My most painful day!

So, my plan was to sleep in this morning so I could drive most of the night on our way to Kansas. I did sleep in and got up about 9:00 a.m. As I headed downstairs with Andrew's cousin my foot twisted on the very last step of the stairs. I have never really had blinding pain like that before. The whole left foot completely twisted to one side and I heard several big cracks and pops. Luckily I was able to set Andrew's cousin down before I fell over. The pain was so intense I can't even describe it. I realized that I was screaming but I couldn't really help it. After Andrew's family helped me up and got me whatever my hearts desire was . . . the utter humiliation set in. That was the worst part of the day!! I am so embarrassed that this happened around other people and I am embarrassed that I screamed, but like I said it was like I couldn't stop it. I realized once that I was screaming and so I stopped but then the pain got worse. Andrew tells me it is nothing to worry about. I decided to go and have it x-ray'd because of the popping. It wasn't broken. I was embarrassed that I had to be wheeled around the Liberty Urgent Care! Anyway, I was able to figure out a way to hobble around and I have a pretty badly sprained ankle. That will be enjoyable in Kansas, right?! So, that was my adventure. I must say that I was waited on hand and foot by Andrew's wonderful loving family (aunt and uncles from both sides of the family), and Andrew's grandma took me to Urgent Care (and wheeled me around). Anyway, I must go. We still have packing to do for our trip.

The Second Day of Christmas

Happy second day of Christmas to all. Christmas sort of snuck up on me this year. I had everything done but I guess most of my holiday's are marked by vacations from school or whatnot so it was strange to just keep on going with everyday life and then Christmas came. Maybe that made sense. More later . . . I am going on a trip to Lebanon right now.

Christmas Eve Post

I cannot believe it is already Christmas Eve. It was just a few days ago that we were still living in Kansas. We have had a lot of activity in these past few days and I don't think it will slow down anytime soon. I have been reading a lot these past few weeks and I have a stack of several library books yet to read. It has been nice not to have a TV in our bedroom. I have been doing a lot more reading because of it.

I received a call yesterday from the Cincinnati Symphony Chorus. I had emailed them about possibly getting an audition. They called me back and asked about my musical history and then we set up an audition time for January 3rd . . . . also the day I start my job. I am going to have to spend the rest of the holiday time working on my song.

Sorry this is a bit boring but I don't have much to say! Merry Christmas!

Two days until Christmas

It has been a while since I wrote a post. I really don't have much to say. Christmas time is approaching fast and I am pleased to say that all my shopping is done and everything is wrapped. I really don't know yet when things are going on as far as Christmas celebrations so I am just going with the flow and being prepared for anything. We are taking the dogs (Dewey and Hope) to get washed and nails clipped today, so that should be fun. I am also having tea this afternoon with A's aunts and grandma. Susan gave me a manicure for Christmas and so I believe we are going to try and have those done this afternoon. I guess that is all for now.

Chicago Update

I got back about 2:30 p.m. from my trip to Chicago. I had so much fun and the drive really didn't seem bad. I had a book on tape to keep me occupied. The first night I was up there, I went mystic tanning with my sister and her friend, Neysa. In case you all don't know what mystic tanning is, it is getting sprayed with a tanning solution, no UV rays involved. That was a lot of fun. After that we visited with my sister's roommate and enjoyed a quiet evening. On Friday, we met Sasha downtown to see another SC grad in a Radio play of "It's a wonderful life." It was very good! We all enjoyed it a great deal. During the middle of the show, the performers read off "radiograms" that people in the audience could send to other people. I wrote one to my sister that said, "Dear Jenny, Thanks for being a great host and thanks for encouraging me to go mystic tanning." :)

After the show we went to Geja's for some fondue. Now, I am not a consumer of fondue but that was the best food I have ever had. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I tasted my first bite of the chocolate fondue. Geja's has been named the 3rd most romantic restaurant in the USA. I am so glad I got to experience that with Jenny and Sasha. After we got done having the time of our lives indulging in food and laughter, Jenny and I dropped Sasha off at her apartment and headed back out to Wheaton.

On Saturday, we went to go get facials at a skin institute near where Jenny lives. That was a very relaxing experience as well. Besides the lamp falling on my face once, the experience was wonderful. Much better than the last time I was there! Also in the evening, I attended a wedding of one of my sister's friends. It was an Anglican wedding so it was neat to experience something different. Despite my tooth getting banged on the communion cup and the poor quality of mints (the Fairchild's are wedding mint connoisseur), the wedding was beautiful.

A good time was had by all!

I have a job!

I can't write long because I am in Chicago visiting Jenny. I just wanted to update all of you that I accepted the job offer at the Lutheran church in Mason yesterday. Their offer was very close to what I thought it would be and I really enjoy the people there. I am having fun here in Chicago. We have already been Mystic Tanning and we are going to go into the city tonight to watch a friend of ours (Ben Dicke) perform in "It's a wonderful life." More details on the trip when I return to Ohio.

T'was the night Dewey ran away . . .

Last Thursday this area had quite a bit of snowfall. It was about 4:45 p.m. and I decided to go shovel the walk ways while I let Dewey outside to use the bathroom. I let the dog outside and then turned around to get my coat. I headed outside and started shoveling the sidewalks. I hollered ("called" is the appropriate word for you in Ohio) for Dewey but couldn't see him anyway. I just assumed he was around the other side of the house. I went to the other side and . . . no Dewey. So I calmly finished shoveling. Rosalie peeked her head out the door and I told her what was happening. She got me a flashlight and a hat. I search all around the farm yard looking for Dewey and calling his name while shaking his treat bag. He will usually come running when he hears that. It is getting pretty dark and it is snowing heavily.

I find some tracks in the snow over behind the house and so I decide to follow them. They looked like a dogs tracks. I followed them in circles in the yard and then they suddenly followed the fence out to the direction of the road. I followed the tracks (by now I am running and shouting). I continue to follow the tracks out the front gates around a tree and down the road a bit. The tracks then cross the road (which is fairly busy) and I think I have lost the tracks. I decided to cross the road anyway and there I find tracks again. They circled around a culvert (which I went slip and sliding around) up and into the subdivision that is across the road. I continue to follow the tracks around the subdivision sign (Yankee Estates) and through someone's backyard. I was hoping that they wouldn't see or hear this lunatic running through their back yard screaming "Dewey" and flashing a light around at the ground. The tracks circled back (must have made about 5 ot 6 circles through the whole thing) and went back out to the road. Just as I was turning around and calling his name, I saw him out on the road. What I also saw was a car coming. I bent down, rattled his treat bag and screamed his name all at the same and luckily he ran off the road and to me. He looked so scared. His ears were laid back and his hair was standing up on his neck. His ears were flapping and flying as he ran towards me. I began to run in the direction of the house so he would follow me, which he did. I had been running this whole time looking for him. He followed me without incident into the house and I could hardly breathe enough to get my story out to the eagerly waiting crowd inside.

As I was running around looking for him, I was thinking about all of the wonderful things I would miss about my puppy if he really ran away for good. Smiling, jumping into bed with me and snuggling for hours after a good lick in the ear, and sleeping in my lap. Fortunately, I still get to experience all of those good things because Dewey was found and escaped without incident. I have been wondering this whole time why he got away. I think he may have been a bit disoriented by the dark and his first big snow. Perhaps he lost his scent for a while or maybe was just chasing something. Anyway, now I don't let him out after dark without a leash and many times during the day I just tie him up outside to his doggie run! So, there is the story of Dewey's escape and recapture!

A little of this and a little of that!

Ok, I had too many ideas to have a post just about one thing, so I decided to just write down lots of things that are going on and that are on my mind.

First of all, the things I am currently missing: One of my favorite things about Sterling was the fun that we all could have together while not working. I loved having Christmas parties (yes, bringing my punch bowl) and going to Christmas parties, and just lots and lots of parties, girl parties, anytime parties, etc. So, I miss going to parties. I know we have only been here two weeks but I don't forsee any Christmas parties on our horizon and I don't have many girls (yet) to hang out with and have parties. Just one party would be nice! :( I wish I could join my former co-workers for their Christmas party which is this Thursday. I will be thinking of them on that day and will be rather sad. However, on Thursday:

I will be driving to Chicago to see Jenny if the weather forecast is good. It is so nice to be fairly close that I can drive it by myself. Andrew thinks it will take five hours and Jenny things a bit longer so I will have to time it. I already checked out my book on tape from the library this afternoon so that I won't be too bored! :) I am looking forward to my second visit to the windy city and hopefully more will follow in the future. I wanted to get a visit in before I potentially start my job. Speaking of my job:

I have a meeting Thursday at 1:00 p.m. with two of my interviewers to discuss more details about the job. I am leaving for Chicago after that meeting. I hope it goes well and that things work out. That is definitely the type of job I have been looking for. Well, I'd best be off to bed. Lots of reading to do before I fall asleep! It has been amazing how much more reading I have been doing since we don't have cable hook up in our room here (we did in Sterling). It has been great!

My First Ohio Job Offer

This afternoon while shopping for a new keyboard for Grandpa Myers, I got a call from Grandma Myers saying that I needed to call a guy back from the church I had an interview with on Friday. So, I called him back from the parking lot of the Microtel Center. He said that they would like to offer me the job of Administrative Assistant at their church! Yeah! I really liked them in the interview. Anyway, we are going to meet this next week to talk about salary and benefits. I haven't officially accepted it yet but if the offer is right then I will. This is the job that I really wanted out of all that I applied to. I applied to many (probably over 70 when all was said and done)!! It may not be over yet. We will just wait and see next week. If I take the job, I would not start until January. That is good because it would leave me to enjoy friends and family over the Christmas holiday without bothering about work. So, that's the latest update!

An important thing I learned from my mother . . .

Early on in life my mother taught us a very valuable lesson. You should say 10 positive things for every 1 negative thing you say to someone. Hey, you did such a good job . . . thanks for doing this . . . I appreciate that . . . I sure like hanging out with you . . . your hair looks so good that way . . . I think it is wonderful how you . . . dinner was great. . . you did a wonderful job at that. . . I think you would do wonderfully with that . . . thanks for . . . Oh, and by the way, I wish you would pick up your socks! (I will admit it took me a while to think of those 10 things and the 1 came very easily). How much better would this make our lives if we were to just follow this simple rule? The bad stuff would be so much easier to take. Our defenses would drop and we would be ready to possibly change ourselves when a kind suggestion was made. When we are constantly battered with criticism it becomes hard to take. I know that I am one of the worst people at following this rule. This has been sticking out a lot to me lately as I think about people's love languages and as I think about how I treat my husband and family. If you haven't read that book by Gary Smalley, it is a good one. My top love language is encouraging words. I tend to forget them if they are spoken to me but if you rifle down far enough in my purse you will find a bunch of printed things people have emailed to me that mean a lot. This was just a thought I had lately that I would share. If you hear me failing at this, which I will, I encourage you to hold me accountable. Yes, that means you too, Andrew. (Yikes, what am I getting myself into)! :) Thanks, Mom, for your wonderful wisdom!

Time flies when you're having fun!

Every day I think of things that I need to get accomplished and I seem to never finish that list, even though I'm not working! Today I spent most of the morning out Christmas shopping and seemed to be on a roll for getting people Christmas presents. I still have several more things to buy. I also got to go to Andrew's work and meet several of his co-workers and see his office. It was nice. After I returned to Snug Harbor from my shopping trip, Rosalie, Anne, (Andrew's Grandma and Aunt) and I went to Sam's for some food. We were back by about 4:00 p.m. and I worked on cleaning out some more of our stuff. I found a wonderful unique music stand in the barn here and asked Rosalie if I could use it for voice lessons. She said, yes. We had supper here with the Schechter family (Wayne and Susan, Richard and Joann) and after that I attended a cookie swap with Susan.

I got a call this evening from a person at Grace Chapel, the church we have decided to attend, and was asked to teach Sunday school this coming Sunday with 4-year old kids. I know this may seem early but I really want to get involved and so well . . . why wait?! Anyway, I plan to send out some more resume's tomorrow as well as do a little bit of baking for Rosalie. I also need to put together an organized book in case I get any calls for voice lessons. The add will run in tomorrow's paper! We'll see! This post seems a bit sporatic to me but I wanted to fit everything in that I had been doing.

Oh yes, the interview went well on Monday, except that the interviewer was a bit biased towards me because I told her that Andrew and I would like to start a family in a few years. She wanted someone long term (like 2o years, she said). So, I learned my lesson there. I will have to come up with some better life goal that to have a family!!! :)

Well, I think that is about all. I have another project I am going to work a bit on now!

Ah, Interviews!

So, I was mistaken. I got a call from a lady last week and she asked me to come in for an interview this morning. I didn't want to ask her where she was calling from (although I should have) and I just assumed she was from a church I had spoken to earlier since it was in the same general area. Wrong! I have an interview with a doctor's office this morning and the church on Friday at 2:30 p.m. I can't keep them all straight!

Pictures

It snowed a bit today (not sticking much as you can see in the picture) and this is Dewey experiencing his first snow. He liked it about as much as he likes rain (which isn't much).


Grandma Myers is enjoying a relaxing moment with Dewey. Dewey was asleep until I got up to get the camera. Dewey has also spent a considerable amount of time cuddling with Grandpa Myers.

Interviews

Well, this morning I had an interview with a job search agency in West Chester. They tested my skills in Microsoft Products, and then we had an interview just to chat about what jobs I was looking for. While I was taking the tests, I felt so incredibly stupid, and I couldn't believe I was getting so many wrong! When I got the results back, I scored higher than average on all four microsoft products (access, excel, word, and power point) and scored in the advanced level for Word. I could NOT believe it. My typing skills also scored very high. The man I interviewed with seemed to think that they would be able to find me work fairly quickly.

This afternoon I went to Monroe Presbyterian to watch a musical program put on by some middle school kids. It was good. We served cookies and tea and I helped do a little bit of getting ready for that.

It is snowing here now and it is just beautiful. It is actually fairly warm outside with a gentle snow so it is just perfect. I took pictures of Dewey in the snow so I will try to put some of those on later!

Prayer Cards

When I was young one things I always remember seeing in my house was my mom's prayer cards. I'm not sure if that is what they should be called. They had Bible verses and sayings on them to encourage her throughout the day. She kept them over the sink where she washed dishes. This morning as I was making my turkey bacon and eggs, here at Snugharbor, I noticed that Andrew's grandma has the same sort of cards above her kitchen sink to read and think about as she washes dishes. It reminded me of home. I hope that my kids will remember how I kept those same cards in my window, one day.

How I kept busy!

So, I decided that I would hunt for jobs some today. So I found two in the paper that required you to apply in person and both happened to be in Hamilton so I got in Wayne and Susan's camry (thanks guys) and went to Hamilton. As I was driving downtown, I didn't see any free parking, so I decided to park in the 5/3 bank parking lot and open a checking account while I was there (on my To Do list) and park for free and just walk over to the place I was applying (which was next door). It worked out well. The job there was for the City of Hamilton. I'm not sure that I have any chance at that or even if I want it. The next job was down the street at an optometrist office. The person I spoke with there seemed very nice and I was the first applicant. I then ran some errands: Library, Target, Gas for car, and Kroger. I didn't find what I wanted at the Library or Target. Anyway, I was quite proud that I didn't have to call anyone because I got lost! When I got home I unpacked for a while, helped Rosalie make some cookies, played with Dewey, made lunch, and we went to Andrew's cousin Riley's indoor soccer game tonight. They won. I plan to send out more resumes tomorrow and do some Christmas shopping. So, that's what I did today.

We're Here!

We made it to Ohio thanks to many people who helped us pack and unpack, as well as Jennie who flew to Kansas to help drive with me out here. Poor Andrew had to drive the Budget truck all by himself the whole way, since the passenger side seat was full of stuff. We were packed to the gills and left several things in Sterling (picnic table, grill, bikes). We will get it at Christmas time. We are going to have to rent a trailer for our car. Good thing we get 10% of our next Budget rental. Dewey is a bit confused at all the goings on but enjoyed the company of lots of people tonight (which he likes). He was fairly calm, of which, I was grateful. Andrew started on his Master's degree yesterday and did his first assignment today. I think it will take some adjustment for us to get used to not seeing each other as much. At Sterling we could just visit each other's offices any time, and we had lunch break together as well as evenings (that was good and bad at times). We will work separate places and be doing different things here. I saw some good possibilities for jobs in the newspaper today so I will busy myself on Monday applying to these places. Many of them require you to apply in person. I think we are planning on visiting Grace Chapel in the mornings and see how we like it. I couldn't find a Sunday School time on their website so we will just go to the service. I'd better head off to bed.

Clothes, Socks, Shoes, Clothes . . . Everywhere!

Ok, so I will admit that I am a girly girl. I like to shop. I like shoes. I like purple, pink, and red. However, you know something is wrong when your husband's wardrobe is three times the size of yours . . . and you are a girly girl! I just got done packing Andrew's clothes (since he is out playing Axis and Allies with friends). So I packed a large box of clothes (large meaning, probably comes up to my waist in height), a LARGE rubbermaid (the biggest you can get), another box, and a large suitcase full of clothes. I just discovered more unpacked clothes. Arrrrgh! That is just HIS clothes. Let me go on to his socks. I thought that surely all of his socks would fit into one of our suitcases . . . but no, the didn't. They fit into a suitcase and a medium sized box. This isn't counting underwear, shoes, etc. He actually admitted to me the other day (when I was packing his clothes and I mentioned how much nice stuff he had) that his problem is just simply that he forgets he has them!! What's a girl to do?

Opposites

Andrew only cries in public.
I can only cry in private (as a general rule, and then when I do cry, A LOT. . . in private).

My day was rather hectic and annoying with things going on that were annoying, of which I can't post here. It made it a bit easier to leave. Andrew cried as he walked out to the car. I couldn't cry until I got in the car. What is wrong with this picture? :) I am beginning to get excited about what the future holds. I know that we will make new friends in Ohio and we will keep in contact with the ones here. I just hope the transition goes smoothly. The Myers' grandparents are really welcoming us into their home and are doing wonderful things to make us feel welcome (like encouraging us to set up our own bed in their guest room). I am grateful that we have a place to stay when we get there!

We are getting our truck tomorrow morning and we are loading tomorrow late morning. I can't wait to get some of these boxes out of here! Our dining room looks like a box jungle and there is just a little path for us to walk through. We will have Thanksgiving in Downs with the Walter family, then on to the airport to pick up Jennie.

Well, I'd better go check on supper.

Lasts

Last day of work. Please pray for us. Need I say more?

So many things to blog about . . . so little time!

Wow, so our lives have been so fast paced lately. We have been trying to fit in all of our favorite things this past week. The packing is beginning to come to a conclusion and I think I can get the rest of what we don't need this week, packed tonight. Andrew has played games/paintball, etc for the past few nights and will again on Tuesday. He sweet talked me into agreeing to let him play again last night and at our house. While he was being so super nice to me, I reminded him that I expected this treatment daily but well . . . no such luck. Anyway, not that he isn't nice to me, he is but it was just extra nice to me.

Better get back to work. Hopefully I will have a better update sometime soon. Between packing, working (extra because of the panic that has been caused from my leaving), applying for jobs, cleaning, etc, I haven't had too much time for blogging.

Top 10 Things I appreciate about Kansas

I decided to write out a few of the wonderful things I appreciate about Kansas, now that I am leaving. This doesn't mean that other states don't have wonderful things to offer, but that is another post. These aren't in any particular order.

10) Being able to see where you are going. Roads are straight, little or no trees, so it is harder to get lost. Straight roads are more safe than curvey ones! :)

9) Beautiful wheat in the summertime. I LOVE walking through the wheatfields when they were turning golden.

8) Open AND friendly. Kansans are very open and honest people in a kind sort of way. I REALLY appreciate that. What point is there in being someone's friend if you don't know the real person. It is so much more meaningful to like the whole person and not just a front they put on.

7) Close to Colorado. Sure, Kansas may not have mountains but we can drive there in a fairly short amount of time.

6) The Warren. Yes, Wichita is host to the best movie theatre's ever (in my opinion). Everyone should experience them at least once. We are going there tonight, actually, with some friends (see number 8).

5) Values and beliefs. Kansans are very strong in their beliefs. I am proud to have grown up in the CENTER of the Bible belt! Not the edges! :)

4) Work Ethic. These people don't have it easy (most of them anyway) and don't shy away from hard work. With this comes a wonderful unselfishness that is very refreshing!

3) Sterling College. This state plays host to (in my unbiased and humble opinion) one of the countries greatest private colleges. This town and area are so unique. They have been through so many struggles through the years and it has built such an incredible character into this place.

2) Equally close to everywhere. It is easier to get places from here versus, let's say, living on the east coast and taking a trip to California. Much easier just to live in Kansas and visit other places.

1) Roy's Pit BBQ! (of which I will have some tomorrow). I am not a barbeque expert but out of all the barbeque's I have had, Roy's is the BEST!

Fresh Doggie Breath?!

We have a remarkably talented dog in this house. He figured out a way to get the freshest breath possible for a canine! That's right! Tonight, I caught him under the futon chewing away on a dryer sheet. After punishing him, we were playing a little (to make up for the punishment part) and his breath smelled remarkably like Downy. I soon called Andrew into the room to experience the fresh dog breath. I am pretty sure he ingested part of the dryer sheet! Yikes!

My Talented Sister

I don't know if any of you read my sister's blog but I would encourage you to check it out. She currently has a very cute and entertaining poem that she wrote about our family. Go check it out. There is a link over at the right hand side of the page which says, Jenny's blog. Click on that. Or go to www.xanga.com/jen_fair02. Enjoy!

Know-It-All

I just must share with you my experiences. These happen fairly frequently. This just goes to show you the differences between well-bred homeschooled kid and the hard-working farm girl.

Tonight:
I see a jean's commercial on TV and just polietly ask to no one in particular, "I wonder where jean's originated." Andrew pipes up and says, "Oh they were popularized in America during the Gold Rush." I, of course, look at him like he is crazy, give him the evil eye, and proceed to the computer to look it up. He was right, of course and to make matters worse Andrew tends to giggle when he makes these smarty-pants remarks.

Several Months ago:
My husband was watching a program on HGTV about different house building techniques. One of the builders was describing a particular kind of screw. They were beginning to explain the whole use for the screw but had not mentioned the name yet when Andrew said, "Oh, that is an Archemedian Screw and it does blah blah blah blah!

I do tries each and every day to get my smarts but me's seems to always fail! :(

Tribute

Some of you know that my Great Aunt Thelma passed away last week. My talented mother (that's where Jenny gets it) wrote a wonderful tribute to her and so I really wanted to share it on here. I hope we can continue this godly legacy to the next generation.

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As a child, I remember looking forward to going to Aunt Thelma and Uncle Everett's house, not only because I got to play with my cousins, but because my aunt and uncle treated me with love and respect. Aunt Thelma was a great cook. Her dishes were always tasty as well as beautiful to behold. I can't remember how old I was when our two families took a vacation together in Colorado. One event that stands out was our evening trip to the local dump to watch for bears. We kids had been told not to talk because the bears would hear us and be scared away. Every few minutes Aunt Thelma just had to make a comment. I remember thinking how funny it was that we kids were being quiet and she wasn't! Looking back I wonder how a bear could have heard us talking quietly in a van with the windows rolled up! If anything, it was probably the presence of our van that kept the bears away.

When Kurt and I married, Aunt Thelma presented us with a beautiful set of sheets and pillowcases she had cross-stitched with our names. What a precious gift! Another time she made a yarn cat and kitten for me. I remember she always had some kind of craft project under construction. Another special memory of Aunt Thelma and Uncle Everett is their singing "Bringing in the Sheaves" at Thanksgiving in Manhattan. Although they were "up in years", they were willing to stand in front of everyone and share their musical talents. Aunt Thelma had a sweet sense of humor and would occasionally (gently) tease her loved ones, but she wasn't afraid to make fun of herself.

It was especially hard for Aunt Thelma when my mother died, for that meant Aunt Thelma was the only one of the Seaman children left. She often bemoaned the fact that she had been the sickliest child and was now the last one living. Although the later years of her life were full of pain, she was longsuffering and patient under that difficult trial. Throughout her lifetime she experienced the untimely death of her father, the sudden deaths of her sisters and brother, the death of her mother, and the decline and death of her dear husband. She bore up patiently under many physical and emotional trials. Although Aunt Thelma didn't appear to dwell on the sad things in her life, she was open enough to share her feelings at times. She always seemed so happy to see me and the family when we would stop in for a visit. Even with her hearing deficiency, my aunt was interested in keeping up with the activities of her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and their children. I often marveled at her ability to remember what each one was doing. She loved us all.

Aunt Thelma raised two wonderful children who are serving the Lord. She was a good and godly woman who knew her "good works" weren't good enough to earn eternal life in heaven. I'm so glad her trust was in the sacrifice of her Savior, Jesus Christ. She lived a life of service in gratitude for what Jesus did for her on the cross. Now she has been released from her pain and is enjoying fellowship with her Savior, her parents, her husband, her brother and sisters and many other loved ones. Praise God! I thank the Lord for giving me an aunt like Aunt Thelma.

My day!

Andrew, Brett, and I went to McPherson for the World View Weekend this morning. I really enjoyed the sessions and I learned a lot even though I had heard much of it before (yeah for Bible classes at SC) and I had even seen the slideshow presentation before. Another guy came and talked about a new Bible software program that does all sorts of neat things. It was so great that I can't even explain the whole thing. We will definitely think of getting that for the future. It would have been so helpful in my classes at Sterling. All updates are free so you aren't getting scammed into stuff. After lunch, we decided to drive down to Wichita to catch the last of the Warrior's football games this season. We ended up losing but I had fun watching and visiting with my friends. I have a choice on what to do tonight. I could stay here and pack (which I need to do) or I could go to the high school show here in town or the high school show up at Little River (in which three of my voice students have leading rolls). I'm not sure. I am pretty tired but we will see once 7:00 p.m. rolls around. We are having guests for dinner tomorrow so I have to clean up a bit for that. So, just in case you wondered what I did today . . . there it is! :)

It was the best of times and well . . .

I am still having conflicting emotions about moving. I realize that this is completely natural and it is ok for me to feel sad about leaving friends and family. Many of my friends around here are helping me to feel better by talking about times they will visit and things we can do to stay in touch. When I am upset and crying Andrew and I usually have this conversation:

Me: "I don't want to leave my friends and family." (Boo hoo)
Andrew: "You can make new friends and we will come to visit family and we can communicate through technology, etc."
Me: "I don't want new friends, I like the ones I have." (boo hoo)
Andrew: "Just because we move it doesn't mean you have to stop being friends with the people that are here, you will just have a different kind of friendship."
Me: "Oh yeah (sobs subsiding). I guess I am still good friends with people that I don't live near and I can still be close with my family even from a distance."

Isn't my husband so smart?! Anyway, I am beginning to get used to the idea and feel better about it. I am friends with people in Lithuania, Minnesota, Illnois, California, etc, so I can be friends with people in Kansas too! Won't be the same I know but it's all I have to work with right now. We are trying to pack everything we want to do around here in the next two weeks. Last night I went with some girls to help set up for an alumni event in Wichita. We had so much fun. We went shopping together (skipped out on work a little early) and I came away with two purses and a pair of shoes (some of that is Christmas presents). Anyway, we didn't get back until 11:00 p.m. last night but it was so worth the lack of sleep. Tonight we are going to a friend's birthday party, tomorrow to the World View weekend in McPherson and to a local area show in the evening. I will hopefully be able to pack a bit more on Sunday! Whew! Anyway, this experience is teaching me a valuable lesson (and many more, I'm sure but this is the one that is presenting itself at the present time): Make the most of the time you have and never pass up an opportunity to get together with people!

What is happening?!

Wow, so I can't write long. I am at work and can't really express anything in this post otherwise I will probably being crying, again. Several of my co-workers have choked up this morning causing me to spiral downward into the whyarewedoingthiscan'twejuststaydowereallywantthis syndrome. It will be such a huge change for me. I just hope that I am ready. I did tell my boss this morning. He acted like he was having a heart attack. Quite funny, really. Anyway, I guess it is nice to know that people think they can't survive without me and that I will be missed. Can I really do this? More later. . .

It's Official - We're Moving!

So, it is now official. Andrew took this job this morning. Sorry this won't be long and filled with detail but I promise more is coming. I need to leave in a bit to pick up Andrew from the airport and I will get all the details from him then! We will be moving the weekend after Thanksgiving. Andrew starts the following Monday (28th). Now I need to find a job!

Ohio Job Interview

Ok, Andrew told me that I would be allowed to post this on Sunday. It is now 7:40 p.m. on Sunday so I guess I can post about this now. Andrew flew to Ohio on Saturday to go to a job interview. He met with a guy at the company today and will have a more official interview tomorrow. Things have gone well so far. This is a computer company that works with all sorts of aspects of computers, from websites to hardware. This definitely means that if he gets the job that we won't be opening the restaurant. Now, I know that many of you felt like that was an unreachable dream. Perhaps it would be a stretch for us to do that, since we had no prior experience but that is part of the attraction (young, energetic, and eager to learn). I firmly believe that if I am following God's will, He can use me for whatever He wants me to, even if it seems out of reach by others. Anyway, I got a bit off subject. It sounds as if this job will be a good one.

If Andrew gets the job: I still have mixed feelings about moving but I also have mixed feelings about staying. I realized long ago that I can't always follow my feelings. Anyway, I will miss the college, concerts, shows, sports events, my dear friends I work with. I will miss being near my family. I will miss being able to walk down the street after dark and know that I am safe! Anyway, I know that there are many positives to moving as well.

Well, I am beginning to ramble. Also, I am writing this after crying through a two hour episode of the best Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that I think I have ever seen (others have come close). Anyway, now you all know!

How my husband spent his birthday money!

Here is a story about how sweet my husband is! For his birthday, Andrew got several checks. These were meant for him to spend on something he always wanted. He even had a list of things that he wanted to buy. But did my husband go out and spend his birthday money on himself? No! He was so sweet to remember that I didn't have a full set of pajamas. Meaning, I have pajama bottoms but I have never had a matching set. I usually just wear a t-shirt and shorts. So, my husband ordered a complete set of pajamas bottoms, top, and slippers to match from Victoria's Secret with his birthday money. Isn't he the best? Anyway, here is a picture of the new pajamas. I am holding our puppy, Dewey, although he doesn't look like a puppy anymore! He is so big! He makes me look so short. Anyway, I just wanted to share what a wonderful and loving thing my dear husband did for me!! :)

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Andrew's Grandpa Schechter!! Once again, I have not gotten a card sent. Whew! I really need a PDA!

76 Trombones

A tale of the trials and joys of musicians:

I enjoyed an evening of rejoining my alma mater for their yearly fall band concert. There is a new band director this year. He also is part time admissions so he talked me into playing. When he first asked my response was, "Who told you I play the clarinet?" In the end, I agreed to play. Well, after several practices with the band, I realized that I had played all but one piece before, when I was an SC band member. At the rehearsal, my clarinet began to have difficulty playing a B, C, and D. Very important notes on the clarinet. They just wouldn't come out. After further inspection, I discovered that I my dear precious clarinet (that I bought in 1994), was missing a pad. I tried to fix it with a piece of flannel but that didn't work. So, I marched myself into the band director office the day of the concert and told him my problem. He helped me find another clarinet to play for the concert. It was a very nice clarinet and it crossed my mind to switch them out but I am too ethical for that! :) So, I played in the concert last night. When it was over, I took a program and scanned for my name. Hmm, wasn't in the clarinet section . . . wasn't in the bass clarinet section . . . hmm, trumpts? Surely not! I have never played the trumpet in my life. So, my name was in the trumpet section. Not only was it misplaced it was also spelled Schecter. Ah! Anyway, that was one of many mistakes on the program. Also, the concert started at 7:00 p.m. It was in the gymnasium at the high school, so I could search the crowd. 7:01 - no Andrew, "Hmm, where is he? Of course, he had to walk so it could take him a while." 7:15 - still no Andrew, "Oh well, maybe he forgot." No, my poor poor husband had to walk in the cold (only one car) and walked all the way to Culbertson auditorium at the college only to discover it was empty. He found out where the concert was and walked over to the gym. To my defense, I am certain that I mentioned where the concert was at! It just goes to show you that you should always listen to your wife!!! :) Anyway, it was fun to play and many of my friends are still in the band so it made for an enjoyable evening.

What should I be when I grow up?

Well, I will admit that the restaurant in Sterling is a good idea. I really like it. I am hesitant to move forward with this, however. The reason for my hesitancy is that I am not 100% sure I want to be tied down to Sterling. I have my moments of being totally excited about it, etc, but for the most part, I'm just not sure I have the drive to do that here. We did get some news on the building today. We know the owners and they told me, confidentially of course, that they would probably sell it to us at cost or just a little over, because they think we have a great idea!

I'm still not sure yet what I want to be when I grow up. Of course, I have always wanted to be a princess or queen of some sort. I think I can rule those possibilities out. I have always known that I wanted to be a mother. Yes, I can probably accomplish that someday. I also used to want to be a florist and a music teacher. Well, I am sort of a music teacher through my voice lessons, so I've got one down and many more left to go.

Our church service was wonderful yesterday. If you get a chance to listen to the sermon, I would encourage you to. www.gbc-hutchinson.com. Anyway, I will admit that it is fairly rare when I sermon will stick with me after Sunday is over but this one has! Have a great day!

Restaurant Business

Andrew and I met with a lady in town yesterday who is head of the Main Street Sterling organization. For those of you who don't live in small-town-Kansas, Main Street is an organization that helps revitalize the downtowns of these small towns. It has done a lot for Sterling. She talked with us about some opportunities we might have in the downtown area for a business and what other help she could give us with the restaurant. She said that she would be honest with us about the prospect of this and she thought it would go over very well right now. Three of the five restaurants are for sale in Sterling. One is possibly going in in the near future but she said that it wouldn't be similar to ours. So, we talked buildings. We have some good ideas.

The favorite idea right now is a building that could possibly be listed on the registry of history sites. It is the old newspaper building in Sterling. It would take some renovation to get it to where we wanted it but the size looks good, etc. We were thinking we would decorate in a newspaper theme with old pictures of the Sterling Bulletin on the walls and our menu would be a newspaper! I thought the idea was very cute. Anyway, if this were the case we would probably need to change the name of our restaurant. Mango Grill doesn't really reflect anything newspaperish. So, I am asking for any good ideas. The town newspaper is called the Sterling Bulletin but we don't really want to call it the Bulletin because the paper is still around and is called that (too much confusion). So, any ideas would be welcome. Keep praying for our decisions in this area. I am still a bit hesitant to do this project. It would mean staying in Sterling longer and probably delaying having a family for quite a bit longer than we thought as well. So, there are still pros and cons. It sounds like we would have a lot of support from the community and this organization. We'll keep you posted on new events!

Oh P.S. there are new pictures posted on our website of Dad's birthday (Kurt) and our trip to Ohio for graduations. There will probably be more this weekend if I get around to it! www.theschechters.com

Weird Things

Hey all. I apologize in advance for the vagueness of this post but what I am going through it a bit embarassing so I will not go into details (especially for any boys that might be reading this). I just wanted to post on here and ask for you all to pray for me. I am having a bit of a medical dilemma. It isn't anything serious but just confusing and a bit stressful. Perhaps I will be able to share more in the future.

Anyway, while Andrew is in the midst of deciding which toy to buy himself with his birthday money. Dewey is doing well but hasn't learned any new tricks. I am out of ideas. Does anyone have any neat ideas of things to teach my dog . . . and especially HOW to teach them to him?! Thanks!

Funny things you hear coming out of a bathroom!

Ok, so I don't want to embarass my dear husband, whom I love very much, but this I must share. I am currently listening to him hum the tune of, "I can show you the world," from the movie "Aladin" while in the bathroom!!!! I am about ready to wet my own pants this is so funny! :)

Homecoming

Sterling's homecoming was this past weekend. It was a beautiful day and all went well. The parade seemed better than normal. Which means a 15 minute parade instead of 10. We won the football game fairly easily and the musical went well! Since I am on the Sterling College alumni council we help out with homecoming more than the average Joe. I helped set up the alumni booth and then sold tickets for the food fair. I got yelled at by one person when I didn't tell her how much the tickets cost, even though there were three signs stating the price at my table. There was a very LOUD band playing behind me, hence the reason I didn't shout to her, "They are 50 cents a ticket." I need to work on getting thicker skin! :) Anyway, things are back into full swing at the college. The new president is really making huge strides in helping us become more financially secure. He doesn't just talk about things, he really makes them happen. Well, I guess that is the latest SC update. I must go now so that I can shower and get ready to head to my good ole' alma mater for another day of work.

Birthday

I, once again, didn't get a card send for a birthday. So, Happy Birthday to Andrew's Aunt Wil!

Crazy Ideas!

So, we have moved ahead a bit with the restaurant idea without committing ourselves. We have checked out several locations in town that would be good spots. Our favorite one is a bit pricey so we will have to work out whether or not we can really open there. We sent out a survey yesterday and have gotten some interesting results. Most people from the college think we need another dining place in Sterling. They also seem to want the type of restaurant that we are thinking of opening.

There are still a lot of variables in place before this can actually happen. Most of the time I just feel overwhelmed at the prospect of actually doing this and I feel very inadequate. However, we see a need in Sterling for something like this and we really see a need for a place that is college-kid friendly. We have looked around and some other small college towns in the area and they seem to do a better job of catering to the college crowd. Sterling doesn't have anything open after 8:00 p.m. except Food Mart! :) So, I will keep you all updated on any progress we might make on this. I would appreciate your prayers for this. We really just want to do God's will and we do feel led in this direction. We'll see where it takes us.

Diet Update

It was good to read your comment, Cindy. I hadn't looked down that far for a while so I just saw it. Way to go on the Weight Watchers! Another lady here at work is doing that as well and she really likes the team support so it sounds like a good program. I really like the South Beach Diet because the food doesn't seem like diet food. I can eat when I am hungry and can invent new fun things to eat (mainly with wraps). I weighed in this morning and am holding steady at 13 lbs (no, I don't weigh 13 lbs but that is what I have lost) even after my weekend of cheating (which consisted of 2 corn chips, 2 bites of cheesecake, some of Andrew's birthday cake, and about 3 or 4 spoonfulls of ice cream, (hey, Andrew only turns 25 once!!)). I decided to go back to the strict phase for a week just to be on the safe side. I don't remember it being this hard the first time around. Andrew is a big help. He helps me not eat something bad when I want it. He will just eat it for me! :) So, that is the latest diet update. Now, I can't wait to get to go back to the Phase 2 part so I can have wraps again!

Mango Grill!

Andrew and I (mainly Andrew) have lots of crazy ideas. Our latest one is that we would like to open a restaurant in Sterling. This idea was sparked when we saw a restaurant building for sale and when we thought about the lack of good food in Sterling. I had sort of dismissed the idea from my mind for a while but we brought it up at lunch today with a bunch of our co-workers. They thought it was a terrific idea.

I am fairly hesitant to do this since we know we don't want to stay in Sterling forever. Not that a restaurant is forever, but it would take more of a committment than what we are living with now. We also don't really know how to run a restaurant. Of course, no one was born knowing how to run one, they just learned. We will probably be looking into this idea for the future and just see what comes of it. I am tired of having all these good ideas but never going for them. We just sit in our little quiet life and don't try anything new so that may motiviate me to actually do this. I think I would really enjoy it as well. We came up with many different names this weekend (the funniest being, "I'm not Wong" in otherwords, no oriental food) but I think we really liked Mango Grill, after the color of Andrew's hair. Who knows, maybe one of our crazy ideas will come true, one day!

Blog Book Ideas

So, I love hearing about new books. I wish that I could join a book club and have a different book chosen for me but alas, Sterling is void of a book club I can join. I believe there is a book club but it is mainly older women who meet during the day. So, I decided that I would take matters into my own hands. Many of my favorite books are ones that have been recommended to me by other people. So every so often, I am going to write a post like this one. I am going to list some books that I am currently reading that I would recommend and I would like for LOTS of people to comment and post their favorites. This could be very cool. So anyway, I am currently reading the James Herriott series. It is about a country vet in Scotland and it is a true story. I am also rereading Calm my Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow (an excellent book). Hopefully I can post again soon with some new books. Enjoy!!

Surprise for Andrew!

I can write about this now since the surprise is over. For Andrew's birthday, his mom decided to fly out here and surprise him. I wanted to be able to get him to the airport without him suspecting anything so he could be total surprised. So, Friday morning I told him that I had heard him saying he wanted the day off on Friday so I took it off for him, as a surprise. That way we could go to Wichita and catch some movies. I told him the only catch was that my boss had overheard me talking about going to Wichita and had asked me to pick up a prospective student at the airport. I wondered how this would go over with Andrew. So, I decided to also tell Andrew that all we had to do was to pick up this student and take him over to his relatives house and that he would visit on Monday. I also threw in that this student was a boy and I was nervous picking him up by myself! :) Anyway, so I got Andrew to the airport successfully on Friday and he even was asking me what the guy looked like and if I saw him. We sat down to wait in the baggage claim area and Andrew said, "Hey, that sort of looks like my mom." I decided to drag it out as long as possible so I said, "Oh really? Where? Oh, I don't think that looks like her." But Andrew caught on and was VERY surprised! It was hard to keep the secret from him but it was very fun to surprise him! We have had a very fun weekend filled with movies, shopping, and a birthday party with my family. I am so glad that it worked out!

Birthday Explosion!

Well, I have been slacking on sending birthday cards. When Andrew and I were first married, I got calendars from all sides of the family (Myers, Schechter, Walter and Fairchild). I put all the birthdays and anniversaries in my Yahoo calendar and I was going to stock up on birthday cards and never miss one. A good idea but I haven't done very well at keeping up. Now, with both of our familys combined there has been a large amount of birthdays in the past two weeks so I will just concentrate on those. So Happy Birthday (late in most cases) to:

Bella Myers - 3rd of October

Aunt Ronda Walter - Her birthday was on the 4th of October. Ok, my sister wrote a wonderful, loving blog about my Aunt Ronda and I just don't feel that I can do justice to what Aunt Ronda has meant in my life in comparison to what my sister wrote so here is the address for her blog http://www.xanga.com/jen_fair02. So please take the time to read her post about our aunt.

Lindsey Schechter - 5th of October. I hope that she looks into coming to Sterling College so that she can come and visit us! :)

Reid Myers - 7th of October.

Caroline Setters - 12th of October.

Linda Myers - Her birthday is today, October 13th. She is Andrew's aunt. I know Linda a bit better than others because of her visits to Sterling and our emailing. I enjoy visiting with Linda because we usually end up on some deep topic and she really makes me think. I enjoy sharing book lists, movie ideas, etc, with Linda.

Susan Schechter - Her birthday is today, October 13th. She is my mother-in-law. Many of my girlfriends are married and also have mother-in-law's and I vote mine the best (from hearing all their stories). She is always fun to be around and isn't judgmental (I guess that is what other MIL's do, I wouldn't know). I really was blessed with my in-law's because they are all the best. They all care about me and love me and that is evident in all they do.

Andrew Schechter - His birthday is tomorrow, October 14th. Yea, yea for Andrew! I think you all know how I feel about him so I won't go into much detail. He is turning 25 tomorrow and I hope that I can help to make his day special.

Happy Birthday to everyone! I know there are other birthday's in October. Maybe I will actually remember to send all of them a real card!

Good Predicament

Well, getting dressed in the mornings is becoming somewhat of a struggle. No, I haven't lost the use of my arms or legs. I have lost a strange amount of weight in strange places. I am not necessarily losing weight in the same way that I gained it (gut, but, and well else where) and therefore I am having a difficult time finding things to wear. Last Fall, in a desperate attempt to find clothes that fit, I bought a pair of pants that was to big and too long. I like relaxed fit looks and so I thought it would work. Well, those pants are now out of commission. I can pull them off without undoing anything and since they have no belt loops I am out of luck. I bought a second pair of pants just about two months ago. Andrew and I had just eaten a HUGE meal at Chili's with an appetizer, full meal, and dessert (long gone are those days), and then we decided to do some pant shopping. Bad idea. Those pants are now almost to loose to wear. They look a bit baggy are are strangely uncomfortable. However, since I haven't lost enough weight to fit into my pre-sophomore-in-college weight gain pants which I saved, I am stuck with only one pair of pants that actually look good. I have several tight ones and one pair that fits but was stained by an unfortunate incedent in the grocery story with a bottle of Cascade! :) So, any one that would like to donate to help remedy this wonderful wonderful problem, please make checks out to me. I accept cash as well. :) :) :)

My Monday Evening

So, I remembered today at work that it was my night to fill in for the counselors. Meaning, I am back at work for three hours supervising our student callers since ALL of the counselors are out on the road. I really don't mind doing this every so often. It seems as if three hours is a bit long for calling for the students so we'll see how long they stay. I actually have to be home by 8:30 p.m. for a voice lesson. I asked Andrew to wash the dishes tonight since I had to work. Any bets on whether it will or will not get done? I won't tell you what I bet! :)

So, I am working on mailings here in the office, and do I meaning mailings! We send out over 30,000 pieces of mail each year. We are just a bit behind this year due to some procrastination on certain office workers parts. I won't say who, so I will see if I can catch us up on some things. It is still fairly slow in the office but should pick up again as counselors begin to arrive back from their traveling season. Two of them are currently being snowed in in Colorado! Always, exciting. Have a good evening!

Life goes on

The shift in my thinking and attitude has been quite amazing since finding out the Wyoming church was not going to recommend me for the job to their session. I have started to enjoy more things. Like the wonderful neighborhood we live in, etc. I cleaned the house like a mad woman on Friday night and we have both started to rethink things we might want or need to do to the house. The first thing is to replace our dishwasher. We have tried all sorts of things to get that thing to run properly. We have tried cleaning it out, rinsing it with CLR, using different levels of soap, running it with different settings. Nothing works. The dishes normally come out dirtier than then they went in and I'm not kidding. So, I have been handwashing dishes for the past few days. I will probably have to keep this up until we can afford to get a new dishwasher. That probably won't be until we pay the rest of our enourmous dental bills for my ONE tooth! Probably only several months. Anyway, life is good. We had a wonderful relaxing weekend!

News from the Church

I received an email from the Wyoming church yesterday afternoon stating that the session of the church had yet to meet but the personnel committee was recommending another guy for the CE position. So therefore, not me. I spent last night being sort of disappointed because it would have been a great opportunity for me but I know that there is a very good reason that I didn't get the job. I do have my moments of enjoying working and living in Sterling. I enjoy being able to go to the college activities such as football, theatre, music and I enjoy being friends with many of the students who I used to go to school with. I also have some great friends that are faculty and staff here. I just have a desire to get out and experience more of the world (United States) than just central Kansas. I'm sure some of you can identify. But I am content with the decision of the church. I emailed them back and asked them if they could let me know the reasons for their decision. Andrew jokingly said they didn't hire me because of him but I am sure that the other candidate was older and had more experience. That is another frustration of mine. How am I supposed to get experience if I can't get a job? Anyway, I am relieved to say that I can finally put this post up. It has been a long time coming and I finally feel relieved that I don't have to wait anymore (for now). I will begin to look around at other places now.

A cold snap has come to Sterling. It went from 90 degrees a few days ago to the 50's and 60's today. Brrr! It seems a bit cruel like we didn't have a chance to get used to the cold weather. Ah, well. I enjoyed a cup of warm tea for breakfast so that is always a nice perk of the cold season. I hope you all are warm and cozy.

Random Post for Tuesday!

Hello All! Been a while since I posted so I decided just to write a little something this morning. We have just been doing the same ole thing around here. Several of my voice students have dropped their lessons for several months while they are in theatre shows (hmm, I had the lead in a show and never quit voice but maybe my teacher offered more lesson times, I don't remember) so anyway I have quite a bit more time than I used to in the evenings.

Dewey and I enjoy playing chase and we are now trying to train him to bow on command. He sings, speaks, sits, lays down, rolls over, waves, shakes, and "goes to bed" now. His waving is so cute. He is now in his "teenage" stage and so he is definitely testing his limits like pushing on our door "barriers" just to see how far he can get. He also has a tendency to run off when we let him out to use the bathroom so it is best to have him on the leash or have a treat in your hand.

We have been having a big golden retriever dog pooping in our backyard. I have now caught him twice back there. It is very weird, especially in the dark when I flip on the light and see a big dog back there. I'm not sure what we can do about it though. The only problem is that we have to clean up the poop!!

I am still on the South Beach Diet. It isn't too bad as far as diets go. I think Andrew has probably lost more weight on my diet than I have but I feel good and it seems to have cured several of my previous ailments so I will stick with it. Well, it's time to get back to work. I'll post again soon!

Well . . . hmmm

I decided to give a quick post update. No call yet, maybe later today or tomorrow. I will post an update when I hear anything. Thanks!

I have my doubts!

I have really been having my doubts lately. I don't think that I got the job. First of all, I don't have much experience (besides a few summers and volunteer) for the position at that church. Second of all, I will have to move to take the job. These are two things they will probably consider. Third of all, I only have my Bachelor's degree. Many churches these days are looking for someone with their Master's degree. Also, I don't know anyone in the church. Usually those things really play a big part in getting a job somewhere. Anyway, it doesn't help that I had a dream last night that I got an email from them saying those exact things. Oh well, what will be will be. I am prepared for either answer but like I said, I am beginning to have my doubts about actually getting the job.

Note from the Wyoming Church!

Hello all you doubters, family and friends. Just joking. I have been doing ok (I think) at being content in this situation and just having patience except when I answer (or don't) other people's questions (a bit fault of mine, being annoyed at unanswerable questions), so I am glad to finally have an answer for you. I don't know if I got the job or not (you'll see the email from the church below) but I am content whatever happens (staying, going, changing jobs, or not, etc). I have learned a lot about that lately. Anyway, I will share with you all the recent email that I got from the church.
---------------------------------------------
Hi Jaime, We checked all your references and you are indeed a
great person in everyone's estimation. We don't have the background
check back yet, but I'm sure its clean. We are interviewing a second
candidate at Church on Sunday and should have an answer for you Monday
or at least by Thursday next week. Thank you for your patience.
--------------------------------------------
Please continue to be patient with me. I will email, post on my blog, call, instant message, hand write a letter (just kidding), the moment I find out anything, even if it is that I didn't get the job. Thanks for all your support throughout this whole process.

Dewey is a singing dog!

Please go to our website www.theschechters.com if you would like to be entertained by a new video of our puppy, Dewey, singing along with me as I warm up for voice lessons. The link is on our homepage. Enjoy!

P.S. I finished phase 1 of my diet yesterday with less cravings and some weight loss! Hmm, maybe this does really work. I'm still causiously optimistic.

Skinny Cookie Suckers

Ok, I have been TRYING to hold off writing this blog because I am trying to have a good attitude about things. But because of the area in which I work (ok, so my desk is in the office lounge so I can actually SEE the cookies, right now) I have seen person after person march in here and snarf down a cookie. That's fine. If they want to eat a cookie, more power to them. However, if they are eating cookies and I'm not then shouldn't they be FATTER than me??! Well, they are not. I have watched after a dozen or more people, who are skinnier than I, march in here and gobble cookie after cookie. Life is NOT fair. Why do the short people with the slow metabolism not get to enjoy the good tasting cookies in life. Not fair, no not fair, at all! And don't try to tell me they exercise more because some of them, I know, don't exercise at all. Life is hard and I want a cookie but, woe is me, I gain at least five pounds per one cookie!

** Good news. I can have oatmeal again this Wednesday. There will be celebration in the Schechter household when I eat my oatmeal and my whole wheat piece of toast.

Salad Sharing

Since starting this south beach diet, it has been somewhat of a challenge to find things to keep my taste buds happy. But in my quest for delicious healthy foods, I have come across a new love. Let me explain. Two Friday's ago we were eatting supper at our friend Melanie's house. We each brought something to share. Melanie made this salad and well . . . to tell you the truth I have always eaten salads but I have never LOVED a salad but . . . I found a salad to love now! I just want to share with you this fantastic salad. She had a recipe for it but didn't follow it exactly (left out some sugar, etc) and so mine is also a modification of hers but also delicious. The measurements below are just guesses to what I throw in there. I usually just make this in individual sized bowls so we don't waste any precious veggies but I will post the recipe below if you were to make it for a family gathering. Here it goes. . . in my opinion the best salad in the world!

1/2 bag of Romaine Lettuce
1/2 bag Fresh Spinach (usually Baby spinach is what I use)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2/3 cup of sunflower nuts
sprinkled with Feta Cheese (plain or flavored is fine)

Dressing
3 Tablespoons EV Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

I mix and match the vegetables but don't ever forget the Feta cheese. It gives the salad wonderful flavor with the Red Wine Vinegar. As my friend Melanie says, "Feta makes it betta." Enjoy!

What's in a name?

I have been thinking about names lately, of course. Names are very important. You are stuck with them generally all your life. I want to send out a plea to anyone who may be deciding on what to name a baby girl. If you have any reason to suspect that your daughter may grow up to be a "princess" and not a tom boy then please please please name her a VERY gender specific name. I remember the first time I knew that "Jaime" could be a boys name I was very devestated in my little princess heart. No way would a real princess have a boy's name. :( I could not, however, fall back on my middle name, as some do, to be a princess name, because, of course, it could also be a boys name. Dawn is the girl spelling but I wanted to be Elizabeth, Sarah, Michelle, or something of that girly nature. I have been trying to get Andrew to call me Barbie for a very long time since Barbie is the ultimate girly name to make up for the years with my boy name . . . but alas :) he just won't do it! Ok, I guess I am stuck with Jaime for the time being! :)

South Beach Crazies!

Ok, for those of you who don't know, I am on the South Beach Diet. The plan has three phases. The first phase, the strict phase, is two weeks long. You have to read the book to get the whole explaination but in a nut shell it is NO sugar or bread, no carbs at all, for two weeks. I am on day four of this phase. In phase two you start adding good carbs, such as fruits and whole grain bread. You stay in this phase until you have reached your ideal weight and then you have a little more freedom on the Phase 3 which is the maintenance phase. Ok, all that explained . . .

Someone brought cinnamon rolls into my office this morning, grrrrrr, two huge trays, and left them all day for me to smell. I have been such a good girl and not eaten even a nibble! Yeah! I still have an hour and a half until we leave work but I will and can do it!! I will go have a snack of low-fat string cheese instead.

A Bad Poem about my husband!

Ok, so I am no poet. Our software program is down at work and I have accomplished everything else I can in the last two days without the program, so I thought I would write Andrew a little poem. It is very unlike me to put things like this in a public place because of this guilt complex I have (more on that later, maybe) but I just decided that I don't want to hide the fact that I love my husband very much and appreciate him. If you have a problem with that well. . . I hope you don't. So here is my poem dedicated to my husband. Sorry it is so poorly written. Jenny was always the poet in the family! This has been posted with the permission of Andrew.

My dear husband is so sweet.
When I ask him to, he always rubs my feet.
He helps me take care of the dishes
And always encourages me to eat fishes.

My husband always takes care of the money
And puts up with me when I am funny.
My husband does a great job mowing the lawn
And enjoys playing on the computer with that little pawn. (Online chess)

My husband loves to watch Science Fiction
And can correct me nicely on my diction. (especially pronouncing movie star's names)
My husband bought me a wonderful dog
And he also helps me write on my blog.

My husband gives me sweet little kisses
A Birthday or Anniversary he never misses.
Every morning (almost) my husband makes the bed
He is also very good at keeping me fed. (Too good!) :)

My husband works very hard on our house.
He always protects me from the mouse.
My husband loves computers a whole bunch.
I always love it when he comes home for lunch.

My husband is good at making roast.
But he has been known to boast.
At least he admits this boastful sin
And always stays away from anything relating to gin.

My husband always drives the car so I can read.
He is so tall that he looks like a Swede.
My husband helps me with my diet.
He even loves me when I am not quiet.

My husband says I'm beautiful so I know
That he will love me even though my thighs may grow.
I always love to spend time with my husband, do you know why?
Because he is the most wonderful, caring, sensitive guy!

So Many Blessings!

I need to blog about so many things that I can't fit them all in so I will just give you an update. There is no word yet from the Wyoming Church. I appreciate everyone's concern about the situation. I have been very encouraged lately by these verses so I will share. I have read these over and over in my life but it is amazing how different verses will mean different thing to you at different points in your life.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 4:8 - I lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

And my favorite verse ever:
Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

I love this verse because the verse contains promises of: salvation (he is mighty), delight, quietness, love, and rejoicing with singing. Of course my favorite part is the singing part. I hope you all have a great day.

Dewey is such a smart dog!

I just have to brag a moment on my very smart beagle who just learned to shake and wave. Two new tricks. We are now searching for more ideas of things to teach him. Maybe more behavior things are in order. He is so cute now when he puts his little paw in the air and waves. Any ideas for the next trick?!

For Real!

Well, my day was a bit crazy. So crazy, in fact, that I will only blog about it in small bits. So here is the first story that lead me to the craziest part. I answer the phone this afternoon and someone asks for my boss. I informed the person that he was in a meeting. Then the person proceeded to ask if my name was Jaime Schechter. I said yes. He identified himself as the person from the Wyoming Church. He asked if it was alright if he spoke with my boss. I told him that I did put my boss on the "No Call" list because I hadn't told him about the interview or even the position yet. The caller apologized and said that now that he looked closely he could see that. I gave him an alternate phone call for another reference of mine and we hung up. I was in a bit of a shock over this. I decided that it was probably time for me to tell my boss about the interview and let him know that there was at least a possibility that I could be taking another job. So at 4:30 p.m. I headed into his office. I was very nervous about telling him because I was unsure of how he would react. I'm not sure why I was so nervous. Things went very well. He understood that the job would be a good opportunity for me to do something that I went to school for. It has been a nice and quiet evening at home with supper from Haldon's and a movie!

Homeschool prejudice!

I can't tell you how sick and tired I am people bashing homeschoolers, especially when one is in the room. I am not sure why homeschoolers have gotten such a bad reputation. They are just the same as any other person. I know many other kids who went to a public high school who are weirdos and I know many homeschoolers who are very "normal" whatever that means.

I am sick and tired of people thinking that all homeschoolers do is wake up in the morning, put on their loose jumpers (with colored socks and sandals) with big flowery prints, go downstairs for school, read a few lessons, learn to knit, study some more and generally only socialize with each other and never see the light of day. The things that people don't get to see are the wonderful field trips you can take every where, the ability for homeschoolers to learn a job trade and how to work hard since they aren't stuck in school all day, the ability to interact with other kids at church, family, life in general, etc, and the ability to teach your kids whatever they want (and many more things, I'm sure).

When I came to college I realized with extreme disappointment the failings of my public education. I really didn't know much before coming to college, except how to read and write. I am not even going to count any arithmetic since I can't even do my times tables beyond an embarrassingly low number. Sure, I could have studied harder but I got fairly good grades in High School (Honor Roll at least) and so therefore, why should I? I learned from my husband and sister-in-law that they actually knew HOW to learn. Something that I was severely lacking. I am going to say that I do think my husband is smarter than me. Yes I will admit that. (However, as a side note I have always been a hard worker, thanks to my farm upbringing, and therefore was able to do a little better in school (so much talent, so little motivation). Actually, he was motivated in the areas that he wanted to be! :) )

Now, you may be thinking, obviously she will probably homeschool her children. To tell you the truth I haven't decided yet. We have plenty of time for that decision. The main point of this blog is that I am just very tired of people making fun of or assuming homeschool people are weird when they don't know anything about it. It is like people don't think homeschoolers can make a positive contribution to the community. Well, I STAND here on my soap box to tell you that they can and they do. Who do you think all the little old ladies and young as well come to in Sterling when their poor old computer is broken? Andrew!! Who do you think the city asked to be on the Main Street Committee here? Wasn't public schooled little me! Andrew! And who is a huge supporter of the new downtown development in this town. Andrew! He makes significant contributions in society and to family. We must be aware of ALL prejudices we have but especially against HOMESCHOOLERS!!!!!!!!!!

Just as I figured. . . .

After my email last Thursday I didn't hear anything from the church until after I left a message with the head pastor on Monday. I received an email back from one of the personnel committee on Monday. Here is what it said.

Hi Jaime. I'm sorry I missed you when you visited our Church. Bob Agnew asked me, as Chair of the Joint Personnel Committee, to respond to your e-mail. The next step is for you to return the Application for Employment and for us to check references and schedule another interview for you with some of the interested committee members and youth. That will probably be after you move here. We will keep you posted. We really appreciate your interest in us. Bob Rich

Since I had already turned in my Application I was a bit concerned that they didn't get my application (and that they thought we were moving without a job) so I emailed him back. He called this afternoon and left a message on my phone because I had been in meetings all day. He explained that they had not taken any action on my application yet but they were planning on meeting on Thursday evening to discuss my interview and to divide up the reference calls. He said after that they would do a background check (hmm, I wonder if they will find my ONE speeding ticket from four years ago) and then I will have a final interview. I figured that this was the case. The church is in no hurry to fill the position because of their interim and it takes time to pass these things through committees and we are in no hurry to move so we will just have to keep waiting and be patient until they decide. Thank you all for your support. This is all I know for now but I will keep you all posted as soon as I hear anything further.

Job Advice?

Yes, I am ASKING for advice. How often does that happen? With this church thing . . . how long should I wait before calling them? I don't want to press them or make them feel rushed. This is a Presbyterian church so they probably have to pass any decision through several committees. Carol (I think you still read my blog), how long after your interview with your CE lady did it take you all to offer her the job?

I definitely feel more patient now and feel like I could wait a bit before calling them if necessary but I want to appear interested in the job but not desperate or pushy. I feel as if they didn't like my interview that they would have just told me right away that I didn't get the job. But also waiting this long may mean that they have been considering me for the job but I may or may not have gotten it. Ok enough about the job. I would appreciate any advice! Thanks.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Well, at least I am not napping for 3 hours like I did last Sunday! My brother and his roommate are over here doing laundry this afternoon and are watching a movie. Andrew is at an NFL draft pick thingy (I have no idea really) and I am just hanging out.

Dewey did very well in his new habitat. The only thing that he did was to start pulling on the carpet and tearing at it. We think that we can find a way to pin that down so he can't pull it up. All of his destructive behavior generally comes from separation anxiety and we really can't do anything more for that than we are already doing. We think he liked his new little place!

No word from the church yet. I sent an email to them on Thursday just simply asking when I might excpect to hear from him. I think that they are probably waiting to pass it or not through a session meeting and those don't just happen all the time. If I haven't heard from them by the end of next week then I will be calling them just to find out when I might be able to find out. The hardest part of waiting is at work when I just have to act like I will be there another year yet. For example I volunteered to take a supervisor call night every few weeks. I hate doing stuff like that because I don't want to volunteer for stuff and then just leave people hanging if we happen to move. I hope to find out soon so I can either just volunteer and actually do that or start to make other plans!

Dewey's New Home and Carriage Crossing Adventures

Well, after many months of training and deliberation we have decided to move Dewey to a new home on our back porch for much of the day. I feel that he is pretty close to being house trained (except when he is sick) and so we thought a little more freedom might do him good. For those of you who haven't been to our house, the back porch is pretty much part of the house. It even has some outdoorish carpet in it. Well, I spend some time last night cleaning up everything on the floor and trying to puppy-proof it. I even got down on my hands and knees to see what I could find to chew on! :) We left him there this morning! When we pulled out of the carport and driveway we could see his little cute beagle head peeking out from the window of the back screen door. I hope he likes his new home today. He still has his crate in there but he is free to roam around the porch area. I think that I may go and check on him this morning just to be sure he hasn't gotten into anything bad!

Andrew and I decided to go to Yoder Kansas last night to try the Carriage Crossing restaurant. They were having a special since it is "Yoder days" there. The restaurant was serving their dinners at the price they charged when the place opened! I had grilled ham with fries and green beans. Andrew had a chicken fried chicken with mashed potatos and corn. We had their homemade bread and of course we had apple pie ala mode for dessert. They have a very cute little gift shop attached to the restaurant. I saw some very cute bags and so since the price was right (only $6) I convinced (didn't take much convincing) Andrew to buy me one. He did and it is so cute. It has a green background with blue, pink, yellow, and orange flowers. The hardest thing to decide was which kind I should get. They also had a cherry pattern I liked and a pattern with shoes! I didn't like some of the shoes, though so I went with the flowers! :) I have now increased my purse collection to two purses! I must get to work!

No News

No news from the chuch. Thought I would keep you all updated. My first step will be to send an email tomorrow inquiring about the process of the job and then if I don't hear back from that I will call next Monday. That is the plan. I will keep my blog updated. Believe me, I will post when I find out anything!

This is Torture!

Still no word from the church. Every day I wake up and wonder if I will hear from them today. I want to wait and be patient but it is so very hard. Sometimes I wish I could just call them up but I want to give them plenty of time. I'm sure they aren't rushing because they do have an interim person in the position now. Anyway, enough about that. I have done all I can do. I have sent a thank you note and a follow up email.

Another note: Teeth are very expensive! Did you know that? Well, we have just gotten done paying for some fillings and now we just got the bill for my root canal. The endodontist did take a percentage off of the price (which we are VERY thankful for) but thing like that are still so expensive. I think I am in the wrong profession. Since I have gotten the pain relieved in my mouth from the root canal, I think I will hold off just a bit on my wisdom teeth, for one; to see if I get the job in Ohio (if so maybe they have dental or a better plan for surgeries), and two; just to space out my dental treatments! I can't take much more! I won't wait too long though.

Still Waiting

I thought if I waited long enough to post that I would be able to post about some sort of job news, either positive or negative. But no such luck. It has been one week since my second interview with the church in Wyoming Ohio. In reality, that probably isn't very long. I don't think they are in a hurry to hire since they have an interim in the position. Plus, I just mailed my formal application on Wednesday so they probably haven't had a chance to get it yet, let alone check out my references. Still, I wish I would have pointed them down on a time that I would hear from them. That way, at least I would know when the news was coming. This waiting is making me very unmotivated. If I get the job then I will have some sort of a deadline to get stuff done here, at work and at home. If I don't get the job then there will be several things (packing the entire house) that I can cross off my list and get to some other things.

The weekend was a good one here. I went to a women's conference on Saturday at church and it was very good. I will have to post some of the great things that I learned sometime when I have the book in front of me. I was exhausted from the activities and from our Ohio trip (still) so I slept about 3 1/2 hours Sunday afternoon! I still slept fairly well last night anyway! Well, I should get to work. See, I'm unmotivated.

Friday's Post

We are just waiting, and waiting, and waiting to hear back from the church. We have been busy recovering from our trip. Tuesday night - voice lessons, Wednesday's night - went to St. John for Brett's birthday (can you believe he is 20?), last night - I spent three hours painting the trim in the living room and I probably have another three to go before I am done. It is a project that needs to be done, whether we are moving or not. Seemed like a good choice of activity for the evening but I probably should have gotten a bit more rest. Tonight my sister and her friend will be in Sterling. Tomorrow I have a women's conference at church and Sunday my brother moves into the dorms. Then we start all over again with the week on Monday. I have a bit of a sore throat this morning so I may need to take a day off or at least a 1/2 day to just recover. I am pretty sure my sore throat is just pain being displaced from my tooth, since it is just below where I had the root canal. I just want to be out of pain, skinny, and healthy. Is that too much to ask?!

Back in Kansas

We arrived back in Kansas last night at about 5:30 p.m. It was a very nice trip. I want to comment on my last post. To be quite honest, I barely remember typing it and I'm not sure why I felt it was necessary to post at 3:00 a.m. when I wasn't feeling well. Oh well, I am leaving it up because it is quite humerous how incredibly out of it I was. Most of it doesn't even make sense.

I haven't heard back from the church yet. I sent in my formal application yesterday so I would imagine they are waiting on that, since references and such are on there. I will post as soon as I know anything. I am excited about the prospect of doing what I went to school to do but I am nervous at the same time to experience not living close to my family.

I also must say that there is quite a bit of slacking going on around here today. I realize that I had removed an earlier post that vented some job frustrations but today I just want to add it again, but I won't. Maybe in the future. I just wish we each had little workomeders and we were only paid for the work we did (at home and at work). I have a feeling I would be fairly wealthy, although I can think of some others who do work harder than me. Well, we are back in Kansas and just waiting to see what the future holds.

3 a.m.

Here I am and I am awake at 3:00 a.m. I am sitting in swimmingly dealing with my prescription pain meds for my teeth. However, it wasn't my teeth that woke me up with was that gall darn gallbladder. If I am extremely hungry I still have phantom gallbladder pains. Non have been this bad so far. I thought I would have to have Andrew take me to the hospital but no, I am feeling better after a few small crackers. Good night everyone.

Church Job

My interview went very well this morning at the Presbyerian Church in Wyoming, Ohio. For those of who you don't know, we flew to Ohio to surprise Andrew's dad for his birthday. I happened to be able to get a job interview (and a root canal) while I am out here. Anyway, the church was very friendly and the job would be exactly what I want to do. The salary was just a bit lower than I would have wanted but it is possible that I could negotiate that. The church also had new facilities which are very nice. They haven't officially offered me the job but they sounded positive. I guess that is the newest update. Who knows, we may be moving in a few weeks time!

In Ohio

Well, I couldn't blog about this before now since we were flying to Ohio to surprise Andrew's dad for his birthday. I won't say which birthday it is. Anyway, we arrived safe and sound last evening. We flew out of Kansas City in a bit of a thunderstorm but it was entertaining. I have a "second" job interview tomorrow at the church here. Really, I think that I am just going to see a service, see their education program and having lunch with them. Not really an interview. I am fairly nervous. I have no idea what to do. Do I really want to move 850 miles away from everything I have ever known? I like the area and I want the adventure but am I really ready for this? As I always say to Andrew, "I am feeling something." He usually asks what it is and we are able to get to the bottom of the issue. The problem is, this time, I'm not exactly sure what I am feeling. On the way to the airport Andrew was saying how it helped him to look up at the night sky when he first went to Sterling and realize really how close everything was. I started joking with him and singing, "somewhere out there." But after a while it made me quite upset and I started to cry and sort of laugh at the same time. Funny moment. Anyway, sorry this is all sort of random, that is how I am feeling right now.

What, what, what?!

Well, I had an interview with the church in Wyoming last night. I felt that it went very well. They are supposed to call me back this morning to tell me if they wanted a second interview. It is now 10:00 a.m. and no call. I am paranoid, I know. Another recent development. Just a few moments ago the Academic Dean walked into my office and offered me the position of Private Voice Adjunct professor here. I can hear people in my life asking me if I am qualified for this, how would it fit in my schedule, etc, etc. The answer is, I don't know, so don't ask me those questions yet. I just need time for this to sink in. I would, obviously, only be temporary until they find a replacement. This throws a whole new light on the situation of our lives. I already dislike making difficult decisions and here I am faced with several of them of once. I would appreciate advice and prayers.

Interview Tonight!

Well, I have a job interview tonight with the Wyoming Presbyterian Church in Wyoming Ohio (USA). They are looking for a Christian Education/Youth Director position. If I understood the pastor on the phone correctly, the job is a newly formed position and they don't expect me to do it all myself. I would primarily be the administrator in the positon and I would be able to hire an assistant to take care of the part of the job that I desired to delegate out. Anyway, the interview is at 7:30 tonight (Ohio time).

I had a great conversation this morning with former pastor of mine. He is very knowledge able of the Presbyerian Church and of the Cincinnati area, since he grew up there. It was great to talk to him and get his advice about the whole thing. He also taught one of my classes at Sterling College so I am also going to use him for a reference, which will be great.

The church is on the outskirts of Cincinnati in a fairly wealthy community. I will find out more about the job and the church tonight during my interview. I will probably post again after it is all over! Life is stressful, isn't it?!

Old Houses

I can not tell you how tired I am of old houses. I never thought that I would love drywall or new carpeting but it really does make a difference. I am tired of old plumbing that leaks, dark wood panelled walls, crooked floors, lead paint chips, dropped ceilings, spiders (which I know those are in every house) and no doors in the house, except to the bathroom and one in the bedroom! We have made lots of progress on our house, thanks to family who helped, but wouldn't it be nice just to have something new or at least newer?! I shouldn't be so negative and I should appreciate the nice things about our house, the bathroom and office! :)

Scrapbooking Weekend

Well, I have spent most of the weekend scrapbooking. I am trying to get all of last year done. Since I finished Europe, the rest of the year should be fairly easy. Believe it or not, I am having Andrew do a page for me right this minute. He is seeing how some of my equipment isn't the best (maybe he will buy me some). Well, it has been a fun weekend. I am hoping to have last year done before I have lessons tomorrow night so I can take down my table. We'll see. I am working on labor day next!

Good advice? Going once, going twice!

Well, I just want to put a disclaimer on this blog. I am writing this with a smile on my face and I am not mad.

I am taking the day off of work tomorrow to work on my scrapbooks. I haven't really scrapbooked since we got the puppy in March and since I started teaching voice lessons in the evenings. Andrew was very excited that I was doing this since he thinks that I never do anything fun for myself. So, I proceded to get ready for this by printing out some pictures from our digital camera of the events I needed to scrapbook. After I had used up the ten page pack of glossy paper that Andrew purchased for me (only 40 pictures, surely people get more prints with a film camera), he proceeded to comment on how I shouldn't print all the pictures we have (which I don't even get close) and that a lot of my pictures are of the same thing, which could be cut down. This went on for a few minutes. Ok, so I thought, good advice. I'll try to remember to do that in the future.

Well, this morning my dear hubby walks into my office and I ask him if he is going to Walmart anytime soon because I need more paper. He launches into another lecture to rehash how I print to many pictures and I should really only have one page per day of our Europe trip (not nearly enough, right my fellow scrapbookers?). So by then I am thinking . . . were't you the one that wanted me to take this day and scrapbook the way that I wanted and so something relaxing that I like. Well, after I threatened to switch back to a non-digital (shocking thought to Andrew) camera, we parted our separate ways. I am about ready to just tell my boss forget it, and come to work tomorrow instead of scrapbooking!

Lesson learned: Good advice is good once but not twice (or more)! (I need to remember that as much as anybody!)

Ah, the joys of teeth

Well, I went to the family dentist today. After about six or more numbing shots and an hour of drilling the dentist sat up and announced that he couldn't finish the root canal! He said my tooth was too hard an that he would have to send me to a specialist. He also said that this speicallist would be quite pricey. So, he patched me up and after even giving me a shot in the nerve of my tooth (through the hole he drilled) he didn't give me any pain medication. So, I went home, with some rather bad news. That my tooth was not fixed after taking a 1/2 day off of work and we would have to spend more time and money at another doctor getting it fixed. So, that is the news.

Please continue to pray for my meeting tomorrow with the Manager from Primerica. I need guidance and direction for what questions to ask (even though they are all written out) and I just really want to follow God's will. So, now that I am a bit loopy from some pain medication graciously given to me by my father, I think I will go crash on the couch.

White Flour

Here is an article that I read in a new book called, You are what you eat by Paul Chek. It is all about white flour. I am all for eating natural foods, not unnatural foods like margarine and artificial sweetners. Bring on the butter! Anyway, I am cutting out white flour and trying to stick to whole grains only because white flour is more processed that whole wheat flour. Anyway, I know that I probably can't cut out all white (processed) flour and sugar but I am at least going to cut back! Here is an exerpt from the article I read:

While there is little argument that whole-grain cereals and breads are more nutritious, provide more fiber and aid detoxification, care must be taken to avoid consuming ill prepared or processed grains. As you are surely well aware, we have not only deviated far from our ancestral dietary, but we are in the era of highly processed foods. Food manufacturers have clung to public misperceptions with regard to white foods, particularly white breads, white rice, white sugar and white table salt, all of which are commonly referred to as white death by most nutrition experts and naturopathic physicians, and for good reason!

White flour contains only 13% of the chromium, 9% of the manganese and 19% of the iron that is contained in whole wheat. Due to the fact that many of the B vitamins are concentrated in the outer parts of the grain, white flour is deficient in B vitamins (6).
White flour does not contain the germ of the wheat, which is a potent source of vitamin E, resulting in a high potential for vitamin E deficiency in those who’s diet is inadequate for vitamin E sources and/or comparatively high in bread-stuffs (7).

Research shows that since as long ago as the 1950’s, conventionally farmed American grains have been low in protein quality and quantity. So much so in fact that whenever the US tried to give its surplus grains away to countries with starving populations, they would not accept US grains if any other country was offering theirs; they had found that the deficient US grains did little to maintain or improve the health of the starving (8).

After 130 years of consuming highly processed grains in the form of breads, pastries and cereals, chronic disease states are rampant among most industrialized nations, with the greatest prevalence in England, which has the greatest consumption of white flour, white sugar and tea per capita - the US is in a strong second! Not surprisingly, we appear to be continuing another trend that began with the introduction of the steel roller mill - a declining birth rate. As you can see in the diagram, the more bran and germ millers extracted from flour, the lower the birth rate per 1000 people there were in England between 1872 and 1945. Today, things are not much better. Artificial insemination is a big business and, if not for advanced medical technologies, we would be losing a huge amount of babies that wouldn’t have survived even 100 years ago.