumpkin that needed carving! I told Jeremiah that he is WAY more creative and artistic than I am and that he should probably carve the pumpkin. Last night when he got home from work, he grabbed a knife and started. We aren't much for Haloween, so instead of a face, Jeremiah carved a cross and a tomb - an Easter Pumpkin! It looked great!

Voting

I will be out of town next week and will be unable to vote on Tuesday, so I decided to go to the Election Board yesterday and vote early. I didn't know it was an option until I looked online about getting an absentee ballot. It was a little crazy - there were alot of people there. Parking was difficult. I drove around the lot several times before I found myself being directed back onto the street! I don't know how I got in the line to leave, but I had to start again! When I got back into the parking lot, I found a spot pretty quickly, but then had to walk to the back of the parking lot where the line of people ended! I was surprised how quickly we got through the line, though! Parking and everything, I think I was there about an hour. They say that the early voting is up ALOT from 2004 and that this election will probably be the highest turnout in the past 100 years! I am glad I got it out of the way! Now I can only pray that the right man will be elected and make the right choices for our country!

The New Pad

We are FINALLY moved into our apartment!

Actually it is a condo, but whatever you call it, it is small and it is where we live! It is definately an adjustment to move from a 3 bed/3 bath to a 1 bed/1 bath! We put most of our stuff into storage and only brought what we really "need" for the next 5 or 6 months while our house is being built. Meanwhile, we are finding creative ways to use the space. We have a dining room/office and a kitchen/laundry room to deal with! There are stackable washer/dryer units in a closet in the kitchen and I have a bookshelf to hold all my office stuff and where I can put my computer monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. when they aren't being used on the kitchen table! I know we will appreciate our new home when it is done!

Alex, our oldest...dog, is staying with her...grandmother?, Jeremiah's mom, while we are here because we found out after we moved in that they only allow 2 doggies! :( We miss her ALOT and visit as much as possible, but our busy schedule makes that difficult!

The other challenge we found out about right after we moved in was that the owner has put the place up for sale! So, we just thought we were done with realtors and having people walk through our house! We are not entirely sure what will happen if the place sells, but we are believeing that God will take care of us and that He has us here for a reason. Hopefully that reason isn't to move out in a few months!!! We hope that it won't sell until after we are in our new house and the housing market is in our favor, but we will see!

Since the realtor had professional pictures taken for his website, I am going to use them here to show our temporary home! The pictures do make it look bigger than it is, though!

Superstars

Last night Jeremiah and I had the oppertunity to go to the Gymnastics Tour of Superstars. We got to see Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Shannon Miller, The Hamm brothers, and many more great gymnasts perform. It was great. Our seats were on the floor right next to the stage. It was really cool being so close to the gymnasts!



We had some friends that were there also and had a backstage pass that they weren't going to use, so I was able to go back and get all their autographs!

Afterward, we all went to The Cheesecake Factory for appetizers and cheesecake!

Etc...

It has been a busy month and I am so excited it is almost over!

I haven't kept up with my blog this month because I haven't really had the time to even think about what I have been up to! So, here's an overview:

Since we sold the house, I haven't had to keep cleaning everyday (which is very nice!), but we have had inspections and appraisals to deal with. Our home passed everything with flying colors. We don't know what it appraised for, but we are guessing that it is well above the selling price. This was the part that we were the most worried about. Our realtor said she thought she could back up the price if we needed to, but you never really know what someone will appraise a house for - depends what kind of mood they are in! :) So, with that out of the way we are ready to move!

This past week we have been collecting boxes and have started packing. It is more difficult than just moving because we have 6 months in a small apartment. So, I am packing some boxes to go into storage until our house is built and other boxes to come with us to the apartment. And I know there are things in storage (like winter clothes!) that we are going to want before long. I am just hoping those things are easy to get to! The other night Jeremiah took our TV, VCR, couch, coffee table, dining table, chairs, and some bookshelves along with at least 20 boxes. Now our living room echos! Now, I just have to finish packing everything up and we will be completely moved out on Saturday!

Other than moving, we have stayed busy with church. We started Saturday night services on the 13th of this month and they are going great! There have been just a little less people there than on a Wednesday night - way more than was expected! Jeremiah is an usher (on the front row!) and I run the main camera during the service. It has been alot of fun! These services are very relaxed and there is a coffee shop open afterward and everyone is encouraged to stay and hang out a while after service. We have gone out to eat with several other married (no kids) couples after service and have enjoyed hanging out with people from church who are a little closer to our age!

Many of the college kids have made our home the place to hang out after services...and other nights they want to get together. Even last night when we had no furniture or tv, they came over and we sat on the floor and ate delicious fast food and talked! We have been watching the TV series Chuck when we get together, but will obviously have to put that on hold until we get into the apartment!

Enough for now - I am supposed to be working! :)

SOLD

WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!

It kind of happened at a bad time. They came and saw the house when my parents were here this past weekend. Then we got the offer on Sunday afternoon when I was planning on taking a nap before the Lock-In. So, we counter-offered and I waited anxiously by the phone (at church when the kids were arriving) and got the phone call that they countered our counter while I was stuck on a full bus of kids on the way to the pool party. Finally, while lifeguarding at the party, I got the call that we had finally agreed on a price and the house was sold!

The next step was to find a place to move until our house is built. It just so happens that the people buying our house have an apartment/condo that they were trying to get out of the lease. So the other night, Jeremiah and I went to see their place and we think it will work for us until we can move into our new house. We will be taking over their lease and they are buying our house! It's a house swap!

What A Weekend

Labor Day Weekend was great. My parents came to visit on Friday and Saturday. My dad had some work to do in Kansas City, so they went there and visited my brother, Kendal, for a few days, stopped in to see my grandparents near Wichita, KS for a few days, then came south to Tulsa to see us before heading back to Kentucky. We didn't really do much while they were here, but we played games, ate food, visited, and showed them our plans for the new house. I am glad they got to come.

On Sunday, we had a Lock-In scheduled for the youth at church. It started at 6:00 PM with a swimming party/cookout at the pastor's house. I was the designated lifeguard. I have a funny feeling that I really got myself into something when I agreed to get certified for camp! :)

After swimming, we headed back to the church for some basketball, sand volleyball, and ping-pong tournaments. Durning this time another volunteer, Janet, and I were putting together the scavenger hunt. We had 10 teams, 12 clues leading to different places on the church campus (each team would get 10 of them), and we wanted each team to be going to a different location and no two teams ending up at the same place at the same time. It really took some organization. AND we started this around midnight! SO, around 3AM we had all the clues in place and were ready to start...so we thought! After everything seemed to go so smoothly, I realized that we put all the clues in the wrong spot! We ended up going back out, picking up all the clues, re-organizing them, and putting them in place...again! At 5AM we were finally done and ready to start the hunt! When it was over, it was time for breakfast and then we went home. It was alot of fun, but I didn't get to hang out with the kids much! :(

On Labor Day, Jeremiah and I SLEPT ALL DAY!!!

Birthdays

This weekend we celebrated Jeremiah's birthday, his brother David's birthday, and his sister Patience's birthday.

Friends and family were invited to join us with food from Ted's Cafe Escondido. Jeremiah received many cards (and cash!), some coffee table books on dogs, and a case of the original recipe Dr Pepper made with cane sugar - it is really good!

After opening presents, we brought out Jeremiah and David's cakes. (We forgot to pick up candles, so they had to pretend to blow them out after we sang!)

Afterwards, we headed to Sand Springs for a special party for Patience's 30th birthday. We brought out her cake and gave her 30 trick candles to blow out. It was fun to watch her try to blow out the candles, but there were so many, we eventually had to put them out with water (otherwise the smoke alarm would have gone off!) After cake, we played Monopoly until early hours of the morning!

Butchered!

I butchered my doggies!

Jake and Dynamite's fur had gotten SO matted, that I couldn't stand it anymore. I kept thinking I would get them to the groomer, but really, I am saving for a haircut for me first! It didn't look like I would be able to get them groomed anytime soon, so I tried to brush out the mats...they HATED that. Finally, I gave up and started trimming the matted fur while I petted them. They didn't care much for it, but it was better than the brushing!

So, once I got most of the matted fur, they looked rediculous! They had long hair on top, no hair on their bellies, and then bald spots on the side where large matted fur used to reside! Then, I got the bright idea to just go ahead and trim the rest of the fur to make it look a little better...maybe. So, I have never cut doggie fur, or even human hair for that matter, and here I was grooming my dogs! I was able to keep Dynamite's a little longer, but Jake had so much matted fur that I had to trim all his down to a short coat!

They look a little silly, but given my experience...I think they look pretty good! :)

Camp

Finally! I think I have cought up on my sleep!

Last week I was at camp with the youth at church. It was a great time! I was the lifeguard and a leader over the junior high girls.

We had a bunch of surprises for the kids throughout the week including a "Hip-Hop Pool Party" Tuesday night, a mechanical bull on Wednesday, an Ice Cream Party at 1:30AM Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and a trip to the lake on Thursday. We also had plenty of water with the pool, mud pit, and water ballons. And the praise and worship was awesome! We even had late night praise and worship one night until about 2:00AM! It was so incredible and so many of them made decisions to follow Christ! I am so excited about what God has planned for our youth group! I also got to know alot of the kids much better...and some of the leaders too! I am very thankful I had the oppertunity to go this year.

Needless to say, we were all exhausted when we came back on Friday!

Biking Misadventures

Last week I was talking to several girls at church and we decided that we would get together and go biking. It didn't work out for us to go last Monday, so we rescheduled for Saturday morning.

We met at my house at 9 AM and sat around munching on cereal for about an hour before we went out to start the bike ride. I pulled my bike out of the garage and it was met with the comment, "WOW! That bike looks like it is straight out of the 80's!" It is a rusty, purple splatter-painted bike that I figure I got when I was about 10 or 11 years old.

We tightened a few bolts and were on our way. Before long, I was complaining of wobbly handlebars and Jen was covered in mud (she had to decide to stop, run into me, or go down a hill into the ditch...she chose the ditch!) Then about a mile from the house, my handlebars weren't straight, so I pulled over to fix it and started again. I went about 2 feet and they were crooked again! I knew I wouldn't get far like this, so Jen decided to run back to the house to get a wrench to fix the bike. Steffani and I stayed with the bikes by the side of the road and I was messing with my bike when the handlebars fell off! We called Sarah (who stayed at the house because of a sore back) and she came in her truck to rescue us!

Back at my house, we decided to borrow Jen's brother's bike and make another attempt. So, after switching my bike seat with Steffani's (mine had more cushion), we started again at almost noon. We got to the track and after going down a hill, we realized Steffani didn't have breaks! Then Jen's bike decided to cause trouble and her handlebars began twisting and the bike switched gears but wouldn't catch when we went uphill. We ended up riding like this for another 3 miles until it got bad enough that we walked our bikes for the last mile!

Maybe next week we should work on our bikes instead of riding them!

I'm a Lifeguard

So, 5 years ago I was done! I had no desire to lifeguard again. I let my certification expire and didn't even look into renewing it. I was becoming an adult and was ready to give up the lifeguarding gig...until now.

On the 4th of July we went to the Youth Pastor's house to watch the fireworks at the country club and he mentioned that we needed to find a lifeguard for camp this year. Jeremiah told him that I used to be a lifeguard and one thing led to another and by Monday morning, I was enrolled in a class.

So during the past week and a half, I have spent several evenings with a bunch of 15-17 year olds! I was definately the oldest member of the class by at least 10 years! At least the instructor was older than me - it would have been strange if he was younger!

The first class left me wondering what was in store for the rest of the course. There were 7 of us in the class and 2 of us knew how to swim. The others could get around in the pool, but it wasn't pretty! We spent the entire first class (5 hours) swimming and learning our strokes. I even ended up teaching a couple of them for about 30 minutes! The rest of the course was much better - we didn't have swimming lessons all week!

I enjoyed the class and even made some friends. One girl, Tessica, and I went to Quick Trip during a break each night. The rest of us joked around and had fun. I am glad I went and now I am certified to lifeguard at camp for the next 3 years! Woo Hoo!

Phantom of the Opera

On Friday, Jeremiah and I went to see the Phantom of the Opera with some friends, Tammy, Wes, and Ross. It was very interesting - I had never been to see an opera before, and I didn't know the story of the Phantom, so it was a new experience for me!

We got dressed up and met at Te Kei's for dinner and then headed to the PAC for the show. We got there just after it started, so we watched the first scene from the lobby, but then were able to go in. It was a little difficult to understand some of the words that were sung - but then again, I think that might just be because it is opera! But I was able to follow the story through the acting and the parts I could understand. It was so much fun and such a great story! I am glad we were able to go!

Afterwards, we grabbed some cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and headed to the Tammy, Wes, and Ross Suite (they live in apartments right next to each other) and enjoyed coffee, cheesecake, and WII games until we couldn't stay awake any longer.

The Update

So, since I don't really do a good job at keeping up with my friends, I will update you on what has been going on...

Jeremiah and I recently celebrated our 5th anniversary! We live in Broken Arrow in our condo with three amazingly cute dogs: Alex (Pomeranian) and Jake and Dynamite (Maltese/Shih Tzu).

I have been working at Samson as a Computer Programmer for just over a year and Jeremiah is still working with his family as a Chimney Sweep at Black Hat Cleaning. Last year Jeremiah also accepted a part-time position at the church as Assistant Youth Pastor. He really loves it and has grown so much this past year. I have enjoyed watching him become the man God created him to be! Most of our free time is spent in some way connected with the youth - Church, Youth Events, Hanging out with youth and youth leaders, etc.

We have also spent alot of time this past month and a half on projects at the house. We have put in French doors, carpet in one room, tile in a bathroom, replaced bad trim all over the house, spot painted, painted all doors, put in a patio out back, I made curtains for one room, and we got a new garbage disposal. The disposal wasn't planned, though - it just stopped working last week! Next, we are going to get our carpet and tile cleaned!