Pictures from 9/30/06

Andrew and I spent most of the day just cleaning up around the construction site. We started a fire and burnt a lot of scrap lumber and such. Andrew also saw cut the concrete to control cracking. Sorry, no pictures of that. I was lucky to make it down in the basement just to help, let alone to bring a camera. The framers were there from before 8:00 am to around 5:00 pm. They mainly put up interior walls and framed in the garage. We are pretty sure they are putting up the trusses tomorrow (yes, on Sunday). I am teaching Sunday School both hours tomorrow so I won't be able to be there. Andrew is going to early service so he can be out there to catch the action. We'll post more pictures when we take them. These are the pictures from today.

This is the where the sliding glass door in our kitchen/dining area will go.


Looking into the kitchen. Cabinets will go along both walls.


The kitchen window. Our sink will be below it!


Looking into the basement. No stairs yet. We used a ladder to get down there. You can sort of see what Andrew cut today if you look at the line in the concrete.



The view out of our bedroom window (for now, we may move upstairs once we finish that).

A picture of the whole first floor framed. It is amazing how much different it will look by next weekend, when Andrew will probably be working on the shingles.

The Promised Pictures

The promised pictures are below!

A picture of our basement/foundation before the concrete was poured. We forgot to take a picture of the concrete floor but you can imagine. Picture taken on 9/26/06


A rainbow we saw out by our house one day. Andrew says it's a sign that God will not destroy our house with water . . . high winds or a tornado maybe, but we're safe from the water.


The framers beginning to lay the sub floor. This was taken on 9/28/06 at about 1:30 pm. They work so fast that it makes my head spin!


This was taken about 12:00 pm on 9/29/06. The ground is still too muddy to get close to the house, without the proper shoes.


Taken this evening 9/29/06 (by Andrew, I was at my jewelry party). I can't believe how fast it is going. They are ready to set the trusses tomorrow. You can see them laying on the ground in this picture.

Andrew's dad admiring the framing this evening.

The framers are planning on working tomorrow, so I'm sure we will be out there most of the day to see them work, so we'll get more pictures. Surely these pictures are good enough to warrent several comments from my beloved friends and family! :) :)

Framing Update

Sorry that there are no pictures yet. I didn't get a chance to download from my camera. I drove out there over lunch and they had two walls up, the front and back of the house. Andrew is out there right now and he said that they had some of the interior walls up too. Looks like it should really move along, if they decide to work this weekend. I am still at work at 5:30pm on a Friday. My boss has requested that I make up time missed, which I understand, so I've got to grab every opportunity to do that. I've also been invited to a jewelry party over in this area. I normally despise home parties, they just lead to guilt at not spending money, but all the proceeds go towards helping a couple in our church get started as missionaries in Jos, Nigeria. Also, I've been praying that I would make some friends here. I tend to be slow at making friends, but once I make friends, they are pretty deep and long lasting friendships. So, we'll see how this goes.

I should have pictures to post tonight. I'll try to get my smart husband to help me put a video on here because, I have no idea how to even get it off the camera. We'll see.

So many things to say . . .

The framers started today. I drove over at lunch, and it looked good. The ground over there is so very muddy from the rain, so I brought along some old tennis shoes to wear in the mud. In order to not get my long pants muddy, I decided to resort to the 80s pant roll. I knew that I looked bad but I figured it would be better to look bad infront of our framing crew (who by the way, are all of Mexican decent) than have mud on my pants at work. Makes sense, right?! As I was leaving, I bid farewell to my framing crew and walked back to my car. I heard one of the guys say a phrase in Spanish. Now, I'm not fluent, but I did take spanish in high school and I know enough to know that they were making fun of my pants but not enough spanish to reply! I can't believe that they didn't say, "what a smart woman to bring her tennis shoes and roll her pants so they don't get muddy." I'm glad I could make someone have a laugh today.

On a more somber note, I found out this morning that one of my Sunday School kids (who is 3 years old) is having heart surgery for some major problems in November. She is the sweetest, most precious girl and my heart is broken for her. It helps to put things in perspective (again). Why do I whine all the time that I don't have a house when one is being built for me? And why do I whine all the time about my aches and pains when at least I feel good enough go to work and be productive? I'm just tired of hearing myself complain about such petty things, as I'm sure many of those close to me are as well. I'm tired of just petty things being a big deal.

Ok, so if everything continues to go on schedule for the house, this is what we're looking at for this week:
Friday, September 29th - Trusses delivered and set and sump pump installed
Saturday, September 30th - More framing
Monday, October 2nd - Backfill
Tuesday, October 3rd - Concrete for porch and garage (although they haven't called me back)
Wednesday, October 4th - Shingles delivered (Yeah, Andrew is putting these on!!)
Friday, October 5th - Windows Delivered and installed

Also this week, we may have the HVAC guy and plumber come in for some rough in. We also might be able to start on the septic. We are anxious to get that in before the cold weather starts! Yikes! I feel as if I'm a bit over my head but things keep moving forward and I'm learning slowly but surely, just to trust, and ask for help, if I need it. I've got framing pictures that I'll post later!

I can hardly breathe!

I'm so sore today! I spent much of the evening last night in our new basement (took some coaxing to get me down there with just a short ladder as a means of escape) shoveling rocks, mud, and muddy rocks so that Andrew could put up some screed board (if you need an explaination, email me jaime_schechter@yahoo.com) for the guys pouring concrete today. I also ran by our window place, and picked up some vapor barrier from Home Depot. I must say that I was very impressed with the service from Home Depot. Of course, I was a woman alone, asking about a 20x50 roll of 6 mil vapor barrier. Not your average, run-of-the-mill, female shopping experience!! I was helped by two, yes TWO, employees and then one of them carried the item to the register and then out to my car. That was good, since it was so heavy, I would have struggled to get it loaded up. I would have succeeded but I may have injured myself trying!!

Tonight we have a meeting with our HVAC guy and then home so that Andrew can accomplish some homework! We are having lumber delivered this afternoon and then our framing starts tomorrow! There is an 80% chance of rain and I mentioned it to the framer, but he said he didn't care. Now we just need to get our septic in place and much of our weather worries will be over. Our trusses are being delivered on Friday so that the framers can work all weekend. I hope all that goes well and there are no mix-ups or anything. The guy is from Romania so it is a tiny bit difficult to communicate with him. I've written down all my questions and things I need to tell him, so hopefully it will go smoothly.

I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow of the concrete basement floor and framing.

Foundation Photos!

Here are the pictures from last Wednesday when Superior Walls dropped in our pre-poured foundation. Enjoy!

This is the sign they placed in our front yard!



This is the first wall being dropped into place!


Wall number 3. It was neat to see how the crane lifted and moved the heavy walls! They also worked so fast. They put these three walls together in just a few minutes.


More Walls!


The crane operator let us take a picture from the crane. I let Andrew do it.



Finished foundation that evening!

The foundation is in!!

I'm at work so I can't post pictures. I will try to put them up tonight. I also have video but I will have to bug my hubby to help me do that. I'm not quite that technology savvy! The foundation is pretty cool. Lots of things are going in next week: basement floor, steel beams, lumber delivered, and the framing starts! Yeah!

Footers, Foundations, and I don't know!!

We are having our superior walls foundation set tomorrow morning. I am planning on going in to work late, so that I can watch them get started! We had a UBI meeting this morning (at 7:00 am) and I am pretty overwhelmed now. I'm not sure what all to do when, but I'm sure I can figure it out. The only two things that are scheduled is the foundation tomorrow and the plumber putting in underground stuff on Monday. The rest of it is in the works. It looks like the framer will start next Thursday (the 28th) so we'll see when it gets a bit closer. Sorry this is so short. I'll have lots of good pictures to post tomorrow. I have a few from the excavation company spreading the gravel (not very exciting) but I haven't taken them off my camera yet.

Hole Pictures!

Once again, these are in reverse order but it's 11:00 pm and I got up at 5:45 am so I'm not going to worry about fixing it tonight! The foundation company is bringing in gravel tomorrow and the temporary pole Andrew constructed is being inspected tomorrow. Enjoy the pictures!

The completed hole at 5:30 pm.

This is what it looked like at noon when we came over on our lunch break.

The monster is beginning to dig our basement. This was around 7:15 am.

We've Begun!

We watched the excavator begin to dig this morning at 7:15 am! We've officially started construction. We got video and pictures of the event, which I will try to post later. It was hard for me to go to work and not stay and watch. We watched him dig up some interesting pipes and things. We were hoping he didn't run into a big septic tank, from the old house so we'll see. He said it was an easy dig (hopefully means cheap). We have another meeting with our consultant there at 12:30 pm today. Good thing I've found the fastest route, since it takes me about 30 minutes one-way between work and the lot. I'll keep you posted with pictures and updates on the progress.

Timber and Heavy Equipment

Sorry these pictures are in reverse order. I can't figure out how to get blogger to load one beneath, instead of above. I'll work on that.

I took this picture at work on my way out to the mailbox. The driveway was covered with rain water! I've never seen it rain so hard for so long. It was only a slight drizzle here, which is why I chose this moment to go to the mailbox.

The heavy equipment in our lot, waiting out the rain!!

Dewey is watching and learning how to cut up a tree from Wayne and Andrew.

Unfortunately, this was our favorite tree in the yard. It was just too close to the house site. We'll enjoy the firewood.

Our neighbor volunteered to help us cut down the tree. So . . . we let him!!

New Sidebar Item

I searched today and found this neat little weather channel thing (for lack of a better word) to put in my sidebar. Since the weather is drastically effecting our building, I decided to keep all my family and friends up-to-date on the current weather, using my blog. I took some pictures of the rain today and I still haven't found out when we are going to dig. I would imagine that it would be either tomorrow or Thursday. I spent my lunch hour picking out windows at Pella. I went by myself since it was down in Montgomery (only had to turn around once . . . huge improvement) and it was too far for Andrew to come. We just need to decide on colors and place an order since Andrew and I have agreed all along on the style of the windows. I was shocked to learn how soon we would have to be ordering all of these materials. Also this week, we are picking out lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures, roofing color, and maybe appliances. I guess doing all of this while you are waiting on the rain rain to go away, saves time later. I'll should have several boring pictures of rain, and our excavation equipment, later on today for your viewing pleasure.

Our first delay

On my way to our land this morning (at about 6:50 am), our consultant called me and said that he suggested that we postpone the excavation because of rain in the forecast for tomorrow. He said it would also save us money because the excavator wouldn't have to drive out to our place twice (or more). So I'm ok with that. I'm ready to get started but I know it will happen soon. I'll find out more about our new schedule later on today.

We're digging a very big hole . . .

financially and in the ground!! :) I discovered today (long story) that we are breaking ground on September 11th at 7:00 am. Yeah! We're finally building our house! I feel like I'm going on a trip and I have no idea where I'm going.

Unconscious Love

Last night, Andrew fell asleep while I was still up reading my book. Right after I turned off my light, he rolled over and said, "Goodnight my perfect angel." I answered back (jokingly), "Oh, your just talking in your sleep." Well . . . he was talking in his sleep!! I am honored to know that my husband has such nice thoughts of me while he sleeps! :)

Firework Pictures

The banks were crowded. I heard the next day on the news that there was 1/2 million people down at the river for the fireworks.

The "waterfall" fireworks were displayed from a bridge that spans the Ohio River.

Jaime, Jennie, Maggie, Michael, and Andrew (the photographer) at the fireworks last Sunday night. I had a good time, I promise. Not sure why I am scowling.

Weekend and Such

We had a nice relaxing weekend. I really enjoyed my day off! I helped clean the church in Monroe on Saturday, did laundry, had tea (from people who didn't show), and watched a movie. Then on Sunday, we went to a movie, and then we headed downtown to watch some Labor Day fireworks. They are put on by a local radio station, so the station had music playing that coordinated with the fireworks. It was really neat. I especially liked the "water falls" coming off of the bridges. The news channel said that there were 1/2 million people there, and I believe it. It was so crowded! Yesterday, I slept in (very late), went to a movie, and then enjoyed a cookout at my in-law's house. So, we watched lots of movies. We hadn't been to one for several months. It was nice.

We are moving forward with our house stuff. We have appointments this week to pick out windows, and siding. I am working on calling people to talk about shingles, trusses, and lumber. I will hopefully have an official word on our dig date by tomorrow or Thursday. It's nice to have a four day week, and then another weekend. Since I got our building permit on Friday, we are now cleared to begin work. We are just waiting for our foundation to be built. Very important step in house building! :)

We've Set a Date

We've set a tentative date to dig, September 18th. This all hinges on when our foundation will be ready to install. I've been so swamped at work and with the house. Hopefully, I'll write more later.

Pants, Permits, and . . . Umm, Construction?

Pants: I bought myself a new pair of pants last week and decided to wear them today. I must have been bloated or something when I tried them on, because they are HUGE. And, don't ask . . . I haven't lost weight.

Permits: Our Building Permit is still in the works. I called to check on it today and I worked out a few kinks. Who knows what is to come, however? The water department was trying to charge us $3775 water permit fee! Yikes! Anyway, since our water account is active (I've been paying a $5 water bill for a few months), I told them about it. The lady checked on it for me and the water permit was paid in 1980. So . . . . "Dear Old Guy in 1980, Thanks for paying for my expensive water permit before I was even born. I appreciate it!"

Construction: We had a meeting with our building consultant today and guess what . . . he thinks we may have framing, roofing, etc done by the middle of October!!!!! This isn't me talking, folks, it is the expert in the situation. Anyway, we have another meeting on Friday with our consultant and a guy from superior walls, the people who are going to build us a beautiful foundation (as well as some to-do's before then). Hopefully our permits will be done by then, and we can schedule a time to dig a basement!! :)

FourThings

Since our other computer is down, I don't have an email address book, so I decided to just post this on my blog instead. Please feel free to leave your comments and participate. I'd love it!

Things you may not have known about me.....

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Data Entry at First Nat'l Bank, St. John
2. Farm jobs (pulling rye, weeding beans, changing irrigation, driving a tractor, etc)
3. Travel Coordinator for Advancement at Sterling College
4. Admissions Office Manager, Sterling College

Four Movies I would watch over and over again
1. Pirates of the Caribbean (1st one)
2. Catch Me If You Can
3. The Sound of Music
4. One True Thing

C) Four Places I have lived:
1. St. John, Kansas (birth to age 18)
2. Sterling, Kansas (approx age 18 to 23)
3. Manhattan, Kansas (lived here during the summer while in college)
4. Liberty Township, Ohio (present)

D) Four TV Shows I love to watch:
1. 24
2. American Idol
3. Everybody Hates Chris (don't watch regularly)
4. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

E) Four Places I have been on Vacation:
1. Scotland
2. Myrtle Beach
3. Europe (Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic)
4. Wilmington, Ohio (had to mention my wonderful bed and breakfast surprise get-away)

F) Four Websites I visit Daily:
1. mail.theschechters.com (my email)
2. www.53.com (my bank)
3. mail.yahoo.com (my other email)
4. jaimeschechter.blogspot.com (only to check the site meter)

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. BBQ Pork to Beef (trying to not eat so much pork)
2. Mexican (burritos are my favorite)
3. Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream at hot caramel sauce
4. Cooked Broccoli (I'm weird, I know) especially with cheese

H) Four places I would like to be right now:
1. St. John, Kansas visiting my family
2. Chicago, visiting my sister
3. Touring Europe with Andrew (I'd like to visit Italy next)
4. San Diego (I loved my visit there, even though it was for training, and I'd love to take Andrew. I think he'd LOVE the weather.)

I) Four friends I think will comment:
1. Graham
2. Carol
3. Susan
4. Anna
(just had to go with people I knew read my blog, although I hope others comment!!!!)

End of the tunnel (or beginning)!

Are we getting close to beginning the actual construction? I think so (although, I've been wrong before). Here are events that lead me to believe and hope we are getting close.

Friday, August 25th, 2006: Closing with the Bank (our construction loan will be in place and ready for us to take a draw).

Monday, August 28th, 2006: Our first officially construction planning meeting with UBI. They will give me this beautiful organized book of people's names I can call to hire for our house.

Tuesday, August 29th, 2006: This is when the county said our building permit would be ready!!

I don't think anything else standing in our way of hiring an excavator to dig the basement and septic system. My prediction is that we will be digging a basement by September 11th. Anyone else want to predict?

Weekend Pictures

I decided to post a few pictures in between lessons (one girl didn't come tonight). I always like other people's photo's so I'm going to try and post more myself.

Andrew in Belmont, Ohio

This is the view from his great aunt and uncle's house!!



Grandpa Schechter comparing Andrew's picture to Grandpa Miller's picture at the Miller Family Reunion on Saturday.


Group Photo at the Miller Family Reunion. Sorry it's so small!

Expensive but Expediting

I just turned in our plans to the township. They are expensive but they said that they would be done with the certificate by tomorrow morning. I can come by and pick it up after 6:30 am! So, while they may be (extremely) expensive, they are very . . . fast.

Minnesota Pictures (I hope)!

I am sitting here waiting for laundry to be done so I thought I'd try to post some pictures from our recent trip to Minnesota.

Schechter Family at Kristin's Wedding

Milwaukee Art Museum


The Field Museum in Chicago

Onward!

So, we are moving forward with house stuff . . . like the tortoise, but that is ok. He eventually wins the race!! :) We are officially "closing" with our construction loan on August 25th. Funny it is called closing since it is more of an opening. Anyway, we also have our first UBuildIt planning meeting that day. In the mean time, we have completed plans. Yeah! I am planning on taking them to the township offices tomorrow to get the zoning certificate! Just waiting on the septic plan. So tell me, why do we have to poop? Nothing has been more frustrating (yet) in this process than the silly ole' septic system. Different opinions (and prices) from everyone! I finally understand people's desire to buy, not build.

House Update #?

I'm losing count on the updates. I'm sure these are fairly boring but it's what is going on in our lives! I committed and purchased builder's insurance today. Actually, I haven't written the check yet, but I will do that tomorrow or Thursday. I have also contacted the septic plan guy (whose computer is in the shop. . . yikes!) to change our plan from two bedrooms to three bedrooms. That should be done by the end of the week. We are getting our house plans finalized (finally!). If all goes smoothly (hmm, when does that happen) I think we should have permits in place by the first of September. That's fairly optimistic, actually. The main hangup right now is with the septic plan. I am just kicking myself for not asking him to draw up a three-bedroom plan initially. I knew better but I just didn't speak up. Oh well, at least all it will cost us is a little bit of time (and maybe a little money to get reapproved). I just wish I could have a vacation from all of this. . . oh wait. . . I just got home from a vacation on Sunday night. I can't wait until the day I can take a personal day to unpack in my house!!! For a while, I could imagine it but now it seems like some crazy fantasy!

I pray every day that this debt will not rule our lives. I trust that God has things in control but as many of you (who know me well) know, I like to be "in control" (if there really is such a thing) so this is difficult for me.

We're Home

We made it home last night around 11:15 pm. Thanks to Maggie who picked us up from the bus stop downtown. The whole trip was very interesting. It got started by Andrew being pulled over about 15 miles down the road. He didn't get a ticket, thankfully! The bus ride home was very interesting as well. It felt just like choir tour. The bus was very similar to the Sterling College bus. The only difference was that we didn't know anyone else on the bus! We ran into some bad traffic coming from Minneapolis to Chicago so our bus was an hour late getting into Chicago!! The bus driver of our bus called ahead and they held our second bus for us! Needless to say, we got some dirty looks while we were loading that bus. I would imagine feeling the same way but nothing could be done to help the situation!!

Well, the house project continues to trudge along. We are now working on getting the septic plan changed and reapproved by the county. By the time we get all the permits done and everything, I am thinking it will be mid-September now. I don't want to build in the cold and snow! :( Anyway, this is teaching me a great deal about patience and trust. I would never have chosen this path to getting a house of my own (again) but I have to trust that it is the best option for us!

Minnesota

We're here in Minnesota. After a whirlwind trip through Chicago, Milwaukee, and now here, we are about ready to attend the wedding of Andrew's cousin, Kristin. We have enjoyed lots of good food (of course, my favorite was Geja's fondue cafe in Chicago) and many good sightseeing spots.

We are continuing to make progress on our house. Right now the main hold-up is that we are adding a bedroom to our house and so we have to change the septic plan, which also means another approval through the county!

Fairchild Family Visit

My parents and siblings were in Ohio to visit this past weekend. I had so much fun with them. I only wish we could have had a little bit more started on the house. Oh well! We enjoyed tea, swimming, a Red's game, visiting, eating (of course), and playing games. I will try to post some more pictures later. Sorry this is short, I'm trying to really get a lot done at work today, because I have a very short week!

What kind of candy are you?

Gummy Bears

You may be smooshie and taste unnatural, but you're so darn cute.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

Take the test and enjoy!

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofcandyareyouquiz/

Lady in Waiting!

I am waiting. . . . waiting. I am either waiting for God to speak to me and say, "It is not My will for you to build this" or I am waiting from a call from our consultant saying, "You have to spend X amount of dollars extra to get this approved by the bank so we can find a house comparable in your area." I wish you could experience the drastic difference in those two voices in my head!! :) All I am going to say is that it is a wonderful thing that we cannot see the future. I doubt I would have packed a single box (let alone over a hundred), or gotten in the car (if Andrew had decided to pack boxes for me) to move, if I would have foreseen that we would have started on our house eight and a half months later!!

Assertive Quiz

Lately, I have been working on being more assertive. I found a definition of assertive and it means to stand up for your own rights while being sensitive to the feelings of others. So, I found this assertiveness quiz. I will post it below. The answers can be found in the comments on this post. Please post your results.

Assertiveness Quiz (Answer Yes or No)
1. Do you buy things you do not want because you are afraid to say no to the salesperson?
2. When you do not understand the meaning of a word, do you ask about it?
3. Do you feel responsible when things go wrong, even if it is not your fault?
4. Do you look directly at others when you talk to them?
5. Do people often ask you to speak more loudly in order to be heard?
6. Do you feel intimidated by people in authority?
7. Do you generally have good posture?
8. Do you often feel so angry you could scream?
9. Do you know how to ask for help without feeling dependent?
10. If someone cuts in front of you in a line, do you usually tell them off?
-----------------------------------------------------
1. The assertive person is not afraid to say no. She or he feels free to make choices.
2. The assertive person takes responsibility for getting his or her needs met. Fear of seeming ignorant does not prevent the assertive person from asking questions.
3. The assertive person takes responsibility for his or her own behavior but does not take responsibility for the behavior of others or for situations which are beyond his or her control. To feel responsible for things beyond your control leads to unnecessary feelings of guilt.
4. Direct eye contact is assertive and suggests sincerity, self-confidence and the expectation that others will listen.
5. An assertive person wants to be heard.
6. An assertive person does not allow status to intimidate him or her.
7. Good posture communicates a positive self-image. When posture is limited by a disability, good eye contact and facial expression can be used to express a positive self-image.
8. The assertive person works to get his or her needs met and does not let situations build to the point of crisis.
9. The assertive person is able to ask for help without feeling dependent because he or she maintains a strong sense of self worth and self-respect.
10. Telling someone off is an angry, aggressive response The assertive person would state that he or she is irritated by the unfairness and ask the person to move to the end of the line.

Holding Pattern

We are still waiting. We are now waiting on our appraisal. If the bank can't find any homes in our area to compare ours to, we may have to change our plans a bit. Because of the expense of the permit in Liberty Township, it is best to only turn in your plans for approval once. Therefore, they must be final. This waiting game is so frustrating. I remember thinking we would be started in May or June. Now, I am hoping to get started before the end of summer. Argh!

Next Step

We got our plot plan in the mail yesterday. So, at lunch today I'm off to the township to get it turned in for approval.

The House and Students

Well, the house project continues to plod along. I am hoping to get an approval back from the health department and get our plot plan by Friday of this week. If everything comes back to me in a timely manner, then I hope to have our building permit by August 16th. Right now, the bank is having a hard time finding comps in our area. Our house is considered a ranch style (because of the unfinished upstairs) for the time being yet it is more expensive because of the upstairs and the geothermal we are putting in. I hope this doesn't hold it up too long. It takes 10 days for the underwriters to get everything done, but we are waiting for the appraisal. We are also becoming increasingly frustrated with the county and township. They have told us several different things about the right-of-way on our property. We are now probably going to have to take out a few of our mature trees in order to build our house in the proper spot!

I am having great success with voice lessons in this area. I hardly advertised at all and now I have a full evening on Mondays. I certainly wish I could do it another night of the week as well, but I'm just too busy! That's all for now. Nothing very exciting to report.

New Blog

Ok, I was going to keep this blog to myself, on account that I don't want people to think I'm baby crazy (well, maybe I am a little). . . . . but I can't keep it to myself. Their new baby is just too cute. And they have a new doggy as well. babythorny.blogspot.com

We Need Design Help!

We had a great meeting with UBuildIt today. We got the budget reviewed and the next steps reviewed before we can start. We are getting so close! Anyway, our consultant said that we can help to speed up the process a bit by getting a few things picked out ahead of time. We have already finished picking out the kitchen and bathroom cabinets, countertops, and hardware. So our next project is to pick the color of siding that we want. We are having a tough time with this so we would like some input. Please review the colors below (other colors may be available, so feel free to suggest something else) and let me know in a comment which one you like best. Please pick a house color and a shutter color.

Viva!!!!

It is Fiesta time here at work. Actually, I'm not helping with the VBS (techically) but it sure has changed the quietness of this place. Its been great to see the kids and the teachers back here at the church. I just sometimes feel like closing my door to preserve the quiet!

As far as our house project goes, I made the trip to Hamilton on Monday to turn in our septic plan for approval with the health department. It took me one hour and seven minutes to drive to Hamilton, get the stuff turned in (stamped, cataloged, blah, blah) and drive back. I thought that was pretty good timing. The drive was good except I had to drive down Tylersville, which I generally try to avoid at all costs. We have a meeting with UBuildIt tomorrow. My hopes are that they are done with getting the bids and that they are ready to turn that big house building organizer book over to ME!! He he!! Ok, I'm crazy. Anyway, I also hope they got the stuff turned into the bank that they needed too and that we are about ready to get rolling with the finances. After paying Liberty Township, the County, the plot plan guys, and our septic plan engineer, we have been stretched thin (although our Hawaii money is still intact). :)

In other news, Andrew and I have begun helping Jennie and Maggie (Andrew's sister and cousin) sell their scones on Saturday mornings. While the getting up before 6:00 am for the one market isn't that great (I used to sleep until noon, back when we lived in KS), it has been fun to bring home a little extra cash. We haven't done anything fun with it, however. We are saving it up for a disciplinary tool for Dewey. He won't come when called and is starting to run out into the road more often.

More news, I now have three voice students. I got another call from a mom today who wants lessons for her 13-year-old daughter. That should be fun. That is more the age group I have worked with in the past. I am beginning to feel kind of pressed for time. I keep telling Andrew that I need to learn how to have fun and relax very quickly, so I have time to get all my work done. When I spoke to this mom today about voice lessons, she mentioned having lessons in the afternoons and I told her that I also worked full-time. She absolutely could not believe it. Am I really crazy? Sometimes I feel like I am. I don't want to be so busy that I don't have time for relationships and the important people in my life. Hopefully I'll have a good house update tomorrow after our meeting. In the mean time, I am always watching out for good self quizzes. I guess the health one was more fun than the city one! :)

What City Are You?

Since we have all had so much fun with the Real Age quiz I posted on here that I thought this might also be fun. I found it through Amy Doane's blog (link at the right). Take this short quiz to find out what city you are. I'm not sure I agree with all of this. The driven and successful part, maybe. Take the quiz and post your results in the comments section!! :) Enjoy!

You Are New York

Cosmopolitan and sophisticated, you enjoy the newest in food, art, and culture. You also appreciate a good amount of grit - and very little shocks you. You're competitive, driven, and very likely to succeed. Famous people from New York: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tupac Shakur, Woody Allen

What American City Are You?

The House the Schechters Built

I called our surveyor this morning after faxing him information yesterday. He said, "My, aren't you an impatient one." :) He was joking, of course. I explained to him that the plot plan was the last thing we needed before turning all our info into the county. He said he understood completely. He said that they were planning on sending a team to survey only what was needed for the plot plan (will save us money) tomorrow! He said the plot plan will probably be done by the end of next week! Anyway, I was anticipating a much longer wait. After that is finished, we will be getting everything cleared through the county and township offices. I spoke to a guy at the heath department and I realize that a lot of this government stuff is pretty crazy. We essentially have to get approved twice by the health department. One is an initial approval and the second is a release. Of course, they both cost money. I am hoping to be done with all the approvals from the county and township by August 14th. That might be a pretty hard goal to reach but we can always try. Realistically, I am hoping we will have our basement dug by the 1st of September. We have a UBI meeting next Wednesday to discuss the cost breakdown of our house, which is the final step of Phase 1; Phase 2 being the building Phase. Yeah!

My "Real" Age

I took a "real" age test today. Very interesting. It said that my "real" age was about 19.9. The things I can improve on include: not having so many stressful events in my life (oh, sorry, couldn't help it that we moved, and my grandpa died), increase my weight training to 90 minutes per SESSION, lower my resting heart rate, etc. I got points for having a good marriage, a good car, not talking on my phone in the car, not smoking or drinking, having good family relationships and ties. www.realage.com This brings me to my next point . . . .

I have really been praying, lately, for some friends. I have made several good friends since moving here (mostly through work and our small group from church), but they just aren't the type of girlfriends that I can call up on a Friday night to do something. They are older and have kids or even grandkids. I have really been praying that God would spend me a friend that also really needs a friend like me. It seems difficult to get connected to people through church because I already know all of the Sunday School people (and they are older with kids or grandkids) and the young marrieds don't really have a group. Anyway, I guess I just need to be patient and wait to see what God has in mind.

Our house preliminary stuff is moving along. We had a meeting with our septic engineer last night. He said that he should have the drawing completed by Friday. After that, we turn it into the health department for approval. I have also contacted a company to survey our lot. They haven't called me back yet. Once the survey is done, then our plot plan can be drawn and turned in for approval from the township and the county. We could be ready to go quickly is everyone is as quick as our septic engineer has been. I'll keep you up-to-date.

Things that I like . . .

1) My new cell phone. It's pink and I can leave myself these cool voice recordings. It has helped me to be more organized these past weeks.

2) Our land!! We have a very pretty view out the back of our land. Dewey enjoyed his little exploring adventure there yesterday.

3) Dudley Woods! It is a beautiful park that I like to walk in.

4) Having a subdivision accross the street. Some of you may think . . . "Why is that a good thing?" It is because I love to walk there. If you walk the whole subdivision about three times it takes 1/2 hour (that's my usual path). I've even been able to recognize some of the residents. Sometimes I wonder if they are only nice to me because they think I live in one of the 1/2 or 1/4 million dollar homes! :)

5) I like my car! It is small, quick, and has a good stereo!

6) I like the secretary at UBI. She is so nice and has been more helpful than any other contractor, or engineer I have talked to thus far!

7) I like teaching Sunday School. Yesterday, I was only kicked once, screamed at once, and slapped once (she actually didn't pinch or bite today) and only by one child. No one pooped their pants this week!

8) I like earning extra money each week at the Farmer's Market. I was about ready to set it aside and save it for something. After I evaluated everything, this seemed quite silly as we are still in debt and paying interest on stuff, so it will be deposited and paid toward something. Someday . . .

9) I like my job. It is so quiet here this morning. I have gotten so much done already today and it's only 10:30 a.m.

10)I like Grandma Myers' new mower. I am getting quite spoiled by the new mower.

11) I like the colors of our kitchen. I think it will look nice but I am still a little nervous, since I can't really see it. I need a free designer.

That's all for now!

Neat Ministry . . .

After I finished with May Festival, I felt like I should get involved with something. I didn't really want something that was too time consuming with our house project and all, but I really did want to make a difference. I signed up to be a Pen Pal with Prison Fellowship, a Christian organization. I wrote my first letter last month and have corresponded twice now with my pen pal who is a prisoner. There have already been avenues opening up for me to share my faith. This is a neat ministry and many more people are needed to do this simple task. It is really just writing about one letter every two weeks. If you live in the area, I would be glad to mail and receive your letters from my "safe location" (my work place), as they recommend that you don't use your home address. I will include the link below if you are interested. It has really been a neat experience for me already. Feel free to ask me about it or read the letters I have received. I don't mind!

http://www.prisonfellowship.org/contentindex.asp?ID=26

Things I severely dislike!

1) I really have discovered that I dislike money. Not that I dislike having money but I just don't like to feel so controlled by it.

2) I dislike ditches. I like that ditches drain water away from things but . . . well, maybe I should say that I don't like to mow on a slant. I'm a Kansas girl, we aren't used to anything closely related to hills, slopes, or mountains.

3) I dislike my check engine light. It has been on for about two weeks, yet nothing seems to be wrong with my car. Just makes me nervous.

4) I dislike plats and surveys. I understand why they would be necessary but I am annoyed by them right now!

5) I dislike zits. My skin has been reacting so strangely lately. My shoulders have been especially bad and I have no idea what the problem is. Nothing has changed, as far as soap or diet is concerned. Maybe I should try Proactiv. Any ideas?

6) I dislike road kill. . . . especially when I am walking. No one should have to walk past a furry arm here or a little tail there. Aren't there road cleanup services?

7) I dislike leaving my doggy. Really all he requires is food, water, (umm, some minorly expensive vet bills), and human attention. The only time he is destructive is when he is unable to get the attention he craves (or when he sees that chewy stuffed animal that he has a fetish for). He is much better if you let him wander around the house with you, rather than lock him away by himself. Isn't that what we all want? Just a little attention and companionship??!

Mainly this post was to say how much I dislike the way money control's me. It makes me irritable. We need new sheets that don't have rips and that fit our bed, however, with all the things coming up we have to fund for our house (plot plan, septic plan, survey, building permit, township certificate, closing costs, mailbox, a couch, and other hidden costs) sheets are more of a luxury than a necessity!! Ok, I'm done ranting now. I'll try to post a list soon of things that I like. That list will be much longer.

We're Back

We arrived in Ohio tonight at about 10:00 pm. Before this trip, I thought of it as being a fairly long stay in Kansas, but now it seems to short. Yes, I am still up at 11:39 pm this evening with my usual bout of homesickness insomnia. I'm hoping that a little milk might help. I am kind of dreading getting back into the real world tomorrow. Not as far as work goes, but just with the house project and all. I hope things go smoothly and quickly. Well, I've got to try to sleep now. More later!

Blog from Kansas Part #2

We have arrived safely to my parents house. We had an enjoyable day. We had lunch with Andrew's great aunt and uncle in Kansas City and then we traveled on to McPherson to the quilt shop there. We thought it was only going to be open until 5:00 pm (and we arrived at 4:15 pm) but it was a special 4th of July sale (25% off) and so they were open until 8:00 p.m. We then stopped in Lyons for some famous pan bread at Pizza Hut! I guess that is all for now!

Kansas Trip Post #1

We left this morning at about 7:30 am for a little vacation to Kansas. Right now we are in Springfield, Missouri, visiting some friends of my in-law's. The just opened a restaurant and we got to sample the food tonight. It was very good!!! They serve mainly steaks. We are headed off to Kansas tomorrow, with a stop in Kansas City, McPherson and then on to my parents house. That's all for now....

Newest House Developments

Andrew and I met with an appraiser from the bank today at noon. He asked us several questions about our house plans, our lot, etc. He cost a pretty penny. We also found out from the people drawing up our plot plan, that our lot has never been surveyed. This, unfortunately, means that we will probably have to have it surveyed, which could cost us a $1,000. We'll see what happens. We are hoping that the guy we purchased the lot from has some information on it that will help us to avoid this cost. I was so excited about the cost savings in the septic system and the plot plan and now we are hit with this expense. Many times I just feel like throwing my hands in the air and quitting. It is so much easier to just buy a house, instead of build however . . . . . . . I have been learning that taking the easy route in life, isn't always the best (despite what the 'world' will tell you). Trial builds character. Right now, all I feel it is building is my blood pressure. I am not one who can easily see the big picture. I am more the detailed nature. That is why Andrew and I work so well together. Good thing that my better half is a big picture kind of man. He reminds me that when all this hard work is over, we will have a simple, modest, yet comfortable home that we can easily (and cheaply) expand, if we need. I have been praying that this house project is God's will for our lives and not just a selfish dream that we are chasing after. Sorry for the slightly depressing post. I guess it is time for a little vacation. Good thing, since we will be on our way to Kansas tomorrow morning for a visit. Feel free to comment. You know how I LOVE getting comments! :)

216

Andrew, in his boredom from lack of school work, decided to count my blog entries. I am at number 216. . . therefore the title of this post. Andrew also requested that I let all of you know we are listening to Poncho Sanchez's song "Yumbambe." He can sing it for you upon request with a pretty convincing accent. It is part of his latin jazz collection . . . yes, I said latin jazz.

My Day!

Well, my day certainly ended up better than it started. I began the day, yesterday, by forgetting my purse next door, at my in-law's house. The problem was that I didn't remember until this morning right as we were leaving for work. Andrew had to come back and drive me next door to get my purse and then drive me home. When I got to work, I realized that I had forgotten my cell phone AND the list of numbers I needed to call today for the house project. Thankfully, I was able to get the numbers again with just one phone call to the county! It was pretty quiet and slow today at work. I was able to get a lot done with preschool scheduling, attendance, and VBS. I am going to be gone on Friday on my way to Kansas (yeah!!) for a family visit. So, I worked ahead a little on the newsletter so it will be ready for the person covering for me on Friday.

I have one voice lesson tonight and then my efforts will be concentrated on getting our little area of the house cleaned up. It seems that the paper clutter in there has just exploded. I need to get my filing system back into shape after the move. It should be cleaned up quickly after that. I also need to get myself a little bag I can tote around that contains all of our house information. That is just sitting in a pile and sometimes I need it! :) Anyway, not really much news to share. I want to mention how much I miss people posting comments on my blog. The comments don't need to be deep or profound but I enjoy hearing from people. Anyway, just a side note. Hopefully, I'll know more about our septic system designer tomorrow.

Little House on the Prairie Soil

Our perc (aka soil evaluation) test went well. We met at our land and waited about 15 minutes before the soil specialist arrived. He walked around and tested for about 45 minutes, while we chatted. Then he gave us a report. He said that the soil up by the house was pretty heavy clay (not good) but . . . we had a strip of land about 30 feet behind our trees (means we get to save our mature trees) that is called Prairie Soil. It is good soil to host a septic system. What does that ultimately mean for us? A savings of about $10,000 on our septic system! We are getting things built just in time because starting January 1st, the county is setting new standards for septic systems, which means every one has to get the more expensive kind.

The next plan of action is to call a septic design engineer and having him draw a plan of where our septic system will go in. We have two in mind and we will decide on one this weekend. After he draws the plans then we will need to get a permit from the health department at the county.

Percs, Permits, Plots, Plans Part #2

I'm not sure I got the title exactly right but I wanted to give a house update. I feel like we are finally moving along. I heard from UBI (UBuildIt) today and they gave me a list of things to do before we are able to actually break ground. I have already started on many of them and we are waiting on other things (soil test, sewage plan, plot plan, and permits) before we can move ahead. I feel I can the the end (well, the beginning anyway) in site to starting our house. I still haven't heard back from our kitchen designer. We are up in the air with that. I will have to call and bug him. I don't think these people know what is coming when I get involved with a project! :) I like to be very nice but since I enjoy being organized and efficient, I just feel like other people should as well!

It may be expensive to live in Butler County, Ohio, as I'm sure we will soon find out, but their offices at the county have been very helpful. I have had to call the health department twice to clear up misunderstandings on my part and they have always explained things patiently, and have returned my phone calls promptly. So far (knock on wood), they have been very easy to get along with. After all this is over, I think that I will feel like starting a UBI franchise on my own! :) Ha ha, just kidding. After this is over, I don't think I will want to think about home building for a long time! I have also been getting an education in tire disposal. Who knew it would be so hard to get rid of a bunch of old tires that were left on our lot? It was going to be so expensive to get rid of but I found a landfill that will take them for $3 for unrimmed and $5 for rimmed. That is the cheapest I could find. I wish I could recycle them but I can't find anywhere that will do it. I've looked! Ah, the weird things an adult has to know. Now, why didn't I enjoy the innocence of childhood more?!

In other news: Andrew has taken an accidental six week break from classes. He didn't get registered for a class during this next six week period. He probably could have gotten into one, but I encouraged him to take a break, even though it will take him six weeks longer to finish. He has been working so hard and even though the house isn't ready to be worked on, I still think he needs a break. I am helping with VBS at our church tonight. I'm not sure what I am doing, but I guess I'll find out. They just called me up and asked me to help out on Thursday night. I think it is mainly following kids around to each station.

New Blog

No, I am not going to quit writing this blog. I doubt that my frequency will decline any either, but I have decided to start another blog as well. I recently started the Lose It For Life program. I just need a more private place to track those results so I started a private blog. I would like some of you to be able to read it and have a place to share your thoughts (the joys of a support group). So, if you are interested in being part of my weight loss blog, please email me and I will send you a link. jaime_schechter@yahoo.com.

Andrew mowed more of our land last night. He and his dad are going to work on planning out the lot tonight and possibly staking where the house is going to be. I feel like we are actually starting to move on things now. I would imagine that our detailed budget report will be ready in the next two weeks or so. Then we will be working on getting a building permit and other government permits so we can begin building. Yeah! I actually rode my bike out to our land last night, and back. It is about 5 miles. It seems to get easier every time I do it.

Permits, Plans, Percs, and Plots

Well, we continue to work hard on our house project, even though it may not seem like it to the outside world. I feel like a fish swimming upstream at best! I am now dealing with things like soil tests and septic plans and I have NO EARTHLY idea what I am doing!!!! The majority of the time, when I am talking to these people, it is like they are speaking a different language. I am trying to look on this as an opportunity to learn (more than I ever want to know) about the building industry. At least we will have a house in the end, it just may not be built quite as soon as we had hoped. At times, I feel as if I am carrying that house by myself, on my back, uphill in the snow! I think that my guess of breaking ground in a month was totally unrealistic. My best estimate is now that we will break ground in late August/early September. We have to have so many things squared away by the time we begin with actual construction. I just wish I had a guide book. I would do so much better with a little direction! I apologize if this post seems a bit over the top but I am just pretty frustrated right now. It is good that I have been so diligent in my exercise lately. It is a GREAT stress reliever. I feel like running several miles right about now! I'll have to wait until tonight! Oh, also I am giving two voice lessons tonight. Yeah and yikes! I seriously doubt my skills at a time like this. (now I sound like Napolean dynamite when I say skills). Ok, I'll stop rambling now, I think . . . . . . . .

Memories

Grandpa and three granddaughters (we're missing Rachel)

Jaime, Grandpa, Jenny, and Laura

Thanksgiving 2005

Many of my fond childhood memories come from visiting my Grandpa Walter in Downs, Kansas. Many of my earliest memories are of holiday's spent there, visiting Grandpa's welding shop and getting peanuts and pop, and fun times playing with my cousins.We always had a good time at Downs because Grandpa would take us around doing all of the things he enjoyed. Some of our favorite included going fishing with him in his boat on Waconda Lake, going out for coffee break, going to Rose Valley Church to Sunday School and Church. There we got to see many third cousins and other distant relatives. My cousin, Laura and I, have many fun memories of the weeks we would spend there together in the summer. One of our favorites was the time that someone dropped us off at the Downs pool . . . without our shoes!!! We decided to walk home after a while and devised a scheme to lay down a towel, walk across it, and then pick up and lay down the other towel. Grandpa eventually found us walking home in this manner!! I always looked forward to Grandpa visiting us in St. John for sports events, birthdays, and concerts. He made a huge effort to attend our events, even though he had to drive 2 1/2 hours to be there. Of all the wonderful fun and wonderful memories I have of my Grandpa, I am most grateful for his Christian example that he set for the entire family. He was always willing to help and he was known to break the law by piling too many children in his van to take them to church. Right before he died, he won an award for evangelism from the district Methodist conference, and I cannot think of a better person. These words don't really express the gratitude I feel of having known such a wonderful Christian person, who was always chipper and positive, even when having serious health problems. I certainly miss my Grandpa, but I feel so happy to think that he is in heaven, rejoicing with Jesus. I can only hope to pass along such a strong and wonderful Christian heritage to my kids someday!

Rewards!

After I reach a goal, I give myself these little rewards. When a person is trying to lose weight, I have heard that it is a terrible idea to reward yourself with food, so I have had to be pretty creative to come up with ideas of things to get that 1) aren't too expensive; 2) will make me feel rewarded; 3) will motivate me to keep going. My first goal was to walk for 30 minutes for two weeks (14 days to be exact) and then I would receive a new pair of athletic shoes. This is an especially good goal, since I haven't replaced my athletic shoes since my tennis days in high school!!!! I am off, in a few minutes, to go shopping for some new athletic shoes. I have my next goal set, which is just another little baby step in the right direction, and my next reward chosen as well.

Here We Go

I received my first call last night for voice lessons. It is strange since I placed the add back in May. My first lesson is next Monday night! I need to work on updating my cards and my forms.

Delay

Sorry for the delay in posting. I have been wanting to create a nice post about my Grandpa but our laptop is on hold for the time being. The power cord went bad so there is no battery to speak of. We have one ordered but it hasn't arrived yet. I'll update again soon! Until then my search continues for the Sandi Patty songbook, Hymns Just for You. My mom has a copy but it is now out of print and I want one for myself. I even called the publisher! Nobody has one!

Harvest Time Blues

I'm not sure whether it is because it is harvest time or because I was just in Kansas that I am feeling pretty homesick for my home state. Many of my favorite childhood memories are centered around harvest. My siblings and I would spend hours riding the combine with Grandpa and Dad, listening to our Adventures in Odyssey tapes! I would plot how I could get my cousins to come and ride the combine with me. I'm sure I brought my dolls along to play with. We also rode on the tractor's while they were disking after a wheat field had been harvested but that would always bang your head against the glass of the back window whenever the driver changed gears. The combine had a nice comfy padded seat. I haven't spent much time in Fairchild Farms' new combine but I understand it has some pretty fancy computerized equipment now as well. I will always treasure the moments out on the combine. One of my favorite memories was when my Grandpa shared his supper with me. I'm sure he was tired and hungry after a long day out on the combine but he shared his ham sandwich (with real Mayo . . . I remember it being so good) and a peach with me! I also remember chewing on the wheat right out of the combine bin, just like it was chewing gum. I never knew how lucky I was to experience those days. It taught me a lot about hard work and devotion. It makes me sad to think that my kids will not grow up on a farm because it was a great experience for me. More to come . . .

Caring

I have received five sympathy cards and . . . . . ALL of them have come from members of the church where I work. Have I said it enough that I love my job? More later . . .

Some tributes

As some of you know, my grandfather passed away last week. We have been in Kansas for the funeral. I have been wanting to write about him but the memories have just been too much right now. Two of my blogging friends, one my cousin, Laura, and the other my third cousin and childhood in habitant of Downs., Edie, have written about him. So for now, I will give you links to what they wrote. Right now we are in the Kansas City airport waiting on our delayed flight to leave (in about an hour). More later!

http://www.xanga.com/ritalin_fixes_EDD/

http://www.xanga.com/hawkfan212

Review and Schechter House Update #2

Ok, I have one more review from May Festival. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20060528/ENT/305280006/.

My favorite line is "Robert Porco has trained his chorus to sing with buoyancy as well as power. Indeed, few places on earth can one hear such a finely trained amateur chorus. The result was vibrant and rich." I must say that I am proud to have been in such a fine choir. I do feel a great sense of relief now that it is over! It just took so much time!

Our meeting went well today. We worked out a lot of details about our house from, different types of foundation, windows, shingles, appliances, flooring, lighting, plumbing, etc. We are now in the process of getting our house plans printed (he needs 20 copies) in a big copy format so that our consultant can start to gather bids. We are going to try and get those very soon. It is a little out of our hands, however. I asked him today how long he thought this house would take to build. He estimated that it would take about 4 months to build this size of house. We will hopefully break ground sometime in late June or July and therefore I am hoping to be done by November. It would be great to be in our house for Christmas! Anyway, I feel like things are really moving now. A lot of this is all over my head but I am hoping to catch on soon. If anyone is in the area and wants to help when we tile, paint, finish, etc, let me know. We will probably only be able to pay you back with favors or a nice meal in our home, once finished! :) Anyway, I will continue to update when I know more.

New Baby

Here is the announcement I received from my college roommate about her second child. I actually got this a few days ago but I haven't checked my email recently! You know I am BUSY when I don't check my email! :) I guess I got the baby's name wrong in my previous post.

Toby Graham
8 lb 7 oz
21" long
Black, thick hair and dark blue eyes

I can't believe my little friend had such a big baby! Anyway, congratulations to them!

Soapbox

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060525/NEWS07/605250364/1009

I have always been against too much TV watching. In middle school, one of our teachers had us go 24 hours without watching TV. It was wild to see how people struggled with it. I enjoy my shows (24!!) like the rest of the world and I still watch too much TV (especially at night). I do believe that the majority of the world's children watch way too much TV. So, I was glad to find this article through Google news that has backed my theory of too much TV. Just think of how much we could get done if we weren't so captivated for hours a day by watching television.

Happy Anniversary!

I don't want to get too sappy on this blog because I know several family members read this who don't appreciate sap. Anyway, I just wanted to say Happy Anniversary to my husband. It has been a wonderful three years and I am looking forward to many many more! I love you so very much!

Miracle

It is strange to think that my college roommate is getting ready to deliver her second baby by C-section in about 15 minutes. I am so glad that things have gone so much smoother this time around for her and the baby. I can't imagine having children so it is hard for me to fathom having two! I will wait until I hear any news about the birth to update this since they don't know stats yet.

I haven't gotten any calls from my voice lesson add that I placed in the Pulse Journal a week ago. If I don't get any interest, I might just forget it for now. I really would like to teach again because I enjoyed it so much. I could write local schools but with school so near the end, it seems pointless.

Another Review

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20060522/ENT03/605220328/1083/rssenq05

Websites of Interest

Well, I just got home from our second May Festival concert of the season, which went well. I must say that I have such a love/hate situation here. I love certain aspects of May Festival and hate other aspects! Andrew has given me good advice to just take the next year off and then decide whether I will continue on. If you'd like to read reviews and other information about this year's festival. Click on the links below.

1) Interviews and a clip of a performance: http://www.cetconnect.org/arts_culture/index.asp

2) Cincinnati Enquirer review of Friday's performance:
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20060520/ENT/605200347/1083/rssenq05

Article

I thought this was a good article, describing the May Festival history. I was actually surprised to read that the Orchestra was created originally for the May Festival. Enjoy!

http://cinweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/a1/20060517/NEWS0102/605170330/1082/rsscin10

Schechter House Update #1

We have a meeting set for the 30th of May. It is hard to get a meeting set up there and the only available time they had before that conflicted with my staff meetings. I need to remember to set up these meetings quickly after the last one so no time is wasted. Oh well, it will give us plenty of time to get final house plans finished (thanks to Tim) and get some information on other specific products we want in the house since it is a specs meeting. Our consultant claims it will last 3 or 4 hours. I am just looking forward to the fact that I will be completely done with May Festival (until a later date, anyway) on that day! I had the hardest time going to sleep last night, even though I was tired, because all of our music kept running through my head!! I am feeling ready for a relaxing summer and hopefully some hours spent in Rolf's pool (when it warms up! It's only 54 degrees right now! Brrr!).

What I will be doing!

If I happen to not post much in the next two weeks, I wanted to explain why. I am going to show you the schedule we have for May Festival this year. Thankfully, I am not in the Mozart Vespers and therefore I do get a few (three) evenings off in the upcoming two weeks. I don't know how the singers in that will do it. You can read about the upcoming concerts at www.mayfestival.com.

WEEK I:
Saturday, May 13; 10:00AM-5:00PM LRR Rehearsal; Hailstork Vespers (Lunch provided in Corbett Tower): no early Chorus Call

Sunday, May 14; 2:00PM-9:00PM LRR Rehearsal; Repertoire for Week I (Dinner provided in Corbett Tower); no early Chorus Call

Monday, May 15 6:15-10:00PM LRR Rehearsal; Basilica Program6:00PM Chorus Call

Tuesday, May 16 6:00-6:20 LRR Rehearsal; 6:20-7:05PM Stage Block Earthrise7:15-7:30PM Seat Orff Choruses7:30-10:00PM Rehearsal with OrchestraHailstork/ Orffno early Chorus Call

Wednesday, May 17 7:30-10:00PM Stage Rehearsal; Tippett; Vaughan Williams 6:30PM Chorus Call in LRR

Thursday, May 18 7:30-10:00PM Stage Rehearsal; Hailstork; Orff (Open Dress Rehearsal)6:00PM Chorus Call in LRR

Friday, May 19 8:00PM Stage Performance; Hailstork; Orff; 7:00PM Chorus Call in LRR

Saturday, May 20 10:00AM-1:00PM Stage Rehearsal; Tippett/Vaughan Williams (Open Dress Rehearsal) 9:00AM Chorus Call in LRR

Saturday, May 20 8:00PM Stage Performance; Tippett and Vaughan Williams 7:00PM Chorus Call in LRR

Sunday, May 21 3:00-5:15PM Basilica Rehearsal; Mozart Vespers 2:15PM Chorus Call in the Latin School(Light supper provided between rehearsal and performance)

Sunday, May 21 7:00PM Basilica All-Mozart Concert 6:30PM Chorus warm up in the Latin School

WEEK II:

Monday, May 22 7:00-10:00PM LRR Rehearsal; Haydn Creationno early Chorus Call

Tuesday, May 23 7:30-9:30PM Stage Rehearsal; Mozart Abduction 7:00PM Chorus Call

Wednesday, May 24 7:30-10:00PM Stage Rehearsal; Haydn Creation

Thursday, May 25 7:30-10:00PM Stage Rehearsal; Mozart Abduction 7:00PM Chorus Call

Friday, May 26 8:00PM Stage Performance; Mozart Abduction Chorus Call TBD

Saturday, May 27 10:00-1:00PM Stage Rehearsal; Haydn Creation 9:00AM Chorus Call in LRR

Saturday, May 27 8:00PM Stage Performance; Haydn Creation7:00PM Chorus Call

The places I've been: States

Obviously, most of my travel has been limited to the Midwest! Too bad Andrew and I never made time or money to take our "southwest road trip" when we still lived in Kansas. I do believe that I will at least add one state (West Virginia) this year. Thanks, Anna, for this fun idea!

create your own visited states map

House Update!

Our meeting went well. Our rough estimate was quite a bit higher than we expected. We decided to change some things and make the upstairs an "attic" for the time being so that won't be included in the cost of the total building project. We are changing our house plans to make the downstairs acceptable to a lender and then we will have a long meeting with UBuildIt to decide specifications for the whole house. I hope we can get our house plans finalized quickly so that we can keep the process moving. No, we don't know yet when we will start building. That's all for now. Have a good day!!

Oh no!

It all started yesterday when I began to feel a litte bit congested in my nose. Now, I have a terrible sore throat! This is the worst possible time for me to get sick. I do feel a bit draggy today as well. I'm hoping that it is just allergy problems and will clear up quickly!

This week!

I am looking forward to our meeting with UBuildIt on Thursday. We should find out then, the rough estimate of how much it is going to cost us to build. I hope we don't have to find another house plan!! I am also going to ask him when he things we can start the actual construction (even though I realize this planning phase is just as important . . . I am getting lots of questions that I don't have answers to!). We have had a difficult time figuring out how to get the property mowed. It is so deep that a regular mower just can't handle it!

I have actually been working out very regularly lately. I have been running (my longest run was 3/4 mile, not long, I know) and working a lot outside. On Saturday I trimmed trees, mowed, tilled the garden, and planted some stuff. Then I went for a run! Whew! I am thinking about getting my bike out and riding that some. I need to discover some good places to ride bikes around here because the roads just seem way to narrow and busy for me to be comfortable. I also don't like riding bikes because I can't take Dewey. We need to head back to my favorite park, Dudley Woods, so that Dewey and I can get a good long walk in. I will probably be in shape before I know it. I am having some weird pain in my ankle's when I run, so I need to figure that out before too long. I know these upcoming two weeks with May Festival will put a damper on my exercising routine but hopefully I can start up right after the Festival is over. I have also been doing a bit better with eating. I need to continue to eat more veggies and fruit but I bought some and have them at work with me. I guess that is about all for now!

Birthday Update!

I had a great birthday yesterday. The day started out with Andrew making me breakfast in bed. I enjoyed pancakes, scrambled eggs, and strawberries. It was delicious! When I got to work I discovered that my boss and his wife had given me a very nice book and card!! I was very surprised and it was very thoughtful of them. I know he realizes that I LOVE books but I'm not sure he knows how much I love books!! Then Susan took me out to lunch at Dewey's pizza! :) It was very good and I still have half (or more) of my calzone in the fridge at church. That will have to wait until Friday because my co-workers are taking me out to lunch today. Andrew then took me out for supper to Abuelos for some mexican food. It was very yummy! I was well fed, to say the least!!! Well, I'd better get going! Happy National Day of Prayer to all! Bye!

Weekend Update!

We had a great weekend in Cincinnati. Our only disappointment was the hotel. We had to wait in a long line, we didn't get clear instructions on anything (parking, dining, where our room was, checkout), and the bathroom was a little dirty. The show we saw was fantastic. My favorite song in the whole musical was "Bring him home." Great performance. The baseball game was great too. It was better once we left our original seats and sat down closer. We enjoyed expensive treats and the Red's won!

Yesterday, I was surprised at lunch by a birthday lunch. Susan and Jennie made my favorite, Super Nachos. I appreciated that because I know (for a fact!) that everyone in the family does not like them. Because of that reason, I would not have picked them if someone would have asked me (I am glad no one asked so . . . I could get my favorite meal, despite myself)!!
I also got to have the leftover Super Nachos which I will enjoy for lunch!

They didn't forget!

My wonderful co-workers and boss (the Pastor) gave me a beautiful flowering basket and card for Administrative Professionals Day (yes, secretary's day). I was so surprised! I am blessed to have found such a wonderful place to work after coming from a wonderful place to work!

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.