Too many subjects for a title!

I have so many ideas of what to write about that I can't think of a title. I guess that is good. First of all, I must say I am having a hard time adjusting to the weather here. My desktop thermometer says 42 degrees. That is way too cold for me for April 27th! I am used to 80 or 90 degree temperatures by this time. I wonder if Ohio is always this cold this time of year!

I am so excited for our weekend plans. Andrew's mom found a deal on a hotel downtown and that sparked the idea for a birthday get away. We are going downtown for a little retreat tomorrow. We are going to see Les Miserables on Friday night at the Aronoff Theatre, we are staying the night in a hotel with free food (part of the deal), and then we are going to see a Red's game on Saturday. I'm not a huge sports fan but it's the experience that is fun.

At the church where I work, we have had a goose lay her eggs right in the courtyard of the church. She has been sitting on her eggs for 20-some days but they began to hatch yesterday. It has been so much fun (for me as well as the preschool kids) to watch this experience. Also at the church I have had a robin decide that she wants to help me in the office because she tries to get into my office by flying into my windows. This has happened frequently and it is very funny behavior to watch.

We took a walk last night in my new favorite place . . . Dudley Woods Park. It has a beautiful nature trail. We enjoyed walking around the trail and Dewey enjoyed the mud!

Yesterday was Administrative Professionals day (aka. secretary's day, which is ok with me). I didn't think anyone remembered or knew about it (which was ok with me as well) but I received a very nice plant this morning!

It has been a little over a week since our last meeing with UBuildIt. I want to call to see when he will be done with our rough budget outline but I don't want to rush him. I will just have to wait and see.

Oh, and if you read my blog and have a blog of your own, I would be glad to add it to be list (on the right side of the page). Just leave me a comment with your blog address. I would love to get more blogs linked to mine.

Mass Exodus!

We have been hearing of the large number of staff members leaving Sterling College in recent weeks. We are glad for our good friends who are still there to continue the good work and to keep us up-to-date but I am kind of glad I am not there to watch some very good friends leave.
:(

Isn't that selfish?

It's another May Festival night. I always dread it this time of day but when I am leaving Music Hall at 10:00 pm, I am thinking how much I enjoy it! Talk about mixed feelings!

Pics

A picture of me in the MFC. You can see me if you zoom in quite a ways. I've got to go to work. Hopefully I can do more of this later!

No Pictures?

Sorry for not posting pictures. I'm not sure what happened . . . well, yes, I am. I went to see a movie instead. I hardly get to see Andrew anymore (or it seems that way) so since he wanted to go, I went along. I enjoyed the movie. Please pray for Andrew. He's in a tough situation. Thanks and hopefully we'll have some house news soon!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 1 year blogging anniversary to me, myself, and I! The actual date was on the 18th but I was busy that day and didn't have time to write. It's been quite a year, huh?! I'm in the mood to post pictures so there may be some pictures posted on here later tonight if I think of it.

My Weekend!

Yes, I was in Kansas this past weekend. I tried to work out a time to be in Sterling but I was there for such a short time that it just didn't work out. I flew into Wichita on Friday evening and didn't get home until about 12:30 am. My grandpa drove back with me to Kansas, in the car my parents gave us, and we left Sunday evening and drove to Lawrence to stay with some relatives. The weekend was wonderful. It was great to be home and relax, even for a short time. Flying is definitely the easy way to go. I believe I will fly more often and when I get older I can rent a car (still not old enough yet!!) because sometimes that is cheaper.

Grandpa Fairchild drove with me out to Ohio. We had a great time and I was impressed with his ability to stand such a long drive. I guess he is used to long hours on the farm. On Tuesday, I was able to show Grandpa around the area. We went all over. We showed him our land we bought, visited both sets of Andrew's grandparents, went up to see Andrew at his office, went out to lunch, went to a house-building meeting, toured my father-in-law's plant and then went to the airport. I had a hard time getting up this morning, especially since I had to drive downtown to practice last night as well. I feel as if this post is a bit choppy and not well written. I have been in a bit of a fog today and the cake and cappicino I had for breakfast doesn't help. Yes, I know that is BAD BAD BAD (mom) but I didn't get up in time to eat anything else. I will never do it again (hopefully). Anyway, on to more news:

The church where I work had a breakin while I was gone to Kansas. Whoever it was took one safe out of the building and tried to break into another safe. Some money was taken but the thieves didn't try to steal any of the computer equipment that is sitting in this room (the safes were in my office). I also found this morning that a lock was broken on some desk drawers and money stolen out of a purse I had in there. The purse wasn't mine, I was simply holding it in there until someone claimed it. We'll probably have to have that fingerprinted as well. Scary stuff! Anyway, that is the latest news.

Melanie, our next planned trip to Kansas is over the 4th of July. We will be there for several days this time, and we will get to Sterling for the 4th of July celebration! Will you be in town then? I hope so! Anyway, I'll email you soon!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Happy Easter!!!

I wanted to say Happy Easter to everyone! I am enjoying my time in Kansas and am looking forward to the Easter service at my old church! The Lord is Risen, He is Risen indeed!

What was I thinking?

When I look back at my decision to audition for May Festival in January, I ask myself . . . what was I thinking? My motivation for that decision was not a good one and it was way to hasty. I simply wanted to see if I was "good enough" to make it in there. Obviously that was a very vain thing to do. However, I have enjoyed the experience. I have enjoyed singing the music and it is good to know that the choir is there. I am hoping that in several years, Andrew and I could join it together. For right now, I dread thinking about going down there for rehearsals and I dread thinking about the two weeks in May when I am going to have to practically live down there. It is just frustrating to me to think that I am going to spend about 4.5 hours of my day on May Festival stuff today when I really want to be, playing outside with my puppy, working on Sunday School, getting more involved in my church, maybe volunteering in their Wednesday night program, spending time with my husband, working on stuff needed for our house, planning my voice lessons and getting ready for students, and maybe even making some friends. My heart it not in it because of the type of organization that it is and that make me sad that I am spending my time there.

One final note: Even though I consider myself one (in a vague way) and many of my friends are musicians I just have to say . . . many times, I just don't like musicians. They can be terribly snotty and know-it-all's. If they would really listen, the note that is incorrect is coming out of their mouth. That is why I say, I enjoy the music and the experience but all the criticism . . . I could do without!

Weekend Update

The weekend was a bit of a crazy one. On Friday night I started on a project to scan in some of the Myers family pictures (old ones) into our computer. Andrew and I are interested in doing something like this for families as a side business someday, so I thought it would be fun to try it out. It has been very fun and interesting so far. We will be able to put together some neat presentations when I get them all in. Of course, I need lots of help labeling things because many times I have no idea who someone is.

This morning, Dewey decided to welcome in Holy Week with a bang. He snuck into the dining room (while I was waiting at the door to let him out) and decided to poop all over the floor. It was an emergency sort of poop but it made me about 20 minutes late for work since I had to clean it up. We haven't had an accident like this in a long time. I put some Frontline on him last night, since it is spring time, and I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

I also had a bit of a weight scare yesterday. I'm not sure what I was smoking and at time I think I am a bit psycho about my weight. Anyway, I thought I weighed myself and it was 10 pounds more than last time but I must have just seen the numbers wrong or something. I weighed again this morning and I was actually down a few pounds from last time I weighed. This makes sense because I haven't eaten that much the past few weeks because of my teeth and cold. So, I have only gained about six pounds since returning to Ohio. I'm not sure what I was smoking when I thought it was 20 but it was a big relief this morning. I still need to keep working because I still want to drop about 30 pounds.

I am flying out on Friday afternoon to journey to Kansas for a short weekend trip. I am looking forward to it.

Here We Go!

We had our first official meeting with UBI (UBuildIt) today. We signed a contract and paid our downpayment (ouch!). We now have a few things to get together before our next meeting which is the budget meeting. It is up to us to finish this stuff and call him back. Is tomorrow too soon? Just kidding. I'm sure I will work on it tonight but I'm not sure that I will get it finished. Anyway, I am very excited to actually be moving forward with this whole process and I am itching to start on the construction part. We still have the four step planning process. Our construction guy assures me that this process is necessary to help reduce costs and have things in place before they are needed. I'm sure he is right!

On to other things: My diet is out of control! I have got to get things back in line and not eat so much. I have a difficult time choosing the things I eat (except for lunch) because I don't really do the grocery shopping or have my own kitchen. So, I really need to concentrate on not eating very much. This is very hard. I kept a food journal until I had my teeth out but I stopped during those rough two weeks. I need to start doing that again. I have been a bit more active lately. Since Dewey has been having some trouble with his behavior, I decided that some one on one playtime would be good, so we have been playing fetch each evening. He seems to be doing well. The only problem is how long it takes to feed him by hand. I was fairly late to work this morning because Dewey took so long to start eating. I guess I need to get up earlier, which means I need to go to bed earlier, huh?! Ok, that is all for now.

I will keep the house project up-to-date. My biggest fear right now is that the whole project will be over our budget. We have scaled it down quite a bit but I hope it is enough!

A fun time was had by all!

I had so much fun visiting with my sister this weekend. It was fun to show her around and to just have a good time. The visit was a little short but that is how is goes, I guess. I am still struggling with a bit of sinus trouble but I'm sure it will continue to improve as the week goes on.

Our building project is moving along. We are finalizing a few small details of the house plans and I am meeting with UBI (UBuildIt) on Wednesday to turn in some plans and get started on the project planning process. It will be good to officially meet with the builder. I hope things go smoothly. There is a chance that it will just be me meeting with the UBI guy but I am hoping Andrew can join me.

We discovered this morning that our sweet doggy, Dewey, is having some issues with possessiveness. I never thought he would be this way. It all started when I tried to get close to him while he was eating an ear treat. He growled at me and showed his teeth! I couldn't believe it. I took the treat away from him, made him sit, and then gave it back. Hopefully showing him that it is ok to share. He did the same to Andrew when he came in the room! So, I decided to walk up to him while he was eating this morning. He definitely snarled and me and then bit my hand. It wasn't a bad bite but it was a bit all the same! I put him in his crate for a while, so I could cool down. I heard that hand feeding was a good way to make your dog realize that the food was not his possession. I let Dewey out of his crate and hand fed him the rest of his breakfast (I also made him sit for each bite). It went well. This is a problem we will have to constantly monitor and work on. We might have to hand feed for a while and then simply sit right by his dish. I used to work with him on possessiveness but he just never showed any signs of it so I quit. I guess it is time again!

Nothing else has really been going on around here. I was able to unpack my spring clothes yesterday and pack up some winter sweaters. I always love doing that. It wasn't as pleasant this year because I spent much of the time thinking about how many things from last year I couldn't fit into. I have got to start walking more often.

Still Down!

I am still struggling with a cold. Now into my sinuses and chest. Yuck! But my sister is coming for a visit. Hopefully we can have fun anyway!

If it's not one thing . . . it's another!

My sockets are well on their way to recovery. They are healing nicely and aren't painful at all. Unfortunately, Andrew decided to share his little cold with me so I have been battling a sore throat for about a day and a half now. It's really not bad, as I can function at work, but I'm just not 100% yet. My sister is coming to visit this weekend and I just want to be all better by then.

I do know that I am feeling better because I have been thinking about working out and diets. When I am feeling completely lousy, those are usually the last things from my mind! I can't wait until I am completely back to normal.

Happy Birthday to my sister!

I decided that what better day to write a post about my best girl friend in the world, than on her 26th birthday! Happy birthday to my sister, Jenny. Where can I begin to tell you how much my sister means to me. Here are some of the wonderful memories that I have about my sister.

- From a very early age she was nice to me and included me in her circle of friends. I have many wonderful memories of playing Russian spies in our basement with my sister and Sasha.

- My sister always let me be the bride when we played 'wedding!' :)

- My sister was always there to share her bed and her 'blanket' when there was a terrible thunderstorm outside. Of course, she usually had to wake me up before I would hear it!

- My sister was always up for staying up late on Christmas Eve to be 'Santa' and to put gifts in our parents stockings.

- My sister put up with me in junior high when I copied the way she dressed, what she did . . . and pretty much her every move.

- My sister included me with her friends in high school and drove me around when I couldn't drive.

- My sister encouraged me to go to Sterling College and invited me to come stay with her when I was in high school.

- My sister included me in her circle of friends at college. She even went with me to the Service of Dedication the day I arrived on campus so I wouldn't be lonely after my parents had gone home.

- My sister helped me through one of the most difficult times of my life in college by just being there for me to talk to and by providing active solutions for my problems. I don't know what I would have done if she wouldn't have been there for me then.

- My sister let me sleep in her room at college, and even her bed, if my roommates were sick, or if I was just lonely.

- My sister makes the world, especially mine, a MUCH better place! I am so proud to call her my sister!

Happy Birthday, Jenny!

Weekly Appreciation

I have had lot of things to appreciate this week. These are not in any particular order (after Andrew, of course) Here are some of them. . . .

1) My caring husband, who took wonderful care of my after my teeth were extracted! He was so thoughtful and thought of things that I couldn't while I was out of it for a while.

2) My parents for the beautiful flowers that brought me great comfort and for the many comforting phone calls!

3) Andrew's grandma, who worked hard to make me comfortable this week, along with her regular nursing duties, and she can make a mean batch of biscuits and gravy!

4) My co-workers and boss for their concern for me throughout the week, their prayers, and their insistance that I leave early when I looked pale from pain!

5) Andrew's grandpa, for the long talk and reassurance he gave me right before I left for the dentist.

6) Andrew's mom for making me tea and a smoothie and for checking up on me.

7) For my puppy, who is almost not a puppy anymore, for cuddling and keeping me company in bed!

Thanks to all who helped take care of me. I am feeling so much better today after receiving my second treatment of antibiotic packs. I hope I didn't leave anyone else out but I'm sorry if I did.

Appointment

Well, I have an appointment with the dentist today at 12:30 so he can check for dry socket. I had such a painful night. I woke up at 4:00 am and couldn't sleep because of the pain. I didn't want to take a prescription pill because I wanted to be able to drive to work. So, I took some Ibuprofen and got ice for my face. I eventually fell back asleep. I made it into work today and actually feel a little better than yesterday. We'll see what the doctor says. I am ready for some pain relief. Poor Andrew has a little bit of a cold. I have tried out several natural remedies to see if it will shorten the time of his cold. So far it hasn't gotten too bad.

Ouch!

Today has to be the most painful tooth day of all. I am so lucky that my place of employment has been so understanding and has let me off early all week. I have a feeling I am going to have to leave early today too. I didn't take a Vicodin last night and so I wasn't dizzy this morning but I did have a considerable amount of pain. I have called the dentist to see if this is normal. Argh!

New Look

I have been considering a new look for my blog for some time. This really isn't exactly what I had in mind but I'm not quite up to doing many changes without Andrew looking over my shoulder. So here it is for the time being. My pain is a bit better today but I am still experiencing some dizziness. Since we are being hit with a terrible snowstorm, it wasn't fun to drive/slide to work while dizzy this morning. I still have a bit of recovering to do!

Update!

I have been a bit out of commission since my wisdom tooth extraction on Friday. Friday evening I felt so good and thought this was going to be a breeze and then the pain hit. I made it to work this morning but my whole face is throbbing. I told the pastor that I probably wouldn't make it through the whole day and he said that was just fine. I just hope now that I can make it home. I refrained from taking any prescription strength pain pills this morning, because of the driving, but I still feel a bit like I am underwater. All I want out of life at this point is my bed, prescription pain killers, and my snuggly puppy! How many hours until I can climb back into bed?

My Personal Nurse

As my first major ordeal (having my wisdom teeth out) without my mother within 50 miles, looms on the horizon, I must take this time to reflect on how lucky I was to have her as my own personal nurse growing up.

When I needed just a bite to eat, it seemed as if, magically, she would appear with one piece of toast, topped with butter and cinnamon/sugar, cut into perfect squares. Her cool hands always felt good on my hot forehead and she always knew I was really sick if I didn't want to watch TV. She let us keep a bell by our beds, just in case we needed her. She would make us chicken noodle soup in bed and run our baths for us. There was even the time I convinced her to let me have nachos from a can (the spicy cheese kind) because I told her they would clear my sinuses!

Other things she put up with: the time I had pneumonia and I wanted about twenty pillows to use on the couch (we have a picture that is very funny), the time I passed out while having my blood drawn in the Stafford hospital, the other time I passed out while having a needle poked in me at the allergist, holding a bucket for me when I couldn't move due to anethesia, while I got sick after my gallbladder surgery (no one else was there!! only person I know who would do that for their married adult daughter!!).

My mother has not only cared for us all of these years but she brought our dog, Hunter, though a case of Parvo, by feeding him chicken noodle soup and gadorade. :)

This is not meant to be a put down to my husband or anyone else who might help me through this wisdom tooth ordeal but we all must agree . . . there is just nothing like your mother when you are sick!

We've survived one year!

One year ago we were getting our puppy, Dewey. We have managed not to kill him even though he has eaten towels, Sunday dinner pound cake, insulation, and numerous Kleenex. I wouldn't trade my little snuggly smiling beagle for the world regardless of how much trouble he gets in!

http://jaimeschechter.blogspot.com/2005/04/thats-cute-dog.html

Voice Lessons

One of the main reasons that I am probably going to quit May Festival Choir after May is over is the fact that I would like to teach voice lessons again. I did put an add in the paper when I first got here but I didn't get any response. I'm not sure how to attact students in this area but I will probably check with the local schools. I never thought I would stay this (before I taught lessons) but I miss the students. Maybe I was just spoiled with the good students that I had in Sterling but it was fun to interact with students that age. I would like to do that again and the little extra income doesn't hurt either! :) If anyone has any good ideas of how to advertise for that sort of thing, please let me know. Of course, I probably won't advertise until May and then say that lessons will start in the summer, or maybe I should wait until our house is finished but I'm not sure about that. Anyway, any ideas would be helpful!

P.S. I would seriously consider giving family discounts! :)

Who knew?

Who knew that I could do so much and just get up the next day to do it again? I am thinking this is only a taste of what May will be like with the choral festival. I have been driving downtown each night this week for practice. Luckily, I have been able to get home around 9:30 pm each night. We were expecting it to be later. Tonight is the first performance in which I am singing with the May Festival Chorus as they perform with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. We are performing Mahler's second symphony. It's a pretty cool piece of music if I do say so. We are singing much but we do have to sit up there through the whole thing since there isn't an intermission. I am trying to convince Andrew to take just one picture of the May Festival up there for proof so we'll see.

I am still torn whether or not I should quit the chorus. It is one of those things that I love to do while I am there but I dread driving down there and back so much and it does take a lot of time. I think I should probably quit it after the May Festival and then just plan to join again in the future if my time allows it! I have been thinking about how much money I spend just in gas money driving down there and it doesn't seem worth it. I am really glad for the experience but I'm just not sure I can keep it up.

Family!

Please be praying for Andrew's grandpa. He had some emergency breathing problems yesterday and had to have a traech tube put in yesterday! He needs a lot healing! Just pray that he will have comfort and peace in the upcoming days.

I have to put in another plug here for my wonderful family. Here is the latest wonderful thing they have done for me (us). They were going to give me my old car back (which they gave me in the first place) so that Andrew and I wouldn't have to buy another car anytime soon. Yesterday, my dad calls to say that he traded the old Buick in for a newer car and says that I can have my pick between the car they just bought or another car they own. Both are better, have less miles, and are more reliable then the ole Buick. My dad has gone to all this trouble to make sure that I have a good car to drive back to Kansas and one that will last us a little bit longer. They haven't had to do any of this! Aren't they great?!

All in order!

One of my favorite things to do is to organize things. It was so nice to have some time each evening to work on getting a few things sorted and put away. When we moved, for the most part, I had each box labeled with a number and a book described what was in each box. My downfall is paper clutter. I will admit that I didn't have time in the two week moving period to sort and file all of the important papers that had piled up! So last night I finally got around to sorting through a box that I had just thrown together from our office in Sterling. I got to throw away about 2/3 of it. Most of it being envelopes or just things we didn't need anymore. Now my project for the weekend is to organize the important bank statement/bills/insurance info/etc that I pulled out of that box, into binders. Binders are my favorite way to organize. Filing cabinets are just too hard to manage for me, yet at times they are necessary.

I was also able to figure out our budget the last few nights. I took over handling the money when we moved here, since Andrew is so busy, and I finally got it figured out. Actually, I should give credit where credit is due. I thought I had good Microsoft Excel skills . . . until I tried to set up a budget. I started listing income, expenses, etc and got a little frustrated with it not working properly. My genious husband comes in and waves a magic wand over the Excel spreadsheet and . . . presto we have some complex funcions that work beautifully, a layout that is easy to read, shaded in the right spots, and each column separated and easy to read. We tried to calculate in costs that we aren't currently experiencing but that we will plan on experiencing when we have our own house. Anyway, now you have all gotten a glimspe inside one of my hobbies, organizing things. That doesn't mean that I am always organized, it just means that I like to be!

Favorite Kitchen "Looks"

To anyone who wants to help me with decorating our house (when it's built), you can see the style of kitchen I want by clicking the link below. Obviously, ours won't be as big or as grand. I mainly like the black and white simplicity of this kitchen. The stove and sink are a bit overkill for me.

My Favorite Kitchen Design

Andrew and I saw this kitchen while watching Designer's Challenge the other day. Actually, Andrew was watching and I caught the tail end of the show. They also had a hardwood floor! I would probably add more red color accents but this is the look that I want. Thought I would share! I would appreciate any tips and ideas from my creative friends and family as we gather ideas.

House Building Update

We are in the process of being pre-approved for a construction loan through IndyMac Bank. The specialize in working with UBuildIt, the company that will help us build our house. They have a pretty good program with their loans including things such as unlimited draws (once every two weeks) and online draws. We should know tomorrow sometime, our pre-approval amount. Our next step is to get our house plans to UBuildIt so he can figure up all of the specifications for the house and how much the whole thing will cost to build. That's where we are at right now. We're moving forward with things but I don't feel as rushed as I did before.

I am still trying to make a decision about whether or not to keep on with the May Festival Chorus after the year ends in May. I am enjoying my time in the choir, while I'm there, but the time committment and the drive down there is enough to make me consider quitting. I also want to get more involved with our church and to be able to do other things to help Andrew out with his Master's. I also really want to start teaching voice lessons again to keep that up but I can't do both as well as everything else I am doing. I know that I have a long time to make my decision (several months) but I would appreciate advice and prayers about this matter.

Family Sacrifices

Last night I attended Andrew's cousin's high school musical. It was very good. It made me reflect about when I was in high school. I got to thinking about all of the things that my family provided for me over the years. Let me explain. My family didn't spend large sums of money on vacations for themselves, eating out, brand new "things," clothes, etc. But when it came down to getting something for one of us that they felt was important, like senior pictures, college, weddings, etc, they weren't afraid to spend a little extra for something quality. I just realized last night how much I appreciated that through the years. This quality definitely carried over into the wedding that they provided for us. They never once complained about how much money it cost and a lot of times they wouldn't share how much sometime cost, just so I wouldn't feel guilty. Everything in the wedding was beautiful and well done, just because my family was willing to foot the bill, even though it wasn't something for themselves. I just wanted to blog and say how much I appreciate the sacrifices made by my parents and grandparents so that we (my sibilings and I) could have quality things at important times in our lives. Thank you, family! I love you very much!

So Funny!

One of the perks in my job is seeing all the kids in the preschool come by every day. I don't know many of them yet but today I had a little boy come into my office and said "Excuse me, can I have Kleenex?" After I gave him one he said, "I am a little sick. I have lots of buggers." Oh my, I laughed very hard. The preschool director is gone today so I have all the naughty kids in here. Right now I have a girl in my office who is in trouble for pushing a scooter into other boys head. Oh my!

On Being Loved

I just have to make mention of a wonderful thing in my life . . . job appreciation. This doesn't mean that I wasn't appreciated in my work at Sterling but the effort these people at King of King's Lutheran Church put into appreciating me is quite amazing! I usually get a few calls a week from members just calling to tell me what a great job I am doing and about all the good things they have heard about me. I have received homemade cookies, cupcakes, invitations to lunches (twice), a beautiful plant for my office, a journal, cards, many hugs, and offers of office help from these people. Also a few days ago, a person who I thought didn't care for me much because of their cold attitude to me, said out of the blue how happy they were that I was hired for the position! I am truly blessed to work here and I am truly enjoying it!

UBuildIt

Our meeting went very well yesterday. I had spent some time "researching" UBuildIt on the internet and was impressed by the meeting and by the information that I found. It is a very detailed system and all of the costs are looked at upfront, so there aren't any surprises, or very few anyway. We are now in the process of getting pre-approved for a construction loan. Once that happens, we will give our plans to the UBuildIt (hard to type that name) and they will lay out all of the specifications of the project to see if we can afford it. That's where we are right now. I will continue to update.

House Plan

I have had several requests for me to post our favorite house plans again. Click on the following link and then click on House Plan 1. That is our favorite. We are going to take that plan to UBuildIt today to see if we can afford it. If we can't then I will post our second favorite.

http://jaimeschechter.blogspot.com/2006/02/house-plans-part-ii.html then click on House Plan 1. We will make it a side entry garage and the area with Washer/Dryer will be made bigger by using the garage storage area inside but washer and dryer will still be kept on the main level.

President's Day!

I'm really not sure why I had to work today. There is no preschool at the church today so it is VERY slow. I am here with the facility manager and the pastor. That is it! The lights are even still off in most of the building, except my office. Luckily, because it is Monday, I do have lots to do with the attendance from Sunday. I could have done it tomorrow! :)

We have a meeting with the U Build It people today at 4:00 p.m. I am excited to get things underway and see if we can afford the house we want. We went out and walked around on our land again yesterday. Dewey had a good time running around and getting his paws muddy! :) There is a nice fence around the property. We just had to watch him when he got near the front of the property. There is no fence there. I think I have picked out a spot for my garden. I hope to put in a few things this spring, even though our house will still be under construction then. I have some good landscaping ideas but those will probably have to wait until construction is finished. I have a feeling things will be trampled! Andrew's dad is planning on coming with us to the meeting. I'm glad. He has lots of experience building houses!

I have been losing things lately (not weight! Ha Ha). I couldn't find my book club book this morning and I have had a hard time remembering to mail things. Nothing that important but it is frustrating to me. I was wondering why I was feeling so displaced and disorganized. Oh yeah, half of my stuff is stored out in the big red barn! That's why! I felt better about being a little disorganized (we still know which box things are in, the trick is finding that box number) since we are still technically in the process of moving!

I will update tomorrow with details from our meeting today! Reminder: I love comments! :)

Any Who!

The other day, I was looking at commonly mispronounced words on the internet. The reason I was doing this is another story that I won't share here. Anyway, it was highly amusing. Let me share. If you wish to read the whole list you can go to www. yourdictionary.com. Here are a few that I thought were very common. Even though the word on the left may be a real word or saying the correct ones are located on the right for the purpose of this website. The ones on the right are the commonly mispronounced but correct words.

calvary/cavalry
card shark/card sharp
close/clothes
dialate/dilate
diptheria/diphtheria (pronounced with an f)
excetera/et cetera
Febyuary/February (I know I say this wrong)
foilage/foliage
For all intesive purposes/For all intents and purposes
heighth/height (not the same at width)
'erb/herb
irregardless/regardless
larnyx/larynx
mannaise/mayonnaise
miniture/miniature
nucular/nuclear
ofen/often

Enjoy and happy pronouncing! :)

My Valentine!

I woke up this morning expecting Andrew to have forgotten Valentine's Day. His actual gift to me is going to be a dinner theatre trip next week so I wasn't expecting anything on the actual day. He surprised me very much with a wonderful card and a love note during my breakfast. He went out and started my car for me this morning. When I got out to my car to leave for work, I saw a second card and love note! He did very well!! :)

Strange Things and Positive Things!

I have been noticing strange things lately, like the weather. January felt like March or April and now we are being hit by some very weird weather. While driving back from downtown yesterday we would hit patches of heavy snow followed by blue sky and sunlight. This happened several times. Today, it snowed for a good hour when I got here this morning and then by lunch the sun was out and the snow has all melted. I guess it is just in Kansas where it snows, sticks around for several days, and gradually melts. Ohio is weird! :)

Someone I work with is also weird. I won't mention who, but you can ask me later. This person will say very random comments in the middle of something I am trying to explain. His comments have nothing to do with the matter at hand. At first, I was a bit perplexed by this. Now, it just makes me laugh. This person also will interrupt even if I am explaining something serious. I don't believe they mean to be rude but well . . . I can't explain it! It's just weird!! (good thing I know how to spell weird, huh?!)
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My husband has been pointing out lately (sometimes in a nice way and others not - but that's ok) that I have developed a very negative attitude. This is true. I realize it and really want to make a change. So, whenever something annoys me or makes me sad, I am going to try and just look for the good in that and concentrate on it. I was encouraged and inspired back in Kansas, at a women's retreat I attended. The pastor's wife was speaking and she told a story about how her husband (the Pastor) would set his alarm for an early hour (think she said 5) but would then hit the snooze button for over an hour. She, however, would wake up with the first alarm. Instead of getting mad and grumbling at her husband, she instead began to use that time to pray! It made a difference in her life. I believe there is good in every situation if we just look hard enough. I realize this may be difficult but if I just start small and make little adjustments, I think it could really change my outlook on many things. I will have to share Andrew's "weightloss solution for Jaime" some day. It's pretty good, I thought!

Cupcakes

I've been thinking a lot about cupcakes lately and how they should be concentrating on their grades!

Saturday

A few requests have been made for another post from me. I'm not sure why I am writing this now, as I really don't have much to say. Today, I slept in (which was very nice), visited Andrew's grandpa in the hospital, wandered around on our new land for a while, watched some olympics, make homemade chili (which I enjoyed), and went next door to my in-law's house to watch more Olympics. I now am going to work on my music for tomorrow's concert.

Really, if I am honest, I don't really like Saturday's. I like to look forward to them, and I like them if I have sometime planned but most of the time they make me feel lousy. Just a day to lay around and not get anything accomplished. Next Saturday I will have to plan sometime to do for the day so I won't feel like I was a bum all day. I'd better get to work on laundry.

We own land!

We officially own our two acre piece of land as of 11:00 a.m. today. I am excited in a way but I am also sobered by the amount of debt we are facing now! I really feel like this was God's leading. Things just worked out so smoothly! Anyway, we will probably go take some pictures tonight so I will possibly post them here. If you want to send us mail, our address is 4862 Maud Hughes Road, Liberty Twp, OH 45044. We don't have a mailbox yet but we will soon!

Land and other such things!

We are closing on our land tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. We will then begin cleaning it up as there is some old tires and scraps of metal still left on the land from where the previous owner tore down an old house. It will be fun to go out there and play around!

I have been exercising a lot lately. I'm quite pleased with how I have been doing. I have done Pilates a few times this week and I even got up early this morning and got in a 20 minute pilates workout. I was a little late getting ready and didn't have time to make Andrew's lunch so I will have to get up just a bit early if I am going to continue this. I did another workout video last night.

I need to practice for May Festival Chorus a bit tonight. We have our first concert on Sunday and I have only sung through all of the pieces once. The choir sang some last year and so there are others more familiar with it than me.

House Plans Part II

Thanks, Linda and Melanie for your comments! I LOVE comments and I agree with you completely. When Andrew said that he liked that plan the best, I was a little disappointed that it wouldn't have an upstairs but I did like the idea of the dormer windows bringing lots of light into the family room. We are now considering two other options as well. One of them is our favorite, absolutely #1 plan. It is, however, a bit too big for us right now. The second one is significantly smaller. We really want to do what God wants us to for this house. Our dilemma lies in the fact that we are sort of limited in our ability to house needy people (which we both feel called to do, whether it be adoption or just a needy family) if we build the smaller house. I really don't want to build the bigger house just to be selfish. If we are able to afford that one when I really want to use it for a bigger purpose than just a place to live and accumulate stuff, if you know what I mean. I'm not sure that I am making myself clear in this post about how much I really just want to do what is God's will! Even if it means a tiny house, I am fine with that. Ok, here are the links to two more house plans.

This is the plan that is a bit too big for us right now, especially if we finished the upstairs. We would have a side entry garage, and a railing on the porch: House Plan 1

This is the sensible and economical house plan that we like:We would add a two car garage to this plan. House Plan 2

Let me know what you think! I am so glad that we have a while before we have to decide.

House Plans

See the link below to view our (Andrew's) favorite house plan. I have others that I like better, that have all features that I like but they are too big for us to build right now and stay within our budget limit. We probably won't be putting up a wall to that smaller bedroom (I would say knock out the wall, but hopefully we just won't put it up in the first place) and make the dining/living area bigger. We will have two bedrooms to start out with and then add one in the basement and start to finish it when we need more room! The whole plan will probably be mirrored to adjust to the sun/wind/rain factor on our property. Andrew also thinks this plan is easily add-on-able but I'm not so sure. I think it would look funny. I do ADORE the outside of the house! It is so cute and I can imagine us enjoying the view from the front porch. Enjoy looking at it and PLEASE let me know what you think. I am open to ALL suggestions because you know how much I LOVE comments! :)

http://www.houseplans.com/plan_details.asp?id=12732&st=10

Beautiful People!

In my time in Ohio I have noticed a very funny thing about people. I have been wondering when I might make some friends. What I didn't notice was that I already had. They just weren't like my friends in Sterling (meaning, 20 somethings single, or young married couples). Another things that I have noticed is that people who aren't as good looking as society thinks they should be, sometimes make the nicest friends. I won't mention names or specifics but one lady that I have met is just the sweetest person ever. She isn't good looking by the world's standards (overweight, facial hair, etc). She asks about my life and watches out for me. She isn't attractive or someone of high importance but my life has been made better through the brief interaction we have had. She is the person that I wish I were like, not the skinny blonde, with whom I have contact, who is consistently rude and doesn't have time to even say hello. So, why do I, as a woman, spend so much time pursuing outward beauty, because in my experience that is NOT at all what counts! I realize that this may be a bit of a deep subject for this early in the morning and that I just may be slow in this discovery. Some of the most beautiful people I know are ugly by the world's standards.

Compromising

We are in the process of picking out a house plan to build later on this year. This has turned a formerly fun task into somewhat of a tedious one! Part of the problem is the organization of over 100 house plans. I will start to work on that tonight, if I have time. I am attending Andrew's cousins shower tonight. Andrew and I like different things in our house plans. I tend to like house plans with 1) porches, 2) nice Master bathrooms, 3) secluded Master bedrooms, 3) kitchens with islands, 4) the potential to expand the house in the future, meaning expandable upstairs, basement, or the ease of an addition. We are also limited by funds. I would like a 2,000 square foot house but pretending we are just living on Andrew's salary means that we can only afford about 1300 square feet. Andrew has picked out a house plan that he thinks is the one. I guess that I just expected to see a house plan and say "that's it." Kind of like the feeling when you find the perfect wedding dress. This house plan is definitely acceptable. My only qualms with it include the layout of the house and the lack of a second story. Looking at what we have lived in so far, I guess I shouldn't be so picky.

New Book!

I usually don't recommend non-fiction books. However, in this case I must make an exception! I usually read during my lunch hour and those books are usually fiction. It is just what I like and prefer. However, I recently purchased fly-lady's new book, Body Clutter. I just read one chapter today at lunch but it is so good!! It is all about the different reasons we eat, not out of hunger, and babysteps to take to overcome these fattening and emotionally painful reasons. I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled with weight-loss, or body image problems. In my struggle to lose weight, it seems as if my biggest struggle is that I want to lose fast and forever. I forget that it took a while to get like this and therefore it will take a while to lose it. I just get overwhelmed and worn out from trying and give up. Flylady helps us to implement habits, so it doesn't seem like so much work! www.flylady.com. If you haven't have heard of flylady then you can check out her website or leave me a comment :) and maybe I can be promted to write a post about that!

Update!

Sorry for the lack of creative title. I just feel very tired and drained right now and I can't think of a good one. We met with the bank today and worked out some details of our loan. Most of it is settled, we think, but we haven't officially closed on anything. Some changes have been made regarding the loan because the bank isn't very fond of our garage/apartment idea. They pretty much don't think anyone else would want it besides us! I guess that is about all that is new. I am having a massage tomorrow, which was Andrew's Christmas present to me. I can't wait!!!

Diet? What diet?

I tell myself, daily, that I should go back on my diet. I don't think that I eat as badly as I used to. I am definitely not losing weight but I don't eat things like potatoes/french fries now. I still feel like I need to lose weight! I now have the temptation of yummy cinnamon rolls and bread from Rosalie. Andrew had a good idea for that, just eat it once a week. I think I can stick to that. Anyway, the trouble with my diet began when I cheated back in October. Yes, that long ago. Once I cheated once I felt like, well I've messed it all up already, guess I can cheat again! Argh! It's so amazing that my mouth is so close to my eyes. You think I would see very single piece of food that goes into my mouth, because of their proximity, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Anyway, I am going to attempt to go on the diet again. I think that I need to just set a date and go for it and . . . oh yeah, get a scale. That might help my motivation a little bit. My temptation is sweet things! So when should my starting date be of no more cheating? Hmm, why would I even ask that question. Tomorrow, of course!

Sterling All Hail to You!

I just realized this weekend what a huge life change that we have both gone through lately. I haven't really noticed lately since we have been so busy. I still find it amazing that we live here. We are getting ready to close on a land/lot deal that will be the future site of our home. This are just moving so fast. That is the way it like it, however. If nothing exciting happens for a while, I tend to feel a bit bored. However, right now I am just feeling a bit bowled over by life.

On Friday night, I had a dream about Sterling. I don't even remember what it was about but I woke up with a very deep longing to be at Sterling again. It's not that I don't like living here, that many wonderful things have happened to us, and that we are daily surrounded by wonderful people but there are just somethings that I miss, and that's ok. I miss the wonderful community of Sterling and the exciting things going on there. I was reading on their website the other day about the dorm building. A terrible sadness came over me that I would be there to see it built or share in the excitement of the Admissions office as they get to show it off to prospective students. Sterling was such a wonderful and loving community.

4862 Maud Hughes Road

We made our offer on the 2 acre piece of land we found on Thursday. The man offered us back on that day. We wanted the offer to be a bit lower so we gave him a new price on Saturday. He accepted! So we aren't officially land owners yet, since we haven't closed on the deal but we are well on our way as long as everything else works out. Yeah! See the link below to view the land.

http://www.henkleschueler.com/displaylist.asw?listnum=974074&mls=cincy

Yeah!

Usurers

Ok, so I attended my first "regular" rehearsal with the May Festival Chorus last night. It was . . . long! It lasted three hours. It would have been more pleasant if the drive hadn't been so rough. It was raining and foggy on the way down and snowy on the way back. I made it. I have definitely hosted thoughts of quitting the chorus. It just feels like I have taken on too much too fast. I can't quit my job, I don't want to quit Sunday School, so the choir seems like the logical choice. Andrew has encouraged me to stick it out. Whenever I am not singing, I feel as if I am wasting my gift and the many years I have spent training. I will stick it out until May and then see if I want to re-audition! Anyone know where I can get a very comfortable pair of shoes to stand in for hours but also look pretty? I am going to look at Steinmart this weekend.

The title of my blog has to do with a word we are singing in one of the pieces in MFC. It is an old fashioned term for Mafia or someone who swindles large sums of money illegally. I just thought it was amusing. We are having a bit of a snow storm here. It's nice to have winter weather!

I need to find that delicate balance between being too busy (which, I believe is NOT God's will for us) and being productive. I believe I am pushing too busy, which I don't like. My point is that we are made for relationships! When our "busy" actions (doing all this stuff to get "ahead") take more priority than spending time cultivating our relationships (God, family, and friends), then there is something wrong. That is what I want to avoid.

American Drivers Need More Credit

Each day as I am leaving work I have to make a left turn onto a fairly busy street. It is only two lanes because this area has grown so fast and developers weren't projecting such heavy traffic flow on that road so no turning lane. On my first day here the Pastor warned me that he thought I ought to make a right turn on the road and just back track a little bit to avoid that turn. I decided that I would just try the turn one day and see if I could make it. Also, let me explain that their is another drive way next to ours as well as a stop light a few yards down the road. This makes traffic back up and causes it nearly impossible to see people coming from the right. I have been so impressed that every single day I have driven out of this parking lot someone who is waiting at the stopped light will stop before the driveway to let me out, watch the oncoming traffic and wave me on when it is safe. Yesterday I even had a lady put a stop me from going since there was a car coming. She continued to wave me on when things were safe. Even though there is a lot of road rage out there, I must say to the drivers on Socialville-Foster Road at 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday . . . thank you for always allowing me safely to exit the church parking lot! :)

Comments

Life is so busy. I am not used to all the running around. We were busy in Sterling but I guess the difference was that we didn't have a far to travel. It only took us about a minute to get to work and we rode together. I'm busy, tired, and I have a stuffy nose that I haven't been able to rid myself of yet. Our room is a mess and the TV in our room that we were looking forward to watching movies on quit last night. Malfunction is more like it! Anyway, sorry to complain. Life is good. We are very lucky to have a nice, warm, loving home to live in with our own personal chef. Lasts nights ham loaf was so yummy! Our jobs are going very well and Andrew is working away at his Master's degree. Anyway, just a random post since I hadn't in a while. I hope to hear from all of you who may read my blog.

Curse of the High Heels!

One of the things that I enjoy in life is high heeled shoes. Before I met Andrew, I just liked them because they made me feel grown up and beautiful. After I met Andrew they were a source of making myself taller because he was so tall and I was so short. I do believe that the reign of my high heeled shoes will be put on hold for the time being.

I arrived at work today looking forward to the new week. I grabbed my purse and my bag out of the car and headed for the front door. I am usually the first one at work. As I was walking merrily on my way, my bad ankle turned (left one) and I fell flat on my face on the drive way. My bags went flying, my quiche, which I brought for lunch, went flying across the parking lot. Luckily, my body decided to collapse before any more damage could be done to my ankle. I had some very minor scraps on my hands, elbow, and knee. The only severe damage was when I realized that the high heeled shoes I was wearing were probably the cause of my fall!

Friends

So, we are settling into our routines and lives here. I am really enjoying my job and am looking forward to singing in the chorus here. . . what I do miss, is the companionship of friends. That is one thing that we really had going for us. We had a wonderful group of friends! I miss our friends! :(

First Day and the May Festival Chorus

So, my day has been wonderful but exhausting! I got up around 6:00 a.m. to get ready to leave for work. It was weird to drive to work in the dark! I got there a little before 8:00 a.m. and began my orientation with a member of the search committee. He was so organized (I was impressed). He had created a training schedule for me for the week. The church was so excited that I had come to work there. They gave me a welcome card and a gift (journal and stationary), which was very nice! They have also redone the office in which I work. It is fairly large and now has a nice L shaped desk for me as well as a new computer. I was also treated to lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant with several other members of the staff.

After work I raced down I-71 to Cincinnati to try to find the Music Hall for my audition with the May Festival Chorus. I have never been to Music Hall and the directions I had were for the back of the building. I ended up getting fairly lost in the "hood" of cincinnati but my cell phone and Andrew saved the day. I ended up being about 1/2 hour late for my audition but they were very understanding when I said that I was new and had gotten lost. My audition went very well and I was asked to join the Chorus while I was in the audition! I accepted, even though the time committment is enourmous. They had practice tonight but my terrible headache and sore throat didn't warrent well for three more hours of singing so I asked if I could just start coming to the next rehearsal. That was fine with them. The first one is on Sunday! I hope I will learn my way around before then! :) The evening also ended up with me tipping a parking garage attending about $5 and I walked an extra 3 and 1/2 blocks with heels on (which I shouldn't be wearing due to my ankle but you know that style does matter in auditions). Anyway, it's been a long day so I am going to turn in! I am looking forward to a more relaxing day tomorrow. I was hoping to get to visit Grandpa Myers today and I am sad that I didn't get to so I will do that tomorrow. Please continue to pray for him! Goodnight!

Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful trip to Kansas. It was a little too quick but we enjoyed the visit anyway. We got to see lots of family because we took a little trip to Downs (where the Walter's reside). It was fun to take a trip together (and finally get to see each other again) and to visit family.

My first day of work is tomorrow. I'm not sure what to expect but I am looking forward to it. I was supposed to have my audition with the May Festival Chorus tomorrow evening but I haven't heard from them and was supposed to get a letter. I will call tomorrow and may try to reschedule even though I have prepared a song. My nose is a bit stuffy so next week would be better!

I guess the big news around here is that Andrew's grandpa is very sick. He has a blood infection called sepsis. I don't know much about it but he really needs lots of prayers. He is in the ICU right now. So, please pray for him. Well, that is about all for now. I have several blogs in my mind so hopefully more will come soon!

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.